Schumacher Makes Cruel & Unusual Plans
Queer director Joel Schumacher is close to a deal to direct the feature film version of lesbian author Patricia Cornwell's 1993 thriller, Cruel & Unusual. The book was fourth in a series of 11 Cornwell novels featuring Virginia Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta. In Cruel, Scarpetta unravels the forensic mystery of why an executed killer's fingerprints turn up posthumously at a murder scene. Since Schumacher has an eye for hot young talent (think Colin Farrell in Tigerland), and the role of Scarpetta has serious franchise potential, all eyes will be on the actress he selects for the part. No word yet if Scarpetta's gay niece (and FBI agent), Lucy, will make it into this adaptation by screenwriter Richard Rodat (Saving Private Ryan).
My Life with a Lesbian Sister
ABC has cast Nadia Dajani (Sidewalks of New York) as a lesbian in one of its high-profile sitcom pilots. Dajani will co-star with Wendie Malick in My Life with Men, a comedy about a married woman living with her four sons and father. Malick, who starred as the fantastically bitchy has-been model Nina Van Horn on NBC's Just Shoot Me, plays the lead, while Dajani appears as her gay sister. This is not Dajani's first shot at a series—about five years ago she was in the very funny but little-watched Fox comedy Ned and Stacey, in which she played the sister of none other than Will & Grace's Debra Messing. My Life with Men could be making its way to TV screens by October.
Give My Regards
Broadway is coming to television—and no, I don't mean Hairspray: The TV Show. Broadway: The American Musical will be a six-hour documentary that looks at the development of musical theater over the past century. Director Michael Kantor will interview such Broadway luminaries as Carol Channing, Joel Grey, Stephen Sondheim, and Harold Prince for their take on pivotal events in Broadway history. The documentary will also use archival footage and home movies to work its way from the the early days of American musical theater right up to the phenomenon of today's megamusicals. Broadway hits the boards on PBS stations in fall 2004.
Where's My Tiara?
NBC is getting into the princess business with the help of British TV producer Granada Entertainment. The network and production company are working on a six-part reality series called American Princess, in which a group of gals from the U.S. of A. head to merry old England for what the producers describe as 'royalty boot camp.' The contestants will get head-to-toe makeovers, a la Eliza Doolittle, so they can be presentable to the British upper crust. Their challenge will be to 'work the season'—in other words, survive the arduous task of attending an entire summer's worth of parties, balls, and fancy-schmancy sporting events, all while living in some stately (and most likely drafty) English manor house. Hm, I wonder if saucy gay entertainment columnists can apply … .
Romeo San Vicente used to have a crush on Quincy, M.E. Write2Romeo@yahoo.com .
