Celebrity Gossip

By Billy Masters

"Just to say that it's a live show and all is well."

-- Star Jones, smiling wider than ever before in her life, on The View the morning after word surfaced that her nemesis, Kathy Griffin, had filed for divorce. As Star walked out, she audibly asked Meredith, "Could you just say that this is a live show?" Meredith did as requested and then asked why, which led to Jones' aforementioned quip -- her little way of saying, "I know what happened, and you know I know what happened." You can watch the footage on Filth2Go.com.

Hot on the heels of our Emmy coverage, we hit a week that hasn't been quite rosy for celebrity couples. It all started when Renee Zellweger filed to annul her marriage to country singer Kenny Chesney and checked off the box marked "Fraud" -- probably because there wasn't a box marked "Duh!" Then Jenny McCarthy filed for divorce from the heir to the Bewitched fortune, John Asher, the same week the first movie she ever produced (and, obviously, starred in) opened. Then Tori Spelling filed for divorce from Charlie Shanian, who's a really nice guy. Someone who people say is not a nice guy -- but is mighty nice looking -- is Chad Michael Murray, who is divorcing co-star/wife of five months Sophia Bush after reportedly cheating on her before and during their marriage (if it's in US Weekly, it's gotta be true). As if we didn't have enough bad news this week, Bernadette Peters' hubby, Michael Wittenberg, was killed in a helicopter crash in Montenegro.

Even with all of that, I was holding it together until one story pushed me over the edge: Silo and Roy, those gay penguins in New York's Central Park Zoo, have split up! Over the past couple of years, the famous same-sex couple hatched and raised an adopted chick after spending months trying to hatch a rock -- let's face it, they're not the smartest of animals. ... Then along came Scrappy, a single, trampy female penguin from the Sea World Zoo in San Diego. Next thing you know, Silo up and leaves Roy and moves in with Scrappy. Is nothing sacred? Didn't they watch March of the Penguins? They're supposed to be monogamous!

Everyone has been e-mailing me to ask about the domestic dispute happening in the home of one of our favorites, Kathy Griffin. On Friday, Sept. 23, Kathy filed for divorce from her hubby, Matt Moline. She cites irreconcilable differences and asks that their assets be split and that she not be required to provide him with alimony. What I find fascinating about this story is that I met up with Kathy and Matt five days earlier -- at the Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 18. I have photos (which I'll post) that show the happy couple kissing and acting all lovey dovey. What the hell happened? First the penguins, and now this!

Which got me thinking -- what if there's more to this story than meets the eye? Back on the very first episode of Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, she posed some tantalizing questions: "What can I do to get back on Oprah? Do you think it would be weird if I raped Matt?" Now, here's a kooky, wacky idea -- what if she filed for divorce from Matt and asked the judge to cut him off, and then at the eleventh hour, the couple reconciled and went on Oprah to talk about how they re-discovered their love? Cynical? You bet -- and Kathy wouldn't have me any other way...

We all heard about the Jet Blue flight that had to make an emergency landing in Los Angeles. Did ya know that our own Tuc Watkins was on board? The One Life to Live star was heading back to New York and found himself in the middle of a real-life daytime drama. I'm told that he helped keep passengers calm while remaining as sexy as ever.

In potentially good news, Anna Nicole Smith is headed to Washington, D.C. The U.S. Supreme Court announced that it will review the buxom blonde's case regarding the disposition of her late husband's estate. Smith's new lawyer, Kent Richland, says that Anna will attend the arguments. If Rehnquist hadn't died, she'd have had a better chance -- and possibly could have ended up with a new husband! Here's a bit of advice -- when Anna asks who should get the lap dance, make sure she stays clear of Ruth Bader Ginsberg and goes directly to Clarence Thomas.

Speaking of iconic blondes, this hasn't been a great week for Madonna. While the Material Girl is recuperating from her birthday equestrian accident, hubby Guy Ritchie's new film Revolver is being met with a tepid response at best (the audience at one screening actually booed as the couple left). As if that weren't bad enough, Sir Andrew Lloyd Weber has announced that Maddy is not in the running for the big Evita revival in London's West End. ... Why? "She's not right for the part. We are looking for people in their twenties for goodness sake." OUCH!

In almost predictable news, Diana Ross has been in yet another car accident. At least that's the story as it was reported. The truth of the matter is that although the Supreme Lady's Mustang convertible was involved in a fender bender in front of her dry cleaner, it was actually Diana's little boy Evan who was driving. Ross rushed to the scene to pick up her son in a large red truck -- because she isn't dangerous enough in a sports car. Geez, it's like asking Halle Berry to help you out in traffic court! Interestingly enough, another report states that this same red truck was seen hitting a utility pole the night before!

Several people have been writing to "Ask Billy" about one of my favorite people. The first e-mail I received was from Jordan in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: "I read that Bruce Vilanch has left the Broadway cast of Hairspray. I saw him in the show and he was a hoot! What will he do next?"

La Vilanch tells me that he's in the middle of shooting Celebrity Fit Club 3. Yes, Brucie is determined to lose weight, while Ant cracks the whip (while not wearing underwear -- but you didn't hear that from me). That isn't even the best part -- Bruce's fellow celebrities include Jeff Conaway, Tempest Bledsoe, Kelly LeBrock, and ... drum roll please ... Chastity Bono! Yes, that big, strapping daughter of Cher and Sonny Bono may slip into a Bob Mackie gown yet! Or at least winch into the bag the dress came in!

JoJo in Denver asked: "I loved your report about the guy from Westlife coming out. Those nude pics of his boyfriend were so hot. Where did they come from? And do you have any more?"

Young Kevin McDaid did a series of nude photos for a gay Web site in the UK prior to moderate success with the now defunct group V. We thought we hit pay dirt when we saw how well-endowed he is. Since then, we've received more photos from the same session -- and in these, he's joined by another twinky blond boy. These pics show Kevin and said boy engaging in oral sex (both giving and receiving) and Kevin preparing to "top" his unknown partner. I'm sure Kevin's boyfriend, Mark Freehily, ain't thrilled that I'm posting the photos on Filth2Go.com, but a girl's gotta eat.

When we have proof that Chastity and Bruce are not the same person, it's definitely time to end yet another column. What a fun column. Well, maybe not for the people I wrote about, but it was fun for me. And you can always join in on the fun at Filth2Go.com. Do you have a question that only Billy can answer? If so, just send an e-mail to me at Billy@filth2go.com and I promise to get back to you before Anna Nicole flashes the Supreme Court! So, until next time, remember, one man's filth is another man's bible.