Bravo, Billy Porter!

Perseverance, thy name is Billy Porter. 

I have yet the see Billy Eichner's 2022 movie, BROS, heralded as Hollywood's first gay romantic comedy. Well,  when it opened, I kept thinking about a 2000 release I saw -- a movie called THE BROKEN HEARTS CLUB: A ROMANTIC COMEDY. I loved and still love that movie. That romantic comedy focused on a group of gay male friends trying to navigate life in West Hollywood. I grew up in Los Angeles. In the 80s, I spent a lot of time, for work purposes, in West Hollywood. I recognized the Santa Monica Boulevard sites I saw in the movie. One of my favorite characters in that group of friends was played by an actor known to many of us theater-goers in New York City. His name -- Billy Porter. He stole just about every scene he had. My favorite was when his character had a hugely disappointing romantic experience and pleaded with his friends to put on some music that would make him realize they were empathetic to his feelings -- something like Judy Garland singing "The Man That Got Away."

Here's a preview trailer for 2000's THE BROKEN HEARTS CLUB: A ROMANTIC COMEDY.

When I had my weeknight celebrity talk show on VH1 in the late 80s, Whoopi Goldberg was one of my first guests. I made a good impression on her. In 2006, when she landed her own live weekday morning national radio show, done from New York City, she got me hired to be her weekly entertainment contributor and occasional sidekick. We got our cancelation notice two years later, in 2008. But the attention she got led to her being booked by Barbara Walters to become a new member of ABC's THE VIEW. The rest of us in Whoopi's on-air staff started looking for new employment.

My SAG-AFTRA Union held a job fair networking event in town. I went. While I was collecting pamphlets from one booth, I noticed the man standing next to me who was doing the same thing. I'd seen him on Broadway. Billy Porter needed work. I was stunned, considering how multi-talented he is. He recognized me from my TV work and we instantly became acquainted. After that meeting, we'd run into each other in the city and chat.

Online, he mentioned that he booked a role in the workshop for a new musical that, hopefully, would make it to Broadway. He loved the project, an Americanized musical version of a 2005 British film comedy called KINKY BOOTS. He was playing the drag queen character who helps a financially stricken small town get back on its feet thanks to festive footwear.

The show did indeed make it to Broadway in 2012 and it brought Billy Porter a Tony Award. His star was on the ascendant. He won an Emmy for his extraordinary performance in the mini-series, POSE, and he's now on the A-list of entertainers. As well he should be. I have enjoyed his work as an actor, singer and director. I appreciate how he represents our LGBTQ community. 

Soon, that guy from the 2000 gay male romantic comedy movie in which he plays a character who loves Sally Field, the guy who was seeking employment in 2008, the guy who never gave up, will be seen on the big screen acting with Sally Field, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno and Lily Tomlin in 80 FOR BRADY.

Bravo, Billy Porter!