Out actor Sam Harris will be filming a talk show pilot for Lifetime

You might remember how in our 2008 Pop Culture Wish List we hoped that we might see an openly gay man as host of a late night talk show. It actually sounds like we might get our wish.

In his latest video blog, out performer Sam Harris announced that he'll be working on a talk show pilot for Lifetime. The show will be based on Harris' video blogs, where he chats with friends and answers fans' questions. Harris will be developing the show with The Class co-creator Jeffrey Kalrik and there's no word yet on how the show will make the transition from online video to cable TV.

I don't always catch Harris's blogs, but the interviews I've seen are wonderfully intimate and natural. I hope they can maintain that quality on his Lifetime show, especially if Harris' guests include performers looking to avoid rehashing the same old anecdotes about the filming of their new movie.

If Harris' pilot becomes a Lifetime series it would be a step forward for gay men. As we noted in our wish list, the only other openly gay man to host am American talk show was Jm J. Bullock's short-lived syndicated show with Tammy Faye, so Harris could end up blazing a new trail for gay men in the USA. (They're well ahead of us in the UK.) We'll keep our fingers crossed things work out for Harris and keep an eye out for news.