Dennis is joined via Zoom by Vincent Paterson, director, choreographer, dancer, actor and now co-author of a book about his life and career entitled Icons & Instincts : Choreographing and Directing Entertainment's Biggest Stars. Part One of their conversation, featuring lots of stories about his work with Michael Jackson, was the last episode. This is Part 2 where Vince talks a lot about his yours working with Madonna; first on the Pepsi commercial that got banned, then on the “Express Yours...
May 11, 2023•1 hr 24 min
Dennis is joined via Zoom by Vincent Paterson, director, choreographer, dancer, actor and now co-author of a book about his life and career entitled Icons & Instincts : Choreographing and Directing Entertainment's Biggest Stars. Dennis had so many questions for Vincent about working with icons like Michael Jackson, Madonna, Shirley MacLaine and the Mandrell SIsters that the interview lasted for over two hours. So ithis one's going to be a two-parter. In this episode, Part 1, Vincent talks ab...
May 04, 2023•1 hr
Dennis visits the L.A. home of his friend Matt Zarley for Listening Party of the songs from Matt’s newest project 11 O’Clock Number, a musical video project about a man who harnesses the power of musical theater songs to help him cope with lost love, losing his mother and the stresses of the pandemic. Matt talks about where the idea originated from, how working on the project helped keep him sane during the COVID lockdown and how he approached the vocals as if he was, in his words, “never going ...
Apr 27, 2023•1 hr 21 min
Dennis is joined via Zoom from Provincetown, Massachusetts by Todd Flaherty, the writer-director-producer-editor and star of the new film Chrissy Judy . The film is about two struggling drag performers in New York City whose ride-or-die friendship is tested when one of them moves to Philadelphia to be with his boyfriend. Todd talks about why he wanted to explore the theme of gay friendships, having virtually no experience in drag before making the movie, what it’s like to direct yourself in sex ...
Apr 20, 2023•37 min
Dennis is joined by author Sam Staggs whose Substack newsletter “Did You Sleep With The Models?” documents the five years he spent as Editor-In-Chief of the gay magazines Mandate , Playguy and Honcho in the early 1980’s. Sam talks about how the project began as a book that he wrote during the pandemic and then evolved into a Substack newsletter with photographs and illustrations pulled straight from the magazines. He also discusses what it was like to oversee three gay porn magazines just as AID...
Apr 13, 2023•1 hr 7 min
Dennis is joined via Zoom by filmmaker Gregg Araki ( The Living End, Nowhere, Mysterious Skin ) to discuss the re-release and restoration of his mid-1990s cult classic The Doom Generation , which stars Rose McGowan, James Duval and Johnathan Schaech. Gregg talks about what it’s been like to revisit the film, what makes each of his three leads perfect for their roles, how the film got the subtitle “A Heterosexual Movie,” and how and why he cast people like Christopher Knight from The Brady Bunch ...
Apr 06, 2023•1 hr 9 min
Dennis 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 ...
Mar 30, 2023•1 hr 4 min
Dennis is joined via Zoom by Wendy Miller, the entrepreneur behind the new Ask Your Gay BFF Oracle Cards, a deck of cards that, in Wendy’s words, “force people to get real about what they want out of life.” Wendy talks about where the idea to create the cards came from, starting her company Card To Believe, plying her gay male friends with alcohol to get their sassy retorts and finding the perfect black velvet bags to package them in. She also talks about the “woo-woo” aspects of the cards and h...
Mar 23, 2023•1 hr 4 min
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 ...
Mar 16, 2023•1 hr
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...
Mar 09, 2023•1 hr
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,...
Mar 02, 2023•1 hr 9 min
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 ...
Feb 23, 2023•1 hr 13 min
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 spe...
Feb 17, 2023•57 min
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 f...
Feb 09, 2023•57 min
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 mo...
Feb 02, 2023•42 min
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 ...
Jan 26, 2023•1 hr 13 min
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 ho...
Jan 19, 2023•1 hr 6 min
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 o...
Jan 12, 2023•1 hr
Dennis is joined via Zoom by singer-songwriter Tom Goss for a listening party for his delightful new holiday EP Big Fat Gay Ass Christmas followed by a rousing round of You Don’t Know My Life. Joining the fun are Tom’s husband Mike Briggs as well as three of the musicians who appear on the album: Benjamin Koll (Co-Writer, Mixing, Mastering, & Additional Instrumentation on “Sassy Santa”), Keith Lawrence (Co-Writer & Verse 2 Feature on “Put That Ass In Christmass” and de ROCHE (Vocals &...
Dec 22, 2022•1 hr 1 min
In Part 2 of his Holiday Gift Guide series, Dennis is joined via Zoom by four different creative entrepreneurs who have products that are perfect for holiday gift giving. First up is film professor Andy Scahill, the founder of Cinema for Sodomites, an interactive cult movie screening series and a merch line inspired by such gay favorites as Batman Returns, Death Becomes Her and Steel Magnolias . Andy talks about why he decided to launch the series and merch line, the Troop Beverly Hills screenin...
Dec 14, 2022•41 min
In Part 1 of a two-part series, Dennis is joined via Zoom by four different creative entrepreneurs who have products that are perfect for holiday gift giving. First up, is writer and film critic Alonso Duralde who is the co-author of I’ll Be Home For Christmas Movies: The Deck the Hallmark Podcast’s Guide to Your Holiday TV Obsession and the sole author of Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas . Alonso talks about the cozy Christmas TV movie boom and how it shows no sign of letting up, which of...
Dec 12, 2022•49 min
Dennis is joined via Zoom by writer Michael Ausiello to discuss the new film Spoiler Alert , which stars Jim Parsons, Ben Aldridge and Sally Field, and is based on Michael’s 2017 memoir Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies. The book and movie depicts the journey Michael and his photographer partner of thirteen years Kit go on after Kit gets diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. In the interview, Michael talks what it was like to be on the set everyday and also explains how the movie came to be; how the ...
Dec 08, 2022•49 min
Dennis is joined via Zoom by actor, writer, director & editor Artie O’Daly to talk about his new series Sorry I’m Weird , a collection of comedy shorts, which launched last month with an episode called Do You Speak Madonna? He also talks about his other on-going web series Bad Boy , which started as a single stand-alone short…but then blew up on YouTube so he made more and now he’s up to 27 episodes and counting. He talks about the inspiration for both series, getting recognized on the stree...
Dec 01, 2022•1 hr 13 min
Dennis visits the L.A. home of actress Julie Hagerty to talk about her role in the new holiday movie A Christmas Story Christmas , which is currently streaming on HBO Max. Julie talks about how she came to be in the film, shooting in Bulgaria for three months, snatching food from her hotel to feed the local stray dogs and bonding with star and producer Peter Billingsley. Julie shares her own holiday memories of growing up in Ohio; the Baby Dear doll she desperately wanted, the holiday-time casse...
Nov 24, 2022•1 hr 9 min
Dennis is joined via Zoom by Tazmanian-born dancer and choreographer Locky Brownlie to discuss the sexy new show he’s choreographing, emceeing and dancing in, Bro-lesque , which debuts Friday, November 18th at Strip nightclub in Costa Mesa, CA and which he describes as Cabaret meets “ Magic Mike for the gays.” He also talks about discovering dance as a child and sticking with it even though he was often picked on for it. He also shares stories about touring with some of the biggest pop stars in ...
Nov 15, 2022•31 min
In the wake of the sudden passing of actor Leslie Jordan, Dennis revisits this interview he conducted with Leslie in his Los Angeles apartment on October 28, 2014. In it, Leslie discusses his one-man show "Fruit Fly" which was returned to the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center's Renberg Theater that December. Leslie talks about show's origins, the theme of a gay man and his mother and the pain of revisiting his father’s tragic passing in a plane crash. Leslie also tells wonderful and outrageous stories...
Nov 10, 2022•1 hr 7 min
Dennis is joined via Zoom by David Goldyn, writer-director of the play Daddy Issues , as well as three actors from the current Los Angeles production, James Siefert, Josh Nadler and Jonathan Fishman. The foursome join Dennis for a rollicking and revealing game of You Don’t Know My Life! featuring these questions: WHAT’S SOMETHING YOU DID THAT YOUR PARENTS NEVER FOUND OUT ABOUT? And DESCRIBE AN EVENING YOU SPENT IN THE THEATER THAT YOU WILL NEVER FORGET. The answers run the gamut from shocking to...
Nov 03, 2022•37 min
Dennis connects via Zoom with author David Ambroz to discuss his memoir A Place Called Home , which David describes as “ Forrest Gump meets Hillbilly Elegy with a heavy dose of Precious .” It documents his childhood, growing up homeless on the streets of New York City, struggling to survive with his mentally ill mother and two older siblings, then takes him through multiple group homes and foster families as a teenager, as well as a life-changing year abroad in Spain when he’s 17. He survives it...
Oct 27, 2022•1 hr 7 min
Dennis is joined via Zoom by actor Bill Brochtrup, who is currently appearing the Los Angeles production of the Tony-winning play The Inheritance , which is described on the Geffen Playhouse’s website this way: “Eric and Toby are 30-somethings who seem to be very much in love and thriving. But on the cusp of their engagement, they meet an older man haunted by the past, and a younger man hungry for a future. Chance meetings lead to surprising choices as the lives of three generations interlink an...
Oct 20, 2022•44 min
Dennis is joined via Zoom by actor Tony Rodriguez who voices the character of Marge’s Cuban-American hairdresser Julio on the iconic animated series The Simpsons . He tells the amazing story of how he got the role; by posting an unsolicited audition video on line on a lark. The producers saw it and within a week, Tony was on the Fox lot recording his first appearance. Tony also talks about how he first fell in love with performing, how improv helps him in his day-to-day life and how the landscap...
Oct 13, 2022•1 hr 3 min
