AT LAST THE HAROLD HARRISON DYNAMIC DUO TOGETHER AGAIN
and it was delightful. Just one week ago, I attended the Rise ‘n Shine Coming Home Convention in Los Angeles. Though it had been condensed to one action packed day, it was still worth the money I paid for a Loft ticket and dinner with Randy Harrison thanks to the wonderful Elke Kriebel who pulled the convention out
of the fire and made it work.
The cast attendees were Gale Harold, Randy Harrison, Scott Lowell, Peter Paige, Michelle Clunie, Robert Gant and Ryan Scott Greene who played Brian’s nemesis in Season 5. This was a very different Con from the one in Cologne, Germany last June which was attended by 9 members of the cast with the sad exception of Gale Harold and had approximately 500 attendees from 30 countries. This was an intimate group of 87 attendees.
The day began at 10 a.m. with the opening and introduction of the cast by our moderator Sheena Metal of The Sheena Metal Experience on L.A. Talk Radio who was absolutely great since she knows the cast and the show and how to keep the ball rolling. Ryan was the first onstage, then Michelle, Peter, Robert and Randy. Then Gale was introduced and he came in with Scott riding on his back.
After a few words from each we were sent off for the autograph session. Each of them sat at a separate table and after you got your autographs and said a few words, you moved on to the next. I had met all of the cast before the Cologne Con, Gale and Randy many times over the past 12 years, but it is still a thrill to have them remember me by name. Michelle reached out to me right away thanking me profusely for attending her first play in September and supporting her first effort as a playwright. She is really a warm and friendly gal. I had just seen Gale in February in Bilbao and sat next to him and his sister Ann at dinner so he remembered me. Randy has seen me countless times and the others knew me from Cologne and earlier events I attended where they were performing or appearing. The sessions went pretty smoothly even though many gave them gifts. I don’t have the talent to make special gifts or think of something unique to give them so I didn’t have any gifts. I only ever gave Gale a bottle of Maker’s Mark at Suddenly Last Summer and Orpheus Descending. Not very original though he seemed to like it. While the autographs sessions were taking place, Sheena was holding court in the ballroom getting to know where the attendees came from and how they found QAF.
There were two Meet & Greets with each grouping of the cast and I was scheduled to attend the first ones for Gale & Randy, Peter & Scott, and Robert, Michelle and Ryan. Each group also had a panel in the main ballroom while others were doing M&G’s. Things I learned in these panels and M&G’s are muddled in my mind so I will just throw out some of what I remember at the end. I attended Gale & Randy’s panel after the autograph session and then went right into their M&G and then Peter and Scott’s and Robert, Michelle and Ryan’s. I was also able to catch some of the other panels when the M&G’s ended.
After a very short lunch break as we were a little behind schedule, those with Loft tickets had a separate coffee break with Gale & Randy. Though they both spoke and answered questions in the panels and M&G’s, it was in the coffee break that they talked more openly and you could see how much they like and appreciate each other as actors and friends and the magic is still there. It just seemed to be a more intimate than the other sessions. They were asked about what they thought of the other as actors and Gale praised Randy highly and said he couldn’t have done the role without Randy as his partner. Randy said that he knew that Gale always had his back. When they were given several different interpretations of how to play a scene, they usually just went with how they thought it should be played and it worked. Gale said it was like a Mexican standoff only without the Mexicans and they both had their guns pointed in the same direction. It sounded like it was them against the world. You could see the genuine respect and admiration that they have for each other.
After the coffee break, we lined up for our photo sessions with each and once one cast member was finished, another came in and it went briskly and smoothly. I got a picture with each, one with Gale and Randy together and one with all of them. The photographer would tell the guy at the computer our name as we posed and after asking my name the first and second time, it was “Here’s Dixie” and when I sat between Gale & Randy for the group shot, Robert started singing “Dixie” behind me and Scott said, “like she’s never heard that before”. It was fun to be interacting with them and amazing that when I began watching the show almost 13 years ago I never dreamed I would ever meet the cast let alone have them know me.
After the photos we had a short closing in which all were asked to say a few words and Gale said he was glad to be there with his compadres and thanked people for the wonderful gifts and that he was overwhelmed by them. Scott asked everyone to thank Elke for her hard work and said it was fun to get together and revisit and remember things they blocked out and thanked us for keeping the show alive. When Michelle began to talk about seeing all of them again and seemed like she was going to wax philosophically, Scott and Randy decided to recreate the moment in Cologne’s closing when Michelle tried to lift Thea to reenact the scene from the show and Michelle dropped Thea. Scott picked up Randy and dropped him and Randy was laughing harder than I have ever seen and Michelle said she hadn’t slept in 36 hours and Thea wasn’t playing the part and gravity took over. It was a fun moment. Peter thanked us and told us to watch his new show, The Fosters. Randy thanked us and said he was grateful for this experience and grateful to us and for making it happen and appreciating their work. Ryan said he was lucky and blessed to be a part of the show and happy to see them all again. Robert thanked everyone for our love of the show and the characters and the chance to hang out with his family again. After Scott smelled the chairs that Gale and Randy sat in to see if he could tell them apart and Gale threw a table cloth over him, they were presented to the winners of the auction. Then they took a picture with Elke and her team of helpers.
We got a ten minute break to change if we wanted for the Cocktail Reception. This was done at long tables with a guest at each end and then after a few minutes of chat they would move on to another table and two more would sit down. Trying to hear what each one was saying at either end of the table was like watching a three ring circus so I would listen to one for awhile and then the other.
The final event was the VIP dinner. I tried my darndest to win a ticket for Gale’s dinner but was outbid at the last minute in 3 of the auctions. When it looked like a lost cause for the final ticket, I jumped over to Randy’s dinner and won the final seat. I knew everyone who had won a dinner with Randy so that made it fun for me in addition to dining with Randy. The dinner was delicious and Randy chatted with each of us but as soon as it was over, he had to leave to catch a flight. When he was about to leave the room, all the cast went up to say goodbye and there were hugs all around. When Gale hugged Randy goodbye, Randy had to stand on his tippy toes as he did after the bombing and I think there was a collective sigh from all of us who witnessed it. It was a perfect end to the whirlwind day. Not long after, the other casts made their goodbyes and exits and I was standing close to Gale and when I saw him give another gal a hug, I moved in for one too. It was my first actual hug from him.
When the others were gone, Ryan hung around chatting and then ended up going to the bar with a bunch of the ladies and stayed for quite some time. Ryan was a revelation to me. Though I disliked Brandon, I really liked Ryan. With short hair and beautiful blue eyes, he was so warm and friendly and happy to be a part of the Con that you couldn’t help liking him immediately. I had a chance to have a couple of conversations with him and he was very interesting and easy to talk to and I got a hug and kiss from him. When he found out I was from Pittsburgh, he started talking about The Pens not knowing that I don’t give a hang about sports.
There are so many wonderful reports out there and each has a new memory or take on things they saw and heard. Finally, some of the things I remember:
When the subject of Justin’s injury came up, Gale surprised us by talking about his own head trauma from his accident and how it was similar to what Justin would have experienced. He said that he had no memory of anyone visiting him but he could hear them and later he dreamed about their visits. When asked if Brian ever told Justin about his visits in the hospital he felt certain that Brian would have “accidentally” let him know and that as the relationship developed that they would have discussed it at some point and Randy agreed.
In each of the M&G’s one gal asked them what their favorite cereal was. Gale said The Waltons. Randy said his mother wouldn’t let him eat cereal with sugar on it. I don’t remember what cereal Scott talked about but he said it made his “poo” green. Peter piped up and said he didn’t like the word poo. He said it had no end to it and makes you think it just keeps coming. He said “poop” has an ending.
When Scott and Peter were talking about the different directors, they were asked about Russell Mulcahy who is from Australia. They all thought he was brilliant. Peter said that when he was directing a scene in the baths where the extras were naked and oiled to make them look good he wanted one of the extras to move and couldn’t get his attention so he went over and physically grabbed hold of his butt to move him and his thumb accidentally slipped in. Peter pantomimed this with the extra going “oooooh” in appreciation. It was so funny to see Peter reenact this. He also told us that sometimes when the director yelled “cut” in some of the backroom or bath scenes, some of the extras just kept on going. I thought I saw some real action in the bathhouse when Brian was roaming around.
Michelle talked about her love scenes with Thea and how they decided whose leg would go where and how they choreographed it and also that they thought each other smelled like flowers in their nether regions. Robert talked about how Hal was a little shocked at the positions they had to get into for their love making and ended up with only one leg on Robert’s shoulder instead of two.
Someone asked Ryan if they really filmed a scene of him and a new young twink meeting up at the end of the show like Brian and Justin to show that things had come full circle from the beginning and he confirmed that they did. They even used the same dialogue but for some reason they decided not to air it. Some of the cast were not aware of it and asked him if he ever got to see it and he said he didn’t. He wasn’t aware at first that they were not going to use it until he saw the ending. I am so glad that this scene never saw the light of day. I was upset when I first heard that it might be the ending of the show as I felt this scene was uniquely Brian and Justin and should never be repeated. Thank you Cowlip!
Other than being disappointed that Gale showed up with a full beard probably for his new role in a Civil War drama called Field of Lost Shoes and his ever present hat, the Con couldn’t have been better than this fun filled day. If he came to a Con looking clean shaven like Brian, I think there would have been swooning and palpitating. Gale still has the bandage on the finger which he was wearing in Bilbao in February. I think he said he may have to wear it for 6 months. Many have said from just seeing the pictures that it didn’t look like Gale wanted to be there but I never got that impression. He clowned around during both the opening and closing with his cast mates and once he got talking particularly at the coffee break he was animated and fun. He’s just Gale and we love him quirks and all. He signed up for this and he was the first to sign up for the Con in Bilbao next March so I don’t think he does this under duress.
I’m sorry I have no pictures to post as I knew there would be plenty of great pictures from others who know how to get the best shots and I decided to just listen and enjoy.
I thought the convention in Cologne would be a once in a lifetime event and indeed the first gathering of the cast can never be repeated but this one was special in its own way mainly because of finally seeing Gale and Randy interacting together. You can tell that they genuinely like and admire each other and that they had fun filming so many years ago. They really understand each other and have many interests in common. They shared a special bond as two unknown actors in ground-breaking roles in show the likes of which had never been seen before on TV and that put them both in the position of receiving adoration and love from fans all over the world. I’m sure it is overwhelming to them at times but I think they have come to terms with it and accept that they will forever be loved as Brian Kinney and Justin Taylor no matter what direction they take the rest of their lives.
Thank you Elke for making these conventions possible for the fans of Queer as Folk who will forever be grateful. I hope to see you in Bilbao in March and you can relax and enjoy it as a fan.
If you want to experience some of this amazing day, I encourage you to purchase the DVD when it’s available.
of the fire and made it work.
The cast attendees were Gale Harold, Randy Harrison, Scott Lowell, Peter Paige, Michelle Clunie, Robert Gant and Ryan Scott Greene who played Brian’s nemesis in Season 5. This was a very different Con from the one in Cologne, Germany last June which was attended by 9 members of the cast with the sad exception of Gale Harold and had approximately 500 attendees from 30 countries. This was an intimate group of 87 attendees.
The day began at 10 a.m. with the opening and introduction of the cast by our moderator Sheena Metal of The Sheena Metal Experience on L.A. Talk Radio who was absolutely great since she knows the cast and the show and how to keep the ball rolling. Ryan was the first onstage, then Michelle, Peter, Robert and Randy. Then Gale was introduced and he came in with Scott riding on his back.
After a few words from each we were sent off for the autograph session. Each of them sat at a separate table and after you got your autographs and said a few words, you moved on to the next. I had met all of the cast before the Cologne Con, Gale and Randy many times over the past 12 years, but it is still a thrill to have them remember me by name. Michelle reached out to me right away thanking me profusely for attending her first play in September and supporting her first effort as a playwright. She is really a warm and friendly gal. I had just seen Gale in February in Bilbao and sat next to him and his sister Ann at dinner so he remembered me. Randy has seen me countless times and the others knew me from Cologne and earlier events I attended where they were performing or appearing. The sessions went pretty smoothly even though many gave them gifts. I don’t have the talent to make special gifts or think of something unique to give them so I didn’t have any gifts. I only ever gave Gale a bottle of Maker’s Mark at Suddenly Last Summer and Orpheus Descending. Not very original though he seemed to like it. While the autographs sessions were taking place, Sheena was holding court in the ballroom getting to know where the attendees came from and how they found QAF.
There were two Meet & Greets with each grouping of the cast and I was scheduled to attend the first ones for Gale & Randy, Peter & Scott, and Robert, Michelle and Ryan. Each group also had a panel in the main ballroom while others were doing M&G’s. Things I learned in these panels and M&G’s are muddled in my mind so I will just throw out some of what I remember at the end. I attended Gale & Randy’s panel after the autograph session and then went right into their M&G and then Peter and Scott’s and Robert, Michelle and Ryan’s. I was also able to catch some of the other panels when the M&G’s ended.
After a very short lunch break as we were a little behind schedule, those with Loft tickets had a separate coffee break with Gale & Randy. Though they both spoke and answered questions in the panels and M&G’s, it was in the coffee break that they talked more openly and you could see how much they like and appreciate each other as actors and friends and the magic is still there. It just seemed to be a more intimate than the other sessions. They were asked about what they thought of the other as actors and Gale praised Randy highly and said he couldn’t have done the role without Randy as his partner. Randy said that he knew that Gale always had his back. When they were given several different interpretations of how to play a scene, they usually just went with how they thought it should be played and it worked. Gale said it was like a Mexican standoff only without the Mexicans and they both had their guns pointed in the same direction. It sounded like it was them against the world. You could see the genuine respect and admiration that they have for each other.
After the coffee break, we lined up for our photo sessions with each and once one cast member was finished, another came in and it went briskly and smoothly. I got a picture with each, one with Gale and Randy together and one with all of them. The photographer would tell the guy at the computer our name as we posed and after asking my name the first and second time, it was “Here’s Dixie” and when I sat between Gale & Randy for the group shot, Robert started singing “Dixie” behind me and Scott said, “like she’s never heard that before”. It was fun to be interacting with them and amazing that when I began watching the show almost 13 years ago I never dreamed I would ever meet the cast let alone have them know me.
After the photos we had a short closing in which all were asked to say a few words and Gale said he was glad to be there with his compadres and thanked people for the wonderful gifts and that he was overwhelmed by them. Scott asked everyone to thank Elke for her hard work and said it was fun to get together and revisit and remember things they blocked out and thanked us for keeping the show alive. When Michelle began to talk about seeing all of them again and seemed like she was going to wax philosophically, Scott and Randy decided to recreate the moment in Cologne’s closing when Michelle tried to lift Thea to reenact the scene from the show and Michelle dropped Thea. Scott picked up Randy and dropped him and Randy was laughing harder than I have ever seen and Michelle said she hadn’t slept in 36 hours and Thea wasn’t playing the part and gravity took over. It was a fun moment. Peter thanked us and told us to watch his new show, The Fosters. Randy thanked us and said he was grateful for this experience and grateful to us and for making it happen and appreciating their work. Ryan said he was lucky and blessed to be a part of the show and happy to see them all again. Robert thanked everyone for our love of the show and the characters and the chance to hang out with his family again. After Scott smelled the chairs that Gale and Randy sat in to see if he could tell them apart and Gale threw a table cloth over him, they were presented to the winners of the auction. Then they took a picture with Elke and her team of helpers.
We got a ten minute break to change if we wanted for the Cocktail Reception. This was done at long tables with a guest at each end and then after a few minutes of chat they would move on to another table and two more would sit down. Trying to hear what each one was saying at either end of the table was like watching a three ring circus so I would listen to one for awhile and then the other.
The final event was the VIP dinner. I tried my darndest to win a ticket for Gale’s dinner but was outbid at the last minute in 3 of the auctions. When it looked like a lost cause for the final ticket, I jumped over to Randy’s dinner and won the final seat. I knew everyone who had won a dinner with Randy so that made it fun for me in addition to dining with Randy. The dinner was delicious and Randy chatted with each of us but as soon as it was over, he had to leave to catch a flight. When he was about to leave the room, all the cast went up to say goodbye and there were hugs all around. When Gale hugged Randy goodbye, Randy had to stand on his tippy toes as he did after the bombing and I think there was a collective sigh from all of us who witnessed it. It was a perfect end to the whirlwind day. Not long after, the other casts made their goodbyes and exits and I was standing close to Gale and when I saw him give another gal a hug, I moved in for one too. It was my first actual hug from him.
When the others were gone, Ryan hung around chatting and then ended up going to the bar with a bunch of the ladies and stayed for quite some time. Ryan was a revelation to me. Though I disliked Brandon, I really liked Ryan. With short hair and beautiful blue eyes, he was so warm and friendly and happy to be a part of the Con that you couldn’t help liking him immediately. I had a chance to have a couple of conversations with him and he was very interesting and easy to talk to and I got a hug and kiss from him. When he found out I was from Pittsburgh, he started talking about The Pens not knowing that I don’t give a hang about sports.
There are so many wonderful reports out there and each has a new memory or take on things they saw and heard. Finally, some of the things I remember:
When the subject of Justin’s injury came up, Gale surprised us by talking about his own head trauma from his accident and how it was similar to what Justin would have experienced. He said that he had no memory of anyone visiting him but he could hear them and later he dreamed about their visits. When asked if Brian ever told Justin about his visits in the hospital he felt certain that Brian would have “accidentally” let him know and that as the relationship developed that they would have discussed it at some point and Randy agreed.
In each of the M&G’s one gal asked them what their favorite cereal was. Gale said The Waltons. Randy said his mother wouldn’t let him eat cereal with sugar on it. I don’t remember what cereal Scott talked about but he said it made his “poo” green. Peter piped up and said he didn’t like the word poo. He said it had no end to it and makes you think it just keeps coming. He said “poop” has an ending.
When Scott and Peter were talking about the different directors, they were asked about Russell Mulcahy who is from Australia. They all thought he was brilliant. Peter said that when he was directing a scene in the baths where the extras were naked and oiled to make them look good he wanted one of the extras to move and couldn’t get his attention so he went over and physically grabbed hold of his butt to move him and his thumb accidentally slipped in. Peter pantomimed this with the extra going “oooooh” in appreciation. It was so funny to see Peter reenact this. He also told us that sometimes when the director yelled “cut” in some of the backroom or bath scenes, some of the extras just kept on going. I thought I saw some real action in the bathhouse when Brian was roaming around.
Michelle talked about her love scenes with Thea and how they decided whose leg would go where and how they choreographed it and also that they thought each other smelled like flowers in their nether regions. Robert talked about how Hal was a little shocked at the positions they had to get into for their love making and ended up with only one leg on Robert’s shoulder instead of two.
Someone asked Ryan if they really filmed a scene of him and a new young twink meeting up at the end of the show like Brian and Justin to show that things had come full circle from the beginning and he confirmed that they did. They even used the same dialogue but for some reason they decided not to air it. Some of the cast were not aware of it and asked him if he ever got to see it and he said he didn’t. He wasn’t aware at first that they were not going to use it until he saw the ending. I am so glad that this scene never saw the light of day. I was upset when I first heard that it might be the ending of the show as I felt this scene was uniquely Brian and Justin and should never be repeated. Thank you Cowlip!
Other than being disappointed that Gale showed up with a full beard probably for his new role in a Civil War drama called Field of Lost Shoes and his ever present hat, the Con couldn’t have been better than this fun filled day. If he came to a Con looking clean shaven like Brian, I think there would have been swooning and palpitating. Gale still has the bandage on the finger which he was wearing in Bilbao in February. I think he said he may have to wear it for 6 months. Many have said from just seeing the pictures that it didn’t look like Gale wanted to be there but I never got that impression. He clowned around during both the opening and closing with his cast mates and once he got talking particularly at the coffee break he was animated and fun. He’s just Gale and we love him quirks and all. He signed up for this and he was the first to sign up for the Con in Bilbao next March so I don’t think he does this under duress.
I’m sorry I have no pictures to post as I knew there would be plenty of great pictures from others who know how to get the best shots and I decided to just listen and enjoy.
I thought the convention in Cologne would be a once in a lifetime event and indeed the first gathering of the cast can never be repeated but this one was special in its own way mainly because of finally seeing Gale and Randy interacting together. You can tell that they genuinely like and admire each other and that they had fun filming so many years ago. They really understand each other and have many interests in common. They shared a special bond as two unknown actors in ground-breaking roles in show the likes of which had never been seen before on TV and that put them both in the position of receiving adoration and love from fans all over the world. I’m sure it is overwhelming to them at times but I think they have come to terms with it and accept that they will forever be loved as Brian Kinney and Justin Taylor no matter what direction they take the rest of their lives.
Thank you Elke for making these conventions possible for the fans of Queer as Folk who will forever be grateful. I hope to see you in Bilbao in March and you can relax and enjoy it as a fan.
If you want to experience some of this amazing day, I encourage you to purchase the DVD when it’s available.