November 2-8, 2002
Digital TV: Clock Stopper
by Brenda Hampton
Brad Fraser is a busy guy. Between being the executive editor and a writer on the hit Showcase series Queer as Folk; jetting off to the Washington Film Festival for the debut of his new film, Poor Super Man; putting the final touches on his new play, Cold Meat Party, which opens in England in January, he's found time to host his own talk show -- Jawbreaker with Brad Fraser (Fridays, 10 p.m. ET/PT, PrideVision).
So, what made the award-winning playwright-editor-writer take on another project? "I've done a lot of press and been on the other side a great deal,", explains Fraser from his Toronto apartment before heading off to work on a full day of QAF. "I started to feel like, in some cases, I could do a better job than the people [interviewing] me."
He may just do that. Jawbreaker puts interesting people in a forum to discuss often controversial topics. And Fraser has no problem asking difficult questions. "So much TV is about people flattering each other and massaging each other's egos," says Fraser. "I didn't want to go there." And he doesn't, as evidenced in one episode when he asks fidler Ashley MacIsaac about his bankruptcy. But, Fraser's conversational approach and extensive knowledge about his guests makes them open up, even when discussing those personal topics. People go on the show and say "don't ask me about that," says Fraser, adding that they become so comfortable they end up discussing those " forbidden" topics anyway. "It's a fine line between being charming and being honest and people respond to that."
He's also hoping people respond to the show's name, which Fraser came up with himself. "I wanted something that sounded hard-hitting and kind of fun," he says. "Jawbreaker has so many meanings, whether it's a hard candy or someone who punches you in the jaw."