"Of course I have. I'm an actor, for f**k's sake!"—Tom Hardy, when asked if he's had sex with men. Good to know.
Sherri Shepherd is having a busy fall. She kicked off October by returning to The View for a week—the only former co-host invited back for such a lengthy return. She kicked off November by hosting The Wendy Williams Show for a week—which inspired fans to start a petition for her to take over the show … should Wendy be unable to fulfill her duties. But guess what? Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson wants to replace Ellen DeGeneres! We hear that she filmed a pilot on Ellen's set with Ellen's crew. Warner Bros. is itchy to get the American Idol alum to go head to head with Kelly Clarkson. Didn't she already do that on The Voice?
People keep asking Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber how he feels about casting trans actors. Here's his latest response: "I've got nothing against a trans performer. The question is are they the best person for the role? You always want to cast the best person possible for the role. It really doesn't matter what they are or what color they are. It really doesn't matter. That's always been my mantra." When specifically asked if he would cast a trans woman as Christine in Phantom of the Opera, he said, "Yes—if she could sing it."
Of course, there's more to being in a musical than just singing. You've also got to be able to act the part. I thought about that when I read plans for a film version of Wicked. Cynthia Erivo is an inspired choice as Elphaba. Not only is she a dynamic singer, she's also an Oscar-nominated actress (not to mention a Tony- and Emmy-winning one). Then there's Ariana Grande, as Galinda. She certainly can sing, but I reserve judgement on her acting ability.
This is another blow to poor Lea Michele. In addition to having the Broadway revival of Funny Girl snatched away from her … twice, she's also voiced her desire to play Elphaba in the Wicked film. At least she'll get to revisit one of her early successes. The original cast of Spring Awakening is reuniting for a one-night-only benefit for the Actors Fund. Lea will join Jonathan Groff and John Gallagher Jr. on Monday, Nov. 15, at the Imperial Theatre on Broadway. So, mark it on your calendars: For one night only in 2021, Lea Michele has something to do.
This Thursday, I'll be blowing my own horn by celebrating the 100th episode of "Billy Masters LIVE." We'll have some of our most popular guests—plus a surprise or two. As usual, the show airs live on Thursdays at 3 p.m. ET, noon PT. For those of you no longer sitting home, fear not—you can watch all of our shows at your leisure on BillyMasters.com/TV or YouTube.com/BillyMastersTV.
Everybody has been wondering how And Just Like That... (the Sex and the City sequel) will explain the absence of Kim Cattrall's Samantha Jones. We hear that in the years since the last flick, Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) has fired Samantha as her publicist over some business snafu, which ends their friendship. The producers hope that the show will be a hit and they can somehow coax Cattrall back for season two.
Cattrall will be elsewhere on the small screen. She's just joined the cast of another series sequel. How I Met Your Father is going to be patterned on the "Mother" version. In that show, Josh Radnor's adult self was played by an unseen Bob Saget, telling the story to his kids. In this new sitcom, Hilary Duff is the younger version, and Kim Cattrall will play the grown-up. Presumably, like Saget, she'll be heard but not seen.
Cattrall will also be on the big screen in About My Father, inspired by the life of Sebastian Maniscalco (who also stars in the movie). Robert De Niro plays his dad, and Kim will play the role of Sebastian's fiancee's mother.
Last week, Ed Sheeran revealed that for a brief time as a teen, he thought he might be gay. "I love musical theater, I love pop music, I love Britney Spears." I hate to break it to him, but you also really have to love dick.
Our "Could it be..." item comes courtesy of Sheeran himself, who recently shared this anecdote about a fellow unnamed pop star: "We were just in a club with a shower in it and I turned around and he was naked. I remember looking at his entourage and everyone was on their phone. He is naked and walking around doing stuff, gets in the shower and the hot tub naked, he gets out of the hot tub and I was like, 'Does nobody think this is weird?' And he puts his clothes on and then the night resumed. That was quite a strange situation." I vote for Sam Smith—who Ed previously revealed he's gone to pubs with and gave him a statue of a penis for his birthday.
When Kim Cattrall's a real mother, it's definitely time to end yet another column. I should add that I love her, but a joke's a joke. For more of my scintillating wit, check out BillyMasters.com—the site that's no joke! If you have a question, send it along to Billy@BillyMasters.com, and I promise to get back to you before I find myself in a hot tub with Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith! Until next time, remember: One man's filth is another man's bible.
