Douglas and Damon Tune Up for Liberace Movie
While rhinestone-encrusted pianist Liberace has become a pop-culture joke over the years, he spent decades being adored by millions of fans, most of them women who never had a clue that the showman was actually gay. But with Ray Charles and Johnny Cash being the subjects of high-profile biopics, why not Liberace? Steven Soderbergh will reunite with two stars from his biggest films, with Michael Douglas (Traffic) playing the show-biz legend while Matt Damon (the Ocean’s series) co-stars as Scott Thorson, Liberace’s lover who went public about their relationship after they broke up. With screenwriter Richard LaGravenese (P.S. I Love You) attached, the outcome promises to be lots of fun. Alas, it’s not one of Soderbergh’s next two projects, so who knows when we’ll get to see it?
Rudd, Alda, Other Stars to Howl
Romeo has already reported that James Franco - who plays gay-adjacent in Pineapple Express and full-on gay in the upcoming Milk - has signed on to play pioneering queer poet Allan Ginsberg in Howl, about the obscenity trial surrounding the Ginsberg poem that gives the movie its title. And now the courtroom will be packed with a passel of terrific actors, including Paul Rudd, Jeff Daniels, and Mary Louise-Parker as witnesses, David Strathairn as the prosecuting attorney and Alan Alda as the trial judge. It’s fitting that a gay artist of an earlier era is being celebrated by a current crop of them - Gus Van Sant is the executive producer, and documentarians Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman (The Celluloid Closet) will be making their narrative debut on Howl, which is set to open in 2009.
L Word Alum Makes Grey’s More Vivid
If you’re a fan of Showtime’s The L Word, you probably spent much of the last season asking yourself, “Hey, what happened to Papi?” While Shane’s sultry and sexy rival pretty much disappeared from the show without a trace, at least the actress who played her is no longer missing in action. Janina Gavankar, who so memorably brought Papi to life, has joined the cast of the ABC hit Grey’s Anatomy. She’ll be playing an intern in a recurring role that could become a more permanent thing, depending on how her first outings go. If she can put the same whammy on Seattle Grace that she worked in the lesbian haunts of West Hollywood, they’ll make her chief of surgery. Keep an eye out for her when Grey’s returns with new episodes.
Dwayne Johnson Flutters to Tooth Fairy
As pro wrestler The Rock, Dwayne Johnson was never one for outrageous costumes. In the upcoming Tooth Fairy, however, he plays the title role - wings, tutu, magic wand, the whole package. Johnson stars as a hockey player known as “Tooth Fairy” for his ability to separate his opponents from their teeth. When he discourages a child, the real tooth fairy punishes him by making him work the titular job for a week. Romeo hopes Disney can make a movie about a hockey player in a tutu without getting homophobic, but we’ll have to wait and see. It helps to know that Julie Andrews, Ashley Judd, and Stephen Merchant (Extras) round out the cast. Look for Johnson under your pillow when Tooth Fairy begins shooting in October.
Romeo San Vicente once thought he was dating the tooth fairy, but it was just a very competent dental hygienist.
