"I wasn't trying to have his career because he sings, he dances. I'm barely a single threat. I'm just an actor."—Tuc Watkins, explaining how he emulated the career trajectory of Kevin Kline— to the best of his modest abilities. I believe his modesty is overstated. Tuc surely has his own sizeable attributes.
As you know, I believe people should do whatever they enjoy doing—within the limits of their local ordinances, of course. But even my laissez-faire attitude was pushed to the limit when I read a recent column by Dan Savage. A reader wanted to know if he should continue to date someone who previously had a threesome with his parents! Note the plural: "parentS." As in both. And this is not a situation where the person had two fathers. These were parents of the opposite sex. If the letter is to be believed, the discovery was made when the writer introduced his beau to his parents. It turns out that the three of them hooked up a decade earlier, during what the boyfriend refers to as his "big bi slut phase." Again, I am not one to judge, but no—this would be a deal-breaker. I'm sure the boyfriend is lovely, and perhaps I could get past him sleeping with one of my parents. Although I suppose it would depend which one.
Joe Manganiello made a fascinating discovery about his family. The star of Magic Mike II and TV's True Blood, best known for his body of work, was having his family tree researched by Henry Louis Gates Jr. for the show Finding Your Roots. That's when we learned that Manganiello's fifth great-grandfather was Black! I don't know what it is about this news that titillates me, but I suddenly find myself extremely jealous of Sofia Vergara!
Then we have Republican U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson, who recently voted against codifying same-sex marriage. Three days after that vote, he not only attended the same-sex wedding of his son Kale to Phil Green, but made a speech—an audio recording of which has gone public. Not only does Thompson say, "We're just blessed," but also praises his son finding a man he could spend the rest of his life with.
John Cameron Mitchell made a casting revelation about Hedwig and the Angry Inch—it almost starred Patti LuPone! He said, "I asked her to play Hedwig once, when we were on Broadway and we were looking for the next people. She really loved it. She would come see it a lot, but we closed before she got to a decision." I suspect he means off-Broadway. When "Hedwig" hit Broadway, LuPone was 65 and perhaps a tad mature for the role. During the original off-Broadway run, she was a sprightly 49. Of course, the demise of that original production was hastened by the inestimable talents of Ally Sheedy in the title role!
Speaking of gender-bending casting, Sandra Bernhard (who at one point was also asked to play Hedwig) recently claimed to have been approached about joining the Broadway cast of "Chicago." She would have allegedly appeared opposite Pamela Anderson—as Billy Flynn!
In some less surprising casting news, Alyssa Farah Griffin was named co-host of The View. As a somewhat moderate Republican (and former member of the Trump administration), she has proven a good fit with the ladies, and seems to play well with others. While she is the latest co-host to get a seat at the table, she is not the newest. That honor goes to Ana Navarro. Wait, I can hear you cry: Hasn't Ana been on the show for the past four years? Yes, but she's always been billed as a "special co-host." This upgrade of status (and salary) will not change her frequency on the show. She will continue to be a floating fill-in—in addition to sitting in for Whoopi on Fridays.
Look for a familiar face to turn up on Grey's Anatomy. One of the new residents joining the cast for season 19 is Harry Shum Jr. We're told there's a good reason why the sexy Glee alum is older than all of the other residents. If it involves being naked, I'm all for it.
Filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan announced that Jonathan Groff and Ben Aldridge will play a gay couple in Knock at the Cabin. In the film, the boys bring their adopted daughter to a secluded New England cabin for a long weekend. I don't even need to read beyond that to know that nothing good will happen at this cabin.
In a recent interview, Barry Manilow spoke about his personal life. He claims that meeting his now-husband Garry Kief in 1978 was revelatory, saying, "I never even thought about whether I was gay." They met in 1978. Barry was 35, already had several hits, played the piano for Bette Midler in a gay bathhouse, and never thought he might be gay?
We have time for a very brief "Ask Billy" question. Dan in Miami asks, "I just read an article about some guy called the Turkish Timothee Chalamet. Who is he?"
It all started with the UK reality show Love Island. Viewers got to meet family members of some contestants, including Ekin-Su's brother, Arda Culculoglu. Social media quickly noted the striking resemblance to Chalamet. Since then, people have gone crazy. While I know nothing about him, I'm happy to post some photos on BillyMasters.com .
When we're bringing you some Turkish delight, it's definitely time to end yet another column. Of course, more awaits you on www.BillyMasters.com—the site that's muy internazionale. As always, send your questions to Billy@BillyMasters.com, and I promise to get back to you before any of my paramours even MEET my parents! Until next time, remember: One man's filth is another man's bible.
