Randy Harrison

They're still out and proud, and in their second season the boys (and girls) of Queer as Folk continued to break ground as the most gay-friendly show on television (sorry, Will and Grace). Some plot lines were a little over the top, others truly heartfelt, but they were never less than entertaining, even during their All My Children moments. Season two opened in the aftermath of the gay-bashing of Justin (Randy Harrison), the young artist who wondered if he'd ever be able to paint or draw again, and went on to face a variety of issues and plotlines as diverse as its characters. Some were timely (Michael negotiating a relationship with new HIV-positive boyfriend Ben), some romantic (lesbians Lindsay and Melanie tying the knot), some new to the show (Emmett embarks on a relationship with a--gasp!--older gentleman), and some, well, far-fetched (how many of you had to wrestle, like Ted did, with starting your own pornographic web site?). While the writing tended to flail about a bit, thankfully coalescing by the season's end, the show continued to be anchored by stellar actors, especially Peter Paige's Emmett, who grew the most during the second season; Michelle Clunie's Melanie, the alternately wry and sweet lesbian who became the show's secret weapon; and, as always, Gale Harold's Brian, the lothario with a heart of tarnished gold. Frustrating, fascinating, exasperating one moment and charming the next, Brian perfectly summed up the guilty pleasures of Queer as Folk, where humanity peeks out every now and then from behind the curtain of fabulous comedy and drama. --Mark Englehart

Drama ruled in a big way on the third season of Queer as Folk, as the gay men and women of Pittsburgh rode a roller coaster of emotional and personal upheavals that would make a regular soap-opera cast blanch. Budding comic book artist Justin (Randy Harrison) finally left longtime lover Brian for a chance at ecstasy--and not a bit of agony--with a charming violin player. Emmett (Peter Paige) finally came face-to-face with his affection for friend Ted (Scott Lowell), only to have Ted's growing drug habit get in the way of their happiness. Lesbians Melanie (Michelle Clunie) and Lindsay (Thea Gill) decided to have another baby, whose father would be... Michael (Hal Sparks), whose nesting with hunky Ben (Robert Gant) is rudely interrupted by runaway Hunter (Harris Allan). And as for Brian (Gale Harold), the man everybody wants but can't ever have? Just when it seems he's gone to work for the enemy--a homophobic mayoral candidate--it turns out he might be the savior the Pittsburgh gay community never knew it needed. Snaps to the makers of QAF for trying to bring their characters into the grown-up world - Michael, Emmett, and Ted started their own businesses; Justin finally cut loose from Brian--but too many melodramatic plot twists and turns impeded a lot of the character development this show worked hard at during its first two seasons. Still, most of the cast was topnotch, including Harrison, whose Justin finally came into his own, and the always dependable Harold, who made Brian a fascinating creature through all his steamy travails and over-the-top encounters. --Mark Englehart

A group of gay friends (men & women) lives out their day-to-day lives in Pittsburgh, PA. A groundbreaking series set in a work-a-day blue-collar world. Queer as Folk is the first TV drama that treats gay people simply as real people. This TV series continues to be hailed by critics around the country as astonishingly frank, refreshing, wonderful, bitterly witty, and "Must-See TV."

The guys who brought you There's Something About Mary and Dumb and Dumber strike again with a gut-busting farce that's "just too funny" (Los Angeles Times)! Woody Harrelson, Randy Quaid and Vanessa Angel come up winners in this riotous, joke-a-second comedy with plenty of balls. Harrelson is Roy Munson, a pro bowler who seems destined for greatness, or as close to greatness as a bowler can get. But after a run-in with angry competitors, Roy finds himself sadder, wiser and minus his bowling hand! Years later, he meets the naive Ishmael (Quaid), an Amish bowling whiz. Together they set out for a million-dollar tournament in Reno, and along the way pick up Claudia (Angel), a sexy vixen with brains, attitude and really big...ideas. With her help, they make it to the tournament. But will Roy and Ishmael win the big match and score fame and fortune...or will all their hopes and dreams go barreling down the gutter?

The team behind Dumb and Dumber and There's Something About Mary--two really stupid, gross-out films that worked and were quite funny--also made this really stupid, gross-out comedy that doesn't work and isn't funny at all. Woody Harrelson stars as a former bowling phenomenon with a hook for a hand, and Randy Quaid is an Amish farmer with a hidden talent for pins. The two join forces and get a sexy business partner (Vanessa Angel), and the film starts looking more and more like a jokey variation of The Color of Money. The Color of Money, however, didn't feature jokes about having oral sex with a hideous landlady or defecating in a sink or dragging disgusting stuff out of one's teeth with a length of floss. Bill Murray provides some much-needed relief as Harrelson's ex-partner turned rival. How come this stuff is obnoxious while the equally perverse punch lines of There's Something About Mary are a riot? It's a great mystery, all right, but there it is. --Tom Keogh

Silver Plated Crystals and Rhinestones Waist Band for Teens

Papersleeve, FoC; Tracks: God Bless This Mess 2:09 / Shine Over Babylon 4:02 / Love Is Free 3:22 / Peace Be Upon Us 4:22 / Gasoline 5:07 / Out Of Our Heads 4:27 / Detours 3:28 / Now That You're Gone 3:51 / Drunk With The Thought Of You 2:38 / Diamond Ring 4:10 / Motivation 3:47 / Make It Go Away (Radiation Song) 3:23 / Love Is All There Is 4:01 / Lullaby For Wyatt 4:07

Thematically, Detours may not seem like much of a detour to Sheryl Crow fans. Her politics pour out of these songs the way you might expect them to if you caught wind of her epic cross-country bus trip, with the activist Laurie David, to promote environmental awareness months prior to this release. From the quiet, faraway-sounding opener "God Bless This Mess"--a novel in a song--to the catchy but thought-provoking "Gasoline," it's clear that Crow has more on her mind these days than soaking up the sun or having a little fun, à la the Tuesday Night Music Club era. Yet there's not a groan-worthy song on this standout rock/pop/folk/blues album. If the themes are heavy (in addition to the political songs, there's an almost painfully tender lullaby for her son Wyatt and one, "Make It Go Away [Radiation Song]," that touches on her breast-cancer experience), the mood is cathartic, determined, hopeful at times and sad at others. "Now That You're Gone" grabs at clarity through the clouds of a devastating love affair and gets it, and "Peace Be Upon Us" picks apart pettiness and arrives at a wide-minded beauty. George Harrison seems present in some of these songs, especially the more personal ones ("Drunk with the Thought of You," "Love Is All There Is"). And that may be the highest compliment that Sheryl Crow, who seems to admire his gentle soul and shares his big heart, could ask for. --Tammy La Gorce

Volume One of the Saturday Night Live: The Musical Performances is a lot like the show itself--some bits work, some don't. What works is Elvis Costello's infamous performance of "Radio Radio," a direct middle finger to those at his record label who insisted he perform the less controversial "Less Than Zero." Paul Simon's "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes" is a faithful but even more delightful reading of his finest post-Garfunkel hour. The Grateful Dead's performance is noteworthy simply for the fact that it's the Dead. Other than that, Volume One is sorely dependent on showcasing rote readings of really famous pop songs. That's passable for newer artists like Jewel or the Dave Matthews Band, but even Eric Clapton sticks to playing the tired and sappy "Wonderful Tonight" in a performance some dozen-odd years after the song was a bona fide hit. --Jason Josephes

If you are in information technology and you have the ambition and inborn drive to be among the very best--or if you need to engage an IT consultant and want to know how to recognize the best--this book is for you. In most fields, a consultant is an expert who provides advice and guidance. Implementing the advice is up to the client. In information technology, the term "computer consultant" covers a wider range. Business expertise is frequently an even more critical element of the delivery than technical expertise. Because implementation of the consultant's advice may require highly specialized skills, the consultant may offer to manage a team to perform some or all of the IT work that needs to be done, or may even offer supplemental staff for a client. But at the other end of the spectrum, some people call themselves computer consultants when their work is exclusively technical, such as programming or network design. Exactly what is a consultant in the field of information technology? What's the different between an ordinary computer consultant and one who stands out above the crowd? If you want to be an exemplary, top of the line consultant in the IT field, what do you need to do? This book addresses these questions. Contributors include Jerry Weinberg, who is practically legendary for his keen insight, and Steve Epner, founder of the Independent Computer Consultants Association. Each chapter explores a different aspect of what it takes to be a truly excellent computer consultant and provide the highest levels of value and service for clients.

Darth Vader confronts a deadly assassin . . . . . . the outlaw crew of the Uhumele arrives at the scene of Jedi Dass Jennir's last adventure-but Jennir is already gone . . . . . . and half a galaxy away, Imperial fighters are shot out of the sky by an "unarmed" pleasure craft . . . Return to the dark times, that uncharted era of Star Wars history when the Empire was new and the Jedi were hunted by Darth Vader!

Just what happens when a model railroad comes to life? Over the years, Larry Harrison's family and friends have poured so much of themselves into his small 'N' scale layout that it's as close as they can get to making it a real world of its own. They're better than they think. It's sitting in the basement. But is it the world they want it to be? They're about to find out......

2001 Bowman's Best #96 - M.Harrison/R.Moss

2001 Bowman's Best #96 - M.Harrison/R.Moss