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  WINDY CITY TIMES

Billy Masters
by Billy Masters
2013-06-05

This article shared 3502 times since Wed Jun 5, 2013
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"Without naming names, I certainly think there are a couple of people out there who have not come out in the spirit of protecting their careers and livelihoods. It's probably a little bit more difficult going that way."—Michael Douglas talks about gay actors who remain in the closet.

I recently declined a close friend's invitation to see the remake of The Great Gatsby, saying that I've always had problems with Leonardo DiCaprio's believability in a period piece: "I don't know—I thought he was really good in The Talented Mr. Ripley." Yes, dear readers, these are the people in my life. I patiently pointed out that it was Matt Damon and Jude Law in that film. My friend sniffed, "Matt Damon, Leo DiCaprio—same thing." Sigh.

Matt Damon turned up in a period piece of his own, courtesy of HBO's Behind the Candelabra. In the Liberace biopic, we're introduced to the character of Scott Thorson in a gay bar. Oozing all the raw masculinity of a young Kristy McNichol, Damon neither looks 17 nor a resident of 1977. Although I've often thought he came off as gay in numerous films (including the aforementioned "Ripley"), I didn't buy it here. That feeling of artifice extended to Michael Douglas, but I found this more acceptable since Liberace often came off as a caricature of himself. (Personally, I found Victor Garber's interpretation from the 1988 made-for-TV movie far more satisfying.) I didn't dislike the film; I was just never fully engrossed. Part of that blame may lie with Steven Soderbergh, who directs with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. But at least I was entertained—as were the 2.4 million people who watched the premiere (the highest ratings for an HBO film in over a decade).

In my opinion, the film was handily stolen by the dashing Cheyenne Jackson. Yes, this is curious praise for someone whose dialogue consisted of six words ("Like anyone would give a shit"). But throughout the first portion of the film, his presence is palpable and he says more with his attitude, eye roll and lip-curl (perfected during the Broadway run of All Shook Up) than he could with pages of dialogue. I've always been perplexed by Jackson—a stunning man who I've felt has never exuded the star quality I believe his gifts warrant. This tantalizing glimpse gives me hope that he may be fulfilling his promise.

Another television biopic is heading our way, but I suspect it will be met with somewhat less critical acclaim. Lifetime decided to turn the story of Anna Nicole Smith into a film, which will air June 29. This one stars Agnes Bruckner, who you'll recognize from dozens of TV series but never knew her name. This film may not help. But I'm intrigued by the supporting cast, which includes the once-dashing Cary Elwes as Anna's stepson F. Pierce Marshall; Martin Landau as her hubby, J. Howard Marshall; and Virginia Madsen as her mom, Virgie. As with many of Landau's films, this could go either way. It could be Ed Wood or it could be BAPS!

The Life Ball in Vienna is one of the biggest HIV/AIDS fundraisers in the world. It's always a glittering event, and this year was no exception. With the theme "1001 Nights," Adam Lambert debuted his new single, "Love Wins Over Glamour" in appropriate garb and accompanied by an extensive harem. But he was upstaged by Barbara Eden, who took the stage in her I Dream of Jeannie costume and looked better than ever. We'll have photos of them both on BillyMasters.com .

You may know sexy swimmer Michael Holtz as a champion athlete and a former Mr. Gay USA. But he's also helped raise more than $1 million for a variety of community organizations. For his latest challenge, he's out to conquer television. Holtz is participating in TNT's new competition series 72 Hours. He's in the second episode, entitled "Lost Coast of New Zealand," which premieres June 13. Three teams of three have to follow clues to locate a briefcase filled with $100K in under 72 hours. So it's kinda like a lowbudget The Amazing Race on a tighter schedule. Good luck, Mikey!

Since we haven't heard anything about Nick Gruber in a while, I thought I'd do some poking. I discovered that the former porn pup broke up with his latest paramour, John Luciano. Since then, he's been back in touch with his ex, Calvin Klein. Sources say CK recently flew Nick to Mexico for a private vacation at a resort. Does this sound familiar? Liberace met Thorson when he was under age, showered him with gifts, paid for plastic surgery and soured on him after drugs became involved, leading Scott to write a tell-all. Could be a case of history repeating.

Could it be that a recently married man has not left his same-sex escapades behind? So say sources close to the bad boy who tell me that his restlessness resulted in leaving his spouse to fend for herself at a charity event while he spent the night in the company of not one but two of his ex-roommates. While this might have simply been a pleasant guys' night out, people who saw the trio felt they were more than a bit chummy. Well, boys will be boys.

When we've got an item that's not only blind but dumb, it's definitely time to end yet another column. But let's wrap things up the way we started—with a quick story about Leonardo DiCaprio. He was responsible for raising quite a bit of money at "Cinema Against AIDS" which was an amfAR benefit at the Cannes Film Festival. Someone bid $1.5 million to go on a Virgin Galactic space trip if they were seated next to Leo. I'll go one better—I'll pledge the same amount if they leave Leo up in space! To find out if I'm successful, keep an eye on www.BillyMasters.com, the site that's always looking to the stars. If you've got a question (like where on Earth I'll raise $1.5 million if someone takes me up on my offer), feel free to send a note to Billy@BillyMasters.com and I promise to get back to you before HBO announces its next flick, Behind The Briefs: The Calvin Klein Story. Until next time, remember, one man's filth is another man's bible.


This article shared 3502 times since Wed Jun 5, 2013
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