"I don't feel like I need to share my personal life, and I don't care if people think I'm gay or not. I don't have a problem discussing the topic of somebody being gay, but I do have a problem discussing my personal life. You don't get that part of me. Sorry. Assume whatever you want. You do it anyway." – Queen Latifah, clearly saying she's gay.
Sheryl Lee Ralph is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside – and that's saying something! Almost two decades ago, when other performers were feeling helpless while their friends, family, and colleagues were dying of AIDS, Sheryl Lee was inspired to start "Divas Simply Singing," a benefit concert featuring some of the biggest names in showbiz raising money to fight the disease. This year marked the 18th annual show. The venue, the Wilshire Theatre, was 35 percent bigger than the previous venue, and the show not only sold out (bringing in over $150K), it was oversold – which caused a snafu at the box office. Inside, the show was a rollicking success. Sheryl Lee is a consummate performer and holds the audience in the palm of her hand. But she can't do it alone. Every year, she rallies a number of divas to participate. This year, she billed the show as "dueling Pattis" because the first half of the evening was easily stolen by Patti Austin, while Miss LaBelle closed the show with a stand-out mini-concert. Other highlights included Ellia English (who was a hoot and a half), Loretta Devine, Roslyn Kind, Siedah Garrett, Angie Stone, and our own Von Smith. Although the show is routinely stolen by my darling Jenifer Lewis, she's on holiday in Europe. Prior to leaving, I videotaped her special message which was presented by Sheryl Lee and, not surprisingly, stopped the show. You can watch it on http://www.BillyMasters.com.
You'd think the Madonna/Guy Ritchie divorce would be my lead story, but does anyone really care? Unless we find out for sure Madonna and A-Rod are fucking, I'm bored. "US Weekly" claims Maddy and Rodriguez are "definitely romantic," so here's hoping. I'm sure Chris Ciccone is prepping a revision of his book.
As of this writing, Gale Harold is in "critical but stable condition" following his motorcycle accident. While Harold's people have downplayed his injuries, at this time he's in intensive care. "Desperate Housewives" creator Marc Cherry states that Harold has swelling of the brain, which sounds mighty serious to me.
Speaking of "Desperate Housewives," people keep asking me if hottie Josh Henderson (who played Edie's badboy nephew) will be returning to the show. Alas, that's not in the cards, but Henderson will be back on TV. Come November sweeps, he'll turn up on "90210" playing a high school student who looks like he's in his mid-20s. BTW, Shannen Doherty will be returning for two episodes later this season.
In one of the most delicious items to cross our desk this week, it would appear that Lance Bass' ex, Reichen Lehmkuhl, has been peddling his wares on Craigslist. Lest you think this is something unseemly or tawdry, well, you could be right. The listing in the Palm Springs section was called "Personal Fitness Trainer, In-Home or at the Gym – M4M," which sounds almost like a hybrid workout/escort ad. He claims to specialize in weight loss, physical injuries or physical disabilities. Gale Harold might want his number.
Intriguingly enough, back in 2006, Reichen had a show on a failed public access channel and also used Craigslist to find guests who were willing to talk about cheating, jealousy, open relationships, or body image. Sounds like he's playing to the same audience.
With the marginal success of "90210," it's no surprise that a retooled "Melrose Place" is being discussed. Original series helmer Darren Star reveals that he'd be interested in revisiting the iconic address. But, Star says no "official" discussions have taken place – which means it'll probably happen.
A year after stating she was likely done doing live performances, Angela Lansbury has just joined the cast of the Broadway revival of "Blithe Spirit" which will star Christine Ebersole and, making his Broadway debut, Rupert Everett. This production will open in March of 2009.
This leads to one of those little bon mots I like to share from time to time. In 1990, I came to Hollywood to see my friend Stephanie Beecham in Noel Coward's "The Vortex." There was a very sexy young man portraying her son (a role I played in acting school). As I ventured backstage to visit Steph, a lanky lad came bounding out of the stage door wearing a white ribbed tank top, jeans, and sunglasses. "Are you here to see me?" he asked. "No, I'm friends with Stephanie." He lowered his specs, looked me up and down, said "Pity," and walked away. That man was Rupert Everett.
There is no truth to the rumors that Zac Efron is being courted to join the cast of "Equus" once Daniel Radcliffe departs. Nothing could be further from the truth – particularly since the box office for "Equus" is so bad, it will likely close with Radcliffe. What is true is our previous story that Zac would like to expand his acting resume – perhaps doing something on stage (like doing "Hairspray" in the West End) or by remaking the film "Footloose," which he's currently developing with choreographer Kenny Ortega (who worked with Efron on the "High School Musical" series).
Last week, Elton John hosted his annual Advanta World Team Tennis Smash Hits in Atlanta. If the image of Elton attempting to jump over the net at the end of the game isn't enough to make you cough up some big bucks, you're reading the wrong column. One of the celebs involved was Andy Roddick, who auctioned off a private coaching session. When the bidding stalled at $5K, Roddick offered to do the session sans shirt. That boosted the bidding to $11K. He then said he'd do the session totally nude. Sold, for $15 thousand! And to a woman, no less. I wanna see those photos – and I bet Elton does, too!
I didn't have to be psychic to predict the most popular question in our "Ask Billy" mailbag this week. The first person to send in his query was Gary in Providence: "Who is the stud in Britney's new video? I went on line to find some info about him and found some pics of him with Lance Bass. Are they dating?"
Sigh…every time a photo of Lance and a hot guy turns up on the 'net, they're fucking. Trust me, nothing could be further from the truth. Well, I guess either of them with a girl would be further, so perhaps it's not that far-fetched. The stud in question is named Brandon Stoughton, he is indeed gay. He met Lance when he was working as a server at Fiesta Cantina, one of the queer hot spots in WeHo. Lance apparently has a fondness for hot guys who live to serve (see our earlier item). From what I remember, Brandon was very sweet and not nearly as pouty as in Brit's video. But he was frequently shirtless, and we've uncovered some undressed photos which we'll post on http://www.BillyMasters.com. By the by, from the looks of it, he's packin' a considerable package!
When Andy Roddick promises to take off his clothes at an Elton John fundraiser for someone other than Elton, it's definitely time to end yet another column. No time for pleasantries. Just a moment to remind you to check out http://www.BillyMasters.com for the best dish around. If you have any questions, send them along to [email protected] and I promise to get back to you before Reichen takes out an ad on MY site! Until next time, remember, one man's filth is another man's bible.
