
Kim Cattrall
Image by: Guy Ferrandis/Summit Entertainment
From man-eating Samantha on
Sex and the City to a revival of Private Lives, that’s what Kim Cattrall
will be doing over Thanksgiving when she hits Broadway in that Noel Coward
comedy (infamous for its line: "Certain women should be struck regularly like
gongs"). It’s set to begin previews on Nov. 6 for a Nov. 17 opening at the
Music Box Theater. And she’s not the only SatC alum working for it in front
of a live audience. Cynthia Nixon (who’s always doing a play, it seems) will
star in the Broadway revival of the humorous-yet-harrowing 1998 cancer drama
Wit. That one opens in previews Jan. 5, 2012 for a Jan. 26 open at the Samuel
J. Friedman. A couple of questions, though: Will the U.K.-born Cattrall do
another British accent like in Roman Polanski’s film The Ghost Writer? And
more exciting to think about, will Nixon shave her head for her own role like
Kathleen Chalfant did in its original run? You know it would be cool if she
did.
Dirty Dancing’s new
partner: Maria Maggenti
For now, let’s put aside the
fact that a Dirty Dancing remake is even happening at all. If you’re upset
about it you can just refuse to see it. It’s a perfect response to Hollywood’s
hollow remake mindset. But curious queer audiences will find this
behind-the-camera news of interest: the reboot’s script will come from bisexual
writer-director Maria Maggenti (The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls In
Love, Puccini for Beginners) and High School Musical director Kenny
Ortega. In other words, a woman will be writing a movie about a young woman and
that’s good news even if it’s in the service of a remake nobody asked for. And
who better to make everything bright and colorful for the young audience this
movie desperately seeks than the man who turned a nation of Disney
Channel-addicted children into song-and-dance fans? Who knows, when it finally
opens you might wind up having the time of your life.
Diana Vreeland documentary
first sale at Toronto
She’s never been a household
name, but in the fashion world Diana Vreeland was a legend. And her trademark
individualistic style and bigger-than-big personality has made the grande dame
of all Vogue editors an enduring subject of affectionate fascination with
fashion fans, even more so than The Devil Wears Prada inspiration Anna
Wintour. So it’s appropriate that a new documentary about Mrs. Vreeland, Diana
Vreeland: The Eye Has To Travel, was the first film bought at The Toronto
International Film Festival for American distribution. Samuel Goldwyn will put
out the movie theatrically in about 20 major and medium-sized markets before a
wider DVD release. Advice to anyone who hits the arthouse theater in their town
on opening weekend: dress up for it or the lady’s ghost will enact some kind of
style vengeance you don’t want to deal with.
Allen Gregory: Are you
ready for the gay Bart Simpson?
Considering that even Fox’s
newest animated sitcoms are all rolling on toward the 10th-season mark and The
Simpsons will most likely soon overtake Gunsmoke as the longest-running
primetime show ever, it’s time for some fresh blood. Enter Allen Gregory, an
animated series from creator Jonah Hill (Superbad). A snobby (and presumably
heterosexual, considering the crush he displays on his school’s female
principal) 7-year-old, Allen Gregory is an extremely precocious child being
raised by two gay dads. He’s the kind of worldly sort who shows up at his new
school with sushi in a Louis Vuitton lunch box and looks down his nose at
everyone, including his teachers. Voiced by Hill with a condescending tone and
biting wit, it’s the kind of show sure to win over Fox’s devoted
animation-block fans and drive pop culture’s anti-gay faction over the edge.
Good. It debuts Oct. 30. Fire up those DVRs.
Romeo San Vicente thinks sushi is fine but would prefer a Double-Double from In-N-Out Burger.