"Dame Norton barged past me in Starbucks ordering a grande latte with soyone never forgets."An anonymous poster online talks about his encounter with Graham Norton.
Having written this weekly column for two decades, I've developed quite a following. But since I'm primarily in print, I'm rarely recognized outside of the occasional gay bar, film festival or sex club. Last week was an exception.
At the Pasadena Playhouse, a lovely man told me he was a big fan. OK, so we were at a Harvey Fierstein playI'm bound to run into a fan or two. A few days earlier, I made a 3 a.m. dash to my Beverly Hills-adjacent supermarketI figured I could get in and out fast. While the store was fairly deserted, I did find myself negotiating around some boxes ( from restocking ) and an attractive man ( not wearing stockings ). I pushed the boxes out of the way and said "Excuse me" as I inched by the guy. "No problem," he said. "By the way, I'm a fan ... and a subscriber." I wondered if my pill was kicking inwas this a dream? I suppose if anyone has fans who are grocery shopping near Beverly Hills at 3 a.m., it would be me. "I'm really glad I said 'Excuse me', 'cause you never know when you'll be recognized!" And just to make sure he didn't trash me online later, I had sex with him in the frozen food aisle. Anything for a fan...and a subscriber!
You never know where you'll run into someone. I was flipping through photos from Jeffrey Sanker's White Party in Palm Springs and there, amongst the plethora of hot men, was professional ice skater Joel Mangs. You probably know him under his gay-porn moniker, Brad Patton. Last I heard, the sexy stud hooked up with fellow "actor" Brian Hansen and retired. He later resurfaced on Dancing on Ice in the Netherlands, where he lives. ( He was born in Australia but raised in Sweden. ) From what I can see, he's still in enviable shape ... and nary a Hansen in sight. ( Rrumor has it that Hansen is now dating Stefano Gabbanaof "Dolce &." )
Someone else made a quick cameo at the White Party. During the Sunday Tea Dance, Barry Manilow was spotted walking around with manager/husband Garry Kief. We came across a photo of him with financial guru David Rae, who is no slouch in the looks department. We'll run these photos on BillyMasters.com .
Congratulations to ABC News' Gio Benitez, who got married last weekend to model Tommy DiDario. The intimate ceremony took place in Miami and was officiated by DiDario's sister. Also attending the wedding were fellow newsman Thomas Roberts and his husband, Patrick Abner. They posed for some photos with a cock or two. Damn Autocorrect! That was supposed to be a cockatoo.
The long-gestating big-screen remake of Gypsy starring Barbra Streisand is on, again. The project, which was stalled at Universal, has resurfaced at STX Entertainment. Babs brought with her the script by Downton Abbey scribe Richard LaGravenese ( based on Arthur Laurents' original book ). Barry Levinson is slated to direct, and we hear rumors that the film could star Lady Gaga as Gypsy and John Travolta as Herbie ... or Mazeppa! Of course, by the time they actually start shooting, Streisand could be playing Grandma Rose and using a walker. But, eh, if we could suspend our disbelief that Rosalind Russell could sing the score, anything's possible. In making the announcement, producer Joel Silver kinda referred to Barbra's age: "It's Barbra Streisand doing one more, if not the last, movie musical of her career." Something tells me nobody ran that quote by Babs!
Speaking of movie musicals, rumor has it that Beyonce has all but killed plans for the latest remake of A Star is Born. The oft-recycled property was originally supposed to be directed by Clint Eastwood. Potential leading men were Tom Cruise, Will Smith, Leonardo DiCaprio and, eventually, Bradley Cooper. Then Beyonce was attached and Clint was out. Then Bradley said he wanted to act and direct. Just when it looked like all the pieces were coming together, Queen B reportedly wanted too much money, and the studio ( Warner Bros ) balked. Stay tuned...
Lots of performers have come out against these so-called anti-LGBT bills. Sharon Stone nixed filming a movie in Mississippi, forcing producers to find another location. Bryan Adams cancelled a concert in Mississippi. Ringo Starr cancelled his North Carolina concert. Cirque du Soleil has cancelled all of its shows in North Carolina. Duran Duran decided not to cancel a North Carolina show, but use it as a platform to speak out against "plain old-fashioned prejudice, fear and oppression."
Cyndi Lauper, too, is going ahead with her N.C. show, feeling that "the best way I know how to make a difference is what I have strived to do my whole life and that is show up for my family, friends, and fans in the LGBT community." She's also donating all profits to Equality North Carolina's efforts to repeal HB2. Like Cyndi, comedian Joel McHale didn't cancel his show in North Carolina. Instead, he donated "every single dime I make tonight" to the Durham LGBT Center.
Our "Ask Billy" question comes from Joe in NYC: "Did you see Modern Family [last week]? Who was the hot Christian rocker with the long hair? Looks like he has an amazing body. You must have some photos of him."
He caught my eye as well. His name is Andy Fischer-Priceyes, his last name is Fischer-Price. He's a 28-year-old musician/actor who has done some other things that I've never heard ofuntil I noticed his credit in Gregg Araki's film Kaboom. In that film, he wrestles in his underwear with a similarly clad Chris Zylka, and has sex with Thomas Dekker. We'll post the pertinent sections on BillyMasters.com .
When a Modern Family co-star is a "c" away from being a kid's toy, it's definitely time for me to end yet another column. Just when I thought I had outgrown playing with toys. Of course, you can play with yourself while checking out www.BillyMasters.com, the site that's endlessly entertaining. If you have a question, send it along to Billy@BillyMasters.com, and I promise to get back to you before Travolta bumps it with a trumpet. So, until next time, remember: One man's filth is another man's bible.