Obsessed with Hollywood

***Warning*** This article discusses some potential plot points for the HBO pilot The Miraculous Year.

While the HBO drama has only been ordered to pilot as of now, a lot of star power is involved. The potential cast includes Frank Langella, Lee Pace, Norbert Leo Butz, Eddie Redmayne and Hope Davis, the pilot's director is Oscar winner Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker), and it was written by Tony winner John Logan (Red),

With that roster of talent it almost seems impossible that HBO won’t ultimately pick up the series for 2011. And that’s a very good thing for gay viewers.

Set in the theater world of New York City, The Miraculous Year is a family drama that has at its center Terry Segal (Butz), a gay man who also happens to be a Broadway composing genius. Around him revolve a large cast that not only include his lover Frank (Pace), but his gay nephew Cameron, as well as Connor (Redmayne), a young actor with whom Terry has an affair, Frederick Hunter, an aging Broadway composer down on his luck, as well as several other secondary gay characters. Additionally, Patti LuPone will reportedly play a Broadway diva in a number of episodes.
To quote Neil Patrick Harris from the 2009 Tony Awards, “this show couldn’t be any gayer if Liza was named mayor.”

Indeed, it’s been a long time since a drama featured so many gay male characters this prominently. While Brothers & Sisters currently has three out characters – Kevin, Scotty, and Uncle Saul – with B&S’ large cast, both Scotty and Saul have been known to disappear entirely for several episodes in a row. The same is almost as true for other shows featuring prominent gay characters such as Glee, Southland, and the recently canceled Ugly Betty.

Only Modern Family can claim to truly feature its gay characters prominently in every episode and even then 22 minutes of screentime is split between that show’s three different families.
But The Miraculous Year isn’t just noteworthy for having so many gay characters. What's truly significant is that it features such a complicated gay character as its main protagonist and it is around him the central drama of the show will swirl.
Based on casting sides for the show (these are portions of a script — in this case from the pilot — used by actors auditioning for different roles. Much can change about the sides, but they do give a good indication of what the show should be like) Terry is described as being a “charismatic, self-destructive composer” having “messy hair and beard. Body’s a wreck. Unhealthy lifestyle taking a toll. 40s.”

He also comes across as bitter, cynical and under a great deal of pressure as he’s attempting to mount an original Broadway musical he’s been working on for ten years. In other words, he's your tortured, brilliant artist, only gay.

His high pressure life "causes" Terry to act in inappropriate ways including sexually and by using drugs. Of course, this has an impact on his relationship with his partner Frank who has seen Terry’s self-destructive behavior before.

At one point in the pilot, Frank comes home to find Terry high on coke and in bed with Connor, an aspiring actor in Terry’s current musical.

After escorting Connor out of their townhouse, Frank confronts Terry.

FRANK
In our bed, Terry? Come on, I can’t sleep in that bed.

TERRY
It’s not like I don’t try! I do. I do try. But these kids throw themselves at me.

FRANK
They throw themselves into the house and up the stairs into the bed?

TERRY
Very much like that, yes.

FRANK
Shut the f*ck up.
It isn’t the cheating that most bothers Frank, but what Terry is doing to himself. When Terry tries to justify his behavior due to the stress he’s under, as well as what appear to be Frank’s own past infidelities and drug use, Frank says, “Stop. Take a look in the mirror … That’s what’s killing me. Not the f*cking around. That.”
But Terry isn’t interested in hearing it.
Shortly thereafter he delivers a scathing monologue about how stressful his life is – and how much their finances depend on his success.
Says Frank:

It’s all me, you understand? All those actors, all those musicians, our house, our life, the whole goddamn thing depends on my pencil up there in that room – so, YES, I f*ck up, I drink too much, I eat too much, I am unfaithful, I am selfish, I am back on f*cking coke, but that that is ME RIGHT NOW IN MY LIFE and I WILL NOT APOLOGIZE FOR IT…

Let’s just say these two are not Kevin and Scotty.

As for the show’s other gay characters, considerably younger and more optimistic is Terry’s nephew Cameron. The sides describe him as “about 17, sharp, theatrical, sunny and busting to come out of the closet which will surprise no one.”
He’s also best friends with his sister Lara who is considerably less sunny. At one point they have the following exchange:

CAMERON
I wish I could give you a tiny piece of me. I’m happy all the time. Which makes me stupid, I know. But I can’t help it.

LARA
That’s your gift, Cam. You’re the one who’s gonna get out of this f*cked up family alive … For me, it’s like … I’ve forgotten how to be happy.
While Cameron isn’t out at the start of the pilot, his sexuality isn’t an issue for his family. Indeed, at one point Mandy, his mother, thinks he’s going to come out to Terry (who is his uncle). Says Mandy, “This is so adorable! … I think I’m going to cry.”
But Terry is worried about how he’ll handle it.

TERRY
This is just the kind of thing I will totally f*ck up and ruin his life … What should I say?

MANDY
Just be nice. Tell him you love him and you’re proud of him … And do not introduce him to any of your friends!

He laughs.

TERRY
God, I remember when I came out. He wasn’t trying to, but Dad made me feel immoral. He looked at me and in his eyes … it’s like he saw my whole life stretching out ahead of me: a nonstop spiral straight down … Guess he wasn’t all that wrong.
The sides do include a later conversation between Terry and Cameron about what Terry was like as a boy, as well as a discussion of what a theater life is all about. Cameron, who dreams of also succeeding on Broadway, is a refreshingly sweet, self-accepting kid and a welcome addition to the growing pantheon of gay teens on U.S. television.

The show is also refreshing in its depiction of gay male sexuality. Indeed, in the scripts obtained by AfterElton.com, the only sex portrayed is between Terry and Connor, and it reads as if the scene will be handled the same as any heterosexual sex scene on HBO.

Given that, as well as the show’s handling of the other gay elements and the number of gay characters, The Miraculous Year stands a good chance of being the most gay-centric show seen on American television since Queer as Folk went off the air in 2005.

Given that this is coming from HBO, already known for the gay favorites Oz, Six Feet Under and True Blood, and with the talent involved across the board, it stands to reason this might just be the most well done gay series American viewers have ever seen.

Miraculous indeed.

The new series, called "Off the Map," starring Caroline Dhavernas (Wonderfalls) and Martin Henderson (The Ring), is about the adventures of a group of doctors and nurses who leave their jobs to practice medicine in a remote clinic in the Amazon.

Hawaii's scenic locations will be used to portray the Amazon.

"Off the Map's" executive producers, Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers, are responsible for ABC's medical drama hits "Grey's Anatomy" and "Private Practice."

"You periodically felt like you were a part of something truly insane, but it was all in a day's work," Leonardo DiCaprio told me during a junket for the movie "Inception." Even if that day's work includes shooting on a mountain in the middle of a blizzard.
Based on an original script by director Christopher Nolan, "Inception" is a film that defies easy sound-bite descriptions. Its Russian nesting doll-like structure of a dream enclosed within a dream enclosed within another dream virtually demands multiple viewings. Think Philip K. Dick meets "The Italian Job."
Nolan's previous silver screen venture was a little movie called "The Dark Knight" -- the highest grossing non-James Cameron movie in American history. So for this go-around, the director's vast, ambitious vision seems to have been utterly unfettered by financial constraints. And it shows.
"Inception" was shot in Tokyo, Los Angeles, Morocco, London, Paris and the Canadian Rockies. It features shots of the French capital folding in on itself M.C. Escher-style, a zero-G fist fight, and a freight train blasting through the streets of downtown Los Angeles.
And in one sequence, Leo and the gang stage a raid on a snow-bound Alpine fortress -- the aforementioned shoot in the blizzard.
Leo describes an exchange he had with an assistant director during production. "When we started shooting one of the ADs said, 'Before you get to lunch we want to do some of the avalanche shots.' 'OK, how is that going to happen?' 'We're going to blow up a couple mountains and we're going to start a couple of avalanches and you're going to get in there and be a part of it and then we'll take you to lunch.' And this is kind of what you expect on a Chris Nolan set."
Co-star Ellen Page agreed. "It was definitely the most extreme environment I've ever filmed in."
And if you thought that cast worked hard, try the production crew. That fortress had to be constructed out of wood and plaster -- carried straight up the mountain -- without the use of normal construction equipment. It was so cold up there that paint froze on the brush.
For a summer movie season that has proved to be easily the lamest in recent memory, filled with tepid adaptations and tired '80s retreads, Christopher Nolan's brand of cinematic insanity might just be what the doctor ordered. "Inception" opens this weekend.

A few months back the Asian American reality show produced by Tyrese lit the Internet on fire. The cast for the Ktown Reality Show has finally been revealed. This picture was posted on twitter and shows the 8 cast members. 4 guys and 4 girls that will be on the show. With our research, we found that people competing include Young Lee, Jennifer Field, Joe Cha, Scarlet Chan, Violet Kim, Peter Le, Steve Kim, and Jasmine Chang. The pilot episode was shot over the weekend at BCD, Bohemians, and BoBo’s in Koreatown. From what we hear, there was drinking and drama on the set. Here’s a few more pictures from the pilot episode:

Katy Perry is relishing her role in The Smurfs movie, because she was banned from watching the TV show as a child. The pop star is making her foray into acting by voicing the character of Smurfette in an upcoming adaptation of the popular cartoon series.

However, Perry admits she was never able to watch the program when she was younger, because her strict pastor parents deemed the Smurfette character too saucy for kids.

She explains, "It's funny because I was never allowed to watch The Smurfs growing up. My mom thought that Smurfette being the only female in the village was a little bit scantily clad, if you know what I mean. I grew up in a very sheltered house. But this Smurfs is definitely one for the kids... It is a family movie."

The Smurfs, also starring Neil Patrick Harris and Hank Azaria, is due for release in 2011.

While it's not entirely clear what will be included in the extended version of "Avatar" slated for release on August 27, the film's star, Sam Worthington, hinted at what could be in the film's extra eight minutes during a press day for Full Clip Productions, the comic book imprint Worthington launched with his partners John Schwarz and Michael Schwarz at Radical Studios.

"There were several different hunts that the characters go on," Worthington told MTV. "There's a sex scene that everyone keeps talking about, which is going to be unique," he added, laughing. "But there's a lot of other stuff to do with the Na'vi, and then there's also a lot of live-action stuff as well."

Since it became the biggest movie of all time, James Cameron has been largely mum on details about a follow-up to his 2009 blockbuster "Avatar," probably due less to secrecy than the long gaps between his projects. In the meantime, Fox announced earlier this week that it will re-release the film in theaters with eight new minutes of footage.

Although the running time of the original cut of the film was well over two hours, Worthington indicated that any excised footage was removed because it was already long enough, and Cameron didn't want to push the audience's patience too far. "That [material] got taken out because of time constraints, and at the time, not knowing if the movie was going to be successful or not."

It remains to be seen how much more of "Avatar" audiences will want to see, at least in theaters. And although Cameron hasn't volunteered more than vague details about sequels, it will be interesting to see how quickly even its most fervent fans will move on to thoughts of a follow-up. But Worthington indicated that if the director wanted to release more versions that are eight minutes longer than the last one, he could probably do so for years to come without exhausting his yet-unseen supply. (damn!)

"I think he's got another eight hours of footage, to be honest with you," Worthington said. "So I'll be surprised to see what the eight minutes is."

With the overwhelming fan response to “Eclipse,” it’s no wonder the third installment of the “Twilight Saga” films is leading the Teen Choice Awards nominations with 17 total!

In addition, Taylor Lautner has scored 11 nods including Choice Male Movie Star and Miley Cyrus will compete in 13 total categories.

Choice Summer Movie nominees include "The A-Team," "Despicable Me," "Grown Ups," "Inception," "The Karate Kid," "Knight and Day," "The Last Airbender," "Salt," "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" and "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse."

To catch all the winners, losers, and all kinds of celebrity-laden fun, check out the 2010 Teen Choice Awards on August 9th.