Beyonce and Eva are “‘Velvet’ lovers
 |
| Eva Longoria |
Ever since “Bound,” audiences have been waiting for another pairing of hot Hollywood actresses as lesbian lovers, and now Beyonce Knowles and Eva Longoria appear to be close to starring in a big-screen version of Sarah Waters’ acclaimed first novel, “Tipping the Velvet,” for director Sofia Coppola (“Marie Antoinette”).
The sexy novel, previously adapted as a British miniseries for the BBC, follows the erotic adventures of a Victorian music-hall star and her female lover. Sounds like a win-win-win: Movie fans get to see two hot ladies wearing corsets; lesbians get a “Brokeback Mountain”-esque mainstream romance; and Coppola gets to make another female-centric period piece.
No shooting date has been set, so you’ve got plenty of time to find a snappy velvet ensemble to wear to the movies.
Lohan meets Williams
Say what you want about Lindsay Lohan’s off-screen behavior, but the talented actress has picked an interesting mix of films lately from “A Prairie Home Companion” to “Bobby.”
Now she’s about to take on one of the 20th Century’s greatest playwrights gay or otherwise with “The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond,” a never-produced screenplay by Tennessee Williams.
Lohan will star as a sharp-tongued 1920s Memphis debutante who falls for a man (“Fantastic Four” stud Chris Evans) of a lower station, whom she tries to pass off as a Southern aristocrat.
Production starts in 2007 with a cast that also includes Ellen Burstyn, David Strathairn, and Ann-Margret.
No need to hunt for a leaked script. It was published in a 1984 Williams collection called “Stopped Rocking and Other Screenplays.”
Hayes gets “‘Too Close’
Former Savage Garden lead singer Darren Hayes made headlines around the world last summer when he came out of the closet and announced he was getting civil unioned in London with longtime partner Richard Cullen.
Now the notoriously private Hayes has released a documentary that takes an intimate look at his life, including his transition away from Savage Garden and his decision to be forthright about his sexuality.
One critic noted that “Too Close for Comfort” which has been released on DVD in Australia, with no U.S. release date set as of yet resembles Madonna’s frank “Truth or Dare,” but without the sex.
Die-hard North American Savage Garden fans will simply have to wait it out.
Coupland goes sci-fi
Acclaimed gay Canadian author Douglas Coupland (“Generation X,” “JPod”) has gotten lots of interest in adapting his novels, but so far not one of his books has made the leap to film or TV.
So it’s no surprise that Coupland has decided to write directly for other media. As previously reported, a film has been made of Coupland’s first screenplay, “Everything’s Gone Green,” and now he’s creating “Extinction Event,” a science-fiction TV show. No word yet about the subject matter, but the title and Coupland’s love for disaster movies and apocalyptic scenarios gives you a good idea.
The Canadian production companies behind “Everything’s Gone Green” have signed on for “Extinction,” but no TV networks on either side of the 49th parallel have committed yet.
Stay tuned for updates.
Sir Elton criticizes religious homophobes
Pop star Sir Elton John said recently he believes that organized religion fuels anti-gay discrimination and other forms of bias.
“I think religion has always tried to turn hatred toward gay people,” John said in the Observer newspaper’s Music Monthly Magazine that “Religion promotes the hatred and spite against gays,” he said. “But there are so many people I know who are gay and love their religion,” said the singer, who exchanged vows in December in a civil union ceremony with David Furnish. “From my point of view, I would ban religion completely. Organized religion doesn’t seem to work. It turns people into really hateful lemmings, and it’s not really compassionate.”
John also criticized religious leaders for failing to do anything about conflicts around the world, and that those in his own field have been similarly lax. “It’s like the peace movement in the “’60s. Musicians got through to people by getting out there and doing peace concerts, but we don’t seem to do them any more,” he said. “If John Lennon were alive today, he’d be leading it with a vengeance.”
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition, November 17, 2006.