Gay Today: Entertainment

Fall TV Preview: Star Studded Action

By Sean Lund
GLAAD's Hollywood Hotsheet

Jay Mohr (left) stars in FOX's Action

The new FOX sitcom Action, which premieres September 16 at 9:30PM ET/PT, has all of Hollywood buzzing. Starring Jay Mohr as egomaniacal film producer Peter Dragon, Action also features two gay characters, Stuart (Jack Plotnick), a gay film development executive, and Bobby (Lee Arenberg), a gay-but-closeted-and-married studio president.

Like The Larry Sanders Show before it, Action is drawing top celebrities for cameo appearances. Even before its debut, the show already has lined up Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, Cameron Diaz and Scott Wolf to play themselves, with Gwyneth Paltrow currently trying to fit an appearance into her schedule. The bracingly hilarious Action now looks to be the hottest cameo gig since The Simpsons.

Now Playing:

Head On, the sexy feature from Greek Australian director Ana Kokkinos, opens today in limited release. The film traces 24 hours in life of Ari, a handsome 19-year-old Greek-Australian gay youth who finds himself in direct conflict with the masculine values of his family and community.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times' Kevin Thomas, Kokinos said she is pleased with the audience response to Head On in Greece. "The younger Greek-Australian audiences felt very strongly that this was a film speaking directly to them," she said. "The older Greek-Australian community found it very difficult. They felt affronted by the film. It opened up a dialogue between younger Greeks and their parents."

Take Note:

Will & Grace, HBO Programs Rate Highly: Last week's Nielsen ratings found a repeat episode of Will & Grace at No. 10 for the week (the show was No. 4 among adults 18-49--the only non-Who Wants to be a Millionaire? program in the top five). On HBO, the gay-inclusive series Sex and the City and Oz each finished in the top ten for the week, while Cher: Live in Concert, taped at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, scored the highest cable program rating of the week in HBO's 30 million homes.

Previous Entertainment Features from the GayToday Archive:
'Triple Crown' Media Awards

Ben Affleck & Matt Damon Star in 'Dogma'

Leonardo DiCaprio as a Bisexual Tycoon?

Related Sites:
Fox Television

Head On: Official Site
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You Don't Says:

"Then there are a few women who think the article might be true. For them, it's a challenge: they want to be the one to turn me around. I let them.''

Kevin Spacey in the new Playboy, referring to the 1997 Esquire article which alluded to rumors that he was gay.

VCR Alert: Monday, September 6: Out-and-proud TV and film star Nathan Lane is scheduled to visit Late Night with Conan O'Brien (NBC, 12:35AM ET/PT). Monday, September 6: A new episode of Beyond Chance, hosted by Grammy-winner Melissa Etheridge (Lifetime, 8:00PM ET/PT).