Nikki Blonsky, Nikki Blonsky--What a beautiful, beautiful name!

OK, so there's a big brew-ha-ha in the gay community about Travolta, a scientologist, taking over Divine's role in the new Hairspray movie. But this movie is based on the Broadway play, which was based on the original movie, making it by now so far removed that they could legally marry (unlike the rest of us!). Is it likely to be a sanitized version of the original flick? Yes, of course. Because that's the way Broadway went--after the family dollar, like Vegas. ALAS, THIS IS NOT A JOHN WATERS PRODUCTION! But seeing this cute new high school graduate named Nikki Blonsky on Oprah today, it's hard not to be happy about it, at least for her sake. She was chosen out of hundreds of fabulous full-sized teens for the lead role. This is her first movie. She's a doll! As a longtime fan of One Life To Live, I wish they'd given the role of Tracy to Kathy Brier (an alum of the Broadway production), but this Nikki discovery is one of those awsome Hollywood (by way of Toronto?) discovery stories, not unlike our currently reigning young goddess, Jennifer Hudson. So, let's just be happy some serious attention is being focused on young people of size AND of sizable talent. Think of that while you're baking a cake with a file in it for Paris Hilton.