"In a sexual way, I'm gay."—Johnny Weir confirms the worst secret in the world.
It may be a new year, but some of the old stories are still floating around. Sure, Johnny Weir finally confirmed he's gay. But others are not quite as forthcoming. And one of the people everyone's still talking about is John Travolta. This time it's not because of something he's done; it's because of something he might do. Online betting companies are taking wagers on when John will come out of the closet. Other popular celebrity bets include: when Charlie Sheen will go to jail, when Mel Gibson will be arrested, when Miley Cyrus will go to rehab and when Michael Jackson will return from the dead. I'd like to get a piece of that action.
Streisand is ready to return to musical theatre—at least on film. According to Arthur Laurents, Streisand is thisclose to taking on the towering role of Mama Rose in a big screen remake of Gypsy. But, contrary to published reports, she will not direct (said Laurents, "She once wanted to, but playing Rose is enough to make her happy"). The musical, which was written for Ethel Merman, first made it to the big screen in 1962 with Rosalind Russell (and Lisa Kirk, but that's another story). It was later remade for television with Bette Midler in 1993. Other people have previously been attached to a remake—most notably Liza Minnelli, who almost did it a decade ago. Barbra first discussed the idea with lyricist Steven Sondheim, but waited to make a decision until she had Laurents' blessing: "Barbra and I have been getting along very well now for some time. We've talked about it a lot, and she knows what she's doing. She has my approval. She had a mother who she always thought was Mama Rose. I don't want to get into the details, but the point is she knows. She's got it in her. She's going to be much more than people expect." Laurents also has a sentimental reason for seeing Streisand in the role—he directed her first Broadway musical, I Can Get It For You Wholesale. "We're talking about Gypsy being a bookend for us. She began with me, and this will be a grand farewell for us," said the 92-year-old Laurents.
As I told you months ago, Kathy Griffin has indeed pulled the plug on her Bravo series My Life on the D-List. Griffin said, "Reality is great, but I really didn't set out to be a reality star. So now it's time to spread my wings and show that I'm a little different than Kate Gosselin. ... I'm not saying better, but maybe separate myself from the pack a little bit." Towards that end, she signed a deal for four new stand-up comedy specials with Bravo in 2011.
I don't think it's any secret that Prince William is losing his hair. But I doubt he's interested in advertising it. That didn't stop the makers of Rogaine from offering him an endorsement deal: "We've been watching Prince William's growing bald spot closely for years, and we believe Rogaine can help. We'd love to send him our new Unscented Men's Rogaine Foam. William would be the perfect spokesman for Rogaine because whether you're a prince or an average Joe, hereditary hair loss affects one in four men. When he's on the altar and the world is looking at the back of his head, he won't have to worry about the hair that's not there." I should point out that this hair loss is at the crown of his head—a head which will one day wear a crown. Makes the loss a bit more palpable...
Someone who showed off all of his body hair—and his body—is Maroon 5's Adam Levine. He participated in Cosmo UK's annual issue to promote awareness for testicular cancer. In Adam's case, this meant a full frontal nude shot, with a nail polish-clad hand reaching out from betwixt his legs and holding his penis. Where do you sign on for those jobs?? I gotta get my agent on this. The hand actually belongs to his girlfriend, model Anne Vyalitsyna. When asked if he had any problem with the shoot, Adam laughed and said, "I spend most of my life naked. In fact, I often have to be told by the people around me that it's inappropriate to be as naked as I am." Obviously I'm not one of those people. You can see for yourself at BillyMasters.com .
The topic of nude celebs brings us to the first "Ask Billy" question of the New Year. Reggie in North Dakota asks: "I heard that Steve Howey is in Shameless. Since it's cable, will there be any nudity? He's so hot, I figured you'd know."
Not only do I know—I have the first shots of his naughty bits. As longtime readers of this column know, I have a history with Stevie—my presence at a taping of Reba ensured I'd be on the blooper real after I made him laugh during the one good take of a scene. (He screwed up a dozen previous takes.) The Showtime series Shameless premiered Jan. 9 and included some full-frontal Howey—now that's what I'm talking about! Since I'm sure many of you missed it, go directly to BillyMasters.com—the site that's always on top of these things.
Could it be that a certainly siren is sucking up to a certain sexpot's sibling? Let's hear Liza try to say that three times fast! Everyone is gabbing about this latest conjunction as if it means something. Honey, not only does he have a famous sister, but he's a "sister"—if you catch my drift.
When our blind item is something to cheer about, it's definitely time to end yet another column. Well, I guess I couldn't avoid it forever—it's time to head back to Hollywood. After all, the Golden Globes kick off the awards season. But I have another reason to be on the west coast—the night before the GGs, I'll be in Las Vegas at the Miss America Pageant. So if you hear of someone being beaten up because he mouthed off to the wrong contestant's family and they backed over him in their motor home, you'll know who it was! I'm sure there will be gossip galore from these two events, but you can feel like you're a fly on the wall by checking out www.BillyMasters.com . If you have a question you'd like me to tackle (much like Miss Wyoming's uncle will likely tackle me), drop a note to Billy@BillyMasters.com, and I promise to get back to you before I'm released on my own recognizance. Until next time, remember, one man's filth is another man's bible.
