"If I had been Mariah, I would have walked over to Nicki and strangled her to death right there. I would have killed her in front of all those people and had to go to jail for it." - Stevie Nicks shares how she'd handle conflicts if she were an American Idol judge. Since the powers-that-be have said they'd like to switch judges every year, might I suggest the legendary Stevie Nicks for next season. But feel free to keep Nicki around...it might be fun!
I've been pleased to be involved with GayDays Anaheim since its inception as a fun little gathering of friends going to Disneyland. Now, 15 years later, it's blossomed into a global phenomenon with tens of thousands of queers converging on Southern California—not that we have a shortage here! Being the goodwill ambassador that I am, I personally entertained a group of nubile youths from Barcelona and I thoroughly enjoyed their native tongue...but that's another story. More appropriate for publication is discussing the entertainment. I've worked with American Idol alum Kimberly Caldwell at several gay pride celebrations and her appearance at the Kingdom dance party was a great success. Even more memorable was the virtual mini-concert by Karmin. Interestingly enough, two days later Karmin was the featured musical guest on Dancing with the Stars—the top rated TV show in the country. And GayDays had them first. Just like they had Jennifer Hudson singing from Dreamgirls before anyone else. You can see photos and footage at their website, GayDaysAnaheim.com.
Ever since Swinging Richards in North Miami Beach opened last November, they've been fighting a battle to retain their status as the only club in the area where male strippers went fully nude. But was it legal? Depends who you ask. Since 1994, there's been a law banning total nudity in any club that serves liquor. Three clubs that featured female strippers were grandfathered exceptions since they existed before the ban. The club previously in the Swinging Richards location was one of those three exceptions. The new owners claimed they should also be grandfathered in because they simply changed the name. Oh, yes, and they switched to male strippers.
After several run-ins with the authorities, the owners filed a lawsuit in federal court against the city claiming they were being discriminated against because they had male dancers and catered to a gay clientele. The city responded by saying it would start enforcing the law banning alcohol sale in clubs featuring full nudity across the board—something that did not please the remaining two female strip clubs. After several tense months, the city and the club made a deal. In exchange for dropping the lawsuit, Swinging Richards had to get a new license from the city—which legally grandfathers them into the pre-1994 conditions. The bottom line is if you want to see nude men dancing in South Florida (and don't have my address), go to Swinging Richards.
Last week, Matt Bomer and his partner Simon Halls received the “Inspiration Award" by GLSEN (the gay, lesbian, straight education network) for "meaningful contributions towards creating a world where every child learns to respect and accept all people." In his speech, Matt focused on the work that still needs to be done, stating that "kids aren't born to be bullies—they're taught to be bullies"—which would prompt Barbara Walters to sing that song from South Pacific if this presentation was being done on The View. The award was presented by Matt's Magic Mike co-star, Joe Manganiello. Any reason to get Matt and Joe together is OK in my book.
Elton John has decided to pull out all the stops to celebrate David Furnish's 50th birthday. It sounds like it will be like Mardi Gras with events taking place over several days. Although the couple's Hollywood Hills home has just been renovated, it's not big enough for everyone to stay with them. So the guests will be housed at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills and kick off the festivities at the home for a little housewarming reception. The next night, it's off to the historic Belasco Theatre in downtown Los Angeles for an intimate dinner for 200. On Friday, the destination is Greystone Manor to see Cher perform. On Saturday, Elton's carting everyone off to Las Vegas for a gala celebration at Caesars Palace where Elton will perform his Million Dollar Piano show—with rumored special guests Lady Gaga and the Scissor Sisters. That's some boyfriend!
How much would you pay to get into Daniel Craig's pants? One guy paid $72K for the privilege. At a charity auction, various pieces of memorabilia from the James Bond films were put on the block. One of the choice bits was the snug blue swimsuit Craig wore when he walked out of the ocean in Casino Royale. The suit was presented by the divine Dame Judi Dench, who said, "All I'm going to tell you is that it's unwashed". So if the new owner comes across any stray curly hairs, he may someday be able to clone his very own Daniel Craig. A wise investment, indeed.
File this under "I'm not surprised"—Beyoncé has bowed out of the Clint Eastwood directed remake of A Star is Born. This departure comes after several delays due to Knowles' pregnancy and other various conflicts. "I was looking forward to the production of A Star is Born and the opportunity to work with Clint Eastwood. For months we tried to coordinate our schedules to bring this remake to life but it was just not possible. Hopefully in the future we will get a chance to work together." The future? How much longer does she think Clint has?
John Travolta has re-teamed with Olivia Newton-John for a CD of Christmas duets. The news came with a copy of the album cover which features a rather spooky-looking Travolta and ONJ clinking tea cups...which is exactly how I'd picture them (well, him). Look for the CD to drop (as the kids say) on November 13th. In other words, in the discount bins in time for Christmas.
Our "Ask Billy" question comes from Morgan in Baltimore: "What do you know about those Chippendales dancers on 'The Amazing Race'? I think I heard they were gay. Do you know for sure? They are SO hot!"
I not only know about them, I actually know them—having met them when my pal Jeff Timmons was appearing with the Chippendales. The guys in question are James Davis and Jaymes Vaughan. And one of them is gay. Which one do you think it is? The one who spells "James" with a "Y", of course! He's the blonde (well, blonde like I'm a blonde). In addition to his work as a dancer, singer, and emcee of the Chippendales at the Rio All-Suites in Las Vegas, he also sings at the Rio's Show in the Sky. And just last month he hosted Las Vegas Pride. He's been best friends with James ever since they met as aspiring male models years ago. After auditioning to become Chippendales (on a dare), they toured Europe for a while—which definitely helped prepare them for Amazing Race. Obviously I'll run some steamy pics of the duo on BillyMasters.com. And, yes, I hear Jaymes is available.
When I'm considering relocating to Vegas, it's definitely time to end yet another column. Nah, it would never work. Between Los Angeles, Boston, and Florida, I have too many houses. While I try to figure out the best way to downsize, you can always get the best gossip around at www.BillyMasters.com. If you've got a question for me, just send it along to Billy@BillyMasters.com and I promise to get back to you before I convince Jaymes to do a special appearance at Swinging Richards! Until next time, remember, one man's filth is another man's bible.
