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Nixon is new ambassador for the cure
Award-winning bisexual (but currently partnered with a woman) actress Cynthia Nixon has joined Susan G. Komen for the Cure as an ambassador, Komen officials announced this week.
Nixon is not only a breast cancer survivor herself, she is also the daughter of a breast cancer survivor.
Hala Moddelmog, president of Komen for the Cure and also a breast cancer survivor, said that Nixon’s personal story "will help draw attention to the impact of the disease."
Moddelmog said that an estimated 25 million women around the world will be diagnosed with breast cancer over the next 25 years, and 10 million could die from the disease.
Nixon is perhaps best known as the quirky lawyer Miranda on "Sex and the City," but she also won a Tony in 2006 for her leading role in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play "Rabbit Hole."
She will be starring in the big-screen version of "Sex and the City," due for release on May 30.
Nixon also will share personal stories from her journey through breast cancer in a series of videos available online at www.komen.org/cynthia.
Natalie Portman hits new ‘Heights’
When you’re young, talented, acclaimed and part of the Hollywood A list (aka "being Natalie Portman"), you can walk straight from a critically panned, box-office-underperforming period drama like "The Other Boleyn Girl" right into the waiting arms of another period drama — in this case, a new version of "Wuthering Heights" — without anyone batting an eye.
And that’s just what Portman has done.
Although the 1939 version is seen by cinephiles as the most definitive adaptation of the classic romantic tragedy by Emily Bronte, gay director John Maybury ("Love Is the Devil") will helm this modern remake.
No word yet on who’ll play doomed Heathcliff to her dead Cathy, nor is a start-date set. Whether or not it starts a Jane Austen-sized spike in popularity for the Bronte sisters remains to be seen.
Alan Cumming tries on Hitler’s ‘Jackboots’
Inspiration can come from unlikely sources.
Take "Team America: World Police." The all-marionette, all-profane action comedy from the creators of "South Park" — which was itself inspired by 1960s marionette-centric TV shows like "Thunderbirds" — was not only a box-office hit, but it spawned something of an imitator: an all-action-figure comedy called "Jackboots on Whitehall," from brothers Edward and Rory McHenry.
The feature, which — imagines Hitler invading the United Kingdom and being beaten by Scotland, is coming to a multiplex near you with an all-star voice cast, including Alan Cumming as the Fuhrer (thus re-opening the whole "Was Hitler gay?" controversy, but for laughs).
Joining the very busy bi Scot will be Ewan McGregor, Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, Timothy Spall, Tom Wilkinson and Richard O’Brien of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" fame.
No release date is set, but count on a UK opening before it crosses the big pond to America.
Gay Muslims come to Sundance
Besides kick-starting Pride celebrations that last throughout the remainder of the year, June is also a month of special queer programming on cable’s Sundance Channel.
This year sees U.S. TV premieres for several outstanding, provocative documentaries.
Airing during the month:"Gay Muslims," a self-explanatory title that explores the struggles of being gay in what many see as the most queer-unfriendly religion of all; "Ten More Good Years," which details the experiences of a group of gay senior citizens; "Stefan Braun," a fascinating look at a gay Israeli furrier in the 1950s; and "Jam!," the crowd-pleasing oddball story of an HIV+ man who sank his life savings into resurrecting a roller-derby league for retired stars of the game.
Now you have four good reasons to stay home and enjoy the air conditioning.
Karl Lagerfeld crashes ‘Grand Theft Auto’
Karl Lagerfeld — everyone’s favorite outlandishly pony-tailed, high-collared, Posh Spice-adjacent French fashion designer — has found time to step away from his Chanel kingdom for a new project: becoming a character on the next installment of the notoriously violent video game "Grand Theft Auto."
The white-maned man of many rings on many fingers will not only be a character in the game, but he’s curated a playlist of some of his favorite new music (players can pick from multiple radio stations in the game as their personal soundrack), as well as recorded a decidedly politically incorrect voice track featuring his own commentary.
The game should be the same huge hit its predecessors have been.
As for release dates, so far maybe only Karl himself knows.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition April 18, 2008.