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

Just what has out comedian and comedy writer Bruce Vilanch been up to since he kicked his Hollywood Squares habit? I ran into the funny furry guy recently, and he filled me in on what's new in his glamorous world. Right now he's writing a semi-autobiographical comedy pilot for Fox called Nutley, which takes place in a small Jersey town and will be in the same vein as hit sitcoms Malcolm in the Middle and The Bernie Mac Show. 'Of course it's a dysfunctional family,' Vilanch quipped. 'Fox is the network whose parents are not at home.' In addition, Vilanch will once again be writing one-liners for the Academy Awards ceremony. His predictions? He's guessing that the coveted awards will be divvied up 'between the Gangs of New York and the gangs of Chicago.'

Bicks Gets Good in Bed

HBO has hired sassy Sex and the City scribe Jenny Bicks to develop a new sitcom based on Good in Bed, Jennifer Weiner's bestselling beach read. Bicks is the babe who wrote the Sex episode about Samantha's short-lived lesbian fling with an artist. Her new series will center on 28-year-old Cannie Shapiro, a Philly-born and -bred size-16 wedding photographer who has to deal with a lot of complex relationships—like with her late-blooming lesbian mom, who came out at age 56 and has a dyke partner who's a total mismatch; and with an annoying stoner ex-boyfriend who writes a relationship column for a Cosmo-esque magazine. Bicks has described Cannie as 'real and funny and smart—a Lane Bryant Mary Tyler Moore who's trying hard to make it. It's an amazing opportunity to put a real fat woman on TV.'

The Bitches Are Back

Leave it to classy TV network Fox—the geniuses behind reality hits Joe Millionaire, Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire?, and Celebrity Boxing—to sign on for a campy canine adventure. Known officially as the Miss American Dog Pageant and unofficially as Miss Bitch, the doggie beauty pageant is a reality special described as Best in Show meets Miss America—complete with talent and evening-wear competitions. Female dogs from all 50 states will put their best paws forward for celebrity judges, in hope of winning a cash prize and all the kibble they can eat. The casting search for comely canines has already begun. While Fox hasn't set an air date for the show, it will most likely run in Monday's 9 p.m. time slot sometime after the conclusion of Joe Millionaire. Network honchos are open to bringing the bitches back for a regular series.

Hollywood Is So Gay

Out producer-directors Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato's next big project is with cable network AMC, which is starting to schedule original reality programming to complement its classic movie fare. The pair is executive-producing Gay Hollywood, a two-hour documentary that follows the lives of five gay men in Tinseltown. The quintet includes Micah, better known as his drag persona, 'Bridget of Madison County'; Benjamin, a well-manicured screenwriter; and Robbie, a wealthy swimwear model who says he just wants to do 'something, anything' on TV. The documentary, which explores how discrimination and stereotypes still matter for gay men trying to make it in 'The Industry,' premieres in mid-July.

Write2Romeo@yahoo.com .