Ovation, the only U.S. television network dedicated to art and contemporary culture, begins a brand new entertainment event, “Art Out Loud,” on Sunday, June 20 at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT with the U.S. premiere of the trailblazing U.K. television series, Queer As Folk.
“Art out Loud,” which takes a look at the influence of LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual and Transgender) culture on film, literature, performance art and television, treats U.S. television audiences to Britain’s controversial series Queer as Folk for the first time. Starring Aiden Gillen (The Wire) and Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy, Cold Mountain), this series served as the launching pad for the careers of these two up-and-coming actors, as well as the format for the successful U.S. version that aired on Showtime. Focusing on the lives of three young gay men in Manchester, England, Queer as Folk explores the loves, the successes, the nightlife, the dramas, and the hardships that gay men face.
To promote “Art Out Loud” and the Queer as Folk marathon on Sunday, June 20 at 7:00 p.m. ET, Ovation will host a booth at the Chicago Pride Fest (Chicago, IL) on June 25-26, 2010. Attendees can get Ovation t-shirts, posters and brochures. In addition, OvationTV.com will host a dynamic conversation with leading voices in the LGBT community online. Blogs and discussions from prominent artists will highlight what it means to be a gay artist in today’s culture. Coverage will also include original videos, live chats and Facebook and Twitter polls.
“Art Out Loud” will also include the basic cable premiere of Follow My Voice: With the Music of Hedwig on Sunday, June 27 at 7:00 p.m. ET. John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask, the creators of the cult stage musical and film Hedwig and the Angry Inch, come together with more than 75 performers to create a tribute album to benefit the nation’s first high school intended for gay students. Filmmaker Katherine Linton mixes student video diaries with in-studio recording sessions to chart the project’s evolution as record producer Chris Slusarenko works with musical artists such as Yoko Ono, Rufus Wainwright, Cyndi Lauper, Jonathan Richman, Sleater-Kinney and They Might Be Giants.
Additionally “Art out Loud” features the movie Brokeback Mountain, the timeless tale of love and heartbreak starring Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal and Michelle Williams; the glam rock of Velvet Goldmine starring Ewan McGregor, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Christian Bale and Toni Collette; Tipping the Velvet, the screen adaptation of Sarah Waters’ acclaimed novel of lesbian love, betrayal, and redemption in Victorian England; Torch Song Trilogy, the film adaptation of Harvey Fierstein’s Tony Award-winning play following ten years in the life of middle-aged gay man, starring Matthew Broderick, Harvey Fierstein and Anne Bancroft; and Truman Capote which profiles the infamous American novelist, short story writer and social commentator who projected a compelling and often controversial public image right up until his death in 1984.
