Robert Gant welcomed fans to his new message board with a new post last week:
Welcome to "Be the Change." As you may already know, the title comes from one of my favorite quotes. Ghandi said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world." I endeavor more and more to live my life that way and wanted to create a meeting place that might have the opportunity to grow into a place that promoted healing and kindness and fun, among other things. In truth, ANYTHING goes. Don't edit yourself. Say what you feel (perhaps while maintaining some modicum of kindness and mutual respect!), and have a good time. I look forward to popping in on occasion to let you know what's up on my end of things.

Global TV in Canada is airing a new series called "Wild Card", starring Joely Fisher, and featuring some familiar faces from QAF: Marnie McPhail (Rita Montgomery -- she played Hunter's/Jimmy's mother); Noam Jenkins (Guillaume -- Lindsay's French-speaking colleague and short-time fiancé), Bruce Gray (George Schickel), Sherry Miller (Jennifer Taylor), Chris Potter (Dr. Dave), and the actress who shrieked, "Professor Bruckner!" in episode 218 when Ben collapsed in front of his university class (she's also in the Nestle "Crispers" commercials). Worth checking out, if only to say, "Hey, there's (fill in the blank)!!"

The Particles of Truth website now allows you to sign up for updates and news. Visit the Contact Us page, or submit your email address to info@particlesoftruth.com to be added to the list.

A reminder that Monday, December 1st is World AIDS Day, and Season 2 of Jawbreaker is premiering on PrideVision with a one-hour special dealing with living with HIV /AIDS and the advances and changes in treatments that have occurred over the years. It airs at 10:30pm EST / 7:30pm PST and is hosted by Brad Fraser, a writer and executive editor on QAF. For anyone who has Rogers Digital Cable but doesn't subscribe to the PrideVision channel, it is being offered FREE between December 1st and 7th.

A few random photos of some QAF faces. In order, from left to right below:

• Harris Allan at the 2003 Shine Awards, October 18, 2003, The House of Blues in Los Angeles, CA
• Hal Sparks at the VH1 Big in 2003 - Arrivals, November 20, 2003, Universal Amphitheater, Universal City, CA
• Sharon Gless with Tyne Daly at CBS at 75 - Commemorating CBS'S 75th Anniversary - Arrivals, November 2, 2003, The Hammerstein Theater, New York City, NY
• Michelle Clunie, Liberty Awards 30th Anniversary Celebration, September 10, 2003, The Egyptian Theater, Hollywood, CA

One of these Producers is Salty Features, LLC: Salty Features is an independent film production company based in New York and founded in January, 2003 by producing partners Eva Kolodner and Yael Melamede. Kolodner, formerly of Killer Films, produced the Academy Award-winning Boys Don't Cry. During her five years at Killer, Kolodner also worked on such independent film classics as Kids, I Shot Andy Warhol, Safe, Kiss Me Guido, Safe Men, and Happiness. In 2000, as head of production at Madstone Films, Kolodner produced Madstone's first feature, Rhinoceros Eyes, which won the prestigious Discovery Award at the 2003 Toronto Film Festival. Melamede, who began her career as an architect and moved into film production in 1996, has worked on Wayne Wang's The Center of the World, Paul Schrader's Forever Mine, and Paul Aster's Lulu on the Bridge. Melamede also co-produced the feature documentary My Architect, directed by Nathaniel Kahn, which is currently in release by New Yorker Films and is a finalist for a Feature Documentary Oscar nomination.

See more of Eva Kolodner with Gale Harold (who played a detective in Rhinoceros Eyes) on the red carpet at the 2002 "Festival Schmooze" at the Toronto International Film Festival. And, speaking of Madstone, there's a new photo of Chep on their Rhinoceros Eyes page.

Sharon Gless gets a mention in the The Sydney Morning Herald today. "Women in uniform: TV's top female cops" written by Michael Idato, mentions Cagney and Lacey (1982-1988): "Sharon Gless and Tyne Daly played police partners Christine Cagney and Mary Beth Lacey in this feelgood but smart cop series. Gless is the best remembered of the three actresses who played Cagney (Loretta Swit appeared in the 1981 telemovie and Meg Foster in the 1982 pilot)."

New post from Robert Gant on his message forum: "So we’re gonna start something new with the chat board concept. Because chat boards lack organization to some extent, I thought that a forum might serve everyone a bit better. The forum will be called "Be the Change" after the Ghandi quote, "Be the change you wish to see in the world." I hope that ultimately it will be a place that will lend itself to widely varying discussions ranging from the political to the trivial, from the provocative to the silly. Because it’s a lot to tackle with respect to organization, I’ve asked KC to help out Donna with the moderating duties. I look forward to your participation in the forum and ultimately to everyone just having a good time. All the best from Toronto! I’ll see you in “Be the Change!" Bobby :)

From Online NewsHour: Gays on TV:

The Awards have finally been posted to the Queens International Film Fest site, and congratulations are in order! "Best Actor" went to Blake Gibbons, and "Best Director Award" to Henry Leroy Finch, for their respective work on the film Wake. Way to go! As I mentioned before, the Photo Gallery is still under construction, but keep an eye out for pictures from the event!

Carlo Rota (Vance Gardner) participated in a Motion Picture Industry Charitable Alliance (MPICA) event this past October in Toronto (LCA-Take 6!) that raised $70,000 Canadian for two special charities. Chris McCallan photographed many of the celebrities on hand, and caught the versatile actor in a couple of Kodak moments:
Photo #1 - Lights, Camera, Auction!
Photo #2 - Love the jacket!

Beginning November 24th, The Mike Bullard Show will be seen five nights a week at midnight on the Global Television Network. The show will be taped nightly, in front of a studio audience, at the new Global Theatre on the Esplanade in Toronto. Keep an eye on the guest list for familiar names. While no QAF actors are lined up yet, fans of Trading Spaces might be interested in knowing that carpenter Ty Pennington will be a guest on the premiere show. ;) Broadcast times are as follows:
    Ontario/Quebec/British Columbia - 12:05am
    Maritimes/Manitoba/Saskatchewan/Alberta - 12am

POP (1999) is the story of two "with-it" young physicists, Nick and Nora (Peter Paige and Elisa Donovan), who are on a desperate search for their friend Hugo (Michael Fetters), a math nerd from the lab where they all work. He has vanished with his new love-interest, a fashionable girl from Mars. Hugo is suspected of making off with a mysterious high-tech secret from the lab called the "Fat-Boy Numeral", which is... well, obviously that's top secret until the end of the movie. Also hot on the trail for Hugo is a sinister executive from the lab with her pair of goons, as well as another matched set of G-men (government thugs) in black. Suffice it to say that everyone is on Hugo's track, "like flies on rice," as one character puts it. The rest can best be described as "style". POP is an absurd dash through a stylish world of uncommon characters and even less common plot twists. Filled with humor and wit, the story unfolds amidst striking visual sets and an original soundtrack of Mambo, Swing and Space-Age POP. The film is available from indiedvd.com.

DVDtalk.com's Gil Jawetz's review is as entertaining as I expect the movie to be: "The thing that makes Pop stand out is that nearly everyone in it seems to have internalized the rhythms and feel of some weird swingin' alternate universe. They speak in groovy slang and wear styling outfits but there's a feel and sensibility to the way they carry themselves as well. The two leads in particularly are really effective. Paige is snappy and sarcastic, approaching nearly every situation, no matter how absurd, with a "seen it all" attitude. He really gets to show off his witty side here. Between this role and his role on Queer as Folk this guy has the sharp-tongued sass-mouthed hipster all wrapped up." [read more]

Here's an interesting site for fans who collect DVD sets of their favorite TV shows, with a fairly comprehensive Release Date schedule (including QAF): TVshowsOnDVD.com.

Piers Handling, director of the Toronto International Film Festival, is planning to leave that position and assume duties as the CEO of the Toronto International Film Festival Group. Peter Howell of the Toronto Star reports that the organization is quietly looking for a new director to fill the spot, which will be fully vacated by Handling in a few years when the new Festival Centre opens in the city. The move is apparently part of a plan to position the event as the most important festival in the world. Handling was pegged as a very smart man by many Gale Harold and Aaron Woodley fans when he chose "Rhinoceros Eyes" as one of his top three picks for films to look out for at this year's festival. Speaking about Aaron Woodley, he said, "Being David Cronenberg's nephew doesn't hurt but this first feature, centering on a youth who works in a prop shop and which mixes fantasy and horror, sounds more than intriguing."

Robert Hall has confirmed via Hal's Lair that the Hal Sparks band will be playing in Atlanta on November 28th at 9:00pm for the "Drivin' N' Cryin'" event at the Coca-Cola Roxy Theatre, Atlanta's premiere concert venue, with another possible gig the following night (Saturday, Nov. 29th) at a local club. Order tickets to the Roxy event here.

Chad Allen

Lauren has posted a recap of her trip to Toronto to see This Is Our Youth, where she met Fab Filippo and Gale Harold, among others. Check out her scrapbook and much more on her many pages!

Liz has updated her Intense site, featuring beautiful fan art... check out the fabulous wallpapers & icons, including some incredible non-QAF items as well.

Ever wondered what kind of preparation is required for a TV series like Queer As Folk to do a

Paramount Home Video has rescheduled the release of the DVD edition of Bang, Bang You're Dead featuring Randy Harrison for January 27, 2004. It can be preordered for $20.99 at Amazon.com (U.S. and Canada only due to Region 1 encoding), or at for $16.97 with free shipping.

HalSparks.com is coming soon. You can send fan mail to Hal at: fanmail@halsparks.com.

Carlo Rota (Gardner Vance) appeared briefly online last week joking, "I don't know where the be-jesus I have been. Perhaps I was taken up for a while." He also questioned the photos of himself that are being used on the Carlo Rota message forum. "What's going on with the new banners? Should I investigate the 'hair-loss one?'" You and Rodney Dangerfield, Mr. Rota. No respect. LOL

Queer As Fodder...
QAF director/writer Paris Barclay was spotted last Thursday night at Bistro 990, a notorious stomping ground for major Hollywood stars, while Sharon Gless (Debbie) dined at La Bruschetta in Little Italy. Friends of Randy Harrison gathered on Saturday night the week before for the actor's birthday celebrations (he turned 26 earlier this month). Harris Allan (Hunter) has been spending time with other musically-inclined friends, namely Hal Sparks (with whom he is friendly both on- and off-set) and Colin Farrell, with whom he worked on his latest film (A Home at the End of the World). The two have reportedly been pal-ing around Toronto and Harris' home town of Vancouver. Rumor has it that things didn't go too smoothly at the Vanity Fair shoot; in addition to the plethora of paparazzi trying anything and everything to get a photo of the stars, including climbing on the roof, it seems that some of the participants have taken issue with the fact that only one of the actors featured on the cover is actually openly gay. I was under the impression that the cover story was about gay-themed television shows, and the social/cultural impact of the current "queer" fascination among a large portion of the straight tv-viewing audience, not specifically about gay actors. But hey, that's just me.

There were screenings for two of Gale Harold's indies this weekend, Particles of Truth and Wake, at The Milwaukee Film Festival and the Queens International Film Festival, respectively. While producers Susie Landau-Finch and Henry LeRoy Finch were not in attendance for the latter, the Landaus were represented by Susie's aunt, sister of actor Martin Landau (who also appears in the film). Many who had not seen the film before were incredibly impressed with Gale's performance in this rather dark and gritty tale. A brief Q&A was held following the screening, during which viewers were informed that a DVD is in the works and will likely be available sometime in the new year. Apparently there will be some entertaining clips of Gale included in the 'extra' footage, which we are looking forward to! Keep an eye on the official website for Awards announcements and updates to the photo gallery (both are still under construction). For upcoming screenings/airings of P.O.T., here is a brief schedule for next month and beyond:

Santa Fe Film Festival:
 December 5, 8:30pm at CinemaCafe
 December 6, 12:30pm at CinemaCafe

Anchorage Film Festival:
 December 11 - 21
(screening schedule will be available later this month)

UPDATED TIMES:
Sundance channel:
 Saturday, December 13: 9:00pm
 Tuesday, December 16: 11:00pm
 Wednesday, December 17: 9:00pm
 Friday, December 26: 8:05am AND 5:30pm
 Thursday, January 1: 12:35am

Santa Barbara International Film Festival:
 January 30 - February 8, 2004
(tickets go on sale January 7, 2004)

Fans of Hal Sparks should check out a brand new site created by Mick: Sparksfan.com

For the fifth consecutive year, Cameron Hughes and Friends are taking action For the Love of Breasts. More than 1,100 young professionals are expected to join Cameron at this fundraising event at the York Event Theatre on Saturday, November 22nd. Net proceeds will be donated to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. Many other celebrity guests will be in attendance to show their support, such as

Robert Hall (Hal Sparks' bassist and director of Lightning Bug) has posted some more news on Hal's Lair. There are tentative plans for the band to play Atlanta on November 28th for the "Drivin' N' Cryin'" event at the Roxy Theatre, and another possible gig the following night (Saturday, Nov. 29th) at a local club. Hal is apparently working on his new site, where fans will soon be able to see a brand new video from the band, shot at the Viper Room, and download the song "Animal" as well. Robert thanked everyone for the support they've shown to the three of them (Hal, Robert and Miles) and asked fans to stay tuned to the Lair for more details! Speaking of which... Hal's Lair will be revamped the weekend of December 12th-14th. Fans can visit the announcement section on the site for more information.

Reports are trickling in from the Scott Lowell convention this past weekend in Toronto. If you want the scoop on what Scott was like and what happened at their dinner, get it directly from the Sco-Lo adventurers themselves, in the convention thread at the forum on Scott's site.

Thanks to a heads up from Andy... here is a photo of

Art imitating... art?
On Playmakers, ESPN's pro football drama, Thad Guerwitcz, the gay receiver who was blackmailed by Cougars owner Gene Wilbanks (played by Bruce Gray, ex-George Schickel on QAF) into going on injured reserve after being outed on the practice field by his lover, returns to the team. Accompanying him is the cast of "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy." They give the entire team a makeover, and the Cougars' new colors of pink, glitter and fuchsia are the hit of the league. Guerwitcz uses his All-Pro status to negotiate a crossover role on "Queer as Folk," so he can be on at least one cable show where it's cool to be gay. [Read the full story]. Another QAF connection is that Playmakers' hairstylist is none other than Clara Dinunzio, who was the stylist for QAF in season 3.

A fun quote from Patrick Antosh about Robert Gant: "Bobby is the easiest person to dress. I mean, the guy's built like a horse. He's just got that perfect body, so anything off the rack fits. There's a conscious effort to cover up his body a lot of the times to keep the scene from turning sexual. When Michael and Ben go to bed at night, somebody's got a shirt on if there's a serious matter going on in their life. That's so that you don't feel a sexual tension. There are other times when things are very smooth and you'll see them walking around in Jockey shorts or whatever." To see Bobby modelling Body Body wear, check out the SoGayTV interview.

Destination Foundation, the charity for which Michelle Clunie is a spokesperson, is hosting a Post-Runway event on Thursday, November 20th from 6pm to 9pm at The Clift Hotel, 495 Geary Street, San Francisco, in the Spanish Suite on the 15th Floor. If you missed "Runway" in May, you now have the opportunity to get your hands on your very own Runway design at the Cocktail Party and Auction.

Particles of Truth will be premiering on the Sundance Channel December 13 at 9pm as part of the annual "New Voices" series. Acknowledging that films from talented emerging filmmakers can "fall through the cracks" of the current distribution system, the Sundance Channel says, "the most exciting discoveries are often those first-time features that announce the arrival of compelling new voices." Check the schedule page for more information.

It's a kilt, not a skirt...
More pictures of Hal Sparks from the Celebrities Bare Legs For Dewar's Dressed To Kilt Charity Event in Los Angeles at rexfeatures.com.

From southernvoice.com comes Queer TV in cleats by Matthew A. Hennie - It’s a bold plan by a network built on the loyalty of meat-and-potato sports fans: Create an original program that spends portions of at least three episodes exploring the painful struggle a closeted professional athlete undergoes. But ESPN did just that with its 11-episode run of "Playmakers," which debuted Aug. 26 and wraps up its first season this month. The hour-long drama focuses on a fictitious professional football team called the Cougars. The show pulls no punches. In the gay subplot, "Playmakers" and ESPN strike gold. It’s a cross between the "ripped from the headlines" approach of NBC’s successful "Law & Order" franchise and the frankness of Showtime’s "Queer as Folk." In the end, viewers see the agonizing choices Guerwitcz faces. The resolution isn’t pretty.

Season 2 of Jawbreaker with QAF scribe Brad Fraserpremieres on World Aids Day, Monday, December 1st, with a special one hour program dealing with living with HIV /AIDS. PrideVision is looking for questions/comments, to be read and used on the premiere of Jawbreaker. Please email your submissions to drkeith@pridevisiontv.com, or fax them to 416-979-1300. Guests include Dr. Mark Wainberg, Director of the McGill AIDS Centre at McGill University and Director of Research, Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, A pioneer in HIV research in Canada and an internationally recognized scientist in AIDS research. Dr. Wainberg will be present to answer viewer's guestions/emails about new AIDS treatments.

Also on PrideVision TV is The Crystal Lite Show, which airs Sundays at 8:30pm EST. Season 2 begins LIVE taping on Thursday, November 13. If you plan to be in Toronto, head on down to Zipperz/Cell Block (72 Carlton Street near the northeast corner of Church and Carlton) by 8:30pm on Thursdays throughout the next months to get the best seats and a chance at seeing some of the QAF actors.

If you are interested in seeing the footage from the 9-minute DVD that is included in the new QAF Book, JenR has made it available for download here. It's in Windows Media format, and is about 6.6 MB. Thanks, Jen! This is a real treat for those of us who haven't got our hands on a copy yet! Many more clips are available from Andrea's media site, including the recent Vanity Fair segments on Entertainment Tonight and Extra, on the miscellaneous clips page (scroll down to the bottom for the more recent clips). Thanks, Andrea!

For fans of the UK version of QAF, xof has created an archive of 56 sound files from the Definitive DVD Collection (no small task!). These sounds are from the commentary portions of the DVDs and also from deleted scenes. You get to hear Aidan Gillen, Craig Kelly, Russell Davies, Antony Cotton and Denise Black talking to each other - often times having a go at each other's expense! The files are in Wave format, and should work on any connection speed; please right-click and save them to your computer so as not to overload the server. Here's the link: www.qaf-fic.com/xof/funstuff.html.

According to a yahoo biz article, the cast of the QAF will be wearing True Religion Brand Jeans in season 4. True Religion Apparel, formerly Gusana Explorations, manufactures high-end denimwear. Says CEO Jeffrey Lubell,

Is it hot in here, or is it just THEM?
December's Vanity Fair is finally hitting the shelves, with "TV's Gay Heat Wave" as the cover story. As reported earlier, Gale is front and center on the cover, in the 'white' layout. Gale and Randy are posed together in another group shot, where the actors are dressed in black, leaning against a chain-link fence. Peter, Scott, Sharon, Hal, Bobby and Thea are also featured in the layout. Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood and Extra all featured the story last night; it seems that the paparazzi were quite zealous, trying anything and everything to get a glimpse of the shoot, or anyone coming out of the building. Thanks to Chris for the scans, which I've edited here.

In the October 28 issue of The Advocate, there's an interview with Boy George and Euan Morton, the actor who plays him in the new Broadway show "Taboo." The article says that Morton's previous stage credits include a workshop production of a musical version of Queer As Folk. In an item dated June 5, 2003, originally posted at whatsonstage.com, Euan's unofficial website had this to say about the workshop based on QAF-UK:

Queer as Folk Flaunts Musical Ambitions???
Channel 4's Queer as Folk provides the inspiration for a new musical that's touting for a West End premiere. Set in modern Manchester, the television drama serial follows the lives of three gay men as they cruise the clubs of Canal Street. The screen version starred Aidan Gillen, Craig Kelly and Charlie Hunnam. Last week at The Venue, the former home of Taboo, the Queer as Folk stage adaptation was given a workshop presentation, featuring Taboo's Euan Morton and Paul Baker (who won this year's Best Supporting Olivier for his turn as Philip Salon in the Boy George musical) as well as Contact's Michael Praed. The production is directed by former West Yorkshire Playhouse artistic director Jude Kelly.

Robert Hall (Hal's Bassist and Writer / Director of Lightning Bug) reports that he is very pleased everyone seems to like the film so far (Hal plays Deputy Dale). "It was nerve wracking showing it for the first time," he says. "The survey cards helped and people really took time to tell me what they thought. Overall everyone loves it but thinks it's a little too long. I may look in to trimming some scenes out. That's always hard, but a nessesity to hold an audience's attention." Both Hal and Robert have been doing press for the movie, and Laura Prepon appeared on Conan O'Brian the other night to talk about it as well. The buzz is building, and Robert promises to keep fans abreast of what's happening festival-wise. Almost Human, Robert's special makeup effects company, hosted a Halloween Party (Dia de Los Muertos) at their studios in Culver City, CA Friday night. Check out the costumes at wireimage.com. Robert's dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp's character in Pirates of the Carribean) and Hal is a ghoulish being! If you'd rather see him wearing a kilt, check out the Celebrities Bare Legs for Dewar's Dressed to Kilt Charity Event at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles last night, also at wireimage.com.

"The hardest part is breaking it to the Americans. The poor dears stumble up here with such high hopes. They’ve seen Queer As Folk and they want a big, glitzy dance bar," says Brent Ledger in his article for Xtra!. "What Toronto doesn’t have (but desperately needs) are dance clubs that are woven into the fabric of the local scene. The city lacks the energy that once went by the code name 'disco'." Read "I love the nightlife, I love to boogie".

The November 2003 issue of Instinct magazine features an interview with

What does Peter think of the Queer Eye rage that's going on? "I think it's great. I've heard people say it's sort of like a minstrel show, and my whole thing is that it's only a minstrel show if you're ashamed of effeminate gay men. If you're not ashamed of effeminacy, then it's not a minstrel show. What I love about it is that it has a really generous spirit about it. They're really excited to help these guys, the guys are really excited to be helped: it takes on something really positive. It's not Oh, look at these idiots or Oh, these fags are coming in to blow dry my hair."

When asked about Colin Farrell: "He's too little. I stood next to him in a hallway, and I was like, I could put you in my pocket........He's just that little. Lit-tle."

Peter also reveals that he has a new boyfriend.