"I went home and I was like, 'Oh my God, I have glitter between my teeth!'"—Jonathan Groff describes the aftermath of making out with Neil Patrick Harris during rehearsal of the Hedwig number for the Tony Awards. During the telecast, the recipient of Hedwig's foreign tongue was NPH's spousal-equivalent, David Burtka.
You know something that's changed since I started writing this column a million years ago? Gay men having children. I never even think of acknowledging the gay fathers out there—with the exception of people like Robert De Niro Sr., Michael Jackson and anyone married to Arianna Huffington. But now, gays are having kids all over the place.
And you know how you can tell something is popular? When Hallmark makes a card to celebrate it. This year, the venerable greeting card manufacturer came out with a line of gay Father's Day eCards. Well, it's not so much a "line" as it is a single eCard, but it's a start. The eCard features a girl celebrating her two dads—one being Caucasian and one being somewhat ambiguously tinted. So if you've got two white dads or an Asian dad, or any other combination, keep on waiting!
One of our most notable gay dads is Neil Patrick Harris, and certainly his performance on the Tony Awards got some tongues wagging—aside from Jonathan Groff's and David Burtka's, of course. Although Hedwig and the Angry Inch has been doing boffo business at the box office, the exposure ( and four wins ) at the Tonys created even more of a demand for tickets. This would normally be music to the ears of the producers, but not in this case. You see, NPH was only contracted through Aug. 17 and he has no intention of extending—you can only stretch one inch so far.
By the time he leaves, he'll have been with the show a scant four months—how positively Hollywood of him. In his wake, the lovely Andrew Rannells will don the Hedwig drag, which begs the question: Are people dying to see Hedwig or Neil Patrick Harris in heels? If they take a chance, they'll surely be in for a treat—Rannells wowed them when he played the role in Austin way back in 2001. If you can't get to NYC, you can check him out on BillyMasters.com .
Continuing the "The Normal Heart" lovefest, it's being reported that President Obama called director Ryan Murphy after seeing the film. As Murphy said in his press release, "The whole movie is about Larry [Kramer] trying to get the attention of Washington and 30 years later, to get a call from the President is a full-circle moment." Well, it would be full-circle if Larry Kramer got the call. Something tells me ol' Larry shouldn't be sitting by the phone.
In spring 2012, Charles Busch unveiled an uproarious spoof of those old Biblical epics with Judith of Bethulia. The off-Broadway show was a hit and lured in numerous luminaries to bask in Busch's glory—including the divine Joan Rivers, who I'm sure told them a thing or two about how things really were in ancient times. The entire run sold out immediately, robbing many of the chance to appreciate its hilarity ... or so I thought. Just after the run ended, Charles made a deal for the show to be preserved as an audio recording. The happy result was released last week and it is a delight. You can get more information at GPRrecords.com or buy it at Audible.com .
In two weeks, it will once again be time for the Daytime Emmys. And, once again, the outdated award show has sunk to new lows. After spending the last two years being broadcast on HLN, it is now solely viewable online. Oh, the humanity! As befitting its new D-List stature, it's almost poetic that Kathy Griffin will emcee the event. After all, she can now say whatever she wants—no one will be watching anyway. No censors, no FCC fees—unless the FCC is now monitoring websites ( in which case, I'm sure BillyMasters.com is on someone's short list ). Ever the gracious host, Kathy said ( presumably tongue-in-cheek ): "I am beyond thrilled to be hosting what I'm told is the most important television event of the year." Shhh—don't break it to her! You can watch all the hilarity live June 22 beginning at 7 p.m. CT at DaytimeEmmys.net .
Our "Ask Billy" question this week comes from Travis in Dallas: "Hey Billy. Glad to have you back in the Dallas Voice. I heard from a friend that a gay porn star is on a new reality show. Can you find out who it is??"
Reality television and porn are strange bedfellows these days. Of course, that's because there are about a zillion reality shows. And since most computers have webcams, everyone in the world is a potential porn star. The most recent addition to the reality/gay porn alum is Jesse Blum on the new E! series Escape Club. ( He previously appeared on MTV's Parental Control. )
Apparently, Jesse built quite a following during his time on Fratmen under the moniker Damon. And it seems that his porn career wasn't limited to just one site. He also made videos for Flirt 4 Free and a site that I simply must check out—Gay Hoopla! His E! bio describes the 28-year-old as "a nursing assistant who is tired of cleaning bedpans, working 80 hours a week and taking care of sick people. He is now known more as a webcam model than a health care provider." That may be the official line, but people who knew him in Vegas say he primarily supported himself by doing sessions as a personal trainer, among "other" things. In a refreshing turn of events, he's not shy about discussing this part of his life. He recently posted the following on Twitter: "Yes, I have been nude and done all of that online. Not ashamed but want the world to know I'm more then just a cam model." Perhaps, but I know my fans are far more interested in his past than his present. And we're happy to present it to you—on BillyMasters.com .
When I get to use the word "hoopla," it's definitely time to end yet another column. I hope all of my readers who are dads had a lovely Father's Day. And I hope the rest of you find a daddy of your own. While you're cruising online, do check out www.BillyMasters.com—the site that isn't ashamed of anything. Should you have a question for me, drop a note to Billy@BillyMasters.com and I promise to get back to you before I finish plucking glitter out of my teeth! So, until next time, remember, one man's filth is another man's bible.
