QAF Addiction News Archive - July 2007

July 30, 2007

ANT is a successful comedian who has been a guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The Tyra Banks show; he has also appeared on all four seasons of NBC's Last Comic Standing. Currently he is the host of VH1's Celebrity Fit Club and stars in the LOGO series, "U.S. of ANT." Last week, ANT hosted a private reunion for the QAF actors and producers in Los Angeles in preparation for a November release of the Queer As Folk reunion DVD (possibly a re-release of previous seasons as well). Sharon Gless, Hal Sparks, Robert Gant, Scott Lowell, Peter Paige, Michelle Clunie and Thea Gill joined Ron Cowen and Dan Lipman in front of the cameras to film some footage for the "extras" on the DVD (ANT was filming the "behind the scenes" of the reunion - view it here). Neither Randy Harrison or Gale Harold were in attendance (Randy was performing in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in Stockbridge, Massachussetts).

Check out these photos of Robert Gant and Shannon Dougherty filming "Kiss Me Deadly: A Jacob Keane Assignment," the first installment in the Jacob Keane Assignment series of original, feature-length spy thrillers for here! network: here and here.

Toronto actor Jake Simons will play dance instructor Johnny Castle in the Mirvish production of Dirty Dancing. The stage production, based on the 1987 film starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, is scheduled to preview at Toronto's Royal Alexandra Theatre beginning October 31. Jake played Jonathan, the cynical guy in episode 402 of QAF, when Ted was in rehab, who said Ted will end up using again. [read more]

From canada.com: Thea Gill is relocating to Los Angeles for one year to pursue more acting opportunities south of the border. "I'm going to give it a shot," says the Vancouver-born thirtysomething actress. "I've been scared of the idea of moving to L.A. and being in that kind of business/corporate town and trying to fit in naturally. Now I think I'm mature enough -- but not too old yet! -- so maybe there will be some roles applicable to me." [read more]

July 24, 2007

AsianWeek.com has an interview with Fay Ann Lee about the making of the movie "Falling For Grace" and her focus on class differences between the characters as opposed to racial ones. Says Fay, "I wanted to focus on the class difference, as opposed to race, because the issue of race is already there for any minority filmmaker. While the white family is perfect on the outside, deep down Andrew Barrington [Queer as Folk’s Gale Harold] isn’t happy. Being rich and famous can be a burden, and it’s unspoken until you have to confront it."

Scott Walker: 30 Century Man screens at the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) this Thursday, July 26th at 9:10 pm (Steven Kijak will attend this first screening) and again on Sunday, August 12th at 7:30 pm. Visit the SW30 page at the MIFF site for details. The film will also screen in the 34th edition of the Flanders Film Festival in Ghent, Belgium that takes place October 9th to 20th. Madman Films have picked the film up for distribution in Australia and New Zealand and will be bringing it out soon.

NewsTimesLIVE.com serves up a glowing review of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (which runs until this Saturday in the Berkshires). Chesley Plemmons writes, "What makes 'Cuckoo's Nest' so much fun, in addition to McMurphy's rebellious ways -- hilariously interpreted by the usually restrained [Jonathan] Epstein -- are the other inmates. Randy Harrison, who is becoming one of this theater's sharpest players, is Billy Bibbit, a stuttering, suicidal young man with nagging virginity issues in addition to an unsympathetic mother. Harrison, who was so good as Mozart in last year's 'Amadeus,' reveals the flip side of genius -- fear and dangerous insecurity." Read the entire review here.

Reviewer Charles Kondek of the Independent online has many good things to say about the production as well. He writes, "The heart of the play is the stuttering, fragile Billy Bibbit, played with delicate refinement by Randy Harrison." [read more].

Another QAF alumnus is getting high praise for his theatre production. The New York Times reviews "Measure for Measure", the play staged at the Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey which is being directed by Jack Wetherall. Reviewer Naomi Siegel writes, "All in all, this production of 'Measure for Measure' is both wonderfully acted and dynamically directed. It is also meticulously designed." She adds, "The news is good for audiences in search of quality classic theater: The Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey has another big winner on its hands."

July 19, 2007

In a review of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Variety writes, "Randy Harrison gives a rich and poignant perf as the stammering, cowering Billy Bibbit. Harrison builds a well modulated arc as Bibbit gradually finds the nerve, inspired by McMurphy, to stand up for himself, only to unravel under Ratched's chilling threats."

Newberkshire.com says, "Among the inmates who stand out, although each is a successfully developed character, no matter how many lines he may have, are Randy Harrison, the tortured teen-ager Billy Babbit who can never please his mother, who stutters his words, and cannot be saved."

And here's yet another positive review from the Albany, NY Times Union, titled "Cuckoo touches Berkshire crowd."

Photos from the play can be found at the Berkshire site.

From TV in the Pink: GAY men and lesbians have never had such a good image on television, claims Doctor Who supremo Russell T Davies - the man who wrote Manchester drama Queer As Folk. "The image of homosexuals as figures of ridicule in TV shows is over. There are now complex gay characters at the forefront of groundbreaking TV dramas," he says. But when it aired in 1999, Queer as Folk had a huge impact and was massively successful. It spawned a US version, two soundtracks and is credited by some young people for inspiring them to come out. When Davies started writing Queer As Folk, he had no grand ambition to create a ground-breaking gay drama. He says in an interview with Radio Times: "I thought it was the sort of thing Channel 4 would show late at night - like a documentary on Tibetan quilt-makers."

There are only four dates left on the Arctic Babylon tour:
Friday July 20, 2007 -
San Diego, CA (Pride) - Montage
Saturday July 21, 2007 -
Houston, TX - South Beach
Friday July 27, 2007 -
Asbury Park, NJ - Circuit
Saturday July 28, 2007 -
San Francisco, CA - Mighty

As I posted a few weeks ago, Falling for Grace featuring Gale Harold is opening in two major cities this summer. You can see it starting July 20th at Sundance Kabuki, 1881 Post Strett (at Fillmore) in San Francisco, and then on August 3rd at AMC LOEWS Dupont 5 in Washington, D.C. Newsday.com mentions the movie in the "Hot Stuff" section, although they mistakenly call it by its previous title, "East Broadway" (can we blame them? this film has had more name changes than Elizabeth Taylor!). Newsday writes: "Starring Fay Ann Lee, Gale Harold and Christine Baranski, directed by Lee. A sort of Cinderella story about a Chinese-American who's mistaken for a Hong Kong heiress, and how a relationship subsequently blooms. Opens Friday."

Sharon Gless sailed with Rosie O'Donnell on her 'R' Family Cruise this past week. One night on the ship, Sharon dressed up as Debbie (her character on QAF). Here is a photo of her on the cruise. [ETA: two more here and here]. If you want to see some video chat blogs of Rosie, Sharon, Rosie's best friend since childhood and Ross the intern (from The Tonight Show) having a good time in Rosie's spacious suite, visit Rosie's blog and scroll down to "the fab 4" (no longer on the first page) and "fab 4 the sequel" for some laughs.

I'm not really one for toilet humour, but if you want to see a clip of Sharon Gless and Tyne Daly on The Graham Norton Show (BBC) you can view it here.

Nice words for Sharon Gless from Stafford "Doc" Williamson in this review from American Chronicle: Finally, on a bright note, I have to say that of the two episodes we have seen so far, we are much encouraged by the summer offering from the USA Network of Burn Notice the new series which brings back our old (but still lovely) favorite actress, Sharon Gless (formerly Detective Lacey in the Cagney & Lacey TV series), although she is now the hero's mother, not the leading character herself. She is a delightful addition to the cast and the writing is the main saving grace in this lightweight but enjoyable action/mystery series.

Queerty has a review of Robert Gant's new series: Gant plays the Jacob Keane, a gay former spy turned photographer living in Milan with his boyfriend and three daughters, all of whom were birthed by a lesbian pal. Sounds perfectly progressive, right? Right. Unfortunately, Doherty’s Marta (no last name, very mysterious) pulls him back into the spy games. She needs a bit of a hand help finding the villainous Vigo, played by gay actor Ian Roberts. Apparently he’s threatening their families, or something. You know what this all means? Loads of running around, a billion confused looks and a gun fight or two. And some intrigue. Probably.

There's a review of Measure for Measure in Variety.com: In a refreshing new staging of "Measure for Measure" by the Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey, director Jack Wetherall has taken a daring leap in time, moving the action of one of the Bard's darkest and most bitter comedies from 16th century Vienna to the Old West following the American Civil War. The concept works well, allowing the fine cast to reveal the plot's complexities and draw the audience into a broad spectrum of incisive character studies.

Another strong review of Jack Wetherall's new project comes from NJ.com: Wetherall's idea was to relocate the play that Shakespeare set in Vienna to the Old Wild West. Alas, most of his cast seem as if the only west they know is West Orange. However, because they're so good with Shakespearean dialogue, the play comes through, and packs a wallop from its sheer timeliness. And while it runs two-and-a-half hours, it rarely drags.

July 10, 2007

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GALE! :)

Courant.com has a new article about Linda Hamilton playing the part of Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, featuring Randy Harrison as Billy Bibbit. Hamilton says, "I am the opposite of Nurse Ratched. I am just so accessible and available and kind and mothering." But the part is so vivid in many people's minds, says the author, that one can't help but be a little intimidated by her. Hamilton says she has noticed some of the actors in the production "kind of sliding away" when she approaches. "I'm sure that's part of their [acting] process, but I'm warming them up gradually."

Check out the latest on Thea Gill and Scott Lowell at Buddy TV's "What are they up to" articles.

"The Lost Colony", the longest-running outdoor symphonic drama in the nation, is currently celebrating its 70th anniversary in Roanoke, NC. Since 1937, over 4 million visitors have seen this dramatic story of America's earliest beginnings. Paul Green's script is filled with creative flourishes that include battles with the Indians, a love story between an Indian woman and a male colonist, and a romantic triangle involving three lead characters. For a number of actors, "The Lost Colony" was the portal to a career in the entertainment business. Peter Paige is included in the list of famous alumni.

The Toronto Star discusses how Fabrizio Filippo (Ethan, QAF) used his own home for the backdrop of his new short film, The Human Kazoo. Says Fab, "We used my house mostly because I knew the constraints of the location. It was just me in the house at the time, so I wasn't going to disrupt anybody. I decided to shoot it here because I would have as much time as I wanted in the location to figure out shots. I moved out for a month. All my furniture was stored in the basement. The living room and dining room were repainted a blood red and made to look old, cracked and like they were falling apart. There were cobwebs everywhere. It was really amazing to see it, but I would never do it again."

More comments from Sharon Gless on Burn Notice in this article at Canmag.com: "This character is not like any character I've ever played," said Gless. "In Queer As Folk I did play the mother. This is more the mother from hell. She loves him, but I mean, she is a real thorn in his side. And the fact that he's dumped into Miami is the last place he wanted to be because she lives there. I like her. She's fun. She's a lot of fun. She manipulates him, and she's smart. She's smart, like he is. I guess they're going to be doing some stuff with that."

The title of Robert Gant's new series has changed to "Kiss Me Deadly". From Businesswire.com: here!, America's premium gay television network, has announced the wrap of production on Kiss Me Deadly: A Jacob Keane Assignment, the first installment in the Jacob Keane Assignment series of original, feature-length spy thrillers. Kiss Me Deadly stars Queer as Folk alum Robert Gant and television icon Shannen Doherty. The film, directed by Ron Oliver and written by George Schenck and Frank Cardea, shot in New Zealand last month.

July 5, 2007

Falling for Grace, featuring Gale Harold, is opening in two major cities this summer. You can see it starting July 20th at Sundance Kabuki, 1881 Post Strett (at Fillmore) in San Francisco, and then on August 3rd at AMC LOEWS Dupont 5 in Washington, D.C. The official website has been updated, so check it out if you have a few minutes.

Gale is featured in a photo gallery of "TV's Unexpected Axes and Exits" in the LA Times entertainment news, July 2, 2007. While his inclusion in the list of ten "notorious cases" seems a bit unusual given the high profile of the other actors (David Caruso, Farrah Fawcett, Dick York, Delta Burke, Shannen Dougherty), it's not exactly a flattering feature when you consider that the staff writers claim that "ego clashes, sagging ratings and the lure of a bigger payday sent these TV actors hurtling off into the great unknown" and cite the recent departure of Isaiah Washington from Grey's Anatomy as one example. The writers give the following reason for Gale's exit: "The Queer as Folk star had a loyal fan following, but it wasn't big enough to make 'Vanished' a ratings hit. In an attempt to shake things up (amid rumors of on-set clashes) the producers let the star go just before the show took a hiatus for baseball playoffs. The series was canceled two episodes later." Given the praise that Gale has received from the actors and producers on Queer as Folk, as well as those he has worked with in the theatre, my suspicion is that the rumors of clashes were just that -- rumors.

Sharon Gless returns to New York from London tomorrow (July 6th) and is immediately heading off to join Rosie O'Donnell on her "R" Summer Adventure Cruise, setting sail on Saturday, July 7th. One night on the high seas, Sharon will be making a special appearance as everone's favorite PFLAG mother, Debbie, from Queer As Folk. Imagine that red wig and vest full of buttons heading toward you as you stroll along the deck... I can just see the slogan on her t-shirt now: "I'm only here for the seamen!" ;)

Another one of the "R" cruises regulars is Rosie O'Donnell's good friend Cyndi Lauper (who made a guest appearance in episode 510 of QAF). Cyndi just completed her True Colors Tour in the U.S., presented by Logo (the LGBT-focused network), accompanied by Rosie who played drums for several songs in a number of cities. An article in the Arizona Central news talks about gay-oriented entertainment emerging as a powerful industry, and mentions the Queer As Folk-branded DJ tour (Future Babylon) targeted at gay discos and nightclubs.

Here's another fun article featuring quotes from Sharon Gless and Tyne Daly, talking about the Cagney & Lacey legacy. Neil Midgley writes, "While the pair shy away from the idea of Cagney & Lacey having a 'legacy', it’s clear that they’re still fiercely proud of it – both as television and as politics. 'It was more than just what they did for a living,' says Daly. 'We followed both of them home, to very different home situations. We followed them into the bathroom, for their secret talks. But we didn’t know what Columbo or Kojak talked about in the john with the fellows that were in there.' "

To quote an Xtra article, "anyone with an air conditioner and a hydro bill can tell you that the planet's getting hotter every year." Kurt and Brandon Firla, known collectively as the Rumoli Brothers, drive the point home with An Inconvenient Musical, an homage-cum-parody of Al Gore's environmental documentary An Inconvenient Truth, opening today at the Toronto Fringe Festival. Fabrizio Filippo (Ethan on QAF) plays Gordon Green, a wide-eyed musician trying to stop a local coal plant from further poisoning his neighbourhood. Green writes a catchy song to change hearts and minds, but quickly discovers that the powers-that-be won't go quietly into the night. An evil cabal, led by mastermind Cole Powers, sets out to squish Green's crusade. "Gordon's sort of like Luke Skywalker," says Filippo. "His home gets decimated by a power plant, so he goes on a journey to stop it." An Inconvenient Musical opens today (July 5th) at 5pm in the Tranzac Club. For more information, visit the The Fringe website.

July 4, 2007

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Robert Gant and his business partner Chad Allen will be special celebrity guests at GLAAD's 10th Annual ABSOLUT® Hancock Park event, to be held at the home of Wes Walraven in Los Angeles, California on August 12, 2007. The event will feature hosted Absolut® cocktails, gourmet hors d'oeuvres, a fashion show by Neiman Marcus and an update on GLAAD's latest work by President Neil Giuliano. Brian Graden, President, Entertainment, MTV Music Group & President, LOGO will be the honorary co-chair. For additional information, or to purchase tickets for the event, please visit the GLAAD website.

Al Norton, TV Editor for BostonNOW gives much of the credit to Jeffrey Donovan for the success of Burn Notice. He writes, "The supporting cast includes Gabrielle Anwar, cult favorite Bruce Campbell and Emmy winner Sharon Gless, all who play well off of Donavon's intensity." A picture of the cast, including Sharon Gless with her short blonde hair, can be seen along with the article here.There's another photo of Sharon here.

From Upstage Magazine: Measure for Measure, Shakespeare's compelling tale of corruption and morality, continues The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey's 45th Season with performances beginning July 10 and continuing through July 29. Jack Wetherall, a Stratford Festival of Canada company member under Artistic Director Robin Phillips, directs this bold and provocative play that hasn't been seen at The Shakespeare Theatre in nearly a decade. "Without tampering with the text, we are going to make this a profoundly American Measure for Measure," said Jack Wetherall. Performances are Tuesday through Sundays at The Shakespeare Theatre's Main Stage - the F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre in Madison. Regular ticket prices are $28-$52. Discount ticket packages are also available. For tickets or more information, call 973-408-5600 or visit www.ShakespeareNJ.org.