By Romeo San Vicente
Linda Lovelace gets her men
It takes a village to tell the story of '70s porn sensation Linda "Lovelace" Boreman, and acclaimed filmmaking team Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, the guys behind "The Celluloid Closet" and the James Franco-starring "Howl," are quickly putting the finishing touches on the cast list for their upcoming biopic, "Lovelace." The project already has its lead in Amanda Seyfried as the world's first erotic superstar and her troubled rise to fame in the crossover porn hit "Deep Throat." And Peter Sarsgaard, Sharon Stone, Wes Bentley and Juno Temple have also signed on. But now comes a wave of men to flesh out the roster, including Hank Azaria, Bobby Cannavale, Chris Noth and Robert Patrick as members of the porn world, so all systems are go. Lava lamp mood lighting is set and the cameras are rolling right. More more more to follow.
Viola Davis helps Dee 'Pariah' Rees
Currently in theaters and generating a lot of critical praise is Dee Rees's debut feature, "Pariah." Featuring rising star Adepero Oduye, it's the moving story of a teenage lesbian struggling to bridge her family life with the one she secretly shares with a group of new lesbian friends. This kind of worthwhile debut often generates Hollywood interest and Rees's next project will probably raise her profile even more. Viola Davis, herself receiving Oscar buzz for her role in last summer's "The Help," is in talks to work with Rees on an HBO series she'll produce and probably star in through her own newly formed production company. The untitled project will focus on the morally ambiguous headmaster of a private school and the corruption that follows her. Sounds intriguing and, best of all, a great step for both Davis – who, up until "The Help," was often the best minor character in mediocre films – and for Rees. May the resulting series, whatever it becomes, catapult them both to even greater success.
Zachary Quinto: Mogul
Branching out from acting and turning producer might not possess the same cool-factor as, say, investing in a hot new restaurant or joining an indie band, but it keeps you busy and ratchets up your power quotient in Hollywood. That's why it's good news to see Zachary Quinto cashing in on his newfound industry mojo by helping J.C. Chandor, director of last year's Wall Street meltdown drama "Margin Call" (in which Quinto co-starred), get his next project off the ground. Titled "All Is Lost," it's an environmental-themed drama written by Chandor with one actor in mind, Robert Redford. The director is currently in talks with the 75-year-old film legend to take the lead role and given Redford's well-documented environmental activism over the course of his life, it seems like a perfect fit. It'll also probably wind up having a negative carbon footprint.
Queer now, what next?
The multiplex is extra gay at the moment as a trio of high profile actors – Glenn Close, Rooney Mara and Michael Fassbender – are busy captivating audiences in the films "Albert Nobbs" (where Close plays a transsexual man), "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" (with Mara as a tough, brilliant bisexual computer hacker) and "Shame" (starring Fassbender as a bisexual sex addict). Coming off these acclaimed roles, look for the legendary Close next in the ghostly drama "Therese Raquin," alongside "Martha Marcy May Marlene" star Elizabeth Olsen. Meanwhile, Next Big Thing Fassbender will make his third film with British art-film sensation Steve Mcqueen (he also directed "Shame") and co-star with Brad Pitt in" Twelve Years a Slave," a period film about a man (Chiwetel Ejiofor) kidnapped in the northern United States and sold into slavery in the south. Finally, Mara, whose transformation into cult heroine Lisbeth Salander was so chameleon-like as to render the actress unrecognizable, will appear in "Tree of Life" director Terence Malick's latest film,"Lawless," with Ryan Gosling. In other words, don't worry about any careers around these parts.
