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Hot—some would
say red-hot—off the heels of his successful gig emceeing for the
Chippendales in Vegas, Jeff Timmons, everbuff founding member of 98°,
has launched an equally sexy venture with acclaimed choreographer Glenn
Packard: Men of the Strip.
Glenn Packard: Choreographer and pec-wrangler.
The concept is that Jeff and a troupe
of too-hot show-offs are touring the country with a tight stage show,
with the whole thing being filmed.
I caught up with my old buddies (98°
was the first pro photo shoot I ever assigned) to get the not-so-skinny
on their ripped revue...
Boy Culture: How do you describe Men of the Strip?
Glenn Packard: It's the newest and sexiest male revue show that will be touring,
shooting a docuseries for a major network and will also have a home in
Las Vegas. Jeff and I are taking male revue to the next level—we are presenting a
younger, hipper edge.
BC: How were the guys selected?
GP: We went to some of the sexiest
cities in America, like Miami, New York City, L.A., and Vegas. The guys
auditioning learned a choreographed routine from me, then sat down
with Jeff and I, and we asked them 25 questions that would get them
through to the next round. Once we narrowed it down to our favorites, I
chose the dream eight by personality, talent and who I thought would
represent our brand to its fullest.
Jeff Timmons: I had my favorites, but
kept picking the wrong guys. [Laughs] I was picking guys I thought were funny
and interesting, but Glenn kept telling me they weren't sexy enough, or
didn't have the "It" factor. In retrospect, knowing the guys like I do
now, Glenn was brilliant in selecting the right cast.
BC: Is there a variety of men for a variety of tastes?
GP: Yes, of course. I mean, certain women have different tastes, so you
don't want to just put on stage one type of guy. We have it all
with these eight guys.
JT: My experience when I hosted for another brand was just as Glenn
explained. Girls had very distinct tastes in the types of guys that
they were in to. It was interesting to process.
BC: What is Jeff's role?
GP: Jeff is wearing a lot of hats in this empire we are building: He is
the host and singer of the show, and also stepping in and working on the
business part of this brand we are building.
JT: It's not altogether different from when we started 98°. We believed in
ourselves more than anyone else, so we had to do everything ourselves. We
were the artists, marketers, promoters and businessmen in our venture.
This project has a little more pressure to it, in that Glenn and I have
both been successful in the business for a long time, so the
expectations are exponentially higher.
BC: To reference a pop cultural touchstone, how similar to Magic Mike is this show...and how different from Magic Mike is this show?
GP: It's similar, as we have a youthful look to the show. The guys have
the moves like
Magic Mike. But it's different 'cuz it's working up to this
grand Las Vegas show. It's going to have all the elements you would
expect when walking into a show in Vegas: BIG EVERYTHING!
JT: Magic Mike was still a "club" type of show. We're shooting to step the
production value up quite a bit, and also take the male revue genre
mainstream.
BC: Will the show be really racy, or can you take Grandma?
GP: The show will have many different elements and numbers catering
to all different types of women's fantasies. So yes, bring Grandma! She
needs to let loose, too.
JT: Yes, we want fans of all ages to come and experience the show.
BC: Are
men welcome?
GP: Yes, men are welcome. The
gay men will enjoy the eye candy and I assume a straight man will be in
the audience 'cuz either his wife
dragged him there, or he has a freaky marriage. But I'm making this
show for the ladies!
JT: Glenn may be creating this show for
the ladies, but guys are very much welcome to come to the show. I think
gay or straight, guys will love the energy of the show that emanates
from both the guys and the mostly female audience. And for straight
guys, it's the dream venue to meet very "excited" and energized women.
BC: What will the reality-show element focus on?
GP: We know what happens during a male revue show, but what is life like for these guys when the lights go off?
JT: Exactly! We can dial up the production of the show, find the
perfect performers, etc., but people will be surprised about how
interesting these guys are, and how they interact with each other offstage.
BC: Glenn, who is your favorite star (besides Jeff!)
you've ever worked with, and what were they like? Who is your least
favorite star (besides Jeff!) you've ever worked with?
GP: Of course, Michael Jackson is up there on this list. Everyone in my industry knows
that if you've worked with the King of Pop, you have made a name for
yourself. I worked with P!nk at the beginning of her
career, and I have to say she was one of my favorites to work with, and I
knew she was going to blow up. Also, Ricky Martin isn't a bad day's
work to go in and work with.
My least favorite would have to be
Whitney Houston. I worked with her on the
Michael Jackson 30th Anniversary Special, and that wasn't a very pleasant moment in her
career.
BC: Glenn, can anyone learn to dance, as on Dancing with the Stars, or is it
a got-it-or-don't-got-it kinda thing?
GP: I do think anyone can move, but there is a select group whose
musicality is just
not there. Like Kate Gosselin on
Dancing with the
Stars. You try your best to do some tricks to hide the fact that they
have no rhythm to save their lives. I have had a couple artists and even
male revue guys in my career that have zero rhythm...it's a lot of
work, to say the least!
BC: For each of you, who are your idols?
GP: My idols in the industry are people like Stephen Spielberg, Oprah, Wes
Craven and Bob Fosse. But my true idols are my parents, Roger and
Paulette Packard. They made me the man I am today. Dad showed me what
hard work is all about, and Mom showed me the meaning of love. They
both have strong morals and are very family-oriented. I'm extremely
lucky to have such great parents.
JT: Not trying to steal
Glenn's answer, but my idols are my folks as well. I strive every day to
accomplish one-tenth of what my farther has accomplished. N
obody dislikes
the guy. He's a true inspiration. My mother is nurturing, loving and
funny, and was all about her kids.
In the business, I love Michael
Jackson's artistry. I'm a huge fan of Ne-Yo, Brian McKnight, Joe, Boyz
II Men, Journey, The Eagles, Boston, and Metallica to name a few. I'm
just a big ol' fan of music
