In a sad development, it's being widely reported that Bryan Singer's Superman sequel appears to be dunzo. Deputy editor of Variety Anne Thompson reports on her blog that it’s "highly unlikely" that the director will be helming the sequel, instead choosing to focus his attentions on completion of Valkyrie (which seems to be facing its own bout of troubles, having its release date pushed from June of this year to October 8th) and prepping production for his Harvey Milk biopic, The Mayor of Castro Street.

While it’s great to hear that Singer apparently wants to focus attention on the rare film with an explicitly gay plotline, as a known defender of Superman Returns and a huge fan of his X-Men films, I have to admit that I was really looking forward to another of Singer’s intelligently handled superhero movies. And as Cinematical points out, it seems an odd choice to bow out of Superman entirely when filming is completed for Valkyrie and Castro Street is unlikely to be a lengthy shoot. Why not schedule for both?

Continuing the tragic news, it has been confirmed that Brandon Routh will not be reprising his role as the Man in Tights (UPDATE: The site referenced has reversed their claim and now refers to their earlier confirmation as a "rumor". Thanks, guys!). It now seems less likely that Supes will be played by whoever gets cast in the role for the Justice League movie, currently in development with a fresh young cast. I still for the life of me can’t figure out why Routh didn’t catch on with audiences. I thought he was pretty great in the role; appropriately befuddled in his Clark scenes, handsome and charming as Supes, and damn did he fill out that costume.

God bless the hard-working guys over at Outsports.com. Through a no doubt grueling process, they have painstakingly put together a lengthy collection of the best sports photos of 2007. And what a pretty year it was. It's such a nice collection in fact, that I'll even forgive them for not including a single picture of my imaginary boyfriend, Tom Brady.

Actually, to remedy the situation, I'll throw in a bonus photo of Tom after the break. To see more of the stellar athletes of 2007 (plus Tom) click on through to the other side.

I’m still waiting for his critically lauded experimental Bob Dylan biopic, I'm Not There, to open in my neck of the woods, but that isn’t stopping me from celebrating the birth of visionary gay director Todd Haynes today.

From the eerie sterility of Safe to the gender-bending antics of the vastly underrated 70s glam-rock epic Velvet Goldmine, Haynes’ films are always overflowing with inventive ideas. Now how often can you say that about the crap that gets released these days?

After the jump, check out a lengthy clip from one of my favorites, the gorgeously shot ode to Douglas Sirk-stye melodrama, Far From Heaven, as well as one of the wacky music videos from Velvet Goldmine.

After a shoot that lasted nearly nine months, filming finally wrapped on Australia, director Baz Luhrmann’s epic World War II-era love story about an English aristocrat, played by Nicole Kidman, who falls for a rough-hewn cattle driver (the delicious Hugh Jackman) while visiting her husband’s ranch in Northern Australia. The film will be Luhrmann’s first since the brilliant Moulin Rouge!, in 2001.

Luhrmann is reportedly intent on having Elton John contribute to the film’s soundtrack, going so far as to schedule a set visit for the singer last week which included a screening of some early footage from the film. Cinematical reports that the visit also coincided with the filming of a romantic ballroom sequence in which the director instructed the band to play one of John’s songs.

It’s hard to blame the director for campaigning so hard for Elton's involvement; though the film is not a musical, fans of Luhrmann know what a major role music plays in all of his movies, and the last time the two joined forces, audiences were rewarded with the downright magical sight of Ewan McGregor serenading Kidman with a rendition of "Your Song" while dancing atop the clouds (sounds cheesy, but man did it work).

Australia is currently scheduled for release in November of next year.

The Daily Telegraph recently announced the shortlist of finalists for the 2007 Morgan Stanley Great Briton Awards. The awards are fairly new, established in 2004 with sponsorship from Morgan Stanley, The Daily Telegraph, and the Royal Society of Arts, as a way of honoring those people who have made significant contributions to British life over the course of the year. Candidates are nominated by the public, with thousands of names submitted each year. The nominations are then narrowed down to three finalists for each of the seven categories (Arts, Business, Campaigning & Public Life, Creative Industries, Environment, Science & Innovation, and Sport) by a panel of judges.

This year, two openly gay men were among the 21 finalists; Ian McKellen, nominated in the "Arts" category, and Stephen Fry, who scored a nomination in the category of "Creative Industries".

The Telegraph elaborates on McKellen’s nomination:

One of the most acclaimed actors of his generation, McKellen has been honoured with more than 40 international awards for his performances on stage and screen. While movie blockbusters such as X-Men and Lord of the Rings have brought him international stardom, he originally found fame playing the title role in Edward II both on stage and television. In 1972, McKellen co-founded the Actors' Company, earning him a reputation as a spokesman for actors and the British theatre in general. He also remains an outspoken advocate for the gay rights campaigning group Stonewall. This year he returned to the stage to great acclaim, appearing in the Royal Shakespeare Company's The Seagull and in the title role of King Lear. The judges described McKellen as "one of the last great actors" who delivers a "quality of acting that you have to be awed by". His performance in King Lear; perhaps Shakespeare's most demanding role was, said one judge, "simply brilliant".

And of Stephen Fry:

Comedian, writer, actor, filmmaker, television personality - Stephen Fry is one of the great British polymaths. As one half of the Fry and Laurie double act, he has appeared in A Bit of Fry and Laurie and Jeeves and Wooster, while also bringing Oscar Wilde to life in the cinema and making a successful career as a novelist. Fry has spoken publicly about his experience with bipolar disorder and has presented a documentary about it, Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic-Depressive. The two-part series was broadcast in 2006, repeated in March 2007 as part of the BBC's programming in aid of Comic Relief. He was nominated for Best Entertainment Performance (QI) and Best Factual Series (Secret Life of the Manic Depressive) at the 2007 British Academy Television Awards. The judges agreed that Fry is "the epitome of everything British, both modern and old" and - despite his huge intellect - a man who can communicate in a down to earth manner.

Hopefully Fry has some chance of winning his category because, with competition from J.K. Rowling, McKellen unfortunately doesn’t stand much of a chance.

It’s been a big year for openly gay Israeli pop star Ivri Lider. His first U.S. single, "Jesse," was released, exposing the singer to an entirely new fanbase and the music video has been in constant rotation on Logo (AfterElton.com’s parent company) ever since. He also performed a song in The Bubble, for which the singer also composed the score. If that weren’t enough, he was also selected as one of Out Magazine’s "Out 100" last month.

Gay blog Hunk du Jour scored an interview with the singer, in which he talks a bit about his upcoming Hebrew and English language albums and his ongoing professional relationship with director Eytan Fox. The singer addresses the fairly liberal attitude towards LGBT people in his native country and how things have changed since he first publicly came out in 2002:

I can definitely say there has been a shift. I think famous people coming out is an extremely important thing that helps to change lots of peoples' views. It also helps a lot of young people who are dealing with their sexuality and the feelings of being isolated and alone in the world. With regard to Israel, or at least Tel Aviv, you could probably call it one of the gayest cities in the world. For most people here, it's just not an issue.

The singer has also apparently found love since the last time we mentioned him on this blog:

I have a boyfriend for over a year now. His name is Mike Phifer and we met in New York. He moved to Israel nine months ago and now we live together here in Tel Aviv. I suppose I want the same thing everyone else wants in a man, someone who's smart, kind, cuddly, and really great in bed.

It’s definitely nice to see someone who’s managed to find worldwide success while making no apologies for being an out and proud gay man. Here’s hoping that Lider’s success continues when his new albums drop later this year. A U.S. tour is planned to begin sometime in March, before the album’s release.

You can watch the video for "Jesse" right over here.

Going into the fall television season, Reaper was one of the most buzzed about shows on any network’s lineup. The Kevin Smith-directed pilot about Sam, a young slacker forced (due to a deal his parents made with Satan before Sam was born) into collecting souls that have escaped from Hell, was met with much geeky enthusiasm by the fanboys (and girls) when it was screened earlier this year at Comic-Con International in San Diego. It seemed that The CW had a surefire hit on their hands.

Subsequent episodes have slightly lessened the enthusiasm; everyone seems to agree that Reaper is a decent show, but nothing has quite lived up to the brilliance shown in the pilot.

Possibly hoping that a dose of gayness will liven things up a bit (and really, when has it ever hurt?), an upcoming episode features a gay-centered plotline.

The (somewhat mystifying) summary, courtesy of Spoilerfix.com:

Sock and Sam move into a condo together and when their electricity goes out, they go next door to ask for help locating the breaker box. They meet their neighbors, a gay couple named Steve and Tony, who not only come over and flip the breakers but offer to get light bulbs to replace the dead ones in the kitchen, notice the empty fridge and say they are going to fill it up with great food, they then ask the guys over to dinner that night. Sock and Sam find a vessel in the living room later that evening and open it to find a cane, but decide to go to dinner first. They hear a sander running when they go next door. Sock is offered some expensive scotch that he notices inside. During dinner when Sam spills something on his shirt and when Steve takes him into the bathroom to use a stain removing pen on it, Sam notices two belt sanders hanging in the bathroom.

I’m not entirely sure what those last few sentences mean; I know that for each soul he must collect, Sam is provided a "vessel" which is specifically designed to help him complete his task (it was a Dirt Devil in the pilot), so are the sanders the vessels? Or is it the cane? What’s up with the scotch? Are the gay guys the souls who’ve escaped from hell? If so, I’m assuming that they weren’t in Hell simply for being gay.

Regardless of how much the synopsis left me scratching my head, the episode sounds like it should be fun. Though if anyone can elaborate and explain what exactly it all means, I’d be much obliged.

The episode is entitled "Unseen" and is set to air in January.

Queer auteur Pedro Almodóvar announced his latest project on Tuesday, a "four-way tale of amour-fou [crazy love], shot in the style of ‘50s American film noir at its most hard-boiled," entitled Los Abrazos Rotos (The Broken Hugs).

Continuing the director’s tradition of recycling his favorite actors from film to film, Abrazos will star current Almodóvar muse, Penélope Cruz, who gave a career-best performance in the director's previous film, the brilliant Volver. The rest of the main cast will be rounded out by Almodóvar regulars Blanca Portillo (Volver) and Lluis Homar (Bad Education).

Almodóvar was fairly tight-lipped about the plot of the film, saying only that it is set in the ‘90s and current day and will explore the themes of "fate, the mystery of creation, guilt, unscrupulous power, the eternal search of fathers for sons, and sons for fathers". He elaborated for The Hollywood Reporter by stating that "this won’t be a comedy, but humor will be present." Ya know, I can't stand it when directors just can’t shut up about a project and give everything away.

Almodóvar is currently putting the finishing touches on the script, which is apparently his longest ever. Pre-production on Los Abrazos Rotos is set to begin at the start of the new year.

Just to refresh your memory, I’ve included a few photos of the confirmed cast, as well as a shot of Almodóvar with the ensemble of Volver.

Openly gay musician Matthew Duffy (an AfterElton "Artist To Watch" back in 2005) just released a brand new cover of perennial holiday favorite, "Last Christmas", on his MySpace page. The song was first made popular by Wham! back in 1984 and has been covered by a bajillion artists since then. Duffy manages to differentiate himself from the pack by offering up a very nice, low-key electropop rendition that's reminiscent of Depeche Mode and Erasure, both bands Duffy has mentioned as having influenced his music.

Between this and the Chris Garneau holiday single, "It’s Almost Christmas", I posted about on Friday, I’ve got the beginnings of a pretty sweet Gay Holiday Mix CD for 2007.

The Gay Bloggies competition, which I first posted about last month, is into its final stretch, with only five bloggers remaining. Last week’s blog topic required the competitors to pick their "Most Important Moment of 2007" and the responses are varied and all make for a great read.

My number one pick overall continues to be Puntabulous, who posted about a run-in he had with a homophobic coworker, though OMG Blog’s Frank almost got my vote with his realization of "The Power of the Vagina" (you haven't truly lived until you've watched the catchy dance remix). But my favorite post this week came from Fausto of the fabulous Feast of Fools podcast, with his moving tribute to his father, who passed away early this year. I’ve been impressed with Fausto’s entries thus far, but with this post he's suddenly become a front-runner.

You’ve got to love a contest where the finalists actually have to work to take home the prize. And, while I definitely have my favorites, any one of the finalists would be worthy of a first place finish (and the sweet prize package of money and free porn). The final winner of the competition should be announced by the end of the month, so keep voting for your choice for Gay Blogger of the Year!

EDIT: The latest elimination was posted this morning, and D. Michael of CitizenDangerX is the latest castoff. I was distressed to note that both of my favorites, Craig and Fausto, rounded out the bottom three. I urge my fellow gay dorks to vote this week and keep Craig in the contest!