"My presence was used for my celebrity, not my talent. I'm not surprised."Jennifer Hudson talks about the snub for a Tony Award, but seems to be implying that she was cast in The Color Purple solely because her name recognition would get people to buy tickets. And that's a bad thing?
During my years as an avid theatergoer, I've pored over countless Playbills. And one trend I've noticed is how personal people are getting in their official bios. This was highlighted at a recent play I attended where many of the characters were gay. While the bulk of the bios were pretty bland, one of the hottest guys ended his by thanking his wife and children for their endless support. Here's what that means"Back off, queensI'm straight!" While I don't begrudge him asserting his heterosexuality, I don't need it shoved down my throat ... so to speak.
There are some stories that do not arouse my sympathies. These typically involve people who I perceive as having a myriad of benefits but want us to feel sorry for them. It's clearly a failing of mine, and I'm telling you this up front before launching into the tale of woe that is Colton Haynes. Last week, the hot young actor/model officially came out. Colton grew up in Kansas, first gained notoriety as a model and then as an actor on two successful TV shows: Teen Wolf and Arrow.
All the while, he amassed a throng of followers on social media, attracted no doubt by his frequent selfies in various forms of undress. Speculation about his sexual orientation was rampant, but he never confirmed itand he also didn't deny it. But there were two clearly divergent images of Haynesthe person who had lawyers threaten websites for posting photos from his explicit, homoerotic XY spread, and the person who posted about his openly gay brother who has a child with his hubby.
Last January, gay stories about Colton picked up steam after one of his fans posted the following on his Tumblr page: "When I found out Colton Haynes had a secret gay past, I got so excited even though I know it makes absolutely no difference in my life." Haynes responded, "Was it a secret?" After that, he didn't say much. But Colton now admits that he voluntarily committed himself to a hospital. "I've had terminal anxiety my entire life. Physically ill, fainting. I'm 27 years old and I have an ulcer. I had to step back." We are not talking about someone new to Hollywoodhe's lived in LA since 2006! Now, a decade later, he's given an interview to Entertainment Weeklya curious choice for a coming-out story. In it, talks about how he's been plagued with anxiety about people finding out his "secret," and how the pressure was so great that he asked to be written off of Arrow. ( The show's creator, openly gay Greg Berlanti, is one of his mentors. ) My hunch is most people will laud Colton as some sort of gay heroprimarily because he's hot and they want to sleep with him, not that there's anything wrong with that.
Then there's that other "hero," Caitlyn Jenner. Reportedly, she will be appearing nude on the cover of an upcoming issue of Sports Illustrated. What is it about those Kardashians? They're constantly photographed naked at the drop of a hatso whatever you do, DON'T drop a hat! When it comes to Caitlyn's spread, I have one simple question that I intend without malicedoes anybody really wanna see all of that? Take the transgender issue out of the equation and just consider her a female sports legend. A 66-year-old female sports legend. Then ask yourself this questionare readers of SI clamoring to see nude photos of Martina Navratilova?
The most effective way for celebrities to deal with rumors is to ignore them. Then there's Arsenio Hall. Shortly after Prince's death, Sinead O'Connor posted this on Facebook: "Two words for the DEA investigating where Prince got his drugs over the decades ... Arsenio Hall ( AKA Prince's and Eddie Murphy's bitch )." The post was deleted, but Hall is not having it. He has sued for damages of $5 million and calls Sinead "an attention-seeker." If you ask me, the one drawing attention to this story is Arsenio. Sinead responded, "I'm more amused than I've ever dreamed a person could be and look forward very much to how hilarious it will be watching him try to prove me wrong. ... I do not like drugs killing musicians. And I do not like Arsenio Hall. He can suck my dick. That is, if he isn't too busy sucking someone else's dick." Yowza!
Channing Tatum made a special announcement: "Magic Mike Live!" will hit the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Sin City next March. "We want to change what male entertainment has been for years," said Tatum. While he's being cagey about the details, he said, "It's definitely things you've never seen before, I can promise you that." Tatum is co-directing the show, but he's not planning on being onstageat least not initially, saying, "If I'm even in shape enough to actually do the show again, I will absolutely step on stage, just because it's fun. I'm sure there will be lots of crazy cameos." He then introduced us to the guys in the troupe, who are quite hot indeed. As Tatum said, "If you build it, they'll come." You may, too, when seeing the video on BillyMasters.com .
That leads us perfectly into this week's "Ask Billy" question. Chase in Baltimore asks, "What do you know about A&F model Alex Libby? He's done some shoots where he's teased his penis, but never shows it."
In an attempt to change their image, Abercrombie & Fitch has hired 23-year-old British model Alex Libby to be the new face ( and body ) of the brand. Libby is what some online are calling "homeless chic." If that's what the homeless look like, I'm moving into a box on the side of the road. And, oh yes, he most certainly has shown his penis. Just before getting the A&F gig, he did a series of shots that show every inch of his fitch. And it's definitely worth seeing ... on BillyMasters.com .
When Sinead has bigger balls than Arsenio, we've definitely come to the end of yet another column. Since we ran long ( A&F models will do that ), let me quickly remind you to check out www.BillyMasters.com, the site that's working to end homelessness one model at a time. If you have a question, send it along to Billy@BillyMasters.com, and I promise to get back to you before Colton gets cast in "Magic Mike Live!" So, until next time, remember: One man's filth is another man's bible.