Helen Mirren responds to criticism that she should not play Golda Meir, the late prime minister of Israel: "You know, if someone who's not Jewish can't play Jewish, does someone who's Jewish play someone who's not Jewish? There's a lot of terrible unfairness in my profession. … My only real fear is if I'm really bad as Golda—in which case, I'll be toast."
No sooner had I landed in Las Vegas when tragedy struck. No Cinnabon!! The airport location is temporarily closed. Well, now we know why Adele cancelled! I can't speak for the songstress, but I had planned to carbo-load at Cinnabon for my entire fun-filled, four-day birthday weekend in Vegas. Instead, I had to suffice with some hurriedly purchased Fig Newtons and dash off to see the girls of RuPaul's Drag Race in their residency at the Flamingo. Various alums have been part of this live show since it began in 2020. The current cast features Derrick Barry, Kameron Michaels, Trinity K. Bonet, Jaida Essence Hall and the incredible Eureka O'Hara, with Asia O'Hara as host. One mustn't forget the Pit Crew, which features five sexy men who are also fantastic dancers. The production values in the Flamingo Showroom are ideally suited for this show—it's all quite amazing. In between the numbers, we were treated to some clever video clips featuring RuPaul herself. Alas, some of the banter between numbers could have been better, and the show could be tighter. But, these are minor quibbles. If you are a "Drag Race" fan—and even if you're not—it is a show not to be missed. Grab tickets at Ticketmaster.com .
As you know, Adele was unable to come up with a show for Caesars Palace that would justify the ticket price of hundreds (or, in some cases, thousands) of dollars. Rather than sit on a piano and warble some ditties, she left her fans high and dry. Around the same time, "Legends in Concert" reopened at the Tropicana; it's hosted by the legendary Frank Marino as Joan Rivers—and that's always a cause for celebration. As luck would have it, this incarnation of the revue stars a quartet of exceptional female singers—Tierney Allen as Lady Gaga, Janae Longo as Adele, Lisa McClowry as Cher and Elisa Furr as Celine Dion. And they're all fantastic! As a gesture of goodwill, "Legends in Concert" is offering a limited number of free tickets to people who bought tix to the real Celine and Adele. To take advantage of this offer, simply head on over to the Tropicana's box office.
My last night in town was spent with a couple of legends who were also in concert—Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. They appeared at The Orleans Showroom, and it was a great way to not only celebrate my birthday, but also their Oscar nomination. Marilyn and Billy are featured in Questlove's Summer of Soul, which just got an Oscar nod for Best Documentary. As to their show … what can I say? They never disappoint. In addition to all of the hits, they performed several numbers from their recent Lennon/McCartney collection entitled Blackbird. It was a great concert and the capacity audience enjoyed every second of it.
It's been a good week for FoB—Friends of Billy. Just before I left LA, I got word that Sherri Shepherd entered into final negotiations to formally take over the show formerly known as The Wendy Williams Show. There are details I'm not at liberty to discuss. The producers had hoped Wendy would be able to return to her show at some point this season—a hope that seems to have flickered out. While Sherri was always everyone's first choice to take over, she's under contract to Dish Nation through the end of this season—so just getting a week off here and there to fill in has been challenging. Also, Sherri and her son Jeffrey live in LA, and "Wendy" films in NYC. There are lots of details to work out … but I believe we'll all know more very soon.
Anderson Cooper has a new addition to his family. He announced the birth of Sebastian Luke Maisani-Cooper last week. Congrats.
I know everyone wants me to weigh in on the Oscar nominations. I'll tell you what everyone else in Hollywood said: Pass!! When the nominations are being announced by Tracee Ellis Ross and Leslie Jordan … well, something is rotten in the state of Denmark. Adding to the intrigue, it's been announced that Oscar attendees will not be required to wear masks or be vaxxed. But the workers will need to be tested before entering the facility. Hmmm…
Our "Ask Billy" question comes from Tom in Dallas: "You mentioned Eric Dane eating ass in Euphoria. But you haven't mentioned the hottie sitting on the toilet when Cassie got out of the tub. Was that real or another fake?"
According to Ansel Pierce (the actor on the can), it was real: "Alright, so we're sitting at about one day since Euphoria premiered … yes, that is me in the bathroom. Not a prosthetic, got a lot of questions!" So, he answered Tom's question for us. If you missed his 30 seconds of fame, we'll show it on BillyMasters.com .
When someone sitting on a toilet is news, it's definitely time to end yet another column. With another birthday done in the dunes of a desert, I'm off to blizzards in Boston—where there is also nary a Cinnabon to be found. No matter the temperature, you can get the hottest dish on BillyMasters.com—the site that gets to the bottom of every story. If you have a question, dash a note to me at Billy@BillyMasters.com, and I promise to get back to you before someone sends me a cinnamon roll with a candle in it! Until next time, remember: One man's filth is another man's bible.
