Out icon Sir Ian McKellen will bring his talents to the small screen in a six part "re-imagining" of the cult 60's show The Prisoner.

Ian will star as Number Two, one of the men in charge of "The Village", who makes life difficult for Number Six (played by Jim Caviezel, who last played Jesus), a man who awakens to find himself trapped in this strange environment.

According to the producers, there will be something for fans of the original, but the new version will stand alone.

"There will be nods and winks and references back to the original, but I don't think that they'll feel in any way that their original has been tarnished." "Even though this would fall under sci-fi traditionally, this is a drama at its core." While the original show worked as a metaphor for the paranoia of the Cold War, AMC says that the remake will reflect 21st stressors like constant surveillance and the conflict between liberty and security.

I don't remember much about The Prisoner, but I hope they try and keep at least one lasting, nightmare-inducing image: That creepy, giant ball thing that would bounce around and envelop people who tried to escape. I tried to recreate it with Bubble Yum and a a little green Army Man, but the subject ... did not survive.

After the break, you can see the ultra-groovy opening to the original series ... in French!

Shaun and Paul from Janice Dickinson (Photo: Brook Pifer)

In a continued effort to bring you all that is important in the world of gay entertainment and ensure that you are being spoon-fed images of gorgeous, commoditized manflesh, we present the newly-minted AfterElton Briefs. Following the usual assortment of carefully-selected news items, interested readers can find a refreshing pic of a hot man in underwear after the jump. Yes, we're serious.

• It looks like gay couple Shaun and Paul from last season's Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency have been cut from the next season (does this mean they're still models?).

• We wrote about tonight's episode of 30 Days yesterday, focusing on the show's exploration of a conservative religious woman who lives with a gay couple and their kids. GLAAD has criticized the episode for the way that false anti-gay information is presented in it uncorrected.

• For hardcore Torchwoodies: the show's official magazine (from Titan, who specializes in this kind of thing) came out last week and it covers everything from Ianto's rise to prominence to the fashions of Captain Jack.

George Carlin

• The Independent has released its annual Pink List of the UK's most influential gays and lesbians, and it's filled to the brim with our faves, ranging from Sir Ian McKellen to Russell T Davies to Derren Brown.

• A reader kindly pointed out that comic legend George Carlin, who passed away over the weekend from heart failure at age 71, played Nick Nolte's gay neighbor in The Prince of Tides (directed, of course, by Barbra Streisand). Here's an interesting interview with Carlin from the time about how he approached the role: "I've always admired gay humor," he said. "It's bittersweet, bitchy, to-the-point and honest. So that was already in me somewhere." (t/y Booker Guy!)

• And just because it's close to my heart, today marks the 38th anniversary of the release of the colossally bizarre and pretty much disastrous (and therefore totally awesome) film adaptation of Gore Vidal's gender-bending masterwork Myra Breckinridge.

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Boyzone's Stephen Gately

In a continued effort to bring you all that is important in the world of gay entertainment and ensure that you are being spoon-fed images of gorgeous, commoditized manflesh, we present the newly-minted AfterElton Briefs. Following the usual assortment of carefully-selected news items, interested readers can find a refreshing pic of a hot man in underwear after the jump. Yes, we're serious.

• Boyzone, a UK boyband from the 90s with an out gay member (Stephen Gately, pictured above) has reemerged with a new sexier look to match their more mature audience. Nice to see that when this article mentions that all the bandmembers are now married, they include Gately, who entered into a civil partnership with his fella in 2006.

• This week's Candorville comic is tackling the overturn of the same-sex marriage ban in California. (t/y Lyle!)

• The NY Times' Dennis Lim recently wrote a nice, wistful piece on "gay punk provocateur" Derek Jarman (a documentary on the late filmmaker, Derek, is headed this way) that includes an interview with Jarman's longtime friend Tilda Swinton.

• Sir Ian McKellen, one of our biggest and brightest out gay stars, turned 69 years young on Sunday. Happy birthday, Sir!

• Prolific director, producer and actor Sidney Pollack died yesterday of cancer at age 73. He directed such classics as Tootsie, Out of Africa, and They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, and played Will Truman's father on Will & Grace.

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In a continued effort to bring you all that is important in the world of gay entertainment and ensure that you are being spoon-fed images of gorgeous, commoditized manflesh, we present the newly-minted AfterElton Briefs. Following the usual assortment of carefully-selected news items, interested readers can find a refreshing pic of a hot man in underwear after the jump. Yes, we're serious.

• The "inspiring", "family-friendly" movie Tru Loved, which tells the story of queer youths in high school, has been selected as the opening night film of this year's Newfest and will play LA's Outfest as well. The flick stars Bruce Vilanch, Jasmine Guy, Alec Mapa, Cynda Williams, Jane Lynch, and more.

• Gay wizard lovers rejoice! Sir Ian McKellen has said that he will be playing Galdalf in the Hobbit films for recently-signed director Guillermo del Toro.

• Actor Jason Lewis (who played Kevin's closeted boyfriend on Brothers & Sisters and will soon be seen as Samantha's mancandy in the Sex and the City movie) chatted about playing gay at the recent Los Angeles GLAAD awards ceremony.

• James Franco isn't afraid to cry on camera, and he isn't afraid to show you how he does it (above). I wonder what kind of "sense memory" he'll utilize when he plays Harvey Milk's lover, Scott Smith, in Milk? (Warning, a little NSFW language in the clip)

• Check out these snaps from the recent Easter Bonnet competition (a fundraiser for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS), featuring out stars David Hyde Pierce, Harvey Fierstein, and Project Runway fave Chris March.

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Cultural Institution Sir Ian McKellen

In a continued effort to bring you all that is important in the world of gay entertainment and ensure that you are being spoon-fed images of gorgeous, commoditized manflesh, we present the newly-minted AfterElton Briefs. Following the usual assortment of carefully-selected news items, interested readers can find a refreshing pic of a hot man in underwear after the jump. Yes, we're serious.

• A Conversation with Sir Ian has been nominated for a 2008 Webby Award, under the "Cultural Institutions" category. I don't know that I'd put the man out to pasture just yet with that designation, but I suppose we've all probably been called worse things.

• I don't know if anyone has been catching EW's America's Next Top Doll webseries, but this week's makeover episode is just crazy enough reason to start tuning in. (I particularly like the mermaid's makeover, where they cut off her fins so she can be "where the people are".)

• Is He Who Blogs Behind the Rows really cleaning up his act? We'll believe it when the shocking footage of him rescuing a kitten out of a tree surfaces on TMZ.

• Why is Harvey Fierstein serenading Kathie Lee Gifford? Or is MadTV syndicating sketches to The Today Show now?

• Dan Savage, the outspoken gay writer behind Savage Love (I started reading him way back when it was called "Hey, Faggot") and the brilliant Skipping Towards Gomorrah, has lost his mother. His column today is a heartfelt remembrance of her, and our sympathies are with him and his family.

• Jerry Mitchell (whom we recently interviewed about Step It Up & Dance) is publishing a photo-filled book this summer about his other campfest, Broadway Bares, the strip-show that has raised a heck of a lot of money for Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS. The racy cover can be found after the break.

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For the second year, the British edition of GQ magazine has listed Sir Elton John and his partner David Furnish on their list of the most powerful men in Britain. The high profile couple are ranked at number 30 on the list and are the only case where two men share an entry. (Last year the couple shared the number 40 spot.)

This year's issue boasts a couple more gay men new to the list. Sir Ian McKellen comes in at number 98, while Spencer Livermore, Pink News' most powerful gay man in British politics, debuts at number 84.

GQ highlights John's annual fundraiser for the Elton John AIDS Foundation (which raised £3.5 million last year) as a contributing factor in his selection, while calling Spencer the Labor Party's "precociously young attack dog". The selection by GQ is less about popularity and prominence than it is a recognition of their accomplishments.

Men like McKellen, John and Furnish are rarities on the list, which largely avoids popular celebrities. Editor Darius Sanai notes that:

"We are becoming more savvy about the cult of empty celebrity. I think five years ago aspiring young gentlemen would have been much more influenced by the sort of celebrities on television. They are now seen as kind of irrelevant and kind of trashy."

Sounds reasonable enough. It takes a special kind of celebrity to demonstrate true power.

Welcome back, folks! Yes, it's 2008 now and boy are our arms tired ... or something (haven't adjusted our sense of humor for the new year yet, sorry). Nothing major happened while AfterElton.com was hibernating over the holidays, but here are a few tidbits to catch you up on the week that wasn't....

• A party for David Hyde Pierce at the Hawaiian Tropic Zone asked the bikini-clad waitresses to put on actual clothes while serving food. Requests for the place to smell "a little less like an apocalypse of cocoa butter" went unheeded.

• Now we know why Neil Patrick Harris was featured on a unicorn in the teaser posters for Harold and Kumar 2: he's featured on a unicorn in the actual movie! Oh, and also: the movie's about drugs.

• Sir Ian McKellen was honored by the Queen (insert joke HERE) in the New Years Honours for his continued work promoting diversity. Appropriately, he was honored alongside Kylie Minogue and the lead singer from Jethro Tull, which is about as diverse a group as you can get.

• Celebrities: They're Just Like Us! T.R. Knight runs to his car, wearing jeans! Come on, I said it was a slow week!

• The Daily Show and The Colbert Report will return next week, thank heaven. Do they realize what having to resort to watching REAL newscasters has done to our fragile minds? Eck!