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July 31, 2004
Rumors have been circulating in the QAF fandom about the possibility of a sixth season for QAF, based on an unconfirmed report by tvtome.com. Showtime announced previously that there will be one more season of the show -- season 5 -- consisting of 13 episodes. It is unlikely that any further programming decisions will be made until early next year. Several cast members have indicated to fans and friends that the 5th season will likely be the last, and Peter Paige recently said the same thing when speaking with Out.com, who reported this: While the fourth season of Queer as Folk just ended, fans who are eagerly looking forward to next year's new episodes may be surprised to learn it could be the show's last batch ever. "It looks like it might be the last season," star Peter Paige tells Out.com. All Showtime will say is, "As with all of Showtime's original series, we won't make a decision about renewal until after next season's premiere." But we have heard rumblings from other cast members that they're getting ready to pack up their places in Toronto (where the show shoots) for good. In other news, Paige spent the bulk of his hiatus filming the independent movie Donut Hole, which the out actor wrote, directed, and stars in. "It was the single greatest experience of my life," he beams of the film, which also stars Kathy Najimy, Anthony Clark, Lisa Edelstein, and Gabrielle Union. The movie follows Paige's character, who, after his godson moves away, desperately longs to replace the child in his life—to somewhat disastrous consequences. Paige is spending the rest of the summer putting the finishing touches on the film and hopes to enter it in the 2005 Sundance Film Festival." Interesting to note, Lisa Edelstein plays Irene, sister of Elliot, Gale Harold's character, in the Showtime movie "Fathers and Sons" which is coming out soon (we hope!).
IMDb has updated its information on the movie "The Unseen." Gale plays a character named "Harold" and Michelle plays a character named "Kathleen." Steve Harris, whom many of us know as Eugene Young from "The Practise" is playing "Roy," a friend of Harold's.
July 29, 2004
Pictures are up at wireimage.com of the AVP Hermosa Beach Open celebrity beach volleyball match in Hermosa Beach, California this past Sunday (July 25). Participants included Hal Sparks, Jamie Kennedy, Omarosa Maingault-Stallworth, Ingo Rademacher, Jonathan Lipnicki, and Dennis Rodman.
From the WashingtonTimes.com: "A parade of Democratic leaders and Hollywood stars, including Ben Affleck, yesterday reassured homosexual delegates and advocates that they have a lot to gain by defeating the Bush administration and electing a Kerry administration." This took place at the Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender Caucus at the Boston Sheraton yesterday in Boston, MA. "Hollywood actor and director Rob Reiner said the Bush administration's support for the Federal Marriage Amendment was just one more 'irrefutable' reason to defeat him in November. 'This, in fact, is the most important election in our lifetime,' said Mr. Reiner, whose sentiments were echoed by actors Robert Gant of Showtime's 'Queer as Folk' and Steve Buscemi, formerly of HBO's 'The Sopranos.' " [read more]
Metro Toronto uncovers the stars’ secrets to being unforgettable in the Celeb Beauty column "Exercise Happiness". Dean Armstrong admits, "I’m a bit of a product whore, not to mention a sucker for cool packaging." He keeps life in perspective by walking his Burmese mountain dog and despite "a pretty ridiculous metabolism" he likes to get his exercise through sports. Thea Gill says, "I’ve learned to approach life with a slightly stress-free attitude. I remind myself to take time for solitude, to work hard, to be considerate and kind to others and to understand that whatever happens in my life, it is ultimately out of my control." Read more of Dean and Thea's comments here. On a similar note, here's a clip of Hal Sparks on CTV's "Balance" giving advice on staying healthy.
Gay.com has a review of A Home at the End of the World, which features Harris Allan (Hunter, QAF).
Looks like other shows are following in QAF's footsteps where gay marriage is concerned. ;) The New York Post reports that "Someone on 'The Simpsons' is coming out of the closet and could get married," according to the show's producers who were in attendance at the San Diego Comic Convention last weekend. But they did not say who it would be. "The way-too obvious choice would be Waylon Smithers, evil nuclear-power tycoon Montgomery Burns' timid toady -- who for years has harbored a not-so-secret love for his fragile, scheming century-old boss. Smithers sexuality has long been a line of discussion among Simpson aficionados. And he's professed his love for Burns several times just before disaster seems about to strike. In one episode, as the town's nuclear power plant faces a meltdown, Burns concludes, "I guess there's nothing left but to kiss my sorry ass good-bye." Smithers asks brightly, "May I, sir?" LOL!
July 27, 2004
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Gale Harold's role in "The Unseen (2005)" is opposite actor Steve Harris ("Jad" in The Minority Report); the two play childhood friends who have to face issues being on opposite sides of the racial hotbed in rural Georgia. The Reporter also mentions Gale's role in "Life on the Ledge" but (I believe) incorrectly identifies him as playing the suicidal, main character "Brian" -- he is actually playing the role of Chaz, a gangster who is enlisted to help protect Claire, a beautiful stripper with whom Brian has fallen in love.
Photos are up at wireimage.com of Bobby Gant at The Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Benefit Reception, held Monday night at The Boston College Club.
In the article Gaywatch: "The L Word" author Christine Champagne writes, "I've personally pestered the producers of "Queer as Folk" about giving the show's lesbian characters -- Melanie (Michelle Clunie) and Lindsay (Thea Gill) -- more airtime, and a few years back I visited the 'Will & Grace' set during a TV critics' junket and asked that show's gay co-creator/co-executive producer Max Mutchnick why Will (Eric McCormack) and Jack (Sean Hayes) didn't have any lesbian friends. His response was, 'If lesbians want to see themselves on television, they need to write and produce their own shows.' At the time I thought, 'So much for unity.' But maybe Mutchnick was right. 'I can't imagine how a show about lesbians could be told by someone who is not a lesbian,' says Ilene Chaiken, creator/executive producer/writer of 'The L Word.' [read more].
July 26, 2004
Photos of Robert Gant at the GLAAD Summer Party yesterday have been posted to wireimage. Bobby poses with Lucy Lawless and a sleek Jaguar XK5... nice!
A couple of publicity photos have been posted to the IMDb site for "The Unseen" (in which both Gale Harold and Michelle Clunie appear):
Tom Brainard
Judah Friedlander and Tom Brainard
Ethan has posted a new B&J video to his xhaleslowly site. It's called " 1 Rim Job, 17 Fucks, and a Fucking *HOT* Kiss" which pretty much explains what the vid contains! ;)
Logo, the new gay-themed digital cable channel which is scheduled to launch in as many as 15 million homes on February 17, 2005, is still in negotiations to acquire gay-themed series, with possibilities including fellow Viacom network Showtime's "Queer as Folk." The channel's schedule will primarily be initially composed of more than 150 acquired movies and documentaries with gay themes, including "Gods and Monsters" and "An Early Frost" [another CowLip production, by Ron Cowen and Dan Lipman, co-executive producers of QAF]. The original programming will hit the airwaves in the months after launch.
You can see the cover of the Hal Sparks Band's new album on the main page of his website, and listen to sample tracks on the music page.
Check out the official website for Michael MacLennan, supervising producer of Queer As Folk, and the writer who penned the bulk of Ted's Crystal Meth storyline.
July 25, 2004
"No Limits" is now "The New Face of Showtime" as the cable network gives itself a makeover. Matthew Blank, Showtime's chairman and CEO, believes that the new slogan represents how different the network is, and says that shows like "Queer as Folk" fit Showtime's personality. Bob Greenblatt, president of Showtime's entertainment division, admits that there is competition between Showtime and HBO, but tells interviewer Preston Turegano that the constant comparison gets tiresome. "I just look at anybody who makes a great show or movie as competition," he said. "God bless HBO, which is as good or better than almost anybody out there, but I look at what FX, USA, Fox and NBC are doing, and they're all competition. I try to downplay the rivalry (between Showtime and HBO), but I guess it's inevitable." To emphasize its new image, Showtime presented a cascade of film clips of upcoming new programming. [full story]
According to a fellow QAF fan in Italy, the made-for-TV movie " Lives of the Saints" starring Sophia Loren and featuring Fab Filippo (ex-Ethan, QAF) is airing September 20th and 21st in Italy on channel 5. The title (in Italian) is, "La terra del ritorno."
Harris Allan has posted a new message to the Hideaway, having just returned to Vancouver after being in Los Angeles for the premiere of his new movie. He has answered the questions submitted by fans in the Q&A thread, so be sure to check it out.
Here's an amusing clip about gay marriage (dubbed "The Boys in the Ban") from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, posted to ComedyCentral.
While Gale Harold and Robert Gant were unable to attend the recent Queer As Folk Cast Party for John Kerry and John Edwards, which was part of the Kerry campaign LGBT "Ripple Of Hope" Initiative, both continue to actively support the Kerry-Edwards campaign. For more information, visit the LGBT4Kerry.com website.
July 22, 2004
"Queer Hunks in Love?" by Daniel R. Coleridge is an article from TVguide.com about Robert Gant and the rumor that just won't die. Coleridge writes, "Two weeks ago on Showtime's Queer as Folk, Ben and Michael were married in Canada. However, Ben's portrayer, Robert Gant, says he's flying solo off screen, despite lingering chatter that he and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy's Kyan Douglas are coupled up. "That's a real compliment that I get, that we're boyfriends," the 36-year-old actor tells TV Guide Online. "Kyan and I are just good friends." For a while, the twosome were more than pals, though. "We've gone out on some dates," he recalls. "We met on the set of the Vanity Fair shoot for their [December 2003] cover story on gay TV. They actually stuck us together in that photo!" Ah! So it was destiny. "It was destiny that we be friends," Gant corrects us, chuckling. "Kyan's a great guy. His current boyfriend [civil-rights activist] Greg Durham is a great guy, too." Meanwhile, QAF's hunkiest leading man says he's "very open" to finding a meaningful relationship of his own. "I've had plenty of boyfriends in my life," he says thoughtfully. "I'm not so much looking for a boyfriend now. I'm much more interested in finding a partner, but you can't script those things they way they do in TV land." Even so, the sexy singleton can hardly say he has no interested takers. In fact, he regularly receives mail from male fans from all around the world. "I've gotten more than my fair share of insane letters," Gant laughs. "I get a lot of very, um, complimentary comments about my body. I also get propositions ranging from the very short term to the long term — from 'Let's hook up' to 'Let's get married' and everything in between. Much of the mail I can't understand, because it's in a foreign language. I get a lot of e-mails in Spanish from Latin countries. I'll see amor in there, but I don't understand much else! The craziest thing I had was an anonymous admirer sending a dozen red roses to my home," he adds. "I think people have an idealized image of who I am as a result of who my character, Ben, is. Add into the mix that sometimes we don't wear much clothing on screen, and you get some strong reactions!" Truth be told, Gant enjoys the flattering fan attention. "For the most part," he shrugs, "it's all harmless and it comes from a good place."
Brian Kinney and Justin Taylor are named as one of the "hot couples" in the 'Hot New Stars' magazine. The text on page 92 reads, "Sweet Justin seems to bring out the more sensitive side of cynical Brian. And Brian, well, he lives to bring out any side - preferably a naked one - of Justin.
SeXXXiest Scene: We're a family magazine, so we won't get too specific. Let's just say any time these two lads share the screen (or
a bed or a tractor trailer's trailer or a club's back room) it's guaranteed to be, well, too hot to print in a magazine without a Mylar cover." [thanks to Mark for posting this]
Check out wireimage.com for new photos of our QAF guys! Here are some links to get you started:
: Robert Gant on the red carpet at the Pantages Theatre for the Opening Night of "Hairspray" in Los Angeles.
: Peter Paige and Scott Lowell at yesterday's Showtime TCA Summer Party at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
: Harris Allan on the red carpet at the Outfest 2004 Festival - Closing Night and Los Angeles Premiere of "A Home at the End of the World". (Note: Harris' new movie is opening in several cities across the country: Austin, Boston, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York and San Francisco. Visit the official site for more info.
Also in attendance at Outfest this year was Robert Gant who came out of the closet on the Outfest stage two years ago. "I'm happy to say that my career is better than ever after I made that announcement," said Gant, who also told the interviewer that his character would be part of the first legal gay wedding on TV.
The News page for the Queer As Fans event (taking place in Toronto next year) has been updated. The room rate for the Event hotel has gone down, and there is a new countdown calendar.
Find out what QAF Costume Designer Patrick Antosh has been up to, including his adventures at Toronto's Gay Pride on his News Page.
SPARKSVISION! is an event being held in Los Angeles from September 11th to 13th for fans of Hal Sparks. Attendees will have a chance to hear the Hal Sparks Band perform songs from their debut CD at a private gig, among other things. Visit Hal's Lair for details.
According to Showtime Home Entertainment's David Bowers, only about one-fifth of purchasers of Queer as Folk on DVD get Showtime in their homes. But that series proved so popular on DVD that Showtime is planning a big promotional push for The L-Word, its lesbian drama, when it arrives on DVD in a five-disc set later this Fall. Analyst Tom Adams, president of Adams Media Research, says subscriber cable networks are becoming increasingly aggressive players in the booming TV-on-DVD market, which last year accounted for about $1.5 billion in net revenue to suppliers, up from $785 million in 2002. "DVD is doing for television content what VHS did for movies, which is creating a high-profit margin aftermarket," Adams says. "And some of the biggest beneficiaries have been cable networks."
July 19, 2004
The transcript for Randy Harrison's chat with MarkyG at Issues Over the Rainbow has been posted to Party 93.1.
Photos of Robert Gant posing with Judith Light and Chad Allen at the Outfest Film Festival Awards Night at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre in Los Angeles last night have been posted to wireimage.com, getty images, and filmmagic.com. Bobby and Chad are partners in the production company "Mythgarden," and their first project is "Save Me," starring Bobby, Chad and Judith Light. It's the story of a gay and lesbian 'rehab center' in Texas (something along the lines of Emmett's "See The Light" group) where men and woman go to become straight.
July 18, 2004
The Particles of Truth website has been updated with the NY premiere date (September 17, 2004) and scans of several articles including ones from Flaunt magazine and the Santa Barbara Independent on the news page.
Randy Harrison's interview with Party 93.1 radio aired this morning. If you missed it, keep an eye on the IOR page, where the show will soon be archived.
LOTS of Robert Gant news....
First off, Bobby has posted a message to Be The Change, thanking those who contributed to his birthday gift by supporting to worthwhile charities (SAGE and GLEH). He shares that his birthday was a wonderful one with friends and lots of great pampering. As for QAF, Bobby had this to say: "Hope you all enjoy the season finale. The writers have already broken the first episode of Season Five. It seems we have some VERY good stories in store! Not to worry. I won't spoil." (Aw, c'mon, Bobby, SPOIL! LOL) Read Bobby's full message.
Robert Gant and Chad Allen (one of his partners in the production company "Mythgarden") will be co-presenters at the 22nd Outfest film festival Awards Night tonight. For Bobby, today marks the second anniversary of his public 'coming out' on the same stage (see my July 12th entry for more on that significant day). On Monday night, July 19th, the film "A Home at the End of the World" will be screened to close out the Festival. The movie features Harris Allan (Hunter on QAF).
Bobby is one of the Event Chairs for GLAAD's 7th Annual Summer Party, hosted by Eric McCormack. The party is an informal social opportunity for guests to learn more about GLAAD’s ongoing work. Communications Director John Sonego will speak about GLAAD’s current initiatives, and there will be a special performance by American Idol 2 finalist and Curb recording artist Kimberly Locke. For more information, visit the website.
' A Family Affair' is the name of an event being hosted by the Bay State Stonewall Democrats at The Alley Bar, 14 Pi Alley (275 Washington St.) in Boston on July 27th, during the Democratic National Convention. The organization has chosen to honor Robert Gant and the "Queer As Folk" family for creating and presenting positive and loving gay families in all their variations. The National Stonewall Democrats (NSD, with more than 70 local chapters), is America’s only grassroots Democratic lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender organization. For more information, visit the Bay State Stonewall Democtrats events page.
July 15, 2004
"All grown up: The soundtrack to Queer as Folk’s Season 4 shows that the cast hasn’t just grown—so has the music" by Steven Harbaugh is an Advocate.com exclusive...
One might expect the same pulse-pounding circuit-boy club anthems of prior seasons to accentuate the Queer as Folk: The Fourth Season soundtrack. Actually, the compilation shows the evolution of the show and the season’s moniker, “All Grown Up.” The first track, “Cue the Pulse to Begin,” is a bit misleading; the majority of the soundtrack is not nearly as big beat techno–laden. Other tracks derail the party train and present a more serious side by interspersing sensitive, emotional tracks, primarily by British bands. From the sexy hooks of Suede’s “Attitude” to the Eels’ mellow, droning “Love of the Loveless,” it’s clear this isn’t the soundtrack to another Brian Kinney one-night stand but to a much more developed emotional backdrop. But the party’s not completely over—tracks like “Sanctuary” by Origene still present that all too familiar diva-fronted house ballad. “Strobe’s Nanafushi” by Kodo is a jungle-beat infusion to a high-energy drug-adled dance party. But for the most part, electro-infused emo-rock has replaced the traditional house music party anthem for this season’s musical landscape. It’s as if the glossy, glittery shine has faded from the toned bod of a Babylon circuit boy and shaped itself into a much more multifaceted variant of emotions. This soundtrack shows the proper highs and lows of a TV show that has finally found its true voice and musical vision—one that resembles less of a club and more the real complexities of gay life.
July 14, 2004
Update on the Fundraiser for John Kerry this Sunday: Scott Lowell and Michelle Clunie will both be attending. Tickets are available at various rates. For $500, you can attend the QAF season finale watch party, which includes a post-event dessert reception with the cast members at a private residence nearby. See the event site for details.
The Q&A for July is up at ScottLowell.com. Scott talks about working with Dean Armstrong and Gale Harold, and his fondness for Williamsburg, Virginia, among other things.
While some critics have not been impressed with the way QAF has handled the fluctuations in sexual preference of some of its characters this season (Lindsay, Hunter, Drew), author Christine Champagne begs to differ. "Gaywatch: "Queer as Folk" pushes the right buttons" is an article posted at Gay.com in which Champagne says, "Queer as Folk reached a creative high point last season, but I think the Showtime series just may have topped itself this year. [...] While Ben and Michael's storyline has been heralded as groundbreaking, I would argue that this season's storylines dealing with the fluidity of sexuality were, too -- and perhaps even more so. It isn't just straight people -- think Emmett's (Peter Paige) football-playing f-buddy -- who venture into new territory in terms of sexuality. Avowed gay people do, too, and this topic hasn't been tackled in a substantive way on television until now." [full story]
From PlanetOut's QSAT (queer aptitude test) for DJ Manny Lehman: "Lehman virgins can get a taste of his distinctive Latin-inspired, energy-infused house with tribal beat sound on the "Queer as Folk Series 2 Soundtrack CD," which contains the best tracks from the show's second season mixed together by Lehman himself. Although it probably won't make him a household name just yet, it's sure to add to the legions of loyal fans who would follow him to the ends of the earth to hear him spin." [more]
Also from PlanetOut... In 1991, guitarist Jon Ginoli and bassist Chris Freeman started Pansy Division, the first all-gay rock band. Bound together by the shared experience of homophobia in the music industry and a love of hooky, pop punk with an edge, Pansy Division balanced anger with humor and politics with songcraft, jump-starting the "queercore" trend of the early 1990s. In a recent QSAT Jon said, "I laughed out loud upon hearing Pansy Division mentioned on Queer as Folk."
Blurred Labels: TV characters not just 'gay' or 'straight' now" is an article featured in RelishNow by Matthew Gilbert of the Boston Globe. Gilbert writes, "These days, it's getting harder to hang sexual-orientation labels on TV characters, particularly in the backroads of cable. Writers on Queer as Folk, The L Word and Nip/Tuck have been boldly creating men and women who fall somewhere between the extremes of the Kinsey scale - exclusively homosexual and exclusively heterosexual. They're pushing their series and their viewers beyond the more familiar black-and-white portrayals, the either/or sexual construct." He goes into some detail about the various stories, including the one on QAF: "Another ambitious plot on Queer as Folk this season involves its untamed teen character, Hunter. Adopted by a gay male couple after surviving on the streets as a hustler, Hunter appeared to be as homosexual as the men who paid him for sex. But Hunter had a difficult announcement to make to his parents: He had a girlfriend. It was played for sweet drama and mild comedy, unlike the teen sexual shiftings on FX's Nip/Tuck, which featured an over-the-top and overwrought lesbian-bisexual-straight triangle last season among Matt, Ridley and Vanessa." [full article]
Alex Brendell is the 37-year-old owner of Butchwear, a 400-square-foot Cape Canaveral surf shop. Brendell also designs surf and athletic clothing -- she calls it a cross between what's offered at Ron Jon Surf Shop and Abercrombie & Fitch -- and the designs have shown up on Queer as Folk. Although the name of Brendell's shop, Butchwear, implies it simply caters to gay or lesbian surfers and consumers, she said that's not the case. " 'Butch' is an attitude," said Brendell, a diver who recently got into retail. "Butchwear embraces everybody." One of Butchwear's ad campaigns asked, "Are you Butch Enough?" when the clothing was being hyped at the Opening day of the Independent Women’s Football League at Miami's Orange Bowl, promising to break barriers and transcend tradition by being bold and beautiful while embracing both women and men. Brendell says, "The idea for Butchwear emerged back in 1999 when I was at Club Faces. I did the entertainment there and really wanted to make our photos on display more of an impact - really make them kick, ya know? So in my head I saw this label. A really strong, classy, clean label on some killer clothes. That's when Butchwear popped into my head. Since then I've been pouring my energy into creating a complete clothing line for men and women - a line that really makes a mark and puts it on the line. This line is putting even the top designers to the test. Now Butchwear is quickly being embraced - because, well, it is too cool not to." So, are you Butch enough?
July 13, 2004
Dean Armstrong made an appearance at the Ottawa Gay Pride celebrations this past weekend. The actor, who plays "Blake" on QAF, was sitting atop a black convertible in the parade, sporting reddish hair and matching goatee. Stay tuned to the PrideOttawa website for photos from the event.
Variety reports that "after a raucous weekend of final offers, failed talks and controversial deals, Actors' Equity and the League of American Theaters and Producers reached a tentative agreement Monday afternoon on a new four-year production contract. The two organizations issued a joint statement that effectively ruled out the threat of a strike on Broadway and the road."
Peter Paige 's directorial debut "Donut Hole" has an updated listing on IMDb. The movie is currently in post-production, according to the site. The plot outline reads, "a young artist (Peter Paige), desperate to replace the relationship he had with his recently relocated godson, is targeted by a neighborhood mom (Kathy Najimy) as a potential threat to the community."
Michelle Clunie will participate in a fundraiser for Democratic White House hopeful John Kerry in Washington, D.C. at the Lizard Lounge this coming Sunday, July 18, according to the Melanie Loves Lindsay site. Kerry's platform includes banning job discrimination against homosexuals and extending hate-crime protections to gays. MetroWeekly has the details, so if you're in the D.C. area, you can pick one up, or call the InfoLine at (202) 331-4422 for more information. Michelle has also indicated that she will soon be on a college tour to promote voter registration.
Here's a message from the folks over at Be The Change (Robert Gant's site): "Hey everyone! Thanks to your extremely generous donations, Robert's fans have raised a total of $701.00 for SAGE and GLEHC in honor of his birthday!! We know that Robert will be touched that so many of you participated! Way to go guys! The money orders will be mailed today. A birthday book, including your wishes and the names of everyone who donated, will also be sent to Robert."
July 12, 2004
The preview for episode 414 (the season finale) is up at Showcase.ca.
From Zap2it.com: The 22nd Outfest film festival featuring gay and lesbian movies opened last Thursday night (July 8) in downtown Los Angeles with a campy all-girl superspy spoof, "D.E.B.S." In an outdoor party at the historic Orpheum Theatre after the screening, cast members Holland Taylor, Michael Clark Duncan, Devon Aoki, Jill Ritchie, Jessica Cauffiel and director Angela Robinson mingled with other celebs in attendance including directors Gregg Araki ("Doom Generation") and Todd Haynes ("Far From Heaven"), actors Jason Stuart, Judith Light, Michelle Clunie and Bobby Gant from "Queer As Folk" and "Six Feet Under" creator Alan Ball. The article also mentions that the festival will close with "A Home at the End of the World," starring Colin Farrell, and featuring Harris Allan (Hunter on QAF).
Some may remember that at Outfest 2002, Bobby "came out" on stage. In an article posted at the time, Keith Sky and Dana Matheu reported that Bruce Vilanch hosted The Outies, the awards presentation, staged by Outfest, to honor gay and lesbian films and their filmmakers. Vilanch, dishy and deliciously bitchy, as master of ceremonies, hit on everything and everyone for that matter, including leading man Robert Gant, one of the stars of the Showtime series "Queer as Folk." Gant had a personal message for the Outfest audience. He told them that he just celebrated his 33rd birthday, and was taking this opportunity to tell the audience that he decided to "come out." Vilanch, not missing a beat, asked Gant, "whad'ya doin' after the show?" The audience ate it up. Zap2it went on to say that Gant gave an interview to The Advocate about his decision to tell the world about his sexuality even though he may be known as Phoebe's beau on "Friends" or the vice principal from "Popular."
A viewer from New Orleans asks nola.com, nola.com "Who is that Matt man?" referring to the actor who plays Drew on QAF:
Question: I've been a fan of Matt Battaglia ever since he was in a sexy couples series (probably called "Couples") on Showtime a few years back. Since then I've seen him in a couple of action movies, but nothing much to write home (or you) about. Now he's surfaced as the nominally straight pro football player who's having a secret affair with Emmett on "Queer as Folk." It's a terrific role with lots of potential, I think, and I hope the story line continues, perhaps even into next season. Anyway, the show has announced its (gasp!) Final Two Episodes, and I'm quite curious to learn where Matt and Emmett (and, for that matter, Matt's femme fiancee) are going. I'm hoping you can run a picture of Battaglia, plus some bio material. For instance, was the show called "Couples"? "QaF" has had a troubled season (too much soap-opera bickering), but Matt's a real improvement.
Answer: Did you see the July 4 episode of Showtime's "Queer as Folk"? The one where Emmett (Peter Paige) once again fell for the charms and poster-boy good looks of football star and model Drew (Matt Battaglia)? Emmett agreed to finally "go out" with Drew, thinking the engaged star wanted to go dancing at Babylon, the local dance club where the boys are. And viewers, for a few dreamy minutes, were lead to believe that's what happened, until Emmett's dream bubble burst and the couple was shown eating in one of Pittsburgh's finest restaurants all by themselves. Emmett realized then that Drew "bought" the joint for their date so no one would see them together. To add insult to injury, Drew's fiancee asked Emmett to plan her wedding to the jock. That was the final straw, as Emmett pushed Drew to tell his fiancee -- and the world -- about their affair. Drew refused, and Emmett walked out on him.
Will Battaglia be back for season five? We don't know and the folks at Showtime couldn't tell us yet, either. But we do know that Battaglia was an All-American middle linebacker at the University of Louisville who led the nation in tackles his senior year. After a brief career in the NFL playing for the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles, Battaglia turned to acting and screenwriting. He has guest starred on 34 television shows, including "Friends," "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" and "JAG," and took over for Jean Claude Van Damme as the lead in the "Universal Soldier" flicks. The show about couples you recall aired very briefly in 1996 on Showtime and it was called "Bedtime." The 38-year-old hunk is still single (hmmm!) and one of his most treasured accomplishments was founding The Mint Jubilee, an annual celebrity charity event at the Kentucky Derby that raises money for cancer patients. The event is Battaglia's memorial to his mother, a cancer victim.
Liz has some new eye candy available at her Intense site -- very nice! There are four new wallpapers (Cast, B/J, Ted, Hunter) and some new icons as well. Please read the note on the main page about them.
On Monday July 19th at 10pm, Hal Sparks will appear as one of the featured players on the Game Show Network's Celebrity Blackjack. He's playing for Much Love Animal Rescue, a 100% non-profit, no-kill organization that is dedicated to rescuing neglected and unwanted animals, giving them the health care they may need and placing them in the loving homes they deserve. He'll be on the Sharon Osbourne Show on Friday, July 30th (not sure if this is a rebroadcast or not; check local listings for air times). In the latest Star magazine, there is a mention of Hal in an item about celebrity 'flaws': "Queer as Folk star Hal Sparks, 34, who has a cameo in Spider-Man 2, may have a superpower of his own: an infinitely long tongue!"
From the Tucson Citizen: "The cycle is shortening very quickly in terms of when people are ready to get nostalgic about the past," says Cliff Chenfeld, Razor & Tie co-owner. The company released its '70s albums in the early '90s, its '80s records in the mid-'90s and its '90s collections just after 1999. Knee-jerk nostalgia has its advantages, though. When it comes to dissecting a trend, "we're realizing it's stupid much quicker," says Hal Sparks, who has become as famous for his "I Love the ..." quips as for his role on Showtime's "Queer as Folk.
The Akron Beacon Journal has this to say, in part, about VH1's "I love the 90s": Some of the commentators are probably seen more often on the I Loves than they are on various other projects. An excellent example: Sparks, a former host of Talk Soup who in recent years has been a regular on Showtime's Queer As Folk, but is often in evidence on the I Love shows. Sparks is a welcome presence in I Love the 90s. Of that lambada/rain forest connection, he says, "We must save the rain forest and the only thing that will do it is our groins!" He also sums up Alanis Morrissette's You Oughta Know as "the angry girlfriend anthem," and puts drops in his eyes to imitate Sinead O'Connor's video of Nothing Compares 2 U.
In the NY Post article "We're Not Worthy of 90s Love'," Adam Buckman is not as enthralled with the contributions, however. "For me," he writes, "it's that running commentary that makes or breaks these decade specials. And since I have a low tolerance for sarcasm, the reactions of people such as Michael Ian Black (of the cancelled NBC series "Ed") or Kato Kaelin (of the O.J. Simpson murder trial) to the rivalry between MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice (1990) or "Wayne's World" (1992) are of no interest whatsoever. And that brings us to Hal Sparks, an actor from the Showtime series "Queer as Folk" who hereby snatches the title of Most Irritating Commentator in a VH1 Decade Special away from long-time champ Mo Rocca. It's possible that Rocca (he's the guy from "The Daily Show" with the Peter Brady haircut) recaptures the title in later episodes of "I Love the '90s," but in the episode VH1 provided for preview — Episode 1, "1990" — Sparks is seen and heard about a dozen times too many. His dominance is not easy to understand because it's clear the producers of VH1's "'90s" series taped interviews with dozens of different people — from Missy Elliott and Jaleel White (Urkel from "Family Matters") to Kyan Douglas ("Queer Eye for the Straight Guy") and Hulk Hogan."
The Showtime Q&A for Randy Harrison is now available:
1. The first record I ever bought was... The Muppets Sing Metal Machine Music (anyone familiar with this Lou Reed album knows it's an hour of barely listenable guitar feedback)
2. My favorite place to be is... semi-consciousness
3. When I have some free time I like to... shoot squirrels
4. When I'm feeling sporty I... shower
5. When I turned 18 I... burnt an effigy of my former self
6. Record I've currently been listening to... Electrelane: The Power Out
7. A movie that has moved me recently was... Winter Light
8. My biggest vice is... revealing too much of myself in online questionnaires
9. If I weren't an actor I would be... on a TV show.
10. A song I know all the words to is... the entire album ( ) by Sigur Rós
11. The worst question I've ever been asked in an interview was... could you answer these questions as Justin?
12. The last concert I saw was... Gogol Bordello at Irving Plaza
13. My favorite quote is... "We knew the world generally sucked and we didn't want to be a part of it. We wanted to do something else, which amounts to not wanting to get up in the morning and have a real job." - Wayne Kramer
July 8, 2004
Award-winning Canadian directors Bruce McDonald and Lynne Stopkewich have been announced as jurists for an innovative advertising competition sponsored by Rogers Cable to produce up to 10, 60-second television commercials supporting the launch of its powerful new Rogers Yahoo! Hi-Speed Internet experience. The 10 winning entries will each be given a $25,000 budget including production support to put their vision on screen.
"We are thrilled that Mr. McDonald and Ms. Stopkewich have agreed to join our panel of jurists for this competition," said John Munro, Vice President of Marketing for Rogers Cable. "It takes talent to know talent, and the inclusion of these Canadian icons on our panel gives us confidence that the quality of the entries ultimately produced will be high."
Born in Kingston, Ontario, Bruce McDonald is the award winning director of films such as Roadkill (1989), Highway 61 (1991), Dance Me Outside (1995), and Hard Core Logo (1996). He has turned his sights to television of late, directing episodes of "Queer as Folk" on Showtime and, most recently, CBC's "This is Wonderland".
"I think this will be a really exciting process, and I am keen to be a part of it," said McDonald. "It will be fun to sit back and watch what unfolds when the young, creative people selected are given the tools to make their vision a reality." [Read the full story]
July 7, 2004
There's a new AP item posted to the Miami Herald titled, "Gay-Marriage Debate Fuels Showtime Drama" by Lynn Elber [note: you may have to register in order to read it]. Series producers Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman are eager to do some revision of their own on attitudes toward gay marriage in America, especially as the stakes rise with proposal of a constitutional ban [warning: this article includes a spoiler about the last two QAF episodes of the season].
Moviemaker.com features an interview with Roy Finch about his film " Wake," and a separate section written by Roy himself, titled, "Things I've Learned as a Moviemaker." He talks about the entire process, from casting the Riven brothers to shooting the movie on digital equipment. He also mentions working with his wife, Susie, and Martin Landau in upcoming projects. "We actually have two films altogether, The Lucky Day and Sleepwalking. In The Lucky Day, Martin owns a bookstore in... Maine? (We hope.) And in Sleepwalking he plays a composer who is estranged from his long-lost son. We hope to work with Gale Harold on one of these and I am actually writing a new screenplay with Blake Gibbons in mind. We have a lot irons in the fire."
The gang over at the Hideaway message board wants to kick off Harris Allan's new movie, "A Home at the End of the World," with a bang. Harris has agreed to do a special Hideaway Q&A for those of you who have questions about the movie. You can email your questions for Harris to Bev, the Administrator, at sadliltear413@yahoo.com, or 'PM' her if you are on the Forum. Harris has also posted his first message on the forum in the "shout outs" thread here, telling fans what he's been up to so far this hiatus.
New wallpapers featuring the Liberty Diner, Kinnetik and Astro Comics have been posted to Showtime in the toys section. You can click below to download them:
Liberty Diner - 800x600
Liberty Diner - 1024x768
Kinnetik - 800x600
Kinnetik - 1024x768
Astro Comics - 800x600
Astro Comics - 1024x768
July 6, 2004
There's an interview with Blake Gibbons in Soap Opera Digest Online in which the actor talks about his career, including the film Wake, and mentions Gale Harold. Here's an excerpt:
DIGEST: Recently, you did an independent film called Wake.
GIBBONS: It has a great cast, starring Gale Harold from QUEER AS FOLK and Martin Landau. It's a small, dark indie movie that we filmed on location in Maine. It's the story of four haunted brothers who go back to their childhood home unbeknownst to each other, and what happens during the course of one night. We got picked up by a distributor and won a few awards at the Queens Film Festival, and we got a two-week engagement at The Regency Theater on La Brea [in Hollywood]. They put us on the marquee, so that's really cool.
Showtime has posted a Q&A with Peter Paige:
1. I'm currently listening to... Rufus Wainwright, my mother's advice, my therapist's advice and my inner voice.
2. Some of my favorite movies at the moment are... there's only one movie for me at the moment -- mine! "Donut Hole" forever!
3. I recommend reading... Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides - a perfect novel, at once personal and epic, joyous and heartbreaking.
4. My favorite place to travel to... home - I'm almost never there.
5. When I'm feeling sporty I... shop? Work out? Shop while wearing ankle weights?
6. My taste buds have been appreciating... my boyfriend.
7. My favorite song to sing... it's a tie - "Desperado" by The Eagles and "Shoop" by Salt-n-Pepa.
8. The first record I ever bought was... a K-Tel disco compilation featuring "Ring My Bell" and "Knock On Wood."
9. When I'm feeling glamorous I... when am I NOT feeling glamorous?
10. When I was 18 I was... who's 18 yet?
11. The last concert I saw was... LA LA LA Human Steps (Dance).
12. On Mondays I like to... sleep in.
13. The worst question I've ever been asked in an interview was... so what does it feel like to play Brian Kinney? (Swear to God)!
The premiere event for "I love the 90s" (featuring Hal Sparks' commentary) takes place in NYC next Monday, July 12. On Friday, July 16th, Hal will be on Good Morning America. From yahoo.com: Mo Rocca ("The Daily Show"), Michael Ian Black ("Ed") and Hal Sparks ("Queer As Folk") return to "I Love the '90s" to lend their hilarious point of view once again. Also lending their perspectives are Rich Eisen of ESPN's "SportsCenter," Loni Love, Rachael Harris, Godfrey, Beth Littleford, Luis Guzman and others.
"Emmy time may finally be Showtime" is a new article from TV Barn, featuring an interview with Richard Licata, Executive Vice President for Entertainment Public Relations for the TV Academy in conjunction with the Emmy Awards. (warning: there is a 'spoiler' for the season finale of QAF included in the interview)
"If Queer as Folk’s Justin took up singing and fell in love with the Wallflowers’ Jakob Dylan," writes Bruce Simpson in the July 20th issue of The Advocate, "the result might resemble gay Christian pop duo Jason & deMarco. Jason, 29, the Randy Harrison look-alike, says he answered God’s call to minister through his music when he was still a child in Baltimore; in the 1990s he toured with Christian groups Truth and the Sound. That ended in 1998 when Jason came out as gay, although he has continued to include music from those groups in his solo projects. In 2001 he met fellow singer deMarco." [Read "SINGING for God and gays"]
In the film " The Unseen," a project both Michelle Clunie and Gale Harold worked on this summer, Tracy Yarkoni plays Mimi, a soap opera actress. She appears in one scene with Adam Boyer, who plays Roger, the 'starving actor' (wait -- is this Rent revisited? LOL); he also plays a waiter elsewhere in the film. Their scene is part of a fictitious soap opera ("But then, you never know if your scene might end up on the cutting room floor," says Tracy. "So I'll be keeping my fingers crossed." Tracy tells me they had a blast shooting their scene, set in an apartment in the Buckhead area of Atlanta. "Lisa, the director and writer, is a very interesting, talented and strong woman," Tracy says. Sounds like a fun film!
July 4, 2004
Happy 4th of July to everyone celebrating this weekend!
A plot summary has been added to the IMDb entry for Gale's new film, " Life on the Ledge". Looks like his character Chaz is a gangster. Here's the write-up:
Brian Leib (Lewis Helfer), a thirty-two year old, ritualistic neurotic recluse who lives with his paranoid parents (Tovah Feldshuh, Mark Blum), only leaves his house to see his psychiatrist. His days are kept as simple as the loaf of bread he makes every morning; the first slice his breakfast, the last slice his dessert--this gives him a "sense of closure for the day." On the verge of jumping he finds a tumor on his neck. Through this new found bad news he gets the strength to talk to Claire (Melissa Sagemiller), another patient of his psychiatrist's. Claire, a beautiful stripper with a badly stained childhood lets her male guard down and lets Brian in. In order to protect Claire, Brian gets involved with a motley crew of gangsters (Gale Harold, David Thornton, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Smokey), faces his fears and gains the will to live.
Don't forget to post your birthday wishes for Robert Gant over at Be The Change before July 13th (the big day!).
AfterEllen.com offers up a review of the QAF Season 4 Soundtrack, and an article on QAF's approach to lesbians who sleep with men. The author (Sarah Warn) points out the importance of differentiating between characters who are truly sexually ambiguous or questioning, and characters who momentarily switch sexual orientations with no real intention by the show to actually explore the topic or provide any follow-through in the future. Ms. Warn also quotes an article in the Boston Globe which I posted last week. Definitely worth a read.
From Southern Voice Online comes an article by Brian Moylan, about the gay television service "here!": Gay viewers were atwitter when MTV Networks and Viacom announced in May they would launch Logo, an all-gay basic cable channel set for February 2005. But here! TV, a lesser-known company based in Los Angeles, has been offering gay programming since August 2003 and recently announced plans to expand its reach. In July, here! TV is scheduled to air the first three episodes of a show called "Metrosexuality." Originally a British show, from the creators of the British "Queer As Folk," "Metrosexuality" focuses on a hip set of English men and women, many of whom are gay as well as people of color. The final three episodes of "Metrosexuality" will air on here! TV in August.
July 1, 2004
Good news from Reuters for Randy Harrison fans who are Broadway-bound for "Wicked": Broadway shows will stay open through the July 4 holiday weekend and beyond, despite the expiration last Sunday of the contract between the actors' union and producers, the two sides said on Wednesday. Despite authorization from its 6,000 members to call a strike, the actors union instructed its members to continue to work in some two dozen shows on Broadway and not disrupt the summer tourist season.
Hal Sparks will be a guest n the TV show "On-Air with Ryan Seacrest" on Friday, July 2nd.
Scott Lowell has recently purchased a house and is in the process of moving. If you would like to congratulate him on his new home, you can post a message to him here.
For more on Scott, read his new Q&A on the Showtime website:
1. I'm currently listening to... Retriever by Ron Sexsmith and The Ride by Los Lobos
2. Some of my favorite movies at the moment are... Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind, My Architect, Kill Bill Vol. 2 and The Agronomist.
3. I recommend reading... Vernon God Little by DBC Pierre
4. My favorite place to travel to... Kaua'i (Hawaii)
5. When I'm feeling sporty I... wear VERY baggy trousers
6. My taste buds have been appreciating... many different blends of iced green teas. Ahhhhhh, refreshing.
7. My favorite song to sing... "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding"
8. My worst habit is... being too forthcoming... arrrgh, there I go again.
9. If I weren't an actor I would be... very unhappy.
10. The last time I played the French horn was... at Simon's (a bar in the Andersonville neighborhood of Chicago) while spinning around on a stool accompanying my friend Eddie and Rich's band.
11. If I could be Elvis Costello for a day I would... explain all my lyrics to the confused masses.
12. The last concert I saw was... Elvis Costello and the Imposters in Central Park, NYC last summer.
13. The worst question I've ever been asked in an interview was... could you do that "coma thing" for me right now?
From Tandem News: It must be summer, because the Fringe is back. Beginning on June 30, the 16th annual Toronto Fringe Festival offers the work of 130 theatre companies, including Canadians from Halifax to Whitehorse, plus visitors from the U.S., Australia, New Zealand and England. The Fringe idea is that you pay your money ($8 at the door or $10 in advance) and take your chances. Many Fringe shows are unforgettable - which could mean unforgettably bad, or unforgettably wonderful. Altogether, Fringe participants will present 900 shows in 10 indoor venues around the Annex neighbourhood, plus 11 site-specific works and various production at a KidsVenue. Some of the well-known names involved in this year's edition are Rosemary Dunsmore, Martha Cronyn, Shari Hollett, Chris Earle, comics Kristeen von Hagen and Laurie Elliott, and Enza "Supermodel" Anderson and Ryan Kelly [Darren (aka Shanda Leer)] from Queer as Folk.
The 2004 Toronto Fringe Festival runs from June 30 to July 11. For tickets and information, call the Fringe Hotline at 416.966.1062 or visit www.fringetoronto.com.
Excerpt from an article about DJ Tracy Young by John Landers at newtimesbpb.com:
Bright beams of colored light swirl and sweep across the crowded dance floor, illuminating sweaty, muscular bodies. The relentless bass is more than just loud; it's a full-body massage at 130 beats per minute. Neon green go-go dancers gyrate wildly on elevated platforms as artificial fog wafts around the room. Up in the DJ booth, an angelic creature surveys the frenzied, hedonistic scene below and smiles. Tracy Young is digging it.
[...]
Young's not ready for beatification just yet -- she's providing the soundtrack for some deliciously decadent parties. In particular, Young is one of the stars of the Future Babylon tour, which rolls into the Coliseum this week. A spinoff of the popular Showtime series Queer as Folk, Future Babylon's website promises "elaborate visuals, décor, and backrooms." Fans of the sexy soap opera will understand.
"I got a call from the promoter who was putting it on... and he wanted me to be involved," Young says. "I had never even watched the show, so before I made my choice I wanted to look at it. I ended up really liking it, so I signed on." "I've loved being involved for the past two years," Young adds. "It gives me the opportunity to reach a lot of people that I normally haven't. It's been a good experience. It's something new, something fresh. Instead of just going to a regular club and playing your records, there's a theme, and there's more to look at." Fort Lauderdale may be where the boys are, but how does it compare to her home turf of Miami Beach? "It's a different community -- it really is," she says. "It's interesting how cities are so close, but they're so different. It's a nice group of people up there."
Nice? As Tina Turner once remarked, "We never ever do nothin' nice and easy. We always do it nice... and rough." The DJ with a heart of gold will undoubtedly bring a box full of bangin' records to town, but she leaves the selection up to your internal vibeometer. "I feed off the energy of the club," Young remarks. "Once I get there, if they want it really hard and tribal, I can sense that." Ferosh, indeed.
Also from newtimesbpb comes another article about the new Spiderman 2 movie, with this tidbit:
Where Peter was yee-ha giddy with the discovery of his newfound powers in the first film, he's crushed by the weight of responsibility that comes with them in its far-superior successor. His doubt even causes his powers to fail him on occasion -- his web won't spin, his fingers don't stick to walls -- which makes him chuck his costume into a trash can, in a scene lifted directly from The Amazing Spider-Man issue number 50. But giving up Spider-Man, he believes, will allow him to be with Mary Jane, now a successful actress on Broadway in The Importance of Being Earnest. Indeed, playing Cecily, Mary Jane gets to deliver the line that defines her tortured relationship with Peter: "I hope you have not been leading a double life, pretending to be wicked and being really good all the time." The writers have lifted a plot point from Superman II, in which Clark becomes a mortal for Lois, and cleverly expanded it. Peter's only too happy to ditch the tights, which get "kinda itchy and ride up in the crotch a little," he tells Queer as Folk's Hal Sparks during a hysterical elevator ride.
From the Korea Times comes an article that talks about the 2004 Queer Culture Festival, held in Seoul last month. "Familiar notions of gay or lesbian identity stream through TV shows such as the recent 'Queer as Folk.' With its essentially American cast, bringing a representation for an Asian queer identity to Korea became an important question for the festival organizers."
PrideVisionTV reports that "A Calgary company is in production on a unique documentary that explores the controversy surrounding same-sex marriage in Canada. " X-Change: Marriage Go Round" will follow a gay male couple wanting to be married or already married and a religious married straight couple as they experience life by living in each other's shoes. The project is to be shot this summer by Joe Media Group for CBC Newsworld's Rough Cuts and will air this fall."
"Sexual identity getting difficult to keep straight" is an article by Matthew Gilbert in today's Boston Globe, talking about the sexual identity of television characters, and the apparent fluidity of orientation. There's even a paragraph about "Hunter" on QAF. Here are a couple of excerpts:
Talk about switch-hitting. These days, it's getting harder to hang sexual-orientation labels on TV characters, particularly in the backroads of cable. Writers on "Queer as Folk," "The L Word," and "Nip/Tuck" have been boldly creating men and women who fall somewhere between the extremes of the Kinsey scale -- exclusively homosexual and exclusively heterosexual. They're pushing their series and their viewers beyond the more familiar black-and-white portrayals, the either/or sexual construct.
Another ambitious plot on "Queer as Folk" this season involves its untamed teen character, Hunter. Adopted by a gay male couple after surviving on the streets as a hustler, Hunter appeared to be as homosexual as the men who paid him for sex. He even had a crush on the show's hunky top dog, Brian. But Hunter had a difficult announcement to make to his parents: He had a girlfriend. It was played for sweet drama and mild comedy, unlike the teen sexual shiftings on FX's "Nip/Tuck," which featured an over-the-top and overwrought lesbian-bisexual-straight triangle last season between Matt, Ridley, and Vanessa. It was hard to keep track of who wanted whom in the angstful teen menage a trois, which made "My So-Called Life" look like a laugh riot.
[read the full article]
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