Last week, Rosie O'Donnell sat down for a marathon interview with Howard Stern. Yes, Howard Stern and, no, hell hasn't frozen over. You're not the only one who's surprised. Someone asked Rosie what she'd have thought 10 years ago if she was told Howard would become a big supporter of hers. She answered, "I would have said r u on crack." And yet, Howard has not only become a supporter; he's the one who convinced Rosie that she could be a successful radio personality. Given that endorsement, Rosie signed a deal with Sirius and just launched "Rosie Radio," a weekday talk show that will air on Sirius Stars from 10 a.m. till noon ET ( with an 8 p.m. replay ) .
Back to the interview with Stern. This was 90 minutes of the most in-depth conversation Rosie has done with anyone. She's quite revelatory about her split with Kelli ( it doesn't sound like they will survive as a couple ) , her problems with her dad ( she hasn't seen him in 17 years and speaks frankly about some sexual abuse ) , opportunities to romance famous women ( believe it or not, Petra Nemcova and Angelina Jolie ) , and a variety of other topics. It's such a good interview, I'm going to post it for your listening pleasure on BillyMasters.com . In fact, I'll post it for you to download as one of our far-too-infrequent podcasts.
This was also the week that we got our first glimpse of the gal formerly known as Chastity Bono, now a man named Chaz. Bono is in the midst of gender reassignment. In March, s/he had both breasts removed and began taking testosterone. Chaz now has to shave once a week. "It kind of started to come in just like peach fuzz. I always wanted to shave. It is a very natural process." Isn't it funny—you take these male hormones and then have to start shaving. But Chaz claims to enjoy it. That makes one of us. Pics of Chaz will show up on our Web site.
Broadway beaus Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig are doing their part for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. After a recent matinee show of A Steady Rain, they auctioned off their shirts and each raised $4,000. The lucky winners got to go backstage and meet the guys as well. That day was special for another reason. Hugh Jackman told the audience, "This was the first time we've done this whole show without a cell phone going off." Glory be.
A few weeks ago, I told you not to believe rumors that Scarlett Johansson would be joining Sean Hayes in the Broadway revival of Promises, Promises. Of course, I was right. Yes, she was in New York and yes, she was meeting with producers and yes, she's going to make her Broadway debut. But not in a musical. She will star alongside Liev Schreiber in Arthur Miller's "A View From the Bridge" which will debut on January 24th. Yes, the same Liev Schreiber whose penis we featured a few months back on BillyMasters.com ( and, yes, it's still there ) .
So who will be the female lead in "Promises, Promises"? Sean Hayes, duh. Oops, the other female lead. That would be the lovely and talented Kristin Chenoweth. The former "Pushing Daisies" co-star has been looking for work and found it. The opening is set for April 25.
Everyone is reporting that Gavin Creel ( from the Broadway production of Hair ) and Jonathan Groff ( from Spring Awakening ) are lovers. I dunno about all that...but they are dating. Eh, who isn't? What IS interesting is that when this current revival of "Hair" first surfaced at Shakespeare in the Park, Jonathan was playing the role of "Claude." When it moved indoors, Groff opted out to make Ang Lee's "Taking Woodstock" and Creel filled his slot...so to speak. The couple turned up together at the gay march on DC last month. We'll run some pics of the pair on BillyMasters.com .
BTW, Groff will surface on Glee for several episodes—and possibly play love interest to his old "Spring" co-star, Lea Michele.
This talk of gay couples leads directly into this week's "Ask Billy" question. Karl in Tampa asks: "What do you know about Matthew Bomer on White Collar? A friend told me he's openly gay. God, those eyes...he's just gorgeous."
You had me with Matt Bomer but completely lost me on White Collar. Shows you what I know. This is a new program on USA Network ( ah, that's why ) starring the beautiful Bomer as a convicted art thief who is being used by the FBI to catch other white collar criminals. If you aren't familiar with Bomer, I'll go beyond calling him beautiful—he's dreamy. Like James Marsden ( who I'd actually like to see him do a love scene with, in case anyone reading this has that kind of power ) . You may recall that Bomer was tapped to lead the revived Superman franchise back when Brett Ratner was going to helm the project ( why our own Bryan Singer replaced him has always been a mystery to moi ) . And others may remember him from Chuck last season. Or Tru Calling. But I go way back with Matty—back to 2001 when he was on Guiding Light ... and shirtless all the time. To recap—he's gorgeous, he's talented, and he's one of us. I dunno how open he is—he never touched me, I swear. But rumors have been circulating that he's thisclose with his publicist, PMK head honcho Simon Halls.
Could it be that a prior peacock has a penchant for PVC? So say several sources who ran into the openly gay gent at NYC watering hole The Eagle—on rubber night! Yes, our natty Nancy was in full rubber regalia. And he didn't go home alone. But the first rule of The Eagle is you do not talk about The Eagle. You got that, Jonesy?
When I'm back to giving hard clues for a blind item, it's definitely time to end yet another column. You see? We're more than just a funny, dishy column with pretty pictures. We've got videos. We've got audio. We're a freakin' multimedia center. So, what are you waiting for? Check out www.BillyMasters.com or you're missing out. And what if you have a question? Easy—just drop a note to Billy@BillyMasters.com and I promise to get back to you before Cher announces that she's taking up skiing! So, until next time, remember, one man's filth is another man's bible.
