"Let me tell you this about The View: I take a paycheck every other week. That's all I do. I could give a shit what comes. I do my job—I have a contract. That's where I stand. I don't give a fuck."—Whoopi Goldberg answers questions about who could replace Joy Behar ... or, for that matter, Elisabeth Hasselbeck.
No matter where I live, where I work, or where I travel, I'm always a Bostonian. It's still the place I call home. In fact, I'll be in Boston by the time you read this. While the news changes moment by moment, there's hope that the worst is over. The day after the bombings, Elisabeth Hasselbeck shared memories of running the Boston Marathon and how this attack may forever cast a shadow on the event. Whoopi Goldberg piped in, "Maybe next year, those of us who have never run a marathon should head to Boston and run the marathon." All of The View co-hosts agreed. Of course, it's fine by Joy Behar—she'll be long gone. Elisabeth may be as well. My darling Sherri Shepherd and I will no doubt drive the route (while stopping at some drive-thrus). That leaves Whoopi as the only one to actually run the marathon. I suppose Barbara may participate ... but probably in the wheelchair category!
Last week, I was proud to be a part of Miami Beach Gay Pride. You would never guess that this was one of the youngest gay-pride organizations in the country from how perfectly organized the parade went. None of the lags or other issues that often hamper these festivities. Given my strong opinions, I was the perfect person to be a celebrity judge, alongside Randy Jones (from The Village People) and director Richard Jay-Alexander. No one would be surprised that the highest scores went to Twist nightclub—they constructed a pirate ship, for goodness sake! Honorable mention went to the teens from Safe Schools South Florida and to the college kids at Florida International University. After all, the young gays of today are my ex-boyfriends of tomorrow.
People around the world were talking about Miami Beach Gay Pride because their headliner was Adam Lambert, appearing at his first gay pride festival. (He will perform at the Life Ball in Vienna May 25 and Pittsburgh Pride June 15.) Adam's time in South Beach was jam-packed—he held a press conference on Saturday, received the key to the city on Sunday, and was constantly mobbed by fans every step of the way. This may be what led to a somewhat truncated concert later that night. Nonetheless, the show and festival attracted the biggest audience ever—including quite a few diehard Lambert fans who set up chairs in front of the stage 12 hours before the show even started! Congrats to everyone who helped make it such a great weekend.
You know that I've hosted tons of pride festivals—from Stonewall 25 in NYC to LA Pride's 40th anniversary and everything in between. And now I get to help commemorate another landmark—I'll be hosting the 30th anniversary celebration of Long Beach Pride May 18-19. What makes it even better is that the weekend is filled with performances by a number of my good friends—including a full concert by Fantasia and her band on Saturday night. On Sunday, the line-up consists of alums from American Idol and The Voice, including David Hernandez, Kimberly Caldwell, Paris Bennett, Frenchie Davis, Beverly McClellan and Jamar Rogers. You can get more info and a complete schedule at LongBeachPride.com .
Another member of the American Idol family was in the news this week. Clay Aiken's fans are known for being very devoted. But one particular Claymate has taken it a bit far. Barbara Saylor from Seattle likes to travel wherever Clay is appearing ... and a few places where he's not. Last week, she was arrested for misdemeanor stalking and first degree trespassing after turning up at his North Carolina home. Allegedly, she snuck into his gated community, climbed a fence, and shimmied up the side of his house to peek in the window. That's an awful lot of activity for a 57-year-old...I'm exhausted just reading it.
But when you put it into perspective, Clay got off easy. Hugh Jackman's stalker was arrested after throwing pubic hair on him! Reportedly, Kathleen Thurston slipped into NYC's Gotham Gym and made her way to where Jackman was working out. She then allegedly reached into her waistband to pull something out—which Jackman thought was a gun. Instead, what Thurston produced was a disposable razor covered in what is assumed to be her pubic hair (I suppose we'll have to wait till the razor comes back from forensics). She screamed, "I love you!" as she threw the hair-encrusted razor at Jackman, which is probably a mating ritual in some cultures. Why he had her arrested is anyone's guess.
Our "Ask Billy" question is from Jarrod in San Francisco: "I heard that [porn star] Brent Corrigan has been having some health problems and was even rushed to a hospital emergency room. Is he OK? What happened?"
Sean Paul Lockhart (Brent's real name) was rushed to the hospital, thinking his appendix burst. As it turns out, he had a bacterial infection, which was exacerbated by dehydration and exhaustion. I ran into him shortly after his ER visit and he told me, "The problem is I just work too hard." Sean was in the midst of filming Triple Crossed, which he also acted in and directed. He then had two days off before starting his next movie, The Dark Place. No wonder he's exhausted. When I checked in to see how he was doing, he said, "You can't wait for life and work to file neatly into place. Sometimes you just have to take what's thrown at you, even if it's coming at you at once. I'm just thrilled I'm acting and directing." You can keep tabs on him at Sean-Paul-Lockhart.com .
When Hugh Jackman's life is more risque than Brent Corrigan's, it's definitely time to end yet another column. Sean/Brent is already producing, directing and acting in his own films. I'm sure he's got a hand in writing them, too. If he would just sing the theme song, he could be the gay Barbra Streisand! Never mind—we've already got Tyler Perry. And you've got me at www.BillyMasters.com, the site that is a triple threat. If you've got a question, drop a note to Billy@BillyMasters.com and I promise to get back to you before Sean makes a cameo in the next Madea flick! So, until next time, remember, one man's filth is another man's bible.
