August 28, 2005 In addition to the Showtime auctions that have been appearing regularly on eBay, and the DVD giveaways on some of the fan sites, there are MORE authentic Queer As Folk props being made available as prizes, such as Gale's (Brian's) designer jeans, on the homepages of TV Guide.com, She Knows.com and Gaywired.com. You have a chance to WIN these items rather than paying the huge prices that the items have been going for on eBay. Here are the links:    Showtime auctions    TV Guide    GayWired    SheKnows    Temenos From the Montreal Gazette: The 18th Image Nation Film Festival, November 3 to 13 returns to the Eaton Centre complex, 705 Ste. Catherine St. W. Early confirmations in this annual celebration of gay and lesbian film from around the world include a documentary by Jim Tushinski called That Man: Peter Berlin about the legendary poster boy for the hedonistic and sexually liberated 1970s; an intense Canadian thriller called Show Me, by Cassandra Nicolau; and Say Uncle, a first feature by Queer as Folk actor Peter Paige. From The Globe & Mail: Now, thanks to a new website launched by Los Angeles-based, Canadian-bred businessman Travis Schneider, fans can find out just what brand of jeans — or pretty much anything else — their favourite stars are wearing, and where they can buy their very own pair. The inspiration for Starbrand came to him while watching Friends with his girlfriend (who has since become his wife). She mentioned that she liked a top Aniston was wearing, and wondered where she could get one like it. "I thought, 'There must be a demand for this,' " recalls Schneider. So he put together a business plan, and after graduation headed to Hollywood to start banging on studio doors. That was 2½ years ago. Since then, Schneider has partnered with Warner Bros., Showtime Networks and Revolution Studios to market the fashions of such TV shows as The O.C., The L Word, Queer as Folk, Barbershop and, starting this fall, the entire CSI franchise. See the QAF merchandise. Here's a great article from the New York Blade titled, "Tracy takes on..." by Andy Zeffer. Two great CDs tailor-made for gay fans hit CD shelves with final 'Queer As Folk' tracks and remixes by DJ Tracy Young. Here's an excerpt:    The angst and changes that faced the "Queer as Folk" cast in the final season are well represented by P.J. Harvey’s "This Mess We’re In" and Marilyn Manson’s version of "Personal Jesus." But perhaps none of the tracks on the CD stir the soul like the Charlatans UK’s "My Beautiful Friend." Both Heather Small’s "Proud" and Cyndi Lauper’s "Shine (Babylon Mix)" were created exclusively for the soundtrack. Lauper appeared as herself in one of the final episodes, performing the same song in the show’s fictional dance club Babylon. Lauper is a perfect segue to introduce Young’s latest CD. Lauper appears on "Danceculture" to offer listeners an unreleased mix of her version of "Walk on By." Young wisely retains much of Lauper’s vocals on the track. 365gay.com has a great review of Queer As Folk - The Final Season Soundtrack: The last episode of Queer As Folk might have already aired, but the legacy of the show will live on not only in our memories of the racy, groundbreaking and often downright scandalous show, but also in the music that shaped each season of the Showtime series that brought a slice of gay life to the mainstream. Out this week is Queer As Folk - The Final Season soundtrack, a fantastic collection of songs from the final season which hits notes just as high as the show’s season’s finale. Fans of the Queer As Folk soundtrack series will likely find that this latest and final soundtrack exceeds all previous efforts. To be honest, I thought it would be hard to top Club Babylon, but to my great surprise Queer As Folk - The Final Season does just that. [read more] The Empire State Pride Agenda Fall Dinner is taking place on Thursday, October 6th, at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers, with a special performance by Rufus Wainwright and special guests including Mario Cantone, Gina Gershon, Randy Harrison and Carson Kressley. Gregg Shapiro's interview with Chad Allen (one of Robert Gant's business partners in Mythgarden) from AfterElton.com mentions Jack Wetherall (Uncle Vic on QAF): Out gay actor Chad Allen, whom many will recall from his numerous television roles including Tommy on St. Elsewhere, David on Our House, and Matthew on Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, takes on a very different character, bringing gay private investigator Donald Strachey to life in the movie adaptation of Third Man Out. Allen is charming as the gay P.I. hired to investigate the death threats being made against gay activist and muckraking journalist John Rutka (Jack Wetherall of Queer As Folk fame), and as the suspenseful mystery unfolds, viewers will find themselves on the edge of their seats. Third Man Out will be making its television debut in September on here! TV. Angie Fenton interviews Matt Battaglia (Drew Boyd on QAF) in "Gay role challenges straight guy Battaglia: 'Queer as Folk' lifts U of L football alum's profile," for The Courier-Journal. Here's an excerpt: For the record, Matt Battaglia is not gay. Yes, the former University of Louisville middle linebacker convincingly guest-starred as a homosexual NFL player on the Showtime series "Queer as Folk." But he chalks that up to honing his on-screen abilities -- and to refining his reasons for trying his hand at acting in the first place. "I probably got into acting for the wrong reasons," he said, but "I've fallen in love with the craft. I no longer care about being a star or being rich." On playing Drew, Matt says, "I saw this great character that was really struggling with his identity, struggling with the pressures of society -- the ignorance of society, in some ways. This character had more that he was dealing with than any character I was offered before. And as an actor, you don't get offered roles like that very often." In The Guardian, Gary Ryan writes, "The city that gave Britain the young Nathan Maloney in Channel 4's Queer as Folk has a new claim to fame, with a survey naming Manchester's Metropolitan University as the best place to be a gay student. Diva, the lesbian magazine, rated the place above the University of Brighton and London University in a survey that will be of interest to the thousands of students flocking to Manchester next month, and who may wish to take their first stroll around Manchester's fabled gay haunts along Canal Street." Robert Gant was interviewed for a radio show called Politically Direct, which aired on Air America Radio earlier this month. Politically Direct interview (August 7, 2005). From PeterPaige.net: Peter Paige's "Say Uncle" will screen at the following three festivals: Tampa Gay and Lesbian Film Fest Tuesday, October 11th Seattle Gay and Lesbian Film Fest Friday, October 14th Washington DC Gay and Lesbian Film Fest, October 16th Peter will attend each of these screenings. August 5, 2005 Big News for fans of QAF memorabilia! Showtime Entertainment will re-launch QUEER AS FOLK, The Complete First Season, on DVD, August 23, 2005, premiering with an EBAY auction fans have long been awaiting. The first season of the landmark series is being reduced in price from $118.99 to $49.99 and less. The Ebay auction will feature iconic memorabilia with proceeds supporting THE TREVOR PROJECT, a non-profit endeavor established to promote acceptance of gay and questioning teenagers, and to aid in suicide prevention among that group. For more information on both of these Showtime offerings, visit the Season One DVD Re-Release page and the Showtime eBay Auction page. Can't wait for the prom items? The current Showtime ebay auction items still have several days left. They include: - Liberty Avenue and Barkers Place street signs - Brian's flowered shirt - Liberty Diner menu - Michael's Captain Astro shirt - Ashtray from Brian's loft The August Q&A has been posted to ScottLowell.com. There is a new photo in the QAF Episode Photos Gallery and several pictures from the premiere of "I Am My Own Wife" in the Event Photos Gallery. Melissa Etheridge, Rosie O'Donnell, Cyndi Lauper and Sharon Gless posed for a photo (seen here) during an afternoon session in one of the performance areas on a recent cruise. Sharon and Rosie showed clips of the work they did together on season five of "Queer as Folk" and hosted a very well-attended question-and-answer session. Fort Wayne's Journal Gazette brings us an article about Extreme Dodgeball, one of Hal Sparks' athletic undertakings along with his Chicago Hitmen. From Pridesource: Sharon Gless, through 'Thick and Thin' - If you have secretly wished your own mother was half as cool as Deb Novotny on "Queer as Folk," you'll be happy to know veteran actress Sharon Gless has landed on her feet in a brand new series. NBC's "Thick and Thin" will co-star Gless as the "overweight" mom (Hollywood translation: anything bigger than size 2) of a formerly overweight young woman ("The Practice"'s Jessica Capshaw) who comically struggles with her new thin identity and life running a Florida pool and spa business. The cast includes newcomer Amy Halloran, "Roseanne" alum Martin Mull as Gless' husband, and "Saturday Night Live"'s Chris Parnell as a family member who wears a superhero outfit and calls himself Captain Chlorine. The sitcom will make its debut bellyflop into the ratings pool this September. With QAF wrapping up this weekend on Showtime, there are a plethora of articles being published about the historic series. Below are a few... From Reuters:   And so it ends. "Queer as Folk," the series that brought graphic depictions of fellatio and anal sex to the American mainstream, departs the Showtime air in an important way -- that is, utterly without controversy.  "Queer" has been about more than just rampant copulation, likewise pulling open the curtain on the social and political mores that define the gay community. Yet the show's provocative legacy is destined to be its no-holds-barred eagerness to shock with scenes roughly akin to soft-core porn.   To say that "Queer" goes out with a bang is too good a pun to pass up, of course. As we bid adieu to the show at the end of its fifth season, Brian (Gale Harold) and Justin (Randy Harrison) are getting ready to tie the knot. Lesbian couple Lindsay (Thea Gill) and Melanie (Michelle Clunie) move to Canada. Michael (Hal Sparks) has been asked to represent the Committee For Human Rights. And Ted (Scott Lowell) finally gets real about his relationship with Tad (Ben Bass).   It provides a satisfying capper to a series that perhaps hasn't received sufficient credit for paving the way to greater content freedom in television. What proved shocking at the turn of this century is no longer a big deal, in part because "Queer as Folk" has taken gay sexuality literally out of the closet and plunked it down in our living rooms -- often with brazen candor. A behavior once considered scandalously taboo as far as TV was concerned is now just another piece of the landscape, and creator-producer-writers Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman deserve significant credit for single-handedly engineering the transformation (as does Showtime for bravely giving it the platform). While the soap opera-esque "Queer as Folk" wasn't always great television, it has been revolutionary nonetheless. From A & E interactive (Mercury News):   With surprisingly little fanfare, a truly ground-breaking television drama will have its series finale this weekend.   "Queer as Folk'' (10 p.m. Sunday) made its debut on Showtime in December 2000 as the first drama to present a provocative and reasonably authentic view of life in the gay community. Based on a hit (and much darker) British series, "Queer'' followed five men as they faced a host of emotional challenges and issues ranging from workplace discrimination to gay bashing to living with HIV.   As time wore on, the series often slipped into soapy melodrama. But for its willingness to reflect social and political trends over five years and 83 episodes, "Queer'' has carved out a place in television history. The Chicago Tribune offers this preview:   "Queer as Folk," 9 p.m. Sunday, Showtime: Expect some moving moments and tears as Michael and Ben act to adopt Hunter; Brian and Justin grapple with cementing their relationship; and this gutsy and often entertaining gay saga comes to a close after a five-year run. Ted, by the way, may be in for the bumpiest of rides as his new love turns out to be psycho. The series finale is preceded by "Queer as Folk: Saying Goodbye," which airs at 8:30 p.m. In Philly.com, Ellen Gray writes, "Showtime's 'Queer as Folk' (10 p.m. Sunday) wraps up its fifth and final season with one of the more satisfying finales I've seen this year, scattering some of its characters and settling others where they belong." From the Salt Lake Tribune - author Michael N. Westley writes about the finale of QAF in "Looking back: Hailed by some, but damned even by some members of the gay community, the drama blazed new trails." Here's an excerpt:   As the last scenes play Sunday on the finale of Showtime's gay drama, "Queer as Folk," viewers will be treated to a subtle throwback to the show's beginning. Fans who tuned in for the series' first episode - which shocked gay and straight viewers alike with its unapologetic portrayal of homosexual life - may recognize the repetition. And without giving up the goods about whether Brian (Gale Harold) will retire to the country with Justin (Randy Harrison) or if Melanie (Michelle Clunie) and Lindsay (Thea Gill) take their young children to Canada, one hint can be dropped. Listen for the song. Heather Small's "Proud" ended the inaugural episode of "Queer as Folk" on Dec. 10, 2000. The song's themes of breaking free and moving forward offered hope, not only for the characters but for acceptance of the gay and lesbian community. August 1, 2005 There are still a couple of days left in the current Showtime auctions on ebay. Items include a Siamese cat wallhanging from the set of Debbie's home; , a button-down patterned shirt worn by Gale Harold as "Brian" in Episode 12 of the fifth and final season; a yellow, orange, and green cannister set from the set of Debbie's apartment; a paint-washed Diesel sweatshirt worn by Peter Page as "Emmett" in Episode 12 of the fifth season, and a silver tray and candleholder set from the set of Brian's apartment. Not sure if I put this link up before, but there are a few images from the QAF premiere on out.com ("Scene") of Hal Sparks with Michelle Clunie, Sharon Gless with Ron Cowen and Dan Lipman, and Peter Paige (with his glass! LOL). Queer As Folk: Saying Goodbye is a half-hour special that will run prior to the finale of QAF on August 7th. Showtime summary: A look back at five years of "Queer as Folk" as the series prepares to sign off with its surprise-filled series finale. The Particles of Truth website has a new look. The DVD is now being shipped to those who ordered through Amazon. Michelle Clunie bids farewell to QAF in Goodbye Melanie, Hello World! written by Diane Anderson-Minshall for Curve magazine. Michelle talks about her career, and the impact that the show has had on the gay community, and teens in particular. "I have loved every second of playing this character. I've learned something from each and every person I've worked with. It's been a family for me. I think it's amazing that people can come together who aren't your true family and really become a true family. A lot of times, I try to opt out of groups ... I'm maybe a bit of a loner. This has forced me to be with this group of people for five years and ... it's made me believe in humanity a bit more." According to "Melanie Loves Lindsay" Thea Gill has just completed filming Truth in Vancouver. She stars in the lead role, along with Stephanie Zimbalist (of Remmington Steel fame). Hal Sparks' band ZERO 1 performs at the House of Tilden in Pittsburgh on August 7th. This is a special QAF Finale show which benefits Wildhorse Rescue Ranch. Visit their website to purchase tickets. As they mark Queer As Folk's final season, Showtime is partnering with The Human Rights Campaign at Pride nationwide. You can visit their booth in the following remaining tour locations: August 6-7: North Halsted St. Fair October 2: Castro Street Fair October 1-2: North Carolina Pride November 4-6: Palm Springs Pride

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