The extract of an article from AfterElton

[Source]

10 TV Actors That Deserve Big Screen Careers
Posted by Kelley Mathys
on October 17, 2011

Talk about your star potential! These 10 men are best known for their TV work, but we'd happily pay money to see them at the multiplex. Admittedly, this is a subjective list, and we may have left off many of your favorite TV actors. So if you find yourself disagreeing with our selections, we invite you to share your own list of 10 in the comments!

Kevin Alejandro

Anyone who is a fan of Kevin Alejandro knows that he certainly can play a death scene. The actor has had recurring or guest starring roles on over two dozen TV series, and a disproportionate number of those appearances have ended with the death of his character. Alejandro was Justin Suarez' protective tough guy dad Santos on Ugly Betty – Shot and killed in a random convenience store robbery. He was Det. Nate Moretta on Southland – Caught in a gang riot and beaten to death.

One thing's for sure, his untimely exits have left audiences (and obviously casting agents) wanting more.

Most recently, Alejandro played Lafayette's witch/nurse boyfriend Jesus on True Blood, where he ended up being unceremoniously stabbed to death by the possessed Lafeyette (Nelsan Ellis). Viewers should take some comfort in the fact that True Blood is a show about the supernatural, so it is possible that we have not seen the last of Jesus. Who knows, maybe he will come back as a demonic ghost or a zombie with a heart of gold.

As for moving to the big screen, he's already testing the waters in a trio of films this year. First, a part in Kevin Smith's thriller Red State. He also has a part in the western: Hell's Gate: An American Conspiracy. Plus, Alejandro has lead billing in a low budget supernatural thriller called Cassadega.

But Alejandro really needs a lead part in a big Hollywood film, preferably one where he doesn't die and doesn't play a member of law enforcement, a Latino thug, a male nurse, or a gay hustler.

Okay, we actually wouldn't complain about the gay hustler thing.

Further reading:

• Kevin Alejandro Played Gay So Many Times We Had No Choice But to Interview Him

Matt Bomer

Ever since he White Collar launched on USA and audiences fell in love with suave confidence man Neal Caffrey, there has been a LOT of speculation about beautiful Matt Bomer's personal life.

If Bomer is playing coy with the subject, perhaps it's only because his leading man part on the USA Network series holds a lot of appeal for women. Women who, let's face it, make up the lion's share of White Collar viewers. Maybe no one wants to risk interfering with the possible romantic fantasies of a legion of fans.

But here's the thing: The ladies pretty much know what's up already, and it doesn't seem to matter. Bomer and his management might have "no comment," but there are those cute old photos of Bomer embracing another gent, more recent photos of Bomer sporting a wedding ring, and on The Today Show Bomer took time to gush about his three children.

Whatever his orientation, it's clear Bomer is off the market. And even if he weren't, 99.99% of us gay or straight would have absolutely zero chance with him. That guy is so out of our league!

A mug like that deserves to be on the big screen. Can he make the transition from TV star to movie star? Well, he does have a supporting role in Channing Tatum's much anticipated male stripper movie Magic Mike, so we'll soon find out if he has the, uh, goods!

Further Reading:

• Seven Things We Learned (Or Didn't) About Matthew Bomer on "Watch What Happens Live"
• Exclusive: Is "White Collar"'s Matt Bomer an Out, Gay Man? "No Comment," Says Publicist
• Neal Caffrey's Foolproof Guide to "White Collar" Fashion

Chris Colfer

When Glee first launched back in 2009, who would have imagined that Chris Colfer, the kid playing gay kid Kurt Hummel, would wind up being the show's most critically acclaimed breakout star? Ironically, the part of Kurt Hummel didn't exist when Colfer auditioned. He went in to read for Artie, but Ryan Murphy was so impressed with the young actor that he jettisoned a planned character named Rajish to make room for Kurt, a part tailor-made for Colfer.

Some people have had issues with Kurt the character. We even wrote in the second season about our discomfort with the character's fixation on step-brother Finn. But no one has a bad word to say about Colfer. In fact, Ryan Murphy claims to have received death threats when he mentioned in interviews that Colfer would be leaving after season three.

People feel protective towards Colfer. Like he's your over-achieving child, you root for him and cheer his every success. On Glee, Colfer has proven time and time again that he has the acting chops to hold his own on the big screen. We will soon see whether that talent extends behind the camera, when Struck By Lightning the film he both wrote and stars in, hits theaters.

Further reading:

• Video: Chris Colfer Talks Glee, Bullying and Being Yourself
• Chris Colfer Wins A Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor
• Exclusive: Glee's Chris Colfer is Living the Teenage Dream
• Kurt Hummel's Perfect Storm
• The Men of Glee Dominate the AfterElton.com Hot 100

Gale Harold

There's no denying, people are still very passionate about the man who played Brian Kinney on the U.S. version of Queer as Folk. That indelible character was complicated, unapologetic and oh so sexy. In our 2010 poll of the Top 50 Gay TV characters, AE readers ranked him as #2, just behind Torchwood's Captain Jack. (It should be noted that Torchwood was very hot at the time that poll was conducted. Gale Harold's character seems to have an enduring appeal and we suspect if that poll were conducted again right now, Brian Kinney would come out on top.)

Post QAF, Harold has not had the best of luck in finding another truly great role. He had a much-publicized guest run on Desperate Housewives playing Jackson, a housepainter and love interest for Susan (Teri Hatcher). But Harold was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident, and his run on that show was interrupted.

He also landed regular parts in two other shows Vanished and Hellcats, but neither made it past a single season.

Now Harold can be seen on the CW's supernatural teen drama The Secret Circle, and he has been drawing raves for his portrayal of the villainous Charles Mead.
Great as he is in this new role, the show's main focus is on its younger cast of witches. We'd like to see more of Gale Harold! Ultimately, we think the big screen would be a better medium for this actor's intense brand of charisma.

Further reading:

• TV Bad Boys We Love
• AfterElton.com’s Top 50 Gay Characters of All Time!

An article from Yahoo News

[Source]

Kevin Alejandro Talks 'True Blood' Exit & Heading Back To Detective Roots For TNT
Access Hollywood – Mon, Sep 12, 2011 3:41 PM PDT

Kevin Alejandro said goodbye to his life as Bon Temps' resident nurse, brujo and the love of Nelsan Ellis' Lafayette Reynolds on the season finale of "True Blood," and his exit produced an outpouring of emotions from the actor's friends and colleagues.

"My phone's been blowing up. The ones that I've worked with have been like, 'Great job!' and the ones that didn't know [the twist] - it was another sort of 'Southland' effect," Kevin told Access Hollywood on Monday, referencing the shocking death of his TNT character, Detective Nate Moretta, on the cop show. "A lot of people were actually kind of touched by it and surprised and shocked."

PLAY IT NOW: Comic-Con 2011: Kevin Alejandro Talks ‘True Blood’ Season 4

It was around the time they began work on Episode 2 that Kevin heard from "True Blood" writer Alexander Woo and creator Alan Ball, that his character, Jesus, would be meeting his end in Season 4.

The actor, who joined the HBO drama just last season, after leaving "Southland," confirmed what Nelsan recently told Access -- it was Kevin's idea to have Jesus die at the hands of his boyfriend, Lafayette.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: ‘True Blood’ Gem & Fan Favorite — Nelsan Ellis

"It was, actually. I thought it would be interesting. The direction that they put the characters in [was] so 'in love,' where we balance each other out," Kevin explained of his idea. "What an incredible statement to go into the show, creating such love and having the one person that you love the most have to take your life."

Filming the moment - with just the two men on screen - was emotional, not just because the characters were in love, but because the two actors have become very good friends in real life.

"It was really sad for me, 'cause it's the inevitable end. I know what's coming, we all know what's coming," Kevin told Access . "Nelsan wasn't exaggerating when he said that we've become extremely close. My family loves him. When we found out that I was gonna die, he was the first person out at my [home]. We were talking about it and trying to figure out if it was something that we did, just trying to figure out why exactly they were going in this direction with the character.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Sookie Or Snooki? Take The Quiz!

The decision actually had to do with creator Alan's much-talked about idea that happy couples don't make good TV, the same notion that led to Bill Compton and Sookie Stackhouse splitting up in Season 3.

"I think in a strange sense, I think it made Nelsan and I closer as friends, because we knew that our time as buddies on the show together was coming to an end," Kevin said. "It sort of put our friendship into fast forward, in a sense, and became super set."

VIEW THE PHOTOS: All Access: ‘True Blood’ Season 4 Premiere Screening & Afterparty!

While Jesus is no longer in the land of the living, Kevin is ready to come back when the Bon Temps powers that be come calling.

"I've talked to a couple of people who make those decisions and yeah, I think I will be back in some aspect of helping [Lafayette] try and figure out how to use his magic, or if he gets in trouble, I think there might be an easy way to see Jesus come back," Kevin said.

On December 6 at 9 PM, fans looking for a Kevin fix can head over to his old "Southland" home on TNT, and catch him in the television movie, "Hide."

"It's a detective story. I get to play a detective again, working with the amazing Carla Gugino," he said. "It's just the two of us going on this journey together, trying to find this serial killer who kidnapped young women."

Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Articles and a video from accesshollywood.com

[Source]

Kevin Alejandro Talks Dramatic ‘True Blood’ Exit

FIRST PUBLISHED: September 12, 2011 6:40 PM EDT
By Jolie Lash

LOS ANGELES, Calif. --
Kevin Alejandro said goodbye to his life as Bon Temps’ resident nurse, brujo and the love of Nelsan Ellis’ Lafayette Reynolds on the season finale of “True Blood,” and his exit produced an outpouring of emotions from the actor’s friends and colleagues.

“My phone’s been blowing up. The ones that I’ve worked with have been like, ‘Great job!’ and the ones that didn’t know [the twist] – it was another sort of ‘Southland’ effect,” Kevin told Access Hollywood on Monday, referencing the shocking death of his TNT character, Detective Nate Moretta, on the cop show. “A lot of people were actually kind of touched by it and surprised and shocked.”

It was around the time they began work on Episode 2 that Kevin heard from “True Blood” writer Alexander Woo and creator Alan Ball, that his character, Jesus, would be meeting his end in Season 4.

The actor, who joined the HBO drama just last season, after leaving “Southland,” confirmed what Nelsan recently told Access — it was Kevin’s idea to have Jesus die at the hands of his boyfriend, Lafayette.

“It was, actually. I thought it would be interesting. The direction that they put the characters in [was] so ‘in love,’ where we balance each other out,” Kevin explained of his idea. “What an incredible statement to go into the show, creating such love and having the one person that you love the most have to take your life.”

Filming the moment – with just the two men on screen – was emotional, not just because the characters were in love, but because the two actors have become very good friends in real life.

“It was really sad for me, ‘cause it’s the inevitable end. I know what’s coming, we all know what’s coming,” Kevin told Access. “Nelsan wasn’t exaggerating when he said that we’ve become extremely close. My family loves him. When we found out that I was gonna die, he was the first person out at my [home]. We were talking about it and trying to figure out if it was something that we did, just trying to figure out why exactly they were going in this direction with the character.

The decision actually had to do with creator Alan’s much-talked about idea that happy couples don’t make good TV, the same notion that led to Bill Compton and Sookie Stackhouse splitting up in Season 3.

“I think in a strange sense, I think it made Nelsan and I closer as friends, because we knew that our time as buddies on the show together was coming to an end,” Kevin said. “It sort of put our friendship into fast forward, in a sense, and became super set.”

While Jesus is no longer in the land of the living, Kevin is ready to come back when the Bon Temps powers that be come calling.

“I’ve talked to a couple of people who make those decisions and yeah, I think I will be back in some aspect of helping [Lafayette] try and figure out how to use his magic, or if he gets in trouble, I think there might be an easy way to see Jesus come back,” Kevin said.

On December 6 at 9 PM, fans looking for a Kevin fix can head over to his old “Southland” home on TNT, and catch him in the television movie, “Hide.”

“It’s a detective story. I get to play a detective again, working with the amazing Carla Gugino,” he said. “It’s just the two of us going on this journey together, trying to find this serial killer who kidnapped young women.”

Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[Source]

Nelsan Ellis ‘Shocked’ By Death Of Beloved Character In ‘True Blood’ Season Finale

FIRST PUBLISHED: September 12, 2011 1:08 AM EDT
LAST UPDATED: September 12, 2011 10:08 AM EDT
By Jolie Lash

LOS ANGELES, Calif. --

On Sunday, in a bloody and emotional episode, “True Blood” wrapped up Season 4 in a very dramatic fashion that included saying goodbye to several Bon Temps’ faces – including Lafayette Reynold’s true love, Jesus Velasquez.

While he never expected his character, Lafayette, to live happily ever after with Jesus, Nelsan Ellis told Access Hollywood he was still thrown by the twist that took the nurse and brujo, played by Kevin Alejandro, out of the land of the living.

“I wasn’t surprised, because I heard [creator] Alan [Ball] say a couple of times that, you know, happy times in relationships don’t last, but I was shocked that they killed him and I was shocked that they had me kill him,” Nelsan told Access Hollywood. “I was like, ‘Why would you?’… And then I found out Kevin requested [it]. He was like, ‘I want Nelsan to kill me.’ And I was like, ‘Why did you request that, dude?’”

Having shot the scene months ago – one that saw Lafayette, possessed by the witch Marnie, stab a tied-up Jesus to take his brujo powers — Nelsan said he understood why Kevin wanted his character to go out at Lafayette’s hands.

“I kind of see why he requested that. It was just he and [I] that started and he and I that sort of went out in bloody flames,” the actor told Access.

Filming those final moments between the two men was “painful,” according to Nelsan, who praised Kevin and what the former “Southland” star brought to the small screen.

“It was painful because we’ve become good friends. That’s my dude. He’s one of the best people that I’ve come to know — and his wife… I just love his family… and his energy,” Nelsan said. “I’m not gonna have that any more, so it was painful and we have such a good rapport, the best rapport I’ve ever had with another actor.”

While Jesus’ life was brutally ended on Sunday’s episode, Nelsan said he expects that Lafayette’s newfound medium abilities will create future opportunities for the two to connect.

“He definitely will be coming back. Next season, as Lafayette learns how to use his power, then we certainly will see Jesus,” Nelsan said.

“True Blood” won’t return until June 2012 on HBO, and fans have already been clamoring for the return of another character – Denis O’Hare’s Russell Edgington.

Nelsan too, is supportive of the idea, which was hinted at with the exposed concrete and silver chains Alcide Herveaux (Joe Manganiello) discovered in Sunday’s season finale.

“I would love Denis O’Hare to come back,” Nelsan said. “And he should could come back to be my boyfriend.”

“The king of Louisiana and the new medium of Bon Temps? I think that would be a good combination, certainly a powerful combination,” he added.

Filming the next season is still months away and Nelsan is currently at work on “Gods Behaving Badly,” a film about Greek Gods living in modern day New York City, who encounter trouble after being discovered by a human couple, played by Alicia Silverstone and Ebon Moss-Bachrach.

“I am shooting it as we speak,” Nelsan, who plays Dionysus in the film, told Access Hollywood. “It’s fun.”

Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Following clip is an interview with Kevin at Comic-Con 2011.

It Gets Better

An article from deadline.com

[Source]

UPDATE: Five Testing For ‘SVU’ Male Lead – Danny Pino, Kevin Alejandro, David Conrad, Michael Raymond-James, Rhys Coiro

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Monday June 20, 2011 @ 6:31pm PDT

EXCLUSIVE UPDATE 6:30 PM: And then there were five. I’ve just learned that a fifth actor, Rhys Coiro (Entourage) is also on a plane to New York to test tomorrow for the Law & Order: SVU male lead.

PREVIOUS EXCLUSIVE 5 PM: Law & Order: SVU is going younger with its new male lead. I hear that Dick Wolf and NBC have narrowed the search for an actor to replace departing Chris Meloni to four actors – Danny Pino (Cold Case), Kevin Alejandro (True Blood, Southland), David Conrad (Ghost Whisperer) and Michael Raymond-James (Terriers). The four are being flown to New York where they will test tomorrow opposite returning SVU star Mariska Hargitay. Of the four, Alejandro and Raymond-James recently did guest spots on SVU. New NBC boss Bob Greenblatt said in May that the network “wants to keep refreshing an old franchise” with its changes to the veteran crime procedural. Hargitay, who recently adopted a baby, had asked for a lighter work schedule, so her character Det. Olivia Benson will be less prominent in the second half of next season, prompting the network and creator/executive producer Wolf to also look for a possible new female lead. From their early choice, Jennifer Love Hewitt, who is not happening, it looks like NBC and Wolf will be going younger on both the male and female side as they try to extend the series’ lifespan by several more years.

An article from AfterElton... Presenting the 2011 AfterElton Hot 100... The World's Hottest Men as Chosen By Our Readers

[Source]

Well folks, there you have the AfterElton.coom Hot 100 for 2011. If you want a text-only version for easy reference...

1. Darren Criss 2. Adam Lambert 3. Chris Colfer 4. Neil Patrick Harris 5. John Barrowman 6. Luke MacFarlane 7. Jonathan Groff 8. Jensen Ackles 9. Anderson Cooper 10. Ricky Martin 11. Jake Gyllenhaal 12. Cheyenne Jackson 13. Ryan Reynolds 14. Chris Evans 15. Matt Bomer 16. Jared Padalecki 17. James Franco 18. Chord Overstreet 19. Russell Tovey 20. Mark Salling 21. Alexander Skarsgård 22. Gale Harold 23. Cory Monteith 24. Ian Somerhalder 25. Matthew Mitcham 26. Trevor Donovan 27. Nathan Fillion 28. Eric Sheffer Stevens 29. Joe Manganiello 30. Jared Leto 31. Johnny Depp 32. Joseph Gordon-Levitt 33. Zachary Quinto 34. Adam Levine 35. Jo Weil 36. Ryan Kwanten 37. Scott Evans 38. Bradley Cooper 39. Matt Smith 40. Misha Collins 41. Kevin Alejandro 42. Ben Cohen 43. Hugh Jackman 44. Gareth Thomas 45. Chris Pine 46. Jesse Tyler Ferguson 47. Zac Efron 48. Matthew Morrison 49. Thore Schölermann 50. Alex O'Loughlin

51. Harry Shum Jr. 52. Matthew Rhys 53. Chris Hemsworth 54. Van Hansis 55. Nate Berkus 56. Daniel Radcliffe 57. Taylor Lautner 58. Derek Hough 59. Chad Allen 60. James Marsden 61. Channing Tatum 62. Ewan McGregor 63. Tom Welling 64. Max Adler 65. Jake Silbermann 66. Jake Shears 67. Prince Harry 68. Mark Ballas 69. Taye Diggs 70. Ryan Gosling 71. Tom Ford 72. Nick Adams 73. Andrew Garfield 74. Brad Pitt 75. Robert Pattinson 76. Tom Hardy 77. David Beckham 78. Scott Caan 79. Chace Crawford 80. James Duke Mason 81. Tim Kang 82. Kellan Lutz 83. Cassidy Haley 84. Karl Urban 85. Dan Savage 86. Lee Pace 87. Wilson Cruz 88. Gavin Creel 89. Thomas Roberts 90. Kevin McHale 91. Daniel Craig 92. Darryl Stephens 93. Kris Allen 94. Emmet J. Scanlan 95. Paul Wesley 96. Henry Cavill 97. Nick Youngquest 98. Jon Hamm 99. Alex Pettyfer 100. Christopher Gorham

An article and a video from accesshollywood.com

[Source]

Kevin Alejandro Beefs Up For Bewitching Role On ‘True Blood’


FIRST PUBLISHED: January 31, 2011 2:58 PM EST
By Erin O’Sullivan & Jesse Spero

LOS ANGELES, Calif. --

Kevin Alejandro joined the cast of HBO’s “True Blood” at the start of Season 3, and as his role on the sexy vampire hit expands, so does the pressure to get fit to compete with the boys of Bon Temps.

“I’m sharing the screen with somebody like Ryan Kwanten,” Kevin told AccessHollywood.com on Friday about feeling the pressure to get ripped for those shirtless and racy nude scenes that have come to be routine on the hit show. “We all look within ourselves for inspiration [to lose weight, get fit] but he’s obviously the poster boy of a physique.”

To help reach his fitness goal, the former “Southland” star revealed he has joined a few of his fellow castmates in an “intense” workout regime to prep for his skin-baring romps.

“There’s a couple of us that are doing a P90X and that’s where it gets really intense,” Kevin told Access of the plan. “It’s something I do on my own and I found out that someone else on set was doing it [too].”

The 34-year-old Texas native plays Jesus Velasquez, a long-term care nurse, who also happens to be a “brujo” (translation: witch) on the show, one who’s in a relationship with Merlotte’s resident short order cook/vampire blood dealer LaFayette Reynolds (played by Nelsen Ellis) — and Kevin told Access the new couple’s bond will grow stronger in the coming season.

“My relationship [will grow] with not only him but other characters in show as well,” Kevin said. “They are really moving us around and balancing it out in all these crazy, strange ways and it works, man. It works really well this year.”

Fans of the blue-eyed Bon Temps beauty may soon have reason to rejoice — when asked if he would be nervous about “losing his pants on camera,” Kevin told Access not only would he not be nervous, he’d even be “comfortable.”

“The thing about doing scenes like that is everyone is really respectful and very professional,” Kevin told Access. “You’re comfortable doing it, and you’re friends with everybody so when something like that happens it’s only the people that absolutely have to be there in the room.

“They’re really good at making us feel comfortable,” he added, of the “True Blood” crew.
In addition to Kevin’s small screen endeavors, the actor can also be seen in Kevin Smith’s long-awaited controversial upcoming thriller, “Red State,” a new genre for the “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” and “Dogma” director.

“’Red State’ is [Kevin Smith’s] baby,” Kevin told Access. “It’s been around for a long time and he finally got it done — I can understand why he wants to cradle it. I think it’s awesome of him to take the initiative and try something new.”

Catch Kevin on “True Blood” when Season 4 premieres on HBO in Summer 2011 and on the big screen when “Red State” hits theaters on October 19.

Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

SouthLAnd

One of my favourite actors, Kevin Alejandro plays Nate Moretta died in the episode Code 4. I was so surprised with this storyline and was so sad.

An article from AolTV

[Source]

'Southland' Shocker Aftermath: Catching Up With Kevin Alejandro

by Maggie Furlong, posted Jan 26th 2011 10:15AM

'Southland' dropped a bomb last night. A big one. Needless to say if you haven't seen it yet, watch it now. And don't read any further until you do.

Disclaimer done, onto the good stuff -- can you believe they killed off Nate? Talk about a cry-fest, but what an amazing episode for Kevin Alejandro and his onscreen partner Shawn Hatosy, the seemingly plagued Sammy Bryant.

Very few things can get me up before 6AM, but my puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks jumped out of bed today to talk to Alejandro about last night's shocking episode, the final farewell to Nate and what's coming up next for all the other characters in this dark season. And that includes his family, who we haven't seen the last of. Maybe houseguest Sammy's presence will finally be welcome?

We also talked about the show's amazing fans -- a group of which he's now a certified member -- his return to 'True Blood' ("You're gonna see a lot of me") and the show he's dying to guest star on.

So, continue the eulogies and mourning in the comments, but rejoice that there'll still be plenty more of Kevin Alejandro on your TVs ... just, sadly, not as Nate.

All I can say is wow ...
[Laughs] Thank you. My first word after watching last night's episode was "wow" as well. And it had been weeks since I'd shot it, and I read it several times, and I'm still like, "wow." That's real. That's real.

How soon into the season did Ann Biderman and the writers tell you this was going to happen?
They were very good about telling me even before the season started. We'd always expected something like this to happen. Unfortunately, it was me that went first, but it made sense to me. I was saddened by the news, but it made sense to me, because that's what happened. It's the story from the mouth of a real police officer who this happened to. It just made sense for me -- it's the sad, sad truth.

The show has had its ups and downs, but the fanbase is so extremely loyal. Have you gotten a sense of the fan reaction to this yet?
Oh my gosh -- the reaction to this has been overwhelming. It's amazing how attached ... how much support 'Southland' has, and we've known it from the beginning. They're the reason that TNT saved us. They're the reason that we still go strong, because we have so much support. And now I am lucky because now I am just a fan -- I'm no longer the actor on the show, I'm a fan now. So I'm part of that big crew of people who keep 'Southland' going.

As a fan with some unique insight, this season is noticeably darker -- culminating with Nate's death. Is there light at the end of the tunnel?
For 'Southland'? God, I hope so.

And for the characters. Everyone seems to be at rock bottom right now.
Yeah, you know, and they only go deeper, they only go darker. But they always keep it real. You can definitely look forward to that. Whatever situations and scenarios they're about to go through, you can rest assured that it's not gonna be too fabricated. But I mean, Sammy Bryant has been through so much, I hope there's a light at the end of his tunnel!

No joke! And this was truly an amazing episode for Shawn Hatosy as well ... was it nice to sit back and watch Shawn do his thing?
Oh my god -- I learned so much by watching that guy. He was incredible, wasn't he? He just nailed it. He nailed it. That silent cry at the end ... trying to have strength, but he just completely lost it all. Man, it was beautiful. He deserves any accolade that could be given for that performance. We were texting each other last night about the show and everything ... I only hope to be as good as him one day, and that's one of the things that I told him, because he's solid.

What's next? Nate's funeral? Will we see what happens to his family?
I'm not sure I can tell you the answer to that, but I know that they do definitely get into a little bit more of my family life and how they deal with it. And, obviously, how Sammy deals with it. So, yeah, it's not gonna be a story left untold, but I'm not sure exactly how much more I can tell you about that.

What will you miss most about 'Southland'?
I'm gonna miss everything about working on 'Southland.' It's such an untraditional work environment because we work so fast. I am lucky enough to be part of the very beginning, the pilot, so I feel like I'm part of a formula, part of something we created together, and all of us as a collective team know exactly what page each other is on. So I'm going to miss that -- we're there, we're doing it. It's almost like second nature. We're a machine, you know? I'm gonna miss the relationships I've had with Regina [King], Ben [McKenzie], [Michael] Cudlitz and Shawn, everybody. We went through a rollercoaster ride together -- we went through a journey together -- and I'm gonna miss us having all of those things together. I'm excited to be a fan, but I'm also saddened I can't go on the rest of the journey with them.

You've seriously been on a million amazing TV shows. What's the one you'd love to guest star on that you haven't already?
I'd like to be on 'The Tudors.' I can't wait for someone to give me a chance to do something with some heightened text. I'm pretty classically trained, and not a lot of people know that, so I would love to do something like that.

Will you be back on 'True Blood'? You and Lafayette make a great couple.
Yes, ma'am, I'll definitely be back. I've been working on that for a little while now -- for a bit I was going between 'Southland' and 'True Blood.' You're gonna see a lot of me. It's the season of the witches, so you can count on seeing me a little bit more than last season.

And I hear we'll also be seeing you in Kevin Smith's 'Red State' ...
Yes ma'am! I've been hearing a lot of stuff about that -- how he auctioned it off to himself. Kevin Smith's at Sundance and he went and bought his own film and decided he's gonna do it like old school rock 'n' roll tour and put it out there himself without giving it to any studios. I think it's so admirable and really rock 'n' roll. I love the fact that I'm part of a movie like that. It's so different from anything he's done. It's different ... it's not what anybody thinks. The fact that he has the balls to go out there and do it all himself. He cares so much about this film that he's gonna make sure that it has everything it can have behind it himself ... it's amazing.

True Blood

Jesus (Kevin Alejandro) and Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis)

Jesus found out Lafayette was a drug dealer. Is Jesus able to change Lafayette's life better? I mean it will be a better life for Lafayette if he quits being a dealer. I actually like a little bad boy though.

An article from AfterElton

One of my favourite actors, Kevin Alejandro.

Meet Your Gay of the Week: "True Blood"'s Jesus
by AfterElton.com Staff

This week we tried something a bit different and instead of having nominees from different shows, we just put up all four of the gay characters from HBO's Sunday night vampire drama True Blood.

Congrats to new kid on the block Jesus. He takes the Gay of the Week crown with nearly half the vote. (Fans of the character might be interested in our recent interview with Kevin Alejandro, the actor who plays him.)

Full results below.

We'll be back with another Battle of the Network Gays on Friday. If you have any recommendations for candidates, please share them in the comments to this post.

The Closer, White Collar and etc.

My favourite shows are coming back.

[The Closer]
I knew Jonathan Del Arco was gay but I didn't know Phillip P. Keene was also gay.
According to The Closer Fan Wiki, Phillip was born on the 5th of September, has blonde hair and green eyes, graduated from UCLA in 2004 and lives with his partner James Duff in Los Angels, California. Previously he worked for Pan American World Airways.
The role, Buzz, is his first acting carrer. Although based on IMDb, he has another carrer before The Closer. It was a small role as a reporter in The D.A., Season 1 Episode 1, aired on the 19th of March, 2004. Then he was in a very short film, The Truth is Underrated.
In The Closer, Jonathan performes a gay coroner Dr. Morales, on the other hand, Buzz is straight. He is in a relationship with his partner for fifteen years.

[White Collar]
The last scene from the first season was quite exiting, so I couldn't wait to see new season. I hope it wouldn't let me down.
As a conman, Neal Caffrey (performed by Matt Bomer) is an excellent one. He does them beautifully all the time. Incidently, someone wrote an article that gay actors can't play straight men, so I hope Neal will get a girlfriend sometime in this new season.
I like his relationship with Peter Burke (performed by Tim DeKay) and his wife Elizabeth (performed by Tiffani Thiessen). I hope it won't finish after the second season.


[True Blood]
Another one of my favourite actors, Kevin Alejandro, is in the 3rd season of True Blood as Jesus Velasquez who is a love interest of Lafayette Reynolds (performed by Nelsan Ellis) now, he appeared in the second episode though, in the third, it was credit only. So I'm looking forward to see him in the next episode.
Kevin Alejandro is in also my another favourite drama, Southland, and it will be aired in 2011.

Kevin Alejandro - AfterElton Interview

One of my favourite actors, Kevin Alejandro. Especially when he speaks Spanish, it makes me....
Here is an interview by Michael Jensen who is the chief, I suppose, editor of AfterElton. Original article is here.

Kevin Alejandro Played Gay So Many Times, We Had no Choice but to Interview Him
by Michael Jensen, Editor
June 10, 2010

We’re starting to think actor Kevin Alejandro is stalking us. Yes, the 34-year-old Texas native is straight, married to a woman and has a child, but the actor can’t seem to stop taking roles that simply compel us to write about him.
First he was on Big Love as a gay hustler, then he played Justin’s dad on Ugly Betty which included a wonderful scene where he stood up on a subway full of people to defend his “theatrical” son. Alejandro followed that up by starring in Southland which attracted our notice due to the presence of gay cop John Cooper, then next played a gay part on the reboot of Melrose Place, and now he has joined the cast of True Blood as the love interest for Lafayette Reynolds (Nelsan Ellis).
Finally we had no choice but to cry “Uncle!” and do an interview with Kevin about his role as Jesus on True Blood and much more about this handsome and fascinating man.
AE: What was the casting process like for Jesus on True Blood?
KA: It was a pretty long one, actually. I probably went to four or five auditions here and there, and then finally the deciding audition, where they have what's called the chemistry read. It was down to four or five people, and they had us all come in there and read one at a time with Nelsan to see where the chemistry lay and who had it. You know, who fit with him. And I guess that was me.
AE: What sort of scene did they have you read for the chemistry test?
KA: It was a scene they made up and it was just sort of how we meet each other, like we met at a bar or something like that, and it was sort of flirty. You know, how can you flirt and to see what's real and not go over the top and that kind of thing. I can't remember the scene exactly, but we were playing darts in a bar … sort of back and forth, sort of chit-chat and sort of talking smack to each other. But in a flirty way, you know.
AE: Who were you up against for the part?
KA: They were really good about allotting a specific time so we wouldn't come and see who else ... there were a handful of us, though. So I didn't really see who I was up against which I like better, because I don't like to be intimidated.
AE: What can you tell us about Jesus?
KA: I can tell you pretty much what you already know, man. I am the love interest to Lafayette and we meet because I'm taking care of his mother in sort of a hospital. There's a strong connection between Jesus and Lafayette and all of that sort of unfolds throughout the season.

Nelsan Ellis as Lafayette and Alejandro as Jesus
in a scene from the upcoming season of True Blood.

AE: I know that the show is pretty tightlipped on what's going to happen, but can you tell me, was it love at first sight between Jesus and Lafayette?
KA: There's definitely a connection at first sight. You'll understand later why I say that. It's kind of one of those things where they explore throughout each episode. You see a lot unfold. You see it that way.
AE: Is Jesus an out gay guy, or is this something he discovers about himself? Can you say anything about that?
KA: I can't really tell you much about that. Sorry!
AE: Hey, I'm a journalist, I gotta try. Maybe you can't answer this question either, but again, True Blood can be pretty hot and heavy. Do the two of you end up kissing or having a romantic scene at some point?
KA: You are just gonna have to watch. Just remember: it's True Blood.
AE: Speaking of which, True Blood is known for being a rather erotic show and for getting its actors naked pretty frequently. Ryan Kwanten recently joked that he was going to be leaving the nudity up to the other actors this season. So I'm curious if you've been hitting the gym just in case.
KA: Oh dude, everybody on this show is hitting the gym. Because there's always that, “Oh man, it's gonna come, it's True Blood, it's coming. It's coming, it's coming!” So yeah, man, I've been going through some pretty hardcore exercising lately. But it's good, though, because I do it in general, but I had to step up my game a lot more especially being in a freaking show with a guy like Ryan, who looks like he was built by a woman.
AE: His body's kind of scary, isn't it?
KA: Yeah, it's ridiculous! I don't want to be in a scene with him with my shirt off.

AE: Despite your leading man looks, you’ve played a wide variety of parts. When you pick roles, are you purposefully going for this really wide range? You're certainly not getting typecast.
KA: A really good buddy of mine is my manager, and we really do kind of go through and see what the next step is. Like when True Blood came along, because Southland was still in the middle of, you know, trying to figure out what's going on … we both sat there and really thought about it: "You know, this would be a really good move...". So we do, man, we sit around and talk about, you know, what the next step is for us to take ... and so far, knock on wood, I feel like it's been working pretty well.

Alejandro as a gay hustler on Big Love

AE: What appealed to you and your manager about playing Jesus?
KA: Well, the fact that I hadn't done that yet. You know, you see a little hint here and there, you know, like in Melrose Place, there's a hint of gay. You know, with the hustler there was a different kind of ... like, an edgier guy. I'm not trying to give too much away about my True Blood character, but it was just different.
And all these actors are so great and to play opposite of Nelsan was a really big factor in our decision as well because he's such a solid actor. And that's what I love to do, I love to work with good people and it's just the whole formula. Alan Ball, being part of his company, his name has class and I want to be part of projects that are that way. So there's a whole lot of things that went into it, into the decision.
There's so much that happens to Jesus and there's a really nice arc that this character goes through. It's one of my most challenging roles. You'll see why, once it starts coming out. We'll do another one of these and you'll be, like, "Ah! I get it!"
AE: But part of the appeal was that it was a gay character?
KA: Yeah, because it's different. It was part of the appeal because I'm going straight from family man with kids, playing a detective in gang territory on Southland. We thought it would be a really nice balance and challenge to go from that to Jesus.

Alejandro as Justin's supportive dad Santos on Ugly Betty

AE: How many episodes have you done for True Blood so far?
KA: I was just trying to figure that out this morning. I think I've done ... I'm on episode eleven right now, so I think I've done nine episodes.
AE: So we see a fair bit of Jesus in the series.
KA: Oh yeah yeah, definitely.
AE: What was it like to work with Alfre Woodard and Nelsan?
KA: It's so great, dude, you know? I learn a lot working with Nelsan. And Alfre, the character she plays is great, and she has the opportunity to just sort of go someplace else that's completely not part of who Alfre is. You really see her focusing and really getting into what she's trying to create. It's a really fun, sort of crazy character.
I think the three of us make a really good team. 0

AE: True Blood is obviously a very zeitgeist-y show. What it's like to step onto a show that's got that much buzz about it?
KA: Actually, it's very intimidating. You go through, you do your thing, and you do the best you can and you get the role and it's exciting. And you know, for me it was the first day at the table read ? I was like, "Phew. Okay, now I have to prove to these people that I didn't just do a fluke audition."
You come in and you listen to all these great characters ? I mean, everyone on the show is a character actor ? they're so good at creating these people. It's quite a bit intimidating. I hope I can live up to it.
Then I have to force myself to get over it, like dude, get out of your head. You know, play with these people. That's the whole thing is I had to let myself go enough to be able to go toe to toe with these people, because they're not thinking about that. So yeah, very intimidating, but it's also a driving force to make me want to do better.
AE: A show like True Blood is so intense, I'm curious what the set is like. Is it a loose set and people have a lot of fun or is it pretty serious given the subject matter?
KA: To do a show like True Blood, you have to have a good time. Sometimes the hours are long and the weather's not right and schedules are changing here and there. It's one of the coolest groups of people I've had the opportunity to be part of. We play jokes on each other, we laugh, but when it comes down to it, we get it done. When we have to be serious we are serious. It's a pretty good balance of people and humor and everything.
AE: You recently appeared as part of Cyndi Lauper's Give a Damn campaign and I'm of curious how that came about.
KA: I was actually asked if I would do it and without a second thought I said absolutely. It sort of just came up. You know, I have a lot of gay friends and people who deal with these kind of issues, and so it's very close to my life and part of the world that I'm in. I was so honored that I could be part of something like that.
AE: As I mentioned before, you're a handsome man and your profile is going to go up considerably with this show. Are you prepared to be even more of a sex symbol? You’re going to get a lot of new gay fans.
KA: You know, I don't really think of it that way, but I'm prepared for anything that comes my way. I'm flattered by that kind of stuff. I'm just doing what I'm doing. You know ... it's such a hard question. I don't know about being a sex symbol, but we all like flattery.
AE: One last question and I'll let you go. You were on one of my favorite shows last year, Southland, and I'm curious about your status. Is Nate going to be back when the show comes back?
KA: Nate will be back when the show comes back. Yeah, he will. I read somewhere the other day that John Wells took a meeting and announced that I would be coming back. Because on True Blood I started out as a recurring and I got bumped up to a series regular...
AE: Oh, I didn't know that. Congratulations.
KA: Oh, thank you. So we're going to work something out where I'm going to be able to sort of float back and forth, you know, if all goes well by the end of this season.

Alejandro as Det. Nate Moretta on Southland

AE: Any other projects you have coming up?
KA: I'm just really hyped and excited for the premiere of True Blood. There's a movie called The Legend of Hell's Gate that people can look out for that a buddy of mine did. It's a western that a bunch of friends of mine and I did together. It's starting to get a little bit of hype.
True Blood returns Sunday, June 13th at 9 PM on HBO.