Best. Gay. Week. Ever. (October 3, 2008)

FOR YOUR VIEWING PLEASURE
There's some good stuff at the mutliplex this week.

Bill Maher's Religulous opens today. The title is a mashup of the words "religion" and "ridiculous," so you kind of arrive at its conclusion before the documentary even starts. Maher travels the world interviewing people of faith, Larry Charles director of Borat also directs here.

Given the conniptions many organized religions have over homosexuality, this film should certainly be of interest to gay audiences. You can check out an exclusive Religulous clip where Maher interviews a Christian "Ex-Gay" below:

Also opening is Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist. Michael Cera stars as the titular "Nick," the only straight member of a queer band, "The Jerk Offs." (The film is about Nick's romantic travails but his gay band mates and best friends have minor storylines of their own.)

I haven't seen it yet but my colleague Brian Juergens has, and he thought that in terms of gay representation it is probably the most enlightened teen comedy ever.  Read Brian's very thoughtful review here.

Finally, we've got Beverly Hills Chihuahua, a live action film where cute dogs talk to each other. (Hey, wasn't this ground covered already in Look Who's Talking 3?) Drew Barrymore voices the lead dog, but Ugly Betty's Michael Urie also lends his vocal talents. This is being billed as "the best chihuahua movie ever," but something tells me the current title-holder will keep its crown.

"Oh I couldn't possibly. One more bite and I'll have
a brownout in my owner's handbag"

OUT ON DVD
Boxed sets of two notable sitcoms are out next week. If you're a fan of Neil Patrick Harris, you can check him out in Season 3 of How I Met Your Mother  Also available, 30 Rock Season 2, which includes the hilarious "Gay for Jamie" episode.

Looking for something more substantial? Two gay documentaries are out October 7th. One takes a look at gay life in rural America — and the other explores the diverse transgender community. Both are available through TLA releasing.

Next Page! Ugly Betty's big cliffhanger. Plus Hollyoaks' John Paul returns.