"He's a lovely boy, but someone's got to tell him."—Lauren Bacall's quip in the wings of an AIDS benefit during Greg Louganis' less-than-inspired rendition of "I Can Do That" from A Chorus Line. RIP, Betty!
I can't say that I knew Lauren Bacall very well. But I did know her. During my years working with one of her neighbors, we'd run into each other with some regularity. At one point she said, "Call me Betty," which was her real name and the moniker her friends called her. After our mutual friend passed away, I ran into her and greeted her by saying, "Hi Betty." What I got back was a look that spoke volumes. From that point on, she was Miss Bacall, and that was actually OK. Bacall came from the time when real Hollywood existed. She earned the right to be called whatever she wanted. Trust me—no one will ever be calling Kanye's wife Miss Kardashian!
I don't recall ever having met Robin Williams. But apparently I did, since a friend unearthed a photo I took of him and Mork at some awards show. With details of his life and death slowly emerging, Fox News ran a report. Toward the end, Shepard Smith spoke of Robin's demons and said the following: "And yet, something inside you is so horrible or you're such a coward or whatever the reason that you decide that you have to end it. Robin Williams, at 63, did that today." Well, people got crazy. I find it rather ironic that someone who is a closeted public figure would call anyone a "coward." But to use such inflammatory language when talking about suicide struck a nerve. Smith later issued the following statement: "I was just wondering aloud what could have made this man want to end it all. And it reminds us that we all have responsibility as friends and neighbors to help take responsibility to prevent this from happening. To the core of my being, I regret it. It just came out of my mouth. And I'm so sorry. And to anyone and their families who see that, I am sorry." And?
Our straight ally Josh Hutcherson is continuing his good work for gay youths. As you may recall, he previously described himself as "mostly straight" when he founded the Straight But Not Narrow foundation. That group has joined forces with The Trevor Project and human I-T to launch a new campaign. Power On is collecting and refurbishing digital devices for LGBT youths in low-income and rural areas. People have until Oct. 16 to donate old laptops, tablets, smartphones, etc. To kick off the campaign, Josh donated one of his computers—wouldn't you like to grab ahold of that hard drive? For more info, go to TheTrevorProject.org/poweron.
Earlier this summer, Alan Cumming spent his day off from the Broadway production of Cabaret to appear in concert at the Crown & Anchor in Provincetown, Massachusetts, and donated a portion of his fee to The Trevor Project. He's an awfully busy boy. On Oct. 7, his new book, Not My Father's Son: A Memoir, will be released. In it, he'll talk about his complicated relationship with his emotionally and physically abusive father, and the secrets he uncovered when researching his family tree.
I must confess that I have enormous trouble keeping tabs on my pal, Brent Corrigan. With ever-changing websites and email addresses, I'd be lost if I didn't have him on speed dial. Thank heavens his new project ensures that we'll all be able to keep tabs on him. The notorious porn pup is returning to skin flicks. But unlike his more recent ventures under his own production company, he's returning to his first major studio. Corrigan just signed a long-term deal with the new Falcon Studios Group ( which includes Raging Stallions and Hot House ). First up will be two scenes with Sean Zevran and Brian Bonds to be shot this week. The scene with Zevran will debut Sept. 19 and the scene with Bonds drops Oct. 3.
The British tabloids have been all abuzz with reports that Liam Payne of One Direction is a big fat pig. The truth of the matter is, months after being snapped walking along a beach with abs, he was photographed looking ab-free. While we'd like to think that being a gazillionaire would make you somewhat immune to such criticism, Liam's just a normal 20-year-old and, despite protestations to the contrary, this clearly struck a nerve. First, he posted a photo on Instagram with a pillow stuffed under his shirt with the caption, "I mean OH MY GOD I'm just so fat these days I think I need help! quick someone take the cookie jar." Then he posted a BMI chart and wrote the following: "Now just because I'm sick of seeing this everyday so I just want to clear up what the media do to people these days. Is it wrong to be normal? Or do I have to look like an Olympic swimmer just to get your approval into the cool kids or can I accept that the person I truly love thinks I'm the coolest kid in town anyway? Think I'll vote the second one ; ) enjoy your day people." Sigh—I just lost five pounds retyping that!
Our "Ask Billy" question comes from Kenneth in Maine: "Have you heard the rumor about Idris Elba having a humongous penis? Is it true?"
It depends who you ask. If you ask Idris Elba, he'll say it's false! It all started when someone published a photo of him on the set of a film sporting what appeared to be a python of a penis. After days of numerous "tripod" comments, Idris Tweeted the following: "The good news is i got a shit load of followers. The bad news is, that is a mic wire." He then tweeted, "Calvin Klein called my mobile, they want me in their next campaign. Foot long john's Coming Winter 2014." What's the truth? Decide for yourself after seeing the pics at BillyMasters.com .
When people are denying having large penises, it's definitely time to end yet another column. Like Idris Elba, we were a little long this week. But before we finish you off, let us just in a quick reminder for you to check out www.BillyMasters.com—the site that never holds back. If there's something you'd like me to look into, feel free to drop a note to Billy@BillyMasters.com and I promise to get back to you before Idris actually does hear from Calvin Klein! So, until next time, remember, one man's filth is another man's bible.
