Billy Masters 03.06.25

"I am thrilled to accept the Razzie award in so many important categories for @megalopolisfilm, and for the distinctive honor of being nominated as the worst director, worst screenplay, and worst picture at a time when so few have the courage to go against the prevailing trends of contemporary moviemaking!"

- Francis Ford Coppola begins his Razzie acceptance speech via Instagram. Of course, one can rebound from a Razzie. Pamela Anderson was named Razzie Redeemer for "The Last Showgirl". In 1996, she was named Worst New Star for the eminently more entertaining "Barb Wire".


The big story of last week was the death of Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa...and their dog. Everybody seems to forget about the dog, as if it died in any less curious a way. Gene and his wife lived in a gated community in Santa Fe. What we know as of this writing is that maintenance workers called 911 saying that while gardening, they looked in the window and could see two unconscious people who appeared to be "decomposing" (that's one helluva vantage point). Police let themselves in through an unsecured front door. Fun fact—the Santa Fe Sheriff's office also investigated the set of "Rust", and we know what a crackerjack job they did on that! Police found Hackman in the "mud room" (note to readers not familiar with this term—typically a room between the back door and the kitchen where one would remove muddy footwear and clothing). They found Betsy on the floor of the bathroom surrounded by pills, with a (living) dog lying by her side. Another dog was found dead in a crate inside the bathroom closet. And a third dog was running around outside. And the police didn't find anything suspicious?

Then Gene's daughter Leslie chimed in. "Despite his age, he was in very good physical condition. He liked to do Pilates and yoga, and he was continuing to do that several times a week. So he was in good health." She later added that his death was "not terribly shocking because he was 95." OK, Leslie, but at the same time as his wife? And the dog? Turns out, Leslie hadn't talked to Dad for "several months". Good kid. Police say there's no sign of carbon monoxide poisoning. When they ran a test on Hackman's pacemaker, they discovered the last activity was on February 17th. So that's a couple weeks earlier. Both husband and wife's bodies have been downgraded from "signs of decomposition" to "mummification"—like they were found in Luxor near King Tut! And the most pressing question of all—would the Academy re-edit the "In Memoriam" package to include Hackman?

By now, we all know the answer to that—yes. I guess he got Mitzi Gaynor's slot. Still, there were moments of suspense. Kamala was coming, she wasn't coming. Then there was the "James Bond" sequence, a tribute that left the world asking the question, "Why?" I know they had Dame Shirley a few years ago. But don't tell me Adele was busy. Or Gladys. I'd have killed for a Sheena! I'm no theologian, but I'm fairly confident anyone named Culkin winning an Oscar is one of the signs of an imminent apocalypse. Am I the only one who thinks Demi could have been in "Nosferatu"? The only thing Goldie didn't do was scream "La La Land!" Lastly, I think Sean Baker was the best part of the show.

Moving onto another double death, let's talk about those poor, misunderstood Menendez boys. When we last spoke, the outgoing LA District Attorney was leaning towards resentencing the brothers, or at the very least, giving them a new trial. The new DA is inclined to let things stand as they are. He'll make his wishes known at the resentencing hearing scheduled for March 20-21. Just when things looked bleak...a new twist. Gov. Gavin Newsom (who cannot run for re-election) has ordered a "risk assessment" on the brothers. This is typically done when a governor is considering clemency. Newsom said, "My office conducts dozens and dozens of these clemency reviews on a consistent basis. But this process simply provides more transparency, which I think is important in this case, as well as provides us more due diligence before I make any determination for clemency." The report is due in 90 days—which means after the ruling from the resentencing hearing. So it ain't over until Newsom says it's over.

Remember when I predicted Betty Gilpin's run in "Oh, Mary!" would be disastrous at the box office? I'm not saying this is disastrous, but the show you couldn't get a ticket to is currently running at about 86% capacity. Sure, that's still commendable, but it's a precipitous drop. With Titus Burgess coming in for three weeks starting on March 18th, things should pick up a bit. And then? Cole Escola and the entire original cast return on April 8th—which is a perfect time to remind Tony Award voters why this was such a hit in the first place.

By the by, Cole's absence wasn't the only one to adversely affect the Broadway box office. Audra McDonald was out for five performances of "Gypsy" due to a death of husband Will Swenson's father. Predictably, the box office suffered with attendance dropping from 85% to 58%. Ouch! That was a loss of roughly $600K in revenue. Someone better remember that when it's time to renegotiate!

I want to give credit where it's due. When Audra was out of "Gypsy", her standby Tryphena Wade went on, and had a great success of her own. A spy sent us a video of her "Rose's Turn". She makes it her own—helped, in no small part, by eliminating the awkward key transposition put in for Audra. You can check her out on our website.

The return of the original cast of "Oh, Mary!" will obviously include Conrad Ricamora, who will once again slip into Abraham Lincoln's britches (which I suspect they'd both enjoy immensely). But before that, Connie and his hubby Pete Wesley dashed off to Gay Paree—which was gayer than ever, if their Instagram photos are to be believed. Snaps from their sojourn by the Seine can be found on social media...or on BillyMasters.com.

I recently told you about the cancellation of the national tour of "Finn", a children's musical which began at The Kennedy Center. There will be a special performance of the show on March 17th at New York's Town Hall. Obviously original cast members will be performing alongside numerous luminaries, such as Andrea Martin, Andrew Rannells, Kelli O'Hara, Jessie Mueller, Lea Salonga, and even the New York City Gay Men's Chorus—a group which was also banished from The Kennedy Center. Not surprisingly, this evening has been spearheaded by Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley Jackson along with "Finn" creators Chris Nee, Michael Kooman and Christopher Dimond. If you can't make it in person, have no fear—the night will also be livestreamed as part of the fifth anniversary celebration of "Stars in the House". Obviously proceeds must be going to a good cause, right? The beneficiary will be The Trevor Project. You can watch and donate at StarsInTheHouse.com.

I missed the Carnegie Hall debut of Jinkx Monsoon, which took place on Valentine's Day—a holiday I'm somewhat unfamiliar with...perhaps because it happens hot on the heels of my birthday. Fun fact—I've had many, many beaus on my birthdays. I've also had many, many beaus on Valentine's Day. But I've not had the same beau on both. While you ponder that, let me tell you Jinkx at Carnegie Hall was a triumph. I guess she practiced!

Our "Ask Billy" question is quite fascinating to me. Shawn in Dallas writes: "Do you know Chad Franke? His mom Ruby was arrested for child abuse. But he sure is pretty."


This is like one of those stories Keith Morrison would have narrated: "Ruby Franke had it all. Six kids, a husband, and a parenting podcast on YouTube. Life was good for Ruby—or was it?" While not germane to the story, Ruby and her family were members of the Mormon church and lived in Utah. All seemed fine until an August night in 2023, when her 12-year-old son Russell escaped through a window in their home and asked a neighbor to take him to the police. He had open wounds and duct tape and rope around parts of his body! Police also found 9-year-old Eva in "a similar physical condition of malnourishment." And then there's Chad. He seemed fine—probably because he'd moved out of the house before these events transpired. He became a sun-kissed blond lifeguard...nothing wrong with that. Now he's 20, working in real estate, and still posting online...on SnapChat. No indication that he's gay, but he doesn't seem averse to showing some skin, as you'll see on BillyMasters.com.


When Hackman's dog was in the closet and Chad isn't, it's definitely time to end yet another column. Looking at photos of Chad, I couldn't help but think he's exactly the kinda guy who would have been asked to model for A&F by their former CEO. Of course, that's why that CEO might end up in prison...alongside Chad's mom! It certainly ain't a crime to check Chad out on www.BillyMasters.com—the site that's encourages you to take a little time to enjoy the view. If you have a question for me, send it along to [email protected] and I promise to get back to you before Demi is cast as Lyle Menendez! Until next time, remember, one man's filth is another man's bible.