Eric Orner (Cartoonist & Author of Smahtguy: The Life & Times of Barney Frank): “You Should Stick to the Kinds of Fairies That Wear Chaps”
DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
Release Date: 02/02/2023
DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
Dennis is joined via Zoom by playwright and director Steve Silverman, whose dark comedy Happy Birthday McKenna is currently running at the Hudson Backstage Theater in Hollywood. Steve talks about the fateful trip to a Chicago cemetery that inspired the play, mounting a show in LA when you live in Santa Barbara, rotating in different actors and the bratty 3 year-old who is the McKenna in question. He also talks about his career working in promotion for TV networks and directing stars like Cloris Leachman and Mindy Kaling. Other topics include: the Spielberg movie that rocked his world, how he...
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Dennis is joined via Zoom by L.A.-based filmmaker Robert Chandler to discuss his new documentary Dirty Sexy Comics, which is about the world of gay, male, erotic comics. Robert talks about how he got the idea to do the film, balancing this passion project with a day job in corporate entertainment, being starstruck while interviewing the artists he’s admired for years and how many of those artists destroyed their work when they were starting out rather than risk being exposed as gay. Robert also recalls his first comics crush, Reed Richards in The Fantastic Four, the days he spent...
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Dennis is joined via Zoom by Glenn Gaylord, Senior Film Critic at The Queer Review, and actor-writer-film enthusiast Drew Droege for Part 2 of their annual year-end movie wrap-up. The films discussed include 13 Lives, The Banshees of Inisherin, Bros, A Man Called Otto, The Whale, Blonde, To Leslie, Official Competition, Barbarian, The Black Phone, Decision to Leave, Nope, Watcher, The Fabelmans, Babylon, The Cathedral, Emily the Criminal, Cha Cha Real Smooth, Emergency, The Inspection, Causeway, Everything Everywhere All At Once and Dog.
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Dennis is joined via Zoom by Glenn Gaylord, Senior Film Critic at The Queer Review, and actor-writer-film enthusiast Drew Droege to talk about the movies of last year; their favorites, the moments that have stuck with them and the movies they just weren’t that into. The films discussed include RRR, Tar, Marry Me, Bones and All, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Speak No Evil, The Lost City, Women Talking, Good Luck To You Leo Grande, Pearl, She Said, Bodies Bodies Bodies, The Menu and Triangle of Sadness.
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Dennis goes from host to guest with this crossover episode with the podcast Cinema Craptaculus Presents The Expanded Universe hosted by John H.H. Ford and Smoore. Here’s the official blurb: Love … exciting and -- GONE? Are romantic movies going extinct? Dennis Hensley, host of game shows and the Dennis Anyone? with Dennis Hensley podcast joins the geeks to see if Hollywood still cares about love in films, where we can find them, and why we still need them. Romance, wherefore art thou? It’s a special Valentine’s Day episode of Cinema Craptaculus Presents: The...
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Dennis is joined via Zoom by actors Jonny Beauchamp and Mike Manning the stars of the new thriller The Way Out, which hits streaming this month. The film, directed by Barry Jay, tells the story of a vulnerable young man named Alex (Beauchamp) whose dealing with major issues like abuse and addiction, who takes in a new roommate named Shane (Manning) who maybe isn’t quite the nice guy he seems to be. The pair talk about what drew them to the project, supporting each other on set and how good it felt to be working after a year and a half of lockdown. Jonny talks about the thrill of shooting his...
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Dennis is joined via Zoom by cartoonist Eric Orner, who is best known for The Mostly Unfabulous Life of Ethan Green, to talk about his new graphic novel Smahtguy: The Life and Times of Barney Frank. Eric talks about meeting Congressman Frank when he was in his 20’s, going to work for him in his congressional office and describes why, decades later, he wanted to turn Barney’s life into a graphic novel. Eric also talks about getting Barney’s blessing on the project, interviewing him over four months to get the full story, and the reaction Barney had after reading the finished book. He also...
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Dennis is joined via Zoom by actor Jonathan Slavin, one of the stars of the play Home Front, which is about the obstacles facing a black naval officer and his white fiancee in post WW2 America and is currently playing at the Victory Theatre in Burbank, CA. Jonathan plays the couple’s gay neighbor, who is also a veteran. Jonathan talks about working with the playwright Warren Leight, who based Jonathan’s character on his uncle, and how he balanced bringing humor to the show without playing into wacky gay neighbor clichés. Jonathan also talks about his career in television, playing...
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Dennis connects via zoom with Matt Carter, the London-based co-writer and director of In From the Side, a romantic drama about a forbidden love between two players in a gay rugby league. Matt talks his own rugby background and why he wanted to explore the issues of monogamy and infidelity rather than the coming out and homophobia themes that are so common in gay films. Matt also talks about the casting process, when he knew his two leads Alexander Lincoln and Alexander King had chemistry and how he approached directing the pair in the film’s steamy love scenes. He also discusses how he got...
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For his first episode of 2023, Dennis is joined via Zoom by visual artist Warren Wright (AKA Warrencito) whose affectionate, witty and incredibly-detailed Dollmation videos have been delighting fans on YouTube and Instagram since before the pandemic. Warren talks about what went into creating his most popular videos, like Barbra Streisand’s “Don’t Rain On My Parade,” Barry Manilow’s “Copacabana,” Cher’s “Dark Lady” and Madonna’s MTV Awards performance of “Vogue.” He also talks about the amount of time and effort that goes into creating his videos, how he shoots...
info_outlineDennis is joined via Zoom by cartoonist Eric Orner, who is best known for The Mostly Unfabulous Life of Ethan Green, to talk about his new graphic novel Smahtguy: The Life and Times of Barney Frank. Eric talks about meeting Congressman Frank when he was in his 20’s, going to work for him in his congressional office and describes why, decades later, he wanted to turn Barney’s life into a graphic novel. Eric also talks about getting Barney’s blessing on the project, interviewing him over four months to get the full story, and the reaction Barney had after reading the finished book. He also discusses when he first knew he could draw, his use of hand-drawing mixed with computers and what comes first when he’s creating, the words or the images. Other topics include: Barney Frank’s role as Clinton’s top defender in the early days of the Lewinsky scandal, Barney making a pivotal deal with singer James Brown back in the 1960’s, Nancy Pelosi cutting a rug at Barney Frank’s wedding and how Barney Frank is a horrible backseat driver but an excellent boss. https://us.macmillan.com/author/ericorner