 | A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject.(January 2016) |
Michael McDerman | |
|---|---|
 Michael McDerman in 2008 at North Carolina Gay & Lesbian Film Festival | |
| Born | August 10, 1977 New York City, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Carmella Cann Michael Ferreira |
| Alma mater | Baruch College |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, comedian, writer |
Michael McDerman (born August 10, 1977) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. [1] [2] [3]
McDerman was born in Manhattan, New York. He is of Portuguese ancestry. He attended Baruch College graduating in 2006 with a bachelor's degree. While in college, he worked as an actor and drag queen. [4]
On September 16, 2003, McDerman appeared as his self-created alter ego, who he originated and portrayed, Carmella Cann, a drag queen judge on an episode of Ricki Lake entitled "How Straight Is He?" [5] He has hosted many live events as Carmella Cann, including Rhode Island International Film Festival and The Original LGBT Expo in New York City. [1] [2]
He appeared on an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit entitled "Brotherhood" in the role of Tyler Henry, a local fraternity pledge master that is sodomized and murdered, aired on January 6, 2004. [5] Also, in 2004 he was in the stage play by H.M. Koutoukas, Ring of Death in the role of Vicar and Maid, at Theater for the New City, New York City. He has had an appearance on A&E (TV channel) 15 Films About Madonna, Z Rock , Viralcom, Under the Pink Carpet , One Life to Live , and the film's Voodoo You Believe and A Four Letter Word, directed by Casper Andreas. He appeared in 2006 in the television commercial for the New York Comedy Festival, alongside Jim Norton. He was featured in the book Straight Talk with Gay Guys: What Girlfriends Can't Tell You and Straight Men Won't by: Daylle Deanna Schwartz. [6]
In 2008, McDerman used the screen name Michael Ferreira, when he wrote, produced, and starred in the semi-autobiographical short film It's Me, Matthew! as the title character, alongside the renowned Michael Musto. [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] In 2013, he was the theatre director for the Off-Off-Broadway stage play by Jean Bergantini Grillo, That Afternoon at Fred Campballs at Times Square Art Center, in New York City. Cann is scheduled to Host the Original LGBT Expo in March 2016. [1]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Trick | Dancer | (Film) |
| 2002 | One Life to Live | Man Diner | (TV Series), 1 episode: "Episode #1.8978" |
| 2003 | Sex and the City | Gay Guy #2 (uncredited) | (TV Series), 1 episode: "Hop, Skip, and a Week" |
| 2004 | Marie and Bruce | Yvonne | (Film) |
| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Tyler Henry | (TV Series), 1 episode: "Brotherhood" | |
| 2005 | Voodoo You Believe | Adrian | (Short film) |
| 2006 | 15 Films About Madonna | Madonna - American Life | (TV Series), 1 episode: "Pilot" |
| 2007 | A Four Letter Word | Tess Tickles (credited as Michael Ferreira) | (Film) |
| 2008 | Z Rock | Stylist | (TV Series), 1 episode: "Episode #1.7" |
| It's Me, Matthew! | Matthew / Ms. Cann (credited as Michael Ferreira) | (Short film) | |
| Viralcom | Carmella Cann (credited as Carmella Cann) | (TV Series), 1 episode: "You Got Yourself 30 Seconds" | |
| The Accidental Husband | Cake Consultant (uncredited) | (Film) | |
McDerman, wrote "Leading Ladies: A brief history of gay culture and its Founding Mothers" published in Next Magazine (New York City) (USA) June 19, 2006, pg. 28–29.
McDerman, in 2008 shared a Juror Award at West Hollywood International Film Festival for the short film It's Me, Matthew!
A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and have been a part of gay culture.
Michael Musto is an American journalist who has long been a prevalent presence in entertainment-related publications, as well as on websites and television shows. Best known as a columnist for The Village Voice, where he wrote the La Dolce Musto column of gossip, nightlife, reviews, interviews, and political observations, in 2021, he started writing articles about nightlife, movies, theater, NYC, and LGBTQ politics for the revived Village Voice, which returned as a print publication, with accompanying website.
The Club Kids were a group of young New York City dance club personalities popularized by Michael Alig, James St. James, Julie Jewels, Astro Erle, Michael Tronn, DJ Keoki, and Ernie Glam in the late 1980s, and throughout the 1990s grew to include Amanda Lepore, Waltpaper, Christopher Comp, It Twins, Jennytalia, Desi Monster, Keda, Kabuki Starshine, and Richie Rich. The group was notable for its members' flamboyant behavior and outrageous costumes. In 1988, writer Michael Musto wrote about the Club Kids' "cult of crazy fashion and petulance": "They ... are terminally superficial, have dubious aesthetic values, and are master manipulators, exploiters, and, thank God, partiers."
John McLoughlin, better known by the stage name John Sex, was an American cabaret singer and performance artist in New York City from the late 1970s until his death in late 1990.
Bruce Gerald Vilanch is an American comedy writer, songwriter and actor. He is a two-time Emmy Award-winner. Vilanch is best known to the public for his four-year stint on Hollywood Squares, as a celebrity participant; behind the scenes he was head writer for the show. In 2000, he performed off-Broadway in his self-penned one-man show, Bruce Vilanch: Almost Famous.
American singer and actress Madonna is an ally recognized as a gay icon. She was introduced, while still a teenager, by her dance instructor, Christopher Flynn, an openly gay man who mentored her. Since then, Madonna has always acknowledged the importance of the community for her life and career, declaring that she "wouldn't have a career if it weren't for the gay community".
Luke Caswell, known mononymously as Cazwell, is an American rapper, record producer and songwriter. He has released the three studio albums Get into It in 2006, Watch My Mouth in 2009 and Hard 2 B Fresh in 2014, along with videos and singles.
Murray Hill is a New York City comedian and drag king entertainer. He is the entertainer persona of Busby Murray Gallagher, although this persona is maintained even in private settings. Murray Hill is the self-proclaimed "hardest-working middle-aged man in show business".
Paul Stanley Iacono is an American actor. He is best known for portraying RJ Berger in the MTV scripted series The Hard Times of RJ Berger.
Shawn Hollenbach is an American comedian, writer and actor, based in New York City. He worked at Comedy Central in the programming department. As a comic and actor he has performed around the country and throughout New York. He is an energetic and upbeat performer and self-deprecating humorist focusing on LGBT subjects and a "style that capitalizes on the myriad incidents and accidents that befall us all in the midst of our human existence". He currently works at Logo, Viacom's channel that appeals to the LGBT community and their allies as the social media manager for the channel and its most popular show, RuPaul's Drag Race.
Jerick Roman Lamar Hoffer, best known under the stage name Jinkx Monsoon, is an American drag queen, actor, singer and comedian. Named the "Queen of All Queens", they have been noted for their celebrity impersonations and quick wit.
Steve Grand is an American singer, songwriter and model from Lemont, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. He became an overnight internet celebrity and the music video of his first hit "All-American Boy" went viral on YouTube in less than a week in July 2013. This attention landed Grand on Good Morning America, CNN and other national media. In addition to being a musician, Grand has become an active figure in the LGBT equality movement. He released his debut album titled All American Boy financed by a successful Kickstarter public funding campaign. The follow-up album Not the End of Me was released in 2018.
Jacob H. Horwitz, known as Jack, was an American businessman and philanthropist and a fashion innovator whose company, Horwitz and Duberman, was one of the first to specialise in junior miss and teenage clothing.
Jason Wise, born July 7, 1989, is an American dancer, choreographer, and theatre director.
It's Me, Matthew! is a 2008 American short film based on actual events. The semi-autobiographical short film was written, produced, and starring Michael McDerman, who used the stage name Michael Ferreira in this film. It was directed by Neil Stephens. The film running 15 minutes centered on the title character of Matthew, who is confronted with the inner struggle of looking at the past to understand why he's drawn into the personal relationships he's had. His psychoanalyst helps him link the pieces of the puzzle from the present time to the past. The film was screened at North Carolina Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, Rhode Island International Film Festival, Long Island Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, Anthology Film Archives, The Fortress of the Arts Festival of Shorts, Think Short Film Festival, West Hollywood International Film Festival, where it won a Juror Award, and it opened before the gay cinema's gay movie night at Clearview Cinemas, in New York City hosted by Hedda Lettuce.
Elise McCann is an Australian actress and musical theatre performer most well known for originating the role of Miss Honey in the Australian production of Matilda the Musical and as Lucille Ball in Everybody Loves Lucy.
The Pit Crew is the ensemble of scantily clad male models who appear on camera for various segments of the American television series RuPaul's Drag Race and its derivatives, utilizing the motif of car drag racing. During season 6 of Drag Race, and on Drag Race Thailand, the group are known as the Scruff Pit Crew. The group are called the Brit Crew on RuPaul's Drag Race UK.
Industry Bar, or simply Industry, is a gay bar and nightclub in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. Owned by Bob Pontarelli, it is a sister establishment to Barracuda, a gay bar, and Elmo, a restaurant. Industry opened in 2010 and caters primarily to a crowd of young gay men and tourists. Its musical selection is mostly pop, and its live entertainment consists of a number of weekly drag shows, many of which are hosted by internationally recognized drag queens. New York City nightlife journalists frequently note Industry as one of the top gay venues in Manhattan.
The Q was a multilevel LGBT nightclub in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. Backed by celebrity investors including Billy Porter and Zachary Quinto, the club was billed as "the largest queer-owned and -operated nightlife venue in Manhattan". It was known for its five distinctly themed rooms and for its entertainment selection, which featured A-list comedians, prominent local drag queens, burlesque acts and jazz bands. The establishment was originally set to open in 2020, but its debut was pushed to June 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In June 2022, Frankie Sharp—one of the club's three founding owners—filed a lawsuit against the other two, Alan Picus and Bob Fluet. The club shuttered in March 2023 in the aftermath of the legal proceedings. During its operation, the Q garnered praise from critics, who have described it as innovative, inclusive and chic.
Rise Bar, or simply Rise, is a gay bar in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 2015, it is a small establishment surrounded by a number of larger LGBT nightlife venues. The bar is most popular among gay men and some women. It features pop music and hosts weekly entertainment including drag shows, open-mic nights and karaoke. Though Rise's owners invested in soundproofing before it opened, noise concerns from nearby residents initially led the local community board and state liquor authority to require the venue to close at an earlier hour than its competitors. Following a contentious series of applications to modify Rise's operating schedule and liquor license, this requirement was overturned for weekend nights. The establishment has received praise for its welcoming, diverse atmosphere.