"I've spent time with George Clooney and he's the most interesting man on the planet. He can do it all. Yep, I guess what I'm saying is I'd have sex with him."—Channing Tatum shares this information with a reporter at a screening for his film White House Down. Note that the question was not "What man would you have sex with." It was "Who do you think is the sexiest man in the world." I guess Chan just had this burning desire to say he'd have sex with Clooney.
In the past few years, Regis Philbin and Larry King have been pushed off the small screen before they wanted to depart. This, of course, is nothing new—after all, Johnny Carson was also ousted. Even Donahue was dumped ... twice. Sometimes people are good at their jobs and want to work, but are pushed out by a network pursuing bigger ratings and a younger audience—something that usually doesn't happen. I wouldn't be surprised if Barbara Walters pitches a new idea next year which goes something like this: "I had this idea for a show. Different people with different backgrounds and views. A journalistic legend in his early hundreds. A late night comedian with an enormous chin. Someone who has interviewed Moses. A man who once hosted a show wearing a dress. And in a perfect world, I'd be the boss of all of them. We call it The New View!"
Another iconic performer is caught in the middle of a bit of drama. Although Joan Rivers isn't directly involved, the writers on her hit E! show Fashion Police have claimed that the network owes them more than $1 million! The argument is that the producers have broken California law by not compensating them for overtime hours. If the writers were being paid a flat salary, they wouldn't have a case. However, they appear to be paid by the hour, which means that any time beyond an eight-hour day (or 40-hour week) should result in overtime. They filed a claim with the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement demanding this additional money. Stay tuned.
Fashion Police co-host Kelly Osbourne claims that she'd like to change her purple hair—but she isn't allowed to: "I'm contracted to this hair color. I can't change it for two years. I wanted to go green, but was told I wouldn't be able to work anymore." How foolish—Kelly can't change her hair, but Joan Rivers can change her face? Crazy!
This week, all eyes were on Magic Johnson after TMZ ran a video of his 20-year-old son, EJ, walking down Sunset Blvd holding hands with another boy. The paparazzi might have been looking for a scandal (which wasn't so far-fetched since EJ was wearing a black boa and pink shoes, and carrying a red Chanel purse), but they were sadly disappointed. After EJ confirmed that he was gay, Magic sat down with Harvey Levin and said, "I think this is gonna be good for a lot of young Black people who want to come out. EJ is really gonna help a lot of young people." This is not the first time Magic has shown support for the gay community. When Proposition 8 was on the ballot, he recorded a robocall condemning the constitutional amendment, saying, "Prop 8 singles out one group of Californians to be treated differently, including members of our family, our friends, and our co-workers. That is not what California is about. So this Tuesday, vote no on Proposition 8. It is unfair and wrong." Bravo!
In more gay-marriage news, little Danny Pintauro is engaged. His boyfriend, Wil Tabares, popped the question on their one-year anniversary. While the couple was vacationing in Palm Springs, Wil showed Danny a video of him holding up a ring box. When Danny looked over at Wil, he had the same box in his hand and proposed. The glitch is that the couple lives in Las Vegas, where Danny is managing a PF Chang's (apparently he gave up his flourishing career selling Tupperware) and Nevada is far from legalizing gay marriage. But that clever Pintauro has that covered. "Our plan is to move to California once Prop 8 is overturned."
In a bit of late-breaking news that will come as no surprise to my readers, another talk show host is out of work. Bravo has cancelled Kathy Griffin's quirky gabfest, although we hear she'll still do comedy specials for the network. Of course, this frees her up for that mysterious project she's been developing with Anderson Cooper.
Our "Ask Billy" comes from Donny in Albany: "I went to see GI Joe: Retaliation and was disappointed. How could a film have Channing Tatum and The Rock and still not have anyone even take a shirt off?"
You aren't alone in your surprise. Quite a number of people have commented on Channing Tatum's lack of skin—especially since Magic Mike. But Chan tends to go up and down about 20 pounds, and he wasn't in peak shape when filming this GI Joe sequel (which was shot prior to Magic Mike). However, DJ Cotrona (who played Flint) did take off his shirt in one scene—and he was VERY hot. Mysteriously, this footage ended up on the cutting-room floor just before the film opened. Wonder why? Maybe the other leads were a little jealous. Thank heavens we can show you the evidence on BillyMasters.com .
By the way, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has been gushing about his co-star. "I love Channing. ... The truth is, and I can say this because I'm very comfortable in my own manhood and sexuality, he is a very sexy guy. He's a good-looking guy. He has nice eyes. Everybody talks about his eyes, right? He got lost in my eyes." Geez, get a room.
When there's the possibility of a three-way between Channing, The Rock and Clooney, we've definitely come to the end of yet another column. With that, I'm off to Florida for South Beach Pride, where Adam Lambert will be making his virgin gay pride appearance. And if Adam turns you on, feel free to chat him up—he's recently single. Of course, you can always approach me—I'm perpetually available. Or you can check out www.BillyMasters.com, the site that never goes down. If you feel the need to reach out and touch me in a virtual way, drop a note to Billy@BillyMasters.com and I promise to get back to you before Barbara Walters teams up with Kathy Griffin (in other words, before hell freezes over). So, until next time, remember, one man's filth is another man's bible.
