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Famed director Steven Spielberg has made lots of different kinds of movies over the years. He's dabbled in sci-fi, comedy, period pieces, kid's flicks -- you name it, he's made it. But one genre he's never touched is maybe the hardest of them all: the musical. Well, that's about to change, because Variety reports the director is working with Showtime to develop a behind the scenes series about a musical Broadway show. Spielberg has reportedly been developing the series for years now, and has now handpicked his team for a deal with Showtime.

The series is still in development, but what is known is that the show will center on "a behind-the-scenes look at every aspect of launching a tuner, from penning the songs to recruiting investors." There are also plans to mount an actual Broadway show once the season finishes on Showtime.

According to Variety, Spielberg is counting on the series having the legs to go for at least a few seasons and center on different productions each season. Personally, I love pulling back the curtain on anything to do with the world of entertainment, and there is no shortage of stories to choose from considering the entertainment business is packed with some wild characters. So what do you think? I know I'm sold on the idea -- how about you?

After the jump: some of my favorite behind-the-scenes musicals...

With Hollywood types running out of superhero ideas, it would appear the Showtime network has taken the next logical step: how about the gay superhero? And they're certainly not alone on this one; Variety reports that the hourlong project comes from Stan Lee and is based on the book Hero by Perry Moore. The story is said to focus on an "up-and-coming superhero who struggles to hide his secret identities." If anything, it certainly ups the ante and raises the stakes, and, in my opinion, is a pretty interesting idea. Like any superhero, gay men and woman across the globe often hide who they really are for fear society will punish them in some way, shape or form for being different. With the recent Prop. 8 debacle over in California, now is probably the perfect time to combine a popular mainstream genre with a topic more people need to not only come to terms with, but understand and support.

But is there room for a gay superhero amongst today's testosterone-fueled, run-and-gun box office blockbusters? Is this an idea that has potential, or do you see it slipping into territory that makes you feel too uncomfortable? Showtime is a network that likes to take risks with their programming, and so are you afraid the show would spend more time in the bedroom than out fighting crime? And would it be a bad thing to focus more on living as an individual with many secrets versus living as a superhero who loves to kick ass and take names?

Sound off below ...

Did you see American Gangster this weekend? Was it good? Did you like Cuba Gooding Jr.'s character? I hope so, because Showtime has just picked up a new show that, according to Variety, will "chronicle the true story of flashy Harlem heroin dealer Leroy "Nicky" Barnes." Yup, Barnes is portrayed by Gooding Jr. in the Ridley Scott film American Gangster, however this new show will have no relation to the film; instead it's based on Marc Levin's recent documentary Mr. Untouchable (which will also serve as the name of the series). Both Forest Whitaker and Levin will serve as executive producers, with David Burke as a writer and exec producer.

Though some other outlets claim Whitaker will also star as Barnes, the Variety story makes no mention of it; only that he will produce. Then again, they don't say he won't star, so chances are we could see the Oscar winner take on the role. Here's how Variety describes the series: "[It] will tell the story of how Barnes built a drug empire in the 1970s that rivaled that of the Italian Mafia. It will show how he rose to great heights, but with his success coming at the expense of his Harlem community. Skein will also detail the government's war on drugs and how it failed for years to bring Barnes down." Personally, I'm really enjoying the new Showtime shows, and I'd love to see Whitaker take on a role like this. I mean, to be able to watch this guy do his thang every week would be a real treat. No word on when the series will air, but I would imagine next year at some point.

For those who thought the rest of town was just going to sit back and let Disney rule the High School Musical world, think again -- Variety reports Showtime, Lionsgate and Spitfire Pictures have come together and will shovel out their own flick featuring a bunch of high school kids putting on a musical. Only, instead of having Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens blow each other candy-coated kisses from across the gymnasium (is that a scene, I don't even know?), this new film will be a straight-up documentary. Written and directed by Barry Blaustein, the doc will follow students from three southern Indiana high schools as they compete musical-wise for a spot in the International Thespian Festival.

Confession time: I was one of those drama kids back in high school, and helped work on the musicals (the ones where it was grade against grade -- we called it Sing!), although I never actually, well, sang. Behind the scenes stuff mostly, but I point this out because I know the kind of drama a drama class can provide. It could get nasty. Real nasty. Apart from the in-school activities, viewers will also get a chance to see how these kids live offstage; we'll meet the parents, teachers, local politicians, what have you. And hopefully none of the kids will get caught taking nude photos of themselves. Lionsgate will throw the doc onto the festival circuit to start out with, and if folks are really digging it, we'll see a theatrical run before DVD. So, are you fans of High School Musical ready to see how it really goes down? Or are you more comfortable in the land of make believe?

There are plenty of examples to choose from when you think about the lost potential of Orson Welles. From being the young genius behind Citizen Kane, to a hammered "has-been" in a wine commercial, clearly his career ran the gamut. Welles.net recently posted that filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich announced that he would be completing Welles' "lost masterpiece," The Other Side of the Wind, which is something we've been hearing about for a while now. Bogdanovich apparently made the announcement during a press event in Florida, saying that a deal had finally been struck with Showtime for the project and said, "We now have a lot of work ahead of us." The film was the story of an aging director (John Huston) in the midst of an artistic and personal crisis.

Bogdanovich is planning on taking inventory of the completed footage that has been sitting in a vault in Paris for the past 30 years. From there, he hopes to collaborate with Welles' former partners and said that "The idea would be to try and get as close as we can to what Orson had in mind." Bogdanovich also said the film could hit theaters as early as 2008. Between piecing together a film with 30-year-old footage and new material based on second hand recollections, it appears that Bogdanovich has his work cut out for him -- he might want to start brushing up on those old interview notes just in case.

In between playing video games and preparing to take Indiana Jones on one last adventure, Steven Spielberg has decided to return to cable television -- this time, setting up a show at Showtime based on his own original idea. What's that? A show based on an original idea? Is that legal? The United States of Tara (which, in case you're wondering, has nothing to do with The United States of Leland, The United States of Spielberg or The United States of America) will follow the format of a half-hour single-camera show, and will be similar in tone to the channel's other hit show, Weeds.

With a pilot written by stripper-turned-scribe Diablo Cody (Juno), The United States of Tara will revolve around a wife and mother who suffers from multiple personality disorder (or, as they're calling it now, dissociative identity). I imagine most of the episodes will show her husband and two teenage kids trying their best to cope with a woman who goes from normal mom to chipmunk hiding behind the wall in the span of two minutes. Word is two of her personalities ("a lascivious teen girl" and "a macho adult man") appear in the pilot, with more set to emerge as the series plays out.

While this disorder is very serious to some, the best comedy often comes out of the most dramatic situations -- and, with Spielberg involved, I'm sure he'll play it safe and not offend too many people. Heck, a number of fantastic scenarios are already playing through my mind -- most of which involve mom embarrassing her poor kids. No word yet on what Spielberg's role in the series will be; chances are he'll wear an executive producer hat, but it would be cool if he directed the pilot. Though Showtime purchased the script, they won't decide whether to move forward on it until later this summer.

Being associated with Oscar is a very good thing indeed. Films that win an Academy Award (or many) will typically see a boost in ticket sales. Before that, the nomination alone benefits their box office performance. Now it appears that simply being shortlisted has its advantages, too. One day after the Academy released its narrowed-down list of feature documentary contenders, ThinkFilm announced they've picked up the rights to one of the films on that list. The company will distribute The Trials of Darryl Hunt, which was produced by HBO Films and directed by Ricki Stern and Anne Sundberg. The doc premiered last January at Sundance and in April it won the audience award at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival.

It tells the story of Darryl Hunt, a black man who was tried and convicted for the rape and murder of white newspaper reporter Deborah Sykes in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in 1984. Hunt was sentenced despite there being no physical evidence, simply off a testimonial given by a former Ku Klux Klan member. After ten years, in 1994, a DNA test cleared Hunt of the charges, yet he wasn't released from prison for another eight years.

The film would probably make for a good, though upsetting, double-header with the 2005 Sundance Special Jury Prize winner After Innocence, which examines the difficult process of re-entering society following, and despite, being exonerated. Unfortunately, such a double-header will likely never happen on television, since After Innocence was produced by HBO competitor Showtime. After Innocence was also shortlisted for the doc feature Oscar last fall, but didn't garner a nomination. Still, it did okay in limited release and gets occasional play on Showtime (including this Thursday morning). The Trials of Darryl Hunt, which was set to premiere on HBO sometime in 2007, will now get a theatrical and DVD release courtesy of ThinkFilm.

A new trend in Hollywood these days finds film actors making a move to TV; Ray Liotta, James Caan, and Kiefer Sutherland all made the switch with varying levels of success. The door still swings both ways though, and plenty of actors with a steady TV job still look to the big screen.

According to Variety, Jason Clarke, who is best known for his work on Showtime's Brotherhood -- a drama about a political family with ties to the Irish Mob -- has signed to star in the noir thriller Still Waters. The indie thriller is being directed by Carolyn Miller and is currently shooting in Missouri. So far, there haven't been any other casting announcements from the production and a release date has not been set. The film centers on a shadowy drifter type who causes chaos in the lives of a happily married couple. Clarke is playing the husband in the film, so he seems to be stuck in the family man role as he also plays the "straight-laced" brother in Brotherhood.

Clarke has been in a handful of films so far, but the bulk of his work has been on TV. Although, I'm sure he would probably rather forget about those two episodes of Two Guys A Girl and A Pizza Place.

Have you voted for our new name yet? It looks like Cinematicast is kicking ass, so if you'd prefer something else, go here and make your voice heard.  Otherwise, stay here and learn about Michael Moore's battle with the Smithsonian, Michael Eisner's quest for You Tube cash, and why the guy who remade Rollerball could very well be going to jail.

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Hosts
Karina Longworth

Editor
Randall Bennett

Music
Love as Laughter - I'm a bee

Format
4:55, 28.6 MB

Program
00:00 - McTiernan pleads guilty
01:32 - Smithsonian plus Showtime = Angry filmmakers & TV producers
02:37 - Micheal Eisner involved with two online video startups
03:47 - The Oscars are back to February, at least for now

On September 1, 2004, Chechen terrorists took over School #1 in Beslan, Russia, capturing both the school grounds and the 1200 children and parents who had gathered there to celebrate the first day of school. What transpired over the next 54 hours for those hostages -- sandwiched together in a sweltering gymnasium without food or water -- and their helpless loved ones gathered outside was a tragedy so incomprehensible that any film that attempts to tell its story is practically guaranteed a degree of success. Such is the case with Three Days in September, a Showtime documentary that will air on the channel in May, after premiering at Tribeca.

Narrated by Julia Roberts, the film tells the story of the Beslan school siege through the eyes of those who were involved, including three adults who were hostages, a girl who spent the entire three days outside the school with her mother hoping her little sister would make it out alive, and Rulan Aushev, a former president of Ingushetia who was the only person allowed inside to negotiate with the terrorists. Their interviews are inter-cut with news footage of the crisis, limited video from inside the school (shot by the terrorists), and images of the ruined school as it looks today, and provide details as Roberts’ voice-over takes viewers the through the chronological events of the siege.