Mario Cantone signs sitcom deal

Out stand-up comedian and New York stage actor Mario Cantone, who costars on the hit HBO comedy Sex and the City, is developing his own series. He has signed a deal with 20th Century Fox TV-based Imagine TV to star in and co-executive-produce a sitcom project targeted for fall 2004. The show is said to center on two characters--a gay man and a straight Italian man--created by Cantone, with both characters potentially played by the actor. The project is still in the early stages of development, and Cantone is expected to pair up with a writer soon.