Harry Potter Stars React To Gay Twist

The stars of the Harry Potter films have been giving their reaction to JK Rowling's revelation last month that the one of her characters, Hogwarts school headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, is gay.
"I thought it was hilarious," said Daniel Radcliffe, who has played the lead role in all five Harry Potter films.
He said actor Michael Gambon, who has played Dumbledore since the third film, had been "really camping it up for the last three weeks ever since he found out".
Rowling announced that Dumbledore was gay to a packed house in New York's Carnegie Hall as part of her US book tour in October.
Radcliffe told BBC News: "JK Rowling is an incredibly intelligent woman. She can't have thought for a moment that that would go down well in the Bible Belt of America, but she put it brilliantly herself: 'He's my character - I can do what I want with him.' Which I think is fair enough."
David Yates, who directed the fifth Harry Potter film - Order of the Phoenix - said he was told in September by JK Rowling during a read-through for the next film on the set of the Great Hall at Hogwarts.
"Jo leaned over to me and said: 'You know Dumbledore's gay don't you, David?' And I thought 'Wow that's pretty cool'."
Yates, who was speaking at the press launch of the Phoenix DVD, added: "He's a wonderful character, Dumbledore - graceful, wise, powerful, quirky, terrific sense of humour, loves knitting. There's a jumble of things in there and his sexuality is just another thing."
Filming on the sixth film in the franchise, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, began in September, with Yates again at the helm. But he said not to expect any changes to the way Dumbledore is portrayed on film.
"Michael Gambon hasn't changed his approach. A person's sexuality is just one part of who they are, and so it hasn't really shifted where we're taking him."
Producer David Barron confirmed that Dumbledore would remain "the character Michael Gambon has already established".
But he added: "Michael's camped it up a bit off-camera, he's just been amused by it."
Emma Watson, who plays Harry's friend Hermione Granger, said: "It never really occurred to me before, but now JK Rowling's said that he's gay it sort of makes sense."
She added: "I think what surprised everyone was the amount of media attention it's received. I think it's nice that the story has ended but there are still things that people don't know."
Evanna Lynch, who plays the part of eccentric student Luna Lovegood, said she had always thought that a younger Dumbledore would have made an ideal partner for Luna.
"If only Dumbledore was a 100 years younger they would be perfect, and I put that to JK Rowling," she said.
"But as we know now, that's never going to happen."
from The BBC

Bareback In London, May Ride To B'Way

The London revival of Peter Shaffer's powerful drama about a teenage boy who takes off his clothes and blinds horses began previews on Friday, but it has caused so much buzz that producers already are planning to bring it to Broadway in the fall.
One problem, though, is the length.
Of the play, people, the play!
"Equus" clocks in at nearly three hours, which is a bit of a slog, according to London theater sources who sneaked in early because they couldn't wait to get a look at John Napier's stunning set.
These high-minded people, serious theatergoers all, say part of the problem is that Richard Griffiths, who plays the psychiatrist, is still struggling with his lines. In fact, teleprompters have been installed in the wings to help him out.
The producers are said to be nervous about his performance, but those who know the actor well are confident he'll pull himself together in time for the Feb. 27 opening.
And anyone who saw him last season on Broadway in "The History Boys" - for which he won a Tony - knows how brilliant he can be.
"Richard's always slow to get the lines," one source says. "But when he gets in his stride - and he will - he'll be terrific, as he always is."
All weekend, the theater was packed with teenage girls (mostly American, it seems) who are obviously Peter Shaffer fanatics.
I'm told the 80-year-old playwright is mobbed at the stage door every night.
As an added bonus, the girls get to see Radcliffe, known the world over as Harry Potter, doing some serious acting.
"He's intense and dynamic," one spy says. "This is an extremely daring choice for him, and he's thrown himself into it like a seasoned pro."
Where he comes up short (at least in one instance) is in the sex-
appeal department. Because he must appear naked on stage for 15 minutes, he's bulked up. But he's surprisingly asexual, my spies say.
"You've got to be a serious pedophile to find him sexy," one person says. "He's a teenage boy who is not fully developed yet."
The sexual chemistry between Radcliffe and the actress who plays his girlfriend seems to be lacking. There should also be some sexual tension between him and Griffiths, but that, too, is not apparent yet in this production. (Maybe we should be grateful for small favors.)
Since some theatergoers are there to get a glimpse of Harry Potter in the nude, the house is full of security guards. Right before Radcliffe disrobes, they fan out into the aisles, looking everywhere for cameras. They've missed a few, however, and pictures have appeared all over the Web.
"Equus" will open next week with $3 million in the bank, the highest advance for a nonmusical play in West End history.
The production ends its limited run at the beginning of June, when Radcliffe takes off to film the sixth installment of the "Harry Potter" series.
The plan is to move the production to Broadway after that, with Griffiths and Radcliffe reprising their roles.
"Is it great theater? No. Not yet," says a London source. "But it's event theater. There's Harry Potter. In all his glory."
from The New York Post

Nude Daniel Radcliffe And His 'Horse'