Entertainment News from Eye On Weho

Eye on Entertainment
Nathaniel Grey
Entertainment Editor
May 15, 2013

Game of Thrones Star Has an Eruption

Game of Thrones star Kit Harrington will star in Resident Evil director Paul W.S. Anderson's Pompeii. Foregoing his usual Resident Evil theme of mutating zombies, this one is a period piece set in during the days leading up to the historical eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. The drama centers on a slave who struggles to return to the city to save the woman he loves and his friend who is a gladiator trapped in the coliseum. The disaster film with togas features Sucker Punch's Emily Browning, Cult's Jessica Lucas, The Matrix's Carrie Anne-Moss, Touch star Keifer Sutherland, and Mad Men's Jared Harris.

Prometheus star Logan Marshal-Green will play Tennessee Williams in Lonely Hunter. The film features Sucker Punch's Jena Malone as Southern author Carson McCullers, the writer of The Heart is a Lonely Hunter and Member of the Wedding. A woman who raised both eyebrows and tempers for her socializing with blacks and challenged gender expectations, her colorful life included such friends as Williams, Truman Capote, Gypsy Rose Lee and Ethel Waters.

Former VH1 Single Ladies star Haviland Stillwell can be seen in the June release of the independent comedy Birthday Cake. The full length sequel to the short film Groom's Cake is a mockumentary detailing the days leading up to the birthday of a child of Gay parents. Among the celebrants are Queer As Folk's Peter Paige, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition designer Rib Hillis, actress turned director Helen Shaver, V alumni Jane Badler, former Catwoman Lee Meriwether, and Flipping Out's Jenni Pulos.

Lily Rabe has been spending time in Oakland California, filming the drama, Beyond Redemption. She plays opposite The Practice's LisaGay Hamilton, The New Adventures of Old Christine's Hamish Linklater, and Medium's Jake Weber. I can't confirm any connection to Game of Thrones but the production company behind it is called Dire Wolf.

If you've been hungering for more of those silly Amish kids gone bad, TLC has re-branded the reality series as Breaking Amish: A Brave New World. The new season begins May 12. This second season will place Abe, Rebecca, Kate, Sabrina and Jeremiah in a large community of ex-Amish living in Sarasota, Florida.

Will & Grace vet Megan Mullally stars in the recent Tribeca Film Festival entry, G.B.F. The comedy looks at three popular high school girls fighting over who gets to take a newly outed Gay friend to the prom. My guess is it's whoever gives him a wrist corsage that matches his cumber-bun. The cast includes The Hard Times of RJ Berger vet Paul Iacono, Saturday Night Live's Horatio Sanz, Jawbreaker's Rebecca Gayheart, and But I'm a Cheerleader's Natasha Lyonne.

Justin Timberlake will play the late great 70s record producer and co-founder of Casablanca Records, Neil Bogart, in the film Spinning Gold. He will also act as co-producer with Bogart's son Evan Bogart.

Saturday Night Live veteran Molly Shannon joins Sam Rockwell in the comedy Trust Me. Written and directed by The Avengers' Clark Gregg, the story introduces a former child actor who has become an agent for child actors, only to see them jump ship to his arch nemesis. The film co-stars The Good Wife's Amanda Peet, The Help's Allison Janney, Desperate Housewives' Felicity Huffman and her real-life husband, Shameless star William H. Macy.

Macy's co-star and son on Shameless, Cameron Monaghan, appears with Showgirls' Gina Gershon, Men in Black's Vincent D'Onofrio, and Nip/Tuck's John Hensley in the movie Mall. Not a sequel to the cult favorite Mallrats but a drama about five disaffected youths who gather at a local shopping mall. Monaghan will also appear in the film version of Christopher Barzak's novel "One for Sorrow." The movie version is called Jamie Marks is Dead and co-stars Liv Tyler and Homeland's Morgan Saylor.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson didn't make it to the recent Pain & Gain premiere at Grauman's Chinese because he had to have emergency hernia surgery. Can I go on record as a volunteer to change his bandages?

Mad Men's Bryan Batt joins Silver Linings Playbook actress Jackie Weaver in the JFK assassination drama Parkland. As Tom Hanks is a producer on the project it should be of no surprise that his son Colin also appears in the film. The cast includes a number of rather impressive names including Grimm's Bitsie Tulloch, Lincoln's Jackie Earle Haley, Smallville's Tom Welling, Zac Efron, Billy Bob Thornton, Paul Giamatti and Marcia Gay Harden. Relatively unknown actor Brett Stimely plays President John F. Kennedy in this film, having previously played the same character in Watchmen and Transformers Dark of The Moon.

The premiere of director Doug Spearman's new film Hot Guys With Guns received a standing ovation at Tuesday night's West LA screening. In attendance were cast members Brian McArdle, General Hospital's Marc Samuel, DTLA's Darryl Stephens, Heroes' Alan Blumenfield, Joan Ryan, Treme's Jay Huguley and the director himself. Other notable names in attendance included Spearman's other half The Changing Room owner John Dunlea, voice-over superstar Ben Patrick Johnson, God's & Monsters' Jack Plotnick, The Lair's David Morretti and Oscar winner Helen Hunt.

If you live in LA you know what it's like to feel obligated to praise the unveiling of a friend's artistic creation. I can't tell you how many gallery or play openings, runway shows or screenings I've attended where I have offered such intentionally non-committal words as "wow, that was amazing," "unbelievable" or "I can't believe what you did," while actually thinking "oh god, please don't let this person create again!" It's like when I see pictures of some one's ugly baby. I'm the one who says "I'll be darn, Look at that" or "Oh my goodness" and the friend walks away feeling praised. Yet one of the many truly wonderful things about Hot Guys with Guns is that every person gave it genuine most worthy compliments. Each praising a different element which was their favorite. And I assure you that there are many such moments to choose. From the opening animated titled sequence reminiscent of the 60s TV series I Spy and Mervyn Warren's amazing 007 inspired score to the witty script and most impressive performances, the movie glows with the feel of a big budget feature.

At the screening I discovered a problem while watching a movie in which friends appear is how I spend an equal amount of time looking around for their reaction during some of their best scenes as well as to the laughter and thunderous applause from the audience. Which is just what Hot Guys with Guns received in spades. The story about a former lovers caught up in solving a series of sex party burglaries, takes them on a raucous adventure as they become the Gay Nick and Nora Charles, coming face to face with sexy men, deadly criminals, betrayal, guns and flying bullets.

But you don't have to believe me, there's a rapid growing number of fans for Hot Guys with Guns even before it has a distributor. The film has already been booked at over a dozen GLBT film festivals across the nation. Not only as an entry but in many cases, the closing night featured film. While I'm not yet allowed to name them all I can tell you that the brilliance of Doug Spearman and it's cast will be viewed at upcoming festivals in Miami, Boston, Toronto, Kansas City, Atlanta, Philadelphia and New York. It is in current negotiations with a number of west coast festivals and will be featured at an LA Black Gay Pride Gala on July 4. Run, don't walk, to see this movie when it's screened near you.

Outcasts vet Ashley Walters will next be seen in the WWII set drama Grace and Danger. The story gathers seven Allied troops who save a French girl from a village slaughter and try to escort her to safety. He is joined by Tom Sizemore, Merlin's Tom Hopper and Harry Potter's Tom Felton.

Looper's Joseph-Gordon Levitt has written and will direct the romantic comedy Don Jon. The story introduces a Lothario who objectifies everything in his life and spends a lot of time watching porn on his computer. Eventually bored by his life of excess he sets about discovering more important lessons about the meaning of life and love while dating two different women. His journey includes characters played by Scarlett Johansson, The United States of Tara's Brie Larson, Julianne Moore and Tony Danza.

Former Talk Soup host Aisha Tyler is one of the busiest people in Hollywood. She co-hosts the weekday CBS chat show The Talk, voices the character of Lana Kane on the animated series Archer and has just agreed to host the CW's planned revival of the improv comedy show Whose Line Is It Anyway?.

It's official, Misery star Kathy Bates has been added to the cast of the next season of American Horror Story. Don't be surprised if creator Ryan Murphy throws in a broken ankle joke or two. Returning for the Junior season are Lily Rabe, Frances Conroy, Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters and season one's Taissa Farmiga, sister of Bates Motel's Vera Farmiga.

Brothers & Sisters cast member Rachel Griffiths and Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen's Adam Garcia star in the NBC summer series Camp. The comedy is set at the Little Hawk Family Camp, a lake side resort where parents drop off their kids like a coat check and teens find adventure and love.

William Morrow publishing will release "How to Honey Boo Boo," the official companion book this July. Chapter four will be connect-the-dots and chapter five will be filled with toilet paper coupons.

The ratings success of Vikings on the History channel has guaranteed a second season of more Ragnar Lothbrok adventures. Before he returns for more pillaging, co-star Clive Standen, who plays Rolo, can be seen sword wielding in more Nordic adventures in the July 5 release of Hammer of the the Gods. The costumed drama follows a young man searching for his long lost brother, to lead their people in the aftermath of a newly slain king. It features DaVinci's Demon's Elliot Cowan, The Vampire Diaries' Charlie Bewley, The Borgias' Ivan Kaye and Game of Thrones' James Cosmo.

Katheryn Winnick, who plays Ragnar Lothbrok's wife, joins Kurt Russell in the upcoming motorcycle daredevils on an art heist comedy The Art of the Steal. They plays opposite Jay Baruchel, Matt Dillon, and The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert's Terence Stamp.

The Doom Generation's Johnathon Schaech guest stars on tonight's The Client List on Lifetime. Schaech appears in the supernatural film The Culling in which a group of college kids find themselves stranded in a remote cabin being terrorized by evil forces. But how those Scientologists found them there is the bigger mystery. The cast includes Soul Surfer's Jeremy Sumpter, Awkward's Brett Davern and Treme's Chris Coy.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer cast member Eliza Dushku is starring in a new TV version of The Saint which has sold in overseas market but has yet to secure an American distributor. The pilot film features cameo's by veteran leads of prior TV editions with Roger Moore and Ian Ogilvy. Joining Dushku are former Hawthorne cast member Adam Rayner in the title role, Without A Trace's Enrique Murciano, Pretty Little Liars' Yanni Gellman, Heroes' Greg Grunberg and Dexter's James Remar. The series promises lots of action having been directed by The Expendables II's Simon West.

Shaun of the Dead director Edgar Wright reunites with cast members Simon Pegg and Nick Frost for his latest comedy The End of the World. Once again, deeply rooted in British style humor, this one has them taking on another global disaster. The premise has a group of middle aged pub crawlers who try to reconnect to their youth by returning to the hometown bar, The World's End. Soon they discover reliving the past is the least of their worries as they find their future and that of mankind is in jeopardy. Joining the apocalyptic hilarity are The Hobbit's Martin Freeman, Jack Reacher's Rosamund Pike, Harry Potter's David Bradley and V for Vendetta's Eddie Marsan.

Kathy Griffin will emcee the May 18th edition of the LA Gay & Lesbian Center's "An Evening With Women." This year's fundaiser for women services will feature performances by Ozzy Osbourne, Sia and Natasha Bedinfield. Past years editions at the Beverly Hilton have featured appearances by Wanda Sykes, Kat Von D, Courtney Love, Roseanne, Cyndi Lauper, Heart, Renee Zellweger and Pink. Who, by the way, was an absolute doll despite having accidentally spilled a drink on my three years ago.

DTLA star Darryl Stephens is co-directing an all-male stage production of The Women. Titled The Gentlemen, this modern updating was written by Martin Matamoros who co-directs with Darryl for Santa Monica's Highways Performance Space. Clare Booth Luce's original play and subsequent classic 1939 film is molded into the tale of a popular online personality who chooses to end his ideal same sex marriage. The echo of this break-up resonates through the jilted lover's close knit circle of friends with witty comments and outrageous behavior. The switch in character genders is evident with how the original Crystal Allen is now an Asian guy named Chris Allen. Matamoros also joins the cast which includes Stephen Bowman, Ian MacKinnon, Nabor S. Arias Jr, Scott Scruggs, Jason Thatcher, Robert W. Ford, and Jason Fulk. Performing only for two nights, May 17 and 18th, The Gentlemen is presented as part of Highways BEHOLD! Queer series 2013.

If you enjoyed Darryl's performance in the film Boy Culture as much as I did, then you will share my excitement at the news that his co-star in the film, Derek Maygar's company SkinnyLee Productions is behind efforts to mount a TV series based on the film. If plans come together it would reunite Darryl and Derek with writer/director Q. Allan Brocka. To date, there have been discussions and re-scheduled meetings but nothing concrete. For the latest on Darryl's other series, he is still very much interested in continuing his acclaimed Logo series DTLA. While nothing has been signed he's open to alternative outlet sources. After all, money and hope is what keeps Hollywood alive. Especially in light of All My Children and One Life to Live's return of all new episodes via Hulu and iTunes. Though, like many, I'd much rather watch new episodes of DTLA than Erica Kane.

For the latest in production, casting and release news, follow my Twitter account @Greyagenda

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