"I don't want a sock around it, that feels ridiculous. If we're naked in the scene, then I'm naked. I've always been that way. I've got nothing to hide. I just think it might be embarrassing for the crew."—Alexander Skarsgard tells Rolling Stone why he won't wear the traditional "cock sock" when doing nude scenes. So I guess I shouldn't have turned down that visit to the set of True Blood.
You'd think that being back in Boston for the summer would be humdrum next to the excitement of Europe, but you'd be wrong. Within hours of landing, I was off to glamorous Ogunquit, Maine to see Sunset Blvd, starring Stefanie Powers. It's a fascinating thing to consider Stef's connection to the source material—her longtime paramour William Holden was in the film version and Powers herself is a product of the Hollywood studio system ( she probably identifies with the character of "Betty Schaefer" ) . The Ogunquit Playhouse production is slick, functional, and a clever use of limited space. But more to the point, Powers' portrayal of "Norma Desmond" is fantastic. No disrespect to the theatre or its cast of players, but Stefanie is in a different class altogether—as you'll be able to see in the footage which will mysteriously turn up on BillyMasters.com . Rumor has it, Powers may get to play the role elsewhere—perhaps Papermill or yet another national tour. ( Look out, Petula Clark. )
In addition to Ogunquit, I also managed to squeeze in a brief jaunt to Provincetown so I could catch up with some pals. A few of the people in our group were attorney to the stars Mark Sendroff, designer to the stars Bob Mackie, artiste to the stars Robert W. Richards, ( previously ) married to a star Peter Marc Jacobsen ( who is scorchingly hot ) , and singing star Marilyn Maye. There were oodles of others who I will not mention lest anyone feel left out.
While I was cavorting on Cape Cod, Lance Bass was having his own drama at the Bridgehampton Polo Club. Details vary wildly. Lance originally Tweeted: "Wow! Some woman security guard took my drink and threw my drink on me and sai 'get the fuck out' I'm so confused why that just happened!" I'm confused what "sai" means. An incident with a drink did indeed happen, but onlookers say the drink was spilled when security was attempting to wrestle it out of Lance's death grip an hour after last call. Weird thing about that version is that Lance's Tweet was timed at 6:32 p.m.—but maybe it was only an afternoon party. Yet another insider claims that Bass somehow wandered out of the VIP area and ran into trouble when he tried to get back in—with drink in hand. Who knows what really happened, but there is a positive side to the story. Security had four cops escort Lance from the premises—so maybe some body cavities got searched. Hey, it was Saturday night and Lance may or may not have been drunk around guys with handcuffs and nightsticks. Sounds like a party to moi!
A couple of months ago, I received this "Ask Billy" from Frank in Colorado: "Whatever happened to that cop from Florida who was on a design show and did gay porn? I remember he was hot, but don't know how it worked out."
The guy in question is sexy Michael Verdugo, who was on HGTV's Design Star back in 2008 and who also did a gay-porn video back in 1996 ( of it, he said, "It was all role-playing bondage. I was tied. I used handcuffs later on in my career" ) . But Verdugo believes that his problems with the Hollywood Florida Police Department began back in 2007, when he filed a complaint for discrimination based on sexual orientation. Instead of things getting better, he was given more menial assignments. When Mikey got the HGTV show, people on the web started talking about the sex tape and HGTV dumped him before you can say, "Tie me up" ( which is hard to do with a gag in your mouth ) . Then the cops canned him, allegedly "for not disclosing previous employment" on his application. Verdugo claims he never considered doing a porn as "previous employment" and believes that the firing was in retaliation for his discrimination complaint. Then the force tried to have him stripped of his police certificate. However, this past week the Florida Department of Law Enforcement stated that the appropriate punishment for not disclosing previous employment—regardless of its nature—is one year probation and taking a state-approved ethics-training class. While Verdugo could be a cop anywhere in Florida, he's suing to get his old job back. The case will be heard in Broward Circuit Court in November. BTW, don't cry for Mikey—he's got his own design business and a very handsome boyfriend. Ironically, his beau is a Pembroke Pines police officer and, presumably, openly gay. We'll run all the salient photos on BillyMasters.com .
While I certainly support Michael, I think a reality check is in order. Most of the published reports state that Verdugo "appeared in a gay porn flick called 'Rope Rituals' for a 15-minute bondage scene." Everyone also has this statement: "Verdugo said he performed nude in the short scene, but didn't engage in hardcore sex." I'm not sure who is the fact checker for these things, but I'd sure like that job! I just dug out my copy of "Rope Rituals" and it's over an hour long—and feels endless. That's not a reflection on Mikey ( performing under the name Jeremy Wess ) or his "master" ( played with aplomb by Chris McKenzie ) . But they are the only two in the flick, so after a half hour, I was getting a bit antsy. As to no hardcore sex, I suppose that's right up there with Bill Clinton defining what "is" means. The only thing that doesn't happen to Verdugo is anal penetration—at least not by a penis! You have the right to remain silent, Mikey. But the video on BillyMasters.com is worth a thousand words.
When more than one of my items involves handcuffs, it's definitely time to end yet another column. Alas, there's no rest for the weary. I had to skip Belinda Carlisle's birthday in NYC to blow out candles with Big Mama Masters. ( They share the same birthday, doncha know. ) Then off to see Kathleen Turner in a play ... but I'll tell you all about that next week. In fact, all sorts of juicy stories will show up on www.BillyMasters.com, the site that puts out. If you've got a question, send it along to Billy@BillyMasters.com and I promise to get back to you before the Hollywood Florida Police use "Rope Rituals" as a training film! Until next time, remember, one man's filth is another man's bible.
