Randy - New Advocate Interview

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

Randy in video clip of POP!

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.

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

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.

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

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.

Of course Brian Kinney doesn't cuddle...

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!

Randy pic...

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...

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...

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?

New Randy interview...

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...

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.

Randy Harrison, Bridget Everett and Kenny Mellman...

...singing "Knock You Down" at Our Hit Parade Joe's Pub on 24th June, 2009.

I just wish I had been there to witness this in person! Brilliant!



Another brilliant video, this time concentrating on Randy:

Randy Harrison and James Barry...

...singing "My Life Would Suck Without You" at Our Hit Parade at Joe's Pub on 20th March, 2009.

I have absolutely no WORDS!



and a totally Randycentric one:

It's Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you all have a wonderful time with family and friends!

And here's The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl singing "Fairytale of New York" live, just because...

Russell T. Davies, OBE!

Russell T Davies got his OBE today for services to drama. Although most people revere him for his resurrection of Dr. Who, I will always thank him not only for that great show, but for bringing the fabulous Queer as Folk into my life!

I remember being absolutely stunned by the raw content and fabulous acting when Queer as Folk first hit our TV screens here in England in 1999! What a gritty, down and dirty look at queer life that was! Of course, the very, very best thing happened when the show was picked up in the US and remade with the beautiful Gale Harold and the gorgeous Randy Harrison being cast as Brian and Justin! The pairing of these two actors was just magical! The chemistry between them absolutely explosive and I, and many others, have loved the characters, the actors and Queer as Folk for over eight years now and the love is as strong as ever!

So, congratulations Russell, you're a brilliant writer and you thoroughly deserve this honour!

This is from Digital Spy:

Russell T. Davies receives OBE

Friday, November 28 2008, 16:20 GMT

By Simon Reynolds, Entertainment Reporter
Russell T. Davies receives OBE

The writer, who revived the cult BBC show Doctor Who in 2005, collected his award for services to drama from the Prince of Wales today.

Davies revealed in October that the Prince had declined an offer to cameo in Doctor Who, saying: "He turned us down, the miserable swine."

The 45-year-old Welshman, who will step down as Who's lead writer and executive producer next year, has also written Queer As Folk, Casanova and The Second Coming.

Original Source

ETA: Found this link from the BBC to a little video of Russell receiving his OBE from Prince Charles! We're not allowed to know what they spoke about! :)


Hurry and get well, Gale, we're all thinking of you!

Lovely Randy interview in Paris!

I love that Randy has mellowed so much as far as Queer as Folk is concerned! There was a time when he wouldn't talk about QaF for love nor money!

It's also lovely that his favourite memory of QaF is all the dance classes and rehearsing he and Gale did for the filming of the dance in 122! How wonderful is that! ;)



He's gorgeous too!

A couple of amusing things!

A little vid of Randy at the QaF/L Word Convention in Paris. He's asked a question which must have really thrilled him!

"What's Gale's phone number?"

It's asked first in French and then translated. (Not that Randy needed it translated obviously.)


His reply, "Um, I'm not going to give that to you!" Randy is soooo cute! Love him. :)

This is part of a question to Matt Roush:

Question: "...regarding Desperate Housewives, you recently stated that you find Gale Harold's performance "surprisingly charming." What drives me crazy about his addition to the show is that he is totally wasted. Again, another great actor given very little to do except take off his shirt and beg for attention. It's also more than a bit odd watching the former "Brian Kinney" being the whipping boy for Teri Hatcher."

Answer from Matt: "...As for Gale Harold: I like the change of pace in making him so sympathetic and vulnerable. He's a supporting player in this ensemble and that's as it should be."

Original Source

Aww, "sympathetic and vulnerable" exactly! Playing Jackson in DH may not be Shakespeare, but at least it's giving Gale the opportunity of showing us something other than Brian Kinney as much as I LOVE that beautiful, arrogant arsehole! ;)

'There's Always a Woman'

So tonight you lucky people in the US get to see episode 5.06 of Desperate Housewives! Me? Well I won't be able to watch it until tomorrow morning (my time). I've got to get up at the crack of dawn, find a torrent and start my download! With any luck I should be watching it around 7.30 a.m.! Please ask me again if I love Gale! :)


Anyway, this is the gist of tonight's episode:

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," on ABC's "Desperate Housewives," SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 2 (9:00-10:01 p.m., ET). Gaby is over the moon when Carlos' client makes them an offer they can't refuse, but a startling discovery leaves her second guessing; Lynette grows suspicious that Tom is cheating on her; and after breaking up with Jackson, Susan tries to surprise him, only to find the surprise is on her. Meanwhile, the bond between Bree and Katherine grows, and Mrs. McCluskey enlists the help of her sister to dig up dirt on Dave.

Guest stars include Kathryn Joosten as Mrs. McCluskey, Gale Harold as Jackson, Gail O'Grady as Anne Schilling, Frances Conroy as Virginia Hildebrand and Lily Tomlin as Roberta.

"There's Always a Woman" was directed by Matthew Diamond and written by John Paul Bullock III.

Looking forward to seeing this! I hope you all enjoy it.

Oh, and I hope Gale's health is still improving! Get well, Gale!

***

I almost forgot! Happy Birthday, Randy!

Is he still in Paris, I wonder?

Well, I'm sure he's had a fabulous day wherever he is!

(Beautiful pouty Gale from caps at Fan-Girl.net)