HALF-SHARE Show Debuts For Free On The Web Tonight

A couple years ago, I co-produced a pilot for a half-hour comedy called HALF-SHARE, about life in a group house on Fire Island. While the trailer's been online for a while, many people have asked me where they can see the entire show. Well, now I have an answer. Tonight, the show will be "airing" as a free streaming program on the HALF-SHARE website at 10pm EST.  If you miss that, you can also purchase it on Amazon.com at 3 different levels; $1.99 to rent, $4.99 to buy as a digital download, and $14.99 to owne a copy of the DVD.  As an extra incentive to buy, 50% of all net profits from the sales of HALF-SHARE are going to the Ali Forney Center for homeless LGBT youth, which was devastated by flooding during Superstorm Sandy.

The show has actually been available at Amazon for the last few weeks and has received an amazing 5-star review on the site with one word used in most of the reviews--"hilarious".  I may be biased but I would have to agree. This show has an incredibly funny cast, including Alec Mapa, Jack Plotnick and Sam Pancake as well as indie film star Jesse Archer (who also co-wrote and co-directed the show with Sean Hanley, who previously wrote for THE NANNY). So please check it out and support your local indie film/TV friends. I guarantee that, if you do, you will be thankful for the extra laughs this week of Thanksgiving! :)

BREAKING NEWS--Fire on Fire Island Destroys the Pavilion

A fire broke out at the Pavilion complex in the Fire Island Pines community last night, destroying  a dance club, a real estate office, a grocery/gift store, the Sip'N'Twirl bar and a number of other small businesses.

It was apparently a fast moving blaze that started around 9:15pm on Monday night. More than 100 firefighters from Long Island and other Fire Island communities worked hard to bring it under control. Fortunately, the fire did not spread to the other buildings like the Canteen, the hotel and the Blue Whale and no one was injured.

Towleroad has all the details, including this photo of the interior of the destroyed Pavilion.  This is where we shot part of the TV pilot "Half-Share" last season and we had our wrap party for that shoot at the Sip'N'Twirl.  It's sad to see this place that is a central part of the Pines community now in ruins.  The remains of the building will likely be razed according to a statement from the owners.  Here's an excerpt below:

Tomorrow morning, Seth, Matt and I will begin the process of renewing this beautiful property and making it even more spectacular than it was before. Our hearts go out to Nicole LaFountaine, Patrick, PJ, Bob Howard and others in the LaFountaine building, and we will help one another get the commercial district ready for summer 2012. There is a lot of hard work ahead for all of us.

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HALF-SHARE Screening At NY Television Festival

HALF-SHARE is a half-hour comedy pilot I co-produced last fall about the "wildlife" on Fire Island. Ha. It stars a gay galaxy of stars, including comedian and THE VIEW guest host Alec Mapa, Sam Pancake, Jack Plotnick and the multi-talented Jesse Archer (who co-wrote and co-directed with Sean Hanley).  The project turned out great and next week we've been invited to screen at the annual New York Television Festival.  Now in its 6th year, the festival was created to as an indie outlet for the development and promotion of new ideas and new approaches to TV programming.

The screenings of HALF-SHARE are happening next week at the Tribeca Cinemas, Thursday the 22nd and Friday the 23rd. Tickets are available and they are FREE....all you need to do if you want to see it is just make your reservations at this link here. So if you can, please come and check it out. I can guarantee you will be laughing and enjoying this fun take on life on "the Island".  I will be there on Thursday night (my birthday!) so I hope to see you there!

HALF-SHARE Makes Its New York Premiere 8/17

I've posted on here before about HALF-SHARE, a TV pilot about life on Fire Island that I co-produced last year.  Earlier this summer, our trailer was released on YouTube and got nearly 20,000 hits. Now the full pilot episode is getting it's NYC premiere this week on Wednesday, August 17, at the Gay/Lesbian Community Center on 13th Street.

HALF-SHARE is half-hour comedy about a group of housemates in FIP who get a newbie for the summer, a lovelorn Left Coaster recently "divorced". The screening is being presented by Out Professionals and will also include a panel discussion about gays on TV, headed by Logo TV programmer Chris Willey and Half-Share co-writer/director Sean Hanley.  Some of the stars of the show will be on hand as well and theres going to be an open gin bar.  (How Fire Island, right?)  As Kath and Kim might say, "What's not to liiike?"

It all starts at 6pm and goes til 8:30pm, with admission of $15.  This is a fundraiser for the Center so come out, see a great show and support the community.  It should be a fun night!

Trailer For A New TV Series HALF-SHARE Hits Web

Last fall, I worked on a hilarious pilot for a TV series about Fire Island called HALF-SHARE.  It's about the antics in a group house of gays in the FIP, featuring Alec Mapa (UGLY BETTY, THE VIEW) as the ultimate house mother.  The show has an incredible cast of talented comic actors, including Sam Pancake (SHIT MY DAD SAYS), Jack Plotnick (GIRLS WILL BE GIRLS) and gay rom-com "queen" Jesse Archer (SLUTTY SUMMER, VIOLET TENDENCIES), who wrote and directed the pilot with Sean Hanley.

You can now watch the trailer on YouTube where it is blowing up....over 2,000 hits in less than 24 hours!  There's more info about the show too on the official website including lots of fun and sexy behind-the scene pics. Hopefully this will be coming to a net-werk near you soon....LOGO, are you listening?

Sneak Peek at HALF-SHARE, A New Web Series

Back in October, I spent a lovely week out on Fire Island co-producing a new web series called HALF-SHARE. Written and directed by indie film hypenates Jesse Archer and Sean Hanley, this new comedy is about a lively house of gays in Fire Island Pines who welcome a newcomer for his first summer to the "Island of Lost Boys".  The script is a riot and I had a great time working on the show. The hilarious cast includes comic and UGLY BETTY alum Alec Mapa, Sam Pancake (currently featured on SHIT MY DAD SAYS) and Jack Plotnick (from GIRLS WILL BE GIRLS) along with adorable newcomer Kyle Spidle who plays the Pines newbie.

Jesse and Sean are currently just about finished editing and will be posting the show soon for a premiere in the New Year.  I will post updates and links when the show goes live so you can check it out.  In the meantime, Jesse recently posted a bunch of pictures from the production and there are more behind the scenes shots on the HALF-SHARE website too.  You can find me in a couple of the pics on set, lurking in the background and trying to keep everything on schedule.  Anyway, I look forward to sharing this fun new show with you in 2011....stay tuned!