TAMMIE BROWN’S HALLOWEEN SPOOKTACULAR PREMIERES OCTOBER 21ST ON OUTTV
Tammie Brown and Kelly Mantle are thrilled to return to OUTtv with their brand-new holiday special, Tammie Brown’s Halloween Spooktacular. Premiering October 21 and streaming throughout the trick-and-treat season, the show stars everyone’s favorite comedic drag duo as they fight ghouls, goblins, and crazed fans to keep their Halloween Spooktacular afloat. The hilarious hour of comedy and hijinks includes negligent bodyguards, botched fashion shows, and meet-and-greets gone wrong. Luckily, Kelly Mantle is there to take matters into her own hands… so what could go wrong? Tammie Brown’s Halloween Spooktacular features two new singles by Tammie Brown, “Soothsayer” and “Pumpkin Blaster,” and guest star appearances by Sonique Love, April Carrión, Fena Barbitall, Todd Glass, and the Sugarbaker Twins.
“I love the variety show format,” says Tammie Brown, the drag persona created by Keith Glen Schubert who is best known for her stand-out appearances on RuPaul's Drag Race and RuPaul's Drag Race All-Stars. She has released four music albums including the popular hit singles, “Port-A-Potty Prostitute” and “Schubert,” and regularly performs all over the world. “Tammie Brown’s Halloween Spooktacular will introduce new music, hilarious sketches, and a myriad of dynamic guests. It will be a rip-roaring event,” she promises.
Tammie Brown’s Halloween Spooktacular also sees the return of Kelly Mantle’s zany alter-ego, Sheila. “People love Sheila because she has no filter, no censor and no shame,” Mantle explains. “She says what we’re all thinking. She’s bold and blunt, but it goes down smooth like a Pumpkin latte mixed with Southern Comfort.”
Kelly Mantle made Oscar history by being the first openly non-binary person to be approved and considered by The Academy for both Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress for their role in the feature film, Confessions of A Womanizer. Mantle is a graduate of Second City in Chicago and has appeared on television in RuPaul's Drag Race, Lucifer, Modern Family and Mike & Molly, among others. Their uncle is the late great Mickey Mantle.
Tammie Brown’s Halloween Spooktacular is directed by John Mark, who also created Tammie Brown and Kelly Mantle’s half-hour comedy series, The Browns, available on OUTtv.
Tammie Brown’s Halloween Spooktacular will be available to stream OUTtv.com and on AppleTV+ via the OUTtv Channel on October 21.
Follow Tammie Brown on IG @planettammie
Follow Kelly Mantle on IG @kellymantle, Twitter @thekellymantle, and FB @ Kelly Mantle
Follow John Mark on IG @johnmarkcreative
FILM REVIEW: Will THEY/THEM make you a convert?
By Arnold Wayne Jones
THEY/THEM -- Pictured: (l-r) Cooper Koch as Stu, Anna Lore as Kim, Monique Kim as Veronica, Quei Tann as Alexandra, Austin Crute as Toby, Darwin del Fabro as Gabriel, Theo Germaine as Jordan -- (Photo by: Josh Stringer/Blumhouse)
The genius of Jordan Peele’s Get Out was his brilliant conceit to disguise a social satire about race behind the genre of a horror film. Peele set up his audience to expect racism, then masked it with a facade of woke tolerance, where gaslighting rises to the level of psychological torture. Of course, the pitfall of that idea is, it is lightning in a bottle: Once you figure it out as an artist, the audience figures it out, too, and it’s hard to revisit that trough again. (Once The Sixth Sense gave us its twist, could anyone ever do “he was dead all along” and not come off as derivative?)
They/Them has to confront a similar anxiety of influence: It’s basically the queer version of Get Out, and once I tell you that, can you really be surprised?
THEY/THEM -- Pictured: (l-r) Theo Germaine as Jordan, Austin Crute as Toby -- (Photo by: Josh Stringer/Blumhouse)
On the surface, at least, it does a pretty good job of creating that off-balance atmosphere: A busload of queer teens of all identities reluctantly arrive at Camp Whistler, what purposes to be a “gay conversion” camp – a phrase so full of repugnance it’s difficult to imagine anyone except the most extreme of homophobes being comfortable saying those words. The camp’s owner is Owen, played by the appropriately reptilian Kevin Bacon, an actor who effortlessly can seem creepy, menacing and friendly almost entirely by the context you put him in. Owen’s welcome speech makes it sound like this is not a conversion camp at all, but a journey of self-discovery: He’s tolerant of the trans-identifying Jordan (Theo Germaine), he avoids bible-thumping and constant indoctrination, he seems kinda hip. It throws off the campers, some of whom want to be there for their own sakes, not their parents.
THEY/THEM -- Pictured: (l-r) Carrie Preston as Cora Whistler, Anna Chlumsky as Molly, Boone Platt as Zane, Kevin Bacon as Owen Whistler -- (Photo by: Josh Stringer/Blumhouse)
But the reality is very different, and underneath we see the hypocrisy and the tension. We know something is afoot; you can’t have seen a horror movie, especially one set at a summer camp, and not be attuned to the tropes of the suspicious handyman, the strange shapes and sounds in the dark, the vulnerability of the shower cabin…. Not to mention the seemingly unrelated but bloody murder in the opening scene. Writer-director John Logan hits these touchstones like a batter hitting each bag as he’s rounding the bases, which is what you want in a genre film, but maybe not so much in a revolutionary issue drama where tropes become cliches. Logan is one of the most respected screenwriters in Hollywood (Gladiator, Hugo, The Aviator) but this is his debut as a director, and his inexperience shows. The performances are perfunctory and the visual adequate and underlit. The film gets stuck in the Sunken Place and struggles to get out to assert an identity of its own.
THEY/THEM -- They/Them Premiere Event on July 27, 2022, at Studio 525 in New York City -- Pictured: Theo Germaine -- (Photo by: Astrid Stawiarz/Peacock)
But is it fair to compare – or at least, as long as you can enjoy a film on its own, does it matter that it doesn’t rise to the level of a genre-defining modern classic? Well, sorta. The similarities are so obvious (a lead character named Jordan? Peele’s last film was Us and now we have They/Them?) it seems to invite comparisons. Do I respect applying the thoughtfulness of Get Out to a gay theme? Sure, despite how humorless and preachy it gets by the end. But as a slasher film, They/Them is clunky and uninspired. I wouldn’t check into this camp.
THEY/THEM -- They/Them Premiere Event on July 27, 2022, at Studio 525 in New York City -- Pictured: (l-r) Matt Strauss, Chairman Direct-to-Consumer & International; Jason Blum, CEO Blumhouse; Quei Tann, John Logan, Writer/Director/EP; Darwin Del Fabro, Anna Lore, Kevin Bacon, Cooper Koch, Theo Germaine, Hayley Griffith, Monique Kim, Austin Crute -- (Photo by: Astrid Stawiarz/Peacock)
They/Them premieres Aug 5 on Peacock.
Meet the cast of the new 'QUEER AS FOLK' on Peacock
To celebrate the upcoming release of Peacock's Queer As Folk, GLAAD’s Anthony Allen Ramos joins Queer as Folk cast members Devin Way, Fin Argus, Jesse James Keitel, CG, Johnny Sibilly, Ryan O’Connell and creator, writer and executive producer, Stephen Dunn and executive producer, Jaclyn Moore to discuss the vibrant reimagining of the groundbreaking British series.
From Creator Stephen Dunn, the Vibrant Reimagining of the Groundbreaking British Series Created by Russell T. Davies,
Queer as Folk Premieres Exclusively On Peacock Thursday, June 9
GOGO FOR THE GOLD JONNY McGOVERN AND GREG McKEON SEARCH FOR AMERICA’S NEXT CHAMPION GOGO BOY IN OUTtv‘S
Everyone’s favorite Hey Qween host Jonny McGovern and his bestie, GoGo veteran and Only Fans top earner Greg McKeon are on the hunt for America’s next champion GoGo superstar star in OUTtv’s hilarious new competition series, GOGO FOR THE GOLD. “The queer community has spent the last decade celebrating the queens on Drag Race, but the other stars of the gay club are the GoGo boys,” says McGovern. “They, too, serve the looks with tons of personality and style and they never hold back on the drama. We’re crowning America’s #1 champion GoGo superstar star … and the competition will be fierce!”
GOGO FOR THE GOLD co-creators McGovern and McKeon have assembled a diverse cast of GoGos that encompass a wide range of body types from traditional masculine hunks to thick ‘n juicy bears, smooth twinks and even femme dancers who serve it up in heels. One of the contestants is a trans man. All are competing for a $10k cash prize.
To win, they must undergo a series of challenges that comprise the many facets of being a champion GoGo. Being a skillful dancer is pivotal, of course, but GoGo boys are also influencers, fashion models, and nightlife representatives. As contestants on GOGO FOR THE GOLD, their journey will be packed with humor, dramatic twists, and tongue-in-cheek fun. There may even be some tears shed along the way.
Judging the boys will be the “GoGo Gods,” headed by supreme GoGo veteran Greg McKeon. Each judge scores based on four important criteria: Fantasy, Body, Dance and Individuality. One or more GoGos are eliminated each week until the final strip down when GOGO FOR THE GOLD crowns its STUD — super talented underwear dancer — and officially proclaims him as ‘America’s #1 Champion GoGo Superstar Star ’.
“I started GoGo dancing while I was a student at UC Berkeley,” says Greg McKeon. “I was really shy at the time and when I first stepped up on top of the bar, my heart was racing. But I relished in the attention! That first night, I made over $500 and I never looked back.”
McKeon credits GoGo-ing with launching his career in Hollywood. He has landed multiple roles in movies (including Eating Out) and TV shows (Nip / Tuck and Teen Wolf). He was the resident lap dancer on Jonny McGovern’s popular OUTtv talk show, Hey Qween.
“Greg and I first met on the set of my ‘Sexy Nerd’ music video,” Jonny McGovern explains. “We started our partnership by throwing some of the hottest parties in LA.”
“The parties we threw all centered around the GoGo boy,” McKeon jumps in. “We would develop the guys, teaching them the ins and outs of being successful on the box and working with them individually to elevate their art.”
They aim to do the same on GOGO FOR THE GOLD, but this time in front of millions of fans cheering the GoGos on at home. “There’s never been a reality competition show that showcases the talent, ingenuity and sexiness of the GoGo boy,” McKeon reflects. “This will be the first time that GoGo boys will be given the spotlight they have long deserved.”
Jonny “The Gay Pimp” McGovern’s career in nightlife entertainment began twenty years ago with Dirty Gay Hits, his collection of hilarious gay themed songs that received over three million downloads and was added to rotation on MTV. It led to McGovern appearing all over the airwaves, on The Ricki Lake Show, VH1’s Best Week Ever, Comedy Central's Out on the Edge, and eventually catching the eye of Rosie O’Donnell, who cast him as a lead player on her LOGO-TV comedy show, The Big Gay Sketch Show. Today, Jonny is best known for his popular Netflix shows Hey Qween and Look at Huh. Most recently, he became a TikTok sensation with “Man Areas,” a song from his Gayest of All Time album. The song has appeared in TikTok videos viewed over 12.5 million times and has received over 7 million streams on Spotify. Jonny is currently touring the UK with burlesque legend Dita Von Teese and has been performing “Man Areas” nightly to standing ovations.
Greg McKeon is currently working on his book, “GoGo for Love,” chronicling his ten years as GoGo dancer. He is one of the top earners on OnlyFans and he and his husband recently purchased a Christmas tree farm in Portland, Oregon. “It’s a wild dream for a city boy like me to be living in the middle of nature, but thanks to Onlyfans, anything is possible,” McKeon says. He and his husband often invite other top models from all over the world to the farm to film new OnlyFans content with them. “I am so grateful to my fans for making this possible.”
“Success is not an overnight thing,” McKeon attests. “I have acted in web series and indie movies, performed at big party festivals and small dive bars and everything in between. Just like GoGo-ing on the box, an adventurous life is unpredictable and a constant hustle.”
Jonny McGovern agrees. “A career in the spotlight is about moving forward, shaking what your mama gave ya and always finding new, innovative ways to shine.”
For more information on GOGO FOR THE GOLD, visit OUTtv.com.
Follow Jonny McGovern on Tiktok @JonnyMcGovern and Instagram @jonnymcgovernisyourdaddy and tune into to his Gay Pimpin/Gayest Of All Time podcasts exclusively on Patreon at patreon.com/gayestofalltime
Follow Greg McKeon on Twitter, Tiktok, Instagram, PornHub and OnlyFans @GrgistheWerd