Advertisement

Deep Inside Hollywood

By Romeo San Vicente

Stiller and Leigh in the movie with no name

Depending on who you're asking, Ben Stiller's new film is called "Greenberg." Not that it matters much right now, because the other details are so promising. Start with gay super-producer Scott Rudin, a man with a list of critical and commercial hits longer than your leg. Add co-producer Jennifer Jason Leigh (who will also co-star) and then let writer-director Noah Baumbach take over. His indie successes "The Squid and The Whale" and "Margot at The Wedding" have made him the go-to guy for borderline-queasy comic dysfunction and dialogue with a bite worse than its bark. But will the addition of Stiller affect the film or will the film affect him, especially after a string of broad mainstream comedies that put all of his darker tendencies in a tightly locked box? Here's hoping for the latter; it would be nice to see him act opposite something other than a monkey and a green screen again.

Rosie Back on (Off) Broadway

"Love, Loss and What I Wore" began life as a best-selling book by Ilene Beckerman but will head to an off-Broadway stage this fall with a rotating all-star cast of female leads, including Rosie O'Donnell, Kristin Chenoweth, "The Daily Show"'s Samantha Bee, Tyne Daly and Rita Wilson. Adapted by Nora and Delia Ephron, who are calling it ""The Vagina Monologues" without the vaginas," the play is a collection of vignettes and stories about clothing as triggers for recollections about universal female experiences. And to sweeten the draw for audiences, the entire show will benefit Dress For Success, a work clothing and job support charity for low-income women; ticket holders are also encouraged to donate used purses and other accessories at performances. You get a nice show, a woman in need gets a cool bag, and Rosie gets to see what these so-called "purses" are all about.

Natasha Lyonne is 'All About Evil'

Romeo has missed the very funny, very cool Natasha Lyonne for a while now, and that's because lately her personal struggles have been all we've heard about when we hear about her. So it's great to have something nice and work-related to talk about, especially since: a) It's a weird little horror comedy called "All About Evil," and b) it co-stars Mink Stole and Cassandra "Elvira, Mistress of The Dark" Peterson, and c) the whole thing is written and directed by a man named Joshua Grannell, better known to Left Coast audiences as legendary San Francisco drag performer Peaches Christ. The plot? A mousy librarian turns serial killer, makes snuff films of her crimes and becomes a sensation on the horror movie circuit. Stop, Peaches C., you're piling on almost too much awesome for one movie! The sight gags and unsightly gore is in post-production now, coming soon – aka 2010 – to a cult film-friendly movie theater near you.

Jane Lynch breaks into the boys club

Sometime when you weren't looking, Jane Lynch decided to take over American comedy. Happily perfecting the lost art of being reliable support staff, she's wickedly funny in movie after movie (not to mention TV, where she's about to steal every "Glee" scene she's in this fall) and has seemingly cloned herself in order to appear in just about every guy-based comedy ("Role Models," "The 40 Year-Old Virgin," "Talladega Nights") in existence. And now she's got "Hot Fuzz" bromancers Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as allies in "Paul," the new comedy from "Superbad" director Greg Mottola. The inseparable Brits play two comic book fans who wind up in the company of an alien named Paul (Seth Rogen). While the boys may get top billing – picture due in 2010 – it's a lock that Lynch, who consistently knocks it out of the park with her slightly-crazed one-liners, will bring plenty of laughs.

Advertisement
Advertisement

From the Pride Source Marketplace

Go to the Marketplace
Directory default
Offering service coverage that extends across Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, St. Clair, Monroe and Lapeer…
Learn More
Directory default
Stand with Trans hopes to bridge the gap from coming out to coming into their own by providing the…
Learn More
Advertisement