Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2006. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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Washington Blade - December 1, 2006
Brian Moylan
PBS' gay newsmagazine "In the Life," which is celebrating its 15th year on the air, dove into the program's archives to cobble together a series of segments about the disease and its effects on individuals and communities.
Hosted by gay actor Wilson Cruz (most recently seen in gay serial "Noah's Arc"), "In the Life: The Changing Face of AIDS" recycles five stories. From 1996 comes a dispatch about the creation of the "drug cocktail" of protease inhibitors and other antiviral drugs that gave a new lease on life to many living with HIV. Due to the introduction of the drugs, for the first time the gay community had to deal with people growing older with the virus, and a story from 2004 looks at how the cocktail and HIV has changed the aging process.
The biggest recent news in HIV/AIDS from a gay perspective was the link between crystal methamphetamine (also known as "Tina") and HIV, and a story from 2005 examines the hot topic and the contentious issues surrounding the connections between the drug and the virus.
"In the Life" also focuses on the historical and ongoing challenges in treating the disease with a 1998 segment about an AIDS service provider in Tijuana, Mexico. A 2004 story explores the Stop AIDS Project, a controversial AIDS prevention group with a pro-sex message that was in trouble of losing its funding.
Cruz does fill in some background and provides brief updates on most of the stories, but these are more blasts from the past than a fully synthesized special about how the disease has changed over the years.
THE HEAVY HITTER this Dec. 1 is gay cable channel Logo, which has a whole day of programming mapped out, including classic AIDS films like "It's My Party," "And the Band Played On," "Behind the Red Door" and "In the Gloaming." From 4 û 7 p.m., there's a marathon of the entire Logo original series "The Ride: Seven Days to End AIDS," which follows a group of cyclists on a San Francisco-to-Los Angeles fundraising ride.
The Sundance Channel debuts its documentary "The Mother's House" at 10 p.m. Directed by Emmy Award-winning, South African filmmaker Francois Verster, the film shows four years in the life of a young South African girl living with an HIV-positive mother. At 11:15 the channel also shows "Positive Voices: Matthew Cusick" a 12-minute documentary about the HIV-positive gymnast (and former D.C. resident) who sued Cirque du Soleil for HIV discrimination.
On Dec. 4 at 9 p.m., Showtime airs "3 Needles," a star-studded look at how the virus has affected three people in three different countries. The cast includes Stockard Channing, Olympia Dukakis, Lucy Liu, Shawn Ashmore and Sandra Oh, and it's being released in select movie theaters on the East and West Coasts on Dec. 1. Showtime will also air "Beat the Drum," the story of a rural African boy who travels to Johannesburg looking for work and hope after a mysterious illness strikes his village.
On a lighter note, at 4 p.m. on Lifetime, gay favorite "The Golden Girls" airs a rerun featuring Rose (Betty White) having an AIDS scare.
Over on USA, a three-episode marathon of "Law & Order: SVU" addresses crimes that have something to do with HIV/AIDS. The drama starts at 8 p.m.
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