John Barrowman: guest star role on 'Scandal'

Scandal
Torchwood fan favourite John Barrowman is set to guest star on ABC's political hit Scandal.
"John Barrowman is here working at @ScandalABC today," showrunner/Torchwood fan Shonda Rhimes tweeted on Tuesday. "Life is good.  #torchwood #captainjack #iamanerd."
Read more at E-Online

Also reported by Boomtron, Cinema Blend, Examiner, Hollywood Reporter, Huffington Post and many more

John Barrowman: 'All Stars' clip and 'Arrow' highlight reel

• All Stars

From Bleeding Cool:

John Barrowman Is The New Fred Astaire – Clip And Character Posters For All Stars
I’m off to see All Stars tomorrow morning and as soon as the embargo lifts, I’ll tell you what I think of it. It’s the first film by Ben Gregor, and he has good enough of a TV and short film comedy back catalogue to make his debut feature a pretty interesting prospect.
As a taster, here’s a rather smooth clip of John Barrowman doing his best Fred Astaire in one of the film’s stylised fantasy sequences. I was on set the day this was shot and saw it in 3D on the monitors, and there’s some good stereo stuff in the scene – maybe not so much in these shots, but elsewhere during the number.

All Stars opens aceoss the UK on May 3rd.
Read more at Bleeding Cool

Original source of the above clip: Digital Spy
Digital Spy's original article is here.

• Arrow

Watch The Action-Packed ‘Arrow’ Highlight Reel From WonderCon
“Crime in the Glades is rising,” says Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman) in the thrilling new Arrow highlight reel that debuted at WonderCon.
Read more and watch the highlight reel at TV Equals

John Barrowman: 'Doctor Who' and books updates

Doctor Who
Following John Barrowman's tweet last week, stating that he won't be involved in the 50th Anniversary special episode, many publications have been quick to spread that message, including the Radio Times, Digital Spy, TV Guide and many others.


Carole E. and John Barrowman on the Art of Word Painting and Visual Storytelling
From PopMatters:

Following the author’s axiom “Write what you know,” Carole E.  and John Barrowman can point to an ever-growing list of successful publications to prove their mastery of this concept. In a short few years, the Barrowman siblings have written best-selling non-fiction with the autobiographical Anything Goes (Michael O’Mara, 2008) and I Am What I Am (Michael O’Mara, 2009).

Then there’s the Torchwood fiction, beginning with a comic book story “Selkie”, and possibly concluding with the novel Torchwood: Exodus Code (BBC Books, 2012). Now they are working on their third young adult novel in the popular Hollow Earth series, published by Michael O’Mara Books in the UK and Simon and Schuster, under its Aladdin imprint, in the US.

  

Read more at PopMatters

John Barrowman: 'Torchwood' and 'Doctor Who' updates

Torchwood

Torchwood star John Barrowman is not holding out much hope that the hit sci-fi series will return any time soon.
The Doctor Who spin-off, created by Swansea's Russell T Davies, ran to four series, the most recent in 2011.
Barrowman, who plays Captain Jack Harkness, said: "It's in limbo, in a sense.
"Something could be done in five years, something could be done in 10 years. But if I'd sat around and waited for the last two years I would have been bankrupt and unemployed, so I've moved on."
Barrowman can currently be seen in Sky One's comic book adventure Arrow.
Source: This is South Wales


Doctor Who
Unless his Twitter account has been hacked, John Barrowman tweeted the following message earlier this evening:

I will not be involved in the 50th Anniversary Episode of Dr WHO. JB

Source: Twitter

John Barrowman: interview, and 'All Stars' trailer

John Barrowman was such a horrible baby his big sister Carole wanted to sell him.
Good job she didn't - the fantasy books for children they've co-written are now earning them both a fortune 
Eight years separate John and Carole Barrowman, but they’re uncannily alike.
They have the same hair colour, cheekbones, smile, eyes, accent and infectious sense of fun. They finish each other’s sentences and often speak in stereo.
They’re both sarcastic and stubborn and share passions such as sci-fi and art. ‘She’s me with a skirt,’ jokes John. Except, he says, his sister’s the intellectual. 

Carole and John Barrowman may be eight years apart but they have the same hair colour, cheekbones, smile, eyes, accent and infectious sense of fun

The 53-year-old mum of two grown-up children is Professor of English/Director of Creative Studies in Writing at Alverno College in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
A far cry from her brother’s world of television, West End musicals and Hollywood films. Together, though, they’ve made the perfect writing team.
The first time they worked together was on John’s memoirs five years ago, and they had so much fun they wanted to repeat the experience.
During a long car journey back in 2011 they invented Hollow Earth – a magical children’s fantasy about Matt and Emily Calder. The 12-year-old twins live on a remote island and are part of an ancient order of artists with imaginations so powerful they can bring their drawings to life, enter famous painters’ artworks and, in the new sequel Bone Quill, travel through time.

Read more at Daily Mail 

Blink and you’ll miss John Barrowman in this trailer for All Stars
Ben Gregor is graduating from goofy-nostalgic comedy shorts and TV’s No Heroics, Ideal and Todd Margaret to feature films with the 3D family film All Stars.
As well as the cast of acting kids there’s some British tele favourites… and John Barrowman. But if you blink at the wrong time you’ll miss Barrowman’s appearance in this trailer.

All Stars is released in the UK on May 3rd.
Read more at Bleeding Cool

John Barrowman: Calgary Expo confirmed; Doctor Who rumoured/denied

Calgary Expo
From Twitter:
John Barrowman will attend Calgary Expo at the BMO Center from 26-28 April 2013. More info at http://johnbarrowman.com/news.shtml#calgaryexpo



John Barrowman urges caution about 'Doctor Who' 50th role: "Stay calm"
From Digital Spy:

John Barrowman has tried to manage fans' expectations regarding his potential involvement in Doctor Who's 50th anniversary. The Captain Jack Harkness actor revealed earlier today (March 1) that he has been contacted about the show's anniversary.
Speaking on This Morning, he had said: "I haven't had any information up until just about right now - and all I can say to you is that we're discussing things... that's a total exclusive! You guys are the first to ever hear it."
He went on: "Even yesterday I was giving interviews and I was saying I have heard nothing, and now I can give you a little bit of an exclusive. I've heard something."
However, Barrowman has since seemingly tried to calm fans' excitement, tweeting: "Re 50th I didn't say in what capacity or what medium so stay calm and carry on. Jb."

Read more at Digital Spy here and here

Photo courtesy of Contact Music 

Billy Boyd and John Barrowman in a Dogs Trust advertisement

From Boyd-oh-Boyd:

Swingcats find purr-fect way to help out their canine friends

Scottish girl group enlist stars to help make video to raise money for The Dogs Trust.
A Scottish group called the Swingcats are raising cash for dogs.
All profits of the trio’s new single The One are being donated to The Dogs Trust.
And they persuaded dog-lovers John Barrowman, Lord of the Rings star Billy Boyd and Still Game’s Paul Riley to star in the video.
The song was inspired by singer Alyson Orr’s dog Angus, who died a month ago.
Alyson said: “Angus was a second-hand dog and I wanted to give something back. Many dogs need loving new homes – often after suffering terrible cruelty.”
Once the Swingcats – Alyson, Laura Ellis and Nicola Auld – had finished the song they pulled in some favours to make the video.
Alyson added: “I knew John was a big supporter of the Dogs Trust so when he was in Glasgow doing panto I asked if he’d be willing to help and he gave up his time in between shows.
“Billy is a friend of mine and I also wanted someone to play a traffic warden and asked Paul, who said yes.”
Original source: Daily Record

Source: Boyd-oh-Boyd

John Barrowman: 'Bone Quill' interview

John & Carole E. Barrowman ('Bone Quill') interview 

Out this week, Bone Quill continues the story begun in Hollow Earth, the first book for children written by Torchwood star John Barrowman and his sister Carole E. Barrowman.

Twins Matt and Em Calder are Animare - which means they can bring their drawings to life - and they will need all their powers to stop mysterious forces bent on releasing an army of beasts from Hollow Earth.
The twins travel in time to the Middle Ages to hunt the mysterious bone quill and protect it from those who seek to abuse its power. Can they, their family and friends, the Animare of previous eras and the faithful monks of Era Mina avert the threatened disaster?

CultBox caught up with John and Carole to find out more...
Were you pleased with the reaction to Hollow Earth?
CB: “We were and still are! We especially love hearing from teachers who are using Hollow Earth in their classes and enjoy it when their students then send us questions.”
JB: “And send their art. We love to see the pictures that children are inspired to draw after reading Hollow Earth.”
Bone Quill is the second of three planned books. Has the story turned out how you originally imagined when you first envisioned the trilogy? Did you find it easier writing the second book?
CB: “I think we know the main characters and their world much better now, and so when I take our notes and outline and come home and write, I’m more willing to let the characters go off into uncharted territory if they decided they need to.”
JB: “Oh, I love those moments, especially because for some reason they always happen in the middle of the night and then she wakes me up because she’s forgotten the time difference! The last one was about something Simon was about to do…”
CB: “Quiet! No spoilers. Let’s just say that we’ve gotten pretty attached to these characters and in Bone Quill one of them does something we didn’t really plan when we originally plotted the key events for the trilogy. As a result, I think the next book will be different from our original outline.”
Could the series run beyond three books?
CB: “It could.”
JB: “I feel like we’re just getting started exploring the twin’s adventures in the world of Animare and Guardians.”
Does the series follow the Harry Potter model of getting progressively darker?
JB: “Our intention wasn’t to follow Rowling’s model (although we’re flattered by the comparison), but you’re right Bone Quill did end up darker than Hollow Earth. There are some lighter moments though–like the jester, the monks and the puffin poop.”
CB: “From the beginning, it was important to follow Matt and Em’s emotional development as much as their supernatural developments and since one of the critical conflicts of this book hinges on a terrible choice a character makes, having that kind of arc turned things darker.”
JB: “Who’s dropping spoilers now... We also like to read books where the heroes have to get themselves out of dark places.”
CB: “I’m also a fan of the original Grimm’s fairy tales so their tone may have slipped into our story.”
Did you enjoy the historical research on the Middle Ages?
CB: “I love that part of the process.”
JB: “Carole loves that part of the process.”
Any news on a possible film/TV adaptation of the book series?
CB: “This is John’s territory.”
JB: “These things don’t move quickly, but it’s moving forward. We’re working on some of the pre-production decisions that need to be worked out, including finding the right people to be part of the project’s creative team as directors, writers etc.”
Who would be your dream casting for Matt and Em?
CB: “We really haven’t talked much about the specifics of casting. That said I think Maisie Williams would be a terrific Em. She’s good on Game of Thrones.”
JB: “One of the girls playing Matilda on the West End would be great too. As for Matt… there are a lot of great young actors in the UK right now.”
CB: “Oh, but John’s playing Simon. He’ll be a perfect dad.”
There has been lots of demand from Torchwood fans for there to be an adaptation of Exodus Code. Is this something you’d be up for as a movie, TV series, webisodes or comic?
JB: “We’d be up for all of those things, especially a movie or another series.”
John, you’ve said that there are currently no plans for Captain Jack to appear in the Doctor Who 50th anniversary special. Aside from Jack, who else would you personally as a fan like to see in the special?
JB: “Davros, Donna, and my Doctor [David Tennant]. I love the whole Doctor Who universe. I’m excited for all the celebrations.”
Do you miss the UK while working on Arrow? Are there any UK cult shows you’d like to appear on?
JB: “Of course I miss the UK, but working on Arrow does mean I get to spend a bit more time with my mum and dad in California. I’d dress up for Downton if I were asked.”
What else have you both got coming up?
CB: “We’ll be in the UK at the end of February early March for our book tour with Bone Quill. During that time we’ll flesh out the final parts of the next book. Then we have the paperback release of Exodus Code in the summer and the US release of Bone Quill around that same time. We hope to tour in the US with Bone Quill too.”
JB: “We’re working together on a series for television from a story Carole wrote a while ago with a character I’ve always thought would be brilliant to play. He’s a very damaged detective haunted by a kind of Sophie’s Choice that he’s made while solving a case. The character would be a departure from anything I’ve played before.”
Have a brilliant 2013 and we’re looking forward to Book 3!
JB: “We hope yours is dazzling too.”

Source (including images): Cult Box

John Barrowman: 'Bone Quill' audio release and book signing events

Bone Quill Audiobook release date announced
AudioGO have announced that the AudioBook for Bone Quill, read by John Barroman, will be available on Monday, 18 February.

Bone Quill - first signing events announced
Buster Books has confirmed the following signing events for Bone Quill:

• Waterstones, 38 Avenue Centre, Newton Mearns,
  Glasgow G77 6EY
  Tuesday 26 February 2013 at 3.45pm

• Waterstones, 128 Princes Street, Edinburgh EH2 4AD
  Wednesday 27 February 2013 at 11.45am
  (likely time limit of one hour)

• Waterstones, Bluewater West, The Village, Greenhithe,
  Kent DA9 9SE
  Saturday 2 March 2013 at 2.30pm

• Waterstones, 2A The Hayes, Cardiff CF10 1WB
  Monday 4 March 2013 at 4.00pm

The usual rules will apply, so that John and Carole have time to see everyone. There can be no signing of merchandise and no posing for photos (although you may of course take photos as books are being signed). Everyone will need to have a copy of Bone Quill (though John and Carole will sign their other books if you have those in addition to Bone Quill)
More signing dates and venues to come, as Buster Books announces.

Source: John Barrowman (official site)

John Barrowman: misadventures in panto

Show must go on for John Barrowman who returns to panto after fall from horse
Scots TV star John Barrowman has returned to his role in panto Jack and the Beanstalk after recovering from injuries sustained in a stage accident.
Torchwood star John Barrowman has been hurt after falling from a horse during a performance of a panto in Glasgow.

The Krankies and John Barrowman in Jack And The Beanstalk

Television star John Barrowman has recovered from a fall on stage to continue his pantomime performance.

Barrowman was performing in a matinee of Jack and the Beanstalk in Glasgow when he was hurt while riding a horse.
The Torchwood actor was taken to hospital as a precaution but felt better after resting overnight, a spokeswoman for the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre venue said.
"After a good night's sleep, he felt able to carry on," the spokeswoman said.
"He was bruised but recovered and will perform for the rest of the run until it finishes on Sunday. We're all delighted. He's a trouper."
Barrowman has been starring as Jack alongside veteran performers The Krankies in the pantomime since December 15.
It is his third annual outing with the pair in his home city of Glasgow, appearing in Aladdin and Robinson Crusoe in previous years.
Jack and the Beanstalk panto has a history of misfortune. Janette Tough, better known as wee Jimmy Krankie, was taken to hospital after falling from the beanstalk prop at Glasgow's Pavillion Theatre in 2004.
Barrowman said before the pantomime run: "I love coming up and doing panto in Glasgow at Christmas.
"There's a sense of humour up here that is unlike any other in the country and it's the same kind of sense of humour that the three of us have, so it goes over very well."

Source (including photo): Daily Record


John Barrowman injured in Jack and the Beanstalk pantomime horse fall
From yesterday (5 Jan):

Actor John Barrowman has been injured during a performance of Jack and the Beanstalk at a Glasgow theatre.

The Doctor Who and Torchwood star was taken to hospital from the SECC Clyde Auditorium on Friday as a precaution. His injuries were not serious.
Barrowman had fallen off a live horse during the matinee show, which also stars the Krankies.
The Glasgow-born actor returned to the stage for a matinee performance on Saturday afternoon.
Speaking ahead of Saturday's show, Barrowman told BBC Scotland he was "pleased to be back" but was still not feeling 100%.
He added: "I just felt the horse jitter underneath me, then the back end lifted up and then the next thing I knew I was in the air. I landed hard in the middle of the stage.
"I got back on with the show, but the shooting pain just went through my legs and my back. I said to the audience "ladies and gentlemen, I have to stop the show, I need to be checked out".
"Then I went round the back and basically collapsed and I was put in a stretcher and strapped up. It was quite scary."
Barrowman's understudy - his nephew Greg Barrowman - stepped in to finish the show.
Janette Tough, "Wee Jimmy" Krankie, was almost killed in an on-stage accident in the city in 2004.
She suffered a fractured skull after falling from a mechanical beanstalk at the Pavilion Theatre.
Jack and the Beanstalk is due to end its run on Sunday.
Source (including photo): BBC

John Barrowman on his love of panto
Watch the BBC Scotland interview here 

John Barrowman hosts BBC America's 'Doctor Who' prequels

BBC America airs two ‘Doctor Who’ prequels, hosted by John Barrowman

From Hypable:
We’ve already seen one Doctor Who prequel online featuring Jenny, Vastra, and Strax. The question is, is BBC America repeating that one or are we getting two entirely new prequels?
According to the BBC America press release:

BBC AMERICA’s pop culture correspondent ASHA LEO & Captain Jack Harkness himself, JOHN BARROWMAN countdown the rankings of the Top 5 DW Companions, the Top 5 Scariest Monsters, and more!
PLUS: You’ve gotta watch, because it’s the only place to see an Exclusive First Look at “The Snowmen,” featuring all new interviews with stars MATT SMITH & JENNA-LOUISE COLEMAN and executive producer/lead writer STEVEN MOFFAT!
AND! We’ll also have the U.S. Television Premiere of the 2 DOCTOR WHO Christmas Prequels!

Source: Hypable

John Barrowman chats to Steve Wright

John Barrowman chats to Steve Wright

Actor, TV host and singer John Barrowman chats to Steve about his latest role in US superhero series Arrow and the National Lottery Awards.

Available since: Thu 6 Dec 2012
Duration: 07:14 
Source: BBC Radio 2

John Barrowman: 'Arrow' details, radio interviews

• 'Arrow' star on John Barrowman role: 'He's the biggest threat so far' 

 Arrow star Stephen Amell has hinted at the future of John Barrowman's villain.

Torchwood star Barrowman's enigmatic character was revealed in the show's latest episode as Malcolm Merlyn, father of Tommy (Colin Donnell).

"He's certainly the most nefarious character we've met so far," Amell told TVLine. "He's obviously the biggest threat that Oliver has, which is ironic, because they've never come together... so far."

In the original comics, the Green Arrow's nemesis is 'dark archer' Merlyn, but Amell refused to confirm if either Barrowman's character or Donnell's Tommy would evolve into the DC villain.

Read more at Digital Spy 

• Steve Wright in the Afternoon

Steve, Tim Smith and Janey Lee Grace chat to actor John Barrowman and comedian John Bishop.

Duration:2 hours, 57 minutes

First broadcast:Thursday 06 December 2012

4 days left to listen
Listen now at BBC Radio 2
Clips and more information here

• Fern Britton meets John Barrowman

Series 4 Episode 2 of 5
Duration: 1 hour
Known to some as Captain Jack Harkness, John Barrowman is an actor, a singer, a writer and an all-round showman who describes himself as an entertainer with a capital E.
Fern Britton meets the man with a dual personality, born in Scotland but brought up in the United States. Barrowman talks frankly about what drives him on - and the beliefs that underpin his life.
Watch a clip here

John Barrowman: Gilded Lilys axed

How the American answer to Downton ended in disaster... and Julian Fellowes signs up to write rival show with similar title

Axed: John Barrowman on the set for Gilded Lilys

The show was to have been America’s version of Downton Abbey: the story of a complex, wealthy family set in New York’s first luxury hotel in 1895.
With a multi-million-dollar budget and backed by ABC, whose hits have included Desperate Housewives and Lost, the series hoped to emulate the success in the U.S. of British-made costume dramas Downton Abbey and Upstairs, Downstairs.
John Barrowman was signed up to play a major part in the show, tentatively called Gilded Lilys — the name of the family at its centre. And Tony and Emmy award- winning actress Blythe Danner, Gwyneth Paltrow’s 69-year-old mother, was to have played the family’s matriarch.
A pilot episode was made, with no expense spared. But the show was dropped without even screening the pilot. No one will say why, though insider gossip has it that Barrowman was considered not to have a big enough profile in the  U.S. to carry the show.
Gilded Lilys was dead in the water. But now a similar costume drama is being made, this time set in the 1880s, called The Gilded Age. And who better to write and produce it than Downton creator, Julian Fellowes?
He is working on a pilot episode for NBC at the same time as writing the fourth series of Downton — and the two may be rivals when they are shown in the U.S. late next year.  
For Barrowman, however, the news that Gilded Lilys has been replaced on American networks by The Gilded Age is a bitter disappointment. He had hoped that the role would finally establish him as a household name on the other side of the Atlantic.
When Barrowman was called to a meeting in Hollywood at the beginning of the year, the star of BBC drama Torchwood was offered the ‘role of a lifetime’ in the most highly anticipated drama in a decade.

After Downton’s success stateside — it was nominated for an unprecedented 16 Emmy awards this year — it seemed that a U.S. TV network was about to reverse decades of tradition to make a period drama of its own.
The drama would mirror the ITV show’s upstairs/downstairs division of the classes. But rather than being set in a grand country house, the story of the  wealthy family and its staff is transported to luxury hotel splendour in Manhattan.
But months later and after spending millions of dollars,  ABC pulled the plug. Home-made retro-dramas do not attract huge audiences in America. Mad Men, set in the Sixties, and Boardwalk Empire, set in the Twenties, air on niche cable networks and have tiny audiences, even though they regularly win awards and were huge hits in Britain.

For popular entertainer Barrowman, 45, the news came as a hammer blow, not least because the lucrative contract he had signed restricted him from acting in other series.
But now that deal has expired, after the producers gave up hope of finding another TV channel for Gilded Lilys.
‘I’m a free man,’ said Barrowman, putting a brave face on it.
‘They waited until the last minute because they were trying to find a home for it on a cable network. But they didn’t.’
The decision clearly astounded him, especially in the wake of Downton’s popularity. So what went wrong?
‘There was a lot of buzz around the show because of Downton Abbey. However, in America they’ve never done a big period TV show, they’ve only ever done mini-series,’ he says. ‘But that said, our pilot episode was very good.’
The pedigree of the show’s behind-the-scenes staff was impeccable, with the project being driven by producer Shonda Rhimes, the woman behind ABC’s hit hospital serial Grey’s Anatomy.
Rhimes, 42, from Chicago, is a committed fan of British drama and had tried to secure Barrowman’s services for many years after watching him star as Captain Jack Harkness in the Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood.
‘Shonda’s a fan of Doctor Who. She’d asked me to be on Grey’s Anatomy in the past, but because of my schedule with Torchwood I couldn’t do it,’ says Barrowman.
Just as his BBC schedule became clear, Shonda was looking for a leading man for Gilded Lilys. When she outlined the show’s story to him, he quickly agreed.
‘I was told I couldn’t say too much about the plot,’ he says. ‘But the story was a saga between two brothers and their mother. I played the bad brother.’
Some staff on the drama, who have asked not to be identified, say the decision to hire Barrowman as leading man proved contentious and could have been a factor in ABC getting cold feet.
This is backed up by top U.S. TV critic Brian Lowry, the chief TV columnist for Hollywood bible Variety.
‘I’m a huge fan of Torchwood, but I don’t think John Barrowman had the profile in the U.S. to make this work,’ he says.
‘Casting him in the lead role only works for the narrow group of us who have admired his work from Britain. To put it bluntly, he’s not well known enough here.’
But there were fans of Barrowman on the project, too. They blame ABC’s risk-averse strategy, rather than the quality of the show.
‘The fact is that unless a drama is set in a hospital, apartment block, courtroom or police station, American broadcasters don’t want to know,’ one insider says.
‘There’s still a tremendous amount of scepticism about a period piece, even though Downton has helped to change attitudes,’ Lowry says.
‘But more than anything else there is an age bias in Hollywood. No one’s going to want to cast Maggie Smith in a show here.’
Barrowman, who was born in Glasgow but grew up in Illinois, has not let his disappointment about the axed show stop him pursuing work across the Atlantic.
He enjoyed a guest role, as killer Patrick Logan, on Desperate Housewives and has just finished presenting a show for the science-fiction network G4.
‘You don’t put your bets on these things,’ he says. ‘When they don’t come off, I just move onto the next thing.’
Meanwhile, according to Fellowes, The Gilded Age charts ‘the dizzying, brilliant ascents and calamitous falls’ of New York society.
It is being billed by NBC as ‘an epic tale of the princes of the American Renaissance and the vast fortunes made — and spent — in late 19th- century New York’.
‘This was a vivid time in America,’ says Fellowes. ‘There was record-breaking ostentation and savage rivalry, in a time when money was king.’
If anyone can make a success of a U.S. period drama, it’s him.


Source (including photo): Daily Mail

John Barrowman: scheduled guest on 'Fern Britton meets ...'

 

Fern Britton Meets... John Barrowman

Series 4 Episode 2 of 5

Duration: 1 hour

Known to some as Captain Jack Harkness, John Barrowman is an actor, a singer, a writer and an all-round showman who describes himself as an entertainer with a capital E.
Fern Britton meets the man with a dual personality, born in Scotland but brought up in the United States. Barrowman talks frankly about what drives him on - and the beliefs that underpin his life.Sun 2 Dec 2012 10:00 BBC One
Source: BBC   

John Barrowman on Black Friday, Pirating Music, Call Of Duty
John Barrowman tackles today's top issues, like how we have to deal with another Black Friday, the latest study about people who illegally download music, and the latest Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 flu epidemic.

Source: G4TV

John Barrowman

John and Carole Barrowman pen sequel to "Hollow Earth"

"Bone Quill," the sequel to "Hollow Earth," the fantasy/science-fiction novel for young adults written by John Barrowman and his sister, Carole Barrowman, will be published by Buster Books in 2013.

"Lots of twins have a special connection - being able to finish each other's sentences; sensing what the other is thinking; perhaps even knowing when the other is in trouble or in pain - but for 12-year-old twins, Matt and Emily Calder, the connection is beyond special," according to press notes for "Bone Quill." "Together, the twins have extraordinary powers - they are able to bring art to life, or enter paintings at will."

"Bone Quill" is now available for pre-order from Amazon UK.

The Barrowmans also authored "Torchwood: Exodus Code," which was released in the U.K. Sept. 13.

Source:  Playbill


Look out behind you: It's our guide to Scotland's pantos
From the Daily Record:

Who needs the X Factor final when you can boo and hiss at a bunch of people in fancy dress?

The Krankies and John Barrowman launch their pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk

 

Most people love them but even if you loathe them, you can’t miss them at Christmas.
It’s panto season again, with stars such as John Barrowman, Michelle McManus and Elaine C Smith taking to the boards and encouraging us all to sneer and shout at the villains and cheer on the men in tights. All in the name of family entertainment, of course.
Who needs the X Factor final when you can boo and hiss at a bunch of people in fancy dress – making cheesy jokes and poking fun at some of our classic fairytales?
According to last year’s audience figures, we can’t get enough of the fabulous farce that is panto. Ticket sales were up all over the country last year, with thousands of us heading down to our local theatres with our kids.
And it’s to be even better this year – as we look for something to lift us out of the doom and gloom of the recession.
Perth Theatre’s marketing and campaigns manager Hollie Wegner-Jaszkin said: “We’re delighted that, in this harsh economic climate, our bookings for pantomime continue to weather the storm.
“This year’s production of Mother Goose is proving to be no exception and we’re delighted with the strength of our sales at the moment.”
Glasgow’s Pavilion Theatre manager, Iain Gordon, said: “The Pavilion panto, The Wizard Of Never Woz, is fun and full of audience participation.
“Although it’s brought up to today’s modern terms with special effects, it retains the great traditions of panto. It also has traditional songs and music for all ages! It’s fun for everybody from five to 95.”
Panto – which dates back to the Middle Ages – is the perfect way of putting a new slant on an old story.
And pantomime cross-dressing can find its roots in Shakespeare as plays were originally performed by men playing women.
Elaine C Smith, who plays the Wicked Queen in Snow White at His Majesty’s Theatre in Aberdeen, which is already enjoying record ticket sales, said: “I am delighted to be coming back to the Granite City for the fourth year.
“The chance of playing this part was an offer I could not refuse.”
Jane McCarry, who plays Isa Drennan in the Scottish BBC sitcom Still Game, is confirmed to star in Cinderella at the Alhambra Theatre, Dunfermline, from December 18 to January 6.
A spokeswoman said: “Jane is a well known face of TV and theatre, so the audience of all ages will recognise her.”
Entertainer and actor John Barrowman and The Krankies ham it up as Jack and the Trots in Jack And The Beanstalk at the SECC, December 15 to January 6, in Glasgow.
John said: “I’m so pleased to be back at the SECC this Christmas. With amazing new 3D sequences, this show will be Glasgow’s biggest panto yet.”

Wherever you go for all that booing and hissing, there’s definitely something for all of us this panto season.
Singing Kettle – Fairytale Christmas – Various venues November 15 to January 5
www.singingkettle.com
Mother Goose
Eden Court Theatre, Bishop’s Road, Inverness IV3 5SA
December 4 to January 6
www.eden-court.co.uk
Sleeping Beauty
Peterhead Community Theatre, Balmoor Terrace, Peterhead AB42 1EP
December 8-15
www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk
Snow White
His Majesty’s Theatre, Rosemount Viaduct, Aberdeen AB25 1GL
December 1 to January 6
www.hmtaberdeen.com
Jack And The Beanstalk
Gardyne Theatre, Gardyne Road, Dundee DD5 1NY
December 4-9
www.gardynetheatre.org.uk
Mother Goose
Perth Theatre, High Street, Perth PH1 5UW
December 7 to January 5
www.horsecross.co.uk
Cinderella
Macrobert Arts Centre, University of Stirling FK9 4LA
November 28 to December 31
www.macrobert.org
Hansel & Gretel
Carnegie Hall, East Port, Dunfermline, Fife, KY12 7JA
November 30 to December 24
www.onfife.com
Cinderella
Alhambra Theatre, Canmore Street, Dunfermline
KY12 7NX
December 18 to January 6
www.alhambradunfermline.com
Mother Goose
King’s Theatre, Leven Street, Edinburgh EH3 9LQ
December 1 to January 20
www.edtheatres.com/panto
The Wizard Of Never Woz
The Pavilion Theatre, Renfield Street, Glasgow
G2 3AX
November 28 to January 19
www.paviliontheatre.co.uk
Jack And The Beanstalk
Clyde Auditorium, SECC, Glasgow G3 8YW
December 15 to Jaunary 6
www.secc.co.uk
Aladdin
Motherwell Theatre, Civic Centre, Windmillhill Street, Motherwell ML1 1AB
November 19 to January 5
www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/entertainment
Cinderella
Palace Theatre, Green
Street, Kilmarnock KA1 3BN
November 24 to December 30
www.visiteastayrshire.com
Cinderella
Ayr Gaiety, Carrick Street, Ayr KA7 1NU
December 11 to January 6
www.thegaiety.co.uk
Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs
DG One, Hood’s Loaning, Dumfries DG1 2HT
December 15-31
www.dgone.co.uk
Source (including photo): Daily Record

John Barrowman

'Arrow' 1.5 Review And Recap: Damaged
by Fanbolt and ComicBook.com


*SPOILERS* for anyone who hasn't yet seen it!

John Barrowman: 'Hollow Earth' signings, Attack of the Show schedule

Public appearances
Hollow Earth
(US release 30 October)
Signings:
30 October - 7.00pm The Skokie Public Library, Skokie, IL 60077
31 October - 7.00pm Anderson's Bookshop, Naperville, IL 60540
2 November - 7.00pm Alverno College Wehr Hall, Milwaukee, WI 53234
3 November - 6.00pm The Red Balloon Bookshop, MN 55105
24 November - 4.00pm Just Fabulous, Palm Springs, CA92262
Source: John Barrowman (official site)
Review of Hollow Earth at Star Tribune


Attack of the Show
As G4 finalizes plans for a channel makeover in 2013, the young male-skewing network will conclude the runs of its two signature series, Attack of the Show and X-Play. Both long-running shows will wrap up production at the end of this year.
Attack of the Show and X-Play will continue to roll out new episodes through December. Leading up to their finales, a rotating lineup of guest co-hosts will join Attack of the Show hosts Candace Bailey and Sara Underwood, including John Barrowman, Michael Ian Black, Josh Myers, Paul Scheer, Rob Huebel and Horatio Sanz. Various stars are also expected to join X-Play hosts Morgan Webb and Blair Herter on their show.
Read more at TV Guide 
John Barrowman's official site has a full schedule of John's appearances in November

John Barrowman: Arrow updates, and Hearing Dog Awards

Arrow
First images of John's character - ScreenRant
Preview reel - TV Line
More info at John's official site
'Arrow' season 1 episode 5 Spoilers and Photos: John Barrowman and Deathstroke in 'Damaged' - Gather
  Arrow airs as follows:

• US: The CW - Wednesdays at 8.00pm/7c (from 10 October 2012)
• Canada: CTV Two - Wednesdays at 8.00pm ET (from 10 October 2012)
• UK: Sky1 - Mondays at 8.00pm (from 22 October 2012)
• Spain: Canal 13 - Wednesdays (from 14 November 2012)

John Barrowman set to host Specsavers Hearing Dog Awards 2012

John – star of Torchwood, Desperate Housewives and Tonight’s the Night – will anchor the event and was one of a number of high-profile guests attending the awards in Central London on Thursday (18 October).
The entertainer is a huge fan of dogs and has had a number of four-legged friends over the years. 

John tells us: "As a lifelong dog lover, I know the amazing relationships that people have with their dogs. But since being introduced to the work of Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, I have seen just how much of a lifeline these dogs give to their deaf recipients removing some of the isolation and loneliness that hearing loss can bring.
"With this in mind, I am delighted to host the Specsavers Hearing Dog Awards 2012 and really look forward to seeing just how these incredible dogs have completely changed the lives of so many."
Read more at: Hearing Dogs

John Barrowman: Arrow reviews and pantomime news

"Arrow" showrunners, star discuss Huntress, Villains & John Barrowman's Mystery Character

As the recent promotional push for Arrow has been telling us, the new CW show is not your average superhero story.

In fact, Oliver Queen isn't technically a superhero at all. The series' protagonist doesn't have superpowers, his enemies don’t have supernatural abilities and his weapon is a bow and arrow. But that's exactly the type of superhero story showrunners Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg and Greg Berlanti want to tell.

Comic Book Resources was invited to attend an Arrow press event at DC Comics' Los Angeles headquarters where Guggenheim, Kreisberg, leading man Stephen Amell and DC Entertainment's Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns were on hand to answer questions about the debut season of Arrow. One thing they all drove home repeatedly is that the show is grounded in reality to make it accessible to all audience members.

"We want everybody to like this show," Kreisberg explained. "If you've never picked up a comic book, if you have no idea who the Green Arrow is, you have no idea what DC Comics is, you can watch this show, come into this show and really enjoy it. And yet, if you are a huge fan of the comics and Green Arrow, you see enough of the DNA in the comic books and enough of what makes the comic book special."

Read more at Comic Book Resources

Spoilers!

• Arrow 101 Recap: Ollie's Back From The Dead And Looking For Payback
  Source: After Elton

• Arrow first look: who is John Barrowman playing? (Exclusive)
  The Hollywood Reporter has your first look at Torchwood alum John Barrowman making his début on the CW's adaptation Arrow -- but who is this Well Dressed Man playing?
  Read more at Hollywood Reporter

• Arrow producer explains the real reason he cast John Barrowman
  Source: Blastr
  
• SFX has photos of John Barrowman's character in Arrow

John Barrowman and The Krankies launch their 'Jack and the Beanstalk' panto

The trio have teamed up three years on the trot for the annual pantomime at the SECC Clyde Auditorium – and they were in hilarious form as they suited up to promote their latest show.

John Barrowman and The Krankies will be appearing this Christmas in Jack and the Beanstalk – with Barrowman taking the leading role of Jack, and The Krankies playing Farmer Trot and Jimmy Trot.

Barrowman and The Krankies took some time out to pose for the press, with Daisy the pantomime cow in tow.

Referencing the infamous swinging “scandal” last year, as they were taking direction from photographers Ian from The Krankies joked: “Slip his chopper between your fingers – where have I heard that before?”

Special effects will feature heavily in the latest production, with brand-new surprises including a 3D Giant, and a journey through the giant’s castle.

The three stars of the show were joined by children with Down’s syndrome who receive support from Down’s Syndrome Scotland, one of John’s chosen charities.

Jack and the Beanstalk runs at SECC Clyde Auditorium from Saturday December 15 to Sunday January 6, 2013.

Tickets, priced from £12.00, can be booked on 0844 395 4000 or online at www.ticketSOUP.com.

Source (with video) STV

Video: John Barrowman and The Krankies launch Glasgow pantomime