PHP remote Include fails - telnet/web browser success

(I posted this to the PHP group and received no response, so hoping
that I'll have better luck here, as it is more about networking than
PHP)

Hello,

I have a script that does a remote include (does not matter if I do
include(), file(), require(), etc, the result is the same).

The script spins for a long time and then will finally return (edited
for internet consumption):

Warning: blahFunction(http://www.someserver.org/header): failed to open
stream: Connection timed out in
/var/www/html/project/functions/myscript.php on line 28

Warning: blahFunction(): Failed opening
'http://www.someserver.org/header' for inclusion
(include_path='.:/usr/local/lib/php') in
/var/www/html/project/functions/myscript.php on line 28

I can succesfully run the same logic from a different server, and this
had been working prior to our move. If I telnet from the server to
"www.someserver.org 80" and issue a "get /header'" the expected result
comes back immediately. Also if I go to
"http://www.someserver.org/header" in my browser (the browser is not
being run from the server but same subnet) I get the results that I
expect back immediately.

Because of the move, I suspect it has to do with DNS issues. It's not
a matter of waiting for names to propagate as we are resolving them
internally and - as shown above - they do indeed resolve as expected.

I would buy it if you told me that I had a reverse-DNS issue - I just
don't know how to go about resolving it.

So I guess I'm asking

1: Does it seem like a reverse-DNS issue?
2: If it is, then how do I go about resolving it?
3: If it is not, then what are my other possibilities?

And just out of curiosity -

4: Why would telnet be able to resolve this correctly, but not PHP?
Especially since both are being tested from the same box.

Thanks!
CF