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| Daniel Radcliffe |
Daniel Radcliffe, the British cutie best know as teen wizard Harry Potter in the movies based on J.K. Rowling’s series of best-selling novels, got more than the award he was expecting this week at a theater awards event.
Radcliffe stepped up on stage at the "What’s On Stage Awards" a pretty big deal in British theater circles to accept the prize as "Best Newcomer" for his role in a London stage production of Equus.
But he got a little something extra.
Awards show host James Corden, an openly gay actor, writer and producer, is a big Harry Potter fan and was just so excited to meet Daniel that he grabbed the teen sensation and gave him a big, wet smooch right on the lips.
Some folks have suggsted that Radcliffe was taken aback by the overly enthusiastic greeting. But his agent has released a statement saying the young actor thought it was pretty funny and took it all in stride.
Murphy and Page form a triangle
Irish actor Cillian Murphy may be best known in this country for his villainous turns in "Batman Begins" and "Red Eye," but he also received a Golden Globe nomination for his dazzling performance as a transgender singer in Neil Jordan’s "Breakfast on Pluto."
Murphy will have another chance to tap into his feminine side with "Peacock," in which he plays a small-town man with a split personality he’s a husband and wife, all wrapped up in one body, whom the locals think are separate people.
Trouble occurs when a young mother ("Juno" cutie Ellen Page) falls in love with Murphy’s male side, prompting a conflict between the married pair he’s got inside of him.
Michael Lander makes his directorial debut with "Peacock," which should strut into theaters in 2009.
Bravo takes another ‘Step’ into gay TV
After "Queer Eye" and "Boy Meets Boy" and "Project Runway" and "Top Chef" and "Make Me a Supermodel," could the cable network Bravo get any gayer?
Of course!
Now they’ve got "Step It Up and Dance," premiering April 3, featuring a dozen hoofers competing to see whose toes are the twinkliest.
Four of the contestants are gay so far, anyway, but more revelations could emerge before the show goes on the air and openly fabulous Broadway choreographer Jerry Mitchell ("Hairspray," "Legally Blonde") will be on hand to whip these chorines into shape.
Still not gay enough for you?
Perhaps we should mention that this show will be hosted by none other than "Showgirls" star Elizabeth ("Thrust it!") Berkley.
Shine up your taps, kids this sounds like one you won’t want to miss.
Bret Easton Ellis’ latest is a ‘Downer’
Bret Easton Ellis is simply cooler than most people. He wrote "American Psycho," after all.
The fact that his public commentary on his sexuality has ranged over the years from "Yep, I’m quite possibly gay" to "Can we just not bother talking about it?" only serves to draw attention to the terrifically deranged nature of his work.
From "Less Than Zero" to his latest novel, "Lunar Park," Ellis knows what it means to be modern and miserable.
The film version of "Lunar" is currently "in production," meaning it’ll be seen who-knows-when. But Ellis has a screenplay in the works that’s even more intriguing.
Titled "Downers Grove" and adapted from the novel by Michael Hornburg, it concerns a high school girl who knows that someone in her school will die at graduation in a strange way. So think "Final Destination" with more disaffection and horny teenagers.
In other words, Hollywood, green-light this movie!
Lifetime gets mean with ‘Fab Five’
It would seem that gay men and junior high school girls are the prime marketing demographics for movies about bitchy cheerleaders, making it a tough genre to resist.
Well, now Lifetime has succumbed to the genre’s steely charms, too.
"The Fab Five: The Texas Cheerleader Scandal," starring Tatum O’Neal, is on its way to an HD screen near you and, as is usually the case, it’s based on a true story.
It seems that a small clique of mean-girl cheerleaders ran roughshod over anyone they didn’t like and "almost" got away with it, until a coach blew the whistle and called foul.
What better punishment, then, than to immortalize the girls’ evil antics in a TV movie, and who better than the star of "Little Darlings" to add some authenticity?
No word on an air date yet. But get the Tivo ready.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition February 29, 2008.