"Yeah, I do my best work naked. ... It's all downhill from there."—David Burtka discusses his thoughts on appearing nude in plays. As I always say, know your strengths.
This column is being filed to you from the friendly skies. Alas, I'm not flying out of Denver, where they get very friendly with you as you go through security. Last week, two Denver-based TSA agents were fired after it was discovered that hot male passengers were being falsely patted down. The way the scheme worked was the male TSA agent would let his female co-worker know when he found somebody attractive. She would then flag him and request a pat down, which would be done by the male agent. In these cases, he would pat both the groin and buttocks area—which I believe is how they pat people down in prison!
The TSA was alerted to this situation by an anonymous tip—likely from a heterosexual male. Turns out that other agents knew of these shenanigans. One said, "There was more people that knew it was going on. They made it seem like a game." So remember, if you aren't patted down going through security, you may not be as hot as you think.
Moments after Hillary Clinton officially announced her candidacy for president, a small group of San Franciscans started a campaign, cheekily called "I'd Bottom for Hillary." I'm not exactly sure how bottoming would help her, but I suspect a strap-on might be involved. In a related story, these same guys would also bottom for a sunny day.
We hear that Liza Minnelli has concluded her most recent stay in rehab. Her spokesperson said, "Liza is home and doing great. She is very excited to get back on-stage and to see her fans again." Her first scheduled gig is at the IP Casino Resort Spa in Biloxi, Mississippi, on July 24. So, she's excited—she's just not anxious. However, she was anxious to come to West Hollywood, where she was spied eating at Pump just hours before we filed this.
It's never too early to book your tickets for the oodles of special concerts that will take place this summer in Provincetown. The venerable Crown & Anchor will host some of the biggest names from Broadway—people like Bernadette Peters, Barbara Cook, Jennifer Holliday, Linda Lavin, Shirley Jones, Billy Porter and the delectable Jeremy Jordan, who, by the by, appeared nude with Chad Allen in the play The Little Dog Laughed. ( Non-nude photos can be found on BillyMasters.com ). To snag tix, check out OnlyAtTheCrown.com .
Not to be outdone, the Art House will feature a formidable array of talent, including Rosie O'Donnell, Seth Rudetsky, Sam Harris, Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka, Audra McDonald and Will Swenson, Marilyn Maye, Roslyn Kind, in addition to Varla Jean Merman, and my Well-Strung boys. Get your tix at PTownArtHouse.com .
A trio of Black singers is considering a reunion tour and a CD. No, not The Supremes ( but I continue to hope ). After appearing with Michelle Williams at the Stellar Gospel Awards, Kelly Rowland and Beyonce have discussed re-forming. There's only one problem—money earned as Destiny's Child has to be split four ways. Four? One share goes to Matthew Knowles, who was the group's manager. We hear there is no love lost between anyone in the trio and the former Svengali Jones. But the gals have come up with a clever work-around—they could simply be called Beyonce, Michelle and Kelly. If that doesn't work, might I suggest calling themselves The FLODC?
Surely, Going Clear presents some of Tom Cruise's best acting work. Alas, the same cannot be said of the Grace Kelly biopic starring Nicole Kidman. Rumors of a film in trouble seem to have been confirmed. The studio has pulled the flick from theatrical release and, instead, will send it directly to television. Adding insult to injury, it won't air on HBO or Showtime. Nope, Grace of Monaco will have its world premiere on May 25 on Lifetime—television for women ( and gay men ).
By the by, it's recently been reported that Suri Cruise hasn't seen her father in well over a year. And who is that?
Laverne Cox continues to be a trailblazer—she's the first transgender person to be shot for Allure magazine's annual "Naked Truth" issue. She's featured alongside Jordana Brewster, Katheryn Winnick, Nicole Beharie and Sandrine Holt. So not only is she the only transgender person in the group—she's also the best known of the bunch.
This leads beautifully into our "Ask Billy" question, which, believe it or not, comes from Alexis Arquette in Delusionville ( and I am bringing it to you exactly as he wrote it ): "Did you not print a story about me and Jared Leto are you not a journalist maybe I have the wrong person but I believe it's you if it is you you said I was untrustworthy source are you out of your mind I'm the first openly gay actor ever ever I built everything for ever young gay actor in this town. Are you not the gutter press writer for the frontiers crap rag?"
Oh my—where to begin? First, Frontiers is the paper that carries my column in Southern California, and it's one of the biggest gay papers in the country. In fact, the story about Alexis and Jared Leto was recounted by Arquette in an interview published in Frontiers. What I find most disturbing is that Arquette has such a low opinion of gay publications, especially since they have provided roughly 80 percent of the press s/he's ever received. I am sure that openly gay actors from Billy Haines in 1933 to Tommy Kirk in 1973 pale in comparison to someone who once appeared on an episode of Friends as Drag Waiter #2. That said, my personal experience with Arquette over the past decade or two makes me more than qualified to have an opinion about his grasp on reality. Let this be a cautionary tale to you all—never believe your own press releases.
When most of you are asking, "Who is Alexis Arquette?," it's definitely time to end yet another column. I'll say one thing for dear Alex—at least s/he's keeping up with www.BillyMasters.com, the site that's always reliable! Should you have a question for me ( and do use correct grammar and punctuation ), send it along to Billy@BillyMasters.com, and I promise to get back to you before Hillary sets up a campaign booth at the Folsom Street Fair. Until next time, remember, one man's filth is another man's bible.
