Welcome Donnie Cianciotto

Welcome to Franchise Friday! In this premiere episode, join CryBaby as they welcome this season's EXTRA SPECIAL GUEST Co-Host Donnie Cianciotto. We’ll dive deep into his life and experiences as a Trans actor, chat about his love for horror movies, and answer some quick-fire questions. And the best part? We’re finally going to reveal which horror franchise we’ll be covering this season! 

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Intro music by ERK2 (thanks a bunch, dude!) catch his Soundcloud here

Special thanks to Chel B Lockie, Michael Lamarra, Julia Maldonado, Jeff Gorcyca, Raymond Corrado Knutsen, Paige Vice, and Donnie Cianciotto! With out y'all, I would lose my damn mind.

Transcript

Speaker 5: 0:00

What is your podcast about? Hanging out with your smartest and funniest friend. You know me, I'll kill

Speaker 6: 0:09

anybody but um, Baby

0:20

Hey cuties. Welcome to Whorror Icon, your queer playground for all things scary, sexy, and stupid. My name is CryBaby and you know me, I'm the spooky slut from your wettest nightmares. And with me today, we have a very, very ultra special guests, ultra special, the most special hi, I'm Donnie Cianciotto. say it with me. Cianciotto. So I'm going to pull back the curtain here already. We're like 30 seconds in, I'm pulling back the curtain. That was fast. So we already recorded some stuff and. Even now I'm still, there's something about your last name. That my brain does not hold on to Ci-an-ci-ot-to. Right. Ci-An-Ci-Ot-To Okay. I do practice. I believe you. I'm not even like, I'll be on the train and I'm like, okay, we're recording on Sunday. And so like on Friday, I'll be like, Cianciotto. Cianciotto. Cianciotto. So you have it until the moment that you need it. And then it just leaves my brain. That's how it happens, but anyway, hi. Hi, so welcome to our first ever franchise Friday. First ever franchise Friday. Yes. Alliteration. I'm a big fan of alliteration. Actually, I use it a lot. Spooky, sexy, stupid franchise Friday. All that fun stuff. So for those of you who are listening and or watching at home, you guessed it on Fridays, we're going to be talking about horror movie franchises. Which is such a huge market of the horror genre absolutely has been for 30 years. And longer than that. Oh my God. I'm so much older than I like to give myself credit for. Let's say 50 years. Oh, yeah. You know, be fun. We should look into like the first ever franchise. The first ever franchise, my brain is going to like Halloween. Well, I, well, but there must've been stuff before that. Right. Like I'm thinking of the universal monsters. Oh yeah. I mean, that's even older than I am. Just a little bit. Just a little bit. Just a little bit. This much.. No. Yeah. Cause I'm thinking you have like the bride of Franken-. You had. Frankenstein. And then the bride of Frankenstein. And then there was probably like Curse of Frankenstein and Frankenstein's monster, all that stuff. Frankenstein goes to school, Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein. I was one of them. So yeah, we'll just say that like the universal monsters, I think are like the O G. Franchises, but that makes sense. We're talking about a super gay one. This time. And I'm so excited that you're here for this one. I'm always excited to be here when it's super gay. When it's always, yeah, we're here. We're queer and we are full of fear. Oh, I like it. Did you just come up with that? I did. That's a good one. Since the inception of this podcast, you know, this, you have been like number one with a bullet on my list of people to come onto this show for a multitude of reasons. So. We're going to spend some time getting to know Donnie. Of course, we're going to have plenty of time to talk about the franchise. Perfect. But it's also important that the audience gets to know who you are, what you stand for, how we know each other and all that fun stuff. So cool. All that fun stuff. All the fun stuff. And I'm ready. Let me have it beautiful. So the first thing, I mean, Let's just, we've known each other for how long now it's been three years. Little over three years. Yeah, just a little over three years, we used to work together. And the first thing that we bonded on. Was horror was horror. Well, actually the first thing I clocked was that you were a Scorpio. How did you, how did you know. I couldn't be the tattoo or the necklace. Yeah. We love Scorpios on this channel. Yes. I feel horror podcasts. You have to love the Scorpios. I feel like Scorpios are one of the other Zodiac signs that get as much heat as Geminis do people do not like us. I don't know why. Why are you here? Now we just lost everybody. I know. The subscriptions going down. So, yeah, one of the first things we bonded over was horror. And I just feel like that was 98% of our conversations. Oh, yeah. Yeah. So that's why, of course you were the first one that came to my mind here. But before we go even further into that I just want to give you some space to introduce yourself to the audience and the listeners and tell us about yourself. um, let's see. I am a New York city native. I live in Queens right now. Um, I work as an actor predominantly, so I do a lot of theater, musical theaters. When I went to school for I run a cabaret troupe called a trans voices, cabaret that highlights transgender and nonbinary performers who are either like beginning their careers or like rising stars or Broadway performers. You know, we kind of toss everybody up on that stage and, and let them do their thing. it's been, How long has trans voices cabaret been going on? It's been going on in New York city since 2017, 2017. I'd love to take a moment to talk about how and why trans voices cabaret came to be. Sure. Trans voices cabaret started because I was constantly going on auditions for shows, and seeing these incredible transgender and non binary entertainers that were all there to compete for like one role, you know, as an audition is. And I thought, wouldn't it be fun if instead of fighting one another for a role, we all just worked together and did a show. So I know, right? What. What a concept. So we produced the first trans voices cabaret in November of 2017. And it was supposed to just be this one off thing that I was doing and Everybody enjoyed it. The audience, the actors enjoyed it so much that here we are. What six years later, and we're still doing it. And now we have trans voices, cabaret chapters, all across the country. And one in London. I did not know that we do. We have one in Chicago, Los Angeles, Portland's Minneapolis and London. That's so exciting. Congratulations on that. That's a huge accomplishment. It's pretty cool. And I'll say for those of you listening at home, I went to my first uh, trans voices cabaret two months ago now. It was back in, back in March. And the talent that you curate is insane. No. Like the, these performers are really just powerhouses. Oh yeah. Every single one of them. And they're all bookable. So put them on that stage. Exactly. Correct me if this is a. Not correct opinion, but I'm certain. That. A lot of trans folks are eager to get cast in roles that are not just because they are trans or not just trans roles. Yeah, for sure. I mean, it would be so exciting to be able to just play the fun guy or the brother or the dad, or, you know, the next door neighbor without it being the trans next door neighbor, you know? Whereas trust us, we still want to be cast for those trans roles, but it would be nice to just be able to be cast as an actor instead of a trans actor to exactly without that qualifier on it, because at that point, It's just a check mark for diversity or whatever, you know, definitely, definitely. It's not at least from my perspective, it's not true inclusion at that point. It's just like, all right, we're filling a box or. I feel like a lot of transactors have definitely been tokens. Yeah. And I've been tokenized. No, no tokens. Just cash that's right. Just. Take tokens here. Well, that's awesome. Trans voices, cabaret. How can our listeners learn more? You can find out about trans voices cabaret on Instagram at trans voices cabaret. I'm going to have you on the bottom. Exactly. Yes. Follow cause the great, another great thing about the show is like, yes, you can come and support in person, which is always wonderful just to have that energy and that presence in the room, but there's another way to support and watch the show, right? Absolutely. We live stream every single show. So you have no excuse anywhere you are. You can be watching it at home. I'm telling you right now, you will not be disappointed. thank you so much for the. The plug. Of course, here's the thing. We will shamelessly plug on this channel. Absolutely a thousand percent, every single person that comes on. If I have things going on. That's right across the bottom. If you're listening at home, I am gesturing across the bottom of the screen because their for certain will be Instagram handles. Shameless, self promotions, product placements. I don't know. Yeah. Let's get to that point. Oh my goodness. If I can get sponsored by. I don't know, Shudder Shudder, if you're out there. That's right. There you go. That's like a dream of mine being sponsored by Shudder. Yeah. First off, I would hope that they would give me a free membership. Yeah, I would hope so. Cause like 5 99 a month or something, they can definitely afford it. Here's the thing, like, of course, 5 99 a month. Isn't a big deal. It is for me. I can't afford I'm an actor. That's true. That's your book? Donnie. Y'all. Book Donnie. So Donnie can get Shudder. Shudder sponsor Donnie. So I can get Shudder. So you are a I almost said Vegas. Oh, where are we? We're in New York. I'm from Vegas, from Vegas. Where did that come from? Wow. Wow. So you are. You are a New York native live in Queens. You are an actor, you produce trans voices, cabaret, all wonderful things. But the most important question I have for you, Donnie is. Do you love horror? Oh, my God. I love horror. Yeah, baby. What got you into horror? I think I was just born that way. You know, The first horror experience that I remember having where I was like, this is really fun. Was at a slumber party in like 1988. You know, forever ago. And the movie evil dead two was on and none of us were supposed to be watching this. I was seven or eight years old and we all snuck. You know, into the den to watch this movie. And everybody was terrified. You know, all these girls at the slumber party were just screaming their heads off and hiding behind pillows. And I was focused and thinking, this is fantastic. Not only was I able to tell that the movie was scary, but I also knew that it was funny. And I was hooked instantly hooked by that. Classic melding of horror and comedy that you know is done so well in those movies. So that was an early experience with horror and I just kind of have been riding that train ever since. That's awesome. I. Have a confession to make. I know what you're going to say. I've never seen evil dead two. I knew it. It's also on my ever-growing list. Well, watch that first. Really even before the first one. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, you mean? Oh, just like on my list. Okay. Okay. Okay. Well, what I'm thinking of doing is including it on franchise Fridays as well. There you go. But also having it be like a nice little, like a virginal moment of like, oh, I've never done this before a Virgin. I've never done this before. A virginal moment for CryBaby. So just kind of like my first kill kind of thing. So, I might be saving that for saving it for marriage no. I might be saving that for the podcast and maybe I'll have you cycle back on for that one too. That'd be great. I'd love to talk about evil dead. Absolutely. We're going to put a pin in that one, put a pin in that. So you can pop my evil dead cherry, if you want, I'm here for it. Yes. Another thing that we've talked about a lot is that relationship between horror and comedy and like how. I honestly, I don't, I feel like you can't have one without the other. I kind of agree with you. I mean, you know, horror in and of itself is. Kind of campy. So yeah, it's really difficult to separate the two. And I think they both, you know, when done. Well, and when I say, well, I mean, when done to my taste in my liking, Specifically. I think that both comedy and horror really Excel when there's this sense of like, Surreal whimsy like this perverse, cleverness to it. Either one of the, those genres can benefit from like that kind of. Qualifier. Yeah. Kind of characteristic or that perspective. Absolutely. And I think one of the things that we do when we get scared is we laugh. You know, so even if you're watching a movie that, that isn't particularly funny and there's a great jump scare in it, what do we do? We scream. And then we laugh because there's kind of a relief that we weren't actually being attacked in that moment, you know? So you laugh at yourself for the reaction that you're having. So I think fear and laughter can really, you know, go hand in hand a lot with horror movies. Yeah. And I think they're both you, you said it like they both are. Um, release valves in a way, like screaming. And or laughing like in both of those scenarios. At least from a carnal human experience, you are. Emitting something that is. Unfiltered and I don't know, necessary to express and experience, I think absolutely. And your, your dopamine and your adrenaline are going. And, you know, I think that the, the. Fear that we feel when we know that we're actually not in any danger. Is kind of exciting and that's kind of the same thing as if you were. Like you were saying, if you were laughing a lot, you know, the, the same. Bodily reaction. I agree. Oh God, isn't horror. Fucking great. It's just so great. Oh, I fucking love horror. You know what I'm not going to go like fully off book. What kind of off book? I just want to know, just off the cuff, like of course, evil, dead, you said is one of your like core horror memories, but like, what are some of your other favorite horror? Films, some of your favorite characters tropes even. Sure. You know, my, my absolute hands down favorite horror movie is called the descent. I love that movie. And all women cast. Absolutely terrifying. And it does just enough point of view shooting, like Blair witch project, which I also happen to love. Um, That it's this nice back and forth between like being able to watch the actors and then being able to see from the actress point of view. And I think it's just so well done and it's utterly terrifying if you haven't seen the descent. Tell him Donnie sent you and go watch the Descent. I will second that I'm going to throw that out there. Yeah. If you can watch it in theaters, if there's ever an opportunity for it to be a theater going experience, definitely fucking do it because that in theaters, just the. Immersion in that the world that they build is insane. And I think what makes it so terrifying? And the sequel is pretty good too. I mean, as far as sequels go, which are not always fantastic, it's pretty good. I would agree with that too. Other horror movies that I like, you know, I, I obviously love the scream franchise. I know we've talked about that. ad nauseum. So, that's one of them. I mean, all of the old, while the old school, eighties franchises from a nightmare on Elm street and Friday the 13th. Obviously evil, dead. I, and I really enjoy Do you ever watch creep? Creep. That's kind of, it's in like the found footage-ey kind of realm to right. It is. And it's like kind of horror kind of drama. I think. So with the guy that, he has like the wolf head. he's got the mask. Yeah. I saw creep maybe two years ago. I think. Yeah. Creep is creep is up there. So is this totally random movie called as above, so below. That one is see more found footage type stuff. I really liked that stuff. As above so below. I did not like the first time I watched it. I watched it when it first came out. But that was also, I think I was, maybe I was in my early twenties and fun fact CryBaby in her early twenties was kind of not a total asshole, but. I was in a completely different point in my life. I wasn't as connected with horror then. I will admit there was in, it's kind of funny seeing me like this now. But there was this point in my life where I was very like Masc for Masc kind of gay. I was. I was a Masc for Masc queen, which is weird now. I mean, obviously I don't care, but anyway, that version of me did not appreciate. As above so below, like I, I walked out I'm like, that was stupid. That's a movie that's trying to be too smart for blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I was a total Dick head about it. And then I rewatched it maybe like two years ago. And I'm like, mama. Yeah, it's pretty good. It's quite good. That's so interesting that your opinion of it changed as you changed as a person. huh? Yeah, we'll see if that makes it into the podcast. I don't know if I want people out there and knowing that I used to be one of those gays. That was like, I'm not one of those guys. One of those gays that said I'm not one of those gays. And now here I am. One of those gays. One of those gays. No longer one of those gays. Oh, my goodness. You could. You could drive a person crazy with all that. I feel like I need some red yarn and like, Yes, found footage is always fun. Always when Blair witch came out, that was kind of the, you know, the first found footage movie. It's not the first found footage movie. It was the first that got critically acclaimed really. And I was in my early twenties. I could have been maybe 22 when it came out. you know, we were kind of convinced that it was real. You know, I mean, they marketed it that way, which is part of the brilliance of that movie is how they marketed it. It marketed. That's how they marketed it. Yeah, it was, it was brilliant, you know, using the actors real names and the website that they had and everything like that. And so I remember seeing it in the theater with a group of friends. And then we went out to this coffee house. And sat around talking about it for like three or four hours until the coffee house closed at 2:00 AM. And then on my drive home. I was just absolutely convinced that there was something in my backseat. Oh, wait the whole way home. And I had just moved out. Got my own apartment. Maybe I was a little bit younger. I don't remember. And I was so scared that night that I got back in my car, drove to my mother's house. And when she woke up in the morning, she found me on her couch and was like, what are you doing here? And I said, I saw a really scary movie last night. Like it scared me so much that I had to go home. I love that so much. That's fucking hilarious. It was. It was hilarious to everybody in the, at that moment. So, I understand how ridiculous it was to wake up on my mom's couch. But that movie really, really got me. Yeah. And I wish people would give, give it more of its flowers, like, okay, sure. Since Blair witch came out, like we've seen found footage, done a million ways. And a lot of people say, oh, Blair, which isn't that scary Blair, which isn't that scary? And I'm like, bitch, just sit down and like watch the movie without looking at it through. 20, 20 lens or without comparing it to like paranormal activity or grave encounters or whatever. Fuck. All. You know, movie, you're comparing it to you because it is like, if you sit with it, it is genuinely scary, especially like the last, I think 10 minutes. Are absolutely terrifying. Yeah, I think, you know, it, it takes a certain kind of person to find that movie frightening because so much of it is left up to you. You know, it's, it's what you think is going to come jumping out of the bushes or what you are imagining that this potential witch or murderer looks like, you know, Because it's never really shown. And I have such a active imagination, an overactive imagination that I was terrified through the whole thing, because I was scaring myself. You know, they just set up a situation in which you could freak yourself out. And I was like, I will take this opportunity to scare the crap out of myself. Challenge accepted. I am your perfect audience. I was, I was, I still am. Yes. What else? You know, I enjoy this kind of this new trope of not burrying your gays. You know, because for so long, if there was a gay character in a horror movie, you knew that they were going to get yep. At some point, you know, And now it's like horror movies or are trying to say like, Hey, we're sorry. And, you know, letting the gay character survive. So, I'm into that. That's nice. We do want to live. You know, like we don't need to be killed off anymore. Not that we ever needed to be, but like Hollywood was like, oh, we need to punish this person for being gay. So we got to get rid of them, you know? It is now time for our rapid interview questions, baby. Bring it. Each co-host that joins me for a franchise Friday will be asked this series of questions. Rapid fire. Don't think about it. Are you ready? I'm ready. We're starting off easy. Are you hydrated today? Moderately moderately. Is that water? No. That's an IPA. Yeah. We're not allowed to say the brands probably, but it's an IPA. I love that. Drinking on this channel. Oh, my goodness. I feel like that's going to be a monthly thing. Yep. All right. So we're moderately hydrated, moderately inebriated. Fuck. Yes. What's your favorite color? My favorite color is black. Wonderful. What's your favorite season of the year? It's definitely autumn, autumn. We love an autumn. We love an autumn it's my birthday season. That's true. It has to be, that's probably why I'm partial to like spring and summer. That's because Gemini season's approaching and we all know that's the best season of the year. Anyway enough about me. This is about you, right? Who is your horror crush? Oh, it's Eliza Dushku. Yes, I will. Co-sign that? And seal that with a kiss. Yup. Yup. Definitely Eliza Dushku. Absolute hot sauce. Your most recent binge-watch. Well, with the exception of the franchise that we're talking about today. It was Friday the 13th. The entirety of Friday, the 13th and the reboot, that's a long binge. It was a long. It was an endeavor, but I, I made it through. Yes, you did. What's your love language. My love language is probably physical touch, physical touch. I'm a Scorpio. Yes. That checks. What's your hate language? How do people know that you don't like them? My hate language is, is cutting you off completely like a, like a limb with necrotizing fasciitis, just you're gone. Yep. Perfect. That's efficient. Yes, it's efficient. And it leaves. Very little room for argument. You know, it's like, Nope, that's it. Goodbye. That's also a very Scorpio thing. Certainly is Donnie Cianciotto you got it? Yeah. Maybe. Our quintessential Scorpio. Perfect. Ooh, this is one of my favorite questions. If you were a movie theater snack. What snack would you be, and why? I'd be something chocolate. And fattening. So, Probably like Reese's pieces. That's peanut butter. But has the chocolate coating on the inside of the shell? Oh, just a little bit. Am I completely wrong. So we're giving chocolate tease. Just a little chocolate. Just the little chocolate. And then a whole lot of fat. The fat is the most important part, the fat and the sugar. That's the satis-. Well, I don't even, I don't want to say satisfying cause like your body within like 30 minutes is like more. But that's the part that like all of your bells and whistles go fuck. Yeah. It's the happiest thing. All right. So Reese's pieces final answer. Or Reese's peanut butter cups. It's definitely in that genre. A combination. That just goes so well together. Oh, God, they do chocolate and peanut butter. If you had to be. A character in a horror movie. What character would you be and why? Let's see, I think I'm a new trope. Okay. I do. I think I'm, I'm a new relatively as of yet unwritten trope. Which is, you know, very egotistical, but here's why. Because, as I mentioned earlier, the bury your gays trope is kind of, being dissolved. So it still happens. But I think that as a trans person, once we start seeing more trans people and in movies in general, especially horror movies. We'll see. We'll see us make it to the end, but. You won't think we're going to make it to the end because we become so accustomed to think, oh, this is a queer person they're going to get killed off. So I think that I'm this trope that's going to start happening. Once we start to see more equity and diversity in films where the trans person is like there. And you're like, oh, obviously you're going to die, but we don't. We make it to the end. Maybe you were even like the final person or one of the heroes. So I like to think of it like that. I love that. It's almost like, um, I don't know what, like the opposite of a red herring is, but it's just kind of like, The red herring victim. I don't know. What's the word for that? Is there a phrase for that for like the person that you think is going to die? That doesn't die. I know what you mean, but I don't know that there is a term for that. I don't know. I like red herring victim. I mean, that makes sense. Yeah. Perfect. Okay. Well, that's what it's going to be for now. Wonderful. That's great. I think I would love to see that. I would absolutely love to see that. Cause I think, I mean, of course there's like They-Them, Which. It was okay. He was all right. It was all right. That's all right. It was still great to see the movie. And there were a lot of people in it who are fantastic. Um, Who, you know, deserve more opportunities as actors, but you know, It's all right. It was all right. Yeah. Anyway. Yes, we are the trans character who is not only in the movie, but survives. The movie supported. Co-sign also sealed with the kiss. So this one, I personally have no filter and no care about what I share on this podcast. And I will project that attitude onto you right now. I would love to know the most embarrassing moment of your life. Okay. I know when we shot this the first time I said one thing. But I've been thinking about it. Okay. When I can't sleep, which is often like, you know, what was the most embarrassing moment of my life? And there are a couple. One of them comes to mind when I was 13 years old. And I was doing a musical theater review at this community theater for kids in Tucson, Arizona. And the song that I was assigned to sing is called, let me entertain you from a musical called gypsy. Okay. Which is sung by a stripper. And Here I am 13 and I was wearing my mom's red sequin dress. Kind of like this backdrop behind me here. Oh, I borrowed this from your mom. Oh, that's amazing. Tell her, I said hi. Um, that was fascinating. Why is it over your face? I don't know. I did a thumbs up and it did a face right over my face. Interesting. Yeah. Well, we were going to keep that. Why is there. I'm pulling back the curtain again, we're going to get back to your story. I'm sorry. I'm going to pull back the curtain again. The last time we tried recording something, I was using OBS. Which I'd never used before. And at one point. Like Donnie was talking balloons. Just just came up on the screen and. I didn't see them. I was so confused when Donnie was like, why are there balloons on this screen? Um, so now this time a bubble with a thumb popped up. While you were talking right over my face, right over your face. Donnie, why are you, what kind of witchcraft is. No, no. It's witchcraft that I'm not even aware of Technomancy or whatever that is. Oh, Technomancy. The Technomancer anyway, I'm sorry for that interruption. It's very important. Um, So yes, you borrowed a red sequin dress from your mom to sing a stripper song. Stripper song. At 13 years old. And the, the crazy old lady who ran the company. At. At this point, wanted me to go sit on the lap of some man in the audience. Like just pick one, whomever was close by and go sit on some person's lap. And me being the actor that I am, I was like, yeah, sure. No big deal, whatever, you know, Probably this, none of this should have happened. This is where the story veers into a different direction. Um, It's getting, it's going to get even stranger. So, we're doing the show. We did it a couple times, maybe like Friday, Saturday, Sunday. And I see this young person, I thought they were probably in their twenties and they were close. They were in the right chair. You know, they were close by me. So I'm singing my little stripper number and went and sat on this person's lap. And you know, was singing to them and being all flirty and stupid and then got up and finished my song. After the show, somebody came up to me and said, Hey, Why did you choose to sit on a girl's lap? And I said, what. And they were like, yeah, that, that girl's name is Samantha. She's. You know, like 16 and, and his in one of the other acting classes. And I was like, Oh, no. So I had unwittingly. This was before I'd come out, picked the one lesbian. In the theater and sat on her lap and um, you know, embarrass the crap out of her and, and this, again, I hadn't even come out as a lesbian yet. So my gaydar was just like this one. And I went and I sat on the girl's lap and did my stripper number of her. And that was probably one of the most embarrassing moments and yet also foreshadowing quite a lot about my life. Well, first off, I'd love to say that. That did not go where I was afraid it was going to go. Right. Of course it could've gotten really, really bad. So. Thank you. You're welcome. But also, yeah, just like your body knew what to do in that situation. Yeah. Nobody took over. I love that. I feel like that's yes, embarrassing at the time, but liberating, liberating now. And very funny to look back on. At the time though, I was so afraid of being read as gay that I was mortified that I had done that. You know, and then like six months later, I was like, oh yeah, I'm a super Dyke. Yeah, absolutely. That was unintentional but necessary. Yeah, that was nature, right? Learning moment. And the last question to keep it optimistic. What are you looking forward to right now? Well, there is a trans voices cabaret coming up on June 22nd. Then I'm looking forward to. And then there's a drag show that I happen to be doing like this variety show on May 31st. Oh, A little, a little drag variety show on May 31st. You know, it just this little thing happening in, in Brooklyn. At 9:30 PM. That maybe somebody else wants to. Absolutely. This. Oh yeah. Right there. Once again for those listening, it's at the bottom of the screen. And I'm just going to preface this by saying this information is only important to you. If you are watching slash listening to this podcast, the day that it comes out. Because if if this is the day after or beyond, This does not mean anything to relevant. Irrelevant. Yeah, I'm looking forward to that too. So. On Friday, May 31st. I'm hosting a drag show. It is CryBaby's first ever public breakdown. Yes. Yes. It's going to be at this cute little space called nook in Brooklyn and the owner has been wanting me to do a drag show there for two years. Yeah, you've been talking about, I've been talking a long forever, and I've just been so insecure in like my hosting abilities and like, I didn't know what kind of show I wanted to produce. And then for this podcast, I'm like, I need to have a launch party. Like even, even if it's the dinkiest little launch party, I want to have a launch party. For this show and it has to be a drag variety show and it just so happens to also be on my birthday. Look at that. So a coincidence May 31st, we're going to be kicking off pride month. We are celebrating the birth of a monster. Both. Both me and the podcast and just having a great time. Thank you for plugging my thing. You're welcome. Wow. Gosh, I don't have to do any work around here. This is great. I too am looking forward to trans voices cabaret on. June 22nd, June 22nd at nine 30 at caveat in Manhattan. Or online if you're not in New York. That's right. Go. Let's go, please. Excellent. So I think it's now time to let the cat out of the bag for those astute observers who are watching, you probably know what franchise we're talking about. For those of you who are only listening. I'm sorry for edging you this long. I don't think that's right. I didn't even tell you. We've just been like, yeah, the franchise we're talking about the franchise we're talking about. I never said like, we're gonna let you know. But now it's time that working on I'll let you know when you're ready. Donnie, I'm going to let you do the honors of what franchise are we talking about this season? This season we are talking about. Child's play. One of the gay is franchises around. Absolutely. I fucking love Childs place so much. The whole, the entire series is brilliant. I mean it, I think child's play is one of those series. That you either absolutely adore or you hate so much that you're going to turn this off right now. Yeah. And it's also, it's so interesting because I feel like Chucky is. I would say probably the most recognizable horror icon to non horror. People for sure everybody. You know, horror fan or not seems to know this little doll. Chuckie was everywhere in the nineties so I feel like everybody knows Chucky. Not everybody loves Chucky. That's true. And I feel like only the real ones love Chucky only. The real ones. Yeah. That's that's true. In the nineties, I actually worked at a Spencer's. At the mall. Spencer's. That's a throwback. I miss Spencer's I would spend so much time in this. So a couple of Spencers around, but there are few and far between now I feel like it's not the same. It's not the same. They, back then it was called Spencer gifts. Now it's called Spencer's. It's a, I think universal studios bought them out. Something like that. Yeah. But we used to sell all sorts of Chucky merchandise, including the regular size good guy dolls. Oh really? Yeah. And Chuckie masks and Chucky coffee mugs and all sorts of things. And people were just obsessed, obsessed with Chucky. I'm still stuck on the doll. I'm sorry. I had no idea. Spencer's had, like, we're talking like real, like just the straight-up Chucky doll. Oh my God. If anybody out there wants to treat me for my birthday, please send me. A good guide. All. I would love to have one. My roommate would hate it, but I don't care. I would love it. I'll find something to do with it. But yeah, you're right. Yeah. And even like a hot topic, like all of those kind of I don't even know if I want to call them counter-culture cause it was like mall. Culture counterculture. They were at first. Yeah. And then very quickly. Sold out. Yeah. I mean, as soon as you're opening up next to like a hot dog on a stick, I don't know. I don't know if you can say that you're like subculture. He used to work at hot topic too. That was my, that was my early twenties. Once again, Scorpio. What a surprise. Well, for those of you who may not be familiar with the overall story of Chucky, it's the killer doll, you know, Chuckie, the killer doll. Started in the eighties in 1988, I believe is when the first one came out and is still going strong today with a TV series. So this has been like what? 30, some odd years? Yep. Yep. It's got a lot of longevity. Let me see if I can do the math real quick. Came out in 88. So. So that's 30 years. Carry the one that's 30 plus. Hold on. We're in 2024 now. So 36, 36 years, 36 years. That's fucking embarrassing. I'm 43. Yup. Yup. Yeah. Yeah. It's got it. How old I am. It's do you want me to edit that out? No, no, I suppose that's fine. I just, I mean, I've been like alluding to my age and this whole time. That's true. Yeah. Some people are just like, wow, you remember movies from the eighties? It came out. You must've been one. Wow. What a great memory. Speaking of actually so evil dead you said is like your first horror. That I can remember. Yeah. Mine is child's play. Specifically, Childsplay three. Specifically the opening title sequence, the child's play three. I've I personally find it terrifying just like blood and melted plastic all over the place. And then just like just this Brad Dourif amazing. Just. bellow. And it used to scare the shit out of me all the time when I was a kid. Will actually. The nightmares that I had were probably before Childsplay three came out. Cause I had a nightmare. When I was a baby, we're talking like I was, I was in a diaper. Like that's how young I was like, I was in my crib. And I looked up into the picture frame that was hanging above my crib and a little miniature Chucky crawls out of the picture frame, jumps into my crib and climbs into my diaper. That's like my earliest horror memory, like, it's both not funny and hilarious. Exactly. Scare the crap out of me, even as a fucking baby, my imagination was lit. Wow. So yeah, Chucky has a special place in my heart and my pants. So that's one of the reasons I wanted to talk about it. But also like we talk about Chucky all the time. Yes, we do. We both loved Jennifer Tilly, Jennifer Tilly. Jennifer Tilly. Yeah. And another crush. Oh, a big time crush, Jennifer Tilly. Is such a wonderful addition to this series and we all know, well, you know, And you all are about to know how I feel about Chucky's daddy. Don Mancini. Yes. Yes. We, we are about to hear a lot of this. Yes. We're gonna probably turn it into a drinking game. We should. How many times I say. Don Mancini is hot I think Don Mancini is so attractive back in the eighties and now like a handsome guy. He is a handsome guy. And his mind, like my attraction to Don Mancini. And he goes beyond the physical appearance. And it has everything to do with the fact that I just think he is funny. And hilarious and brilliant. And funny and clever, very clever. And bold. I just. Go ahead. Say it again. I love Don Mancini. He is so I'm so attracted to Don Mancini. And so. Yes. That's why we're talking about this. Cause I'm trying to get Don's attention. That's right. come here Don. I would love to have you on the podcast. You can also cast me if you want to, you need a drag queen and Childsplay and cast Donnie cast on and cast. Drag queen and a transactor, please do. We'll keep this series gay. Yes, we will. Which is of course, another main reason why we're talking about super gay, super queer, super trans. You may not catch it in the first, like the first one. I don't think there's as much of it. Because Don Mancini, he had only written the script and then it was picked up and worked on by. Another team, but when Don comes back and has his hands in the series from then on out. Like it gets increasingly more queer. As it goes along. The first one was not particularly queer, you know, it was also 1988. So everything that had any kind of queer vibe was an undertone. As opposed to like how in your face it gets eventually. Oh, it slaps you in the face and calls you a faggot, like. It gets pretty overtly queer. But no, I think you're right. And you know, in the eighties, of course you can only fight. So many things like people were already freaking out over the fact that it was a killer toy. Right. In this decade of like satanic panic and family values and fucking Reagan and all that. So yeah. Don just put it in his back pocket and waited until later. So. Is there anything else that you want to say about the franchise before we wrap up and send our listeners off to. The next episode. Now let's see. The only thing that I want to say about the franchise is if you haven't watched it yet, you have a joyful. Experience ahead of you. I will second that. This is one of those series where I would enjoy. Erasing it from my memory. Oh, that would be. So I could watch it again. So you can do it again. Like it's just, and it just gets so much more. As you progress, just unhinged and fun and wild and crazy. Oh, I'm so excited to talk about it. I am too. Yeah. So, with that said, we're going to wrap up and the next episode we will be talking about the first installment. Simply child's play. Yep. Yeah, that was it. That's the first episode. That's the first episode. Wow. We did it. How do you feel about that? I feel fantastic. I'm shaping a little bit. So I think I might have to put some gold bond on the inside of this corset here a little bit. That's why, if you're watching this at home, you're probably watching me for. I'm doing this a lot, because like these pits for hold on, I'm going to do, I'm going to do like the hot thing that like gay men love, even though like, I am painted like this. That's it. everyone loves the armpit. Everyone loves it. Into it, mom, we get into this pit that's chafing right here. So. And the people who are just watching are like running to YouTube to pull up the video right now. I hope. Yes, I just showed Pitt on air. I'm like, we're doing a send off and next thing you know, it's just armpits, chafing and arm Hair and armpit hair anyway. Donnie work in our listeners and Watchers find you. You can find me on Instagram at the Donnie Cianciotto. If you're not watching this, you'll have no idea how to spell that last name. So good luck. I'll throw it in the show notes. Okay. Perfect. Yeah. I'll throw it in the show notes for sure. And you can find me CryBaby at cryin_in_public. Because that is what I do. And of course you can follow the podcast, horror icon, pod that's w H O R R O R icon pod on both. Instagram. And the Twitter, the Twitter, the Twitter. So until next time cuties, don't be scared. Unless you're into that sort of thing. Bye.