THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

Before stepping into the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi, actor Ewan McGregor was never shy about taking roles with a queer edge, having memorably done love scenes with men in both The Pillow Book and Velvet Goldmine. But even with his star status firmly in place, McGregor has no qualms about playing yet another gay character. He'll star opposite Douglas Hodge in the upcoming film Scenes of a Sexual Nature - and yes, there'll be a kissing scene between the two of them. Noting that he and Hodge had co-starred in the London revival of Guys and Dolls, McGregor joked to England's Daily Express that the two had rehearsed their screen kiss back then: 'We would run it a few times between shows.' Sounds like easy work to Romeo.

Calista Flockhart Joins

Brothers and Sisters

Apart from occasional gossip-column items about her ongoing romance with Harrison Ford, actress Calista Flockhart has willingly dropped off the radar since the 2002 cancellation of Ally McBeal. Now she's back with the new ABC show Brothers and Sisters, created by acclaimed gay playwright Jon Robin Baitz ( The Substance of Fire ) . But the real drama on the show may be behind the cameras—Marti Noxon, Joss Whedon's second-in-command on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, recently bolted her duties as executive producer and showrunner on Brothers, with openly gay Everwood creator Greg Berlanti looking like her replacement. There are rumors of friction on the set, but of course no one's talking. ABC clearly believes in the show, however, giving it the plum Sunday night spot after Desperate Housewives.

Midnight Cowboy and

Priscilla Hit the Stage

Even if Footloose and Urban Cowboy weren't big hits on Broadway, the successes of Hairspray and The Producers pretty much ensure we're going to be seeing lots of movies turned into stage musicals. One unlikely candidate is Midnight Cowboy, based on gay director John Schlesinger's grim look at a would-be hustler adrift in a grimy and cruel New York City. The 'play with music' sold out its performances at last month's Edinburgh Festival and looks set to open in London's West End. A more obvious choice is The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. The musical stage version of this transgender road romp will open in Sydney, Australia, in October, and will probably play even wider than I Should Be So Lucky, the Kylie Minogue musical, did. Broadway fans, begin wishing and hoping now.

Hoffman and Williams

Team Up for Synecdoche

He won an Oscar for playing the lead role in one of last year's most acclaimed gay films; she got her first Oscar nomination for her heartbreaking performance in last year's other most acclaimed gay film. Now Capote's Philip Seymour Hoffman and Brokeback Mountain's Michelle Williams will join forces for Synecdoche. It marks the directorial debut of award-winning oddball screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, whose wonderfully unhinged scripts include the likes of Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The new film, which starts shooting next summer, will tell the story of an anguished playwright and the various women in his life. And because it's Kaufman, almost anything could happen, so expect plenty of weirdness from the finished product.

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