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March 30, 2005 The April 3-9 2005 issue of TV Guide (with Josh Holloway of 'Lost' on the cover) features a blurb in the "Spring Cable Preview" article under 'Returning Shows': Queer As Folk (Showtime, returns Sunday, 5/22, 10 pm/ET) - Somebody warn the red states! The risque drama returns for its final season, and after all the hate crimes and soapy story lines, it's time for Brian, Michael and their loves to find happiness. "No matter what [happens], they'll ultimately survive," hints executive producer Daniel Lipman. "It's a satisfying ending." Like these boys would have it any other way. [thanks septembergirlie for the heads up!] For the second year in a row, Scott Lowell has been nominated for a Prism Award. The Prism Awards are for accurate depiction of drug, alcohol and tobacco use in film, TV, music and comics. Scott is nominated in the category Performance in a Drama Series - Storyline. He is nominated alongside Simon Baker (The Guardian), Christine Lahti (Jack and Bobby), Dominic Monaghan (Lost) and Robin Wiegert (Deadwood). The awards will be presented on April 28 in Beverly Hills and will broadcast on F/X at a later date.Rhinoceros Eyes will be screening in Montreal at Concordia University, Visual Arts Building, VA-114 Rene Lesvesque West, Saturday, April 9th, 2005. Admission is free and open to the public. Photos are up at the various media sites from the 16th Annual GLAAD Awards in New York City, NY this past Sunday. Hal Sparks was on hand, hamming it up during the Arrivals and during the show and reception. Try wireimage.com for starters.Check out Patrick Antosh singing country and western in the News section of his website.Bernie Rosenzweig, Sharon Gless' husband, is one of the producers for a new Broadway show about Elvis. In PLAYBILL ON OPENING NIGHT: All Shook Up: The King Plays The Palace Harry Haun writes, "Rosenzweig's wife, actress Sharon Gless ('Cagney and Lacey,' 'Queer as Folk'), was resplendant in rhinestones—a string belt from which dangled the letters E L V I S against an all-black ensemble. When Brian Dennehy (London-bound April 2 with his Death of a Salesman) complimented her on her outfit, she replied, 'We got money in the show,' and meaning not just her husband either. 'This is the first time I've invested in a play,' she said. 'All opening nights should be this good. It's very loving.' Her husband nodded and recalled the show's underattended wintery reception at Chicago's Cadillac Theatre. 'That was scary,' he said. 'It was an old movie house, a real barn, not a good legitimate house.'" [All Shook Up]From The Korea Times, "Local TV Still Cautious About Homosexuality" is an article about Korean television and homosexuality: Gay programs with high ratings in cable TV include Home CGV's "Queer As Folk" and On Style's "Will & Grace," "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," and "Playing it Straight. " Queer As Folk," about a circle of gay friends living in Pittsburgh, Pa., is the most popular of the shows, spawning several Internet fan cafes with the largest one having more than 49,000 members. Kim Soo-young, a Home CGV producer, said that that although most of the viewers start to watch the drama out of curiosity, expecting sensational scenes, they become fascinated with the detailed portrayals of emotions, convincing story line, interesting phases of personal relationships and the stylish music and fashion. "It is the first drama featuring homosexuals as main characters to be aired in Korea and due to its success here, many other cable channels have started to telecast homosexual-related programs," Kim said. "Since homosexual fashion and consumption pattern are high-end and en vogue, the higher the public's income level becomes, the bigger the demand for such programs from the public will be."
Due to a prior commitment, Robert Gant will be unable to attend the Gay Pioneers & 40 Heroes Tribute, to be held in Philadelphia on May 1st, 2005. He will, however, be presenting an award at the LA GLAAD Awards on April 30, 2005. Shinan Govani attended the QAF Wrap Party last Sunday night and wrote about it in his National Post column. Read all about it here.
I've added an excerpt about the QAF set sale from today's Toronto Star Set Sale page. The location, times, and purchasing information have been provided. The new season teaser ( QAF: Season 5 Preview - "All Bets are Off") is now available in the Showtime screening room.The film " The Unseen", featuring Gale Harold and Michelle Clunie, has been submitted for consideration to the LA Film Festival.Michelle Clunie is participating in the World Poker Tour, Hollywood Home Game: Episode 7, airing a few times this week (March 20, 21, 24 and 25) on the Travel channel. More schedule info here. Michelle will be playing with Erik Palladino, David Suttcliff, Bob Eubanks, and Michael Vartan. Chad Allen, one of Robert Gant's partners in Mythgarden, has signed to do a series of up to seven movies based on the Donald Strachey novels by Richard Stevenson for HERE-TV. The first movie based on the novel, Third Man Out, is shooting for a September 2005 release date. Also working on this project are Ron Oliver (one of the directors on QAF) and Jack Wetherall (Uncle Vic, QAF). In addition to the project with Chad, Jack Wetherall is acting in a play in Cincinatti called "The Retreat from Moscow," through April 15, at the Playhouse in the Park. Read more about Retreat in an article by Jackie Demaline.Life on the Ledge, directed by Lewis Helfer and featuring Gale Harold, will have its world premiere at the 2005 Tribeca Film Festival this Spring. The screenings will take place on April 25, 27 and 29 (detailed screening schedule available at the link above). "This darkly hilarious tale of a man who wants to die until he finds out he is dying recalls Woody Allen's heyday of neurotic comedy, when reality was simply a jumping-off point for absurd punch-lines. Featuring Tovah Feldshuh, Melissa Sagemiller, and Daphne Rubin-Vega." Billy's Dad is a Fudge-packer, directed by Jamie Donahue and featuring Bobby Gant, is also screening at the Fest. For information on purchasing tickets visit the website.There is a new Q&A from Harris Allan featured at the Harris Hideaway site (scroll down to March 19th). Harris talks about his fellow cast members in this response: "Everyone is really dedicated to their work. It's really great to join an ensemble cast such as the one from Queer As Folk. They have all been so welcoming and it's an honour to work with such great people. We have a lot of fun." Harris was also listed as one of the Top 10 Canadian stars to watch in last week's TV Guide, and says, "Over the next decade, the Canadian TV industry is going to evolve. I plan on being part of that, but I'll travel where the great roles take me." According to the Guide, "Next to acting powerhouse Sharon Gless, Harris Allan (Hunter) is arguably the best actor on Queer As Folk. Not bad for a kid who was originally hired on a short-term recurring basis. Although Canadian talent on American shows isn't eligible for Geminis, it's a crime he didn't win for the episode when he told his girlfriend that he was HIV positive."From Out In Ocean City: In addition to previously-announced recipients Rosie and Kelli O'Donnell, Florida activists Carole Benowitz and Steven Alicea will also receive a " Valuing Our Families" award on Saturday, April 9. Award-winning actress and activist Sharon Gless (Debbie, "Queer as Folk"), the inaugural "Valuing Our Families" honoree, will present the award to the O'Donnells.Sharon Gless will also be appearing as the featured speaker of the evening and recipient of the HRC Humanitarian Award at The 8th Annual Houston Human Rights Campaign Gala "Masquerade Ball", to be held Saturday April 2, 2005 at the Hilton Americas Hotel Houston starting with a reception and silent auction at 6:00pm. Ms. Amy Blumrosen, Mr. Tom Downing and Mr. Alton LaDay will serve as Co-Chairs of the event. Sharon and her husband Barney Rosenzweig are apparently still having trouble immigrating to Canada. She wants to base her production company, The Glessworks, in Toronto. "[Gless] has worked in Canada, off and on, for 20 years and loves the place," says Michael Levine, Canada's leading entertainment lawyer. "They are anxious to live here and to invest in the industry but are being stonewalled by the Immigration Department." Glessworks has plans to produce Jane Juska's successful book, A Round-Heeled Woman, as a television series. I posted about this last year, in the January 2004 news archive. Read more about Sharon's struggle to immigrate to Canada in "Stop stonewalling Cagney," by Peter C. Newman of the National Post.In the Guardian, Boy George has some interesting answers to questions about shows like QAF and Taboo, and Rosie O'Donnell, who will be appearing on QAF this season:What do you think about these programmes like Queer Eye? Queer Eye and Queer As Folk serve up this sanitised version of gay culture which is non-sexual and inoffensive, which takes us back to John Inman and "shut that door", which takes us back to square one. It's good that there is gay TV but it is so one-sided. Gay culture is much too shiny for me. Today I want to return to shame, to the days of surreptitious gay action in dark alleys. Like the club Taboo? That was just depraved. These people existed on the outside of the outside of the outside of society. There was no apology for what they were and for your average common or garden homosexual those people were an aberration because they spoiled their bid for assimilation into society. It was total debauchery. I was always having sex in the toilets - maybe I thought my surname was Michael. What happened with the play? The English version was fine but the American one was taken out of our hands by that tank of a woman Rosie O'Donnell. She took it to New York, promised she wouldn't change anything and then she kept on saying that it was a family show like Annie and I was like, "Where in Annie do you see a guy dressed in latex rubber with a club foot?" March 15, 2005 Russel T. Davies, creator of the original UK version of QAF, seems to think the show is a real 'song and dance'. "There won't be another Channel 4 series although I would like to do another one in time to tell how the characters have moved on," he told icWales in an article about his production of Dr. Who, which he plans to spend the next few years working on. "However, we are looking at a musical." Harris Allan will be attending the GLAAD Awards in Los Angeles on April 30th. Both Queer As Folk and Harris' movie "A Home at the End of the World" have been nominated. Harris has been talking to fans on his message board about the end of the series. He says this week is very difficult, but very exciting at the same time, and it's tough thinking about leaving the show. Harris says the last three years have been amazing, and that he has learned much about life and film and himself. "It's been a pleasure to work with such talented people and be part of a really important show," he adds. Harris thanks his fans for their support and promises to give the same level of commitment to upcoming projects.Buy the Queer as Folk 4 Combo Pack from TLA video for $76.99 and get not only the DVD of the fourth season but also a trade paper edition of "Queer as Folk: The Book".Robert Gant 's short film "Billy's Dad is a Fudge-packer" will be screened at several upcoming fests, including the 2005 Sundance Film Festival and the 2005 Tribeca Film Festival.Queer As Folk: Club Babylon, the Original TV Soundtrack from Season 4 of QAF will be released next week. Here are the track listings: Disc 1 1. Free - Ultra Nate 2. Sandstorm - Darude 3. Dive In The Pool - Barry Harris 4. Tight - INXS 5. 643 (Love's On Fire) - DJ Tiesto 6. Break For Love - Peter Rauhofer/Pet Shop Boys 7. Smalltown Boy - Bronski Beat 8. F**k Me Harder - Thunderpuss 9. Some Lovin' - Murk/Kristine W 10. Get Me Off - Basement Jaxx Disc 2 1. Lift It Up - Inaya Day 2. Wonder Of It All, The - Kristine W 3. Home - Suzanne Palmer 4. I Need You - Friburn & Urik 5. Live You All Over - Deborah Cooper 6. When I Hold You - Zaab And The State 7. Here I Am - David Morales 8. Doesn't Really Matter - Murk 9. Strings Of Love (Stronger On My Own) - Soul Central 10. Back 2 Love - Rachel Panay March 11, 2005 Peter Paige has written a lovely note to fans on the occasion of QAF's final week of shooting. "This experience has changed me in more ways than I can describe," says Peter. "Suffice it to say, I came to this show a boy, but I leave a man. QAF has enabled me to navigate the world differently, as a person who belongs here, not a scared, apologetic soul searching for his place. It may sound overstated, but I will never forget the gifts I have been given because I was a part of this series." Peter is finishing up work on his movie Say Uncle and is collaborating with Canadian actor/playwright Damien Atkins on his next project. You can read the entire message at the Connection at peterpaige.net. There are a whole slew of pictures of Patrick Antosh posing with fellow celebs at the DIFFA/Dallas fashion event, where he presented his version of the redesigned classic Levi jean jacket. Check out the fun fashions in the news section of PatrickAntosh.com.Hal Sparks will be performing his stand-up comedy at Caroline's in New York city, June 23 to 26th, and at Cobb's Comedy Club in San Francisco June 30th to July 3. Pictures from the premiere of Dean Armstrong's play "Tick, Tick... BOOM!" are posted to his website, along with reviews from the show.Advertisements from Showtime have indicated a 9pm (ET) start time for the premiere of Season 5 on May 22, but according to Scott Lowell's website, the Showtime publicity department has told the cast that the show will remain in its usual 10pm timeslot when it premieres on May 22. Stay tuned for updates on the official time.Rhinoceros Eyes will be playing at the 4th Annual University of Toronto Film Festival on Saturday, March 19, 9:30 pm, at Innis Town Hall. Aaron Woodley will be presenting. Showtime's ratings demonstrate a continued strong following for Queer As Folk, which even beat out the much-hyped series premiere of Fat Actress this month. QAF had 1.1 million viewers on April 18th, 2004, while Fat Actress drew 924,000 for its recent premiere. Emmy award-winning producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (Chicago, the upcoming adaptation of Hairspray) will executive produce the first televised GLAAD Media Awards for MTV Networks' LOGO channel. The show will air this summer, featuring celebrities, live performances, and honorees from the Los Angeles ceremony on April 30 at the Kodak Theatre, and the New York City ceremony on March 28 at the Marriott Marquis.March 8, 2005 Over the course of five years, the Queer As Folk set department has acquired an enormous amount of fantastic items that must now be sold. Everything from wardrobe, to linens, to furniture, to artwork from Brian’s ad campaigns will be available in a huge SET SALE, April 2 & 3 in Toronto. [More info here]
From the Toronto Star online: The Canadian Opera Co. hosts a cocktail benefit aimed at the 20-to-40-somethings that are flocking to their shows in increasingly larger numbers. With beats and arias mixing it up in the background, you can rub shoulders with up-and-coming opera stars; meet cast members from TV's Queer as Folk; bid in a silent auction and more, Tuesday March 8th, 6:30 p.m. Spoke Club, 600 King St. W., Toronto ($50 at 306-2398). More information is available at the Canadian Opera Co. website's Special Events page. According to Patrick Antosh, the first two episodes and last two episodes of season five will be shown together, at least on Showtime (those of us in Canada watching on Showcase may have a different schedule). As a result, fans in the U.S. will see two hours in a row, however they are seperate episodes. There is still no official word on a DVD signing tour. Be sure to check out Patrick's news page for some fantastic pictures of him with various celebs at Elton John's Oscar Party, held in Los Angeles and benefitting the Elton John Aids Foundation.Hop on over to the Hideaway to see pictures of Harris Allan's band, Square 9, in concert in Vancouver recently.
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