...oh heck, it looks like he's probably just with a trainer but, MADE YA LOOK! Lance is seen here coming out of the Equinox gym in South Beach...Happy Friday!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 9:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It is so fun to see all the attention Rami Kashou got and continues to get after his top-four finish on "Project Runway." I've known Rami socially for 3-4 years and from the very beginning, was so impressed with his drive and his passion. He's also a fantastic cook!

We did our first on-the-record chat at the GLAAD Media Awards a few weeks ago that I want to share but first some bio from Rami's MySpace page: Known for his dramatic red carpet gowns, Rami Kashou has draped the silhouettes of celebrities and trendsetters such as ,Jessica Alba, Jennifer Lopez, Portia De Rossi, Fergie, Amy Smart, Lucy Lui, Tracee Ellis Ross, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Penelope Cruz and Shiva Rose to name a few. His designs have been seen on the pages of In Style, Flaunt, Vogue, Lucky, Elle, Angelino, Interview, People and Us Weekly. Kashou was also commissioned to design the costumes for the March 2005 America's Next Top Model ad campaign that resided on billboards across the nation.

Greg: This is Rami who I knew way back when. So how is this whole fame thing working out for you?
Rami: You know, I see it as recognition, like being recognized for what it is that I do. So in a way, it's great. I don't view it so much as fame. People like my work and my product and being recognized for that is such an honor.

Greg: How has business changed for you? (I remember when Rami worked out of his apartment!)
Rami: A lot of things are happening fast. Working with new celebrities. One new client who I love is Heidi Klum which is amazing. I just designed something for her. I dressed for a the Hot Hollywood Party."

Rami told me he will appear on HSN on May 15 with Scoop Boutique where he will be selling one of his exclusive designs. He was set to meet with Becki Newton of "Ugly Betty" last week and just dressed Kelly Ripa.

"There's been all these wonderful things," Rami said. "And other things are in the making."

At this point, a handler grabs Rami and drags him to the Bravo interviewer so we agree to do another on-the-record chat soon. Meanwhile, here is a clip of Rami's appearance on "The Tyra Banks Show" where "young designers to watch" were profiled:

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The very animated and enthusiastic Ross Mathews - best known as Ross the intern from "The Tonight Show" - called me Wednesday morning just moments after making his first appearance on "Good Day LA."

"I had co-hosted 'The View' and couldn't for the life of me get booked on 'Good Day LA,'" he said as he was being driven home from the studio (yes, they send a driver). "When I moved out to LA all by myself, they were like the first thing that felt familiar."

Ross didn't have to worry about the camera adding 10 pounds. It's been more than a year since he finished shedding a whopping 70 pounds by participating on VH1's "Celebrity Fit Club."

"To maintain it, I have to eat healthy," he said. "One Cheeto and I'd plump right back up."

Ross, 28, ate a lot of his meals at a Koo Koo Roo restaurant where he was particularly fond of the squash. He was horrified to go in one day and discover they had taken it off the menu! He blogged out it and the chain was flooded with feedback.
"I thought they were going to call their lawyers but instead, they told me they were bringing it back, calling it "Ross Squash," and wanted me to be their spokesman," Ross
squealed. "Right now, I'm on 40 busses throughout LA. I feel like I'm president of the company, I want it to go nationwide!"

He still has his day job on Jay Leno's show though. He was an intern while in college and at the last minute was sent to cover the premiere of "Ocean's 11" where his giggly persona was a hit with viewers and with Jay.

It changed his life. He's gone shopping with Gwyneth Paltrow in London, interviewed Elizabeth Taylor, gone skydiving and on May 14, guest stars on the NBC soap "Days of Our Lives." His dream is to be a talk show host but acting is also a lot of fun.

"I always say every Oprah has their 'Color Purple,'" he said. "They wrote the part for me and 'Days' shoots right down the street from my office so I told them, 'Any time you want me I'll just pop on down.' I have no shame!"

Ross thinks he knows why that first appearance on Leno's show has stretched into a years-long gig. He also produces and hosts a web-show on nbc.com with Tonight Show announcer John Melendez called "The John & Ross Show."

"I honestly think it's about the fact that I'm always honest and I'm sort of like the underdog, not the norm," he said. "I'm here in this city which can be hard for people, I've
somehow made my way in. I'm honest about feeling like I don't belong sometimes."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 4:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This is so nice to hear. Sam Harris, the mega-talented singer and actor, has been attracting quite a following with a series of video blog appearances which has him sharing bits of his life and interviewing famous friends like Rosie O'Donnell. He announces in the above video that this has led to a talk show with Lifetime!

I'm a big fan of Sam's and in watching the above video, it's so nice to see a man so happy. He and partner Danny also recently adopted a baby boy named Cooper and Sam has a new album on tap: "My life is in check, my priorities are in check, I'm very, very blessed," he said. "My life could not be any fuller or any richer."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

This week's episode of "How I Met Your Mother" featured Emmy-nominated Neil Patrick Harris shirtless! We don't often get to see how hunky he is! He's so smart, talented and witty that I don't think we objectify him enough! It's been a heady weeks for NHP with his "Harold and Kumar" sequel doing better-than-expected business at the box office.

Here is a clip from NPH's recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel:

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Who do you consider to be your gay heroes? My list is long but at the top would be Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova who weren't content to be number one in the world in tennis, but also worked for social change and continue to do so today. Love 'em.
I also so deeply appreciate and admire Olympian Greg Louganis whose story is so inspiring and whose book "Breaking the Surface" remains on my bookshelf, the wonderfully funny and intelligent Ellen DeGeneres. the talented and total original Harvey Fiersten, author Paul Monette, whose memoir "Becoming A Man: Half A Life Story" had me going through a box of Kleexex, singer and activist Elton John, one-time NFL player Dave Kopay for being the first former major pro athlete to come out, and the late Randy Shilts for his strength and determination during the height of the AIDS crisis.
There are so many others who are heroes.
The Advocate, where I am a contributing writer, is preparing for its 40th anniversary issue in September and wants its readers to help choose the cover subjects through an online poll. The criteria for a gay hero: The person must be entirely out. Second, it's not enough to be supremely talented or superbly competent--that person must have done something significant to improve LGBT lives. If they've missed someone you'd like to nominate, go ahead and write them in under "OTHER." This is not a scientific poll, but a snapshot that reflects the awareness of The Advocate's readers and editors at this pivotal moment in history.

One-hundred of the most notable gay people from the last four decades—politicians, artists, activists, and more. The editors are asking you to help rank them by voting for the people you feel have made the most significant impact. You can select up to 40 names. Rankings will be determined based on votes plus editors’ input. The top 40 heroes will be featured on the cover of the anniversary issue.
This is the link to the poll:http://www.advocate.com/takeSurvey.asp?surveyID=19 -
Cast your votes!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 4:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This makes me smile. Lance Bass has written an open letter on his blog marking the one-year anniversary of his coming out publicly. There was the big People magazine cover and the high-profile romance with Reichen and now there's the hot Brazillian boyfriend and a role, on Broadway, in "Hairspray."
Here is what Lance writes:

Happy Anniversary...TO ME!!!!!!!
So it was a year ago that I decided to let the world know who I really am... and I swear it has been the most amazing experience. Scary at times , but in the end the best thing I have ever done. I want to thank everyone that has been so supportive and showing that this world has and will continue to change in the right direction. With the election coming up, it is even more important that we stand up for what we believe in and be heard. Enviroment, war, civil rights, education.... the list goes on and on. I encourage everyone to learn more this year about ALL the issues that need attention. Some of you will actively be heard and support some issues, and others will just be educated--- in the end all that matters is we all are going to have a hand in changing this world for the better!
Also as an Anniversary gift for me ...think about doing this....
If you are having trouble being yourself , and are scared to tell someone you are gay--- find that loyal friend, family member, or even hotline and tell someone. All it takes is to tell one person and the ball starts rolling. You will get great advice and and be so much happier. Or, if you have always wanted to ask that family member or friend if they were gay.. do it now.... in a very positive and private way , tell them it is ok and you will always be there no matter what. Sometimes its easier for someone to just flat out ask you. To bulid the courage to say it sometimes takes years.
It's 2007 people , there is no reason we should not be exactly who we want to be- sexual preference, profession, religion, etc. Just respect the fact that everyone is different and live your own lives the way you want! It's good to be alive and we can do and achieve anything we want!
So go do something positive, nice, fun, or just laugh... it doesnt affect just you .. it catches on!
Have a good one!! LB

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 4:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In an interview for The New York Times Magazine this coming Sunday, financial guru and TV host Suze Orman gets on Deborah Solomon's case for not looking out for her own money, partly because "you are a woman." This inspires Solomon to ask Orman if she is married.
Orman says she "has a relationship with life," so Solomon presses her, and Suze then reveals that her "life partner" is Kathy Travis and, "We're going on seven years. I have never been with a man in my whole life. I'm still a 55-year-old virgin."
Orman says they'd like to get married, and both "have millions of dollars in our name. It's killing me that upon my death, K.T. is going to lose 50 percent of everything I have to estate taxes. Or vice versa."
Pressed again, she says that estimates that she is worth $25 million are "pretty close."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 1:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I usually try and take the high road on "Out In Hollywood." Usually. But this is just too dishy to pass up. I reported last week that I bumped into Reichen last week on his way to the OutZoneTV party at Here Lounge in WeHo. He was sweet and friendly to me and worked the press line like a pro. So, I decided I wasn't going to post any snarky items about he and Lance from here on out. But Perez Hilton did not! Perez reported on his blog that later that night (I was looooong gone by that time I guess), Reichen was allegedly spotted making out with a reality show contestant etc. All this as he professed to still be in a relationship with Lance Bass.
Well, Reichen was LIVID over these items posted on the Hilton blog and posted a message of his own on his MySpace account. Here is the text:

All,

From the Horse's Mouth: Just a friendly reminder that when you read websites like PerezHilton.com, you are reading lies and are being taken advantage of as you make more money for a person who does nothing but fabricate storeis to make his site look interesting.
That anyone would trust someone like Mario Lavendeira (PerezHilton.com) who STEALS from photographers, bloggers, and the general population, is beyond me, really. This person is a common criminal.
Contrary to what this ugly wind-bag has reported, I have not broken up with my boyfriend. I did not go home with anyone from "Survivor" from any party. I have not "made out with" anyone at a party while I have been with my boyfriend. The opposite has been written on his site. It is all a complete and blantant lie. This person is a liar. Period.
My book was done before I ever met Lance. I do not date people so that I can "use" them. I'm self-sufficient and happy to be that way. I have served my country, I have made my own money, my own career, written my own books, bought my own homes and other possesions, and I'm proud to be this way, on my own. I am not broke. I am individually financially sound. I date people because I happen to love them. Period.
I will only post this once. This disgusting person and his site makes up blatant lies to create interesting stories. I am one of this criminal's targets. Understand that. So know, from here on out, that if you read anything about ME on PerezHilton.com, you are 99.9% sure to be reading a lie or an exagerrated, incorrect version of something that is 0.01% true.
Merry Christmas Everybody!!
Love, Reichen

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

As if tipping you off to my current piece in The Advocate wasn't enough, here is a tip to check out a story I wrote for the new issue of LA-based Frontiers. It is my interview with a very special man named Thom Bierdz. Some of you may remember him from the three years he spent playing Phillip Chancellor on "The Young and the Restless."

Since he was a closeted soap star, it was ironic that Thom was a hearthrob to so many female fans.
“At one time there were 7,000 girls to see me in Toronto—but they weren’t there to see me,� Bierdz remembers. “They were there to see my character Phillip. I knew that I was gay, and I didn’t think they were there because they knew who I was, so I never got too involved in that. I was always a little removed.�

But after Thom left the show in 1989 to pursue movies, the worst kind of tragedy struck:Back home in Wisconsin, Thom's chronically troubled youngest brother Troy beat their mother Phyllis to death with a baseball bat in the kitchen of the home where they grew up. Things were never the same personally or professionally for Bierdz, who, six years ago, also discovered the body of his other brother, the charismatic Gregg, who unexpectedly committed suicide.

He also became obsessed with delving into his mother’s murder and his brother’s history of mental illness, which not only resulted in a reconciliation with the sibling who ended their mother’s life, but also produced the haunting and painfully honest memoir "Forgiving Troy," an “art-o-biography� that mixes Bierdz’s writing with his paintings.

Here are some of Thom's paintings:

Except for appearing on an episode of Matlock and returning briefly to the soap, his acting career was all but over. But his creative output had just begun. Bierdz became a prolific and respected artist who has made hundreds of paintings of varying mood and style.

“After my brother killed my mother, my priorities really shifted,� he says. “I went really introverted and spent a lot of time examining what was really important to me. Acting became very difficult for me. I was always an introvert, and I just seemed to get more nervous as I got older. I wrote for a while and the painting happened by accident, and people were just very interested.�

The handsome Bierdz, 41, lives with his boyfriend, actor Steve Callahan (pictured, left) - who was terrific in " East Side Story" - in the mid-Wilshire section of Los Angeles. Their home is filled with Bierdz’s paintings.

Bierdz is so prolific that he is hired to paint on-the-spot at various events, including the recent Thalian’s Ball, where he received an award from organizer Debbie Reynolds and his painting that night earned $6,000 for charity. "Forgiving Troy" can be purchased at www.thom bierdz.com, where about 400 of Bierdz’s paintings can be viewed as well as a video of him visiting his brother in prison. I promise you, it's a really engrossing and deeply personal read.

Well-done Thom!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 3:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Remember Danny Roberts, the openly gay housemate on MTV's "The Real World New Orleans"? During his stay in the house, Danny was in a relationship with Army Capt. Paul Dill, whose face was blurred whenever he came for a visit. If his identity had been revealed, he would have been kicked out of the military because, yes, even in 2006, it's not OK to be openly gay in the military.

Anyway, six years after the show, Roberts and Dill have split up and Roberts did an interview with "The Advocate" that appears in the Nov. 21 issue. (A likttle self-promotion here: I have a companion piece with the Roberts interview in the magazine about people who are "Suddenly Single.")

But enough about me. Here is some of what Danny had to say:

Dill left the military in 2003 but for two years, Danny lived with him in North Carolina while he was still in the Army:
"Ironically, moving in together was the beginning of our undoing...We could not live our lives. We could not be a normal couple. We lived in so much fear. We were forced to live underground."

On the break-up: "Paul and I are better friends now. That's not to say it wasn't ugly when we first broke up."

On being single again: "I don't think anyone truly wants to be single. We all would love to be with someone. But it is so nice to be on my own, to do what I want and to find out who i want to be."

Working in real estate for two years: "Actually, that got a little strange. I had little problem with people contacting me who weren't interested in buying homes...I don't know what they wanted. I'll just say there are a lot of lonely people in the world."

Roberts' post "Real World" speaking career: "It's something that is offered to just about every fool who's been on any reality show. So there's nothing original about that part of it. But I realized pretty quickly that there was a niche I could fill. I could go to colleges and share my coming out experiences or talk with people about 'don't ask, don't tell.'"

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 8:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lance Bass' boyfriend, Reichen Lehmkuhl, says he and the former `N Sync star have been dealing with threats ignited by his new memoir, "This is What We'll Say: Growing Up, Coming Out, and the U.S. Air Force Academy," about the trials of being gay while serving in the military.
"We have to be very protective," Lehmkuhl tells "Inside Edition" Wednesday. "I am not going to hide. There are threats that come in from people who do not want me to be so public and expose what is going on in the military."
The former Air Force captain and winner of season four of CBS' "Amazing Race" says that he and Bass forward the threats to private security personnel who send what they consider the more serious ones to the FBI. "Everything is being covered so we feel safe," he said.

 

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 11:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After meeting Kate Clinton earlier this week and falling in love with her brilliant sense of humor, you'll probably be seeing a lot more about her on this blog. She is currently on her 25th anniversary tour "It's Come to This" but found the time to talk to PlanetOut and play "Who would you rather sleep with?"
Here are her answers:

Angelina Jolie or Jodie Foster?
Is there a Jodie Jolie? If not, my Angelina all the way. Or I could just watch her and Brad.

Bill Clinton or Brad Pitt?
Brad Pitt, because at least he supports gay marriage.

Arianna Huffington or Nancy Pelosi?
Arianna, if she'd wear the green taffeta number she wore once when I met her at a correspondents' dinner.

Jim McGreevey or Arnold Schwarzenegger?
Jim -- there's nothing dirtier than Catholic guilt, and Arnold has worn that poor Maria down to a nub.

Condoleezza Rice or Golda Meir?
Golda Meir, but only if she were played by Tovah Feldshuh.

Margaret Thatcher or Camilla Parker Bowles?
Camilla, why the long face? And who knows what else. So, Margaret -- she's slowed down a bit.

Ann Coulter or Osama Bin Laden?
Was it something I said?

Madonna or Melissa Etheridge?
Melissa. Mostly because we would just watch football together and laugh.

Eleanor Roosevelt or Amelia Earhart?
I think we're all butches, but OK -- Amelia. And then I'd ask her how she would do airport security.

Katherine Harris or Ann Coulter?
They deserve each other and I would not watch.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 5:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Remember Miss Cleo? She's the former infomercial psychic with the thick Jamaican accent who was a staple of late-night television from the late 90s through 2002. She decided to come out publicly as a lesbian in the Oct. 10 issue of The Advocate. And lucky me, the magazine assigned me to interview her for the story. I urge everyone to go out and buy a newstand copy of the magazine (Ex-New Jersey Guv Jim McGreevey and his new love are on the cover) or check out an excerpt at: http://www.advocate.com/ (Click onto "Current newstand issue")

But for readers of "Out in Hollywood," here are some selected quotes from my piece:

She was inspired to finally come out publicly by a teenaged godson:
"He and I started talking when he was concerned about coming out. He was 16. When he made the decision, I told him I’d be there to support him 100 percent, and he embraced (coming out) wholeheartedly. It’s a different vibe than when I was his age, being raised Catholic in an all-girl boarding school. But he was afraid of nothing and I thought, ‘I can’t be a hypocrite.’ This boy is going to force me to put my money where my mouth is."

While she is sure it will be quite liberating, she is coming out publicly with some trepidation:
"The reason it’s scary is because in my personal experience, black cultures throughout the world have a more difficult time accepting homosexuality in their family. I have family members who will be shocked, they don’t know. I have some family members who are very, very close to me and they do know. But I’ve been afraid of the wrath,
of the exiling. When I came out to a number of friends in the late 80s, I had a number of friends who turned their back on me and walked away. That was really intense. I really believed they were my friends."

Her first girlfriend was in high school:
"She had blonde hair and blue eyes and was on the swim team. I thought she was the best thing since sliced bread. In the last months of our senior year, we were found out by her father and she was sent to a college out of state. I was heartbroken."

Now 44 and a single mother of two daughters, she wonders about public reaction to her coming out. She still gets a great deal of affection from fans who remember her from the infomercials:
"If I'm standing in line somewhere and I'm talking, someone will whip their head their head around and look at me. People give me mad love sweetheart. They’ll say, "Do you see anything? Where do we find you? When are you coming back? We miss you!’ I get a lot of love."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 9:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Before actor Tony Tripoli got cast as a gay clothing designer who works for Bo Derek on the new nightly soap "Fashion House," he was best known for being one of comic Kathy Griffin's "best gays." He and best friend, writer Dennis Hensley, often appeared on Griffin's Bravo reality show "My Life on the D-List" last year.

That was then.

He and Hensley had a falling out with Griffin, ending more than a decade of friendship. In an exclusive interview Tripoli did with me for the Sept. 26, 2006 issue of Frontiers Magazine, he talked about the bust-up and being an out actor in Hollywood. Here are some excerpts:

The exposure on D-List let to the Fashion House gig which casts him as Hans, a gay fashion designer, who works for Derek’s character, an evil fashion label owner who goes head-to-head with her rival Morgan Fairchild.
"I play an actual gay guy on a show and I’m actually gay! A practicing homosexual who’s not ashamed of it," he says. "It’s huge to think about these gay and questioning youths flipping through the dial and to be able to see themselves in television shows. That’s great and profoundly impactful."

He has never spoken publicly about why he and Hensley fell out with Griffin and says he never planned to. But the tart-tongue comedienne, who made headlines over the summer by saying on Larry King Live that she split from her husband, Matt Moline, because he stole more than $72,000 from her. She also gave the impression, Tripoli says, that he and Hensley had been less than loyal friends..

"There’s no way to talk about it that won’t make her look bad," Tripoli says. " She wasn’t talking about us and I wasn’t talking about her. She’s chosen to start talking and mentioned in the press that Dennis and I dumped her in her hour of need. I think it’s remarkable that after a decade of friendship and loyalty, unparalleled in a town like this, it is incredibly sad and painful that she would say to the press that we abandoned her."

He says the friendship didn’t end over one specific argument. Instead, it was what he calls "a blossoming lack of kindness and gratitude on her part."
"Kathy is the sun in her world and everyone else is planets revolving around her. But she’s a brilliant comedienne. No one is funnier. She has created a niche for herself, the world that she wants to live in, and I applaud that. I want to live in a world that has a little more kindness."

With the Sept. 5 debut of Fashion House, it’s a whole new world for Tripoli whose already completed his work on the show. He filmed 65 one-hour episodes "which meant 62 round-trips from Los Angeles to San Diego. We made like three seasons worth of a regular show."

He says working with Bo Derek was a great experience but before they began working, Tripoli was a little concerned about working with the actress who is a staunch Republican.
"I wondered, ‘Am I going to spend the entire summer with this woman who thinks I’ll burn in hell forever? I was a little nervous. We’re her best friends on the show and I wanted it to ring true. But I’m a little ashamed that I went into it being a little nervous about that, it was really unfair. She was immensely kind and hysterically funny."

As for Fairchild, Tripoli could not have been more impressed.
"It’s criminal, criminal that they would have a gay man on the show and never let him have a scene with Morgan Fairchild! There should be litigation! There should be litigation!"

As for the future, Hensley is looking for his next acting gig and is also dabbling in stand-up, making his debut at the Laugh Factory in late August. "It’s another avenue to explore and honey, I got stories to tell. I just worked with Morgan Fairchild and Bo Derek. I used to sing on cruise ships. There’s enough to fill an act."
But ultimately, he has bigger ambitions.
"I want to be the gay Oprah!"

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 10:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The once-closeted Lance Bass and reality show winner Reichen have embraced being in the public eye as a couple since Bass came out on the cover of "People" magazine earlier this summer. They gave what is being billed as their "first joint interview" in the new issue of "OK!" magazine which, for some reason, is on sale for only 25 cents this week. The couple was at the US Open last week (probably watching dreamy Rafael Nadal) as well as at the Bridgehampton Polo event sponsored by the magazine.
Here are some of the highlights from the interview:
Since coming out, Bass says "Definitely, I've changed. I'm much happier now. I'm going out and being who I am. It's nice not having to lie anymore. Before, I was having to lie to my friends, having to keep my story stright. It was tough. Now I don't have to do that anymore. I was never the person I should have been. Now, all the doors are open and there's nothing to hide. I'm a better person. I've rekindled a lot of friendships."

Bass tells the magazine that he and his former NSYNC bandmate Joey Fatone will be filming a pilot for The CW in January, a new take on "The Odd Couple" that has them playing roommates. Yes, Bass' character will be gay.

As for Reichen, he has a book set to be released next month called "Here's What We'll Say" which chronicles his coming out at the U.S. Air Force Academy. He calls the military's 'don't ask, don't tell" policy against gays "the last legal human rights abuse the U.S. allows. This book chronicles the secret society we created to survive as gay cadets in the academy...We had to get our lives straight so we wouldn't get caught.
"I am very patriotic and I have great respect for the U.S. Air Force Academy," he adds. "It's just this one thing that needs to be fixed."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 4:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Had a hilarious and informative breakfast last week with the charismatic Paul Colichman. He is the driving force behind the Here! TV channel and Regent Entertainment which has released "Poster Boy," "The Mostly Unfabulous Life of Ethan Green" and "Shock to the System" among others. I was late to our meeting at Hotel Bel Air because I misread the Mapquest page and drove in circles for awhile. Paul lives just a few blocks away so was patiently having coffee with two of his associates when I arrived, all dishoveled and out of sorts.

I had just seen all of "Dante's Cove" season one and blabbed on about how enjoyable it was even before our eggs were delivered. Paul told me season two will be even hotter, especially the shows airing after relatively tame first two episodes of the second season that were sent to critics. I dunno, the first two were pretty smokin. Will the rest even be LEGAL?

I asked Paul why everyone on the show is so darn beautifiul. I wonder why he doesn't throw in a homely face here and there, someone with a gut or even knobby knees. He was blunt in his reply: "It's TV! Everyone's gotta be pretty, everyone's gotta be gorgeous!"

Gee, ya think?

Colichman says he wants Here!Tv, available to 50 million digital homes, to be considered "the gay HBO. We're trying to do an entertainment service that is something straight people have always had."

As the producer of the acclaimed "Gods and Monsters" and other films, Colichman knows how to make quality projects on a tight budget. He built Here! nearly three years ago with the knowledge that to do the edgy LGBT entertainment he wanted to create, he would have to on his own since advertisers would want to have some say over content.

"all of the shows, all of the movies make money," Colichman says. "We don't do vanity projects. I want to make sure everything we do makes a profit. The ideal time for this is now."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)