By Romeo San Vicente
Jane Lynch is an 'Angel From Hell'
There was never a question in our minds that after "Glee" ended, its breakout star, Jane Lynch, would fly even higher than before. So it's barely news – even though it's totally breaking news – that you'll be seeing her again on the small screen this fall in "Angel From Hell." The sitcom stars Maggie Lawson as a doctor with a "perfect" life, but whose existence nevertheless endures the arrival of Lynch, her guardian angel. Lawson, of course, assumes that new "friend" is a drunken lunatic, but Lynch assures her that she is, in fact, a guardian angel. And then every warning the erstwhile Sue Sylvester delivers comes true. The single-camera series co-stars Kevin Pollak and Kyle Bornheimer and will arrive at CBS this November, just in time for you to be really thankful for it.
The Abbey is coming to TV. No, not the one at Downton.
There is a gay bar in West Hollywood that is very large and very popular. It's called The Abbey. It sits right next to Pump, the location of the reality series "Vanderpump Rules." Somebody put 2+2 together and decided to give The Abbey its own reality series, too. Lucky, lucky all of us who like to watch TV shows about bickering bartenders. Not that The Abbey doesn't deserve some sort of recognition: It was voted two-time winner of Logo's "Best Gay Bar in The World" award, an honor that carries weight throughout the global population of tipsy gays. So it was time for the place to be the star of its own show. And to that end, TV-ready staff is being auditioned to pretend to work there as hard as the aspiring actors who already work there. See how entertainment works? No shoot dates yet. No network announced yet. But if the final product can approach even half of the pleasure that "The A-List New York" was (Miss you Rodiney. So much.) then it's going to be must-watch television.
Ellen Page and Allison Janney re-team for 'Tallulah'
"Orange is The New Black" writer Sian Heder is directing her first feature, "Tallulah," and the main cast has known each other for a minute. Ellen Page (the upcoming, long-awaited "Freeheld") and Allison Janney (CBS's "Mom") have already worked together in "Juno" and in Lynn Shelton's indie "Touchy Feely," but they'll soon team up for Heder's dramatic comedy about three women and a baby that, depending on which plot synopsis you're reading, is either being kidnapped from or rescued by a babysitter and a Beverly Hills housewife. Maybe it's all of those things at once, we're not sure, but we trust the comedic power from this creative team. The project is currently in the pre-production stage, so we don't even know the identity of the third lead yet. Updates as they surface.
The lesbian movie of the 'Summer' can't get here soon enough
The fact is that "The Summer of Sangaile" may not get to you before the end of summer. It's a small film. It's a small film from Lithuania. It's a small film from Lithuania that's still on the film festival circuit and will continue on that course until at least August. But it's one you'll want to see when you get your chance. That's because it's yet another sensitive, emotional, drama about two teenage girls (newcomers Aiste Dirziute and Julija Steponaityte) who fall into a swooning, mutually bolstering romance, and it's good. It's very, very good. It follows in the tradition of "The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls In Love" and "My Summer of Love" and "Show Me Love," and it's already getting rave reviews from critics and audiences everywhere it screens. And now you know what your most anticipated lesbian-centric film of the year is going to be. (That is, unless you've not yet acquainted yourself with the one named for a man but that's all about Imperator Furiosa). For the rest of you, we guess you'll just have to go watch "Entourage" over and over. Sorry.
