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March 29, 2006 An exciting exclusive! Angela Lewis interviewed Fay Ann Lee a couple of weeks ago, just as the director was busy putting the final touches to her film East Broadway, in which she co-stars with Gale Harold. Angela has graciously allowed me to publish the interview here at QAF Addiction before it appears anywhere else. I hope you enjoy their conversation as much as I did! It's a very candid discussion, and Fay has only good things to say about Gale, as one would expect! ;) Fay will be appearing at Columbia University this Friday, March 31st, and the Hollywood Reporter will soon run a piece about her and the others who are part of Tribeca, so stay tuned for more on those fronts. Read the Fay Ann Lee interview Richard Masur and Sharon Gless, both well known through television and films, head the cast of Neil Simon’s comedy The Prisoner of Second Avenue by playing Mel and Edna Edison, the husband and wife entrapped on the 14th floor of an all-but-glamorous apartment with paper-thin walls on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. In a review for Port Folio Weekly Bruno Koch writes, "Gless has far fewer snappy lines than Masur. She does, she does well, however, with what Simon gives her. The trajectory of her character moves from submissive housewife to assertive breadwinner (after Mel is fired), and under the impact of Mel’s neurotic fits, a burglary, and a malfunction of water supply, she is near a nervous breakdown. At that time -- at the convenience of the playwright -- Mel has recovered to reassure Edna that he will take care of her." From Embrace Productions comes this press release: The "Midori® Presents City of Babylon Tour" begins its fourth popular summer 2006 tour on April 29th and continues throughout July 22nd in cities across the country. Originally conceived as a way to bring to life the Babylon nightclub, from the hit Showtime Network series, "Queer as Folk," this tour has blossomed into one of the most successful gay community events in the country. This highly popular Midori® -sponsored event, is hosted in top nightclubs and aims to recreate a decadent urban metropolis – a Gotham themed Babylon experience for guests. The tour stretches across North America, visiting over 19 cities. Since its conception, there have been over 60 tour dates with over 100,000 people reached. This season, "Midori® Presents City of Babylon Tour" features the world’s hottest DJs; including Grammy Award Nominee Tony Moran, Tommy Boy Records artist Manny Lehman and Los Angeles Superstar Roland Belmares. Each tour date will feature visual projections and over-the-top décor installations created by the world famous Miami based production and performance group RKM. Adam Gill, the Tour’s creator and President of Embrace Productions says, "This year will prove to be our most exciting Tour ever. With our stellar line-up of world-class DJs, elaborate decorations and our increased marketing campaign, we’re expecting our largest audiences yet." Tour information can be found via the interactive website, www.enterbabylon.com.
March 28, 2006 According to prnewswire.com, in its first year the Georgia Entertainment Industry Investment Act has helped the state attract several high-profile film projects that are bringing jobs and economic benefits to communities around Georgia. The total budgets of the two feature films and three television pilots have already exceed all of last year's total feature and television project budgets. 20th Century Fox will shoot three days of the pilot "Vanished" starring Gale Harold in late March and early April in Atlanta and Newnan (Southwest of Atlanta, in Coweta County, where parts of of the movie "The Unseen" were filmed).
March 26, 2006 Any Gale Harold fans in the UK? According to the Scott Walker Film blog, on Thursday, March 30th, The Culture Show BBC2 will feature Scott’s first televised interview in over 10 years and will include clips from the upcoming film, Scott Walker: 30 Century Man, of which Gale is an associate producer. The clips will include a rare peek at Scott working on his new album, The Drift, produced by Scott and Pete Walsh. Scott left his record label Mercury and signed to 4AD back in 2004, and the new recordings have been highly anticipated by those following his career. The segment is only going to be about 10 minutes long, but if you’re in the UK, try to look out for it! According to the Hollywood Reporter this week, Gale has signed with The Endeavor Agency, formed in 1995 when a group of agents left International Creative Management, Inc. (ICM). The Endeavor Agency represents many celebrities famous for their television work, like David E. Kelly (creator of Ally McBeal and The Practice), Aaron Sorkin (creator of The West Wing), Jennifer Garner (star of Alias), and members of the Osbourne family. Other clients include Jude Law, Matt Damon, and Drew Barrymore. The firm also packages the reality hit Queer Eye for the Straight Guy for Scout Productions. In addition to Endeavor's support, Gale is also represented by managers Suzanne DeWalt and Larry Taube. Taube was with The Gersh Agency for a decade, but left the company to become a partner in Principal Entertainment, the management and production firm formed in 1993 and run by Estelle Lasher, Marsha McManus and Liz Robinson. "I've been an agent for more than 15 years, and it was time to see how the other half lives," Taube said of his switch to management (Variety, January 2006). In addition to Gale, he brought with him such clients as Michael Cassidy ("The OC"), Brendan Gleeson, Tom Wilkinson, as well as "Capote" scribe Dan Futterman and Andy Serkis, who did the acting for Peter Jackson's Gollum and King Kong characters. Coincidentally, ABC news published an interesting article this weekend about these big Hollywood talent agencies, and how "Creative Artists Agency (CAA) has grown into a Borg-like monolith, gobbling up so much top film talent that resistance is futile." Small firms just can't cut it. "The only way to rival CAA is for two agencies like UTA (United Talent Agency) and Endeavor to get together to create a second agency," one uber-producer says. "That's the only way they can compete." [read more] Colin Bertram has written an article for the New York Daily News about a trio of new gay-oriented films where the focus isn't primarily on the characters' sexual orientation. There is a quote from Peter Paige (our lovable Emmett) who wrote, directed and stars in "Say Uncle," a melancholy comedy about a gay man who creates suburban havoc when he begins visiting a children's playground. It opens June 23. "The main character [in 'Say Uncle'] is gay, but that is a secondary thing," says Paige. "I didn't want to see a suffering story - it's more about the culture of fear in society and how we respond to that." [read more] From AfterEllen.com comes this tidbit: Lindsay Does Dante... Thea Gill--better known as Lindsay from Queer as Folk--has joined the cast of here TV's gothic drama series Dante's Cove for its second season, which will air in the fall. Gill will play Diana Childs, a mysterious newcomer to Dante’s Cove who will tangle with Grace (Tracy Scoggins) as revelations of their secret past threaten to change Dante’s Cove forever. "We are thrilled that Thea Gill is joining the cast of Dante's Cove," said Here vice president of original programming Meredith Kadlec in a statement. "We have huge respect for her talent and feel fortunate to be working with her." (The Advocate) ScottLowell.com has introduced a chatroom for fans, available 24/7, although a regular chat schedule will be announced soon.
March 24, 2006 Wednesday, April 26 at 6:00 pm (Pace U Schimmel Center) Saturday, April 29 at 1:30 pm (AMC/Loews Village VII 2) Monday, May 1 at 9:15 pm (AMC/Loews 34th Street 9) Wednesday, May 3 at 4:15 pm (AMC/Loews 34th Street 10) Friday, May 5 at 1:15 pm (AMC/Loews Lincoln Sq 5) The price for individual screenings are $12, and you can find out more about purchase options on the ticket information page. March 18, 2006 From indiewire.com: Organizers have unveiled the lineup for the fifth annual Tribeca Film Festival, set to take place from April 25 - May 7, 2006 throughout Manhattan. The event's four main competitive programs are: the International Narrative Features and International Documentary Features competitions, and the NY, NY Narrative Features and NY, NY Documentary Features competitions. "East Broadway," directed by Fay Ann Lee, written by Fay Ann Lee and Karen Rousso (U.S.A.), has its World Premiere at the festival in the NY Narrative Feature Competition. Grace is a Chinese American who longs to be a part of New York's high society. At a socialite event, she is mistaken for a Hong Kong heiress and meets her Prince Charming. Nothing is as it seems in this absorbing drama. What will happen to this Cinderella when the clock strikes midnight? Featuring Fay Ann Lee, Margaret Cho, Gale Harold, and Christine Baranski. In English and Cantonese. Note: If you are interested in seeing the film, check out the ticket information page. If you do not want to get a pass for the Festival, you can purchase individual tickets beginning in April. Robert Gant, Chad Allen, and Judith Light will do a live reading of "Save Me" at a benefit for The Point Foundation on June 12th. The reading will take place at the Directors Guild of America, Los Angeles. For program and ticket information, and to learn more about The Point Foundation, visit their website.Robert also has a cameo on the new WB series, Pepper Dennis, starring Rebecca Romijn. He plays a character named Benny Gold. The show premieres Tuesday, April 4th.For Sharon Gless, there are at least two advantages to working in theater versus television, says the Quad-City Times. There’s no running and very little gunfire. "It’s a little more relaxed," the 62-year-old actress said. "I love television, and my favorite is the hour drama, but I love this format, too." The article talks about her new project, performing Neil Simon’s "The Prisoner of Second Avenue." March 14, 2006The casting news for Vanished keeps rolling in.... Ming-Na (Rachel Lu on "Inconceivable") and Robert Hoffman (Matt on "Quintuplets") have both joined the ensemble cast of the drama pilot, which chronicles the disappearance of a senator's wife. Ming-Na will play Lynn Andrews, an F.B.I. agent assigned to the case, while Hoffman is set as a news cameraman who covers the case. Josh Berman and Mimi Leder are behind the 20th Century Fox Television-based hour, which also stars John Patrick Amedori, Chris Egan, Rebecca Gayheart, Gale Harold, Joanne Kelly, Margarita Levieva and John Allen Nelson. March 12, 2006From Video Business Online comes a report that the Showtime video unit will be dissolved: "Due to reverberations from the Viacom split, Showtime is dismantling its home entertainment division, say sources. One of the last titles the Showtime division will distribute is Queer as Folk: The Final Season, streeting May 9. After that, all Showtime Network DVD releases are expected to be managed by the CBS consumer products group. Paramount Home Entertainment distributes all CBS disc content, including Survivor, Amazing Race and now Showtime’s material. CBS and Showtime declined comment."The reviews for Rhinoceros Eyes are rolling in as Aaron Woodley's film is finally released in Canada:Jim Slotek of the Toronto Sun writes, "In 2003, Aaron Woodley wowed the Toronto International Film Festival with his debut feature Rhinoceros Eyes. It was an animation-enhanced psychological horror film that evoked the oeuvre of his uncle David Cronenberg -- only funnier. His "Discovery Award" for best new filmmaker in hand, Woodley then sat back and watched his film and his life turn into a psychological horror show of its own. "In a nutshell," the 35-year old Woodley says, "after the hype and awards at the film festival, the company that paid for the film and owned it (Madstone Films) went bankrupt and shut down. They'd had a lot of capital and grand plans, they bought a theatre chain and outfitted it digitally. But it was mismanaged and the film disappeared along with the company. I heard it was in the owner's wine cellar where it gathered dust." [read more]Peter Howell of the Toronto Star calls it a " Horrific feast for the eyes" but praises the director's talents. He writes, "It's obvious that writer/director Aaron Woodley has seen the films of his uncle, David Cronenberg, but the real influence likely comes from the exceedingly twisted worlds of Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Delicatessen, Richard Kelly's Donnie Darko and the freaky animations of the Brothers Quay. That's not to take anything away from Woodley, who displays a sureness expected more from a veteran filmmaker than a first-timer." [read more]Slotek reviews the film in a separate article: "Aaron Woodley's first feature film (Canadian in all but its financing) is a terrific digitally-shot expressionist painting with creepy stop-motion animation. Part comedy, part horror and part stream-of-consciousness, the low-budget film betrays influences ranging from retro-maven Guy Maddin to Woodley's own uncle David Cronenberg, all held together by Woodley's own unique spark."It's partly crazy, but still real is the title of Liam Lacey's review. "A cinephile's tribute to the world of make-believe, Woodley's film balances its oddness with an anarchic comedy and the originality of its vision. Woodley is David Cronenberg's nephew, and while it's possible to detect some of the black humour and production-values precision of Uncle Dave, a more important influence is that of his Woodley's mother, costume designer Denise Cronenberg. This is a movie about the terrible need and deep satisfaction of getting the details right." Sharon Gless and Richard Masur will star in Neil Simon's "The Prisoner of Second Avenue" at the Princess Theatre Center for Performing Arts in Decatur, Alabama this Friday. The complicated but hilarious play follows the lives of a married couple struggling to make it in New York City. "It's one of his darker comedies," said Gless, who refers to Simon as the "Shakespeare of comedy." "The couple fight with neighbors, live with garbage stench, are robbed, both lose their jobs, but it ends lovingly." Being a staged radio play, actors will have scripts in hand and set design will be both verbally described and visually created for the audience. For more information, read The Decature Daily or visit The Princess Theatre website. March 6, 2006The Unit premieres tomorrow (Tuesday) on CBS at 9 p.m. and ign.com has an exclusive look at the action-packed opening sequence from the first episode, as well as a couple additional scenes, along with a review from Brian Zoromski. The author writes, "In the premiere episode, newcomer Bob Brown joins Jonas' team as they set out to rescue a hijacked plane filled with European businessmen. Meanwhile, the Unit wives help Bob's wife Kim get acclimated to "unit life" as she struggles with the level of control the Unit has over her personal life. Even though there seems to be a lack of privacy, there are still secrets in the Unit that need to be kept private." Gale Harold will appear in episode 9 of the series.Reviews of The Unit appear to be mixed. Rob Owen of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes, "When you know a pilot episode was written by acclaimed playwright David Mamet ('Glengarry Glen Ross') and executive produced by TV veteran Shawn Ryan ('The Shield'), you expect something more than 'The Agency' meets 'Desperate Housewives.' Yet that's an apt description of CBS's 'The Unit' (9 p.m. Tuesday, CBS), a not-awful but not-great drama about special forces soldiers and their wives." Owen goes on to say that the show feels "constructed and plotted" and is never as real as "The Shield."
Barry Garron of the Hollywood Reporter has a more favourable view of the series, based soley on the premiere. Garron writes, "'The Unit' is filled with thrilling action and heart-pounding adventure. What's more, it expands the scope of the drama by including military wives, depicted here as being as courageous and steely nerved in their own way as their husbands. Mamet's best known dramas often wrestle with the nature of the human condition or the impact of contemporary culture. In the premiere, at least, such philosophical musings take a back seat to a meat-and-potatoes style of entertainment (like Mamet's less well known scripts for "The Untouchables" or "Ronin"), that is no less satisfying." He also praises the work of those behind the scenes. "Excellent editing and cinematography maximize the impact of otherwise ordinary special effects. Direction manages to impart thrills while avoiding most of the action cliches."More casting news for " Vanished": Rebecca Gayheart will be joining the ensemble. If you watched Beverly Hills 90210 back in the 90s like I did, you'll remember her as Toni Marchette, who married Dylan and then was tragically killed by her own father. More recently, she appeared on the series "Dead Like Me." No word on who she'll be playing in the Fox drama, but let's hope her longevity as a character has improved!According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, at Sir Elton John’s 14th annual Oscar party benefiting the Elton John AIDS Foundation last night, Peter Paige and Scott Lowell had a mini-reunion.Speaking of Scott, the new March Q&A is up at scottlowell.com, along with the 'teaser' that Scott is looking into doing podcasts for the site." In the Life," a gay and lesbian newsmag on PBS, hosted its sixth annual party and fundraising event at Pressure in Union Square, which this time seized the opportunity to celebrate the many sexually diverse characters nominated for Academy Awards. Guests making the red carpet entrance were greeted by a Joan Rivers impersonator; guest host for the event was comedienne Judy Gold. She offered her trademark barbs from beneath one of several 21-ft movie screens. Honorary hosts included Bill Brochtrup, Kate Clinton, Sharon Gless, Lesley Gore, Billy Porter, though only the latter three were actually present. The refrain on everyone's lips at this event was "Brokeback, Brokeback." As Gold put it, "Why is playing gay considered the biggest stretch for a straight actor? The movie is basically just a love story." Her query reflected the tenor of the event, which was upscale and polished, heavy on opinionated discourse and light on flamboyant fussiness.Those who followed the development of Rhinoceros Eyes, and updates here on my news page about Aaron Woodley's involvement with Madstone Films -- the company ceased operations as of June 2004 -- will be interested in this account from the Toronto Star of independent cinema at its most bizarre, which, ironically, seems to fit the mood of the film itself. March 4, 2006queerplanet is holding an Exclusive Competition... you can win a signed copy of a Queer as Folk script and $250! Every month queerplanet will be giving away a fabulous prize and $250 and all you have to do is get your friends to sign up for their newsletter. This month's competition closes on March 31. The winner will be announced on April 7. The newsletter sign-up form includes a field "Who recommended you?" so make sure your friends enter your email address. Here's the sign-up form.Luis Moro, producer of " The Unseen," sent me (and several other webmasters, I believe) an email asking for support with his independent filmmaking efforts (LuisMoroProductions.com). He wanted to let fans know that movie posters are now available for The Unseen and other films he has produced. He and his team are "dilengly working on getting THE UNSEEN released in theatres. We have some opportunites, but are not willing to settle for anything less; that what’s fair to the fans, films cast and ideally for us as indie filmmakers. We do expect to have the film available in theatres and no less than DVD by the second half of this year." To purchase a poster of the movie featuring Gale Harold and Michelle Clunie (Melanie on QAF), visit the website for a link to the posters page.More casting news for Gale's new series, " Vanished" on the Fox network: John Allen Nelson ("24") has joined the cast of the drama pilot, about the search for a senator's wife (Joanne Kelly) who goes missing as part of a larger conspiracy, as told through the eyes of law enforcement, family members and the media. Nelson will play said senator in the 20th Century Fox Television-based hour, which Mimi Leder is directing from a script by creator Josh Berman. Chris Egan, Gale Harold and Margarita Levieva also star.From LOGO online: Who will be the next great LGBT filmmaker? The Click List: Best in Short Film goes in search of the next Joel Schumacher and John Cameron Mitchell with this collection of short films. Each film will be presented in its entirety, supplemented with brief filmmaker bios, their influences, and some techniques; further detail will be available at LOGOonline. Also at LOGOonline, viewers will rate each film, and at the end of the season the winning films will be announced on the air and online. Look for "Billy's Dad is a Fudge-Packer" with Robert Gant (you can watch a clip of the film at LOGOonline as well).Here are the Canadian release dates for Rhinoceros Eyes (starring Gale Harold as Detective Barbara): Toronto, March 10th; Vancouver, March 24th; Montreal, April 14th; followed by runs in Calgary, Edmonton, Victoria, Ottawa, Winnipeg and Kingston. Check local listings for theatres and show times. FABULOUS! THE STORY OF QUEER CINEMA is a documentary that charts the evolution of independent gay and lesbian cinema. From experimental filmmakers of the 40’s and 50’s to underground filmmakers of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, to the break-through "New Queer Cinema" of the 90’s and the cutting-edge gay filmmakers of today. The documentary features directors Todd Haynes ("Poison"), Jennie Livingston ("Paris is Burning"), Ang lee ("Brokeback Mountain") and our very own Emmett (aka Peter Paige, "Say Uncle") as well as John Cameron Mitchell, John Waters, and Angela Robinson; actors Guinevere Turner, Alan Cumming, and Heather Matarazzo; producer Christine Vachon; and journalists Michael Musto, B. Ruby Rich, and Alonso Duralde - all waxing eloquent on the movies queer audiences are lucky to have. The story of gay and lesbian cinema is closely related to the world surrounding it, and the use of popular culture is a backdrop against which the film examines important cultural, political and social moments and movements that intersect with gay life. |
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