Is Bryan Singer lawsuit off its rails?
You know that lawsuit against Bryan Singer, pictured, and others about sexually abusing male youths in the ’90s? Well, it looks like that entire situation might be going away … or at least on hiatus, as we say in the biz. In the weeks since Michael Egan brought his allegations against the director and several other Hollywood hotshots, his recollections have proven to be far less reliable than initially thought. In the midst of his mounting credibility issue, Singer’s lawyers swooped in and made an offer of $100,000 to settle, without the admission of any guilt. It appears that Egan’s lawyers favored such an arrangement, and Singer’s people drew up the agreement. Singer even signed it. But when push came to shove, Egan nixed it. “This exact kind of take-it-and-shut-up deal is why I decided to stand up in the first place. Being silenced goes completely against what I believe in and offers no protection for other vulnerable children.” Ah, there it is — he’s not holding out for more money … he’s doing this for the children! While these platitudes might sound convincing, apparently his lawyers feel differently: “We are in the process of withdrawing from representing Mr. Egan in all his cases and have no further comment concerning his matters at this time.” And that says it all.
Last year, Michelle Rodriguez finally opened up about her own dalliances with women. She now presents herself as a bisexual, although I must admit I’ve never been able to picture her in a sexual relationship with a man. Nothing has swayed this belief, including the many photos and videos of her cavorting with Zac Efron. Please — as if sleeping with Zac Efron proves you like men. If anything, I suppose it only proves that Michelle is a top!
I just spent a magical weekend in Provincetown that certainly didn’t start out so promising. Just before I arrived, I got a call from the hunky proprietor of the Crown & Anchor, Rick Murray, informing me that Liza Minnelli was cancelling her appearance in concert with Alan Cumming, due to a back injury. Alan soldiered on to do a solo concert, with a portion of his fee going to the Trevor Project. Although many of those in attendance hadn’t seen Cumming live before, he won them over within minutes of hitting the stage with a subversive rendition of “Mein Herr.” Cumming is not simply a singer; he’s an actor who sings. Rarely have I seen an audience so rapt — you could hear a pin drop. Given the audience demographic, it definitely didn’t hurt that Cumming’s penis was hanging to the right and clearly visible in his leather pants. I don’t believe anyone left that evening feeling shortchanged.
The next night, I was off to the P’town Art House for the incomparable Marilyn Maye, more than ably assisted by the dashing Billy Stritch. On opening night, there was Bob Mackie (who made Marilyn’s ensemble); on closing night, Billie Jean King; in between, Carol Channing and Tommy Tune. Needless to say, if you ever get the chance to see Marilyn Maye, go — she’s one of a kind.
Carol and Tommy were in Provincetown to appear at Town Hall. In light of Liza’s cancellation, some wondered if the 93-year-old Channing would actually appear. They needn’t have worried — if Carol was breathing, she’d be there. The way Tommy had devised the show, he’d welcome the capacity crowd, warm us up, set the stage and then bring on Carol to answer questions about her storied career.
Two other moments stand out. First, you will find very few people who will say anything against the beloved Betty White (even Bea Arthur never publicly spoke against her … although Betty confirmed their issues after Bea’s death). Channing talked about doing a show with Betty which also featured Max the baboon. Apparently, Carol was told to sit in the cage with Max for a while so that he could get used to her scent. This went OK initially, but once Max got agitated, Carol dashed out, was chased by Max, and ended up panting in the production room with the cast. Betty looked at Carol and laconically said, “Oh, Carol, we all had to get used to you at first!”
The highlight of the show was when Tommy asked Carol to recite the famous “Ephraim” speech from Hello, Dolly, where she talks about wanting to rejoin the human race. She fumbled a bit with the opening and said, “Let me start over.” Carol went back to the beginning and did the entire speech flawlessly with enormous warmth and conviction, and then immediately launched into the first verse of “Before the Parade Passes By.” There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.
By the time you read this, Sherri and Jenny will have left The View, and the show will be on summer hiatus. And yet, it’s still making news each and every day. As I already reported, executive producer Bill Geddie is out. Taking his place will be Bill Wolff, executive producer of The Rachel Maddow Show. As to who will fill the vacant co-host seats, we are told that ABC did tests with nine ladies alongside Whoopi Goldberg and Rosie O’Donnell. They are (in alphabetical order): S.E. Cupp, October Gonzalez, Jemele Hill, Sunny Hostin, Kayleigh McEnany, Ana Navarro, Stephanie Ruhle, Lauren Sanchez, Sage Steele and Nicolle Wallace. All of the women have previously guest hosted. Sanchez has the distinction of having been considered for the gig before the show hired Lisa Ling in 1999. Meghan McCain was reportedly invited to test, but declined.
When everyone but Rachel Campos is being tested for The View, we’ve definitely come to the end of yet another column. Phew! That was a lot of work for me … especially for the summer. But I’ve gotta keep things fresh on BillyMasters.com, the site that never sleeps. We didn’t have room to answer a question this week, but I’m always available for your queries. Just send ‘em along and I promise to get back to you before the parade passes by!
Until next time, remember: One man’s filth is another man’s bible.
You can email Billy at Billy@BillyMasters.com.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition August 15, 2014.