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During an Atx reunion panel celebrating his trailblazing MTV series Faking It, showrunner and executive producer Carter Covington expressed the opinion that the show would be much trickier to get off the ground today than it was just seven or so years ago.

“I do think [today] our original premise probably would have been blasted out before the show even aired,” he said. “It was a challenging premise. We all knew it would get attention.”

In his appearance on the panel alongside Covington, actor Michael J. Willett agreed that the initial conceit was tricky. “I think the idea had the potential to be very insensitive,” said the actor, who played Shane. At the same time, he said that the show is that much more commendable because of the risks it took, and the way in which tricky subject matter was approached. “I think that it was very masterful of Carter and...

An “Oz” reunion and panels for Amazon Prime Video’s “Small Axe,” as well as Showtime’s variety sketch show “Ziwe” are some of the first programs being scheduled at the 2021 Atx Television Festival, Variety has learned exclusively.

Additional panels include a “Faking It” reunion, a look at Fox’s new animated comedy “Housebroken,” the independent short-form comedy “Speech & Debate” and a number of themed panels. This year’s Award in Television eXcellence will be presented to Michael J. Fox, and Tubi has joined the festival as a supporting partner.

As this year’s honoree, the Emmy-winning Fox will join the festival for an intimate, retrospective conversation that spans his iconic performances on everything from “Family Ties” to “Spin City,” as well as features his guest roles on “The Good Wife” and “Rescue Me,” and dives into his memoir, “No Time Like The Future.”

The Atx/Showtime marquee conversation...

On the red carpet at the MTV Movie Awards last weekend, TheWrap had a few TV stars, including Holland Roden of “Teen Wolf,” Ta’Rhonda Jones of “Empire” and Michael Willett of “Faking It” answer a few silly questions. TheWrap asked the actors to demonstrate their chops by reacting to hypothetical scenarios like “when your bae doesn’t text back” or “when your squad goes out without you.” See some of the best responses in the video above.

Last season, Faking It saw a big tumble in the ratings but MTV went ahead with season three anyway. Will the numbers continue to drop this time around or will they fall even lower? Cancelled or renewed for season four? Stay tuned.

On Faking It, a pair of best friends -- Karma Ashcroft (Katie Stevens) and Amy Raudenfeld (Rita Volk) -- are outed when some of their high school classmates mistakenly believe they're a lesbian couple. Their popularity soars so they decide to go along with it. Karma attracts the attention of a handsome boy (Gregg Sulkin) while Amy starts to develop feelings for her friend. Others in the cast include Bailey De Young, Yvette Monreal, Keith Powers, and Michael Willett.

The ratings are typically the best indication of a show's chances of staying on the air. The higher the ratings, the better the chances...

Faking It‘s Shane and Karma are about to discover that love is, truly, a battlefield.

RelatedFaking It‘s Michael Willett Talks ‘Intense’ Shane-Karma Kiss, Major Duke Drama and More in Season 2B

In TVLine’s exclusive sneak peek from tonight’s episode (MTV, 9:30/8:30c), Shane introduces Karma to Wade, the bespectacled gentleman he met at last week’s Pflag square dance. Karma then introduces Shane to the guy she’s been crushing on from her chemistry class… who also happens to be Wade!

Unless this bisexual prince has a twin brother lurking the halls of Hester High,...

As if Faking It‘s Shane and Duke needed any more obstacles in the way of their relationship, they’re about to get a big one — figuratively speaking — this Monday (MTV, 9:30/8:30c).

RelatedFaking It‘s Michael Willett Talks ‘Intense’ Shane-Karma Kiss, Major Duke Drama and More in Season 2B

TVLine has an exclusive clip from next week’s episode, featuring Dilshad Vadsaria (Revenge, Greek) as Duke’s publicist Joanna, who might not be the biggest fan of their coupling.

“You don’t have to stay for this part, Shane, if it makes you jealous,” she tells him...

The more things change on MTV’s Faking It, the more they stay the same.

Sure, Hester High might look a little different in the second half of Season 2 — following Karma’s parents’ big drug bust, the school has essentially become a prison — but as we saw on Monday’s premiere, its inhabitants are still a bunch of no-good, yet totally good-looking, liars.

RelatedPost Mortem: Teen Wolf Boss Talks Parrish’s Finale Reveal and Theo’s Next Step, Previews ‘Clash of Titans’ in Season 5B

Karma lied to Amy about new-guy Felix being gay, as part of a...

Two episodes were provided prior to broadcast.

Piggybacking on the premiere of the fifth and final season of Awkward, MTV’s Faking It continues the effervescent descent into high school idiosyncrasies for which the network’s teenage-aimed sitcoms have become known. The impressive thing about the first two episodes of the last half of the sophomore season of Faking It (which is obviously not the way MTV has broken up and scheduled the show) is that it has slowly begun to surpass its sister series as the incisive parody of high school minutiae that Awkward was in its hay day.

Picking up two weeks after last year’s finale, the season 2B premiere dumps its coterie of amusing characters into a new, scary version of Hester High. The show’s crushingly liberal nexus of plots and characters is undergoing a bit of a face lift, thanks to a few cascading...

Another poster for M. Night Shyamalan’s The Visit has been released, once again stressing grandma's strict rules. Also included in our latest round-up are details on an upcoming modern day-set film adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart, as well as information on an in-development mystery series from It Follows writer/director David Robert Mitchell.

The Visit: A Blumhouse Productions and Blinding Edge Pictures film from Universal Pictures, M. Night Shyamalan's The Visit will hit theaters in September:

"Writer/director/producer M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, Signs, Unbreakable) and producer Jason Blum (Paranormal Activity, The Purge and Insidious series) welcome you to Universal Pictures’ The Visit. Shyamalan returns to his roots with the terrifying story of a brother and sister who are sent to their grandparents’ remote Pennsylvania farm for a weeklong trip. Once the children discover that the elderly couple is involved in something deeply disturbing,...

It's a match made in Glee heaven. Logo TV has tapped smooth-voiced heartthrob Darren Criss, 27, to host the NewNowNext Awards on Dec. 7, which will also feature a performance from Glee alum Kristin Chenoweth. But it doesn't appear a duet is on the horizon: Chenoweth, 46, is scheduled to perform a song from her upcoming live CD, Coming Home. The awards show, which kicks off Art Basel and will take place at Kimpton's Surfcomber hotel on Miami's South Beach, will also feature raspy-voiced icon Cyndi Lauper as narrator and Joe Jonas as celebrity DJ. Performers include Jessie J, who will sing her new hit "Burnin' Up,...

It's a match made in Glee heaven. Logo TV has tapped smooth-voiced heartthrob Darren Criss, 27, to host the NewNowNext Awards on Dec. 7, which will also feature a performance from Glee alum Kristin Chenoweth. But it doesn't appear a duet is on the horizon: Chenoweth, 46, is scheduled to perform a song from her upcoming live CD, Coming Home. The awards show, which kicks off Art Basel and will take place at Kimpton's Surfcomber hotel on Miami's South Beach, will also feature raspy-voiced icon Cyndi Lauper as narrator and Joe Jonas as celebrity DJ. Performers include Jessie J, who will sing her new hit "Burnin' Up,...

Logo TV today announced that Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress and singer Kristin Chenoweth is slated to perform a song from her live CD Coming Home on the Logo TV's 2014 'New Now Next' Awards premiering on Logo TV on Sunday, December 7 at 8 p.m. Etpt and MTV on December 12 at 7 p.m. Etpt. Actor and singer Darren Criss will host the event, which kicks off Art Basel from Kimpton's Surfcomber Miami, South Beach, and serves as the definitive farewell party for 2014 and predictor to who and what will dominate pop culture in the year to come. Pop icon Cyndi Lauper will narrate the New Now Next Awards, which will also feature special appearances by Nick Cannon, Tyler Glenn, 'Looking' stars Raul Castillo amp Frankie Alvarez, 'Girl Code's' Nicole Byer, 'Awkward's' Molly Tarlov, as well as 'Faking It's' Katie Stevens and Michael J. Willett.

MTV's Faking It is getting a dose of Fifth Harmony. The MTV Video Music Award winner and MTV Artist to Watch will guest star in the Oct. 28 episode of the comedy from showrunner Carter Covington and take on an iconic '80s track. Read more MTV's 'Faking It' to Tell Intersex Story in Season 2 The all-girl group will perform a remixed version of New Kids on the Block's "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" during the episode in which Shane (Michael Willett), Amy (Rita Volk) and Lauren (Bailey De Young) attend an underground dance party. Check out Fifth Harmony's

read more...

MTV want to keep Faking It. The cable channel has ordered 10 more episodes of their high school dramedy series.

On Faking It, a pair of best friends -- Karma Ashcroft (Katie Stevens) and Amy Raudenfeld (Rita Volk) -- are outed when some of their high school classmates mistakenly believe they're a lesbian couple. Their popularity soars so they decide to go along with it. Karma attracts the attention of a handsome boy (Gregg Sulkin) while Amy starts to develop feelings for her friend. Others in the cast include Bailey De Young, Michael J. Willett, Courtney Kato, Rebecca McFarland, Senta Moses, Erick Lopez, Amy Farrington, and Breezy Eslin.

To date, the second season of Faking It is averaging 790,000 viewers with a 0.4 rating in the 18-49 demographic. Compared to last season, that's down by 17% and 10% respectively.

The...

Got a scoop request? An anonymous tip you’re dying to share? Send any/all of the above to [email protected]

Question: Grey’s Anatomy intel please? —Sammi

Ausiello: Amelia’s past substance-abuse issues — specifically the massive relapse she suffered while starring on a little show called Private Practice — will become a majorly hot topic around Grey Sloan Memorial in the Nov. 13 episode.

Question: Do you have anything on Laurel and Oliver on Arrow? I’m dying here! —Micaela

Ausiello: Would you settle for something on Ray-Felicity-Oliver instead? (You’re gonna have to, ’cause it’s all I gots!

Good news for Karmy shippers. MTV has ordered an additional 10 episodes of its boundary-shattering romantic comedy Faking It, which follows two best friends who pretend to be lesbians in order to gain popularity until real feelings get in the way of the charade. The handful of episodes will act as the season 2B when it returns next year. The series stars Katie Stevens, Rita Volk, Gregg Sulkin, Michael Willett, and Bailey De Young, whose character was revealed to be intersex in the second-season premiere. Faking It was the network’s highest-rated new series launch when it debuted its first season in April.

The Faking It team must have some pretty great karma.

MTV has ordered 10 additional episodes of the hit comedy, currently airing its second season Tuesdays at 10:30/9:30c.

Related Exclusive Faking It Sneak Peek: Lauren and Theo’s First Kiss Ends in Disaster

Stars Rita Volk and Michael Willett recently stopped by TVLine to offer a look at what’s to come, beginning with the game-changing secret that propelled us into Season 2.

Volk admits it’s “inevitable” that Liam and Amy’s sex secret will come out, and the best way to sum up the aftermath is that everything just gets “really sh—ty.

Get ready for more “Faking It.” MTV has renewed the romantic comedy series, which stars “American Idol” alum Katie Stevens, Rita Volk, Gregg Sulkin, Michael Willett and Bailey De Young, for a Season 2B consisting of 10 episodes. See photos: MTV VMAs 2014 Red Carpet Arrivals (Photos) The series, featuring Stevens and Volk as high-school students masquerading as a lesbian couple, was created by Dana Min Goodman and Julia Wolov. It's executive produced by Carter Covington (“10 Things I Hate About You,” “Greek,” “Hart of Dixie”). In the latest episode of “Faking It,” airing Tuesday at 10:30 p.m. on MTV, Amy (Volk) plans.

"Orange Is The New Black" actress Laverne Cox will make her debut as Margot in the MTV series, "Faking It," which airs tonight. She will play the demanding director of the school's drama department alongside series regulars Katie Stevens and Michael J. Willett. Cox was offered the role by the show's executive producer, Carter Covington. The show centers on two teenage girls who are mistakenly outed as a lesbian couple, and continue with the charade for popularity. Of the role, Cox told "Entertainment Weekly": "When I read it, I was really excited. Some of my first ballet teachers when I was young were over-the-top, huge personalities. It’s...

Laverne Cox is trading in her orange jumpsuit for a more dramatic role on MTV’s Faking It. On Tuesday’s episode, the Orange Is the New Black actress will make her side-splitting debut as Margot, the demanding director of the school’s drama department who will hilariously push Karma (Katie Stevens), Shane (Michael J. Willett) and Lauren (Bailey De Young) to their limits. How did the Emmy nominee book a ticket to Hester High? EW hit the set to find out: How did you guest-starring on Faking It come together? I got an email with an offer. It’s...

Nicholas Brendon is going back to high school.

Related Faking It’s Michael Willett on Shane’s Love Life, Lauren’s Secret and More

The Buffy grad will guest-star on the season finale of MTV’s Faking It, TVLine has learned, playing professional artist Jackson Lee. Also an alum of Hestor High, Jackson eventually becomes an artistic mentor to Liam (Gregg Sulkin) after interviewing art students for a prestigious fellowship.

Other major Season 2 guest stars include Laverne Cox (Orange Is the New Black) and Fifth Harmony.

Faking It airs Tuesdays at 10:30/9:30c on MTV.

Related storiesABC Family,...

MTV’s Happyland spins a tale as old as time: Boy meets girl, girl falls for boy, girl discovers she and boy have the same father.

Related Ryan Rottman Previews MTV’s Twisted New Dramedy Happyland

That’s my one-sentence plot summary of the new comedy, which premiered Tuesday, though it’s a little more complicated than that. The show centers around Vanessa Hudgens Lucy Velez, a 17-year-old living at a Disneyland-style theme park with her mom Gloria, who’s been playing Happyland’s “Princess Adrianna” for the better part of two decades.

Towards the beginning of Gloria’s royal run,...

Ryan Hansen just can’t get enough of Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas.

On the heels of their web-series collaboration Play It Again, Dick, Hansen will guest-star on Thomas’ midseason CW drama iZombie, EW.com reports.

Related iZombie Recasts Bff With Aly Michalka

In the med student-turned-zombie show, Hansen will appear as a cocky, uncomplicated golden boy and pro snowboarder who is paid handsomely to put his face on things.

Thomas hinted at the casting at TVLine’s Comic-Con video suite, saying there was a role so perfect for the actor — who next stars in NBC’s Bad Judge — it...

Last season, Faking It had mediocre ratings on MTV but the cable channel renewed it for a second season. Will viewership rise this time around or fall? Will this comedy be cancelled or renewed for a third season? Stay tuned.

On Faking It, a pair of best friends -- Karma Ashcroft (Katie Stevens) and Amy Raudenfeld (Rita Volk) -- are outed when some of their high school classmates mistakenly believe they're a lesbian couple. Their popularity soars so they decide to go along with it. Karma attracts the attention of a handsome boy (Gregg Sulkin) while Amy starts to develop feelings for her friend. Others in the cast include Bailey De Young, Michael J. Willett, Courtney Kato, Rebecca McFarland, Senta Moses, Erick Lopez, Amy Farrington, and Breezy Eslin.

The ratings are typically the best indication of a show's chances of staying on the air. The...

When describing MTV’s new amusement park-set dramedy Happyland, premiering Tuesday at 11/10c, star Ryan Rottman needs only five little words: “sex, drugs and roller coasters.”

Related Exclusive Awkward First Look: [Spoiler] Ruins Jenna and Matty’s Romantic Reunion

Of course, TVLine got a few more words than that out of Rottman, who plays Theodore Chandler, the straight-laced son of Happyland’s mysterious CEO. When he’s not making sure the park is running smoothly, Theodore is keeping an eye on his troublesome younger brother (Awkward‘s Shane Harper) and doing whatever he can to keep his family’s secrets — including...

Like Season 2 itself, the drama of MTV’s Faking It (Tuesday, 10:30/9:30c) is just getting started — but Michael Willett tells TVLine that Shane is already reaching his wit’s end.

Related Faking It Post Mortem: Lauren’s Secret, ‘Karmy’s’ ‘Pain’ and More Scoop

“Shane ends up confronting Karma about all of the drama she’s created,” Willett teases, but notes that tensions will settle down when “he ends up seeing another side to her.”

So what else can we expect from Shane and the Hestor High gang in Season 2? Read our Q&A with Willett below...

Are you ready for more episodes of Faking It on MTV? Great, because the second season of the hit show premieres tonight! We’re huge fans of the show, so we can’t wait! We were lucky enough to sit down with one of the stars of Faking It, Michael Willett! He talked to us all about the upcoming...Read more»...

Network: MTV

Episodes: Ongoing (half-hour)

Seasons: Ongoing

TV show dates: April 22, 2014 -- Tbd

Series status: Has not been cancelled

Performers include: Rita Volk, Katie Stevens, Gregg Sulkin, Bailey Buntain, Michael Willett, Rebecca McFarland, Senta Moses, Erick Lopez, Courtney Kato, Breezy Eslin, and August Roads.

TV show description:

This romantic TV series revolves around two female best friends who attend Hester High School in the suburbs of Austin, Texas.

Karma Ashcroft (Katie Stevens) and Amy Raudenfeld (Rita Volk) have tried everything to become popular at their school. Under the mistaken impression that the pair are actually closeted lesbians, their popular and openly gay classmate Shane Harvey (Michael Willett) invites them to his party.

The duo are subsequently "outed" and involuntarily nominated to becoming homecoming Queens. They want to tell the...

The season finale of Faking It airs tomorrow night on MTV but that won't be the end of the show. The cable channel has renewed the comedy seeries for a second season of 10 episodes.

The show revolves around two high school girls who are also best friends. They have no luck in their pursuit to become popular until they're mistakenly outed as lesbians. This causes the girls to become school celebrities and they just don't want to give up the notariety. The cast includes Rita Volk, Katie Stevens, Gregg Sulkin, Bailey Buntain, and Michael Willett.

"Faking It has proved to be the perfect companion show to Awkward,” said Susanne Daniels, President of MTV Programming. “We’re excited about Carter Covington’s delicious plans for season two."

What do you think? Do you like Faking It? Will you be watching season two?...

MTV will fake it again.

The network has given the greenlight to a second season of its newest scripted comedy for the high school set, Faking It, which follows two best friends who pretend to be lesbians in order to become popular. As we learned during the first season (the finale airs June 10), one of the fakers isn’t exactly pretending anymore.

The freshman comedy was MTV’s highest-rated new series launch this year, pulling in 1.4 million viewers each week and retaining almost 90 percent of its 10 p.m. lead-in from the fourth season of Awkward.

Faking It stars Katie Stevens,...

Exclusive: Ahead of the Faking It season one finale tomorrow night, I’ve learned that MTV has ordered a 10-episode second season of the scripted comedy series. Faking It is the highest-rated new series launch on MTV so far this year, averaging a 1.5 rating among the network’s target demographic of persons 12-34 and 1.4 million total viewers each week. Airing at 10:30 Pm, it retains nearly 90% of its lead-in, MTV flagship comedy Awkward, and regularly ranks as one of the Top 10 most socially-engaged primetime cable series on Tuesday. “Faking It has proved to be the perfect companion show to Awkward,” said Susanne Daniels, President of MTV Programming. “We’re excited about Carter Covington’s delicious plans for season two.” Created by Dana Min Goodman and Julia Wolov and executive produced by Covington, Faking It is a romantic comedy about two best friends, Karma (Katie Stevens) and Amy (Rita Volk), who...

MTV’s new comedy Faking It may have a relationship between two teen girls at its center, but there’s another important duo on the show— out and proud Shane (played by out actor Michael J. Willett) and his straight Bff Liam (played by Gregg Sulkin).

We sat down with adorable actors Willett and Sulkin at the MTV offices in Santa Monica recently to chat about their characters’ gay/straight friendship as well as what to say to those who are wary of the “fake lesbian” plot of the series. Afterwards, they were joined by co-stars Katie Stevens, Rita Volk and Bailey Buntain for a fun photo shoot. (Interviews with the ladies are over on our sister site AfterEllen.)

Part 1

Part 2

Faking It premieres Tuesday at 10:30pm on MTV.

The post Interview with Michael J. Willett and Gregg Sulkin of MTV’s “Faking It” appeared first on thebacklot.com.

Some girls will do anything to become popular. Even ... pretending to be gay?

That's right. MTV's newest comedy series "Faking It" is about two best friends who -- after they're mistakenly outed as lesbians -- decide to keep up the charade when they attain instant A-List status. Of course, that won't be easy when cute boys enter the equation. Can their friendship survive a fake relationship?

"Faking It" stars Katie Stevens as Karma, Rita Volk as Amy, Gregg Sulkin as Liam, Michael Willett as Shane and Bailey Buntain as Lauren. Watch the just-released first trailer for the series below:

Faking It - Full Episodes

"Faking It" premieres Tuesday, April 22 at 10:30 p.m. Et/Pt on MTV.

In the new MTV series, being gay brings popularity and power. But what if you’re Faking It?

Leave it to MTV to bring us another fun series where gay characters are not only present but also en vogue.

In the new series Faking It, teen social outcasts Amy (Rita Volk) and Karma (Katie Stevens) are such close BFFs that when they’re mistaken as a lesbian couple by their peers, they realize the masquerade not only raises their social standing but even gives them a sense of power. How long will they keep up the ruse? And what if one of them starts liking playing gay a little too much?

Created by out producer Carter Covington, the series is set in Austin, Texas at a progressive arts school and also stars Michael J. Willett (recently seen in the gay indie, Gbf) as out and proud Shane and Gregg Sulkin as his straight bestie Liam,...

"Rated R for sexual references" is the typically tone-deaf ruling from the MPAA flywheels on Darren Stein's comedy G.B.F., a film that has far fewer sexual references than the similarly themed Easy A.

But while the PG-13 Easy A was about a straight teenage girl whose social status drops when she's falsely accused of losing her virginity, G.B.F.'s protagonist, Tanner (Michael J. Willett), is a closeted teenage boy whose social status rises when he's accurately outed as gay, reluctantly becoming arm candy for the popular girls to avoid getting bullied by the jocks.

For an R-rated movie, there's no sex, nudity, or violence, and the only F-bomb is the contextually appropriate "faggot," so here's to hoping lax multiplex security allows teenagers ...

Sharp satire cutting through the sweet silliness makes this a refreshing change of pace for teen comedies. I’m “biast” (pro): nothing

I’m “biast” (con): nothing

(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)

In a school where the three reigning popular girls — each hoping to become prom queen — are like “warlords” operating under an uneasy truce, the latest, hippest weapon for dominance is the G.B.F.: the gay best friend. Problem is, in North Gate High doesn’t have any “’mo’s”… or does it? When geeky Tanner (Michael J. Willett), who’s not very fabulous (he’s into comic books) is accidentally outed, he becomes a pawn in the games of Fawcett (Sasha Pieterse), ’Shley (Andrea Bowen), and Caprice (Xosha Roquemore: Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire). (Harry Potter’s Evanna Lynch, aka Luna Lovegood, appears here too.) Will he...

Ahead of its theatrical release, G.B.F. has shared an exclusive clip with VH1. The movie tells the story of two closeted best friends Tanner, (Michael J. Willett, United States Of Tara) and Brent (Paul Iacono,The Hard Times Of R.J. Berger). While Brent longs for popularity, it’s Tanner who catches the school’s attention when he is accidentally outed. Soon the three most popular girls in school fight to land Tanner as their gay best friend. In the clip above, Tanner unites the queen bees (Sasha Pieterse, Pretty Little Liars; Xosha Roquemore, Precious; and Andrea Bowen, Desperate Housewives) in a “reveal” that recalls the iconic entrance from Jawbreaker.

Because both movies share the same director (Darren Stein) it comes as no surprise there’s a reference to the scene, which turns 15 years old this month. In fact, when asked about the scene made famous by Rose McGowan and...

G.B.F., a cunning new comedy from Jawbreaker director Darren Stein, is a minor high-school flick, but also an inherently modern one. It is bolstered by a refreshing premise and a sharp cast who overcome some of the absurdity and clutter in George Northy’s debut script. The acronym of the title stands for “gay best friend,” which leads the viewer to expect a depiction of contemporary high-school drama that could be too hip or condescending. As it turns out though, G.B.F. is neither, instead, it’s merely happy to embrace its gay-positive values and is just smart enough to make us laugh at some of the stereotypes it skewers.

The film’s plot, if anything, depends on the trendsetters. As gay protagonist Tanner (Michael J. Willett) tells the audience, there is something about being first in high school. It turns out that Tanner’s first is, to him, an embarrassing...

It’s an old accusation, but one that shows no signs of disappearing anytime soon: the Motion Picture Association of America is disproportionately stricter about profanity and sex than it is about violence. Relatively gruesome studio films like The Hunger Games or The Dark Knight Rises frequently win PG-13 ratings; relatively gentle films like Philomena, by contrast, are slammed with a much more restrictive R rating — initially, at least — simply for dropping one too many F-bombs.

And then there’s the MPAA’s historically fraught relationship with gay and lesbian content, which often seems to be treated more harshly than heterosexual relations.

Gay high school fantasia G.B.F. starts the way every teen movie should: with the image of a panda puking up a rainbow.

Sure, it’s a snappy, meme-y graphic that speaks directly to the film’s target audience (hip, animal-video-obsessed, neon-emblazed Top Shop addicts) but it also stands as a great metaphor for the film’s message: sometimes being a mascot – for a cause, a school, or a line of breakfast cereals – can be enough to make you vomit Roy G. Biv. Darren Stein‘s G.B.F. is a comedy for everyone who has ever felt that the Pride flag they’ve been waving happily in the wind has just wrapped itself around their throat and is starting to cut off the air supply.

Tanner (Michael J. Willett) and Brent (Paul Iacono) are two gay best friends living comfortably under the Radar at a high school we’re familiar seeing in...

MTV has added two comedies to its original programming roster. High-school set entry Faking It and theme park comedy Happyland have been picked up to series, each receiving orders for eight episodes. Faking It hails from Carter Covington (Greek, Hart of Dixie) and revolves around two best friends who will do almost anything to fit in and be popular in high school, including pretending to be something they're not. The cast includes Bailey Buntain, Gregg Sulkin, Katie Stevens, Michael Willett and Rita Volk. Jamie Travis directed the pilot. Story: MTV Orders Pair of Comedy Pilots (Exclusive) Happyland, from Ben Epstein (Daddy's Girls), is

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Exclusive: MTV has picked up both of its comedy pilots, Happyland and Faking It, to series with eight-episode orders. These were the first MTV scripted pilots greenlighted by the network’s new regime of president Susanne Daniels and and head of scripted Mina Lefevre. Happyland, written by Ben Epstein and executive produced by Storyline’s Neil Meron and Craig Zadan, is described as a soapy teen comedy which explores the underbelly of one of the country’s most popular theme parks and those who work there. The pilot, directed by Lee Toland Krieger, starred Bianca Santos, Zulay Henao, Shane Harper, Katherine McNamara, Cameron Moulene, Brady Smith and Ryan Rottman. Faking It, from 10 Things I Hate About You developer Carter Covington, revolves around two best friends who will do almost anything to fit in and be popular in high school — including pretending to be something they are not. The cast of the pilot,...

Birthday shoutouts go to Jedward (above), who are 22, Tim Robbins is 55, and Suzanne Somers is 67.

HBO has announced that Looking will debut on Sunday, January 18th at 10:30 Pm Et.

Catching Up With G.B.F.‘s Michael J. Willett

Stephen Sondheim and director John Tiffany are revising Stephen’s 70′s musical Company with some major changes. Most notably, the central character of Bobby “has always been a straight man struggling with commitment issues and multiple girlfriends, and he has been reconceived by Mr. Tiffany as a gay man with commitment issues and multiple boyfriends.” And the character of Joanne, originally played on Broadway by Elaine Stritch, has been reimagined, and Alan Cumming will now perform “The Ladies Who Lunch.”

EW has first photos from the Doctor Who Anniversary Special, including Matt Smith, David Tennant and John Hurt below.

Here’s the poster for August: Osage County, which features Julia Roberts going after Meryl Streep.

Vertical Entertainment has acquired all North American rights to the high school comedy film "G.B.F." (Gay Best Friend). Directed by Darren Stein ("Jawbreaker") with screenplay by George Northy, the film has a cast of young up-and-comers including Sasha Pieterse ("Pretty Little Liars"), Evanna Lynch (The Harry Potter Franchise), Natasha Lyonne ("Orange is the New Black"), Joanna "JoJo" Levesque ("Rv," "Aquamarine"), Paul Iacono ("The Hard Times of Rj Berger"), Michael J. Willett ("United States of Tara"), Molly Tarlov ("Awkward"), and Rebecca Gayheart ("Jawbreaker") and features Megan Mullally ("Parks and Recreation," "The Kings of Summer"). "G.B.F" plays with the concept of a G.B.F. (a Gay Best Friend) and how they have become a trendy and invaluable accessory for straight girls to have in their cliques. The film is being touted as a modern twist on the high school movie genre.  The film premiered at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival and was recently shown at Outfest.

Tanner (Michael J. Willett) is the Gbf everyone wants (including Sasha Pieterse)

In the fine tradition of teen comedies like Clueless, Pretty In Pink, Mean Girls and even darker films like the original Carrie, comes the new film, G.B.F., which fabulously dives into the world of the Gay Best Friend. Directed by Darren Stein (Jawbreaker) from a script by George Northy, the film follows high schooler Tanner (Michael J. Willett) as he navigates the treacherous waters of high school after coming out.

In the world of G.B.F., there’s less opposition to Tanner being gay than the comedy found in how people want to be close to the cute gay guy. The popular girls compete for Tanner’s friendship, even helping him with a makeover; at least one closeted guy (the Bf of one of the girls) makes a pass at him and, at the end of the day, he...

Reflecting on the theme of struggling to fit in from his last feature film, the dark high school comedy Jawbreakers, director Darren Stein once again explored the heightened adolescent need to be accepted in his new movie, G.B.F. The contemporary teen comedy had its world premiere during the Tribeca Film Festival on April 19 at New York City’s Clearview Cinemas Chelsea. The filmmaker and several of G.B.F.‘s stars attended the red carpet before the screening to discuss the process of filming the comedy.

G.B.F. tells the story of two closeted best friends, Tanner (Michael J. Willett) and Brent (Paul Iacono), as they try to navigate high school. Brent longs to be the G.B.F, or gay best friend, of the popular girls in school, so that he can finally have the spotlight. Tanner, meanwhile, would rather make it to graduation without ever being noticed.

But the lead popular girls in school-the glamorous,...

Those tired of trying to make fetch happen, fear not: "G.B.F.," a.k.a. the next high school movie with enough quotable dialogue to produce Tumblr memes from now until forever, debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival this year.

"You kind of come into it and you don't know what to expect. Then once you're in, it just gets better and better," star Michael J. Willett told HuffPost Entertainment about the teen comedy. "People came up to me and said, I was laughing so hard and then you made me cry. I thought that was perfect."

Directed by Darren Stein (whose last feature film was 1999's "Jawbreaker") and written by George Northy, "G.B.F." focuses on what happens after Tanner (Willett) is unwittingly outed by some nosy classmates and becomes the title "gay best friend," the acquaintance-cum-accessary who three high school queen bees (played by Sasha Pieterse, Andrea Bowen and Xosha Roquemore...

The leading ladies of G.B.F., aka Gay Best Friend, talk to VH1 Celebrity about teen comedies, recreating Jawbreaker‘s famous slow mo walk and which male teen star they would marry.

The film, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, tells the story of Tanner (Michael J. Willett, United States Of Tara) who catches the school’s attention when he is accidentally outed. Soon the three most popular girls in school (Sasha Pieterse, Pretty Little Liars; Xosha Roquemore, Precious; and Andrea Bowen, Desperate Housewives) fight to land Tanner as their G.B.F.

VH1 Celebrity: What’s your favorite teen movie?

Andrea Bowen: Clueless.

Xosha Roquemore: Clueless. I love them all. It’s one of my favorite genres of movie but Clueless is at the top.

Sasha Pieterse: I love Mean Girls and I love Clueless. It’s kind of a tie for me.

Xr: Jawbreaker!

Speaking of Jawbreaker,...

If director Darren Stein and actor Paul Iacono have their way, their new movie “G.B.F.” will usher in a more subversive film genre in the vein of “Clueless” and “Mean Girls,” but with a gay twist.

Premiering April 19 at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, “G.B.F.” tells the story of closeted teens Tanner (played by “United States of Tara” alum Michael J. Willett) and Brent (Iacono). In an effort to make himself a hip “social accessory” among a revered girls' clique at his high school, the sassy Brent hatches a plan to come out of the closet in a very big way. His efforts go hilariously awry, however, when the more introverted Tanner is accidentally outed first and ends up as the school’s most popular student in the weeks leading up to the senior prom.

Iacono deems the coming-of-age, teen-centric comedy a “mo-mance,” focused on a platonic, if no less hormonally charged,...

Megan Mullally plays Paul Iacono‘s mother in the upcoming teen comedy, G.B.F. aka Gay Best Friend, which premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival this weekend. The movie tells the story of two closeted best friends Tanner, (Michael J. Willett, United States Of Tara) and Brent (Iacono, The Hard Times Of R.J. Berger). While Brent longs for popularity, it’s Tanner who catches the school’s attention when he is accidentally outed. Soon the three most popular girls in school fight to land Tanner as their G.B.F.

In the clip, Brent’s mother attempts to reconnect with her son after an awkward coming out. Leave it to Netflix err Webflix to save the day!

This film has the potential join the canon of teen comedies. It was directed by Darren Stein (who brought us Jawbreaker) and, thanks to screenwriter, George Northy, there’s plenty of references to all the films,...