Gay Vampires from The Lair and Gay Time Travelers from Torchwood

  Even if potential hunkfest movies (Justice League, for one) are being postponed or shelved we still have some interesting prospects for the year. They include an old favorite, a returning TV series, and a possibly successful attempt at reviving a successful franchise.

  Sex and the City will be hitting theaters this May and the buzz has been promising. Oh sure, they've been teasing us with reports of Carrie in a wedding dress and Charlotte looking pregnant but they really don't have to bother. We've been excited about this project since day one and would be just as happy without teasers. What we DO appreciate reading is that the cast is not only arriving intact, but that there are plans for a trilogy. As for the cast we're grateful to get all four gals PLUS the supporting characters that fleshed out the show so well. We can count "Absolut" hunk Jason Lewis in that list playing Smith, Samantha's boyfriend. Publicity stills have been leaked of the two characters in Malibu, surfing the waves (or at least hauling boards around while wearing wetsuits) going at it in bed. Yeah, we're very excited.
 
            

 Here! has announced that it's gay vampire series The Lair has been renewed and will return in the fall with nine new episodes. The major characters will all return including former pornster Colton Ford, plus there'll be new characters and a few more supernatural element including what sounds like a werewolf-type creature. It sure makes us feel like sitting down and watching some old episodes of Dark Shadows, that 60s TV show that holds a special place with us at JackManly.

   By the way nostalgia fans should be aware that Dark Shadows has been available on DVD for some time now and the pre-vampire episodes of the series are now being released for the first time on DVD. Attempts at reviving Dark Shadows over the years have been met with decidedly mixed results. There was a 1991 series that flopped when it was pre-emptied by Gulf War coverage. Vampire Barnabas was well played by Ben Cross (Chariots of Fire), but the show was doomed. (one interesting note---Cross has been cast in the new Star Trek revival movie playing Spock's father--see below). A series pilot was filmed in 2004 and passed over and now JOhnny Depp is taking a crack at it. Without the inspiration of Dark Shadows it's possible that shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer 
might not have been possible.

  Speaking of Buffy, James Marsters (who played Spike) joins the cast of BBC America's Torchwood as Captain John Hart who has a history with the show's gay hero Captain Jack (played by John Barrowman). The second season premieres on January 26 but there's till time to pick up the DVD of season one and watch up with this wild sci-fi show. We love it for the stories and audacious premise. Where else on TV can you find a gay time traveling hero?  As for Marsters, he's revealed in the new TV Guide that his characters is "way beyond bisexual"  ad that he and Captain Jack do indeed kiss. HOT.

  We won't expect anything that saucy from the new Star Trek move by J J Abrams, but it is a very diverse and hunk-heavy cast. This week we got another glimpse of the cast including some new faces who will be playing a variety of characters.
 
  Here are the recaps (including new characters). Not pictured in Leonard Nimoy reprising his role as Spock (flashback or flash forward?). We're assuming that George and Winona Kirk are James' parents. Winona Ryder as Zachary Quinto's mother?

      
                      Chris Pine as Kirk                                    Zachary Quinto as Spock                    Zoe Saldana as Uhura

       
                       John Cho as Sulu                                        Karl Urban as McCoy                          Simon Pegg as Scotty

        
                  Anton Yelchin as Chekov                       Bruce Greenwood as Pike                             Eric Bana as Nero

      
        Chris Hemsworth and  Jennifer Morrison as George and Winona Kirk                   Clifton Collins, Jr as Ayel

        
   Ben Cross as Sarek & Winona Ryder as Amanda Grayson, Spock's parents   Tyler Perry as Head of Starfleet Academy

 
  However this whole thing ends up we won't know until this Christmas. In the meantime, we'll see some of JJ Abrams' sci-fi skill when Cloverfield hits theaters and when Lost returns in a few weeks.