By Romeo San Vicente
Kate McKinnon. Photo: Debby Wong
'SNL' star Kate McKinnon is coming to a theater near you
We were wondering when the Kate McKinnon bullet train would leave the station and speed toward the big screen. It was inevitable after "Saturday Night Live"'s first lesbian cast member became our new favorite human being – her Ellen DeGeneres impersonation is the best and we can't re-watch "Dyke & Fats" enough times. So here come the movie roles. Big movies, too. First up is the heist comedy "Masterminds" with this cast: Jason Sudeikis, Kristen Wiig, Owen Wilson, Zach Galifianakis, Ken Marino, and "SNL"'s latest breakout wild-woman Leslie Jones. Then comes "The Nest," a house party movie in which it appears that adult women will be replacing that genre's misbehaving teenagers. It stars Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, John Leguizamo, Maya Rudolph, Heather Matarazzo (!), John Cena, James Brolin and "SNL"'s Bobby Moynihan. From this we can learn that "SNL" keeps it in the family. And why shouldn't they? Great ensembles, more McKinnon; we're happy.
Ellen Page: Real and 'Robo'
Since coming out, you could be forgiven for thinking that Ellen Page was just hanging out, but we've got two new projects to look forward to from the "Inception" star. She'll be lending her voice to the animated feature "Robodog," which is, naturally, about two dog friends, one real and one robotic (think mismatched buddy cops). It'll also feature the voices of Ron Perlman, Steve Zahn and Rainn Wilson. And if you don't have a child in your life who'll care about the outcome of that one, Page is also attached to play John Belushi's wife, Judith Jacklin, in the upcoming, untitled Belushi biopic. Emile Hirsch is attached as the late comic actor, with Miles Teller ("Whiplash") in talks to play Dan Aykroyd. Aykroyd is exec producing this and will follow his old friend's rise to fame in the '70s, up to his untimely death at 33 from a drug overdose. And we're "still" waiting for "Freeheld," the true story in which Page stars as the partner of a terminally ill detective (Julianne Moore) whose spousal benefits are being denied the couple. Post-production delays are a drag.
'Trainwreck': How much Ezra Miller will we get?
We like Ezra Miller. We like him a lot. He's talented. He's queer. He's going to be The Flash in "The Flash" (the movie, not the goofy TV show). And we hear he's going to be in next summer's new Judd Apatow film, "Trainwreck," too, written by one of our other favorites, comic Amy Schumer. First we applaud this as another opportunity to see the young actor shine like he did in "Perks of Being a Wallflower." And then we saw the rest of the cast list. Deep breath: Amy Schumer, Tilda Swinton, Bill Hader, Brie Larson, Colin Quinn, Barkhad Abdi, Mike Birbiglia, Vanessa Bayer, John Cena, LeBron James, Method Man, Daniel Radcliffe and Marisa Tomei. And that's not even the whole list. Maybe this is going to be another epic-length Apatown comedies that stretch out toward the 150-minute mark. Or maybe everyone has a cameo. All we really know is that it's based somewhat on Schumer's own life and, well, whatever, we'll take what we can get. And besides, Miller aside, any film with LeBron and Swinton together is already a curiosity-stoking must-see. Next July, y'all.
Sir John Gielgud, Pornographer
Classically trained Shakespearean actor John Gielgud won an Academy Award for his role as the sarcastic butler in "Arthur." He was also knighted. This is a legacy of accomplishment and distinction. He also wrote a gay porn script called "Trouser Bar." The guy who was Hamlet and in "Gandhi" wrote "TROUSER BAR." Set in a menswear shop – where else? – the esteemed actor penned it for his friend, legendary porn director Peter De Rome, who worked throughout the 1960s and '70s as one of the genre's pioneers. Well, De Rome died earlier this year, and now prolific contemporary porn auteur Kristen Bjorn plans to make Gielgud's script a reality. We don't know when, or starring whom – "dear awesome art-porn person, Colby Keller, get on this one, stat!" – but trust that we'll keep you posted on its every detail as they develop. Say it again, out loud: "Trouser Bar."
