Harry Potter Wants To Play A Drag Queen?

Harry Potter personality Daniel Radcliffe wants to expand his acting range in the movies - by portraying a drag queen.

Radcliffe, 19, said in an interview with Details magazine that he wanted to play a cross-dressing drag queen, just so he could wear woman's clothes and lots of make up.

But Radcliffe did admit it 'would freak some people out', and that a cross-dressing Harry Potter may not be a good role model for his millions of young Hogwarts fans.

He has already caused a stir with his role in "Equus", with scenes of the young actor totally nude.

Radcliffe, who has spent most of his Hollywood career playing Harry Potter, is soon to start a run of Equus on Broadway in New York. The actor will be seen in eight shows a week, with full frontal nudity, just as he did in the hit London production.

But Radcliffe can't shake the "Harry Potter" image for good just yet.

In fact, there are three Harry Potter movies already completed or in production, starting with "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince", due next July. The film finds Harry Potter as he begins his 6th year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he discovers an old book marked mysteriously "This book is the property of the Half-Blood Prince" and begins to learn more about Lord Voldemort's dark past.

Then comes the two part "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", where author J.K. Rowling wraps up the Potter franchise where Harry continues his search for the horcruxes, but is sidetracked by the mysterious Deathly Hallows as the final confrontation between Harry and Voldemort draws closer. Rowling's has said that poor Harry dies in the final scenes bringing an end to the young wizard and his movies.

But Radcliffe is already trying to break free from the Harry Potter mold so the world can see him as someone other than Harry Potter.

"Equus" is part of that strategy, and so is "Journey" due in 2009, where Radcliffe stars as Dan Eldon, a British born photographer, who spent his childhood in Kenya. His photographs of refugees from the Somalian civil war led to his employment by Reuters, who sent him to Somalia in 1992. His pictures helped draw the world's attention to the crisis, but on 12 July 1993, while covering the story that UN forces had accidentally killed 74 civilians, he and three colleagues were stoned and beaten to death by a furious crowd.

Playing a drag queen may go a bit too far, as Radcliffe seems well on track to shake his child actor Harry Potter persona and break into a new era of adult movie roles.

Watch Daniel Radcliffe In "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" Movie Trailer


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Tea Leoni Cancels Appearance At Toronto Film Festival

Actress Tea Leoni has announced the cancellation of her appearance at the Toronto International Film Festival, her rep has reported.

Leoni, and wife of actor David Duchovny, was to attend the premiere of her film "Ghost Town."

The cancellation comes after her husband David Duchovny checked himself into rehab for sex addiction, which the "Californication" star made public last week.

Related Story: David Duchovny Admitted To Rehab For Addiction To Sex

The celebrity couple was married in 1997 and has two children, daughter Madelaine West, 9, and son Kyd, 6.

Leoni is set to release her new movie "Ghost Town", starring Leoni as Gwen, Ricky Gervais and Greg Kinnear. The film is due in theaters September 19.

"Ghost Town" tells the story of Bertram Pincus (Ricky Gervais), a man whose people skills leave much to be desired. When he dies unexpectedly, but is miraculously revived after seven minutes, he wakes up to discover that he now has the annoying ability to see ghosts.

Even worse, they all want something from him, particularly Frank Herlihy (Greg Kinnear) who pesters him into breaking up the impending marriage of his widow Gwen (Téa Leoni).

Watch Tea Leoni In The "Ghost Town" Movie Trailer

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Jerry Lewis Sets New MDA Telethon Record - Over $65 Million

Jerry Lewis set a new record this year with his MDA telethon by raising over $65 million for the Muscular Dystrophy Association in his annual televised Labor Day telethon.

The 2008 telethon amount for the 43rd annual fund raising event was $1.2 million more than last year.

Lewis said he was prepared to not do as well as the 2007 amount due to the poor economy and high gas prices.

"Every year I tell myself, 'This has got to be it. There's no way we can do better.' Then, the following year, I'm astounded to see that generosity driven by love and compassion has a greater capacity than I thought possible," Lewis said. "I am awed and humbled by this response."

Jerry Lewis, 82, hosted the telethon at the South Point hotel and casino in Las Vegas, Nevada alongside his old friend Ed McMahon, with performances by Tony Orlando, Celine Dion, Kid Rock and Reba McEntire.

MDA is a nonprofit organization working to fight muscular dystrophy and other related diseases through research, support services and public health education.
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