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March 30, 2004
Peter Paige, Randy Harrison, Sharon Gless, Thea Gill and Michelle Clunie attended the honoring of Showtime's Matt Blank by Cable Positive at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City tonight. Want to see a closeup of Randy's new haircut? Or some fun pics of Michelle and Thea? The photos have been posted to Getty Images. Click on the thumbnails for the larger versions (thanks to Melissa for the heads up!)
Viacom Plans to Start Gay TV Channel: Sumner Redstone, Viacom Inc.'s chairman and chief executive, doesn't like to admit mistakes. But he confessed to one this month: The media company shouldn't have abandoned plans it was studying two years ago for a cable network aimed at gays, Monday's Wall Street Journal reported. Such a channel now could "be worth a billion dollars," Mr. Redstone told analysts and investors, and would have cost only $30 million to launch. Mr. Redstone seems determined not to make the same mistake twice. He has ordered Tom Freston, chairman and chief executive of Viacom's MTV Networks, to come up with a business plan for the country's first gay-themed network. Viacom officials decline to comment on the channel, which is back on the front burner. It doesn't yet even have a name, though Outlet has been discussed. Viacom's renewed interest comes amid a surge in the popularity of gay characters and gay-themed shows on television in the past few years, led by the high-profile success of Bravo's "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," a make-over show that turned its five cast members into stars. The gay audience also is an increasingly attractive target for advertisers, spending nearly $500 billion a year, according to Prime Access Inc., a gay and lesbian advertising and marketing agency in New York. Average U.S. income is about 8% higher in gay households than straight ones, according to Forrester Research Inc. But the prognosis for a gay channel is iffy. Among the challenges: Some TV viewers would be bothered by its programming, while cable operators might be reluctant to add a gay-themed network to their channel lineup, especially outside major cities. Some advertisers also could be leery, even though the travel, entertainment and financial-services industries already spend heavily to lure gay consumers.
How Hard is It?… from OUT.com: Along with developments concerning Hal Sparks' character becoming a dad, Queer as Folk fans can look forward to the straight actor's hard-rock music album coming out this May. In the Los Angeles Daily News, Sparks says the disc (titled The Hal Sparks Band Album) will be "like Kiss, [Black] Sabbath, and Black Label Society…where it looks like the guitars are strung so low, it actually looks like an extension of your, you know." The sexy program's new season begins April 18 on Showtime, where once again viewers will be ever vigilant to see if they can't get a glimpse at the cast's, well, you know.
Alanis Morrissette wants to marry her gay friends, according to the San Francisco Chronicle’s Web site. The Canadian singer (who's hosting the Juno Awards this weekend) says, "My fantasy would now be to marry some of my gay couple friends," since she’s been ordained as a licensed minister via an online course.
Visit the Angelika Film Center website, correctly answer a trivia question, and automatically be entered to win a collection of Rhinoceros Eyes memorabilia, autographed by writer-director Aaron Woodley!
Here are some photos from the set of Rhinoceros Eyes:
For more photos from the set (including the Walnuts! LOL), visit the Photo Gallery at Aaron Woodley.com.
March 29, 2004
MarkyG from "Issues Over The Rainbow" on the new Party 93.1FM informs us that April will be "QAF month" at the station, with lots of great stuff coming, including a new segment for women called "Chick Chat", and interviews with the cast members who attended the premiere screening in Miami. I have prepared a page of pictures from the cast's visit to the station this past Friday (photographs by Alex Nunez).
On Saturday, April 24, 2004, Hal Sparks will host a Breast Cancer Benefit at Cleveland's Beachland Ballroom and Tavern. There will be live music by Rosavelt, Will Bowen, Bolo Deluxe, Joe Rohan and The Curve. The event starts at 6:30PM, costs $30, and will include food, drink and raffle. Proceeds benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
Dana Stevens has written an interesting and thought-provoking article about gay men on reality TV at MSN.com, called "The Bachelors: Why gay men on reality TV can paint bedrooms but aren't allowed to pair-bond." She talks about the dating show, "Playing it Straight", and observes, "It might be said that by complicating the binary logic of the heterosexual dating show, gay men have earned themselves a tenuous perch on television, but at what cost? The one thing that gay men still can't be found doing on reality television is the very thing that defines them as 'gay' in the first place: loving other men."
Rhinoceros Eyes opens at various Madstone theatres across the U.S. on April 30th. Theaters are located in Denver CO, Cary NC, Albuquerque NM, San Diego CA, Chandler AZ, Ann Arbor MI, Atlanta GA, Salt Lake City UT, Baltimore MD, and Tampa FL. Check with your local theater for showtimes (so far Denver and Chandler are posted to the website).
Showtime has now officially released information on the publicity campaigns and market outreach for the launch of QAF Season 4 (read about it here). For the first time in the history of the network, it has partnered with Motorola as the exclusive sponsor along with Showtime key cable partners to host preview screening events in six major U.S. markets including Miami, New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco (more on that below). In addition, the premium network's media campaign rollout will include cable TV, mainstream and gay publications, outdoor advertising, cross promotion with the Third Season DVD tour, a multi-city nightclub/DJ tour and promotion on the Showtime QAF fansite at SHO.com.
The six preview screenings, hosted by Showtime Networks' Chairman Matthew Blank and Entertainment President Bob Greenblatt, are being platformed to draw media and consumer attention to the fourth season's 14 new episodes. The new season will emphasize the maturation of the series' main characters and storylines focusing on parenting and adoption issues, gay marriage, drug addiction, HIV and discrimination. The schedule is as follows:
March 26th - Miami - Delano Hotel (read a transcript)
March 31st - New York - Gramercy Park Hotel in the Cobalt Club
April 2nd - Chicago - Sidetrack
April 7th - San Francisco - Castro Theatre and Redwood Room and Asia de Cuba at the Clift
April 8th - Atlanta - Red Chair
April 14th - Los Angeles - Regent Theatre and Asia de Cuba at Mondrian
The new advertising campaign for the series is highlighted by images from photographer Norman Jean Roy. The key artwork features the cast communicating the interrelationships of the characters and the intertwining layers of their stories. In addition, new taglines have been developed, including "The original comes of age," "Get Folked," "Damn Straight" and "So Gay." "The original comes of age" slogan reflects the series' new emphasis on deepening character development, and also reinforces that QUEER AS FOLK was the groundbreaker in the current wave of gay-themed programming. The tagline "Get Folked" assertively tells the viewer to tune-in to a new season, but it also lets them know that QUEER AS FOLK is still sexy, edgy and provocative, even though its characters are maturing.
March 28, 2004
Here's a transcript from xof's livejournal, of the cast's appearance in Miami at the premiere on Friday night, including a sneak peek at Season 4.
Visit GLAAD.org to see a list of Winners at the 15th Annual GLAAD Media Awards presented last night in Los Angeles. Outstanding Drama Series went to "The Playmakers" (sorry, QAF!). The "Favorite Out Image Award" was not presented last night, but will be rmoved instead to the GLAAD Media Awards in New York City on April 12th, 2004. The presentation will take place in NYC in order to accommodate the winner being able to accept the award in person. GLAAD feels that the move is important so the actor who created the image will be present to speak about the impact that the role has had (hmmm... this could bode well for a certain young actor on QAF, who is currently based in NY, and is nominated in that category!)
March 27, 2004
Frank Micelotta's photographs of the cast at the QAF Premiere in Miami are posted on Getty Images. All of the principals were there, minus Peter and Gale. Executive Producer Dan Lipman and Matthew Blank, CEO of Showtime, were also in attendance.
Jean Stevens has written a review for The Daily Orange (the online student newspaper of Syracuse University) about the live teleconference attended by the Producers of QAF, regarding the history of LGBT television. "The story lines of the earlier shows focused on a character's admittance to friends and families that they were gay, but many of today's shows have characters who have long accepted their identity," said Ron Cowen, executive producer and writer of QAF. "All TV viewers look for characters with whom they can identify, and for lesbian or gay viewers, seeing gay characters on screen makes them feel a sense of belonging." [read more]
 "Not That There's Anything Wrong With That": The History of Gay and Lesbian Images on Television, is being screened at The Museum of Television & Radio (MTR) from March 26 to June 27, 2004. The Museum presents a comprehensive look at how gays and lesbians, in both drama and comedy programming, have made the journey from invisibility to mainstream prominence over the past forty years. Gay Like Me: Leading Roles is a segment that will touch on Queer As Folk as the first series set predominantly in the gay community; it takes place from Friday, June 18 to Sunday, June 27. From the MTR write-up:
"Even as it became more common in the 1980s and '90s to explore gay life, television found that advertisers and the networks still imposed boundaries. Controversial moments in the struggle to allow a same-sex kiss are explored in the package Kiss the Boy/Kiss the Girl, with scenes of censored and uncensored smooches. The uproar over these sequences was instrumental in encouraging writers to push the topic closer and closer to the forefront until a genuine breakthrough came in 1997, when both comedian Ellen DeGeneres and her alter ego, Ellen Morgan, came out, giving prime-time television its first series headed by a gay character. This led the way for Will & Grace, with not one but two gay main characters, and cable's Queer as Folk and The L Word, set predominantly in the gay and lesbian community."
For more information on screening times, and a detailed description of the series, visit the Museum's website.
March 26, 2004
Okay... here are the OFFICIAL dates for the premiere screenings... Miami is today (March 26th), and the rest are all on Wednesdays: New York City is March 31st, San Francisco is April 7th, Atlanta is April 8th, and Los Angeles is April 14th.
Today's edition of indieWIRE features an article called "New Eyes on the Rhino", about Madstone Films' new Filmmaker program (which I talked about on March 18th, see below).
Promos for the new season of QAF are starting to air on Showcase... Canadians be on the lookout!
Harris Allan has jumped into the fray (does he know what he's in for?) and has been posting to his yahoo list, "toastandbananas," and on the message boards. He is answering questions from fans on the Hideaway, but recently addressed a few on Hal's Lair as well in the Talk to Harris thread. He has had a great time on the show so far, loves playing Hunter, and loves the cast and crew. He is a busy guy right now, working with his bandmates, recording music, playing shows, and promoting the band in general. He wants to vacation in Hawaii, and hang out with friends and surf, do some films, learn Spanish and take music lessons!! Wow. Let's hope he finds time to do all that!
Queer as Folk kicks off its fourth season with a national tour, starting tonight in Miami Beach. Read the Miami Herald article by Steve Rothaus. Here are some excerpts: "We're opening in Miami," Gless said. "It reflects our show, that city. Unfortunately, we don't have the heat [in Canada] -- we're shooting in the snow for six months. But the attitudes... Miami is a huge market for us." Fellow cast member Robert Gant (who plays Ben Bruckner) says QAF, which shocked many with its frequent nudity and graphic sex scenes, "is still pushing the envelope. There are a couple of story lines involving bug chasing [when men deliberately infect themselves with the AIDS virus] and gay vigilantism. Very powerful. When the series began in 2000, we were looking at boys who were in a painful place and looking for love. Now it's the story about boys becoming men. The focus is much more on relationships, family, career. A much more mature voice at this point. The show has really found its legs."
March 25, 2004
Contour Photos has a collection of Gale Harold snapshots on display, taken by photographer Kevin Mazur (Self Assignment, May 1, 2003). Full size photos of these thumbnails are available at the QAF Russia site. For more than 10 years now, Kevin has traveled the world capturing performers for numerous publications including Rolling Stone, People, Entertainment Weekly, Musician, Spin US, and Newsweek. He is credited on a few of the photos on the press images page at the Particles of Truth site as well.
Tickets go on sale April 19th for the screenings of Rhinoceros Eyes at the Angelika Film Center, 18 West Houston Street, in New York. The film will run for a week or more starting April 23rd, depending on its popularity. Here is the write-up from the theater:
RHINOCEROS EYES - Opens 4/23: Winner of the prestigious Discovery Award at the 2003 Toronto International Film Festival and the debut film to emerge from Madstone Films pioneering Directors Program, Aaron Woodley’s RHINOCEROS EYES is a fantastical coming-of-age story revolving around Chep (Michael Pitt), a reclusive young prop-house employee who falls in love with a detail-obsessed movie production designer. A stunning directorial debut that evokes classic surrealistic films from Eraserhead to Edward Scissorhands, RHINOCEROS EYES is grounded in equal parts by Aaron Woodley’s otherworldly visuals and a lead performance by rising star Michael Pitt (Murder by Numbers, The Dreamers).
For those who have asked, the premiere screenings for Season 4 of QAF which are being hosted by the cast members in various cities around the country are NOT open to the public. It is possible for fans to catch a glimpse of the actors on the red carpet during the arrivals, but the events themselves are for press and by invitation only.
March 24, 2004
WPYM-FM Radio Party 93.1 is an award-winning dance-music radio station. MarkyG, host of South Florida's premier all-gay radio show, has recently been hinting on-air at some upcoming Queer As Folk "surprises" to be included in the station's programming, in order to usher in the new season. UPDATE: MarkyG has just confirmed that almost the entire cast will be coming by to participate in his radio show, Issues Over The Rainbow, which airs Sunday mornings at 8AM, and that the station will broadcast it through April. The show is built for the Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual and Transgender (GLBT) community, addressing a menagerie of gay issues, topics, and concerns. You can check out some of the archived shows (which can be heard using Windows Media Player) on the archives page, and look for the link on the left-hand menu that says "Listen" to hear the on-air broadcast (so those of us not in Miami can listen in as well). [Thanks to Melissa for the initial heads-up on this item!]
Michelle Clunie, Robert Gant, Thea Gill, Sharon Gless, Gale Harold, Randy Harrison, Scott Lowell, Peter Paige,
Hal Sparks, along with Lenny Kravitz, Britney Spears, Martina Navratilova, Ingrid Cesares, KC and the Sunshine Band and a "who's who" of Miami Beach will be in attendance at the QAF screening/party this Friday, March 26th. Things get started at 6:45pm, and as with the other premieres, the media will have the opportunity to interview the cast and producers.
Michelle Clunie will be featured on VH1's "Totally Gayer"... says the network, "Bigger, harder, sassier and sexier than ever, Totally Gayer is the colorful follow-up to the highly successful and hugely popular Totally Gay! An intoxicating cocktail of reality, pop documentary and provocative content Totally Gayer flaunts USDA choice beefcake, mixing mezmerizing music, delivering anecdotes and observations from out and out-friendly stars, queer icons, the behind the scenes stylemakers and commentators from around the world." [Thanks to Sonya for the info!]
There's a nice photo of Sharon Gless, taken this past January, featured on the Tuscaloosa News website promoting the return of QAF for a 4th season (the press release, originally from Showtime, has been published in several media forums this past week).
If you haven't been to the Dean Armstrong site in a while, you might want to check out the newly-added images in the QAF set and QAF episode photo albums... all from Season 4. New wallpaper and icons have been added as well!
I've added a few screen captures of the new Rhinoceros Eyes trailer (available at the official website) to the screen captures page.
March 23, 2004
In honor of Scott Lowell's nomination for the Prism Award, an "appreciation package" is being put together to send to him before the awards are presented. If you would like to contribute a card or note for Scott and send it to Annie before April 20th, she will include it in the package. Details (including where to mail your card) are available on the forum here.
If you're a fan of QAF clips set to music, and those featuring Brian and Justin in particular, then you will love Wendy and f1renze's videos! Very well edited and entertaining to boot.
Want some great QAF fan art? Check out Choimimi.co.kr for some new Ecards you can send to friends! (note: you may be prompted to install the Korean language pack).
As per Robert Gant, there is no event scheduled for April 3rd. The promoter has said that he has moved the event to July, but it's not posted anywhere! If the date is moved to July, some of the celebrities may or may not attend. We just have to wait and see. But as of now, Robert Gant, Hal Sparks, and Peter Paige, will not be in attendance. I'll post any changes here as they become available.
March 19, 2004
Another screening for Rhinoceros Eyes will take place at the Worldwide Short Film Festival in Toronto on May 12, 2004. Aaron Woodley will be speaking afterward in a presentation called “Shorts to Features” at Innis College Theatre.
SHOWTIME's 'Queer As Folk' Returns for a Fourth Season on April 18:
Before gay programming exploded on television, there was a show that dared to present a world with a candor and honesty rarely seen. Long a favorite with fans and one of SHOWTIME's highest rated original series, QUEER AS FOLK returns for its fourth season on Sunday, April 18 at 10:00 PM (ET/PT) ... [warning: slight spoilers ahead for the upcoming season] ... The fourth season finds Brian, now broke and unemployed, attempting to rebuild his life; Michael returning to Pittsburgh as he and Ben prepare to fight for custody of Hunter; and Justin joining a vigilante group where he discovers his buried anger. Also, as Ted progresses into his sobriety, Emmett deals with the fallout from their breakup; and Melanie and Lindsay await the birth of their second child. The season will end with a major life-changing event, and in addition to the ups and downs of love and relationships, some characters will even experience a brush with mortality that will cause them to call on their close-knit group of friends and families.
March 18, 2004
And the premieres just keep on coming....
It has just been announced that Randy Harrison will host a red-carpet style premiere on April 8th in Atlanta, GA, at the Red Chair, 550-C Amsterdam Avenue at 7:00pm. Read the announcement.
As part of the Madstone U. Filmmaker Program, the company is giving film students from nine colleges the opportunity to refine their editing skills by working on 50 hours of Rhinoceros Eyes footage. Students will also get two original scores, three versions of the film's voiceover and copies of the shooting script to work with. Plans also are in the works to feature alternate student edits on the film's eventual DVD release. "Some filmmakers would be nervous to let their footage out; it's like showing their dirty laundry," said Woodley, "but I'm excited to see what the students do." [Read more]
The QAF Cast hits San Francisco!
[Please note: This event was previously announced as taking place on April 7th]
WHAT: The cast of Showtime’s highest rated series, QUEER AS FOLK, will host a red carpet movie-style premiere for the debut of the fourth season on April 18th.
WHO: Stars Jennifer Beals, Sharon Gless, Gale Harold, Mia Kirshner, KateMoening, Peter Paige and Hal Sparks.
Press will have the opportunity to interview the cast and producers that attend.
WHEN: THURSDAY, APRIL 8TH 2004 AT 7:30 P.M.
WHERE: Metreon - 101 Fourth Street, San Francisco
Reception to follow at the Clift hotel, 495 Geary Street, San Francisco (the centre of the city's theatre district).
Source: SF Bay Area Indymedia
The VH1 special on QAF that we've been hearing about for some time now has finally been posted to the VH1 schedule. It's part of the popular new franchise, "VH1 Goes Inside," which (according to their site) is a celebration of America's favorite entertainers, performances, television series, specials, and memorable movie moments. The episode will take us inside the show with clips, current interviews with the stars themselves and with the show's creators, producers, writers and crew -- who reveal the behind-the-scenes stories never heard before. UPDATE: The special on QAF will air April 8th at 11pm and on April 10th at 2:30am.
March 17, 2004
Showtime Networks' President of Entertainment Robert Greenblatt has made some key changes in the programming department, including the promotion of Sara Fischer to Senior Vice President, Production, where she will be responsible for all aspects of production for the network. This includes scouting film locations, hiring or approving crews, overseeing on-set production as well as all phases of post-production. She currently oversees production on The L Word and Queer as Folk. She joined Showtime in 1997 as Vice President of Production for the network.
Jesse Goodall, one of the members of Harris Allan's band "Square 9", posted on the Hideaway. Check out the "Discussion about Square 9" thread for his post. He says they're working on a new demo and hope to get it out there soon.
From the News page at Aaron Woodley's website: Rhinoceros Eyes will be screening at the Paris Film Festival (Festival Du Film De Paris) this month, and at the Neuchatel International Fantasy Film Festival this July in Switzerland. As previously mentioned, the film will make its commercial, theatrical premiere in New York City at the Angelika and Empire 25 theatres on April 23rd, 2004. There will be a sneak preview screening at New York University on April 15, 2004, with a question/answer period afterward with Aaron Woodley. According to the Madstone Theaters site, it looks like R.E. will open in Denver on April 30th (more dates to come from Madstone, so keep an eye on the calendar).
Most of the people living and working in Toronto these days are not originally from the immediate area -- even the Canadians. Jim Phillips, who is the art director for Queer as Folk, works in Toronto but returns most summers to a small village on the rolling Prairie in Saskatchewan. "It's like heaven," Mr. Phillips says. "It's so quiet, so peaceful." He's talking about Meacham, featured in today's Globe and Mail. [Read more].
March 15, 2004
For those who have asked, Inside Out -- Canada's largest Gay and Lesbian Film Festival -- who were one of the sponsors of the QAF 'sneak peek' premiere night in Toronto last year, will unfortunately not be hosting the event again this year.
Hal Sparks will host an invitation-only red carpet movie-style premiere for the debut of the fourth season of QAF on Friday, April 2nd, at Chicago's Sidetrack (a video bar catering to the gay and lesbian community), 3349 N. Halsted Street. There will be a VIP Reception at 8pm, with the screening to follow. Press will have the opportunity to interview the cast and producers that attend.
Lightning Bug (featuring Hal Sparks as Deputy Dale) will premiere on April 9th at 8:15 pm, at the Prince Music Theater, 1412 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19102-2505 (Phone: 215/893-1570). The second screening will be on Saturday, April 10th at 5pm. According to the film's director (who is also Hal's bandmate), Robert Hall, both he and Hal will be in attendance at the premiere.
Two recent articles about Michael Pitt, who stars with Gale in Rhinoceros Eyes, are available on B's Mike Dedication Page. In the New York Daily News "Dreamy Dude" and Backstage.com "Pushing Boundaries" pieces, Pitt talks about doing nude scenes in his new flick "The Dreamers", and his career ambitions.
I've created a page of screen captures from the new Wake movie trailer at the official site... they're just one big happy family, LOL! Gotta love Gale on that bike, though.
March 12, 2004
 The Third Annual "Bear to Make a Difference" Celebrity Bear Auction, benefiting the Matthew Shepard Foundation, will take place on Saturday, March 20th at the Westin Tabor Center Hotel Grand Ballroom in Downtown Denver. The event will feature live and silent auctions as well as entertainment. "Bear to Make a Difference" features teddy bears that have been stylized and autographed by celebrities and VIPs who support the important work of the Matthew Shepard Foundation. Peter Paige and Scott Lowell have both crafted their own bears (see gallery 3 to place a sealed bid). Elton John has donated a custom-decorated, autographed "Diva" bear for the auction and Bette Midler has donated a "Merbear" (mermaid) based on Delores, from her current stage show "Kiss My Brass". For more information, read the news release or visit the Matthew Shepard site.
After receiving much acclaim at the Toronto International Film Festival last year, Rhinoceros Eyes is opening in NYC on April 23rd, according to the official website, which features a flash display that's a short movie in itself (hover your cursor over the floating diamond shape on the page to see the menu, and to 'escape' the flash movie at any point). I've added some screen captures of Gale Harold as "Detective Phil" to my own Rhinoceros Eyes page.
The PRISM Awards, which recognize the accurate depiction of drug, alcohol and tobacco use and addiction in entertainment, will be held April 29, 2004 at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, CA, and will air on the FX Network on May 16th at 6:00 p.m. Queer as Folk is nominated in the "TV Drama Series Multi-Episode Storyline" category, and Scott Lowell is nominated for his performance in that storyline -- specifically episodes #313 and #314 -- up against Peter Krause of "Six Feet Under", Nancy McKeon of "The Division", Molly Price of "Third Watch" and Kevin Rahm from "Judging Amy".
The Babylon Tour dates have been announced at futurebabylon.com.
March 9, 2004
From CTV.ca: "Amid what appears to be a sea change in attitudes towards Canadian TV drama, both CBC and CTV this week unveiled ambitious plans for a variety of new prime time drama series, sitcoms and movies of the week for the 2004-2005 season." Jessica Paré and Fabrizio Filippo (ex-Ethan, QAF) are shown here in a photo by Michael Gibson, working on Lives of the Saints, a Canadian-Italian co-production between Toronto-based Capri Films and Italy-based RTI in association with CTV Television. Sophia Loren plays a school teacher and doting aunt to the Italian boy, played by Fabrizio. Jessica Paré plays his illegitimate sister and Nick Mancuso the immigrant father. Italian actress Sabrina Ferilli plays their Italian mother with Kris Kristofferson as the mystery man whose memory has haunted the family for 30 years. CTV plans to air the miniseries this Spring. Read more about the film here.
Comedy Central is re-airing "Action", one of the first politically incorrect series to hit the air in the late 90's. It starred Illeana Douglas, Buddy Hackett, and Jay Mohr, along with Fab Filippo (ex-Ethan Gold on QAF) as Holden Van Dorn, the 'in and out of rehab' actor.
"Queer As Folk's PFLAG Poster Mom" is a new article by Meg Allen at proudparenting.com, about actress Sharon Gless, and how her character Chris Cagney became a role model for young women, gay and straight, when "Cagney & Lacey" first premiered. As waitress Debbie Novotny, on QAF, she is the poster mom for PFLAG. The mother of a gay son, and the sister of a gay man dealing with AIDS, Debbie does not suffer fools or homophobes lightly. Producer Ron Cowan calls her a gem. "Sharon came to us," he said. "When we began casting in Hollywood, Gless contacted us. At first we didn't see her in the part," he said. Cowan recalls her saying, "I have to do this part." Cowan, and his co-executive producer, and life partner Daniel Lipman read her for the part. "As soon as she began reading we knew she was Debbie Novotny," Lipman said. Gless recalls Showtime President Jerry Offsay saying she would bring class to the part. "I sent a message to him: 'Class is not what I had in mind.'" [read more]
March 9, 2004
The pictures are in! Thanks to Kelly, Mick and Jayne, I have a page of wonderful photos from Saturday's DVD Signing in Boston, featuring Thea Gill, Michelle Clunie, and Gale Harold.
Harris Allan posted to his yahoo group, "toast and bananas" today, saying that while he has no official website yet, one is in the works and he will let us know when it goes up. In the meantime, there are a few message forums and groups where fans can get together to chat, including the new "Harris Hideaway" at harrishideaway.com. If you would like to send an email to Harris, you can do so at harrisfanmail@yahoo.com.
"Not all gay guys have perfect bodies and great hair. It's a superficial way to judge somebody's worth and it perpetuates the notion that gay men are silly queens only interested in the latest fashion or fabulous restaurant,"
says Ron Cowen, quoted in a recent article which addresses the question of whether or not more screen time equates to greater acceptance of gay issues, given the current plethora of "queer-themed" shows on television.
There has been a lot of talk about this season's slogan, " The Original Comes of Age", and references by the show's producers to the maturation of the characters ('boys' becoming 'men') and the development of their relationships. Interesting to note is that the coming-out novels of gay literature are known as "bildündsromans". Literally, "an education novel," modern bildüngsromans may not necessarily involve a young person leaving home for the first time, but they necessarily involve some lesson in the development of an adult personality, usually learned the hard way. Examples are Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird -- stories where the protagonist is initiated into adulthood through knowledge, experience, or both, often by a process of disillusionment. Understanding comes after the dropping of preconceptions, a destruction of a false sense of security, or in some way the loss of innocence.
 Robert Gant graces the cover of the April issue of OUT magazine (story by Peter Davis, photographs by Tony Duran):
. . .
Robert Gant, known as Bobby to friends, is pinching himself. Standing in the tastefully muted living room of the Hollywood hills house he recently bought, Gant is ruminating about marriage. Is Gant, who plays Ben Bruckner on Showtime’s hit gay soap opera Queer as Folk, ready to share his life with a partner? “I so want to marry someone,” Gant offers. “I have a vision for my life where I get married and raise a family. I’d like three or four kids. I want to be a dad and husband.” Gant glances around his cozy hideaway. “I’ll have to get a bigger house.”
. . .
Queer as Folk confronts issues such as sex and drugs unapologetically. “I’m proud of this show for where it goes sexually,” Gant proclaims. “For my gay brethren who had such problems with the drugs and sex, I ask you to consider the shame we have carried around about who we were and the manifestations of the self-loathing we feel that has caused us to have addictive issues, be it crystal or alcohol. [Queer as Folk] is the story of boys becoming men.” [Read more]
In a recent article by Gail Shister (Inquirer columnist), Hal Sparks says QAF could use more straight characters. "It's the one thing missing in the show," says Sparks. "If our show is building a bridge, it's important to see gay characters with straight friends. If you're too isolationist, it's counterproductive. We should open doors and open dialogue. Our audience is 60 percent women, and most of them are straight and open-minded and very loving to their gay friends. It might be good to see them reflected on the show."
Sparks had even more to say about the show and the mark it will leave on television history in "Detour", an article by Doug Gruse for PGN. "I think people will look back at 'Queer As Folk' and say, 'I can't believe they did that. They dealt with bashing and AIDS and drug abuse, and they did it unafraid.' That is the thing I think we are all most proud of," Sparks said during a recent telephone interview. "I think the show itself organically follows the tide of experience in the gay community pretty easily," he explained. "What is coming up in the gay community is coming up in the show. And the obstacles therein are coming up, as well." [Read more]
From Reuters/Billboard: For the second consecutive year, Embrace Productions and Showtime Networks are teaming up for a Queer as Folk tour. Subtitled the Future Babylon tour, the 20-city trek commences May 2 at Chicago's Crobar club. Like the inaugural tour, the 2004 edition will re-create the series' Babylon disco in 2,000- to 3,000-capacity clubs, but with a twist. Each venue will be made to resemble Babylon in the year 2050. Depending on the market and date, tickets are expected to cost between $20 and $50. In addition to the opening night, other confirmed dates include May 9 at Avalon in New York, May 30 at Space in Miami and July 9 at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver. On March 12, Embrace and Showtime will officially announce the tour dates at a press conference at South Miami's Raleigh Hotel to coincide with the annual Winter Party AIDS Benefit Festival in Miami. DJs Tracy Young and Grammy Award winner Peter Rauhofer, who provided the beats and rhythms last year, will be joined by DJ Manny Lehman this year. Some dates will feature all three DJs, others will spotlight one or two. Young says she will introduce new music during the trek -- including Ferosh's single "Believe in We" by Ceevox. In addition to the DJs, actors from the show -- Robert Gant and Sharon Gless, for instance -- will make special appearances at various stops along the tour. March 12 is also the launch of futurebabylon.com, an interactive Web site spotlighting the tour. That site and Showtime's (sho.com) will offer special promotions and tour info. Showtime will tag episodes of the show with Future Babylon tour info.
March 5, 2004
From WinterParty.com: Queer As Folk - Future Babylon Tour recreates Babylon at the beautiful Raleigh Hotel (1775 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, 7:00pm - 11:00pm) and features DJs Manny Lehman and Tracy Young; with Special Guest appearance - Scott Lowell from Queer as Folk. Decor by RKM. (This is a pre-event to Tracy Young at the Space Party.) Admission by Invitation or VIP Pass Only. Click to purchase tickets.
'Queer as Folk' story arc was ahead of the curve, writes Bill Keveney of USA Today. "Months before the first gay couple said "I do" in San Francisco, Queer as Folk executive producers Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman had written a gay-marriage plotline for the Showtime series' fourth season, which premieres April 18. Life and art come together April 7, when Showtime will screen of episodes of Queer as Folk and The L Word, its drama about the lives of lesbian friends in L.A., for hundreds of newly married gay couples in San Francisco."
March 4, 2004
Scott Lowell will be in Miami, Florida next Friday, March 12 for the press announcement of the summer 2004 Babylon Tour, according to his official website. The March Q&A has been posted to the site, and Scott's answers this month include everything from his views on the Presidential primaries to an account of Ted's "flogging" with the cat-o'-nine-tails in season one.
Sherry Miller (Jennifer Taylor) is playing Lona Massingale in two episodes of Stephen King's miniseries "Kingdom Hospital" (Death's Kingdom, Thy Kingdom Come), an eerie new medical drama which premiered last night on ABC. Adapted from director Lars von Trier's critically acclaimed Danish miniseries "The Kingdom," the new U.S. series is set in a haunted New England hospital built on the site of a devastating 1869 mill fire that claimed the lives of scores of children. Creepy!!
Other television appearances this month include Randy Harrison in "Bang Bang You're Dead" (Showtime Showcase, March 6 at 4:15pm); Thea Gill in Sightings: Heartland Ghost (Showtime Showcase, March 6 at 8pm); Robert Gant playing "Fireman" in episode: "Three Girls and a Baby" of "Step by Step" (The Family Channel, March 8 at 2:00pm); Michelle Clunie playing "Sally Wexler" in episode: "Contemptuous Words" of JAG (USA Network, March 10, at 7:00am); and Sharon Gless in "Separated by Murder" (LIFE Network, March 14 at 1:00pm).
Setting the record straight:
David Guarino interviewed Kyan Douglas (Queer Eye for the Straight Guy) when he visited the Windy City to headline The Chicago House World Tour Gala at The House of Blues. Guarino asked him about reports that he has been dating Bobby Gant. Here is his reply:
"Yeah, David, I’d love to talk about that, because it’s been so misrepresented. I absolutely adore Bobby; I think he’s a good, close friend of mine. We met on a shoot for Vanity Fair. We met and we hit it off, we liked each other. A couple nights later we attended a party together, and you know how it is when you meet somebody and you kind of like him, you’re kind of flirting ... maybe there was some sort of energy there. We went out to a party and we were hanging out and at one point we were holding hands, and there was definitely that sort-of affectionate thing going on ... . But Bobby lives in LA and works in Toronto and I live in New York, so there’s no way we could actually have a relationship ... That said, I, since then, have hung out with Bobby many times ... he spent some time with me and my family at Christmastime and I’ve been to Toronto to see him and we hung out other places and what we have discovered is that we have a great friendship. Bobby and I are friends, and there’s really no truth at all to the contention that we were dating. It’s sort of interesting that the media grabbed hold of that and created a story where there was none. And I believe we (Bobby and I) were in US Magazine recently as one of the “breakups of the year” or something like that, and it was so funny because we were never even together to be broken up."
Kyan goes on to say, "It’s funny, we laugh about it. You know I’m very flattered to be associated with Bobby; he’s a great guy and a dear friend and he’s definitely a part of my life. It’s just that he’s not my boyfriend and I’m not his boyfriend. We’ve both been meeting other people all along and we’ll continue to date other people, and I’m sure we’ll continue to be friends and continue to make time for one another. The same way that I do with lots of friends in my life. The story has been a very interesting dynamic to watch." [read the full interview]
March 2, 2004
Acacia has posted some photos from the DVD signing with Peter, Scott and Randy this past weekend.
Andrea has posted the QAF Promos #5 and #6 on her clips page.
Last Thursday night, Canadian actor Michael Sarrazin and Stephanie Moore (Cynthia) were spotted at Bistro 990, a 'see-and-be-seen' French/seafood restaurant in Toronto; Thea Gill was there the other night as well, reports the Toronto Star.
The Advocate.com announces today that Punks writer-director-producer Patrik-Ian Polk has begun production on Noah's Arc, a new series that will focus on the lives of four black gay men living in Los Angeles. "After the recent boom in gay television with Queer Eye, Boy Meets Boy, Will & Grace, Queer As Folk, I really noticed the complete unwillingness of producers to feature positive black gay and lesbian characters in television and film," said Polk in a statement. "So rather than sitting around feeling bitter and neglected, I decided to create a platform for these stories to be told." The series is set for a summer debut, according to a press release, although no announcement has been made regarding on what outlet the show would be broadcast.
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