"It's presumptuous to even look too closely into Angela's shoes, much less stick one's own hooves into them. But I said, 'Of course.'"—Elizabeth Ashley's reaction when asked to replace Angela Lansbury in the Broadway revival of The Best Man, reprising the role she played in the 2000 production. And for the record, Liz's hooves are mighty fabulous as well!
You wouldn't expect much gay news to come out of the Republican National Convention, but you'd be wrong. And it came courtesy of Aaron Schock. When a cameraman from TMZ caught up with the hunky congressman, who is more known for his six-pack than for any political ideals, what do you think he was asked? Whether Paul Ryan's wardrobe is adequately showcasing his physique. "I think Paul's in great shape," said Schock. "I think a little bit of leaner attire would help accentuate that physique that he's worked so hard to maintain." Is this the RNC or TLC's What Not To Wear? What pushed this exchange into the theater of the absurd is that Schock was strolling through Ybor City—specifically the GaYbor District. While he was gushing about Ryan's body, he was strolling past a bathhouse and numerous gay shops with ... shall we say "colorful" window dressing. What was he doing in this part of town? You can probably answer that question after watching the video on BillyMasters.com .
If you ever question that the times they are a-changin', you need only look to professional football. "What? Really, Billy?" I can hear you crying through your Internet portal (or, if you're a purist, crying to your newspaper). It's true. New England Patriot Rob Gronkowski made it clear that he'd have no problem if one of his teammates came out. The tight end said, "If that's how they are, that's how they are. I mean, we're teammates so, as long as he's being a good teammate and being respectful and everything, that's cool." Of course, this is no surprise as Gronkowski, who is in possession of one of the most delectable torsos around, previously said he would "eff" Tim Tebow just to take his virginity. I must confess that I find this visual most appealing, especially thinking back to that photo of The Gronk using his penis to whack a football piñata (which you can see on BillyMasters.com ).
Mr. Gronkowski isn't the only pro baller to have no problems with gay teammates (at least in the abstract). We now turn to Tennessee Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, the brother of Tim Hasselbeck, who is the husband of Elizabeth Hasselbeck. He claims to have discussed the matter with his fellow quarterbacks and it was a non-issue. He added, "The question did come up, well, what about in the shower? And those are tricky, delicate issues. But so are female reporters in the locker room. There's rarely a clear, black-and-white answer on a lot of tricky issues. But I think, at least for the three quarterbacks in our room, it was kind of a shrug: "Yeah, so what?"
Ryan Lochte accepted an invitation to appear on E!'s Fashion Police. Joan Rivers managed (without too much effort) to get Lochte out of his clothes—much to the delight of co-hosts Giuliana Rancic and George Kotsiopoulos. Lochte then explained that he shaves his body for competitive reasons, and not solely to make his abs pop. Rivers wanted to know how much shaving he did, and he said, "Pretty much everything except the top of my head." "Everything everything?" asked Auntie Joan. "I think that's a personal preference, but I ... uh ... yeah." She then led Lochte into the reflecting pool in front of the E! studios—and, yes, she went in fully clothed. I'd hate to ruin her big joke, but you can watch the magic unfold on BillyMasters.com .
British Olympic diver Tom Daley has had a tough year. After losing his father to cancer, he had the scrutiny and hopes of a nation foisted upon him for the London Games. After a disappointing bronze medal, he endured some offensive tweets that necessitated the involvement of the authorities. And yet, he's still found time to flaunt his fantastic physique (damn those teenage Olympians) for Heat magazine. The tyke was asked about future plans. "When I finish diving, I will become a fitness freak," he said. "It's hard because if you are an athlete and you stop, you'll put on weight so easily, so it's important to me that I keep it going. I do want to make sure that I don't lose my shape. I want to stay in shape." We all want you to, Tom. To see quite a bit of that shape (including some behind the scenes footage in his pink undies), check out BillyMasters.com .
Theater lovers Down Under are in for a treat: Angela Lansbury and James Earl Jones are on their way to Australia to star in Driving Miss Daisy. Although Jones appeared in the recent Broadway revival of the play opposite Vanessa Redgrave, this will mark Lansbury's first time assuming the role. They open in Brisbane on Feb. 5, 2013.
Speaking of legends hitting the road, Barbra Streisand is doing a smattering of dates this fall in conjunction with her "Back to Brooklyn" concert. And she'll also be promoting a new CD. Release Me will drop (as the kids say) Sept. 25 and will consist of 11 previously unreleased tracks that were recorded as early as 1963. When reviewing the material, Streisand said, "The thing I'm happiest about is that I still have great affection for all these songs. They appealed to me at the time ... and still do. Listening now, I actually think to myself, 'The girl wasn't half bad.'"
When Streisand's giving herself a good review, it's definitely time to end yet another column. And you know what else it's time for? Billy to return to the good ol' US of A. After all, the summer's over and there's plenty going on both in showbiz and at www.BillyMasters.com, the site that never takes a vacation. We couldn't squeeze in a question this week, but I always have room for my fans—both privately and publicly. So send your queries to Billy@BillyMasters.com and I promise to get back to you before Aaron Schock joins Joan Rivers on Fashion Police! So, until next time, remember, one man's filth is another man's bible.
