DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley
"A poodocast about making things up and making things happen." L.A.-based writer-performer Dennis Hensley interviews a different creative person each week about what they do, why they do it, and how they keep it going. Past guests have included authors, actors, photographers, musicians, screenwriters, acrobats and one visual artist who makes cartoons centered around dead houseflies.
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Playwright Del Shores & Actress Dale Dickey (This Side of Crazy): "Scratch Deeper"
02/12/2020
Playwright Del Shores & Actress Dale Dickey (This Side of Crazy): "Scratch Deeper"
Dennis goes to the Hollywood home of playwright Del Shores to talk to Del and actress Dale Dickey about their just-opened play This Side of Crazy, which is about an egocentric gospel diva and her three estranged daughters. Del talks about the show's themes of forgiveness and reconciliation, writing for specific actors, sitting behind one of his idols Horton Foote in the theater, what it's like when one of his actors hits it big in Hollywood and having your plays published by Samuel French. Dale talks about her character of Abigail, what it's like to have a role written for you, smoking on stage, singing harmony with her co-stars, her Witchiepoo connection, getting recognized from Breaking Bad, finding her way into characters some might consider "undesirables" and performing as Shrek and Barney for kids' birthday parties before being able to act full time. Other topics include: their first meeting 17 projects ago, hanging in in such a challenging business, the overwhelming reaction their previous collaborations Southern Baptist Sissies and The Trials and Tribulations of a Trailer Trash Housewife and what it feels like after a killer show.
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Performer John Cantwell (A Little More Love Connie): "I Call It White Girl Scatting"
02/05/2020
Performer John Cantwell (A Little More Love Connie): "I Call It White Girl Scatting"
Dennis visits the Hollywood apartment of performer John Cantwell AKA Love Connie to talk about his new show A Little More Love Connie, which is inspired by the life and music of Olivia Newton-John. John recalls the road trip to Houston he took recently where he listened to Olivia's entire catalog and didn't repeat a song until he got to San Antonio...and how that trip help inspire the show. Dennis and John then discuss their favorite ONJ tracks, getting to meet her, the unique quality of her voice, mispronouncing the word Xanadu and the Grease vs. Grease 2 debate. John also talks about guest-starring on RuPaul's Drag Race as RuPaul's personal trainer and creating the Connie-Wood web series for World of Wonder. Then Dennis and John take an online ONJ quiz and crush it. Other topics include: performing as Love Connie for the first time in front of family members, the regrouped Animotion, Sylvia Miles, Slut Rock, the Taylor Swift documentary, gushing to Melissa Leo about the movie Streetwalkin' and getting goosebumps at the mere thought of lip-syncing to a Lisa Hartman song.
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2019 Movie Wrap Up w/ Glenn Gaylord & Michael Dougherty
02/02/2020
2019 Movie Wrap Up w/ Glenn Gaylord & Michael Dougherty
For the fourth year in a row, Dennis sits down with Glenn Gaylord (Senior Film Critic for The Queer Review) and Michael Dougherty (co-director of the ReelAbilities Film Festival: Los Angeles) to talk about the movies and movie moments they loved from 2019. Films discussed include: Parasite, The Irishman, Hustlers, Long Shot, Dolemite is My Name, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, High Life, Good Boys, Ad Astra, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, JT Leroy, Midsommer, Avengers: Endgame, Joker, Rocketman, Scream Queen: My Nightmare on Elm Street, Queen and Slim, Blinded by the Light, Us, The Last Black Man in San Francisco, The Lighthouse, A Hidden Life, Honeyboy, The Peanut Butter Falcon and Serenity.
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Daniele Gaither & Pip Lilly "(For the Love of a Glove"): "I've Had an Emmanuel For Years..."
01/29/2020
Daniele Gaither & Pip Lilly "(For the Love of a Glove"): "I've Had an Emmanuel For Years..."
Dennis visits the dressing room at the Carl Sagan & Ann Duran Theater to talk to Daniele Gaither and Pip Lilly, two of the stars of the new musical "For the Love of a Glove," an absurd and satirical take on the early life of Michael Jackson. They talk about what drew them to the show, going to puppet camp, playing multiple characters (including Emmanuel Lewis!) and how the show fits into a post-Leaving Neverland world. Daniele recalls road-tripping with a friend to the Michael Jackson trial and actually getting in and Pip remembers dining with a very rich friend of MJ. Other topics include: Pip's favorite birthday, Daniele's limo ride to nowhere, dodging staplers at work, learning to love your big butt and the movie snakes and rats that gave them nightmares.
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Tarot Card Artist and Singer Paul Ybarra: "Jan Brady Is My Spirit Animal"
01/10/2020
Tarot Card Artist and Singer Paul Ybarra: "Jan Brady Is My Spirit Animal"
Dennis visits the gothic-style and possibly haunted Hollywood apartment of Paul Ybarra, a singer and visual artist who has recently started creating tarot card illustrations featuring pop culture figures like Liza Minnelli, Mr. Rogers, Sonny Bono, Josephine Baker, Liberace, The Ronettes, Divine, Al Parker, Leona Helmsley, Joyce DeWitt and Miss Coco Peru...and then posting them on Instagram as @hauntedhollywood. He talks about his creative process, how he matches the tarot characters to the celebrities, the different media he uses, his goal of making them look as though Jan Brady created them and buying his first deck of tarot cards at a Barnes and Noble at 14. He also talks about growing up Catholic in a progressive, New Age community in Oregon, having an identical twin brother, getting chastised for being effeminate as a kid, his lifelong obsession with Donna Summer and his fetish for straight jackets. He also discusses his passion for singing, his three EPs that are streaming on Spotify and covering artists he loves like Fleetwood Mac, Donna Summer, Blondie and Oasis. Other topics include: lusting after Telly Savalas, being strange and weird, the wondrousness of wigs, buying crazy stuff on ebay like Sarah Vaughn's last license plate and his dream of being a cult figure, "like Dawn Davenport from Female Trouble but without the murders."
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Comedian Todd Masterson (@GayFatFriend on Instagram): "I Never Thought I'd Be Big on Instagram"
12/31/2019
Comedian Todd Masterson (@GayFatFriend on Instagram): "I Never Thought I'd Be Big on Instagram"
Dennis visits the West Hollywood home of comedian and writer Todd Masterson, the mind and the body behind the red-hot Instagram account @gayfatfriend, in which he photoshops himself into pictures of gay Insta-hotties. He talks about how he first came up with the idea, his daily creative process, what it feels like to go viral, getting dishy DMs from moles inside the gay hottie hive and that time he hurt himself trying to match the crouched and balancing pose of a Insta-gay. He talks about the mind-trip of going from an "almost never nude" to posting a half-naked picture of himself online every single day. Todd also talks about how he first got into comedy, opening for Jimmy Fallon early on, working with Joan Rivers on Fashion Police and his dream of working on SNL. Todd and Dennis also recall the writers strike they were both a part of in 2013 and what they learned from it. Other topics include: working on Season 7 of RuPaul's Drag Race, road rage, the superpowers he wishes he had, waiting tables and getting fired over s Yelp review, seeing Striptease and Showgirls in the theater with his parents as a teenager and being taught how to steal things by his grandmother.
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Singer Jennifer Cihi (the singing voice of Sailor Moon): "The Joy of Trotting It Out"
12/23/2019
Singer Jennifer Cihi (the singing voice of Sailor Moon): "The Joy of Trotting It Out"
Dennis welcomes to his Noho condo his long-lost friend, singer-performer Jennifer Cihi who is visiting L.A. from Nashville. She talks about the gig she did in the early 1990's--the Japanese anime series Sailor Moon--that has led her to have a whole new career as a guest at anime conventions, the emotional connection she shares with Sailor Moon fans, bringing awareness to mental health issues through her work, how her relationship to singing has evolved over the years, doing Annie at 12, living in Nashville, losing her confidence and getting it back and how she never gets tired of "trotting it out." Other topics include: the Jen & Den cabaret show they did in the early 90's, the Titanic parody Dennis wrote and Jennifer sang at an Oscar party in the late 1990s, the job interview she showed up for drunk, writing a fan letter and sending Throat Coat to Cynthia Erivo, the time Enzo saved the day, and Jennifer's most glamorous night, her Spark and Sparkle crafts line...which happens to be Dennis's most glamorous night, too.
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Author Scottie Jeanette Madden: "The Brighter the Light, the Darker the Shadow"
12/12/2019
Author Scottie Jeanette Madden: "The Brighter the Light, the Darker the Shadow"
Dennis ventures to the edge of the Santa Monica wilderness to the home of author, speaker and TV showrunner Scottie Jeanette Madden to discuss her new cookbook/memoir Recklass In the Kitchen, a Year of Light, Laughter & Love…Oh, and Food! as well as the charity holiday dinner she's hosting on December 21st. She talks about how, in the years before she transitioned, cooking was her solace and saved her life. She also talks about some of her holiday favorites, like serving pumpkin soup out of actual pumpkins for Halloween, her Christmas Eve dinner party that doesn't mess around and what it means to be a ninja valentine. She explains what it's like to do a Ted Talk and why she thinks it's important to emphasize gender dysphoria when she's giving speeches. She recalls what it was like to be working on the book during the same period that she was losing the love of her life to cancer. Other topics include: cooking shows on TV, her family's 'F 'em" ethos, how transitioning has impacted her TV career, embracing the color pink, and why it's cool to be part of the Benevolent Brotherhood of the Brick Wall.
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The Women of Bob's Holiday Office Party: "It's Like a Fever Dream"
12/06/2019
The Women of Bob's Holiday Office Party: "It's Like a Fever Dream"
Dennis visits the Silver Lake home of actress Andrea Hutchman to interview Andrea and two of her co-stars from the long-running L.A. stage comedy Bob's Holiday Office Party, which runs December 5th through the 22nd at the Atwater Village Theatre. They talk about the how they came to be in the show, how it's evolved in 24 years, on stage mishaps, drinking warm Coors Light on stage and the fans that come back year after year, sometimes by the busload. They also talk about how they all first met in the 80's, the play they all did together when they first came to L.A. and how Bob's fits into their Hollywood careers. Other topics include: the gay t-shirt that was prophetic, Flamenco dancing, offensive Halloween costumes, JFK Jr., getting in trouble in school and the time they got Taco Bell delivered to them on stage during the show. www.bobsofficeparty.com
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The Men of Shooting Star The Musical Play You Don't Know My Life!
11/30/2019
The Men of Shooting Star The Musical Play You Don't Know My Life!
Dennis and his game co-creator Jeb Havens head to a fabulous Hollywood high-rise to play You Don't Know My Life! with two of the men behind the new gay porn musical Shooting Star; Florian Klein, writer and producer and actor-singer Michael Scott Harris, who plays the aging daddy porn star in the show. The guys play a twist on the original YDKML format where each player writes down two answers to every question; one true answer and one that's a lie. It's a great way to play if you only have 3 or 4 people. The questions they take on involve regrettable fashion trends, getting picked on, early encounters with pornography and the always provocative "When was a time when you felt like you took a walk on the wild side?" www.youdontknowmylife.com
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Match Game 101 Author A. Ashley Hoff: "What Would Joyce Boulifant Do?"
11/12/2019
Match Game 101 Author A. Ashley Hoff: "What Would Joyce Boulifant Do?"
Dennis welcomes A. Ashley Hoff to his condo to talk about his new, 499-page book Match Game 101, a textbook-sized tome all about the classic TV game show and the delightful celebrities who appeared on it. Ashley talks about how he first got the idea to do a Match Game book, interviewing stars like Marcia Wallace, Brett Somers and Charles Nelson Reilly, why the show means so much to him snd who Earl was when host Gene Reyburn would say "Slide it, Earl!" during the super-match round. He also gives us the inside scoop on the question writers, the moments that got bleeped, whether Richard Dawson was a dick or not, how boozy everyone was, hanging out in Charles Nelson Reilly's dressing room and that day when John Travolta tried out to be a Match Game celebrity and didn't make the grade. Other topics include: Ashley's go-to karaoke song, why he dedicated the book to Jacqueline Susann, James Dean's game show connection and why Ashley often asks himself "What would Joyce Boulifant do?"
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Fruitbowl podcast creator Dave Quantic: "I Want a Good Korean Deli Donut That's Completely Fake Tasting"
10/29/2019
Fruitbowl podcast creator Dave Quantic: "I Want a Good Korean Deli Donut That's Completely Fake Tasting"
in this episode, Dennis connects via Skype with Dave Quantic, creator and host of the new podcast Fruitbowl, an Oral History of Queer Sex. He talks about where the idea came from, the queer humor and self-compassion he discovers in his subjects and the questions he asks in his interviews, like 'What's your best move in the bedroom?' and 'What's the most embarrassing thing that's happened to you during sex?' He also talks about living in Seattle vs. Los Angeles, the award-winning movie that led to the podcast, the interviews that move him, being called a sissy as a kid and getting called out at school for wearing the same jeans as a girl in his class. Other topics include: the swagger of Erik Estrada, going to a boarding school in Austria, why he's frustrated with Facebook, the horrible roommates who never bought toilet paper and that time he embarrassed himself in front of Tobey Maguire at the Virgin Megastore.
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Writer-Director Matthew Lynn ("The Third"): "It's the New Keto!"
10/22/2019
Writer-Director Matthew Lynn ("The Third"): "It's the New Keto!"
Dennis visits the L.A. home of Matthew Lynn, creator of the new TV series The Third, which is about a romantic relationship between three gay men living in Palm Springs. He talks about the two triad relationships he's been in that inspired the story, the pros and cons of being part of a throuple, the various reactions of people in his life and why it sucks to be the person sleeping in the middle of the bed. He also talks about his Southern Baptist background, going through electroshock conversion therapy, being rejected by his family when he first came out, reconnecting with his family more recently and the longing for surrogate families in the LGBT community. He also discusses how he got the project made, shooting and living in Palm Springs, why he moved back to L.A. and working with Brian Jordan Alvarez on The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo. Other topics include: his past as a radio deejay for a Christian music station, what he'd pursue if he had to change careers tomorrow and how Celine Dion made him gay.
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Writer-Performer D'Lo: "Come For the Helicopter!"
10/13/2019
Writer-Performer D'Lo: "Come For the Helicopter!"
Dennis heads to the LA LGBT Center's Village to talk to writer, actor and comedian D'Lo about his new one-man show To T or Not to T? D'Lo is trans and his show documents his decision whether or not to take testosterone as well as how his journey has and continues to impact his parents. D'Lo talks about the inspiration for the show, what it's like to perform his parents as characters, the tough talk he had to have with his father on the eve of his commitment ceremony and what it's been like to share such personal intimate details from his life on stage. He also talks about appearing on the TV shows Looking, Transparent and Glee, the increased visibility of trans people in pop culture, doing shows in different parts of the country, visiting Sri Lanka and performing at conservative colleges. Other topics include: the time he saw his favorite Jackson, how the Benny Hill Show almost got him in trouble, the grand gesture he did to woo a cute co-ed and the sex toy he'd like to do an informercial for.
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Actor Stephen Guarino & Playwright Erik Patterson ("Handjob"): "Orgies by the Airport!"
09/30/2019
Actor Stephen Guarino & Playwright Erik Patterson ("Handjob"): "Orgies by the Airport!"
Dennis heads to Burbank to interview playwright Erik Patterson and actor Stephen Guarino about "Handjob," Erik's about a gay writer who hires a shirtless cleaner. Erik talks about the time he hired a real shirtless cleaner, how he realized it could be a play and later inviting the real cleaner to see the play he helped inspire. Stephen talks about what appealed to him about the project, the challenge of finding flawed, three-dimensional roles, and performing the title act in front of an audience. They both talk about what it's like to be an artist today when people are more in tune around issues like representation, privilege, race and consent. Together, they talk about the wide-ranging reactions to the play, the ins and outs of ordering prosthetic penises, on stage nudity rules, the long list monologue that Stephen makes his bitch, Google stalking and the gulf between their Hollywood careers and the world of this play. Other topics include: Erik's writing for Hallmark movies, the challenge of getting Hollywood people to come see the show, the Glenn Close sketch Dennis wrote and Stephen starred in on The Big Gay Sketch Show, Stephen working with producer Jim Carrey on I'm Dying Up Here, the time Erik crashed the Golden Globes, and Stephen almost meeting Jennifer Saunders and wanting to live in a cinder block like The Secret of Nymh.
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Photographer DS Craze: "There's Beauty in Everything, You Just Have to Dig a Little Bit"
09/10/2019
Photographer DS Craze: "There's Beauty in Everything, You Just Have to Dig a Little Bit"
Dennis heads to Sherman Oaks to talk with photographer DS Craze about his debut photography exhibition "Bridges and the Peace Between," which is opening this Saturday, September 14th and runs through September 30th at The Whole 9 Gallery in Culver City. DC talks about his inspiration for the photographs, falling in love with taking pictures, finding beauty in things that are abandoned and dilapidated and why he loves to take pictures. He talks about the locations for his shots: Desert Center in the Salton Sea in California, the empty auto plants of his hometown of Detroit, the Brooklyn Bridge and the Santa Monica Pier. Other topics include: moving to LA, serving in the Navy and being stationed in Cuba, taking art shots on his iPhone, the abandoned amusement park in the Philippines he wants to go photograph, how The Empire Strikes Back changed his life, his massive collection of Star Wars figures and that time he won a car on The Price is Right.
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Authors in the Afternoon...play You Don't Know My Life!
08/27/2019
Authors in the Afternoon...play You Don't Know My Life!
Dennis heads to his friend Don Cummings' place in Hollywood to play You Don't Know My Life! with four up-for-anything authors. Vanessa McGrady's book is called Rock Needs River: A Memoir About a Very Open Adoption. Career coach Barbara Deutsch wrote a book about communication called Open Up for Shut Up: How to Talk Your Way Into or Out of Anything. August McLaughlin's book is called Girl Boner: The Good Girl's Guide to Sexual Empowerment. She also has a podcast of the same name. And finally, our gracious host Don Cummings, who Dennis interviewed earlier this year, wrote the memoir Bent But Not Broken about his odyssey with Peyronie's Disease. The questions the play have to do with everything from breakups to teen idols to good deeds from strangers to riding in an elevator with Rush Limbaugh. There's also a story involving a tarp and a rainstorm that's so romantic it should be turned into a Hallmark movie.
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Actor-Writer Kimleigh Smith (T-O-T-A-L-L-Y!): "Life Shows Up the Way You Are"
08/20/2019
Actor-Writer Kimleigh Smith (T-O-T-A-L-L-Y!): "Life Shows Up the Way You Are"
Dennis visits the Burbank home of actor and writer Kimleigh Smith a week after seeing her searing, inspiring and hilarious one-woman show T-O-T-A-L-L-Y! The show documents her real-life journey of being gang raped in college, completely repressing it for eight years, recalling it again through hypnosis and then working through the pain of it to reclaim her body, her sexuality and her life. She talks about how donating a kidney led her to start writing, the men with the nicknames that helped her discover her sexuality, allowing herself to be vulnerable and trying--and failing--to be a lesbian. Other topics include: the "hover move," the crisis of masculinity, porn stars who smile, her 17 year-old alter ego in her head who loves to rain all over her parade, taking the show to Lithuania, her company Embrace Your Cape, kicking her addiction to bad men, getting inspiration from Jill Scott, finding her voice, owning your body and her mission to change the world.
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Filmmaker Doug Spearman (From Zero To I Love You): "My Happy Place is in the Director's Chair"
08/12/2019
Filmmaker Doug Spearman (From Zero To I Love You): "My Happy Place is in the Director's Chair"
Dennis welcomes filmmaker Doug Spearman to his condo to hang out with Enzo and talk about his film From Zero to I Love You, which he first discussed with Dennis in 2014 when he was launching the crowd-funding campaign. He talks about the 4-year odyssey to getting the film finished, how he went crazy, the life events that came along and made things tougher and how good it feels to finally show it to audiences. Doug expresses his gratitude to his cast and crew for sticking it out, describes the many different hats he had to wear, managing his crowd-funding campaign, why he changed the title, the state of the gay indie marketplace and shooting in Philadelphia. He also talks about how he still hears from Noah's Arc fans and why the period of time when he was shooting the series was one of the most difficult of his life. Other topics include: playing a judge on The Young and the Restless, stealing a Barbie wedding dress, the lavender suit he hated wearing on Noah's Arc, how his excellent booty was problematic when he was younger and coming out to his parents when Charles and Diana got married.
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Filmmaker-Actor Mike Doyle ("Sell By"): "I'm Holding the Door for You and Your Emmy"
07/30/2019
Filmmaker-Actor Mike Doyle ("Sell By"): "I'm Holding the Door for You and Your Emmy"
Dennis borrows his pal Danny's West Hollywood apartment so he can interview writer-director-actor Mike Doyle about his new ensemble comedy Sell By, which screened at Outfest in L.A. He talks about where the original inspiration came from, how he found his actors, why it was important to him to hire out gay actors Scott Evans and Augustus Prew to play the central gay couple and how he got to shoot on the Highline in NYC for free. He talks about getting killed off on Law and Order SVU after being on the show for six years, being a "punch the clock, blue collar" actor and how he navigates the ups and downs of the business. Other topics include: appearing nude on stage, getting on The Price is Right when he had $128 to his name and winning $8K, riding in an elevator with John McCain, writing a fan letter to Linda Lavin, his mom being a leader in P-PLAG, volunteering for the Hilary Clinton campaign, why he loves Tootsie, working on Jersey Boys with Clint Eastwood, being starstruck by Ryan Reynolds and that time in sixth grade when he dressed up for Halloween as a "pretty hooker."
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Professor & Author Andy Scahill: Maybe I'm the Bad Seed
07/23/2019
Professor & Author Andy Scahill: Maybe I'm the Bad Seed
Dennis sits down in an L.A. apartment with professor and Andy Scahill to talk about the new documentary he appears in Scream Queen: My Nightmare on Elm Street about the maybe gayest horror movie ever made Nightmare on Elm Street 2. He talks about how he came to be involved in the film, the tumultuous and poignant life journey of the film's gay lead, why LGBT people are drawn to horror as a genre, his book The Revolting Children about kids in horror movies. He also talks about his work in academia, why he loves teaching, interacting with millennials and the movie that always blows his students away. He recalls being outed in high school--by a cheerleader, no less. Other topics include: why Avatar isn't beloved, his most provocative T-shirt, his favorite James Bond, playing the "Bait Bear" in Tom Goss's popular music video Bears and becoming The Tawny Kitaen of gay music videos...and he has a delicious story about a certain former First Lady of California pitching a fit in the bookstore he worked in because the store didn't carry her children's book.
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Writer-Performer Randy Slovacek (The Randy Report): "We're All Just Show Folk"
07/15/2019
Writer-Performer Randy Slovacek (The Randy Report): "We're All Just Show Folk"
With this episode, Dennis does his first remote podcast...a crossover episode with Vegas-based blogger Randy Slovacek who writes The Randy Report blog and its companion podcast of the same name. On Dennis's recent trip to Vegas, Randy generously offered to talk Dennis through recording remotely...and here's the result. Randy talks about how he started the Randy Report blog, his favorite subjects--and studs--to write about, getting recognized by a reader on a gay cruise and why he loves doing it. He also talks about his career as a Broadway performer appearing in shows like Cats, A Chorus Line, Chicago and Hello Dolly with Carol Channing who he shares several delicious stories about. In true crossover fashion, Randy also asks Dennis about his various goings-on. Other topics include: wanting to be Donny Osmond, annoying Donna Summer with the gay question, getting your Chicago costume from International Male and the upcoming Cats movie.
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Del Shores & Friends Play You Don't Know My Life!
06/29/2019
Del Shores & Friends Play You Don't Know My Life!
Just in time for the 4th of July weekend, here's a special YOU DON'T KNOW MY LIFE! episode featuring filmmaker/playwright/performer Del Shores (Sordid Lives, Southern Baptist Sissies) and three of his frequent collaborators: actress Ann Walker (LaVonda in Sordid Lives), actor-producer Emerson Collins (Southern Baptist Sissies, Rent Live) and actor-filmmaker Mat Hayes (Cognitive). Game co-creators Dennis Hensley and Jeb Havens also play. The questions they answer include: When was a time that you gave into peer pressure? What's a movie that you saw when you were way too young to see it? What's a character trait that you share with your mother? and What's a memorable theme party you threw or attended? What's the shallowest, quirkiest or most shocking reason you decided, 'No, I don't want to date this person?' About half the stories that come up could be turned into gay short films; there are college fetish parties, a b.j. that turns into prayer when a roommate walks in, hot guys with warts down there, moms telling off small town busy-bodies and much much more. To get the game and play at home, pick up You Don't Know My Life! on Amazon or at
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Filmmaker P.J. Castellaneta ("Together Alone"): "Make Your Own Parade"
06/17/2019
Filmmaker P.J. Castellaneta ("Together Alone"): "Make Your Own Parade"
Dennis visits the Silver Lake home of filmmaker P.J. Castellaneta to talk about the renaissance his early 90's gay indie film "Together Alone" is experiencing this summer in France...with special screenings and a re-release in theaters. He talks about shooting the film in his Hollywood apartment while working full time as a clerk at Warner Bros., how he found his actors, and why the film still resonates today. P.J. talks about his follow-up film Relax, It's Just Sex starring Jennifer Tilly, Lori Petty and Mitchell Anderson, his favorite day on the shoot, taking the film to Sundance and how making the movie almost killed him. He talks about his plans to get Together Alone on a Streaming service as well as the Frankenstein-inspired script he plans to shoot next. Other topics include: getting married at city hall in Indio, riding in an elevator with a nervous Spike Lee, his nightmare second grade teacher, wanting to live in the Tapestry album and the day Dennis and P.J. went to The Rosie O'Donnell Show in NYC.
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Actress Mary Birdsong (The Trump Family Special): "I'm a Dirty Doily"
06/06/2019
Actress Mary Birdsong (The Trump Family Special): "I'm a Dirty Doily"
Dennis visits the stuck-in-time rehearsal space in North Hollywood called The Madilyn Clarke studios to chat with Mary Birdsong who is stepping into the role of Melania in the musical review The Trump Family Special, which plays as part of the L.A. Fringe Festival starting June 7th. Mary talks about her how the show came to her, her take on Melania, her facility for developing voices and characters, loving to sing and her hope that one day Melania will just crack and tell all. Mary talks about her incredible Instagram feed, which is like a one-woman show and features "face-swapping" technology that allows her to play people like Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Robert Mueller and a dirty doily she saw on the sidewalk. She talks about working with Adam Makay on the show Succession, being a series regular on Reno 9-11, getting cast as Mona in the Tales of the City musical because Armistead Maupin saw one of her YouTube videos and appearing on Broadway in Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me. Of the latter, she recalls the thrill of having her mother come to opening night and then chat up Tom Hanks at the afterparty. Other topics include: getting sober, her gig from hell singing at a Macy's cosmetic counter and giving out truffles, rocking out to Pat Benatar, being in a girl group that ended up on Star Search, saving her money, buying her first new car, her new pilot Hot Mess and, of course, how irresistible Anderson Cooper is when he giggles. www.trumpfamilyspecial.com
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Actor-Writer Drew Droege (Happy Birthday Doug): "All Gay Men Are Terrible?"
06/03/2019
Actor-Writer Drew Droege (Happy Birthday Doug): "All Gay Men Are Terrible?"
Dennis welcomes returning champion Drew Droege to his North Hollywood condo to talk about the new one-man show he's writing and starring in called "Happy Birthday Doug," in which he "celebrates and eviscerates gayness." He talks about the show's themes like aging, hetero-normativity, partying, the Peter Pan-ness of it all. He talks about the challenge of playing nine characters in one show...as well at the challenge of playing drunk and/or on molly. He shares his experience with his last one-person show Bright Colors and Bold Patterns, which took him to New York City, was shot as a performance film and is now being performed by another actor. He talks about how his viral videos as Chloe Sevigny became his calling card and got him jobs. He also opens up about the experience of being on the TV series Heathers and its long, painful and tumultuous journey to actually airing. He also talks about his OTHER new show with Sam Pancake, We Are Special Bitches about an acting class from hell. Other topics include: Insta-fame, The Boys in the Band, being involved in both The Groundlings and the Upright Citizen's Brigade, selling out, celebs who came to his show, going on a vacation and what it feels like to get a big laugh.
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Shooting Star collaborators Karole Foreman & Florian Klein: "It's The Little Mermaid with Lube!"
05/29/2019
Shooting Star collaborators Karole Foreman & Florian Klein: "It's The Little Mermaid with Lube!"
Dennis heads to the Hudson Theater in Hollywood to interview his longtime friend actress Karole Forman and writer-producer Florian Klein on the eve of the opening of their show Shooting Star, a musical love story set in the world of gay porn. Florian talks about getting the inspiration for the show from his own experience as porn star Hans Berlin, finding his composer Thomas Zaufke and lyricist Erik Ransom. seeking producers and then ultimately deciding to just produce the damn show himself. He also talks about winning porn awards, using his porn stardom as a platform for HIV-education, particularly the U = U message (Undetectable + Untransmittable) and getting inspiration from the Disney classic The Little Mermaid. Florian also recalls telling his parents about his porn career and HIV diagnosis in the same conversation. Karole talks about branching into writing, what her family things of her career and the two miracles she experienced in front of the same L.A. church, one involving a homeless man and the other involving Little Richard. The interview ends with Dennis and Karole sharing memories of the extremely intense musical theater workshop they took together in the late 1980's. Other topics include: fake sperm, being on a Sofia Coppola set when Michael Jackson died, the monkey Karole threw a fit over and Florian's 22-hour erection.
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Singer-Actor Jack Nathan Harding: "I'm the One That I Had to Ask Permission From"
05/16/2019
Singer-Actor Jack Nathan Harding: "I'm the One That I Had to Ask Permission From"
Dennis visits the peaceful, Sunland, CA home of recording artist and actor Jack Nathan Harding to talk about his recent string of in your face gay country music videos, including the just-dropped "Fed Up." Jack talks about the inspiration behind the music, being a one-man show and doing everything--composing, singing, recording, shooting the videos, editing, getting up online, even the T-shirt shredding. He talks about having to give himself permission to present himself in a sexy way, the McGyver way he had to get some of the trickier camera shots and what his longtime husband thinks of his new-ish endeavors. Jack also discusses his career as an actor, doing guest shots on shows like House, Glee, Brooklyn-99 and The League, the plusses and minuses of having extreme facial hair and what his acting reps think about his sexy gay music videos. Other topics include: growing up in Texas, coming out, what the letters AARP should stand for,
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"Say Yes" Filmmaker Stewart Wade: "I Just Went Ahead and Did It"
05/09/2019
"Say Yes" Filmmaker Stewart Wade: "I Just Went Ahead and Did It"
Dennis visits the Glassell Park neighborhood of Los Angeles to talk with writer-director Stewart Wade about his new film Say Yes, about a very unconventional love triangle. He talks about where he got the idea of the script, finding the right actors to bring it to life, shooting much of it in his own home, making a lead character an atheist, finding a cute waterfall in L.A. and getting the film on Amazon. He also shares stories from his years in the trenches of gay-indie filmmaking and shares observations about how actors are less uptight than they used to when it comes to playing gay, the challenges of finding distribution, crowding funding shenanigans, and how the gay indie world intersects with Hollywood...or not. He also talks about his ongoing web-series on YouTube called Coffeehouse Chronicles and his own passion for coffee. Other topics include: the Barbra Streisand movie he's seen more than any other movie, seeing the Exorcist at 10 and freaking the f out and that time a troop of cub scouts unwittingly wandered into the gay kissing scene. https://www.facebook.com/sayyesthemovie/
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Cal's Game Night founder Cal Iseminger: "Bless You Goofy"
04/30/2019
Cal's Game Night founder Cal Iseminger: "Bless You Goofy"
Dennis visits the Irvine, California apartment of Cal Iseminger, founder of Cal's Game Night, a company that facilitates kick-ass game nights in people's homes. He talks about growing up in a game-loving family, how his hobby of hosting game nights turned into a business, his first paying party with a guest list full of celebrities, the types of games his company offers, the two celebrities that are the most competitive, doing corporate events for places like Warner Bros. and Disney and the most fulfilling part of his job. Cal also discusses what it's like to show up at the houses of the super rich, having to tell CEO big shots that they're wrong, how he handles prizes and the celebrity whose sweet tweet gave Cal's Game Night a big boost. Other topics include: leading a fitness class dressed as Goofy on a Disney Cruise, working as a background actor on Desperate Housewives when he first got to LA, his obsession with film composer John Williams, opening and closing a games restaurant, his worst audition ever, doing game nights on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and that time Lisa Kudrow couldn't figure out that the answer she couldn't come up with was Friends.
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