Breathing in the Love

Happy 41st Birthday, Gale!

2010-07-10T12:31:00.005+01:00

To a lovely man and a wonderful actor!

Have a great birthday, Gale, you're looking absolutely fabulous!

Pre-opening night article on Orpheus Descending

2010-01-15T19:25:00.005Z

Here's a wonderful pre-opening night article about Orpheus Descending with lots of Gale quotes!

He talks about the play, a surprising, but wonderful description of his audition for Queer as Folk, plus a bit about his reasons for choosing to play Valentine ‘Snakeskin’ Xavier. Fabulous! :)

Orpheus Descending, presented by Frantic Redhead Productions, opens Jan. 15; plays Thurs.-Sat., 8 pm; Sun., 2 pm; through Feb. 21. Tickets: $25. Theatre/Theater, 5041 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles; 800.838.3006 or brownpapertickets.com/event/92508.

“Oh, you weak, beautiful people who give up with such grace. What you need is someone to take hold of you - gently, with love, and hand your life back to you.”
–Tennessee Williams

Who can forget the admonition to dear Hansel & Gretel to “Not look back!” as they fled from danger to a safer place? The same again with Lot and his wife in the Bible. And, so too, with Orpheus who descended into Hades to charm the gods with his sad songs so he could save his lady Eurydice and ascend back to life.

Poor Orpheus did look back, with resulting consequences for him and his lady. Even the great mythmakers couldn’t agree if he was a hero (Virgil) or a coward (Plato). Getting him right has always been a complex journey. Perfect pickins’ for our own Tennessee Williams who set this legend of repressed desires in the American South.

For Williams, his recounting of the myth centered on the power of passion, art and imagination to redeem life and return it to vitality. In 1940, Williams’ version became his first Broadway-bound play, aptly titled Battle of Angels. The critics, like so many infernal gods, sent him straight to Hades.

“I have always been pushed by the negative. The apparent failure of a play sends me back to my typewriter that very night.” –TW

For 17 years and through five major rewrites, Williams finally got his play a better ascension on Broadway in 1957 under the present title Orpheus Descending. Two years later, he turned it into the film The Fugitive Kind starring Marlon Brando as Valentine ‘Snakeskin’ Xavier, Anna Magnani as Lady Torrance and Joanne Woodward as Carol Cutrere.

According to Williams, the play was the “emotional bridge between my early years and my present state of existence as a playwright.” First loves are hard to forget, their songs and images play on in our heads.

So that we don’t forget…Denise Crosby, Gale Harold and Claudia Mason, under the direction of filmmaker Lou Pepe, are firing up a six-week run of Orpheus Descending for Los Angeles audiences, opening this Friday, January 15 at Theatre/Theater.

Who are these intrepid actors, where did they come from and why did they choose to ride Williams’ Southern Gothic roller coaster of a melodrama? Let’s see…

“Some mystery should be left in the revelation of character in a play just as a great deal of mystery is always left in the revelation of character in life.” –TW

We start with Gale Harold as Valentine “Snakeskin” Xavier. It would be more polite or conventional to start with one of the ladies, but Snakeskin and perhaps Harold himself are anything but conventional. Williams describes this Orpheus as “having a wild beauty about him,” a drifter who “can burn a woman down.” Wow!

As you know Harold from his television and film work, he certainly has the wild beauty and burn ‘em down business pretty well handled. Among his many roles, he’s been the lead Brian Kinney on Showtime’s hit series Queer as Folk, Susan Meyers’ lover on Desperate Housewives and Wyatt Earp on HBO’s Deadwood. But, did you know he began as an intern at A Noise Within?

Onto Denise Crosby as his Eurydice, Lady Torrance. You probably know she’s a part of the Bing Crosby family dynasty. She created the starring role of Lt. Tasha Yar in Star Trek, the Next Generation. But, did you know she was nominated for a Best Actress Ovation Award for her performance as Lil in Last Summer at Bluefish Cove which opened at Theatre Geo in 1994?

And, this Claudia Mason, playing the lonely and vulnerable exhibitionist Carol Cutrere. You may know her as one of the world’s top models and in the biz since she was discovered at age 13. She was also a Woody Allen favorite in the film Celebrity. But did you know she has her roots in off-Broadway theatre and is the daughter of Clifford Mason, playwright, novelist and critic for the New York Times?

“In memory, everything seems to happen to music.” –TW

For these actors, there certainly has been a sweet soundtrack to their lives…especially in their memories of theatre and what keeps them attracted to working on the LA boards.

Crosby remembers the “most profound event that shifted everything was Tamara. We thought it would last three months and it lasted for years.” (Note: Tamara became Los Angeles’ longest running play.) “I started as understudies for Tamara and the Ballerina. They generally didn’t take the understudy up into the main role because the understudy was too valuable, covering several roles.

“But, for me, it was the opposite of All About Eve. Our lead, Margot Bionne, knew she was leaving and purposely missed the night the producers were in the audience. ‘That way they can see you can do it,’ she said. She was right and I ran with it for months and months. So many industry people would come. It was then I got my audition for Star Trek.”

Mason calls herself the “classic Manhattan mix-black father, white mother.” She enjoyed her New York theatre days especially her success as the lead in the off-Broadway production of Boxing Day Parade. But, she’s happily settled in Los Angeles for five years now and was named Outstanding Female Actor in a Lead Role by Reviewplays.com for her work in the world premiere of Two Ships Passing at the Pan Andreas Theatre.

“You can be young without money but you can’t be old without it.” –TW

Harold’s memories may be even more recognizable to theatre actors. “We were doing Cymbeline at LATC, he recounts, “and I was getting to that stage in my career where I was thinking New York or Chicago. I wasn’t a good auditioner in LA. I hadn’t mastered the Shurtleff style. But, my manager wanted me to audition for Queer as Folk. It was presented more like a movie for cable so I went to read.

“I didn’t care anymore. I didn’t care how I looked. I had $5 to my name and ran out of gas on the way to the audition. I had to hunt around in my car to find enough change to get there.

“I had seen the original British version of the show and I knew how an American would play the role-unapologetically OUT, take it or leave it. So I opened up my guns and let them blaze. When I was done, I let them know ‘if you want me back, I can’t read Monday…I have to strike Cymbeline.’”

Enthusiasm is the most important thing in life. –TW

Why choose Orpheus Descending to perform?

Harold is big on his coach Kim Gillingham. “I am fascinated,” he says, “by how she guided me to make choices amidst all the chaos and to find the feelings that allow me to hold onto those choices. At the end of last year, I called and asked her if she knew of something more rigorous that I could work on every day. She called back and recommended this play. Val. It was a very terrifying thought, and exciting.

“First and foremost, there are the words. He built this man’s way of speaking-’a peculiar talker.’ I’m from Atlanta and spent my formative years in Florida, Georgia and Alabama. There’s French, Spanish, Italian and black culture. It’s phraseology.

“It’s like a symphonic arrangement and, when we’re all talking to each other, the strings play together on stage. They talk to each other with echoes of a mandolin or violin. As our director Lou Pepe says ‘it’s an incantation.’”

For Crosby, “It has to be challenging for me to want to do it. I’ve not done Tennessee Williams, and that is thrilling, a personal favorite. Imagine this Italian, this character who came to rural Mississippi with a mother who was ‘very fair.’

“It will be an eye-opener because people like to make assumptions about Italians, pigeon-hole everyone. Why not make Juliet black and Romeo blue?” And, in this case, Lady Torrance blonde. You go, girl…er, Lady!

Mason “almost had a vision of this staircase even before reading Orpheus Descending. I think Carol Cutrere is the soul of the play. Even when all the cattle are going in one direction, her spirit is not. All artists can relate to that.

“Carol stands for the blacks in the play. She took a stand and went the other way in this repressed racist town. All that, mixed with her sexual liberation. It costs her. But, she keeps running with the call of the wild.

“I think Carol and Blanche in Streetcar are Tennessee’s two greatest women.”

“Most of the confidence which I appear to feel, especially when influenced by noon wine, is only a pretense.” –TW

With the excitement mounting for the opening of this production, the great enthusiasm the actors have is also mixed with the challenge of doing justice to Williams.

Crosby finds it a “very demanding emotional piece. He doesn’t write light frothy comedies. The challenge for me is to connect all those emotional through lines to what is the truth of the moment.

“So I had to do a lot of research on the history of the time…looking at photos and listening to a lot of music. Music is important here. Then, I could find what in my life to connect this to. It’s a big three-act play, with dialect. She’s very passionate, very full of life and experiencing a sexual reawakening with this younger man.”

Harold, that “younger man,” says “I have a 1001 fears. We can sit around on a blanket with some wine and grapes and get to them all. But mostly, when there’s such a great playwright, you don’t want to sully his adaptation of a myth that makes rocks cry.

“There’s also the fear of the next trap - don’t play the metaphor. Val is a singer and a hustler…a man on the run, not a man with a lute serenading a nymph. I do perform ‘Heavenly Grass’ though, the most terrifying thing of all.” Terrifying perhaps because Williams wrote it himself. An ethereal ode to his audience.

Like her haunting character, commenting on all the action, Mason muses that “when we’re ignited by something so great, by one of the greatest writers, there’s a whoosh - and, the fear mongers we all have, are there.”

“I have found it easier to identify with the characters who were frightened, who were desperate to reach out to another person. But these seemingly fragile people are the strong people really.” –TW

Sounds like a good bet for theatergoers to enjoy these actors in a play about living bravely and honestly in a fallen world. Tennessee Williams began these themes here with his Orpheus and Eurydice and evolved them through the many works of his career.

Here’s hoping your feet take a walk in his heavenly grass.

Article by Geo Hartley

Production photos by Robert E. Beckwith

Source

Falling for Grace DVD Release from CD Universe - Update.

2010-01-07T10:16:00.002Z

Well, after several emails to and from CD Universe, the situation appears to be this.

The DVD was released on 1/5. Stocks were exhausted immediately probably because of high demand, which is fantastic news for Gale and Fay! Not such good news for those of us who missed out on the first shipment!

However, CD Universe tell me that the re-release from the vendors is due on 1/12 and we will be informed by email as soon as this new release is shipped.

I was so annoyed when I received the first email that I immediately re-ordered the DVD from Tower. On further contemplation this was particularly pointless as the release date from Tower is the same - 1/12. So I've now cancelled the Tower one and am sitting tight with CD Universe. I figure if I missed out on the first release from them, I must surely be somewhere near the top of the second release!

Anyway, after all the time I've been waiting to see this film, another week or so isn't going to kill me... drive me up the effin' wall, yes, but definitely not kill me! :)

Press Articles on Orpheus Descending today...

2010-01-06T17:39:00.009Z

A couple of mentions of Orpheus Descending in the press today. One in the LA Times, which is were this gorgeous photo is from and another in Playbill. Here's the Playbill article which includes another couple of new black and white photos - see them at the end of this post. Can't wait for this!

Gale Harold and Denise Crosby will co-star in the Theatre/Theater production of Tennessee Williams' short-lived Broadway drama Orpheus Descending in Los Angeles.

Harold ("Queer As Folk") will star as Val opposite Crosby ("Star Trek TNG") as Lady Torrance in Williams' 1957 play that offers a retelling of the Orpheus myth reset in the American South. Documentary filmmaker Lou Pepe ("Lost in La Mancha") directs the production that will open Jan. 15 and run through Feb. 21.

The cast will also feature Claudia Mason, Robert E. Beckwith, Curtis C., Francesca Casale, John Gleeson Connolly, Kelly Ebsary, Andy Forrest, Sheila Shaw and Geoffrey Wade.

According to press notes, "Guitar-playing drifter Val Xavier arrives in a small town looking for work and the opportunity to renounce his wild ways, where he meets Lady Torrance, a woman with a tragic past who longs for rebirth. Known as one of Williams' more complex plays, Orpheus Descending explores the power of passion, art, and imagination to redeem life and return it to meaning."

Orpheus Descending is produced by Ginger Perkins, Frantic Redhead Productions.

Original Source

Recognise the shirt, well it's definitely Gale's own... looky!

Falling for Grace DVD from CD Universe!

2010-01-06T12:07:00.006Z

Really, really pissed off now!

I received an email this morning from CD Universe saying:

At the time you placed this order, the item was a pre-order. The street date has since passed and the item is still not available from our vendors, and is now on backorder.

I wasn't THAT upset when I read it, just thought oh, well it'll be here soon... until I went on to Gale's IMDb message board and read that several people have been sent emails from CD Universe saying that their DVDs have been shipped! WTF!

What liars the people at CD Universe are, blaming the vendors when in fact it's obvious that they didn't order enough copies from the vendors to cover their pre-orders! I've now ordered it from Tower who say it will be available from 12th January, so the race is on! If I end up with two copies, one of my friends will be the lucky recipient of a wonderful Gale Harold film for their birthday this year!

To all those who did receive the "DVD is shipped" email from CD Universe, congratulations you lucky buggers! ;)

Tonight's Doctor Who...

2010-01-01T20:44:00.005Z

... the last one with David Tennant.

I just spent the last twenty minutes of it weeping.

Happy 2010!

2010-01-01T10:21:00.015Z

Wishing everyone health, prosperity and happiness for the coming year.

With much peace and love to you all.

It's going to be a fabulous Gale New Year, too! The Falling for Grace DVD coming out in the next couple of months. I hope everyone has pre-ordered their copy from the Falling for Grace website with a chance to win some great Gale stuff. Or you can pay less at CD Universe or Tower Video. The latter two will ship internationally.

Of course, the other thing starting the new decade off with a bang - crikey, where did that last one disappear to - is Gale on stage in Orpheus Descending in California during January and February. Hoping those of you who are lucky enough to go have a super time. I suppose just being able to see Gale in the flesh is enough to make that happen!

As for resolutions, well I don't think I'll be making many. It's six years since I resolved to give up smoking and that's probably the only successful resolution I've ever made! Looky, still going strong:

QuitMeter Counter courtesy of www.quitmeter.com.

So, this year I'm just going to resolve to try hard at anything I do. To live life with a smile on my face and to try to help others as much as possible and treat those I meet, no matter how trying, with kindness and generosity.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays...

2009-12-24T23:01:00.001Z

Falling for Grace DVD Pre-Ordering

2009-12-24T13:31:00.011Z

The Falling for Grace website has been revamped here and you can now Pre-Order the DVD from there with a chance to win prizes. The price is US$24.98 with US$5 shipping and handling.

This is great news for everyone... but for two things.

Firstly, it appears that there is NO International shipping, as it only gives options for addresses in the US and Canada. So, we overseas fans will have to buy it elsewhere and THAT means no bonuses or chances to win the jeans worn by Gale for us!

The second thing, which is almost worse than the first, is that apparently they are sticking with that god-awful picture of Gale on the cover!!!!

ETA: Just pre-ordered mine from CD Universe for US$24.69, this is £15.84 in real money and includes shipping and handling, but no chance of those jeans! They will ship worldwide.

Silent monks singing Hallelujah!

2009-12-13T02:07:00.002Z

Missed this last year! It's fabulous...

and there's always time for a repeat of this classic... The Twelve Gays of Christmas!

Calling all Gale Harold fans who have knowledge of Los Angeles...

2009-12-12T14:27:00.006Z

In the event that a Gale fan from another country - who missed out on the Suddenly Last Summer Gale event in NY a few years back through a set of unfortunate circumstances - was ~~stupid~~ ~~obsessed~~ ~~fanatical~~ mad enough to buy a ticket or tickets for Orpheus Descending and managed to gather together the serious amount of spondulicks necessary for a return flight to LAX.

Is it possible that there is someone out there able to recommend a hotel within walking distance of the Theatre for said out-of-towner? A hotel which, hopefully, alongside being reasonably clean and neither bed-bug nor flea infested, won't add too much to the already straining financial burden and leave a Gale fan just enough to purchase a souvenir programme or two.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. :)

More on Gale in Orpheus Descending

2009-12-10T10:34:00.007Z

So, whilst some of us Gale fans who are lucky enough to live in, or near, LA are booking their tickets for Orpheus Descending and getting nearer and nearer to exploding with excitement. The rest of us might just want to think about the play and how we think Gale will handle the part of Valentine Xavier.

Of course, if you are going to see the play and don't know, and don't want to know, what the play is about, you'd better not read any further. For everyone else, here's a description of the character he'll be playing. I'm thrilled that he's got this part and I think that if Gale can relax, this character is absolutely perfect for him!

Valentine Xavier is a wandering singer and musician of about thirty who is described in the stage directions as having a wild beauty about him. He wears a snakeskin jacket, mottled white, black, and gray. In the bars of New Orleans where he sang and lived wildly, he was known simply as Snake-skin. Val always carries a guitar with him, and he describes it as his ‘‘life's companion.’’ Music saves him whenever he gets into a bad situation. The guitar itself is covered with the autographs of famous blues singers. Val is a free spirit who does not fit into conventional society, and it is significant that the Choctaw cry given by the Conjure Man, a cry of wild intensity, coincides with Val's first entrance.

Val was raised in a place called Witches' Bayou, and he claims to have unusual powers of self-control. He can hold his breath for three minutes, stay awake for forty-eight hours, and not urinate for a day. He also claims that his body temperature is two degrees higher than normal, like a dog's. He left Witches' Bayou when he was in his teens and drifted to New Orleans, where he soon found that women were irresistibly drawn to him, but he eventually tired of their attentions and of the dissipated life he was leading.

Val is basically a good-hearted man who has insight into the deeper longings of life. He can sense what others really need and desire, and he knows how to give comfort when it is needed. He himself says that although he has lived among corruption (in New Orleans), he is not corrupted. In Two River County, however, people find his manner sexually suggestive, although he does nothing deliberately to cultivate this impression. However, because he is an artistic spirit who does not fit into the accepted ways of thought and action, and because he allows himself to be drawn into an affair with Lady Torrance, he is hunted down by the men of the town.

Gale in Williams' Orpheus Descending...

2009-12-09T23:00:00.009Z

What wonderful news! I really, really hope he can make this part his own and nails it on stage. Wish I could get there to see it, but alas that's not to be...

Gale Harold, Denise Crosby, Claudia Mason to Star in Orpheus Descending at Theatre/Theater
By: Dan Bacalzo · Dec 9, 2009 · Los Angeles

Gale Harold, Denise Crosby, and Claudia Mason will head the cast of Tennessee Williams' Orpheus Descending, to play Theatre/Theater in Los Angeles, January 15-February 21. Lou Pepe will direct.

This modern version of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice is set in the American South of repressed desires. The cast will also feature Robert E. Beckwith, Curtis C., Francesca Casale, John Gleeson Connolly, Kelly Ebsary, Andy Forrest, Sheila Shaw and Geoffrey Wade.

Harold, who plays Valentine Xavier, is best known for his role of Brian Kinney on Showtime's Queer as Folk, and his stage credits include Tennessee Williams' Suddenly Last Summer for the Roundabout Theatre Company. Crosby, who plays Lady Torrance, received an Ovation nomination for her performance in Last Summer at Bluefish Cove, and her TV work includes the role of Lt. Tasha Yar in Star Trek, The Next Generation. Mason, who plays Carol Cutrere, began her career as a teen model, and her Off Broadway credits include Boxing Day Parade and The Glass Menagerie, while her film and television work includes Celebrity and Outpatient.

Original Source

If anyone not familiar with the play is interested in reading a summary, go here. Obviously there are major spoilers!

Randy - New Advocate Interview

2009-12-04T21:30:00.011Z

Randy interview in the Advocate. Some rehashed old questions, but overall a really interesting interview, love this! :)

Look out for his answer to one of the last questions about nude pictures of him when playing Alan Strang in Equus! Randy may be upsetting some fans with the way he answers, I'm afraid! I just wish that the lady in question posts a link to this photo now!! Hahahaha!

Anyway take a read:

Randy Does Andy

Queer as Folk’s Randy Harrison discusses his new role as late art legend Andy Warhol in Yale Rep’s POP! and his own status as a reluctant “post-gay” pop icon — plus his secret nude photos and the possibility of a QAF reunion.
By Brandon Voss

When The Advocate last spoke to him for a September 2002 cover story, Randy Harrison had only finished his second of five seasons as gay teen Justin Taylor in Showtime’s groundbreaking drama Queer as Folk but was already planning an exit strategy. “I sort have this image of myself sort of disappearing for a while and reemerging five to 10 years down the road again,” said Harrison, who was at 24 the youngest out actor on television. It’s been more than four years since the controversial series ended, but the stage vet, who made his Broadway debut as Boq in Wicked, has remained very visible in the theater world. Now 32, Harrison is currently creating a portrait of polarizing pop artist-filmmaker Andy Warhol in the Mark Brokaw-helmed world premiere of POP!, a Factory-set musical by Maggie-Kate Coleman and Anna K. Jacobs, which runs through December 19 at Yale Repertory Theatre in New Haven, Conn. Advocate.com made the most of 15 more minutes with Harrison, who continues to elevate his “post-gay” position on fame, activism, and sexuality to an art form.

Advocate.com: How familiar were you with Warhol and the Factory before you started working on POP! at Yale Rep?
Randy Harrison: More than most. Near the end of college I was really into the Velvet Underground, which sort of brought me to Warhol. This was back when Kim’s video store was still open in the East Village, so I rented a lot of Warhol’s movies from there, like Lonesome Cowboys. I’m fascinated with him. I admire the fact that he just turned out art and created such challenging work, specifically his movies. I also think he’s funny as hell.

Did you study archival footage and old Warhol interviews to prepare for the role?
I did a bit of that, but I ended up having to drop a lot of it to tell the story. A perfect Warhol imitation doesn’t work for creating a convincing musical theater character. A lot of his real mannerisms weren’t useful, and you can’t really project his real voice and keep sounding like Warhol. He spoke in a monotone with almost no inflection and little enunciation in a flat Midwestern accent, which is completely untheatrical. I have to break into song as Warhol and have it be believable.

But since Warhol was an actual living person, do you feel a responsibility to represent him accurately?
Fortunately, this show is such a different context to put Warhol in, so I don’t necessarily feel the same obligation I would if I were doing Warhol in a film. Mine is a very fictionalized Warhol.

POP! doesn’t directly explore Warhol’s sexuality, but many critics over the years have examined the ways his homosexuality shaped his aesthetic and also posed an obstacle for him to overcome in his career. Some of his contemporaries were angered or intimidated by the frankness of his sexuality in his work, but he refused to butch it up for anyone. Do you relate to that aspect of Warhol’s character?
Oh, absolutely. There’s this fascinating book called Pop Out, which is like a queer studies examination of Warhol’s life and career. It’s interesting that Jasper Johns and Bob Rauschenberg were also gay but acted butch, so they wanted nothing to do with Warhol. To me, the most amazing thing about Warhol was that he intentionally played up the “swish” aspect — “swish” being the word that he used — in popism. I have a lot of admiration for that.

When The Advocate interviewed you in 2002, you said that you were scared you might be “perceived as a poster boy for something” because you “never really had any goals of activism.” Considering how much the marriage equality debate has heated up since then, have you found yourself becoming more political?
I always have been political, but I’m political personally and not as a celebrity. I’ll go march in Washington with my friends, but I’m not going to go as Randy Harrison the spokesperson because I’m not comfortable playing that role. But I’m active like any human being should be.

You also told The Advocate, “Besides the fact that I sleep with men, I have very little sense of being part of the community of homosexual people, for whatever reason. I have a group of six friends, two of whom are gay.” Now that you’re in your 30s, do you feel more connected with the gay community? Or, at the very least, have you made more gay friends?
[Laughs] I don’t have any more gay friends! Maybe I feel slightly more connected, but not really. I don’t feel hugely different about it. I’m still not engaged with gay nightlife, but I am a gay person who wants equal rights, so I’m engaged with that. All my friends, straight or gay, are engaged with that.

For a Vanity Fair cover story in 2003 called “Gay-Per-View TV,” you participated in a glamorous photo shoot that featured the major cast members of Queer as Folk, Will & Grace, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, The L Word, and Boy Meets Boy. What was it like to play such a major part in that watershed moment for our mainstream media visibility when you didn’t even feel a part of your community?
For me, it all felt like a fluke. Now, looking back, I can sort of see how that kind of visibility was progress to some extent, but I remember doing that shoot and just wanting it to be over.

Are you serious? In one photo you’re inches away from Megan Mullally and hanging on Thom Filicia while Jennifer Beals is serving face in the corner. That shoot looks like it was a blast.
Really? Oh, my God, no. My memory of it is that it was stressful and nerve-racking. But I have a difficult time with photo shoots period.

Do you wish you could’ve achieved your current marketability in the theater world without actually having to do Queer as Folk?
Not really, because the only reason I’m financially stable is from having worked in television. I’m sure Queer as Folk opened up a lot of doors for me, even if it closed some too, so I’m grateful for it.

Echoing the controversial statements gay directors Todd Holland and Don Roos made earlier this year, Rupert Everett recently advised gay actors to stay in the closet, saying, “The fact is that you could not be, and still cannot be, a 25-year-old homosexual trying to make it in the ... film business.” As a former 25-year-old homosexual who hasn’t done much film work since Queer as Folk, do you think he’s right?
I’ve never really tried very hard to be a part of the film industry, so I don’t know if he’s right or not. Queer as Folk was a fluke, and then I just went back to theater. I’ve been significantly more satisfied with the work I’ve been doing since Queer as Folk ended. It’s been almost all theater, but that was my mostly my intention, so I’m doing what I always wanted to do.

But do you feel like your coming-out has hindered your career in any way?
I don’t know what decisions are being made behind closed doors in casting sessions or what people think of me, so I don’t know what kind of difference it would’ve made or what kind of career I would have now if I hadn’t come out. I just know that not coming out was something I wasn’t capable of doing. I don’t regret it. The one thing that’s been frustrating for me is that coming out has forced me to have to talk about my private life, which is something that I have no interest talking about in general. I don’t feel like actors should ever be obligated to open up about that. I want to be out because it’s important to me socially and politically, but at the same time I don’t think it’s anybody’s business who I sleep with.

Then it must have been strange when New York magazine put you on the cover of its 2002 “Gay Issue” and labeled you “The Post-Gay Gay Icon.” What did that mean to you?
At the time — and I was feeling this a lot when I was doing Queer as Folk — I was frustrated with how much ghettoizing there was of the gay community: The “us versus them” mentality as far as gays and straights. So I sort of understood the idea of “post-gay” as being beyond labels of sexuality.

A recent Newsweek article claimed that effeminate gay characters on television shows like Glee, Ugly Betty, Entourage, Modern Family, and True Blood might actually be hurting rather than helping the LGBT community. What do you think of the representation of gays on TV today?
I don’t watch all those shows, so I don’t really know who the characters are, but just the fact that they’re out there is important. Maybe adults can’t use them as a political tool in some way, but I know — and this was important to me when I was doing Queer as Folk — that any kind of visibility is a comfort when you’re 14 and living in the middle of nowhere. Now it’s easy to find two boys kissing on TV, so at least you don’t have to go to a weird video store to search for an old Merchant-Ivory movie.

In retrospect, could the substance-abusing, hypersexualized characters on Queer as Folk have done more harm than good in the long run?
Just last night somebody came up to me and was like, “I wouldn’t have gotten through my adolescence if that show hadn’t been on television.” So that good outweighs however obnoxious the show might have potentially gotten.

Do you ever stumble across the edited reruns that currently air on Logo?
No. I wouldn’t watch it. I have a lot of friends that I’ve made since the show who’ve never seen it, and occasionally they’ll say, “Oh, my God, I was watching TV and I saw that show you were on.” They always say, “You were so blond!”

What are the chances of a Queer as Folk reunion special? I’d totally watch A Very Queer as Folksy Christmas.
I’m pretty certain there will never be a reunion, but I do see the cast maybe once a year. I’m in New York and they’re mostly all in L.A., but when I’m out there I try to see some of them for lunch. We all get along.

Getting back to your theater work, the last time you appeared on the New York stage was this past spring at the Public Theater in Craig Lucas’s The Singing Forest, a complicated epic in which you played a gay Starbucks barista and a straight Nazi officer. In one scene, your Nazi character raped Olympia Dukakis’s character from behind for what felt like an eternity. Does that top of the list of surreal things you’ve had to do onstage?
Yes, it does. I was really excited to be a part of that project because I’m such a fan of Craig and the two roles I played were so extraordinarily polar opposite. I’d done a lot of classical work like Shakespeare, Marlowe, and Beckett, but I hadn’t done a new play since A Letter From Ethel Kennedy in 2002, so I really wanted to work on something new. It was a great experience. Olympia’s such a great actress, a great acting teacher, and a great person to just be in a room with so you can watch her work.

The reviews of The Singing Forest weren’t exactly raves. Did critics just not get it?
Oh, I don’t read criticism at all. I can’t. But I’d say 60% of actors don’t read criticism. It confuses you, so it’s just not worth it. I learned during Queer as Folk not to read any of the things people say about you.

You also played Alan Strang in Berkshire Theatre Festival’s celebrated 2005 production of Equus. How did you, unlike Daniel Radcliffe, manage to avoid having a picture of your penis posted all over the Internet?
Well, ushers were running down the aisles taking cameras out of peoples’ hands. Actually, I have heard that there is a way to get one — which isn’t a surprise, knowing some of my fans. I don’t know if it’s online, so you may have to go into one of those fan forums or live chats and talk to some middle-aged, overweight woman who probably has it in a file somewhere on her desktop.

Speaking of fans, novelist Christopher Rice once told me that he sometimes gets mistaken for you on the street. Do you ever get mistaken for Christopher Rice?
Nope. That’s weird, because isn’t he really tall? I often don’t get mistaken for myself anymore, which is comforting.

Original Source

Breathing Places

2009-12-04T17:22:00.001Z

Come rain or shine, I shall be out in my garden between 11.00 am and 12.00 noon GMT tomorrow morning planting two trees for the BBC Tree O'Clock's Guinness world record attempt to plant the most trees in ONE hour!

My two beautiful trees will also count towards UNEP - Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign.

So, if you can spare an hour tomorrow and want to make YOUR part of the planet a nicer place to live, then you still have time to grab a tree - some are free from various places across the country - and get planting! Hope to see you there! ;)

Here's a cute video too:

Randy in video clip of POP!

2009-12-01T00:49:00.003Z

Here's a video clip of Randy as Andy Warhol in POP! at the Yale Repertory Theatre. He looks fantastic and people who've seen it say he's brilliant in the part.

What's going on???

2009-11-28T16:43:00.010Z

Why are links to past posts of mine showing up suddenly in Google alerts today? Some are MONTHS old! I don't understand...

Here's a pic (give it a couple of clicks, it does get LARGE) just to say sorry if you have a dozen links to my blog!!

EDIT: I think I figured out what happened. I couldn't find a couple of old posts and started fiddling about with the tags/labels. Didn't think at the time, but of course if you re-label a post google picks it up as new. Sorry people!

Gale sighted in Miami...

2009-11-28T10:30:00.009Z

according to The Miami Herald:

Lunching at Michael's Genuine Food & Drink Wednesday: actor Gale Harold of Queer as Folk and Desperate Housewives fame.

So, what's he doing in Miami? Working (fingers crossed) or just a little holiday?

No idea what he ate, but here's the lunch menu, so, any guesses? Apparently it serves great food and it's "casual dress" so he's right at home! :)

Oh, by the way, I wonder if we'll see him in one of their $20 "organic" T-shirts? ;)

Original Source

Couple of new Gale pics...

2009-11-07T11:45:00.009Z

Fay posted a couple of pics of Gale on her Facebook wall here. They are obviously the ones she promised to post way back when Gale joined her to do the commentary for the Falling for Grace DVD.

She says he's "quite funny in it..." - don't hold back with those gushing compliments, Fay, will you?

He looks damned cute in them though!

Russell Crowe on making Robin Hood...

2009-10-14T09:41:00.002+01:00

Russell Crowe talking about making Robin Hood. His son is in this too and he is adorable.

Fertile Ground - Gale pics...

2009-10-06T20:23:00.002+01:00

Here are some pics that the lovely Kinwad on livejournal was very kind enough to share with everyone.

I picked a few of the Gale ones and made them bigger, so click on them. The rest you can see here.

He does look amazing in these, so let's just hope that this film is one of the better examples of the genre. Oh, I really do hope so!

UPDATE: I did a couple more, you can barely see Gale in them so I thought they might benefit from being bigger! (I took all the pics back down a size, too, because I didn't like the loss of quality. They're still big, but not quite so big!) :)

Fertile Ground popularity...

2009-10-06T02:16:00.004+01:00

So, Fertile Ground is up 58% in popularity on IMDb this week.

Its Moviemeter went from 26,094 on 27 September to 16,472 on 4 October!

Now, I wonder why...

Russell Crowe does such weird stuff...

2009-10-03T13:18:00.003+01:00

and that's why I love him!

He's just given away a £60,000 (approx. US$95,514) prop from his film Robin Hood to the Clanranald Trust in Scotland, a charitable organisation which aims to raise awareness of Scottish culture and heritage through interactive education.

The prop - a battering ram - will be used during their medieval battle re-enactments, which will be held at the replica medieval Motte and Bailey Fort they are building in the Fintry Hills. They hope it will serve as a visitor attraction.

Apparently the idea is to provide an arena where groups and individuals can experience the atmosphere of an authentic medieval working community.

I won't tell you how much money they've already spent on this fort, you'll have to read this article if you want to know.

Hmm, nice gesture, although I just can't see the relevance of this Trust at all! I know, I'm terrible, aren't I and I'm being very mean spirited.

Anyway, well done, Russ, for being such a generous mad man with your friends! I do really love him for doing ridiculous things like this! You know what though, I'm pretty sure that in similar circumstances, Gale would do crazy stuff like this, too! ;)

Gay & Lesbian Elder Housing's Garden Party Event on October 11th is a bit of a QAF Reunion!

2009-10-02T21:22:00.000+01:00

With Bobby Gant, Thea Gill, Scott Lowell as well as Gale Harold all attending, this is going to be a QAF Reunion party too! Not only those four though, because Sharon Gless is one of this year's honourees, and will be the recipient of the first annual Triangle Pioneer Award.

Interestingly, also attending will be Ming Na. Like Gale, she DOESN'T have Vanished listed as a past memorable job either! Hee! The other interesting attendee is Wes Ramsey of Latter Days fame! Oh, how I loved that film at the time.

The party is open to the general public, so I certainly expect several QAF fans to attend on my behalf - it's a bit far for me to travel just for a couple of hours. It's very tempting, though, especially since there is apparently going to be a silent auction! Hm, I wonder what or WHO is up for auction? ;)

Gay & Lesbian Elder Housing's Garden Party Event on October 11th!
Celebrity honorees Leeza Gibbons and Sharon Gless, fabulous silent auction, music by DJ Griffin White, fashion show by Andrew Christian, Qantas Airlines raffle, exquisite food by Nadia Millani Catering will surely put the 'fun' in GLEH's Fall Garden Party
Gay & Lesbian Elder Housing

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 2 /PRNewswire/ — The 2009 Garden Party to benefit Gay & Lesbian Elder Housing will be held from 1pm to 6pm on Sunday, October 11th 2009 at the Hancock Park Estate of Ms. Dayna Devon and Dr. Brent Moelleken in Los Angeles, CA. This year's event is entitled "Celebrating Equality's Pioneers" - celebrating the courage of past generations, honoring their revolutionary leadership and accomplishments which allow us the many liberties that the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and elder communities are able to enjoy today.

The event is open to the general public and will offer exceptional food, cocktails, a fantastic silent auction, fashion show by Andrew Christian, entertainment by Mental Head Circus, music by DJ Griffin White and a special tribute to our LGBT seniors. This year's distinguished honorees are Leeza Gibbons (Leeza's Place) who will be bestowed with the Ron S. Gelb Community Service Award and Sharon Gless (Queer As Folk, Hannah Free) who is the recipient of the first annual Triangle Pioneer Award.

This annual event will feature celebrity guest appearances by:

Lance Bass (Nsync)
Robert Gant (Queer As Folk)
Jai Rodriguez (Oy Vey! My Son is Gay!
Thomas Bierdz (Young & The Restless
Jonathan Bennett (Van Wilder 2)
Frenchie Davis (American Idol)
Brian Nolan (The Lair)
Jennia Fredrique (Noah's Arc)
Ming Na (ER, Joy Luck Club)
Wes Ramsey (Latter Days, Charmed, CSI Miami)
Calpirnia Addams (Transamerican Love Story)
Ben Patrick Johnson
Daniel Sladek (Emmy Award winning producer of Prayers for Bobby")
Chris Taaffe (Emmy Award winning producer of "Prayers for Bobby")
Doug Spearman (Noah's Ark)
Thea Gill (Queer as Folk)
Gale Harold (Queer as Folk, Desperate Housewives)
Scott Lowell (Queer as Folk)
Jesse Ferguson (Modern Family)
Angela Featherstone (Exe's and Oh's)
Amy Paffrath (E!)
Drew Seeley (Another Cinderella Story)

This event is not only a chance for supporters of Gay & Lesbian Elder Housing to take part in an exceptional fund-raising event together, but it is an invitation to the community to celebrate and experience the magic of the nation's first affordable housing development providing vital housing and social support services to some of the nation's most vulnerable seniors.

Each year, as our senior population grows, countless low-income LGBT seniors are faced with the challenge of securing safe, permanent affordable housing and social services that address their specific concerns and meet their unique needs. The program is dependent on the contributions and support of the community, private foundations, donors and volunteers.
Advertisement

Sponsors for this event include Wells Fargo Bank, Ben Patrick Johnson Foundation, Mike Mueller Designs Inc., Qantas Airlines, Capitol Drugs-PowerZone, Union Bank, CAZCO Construction, CRA/LA, Zuno Studios, Silver Birches and Gabriel Pacheco Designs. Alcohol sponsored by Beam Global Spirits and Wine (Effen, Hornitos, Makers Mark, Dekuyper, Cruzan Rum) - Media sponsors include Frontiers Publishing, Lesbian News and Reality Cares.

For information about the event, sponsorship or to purchase tickets, please visit www.gleh.org or contact Gay & Lesbian Elder Housing at 323.957.7200.

Gay & Lesbian Elder Housing is a nonprofit organization dedicated to building and operating high-quality affordable, multicultural housing developments which include a community space used to provide social and recreational services for GLBT older adults. Our goal is to provide a safe, nurturing environment that supports the well-being of GLBT elders.

Source

Btw, here's a link if anyone wants to buy tickets! :)

Congratulations Rio...

2009-10-02T20:45:00.006+01:00

and commiserations Chicago!

It's funny, but this decision amazed me, I was absolutely SURE that Chicago was going to win the Olympic bid! I was almost as shocked that Chicago WASN'T chosen as I was four years ago when London WAS chosen!

Better get saving then, I don't suppose a trip to Rio for 17 days will be cheap. At least the 2012 Olympics will be cheaper... they're on my own doorstep! :)

Randy's appearance at the Emelin Theatre last night...

2009-10-02T17:10:00.017+01:00

Here are some pictures of Randy appearing last night at the Emelin Theatre in Mamaroneck, New York at a behind-the-scenes look at the process of taking Shakespeare from the page to the stage. (UPDATE: I made them a little larger, click.)

Randy was with Elisabeth Waterston and Ezra Knight in an open rehearsal of Measure for Measure, directed by Michael Sexton, The Shakespeare Society's Artistic Director, with commentary from Shakespearean scholar Ruth Carpenter.

A discussion and reception with the artists followed the programme.

He looks absolutely adorable in them! :)

Photos courtesy of the Emelin Theatre website.

Dog fighting gang sentenced...

2009-10-02T15:05:00.006+01:00

I was very, very relieved when four people involved in "Europe's largest dogfighting syndicates" were convicted on 15th September, I blogged about it here. At the time I wrote about my fear that they wouldn't get custodial sentences, but instead get paltry fines and a couple of hours of community service.

Well I was wrong. They did get custodial sentences. Nothing too severe though, apparently horrendous cruelty to an animal in this country only warrants a maximum six months in jail!

Anyway, Claire Parker, the woman who held the dog fights at her home, was sentenced to only four and a half months in jail and was banned from owning a dog for ten years. The other three were sentenced to between five and a half and six months in jail and banned from owning a dog for life.

I'm pleased, I really am, that they all got jail time. I just don't think it's anywhere near long enough. How can the sentence for a bank robber in this country be anything between 10 and 30 years, depending on the violence used, and yet the most appalling cruelty meted out to animals for days, months and, in some cases, years only warrants six months or LESS in jail. I just don't understand.

Read the full report on the sentencing here.

Oh, and the great pitbull pic is from the fabulous I Can Has Cheezeburger website.

This cat gets a tap on the head...

2009-10-01T09:51:00.003+01:00

I saw this a few months ago, but somehow didn't post about it here. Almost 2 million have viewed it so far, so forgive me if you've seen it before, but I find it fascinating! :)

Anyway, I was reminded of it the other day, thanks to the fabulous Cats Protection, who posted it on their Facebook page.

It's hilarious, but I can't imagine what makes the cat think this is the easiest way to get a drink! Why can't his owner put him a little bowl down? Oh, sorry... that wouldn't make an entertaining video now would it! ;)

Okay, here it is:

Breast Cancer Awareness Month - October!

2009-10-01T00:53:00.002+01:00

I think by now we're all very familiar with the fact that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Because of this, I've given my blog a bit of a facelift to a very pretty - in my opinion - pink theme. This is not only for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but also to celebrate my best friend's (hee, I typed 'breast' friend!) seventh year as a survivor. We've been friends for a hell of a long time - I'm sorry, I can't be more specific because she'd kill me if I told you exactly how long! All I can say is that we met at school and that place is a very distant memory, but thank God, she isn't! She's alive and well and still my friend and that's due to the fact that we get free mammograms every three years and it was at one of these routine mammograms that her cancer was picked up!

So, when you get that letter from the NHS, or your doctor, asking you to attend for a mammogram and you think you don't need it, can't be bothered or you just don't think you'll have the time. Please bother. Please make the time! Only takes five minutes once you're there and those five minutes could save your life.

You can go to Cancer Research UK to fundraise, donate of just buy something pink and help this wonderful charity keep the research going which perhaps will stop someone dying of this disease.

Better yet, go buy yourself, your best friend or your girlfriend this little gift set. It's by the fabulous Butler and Wilson, so you know it's going to be beautiful and 15 quid will go straight to that other great charity, Breast Cancer Care.

Of course, if you believe all the exploitation theories around again this year about companies exploiting the pink ribbon - read Susie Collins' post of last year entitled Why I Boycott Breast Cancer Awareness Month - you could always do what I do, and that's just give your money straight to the charity of your choice without buying anything.

I do believe that most companies who get involved in the Breast Cancer Awareness Month are quite happy to garner kudos from their customers for trying to help, but I don't agree that it's just simply exploitation. In any case, there is always free will, so if you do happen to believe the exploitation theory, then don't buy anything, but that's still no excuse for not handing over some money! Go on, do it, do it now, I dare ya!

FFG DVD not being released in February now!

2009-09-29T08:40:00.011+01:00

You get a beautiful picture today because the news is crap, not at all unexpected, but still crap.

The date for the Falling for Grace DVD release has been put back a month from February 9th to March 9th. This isn't on either Fay's or the FFG Twitter pages and neither Facebook page has this news. No, the only reason we know this is because she emailed a friend and that friend very kindly posted the news on livejournal. This is what she wrote:

The distributor just pushed the DVD release date back to March 9th. It's a moving target, I guess. We'll need a lot of help spreading the word!

What's this all about, "we'll need a lot of help spreading the word!"? Put it on Facebook, Fay, tweet about it. You'll be surprised how fast the news spreads!

Anyway, this isn't at all unexpected, especially when, as I posted here, only a couple of days ago Fay was saying that she was still "gathering all the materials to go to press."

If we all didn't have our tongues hanging out waiting for any new and exciting news about Fertile Ground, I expect this setback would have hit harder. As it is, it just feels like a minor inconvenience! Oh well, I suppose I'll get to see this film eventually... that's if I live long enough of course! :)

Any excuse to post a Gale pic... and a Randy one!

2009-09-27T12:11:00.010+01:00

I was obviously far too deeply immersed in the "is he or isn't he" question of Gale's involvement in the film Fertile Ground to notice this, but someone asked Fay a question on her Facebook page yesterday.

The question was "How is the DVD coming along?"

Fay's reply:

It's definitely coming along. We are gathering all the materials to go to press. It's kinda crazy how hard it is to "deliver" to distributors - almost harder than making the movie :)

Hm, in other words it's not coming along much at all. The good news is she obviously has distributors for the DVD, the bad is that those distributors have presumably not received anything from her as of yesterday! What the hold up is, I can only imagine. Something to do with the editing of all those commentaries she's done with various people, perhaps! ;)

As some of you may know already, Randy is going to be chatting - rather a long chat actually as it's scheduled to last two hours - with Dr. Kenneth Elliott, who is Assistant Professor of Theater in the Department of Fine Arts at Rutgers University - Camden. You can find more information here.

No new picture for the poster on this event, I'm afraid, and I wonder what Randy thinks about "star of Showtime drama series "Queer as Folk" and Broadway's hit show Wicked" being picked out as his claims to fame! ;)

Randy poster comes via the lovely Kinwad on lj.

Gale's new movie... let's hope!

2009-09-26T12:09:00.018+01:00

So, there's been plenty of speculation over the last few days as to whether Gale really is associated with a new horror movie called Fertile Ground.

The very reliable Kinwad on livejournal first broke the news a couple of days ago that Gale had been filming this new movie. (Although she has now locked both her posts, probably because the poor girl was being pestered for her source.*) This news tied in with the Gale sighting in Des Moines, first mentioned on Twitter, which is apparently near where the filming was taking place.

The equally reliable StellaDallas on IMDb has managed to find some information on the plot here - be careful though, her post obviously contains spoilers for the movie!

When I first heard about this and posted about it briefly here, I was not at all happy about Gale doing a horror movie. I don't enjoy most trashy guts and gore horror movies and never particularly want to see Gale in one - that's not to say I wouldn't watch it, because if he's in it how could I possibly resist, it's just that I would hate it! ;)

I am therefore oh so very pleased that, on paper at least, it sounds much more of a psychological/paranormal type movie, rather than a zombie/brain eating/blood and guts one! In fact, because of the, I think, very reliable sources this information has come from, I am allowing myself to tentatively look forward to it!

The Production Designer for the movie is **Hannah E. Beachler and she has posted some set pictures from the movie on her website. Here they are, click and they get bigger:

It would be rather nice to have some pictorial confirmation of Gale's involvement in this sooner rather than later!

*The lovely Kinwad's posts are back! That's great, although it's still true that nothing official has been released!

**This bit of blurb is on Hannah Beachler's website

Currently Hannah is
Production Designing the
Feature Film "Fertile Ground"
Directed by Adam Gierasch
Produced by Limor Diamant

Passenger Side and a new Gale project... perhaps!

2009-09-23T14:47:00.013+01:00

Okay so I'm thrilled to bits now as I've just booked my tickets for the October 25th showing of Passenger Side here in London.

I was late booking today because I had to go out first thing, so by the time I got around to booking just now, lots of seats had already gone! This film is obviously very eagerly anticipated by other members of the BFI. Not necessarily just the Gale fans, like me, either! ;)

I know Gale's part in this is very small, but just having the chance to see him on the big screen again after all this time is fabulous! It's been 5 years since Particles of Truth was shown here, so it's been a long, long wait to see him again.

I'm not really sure about the other Gale news today. One part of me is very pleased because we get to see more of him, and it is, of course, very good that he's working. The other part of me isn't quite so happy about him working on a straight to DVD horror film, although my niece will be thrilled as she loves that type of film. I must agree with StellaDallas on IMDb (who is one of a small handful of people over there I value the word of), please, please let this film be more of a psychological thriller than a blood, guts and gore type! I really wouldn't want Gale to do one of those. :(

UPDATE: Here's another link with more information on that new movie... maybe. :)

FFG in China? Well, maybe...

2009-09-22T10:05:00.006+01:00

The interesting thing about this new tweet from Fay is the fact that Gale may go with her to China this time. This may only be wishful thinking on Fay's part at the moment, we'll see, but if it happens, how fantastically lucky for you Gale fans in China and how lucky for Gale - a, hopefully, all expenses paid trip to China! The same for those of you in Florida, how wonderful if it does open at a theatre near you. I wouldn't hold my breath though if I were you.

Falling for Grace may go to China...Gale & Fay may go as well...More requests to open theatrically - this winter in Florida perhaps?

I am quite jealous and I know I'm beginning to sound like a broken record, but why has she never tried getting this shown at any film festivals in the UK or Europe?

Oh, well, roll on February 9, I shall be pre-ordering my DVD as soon as I can!

Hotlanta!

2009-09-20T11:45:00.024+01:00

Hal Sparks is in Georgia and tweeted this a few hours ago:

It's Hot here in Atlanta...

well you know where my mind went immediately!

Yep, you've guessed it:

Okay, you lucky buggers in Louisville, Kentucky...

2009-09-20T00:12:00.001+01:00

you get the chance to see Gale on the big screen! This according to Fay's latest tweet:

Falling for Grace going to Louisville, Kentucky next! Love that the word for the film keeps growing in the most unexpected places.

I can't help but agree with her, it is amazing that after all these years and a couple of name changes, Falling for Grace is still being picked up as though it were a new film!

Why did it never come across the pond, I wonder? Hmm...

Oh, and apparently the composer of FFG is climbing the A-list! I don't think doing the music for FFG exactly gave him the leg up he needed to achieve this, but well done anyway. Here's Fay's tweet:

Andy Hollander, composer of FFG, was on the front page of Variety featured as one of the next wave of A-listers. Congrats Andy!

A Gale pic...

2009-09-19T00:54:00.006+01:00

...as no one liked the video. :(

Nothing. Zilch. Nada. No Gale news today...

2009-09-18T18:47:00.009+01:00

So here's a kiss.

It's POT.

It's short.

It's intense:

Gorgeous, eh?

If anyone else has any news, PLEASE let me know! *begs*

My Dad...

2009-09-18T01:32:00.005+01:00

It's my father's birthday today, he would have been 103 years old!
He was already quite old when I was born, so I didn't have
as much time with him as I would have wished.

He died 22 years ago. I still miss him.

Happy Birthday, Dad.

More commentary on FFG with other people this time??

2009-09-17T15:50:00.007+01:00

I'm really confused now! This from Fay's twitter page:

Getting ready to do more commentary for Falling for Grace with ace composer, Andrew Hollander and set decorator, Shannon Finnerty & more...

Never heard of this before. I'm no expert, but I always thought that if commentary was being done for a film, they got everyone together and recorded the commentary. Not do some commentary with the stars of the film, i.e. Gale, then do some more with the composer, set director etc... How is this going to be edited? How will it work? Does anyone know?

Passenger Side at The Times BFI 53rd London Film Festival in October...

2009-09-16T15:28:00.016+01:00

There's really good news for anyone who would like the opportunity of a brief glimpse of a naked Gale here in London! Passenger Side is going to be here at The Times BFI 53rd London Film Festival in October.

It will be shown at the NFT2 on the Southbank on Sunday, October 25 at 20:30 and again on Tuesday, October 27 at 13:45.

There is absolutely no likelihood of Gale showing up as his part in the film consists of a tiny cameo, so this will be the THIRD time I've seen a film here in London that Gale is connected with and the THIRD time he hasn't been here! :(

ETA: Forgot to say, booking, both online and by telephone, for BFI Members starts 23rd September and for the public on 26th September. See you there! ;)

FFG DVD to be released February 9, 2010...

2009-09-16T14:12:00.003+01:00

She'll be the death of us all! Actually, I'd probably faint at this point if she started putting all the updates in the same place! :)

Fay has put this in the bio on the Falling for Grace twitter page:

Falling for Grace DVD - out on 2/9/10 in time for Valentine's Day!

So, remember if you're looking for this, it ISN'T a tweet, it's just an updated bio.

*rolls eyes*

ETA: I've been thinking about this all afternoon, wondering why she didn't just make an announcement on Facebook or, at the very least, tweet about it. I wonder if this is so that the date can actually be changed quite surreptitiously! I could be totally wrong and it's just that she hates us Gale fans and loves messing with our heads! Of course, it may all mean nothing and I'm just totally paranoid... ;)

Dog fighting gang convicted...

2009-09-15T18:55:00.008+01:00

I am so very relieved that this woman and the others involved in this dog fighting syndicate have been found guilty and will be sentenced later this month. Yet again I'm left wondering how people become involved in such an horrendous so-called 'sport'!

The footage that the truly courageous BBC undercover reporter, Stephen Ibinson (R.I.P.), got after infiltrating the gang is absolutely sickening. I just hope that the sentences given will reflect his courage as well as the horror and cruelty these poor dogs endured. Please, please let the Judge hand out long custodial sentences and not just fines and community service, because these dogs suffered terrible fear, unimaginable pain and endless abuse. Unless the sentences for these crimes get heavy enough to deter these inhumane bastards, dog fighting will continue.

Dog-fighting trio found guilty after BBC Panorama investigation

A mother-of-three was found guilty today of being involved in one of Europe's largest dog-fighting syndicates, the RSPCA said.

Claire Parker, 44, was convicted alongside Mohammed Farooq, 33, and a 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, at Lincoln Magistrates' Court.

The trio, who were involved in a dog-fighting ring which spanned the country, were found guilty by a district judge after an investigation by the BBC's Panorama programme.

It found that the syndicate had links to a gang in Northern Ireland, with paramilitary connections, who supplied illegal American pit bull dogs.

Members of the ring attended fights as far away as Finland.

Parker, of Kexby Lane, Kexby, Lincolnshire, a mother of three young children, was found guilty of holding a fight in the garage at her home, which she shared with her husband, John Parker.

He has since died in prison.

She was found guilty of being present at a dog-fight, keeping a premises for dog-fighting and possessing three pit bull dogs. She denied all the charges.

Mohammed Farooq, 33, of Daniels Road, Bordesley Green, Birmingham, was found guilty on two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal and possessing training equipment for dog-fighting.

The youth was convicted on two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal, and keeping dog-fighting equipment.

Both he and Farooq earlier admitted owning banned a pit bull.

They were the time-keepers at the fight at Parker's home.

The RSPCA said it was one of the biggest cases of dog-fighting it had ever prosecuted.

Chief inspector Ian Briggs, from the RSPCA's special operations unit, said: "Dog-fighting is a barbaric and cruel so-called sport which belongs in the Dark Ages and horrific suffering is caused to the dogs involved.

"Those that continue to pursue this activity should understand that the RSPCA and the police will continue to bring those responsible before the courts."

During the trial, the court was shown a video of the BBC programme Inside Out in which an undercover reporter called Steve Ibinson can be seen chatting to 38-year-old Gary Adamson, a keen dog-fighter.

The reporter met Adamson after he started drinking with the Farmers Boys, a dog-fighting gang based in a small town called Tandragee, in County Armagh, Northern Ireland.

The reporter has since died in Afghanistan but District Judge Richard Blake was shown graphic footage of a dog-fight in Finland attended by Adamson.

Ibinson said: "He (Adamson) sees himself as the Don King (boxing
promoter) of pit bulls. He was very relaxed in the company of the Farmers Boys, who made it clear that he was their guy in the North East of the UK.

"For the Farmers Boys he was part of one of the biggest dog-fighting syndicates in Europe."

Ibinson went on to describe how one fight left some of the dogs involved so badly injured that they would have had to be put down.

He added: "The last dog in that incident was killed by putting on to its tail a crocodile clip and another one on to its ear and then connecting it to the main electrical system."

Footage, filmed secretly by Ibinson, also showed Adamson playing with three of his pit bull dogs.

In one clip Adamson, a part-time odd-job man, said he was looking for a swimming tank in which he could train his dogs.

He kept them at the side of his house in Yarm, North Yorkshire, in reinforced pens.

Claire Parker was caught after Adamson told Ibinson about a fight at the home of John Parker, who was known as "Odd Bodd".

Parker invited Adamson and his dog Pablo for a fight in a garage at his house after changing the location of the match at the last minute.

It was at the Parkers' house in Lincolnshire that Farooq and the youth acted as time-keepers, while Claire Parker was accused of knowingly letting the fights take place.

Her husband was already banned from keeping dogs and had convictions for dog-fighting, the court heard during the week-long trial.

When police officers and RSPCA inspectors raided the Parkers' home they found treadmills, veterinary equipment and breaking sticks used to separate dogs during fights.

They also discovered scales and harnesses for the dogs, which were kept in separate pens to prevent them attacking each other, as well as a bloodstained dog-fighting pit constructed in the garage of the house.

Adamson told the reporter that, during the fight in the Parkers' house, Pablo received a "ragging" during a fight with a dog called Chief, which was owned by a man called Kenneth King.

Adamson claimed Pablo lost because he was travel-sick on the journey to Lincolnshire.

He was still badly scarred around the muzzle, head and hind quarters when Ibinson next visited Adamson's house.

But despite this, Adamson did not seek professional veterinary help, preferring to treat the animal himself.

In his statement, Ibinson added: "The dog was lethargic and looked very swollen, dehydrated and did not want to come out of its kennel. It also had staples over some of its wounds.

"Dog-fighting's greatest myth is that time will heal dogs, but this dog needed veterinary treatment, which it had been denied."

Gary Adamson, 38, of Ramsey Crescent, Yarm, North Yorkshire, pleaded guilty to six charges in connection with illegal dog-fighting last week.

Kenneth King, 35, of Main Street, Ragnall, Newark, Nottinghamshire, admitted eight charges related to fighting banned pit bull terriers during the same hearing.

Owen Batey, 40, of Cannock Road, Middlesbrough, admitted setting two pit bulls on each other, being present at a dog-fight and owning a pit bull.

Christopher Burgess, 42, of Longstone Way, Ladybrook, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, was told he would probably receive a community sentence during the same hearing after he pleaded guilty to one charge of keeping a banned dog.

All seven will be sentenced on September 25.

Original Source: 24dash.com.

Patrick Swayze, R.I.P.

2009-09-14T11:59:00.001+01:00

What a sad, sad day. Such a nice man.
He fought so very hard and gained extra time with his family.

R.I.P.

ETA: There is a lovely tribute to Patrick at Deep Dish here.

So Fay is to make an announcement this week on release of FFG DVD...

2009-09-14T10:20:00.015+01:00

Don't hold your breath, but Fay's answer to this question "do you have any idea when the dvd for ffg will be released?" on her Facebook, was:

Yes, we will be making the announcement this week!

So, we'll have to wait and see what she says, but if an announcement is made this week, surely that means that things are far more advanced than she'd have us believe. She couldn't possibly be making an announcement on its release, if she hasn't even got the money to promote it, could she? Iz confused...

Any bets that when we eventually get our hands on this DVD it will resemble the Wake DVD I and everyone else bought at first, with no artwork, no bloopers, in fact no extras at all. ;)

P.S. Isn't that a gorgeous pic of Gale... *faints*

Come on, own up! Who's been offering money for Gale's jeans?

2009-09-13T22:35:00.011+01:00

Fay has posted this on the Falling for Grace Facebook page:

Been getting some requests to sell some items from Falling for Grace - eg. a watch that Andrew wore, jeans, signed theatrical posters, etc. We need to raise a substantial amount of money for p.r. in preparation for a major DVD release. Any thoughts?

Well, I'm quite lost for words! Wonder who the requests have been coming from? People trying to get a private sale, rather than competing with the rest of Gale's fans? Funny that it's the watch and jeans being mentioned again. It was the watch and jeans she tweeted about three days ago. Hmm...

Okay, say she does auction memorabilia from the film and gets enough money to finance the P.R. - although why she thinks that will cost much I don't know, we're all sitting here just waiting to hand our money over, so a couple of tweets should do it - for the DVD, does that mean the people who win the items get the DVD free? Only seems fair. ;)

Seriously though, I'm all for independent film makers, but why try doing everything yourself? Get yourself a distributor, love, for all our sakes!

After the commentary, Gale and Fay do lunch...

2009-09-12T08:56:00.011+01:00

A tweet this morning from Fay on the "fallingforgrace" twitter page:

"Met Gale last week in L.A. to do commentary. We had a great time, hung out and had a fab lunch! Took some pics and will upload on facebook!"

Well, isn't that nice. They had a lovely time. I wonder if she had to prod him to keep him talking during lunch? ;) No pics yet though!

ETA: Two hours later... still no pics. No rush, Fay!

ETA2: Seven hours... *drums fingers*

Okay, so we may be having an FFG fundraiser!

2009-09-10T09:11:00.001+01:00

Two tweets from Fay today, this one:

"Trying to deliver a film for tv or DVD is far more difficult than getting the movie made. It's practically as expensive!"

followed immediately by:

"May have to do a little fund-raising by selling items from movie. Perhaps Gale fans would be interested in jeans or watch he wore :)"

So get your money out people, we may have to have an auction to get this damned DVD made! Jesus! :)

Of course Brian Kinney doesn't cuddle...

2009-09-10T01:32:00.003+01:00

It's 01:32 here, way past my bedtime, but I'm feeling very sad and nostalgic tonight, so before I go I thought I'd post a couple of pics. What a sad, sad scene this was. Played to perfection by both Gale and Randy. Oh, how it broke our hearts to see this and to guess that this was the end. Of course, it gave the lie to Brian Kinney never cuddling, because what else could it possibly be when he covered Justin with the duvet and left his arm around him holding him close... aah. I miss this show.

ETA: Of course they get bigger...click!

A Gale doll anyone?

2009-09-07T23:00:00.011+01:00

Someone found this website offering custom made dolls. If you scroll down you'll come to a male doll "inspired by Gale Harold".

I'm glad it states "inspired by" because to be perfectly honest I can only see a vague resemblance. Without being too picky, I think the main problem is the clothes. The black jeans are probably okay, but I don't recall Gale or even Brian Kinney wearing anything like the rest. I think it's a black shirt with a waistcoat over the top which I've never seen him in. I think the black shirt on its own would have been better or maybe a sleeveless one. I have no idea how much one of these dolls would cost, but I don't think I'll be enquiring.

I'd much rather have one of those free-standing, life-sized cardboard cut-outs, you know the ones, they have them of lots of celebrities. My friend, B, acquired one of Spike for me back in the day. He's a bit crushed now, in fact I think his neck is broken, but he's probably deterred many a burglar in the last few years!

Anyway, I've always fancied one of Gale from this photo on the left, if only it came full length in those white pants he had on... phew!

Does the man in your life wear 'skin-tight budgie smugglers'...

2009-09-06T11:35:00.001+01:00

...well, apparently he'll need a pair if you visit France or Belgium. I know this is old news, but when I first read about Alton Towers banning Speedos from their water park because it has been deemed inappropriate for men to wear skimpy shorts when around women and children, I just thought it was the mad English at it again and promptly forgot about it.

However, what has emerged is that in some towns and cities in both France and Belgium it is compulsory to wear nothing bigger than Speedos in most public pools and the reason for this is not the one which automatically comes to mind. No it's NOT because European men are born with some kind of innate pride in their meat and two veg and want every opportunity to proudly display them in the smallest, tightest little trunks imaginable!

Non, non, say the French, it's definitely NOT to show off a Frenchman's impressive, or not, tackle, it's purely for "hygiene" reasons!? Apparently because more generous shorts and trunks can be worn elsewhere during the day, thereby picking up sand and dirt in their voluminous folds. If those same shorts are then worn in a pool, said sand and dirt is deposited in the pristine waters. The pools then need far more filtering to keep them clean!

So, now you know! It isn't a cultural difference whereby the men of France and Belgium are born with a lot more... ego to shove in their shorts and are altogether far more exhibitionist than their English counterparts. Who, apparently, enjoy the confidence building feel of copious amounts of material flapping around their nether regions, thereby disguising exactly what they have hiding under there!

Personally I'm sitting on the fence on this one. I've always quite liked the element of surprise, but at the same time I feel quite envious of those lucky women of France and Belgium. For if size DOES matter, they, at least, will never be disappointed! ;)

ETA: I posted this last night, but couldn't see it this morning and didn't know where the hell it had gone! It turned out that I somehow managed to post it in the middle of August! Mysterious! Anyway, here it is, very late as I said.

Falling for Grace commentary goes "really well" although Gale "stopped talking"!!

2009-09-04T18:14:00.006+01:00

Hmm, not sure about this. Exactly how could the commentary go "really well" if Gale "stopped talking at some point"? Doesn't make sense. What's the real reason Gale stopped talking? Dare I say he was... bored! ;)

This is from Fay Ann Lee's Facebook page, and perhaps she did take notice of my comment to her, because she's updated the FFG page, too, this time:

The commentary with Gale went really well. The last time we saw the film together was on Opening night at Tribeca. I think we were both too nervous to enjoy the movie. During commentary, Gale stopped talking at some point because he was really getting into the movie and I felt bad every time I interrupted him to actually say something. It was really great to see that he really enjoyed the film, as a viewer!

Hmm...

Big thighs anyone?

2009-09-04T12:03:00.004+01:00

I've been in a battle with my thighs all of my life. My thighs are only happy if they are carrying around every spare bit of fat my body has to offer. At times in my life my thighs have brought me to tears. But not any more!

Here are two - yep you heard it TWO - fabulous reasons to have big thighs.

The first is health:

Bigger thighs are better for health

Men and women with large thighs have a lower risk of premature death and heart disease, a study has shown.

People whose thighs measure at least 23.6in (60cm) in circumference were less likely to develop heart disease or die early, a 12-year study of almost 3,000 men and women in Denmark found.

Professor Berit Heitmann said thigh size could be used by GPs as "an early marker to identify patients at later risk of cardiovascular disease and early mortality".
More News

"A small thigh circumference was associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular and coronary heart diseases and total mortality in both men and women," he said.

"A threshold effect for thigh circumference was evident, with greatly increased risk of premature death below around 60cm."

He added: "The fact that more than half of the men and women aged 35-65 have thigh circumference below the threshold is worrying."

The Monica (monitoring trends in and determinants of cardiovascular disease) project, published online on bmj.com, found there was no added protective effect for people with thighs in excess of 60cm.

Body fat and other high risk factors such as smoking and high cholesterol were taken into account by the study.

Prof Heitmann, director of the research unit for dietary studies at Copenhagen University Hospital, said: "The adverse effects of small thighs might be related to too little muscle mass in the region."

This is the best reason though, for the cat:

Gale and Fay to do commentary on Falling for Grace

2009-09-03T10:52:00.009+01:00

Okay, so it looks like we're going to have a similar commentary on Falling for Grace with Gale and Fay Ann Lee talking about the film, as we had with Jennifer Elster and Gale on Particles of Truth. This is potentially really great news. The commentary on POT is absolutely fabulous, with Gale's mumbled quips and beautiful laugh, their chemistry and obvious liking for each other, the whole thing was worth the price of the DVD any day! Let's hope the same chemistry comes through during the commentary with Fay. We get a chance to suggest what we'd like them to talk about, too!

This is from Fay's facebook:

In L.A. now getting ready to do commentary with my friend, Gale Harold, for the Falling for Grace DVD. Hmm...what are we going to say? I never watch the movie at screenings and I know Gale doesn't like to watch himself either...so this will actually be a fresh look at the movie! Any thoughts on what you'd like us to talk about?

UPDATE: Strangely she didn't post this on the FFG Facebook page! I've commented to her asking that she get someone to update that page with any news, so we'll see. :)

Some crops of Gale I made from the caps I posted yesterday...

2009-09-02T23:45:00.025+01:00

He's just adorable! He is so emphatic and animated when he starts talking. Trying to get his point across with passion and he does so well, but then he kind of loses all confidence in what he's trying to convey! It makes me just want to grab him and tell him that it's all right and just hug him. I'm so glad the guy with him (whoever he is - no one answered me in my post the other day asking who he is) was supporting him. Good job Gale.

Okay, so here are some crops I made from the caps I posted on Monday. There really is no such thing as too much where this man is concerned, caps of this video are probably everywhere, but, hey, who cares, right? ;)

Oh, btw, I can't get any clips or caps of Gale in the Desperate Housewives DVD extras, unless someone kindly uploads it to YouTube. The DVD doesn't come out here in the UK until November! How shitty is that? Considering the season finished here only a couple of weeks behind the US and yet we have to wait another 2 to 3 months before getting the DVDs!

Transcription of Gale's Campus Moviefest video...

2009-09-01T13:47:00.031+01:00

I transcribed Gale's words from the Campus MovieFest video.

He's with *Stephen Kijak, the film director who made Scott Walker: 30 Century Man. They are hosting one of the workshops for the student filmmakers called "Making Your First Feature" so they probably discussed how "Scott Walker: 30 Century Man" was made. I just love that Stephen was so supportive of him when Gale's confidence wavered while trying to get his point across. :)

Okay, so here's the transcription and, although there are a couple of missing words, I think it's pretty accurate:

Interviewer: What is it that attracted you to something like Campus Moviefest that promotes student film making?

Gale: Film making! Supporting people who are trying to bring it to life.

***

Gale: I know that you’re all film students, or becoming film students or maybe ? film students or whatever… but, um…

I think we just wanted to have a chance to say that if you really want to fucking do something, don’t give up… and come up with something that you’re proud of and that means something beyond whatever this City's about. Right?

That’s all that matters! You want to sit here, right?

That’s kind of…. I think that’s what I wanted to say, maybe it’s not?

Stephen: That sounds good. Yeah, we second that emotion.

[Laughter]

***

[Applause]

Gale: Good evening. I’m very happy to be here and it is my pleasure this evening to present the Golden Tripod Award for Cinematography… eh, I guess we’ll get right to it and a take look at the nominees.

***

Gale: Rely on your heart and your dreams and…

Stephen: ...and your rich relatives...

Gale: …and your rich relatives… and as... and as many times as people tell you that you’re out of your mind… or that it doesn’t quite make sense… or that it’s not violent enough or sexy enough. Your dreams are really the point, right, so… and you know, you know what you believe and stick with it… yeah.

*There has been some doubt as to whether it really was Stephen Kijak with Gale. It's definitely him. Apart from the fact that his name was mentioned on the Campus MovieFest website about the workshop, Making Your First Feature, the picture on the left shows Gale with the producer, Mia Bays and Stephen. Although I've got to say that he looks quite different now to how he looked when I saw him here in London in October 2006. It was at the Q&A held after the World Premiere of Scott Walker. I hardly recognise him now, but then I suppose we all look a bit different three years on!

Oh, and I know this is completely off-topic, but I must tell you that was the SECOND time Gale has broken my heart by not showing up for something here in London. The first was at the HDFEST which was held during the London Raindance Film Festival in October 2004 when I, and another Gale devotee, saw the beautiful High Definition showing of Particles of Truth. Gale didn't come, presumably because ~~he just couldn't be bothered~~ he was filming QaF, and Jennifer Elster was left to do the Q&A on her own! ;)

Gale's Campus Moviefest video... at last!

2009-08-31T18:35:00.001+01:00

Well bugger me, at last! Gale's Campus Moviefest video. Why we've had to wait this long I don't know, but here he is, gorgeous, adorable Gale. He looks beautiful, sounds passionate about his dreams and you'll just love it... I do!

I did some caps, got a bit carried away as you can see, but I just had to. Every expression on his face is just wonderful and I just didn't want to leave any out! It really has been well worth the wait to get these. I hope you enjoy them, they do get a lot larger. ;)

Some not new, but nevertheless lovely, Gale pics...

2009-08-30T12:17:00.002+01:00

I was going through some photo files and came across these, I haven't looked at them in a while, but I've always liked them of Gale, so I thought I'd post them in case anyone else would like to see them again. He's with Jennifer Elster at the opening night of their film Particles of Truth at the Los Angeles Film Festival in June 2003. It was a time when new photos were emerging quite regularly, but the excitement which travelled through the fandom whenever any appeared was huge.

Look at all that hair he had then! I expect it's grown quite a bit since the recent haircut, as it's doubtful he had it cut for a part as we all thought to begin with, since we would surely have heard something by now. Anyway, I expect he's been letting it grow as usual, along with the beard.

Gorgeous with or without all the hair IMHO, so I hope you enjoy seeing them again. They all get considerably larger with a few clicks, especially the last one.

The X Factor 2009 - Jamie Archer - Auditions 2...

2009-08-29T20:11:00.004+01:00

FABULOUS, FABULOUS, FABULOUS...

Here's the link, 'cause their going to disable embedding soon on the video!

Gale pic...

2009-08-28T07:53:00.000+01:00

Just because there is no news of Gale at the moment, I thought I'd post a pic and just get his name and face out there floating around cyberspace, reminding people what a gorgeous and talented man he is.

If you dare, click thrice, but you'd better stand back...

Randy pic...

2009-08-27T21:08:00.006+01:00

As some of you know, the BTF holds play readings on Fridays during the season at the Unicorn theatre.

Here's a picture of Randy at one of these readings. I understand that this one is Tim Acito's The Sungatherers which is a lyrical chamber musical about Anton Chekhov set in Russia in the early 1900s.

Anyway, the boy done good apparently, even if he's still taking sartorial dressing advice from Mr. Harold. Oh, and the bare feet attest to even more advice from a certain Brian Kinney! :)

Randy in an official trailer from Ghosts...

2009-08-19T22:13:00.005+01:00

This is wonderful! The Berkshire Theatre has put up a small trailer - 3:52 minutes - of Ibsen's Ghosts to promote the show. It's a scene with Randy, David Adkins and Mia Dillon.

Now, if only they'd record the whole thing and put it out on DVD...

Gorgeous pic of Randy...

2009-08-17T11:36:00.007+01:00

So, Randy is a big hit in his new play which is wonderful news. You can read about it here, along with some Randy thoughts! Oh and here's the photo, it's one of a set taken when he did an interview a couple of weeks ago and it's big, lovely isn't it?

Gale's movie Falling for Grace - new HD trailer...

2009-08-13T23:40:00.028+01:00

Okay, so, hopefully as a pre-emptive strike in preparation for the long overdue DVD release, this HD trailer for Falling for Grace has been uploaded to YouTube.

I can see no new scenes or anything here and I can't help but totally agree with someone who commented that they "sure would like to see more than 2 minutes of this movie some day!" ;)

Anyway, here it is:

Here are some caps, they do get a lot bigger:

UPDATE: Well, I'm not having much luck with these videos! The HQ version of the FFG trailer which Fay Ann Lee alerted us to here, as you can see, has been removed leaving behind a 'violation' message. Why this has suddenly violated 'terms of use' I have no idea, it just seems strange, but as Fay didn't even know who put up the trailer I'm not surprised. At least I got some nice caps while it was available! (There is a lower quality copy of the trailer still up on YouTube.)

New Randy interview...

2009-08-06T00:19:00.019+01:00

Fabulous new interview with Randy in Stockbridge. Talking about appearing in Ghosts this year amongst other things. I am so very, very jealous of all you people who will get to see this play. I hope you enjoy it you lucky lot!

Oh, and by the way, do my eyes deceive me or is there a broad chest and the definite outline of some biceps underneath that white t-shirt? The hat and the braces/suspenders make another appearance. I wonder if he has on 'The Shoes'? ;)

Randy Harrison Interview: Ibsen's Ghosts at Berkshire Theatre Festival
The Actor Talks About Renewing a Classic
by Larry Murray - 2009-08-05

When Berkshire Theatre Festival Artistic Director Kate Maguire announced Ghosts for her 2009 season (August 15-29 on the Main Stage), it was clear that this was not going to be some embalmed museum version of a classic. In a year of austerity, she could have chosen to stick to a routine and traditional offering of Henrik Ibsen's 1881 play. It would find an audience because it is one of the great works that moved the theatre into realism, dealing frankly and openly with tough sexual and familial issues.

But one look at the creative team and it was clear that something special was up. This Ghosts is going to be a fresh adaptation put together by Director Anders Cato and BTF Dramaturg James Leverett. Last year they rethought Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot.

Reunited from that earlier cast are David Adkins and Randy Harrison, together with other BTF regulars Jonathan Epstein, Mia Dillon and Tara Franklin. These names might not be household words, but for BTF regulars, the cast alone makes this Ghosts special.

To explore what was going on, we headed down to Stockbridge to talk with actor Randy Harrison. The rehearsal studios at BTF are very simple, even primitive. They are nestled into a wooded lot that also contains the "camp" kitchen where the actors and apprentices eat their simple meals. The sun was out at last, and with it at his back, through the battered old screen door came Harrison, making a beeline for the tape recorder and me. He was all smiles, and we chatted amiably before settling into what would be a serious discussion.

The Berkshire Theatre Festival has slowly become his regular summer home. The Festival is an artistic and spiritual resource where he retreats to try new things and challenge himself. "It is all of those things to me, plus I get a lot of new opportunities here," he said happily.

Opportunities like playing the son Oswald in Ghosts for the first time. In the play his mother, Mrs. Alving (Dillon), is keeping secrets from him, worsened by horrible advice from a puritanical preacher, Manders (Adkins), and complicated by an infatuation with the maid Regina (Franklin) and her devious father, Engstrand (Epstein). Into this household returns the more worldly Oswald, who is mortally ill. The character is a contradiction, someone who is full of life but facing a death sentence. I wondered just how Harrison was playing the son, as someone with vitality, or as a gloomy Gus.

"That's one of the interesting aspects," Harrison answers, "Oswald talks so much about the joy of life, and that's reflected in his painting. But it is this same vitality that is so much a part of him that killed his father. His dad was not able to express himself like that." In the play it is clear that Mr. Alving was a frustrated man who simply had no outlet to express his own joie de vivre in that repressive society.

"His mother says that for all his life his father was stuck in this gloomy town, one completely devoid of real passion and that there was nothing but business and social status." Back then it was all a matter of simply keeping up appearances, of conforming to the rigid strictures of the Victorian era. "Yes, and so the father self-destructed." But because Oswald had his painting, "He was also able to have a great deal of vitality and life."

We moved on to the subject to the forces assembled for the production, including director Anders Cato. Last year they had a couple of extra weeks of rehearsal time for Godot, thanks to a grant the National Endowment for the Arts. With that they had the luxury of time that let them examine every line of the Beckett play.

"We got so spoiled," admitted Harrison. "That was awesome. I just love working with Anders Cato, it's so comfortable and he's such a great guide. He makes you want to work harder, to get more deeply invested in the play. Every time he speaks about some aspect of it, it just triggers your imagination." Cato is known for being able to bring out the best in an actor. "He's very clear and articulate about what he wants. Also, he's very good about talking about things that are hard to talk about. He just knows how to guide an actor in a way that doesn't just tell you what to do, but that opens it up both within the play and inside your own imagination."

The last time we spoke, Harrison pointed to Jim Leverett, the BTF Dramaturg, as one of his biggest helpmates in working out his character's role. "He always has such a wealth of knowledge, just having him in the room - especially in the beginning - is great." The work of these literary specialists is little known and appreciated outside of the theatre world, but a good one can provide the clues and pointers that raise a production from competent to transcendent. "There's a lot of brain power there to be tapped," he adds.

For all its realism and insights, most of the translations of Ghosts suffer to one degree or another from being stiff and starched. Since Cato and Leverett collaborated on a new translation, this could smooth out the problems of the older texts. It would be wonderful if the new script were less Victorian and more contemporary. "It is," said Harrison, "I am finding it more natural and easy to speak." As the actors try out the new translation, there are still more changes as the words move from written to spoken. "There's been a little of that, but it's minimal."

Working on the new show with Harrison is a cast of actors who have become, if not family, certainly good friends and colleagues. They've been on other projects together, and have come to share a common language. "That's one of the really special things about working here," he enthused, "When you get to work with people you already know, they have a shorthand and a wit that you respect and trust." Powerful stuff. "You start further ahead than you would in a more ordinary process," he noted. You also have a shared language. "Usually when I start a rehearsal process in New York when I don't know anybody, or the director, I'm like really nervous at the beginning. Even though you try not to be that way, or spend too long trying to seek approval or figuring out how you need to talk to people, and how the process works, it happens."

Getting up to speed in any new job takes time, that's to be expected, of course. But if there are only a couple of weeks to learn and put together a two hour show, the edges can be very rough. "Here we all know each other, and we can start right there. There are no nerves, no beginning worries." Of course, with any new task, there is always the worry about whether things will turn out well. "There's always fear," Harrison points out, "But there's so much less that you have to contend with. Which is really nice."

The actor worked with Mia Dillon in both Equus and Amadeus at BTF and he reports that in her role in Ghosts, as his mother, "I am starting to feel that way towards her. In the play, the son doesn't actually know his mother that well. He's been away from the house most of his life, from when he was seven to age 20. We were just staging the final scene, and I am starting to feel the mother in her. It's funny how that happens."

In the play, Ibsen recounts the years they were just following society's prescribed roles, and as it unfolds, the two are finally getting to know each other. Harrison explains: "Of course they both have ideas about the mother-son relationship, but the last time he was home was two years ago. They exchanged letters and that sort of thing, but they are still negotiating what its like to be with each other and who they are.

"Towards the end of the play he is talking about how he has no love for his father and she asks if he loves her, and he answers by saying that well, he knows her. The awesome thing about Oswald is that he knows it is over for him, that he is going to die. There's no bullshit about him, you know, he cuts everything straight to the bone. So much of the play is about her dealing with the lies and hypocrisy, and the need to fix things, or cover them up, and trying to accept the reality while he is just direct and to the point."

It is always a source of amazement that hundred year old plays can tell us so much about life today. We have more freedom, but the same repressive, spirit deadening cultural and religious forces are at work in our current society. "I find Ibsen really relevant. This play, and his Dolls House, they still speak to us. We spend so much time role playing, trying to be who we think we are supposed to be, instead of actually looking at ourselves and figuring out who and what we really are."

In the final moments of the play, Oswald is sitting in his chair repeating "The sun, the sun..." Does that have a double meaning to you? "There is a double meaning in about everything Oswald says," Harrison responds. "There are a lot of ironies, even bitter ironies, in his words. Especially so in the beginning, before he reveals what his situation is, that he is dying from syphilis.

"Another example is when he tells his mother that yes, he has come home to stay, because he hasn't made any plans to go back to Paris. I'm here for a while, and the audience doesn't know yet what he knows: he has come home to die." His fate is sealed. "Oh yes, and he's there to make arrangements."

Then in a twist in the play, he falls in love with Regina, the maid. "I don't know if he did actually fall in love," Harrison speculates. "She seems aware of what Oswald really came home for, and the great love between him and his mother. Oswald also sees that Regina is young and carefree, and doubts whether she could follow through on what is required, to be his nursemaid for the next 40 or 50 years. Yet he wants to get away from dreary Norway, and he knows if he goes back to Paris, he will never return."

So it seems their great flash of love dissipates as the play goes on, I prompt. "You know, you're asking me to give away all the secrets and endings," Harrison smiles.

That was the idea. And in the process, he's managed to raise everyone's curiosity, making this wonderful old play sound new again.

Ghosts begins previews on August 11, officially opens on August 15 and closes on August 29. Berkshire Theatre Festival Main Stage performances are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings at 8pm, Wednesdays at 7pm, with 2pm matinees on Thursdays and Saturdays. The box office number is 413.298.5576 and is open Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 8 pm. There are special discounts for Berkshire Residents. You can also visit their website for online ticket ordering.

Original Source

Btw, pics get larger.

Randy back at Michael's...

2009-08-02T03:13:00.009+01:00

Randy back at Michael's in Stockbridge on Friday (31st July), I will, one day, make it there!

Okay, so it's karaoke again and Randy as usual is getting right into it. Unfortunately it looks like he's taken a couple of tips from the 'Gale Harold book of Sartorial Dressing'! In fact those jeans are so ~~taylored~~ tailored they look like a second skin. That's definitely a Gale 'thing'.

First thing to notice is the HAIR! Beautiful, beautiful hair that he's been growing for a while now. Second thing is that must be some serious song he's singing there. He not only needs braces, or whatever you call them in the US - suspenders? - to keep his pants in place while he belts out the song (although they look soooo tight I can't imagine them going anywhere), he also needs TWO microphones.

That stripey jumper looks very familiar too, that's had some outings.

Those legs in those skinny, skinny jeans really emphasising the size of those feet. Although those...um...unusual shoes may be helping with that impression too!

Oh, and of course, as every girl and Randy knows (obviously via another of Gale's invaluable tips), a fun hat can finish off any outfit to perfection.
Well done Randy, you look absolutely fabulous, darling! ;)

Anyone know what the heck he was singing?

Btw, the pictures all get larger.

Apologies...

2009-08-01T20:32:00.008+01:00

If you're here looking for Gale's film 36k, I'm afraid I've taken down the link. I hadn't realised when I originally posted that it wasn't complete. It really is of abysmal quality anyway so you're not missing much, but if you're still interested you can easily find it on youtube. A better quality complete version may re-surface at some point, although after all this time I am very doubtful. Sorry.

Here's a very large beautiful picture of Gale, so your time wasn't completely wasted. :)

John Barrowman on Desperate Housewives...

2009-07-31T14:09:00.002+01:00

Oh Em Gee! John Barrowman on Desperate Housewives! That show just... well, I'm lost for words! Hee! Can you imagine him on there? He's going to camp up the campest show on TV!

John Barrowman: 'I'm going to be a Desperate Housewife'

Torchwood actor jets to Los Angeles to join cast of hit ABC show

Torchwood star John Barrowman revealed today that he is to swap the BBC Wales sci-fi production for Hollywood with a part on Desperate Housewives. Barrowman revealed his career move in a phone chat on Chris Moyles's Radio 1 breakfast show this morning. "I'm off to Los Angeles on Sunday again," Barrowman announced. "I probably shouldn't say this but I've got a meeting with the execs of Desperate Housewives; can you believe it, I'm going to be a Desperate Housewife!" When Moyles's producer Aled Haydn Jones asked if he could come and hang out with him in LA, Barrowman replied: "You can come and be my lover, Aled!" Moyles wasn't having any of it, and instead asked if he could come and be his "roly-poly gardener". Barrowman replied: "You can be the roly-poly gardener or the handyman with the big butt crack." Monkey is guessing Moyles might somehow not fit in with the body beautiful edict on the ABC show.

The things you do when bored...

2009-07-30T22:31:00.003+01:00

For my niece who's not been very well.

Get Well Soon!

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Josh Holloway and others at the San Diego Comic Con...

2009-07-29T20:57:00.004+01:00

I don't know what I was thinking, but I missed this the other day, so here's a link to NINE videos, which is the entire length of the LOST Q&A Panel at Comic Con plus a couple of others.

These are three more which ABC released today. My love for Josh just grew and grew watching this first video! He's as tongue-tied as my first love Gale Harold always is when being interviewed... well, almost! Jorge Garcia is adorable. So many people apparently turned up as "Hurley"! Love Michael Emerson too, especially when he's NOT looking all googly-eyed and bonkers! :)

This one has Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof talking about the Comic Con Panel Q&A and some other stuff.

I really hope they don't ruin the whole thing in this final season. Loose ends tied-up, no shitty cover-ups.

This one is about the set and props auction they are planning to hold around May next year. Couldn't think of only one thing I would want... maybe Sawyer's glasses! ;)

Michael Vick - my thoughts

2009-07-28T01:16:00.021+01:00

I don't know Michael Vick. I've never seen him play football. I only know that he was convicted of, and has only served 23 months for, financing the disgusting 'sport' of dogfighting.

I don't know Michael Vick. I wouldn't ever want to know Michael Vick. I feel sick when I think about what he did. I find it impossible to understand what reason he had to get involved in dogfighting? He wasn't poor. He wasn't unemployed. He wasn't trying to make a better life for himself and his family. So why?

I don't know Michael Vick. I just know that there's no reason on this earth why he needed to get involved in such an horrendous 'sport'. All I know is that he has to be a heartless, unemotional man to be able to do such a thing.

I don't know Michael Vick. I just think that it's appalling that he is being put in a position in which he can influence the lives of youngsters who see him and think that what he did can't be that bad. He's back after an abysmally short sentence. He's back to playing football for incredible amounts of money. Let's make sure no one forgets what he did. Most of all let's keep our eyes on him and not let him go back to drowning, hanging and otherwise torturing and causing terrible unimaginable pain and suffering to dogs again. We just cannot let that happen.

(Images capped from the National Geographic DogTown programme on Michael Vick's Dogs. You can see a clip of the programme on YouTube here. Visit the Vick Dog Blog to see how twelve of the dogs are doing now. Go to BadRap Blog and see what lovely dogs Pitbulls really are.)

Here's the Reuters Report:

Vick reinstated conditionally, may play by Week 6
Mon Jul 27, 2009 7:43pm EDT

By Larry Fine

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Quarterback Michael Vick has been reinstated to the NFL on a conditional basis and a decision on his return to action will come by the sixth week of the regular season, Commissioner Roger Goodell said Monday.

Vick, who completed a 23-month criminal sentence for bankrolling a dogfighting ring, was free to sign with an NFL team, participate in practice and play in the final two preseason games.

A decision on his return to regular-season competition would be based on the progress he makes in a "transition plan" laid out by the commissioner at a news conference.

"I will decide within the first six weeks of the regular season when and whether he will be reinstated to play," Goodell told reporters.

Goodell said he would evaluate how Vick conducted himself in terms of court-mandated conditions and promises the former Pro Bowl quarterback made to him in a four and a half hour meeting he had with him last week in the New York area.

Vick said he was grateful for the chance to play again.

"I would like to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to Commissioner Goodell for allowing me to be readmitted to the National Football League," the 29-year-old said in a statement.

Vick played six seasons with the Atlanta Falcons but was released by the club following his conviction and indefinite suspension by the NFL.

"I fully understand that playing football in the NFL is a privilege, not a right, and I am truly thankful for the opportunity I have been given," he said.

Vick, a former top overall pick in the NFL Draft and a three-times All-Pro, said he would continue to receive mentoring from former NFL coach Tony Dungy, who steered the Indianapolis Colts to a Super Bowl title.

Dungy visited Vick in prison and also saw him during a final two-month period of home confinement in Virginia.

Commissioner Goodell said working with Dungy was a key component in Vick's transition plan.

"One of the most important things that we talked about is that nobody gets through life alone," Goodell said. "You always have to have a mentor, someone who can give you guidance and support at critical moments.

"Michael needs that right now and I've asked Tony Dungy to play a more formal role on my behalf and on Michael's behalf."

Vick is currently a free agent and able to sign with any team. Besides evaluating how Vick might help on the field, teams will also consider potential backlash in their community from people outraged by his role in the dogfighting ring.

Goodell told Vick in a letter that the conditional reinstatement allowing him to practice with his team should not be viewed as punishment.

"It is intended to maximize the prospect that you can successfully resume your career and your life," Goodell wrote.

"You have submitted to me a written plan concerning your proposed living arrangements, how you will manage your financial affairs, counseling and mentoring plans, and your proposed work with the Humane Society (animal protection organization) and other groups.

"You have committed to me that you intend to abide by this plan, and as I said when we met, you are accountable for doing so."

Original Source

Gale... yet again!

2009-07-27T22:03:00.022+01:00

I think we're squeezing the life out of Gale's appearance at the Campus Moviefest, aren't we! We can't possibly watch him doing the same thing from any more angles, um, can we? Well yes, yes we can! :)

Another video, I can't even tell if we've seen some of this stuff before or not, but anyway Gale is on from about 2:10 to 2:18...

As usual I've made some caps and they all get larger:

Gale delivering his speech.

Blah, blah, um, you know...

Watching the movie. Capped that last one at an unfortunate point! ;)

The rest I'm sure I've capped before, but you can't have too much Gale, right? Anyway, these are all of Gale totally losing the will to live. Hee. When the interviewer starts talking with Oded Fehr, Gale's eyes glaze over and start wandering around. God knows what he's looking at! Poor man, he really hates these things, doesn't he?

Okay, so where the hell is Gale's video. With audio! Come on, everyone has their own individual vid, so why not Gale?

Doctor Who trailer of "The Waters of Mars" and a pretty rough preview clip of "The End of Time"...

2009-07-27T15:21:00.005+01:00

The new trailer for the Doctor Who special "The Waters of Mars" was shown at the San Diego Comic Con this weekend. I haven't heard anything new, so I assume the air date is still sometime in November.

It's looking very, very good, but remember it is a trailer so it does contain spoilers...

Okay, so here's a fan video made at the SDCC showing a clip of "The End of Time" which will be showing at Christmas. It's pretty bad, but I love it because you get the full force of the atmosphere there when the clip was shown. If I can find a better video I'll post it later. Remember, spoilers again...

David Tennant and John Barrowman kiss at San Diego Comic-Con...

2009-07-27T00:08:00.004+01:00

This is absolutely AWESOME! :)

Russell T. Davies, David Tennant and John Barrowman at the San Diego Comic-Con. I adore David and John, but this... this is just wonderful! Just after the five minute mark David rushes John and kisses him! John's reaction is hilarious. It all happened yesterday apparently, but I was too busy looking at GH! Anyway it's great. Just watch...

Elizabeth Mitchell interview...

2009-07-25T16:41:00.007+01:00

Lovely interview with Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliet on LOST) at the San Diego Comic-Con. I shall really miss her each week on Lost. The last season her character had wonderful chemistry with Sawyer and, although I loved him with Kate, I shall really miss that relationship between him and Juliet. Thank god she's going to be appearing in 'additional' episodes!

Elizabeth Mitchell on Lost's Juliet: 'She Had Found This Kind of Peace that I Fought Very Hard Against'

Written by Kyle Buchanan | 24 Jul 2009, 5:00 AM

There’s this thing about women named Juliet: They’re famous for meeting tragic ends. Elizabeth Mitchell’s character on Lost was no different — after finding unlikely love with Sawyer (Josh Holloway), she sacrificed herself to set off a crucial bomb — but luckily, Mitchell’s career has new life after that death. In addition to a mysterious number of additional episodes she’ll shoot for Lost’s final season, she’ll be seen later this year toplining ABC’s reboot of the alien miniseries V.

At Comic-Con, I talked to the actress about Juliet’s journey, the tumultuous period after she learned of her Lost fate (then had it somewhat revoked), and the alien-hunting yet to come.

Congratulations on the smooth transition between Lost and V.
I know! Who would have thought?

How did it go down? When you were told you’d be coming to an end as a regular on Lost, were you immediately offered V by ABC?
Basically, the two things happened within days of each other, which I was very surprised by. And, of course, the decisions were left to people more powerful than me. [Laughs]

But surely you had some input.
Well, V was actually a very personal choice on my account. It was somewhat brought to me, but it was along the lines of, “Oh, and then there’s this.” But I’ve always loved the idea of playing a female protagonist on a sci-fi show. I just like it — that’s the kind of thing I watch. [Gesturing to her husband, seated nearby] Like, we’re huge Battlestar Galactica fans. I think sci-fi is sexy, I think it’s fun. I love watching procedural shows, but I’m not as fascinated by them — not really at all. Being in them and acting in them is not really my thing, so I realized that if I was gonna do [a TV show] again for a long time, I would want it to be fun and incredibly challenging for me, something I’d have to stretch to reach.

So what’s the stretch for you in V?
First of all, the thing that was really fun about Juliet is how still she was, and how she watched everybody. For three years now, I’ve been in her mindset, which is a really unique and bizarre and kind of wonderful place to be and I’ve loved every minute of it. The character I play now [on V] — which I’ll be doing at the same time as Juliet [in future Lost episodes], which is going to be really interesting — is incredibly intelligent but vulnerable at the same time. Her anger and her emotions are far more forthright than mine or even Juliet’s are. There’s an honesty to the way she does things that’s fascinating.

And I think the idea of my character having a son who’s sixteen is gonna be…I mean, I have a son who’s four, and already, I can’t believe the words that come out of my mouth. There’s a thing about motherhood that I have never had a chance to play, which is weird at 39, right? You would think that I’d have played so many mothers by now. [Her husband interrupts: “You don’t look 39.”] Ah, that’s nice. [“Getting there, though,” he adds, as she laughs.]

Are you happy that you have a role where you can wear different clothes, as opposed to Lost, where you’d wear the same thing for multiple episodes?
I think my mom is happiest about the makeup. She’s like, “You get to wear makeup, you can finally look pretty!”

That can be kind of jarring — it’s like when people from Survivor appear on the reunion show, and you’re like, “Why did you put on all that makeup?”
I always feel that way! What I always enjoyed about Lost is that we’re there with almost no makeup on our face, we’re emotionally naked, we’re sweating, we’re hot, and we’re generally pretty disgusting, and the camera catches it. There’s a certain beauty to seeing people the way they are.

Even before this last season of Lost, you talked about how you thought Juliet would probably have a tragic ending.
Yeah, I always figured that she would. I actually had thought that she would end up doing something terrible, but then as it went on, I kind of thought she would end up doing something incredibly noble, which is what she did by sacrificing herself. The character was insanely complex and insanely fun. As she started going more in one direction, I thought, “Well, obviously this is going to come to its natural conclusion.”

Do you mean she finally became happy, and that never lasts long in Lost?
Yeah! Happy and not as complex, do you know what I mean? She and Sawyer had found this kind of peace that I fought very hard against and Josh fought very hard against, and we were so wrong, which is really nice. When I watched it, I liked it, and I don’t usually like anything I do.

Why didn’t you think it would work?
Well, I had always liked Sawyer with Kate! I mean, not to be a fangirl — which I am — but I just really actually liked them together. I liked their chemistry, their passion. What I didn’t anticipate is how Josh would play it and how he made it so honest and so happy and so real. When I was watching him, I was like, “That’s why that relationship works.”

Were you worried about incurring the wrath of your fellow fangirls?
I mean, I came on the show incurring that. I immediately hooked up with Jack and they were like, “Uhhh, no!” [Laughs] So I wasn’t as worried about that — I think as an actor, if you’re worried too much about people liking you, then you don’t really get to play the character so much. It’s not that it’s not great when people do like you or love the character or any of those things — it’s the most amazing thing ever to have that — but if I went into it thinking something like that, I don’t think I could have done it.

This year, though, the fan approval for your character and her relationship with Sawyer seemed to shoot through the roof.
Yeah, it was surprising.

Do you think it’s partially because audiences started trusting Juliet? During your first two seasons, it never seemed like she laid all her cards on the table, but this year, she felt complete.
We finally felt like we kind of knew everything [about her]. Every time something would come up before, she always had a wealth of new information and you kind of got the feeling that she shared it when she needed to.

On a show like Lost, was it a nice thing to think, “Oh, I think I finally know everything important there is to know about my character?”
I think I didn’t, because I have this crazy active and oddly weird little mind that tries to find all the wiggle room in places, so I think that I was still going through all the ways that things could be more complicated than it was. And when it turned out to be very simple, I was very happy. I was happy watching it more than I was playing it.

It’s funny that you began your tenure on the show sharing scenes almost exclusively with Matthew Fox and Michael Emerson, and you finished by sharing them almost solely with Josh Holloway.
I was very, very sad — and I hope that it’s rectified — that I didn’t have a final scene with Michael Emerson. I thought that built to a crescendo that then just died. There was a reason for that, but as an actor, that was hard for me because I just loved him so much. The same thing happened with Jack and Juliet — they got to a certain point and then they disappeared. But I love the fact that [the writers] do their thing and kind of just write whatever they want. It’s great.

Obviously, when you started shooting V before the season finale of Lost aired, speculation began that Juliet would be killed off — so much so that you were being officially billed as a “special guest star” in V, even though ABC has now confirmed you play the lead. Were there machinations involved to try to keep all that secret?
There were some machinations, but the thing that’s so fantastic about Lost is that they tend to keep things mysterious. I mean, I literally don’t know what’s going to happen and no one else does, and that’s what’s fun about it. As an actor, they asked us to sign all this confidentiality stuff and I don’t think we ever did, so it really comes down to the moral question of, “Who are you loyal to?” And where I’m finally loyal to always is the work. It’s more fun for me when people don’t know what’s going to happen.

I mean, the thing about Lost is that you may say, “Well, Elizabeth’s on V now, so we’ll never see her on Lost again,” but that’s probably not the case. As it is, it’s a complete surprise, and anything that happens further on in the series is a complete surprise, and I wanted that to be the case. When Lost is over and V is over, then we’ll have to have a big chatfest and talk about everything and that’ll be great, but for now, I was very happy that no one was saying anything one way or the other. One thing happened with Lost, and then another thing happened with V, and then something [else] happened with Lost…

You mean, they came back to negotiate for additional episodes after you booked V?
It’s been a rollercoaster, yes.

So originally, you didn’t know you’d be coming back to Lost?
I didn’t know what was going to happen. They also said that they didn’t know either, at the time. It happened in three weeks, it was just crazy…When V came up and everything happened that happened, it was at the very, very end [of the season]. No warning, kinda. [Laughs]

When you do your additional episodes next year, you won’t be a regular anymore, which means that these scripts will sort of exist in a context-less vacuum for you. Are you afraid that you won’t have any idea where your scenes fit into Lost lore when you film them?
No, I trust those guys. I trust those guys to write beautifully. The way they write those characters and scenes and emotions, it’s very wise to trust in their words.

Original Source

Gale

2009-07-25T11:36:00.003+01:00

Nothing much new here, but when you're dying of thirst...

Another video, taken from a different angle this time, of Gale presenting an award at the Campus Moviefest. There are individual 'highlights' videos of guest speakers and presenters, all except Gale Harold for some reason! So Gale is in this video from 0:19 seconds to 0:22 seconds so please don't get excited! ;)

Some caps I did, they do get larger:

Torchwood team arriving in Cardiff for DVD signing yesterday...

2009-07-18T11:07:00.011+01:00

I don't suppose there are many of you who haven't seen this, but just in case there are, here's a video taken of John, Eve and Gareth arriving in Cardiff yesterday afternoon for the HMV DVD signing. Thanks to Taff TV.

Here are some caps I made, click for larger:

Pit Bull Blues...

2009-07-18T02:56:00.003+01:00

Was pointed in the direction of this video by someone on Twitter. Please watch it, there are some great sentiments in there and a whole load of very beautiful dogs too.

We have almost the same problem here as in America, except here the demonized dog is a Staffordshire Bull Terrier. There are about 20 times more Staffies in dog shelters needing new homes than any other breed of dog. They're not 'devil dogs' they just need a good home,love and some proper training and handling, just like any other dog. If only people would listen.

Will you?

Original Source: Animal Ark

Torchwood DVD signing, HMV store London, earlier today...

2009-07-17T17:28:00.013+01:00

So, I was in a doctor's surgery at the time I should have been standing in the queue at the HMV store in London this morning, waiting to get in to the Torchwood DVD signing, but that's another story!

All three, John Barrowman, Eve Myles and Gareth David-Lloyd turned up so that was a good start. The downside, the crowds were so large that a great number of people were bound to be disappointed as there were only 250 armbands at the London store and you know the drill at HMV - no armband no getting into signing!

Anyway, here are some pictures - minus the best kissy-kissy one of course because at the moment the only copy of that I can get my hands on is watermarked - so you'll have to put up with these. Oh,and by the way, there are no fan ones that I can point you in the direction of at the moment, well none that I know of anyway. :)

Okay, so this is the boring kissy-kissy one,
John puckering up to Eve!
The lovely Gareth.
Eve holding her 'bump'.
John... um... trying to impress us!
All together now...
Some close-ups... smiling Gareth
... smiling John...
and not so smiley Eve.

The Essential Michael Jackson...

2009-07-14T16:12:00.007+01:00

While I was out this morning, just browsing around the shops, I noticed that, here in the UK at least, Michael Jackson's album The Essential Michael Jackson is top of the charts.

The thing is, although I have a digital copy on my pc of practically every song and album he ever recorded, I couldn't resist buying this album because of this:

Not only did he have a beautiful voice, but at one time, he was a very, very beautiful man. Despite all the success he achieved, it all just feels very sad, doesn't it...

Imogen Heap's new album Ellipse

2009-07-14T13:00:00.009+01:00

I'm so excited because tomorrow I'll be able to get my hands on the fabulous Imogen Heap's new album Ellipse! I've loved her music since around 2002 when, together with Guy Sigsworth, she formed the group Frou Frou and released the album Details. She's gone solo since then.

If you're lucky enough to live in the US or Canada you can get a digital download now on iTunes (if you pre-order the album) and as I said, tomorrow (15th July) we in the UK and the rest of the world can get it on iTunes. Apparently, it won't be until 24th August when it will be available in stores in the UK and 25th August for the US and Canada.

It hasn't got a Worldwide release date yet, so if you want it in your part of the World, it's best if you get in touch with your local store and request it. If you do have trouble getting it, you will be able to buy it straight from her site here. It'll cost a bit more though. :(

She has such a lovely voice and writes such beautiful lyrics. Go on give it a try. She's uploaded the first song from the album to YouTube, it's called First Train Home and I think it's beautiful:

Gareth David-Lloyd speaks - SPOILERS - if there's anyone left NOT already spoiled!

2009-07-13T18:20:00.000+01:00

Gareth David-Lloyd has posted to his site:

I want to say thank you to everyone who's supported me throughout my time on Torchwood, and especially to everyone who's sent encouraging messages to me here in the last few days.

Torchwood: Children Of Earth was an amazing piece of TV. I got an exit I can be proud of, a job I really enjoyed over the past few years and I'd be honoured to work with anyone from the cast and the production side again on other projects in the future.

Ianto changed and grew a lot over the three seasons and your support was part of what made that possible. I'm looking forward to new projects and to meeting many of you at gigs and other events in the future. Keep watching!

So we're all going to be vaccinated...

2009-07-12T21:23:00.004+01:00

... and they're saying it's against Swine Flu, but am I the only one worrying about this, coming so soon after 'Torchwood, Children of Earth?' ;)

Read about it here.

James Moran has posted to his blog...

2009-07-12T21:17:00.000+01:00

James Moran, one of the writers of Torchwood, has had to make this post on his blog after the attacks which have come his way over the last few days. Please read it and think about what he says.

Stepping back

For mum...

2009-07-12T09:04:00.000+01:00

For all the times you gently picked me up,
When I fell down,
For all the times you tied my shoes
And tucked me into bed,
Or needed something
But put me first instead.
For everything we shared,
The dreams, the laughter,
And the tears,
I love you with a special love
That deepens every year.

My thoughts, at last, on Torchwood, Children of Earth, with the help of Queer as Folk - SPOILERS for Torchwood of course!

2009-07-12T00:02:00.001+01:00

Okay, what I really wanted to say here is that I was absolutely blown away by the writing during the whole Five Days of Torchwood. It was superb, you can't fault John Fay, Russell T. Davies and James Moran and they need to be applauded for producing riveting TV! Truly magnificent.

The performances, well EVERYONE was great, but special kudos goes to Gareth David-Lloyd as "Ianto", Paul Copley as "Clem", Peter Capaldi as "Frobisher", Susan Brown as "Bridget Spears" and, of course, Cush Jumbo as "Lois Habiba". Can't say much about the performances of the Torchwood team in the final episode, they were hardly in it! We know where Gareth David-Lloyd was, but JB very nearly didn't make the episode at all (well, he was there, but didn't say much, just looked teary-eyed occasionally) and even the ubiquitous Eve Myles had huge amounts of screen time stolen from her by the Cabinet Room, the 456's gaseous chamber, the army deploying etc. Oh, well.

So if everything was that brilliant, what exactly went wrong? Why are we all sitting with such a nasty taste in our mouths? Well, having started out as an intense, emotional drama, Torchwood ended it's third season being dark, heartless and ultimately very, very sad. An ending which very many people hated. This has resulted in a huge outpouring of hate and disgust for RTD.

The problem really is that we didn't get the uplifting ending everyone not only wanted, but was expecting. It didn't need to be the sugar-coated 'happily every after' kind of ending, but what we really, really needed and what RTD didn't leave us with was hope. Hope for the future.

Well, I gotta tell you that ten years ago I and many others were in the same position with another of RTD's creations.

Seemingly out of the blue in 1999 a lot of people had been sucked (excuse the pun) into the world of Manchester's Canal Street and a group of characters we did not necessarily love, but felt great affection for. We became totally hooked on these characters RTD had so beautifully written, so much so that a show, which a lot of media people had written off as soft porn before it was even shown, actually became a huge success. That show was, of course, Queer as Folk.

The success of the show's first eight episodes when they were shown on Channel 4, stirred the Channel to beg, plead and scream for more from RTD. Finally he gave in and went off somewhere quiet to pen Queer as Folk's second season. However, before accepting the commission and going off to write it, something he didn't say and really, really should have was "Be careful what you wish for!"

When season 2 aired - just two hours of it, including ads - I think the whole audience, whether they had been fans before or were just tuning in to give themselves a bit more ammunition for their hate, sat stunned, mouths agape wondering what the hell just happened!

Russell T. Davies had fucked us. He admitted in an interview that he was trying out ideas for the second season and suddenly tossed everything he already had down on paper in the bin and wrote the weird and ultimately, for a lot of us, very unsatisfactory second season. RTD has since admitted that he felt there was nothing further to tell about the lives and loves of these characters and that he was very happy with the ending. Yep, he'd definitely fucked us and on purpose, too, but that is his prerogative. His characters, his story, he can do what he likes and we either like it or not, that's our ONLY choice. We don't get to tell him how to write his stories.

It now appears with this news that Russell's heading off to America, and given the fact that he's no longer writing for Doctor Who, I think the chances of another Torchwood are rather remote, don't you? Anyway, what would be the point? At the moment the only member of the team left standing, at least on this planet, is Gwen (funnily enough there is a rather telling little phrase used in the above article which goes something like... 'Torchwood, starring Eve Myles...').

Okay, so if another season seems out of the question, another idea would be for the Americans to buy the format and recreate Torchwood USA style as they did, very, very successfully, with Queer as Folk. So, all we need to find are a couple of American producers/writers to take it on, hmm...

Okay, so where's Cowlip* when you need them? :DDDD

*Cowlip was the production company run by Dan Lipman and Ron Cowen who took on Queer as Folk, writing and producing it for a successful five years in the US.

Torchwood, Children of Earth Day 4 - SPOILERS FOR THIS EPISODE ONLY

2009-07-10T16:05:00.006+01:00

Okay, so they not only did it again last night, they bettered it! 6.2 million viewers (27% share) going up to 6.3m (27.1%) in the last 15 minutes from 21:45!!! That rise in the last fifteen minutes was all due to twitter I think. The tweets going around last night were telling people that something big was going down and not to miss it.

I'm not really going to go into too much detail about last night's show, I'm just going to say this. This episode had everything, laughter, suspense, abject sadness AND it took one heck of a risk which we've seen the result of all over the net. They killed off Ianto and fans are not happy, in fact a heck of a lot of them are absolutely furious! What's even worse than him dying, is that when Ianto took his last dying breath he declared his love for Jack. Did Jack reciprocate? Did Jack profess his never ending affection for him? No and no! Well then, exactly what DID Jack say... well, not much at all really. The fans are not happy. Not only are they in uproar because TPTB killed Ianto, but those same PTB didn't even get Jack to tell the poor boy that he loved him! Shame on them!

I'm not going to complain to TPTB about the storyline or the ending. You know as well as I do that this is sci-fi people and as we've seen before in Torchwood the end doesn't necessarily mean the end! Don't all jump on me, I don't know anything. I haven't read anything about Day 5 so this is purely my feelings. I don't expect to get a happy ending tonight, but I'm just saying that it's possible, so let's just wait and see.

Anyway, this was another fabulously written episode by John Fay and as usual Euros Lyn directs with precision and the acting, well, the acting was superb! I have some favourites, but I'll tell you about those tomorrow after we know the outcome and some of the dust settles.

Saddest moments for me - apart from Ianto of course - were poor Clem's ear-bleeding, screaming demise and those sad, sad tears of Lois' running down the seeing-eye contact lenses.

Roll on Day 5.

This cheered me up a little...

2009-07-10T02:43:00.005+01:00

I had to post this. I think it's absolutely fabulous, don't you agree?

Original Source

Happy Birthday, Mr. Harold...

2009-07-10T00:01:00.014+01:00

To celebrate the gorgeous Mr. Gale Harold's 40th Birthday today! Wishing him health, success and happiness in everything that he does.

Here's a little pictorial retrospective of his work since 2000. I'm sure I've forgotten something but can't think what. Oh, and of course most get bigger if you click. :)

Queer as Folk - Brian Kinney - 2000-2005

36k - Booker O'Brien - 2000

Uncle Bob - Josh - 2001

Mental Hygiene - David Ryan - 2001

Street Time - Geoff Beddoes - 2003

Law and Order: Special Victims Unit - Dr. Garrett Lang - 2003

Particles of Truth - Morrison Wiley - 2003

Rhinoceros Eyes - Det. Phil Barbara - 2003

Wake - Kyle Riven - 2003

Fathers and Sons - Elliott - 2005

The Unseen - Harold - 2005

Life on the Ledge - Chaz - 2005

Martha Behind Bars - Peter Bacanovic - 2005

Falling for Grace - Andrew Barrington, Jr - 2006

The Unit - Rory - 2006

Deadwood - Wyatt Earp - 2006

Vanished - Agent Graham Kelton - 2006

Suddenly Last Summer - Dr. Cukrowicz - 2006-2007

Grey's Anatomy - Shane - 2007

Passenger Side - Karl - 2008

Desperate Housewives - Jackson Braddock - 2009

Gale in NCIS... here's what I think.

2009-07-09T14:31:00.006+01:00

After Michael Ausiello mentioned that the producers of 'NCIS' were looking for a new agent here. BuddyTV picked it up and posted about it here, except they have now added a list of potential actors and asked everyone to vote for their favourite. Needless to say Gale's name is on the list and loads of people have voted for him.

Can I just say that if Gale wants to do a role like this I will wholeheartedly support him, of course. Nevertheless if you ask me what I WANT, then this is definitely not it.

I don't particularly want to see Gale in another 'recurring' role and play the 'is he in it this week' game again. I want something more, something I can look forward to EVERY week, because he'll be in it EVERY week. I would love it if he were the star of a show or, as in Queer as Folk, part of an ensemble. I just want him there on my TV regularly. Is that so much to ask?

I know, I know, I should just be grateful when he's working and I AM! That doesn't preclude me from having dreams though, does it? :)

Michael Jackson - new waxwork at Madam Tussauds...

2009-07-09T13:46:00.005+01:00

The 13th waxwork of Michael Jackson has just gone on show at Madam Tussauds. It was apparently started around four months ago and was intended to go on show to coincide with the start of his massive "This is it" concert tour here in London.

It isn't an up-to-date waxwork, i.e. it doesn't depict Michael as he was at 50, but nevertheless it is beautiful.

Here are some pics (click for larger):

Go here to visit the Madam Tussauds website.

Torchwood and the Watershed...

2009-07-09T12:27:00.006+01:00

This article caught my eye because it addresses something I've been anticipating ever since the new season of Torchwood started. As many, many of us expected, there have been a number, a small number apparently, of complaints to Ofcom and probably the Beeb about the 'gay' content in Torchwood.

What really upsets me is the fact that these complaints are apparently coming from parents who don't want their children subjected to anything homosexual. Yet a lot of these same parents are only too happy to allow their eight and nine year olds to play the immensely bloodthirsty Grand Theft Auto games on their playstations. Games which are only intended for over 18s because of the violent content.

It just completely amazes me that they are happy for their kids to witness people being stabbed, beaten up or blowing great holes in each other, but not willing to have them witness two people, albeit both of the same sex, kissing and showing love and respect for each other...

Okay onto the article. I don't agree with the writer's statement that Torchwood was a children's programme that RTD and the Beeb tried to convert into an adult show. I have always understood that the target audience for Torchwood was older kids and adults, the grown up version of Doctor Who if you like, it was never intended for small kids. If a show is shown after 21:00 it is therefore not intended for anyone younger than 15 years old. I'm pretty sure I'm right in saying that the only time it's been shown earlier than that, it's been edited to be suitable for younger kids.

As for the rest of the article, especially about parents being in control of their own children, I couldn't agree more.

Take a read...

What is a watershed?

Ofcom (and probably the BBC) have been receiving a small number of complaints about the smash Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood.

Why did people complain? Not because it’s got John Barrowman in it, not because it’s being condensed from 13 to 5 episodes, in the same week. They didn’t complain about the fact that the programme depicted someone being drowned/buried alive in concrete.

People are complaining about the gay bits. Apparently most complaints to Ofcom are from parents annoyed that their children are being subjected to homosexual content.

Lets look at the facts, and decide whether the BBC, or the parents, are being immoral.

* Captain Jack is gay. He kissed The Doctor in his earlier Doctor Who appearances.
* Torchwood is being shown on BBC ONE, after the 9pm Watershed.
* The 9pm watershed is effectively a 15 rating.
* Parents are complaining that Children are watching 15 rated content.
* Torchwood first came about as an attempt at a Children’s programme, but is now shown later.

I’ve got nothing against parents, personally. I just wish they would get themselves some common sense, and stop being quite so ‘holier than thou’ when it comes to protecting their precious children.

Parents also need to learn that the Watershed runs from 21:00 to 05:30 each day. This means that if you don’t want to corrupt your children, you need to control what your children watch after 9 o’clock at night.

Is it bad of the BBC to adapt Torchwood to be slightly more adult in its Sci-Fi approach? There aren’t any other Sci-Fi programmes made by the BBC which are targetted towards adults, but maybe it would have been better to dream up a new programme than change a children’s hit to an adult hit.

No matter what is broadcast, on which channel, Parents need to bear in mind that, whilst they may object to phrases such as:

“are you taking it up the bum?”

Your child can find that sentence, and a whole lot more, with graphic images to explain what the words meant, here on the Internet.

Torchwood is like Star Trek. It’s inclusive of all. Okay, Star Trek wasn’t quite inclusive of gay people, but Star Trek was in the 1960’s. Russell T Davies is creating Doctor Who and its offspring into an inclusive programme which doesn’t focus on gender, colour or sexual preference. If you can’t handle that, you’ve got an off switch. Let those of us who can handle real life get on with things. Read the Daily Mail instead.

Original Source

Shaheen Jafargholi...

2009-07-09T11:15:00.002+01:00

Things have really changed for Shaheen since appearing on Britain's Got Talent. He sang at Michael Jackson's Memorial service on Tuesday. He was invited by the Jackson family because Michael loved his voice so much and had invited him to appear with him at the o2 when Michael's London concerts began.

Since then everyone and I mean everyone has wanted to interview him. Here are a couple he's done.

Here he is on Larry King.

Here's the link to the video of an interview with Channel Five.

Read it here:

Britain’s Got Talent star Shaheen Jafargholi talks to Five News about performing at yesterday’s memorial concert for Michael Jackson.

The Welsh schoolboy Shaheen Jafargholi proved an instant hit. The 12 year old from Swansea was one of the few artists to win a standing ovation from the audience. The largely American crowd at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles roared with approval as he belted out the Jackson Five hit Who's Lovin You?

Choreographer Kenny Ortega revealed the King of Pop had personally requested his appearance in his O2 concerts after watching the youngster on Britain's Got Talent.

Ortega said: "Shaheen was invited by Michael to join him in his London shows so I just wanted to introduce him to everybody and to say thank you."

After delighting the crowd with his performance, Shaheen, wearing a black suit with a white T-shirt and yellow flower, said: "I love Michael Jackson.

"I just want to thank him for blessing me and everyone on this earth with his amazing music."

Shaheen has sung in the West End production of the Jackson stage musical Thriller Live!.

Rob Phillips, the youngster's headteacher at Dylan Thomas Community School, Swansea, said: "We are all immensely proud of Shaheen."

"We were proud when he took part in Britain's Got Talent, when he reached the final, but this has exceeded any expectations any of us could possibly have had."

He added: "You can't get any bigger than this."

Mr Phillips said he was told about Shaheen's invitation to perform in LA last Thursday, but was sworn to secrecy.

"We were approached because in order for youngsters to perform anywhere during school time, they have to have their teacher's permission to release them," he said.

Torchwood, Children of Earth Day 3 - SOME SEMI-SPOILERS

2009-07-08T23:36:00.012+01:00

Okay, so it was all about what things look like, how they appear to others and how we see things tonight.

Jack worrying that his track suit bottoms was "not a good look".

Getting various members of the Cardiff public to 'look the other way' while their laptops, cars and mobiles etcetera were stolen.

Ianto making sure that Jack got his 'image' back with the RAF Great Coat and presumably the rest of the uniform with a stolen credit card.

Gwen convincing poor, treacherous Lois to be their 'eyes' with the all seeing contact lenses (good to... um, see them back again).

In fact, everyone has tried out the lenses apparently to see how 'things' look! ;)

Seeing, but not really seeing, the aliens... thank God! Hope we don't get any closer looks at those dribbling appendages and the bucket loads of green snot!

Finally, of course, we have things not being how they look. Jack appears to have been complicit in a horrendous act, but he wouldn't do something like that willingly or knowingly... would he?

Another great episode co-written by James Moran and Russell T. Davies. I have one small criticism though, it still seems very biased towards Gwen so we don't see anywhere near enough Jack and/or Ianto! I'm not talking 'relationships' or anything here, simply airtime.

Tomorrow it's John Fay's turn again at writing Day 4. As usual Euros Lyn directs and Peter Bennett produces.

ETA: Bleedin' Bloody Blimey, 5.9 MILLION... AGAIN, well 5.87 (27.1%) actually, but still... making it the most watched programme between 21:00 and 22:00!! This really is turning out to be the "Event" that RTD and the Beeb were looking for! The next two days are critical, we all know that Friday night, especially, is NOT a good night for a show - any show - it practically begs to be ignored on the week's traditional "going out" night. We'll see.

Who wants to meet John Barrowman, Eve Myles and Gareth David-Lloyd?

2009-07-08T19:01:00.008+01:00

If that's you, then you need to be camped outside the HMV store in London's Oxford Street before 09:00 on Friday 17th, July where there will be 250, yes ONLY 250, free wristbands which will allow you entry into the 'Children of Earth' DVD and Blu-Ray signing! It's strictly one person, one wristband so there'll be no point in parking your other half outside the store in a tent overnight to get the whole family wristbands. It won't work! :) By the way, don't forget to take enough money with you for the DVD! As is usual with these signing events, they'll be expecting you to buy it at their store on the day!

I really can't imagine at what time people will start queuing!

Anyway, if you miss out on a wristband, the next best thing would be to dash over to Paddington and for around 35 quid take the two and half hour journey to Cardiff Queen Street, arriving in time for a bit of lunch before heading off to HMV for the signing there between 17:00 and 18:00. Apparently there is no need for wristbands in Cardiff. :)

This from Torchwood Magazine:

John Barrowman, Eve Myles and Gareth David-Lloyd celebrate the DVD and Blu-ray release of the action-packed Torchwood Children of Earth with two signing sessions on Friday 17th July:

* The first at HMV’s flagship store on Oxford Street in London’s West End between 12.30 – 2pm**

* The second at HMV Cardiff, 53-57 Queens Street, Cardiff between 5 -6pm

Our heroes will make a typically Torchwood arrival to their native city. Keep a watchful eye on the skies as the Torchwood team will jet in to Cardiff by helicopter landing on top of the Torchwood hub itself in the Oval Basin.

Torchwood Children of Earth is released on region 2 DVD and Blu-ray on 13th July.

**Fans can pick up free wristbands at HMV which allow entry to the signing. 250 wristbands will be available only from HMV London from 9.00am on Friday 17th July onwards. One wristband per customer maximum, in person only, while stocks last, subject to availability, at participating store only.

Den of Geek interview with James Moran on writing Torchwood...

2009-07-08T12:23:00.004+01:00

James Moran is an impressive writer of Severance and episodes of Doctor Who, Torchwood, Primeval, Spooks, and Crusoe. With Russell T. Davies, he co-wrote tonight's episode of Torchwood.

Here he tells us ~~a little something~~ next to nothing about the new Torchwood season as well as completely refusing to give up even a crumb of information about upcoming seasons of Doctor Who or the likelihood of more Torchwood! The man is totally frustrating! ::stamps foot::

However, he is a brilliant writer and a totally funny and charming man. Read what he has to say. :D

James Moran on writing Torchwood: Children Of Earth

The third season of Torchwood: Children Of Earth, finally begins, and we’ve tracked down one of its writers, James Moran, for a chat about it…

Published on Jul 6, 2009

Writer James Moran's list of credits has continued to swell over the last year or two. After penning the hit horror comedy Severance, he has since written for Doctor Who, Torchwood, Spooks: Code Nine and Primeval, for instance. And he's also penned one of the five episodes that form the third season of Torchwood: Children Of Earth, which starts on BBC One tonight.

What's more, he also took some time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions for us, about just what we've got in store...

When did it first become clear that Torchwood was moving to a new format for its third season? And when did you get involved?

I was approached for the third season when the plan was to do a normal 13-episode run on BBC2 again. They asked all the writers to come and do some storyline brainstorming, to get some cool arc stuff going, so I was looking forward to that. Then suddenly it went quiet for a while, I suspected the worst, but they were actually in talks about possibly doing the five part season. Once they agreed on it, they came back to me, and said they'd like me to still be part of it - but now as one of only three writers, which was a huge thrill, but also a lot of responsibility.

Presumably it changes the writing brief you are given quite a lot if you have to fit your episode into such a tight run?

Because it was one big story, the three writers got together with Russell, Julie, and the producer, director, and script editor, and spent two days brainstorming the entire storyline. Russell had the original idea, and so we all spent those two days figuring it all out, from beginning to end. We threw all sorts of crazy ideas in, they never held us back or talked budgets at that point, we mainly worried about nailing down the plot and characters.

Once that was done, we knew roughly what happened in each episode, where each one started and ended. So we then went and did our episode outlines, and then went to script, going through the normal drafts and notes process - but we'd also read each other's work and talk it all through, having several more meetings. It was really good fun, very creative. And then once we'd done a few drafts, that's when we started trying to slim down the budget, trim any smaller speaking roles that weren't essential, etcetera - all little TV things that get the costs down.

Also, how did it affect the overall process? You've talked in the past about the rewriting process on Doctor Who, but did your script have to go through many revisions to fit into the chronology of the series particularly?

We'd worked out all the episodes and the story, so we always knew where each episode started and stopped, so that there wouldn't be any overlap. It wouldn't have been possible otherwise, because me and John [Fay] were writing episodes two and three before Russell had done episode one. Knowing where we all were meant that we didn't need to worry about contradicting each other.

Once I'd done about five drafts of episode three, it went over to Russell, who took over from there. And then we had a read through of episodes one, two and three, one after another, which was amazing - and that's when we noticed any little inconsistencies that needed fixing. Now I explain it all, it sounds horribly complicated and difficult! But it went pretty smoothly. Although it took us ages to figure out the ending, and how to make it make sense.

What can you tell us about your episode?

Very little without spoiling the plot of episodes one and two! It's one big story split into five episodes, so I can't really say. Although watch out for the chopping board action, I'm very pleased with that.

What are your thoughts on the move to five episodes? Obviously John Barrowman has made some strong comments on it, that he feels Torchwood is being 'punished', and Russell T Davies has defended the move. What are your views?

When we were told the news, everyone was really excited about it, it felt like a huge deal, and a reward - promotion to BBC1, and a huge, week-long event. That's the word they used, "event" TV - so it was never like that, really. It always felt like a big step up. Obviously more episodes is always good, but this enabled us to tell a huge story that we'd never have been able to do otherwise. I'm glad it happened, there's stuff in there that would never have made it into a normal episode.

Where do you think this third season leaves Torchwood, given that the end of season two left it, arguably, in a darker place anyway?

Again, if I say too much, trained BBC snipers will tranquillise me and throw me to the Weevils, so I can't really say. But to keep it vague, I think it leaves things nicely ready and set up for a fourth season, if that happens. And if they decide to give the licence fee to Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, and the BBC gets packed up and sent into space, then it could also work as an ending to the show. Although none of that means anything, so please don't start sending me angry messages based on something you think I've said or something you think will happen. I didn't say anything, none of this exists, and I was never here.

Have you seen the finished version of Children Of Earth? If so, what did you think?

I have seen all five episodes, they sent me the DVDs. It's amazing stuff, I loved it. Obviously I'm going to say that, but I really do mean it, it's epic stuff. It's proper Torchwood, but feels new and different at the same time. It takes things to a whole new level, but gives you all the Torchwood shenanigans you'd expect - fun, warmth, action, banter, and hot man on man action.

Can you tell us if you're involved in the next season of Doctor Who at all? Or in any future Torchwood work?

No idea yet. Haven't heard anything about Who, and it's too early to tell with Torchwood, we won't know anything until the ratings come in. So please watch!

Can you tell us anything of your future projects?

I've got a few TV series in the works, am hoping they'll get picked up so that I can be in charge of my own show - that's the next step. Early days still, but I'm hopeful. I also have a couple of possible movie projects - one original job, one rewrite job, and I'm just finishing two spec scripts that will hopefully go out soon. Again, it's all up in the air, but that's because I'm trying lots of new things. And only two of the many projects are episodes of other people's shows. I still love doing those, but I'm taking on less work this year - partly because I got completely exhausted last year, partly so I can work on my own things and hopefully set something up.

So fingers crossed, maybe there'll be an original series by me on TV in a year or so... Otherwise I'm afraid I'll have to kill everyone who is reading this. Don't question it, it's part of my creative process. I'm an artist, man.

James Moran, thank you very much! And you can keep up with him over at his blog, right here.

Original Source: Den of Geek