John’s currently starring in London’s West End production of La Cage Aux Folles, but he cleared some of his agenda to be able to contribute to BBC’s Children in Need - an annual British charity. Watch last night’s performance here.

So, last Friday my copy (#378) of Terry Moore’s “Strangers in Paradise” Omnibus FINALLY arrived. Robyn, Terry’s wife sent it off on October 1st, Dutch customs started processing it on October 7th.

Flemish friends of mine received theirs shortly after. Unfortunately it was damaged (they later found customs tape, so the packaging’s been tampered with). I didn’t have mine a week later. Nor two weeks later. I stopped joking about customs officers reading my copy; by then I was worried and frustrated what was taking them so frickin long?!

Well, finally on Friday the 23rd it arrived. In good condition:

And earlier today John Barrowman’s “I am what I am” also arrived in good condition

Shortly after I find out my latest article on man crushes got published on EurOut my friend Alice texts me John Barrowman is coming to Oxford (where she lives) and that she is going to see him. OMG!

I asked her if she could get me an autograph, and she told me she’s going to try not to drool to obviously and try to get me the autograph as long as she doesn’t get dragged off by security for attempting to glomp Barrowman…. Wish I could glomp him!

In his autobiography “I Am What I Am”, John Barrowman has revealed his anger at being told by his bosses early in his career he should pretend to be straight in order to achieve success.

John claimed a gay producer was sent by his bosses to give him the warning. He claimed the producer said: “John, we wondered if you really wanted to reveal that you’re gay? We think it might change how people feel about you.”

The actor said he replied “I really hope you’re not saying this, because I’m not going in the closet for you or anyone. You’ve hired me to be a professional, not to have sex. Being a gay man has nothing to do with my abilities on this show.”

Remembering the exchange, John said: “The incident was even more offensive because they sent a gay producer to discuss this with me, as if somehow this would ease the blow.”

He has not identified which production company told him to stay in the closet but according to The Times, he has worked for the BBC, ITV and Five as well as the American networks CBS and NBC. All have denied telling him to keep quiet.

John said he had received an apology over the incident but added: “One of my explicit missions as an entertainer is to work to create a world where no one will ever make a statement like this producer did to me to anyone who’s gay.”

Oh, and for those who didn’t know yet; John didn’t get the part of Will in sitcom “Will & Grace” because he wasn’t gay enough. Seriously. Some people need to get their heads checked.

Part 1 / Part 2

I didn’t know he has a new book out. Looks I need to get another book…

(Thanks, Wendy.)

It’s been a while, so here goes:

Were you glued to your TV screen like I was watching season 3 of Torchwood? Despite an utter crappy ending “Children of Earth” was my favorite season so far. AfterElton.com posted hilarious Facebook like recaps. Check them out here.

The big Torchwood news to come out of this weekend didn’t come from Comic-Con. Instead, word spread that the hit sci-fi series had been picked up for a fourth season the day before its panel took place in front of cheering fans. So far, however, there’s no word on who will be a part of the Torchwood team or how many episodes there will be this season (and there was no additional news at the panel.)

I also read that John was actually considered for Captain America. Hm… Speaking of which - check this out (best viewed with Firefox or Safari). Thanks, Trevor!

Anyhoo, John being his funny and mischievous self cracked me up when he - finally - got to kiss Dr. Who actor and fellow Scotsman David Tennant. Watch it here (it starts around the 5:00 mark).

UPDATE: Someone posted the panel on YouTube. Children of Earth and its plot (and killings) was discussed. Captain Jack Harkness as a bisexual role model, and why there won’t be a musical episode of Torchwood… I had a blast watching John trying to behave himself (as he was warned some audience members may be under 18…)

PART 1 / PART 2 / PART 3 / PART 4 / PART 5 / PART 6 / PART 7

Here are a couple of new promo photos of Torchwood season 3.

The show will air on BBC America mid-summer (July). The third season consists of only five, one-hour episodes, set to run on consecutive nights in the UK. BBC America will follow the same schedule, making the broadcasts an event for all you Torchwood fans (think miniseries). I’m certainly thrilled!

Photo: Getty Images

John Barrowman, a man of many talents - though most know him as time-travelling, omnisexual and cheeky Capt. Jack Harkness of Torchwood - has once again collaborated with his sister, Carol, to bring us “The Tale Of The Selkie.” It’s a serialized comic co-written by John and Carol, and its first installment will appear in Issue #14 of the Torchwood Magazine. io9 reports that we’ll learn more about Jack’s mysterious past and that he’s a dap hand with the harpoon gun (here’s hoping that’s a metaphor), but it’s the behind-the-scenes hijinks that have got us intrigued.

Last time the two siblings put their heads together for Barrowman’s tell-all biography, “Anything Goes,” we found out that, indeed, anything goes when you’re John Barrowman and flashing your bits to your cast mates while the cameras roll. And in a short interview, they reminisce about the early beginnings of the comic during the shooting of the second season episode, “Meat.”

John Barrowman: That was good luck . . . the shoot was taking forever. Lots of green screen shots. I think I started making up ways that Jack could end the scene and we could all get home. Now that I think about it, we came up with some funny stuff . . . I remember the endings we made up got more ridiculous the longer we all sat in that cold damp warehouse . . . you and I kept playing on the way home in the car.

CB: I’d forgotten about that… do you remember what we called the game?

JB: “What Would Jack Do?”

He must mean “Who Would Jack Do?” The answer would probably sound an awful lot like “everyone.”

BTW my brother texted me yesterday telling me he had an SiP reading marathon and finished the second paperback before we went to sleep. He claims he’s not a fan (yea, right) but was anxious to get his hands on the rest of the series

In anticipation of the Torchwood panel at the New York ComicCon Feb. 7, the BBC’s released a teaser trailer for the third season of their wildly popular Doctor Who spinoff. It’s only a minute long, but with a quick succession of scenes we can already tell that the Earth is in grave peril from an alien force (again). Cpt. Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) and Ianto Jones (Gareth David-Lloyd) get a quick snog in and then there’s lots and lots of running, an explosion or two go off, Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles) gets blown up (only a little), and at one point Jack trades in his military overcoat for a casual sweats and t-shirt ensemble (maybe his coat shrunk in the wash?). Oh, yeah, and there are a lot of children acting creepy (something kids seem especially good at) in an arc none-too-imaginatively titled Children of Earth.

Just another day at Torchwood then, where the life expectancy is not very high, the boss hits on you, the coffee is divine, and a pterodactyl lives in the rafters. But when the boss is as dashing as Jack and there’s never a dull moment, you can’t really complain. Though Ianto, looking dusty and rumpled in his trademark suit, still feels unappreciated. But we’re confident Jack can fix that with some more raunchy hothouse sex.

Airing sometime in the summer months, tune in to BBCAmerica to see the five episodes over five consecutive nights as series creator Russell T. Davies brings guns blazing action with a side of the steamier variety of action to TV screens everywhere.

I would be really disappointed if Terry Moore AND John Barrowman would be at the NY ComicCon - and I’d be missing out on bith of them… Not to mention Yancy (Sara Pezzini in Witchblade) Butler.

… after having spent a month in the proverbial closet… *swoon*

Coincidentally, the video to his latest single “What about us?” has a lot of bed and pillow scenes. Click *here*