By Romeo San Vicente
Logan gets 'Drunken' with Leo
You might not know John Logan's face, but the openly gay screenwriter is on everyone's Hollywood wish list these days. He wrote the Oscar-nominated screenplay for "The Aviator" and is busy at work on Sam Mendes' upcoming "Sweeney Todd," as well as Michael Mann's Tom Cruise-starrer, "The Few." For the next project in his winning streak, Logan is in negotiations with "Aviator" colleagues Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio to pen the remake of Akira Kurosawa's 1948 classic, "Drunken Angel." DiCaprio is already attached to star in the film, and Scorsese wants to direct the story of a young criminal in postwar Japan being treated for tuberculosis by an alcoholic doctor. It's a good thing, though, that DiCaprio and Scorsese are already at work on their next pairing, "The Departed" – that will give the hot-property screenwriter a chance to work in peace.
Xena: To be or not to be?
Xena is one of those characters who appeals equally to lesbians and gay men – both camps know a quality ass-kicking babe when they see one. So Romeo was heartened to learn that Katherine Fugate, screenwriter of the "When Fates Collide" episode of the now-dormant "Xena: Warrior Princess," along with the series' executive producer Robert G. Tapert, is working on a script for a big-screen "Xena" feature. But don't get too excited just yet. Right now it's only a script, and there's no way of knowing if that script will become a bought script and then a greenlighted script and then a shooting script. One thing's certain, though – if it all comes to pass, it shouldn't be anyone's but Lucy Lawless' to turn down first.
Scooping up gay 'Crumbs'
"Will & Grace" has been on for quite a while now, and it's only a matter of time before they bring in an adorable kid character – one that appears more regularly than Jack's son – to boost ratings. And ABC, already wrangling gay viewers with "Desperate Housewives," must certainly know that when the "W&G" cast snap their last bon mots, the coveted gay advertising demographic will want a new sitcom to light on. Enter gay-ish pilots like "Crumbs." Details of the in-development series from "Caroline in the City" creator Marco Pennette are few, but the plot line as it stands this week is this: two estranged adult brothers, one gay and one not, have to work together to run the family business after their parents divorce. As they say in Hollywood Pitch-Land, "It's "Will & Grace" meets "Arrested Development"!" And as they say in Romeo-Land, "We'll see about that."
Things that go 'Bump!'
When a TV series has a name like "Bump!," you could be forgiven for thinking you were about to watch a teen dance show. But the Canadian offering is actually a travel show created with the queer jet-setter in mind – a match made in disposable-dollars heaven, since gay men and lesbians travel more than the average consumer. Now entering its second season on Canada's Pridevision, "Bump!" has also been picked up to air in the United States on Here TV. Romeo loves this development. After all, it's better to learn from the comfort of your La-Z-Boy which destinations, cruise lines, and travel packages are welcoming to gay travelers. Finally, no more checking into hostile hotels with insufficient thread counts.
