"I thought I was searching for a Disney Prince, but maybe what I really needed was a Disney Princess!"—Rebel Wilson discusses how she came to the realization that she might be gay. Sigh … they're always the last to know.
How do you spell Pride? Many of my readers spell it "C-H-E-R." Throw in a bit of Versace, and it's a match made in gay heaven! Cher said she was thrilled to work with her "dear friend Donatella" for "Cher-sace"—which, I swear to you, looks better on a T-shirt than it does in print. The limited-edition mini-collection supports Gender Spectrum, raising funds for LGBTQ youth. Cher added, "Donatella and I have been dear friends for a lifetime. It just felt right for our very first collaboration to be one about LGBTQ Pride and celebrating a community that means so incredibly much to both of us." Happy Pride.
Perhaps it's simply happenstance that the Tony Awards typically take place during Pride Month. It's as if someone realized that the gays enjoy theater! Kudos to Ariana DeBose, who was a dynamic (if slightly frenetic) host. The primetime Tony presentation kicked off with the Featured Actor in a Play going to Jesse Tyler Ferguson for Take Me Out—which also won Best Revival. The iconic Patti LuPone won her third Tony for Company. And speaking of Company, Matt Doyle's win was surely a memorable moment. This all led to the show winning Best Revival of a Musical and Marianne Elliott being named Best Director of a Musical. Lastly, how thrilling for A Strange Loop to be named Best Musical—I can't wait to see it. Congrats to all!!
Beanie Feldstein has COVID. I share the news because many of you wanted to see Funny Girl, but didn't want to see Beanie. And that's a problem since she is the aforementioned girl (although, if reports are to be believed, more amusing than funny). She stated, "I just found out that I tested positive for COVID, so unfortunately I'm gonna be out of the show for a little while to keep everybody safe. I'm vaxxed and I am boosted, and I am very grateful to not be feeling too bad. I'm just really bummed to miss seeing you all at the theatre and I can't wait to get back [on stage] very soon." If you're fleet of foot, you could get to see her understudy, the reportedly terrific Julie Benko.
Since it is Pride Month, I feel it's worth mentioning that Beanie recently came out as a lesbian. So at least she has company while she's recuperating.
Lots of people have asked why Pamela Anderson only stayed in Chicago for three months. Most of the "stunt-casted" celebs in Chicago sign on for three months at a time—with an option to extend. As good as she was, Pam did not fill every seat in the house. So my hunch is that the producers did not offer her a financially appealing extension. But, fear not—the stunts keep coming, with the return of Jennifer Holliday as Mama Morton (replacing the irreplaceable Brenda Braxton). This is kind of a homecoming for Holliday, who played the role in the summer of 2001. She signed on for—say it with me—three months! Should you have missed Pam in the part, you can see footage of her in Chicago exclusively on BillyMasters.com .
The revival of Take Me Out brought in record numbers for its final week on Broadway. According to whoever tallies these things, it had the second-highest capacity, at 98.67%—just behind The Music Man, at 99.93% (and woe be to that 0.07% of a person who missed out). That popularity was borne by the double Tony wins. Here's a fun fact: Did you know that he is one of only two people in the play who was NOT nude? Sure, everyone talks about Jesse Williams' nude scene, but what about the others? After all, they took showers, too. What if I told you that a new video has fallen into my lap? And here you not only see Williams from a different (and vivid) vantage point, but the rest of the cast—and in various degrees of fluffedness. Celebrate your love of the theater by checking out these exclusive clips on our website.
Our "Ask Billy" question comes from Justin in San Francisco: "I follow Cole Sprouse on Instagram, and saw he had a selfie where I think he was nude—except part of it was blocked out. He wrote, 'Good morning to my publicity team.' Do you have the uncensored version?"
A follow-up question came from one of my proofreaders, who asked which Sprouse boy was Cole. He's the one who played Jughead on Riverdale; Dylan starred in the short film Daddy. Here's a fun fact about the Sprouse boys: They were born in Italy! Anyway, onto Justin's question. The photo in question was indeed of Cole nude bending over with his back to a full-length mirror, and taking the photo over his shoulder into the mirror. So, what he basically photographed was his ass, but given the odd angle it looks … well, see for yourself on BillyMasters.com .
When we know which Sprouse is which, it's definitely time to end yet another column. Yeah, I know—LONG! I'm not talking about this column, I'm talking about that shower scene which you can see on www.BillyMasters.com—the site that ain't always squeaky clean! If you've got a question, dash it off to Billy@BillyMasters.com, and I promise to get back to you before Cole turns the other cheek. Until next time, remember: One man's filth is another man's bible.
