Advertise on podcast: DENNIS ANYONE? with Dennis Hensley

In this episode, Dennis is joined via Zoom by singer-songwriter and author Mike Maimone to talk about his new memoir--as well as its companion album--both called Guess What? I Love You, which documents the most extraordinary year of his life. A few years back, Mike met the well-known Hollywood publicist Howard Bragman on Scruff and within a few messages, they both knew it was something real. A whirlwind long-distance romance ensued and soon they were getting a place together in Nashville, where Mike then lived, and talking about their dream wedding. But within a year of that first Scruff message, Howard was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia and passed away soon after. It's quite a journey and Mike writes about all of it in the book. In the interview, Mike talks about the process of writing the book, the times when he feels Howard is still with him and the lessons he feels he was meant to take from the whole whirlwind experience. Other topics include: when he first fell in love with music, the two books Howard gave him early in their courtship (The Ethical Slut and The Rational Guide to Living), Howard's settling a beef with Paula Abdul before he passed, what the cake pops on the book cover mean and why he doesn't love singing "Sweet Caroline" during wedding gigs. https://www.mikemaimone.com/

Introducing Start with Yourself: A New Vision for Work & Life with Emma Grede and Oprah from The Oprah Podcast. Follow the show: The Oprah Podcast Emma Grede has become one of the most influential voices in modern business. She is best known as a founding partner of SKIMS, co-founder and CEO of the clothing brand Good American, her podcast Aspire with Emma Grede and as the first Black female investor on ABC’s hit show Shark Tank. She is helping redefine what success looks like for a new generation of women. In this conversation with Oprah, Emma dives into her first book Start With Yourself: A New Vision for Work and Life sharing the mindset behind her rise from a young girl in East London to a global business leader. Drawing on the lessons in her book, Emma opens up about radical self-accountability, the power of discipline and why success starts from within. She also shares her bold perspectives on work-life balance, motherhood without guilt and why women must get comfortable putting money and ambition at the forefront. Plus, we hear from twin sisters who turned a simple idea into a hundred-million-dollar business after making a deal with Emma on Shark Tank. BUY THE BOOK! Emma Grede "Start with Yourself" https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Start-With-Yourself/Emma-Grede/9781668085486 00:00:00 - Welcome Emma Grede author of “Start with Yourself” 00:04:18 - Emma knew she needed to change 00:06:10 - Realizing what you don’t want 00:08:35 - How Emma changed her life 00:13:45 - Radical ownership and real barriers 00:15:10 - We need more women in power 00:19:00 - Career and motherhood 00:20:20 - We put too much pressure on moms 00:22:50 - Truth vs. emotions in business 00:24:22 - Mistakes Emma made 00:27:00 - Emma and Skims 00:27:50 - Building from purpose vs. ego 00:31:00 - Emma funded this on Shark Tank 00:36:00 - Importance of mentorship 00:38:20 - When to scale a small business 00:39:30 - The most important question 00:42:20 - What does self-care look like? 00:43:30 - Meditation practice 00:46:00 - Emma on life being magic 00:49:30 - Overcoming comparison 00:51:00 - Why she wrote the book 00:52:40 - Dyslexia is a superpower 00:54:30 - Is every woman meant for business? 00:56:30 - A well-lived life Cakes Body https://cakesbody.com/ Follow Oprah Winfrey on Social: https://www.instagram.com/oprahpodcast/ https://www.facebook.com/oprahwinfrey/ Listen to the full podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0tEVrfNp92a7lbjDe6GMLI https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-oprah-podcast/id1782960381 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices DISCLAIMER: Please note, this is an independent podcast episode not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in conjunction with the host podcast feed or any of its media entities. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the creators and guests. For any concerns, please reach out to [email protected].

Dennis is joined via Zoom by Gabe Rivas Gomez, the writer of the visually stunning and very moving new play Level Up! which is about a trans tween named Desi whose quest to be who she really is takes her into a spectacular and dangerous video game world. Gabe talks about where the original inspiration came from, finding the trans actress to play Desi, Mathias Brinda, several workshop productions ago and watching her grow up before his eyes and the technical challenges of trying to depict a video game on stage. He also talks about producing this show at a time when trans youth are under attack and what the reactions from audiences have been like so far. Other topics include: Gabe's career as a college professor and whether today's kids really are alright, taking inspiration from the book Ready Player One, what his own kids think of the show, his obsession with Lego and why some scenes just have to hurt. https://www.latinotheaterco.org/levelup

Dennis is joined via Zoom by the duo behind the new gay comedy Bookends, writer-star Noam Ash and director Mike Doyle. Bookends tells the story of an aspiring writer named Nate whose life in Manhattan falls apart and he ends up moving in with his grandparents--played by Oscar-winner F. Murray Abraham and Caroline Aaron--in their retirement community. Noam talks about how the story was inspired by his own experience living with his grandparents, what he learned from the experience and what his grandparents--who both passed away in their 90's before the film was shot--would think of the finished movie. Mike talks about how he came to be involved with the project, how he sees it as a privilege to get to tell stories and the exchange he had with F. Murray Abraham on set that he'll never forget. Other topics include: the flowery shirt Noam wears in the film that everyone loves, the terror of driving a stick shift, senior citizens who love Speedos and what it's like to have your own costume designer reject all the wardrobe options you brought from home.

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 a musical virtually devoid of singers, but still fun. He also talks about the stage shows Sweet Charity and Monkeys on My Back and Everywhere Else and Darren Hayes' Oscar night concert at the Troubadour in West Hollywood. In the Happiness chunk, Dennis talks about the good vibes he felt watching the Oscars and why he thinks Teyana Taylor has got it all figured out.

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 impression of him really got under his skin and contributed to his decision to retirn. Other topics include: a blow-by-blow breakdown of Johnny's rift with Joan Rivers, the power of asking, the emotions that came up during his 400-plus interviews, Johnny's tennis temper and what Johnny Carson meant to America.

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 Unitard, which also features Nora Burns and David Ilku, are still going strong after over 20 years. Other topics include: his failed attempts--so far--to get the domain name MikeAlbo.com back from the greedy entity who ended up with it, his meditation and chanting practices, spontaneously performing his iconic Underminer character for Tommy Hilfiger and his wife in Palm Beach, the sweet, shameful days of Manhunt.com and why he wouldn't mind ending up like Emmylou Harris.

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, Bugonia, Dust Bunny, Peter Hujar's Day, Dead Man's Wire, Companion, Enigma, My Mom Jayne, Strange Journey and Come See Me In the Good Light.

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 also talks about his recent triumphant off-Broadway run, starring in Messy White Gays, a play he wrote, and the amazing thing audience member Hillary Clinton said to him backstage after the show.

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 writing an article called "A Weekend Getaway I'll Never Forget" based on an experience from your life. What happens in it? and What kiss from your life felt like something out of a movie? The gang also talk about what they love about the show and playing their respective characters, the audience reactions so far and the show's unique mix of laugh-out-loud comedy and lump-in-the-throat drama. https://www.iamatheatre.com/  

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 connection that helped get him back on track. He also discusses his forays into acting, playing a serial killer in the Tubi horror movie Glamping. Other topics include: what he's learned about himself since getting sober a few years ago, his favorite Idol memory, appearing in Naked Boys Singing, his relationship to his voice, his "really weird childhood" and how it felt to get naked and pay homage to D'Angelo's "How Does It Feel" in his musical video "Special."

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 ancestral magic of theater, how he approaches writing characters that aren't like him, like a neurodivergent Gen Z-er and a trans woman of color and why showing up at work toting a latte from Starbucks and a scone might rub some co-workers the wrong way.

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 compared to other formats, with Justin sharing insights about his early theater career and the impact of sobriety on his work. Other topics include: the theater scene in Los Angeles, how caring for his sick cat changed Justin's perception of himself, whether burnt bridges can ever be rebuilt, the glory days of LA queer gathering places like Cuffs and Basic Plumbing, the connection or lack thereof between the LA theater scene and success in Hollywood and what he thinks his late father would think of My Son the Playwright. https://www.roguemachinetheatre.org/

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 topics include: the Heated Rivalry-esque gay romances he's narrated Illegal Contact (football studs) and Dirty Steal (baseball studs), making the move to Palm Springs, growing up in the Bahamas as the son of Bahamanian musician and club owner Ron Butler Sr, leaving his post-college corporate job to pursue acting, playing a breakdancing Barack Obama on Jimmy Kimmel in 2007 and the queer coming of age book that brought him to tears in the recording booth.  https://www.ronniebutler.com/

For this episode, Dennis is joined via Zoom by the cast of the new film Adam and Steve Escape From MAGA for a rollicking game of You Don't Know My Life! Writer-Director Craig Chester is joined by his cast mates Nora Burns, Nadya Ginsburg, Ned Van Zandt, Madeline Reed, Mélisa Breiner-Sanders, Cary Curran, David Ilku and Michael Musto to answer these two questions: As your film demonstrates, last year was a total shitshow...but what's something good you experienced in 2025? AND You're writing a magazine article entitled My Actor's Nightmare based on an incident from your life. What happens in it? Their surprising and hilarious answers include stories about everything from Chorus Line and Studio 54 reunions to getting horny in Trader Joe's at Christmas to having explosive diarrhea in a bagel shop and turning the story into an audition monologue. Watch Adam & Steve Escape From MAGA here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgVjFrF0AwM&t=3095s