Billy Masters 11.27.25

"YOU roll with it! You don't need hair. You're a pastor—you don't need any hair. I'm an actress—I need all the hair!"

— Cheyenne Jackson's response when his older brother told him to "roll with it" when he started losing his hair at 19. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I've never been so
turned on by any member of the Jackson family since Rebbie and the centipede! I must also highly recommend his backstage Instagram feed "Mirror, She Wrote". Fantastique.


Last week, I was invited to an all-star reading of the film script of "All About Eve". The most glittering of the cast was Scarlett Johansson as Eve—and she was superb (I'd stop short of saying she was a mass of fire and music). J. Cameron-Smith was Margo, and she did a clever thing—she made the role her own. Not an easy task when every drag queen, gay man, and several straight women can give you pitch-perfect line readings in Miss Davis's inimitable style. Alec Baldwin's Addison DeWitt was a revelation. While I thought he was channeling Kevin Spacey in "House of Cards", my companion felt he was the embodiment of Big Daddy. Nicole Ari Parker was a spunky Karen, while the always reliable John Benjamin Hickey played her husband, Lloyd. I was unfamiliar with Luke Kirby, our Bill. This perhaps made his performance all the more impressive. Effortless, timeless, natural. And then Alec Baldwin summed it up when he said, "How lucky are we to have Charles Busch channeling Thelma Ritter." As usual, Charles was divine. And while Charles included a heaping portion of Ritter, he brought more than a bit of his own magic, and perhaps a dash of Joan Blondell! The reading was directed by Scott Wittman, and his frequent collaborator Marc Shaiman tinkled the ivories. Talk about an embarrassment of riches.

This event was a benefit for The Center at West-Park Presbyterian Church—a historic building that has not only been a place of worship, but has also housed many artistic endeavors. It's inspired quite a few neighborhood celebrities to join forces to try and save the magnificent building, which has been a fixture since 1889. People like Matt Dillon (who was at the reading), Mark Ruffalo and many others are working to obtain landmark status. In fact, they are meeting with the Landmark Preservation Committee at a public hearing on December 9th, and they can use more people to support the cause—even by Zoom. You can get more details at CenterAtWestPark.org.

While he didn't mention it to me, Charles Busch is also part of another benefit reading—this time, of his own play, "The Lady in Question". This December 6th event is a fundraiser for the medical expenses of Ken Sanders, who is directing the reading. Alongside Busch is his muse and frequent collaborator Julie Halston, and their pal Doug Plaut (who I enjoyed seeing at "Eve"). You'd be a fool to miss this event, which can be found on Eventbrite.com.

Would you like to spend a "Hollywood Holiday with David Archuleta"? Frankly, I never thought I'd live to see the day gay men are losing their shit over Archie. Not that there's anything wrong with him. But not since the days of Danny Pintauro Fever have I been so perplexed. While I scoff, I doff my hat to him for using his "hotness" to raise money for LGBTQ+ rights (which I'm sure tickles his father to no end). He's doing a handful of holiday concerts at Joe's Pub in NYC and the Peppermint Club in LA which are called "My Only Wish"—and please, keep that wish to yourself. He's teamed up with the Human Rights Campaign to auction off a package, which includes VIP access for two to the December 18th LA show, a meet and greet as well as photo with his package, after-show cocktails at The Abbey (which does not seem to include Davey—unless you hit it off), a two-night stay at 1 Hotel West Hollywood, and dinner at Mother Wolf, a restaurant I've not been to. You also win roundtrip airfare and $300 in Uber Black credits—which should get you at least halfway from LAX. The auction deadline is December 3rd. Details can be found on Davey's social media or at Propeller.LA. We'll also link to it on BillyMasters.com.

Speaking of gaylas, I hear that our very own Cheyenne Jackson (quoted above) is doing a solo concert on December 8th at Carnegie Hall, thank you very much! Tickets are going fast, so grab 'em at CarnegieHall.org.

Fresh from his London debut, Sean Hayes is returning to the New York stage. But this time, he'll be off-Broadway. He'll be appearing in David Cale's "The Unknown". Here's how the press release describes it: "Hayes plays Elliott, a writer who heads to a remote cabin to cure his writer's block, only to discover he may not be alone." Spooky! Since it's a solo show, I'm guessing he is alone. The play will run at Studio Seaview January 31—April 12.

In other great gay events, the Harrison County Rodeo in Mississippi has been postponed due to an outbreak of a rare strain of horse herpes. I'll pause while you insert your own joke (or whatever you're inserting...and where).

The guy who accosted Ariana Grande on the "Wicked: For Good" red carpet at the Singapore premiere previously targeted Katy Perry. There's no accounting for taste.

In other film news, we hear that Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz may be reuniting for a fourth "Mummy" flick. Might I suggest they call it "Grand Mummy"?

In announcing a sequel to "Zootopia", Disney also revealed that it will include a new character—Nibbles. This minx of a beaver will be played by Fortune Feimster. Once again, I'll pause while you insert your own joke.

With the Bond franchise now in the hands of Amazon (OK, technically Amazon MGM Studios), rumor has it that Jeff Bezos wants his wife to be the next Bond girl. Lauren Sanchez as a Bond girl? The same Lauren Sanchez who was turned down TWICE to be a co-host on "The View"? If that's the criteria, Rachel Campos has a shot!

Olympian Simone Biles went public about some cosmetic procedures she's undergone. "Social media is not real, that's why I try to be as transparent as possible." She had breast augmentation, lower blepharoplasty, and earlobe surgery (which, you may recall, Chelsea Handler says she wants done). What is lower blepharoplasty? In Simone's family, it's known as "Biles eye bags". She says she wanted her boobs to be even bigger, but they couldn't fit into her frame. When she saw the ones she ended up with, she felt they were too big. But, as with most large foreign objects entering the body, she just had to breathe and let them settle in. Eventually, they felt just right.

I recently went to see the third installment in the "Now You See Me" franchise—which completely baffled me because I apparently missed the second film (I've now rectified that). As an aside, can I just say it's almost criminal what has happened to Jesse Eisenberg. Really, whoever did that to his hair should be sued for malicious intent. Then again, it's been 16 years—time does indeed march on. The point of this item is to tell you about the cinema I saw it at—one of those that makes you choose a seat in advance (something I hate doing). This cinema labels Row A at the back of the house and increases letters as you move closer to the front. So I guess it is a thing.

Our "Ask Billy" question comes from Sean in Baltimore: "Is Matt Rogers dating that hot guy from 'Below Deck'?"

This story got some traction when Matt Rogers posted photos with a number of people at BravoCon, including Fraser Olender who is the Chief Stew on "Below Deck". Are they dating? Nobody has said officially. Yes, they've liked and commented on each other's photos. And, yes, they were photographed locked in an embrace with Matt hugging him from behind. But it's not like he was fucking him (as if)! While lots of headlines proclaim them a couple, neither has confirmed. Olender did say, "I'm very happy and I'm not necessarily single." He missed the last day of BravoCon because "my heart and lungs are having a bit of a meltdown". He was whisked to a local ER. "A very special human stayed with me until 5am whilst I lay there useless, in agony, attached to multiple machines and pumped with the strongest meds—sooo grateful for him, the nurses and the docs!" You had me at "whilst". When Matt was asked if the two were dating, he said, "We've been hanging out quite a bit." In what ways? A somewhat tongue-tied Rodgers said, "In the ways of the gays." Check out the happy couple on BillyMasters.com.

When Matt's tongue is tied, we've definitely come to the end of another column. If Matt and Fraser are dating, good for them. They're both cute—obviously not as cute as David Archuleta, but who is? You can see more of them and so many others on www.BillyMasters.com—the site that doesn't judge. If you have something you'd like me to delve into further, send it along to [email protected] and I promise to get back to you before Simone goes even bigger! Until next time, remember, one man's filth is another man's bible.