Third season of
Deadwood may include a gay character

Sometime in the next few weeks, production will begin on the third season of Deadwood, the popular HBO television series set in the Black Hills gold mining town of the 1870s. The new season debuts in 2006. Producer David Milch reportedly is thinking about adding the character of Wyatt Earp to the cast. Mary Kopco, director of the Adams Museum and House, said Earp spent a winter in Deadwood in 1875 or 1876. "Milch will take a real historical figure and make some dramatic changes and really explore different personality types of them as a larger-than-life person," Kopco said.

Milch reportedly plans to include an openly gay character as well.

The cast and crew of Deadwood have received a batch of Emmy nominations for their second season. Lead actor Ian McShane has been nominated for outstanding actor in a drama series, and the show is up for an Emmy for outstanding drama series. The series also has been nominated for Emmys in art direction, casting, costumes, direction, hairstyling, makeup, and single-camera sound mixing. The Emmys air on CBS the evening of September 18. (AP)