Ellen Page
Photo: Paul Smith / Featureflash
By: Romeo San Vicente/Special to TRT—
Lady Gaga cooks another Thanksgiving Special
A Very Gaga Thanksgiving must have pulled in some decent ratings because she’s doing it again, this time with the Muppets on Lady Gaga and The Muppets’ Holiday Spectacular, set to air Thanksgiving night on ABC. True to its name – one where the show’s holiday content will straddle Thanksgiving and Christmas but is sure to be used as evidence by right-wing lunatics that there’s an ongoing “war” on Christmas taking place – Gaga will co-host alongside the Muppets. There’ll also be plenty of guest stars in the 90-minute musical special, including Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Kristen Bell, RuPaul and Elton John. In other words, awesome TV. Do we start calling it ThanksGaga-ing now? Thanksgaying? Both would work.
Ellen Page and Evan Rachel Wood go Into the Forest
Evan Rachel Wood (official status: bisexual, married to Jamie Bell) and Ellen Page (official status: not talking about it, photographed by paparazzi hanging with Argo’s Clea DuVall – which, should totally settle it, right? – and also with guys like Alexander Skarsgard, which totally unsettles it) are making a film together. It’s called Into the Forest and the project is to be directed by lesbian filmmaker Patricia Rozema (I’ve Heard The Mermaids Singing). She will also adapt the screenplay from Jean Hegland’s novel of the same name and Page will produce. It’s another not-too-distant-future apocalypse scenario in which Page and Wood, playing sisters, will struggle to survive, The Road-style. Or even Mad Max-style, which would be way more exciting. Maybe someone can convince Tina Turner to come out of retirement for more Aunty Entity antics. A gay can dream.
Ellen DeGeneres wants Sophia Grace and Rosie as next Olsen twins
Their careers began with a YouTube video. British cousins Sophia Grace Brownlee, age 10, and Rosie McClelland, 7, sang Nicky Minaj’s “Super Bass” and became overnight sensations when they appeared on Ellen. Since then they’ve appeared on the show multiple times, charming audiences with every appearance and gathering big ratings for the show. They’ve interacted with Reese Witherspoon, Minaj and Taylor Swift and are now poised to be breakout stars on their own. DeGeneres is producing a sitcom pilot for the girls, set up now at NBC, and a direct-to-video movie in which they’ll star as versions of themselves. It couldn’t be more in line with the Mary-Kate and Ashley template if those two sisters had written a how-to handbook. And with DeGeneres in their corner, they’re likely to become huge stars. Quick, someone get the actual Olsen twins on the phone for advice on how to navigate that Hollywood child star shark tank.
Queen wants Whisham
Ben Whishaw is pretty busy these days. The recently out actor will soon appear in Terry Gilliam’s The Zero Theorem; Days and Nights, which is a modern version of Chekhov’s The Seagull (and co-stars Katie Homes); Ron Howard’s The Heart of The Sea, where he’ll play Moby Dick author Herman Melville; and, of course, Bond 24, continuing his role as “Q.” But Queen wants him in their movie, too. As Freddie Mercury. After Sacha Baron Cohen dropped out of the project – they felt the Borat comic’s big personality would distract, overshadowing the role – the band recently threw their collective begging power into publicly wish-listing Whishaw. There is no other information suggesting that this will actually happen. But come on. Queen is asking you to be Freddie Mercury. Who can say no to that? Somebody with some pull should be arranging something – a meeting, a tea party, whatever happens in these sorts of situations. Make this happen!
*Romeo San Vicente is the champion, my friends. He can be reached care of this publication or at DeepInsideHollywood@qsyndicate.com.
