Our quote this week is actually an exchange between Cissy Houston and Oprah Winfrey. When the conversation turned to the subject of Whitney’s previously inseparable friend, Robyn Crawford, this is the exchange that followed:
Oprah: “Would it have bothered you if your daughter, Whitney, was gay?”
Cissy: “Absolutely.”
Oprah: “It would have bothered you?”
Cissy: “Mmm, hmmmm—yeah.”
Oprah: “You would not have liked that?”
Cissy: “Not at all”
Oprah: “Not at all. You wouldn’t have condoned it, or… ?”
Cissy: “No.”
Oprah: “No.”
So often, a small story that is brushed over by the mainstream press deserves to be bumped up to a lead—and I’m just the guy to do it. The owner of a bulldog-mix left his dog at a kill shelter in Jackson, Tenn., for supposedly being gay. Although there is no conclusive evidence of the dog’s sexuality, the owner saw his dog “hunch another male dog”—which means I could be put down any day now! But unlike anyone springing to my defense, veterinary technician Stephanie Fryns heard this story and immediately applied to adopt the dog. While they’re still getting to know each other, she did take the liberty of renaming him—Elton.
The big news of the week is that actor Jim Nabors came out of the closet. Well, to be fair, he didn’t just come out. That was a by-product of his real announcement—that he married his partner of 38 years, Stan Cadwallader, in Seattle. “I’m 82 and he’s in his 60s and so we’ve been together for 38 years,” he said. “I’m not ashamed of people knowing, it’s just that it was such a personal thing. I didn’t tell anybody. I’m very happy that I’ve had a partner of 38 years and I feel very blessed.” Their marriage happened in Washington state after same-sex marriage became legal there in December. But don’t expect anything about his public life to change: “I’m not a debater. And everybody has their own opinion about this and that. I’m not an activist, so I’ve never gotten involved in any of this.”
Strange bedfellows ain’t solely limited to personal lives. The most incestuous relationship in entertainment these days is TV news. People leave one place and pop up almost immediately elsewhere—or disappear completely. After an appearance with Greta Van Susteren in December, Sarah Palin was quietly let go as a contributor to Fox News—but not without collecting her $1 million salary for the year she put in. That’s a whole lotta moose meat!
ABC News has lost the dashing Chris Cuomo. He’s off to CNN to co-anchor a new morning show (most likely paired with Erin Burnett). Under new president Jeff Zucker, CNN has also nabbed ABC Senior White House Correspondent Jake Tapper and correspondent John Berman. And once her non-compete clause allows her to work elsewhere, could Ann Curry oust Anderson Cooper from his 8 p.m. perch? I doubt it. Shortly after that rumor got traction, insiders claimed that despite Zucker’s fondness for Curry, he doesn’t feel she is strong enough to anchor an evening news show. And some of his advisers call her “box-office poison.” Ouch!
With all these people heading to CNN, obviously they’ve gotta let some people go—and you know Wolf’s not going anywhere. The first casualties are James Carville and Mary Matalin. And that little ray of sunshine you’ve noticed at “Entertainment Tonight” comes courtesy of our own Rob Marciano, former CNN meteorologist. When it was time for “20/20” to replace co-host Cuomo, the list had another member of our tribe at the very top (so to speak)—the debonair David Muir. This was good news for the divine Elizabeth Vargas, who let it be known how lovely it would be to co-host with someone who actually wanted to be on the same set as her.
This leads to a story solely for you soap fans out there—specifically fans of the soaps on CBS. (Well, come on—they’re the only ones that matter.) When original cast member Ronn Moss abruptly left The Bold and the Beautiful this summer, people were perplexed. How could matriarch Stephanie Forrester (played with aplomb by multiple Emmy winner Susan Flannery) die of cancer without a tearful scene with her beloved son? Rumors circulated that Moss would be back as part of Flannery’s endless goodbyes, which seemed likely since she was leaving only three months after he did. But, alas, it was not to be. No Moss, no Ridge, no goodbye. Most people assumed it was Ronn who refused to come back, but how wrong they were. Insiders tell me that Moss asked to return to give both the character and the actress a proper send-off. His request was nixed by the powers-that-be. I hear Flannery herself begged for them to reconsider. But, alas, bitterness lingers on the palate.
Adam Lambert got a pleasant surprise for his 31st birthday. While he was out celebrating with friends at Bootsy Bellows nightclub, David Arquette adroitly pulled off his clothes and gave Adam a lap dance that looked awfully professional—like this was not his first time on a man’s lap. Davey also made sure enough photographers were on hand to capture the momentous occasion, which you can see on BillyMasters.com.
As if the ratings weren’t enough bad news, Oprah Winfrey’s OWN network has been slapped with a lawsuit. Carolyn Hommel, the plaintiff, claims that she was replaced as senior director of scheduling and acquisitions when she took a medical leave during her pregnancy. Well, you certainly don’t expect a struggling network to stay afloat while you’re in the stirrups, do you? And, to be fair, the network didn’t fire her during her pregnancy—they waited until a month after the baby was born to do that. She’s suing for sexual discrimination.
When I can open and close with an Oprah item, it’s definitely time to end yet another column. Because this was such a big column, let me quickly remind you that my birthday is right around the corner (Feb. 13—buy early). Until then, you can always find me on www.BillyMasters.com, the site that is always extra large. If you’ve got a question, send it along to Billy@BillyMasters.com and I promise to get back to you before dog Elton learns how to sing “The Bitch Is Back.” So, until next time, remember, one man’s filth is another man’s bible.