It’s no secret that SouthlandTvFans.com has been Google-ized. Why not? They give us free email accounts, Google Calendar, contacts, Google Docs, Google Chat, Google Wave (if anyone actually used it!), Google Sites, Mobile apps & Sync – you name it, we’re using it! The fact that we’re getting all of this for free is just icing on the cake, especially considering the fact that we are totally reliant on user donations to survive.

Sample start.SouthlandTvFans.com page

Now Google has gone one step further and introduce its iGoogle Start/Portal page as part of the whole Google Apps package!

So, dedicated fans of SouthLAnd, you can get your Southland fix at the same time as you check your gmail, monitor your chats, keep track of your calendar and add any of the thousands of “widgets” that are out there when you customize your own personal SouthlandTvFans “Start” page at http://start.southlandtvfans.com.

Here’s the catch: To really make the most of this wonderful new start page, you have to have an account at SouthlandTvFans.com. So how do you get an account with all these great features (start page, GMail, docs, calendar, chat, etc.), you ask? Why, that’s simple! You just have to Love SouthLAnd and join our team! We always need people to volunteer and help out, whether it be moderating in the Forums, contributing articles here on the website, creating graphics or who knows what – the only limitation is imagination, the only requirements are time and dedication (and the time part is minimal!).

What are you waiting for? Check out this cool new feature, and while you are at it, why not join our team and help us promote SouthLAnd at the same time.

Thanks to the generous donations of some of our dedicated fans, I have been able to upgrade the service that provides our 3rd party user authentications to the “Plus” version for 1 year! Now, instead of only 6 limited services available for users to log in with for commenting and participation on the website, we have access to the full range of social networking sites and additional, expanded services until this time next year.

What does all this mean?

I’m so glad you asked! It means that as we ramp up to the new season of SouthLAnd, and especially this fall as the cast starts filming the new episodes and we (hopefully) start getting some inside news & pictures, virtually anyone on the internet from any social networking site around will be able to comment and participate here – without us worrying about being overrun by spammers!

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As you may have noticed (like you could have missed them!) the site has been somewhat inactive recently, as we all struggle through the show’s hiatus and a lack of activity in all things SouthLAnd during the long wait for Season 3. One of our dedicated Team members, Cathy, has been posting Fan Birthday Greetings on a pretty regular basis, frequently with input from other friends and fans in the form of pictures and collages.

Now that our fan base has grown so large, and real life has reared its ugly head reducing the amount of time that Cathy has available to spend on coordinating and posting those messages, we’ve made the decision to discontinue posting Fan Birthdays on this website. (continue reading…)

SouthLAnd and Ben McKenzie fans who can’t wait for the next season to premiere in January on TNT will get rare chance to see Ben live on stage this fall in Los Angeles as he takes on the Tennessee Williams class The Glass Menagerie. Appearing in the role of “the gentleman caller” in this beloved classic, Ben will be joining Two-time  Tony Award®-winner Judith Ivy (Nurse Jackie, Flags of Our Fathers, The Devil’s Advocate), Patch Darragh (Mercy) and Keira Keeley. The Glass Menagerie is directed Gordon Edelstein in what is called “a critically lauded re-imagining of the classic story.”

“…the  production is suffused with emotion from its first moments to its last,  turbulent with the confusions of love and hope and regret and fear that fill  any family living room in a time of crisis and stress.”

- The  New York Times

The play will be showing from September 1 through October 17 at the famous, and fabulous, Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, part of the Center Theater Group that includes the Ahmanson Theater and the Kirk Douglas Theater. This 750 seat theater is an intimate smaller stage, with seating on 3 sides that brings the audience closer to the “action” giving you a feeling of really being part of the production. For those with special needs, it is also wheelchair accessible and provides Phonic Ear sound system headsets on request. Situated in downtown Los Angeles, within walking distance of a multitude of restaurants and clubs and easily accessible to public transportation, the Mark Taper Forum is the perfect destination for a complete evening out on the town for dinner and a show.

To make things even more special, SouthlandTvFans.com visitors are being extended a special offer. From September 1-8 only, for all performances, tickets are only $25 for seats in Section A (directly in front of the stage) – that’s $10-$20 off the regular pricing, depending on the night! Don’t wait, though – tickets are selling out fast. To get the special discounted rate, simply call (213) 628-2772 and mention code CALLER or go to http://www.centertheatergroup.org/caller.

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Despite appearances, yes we are still here and active! No, we are not just a “Happy Birthday” site for our fans.

Since the fantastic news from TNT that SouthLAnd has been renewed for a third season a lot has been going on, both in the world of SouthLAnd and in my own personal world.

Personally, to put it simply, I have been totally and completely swamped. Business has completely overloaded me with a project that I can’t talk about (yet) but has been both extremely frustrating and extremely rewarding. Unfortunately, it has also had me working literally 60-80 hours a week to meet some very unrealistic deadlines. Needless to say, since this is what generates my paycheck (and by extension, pays for this website and pretty much everything related to it) that takes priority over everything else including site updates, new posts, or anything like that. With luck, and a little hard work, this will change in the near future and I’ll be back to regular updates again.

However, you don’t need to go without your SouthLAnd fix!

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