Billy Masters 08.11.22

As you know, I believe people should do whatever they enjoy doing—within the limits of their local ordinances, of course. But even my laissez-faire attitude was pushed to the limit when I read a recent column by Dan Savage. A reader wanted to know if he should continue to date someone who previously had a threesome with his parents! Note the plural—parentS. As in both. And this is not a situation where the person had two fathers. These were parents of the opposite sex. If the letter is to be believed, the discovery was made when the writer introduced his beau to his parents. Turns out that the three of them hooked up a decade earlier, during what the boyfriend refers to as his "big bi slut phase". Again, I am not one to judge, but no—this would be a deal-breaker. I'm sure the boyfriend is lovely, and perhaps I could get past him sleeping with one of my parents. Although I suppose it would depend which one.

Joe Manganiello made a fascinating discovery about his family. The "Magic Mike II" star, best known for his body of work, was having his family tree researched by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. for "Finding Your Roots". That's when we learned that Manganiello's fifth great-grandfather was black!

Then we have Republican Congressperson Glenn Thompson, a member of the House of Representatives who recently voted against codifying same-sex marriage. Three days after that vote, he not only attended the same-sex wedding of his son Kale to Phil Green, but made a speech—an audio recording of which has gone public. Not only does Thompson say, "We're just blessed", but also praises his son finding a man he could spend the rest of his life with.

There's a film in the works about Alina Fernández, Fidel Castro's illegitimate daughter. 'Alina of Cuba" will star Ana Villafañe. And her famous dad will be played by James Franco—'cause he's so versatile! Needless to say, the reaction was revolutionary. One of the people expressing outrage is John Leguizamo. "I don't got a prob with Franco but he ain't Latino!" The film's producer, John Martinez O'Felan, shot back by revealing that Franco is actually Latin—by way of Portugal (I don't think that helped). Naturally, the real-life Alina is supporting the project. She points out, with justifiable pride, that "the project is almost entirely Latino, both in front and behind the camera". As to the casting, she states, "James Franco has an obvious physical resemblance with Fidel Casto, besides his skills and charisma." Leguizamo is unmoved. "So, no, no. Appropriating our stories—no more of that. I'm done with that." Does this means that only a Cubano should play Castro? Could someone from another Latin background play the role? Do actors need to submit a headshot, a resume, and a 23AndMe profile to casting agents?

John Cameron Mitchell made a casting revelation about "Hedwig and the Angry Inch"—it almost starred Patti LuPone! "I asked her to play Hedwig once, when we were on Broadway and we were looking for the next people. She really loved it. She would come see it a lot, but we closed before she got to a decision." I suspect he means off-Broadway. When "Hedwig" hit Broadway, LuPone was 65 and perhaps a tad mature for the role. During the original off-Broadway run, she was a sprightly 49. Of course, the demise of that original production was hastened by the inestimable talents of Ally Sheedy in the title role!

Speaking of gender-bending casting, Sandra Bernhard (who at one point was also asked to play Hedwig) recently claimed to have been approached about joining the Broadway cast of "Chicago". She would have allegedly appeared opposite Pamela Anderson—as Billy Flynn!

In some less surprising casting news, Alyssa Farah Griffin was named co-host of "The View". As a somewhat moderate Republican (and former member of the Trump administration), she has proven a good fit with the ladies, and seems to play well with others. While she is the latest co-host to get a seat at the table, she is not the newest. That honor goes to Ana Navarro. Wait, I can hear you cry—hasn't Ana been on the show for the past four years? Yes, but she's always been billed as a "special co-host". This upgrade of status (and salary) will not change her frequency on the show. She will continue to be a floating fill-in—in addition to sitting in for Whoopi on Fridays.

Look for a familiar face to turn up on "Grey's Anatomy". One of the new residents joining the cast for season 19 is Harry Shum, Jr. We're told there's a good reason why the sexy "Glee" alum is older than all of the other residents. If it involves being naked, I'm all for it.

Filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan has announced that Jonathan Groff and Ben Aldridge will play a gay couple in "Knock at the Cabin". In the film, the boys bring their adopted daughter to a secluded New England cabin for a long weekend. I don't even need to read beyond that to know that nothing good will happen at this cabin.

As we went to press last week, we learned about the passing of the great Nichelle Nichols. Since then, her "Star Trek" colleague George Takei has made a revelation. He had asked another "Trekkie", Walter Koenig, to be best man at his wedding. He asked Nichelle to be their matron of honor. They expected Nichols to be...well, honored. She was anything but. "I am not a matron! If Walter can be best man, why can't I be best lady?" And so she was!

A judge has ordered Kevin Spacey to pay $31 million to the producers of "House of Cards" for his alleged sexual misconduct on the set. LA Superior Court Judge Mel Red Recana explained the verdict by saying, "Here, [Spacey] fails to demonstrate that this is even a close case."

Lady Gaga's accused dognapper is once again behind bars. James Howard Jackson was mistakenly released from prison last month. Acting on a tip, the LA County Sheriff's Department found him while searching a home in Palmdale. Phew!

In a recent interview, Barry Manilow spoke about his personal life. He claims that meeting his now-husband Garry Kief in 1978 was revelatory. "I never even thought about whether I was gay." They met in 1978. Barry was 35, already had several hits, played the piano for Bette Midler in a gay bathhouse, and never thought he might be gay?

Remember Adam Venit? He was the agent at William Morris who (allegedly) sexually assaulted Terry Crews. He's now been accused of numerous crimes by his own wife! "Over the course of their 20-plus year marriage, Adam has physically, sexually, mentally, emotionally and verbally abused and insistently stalked and monitored Trina. He has inflicted countless unspeakable acts upon the woman he professed to love," says an 18-page suit filed in Los Angeles—which also enumerates episodes where their bed was littered with both male and female prostitutes. All in all, I'd say Terry got off easily (and I will refrain from that tasteless joke you are all anticipating).

We have time for a very brief "Ask Billy" question. Dan in Miami asks, "I just read an article about some guy called the Turkish Timothée Chalamet. Who is he?"

It all started with the UK reality show, "Love Island". Viewers got to meet family members of some contestants, including Ekin-Su's brother, Arda Cülcüloglu. Social media quickly noted the striking resemblance to Chalamet. Since then, people have gone crazy. While I know nothing about him, I'm happy to post some photos on BillyMasters.com.

When we're bringing you some Turkish delight, it's definitely time to end yet another column. Of course, more awaits you on www.BillyMasters.com—the site that's muy internazionale. As always, send your questions to [email protected], and I promise to get back to you before any of my paramours even MEET my parents! Until next time, remember, one man's filth is another man's bible.