'Coming to America' McDowell's Yelp Page: Fictional Fast Food Restaurant Gets Reviewed

How do savvy NYers prove they really, really love a movie? By making a Yelp page for its fictional fast-food joint and write faux-serious reviews, of course! Such is the case for Eddie Murphy's 1988 comedy hit, 'Coming to America.' Some joker(s) created a very real review page for the movie's McDowell's restaurant, the knockoff establishment, which employed the "wild oat sowing" Murphy and his servant, played by Arsenio Hall. The Yelp page has turned into a bona fide fan forum, allowing those so inclined to stretch their creative muscles and write a review teeming with as many quotes and references to the flick as possible. A personal favorite: "I went here for dinner after the Miss Black Awareness pageant and the food was pretty good. However, I wish I hadn't copped that Randy Watson mixtape outside...I liked him better as Joe the Policeman on the What's Going Down ep of That's My Momma. You live and you learn." Sounds like a sequel! 'Coming to America: The Klumps' or something. Watch a young Samuel L. Jackson try to rob McDowell's in a hilariously NSFW clip from 'Coming to America' below. [via Yelp] [Photo: Everett] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Royalty suits filed versus. labels

The ongoing legal fight between artists and labels over digital royalties elevated late the other day, as two new suits alleging gross underpayments to functions were filed. On Friday, singer-guitarist Peter Frampton punished A&M Records, among Universal Group, proclaiming he was paid out a part of what he was due for downloads of his '70s hits. Frampton's suit been effective the same Thursday action filed against Capitol Records with the heir in the late Bruce Gary, drummer of '70s new wave act the Knack. The 2nd suit against EMI Music's flagship imprint might be the to start several actions regarding digital royalty obligations being lodged against a label not operated by UMG. However, UMG could ultimately prove liable because situation, since lately the business developed a effective $1.9 billion bid for EMI's label assets that has not been approved by government physiques. Both litigants acquired huge hits for labels inside the '70s. Frampton's two-LP A&M concert set "Frampton Comes Alive" wasn't any. 1 for ten days in 1976, because the Knack's Capitol album "Have the Knack," which contained no. 1 single "My Sharona," assigned the charts for 5 days in 1979. Both suits allege breach of contract and unfair competition and seek award for damages being determined at trial. Frampton's suit, which fits a 1998 royalty settlement involving the music artist and UMG, states which in the agreement is "virtually identical" compared to that of last year's appellate court decision in F.B.T. Prods.' suit against UMG and Aftermath Records. That decision learned that F.B.T., which produced Eminem's earliest tracks, was entitled to much greater digital royalties based on rates for masters licensed to 3rd parties (Daily Variety, Sept. 7, 2010). It inspired class actions filed in federal court in Northern California taken with the Ron James estate (Daily Variety, April 5) Make the most of Zombie, his band White-colored Zombie, Whitesnake and Dork Mason (Daily Variety, May 24) and Chuck D of Public Enemy (Daily Variety, November. 3). On 12 ,. 22, Bruce Gary's sister Felice Catena, who holds rights to Gary's fascination with the Knack, filed a suit in L.A. Superior Court alleging that Capitol has "systematically" paid out underneath the 50% of internet receipts contractually due for licensed masters. Frampton's suit, lodged 12 ,. 23 in U.S. District Court in L.A., comprises an identical allegation. Frampton claims the $212,000 check shipped towards the music artist without documentation late this year was "wholly insufficient to cover the specific bad debts to Frampton, that's potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars greater than the insufficient partial payment created by UMG." Spokesmen for UMG and EMI could not be showed up at for comment. However, UMG has consistently maintained the appellate decision inside the so-referred to as Eminem situation does not constitute the best precedent. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

Charlize Theron's Oscar-Winning Formula Involves Getting Body fat, Prosthetics

When Charlize Theron talks on how to triumph throughout honours season, it is recommended to listen. She's a 2-time Oscar nominee, a four-time Golden Globe nominee, the star of these respected fare as "Monster," "North Country" and... "Aeon Flux." Hey, not everyone's a champion, right? Ms. Theron is nevertheless a significantly-famous thespian, and her latest offering she plays a loathsome yet amusing YA novelist in "Youthful Adult" has once more arrived her in the center of honours-season chatter. Could this function as the year she adds another statue to complement the very first, which she nabbed on her turn like a murderer in "Monster"? Possibly. However it most is definitely the year you can study from Theron on how to win an Oscar. Within the latest episode of "After Hrs," the 36-year-old sitting lower with MTV's Josh Horowitz to describe how you can cozy as much as the Academy and leave after some golden statuette. The simplest way? "Do things i did," she declared. "Just get body fat and set a lot of prosthetics on." Hear that, ambitious Hollywood A-listers? Skip that acting class and merely watch "After Hrs."

Hockey team purchase changes game in Canada

Bell Canada and Rogers Communications' acquisition of the Walnut Leafs leaves pubcaster CBC playing defense. MONTREAL -- Hockey rules Canadian rankings, then when rival tv stations and telcos Bell Canada and Rogers Communications teamed to purchase the Toronto Walnut Leafs, the television world predicted a large sports privileges shakeup, both around the smallscreen as well as in digital realm.But Bell Canada's intend to air sports solely on its mobile phone service continues to be hit lower through the country's media watchdog, as the wealthy deal puts the way forward for hockey on pubcaster CBC uncertain when its NHL contract finishes following a 2013-2014 season.On 12 , 9, Bell Canada and Rogers compensated C$1.3 billion ($1.2 billion) to get a 75% stake in Walnut Leafs Sports and Entertainment, which is the owner of the Nhl franchise and National Basketball Assn.'s Toronto Raptors, in the Ontario Instructors Pension Fund. Both companies want the qualities to give free-to-air systems and pay Television channels, particularly Bell's TSN (The Sports Network) and also the Rogers-possessed Sportsnet.The Walnut Leafs draw the greatest sports rankings since the team is situated within the country's most populated area."Bell and Rogers are mortal opponents, but what introduced them together would be a common curiosity about acquiring content, as well as their fear that the unfriendly media competitor would have it,Inch states Ian Morrison, spokesperson for that watchdog group Buddies of Canadian Broadcasting.CTV has lengthy coveted these hockey privileges, and Bell managed to get obvious as soon as it required within the commercial broadcaster in fall 2010 that obtaining prime sports qualities would be a major factor of their arrange for the net. They possession puts Bell and Rogers inside a prime position to snare national privileges to NHL games when the CBC deal expires.Losing will be a major financial blow for CBC. The pubcaster pays a great deal for that property -- industry associates suggest a yearly fee in the plethora of $100 million -- nevertheless its "Hockey Evening in Canada" on Saturdays is actually its top-ranked program. The CBC uses the ad money it rakes in in the NHL 2010 nfl playoffs to finance pricey local drama fare.Inside a statement, CBC executive Vice president of British services Kirstine Stewart congratulated Bell and Rogers, and noted that CBC has joined with Rogers for that 2014 soccer World Cup and it is planning an offer for that 2014 and 2016 Olympic games with Bell. Tellingly, she made no reference to NHL privileges.But Bell's means of spinning sports content to fans via wise phones and laptops has had a blow. A few days following the Walnut Leafs deal was introduced, the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission purchased Bell to cancel its exclusive deal to stream NHL and National football league games to the Bell Mobility customers and open the qualities to rivals inside a month."Canadians should not have to sign up for a radio service from the specific company to gain access to their most favorite content," states CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein.The CRTC examined the offer after cell-telephone service provider Telus complained it had been not able to barter with Bell on privileges to hockey and football games. In September, the CRTC ruled that large media firms wouldn't be permitted to manage exclusive use of content on different platforms, which they would need to get this to content open to their rivals. "You should not must see one supplier to obtain a particular kind of programming," Morrison states.BCE, banking on sports they are driving its mobile service, states it in all probability will challenge the ruling. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

Bert Schneider Dead: 'Easy Driver,' 'Last Picture Show' Producer Dies at 78

You do not be familiar with title Bert Schneider, however, you know his movies: 'Easy Driver,' 'The Last Picture Show,' 'Days of Heaven' along with the bananas Monkees film 'Head.' Schneider died on Monday in La at 78. He is at an ailment of failing health, according to his daughter. The boy of former Columbia Pictures leader Abraham Schneider, Bert increased to become vital estimate the counter-culture movement of '60s and '70s. After concentrating on 'The Monkees' tv series just like a producer -- after which, an expert producer -- Schneider produced the not-very-Monkees-like-Monkees-film 'Head,' which was put together by director Bob Rafelson together with a then little-known actor named Jack Nicholson. Schneider's relationship with Nicholson carried out a substantial role within the next movies: 'Easy Rider' and 'Five Easy Pieces,' the 2nd which Rafelson directed. He later produced 'The Last Picture Show' for director Peter Bogdanovich and appeared to become responsible for Terrence Malick's second film, 'Days of Paradise.' His 1974 documentary 'Hearts and Minds' won an Academy Award. Schneider, who quit the organization following 'Days of Heaven' was 78. [via Deadline] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Gray reups at Vital through 2017

GreyParamount Pictures chairman-Boss Kaira Gray has reupped using the studio through 2017. The studio didn't have discuss the extension, but sources confirmed the extension to Variety. Once the deal was completed wasn't known. Gray will keep going the studio together with vice chairman Take advantage of Moore and film group leader Adam Goodman. Since developing as chairman-Boss in 2005, Gray has seen his great amount of good and the bad, together with a very public divorce with DreamWorks, which separated ways using the studio in 2006. Under Gray, the studio rated No. 2 in share of the market one of the major galleries in 2008, 2009 and 2010 and appears to accept top place this year. Contact Justin Kroll at justin.kroll@variety.com

Addiction Incorporated

A Variance Films relieve an Acappella Pictures presentation from the Dune Road Films production. Produced by Charles Evans Junior. Executive producer, Charmaine Parcero. Co-producers, Devorah Devries, Stephen Mitchell. Directed by Charles Evans Junior.With: Victor DeNoble, Paul Mele, Russ Herman, David A. Kessler, Michael C. Moore, Keith Summa, Henry Waxman, Steven C. Parrish.Potent docu "Addiction Incorporated" tales the extended and tortured road traveled to find out federal controlling the tobacco industry -- a reason finally won largely due to the idea that some producers extended had proof cigarettes were addictive, despite decades of public denial. Producer Charles Evans Junior.'s directorial debut finds an engrossing suspense position inside the participation of Victor DeNoble, an idealistic investigator-switched-whistleblower whose hidden corporate research increased being the bombshell catalyst because struggle. Strong reviews should profit the pic within the being qualified run beginning 12 ,. 14 at Gotham's Film Forum, together with other urban centers following within the month of the month of january. The genial DeNoble, the primary interviewee among many here, will be a working-class East Coaster considered none-too-vibrant until a college course motivated the invention that undiscovered dyslexia happen to be hampering his academic performance all along. By 1976, he'd acquired a doctorate in experimental psychology and was utilized by Philip Morris four years later just like a senior drug investigator. Told, "We don't kill people nicotine does," at his meeting, DeNoble figured he'd nabbed an aspiration publish giving healthy corporate earnings for science that actually accomplished good success people. He and fellow investigator Paul Mele were essentially designated with searching for less harmful choices to nicotine as cigarette elements. However, when their lab-rat studies revealed not only that nicotine was patently addicting, but another element (Acetaldehyde) even a lot more, the business figured it could convey more bang due to its buck by improving rather than decreasing the dosage in the latter. An incriminating results paper planned for scholarly publication got yanked pressurized. Bought to get rid of remaining rats together with other evidence of his findings, DeNoble wound up being abruptly fired. 10 years later inside the mid-1990's, ABC began sniffing at around gossips the tobacco industry -- still intensely battling government regulation -- had really labored privately to help keep addictive levels while denying such addiction existed. The used law suits, spying on Fda scientists, political palm-greasing together with other tactics to keep the lid relating to this explosive truth. However when Congress released DeNoble from his former employer's airtight discretion agreement, the cat was in the bag. Once the chronicle reaches industry-shaming Congressional proceedings together with other still-familiar occasions, it evolves less exciting, if possibly because the earlier parts, casting DeNoble as humble protagonist in the then-secret fight between personal ethics and corporate malfeasance, offer such compelling real-existence drama. Pic's most adventuresome leap is applying impressive, even poignant animated sequences through which anthropomorphized rats feel the levels and lastly fatal lows of substance addiction. Setup is first-rate in the future.Camera (color, HD), Peter Nelson, Igor Martinovic editors, Kristen Huntley, Jay Keuper music, Samite Mulondo graphics, Seth Brau animation, the Studio New you are able to city, Cartoon Saloon, Aniboom re-recording mixers, Glenfield Payne, Reilly Steele. Examined on DVD, San Francisco Bay Area, November. 6, 2011. Running time: 102 MIN. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

Liz Hurley Shares Her Tips For Staying Slim & Glam After 40

First Published: December 12, 2011 3:56 PM EST Credit: Getty Images LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Caption Liz Hurley makes a personal appearance to raise awareness for Breast Cancer Awareness Month at Edinburgh, Scotland on October 4, 2011 Elizabeth Hurley may be 46, but shes turning heads alongside Blake Lively and Leighton Meester on Gossip Girl, and she explained one of the big secrets to looking good as she inches toward 50. [When I was younger], I could look pretty good on three hours sleep, Liz told UK magazine Zest, per The Daily Mail. Now, I look like a lunatic if I dont get at least double that. In my 20s I used to be able to exist on coffee, cigarettes and crisps, but again, a couple of days of that now and Id look and feel really scary! Beyond getting her beauty sleep, Liz, who has a swimsuit line, which she herself models, admitted it isnt hard to keep up the motivation to work out, especially in the winter. I put myself under pressure to remain slim because I still model my own bikinis but it is much more difficult to feel motivated in the gloomy winter, she said. I wrap myself up and try to walk every day with my dogs and sometimes force myself to run a bit but I hate it. I love Pilates and yoga but, again, am more likely to do them in the spring and summer. And Lizs new love, Australian cricket star Shane Warne, helps out too. Hes naturally very athletic because hes been a professional sportsman for over 20 years. He keeps threatening to make me run with him, but Ive resisted so far, she added. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Transgender Performers on How Art and Identity Inform Each Other

Transgender Performers on How Art and Identity Inform Each Other By Simi Horwitz December 9, 2011 Lucas Silveira The statuesque and striking Bianca Leigh admits that exposing one of her breasts in her one-person musical "Busted" was a vulnerable moment. But it was not gratuitous, confessional, or therapeutic, she says, despite her being a transgender woman.Indeed, Leigh never planned to write a piece about the transgender experience, but she felt that audiences were ready, and so was she. "With humor, I showed how the abuse of power can affect any disenfranchised person," she says. "Busted" recounts what happened when she was arrested for alleged solicitation.Leigh no longer feels disenfranchised but concedes that she faces obstacles, especially as an actress. (The majority of the trans women interviewed prefer the term "actress" to the gender-neutral "actor.") Transgender roles are fewoften they're prostitutes, criminals, or murder victimsand when a good part surfaces, more often than not it does not go to a transgender actor. The films "Transamerica" and "Boys Don't Cry" are classic examples. Leigh wants to do more than transgender roles but will seize any small opportunity. "I will work nonstop," she insists. "I have to prove I am an actress who happens to be trans."Leigh is luckier than most transgender actors in that she has representation. Her agent, Judy Boals, says she had no reservations in taking on Leigh: "I will submit her for everything, but mostly beautiful, glamorous, upscale female roles. I haven't gotten her much yet, but mostly because of her many downtown theater credits. Also, in the few films she's been in, she's played transgender characters." Generally, Boals explains, casting directors and agents like to put people in boxes.A Trans Life On Stage and Off "Transgender" is an umbrella term for a person whose gender identity and lifestyle don't match his or her biological sex. Most transgender people know at an early age that they're "trapped in the wrong body" and are usually "out" as homosexuals prior to making the actual gender transition. Some have surgical and/or hormonal treatments, though typically they won't discuss whether they've had so-called "bottom surgery." Others don't take medications or undergo gender realignment procedures. Still others want to "pass," while some see themselves on a gender continuum, sharing characteristics of men and women. A fair number continue to identify with queer culture."I am going to face hatred and discrimination and therefore feel part of a larger queer community," Leigh explains. "But it's not about being gay. I am a woman of transsexual experience." In contrast, trans woman and actor Laverne Cox identifies as a straight female, despite knowing discrimination not only as a trans woman but as an African American.Trans male standup comic Ian Harvie describes himself as a man, but not male. "A male is what you are biologically, while a man is something you can create," he says. He maintains the F (for female) on his driver's license, contending that "if I ever get arrested, I want to go to the women's prison. That's a female privilege I'd like to keep. I don't want the privileges of a straight male, though sometimes I get them because of how I look."Justin Vivian Bond, previously best known for the persona of inebriated lounge singer Kiki of the duo Kiki and Herb and who has been taking estrogen for a number of years, says, "I identify as a transgender. I do not believe in the gender binary, and I do not live as a male or female. When I played Kiki, I was playing a woman. But I was not a man playing a woman, or a woman playing a woman. I was a transgender playing a woman." In his more recent incarnation as a singer, Bond evokes a sophisticated man-woman, but with no campy overtones. Author of the recently published memoir "Tango: My Childhood, Backwards and in High Heels," he is now participating in a queer art mentorship program and will be guiding a trans male dancer, who did not wish to be identified but who said, "My trans body allows me to occupy a new artistic space."Ambiguous gender identity is part of a long theatrical tradition, says David Kaufman, theater critic and author of "Ridiculous!: The Theatrical Life and Times of Charles Ludlam." Ludlam's performance as Camille in his comic version of the Alexandre Dumas classic was an iconic and moving example of gender blending onstage. "He wore gowns but also exposed his chest hair," Kaufman says. "He was not trying to conceal his male identity. He did not embrace camp. In fact, he felt camp was in the eye of the beholder. He said, 'I'm doing real acting in drag.' " Ludlam was gay but not transgender.Is it Necessary to Pass? Transgender performers are not new. Consider Candy Darling, Jackie Curtis, and Holly Woodlawn, who all starred in Andy Warhol films. The most famous transgender person today is probably Chaz Bono, and the brouhaha over his appearance on "Dancing With the Stars" has brought the topic front and center. The precise number of transgender performers is not available, but all the interviewees agree that their presence will be increasingly felt.They can currently be seen performing cabaret acts, experimental solo pieces, standup comedy, and roles in film and TV. Candis Cayne was on "Dirty Sexy Money," and Harmony Santana played a young boy beginning to transition in the highly praised indie film "Gun Hill Road."Casting director Sig De Miguel, who has cast transgender actors in films, looks forward to the time when a character's transgender status is incidental to the script and an actor's trans identity is irrelevant to casting. "You may be born male, but you're a woman now," De Miguel says. He doesn't think passing as one sex or the other is relevant.By contrast, Cox wants to pass and would love to play a straight woman. "In the film 'Musical Chairs,' my character's sexuality was not an issue," she says. "I had a love interest, and I played it as a straight woman." Similarly, Santana hopes to pass onscreen and believes it's her job as a performer to do so. "The only challenge right now is my voice," she says. "I think it's still a little masculine, but I've been told by men it's sexy." She acknowledges that she would be a little uncomfortable doing a romantic scene with a straight actor, unless he knew she was a trans woman. Shaping a Performance To what degree being transgender shapes a performance is arguable. Trans woman Marlo Bernier concedes that as a woman, her comedic skills are sharper than when she was a man. Still, she had no problem playing men, saying that acting is acting. For others, trans identity and artistry are profoundly interrelated. CeCe Suazo-Augustus says she brought a "unique LBGT twist" to her interpretation of conspirator Cinna in a production of "Julius Caesar" by the Los Angeles Shakespeare Festival's Will Power to Youth program in 1997.Likewise, Kestryl Cael, an edgy "trans-masculine" (the phrase he prefers) performance artist, started writing his own pieces in part because the roles in dramatic literature didn't mesh with his aesthetic or sensibility. "I have a queer identity and don't identify with women or straight men," he says. "I use the gender-neutral pronoun 'hir.' "Cael does not send out headshots or rsums but will perform in the works of friends, who understand that he'll bring a special "queer" spin to the undertaking. He would not play a misogynistic straight man in a representational style, but would play the part with a wink to the audience. "I will not identify with that character," he says. "My approach is more Brechtian."Harvie wants his audiences to love him and embrace his "trans-ness" as much as he does, likening it to a "gift." Presenting an easygoing and charming persona, he discusses his life as a woman before top surgery, when he was forced to wear a triple-D bra, and the misery he endured in "lugging the girls around."Without finger-wagging, he hopes his audiences will view sex, gender, and male and female politics in new ways. "I talk about trans-ness, so I've become a transgender comic," Harvie says, "but I see myself more as an identity comic, like a black comic or 'recovery' comic." In the end, his goal is bonding with viewers, because he is one of them. "Everyone feels like an outsider," he says.Playing a lounge-lizard emcee with slicked-down black hair, a slightly shiny, baggy suit, and a fake mustache, standup performer Murray Hill sees himself as an outsider separate from the audience. He views his act as a fun defense mechanism. At the same time, he asserts that "living a life weaving between gender binaries" has made it more possible for him to connect to theatergoers across gender lines. "What I love about my character is it translates differently to each person," Hill says. "Some folks have no idea, others are in on it, and some folks are just confused. That makes for a thrilling ride for both me and the audience." But foremost, "I'm an entertainer," he emphasizes. "I sing, I dance, I interact with the audience, and I tell jokes. I'm everyone's favorite uncle at the dinner table during holidays, after a few drinks."Mixed Emotions Being trans may inform some actors' performances, but for others, performing paved the way for transitioning. Santana had not started her change when she was cast in "Gun Hill Road," but as she delved into her role and the director insisted that she "become a girl," she was able to make the decision to go ahead with sexual reassignment. "It gave me the strength to be comfortable in my skin," she recalls.Harvie came out onstage when he was a woman because not to do so felt dishonest, he says. "I knew I looked like a butch dyke, and I know that was what the audience was seeing. I was aware I was trans before I did standup. But performing helped me get honest about it."Not all demons are from within. Lucas Silveira, a rock singer based in Canada, recounts how difficult it was for him when he was still "Lilia." In the male-dominated music industry, he was stigmatized as a woman and a lesbian. In addition, he felt inauthentic and self-conscious onstage."I came out as a gay woman when I was 17," he says. "I became a trans man at 32, and at 33 I did top surgery. Five years later I started taking testosterone. I was warned I might lose my voice." In fact, that didn't happen, and he had many more recording opportunities. "The freak aspect initially served me well," but "now it has boomeranged." Opportunities diminished while squabbles within his band, the Cliks, flourished. "When I did my last album, I was already out as a trans man and we were all queer-identified," Silveira says. "But when the photographer wanted me to take off my shirt, the other singers did not want me to do it. They had internalized homophobia and transphobia." Transitioning is not always as liberating as one might imagine. Alekxia, a trans woman, says that before transitioning she booked a few SAG and AFTRA jobs, mostly for commercials and voiceovers in Spanish. But once she started the medical procedures, the phone stopped ringing. "In the last two years, I've only auditioned for two roles," she says.Bernier has had a better time of it, though when she started transitioning she agonized over what would happen if she became a series regular in a male role, "with breasts growing and T-shirts getting tighter. I was terrified." At the moment, she is working behind the camera as a director. "In films centering on transgender life, usually the trans person has to make the major transition," she says. "In my film 'Stealth,' family members will have to make the major transition." Perhaps more groundbreaking, upcoming Bernier films do not deal with transgender characters at all.Though progress may be slow, steps are being taken. The performers' dreams don't seem quite that improbable. Silveira wants to go mainstream: "My music is not based on my being transgender. It's based on my being a human being." Hill would love to move into acting and is even willing to take on a distaff role. "I'd play a woman for one of Tyler Perry's movies in a heartbeat," he says. Leigh's ambition is to tackle a larger-than-life matriarch, broad, or courtesan. "I think the male-to-female transsexual is the new courtesan," she proclaims in celebration. "You can't bring us home to Mama."Now that's attitude. Transgender Performers on How Art and Identity Inform Each Other By Simi Horwitz December 9, 2011 Lucas Silveira The statuesque and striking Bianca Leigh admits that exposing one of her breasts in her one-person musical "Busted" was a vulnerable moment. But it was not gratuitous, confessional, or therapeutic, she says, despite her being a transgender woman.Indeed, Leigh never planned to write a piece about the transgender experience, but she felt that audiences were ready, and so was she. "With humor, I showed how the abuse of power can affect any disenfranchised person," she says. "Busted" recounts what happened when she was arrested for alleged solicitation.Leigh no longer feels disenfranchised but concedes that she faces obstacles, especially as an actress. (The majority of the trans women interviewed prefer the term "actress" to the gender-neutral "actor.") Transgender roles are fewoften they're prostitutes, criminals, or murder victimsand when a good part surfaces, more often than not it does not go to a transgender actor. The films "Transamerica" and "Boys Don't Cry" are classic examples. Leigh wants to do more than transgender roles but will seize any small opportunity. "I will work nonstop," she insists. "I have to prove I am an actress who happens to be trans."Leigh is luckier than most transgender actors in that she has representation. Her agent, Judy Boals, says she had no reservations in taking on Leigh: "I will submit her for everything, but mostly beautiful, glamorous, upscale female roles. I haven't gotten her much yet, but mostly because of her many downtown theater credits. Also, in the few films she's been in, she's played transgender characters." Generally, Boals explains, casting directors and agents like to put people in boxes.A Trans Life On Stage and Off "Transgender" is an umbrella term for a person whose gender identity and lifestyle don't match his or her biological sex. Most transgender people know at an early age that they're "trapped in the wrong body" and are usually "out" as homosexuals prior to making the actual gender transition. Some have surgical and/or hormonal treatments, though typically they won't discuss whether they've had so-called "bottom surgery." Others don't take medications or undergo gender realignment procedures. Still others want to "pass," while some see themselves on a gender continuum, sharing characteristics of men and women. A fair number continue to identify with queer culture."I am going to face hatred and discrimination and therefore feel part of a larger queer community," Leigh explains. "But it's not about being gay. I am a woman of transsexual experience." In contrast, trans woman and actor Laverne Cox identifies as a straight female, despite knowing discrimination not only as a trans woman but as an African American.Trans male standup comic Ian Harvie describes himself as a man, but not male. "A male is what you are biologically, while a man is something you can create," he says. He maintains the F (for female) on his driver's license, contending that "if I ever get arrested, I want to go to the women's prison. That's a female privilege I'd like to keep. I don't want the privileges of a straight male, though sometimes I get them because of how I look."Justin Vivian Bond, previously best known for the persona of inebriated lounge singer Kiki of the duo Kiki and Herb and who has been taking estrogen for a number of years, says, "I identify as a transgender. I do not believe in the gender binary, and I do not live as a male or female. When I played Kiki, I was playing a woman. But I was not a man playing a woman, or a woman playing a woman. I was a transgender playing a woman." In his more recent incarnation as a singer, Bond evokes a sophisticated man-woman, but with no campy overtones. Author of the recently published memoir "Tango: My Childhood, Backwards and in High Heels," he is now participating in a queer art mentorship program and will be guiding a trans male dancer, who did not wish to be identified but who said, "My trans body allows me to occupy a new artistic space."Ambiguous gender identity is part of a long theatrical tradition, says David Kaufman, theater critic and author of "Ridiculous!: The Theatrical Life and Times of Charles Ludlam." Ludlam's performance as Camille in his comic version of the Alexandre Dumas classic was an iconic and moving example of gender blending onstage. "He wore gowns but also exposed his chest hair," Kaufman says. "He was not trying to conceal his male identity. He did not embrace camp. In fact, he felt camp was in the eye of the beholder. He said, 'I'm doing real acting in drag.' " Ludlam was gay but not transgender.Is it Necessary to Pass? Transgender performers are not new. Consider Candy Darling, Jackie Curtis, and Holly Woodlawn, who all starred in Andy Warhol films. The most famous transgender person today is probably Chaz Bono, and the brouhaha over his appearance on "Dancing With the Stars" has brought the topic front and center. The precise number of transgender performers is not available, but all the interviewees agree that their presence will be increasingly felt.They can currently be seen performing cabaret acts, experimental solo pieces, standup comedy, and roles in film and TV. Candis Cayne was on "Dirty Sexy Money," and Harmony Santana played a young boy beginning to transition in the highly praised indie film "Gun Hill Road."Casting director Sig De Miguel, who has cast transgender actors in films, looks forward to the time when a character's transgender status is incidental to the script and an actor's trans identity is irrelevant to casting. "You may be born male, but you're a woman now," De Miguel says. He doesn't think passing as one sex or the other is relevant.By contrast, Cox wants to pass and would love to play a straight woman. "In the film 'Musical Chairs,' my character's sexuality was not an issue," she says. "I had a love interest, and I played it as a straight woman." Similarly, Santana hopes to pass onscreen and believes it's her job as a performer to do so. "The only challenge right now is my voice," she says. "I think it's still a little masculine, but I've been told by men it's sexy." She acknowledges that she would be a little uncomfortable doing a romantic scene with a straight actor, unless he knew she was a trans woman. Shaping a Performance To what degree being transgender shapes a performance is arguable. Trans woman Marlo Bernier concedes that as a woman, her comedic skills are sharper than when she was a man. Still, she had no problem playing men, saying that acting is acting. For others, trans identity and artistry are profoundly interrelated. CeCe Suazo-Augustus says she brought a "unique LBGT twist" to her interpretation of conspirator Cinna in a production of "Julius Caesar" by the Los Angeles Shakespeare Festival's Will Power to Youth program in 1997.Likewise, Kestryl Cael, an edgy "trans-masculine" (the phrase he prefers) performance artist, started writing his own pieces in part because the roles in dramatic literature didn't mesh with his aesthetic or sensibility. "I have a queer identity and don't identify with women or straight men," he says. "I use the gender-neutral pronoun 'hir.' "Cael does not send out headshots or rsums but will perform in the works of friends, who understand that he'll bring a special "queer" spin to the undertaking. He would not play a misogynistic straight man in a representational style, but would play the part with a wink to the audience. "I will not identify with that character," he says. "My approach is more Brechtian."Harvie wants his audiences to love him and embrace his "trans-ness" as much as he does, likening it to a "gift." Presenting an easygoing and charming persona, he discusses his life as a woman before top surgery, when he was forced to wear a triple-D bra, and the misery he endured in "lugging the girls around."Without finger-wagging, he hopes his audiences will view sex, gender, and male and female politics in new ways. "I talk about trans-ness, so I've become a transgender comic," Harvie says, "but I see myself more as an identity comic, like a black comic or 'recovery' comic." In the end, his goal is bonding with viewers, because he is one of them. "Everyone feels like an outsider," he says.Playing a lounge-lizard emcee with slicked-down black hair, a slightly shiny, baggy suit, and a fake mustache, standup performer Murray Hill sees himself as an outsider separate from the audience. He views his act as a fun defense mechanism. At the same time, he asserts that "living a life weaving between gender binaries" has made it more possible for him to connect to theatergoers across gender lines. "What I love about my character is it translates differently to each person," Hill says. "Some folks have no idea, others are in on it, and some folks are just confused. That makes for a thrilling ride for both me and the audience." But foremost, "I'm an entertainer," he emphasizes. "I sing, I dance, I interact with the audience, and I tell jokes. I'm everyone's favorite uncle at the dinner table during holidays, after a few drinks."Mixed Emotions Being trans may inform some actors' performances, but for others, performing paved the way for transitioning. Santana had not started her change when she was cast in "Gun Hill Road," but as she delved into her role and the director insisted that she "become a girl," she was able to make the decision to go ahead with sexual reassignment. "It gave me the strength to be comfortable in my skin," she recalls.Harvie came out onstage when he was a woman because not to do so felt dishonest, he says. "I knew I looked like a butch dyke, and I know that was what the audience was seeing. I was aware I was trans before I did standup. But performing helped me get honest about it."Not all demons are from within. Lucas Silveira, a rock singer based in Canada, recounts how difficult it was for him when he was still "Lilia." In the male-dominated music industry, he was stigmatized as a woman and a lesbian. In addition, he felt inauthentic and self-conscious onstage."I came out as a gay woman when I was 17," he says. "I became a trans man at 32, and at 33 I did top surgery. Five years later I started taking testosterone. I was warned I might lose my voice." In fact, that didn't happen, and he had many more recording opportunities. "The freak aspect initially served me well," but "now it has boomeranged." Opportunities diminished while squabbles within his band, the Cliks, flourished. "When I did my last album, I was already out as a trans man and we were all queer-identified," Silveira says. "But when the photographer wanted me to take off my shirt, the other singers did not want me to do it. They had internalized homophobia and transphobia." Transitioning is not always as liberating as one might imagine. Alekxia, a trans woman, says that before transitioning she booked a few SAG and AFTRA jobs, mostly for commercials and voiceovers in Spanish. But once she started the medical procedures, the phone stopped ringing. "In the last two years, I've only auditioned for two roles," she says.Bernier has had a better time of it, though when she started transitioning she agonized over what would happen if she became a series regular in a male role, "with breasts growing and T-shirts getting tighter. I was terrified." At the moment, she is working behind the camera as a director. "In films centering on transgender life, usually the trans person has to make the major transition," she says. "In my film 'Stealth,' family members will have to make the major transition." Perhaps more groundbreaking, upcoming Bernier films do not deal with transgender characters at all.Though progress may be slow, steps are being taken. The performers' dreams don't seem quite that improbable. Silveira wants to go mainstream: "My music is not based on my being transgender. It's based on my being a human being." Hill would love to move into acting and is even willing to take on a distaff role. "I'd play a woman for one of Tyler Perry's movies in a heartbeat," he says. Leigh's ambition is to tackle a larger-than-life matriarch, broad, or courtesan. "I think the male-to-female transsexual is the new courtesan," she proclaims in celebration. "You can't bring us home to Mama."Now that's attitude.

Spurlock's new docu gets acquired

Wrekin Hill Entertainment and National Entertainment Collectibles Assn. have jointly acquired Morgan Spurlock's documentary "Comic-Con Episode IV - A Fan's Hope." Deal was announced Tuesday, three months after it screened at the Toronto Int. Film festival. The film will be released theatrically in the spring in conjunction with a multi-city tour. Plans also call for the docu to screen at fan gatherings and have an online presence through producer Thomas Tull and his Legendary Entertainment. "As a young kid growing up in West Virginia, I was obsessed with comic books and horror films so the first time I ever attended Comic-Con in the summer of 2009 was a dream come true for me," Spurlock said. "I was blown away by the passion and the creativity there -- the panels, parades, costumes, crowds and camaraderie that makes Comic-Con one of the largest cultural events in America." "A Fan's Hope," presented by Stan Lee and Joss Whedon, is produced by Spurlock, Jeremy Chilnick, Matthew Galkin, Harry Knowles and Tull. It was written by Spurlock and Chilnick. The deal is the fourth the latest joint acquisition by Wrekin Hill and NECA as part of a strategic partnership calling for the companies to distribute four to five titles theatrically each year. Previous titles this year have included "Hesher," "The People Vs. George Lucas" and "Spork." Ball and Rene Cogan negotiated the deal for Wrekin Hill with NECA CEO Joel Weinshanker. Attorney Gary Hirsch represented both Wrekin Hill and NECA and CAA handled the deal on behalf of the filmmakers. Contact Dave McNary at dave.mcnary@variety.com

Larsen promoted at Comedy Central

Comedy Central has bumped up Jonas Larsen to senior VP of talent specials. Former VP of specials will be responsible for talent development and relations, as well as overseeing the roast and stand-up specials, as well as "Night of Too Many Stars." "Jonas steered the wild tiger, also known as the Charlie Sheen roast, with a sure hand by holding on to its tail. For that alone, he deserves this promotion," said Kent Alterman, head of original programming and production and to whom Larsen reports. Prior to arriving at Comedy Central, Larsen produced such shows as "Celebrity Fit Club," "Tabatha's Salon Takeover" and "1 vs. 100." Contact Stuart Levine at stuart.levine@variety.com