"I can't tell you how many times I have heard that young queer kids used to do the Wonder Woman spin when they were closeted. Whether you're out and proud now or you're still living with a secret identity, you are a superhero in my eyes. Happy National Coming Out Day."—Lynda Carter, aka Wonder Woman
I was just the victim of the ol' bait-and-switch. I went to see a film the U.S. distributors called Blessed Boys—allegedly an LGBTQ+ film from Italy. My Italian is good and I'm gay, so it sounded like a match. It's my own fault that I didn't look up the name of this film in Italian. So, color me surprised when I got to the theater and what came on the screen was La Santa Piccola—literally translated as "The Little Saint" or "The Miracle Child." Since the words "santa" and "piccola" end with an "a," the saint or child in question is a girl. No boys, no blessed, no nothing! In fact, there's barely a gay storyline. Still, I made the best of it, even if I continue to believe I was bamboozled—which I don't believe easily translates into Italian!
The Anthony Rapp/Kevin Spacey trial is continuing along, and several juicy revelations came out of the courtroom. I was shocked to hear the name John Barrowman. It turns out he was with Rapp when he met Spacey. But there is a discrepancy in the two lads' memory. Rapp stated the first time he went to Spacey's apartment was for a party (where the "incident" occurred); Barrowman said it was the first night they met after going to a gay bar—and I feel obligated to remind you that Rapp was 14 and Barrowman was 19. (They went to the same high school.) According to Johnny, Kevin was "flirty" and gave John a "gentle push" onto his bed. He said that something sexual "might" have happened—except Rapp was there. Stay tuned.
Everyone is paying tribute to Angela Lansbury, who died just five days short of her 97th birthday. But, fear not: You haven't seen the last of Angie! She'll be back on the big screen before the end of the year in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. And she'll be in good company—also in the cast is the late Stephen Sondheim! We don't know if they appear together, but we do know they appear as themselves.
It bears noting that Lansbury was one of the first celebrities to join forces in the fight against AIDS. Way back in September 1987, she headlined the first big AIDS benefit in Chicago, which raised over $1 million—and, trust me, not a lot of stars were speaking out in the '80s! She also sent out Christmas cards for "Aids for AIDS," saying (in part), "This illness is robbing us of our friends and our futures. This disease knows no discrimination."
Our next "Billy Masters LIVE" has a bit of a twist. I'll be chatting with singers Nicolas King and Seth Sikes, who are touring as The New Belters. (Look it up.) As you know, our show typically airs live on Thursdays at 2 p.m. CT. But this week, I have a scheduling conflict. I considered pre-taping the show … but then it wouldn't be "live." So on Tuesday, Oct. 18, we'll be live at 5 p.m. CT. And if you miss it, we'll re-run it on Thursday at our usual time. BillyMasters.com/TV or on YouTube.com/BillyMastersTV. See you there!
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. So Jonathan Bennett decided it was time to get a mammogram! This is not as far-fetched as you may think. One in every 100 breast cancer cases is diagnosed in men. Bennett's spouse, the lovely Jaymes Vaughan, had such a scare a few years ago. Since early detection is the best protection, Bennett thought an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. So he plopped a pound of pecs in a vise and had them checked out. You can see the process on BillyMasters.com . P.S. He's fine.
Gloria Estefan is celebrating a landmark. She's now in the company of people like Cher, Diana Ross, Barbra Streisand and even Queen Elizabeth II. Yes, Gloria Estefan has her own Barbie doll! She told People, "Overjoyed is pretty much the word. I've gotten every award that you could possibly imagine. But somehow this was so incredibly special for me, maybe because I played with Barbie since I was a kid, a little girl, and she's an American icon!" It was important to Gloria that everything about her doll be perfect. "I actually sent them my thigh high boots and my jacket so that they could see the detail. That jewelry, the microphone, we made sure the hair was right, that she represented me in the way that was important to me. And I'm just beyond thrilled."
Those clever people at Mattel are always thinking. Just when you thought they'd done it all—complete with 2019's Wheelchair Barbie—they've unveiled a new line that fills an untapped market. We now have Barbies and Kens who wear hearing aids, have prosthetic limbs and even suffer from vitiligo! According to a spokesperson, the Barbie sporting an over-the-ear hearing aid is the most requested of the variety.
Quando parlo di bambole (when I'm talking about dolls), it's definitely time to end yet another column. Why doesn't Mattel come out with a Jada Pinkett Smith doll? Then you've got a doll of color that has alopecia—a win/win. Just a thought. Before someone slaps me, check out www.BillyMasters.com—the site that won't cost you an arm or a leg. If you have a question, send it to Billy@BillyMasters.com and I promise to get back to you before Anthony Rapp uses a Barbie to show where Spacey touched him! Until next time, remember: One man's filth is another man's bible.
