"I just can't believe I will be 80 at some point, sooner than I wish. And I will still be wearing my jeans. And I will still be wearing long hair. And I will still be doing the same stuff I've always done."—Cher muses on what will change when she "grows up." Nothing.
Last week, Big Mama Masters had surgery. Not one of those life-threatening surgeries that ends in a courtroom battle. But a surgery nonetheless.
While 82 (Big Mama's age) seems relatively spry, I couldn't help but remember that we just passed the anniversary of Joan Rivers' death at 81. Anything can happen at any time. All of my childhood friends have lost at least one parent—in most cases, both parents. In that regard, I suppose I'm lucky—even though I know Big Mama will require more assistance in the coming months.
"I'm sorry to be such a burden," she said just before going under the knife. I assured her she wasn't a burden. An irritable annoyance, yes. But no burden.
Speaking of irritable annoyances, Lea Michele closed Funny Girl on Broadway last week. Don't get me wrong—people say she was sensational, and who am I to dispute that? After all, I haven't seen her.
In an absolutely predictable coup de theatre, Michele ended the run by doing exactly what Streisand did after her final performance—she sang "My Man."And thus, the carbon copy is complete—and can be seen on BillyMasters.com .
Tony winner J. Harrison Ghee has bowed out of Some Like It Hot for "at least 4-6 weeks" due to surgery. The nature of this surgery has not been revealed, but JHG has said that it is "to address some issues that have arisen."
If there's a hero in the Danny Masterson trial, it's Leah Remini. When the so-called Church of Scientology ramped up efforts to get Masterson acquitted of numerous rape convictions, the actress exposed details of the campaign—including how the "church" engaged in "a conspiracy to cover up crimes of sexual violence." When Masterson was sentenced to 30 years in prison, Remini was in the courtroom. She wasted no time in sharing her thoughts on X: "For over two decades, Danny Masterson avoided accountability for his crimes. While Danny was the only one sentenced, his conviction and sentence are indictments against Scientology, its operatives, and its criminal leader, David Miscavige." BTW, the diminutive dictator's wife Shelly is still MIA.
A codicil to the Masterson saga came from Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis. When letters the couple wrote on behalf of Masterson went public (they all worked together on That '70s Show), they were lambasted for their perceived tone-deaf efforts.
Kutcher and Kunis said that they were asked to write the letters by Danny's family, and they simply wanted to share their experiences about someone they've known for 25 years. "We are aware of the pain that has been caused by the character letters we wrote on behalf of Danny Masterson," said Kutcher. "They were intended for the judge to read and not to undermine the testimony of the victims or re-traumatize them in any way. We would never want to do that. And we're sorry if that has taken place," added Kunis. "We support victims. We have done this historically through our work and will continue to do so in the future."
Is The Tonight Show a "toxic workplace"? That's what two current and fourteen former staffers allege in a Rolling Stone article. Jimmy Fallon is portrayed as often drunk or hungover, and erratic—a claim bolstered by the fact that there have been nine showrunners in as many years.
Things are allegedly different under Chris Miller—for however long he lasts. The article cites an incident where Jimmy Fallon chastised a staffer holding cue cards. Jerry Seinfeld was there and he allegedly told Fallon to apologize.
Seinfeld has since weighed in. "I teased Jimmy about a flub, and we all had a fun laugh about how rarely Jimmy is thrown off. It was not uncomfortable at all...Idiotic twisting of events."
Fallon has since apologized to his staff, saying, "I'm sorry if I embarrassed you. I never set out to create that type of atmosphere at the show...There are things I've done in the past that are embarrassing but I never mistreated anybody...I want this show to be fun, it should be inclusive for everybody, it should be funny, it should be the best show, the best people."
Summer may be fading away, but the two strikes plaguing the entertainment industry will ensure that summer reruns will be more pervasive than ever. One new show we can look forward to checking out is the reboot of Frasier. The 10 episodes for Paramount+ finished filming prior to the strikes, so they are ready to roll out as planned. The debut is scheduled for October 12th, and new episodes will drop every Thursday. In a curious he said/he said, a rep for the show claims that David Hyde Pierce declined to be a part of the reboot. DHP remembers it differently: "No one ever approached me about it, so it wasn't something I turned down." Call him Samantha!
Russell Tovey is reportedly living through a rerun of his own with a second broken engagement to Steve Brockman. The dashing twosome started dating in 2016. A year later, they were engaged. In 2018, they broke up. A year after that, they were back together—and a second engagement quickly followed. Last week, Tovey posted a photo on Instagram with his dog, Rocky, and the caption stated, "It's just you and me kid."
In happier romantic news, Ty Herndon is a married man. "Never in a million years would I have imagined meeting someone who would bring so much love and light into my heart," Ty wrote of Alex Schwartz in announcing their engagement back in February. Friends close to the couple say that they met about a year ago. The wedding took place in Tennessee, which I'm sure is against some law. Spotted celebrating with the couple were newlyweds Kristin Chenoweth and Josh Bryant.
We have time for a quick "Ask Billy" query. Gary in Dallas asks, "What do you know about David Corenswet, who will be playing Superman [in the upcoming film Superman: Legacy]?"
The 29-year-old Corenswet seems to be both sexy and smart. Long before the role was even available, he put himself out there.
"My pie-in-the-sky ambition is definitely to play Superman...I love the Henry Cavill dark and gritty take, but I would love to see the next one be very bright and optimistic." Like Christopher Reeve before him, Corenswet is a Juilliard-trained actor.
And like Reeve, he's played gay a few times. He was Ben Platt's boyfriend in The Politician, and dabbled with men for money in Ryan Murphy's Hollywood. But his real-life romantic life is shrouded in secrecy...with one exception—he loves dogs!As to how he'll fill out the "Superman" costume, no secret there. We're told he's buffing up and seems to have the right stuff, as you'll see on BillyMasters.com .
When we're stealing a glimpse of the future Man of Steel, we've definitely come to the end of another column. You don't have to beg, steal, or borrow to check out my goods. Just go to www.BillyMasters.com—the site that's never a burden. If you have a question, send it off to Billy@BillyMasters.com and I promise to get back to you before Tovey and Corenswet go dog shopping together. Until next time, remember, one man's filth is another man's bible.
