January 28, 2007 Bruce McDonald, who directed several episodes of Queer as Folk, has recently completed shooting "The Tracey Fragments" in Toronto. The film has been selected for next month's prestigious Berlin Film Festival, where "Scott Walker: 30 Century Man" will also be screening (Gale is an associate producer of that film). For the second year in a row at the German festival, Telefilm Canada is sponsoring Perspective Canada - Berlin. It will showcase 13 recent Canadian features. Ingrid Jurek, who was a Production Designer for QAF, is also the Production Designer for The Tracey Fragments. Another former QAF director, Toronto native Jeremy Podeswa, has an upcoming movie titled "Fugitive Pieces," the cinematic adaptation of Anne Michaels' classic Canadian novel. Podeswa was scheduled to speak this weekend at his Alma Mater, Ryerson University, as part of The Kodak Lecture Series, previewing scenes from the film. For those who couldn't make it to the venue, Ryerson will be streaming the lecture online. TheaterMania features an article about Randy Harrison's new play at the Guthrie, The Glass Memagerie. It's titled "A Tale of Two Toms" and talks about the play in which he shares the role of Tom Wingield with Bill McCallum: Harrison, whose stage credits include the Berkshire Theatre Festival productions of Amadeus and Equus, is delighted to have a go at Tom. "I've been in love with this play since I was a young teen," he says. "They did it at my high school in Georgia, but I didn't get cast. That production was the only one I've ever seen -- but the play is so brilliantly written that, when you read it, you immediately understand what the characters are experiencing and fighting for. And it's so fluid that it feels so different every time we run it. I'm excited that we have a nice, long run, because it's going to be great to live in this play for a while." Of the two-Tom concept, Harrison remarks: "It's fascinating, and I definitely think certain things about the script are illuminated that aren't always clear when it's done as written. Bill McCallum and I look a lot alike, and we have a few moments of simultaneous speech to help tie us together. There are also moments when he's observing the action. I think the audience is more aware that the play is this person's memory, and that there's some distance between where is now and what he's remembering." The Minneapolis Metro also gave Randy's play a rave review. Dominic Papatola of the St. Paul Pioneer Press writes, "Harrison carries this burden with aplomb, positioning young Tom as a restless kid at once resigned to and resentful of the responsibilities that have been thrust upon him," in his review posted at twincities.com. Robert Gant's film "Save Me" premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and received favorable reviews. There are photos of Robert posted to Getty Images and WireImage from Sundance, and some great photos of the cast (Judith Light, Chad Allen) at Queerty.com. Vanished will be available on DVD in the near future; Amazon has a place-marker for the set on their website, but it is not available for pre-order yet. The stars listed are Ming-Na, Rebecca Gayheart, and John Allen Nelson. Gale's name is mysteriously absent from the listing... just as he was absent (albeit not-so-mysteriously) from the last few shows of the season. January 21, 2007 From the Futon Critic: Peter Paige guest stars in tonight's episode of "Without a Trace". The team searches for a missing young artist with a voyeuristic style of painting strangers who she secretly photographs. Paige plays Lucas Blumenthal, an art gallery owner who opened an exhibit of the missing artist's paintings just before her disappearance. John Townsend interviewed Randy Harrison for Lavender magazine, speaking to him about Tennessee Williams, his new play (The Glass Menagerie), director Joe Dowling, and . There are a couple of new photos of Randy as well. Dates & times have finally been announced for the 57th Berlin International Film Festival screenings of "Scott Walker - 30 Century Man" For info on how to purchase tickets, and all sorts of helpful information on the festival, visit the website at www.berlinale.de. The documentary will screen at various festivals around the UK in the run up to the theatrical release on April 27, and some festivals in the US and internationally will be announced soon. Visit the Scott Walker Film Blog for more information. From Canoe.ca, Vincent Gale, who played Mark on QAF (Ted's drug dealing friend) will play the lead in "The Real Thing" at StoppardFest 2007 in Winnipeg, Manitoba (click on MTC Warehouse). "It’s far and away my favourite play that I’ve ever been involved with," says Gale. "It’s a witty, intelligent romantic comedy — a show like this is a real adult love story. This is what I’m most interested in exploring right now -- relationships, love, commitment, fidelity." Ron Cowen and Dan Lipman (Co-Executive Producers of QAF) weigh in on the Grey's Anatomy controversy in an article at comcast.net. "A program relies on the executive producer, dubbed a 'showrunner,' to set the tone, especially when a crisis hits," they said. "You're very much in charge, in control, and people look up to you in that way," said Lipman. "They will follow suit in how you handle it." He and Cowen once had to deal with an actor whose public remarks had infuriated fellow cast members, who snubbed him. The man chose not to return for another season and "frankly, we would have decided that as well," Cowen said, declining to identify the actor [speculation in the fandom is that the actor is Chris Potter, who played Dr. David, and did not return after the first season]. "Only Rhimes and the cast know whether this rift can be mended, if they can go on, or if it can't be," Cowen said. "Will an apology suffice, will it make everything OK? If not, then you have to do something else." He and Cowen said they wouldn't presume to offer a course of action, but suggested that dumping a member of a popular ensemble cast could upset the show's balance. Although Lipman said he believes those who use the anti-gay epithet deserve strong condemnation, the professional goal for executive producer Shonda Rhimes and the show now is to look ahead. "Hopefully, they all know they have something golden and they don't want it to be destroyed. That's what a producer would try to do to quell that say, 'Listen, we have something good here, we have a lot of talent, and it would be a shame for it be to blown apart by something like this,'" he said. According to Metro.co.uk, Sharon Gless' new series, "The State Within" will be available on BBC (UK) DVD (Cert 15, 360 mins, DVD £29.99, Thriller): Sharon Gless, Jason Isaacs, Neil Pearson and Ben Daniels star in a gripping six-part conspiracy thriller, which begins with a flight exploding in mid-air close to Washington DC, sparking a major diplomatic incident. As politicians on both sides of the Atlantic race to gain control of the situation, tensions flare, pitting America and the UK against one another. DVD Extras include a "Making Of" documentary. As reported earlier, the CBS series Cagney & Lacey will also be available on DVD in the near future. Thea Gill opens up to Adrian Chamberlain of the Times Colonist in a candid interview. The former QAF star admits that she's insecure about her acting abilities and talks of having survived an emotionally tumultuous period after Queer as Folk called it quits in 2005. "It led me to being very frazzled and mixed up and nervous and insecure about myself," she said. "So much of the last year has been for me, after Queer as Folk, the transition time of 'What do I want to do now? What do I want do say as an actress?'" You can read more of the interview here, and a review of Thea's play Honour here. January 14, 2007 Classical music and the spoken word come together with renowned actors at the helm for select performances at The Berger Performing Arts Center, which is housed on the Tucson campus of the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (ASDB). On February 11th, Chamber Music Plus Southwest presents "Patience for the Harvest," featuring Sharon Gless. The concert is at 3:00 p.m., with a pre-concert chat at 2:30 p.m. For tickets and more information, call (520) 400-5439 or visit the CMP Southwest website, which includes a very nice bio for Ms. Gless. Bios of the actors in The Glass Menagerie are now up on the Guthrie Theater website (note: PDF format), including a new photo of Randy Harrison. The movie Eighteen, which features Thea Gill as Hannah, a singer, has received a Genie nomination for Achievement in Music - Original Song, for "In a Heartbeat" by Bramwell Tovey and Richard Bel, which Thea performed in the film. The movie also featured actors Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming and Canadian Brendan Fletcher. The central character of the movie is Pip, a street kid who meets life head-on in the big city. On his eighteenth birthday he receives his grandfather's Second World War memoirs on audio cassette, a gift that awakens the ghost of the long lost world. Thea plays the chanteuse who befriends Pip's grandfather. The Genies are the Canadian "Oscars" -- Canadian Film Awards presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. This year's Awards will air live in Canada on February 13th, 2007 on Star!, BRAVO, and CityTV, among others. Carlo Rota (Gardner Vance, "Queer as Folk") is a British-born Toronto actor who has appeared in many films, as well as serveral Canadian and American television series such as Traders, Nikita, Queer as Folk, At the Hotel, and most recently, Little Mosque on the Prairie (Wednesdays, 8PM). On the new CBC sitcom hit, he plays Yasir Hamoudi, a Lebanese Canadian in his forties who is the de facto head of the community and runs his construction company out of the Mercy Mosque. His life is a balance between the secular and the spiritual. According to the show's website, his character tries "really, really hard not to be greedy, selfish, dishonest, and shifty. He really, really does. He adores his wife, his daughter, and his community. He respects all teachings of his Muslim faith as far as he has bothered to learn them." ;) Carlo says he thinks this show could only be made in Canada. "I get heavy guys, bad guys, guys that garrotte, guys that strafe with machine guns," he says of his usual roles for TV. "American TV is too timid to make a show with such a fresh perspective," he said. "Even my well-intentioned, educated friends know precious little about what Muslims do, and it really isn't that big a secret, and it really isn't that... explosive. Ooh, that was a bad word to use, wasn't it?" The Toronto Star informs us that Carlo was introduced on "24" last season as Chloe's arrogant genius ex, Morris O'Brian, and is back this year to chafe at Milo's newfound authority. January 11, 2007 On Tuesday, January 23, Robert Gant (Ben Bruckner, QAF) and his Mythgarden partner Chad Allen will meet and greet fans and film buffs in Park City, Utah at the Queer Lounge, located on the 4th floor of the Silver King Hotel, 1485 Empire Avenue between 3:00 pm and 4:00 pm. Robert and Chad will be sharing stories about making the film "Save Me" (which is screening at the Sundance Film Festival) and ideas for their future projects. According to USA Today, you'll be able to spend a lot of time with Sharon Gless this winter. From the article "Press Tour Gless: In time for its 25th anniversary, her groundbreaking, Emmy-winning CBS series Cagney & Lacey will finally be available on DVD. And come February, she'll be spending six hours on BBC America playing the Secretary of Defense in the conspiracy thriller The State Within. What would Gless do if she were really in charge of the Defense department? "If I wanted to be Secretary of Defense, I would ask that my husband have me committed," she told journalists Wednesday at the television industry's semiannual press gathering. While you may be watching Gless, 63, she probably won't be; she doesn't like to watch herself. But Cagney's coming return did bring back fond memories of favorite episodes, even if she is a little surprised that those memories are decades old. "I didn't know I was that old. It doesn't seem that long ago, but it's something I'm still very proud of, and I'm happy that there's still a lot of interest in those women because I think it did cause a huge change in television." For a great photo of Sharon with Tyne Daly: photo. For the rest of the article, visit USA Today. More on Sharon in "The State Within," a BBC America miniseries debuting February 17th, from the San Bernardino County Sun: Sharon Gless ("Cagney & Lacey"), who plays the American Defense Secretary, said she based her character somewhat on former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. "A British reporter came up to me and said, 'You even got her hump,'" Gless said, reliving her mortification. "I said, 'Thank you so much for noticing.' I've been practicing my posture ever since then." Charlie David and Thea Gill of Dante's Cove are interviewed by dot magazine. Here's an excerpt: dot: There's a little girl-on-girl action you've involved with on the show, Thea. Are you comfortable with the sexual play even though you identify as straight? Gill: It's never been a problem for me. I think I've had more love scenes with women than men now. It's not too uncomfortable for me. I've always had an attraction for women. I'm attracted to people for all kinds of different reasons. A lot of times, it's not necessarily physical as it is mental. dot: Thea, are such sex scenes in Dante's Cove more comfortable after five years as Lindsay on Queer As Folk? Gill: I think so. I'm more comfortable portraying the sex act. Looking back on some of the episodes, I think Michelle [Clunie] and I did a great job. read more of the interview January 8, 2007 Visit the Moro Films Forum to vote for Gale Harold and Michelle Clunie ("THE UNSEEN") for the best Hollywood Independent Film Kiss. You must register and be logged in to vote. They are up against a kiss by Tomas (Kamar de los Reyes) and Nina (Daisy McCrackin) in the movie "LOVE & SUICIDE". Greg Hernandez has written an article for the Daily News titled, "In today's Hollywood, more gays out of the closet." He writes, "Among the actors who were open about their sexuality before they got cast in current network shows are Sam Harris, who plays Perry Pearl on CBS' "The Class," and Eric Millegan, Dr. Zack Addy on Fox's "Bones." They join such already out actors as Chad Allen, who played a straight hero in the theatrical film "End of the Spear," and Gant, the former "Queer as Folk" star, who appears with Allen in the independent film "Save Me," which will screen at the Sundance Film Festival this month. "What's interesting is that for so long, everyone was so worried about it. 'Will it hurt my career?' 'Is that all people are going to talk about?' 'Will the audience care?"' Allen said. "The fact of the matter is, we are now at a place where it now doesn't matter. You can come out, acknowledge your sexuality and move on." [read more]. January 5, 2007 Happy New Year! The film Rhinoceros Eyes is mentioned in Eye Weekly's 2006 year in review for the month of March. Eye Weekly is a Canadian publication covering news, entertainment, arts, culture & lifestyle in Toronto. As reported earlier, Mythgarden's first project, "Save Me," starring Robert Gant (Ben, QAF) Chad Allen and Judith Light will have it's first screening at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. Save Me is a film about redemption. Mark (Chad Allen), a lost, young, gay man, leads a wild life of drugs and meaningless sex, searching desperately to fill the emptiness in his soul. When Mark finally hits bottom, his brother checks him into Genesis House, a 12-step, Christian, "ex-gay" ministry specializing in healing sexual brokenness. Genesis House is the life mission of Gayle (Judith Light) and her husband, Ted (Stephen Lang). Haunted by her past, Gayle is determined to save young homosexual men from their personal demons. Scott (Robert Gant), one of the program's "fifth phasers," is Mark's mentor. The growing friendship between these two men threatens Gayle. Increasingly suspect of Scott's motives, Gayle fights back, refusing to let her carefully controlled world fall apart. Torn by the specter of damnation and the pull of their hearts, Mark and Scott are forced to confront their truth. For more information, visit the Sundance Film Festival website page for Save Me. From Streaming Media: MyTVPAL.com delivers DVD and HD quality streaming movies instantly on demand via a high definition IMX 1020 HD set top box directly to a television set. No downloading or PC is required in this process. This service is currently being made available in North America to anyone with a broadband connection. MyTVPAL.com is making available 100 movie trailers prior to the release of its movie subscription package offering coming this month, January 2007. Titles include Born To Win staring Robert De Niro, If Tomorrow Comes starring James Franco, WAKE starring Martin Landau and Gale Harold, and classic thrillers like Night of the Living Dead, and Corrupt Lieutenant staring Harvey Keitel. These films along with many other titles can be viewed for a low monthly subscription fee. Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life is a show directed and choreographed by Graciela Daniele and written by Terrence McNally, featuring a cast of 11. THE DANCER'S LIFE (which is now on the road with Broadway Across America) charts Chita's amazing journey from aspiring ballerina to Broadway legend. In story and song, she relives fascinating moments from the years she spent working with such greats as Bernstein, Fosse and Sondheim. And she performs knockout numbers from some of her biggest hits, including WEST SIDE STORY, CHICAGO, BYE BYE BIRDIE and KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN. In her cheering opening-night crowd at the Carnival Center for the Performing Arts in Miami on Tuesday were some famous faces: Rosie O'Donnell (who said she'd seen the show four times when it was on Broadway), actress Sharon Gless, and composer Jerry Herman, whose Broadway production of Jerry's Girls starred Rivera. For a photo, visit enewsbuzz.

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