"You're assuming that I'm completely straight. Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. And it's frankly none of your business."—Viggo Mortensen responds to a reporter's question about whether he should be playing a gay character in Falling."When asked if the actor (Terry Chen) who plays his character's husband is gay, Mortensen said, "I don't know, and I would never have the temerity to ask someone if they were."
Love is in the air. And what's better than a couple of hot gay guys with enough product in their hair to leave you asking yourself, "What ozone?" Yes, I'm obviously speaking of Jonathan "Mean Girls" Bennett and Jaymes "Chippendales" Vaughan. Jaymes did the proposing during the couple's Christmas card photo session. In mid-shoot, Jaymes burst into a song he wrote, which ended with a proposal—all caught on camera, of course. Congrats! By the by, you can see Bennett in the Hallmark Christmas movie The Christmas House.
Ellen Page is now Elliot Page. And Elliot is not only transgender, but also non-binary, posting, "I love that I am trans. And I love that I am queer." Page (first name redacted) added this: "The truth is, despite feeling profoundly happy right now and knowing how much privilege I carry, I am also scared. I'm scared of the invasiveness, the hate, the 'jokes', and the violence."
When I saw the first episode of the reboot of Saved by the Bell, I was shocked—at how awful it was. But I was triple-shocked by Josie Totah, who plays mean girl Lexi. What shocked me first was how fantastic she was—but I've always had a penchant for mean girls. Then I was shocked when her character announced that she was trans—I had no idea. Then I was shocked one last time when I learned that Josie is trans in real life—where have I been? Regardless, I say, "Good for her." She not only had a hand in shaping her character's narrative, she's also a producer on the show. And, thus far, she is the only—and I do mean ONLY—reason to tune in.
I was thrilled to see Alexandra Billings on The Conners last week. The trans actress plays a trans character who is a supervisor at the factory where Becky works. She was really terrific—and I'm thrilled to announce it wasn't just some one-and-done scene. She's gonna be around for a while.
This week, we're kinda breaking with our theme of "Divas of December" on "Billy Masters LIVE." Then again, Sam Harris has never been shy about being called the D-word. He's a "diva" in the best sense of the term. And he's out promoting his latest work—a film version of his one-man show, HAM: A Musical Memoir. And his novel, The Substance of All Things. And his remastered CDs. He's a busy boy—and he'll join us on Tuesday (Dec. 8). On Thursday, the outrageous drag diva Kay Sedia, from Chico's Angels, will be popping in to bake some Christmas cookies and show off her latest Tupperware. We'll be joined by another KS—Karl Schmid, who you may know as an entertainment reporter on Los Angeles's ABC7. We'll discuss his F+Stigma campaign—designed to fight the stigma of being HIV+. (Karl came out as HIV-positive in 2018). Once again, I'll be broadcasting from the fabulous Filth2Go Beach House in Fort Lauderdale. Regardless of my locale, my shows can always be found on our YouTube channel of Billy Masters TV. Or just go to BillyMasters.com/TV.
Time for some more of "Billy's Holiday Gift Giving Suggestions." Nothing makes me happier than a little ho, ho, ho—except perhaps a big ho, ho, ho. And this week, our gifts come from two of my favorite people. First, Wilson Cruz—that delicious man—is plugging "The Star Trek Discovery GLAAD Collection." "Star Trek" and GLAAD have come together to create T-shirts, mugs, and blankets—with 100 percent of the proceeds going to GLAAD. Check out Shop.StarTrek.com/Collections/GLAAD to pick up a gift for that special Trekkie in your life.
When live theater was shut down, I worried we'd never get to see Audra McDonald in A Streetcar Named Desire, which was planned for the Williamstown Theatre Festival. I wasn't the only one upset. So the esteemed festival partnered with Audible and produced an audio version of the play … and it's TERRIFIC! You can buy it at Audible.com or Amazon for that special theatre buff in your life.
Could it be that a certain golden girl can do more with her mouth than simply sing? That's what she tells gents she fancies—a pick-up line which usually works. It's how she hooked up with that actor rumored to have an enormous tusk. In his youth, he's said to have opened more than doors for many notable men—including his mentor. These days, he's more interested in famous females who can keep his name in print. The deep-throated diva with talent near her tonsils certainly fits the bill.
When divas can do more with their mouth than simply singing, it's definitely time to end yet another column. This was a long one—the column and the blind item. But, wait, there's even more on BillyMasters.com—the site that never scrimps on size. Should you require even more, dash off a note to Billy@BillyMasters.com, and I promise to get back to you before our diva releases her next 12-inch! So, until next time, remember: One man's filth is another man's bible.
