By Romeo San Vicente
'Heathers' hopes to kill on Broadway
Twenty years after the theatrical release of "Heathers," there hasn't been another teen movie quite like it. Its unique combination of coal-black satirical comedy, color-coded characters and quotable dialogue has made it a gay fave since its debut. So now get ready for a catchy tune called "I Love My Dead Gay Son," because "Heathers" is headed for Broadway. "Reefer Madness" creators Andy Fickman and Larry O'Keefe are collaborating with "Legally Blonde" composer Larry O'Keefe for an all-singing, all-dancing, all-fake-teen-suicide show that's set to open regionally in 2010, with a run slated for the Great White Way if "Heathers" opens successfully out of town. Kristen Bell ("Veronica Mars," "Forgetting Sarah Marshall") recently starred in a workshop reading of the show, but there's no guarantee she's committed to slay her way through the eventual production.
Mischa Barton's model behavior
If "America's Next Top Model" and "Make Me a Supermodel" have taught us anything – besides how to smile with our eyes, that is – it's that you can't assemble a house full of models without at least a little bit of queer sizzle on top of the vanity, bitchiness and catfights. So that's why Romeo is excited about "A Beautiful Life," a new CW pilot from producer (and former model) Ashton Kutcher. The show revolves around a group of extra-young mannequins of both sexes sharing a residence in New York City, with"The O.C."'s Mischa Barton starring as a supermodel doing everything she can to stay on top of her game. Given Barton's current off-camera job as one of http://www.GoFugYourself.com favorite fashion victims, it's fitting that she'll play a runway queen. But will she style herself for the show? Will there be rioting in the streets, "Top Model" audition-style, when it debuts? Will its possible success mean the onset of the size 000? Details as they emerge.
'Sopranos' creator chronicles Hollywood
"The Sopranos" will probably rank among TV's greatest – even if the show's enigmatic finale gave "The L Word" permission to go totally bonkers and resolution-free in its last season – so it's exciting to hear news about a new project from David Chase, who created that mob saga for HBO. Even more thrilling is the fact that it's a miniseries about the history of Hollywood, with fictional characters rubbing elbows with the likes of Bette Davis and D.W. Griffith. "A Ribbon of Dreams" explores the magic and mayhem of the movie business all the way from 1913 to the present day – which all but guarantees a healthy heaping of the gays and lesbians without whom Tinseltown wouldn't even exist. No word yet on when the show will air, but Romeo is already setting his TiVo and taking odds on who'll play Davis and other old-school queer icons like Joan Crawford, Marlene Dietrich and Judy Garland.
Sandra Bernhard and friends remember Lenny Bruce
You haven't seen this many comedians in one movie since "The Aristocrats," but director Elan Gale has put together an extraordinary lineup of interviewees for "Looking for Lenny," a movie that explores the cultural, comic and legal legacy of the legendary Lenny Bruce. Lesbian comedy goddess Sandra Bernhard caught Romeo's attention, but look who else is in the movie: Roseanne, Phyllis Diller, Jon Lovitz, Lewis Black, Jeffrey Ross, Christopher Titus, Lisa Lampanelli, Mort Sahl and Andy Kindler, to name a few, and that's not even counting non-comics like Joe Mantegna and Henry Rollins. "Looking for Lenny" is slated for a 2009 release, so if you're a fan of controversial comedy, start keeping an eye peeled for it at a film festival or arthouse near you.
