Dumbledore’s unrequited crushes
The “Harry Potter” books have all been written and published, so the recent and somewhat bemused comment from author J.K. Rowling that she always believed Hogwarts’ headmaster Albus Dumbledore to be gay can have no effect on future installments.
But there are still two film adaptations left in the cinematic version of the boy wizard’s saga, and that leaves plenty of room for both actor Michael Gambon to re-interpret the character with plenty of new subtext and for queer fans to speculate wildly on what those sidelong glances to other actors might really mean.
Of course, neither Gambon nor anyone else related to the projects will speak about what’s coming to theaters near you, but we all hope for a little infusion of homo content into the magical world of Harry Potter.
Katherine Moennig shows “‘Remorse’ in new indie thriller
Queer fans of Katherine Moennig, the resident shaggy-haired, womanizing, underwear-modeling Shane on “The L Word,” will have a reason to leave their televisions for movie theaters when the actor stars in the new indie thriller “Remorse.”
First-time feature director Quinn Saunders will helm the project, which co-stars Eion Bailey (“Band of Brothers”).
The plot is still mostly under wraps, but there’s already an ominous poster image for the film online, one that suggests the movie will serve up a fairly large serving of insanity and fear.
And no matter what the story line, it will simply be good to see Moennig on screen for more than a few minutes at a time after her tiny roles in films like “Art School Confidential.”
“Remorse” cameras will roll beginning March of 2008.
Toni Collette to play multiple personalities in “‘The United States of Tara’
You’ve seen Toni Collette play everything from an ABBA obsessive to a mom whose kid talks to dead people, but the Aussie actress is about to play a whole lot of new characters all in one TV series.
Showtime has announced that Collette will star in “The United States of Tara,” based on an idea by Steven Spielberg, about an ordinary-seeming wife and mother of two who copes with life’s stresses via multiple personalities.
These alter egos include a promiscuous teen, a picture-perfect housekeeper and even an aggressive male biker.
The pilot, which shoots in 2008, was written by Diablo Cody, the screenwriter behind this winter’s much-buzzed-about comedy “Juno.” And if any actress can convince us there’s a menacing guy lurking inside a regular gal, it’s Toni Collette.
Gay horror master Clive Barker launches remake of “‘Hellraiser’
Practically every successful horror movie made between 1960 and 1990 has been remade “Halloween,” “Dawn of the Dead,” “The Hitcher,” etc. or has a remake in the works.
And so it goes with Clive Barker’s 1987 hit “Hellraiser,” which spawned several sequels and taught the world to be afraid of bald men who stick nails in their heads like they were pincushions.
Gay horror master Barker directed the original and has now given his blessing for Dimension Films to reboot the franchise with a remake.
The story, you may recall, deals with a cheating wife trying to liberate her lover from Hell and encountering the nasty demons known as Cenobites. Will Barker’s creation still have bite the second time around?
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition October 26, 2007.