“Men Of The Strip” Male Revue To Open In Las Vegas

EMMY-NOMINATED CHOREOGRAPHER (‘MICHAEL JACKSON: 30THANNIVERSARY SPECIAL’) AND REALITY TV STAR (VH1’s ‘BROOKE KNOWS BEST’) TEAMS WITH 98 DEGREES’ JEFF TIMMONS TAKES SEXY TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL WITH THE GROUNDBREAKING, REALITY TV READY MALE REVUE SHOW ‘MEN OF THE STRIP’

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Move over Justin Timberlake—Glenn Douglas Packard is now the guy bringing Sexyback!

The multi-talented, Emmy nominated choreographer the New York Times once dubbed a “dancing entrepreneur” is bringing sexy to a whole new level, partnering with 98 Degrees’ Jeff Timmons on Men of the Strip”—an explosive, revolutionary new live male revue entertainment extravaganza. Like all of Packard’s high-energy productions, the show will feature a full spectrum of fresh choreography, sexy numbers, singing and dancing by each of the performers, a wide range of music and dynamic-like Cirque Du Soleil elements.

Drawing on the unique casting aesthetic of Backstreet Boys and ‘N Syncimpresario Lou Pearlman, Packard did an extensive search via casting and modeling agencies in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York and Miami to find the perfect eight guys to launch “Men of the Strip” on a multi-media platform. That platform includes a currently in development reality TV show, an extensive promotional tour and, ultimately, a residency at a top hotel and casino on the Vegas Strip. The key will be for each of the “Men of the Strip” performers to create their own individual brands, in addition to helping develop the branding of the franchise.

Packard is perhaps best known on the cultural landscape for his reality TV turn asBrooke Hogan‘s openly gay roommate on the 2008-9 VH1 show “Brooke Knows Best.” On the first episode, when Brooke’s dad, wrestling icon Hulk Hogan, makes it clear he didn’t want any heterosexual or bisexual men living with his daughter, he asked Packard “How gay are you on a scale of one to 10?” Packard’s proud and long out reply: “I’m a 10 gay.”

Packard first met Timmons when both were working on Mission Man Band, a 2007 VH1 series about launching a new band with various members from successful pop acts. The two friends recently meet in Vegas and decided to create the new face and look of male revue.

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Drawing on this unique element of his multi-faceted entertainment background, Packard had on camera appeal as well as stage presence and dancing and singing skills in mind when he did his casting for “Men of the Strip.”

“With ‘Magic Mike’ blowing up in Pop Culture, Jeff and I jumped on the ability to step it up and create our own male revue,” says Packard. “I was looking for beautiful guys with beautiful bodies who could move, but on top of that, a key part of the audition process, once Jeff and I narrowed our list down to 30 guys, was the personal interview process. I’ve seen thousands of sexy faces and bodies, but we needed to know their personalities, why they were getting into the business, what made them tick, and how they would come across on TV. We were thinking reality characters with good stories, searching for different types of characters from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds who would work well together. We filmed the whole audition process and that will be part of the reality show too.”

Also included in the show will be scenes of these macho Alpha males being put through Packard’s hardcore stripper boot camp like training and rehearsal regiment. As Timmons put it, “Glenn is this hard driving dude putting these perfectly built human trucks through hell – and at the end of it, they look great and are very different people.”

Packard, a scholarship student of Alvin Ailey’s American Dance Theatre in NYC, brings a powerhouse all-star resume to the development of “Men of the Strip.” Emmy nominated for “Best Choreography” for his work on the historic 2001 concert and TV presentation “Michael Jackson’s 30th Anniversary Celebration” (an all-star tribute to the King of Pop, his live stage and video productions include work withRicky Martin, P!nk, Usher, Missy Elliot, Daddy Yankee and the late Whitney Houston.

Beyond his professional accolades, Packard likens his multi-faceted journey to that of the iconic film character Forrest Gump. Only instead of “Run Forrest Run,” it’s “Dance Glenn Dance!” The fanciful, upbeat spin on Packard’s story is that he went from milking cows on his family’s dairy farm in Clare, Mich. to dancing for two kings: King of Pop Michael Jackson and the King of Morocco. But there was near tragedy along the way.

Planning to take over the family business, at age 19, he was in a devastating farm accident that broke his back and nearly cost him his right leg. In and out of hospitals for over a year, Packard’s body experienced an infection that almost took his life. While lying in the hospital, he promised himself that if God helped him recover, he would do the one thing he always dreamed of doing: enroll in dance school. While dance and choreography became the focus of his professional life, Packard’s vocal talents earned him a spot in Pearlman’s other boy band “twONEty” (21). The group toured Europe, performing in 75 cities in 15 countries.

While Packard is going full force with “Men of the Strip” —an admittedly “straight male show designed for straight women to enjoy”—he hasn’t forgotten his roots in the gay community. During his days on “Brooke Knows Best,” he was a prominent icon and inspirational spokesperson for gay rights and gay pride, making numerous appearances on TV and on the covers of gay-oriented publications.

Packard is also a spokesman for The Bullying Academy, which includes giving many speeches in schools and for public organizations.

Packard adds, “I love seeing what happens to these guys once they realize that they are not just pieces of meat, but are true personalities with a variety of talents. It’s exciting to watch them develop and thrive and learn so many life lessons along the way.”

Author: Suzanne Philips
Film, TV, Theatre reviewer. Mad Dance Skillz, Crazy in a good way.

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