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

Some industry watchers are claiming that Aaliyah's untimely death, which has attracted a frenzy of media attention, may save her movie Queen of the Damned, based on the Anne Rice novel. According to a columnist in the New York Post, Queen of the Damned is currently in post-production work and sources who have seen an early cut of the film have described it as "unwatchable." Warner Bros. has pushed the release date back to 2002 and E! Online reports that the movie will bypass theaters and head straight to video. But that may all change, especially considering the attention surrounding the R&B singer's death, and insiders are now predicting the film will, in fact, hit the big screen after all. Whatever happens to the film, the voice coming from the Vampire Queen will NOT be Aaliyah's. The day after her plane went down, reports the Post, Aaliyah was to loop ALL of her dialogue with a speech therapist to help her achieve an Egyptian accent.

You already know that that over 500 people showed up to audition for Taboo, the Boy George-scripted musical based on his life experiences, but did you know that miss girl is now a talk show host? BG has been given his own show on the digital channel Play UK which is set to launch later this year. Also in the works: a new compilation CD, which will be titled BOYGEORGEDJ.COM.

Michael Musto first broke the news that Justin Timberlake ( N'Sync ) had landed a prized role in the Spike Lee-directed film version of Rent. A few days later though, Daily Variety reported that "budgetary issues" has forced Miramax to postpone the project, which incidentally, would have also included Latin crooner Marc Anthony. Speaking of Justin, girlfriend Britney Spears' new single is titled "I'm a Slave 4 U," and is from her upcoming third album. She'll debut the single at the 2001 MTV Music Awards this month.

Robbie Williams recently announced that he is taking a long break from touring. He made the announcement before a live audience in Glasgow on the final leg of his UK tour. "That's it—I've had enough, I won't be touring for a long, long time. So what you saw here tonight was very special. I'm Robbie Williams—please don't forget me." Other Williams' news: the singer's new album, a cover of swing music tracks, features a duet with ... Nicole Kidman for the song "Somethin' Stupid." ( Something stupid, indeed. )

News briefs: Jewel's new album, tentatively titled This Way, is due to hit store shelves Nov. 13. The album has been described by producers as "dangerous sounding" with tracks ranging from blues-rock and bossa nova to loop driven hard pop, according to sonicnet.com ... . After a two-year break, Heather Nova will release her new album South in early October ... . Groove Armada is releasing their third album Goodbye Country ( Hello Nightclub ) Sept 10. Look for the CD to contain instructions on how to download an exclusive internet-only track called "Mali" for free ... . Paul Van Dyk is in the process of putting together a two-disc set called Politics of Dancing, his first-ever mix CD. "I never did a DJ mix because I didn't think I could quite bring across the atmosphere of a club," said the electronic music guru to Rollingstone.com . "That is why my approach to this mix is a bit different ... it's some sort of a merge between a remix album, an artist's album and a DJ mix."

Bonus Item: The New York Daily News reports that Chi Chi Valenti and Johnny Dynell, the parents of the famous and fabulous club Mother have opened a new club in the wake of Mother's untimely demise earlier this summer. The name: why, its "Daddy," of course.

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