Billy Masters 12.25.25
Last week, the Kennedy Center Honors were given out (the ceremony will air on CBS on December 23rd). The first thing I noticed, aside from the dubious assemblage of honorees, was that the iconic rainbow ribbon holding the award since its inception was gone. Now the medal hangs on a simple blue ribbon — a curious color choice by a Republican. While many have claimed this is a "war on rainbows", the rainbow symbol is still being used. There are rainbow colors around the Kennedy Center on the medallion itself, which was newly designed by Tiffany.
This year's honorees are Sylvester Stallone, KISS, Michael Crawford, Gloria Gaynor, and George Strait (it's always about straight people). So once again, Liza got the shaft! Let me say a word about Michael Crawford, because many have pointed out he isn't a US citizen. He's British and lives in New Zealand and has never had US citizenship. But you don't need to be a US citizen to get this award. The recipient must have made a significant contribution to American culture — and certainly Crawford has. Previous non—US recipients include opera singers Luciano Pavarotti and Placido Domingo, dancer Rudolf Nureyev, and pop stars like Paul McCartney and Sting.
Gloria Gaynor, virtually the epitome of a one—hit wonder, was asked about accepting an award from Trump. "It's incredible to get the honor. I don't think it matters where it comes from. So that has nothing to do with the presenter. It has to do with me and my body of work and my impression that I've made on the world and being recognized for that. And anybody that is looking hopefully, hopefully can see that maybe I deserve it." Or maybe it simply means that The Village People were busy!!!
This is likely the last "Kennedy Center Honors" we'll see. El Presidente and the Kennedy Center board (filled by Trump appointees and led by Trump himself) have voted unanimously that the Kennedy Center would soon be rechristened The Trump Kennedy Center. Tim Shriver, nephew to JFK, brought up an interesting point: "Perhaps the board isn't aware that the Kennedy Center is THE memorial to the president of the United States, John F. Kennedy. Would they rename the Lincoln memorial, The Jefferson?" I can answer that in one word — Yes.
Another big story last week was the death of Anthony Geary. If you checked out my mail sack (my sack gets lots of visitors), most people didn't know he was gay...or had a husband! Claudio Gama revealed that they met 30 years ago and have been married for six years. Throughout his career, Geary would take the summer off and spend it in Amsterdam — leading to speculation about a secret life, a drug problem, or health issues. In 2023, he said, "I live in the city that I've always wanted to live in my whole life and I have somebody who loves me and I have a life now that I didn't have before." Geary died three days after an operation for an undisclosed ailment.
In one of the strangest stories of 2025, it's been alleged that John Travolta's youngest child is actually the great—grandson of Elvis and Priscilla Presley. "How on earth is that possible," I can hear you cry. Supposedly Riley Keough, daughter of Lisa Marie Presley, donated an egg to Travolta for him to have his third child, Ben. That would mean that Kelly Preston was at that point as barren as the day is long. And I suppose the term "donated" is inaccurate because Keough was paid between $10—20K and also given an old Jaguar in exchange for the egg. See, Donald? Eggs ARE expensive!! This sounds like some wacky Scientology version of "Rosemary's Baby"!
Big news was made on Broadway last week. In the show "Stranger Things: The First Shadow" (a prequel to the series), the lead is Henry, part of some lab experiment not unlike the Presley/Keough/Travolta situation listed above. His "essence" is used via blood transfusions to transform numerous children. We fast—forward at the end of the play to a grown—up Henry meeting the kids. Usually, Louis McCartney, who plays Henry, is aged with makeup. The scene begins with him in a chair with his back to the audience. But on December 19th, when Henry got up and turned around, he was revealed to be Jamie Campbell Bower, who plays Henry on the series. The audience went crazy and stopped the show for several minutes, as you can see on BillyMasters.com.
We hear that Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey could reunite to do the musical "Sunday in the Park with George". Can't we let poor Stephen Sondheim rest in peace? To be completely accurate, they are not talking about doing a film version. They are considering a revival of the musical in London. It would likely turn up at the Barbican Theatre, which has seen summer limited runs of musicals. They are eyeing summer 2027.
Last year, a musical version of "Beaches" had a sold—out run in Alberta, Canada. Originally, the producers planned to mount a US national tour and eventually hit Broadway. Then the Majestic Theatre became available and plans changed. The musical will now hit Broadway on April 22nd and is scheduled to run through the summer.
By the by, the current "Superman", David Corenswet, is in talks to make his Broadway debut in a revival of "Carousel". In case you're interested.
By the time you read this, Bowen Yang will have left the cast of "Saturday Night Live". I'm of two minds on this topic. On one hand, congrats to anyone who gets to leave this show on their own — presumably to have a career in television or films. On the other hand, this means we don't get to regularly see either their characters or their range and diversity. While I don't begrudge Kate McKinnon her success in films, I bemoan her absence from the show. And, is anyone more missed than Cheri Oteri? Anyway, good luck, Bowen. But pop in every now and then.
Next year, something else will be missing from the small screen. "Boots" has been cancelled by Netflix. The show that the Pentagon labeled as "woke garbage" brought us all sorts of hot, fit lads scurrying to and fro. Here's a fun fact — "Boots" was the last project worked on by Norman Lear. Based on Greg Cope White's book "The Pink Marine", it centered on closeted life in the Marine Corps. But, let's face it, it centered on seeing hot guys like Max Parker and Miles Heizer in various forms of undress. Their hottest moments can be found on BillyMasters.com.
Speaking of fit, undressed lads, many of you have asked about Channing Tatum's nude scene in "Roofman", the real—life story of a guy who lived inside a Toys "R" Us. Tatum's main concern was how they would film the 90—second scene of him running through the store fully naked and not showing his "stuff". "I was na ve, I guess, and thought that there was a plan to shoot this in a certain way." When told there was no plan, he said, "What do you mean you don't know? We're gonna see stuff if you don't have a plan." As it turns out, we don't really see any stuff — at least not in the movie. But you can see all his stuff on BillyMasters.com.
Time for our last installment of "Billy's Holiday Gift Giving Suggestions". If you waited this long, your options are limited. Still, you could make a big impression by hiring a celebrity to wish your loved ones a happy holiday season. Famous folk are cashing in on their fame via Cameo. People like Mario Cantone, Carson Kressley, and Frankie Grande are available (some more available than others). So are singers Lance Bass, Todrick Hall, Billy Gilman and Sam Harris. Or former "Superman" Tom Welling and his WB friend James Van Der Beek (who probably could use some cash at Christmas). "SNL" alums Chris Kattan, Jon Lovitz, Laraine Newman, and the aforementioned Cheri Oteri are on the site, as are "Housewives" Bethenny Frankel and that Countess chick. Even some of my iconic friends are cashing in — like Fran Drescher, John Barrowman and Miriam Margolyes. You could even employ the ever—elusive Angelyne! There's something for everyone on Cameo.com
When I'm promoting another website, we've definitely come to the end of yet another column. And that brings up the best idea of the year. A great gift for your special someone is a subscription to www.BillyMasters.com — the site that has been delivering for 30 years. Even during the holiday season, I'm here to stuff your stocking, or slide down your chimney, or deck your halls. Whatever you're into...I'm vers. Reach out to [email protected] and I promise to get back to you before Travolta's son Ben takes the last name of Presley! Until next time, remember, one man's filth is another man's bible.