"This one won't come out. It's like the Queen Latifah of kittens."—Jennifer Coolidge's quip as Sophie on 2 Broke Girls while aiding a pregnant cat. Ironically, Latifah will be appearing in the upcoming HBO biopic Bessie, about jazz singer ( and lesbian ) Bessie Smith. My God—Latifah has been preparing to play this role for 40 years!
The big news this week was Bruce Jenner's interview with Diane Sawyer. Nothing Jenner said really surprised me—after all, he'd been in Can't Stop The Music with the Village People! Many people have taken umbrage at the lack of involvement by the Kardashian clan. While Bruce's children from previous marriages participated, his kids with Kris were nowhere to be seen. And although Jenner's first two wives issued statements, Kris said, "No comment."
It turns out the Kardashians were purposely lying low to not dilute Bruce's message. Moments after the interview aired, Kris tweeted, "Not only was I able to call him my husband for 25 years and father of my children, I am now able to call him my hero." Kim wrote, "Your honesty has opened the doors for others to be courageous and live an authentic life! Love is the courage to live the truest, best version of yourself. Bruce is love. I love you Bruce." Kourtney said, "Couldn't be a more proud daughter. With courage and bravery, let's change the world. I am honored to stand by Bruce's side and support him." Khloé added, "Just finished watching the #BruceJennerInterview with the family. Bruzer, I'm soooo proud of you! Dads really are heros."
For many, the big revelation was that he's a Republican. Gays in particular took umbrage—how could someone transgender be a Republican? These are the same people who don't understand how a woman, or a gay person, or a member of any minority could be a Republican. Personally, I think that a transgender Republican will go a long way in educating conservatives—certainly further than a transgender Democrat. Change happens with education. Maybe this is part of Bruce's journey. If so, bravo ( or brava ).
Republican presidential hopeful Ted Cruz was the guest of honor at a dinner held at the Central Park South penthouse of Mati Weiderpass and Ian Reisner—notable gay business partners. In addition to owning The OutNYC Hotel, they are said to control 80 percent of the commercial property on Fire Island. The soirée was allegedly arranged by Weiderpass, and Reisner was simply a guest. Although the pair generously contributes to LGBT charities and political groups, they've been vilified for having anything to do with Cruz, who has been an outspoken opponent of same-sex marriage. ( However, at the party, he did say, "If one of my daughters was gay, I would love them just as much." )
Response to the controversy was swift, with many in the gay community calling for boycotts on their businesses—including ALL of Fire Island. The first casualty was the cancellation of a major fundraising event for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. "Broadway Bares Solo Strips" ( a precursor to "Broadway Bares" ) was slated to take place May 10 at 42West ( part of TheOutNYC ). Tom Viola, BC/EFA's executive director, said, in part, "We cannot, in good conscience, hold an event at a venue whose owners have alienated our community."
Another Republican presidential candidate is changing his tune—perhaps he's evolved, or perhaps he's pandering. Marco Rubio has declared that being gay is not a choice: "The bottom line is that I believe that sexual preference is something people are born with," he told Bob Schieffer on Face the Nation. Elsewhere, he made such disparate comments as, "It's not that I'm against gay marriage. I believe the definition of the institution of marriage should be between one man and one woman." That sure sounds like being against gay marriage to me. Rubio also claims to meet with Log Cabin Republican groups regularly. I eat broccoli regularly, but that doesn't mean I like it.
Joseph Sciambra was a gay-porn star—although I've never heard of him. He's now an ex-gay Christian preaching against homosexuality. He claims that during his gay days, he was hospitalized after some extremely rough anal sex and ( I quote ), "had to have my sphincters almost stitched shut." In a video, he says, "I'm going to talk about the devil and why he loves anal sex. Anal sex releases into the world rare demonic entities and that even in the body could be conceived as the devil and that would be given birth to anally." Maybe he just wasn't doing it right.
Raven-Symoné seems to be everywhere. She's been one of the most popular guest co-hosts on The View and she played a pivotal role on Empire. She's also going to guest star on Black-ish as Rhonda, the lesbian sister of Anthony Anderson. In the episode, Anderson convinces her to come out to their mama, played by my Play Mama, Jenifer Lewis. Needless to say, Mama doesn't handle the news so well. It airs May 6.
Could it be that a certain pop stud has been exploring his less-than-angelic side? While he couldn't indulge in same-sex crushes during his previous incarnation, he's far less miserable now that he can show up at gay clubs and call it "research." ( We hear he likes his research rough. ) It's one thing to cavort with male strippers overseas, but it's pretty foolish to do so stateside—even at a private home. Happily, his galpal ain't the jealous type. In fact, her only complaint is she'd really like to be able to wear high heels again. Be careful what you wish for...
Could it be that a god-like guy more known for being seen and not heard is trading in tepid big-screen success for small-screen obscurity? That's the word from the set of his latest venture, which is far from hitting the target. He doesn't seem concerned that the experiment could be a bust—and what a bust it is. He was too busy partying at Coachella, clearly feeling no pain while inappropriately grabbing bouncing balls—both high and low. When he made the moves on his former co-star, enough was enough and his beau/manager got him home fast.
When we have room for two blind items, it's definitely time to end yet another column. Before we close, I can reveal one of Bruce Jenner's remaining secrets. Prior to meeting Kris, Bruce planned to transition overseas and re-emerge as "Heather." I'm sure we'll have more about Heather Jenner on www.BillyMasters.com, the site that's anything but expendable. If you have any questions for me, drop a note to Billy@BillyMasters.com, and I promise to get back to you before Bruce stars in Heathers 2! So, until next time, remember: One man's filth is another man's bible.
