She just wrote about her lesbian relationship for The New York Times, so happy Celebrity Coming Out Day to you, too. And what that means to this column, of course, is that Maria Bello just got extra interesting. She’s not working on anything gay-themed at the moment, of course, there’s not much of that going around in the first place. But the talented actor (A History Of Violence, Coyote Ugly) works and works and works. Currently she’s shooting McFarland with New Zealand director Niki Caro (Whale Rider) and Kevin Costner. It’s a sports drama about a track coach who leads a team of high school students to a championship. That probably means that Bello plays the wife, but whatever, work is work, right? Weirder and almost certainly more fun is the upcoming horror film Demonic. Directed by Will Canon with a story by James Wan (Saw, Insidious, The Conjuring), it has something to do with people being murdered by ghosts. We think. Whatever happens it’ll be more exciting than a track meet. And we’ll get to find out if Bello plays one of the murderous ghosts, which would be kind of ideal. Both films are coming in 2014 and, once again, congratulations to Ms. Bello for stealing away some attention from Ellen and Portia. They’ve got plenty already.

Carter Smith is one for sorrow

Carter Smith, the gay filmmaker who gave us the awesomely creepy killer-plants movie The Ruins, has turned his eyes to the evil (and plain old weird and sad stuff) that humans do. His next film, Jamie Marks is Dead, is based on Christopher Barzak’s novel One For Sorrow, an odd story of teenage death, sexuality, ghosts and working-class melancholy. The book is centered around a 15-year-old boy and his relationship to another teenager named Jamie Marks who’s found dead in the woods. Jamie’s ghost affixes itself to a variety of living souls and the results are sometimes funny, sometimes sad, sometimes and always true to teenage life. Who knows what’ll change for the movie, but at this point you might safely think of it as The Perks of Being a Deceased Wallflower. The adaptation stars Liv Tyler, Judy Greer (The Descendants and Homeland’s resident troubled teen Morgan Saylor), and if it’s as defiantly odd and nervy as The Ruins, when it shows up in 2014 it should solidify Smith’s reputation as a filmmaker to watch with interest.

Queer as a Cucumber, a Banana and some Tofu

Russell T. Davies has three new shows coming. Yes, three. And they’ll share characters. And one of them will be online. The Doctor Who writer, and creator of Torchwood and the original U.K. Queer As Folk, is returning to the everydayness of gay life with Cucumber, the story of a man named Henry, his boyfriend Lance, a date-night gone bizarrely awry, and the aftermath of said evening. Banana, on the other side of the coin, will follow Henry’s friends as their lives intersect his and each other’s. Meanwhile, Tofu will explore contemporary sexuality from a factual perspective. We’re promised lesbians, threeways, a death and at least one Glee-related plot point. In other words, expect everything. It’ll all happen in the U.K. in 2014 with what’s almost certainly some sort of American distribution soon after. Oh, and yes, the titles Cucumber and Banana are references to exactly what you’re thinking. Tofu, too, because everything in life has a softer side.

Lesbians are carefully preparing Olive Kitteridge for you

OK, sure, the big news here from a celebrity perspective is the elusive Bill Murray, taking time away from whatever the latest Wes Anderson joint happens to be, is making a lateral move to join the cast of HBO’s miniseries Olive Kitteridge. But for us the real news is that Elizabeth Strout’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel (which is, itself, comprised of interrelated short stories) is being adapted by Jane Anderson (The Prizewinner of Defiance, Ohio) and directed by The Kids Are All Right’s Lisa Cholodenko, in other words, a groovy lesbian power-team of filmmaking. The story centers around a quiet Peyton Place-like New England town where everyone has a secret, a crime, a tragedy or a sexual scandal they’re covering up, and it’s all seen through the eyes of tough-minded, morally correct Olive (Frances McDormand). One big question: Will the film feature the book’s staggering number of characters? If so, what kind of insane cast list do we have to look forward to beyond Murray and McDormand (Richard Jenkins is also on board), and how will even a very long-form miniseries keep track of them all? As it stands, this thing makes Downton Abbey look like a one-man show. And there’s your other reason to watch when it hits HBO in 2014.