Adam Sandler. Image courtesy of Columbia Pictures_______
Sandler's Gay Robot Gets Animated
One of the funniest TV pilots that never actually made it to TV is Gay Robot, a sitcom about straight fraternity brothers and their friend, a rainbow-flag waving, guy-chasing robot. ( His inventor accidentally spilled a wine cooler on his circuit board—you know how these things happen. ) Even with the clout of Adam Sandler behind it—Gay Robot was a song on one of his comedy CDs—the pilot didn't get picked up, although it has amassed a fervent following on MySpace and other websites. But all is not lost—Sandler's production company has gone back to the drawing board and is developing Gay Robot as an animated series for Comedy Central. No word yet as to when the new cartoon version might premiere on the network, but expect lots of sarcastic android bleeps when it finally happens.
Lance Bass Gets Real for Logo
Music stars as diverse as Jessica Simpson and Ozzy Osbourne have seen their careers boosted by starring in their own reality shows, and now a gay superstar is following in their footsteps. Former 'N Sync member Lance Bass, who notably came out last year, is working with the Logo network on a reality show of his very own. ( Bass' last encounter with reality TV was his relationship with Amazing Race winner Reichen Lehmkuhl. ) Logo is part of the MTV Networks family, and gay network exec Brian Graden, a key player behind Newlyweds and The Osbournes, will be involved in putting the show together. No date set for Bass' show, so we'll have to wait and see if the singer develops a trademark along the lines of confusing chicken with tuna or chucking canned hams over a fence.
Derek Jacobi Goes to War for Schrader
Director Paul Schrader will be in theaters next with The Walker, which stars Woody Harrelson as a gay "walker" for Washington, D.C., society ladies at gala functions. And for his next project, Schrader will team up with legendary gay actor Sir Derek Jacobi for the Holocaust drama Adam Resurrected. The gritty film, which also stars Jeff Goldblum and Willem Dafoe, is based on the novel by Yoram Kaniuk, and tells the story of a circus performer in a concentration camp whose life is spared so he can entertain Jews on their way to the gas chambers. ( Wait—isn't this the plot of Jerry Lewis' infamous, never-released The Day the Clown Cried? ) Shooting began in April, so don't be surprised to see Adam in theaters before the end of the year.
Kathy Bates: Devoted to McNally
Kathy Bates is internationally acclaimed as the star of films and TV shows, but she's also made quite a career for herself on stage. Her earliest triumphs happened on the New York stage in plays like Marsha Norman's 'night, Mother ( Sissy Spacek got to play Bates' role in the movie version ) and Terrence McNally's Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune ( in which Bates appeared onstage completely nude ) . Now she's reteaming with McNally, the acclaimed gay playwright behind Love! Valour! Compassion! and Master Class, for the world premiere of his Unusual Acts of Devotion. What Devotion is actually about, however, remains something of a mystery. The show debuts Oct. 26 through Nov. 25 at the Philadelphia Theatre Company.
Romeo San Vicente's life has no mystery left—but plenty of activity, thanks to his multiple gay online profiles. E-mail DeepInsideHollywood@qsyndicate.com .
