November 30, 2007

Drew Finnie, who appeared as an extra in several episodes of QAF, has made his debut on the Canadian drama series "Whistler" on CTV (sorry, this news is a bit late as Drew's first episode aired last Saturday, November 24th). Drew writes, "It's my first scripted role and I will be performing with the show’s female lead, Amanda Crew, who worked with Harris Allan ("Hunter" on QAF) in Final Destination 3. Though it's a small role, it's important to the story line of the episode. I filmed it at Whistler's Uphill Studios near Vancouver last April. While I was there, I also did some additional background work in the Whistler episode that will be shown December 1st with Adam Harrington, who played Connor James in four episodes of QAF in seasons 4 and 5." Ben Mulroney (eTalk, Canadian Idol) also guest stars in that episode. Both episodes will likely be broadcast in the U.S. on The-N (an MTV speciality channel) sometime this winter.

On December 16th, Robert Gant ("Ben" on QAF) will attend "Home for the Holidays," a free Open House GLASS Youth & Family Services Holiday Brunch. GLASS is an agency delivering social and health care services to self-identified GLBT and HIV/AIDS impacted youth. The event will be held at the Wilton House GLASS Foster Youth Group Home, located at 1816 N Wilton Avenue in Hollywood, California. For more information about this event, visit The GLASS website.

Speaking of Robert... you may not recognize the voice in this clip, but you can't miss that beautiful smile!

Sharon Gless ("Debbie" on QAF) will go topless in an upcoming episode of Nip/Tuck. The 64-year-old actress will play a Hollywood agent trying to win a date with TV surgeon Sean (Dylan Walsh) - and attempts to charm him by asking him to judge her breasts. Gless says, "I do have the opportunity to reach in and expose my breasts, which I'm going to do and I'm sort of looking forward to it." Check out this short clip to see more.

Uncut Magazine (UK) has just released "Uncut's Best Of 2007" including the 20 Best Music DVDs of 2007. "Scott Walker - 30 Century Man" made it to #4 on the list.

Bostonians Amy Matheny and Peter Mavrik write about Toronto (and give a nod to Queer As Folk) in an article for The Windy City Times, talking about the similarities of the two cities.

Back in September, Scott Lowell filmed a Public Service Announcement about global warming titled "Scuba Man" where Scott is a family man who starts his workday by donning a mask, snorkel and flippers to head to the bus stop. The video tells viewers not to wait for global warming's effects to take place, but to "do your part today". The PSA can be viewed MathieuYoung.com photography site.

Queer As Folk: The Complete Series DVD box set is now out in stores. The bonus features include the reunion luncheon held earlier this year with several of the cast members, and hosted by Ant, who asked the actors to talk about their current projects (most of which I've been reporting on here). During the luncheon, Peter Paige asks if everyone around the table could take a moment to toast the other QAF actors "who we miss and love dearly" and who weren't there that day; the actors begin naming them: Gale Harold, Randy Harrison, Jack Wetherall, Sherry Miller, Bruce Gray, Harris Allan, Dean Armstrong, Nancy Sakovich, etc. They proceed to toast their fellow actors.

The other time Gale's name comes up during the luncheon is when Daniel Lipman explains the genesis of the 'sex meetings' on set. "Having this kind of show with this kind of sex almost every episode had never been done before," Dan explains. "I remember the reason Sheila Hockin (our wonderful producer in Toronto) and I thought of this because we were on the set at two o'clock in the morning, in a hospital scene in the first season where Ted was coming out of his coma and Brian was there and he had sex with the nurse. We had to get out of that set location in 45 minutes, and we were running out of time, and as I recall, the guy that we had hired to be the nurse, that Brian was having sex with, said "Well I was never told what I had to do. I'm not doing this." And then Gale Harold had this wardrobe on, it looked like a big diaper, he pulled his pants down and I said, 'Oh my god, this is a disaster!' So what we did was, we said every time we have a sex scene we have to go over it with the ADs, the director, [discuss] what wardrobe, what we're saying, what we feel comfortable with... and it really worked out."

What did you think of Gale's performance on Grey's Anatomy this week? The reaction from many of the viewers I've spoken to seems to be positive, although the show itself doesn't seem to be winning over any new fans. For some great screen captures of the episode, visit the Princess of Babylon website. The 2-part story arc continues the week after next, on December 6, 2007.

MAD Film Gab is the official podcast of MADAboutMovies.net and features discussions on film, entertainment and the occasional review. Listen to a two-part interview with director, writer, producer and actress of "Falling for Grace" (and Gale Harold's co-star) Fay Ann Lee.

SW30 continues to make the festival rounds with new upcoming dates including the International Gijon Film Festival.

I don't often promote fan websites or online fiction here, but a talented friend of mine, Brian Hennessey is writing a new vampire story called "Indifference" which he is posting as a series on his LiveJournal. In my opinion, this is a unique and intriguing tale, and I strongly encourage you to check it out. It is not 'fan fiction', but Brian often casts familiar faces as the main characters in his stories, and once again, Gale Harold is the inspiration for the lead. Read his introduction and take a look at the first chapter over on his LiveJournal.

Speaking of vamps... for those who have been looking forward to season 2 of Torchwood, it will begin airing on BBC America starting January 26th, 2008. James Marsters ("Spike" on Buffy the Vampire Slayer) is rumoured to have some steamy scenes with Captain Jack early in the season.

David Wiegand of The San Francisco Chronicle reviews some of the new DVD box sets on the market, including Cagney & Lacey: Season One. "It says something when the DVD release of a 1982 cop drama is first announced, then delayed, and fans go justifiably nuts. On paper, 'Cagney & Lacey' seems like something that could have only been conceived by TV writers: Two female New York cops, one a dark-haired married mom, the other a perky single blonde, team up and catch bad guys. Except, of course, the show is much better than that, thanks largely to magnificent performances by Sharon Gless as Chris Cagney and Tyne Daly as Mary Beth Lacey. Toward the end of its run, the show tried a bit too hard for more depth, giving Cagney a drinking problem, but in its first season, with guests such as Conchata Ferrell ("Two and a Half Men"), and a superb supporting cast - Carl Lumbly, Martin Kove, Al Waxman, Sidney Clute as cops and John Karlen as Mary Beth's blue-collar husband. The series was created by two women, and several of the episodes are directed by women. If anyone thinks 'PC' means boring, watch 'C&L' and think again. The plots aren't rocket science, but the characterization is incredibly rich, with Daly torn between her home and work life, and Gless proving a woman can be tough and smart as well as beautiful. There were several earlier episodes, not included here, pairing Daly with Meg Foster. No matter: Gless and Daly are forever 'Cagney & Lacey.'"

In a review for BroadwayWorld.com, David E. Lane heaps praise on Jack Wetherall in his current one-man play Tunney/Shakespeare in Six Rounds. "Jack Wetherall shows Tunney's passion for the subject and his delight in having the opportunity to mold the minds of the college men as he spews out his philosophy on success, life, and attitude. He adopts the professorial demeanor and ambulates naturally as if in front of an auditorium, delivering his lectures in a conversational style. While it is a one-man show, this conveys the feeling of a larger cast as Wetherall makes eye contact and connects with members of the audience. When he asked a rhetorical question, someone in the front row raised his hand to answer! There is a realistic quality to his portrayal which he achieves with minimal external assistance."

Another review in the Boston.com isn't quite as positive, but does have a nice picture of Jack in character. Louise Kennedy writes, "Wetherall, who has championed the play and first brought it to Merrimack artistic director Charles Towers's attention, works hard to make Lane's Tunney into a dynamic, engaging character. He uses the light step and jabbing fists of a boxer to move around the stage, doing his best to create the feeling that we're watching a retired boxer in a Yale lecture hall of the 1950s as he explains how Shakespeare changed his life."

According to the Winnipeg Sun, Jack Wetherall isn't the only former Queer As Folk actor taking to the stage these days. Mike Shara, who played Brett Keller, the Hollywood Producer on QAF, takes on the role of Algernon Moncrieff in Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest," at the Manitoba Theatre Centre until December 15, 2007. Shara was also in MTC's Mating Dance of the Werewolf. ("I only do plays that have really long titles.") More recently he's played a fireman on much-hyped CBC comedy Little Mosque on the Prairie (which stars Carlo Rota, who played "Gardner Vance" on QAF) and the son of Easy Rider icon Peter Fonda in TV mystery mini-series The Gathering, which was shot in Toronto but airs only on U.S. network Lifetime.

AfterEllen.com's Dara Nai interviewed Thea Gill about her role on Dante's Cove, and her recent move to Los Angeles. Thea reveals that she's been struggling with LA's emphasis on image and persona, because she prefers to just be herself, and that she's been told to watch her behavior. "So the wild aspects of Thea, or the restless parts of me, have to be tamed a little bit," she says. "And the nice, conservative, sweet girl parts of me have to be heightened." But that won't stop her from being a 'fan' and being genuine with her feelings. [read the interview].