The Bear Stays in the Picture

Rising comedy star Zach Galifianakis is known on the stand-up circuit for playing the piano while delivering his odd, non-sequitur-based material - and also for the huge beard he refuses to shave.

This has given the hetero comic a growing fan base in the gay "bear" subculture, of which Galifianakis is well aware. (A hilarious segment in the feature documentary The Comedians of Comedy sees the comic confronted with and shocked and delighted by a variety of nude-photo-filled e-mails from a similarly hirsute fan.)

And his next move? To play a character named "Dave the Bear" in the upcoming comedy What Happens in Vegas..., starring Cameron Diaz, Ashton Kutcher, and Queen Latifah.

As for the character's sexual orientation? Does it matter? The bears are already online trying to buy tickets.