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October 31, 2005
More on the upcoming Chicago Lesbian and Gay International Film Festival from the Chicago Tribune: Many of the Reeling 2005 films feature well-known actors, the barrier against appearing in queer cinema no longer an issue. The most prominent is probably "Transamerica," in which "Desperate Housewives" Emmy-award winner Felicity Huffman plays Bree, the male-to-female transgendered person on the brink of surgery, trying to create a relationship with the troubled teenage son he knew nothing about, during a cross-country road trip. Parker Posey and Saturday Night Live veteran Chris Kattan offer support in another fest offering, the gay romantic comedy "Adam & Steve," as does Sandra Oh in the Canadian film "Wilby Wonderful." Peter Paige, star of "Queer as Folk," makes his writing and directing feature debut with "Say Uncle," with a supporting cast that includes Kathy Najimy of "Sister Act" and Melanie Lynskey. Paige, who also stars in the movie, will appear at the screening and at an after-party event celebrating the film. Robert Gant is scheduled to appear at a benefit concert for Project Angel Food on November 11, 2005. The concert will be held at The Howard Fine Theater, 1445 North Las Palmas Avenue in Hollywood, California. Tickets are $50.00 and are on sale now. For more information, please visit the Project Angel Food website.The Season 2 DVDs will be released at a new low price on January 10, 2006, the same day the Season 5 set comes out, and not this month as originally anticipated.October 27, 2005 See a small picture of Randy Harrison ("Justin") at political humorist Kate Clinton's website. Caption: Kate and the gang at an Empire State Pride Agenda event, including Carson Kressley, Alan Cumming, Mario Cantone, Jimmy Fallon and Randy Harrison. BrainyQuote.com has an alpha index of great quotes from known personalities. Check out Randy's here. (thanks to Drew for this one!)Tired of the same old chat forums? Looking for a place to chat with other fans about Queer As Folk and other gay issues? Check out Babylon forums (note: you must register first). There are even subsections for the North American and United Kingdom versions of the show, and a forum for venting! LOL (thanks Gio). Robert Gant is featured in a couple of magazines this month, including the November 2005 issue of Instinct magazine with Christopher Sieber on the cover; and the latest edition of The Advocate (with the cast of Rent on the cover). Inside, there is a closeup photo of Robert and a half page interview as well.Alliance Atlantis-owned cable net Showcase Television is preparing for a spring 2006 debut of Billable Hours (8x30'), a Canadian legal comedy from Toronto producer/distributor Temple Street Productions. Principal photography is already under way on the series, which will be shooting in Toronto until December 6. Created by Fabrizio Filippo (ex-"Ethan", QaF) and Adam Till (The Human Kazoo), the series is set in a big downtown law firm, Fagen and Harrison. It features a group of over-educated 20-somethings who are smart, trapped and really bored. Filippo will also star in the series as Sam Caponelli, a working class guy who struggled to get where he is, only to find he hates his job. [read more]From the Showtime store online: The "Queer as Folk" 13-month 2006 calendar is a keepsake item for followers of this groundbreaking show. The black cover has the QAF logo along with cast photos across the front. Inside the cover is the old English proverb that inspired the show’s name: "there’s nowt so queer as folk." Each month has a memorable scene and quote from the show. Days of the previous month and the upcoming month are printed along the sides of the current month. Handy 8 1/2" x 5 3/8" size is convenient for home or office.Coming soon is " Thick & Thin," an NBC sitcom about a young divorcée who has lost 60 pounds and struggles to fit in with her chubby family and overweight friends. In the opening scene, we see the woman's mother topping a mountain of cheese with butter as she makes nachos. "Mexicans invented butter," explains the mom, played by real-life weight-battler Sharon Gless of "Cagney & Lacey" fame, to raucous guffaws. At a weight-loss group meeting on the same show, one fat woman laments that she used to be "the thin one" in her circle of friends. "Well, you're fat now, so sit down and shut up!" barks a pal played by plus-sized-and-proud standup comic Loni Love. The fat jokes and blubber exhibitions are gobbling up prime time. [read more]From Gay City News (NYC): The Gay and Lesbian Acting Company Inc. and Spotlight On Productions Present La Contessa’s 2nd Annual Halloween Variety Show and Benefit. Hector Lugo as La Contessa, "The Puerto Rican Dame Edna," is joined by an array of special guests including Billboard dance diva, Lisa Hunt singing her hit "The Joint Is Jumping," featured in the final season of "Queer As Folk." The Gay and Lesbian Acting Company Inc. (GLAC), the only "openly Out acting company" in the Country, is a not-for-profit organization that is dedicated to developing and showcasing new musicals, comedies and dramas by writers, composers, designers, and performance artist whose work promote the advancement, acceptance and understanding of alternative lifestyles in society. For further information visit glac.biz. Tickets are $20 at TheaterMania.com or 212-352-3101. Downstairs At The Monster, 80 Grove Street at Sheridan Square & 7th Avenue. 8 p.m.Thanks to a heads up from "sweetmadamblue", here's a little tale of Peter Paige at Seattle's "R Place Bar" event called "WET!" (a wet underwear contest with a twist). WARNING: Adult site, content not work safe! If you want to read more about Peter's adventures with "mom," click here.Speaking of Peter, he posted a new message to the Connection on his website. He says, "Say Uncle is touring the world - literally - we're in film festivals throughout north america and europe over the next two months, and we'll have more dates in more exotic locales posted soon. check the schedule section for the latest information. even better than that, the film has secured distribution! TLA Releasing, a terrific company, has partnered with Best Little Boy Productions and plans a theatrical art-house release in early 2006 (probably april). i really like the guys at TLA, and am thrilled we'll be working together to get the film out into the world in a meaningful way. beyond SAY UNCLE, i've been doing a fair amount of charity work over the last few months. the world needs all the help it can get, right? if you have a moment, go check out the websites for HABITAT FOR HUMANITY (http://habitat.org) and GLSEN (http://glsen.org) - two terrific organizations that are doing important work. and remember, in the wake of a major disaster like the hurricanes, many people stop giving to their regular charities, so if you're in a position to help out the causes you believe in, now is a great time to do it."From AlmightyRecords.com: Available in November for QAF music fans - The groundbreaking UK anthology series that started a worldwide phenomenon is celebrated with the arrival the dazzling new Almighty, "Ultimate Queer As Folk: The Best Of And More!". It truly is the ultimate, definitive collection of "Queer As Folk" essentials, featuring many new tracks and mixes that have been featured on the show's international editions. Collectors should note that this beautifully packaged double disc set includes exclusive material that was not included in the first two UK soundtrack volumes (both of which are now deleted!). A brilliant, brand-new Almighty remix of the classic DIANA ROSS anthem "I'm Coming Out" debuts on this set, along with the DISCO DIVAZ'S "Free, Gay And Happy", and more. Of course, the "Dr Who" theme, which played such a major part in one of the main story lines of the show, is finally included as well, along with the dazzling PETER PRESTA remix of HEATHER SMALL'S "Proud", the poignant theme from the memorable finale of the long-running American version of this acclaimed series. Classic gay anthems abound, with the first serving up hit after hit after hit in their full, original, unmixed versions. The second disc is the real piece de resistance: THE CANAL STREET megamix, a non-stop mix courtesy of the Almighty team that features the best of the best in terms of Almighty gay club favourites. This is a set that no collector should miss---but that's only part of the story!There's also a second collection, available exclusively through the Almighty website and a handful of selected gay retail outlets throughout the world. This second double-disc set celebrates both the musical history of "Queer As Folk" and the legendary Almighty team who, more than any other international dance production house, have played such an integral part in providing the soundtrack to the most successful gay television program in history. This second volume, entitled "Ultimate Queer As Folk: Almighty 12" Club Mixes", is a special edition fo rcollectors and DJ's that spotlights, for the first time ever, are some of the biggest and best Almighty contributions to gay culture and, more specifically, to the "Queer As Folk" phenomenon worldwide. It is an extremely limited edition package that includes all full, unmixed 12" versions, many of which have never been featured on any CD compilation before. When you check out the complete track listings below, I'm sure you'll agree that these brand new Almighty compilations are truly the 'Ultimate' and the most defiinitive "Queer As Folk" collections ever assembled. On the old DMA rating scale of one-to-ten, both of these double disc sets would recieve entusiastic elevens! FLM!---Dean FergusonOctober 11, 2005 The official website for "The Unseen" featuring Gale Harold and Michelle Clunie has a listing of upcoming screenings of the film here. Sir Howard Stringer of Sony, once head of CBS, and producer Barney Rosenzweig are working together on a 25th-anniversary DVD edition of the groundbreaking Cagney & Lacey" TV series, which starred Tyne Daly and Barney's wife, Sharon Gless. Read more about it here.News from scottlowell.com: On October 13, Scott will be hosting Runway '05, a fundraising event for Destination Foundation. Scott recently did a voice guest role on the animated FOX series "American Dad". And last but not least, the October Q&A is up. Looks like Scott has taken over hosting the QAF cast poker parties that Sharon mentioned on the goodbye to QAF special. Scott replies, "Well, Sharon (who lives mostly in Miami) has passed the 'green felt' on to me and the monthly poker games have indeed continued at my house here in LA. Even better, Sharon is now back among us as she's in town filming Thick and Thin her new NBC sitcom. So far I've been able to see most of the gang quite often and hope to continue to."Speaking of Sharon... there's a new article at ETonline.com about Hollywood's Weight Obsession, where Sharon talks about her own struggle, and her new show Thick and Thin. "It is fascinating, because it has a message in it: be careful what you wish for because you still take you with you," Sharon tells ET's Jann Carl, who popped by the set for a visit. "No matter where you go, no matter what your size, weight doesn't necessarily mean happiness. Thin doesn't necessarily mean happiness. This is timely because it doesn't laugh at anybody, it laughs with them." Sharon still recalls the outrage she felt when both she and her "Cagney & Lacey" co-star TYNE DALY gained weight and she was treated meanly by the press. And when she went to London to star in a West End production of Misery, the paparazzi were obsessed with trying to get a photo of her. "The producers wanted to build a fat suit for me, and I said, 'Don't worry,' I will take care of it," she recalls. "I had just given up smoking and gone into menopause. I was crazed. The press was obsessed with my weight, not the fact that I was opening on the West End. I said, 'ROBERT DE NIRO gets away with it.'" Even acknowledging that she has a weight problem, Sharon was still taken aback when she was invited to speak on the issue of weight and Hollywood before a group at Harvard concerned with anorexia. "I thought, 'What am I, the poster child for fat actresses?' and I was offended by it," she tells Jann. But Sharon decided to go ahead and speak after seeing photos of all the young anorexic girls who are dying in an attempt to be a size 0. For more of Sharon's conversation with Jann, tune in to tonight's ET. Then catch "Thick and Thin" when it begins airing on NBC midseason.Out.com has a picture of Peter Paige at Outfest here.
B.D. Wong, director of "Social Grace" starring Gale Harold, along with George Morfogen (Gale's co-star in the play "Uncle Bob") and Austin Pendleton (playwright for Uncle Bob) and others, will be featured at a Benefit Reading of H6R3 (an adaptation of Henry VI and Richard III, written by Austin Pendleton) for the Mirror Repertory Company and Hurricane Relief on Monday, October 10 at 8pm at the Promenade Theatre, 2162 Broadway at 76th Street, NYC. Peter Bloch will direct. More information is available here. " Say Uncle," the directorial and writing debut of Peter Paige is the Men’s Centerpiece Screening at the 24th Chicago Lesbian and Gay International Film Festival and is scheduled for 7 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 9 at the Landmark’s Century Centre Cinema. Paige, who co-stars in the comedy-drama with Kathy Najimy, will attend a reception in his honor following the screening.Cyndi Lauper shows her 'true colors' with November’s The Body Acoustic. Accompanied by musical guests like Ani DiFranco, Sarah McLachlan and Kelly Osbourne, the "Time after Time" singer reconstructs her beloved material including "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," "Money Changes Everything" and "Sisters of Avalon." After the success of her standards album At Last and its tour, Cyndi made a cameo on Showtime’s Queer as Folk and her song "Shine (The Babylon Mix)" appeared on the show’s soundtrack Queer As Folk: The Fifth Season. Other remixes by Lauper surfaced this spring on her set Hey Now! Remixes and Rarities. More on Cyndi Lauper in an interview by Patrick Antosh, Costume Designer for Queer As Folk in "Scenester". [pdf format].
Peter Paige ("Emmett" on QAF) took part in the Fourth Annual West Hollywood Book Fair this past weekend in West Hollywood. The Fair featured more than 200 authors signing books and participating in discussion panels on a variety of topics. More information available here. Robert Gant ("Ben" on QAF) is one of the 25 Sexiest Bachelors according to People en Espanol. Enrique Iglesias tops the list in the November issue, which is now on newsstands. Also on the list is singer Pablo Montero, actors Eduardo Yanez and Gabriel Soto, Wilmer Valderrama of Fox's "That '70s Show," Enrique Murciano (CBS' "Without a Trace"), Eduardo Xol (ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition), and Tony Gonzalez, the Pro Bowl tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs. Click here to see the photo. Gale Harold gets a mention in a write-up of Particles of Truth from the Bayou Buzz: Written and directed by Jennifer Elster, "Particles of Truth" is an incredible piece of art that encourages us to dream yet rips away the false idea that we are powerless over the hand, dealt by life. In this film, the harsh truth of where bad choices will wind up taking us is acknowledged by revealing what happens if we don’t step in and re-direct where our future is headed. Lilli Black, (played by Jennifer Elster), comes from a rough childhood where both of her parents were hard-core, heroin addicts. As a result, this little girl grew up feeling like she was nothing. Now a painter who is gaining recognition in the art world, Lilli still isn’t convinced of her own talents and self-worth. On the day of her gallery opening, Lilli walks down a New York sidewalk and meets a writer named Morrison. Played by Gale Harold, (Queer as Folk), this successful yet humble man, suffering from an extreme case of OCD, rolls down his Lexus window and sheepishly asks her out. From there, we learn that he has trouble leaving the seat of his car and prefers to drive around, writing stories about people he witnesses from a car window. Two misfit artists fall in like with each other instantly; however, they must overcome the emotional obstacles that prevent them from giving the possibility of love a chance. As Lilli fears rejection and pushes Morrison away, his intense desire to know her overpowers his OCD and he follows her until Lilli realizes that fate needs her hand to grab a hold of it. Several choices to be made are crucial in where Lilli’s next journey will take her. The unfortunate road both her parents went down ended in despair. Her father suffers from Aids in a run-down hotel room and her mother suffers inside her own skin. At one point, when Lilli’s mom looks in the mirror, she begins to violently slap herself and there is no resolution to be told. She has become a woman full of self-hate, stuck at a dead end. And that is the story of life and what we decide to make of it, which is beautifully told in Elster’s, "Particles of Truth." L.A. Theatre Works’ production of " The Great Tennessee Monkey Trial," begins its tour in the U.S. with performances in Humboldt State University’s Van Duzer Theatre on Wednesday, Oct. 11, and Thursday, Oct. 12. The performances will be held at 8 p.m. The play was written by Peter Goodchild and with the exception of added narration, it is drawn from the transcripts of the 1925 trial that pitted a religion (Christianity) against science and the battle’s backdrop, the Tennessee public school system. The revolving cast members include Sharon Gless ("Debbie" on QAF), Len Cariou, Marsha Mason, Ayre Gross, James Cromwell, John de Lancie and Ed Asner, among others. [more information].Season 5 of Queer As Folk premiered in Australia last week, and Michael Idato of the Sydney Morning Herald seems disappointed in what he's seen so far. "When did Queer as Folk get preachy?" the writer asks. "Both this sharp US remake and the British original (penned by Russell T. Davies, on which the remake was based) made their mark because they played against convention, unafraid to tell bold, sometimes uncomfortable, stories. Now it plays like an overwrought soap opera - whiny Michael (Hal Sparks) is contemplating a lawsuit to get custody of the baby he sired with cranky lesbian parents Mel (Michelle Clunie) and Lindsay (Thea Gill), while Ted (Scott Lowell) considers plastic surgery to hang on to what he thinks are his fading good looks. It's polished, but it feels a long way from the courageous stories of old - such as Brian (Gale Harold) and Justin's (Randy Harrison) fractured, complex relationship and Ted's extraordinary journey from pious pal to addict Blake Wyzecki (Dean Armstrong) to an addict himself. Queer as Folk is charming but perhaps its time has passed." [read the article].Queer Planet has published an exclusive interview with Lisa France, director of "The Unseen" featuring Gale Harold and Michelle Clunie. She had some lovely things to say about these former QAF stars: "Gale definitely did an amazing job with 'Harold,' embraced him and became this guy. He plays a bit of a bastard. I remember when my best friend read the script and said, 'Harold is such a dick, and how are you going to get anyone to feel for him?' I said, 'Well, that’s up to me and Gale.' Then she saw the film and said, 'Oh my god, you did it! I totally felt for him…' He ends up being incredibly moving in the film. I guess at the end of the day, they both trusted me and that’s the key for me to get a strong performance out of an actor. They both asked me for advice on how I saw the role, the voice, the arc of their character and as a result I think that sort of relationship showed up on screen. It’s really a director’s dream to have that sort of a relationship with actors. I’ve been very fortunate to have had that relationship with Gale and Michelle. Of course it helps that they are both incredibly gifted actors." [read more]
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The Globe and Mail's Leah Rumack writes about what Canadian celebs are wearing this Halloween in
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