"Thank you, Lord! Congrats to all the other Queen of Christmases around the world, living and whom have passed!"
Darlene Love celebrates Mariah losing her bid to trademark the term "Queen of Christmas."
Did you know that Billy's hometown gave birth to not one but two holiday ditties? Most evidence points to Jingle Bells being written by James Lord Pierpont in Medford, Massachusetts. We'll just skim over the fact that it was first performed in a minstrel show and, instead, tell you this little-known factit was written for Thanksgiving.
And that leads us to the second holiday song to come from my modest hamlet. I don't know how popular it is around the country, but I grew up with "Over the River and Through the Woods," written by Lydia Maria Child.In school, we sang all four stanzas. It wasn't until the pandemic that I actually walked the roughly five-block route Miss Child describes to her grandparents' house.She writes, "The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh, through the white and drifted snow." I'm not convinced that horse actually knew the way, because I walked that route in only two stanzas! And here's another fun factI have certain attributes that have been compared to a horse.
Attention, everyoneMariah Carey is NOT the Queen of Christmas. Although Mimi filed to trademark the term, her application was, as Suze Orman used to say, "Denied." She also attempted to trademark the phrases "Princess of Christmas" and "Christmas Princess." Those were also (say it with me): Denied! This, of course, is good news to the longest-reigning Queen of ChristmasDarlene Love! The Queen is dead, long live the Queen!
Someone else embracing the holidays is David Archuleta. He's in the midst of a tour across Utah called "The More The Merrier"which also happens to be the title of my Grindr profile! During one stop, he talked about his journey to self-acceptance and coming out. After the show, his manager was informed that several people walked out of the concert during the speech.Archie had this to say on the subject: "Two years ago, I was thinking ending my life was better than admitting this openly. If you are more offended that I say I like guys than you are that someone has felt it was better to end their life for that very same reason, I want you to think about why that makes you uncomfortable. I wanted to have uncomfortable conversations. That's how you gain understanding." I think we have a future guest for Billy Masters LIVE.
Last week, we celebrated the life of the fabulous Leslie Jordan on Billy Masters LIVE. It coincided with the airing of his last episode of Call Me Kat. Joining in the fun were former West Hollywood mayor John Duran, writer and raconteur Bruce Vilanch and the outrageous Varla Jean Merman. But what was most special to me was when we were joined by Leslie's on-screen love interest, John Griffin. In addition to being a talented actor, he appears to be a lovely person. At one point, he emotionally recounted working with Jordan on one of their last sceneswhich made it even more special when I saw the final episode. Check out the show on our YouTube channel, Billy Masters TV, or on BillyMasters.com/TV.
After their fantastic performance at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, offers are pouring in for a reunion tour of Eurythmics. Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart are said to be mulling the proposals, which could bring in over $100 million! The duo would like to tie this in with a new recording.
Talk of music leads to this week's Billy's Holiday Gift Giving Suggestions. What a year it's been for the original Dreamgirl, Sheryl Lee Ralph. Not only did she win an Emmy for Abbott Elementary, she's released a collection of holiday songs. The title, Sleigh, is an appropriate homophone for a diva who regularly slays. But, it ain't homophonicit's stereophonic!! And it makes a perfect stocking stuffer.
You know who doesn't stuff their stockings? Those Warwick Rowerswho rarely wear socks! They started their nude calendar in 2009 to raise money to fight homophobia in sports. Over the years, it's grown and morphed into Worldwide Roar, which continues to raise money to promote inclusion and combat homophobia. To date, they've raised over $100K! You'll let out more than a roar when you check out their wares on WorldwideRoar.org .
We got an interesting "Ask Billy" question from John in Maine:"What do you know about Fraser Olender?"
First I had to find out who he is. He's the Chief Steward on Bravo's Below Deckand is credited as the first gay man to hold that position on the show. From what I hear, Fraser is adept at a variety of positions. The native Brit is also known for having a tight shipand you know how I love a tight ship. That he has a barbed tongue might be uncomfortable, but I'm willing to give it a go. Check him out on BillyMasters.com .
When the British are coming, we've definitely come to the end of yet another column. You know I don't like to toot my own hornalthough it is a skill which comes in handy on those cold winter nights. But you simply must check out www.BillyMasters.comthe site that will keep you warm all winter long. If you want more than corn for popping, drop a note to Billy@BillyMasters.com and I promise to get back to you before I reveal the origins of O Come, All Ye Faithful! So, until next time, remember, one man's filth is another man's bible.