Singer-Songwriter Brandon Stansell: “There’s No Feeling Like Finishing a Song”
DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
Release Date: 03/30/2023
Dennis Hensley's Happy & Gay Crossover Episode: Oscars Schmoscars
DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
In this episode, Dennis recounts the recent MisMatch Game: Bad Luck of the Irish Friday the 13th Edition, shooting pre-Oscar interview with host Conan O’Brien, attending the early morning taping of Live with Kelly & Mark at the Dolby Theater on the day after the Oscars, and have the first-ever table reading of his first-ever play Trade-Offs and crying through much of it. At the cinema, Dennis catches the new movies Nirvanna the Band The Show The Movie and Project Hail Mary, both of which he loved, and revisited an oldie Grease 2, which is...
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Author Mark Malkoff (Love Johnny Carson): "Johnny Was a Comfort"
DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
In this episode, Dennis is joined by author Mark Malkoff to talk about his book Love Johnny Carson about the iconic Tonight Show host and what made him an American institution. Mark talks about how he first became obsessed with Carson as a kid, conducting 400 interviews for his book, celebrities whose careers were made by Carson like Bette Midler, David Letterman and The Potato Chip Lady and what Carson was like off-camera. He also talks about Carson's career before the Tonight Show, his problems with drinking, his progressive attitudes around race and homosexuality and why Dana Carvey's SNL...
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Writer-Performer Mike Albo (Hologram Boyfriends, Unitard): "It’s Hard to Find Someone Who Is Ready To Sit There"
DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
Dennis is joined via Zoom by writer-performer Mike Albo to talk about his new audio original Hologram Boyfriends as well as his upcoming appearance as one-third of the comedy troupe Unitard at the Cavern Club Theater in Silver Lake (March 20-22). Hologram Boyfriends, from McMilan audio, is a series of personal essays about love, sex and connection before and after the advent of the smartphone. Mike talks about why he wanted to the examine the topic, the process of writing and recording it and how once he committed to do it, all these weird things started happening to him. He also talks why...
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THE YEAR IN MOVIES 2025 Part 2 w/ Queer Review Senior Film Critic Glenn Gaylord and actor-writer-film lover Drew Droege
DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
Once again, Dennis is joined via Zoom by Glenn Gaylord, Senior Film Critic at The Queer Review and star of the YouTube channel Glenn Hates Everything and actor-writer-film enthusiast Drew Droege to talk about the movies of 2025. Part 1 was last week. Here's Part 2 and the films discussed include: Song Sung Blue, Hamnet, Blue Sun Palace, Before We Forget, It Was Just an Accident, The Parenting, A Nice Indian Boy, Sirat, Friendship, A Night Like This, Pee-wee As Himself, Lurker, Marty Supreme, The Naked Gun, Wicked: For Good, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Sentimental Value, F1, Superman,...
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THE YEAR IN MOVIES 2025 Part 1 w/ film critic Glenn Gaylord and actor-writer-film lover Drew Droege
DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
Once again, Dennis is joined via Zoom by Glenn Gaylord, Senior Film Critic at The Queer Review and star of the YouTube channel Glenn Hates Everything and actor-writer-film enthusiast Drew Droege to talk about the movies of 2025. The films discussed include Ella McCay, Twinless, Weapons, Plainclothes, The Baltimorons, Final Destination: Bloodlines, Materialists, Rent Free, The Secret Agent, Sorry Baby, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, Bring Her Back, The Long Walk, The Plague, One of Them Days, The Mastermind, Rebuilding, Wake Up Dead Man, The History of Sound and One Battle After Another. Drew...
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The Fivesome from the play FOURSOME play "You Don't Know My Life!"
DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
In this episode, Dennis is joined by the director and cast of the new play Foursome, which is currently running at the Atwater Village Theatre in Los Angeles. The play is about two couples who head to a mountain cabin for a New Years getaway and let's just say...the play isn't called Foursome for nothing. The show's director Tom DeTrinis as well as the cast, which includes Matthew Scott Montgomery (who is also the show's playwright), Jimin Moon, Adrián Javier and Calvin Seabrooks join Dennis for a game of You Don't Know My Life! featuring these two Foursome-inspired questions: You’re...
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Singer-Actor David Hernandez ("Beautiful 2.0"): "It's Always a F%$#-ing Shane"
DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
In this episode, Dennis is joined by singer, actor and American Idol alum David Hernandez to talk about his new single and video "Beautiful 2.0," which features trans artist Mila Jam. David talks about his inspiration for re-recording the song, which he wrote and released in 2016, working with his former Harlem roommate Mila Jam, and how he feels much more comfortable on camera now than he did in 2016. He also talks his stint on American Idol in 2008, his favorite memory from the show, being on the same season as fellow out singer David Archuleta, how it blew up his life and the Idol...
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Playwright Robert Axelrod ("Lifeline"): It Is Hard Work To Help People"
DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
Dennis is joined via Zoom by playwright Robert Axelrod to discuss his new play Lifeline, which is a dramedy about a group of new volunteers at a suicide hotline. It was inspired by Robert's own experience as a volunteer for The Trevor Project hotline. Robert talks about what it was like to volunteer there, the extensive training volunteers go through and he recalls some of his more memorable conversations. He also talks about the importance of collaboration and why he loves to be the dumbest person in the room. Other topics include: the moment he got bitten by the playwriting bug, the...
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Playwright Justin Tanner ("My Son The Playwright"): "I’m A Nicer Person Than I Ever imagined I Was"
DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
Dennis is joined via Zoom by playwright Justin Tanner whose one-person show, "My Son, the Playwright," is currently running at the Rogue Machine Theatre in Hollywood. Justin talks about his motivation for writing the play, in which he plays a version of his father in Act 1 and a version of himself in 2004 in Act 2. He also talks about how he memorized the 14,000 word script by using a the robotic voice feature in Final Draft as well as an Allison Janney-inspired method involving the first letter of each word. Dennis and Justin also discuss the challenges and opportunities of writing plays...
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Audio Book Narrator Ron Butler (Baldwin: A Love Story): "I Ended The Book, Saved The File and Cried"
DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
Dennis is joined via Zoom by actor Ron Butler who has narrated hundreds of audiobooks including the current bestseller Baldwin: A Love Story by Nicholas Boggs, which is about the life and loves of the iconic queer writer James Baldwin. Ron talks about how the project came to him, how he approached doing Baldwin's voice and getting so emotional at the end of the process that he cried. He also talks about how the business of audiobook narrating works, from how he gets paid to the prep work that happens before to the sexy little home booth he bought for himself right before the pandemic. Other...
info_outlineDennis is joined via Zoom by singer-songwriter Brandon Stansell to talk about his latest album This Must Be the Place, his upcoming show at Hotel Café in Los Angeles on April 6 and shares the stories behind his songs “Pick Up Where We Left Off,” “Good At the Time” and “Did You Settle Down Too Soon.” He also talks about the reaction to his 2020 documentary Three Cords and a Lie, about the strained relationship he’s had with his family and hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee since he came out in his early 20’s. He also recalls being a dancer on Taylor Swift’s Fearless tour around the same time he came out, his favorite T Swift tune and the sweet note Taylor wrote to him. Other topics include: why he loves CrossFit, having lunch with Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks at their compound, why Amy Grant is everything, why he loves Los Angeles, working at Opryland from age 6 to 12, saying hell no to conversion therapy and that time Halle Berry came to one of his shows. @brandonstansell on Instagram https://www.brandonstansell.com/