There’s a certain formula to famous actresses shooting lesbian scenes in Hollywood movies – some tee-hee coy kissing, billowing curtains, moaning and eye rolling before the camera discreetly pulls away. Writer-director Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler) is promising the exact opposite for his upcoming feature film Black Swan, which will feature Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis having what several sources have described as hungry, aggressive, Ecstasy-induced sex. (That’s how it’s described in the script – co-written by Aronofsky and Mark Heyman, based on an original screenplay by John McLaughlin.) The film tells the story of a literal gaggle of ballerinas in a New York City dance company, duking it out for the lead role in Swan Lake. Will it be about lesbians or about hetero women performing sexually for straight men? Who knows. But this is Hollywood we’re talking about here. So keep your hopes in check when Black Swan “grand jetés” its way into theaters in 2010.

Gay sex advice columnist Dan Savage has been educating, titillating and infuriating readers for years with his syndicated column “Savage Love,” which gives frank answers to questions about everything from coming out to S&M to non-monogamy to getting those tricky stains out of your bedsheets. He’s politically frank as well, calling out enemies to the gay community like former Pennsylvania Republican senator Rick Santorum, who once compared gay sex to “man-on-dog” action – Savage coined the phrase “santorum,” which refers to … well, Google it and find out for yourself. Anyway, the columnist may take his bluntly funny advice to the airwaves, if the “Savage Love” pilot he shot for HBO in August scores points with the network. And if the cable channel that gave us “Real Sex” and “Taxicab Confessions” can’t handle Dan Savage talking about dildos and cross-dressing, who can? OK, yes, Showtime maybe.

Not a month passes without openly gay X-Men and Valkyrie director Bryan Singer getting talked up as maybe/maybe-not attached to a hot new project. One Singer assignment that looks like it might actually happen is a remake of 1981’s Excalibur, John Boorman’s gritty and mystical take on the King Arthur tale. That film featured a notable cast that included Helen Mirren and Nigel Terry alongside such then-newcomers as Liam Neeson, Patrick Stewart and Gabriel Byrne. Singer’s approach to the material is said to be more epic, along the lines of 2004’s King Arthur, which starred Clive Owen. No word yet as to when Excalibur might start shooting – Singer’s known to tie himself to projects like Logan’s Run or The Mayor of Castro Street that never quite make their way out of development hell – but keep watching the interwebs for updates.

Filling five hours of primetime TV a week is too much for one man to handle, so it’s no surprise that Jay Leno is calling out for backup when “The Jay Leno Show” debuts Sept. 14 on NBC. The one-time “Tonight Show” host has lined up several comedians who will contribute taped bits to the show, and one of them is lesbian stand-up comic Liz Feldman, who’s already hit the bricks to shoot a segment in an old-folks home, where she taught a roomful of seniors how to use Twitter. Feldman, along with Mikey Day and D.L. Hughley, will appear regularly on the nightly show, finding the funny out in the world while Jay does his thing in the studio. Will NBC’s gamble pay off? Will the show rocket Feldman into a new fame bracket? Check it out weeknights at 10 p.m. Eastern/Pacific and decide for yourself.

They took away the only ray of sunshine on the “American Idol” judging panel. And though it was a sad day for everyone except Paula Abdul – who is filthy rich and doesn’t need your pity – the news has only gotten better and better as the substitute roll call of guest judges for Season 9 goes on. First it was the Posh Spice announcement (Could any thinking person question her judging prowess after her “Project Runway”/Christian Siriano lovefest?), and now Renaissance Gay Neil Patrick Harris, who seems intent on insinuating himself into the hearts and minds of every last person in America, has already taped segments where he assists Randy, Simon and Kara in weeding out the people who show up dressed as The Statue of Liberty and Baby New Year. You won’t see it until January of 2010, of course, and by then NPH will probably have run for Senator of Utah and won in a landslide.

It’s never the first bit of trivia you learn when discussing the Beatles, that a gay guy more or less discovered and managed the band until his death in 1967. Brian Epstein remained closeted until he died at age 32 of an overdose and was even rumored to have had a brief fling with John Lennon. (Lennon said it never happened, though the 1991 indie film The Hours and Times imagines another scenario.) And now Epstein’s short but very interesting life is being turned into a film called, for now, A Life in the Day. No casting news yet, but expect a downbeat no-happy-endings sort of thing (not counting the aesthetic thrills to be had from period details and advancements in the creation of realistic moptop wigs) to emerge when the final product hits screens in 2012.

Who likes young talent more than Gus Van Sant? OK, maybe some other big deal directors do on their days off, but Van Sant has consistently found new creative energy to champion publically, especially when that energy looks like Matt Damon. To be fair, how young blond and tousle-haired screenwriter Jason Lew happens to be is unknown at this time, but his script, Restless, has the Milk director smitten enough to take it on as a new project. The story of a gloomy, graveyard-obsessed Harold and Maude-like young man and the romance he begins with a girl who has only six months to live will be Van Sant’s next small film (budget: approx $15 million, a drop in the bucket by Hollywood standards) and is all but guaranteed to become a touchstone of Emo Kid cinema culture. Time to start clearing the rights to those Morrissey songs.

After approximately 200 years on radio and then daytime TV, “The Guilding Light” will see its last episode air on Sept. 18. Everyone gets cancelled eventually. But what about “Otalia,” the combo name fans have given lesbian characters Olivia and Natalia? Where will they go? What will become of them? Well, actresses Crystal Chappell and Jessica Leccia, who play the dynamic duo, have decided to keep a version of their story alive via online webisodes. Though the names will be changed thanks to silly entertainment laws, the pair will be featured on a new online series called “Venice,” which is also set to feature the best “L Word” villainess ever, Elizabeth Keener (Dawn Denbo!), in a recurring role. In other words: Hurry up, Internet! This can’t happen soon enough for Romeo’s taste.