Billy Bob Thornton agreed to do an interview on OWN’s Master Class. That’s the Oprah show where celebrities just talk into the camera or to some person off-screen and kind of talk about whatever pops into their head. And when it’s BBT, that sh-t get epic. BBT sort of went off on cupcakes in particular. Like, he doesn’t think there should be a show about cupcakes. And he really, really doesn’t think that “Cupcake Wars” should exist:
Billy says:
“We’re living in a time that’s just become judgmental and everybody wants to see failure. They want to see people knocked off the hill. You can’t have a television show without a competition because they want to see who cries this week and who goes downhill, who gets kicked out… We don’t need one show about cupcakes, as far as I’m concerned, but you know what, if you want one—okay, that’s fine. Let’s have a show about cupcakes. But does it have to be a f–king competition? Do you have to have cupcake wars? You know? And I’m sure people who have been in war kind of take offense to that because seriously, it’s not that g–damn dangerous to make a cupcake. I guess I’m just really ready for people to kind of settle down and know each other again and root for each other as opposed to look for the faults in each other.”
Slow clap for BBT. He’s got a point. I never watch Cupcake Wars and I get tired of all of the competitive food shows (although I used to watch Top Chef, but there’s only so much I can take of that). This should be the t-shirt: “seriously, it’s not that g–damn dangerous to make a cupcake.” BBT t-shirts!
In this video, BBT talks about being in relationships with celebrities and how he prefers to live like a normal person. He also talks about Hollywood excess and he talks about what he spends money on. He says he loves a “good pair of boots” and “I’ll go to Old Navy and get girls’ jeans because I’m kind of bony and they fit me better. So I buy a lot of clothes that cost $29.95.”
And in this clip, he talks about grief and losing his brother (this made me teary):
Photos courtesy of WENN.
That hair piece/hair plug is ridiculous. And he should lay off the botox. I’m surprised that he cares about that kind of stuff.
Agreed. He lost a lot of cool cred with the rugs and tox. I think there is some weird plastic surgery too.
+1
I am surprised as well. Though I do have to say he is much better looking than when he was with Angelina. Looks younger. So, whatever work he is getting done is good work – if you just don’t know what he used to look like.
I want to rip it off his head.
I legit couldnt concentrate on ANYTHING ELSE AT ALL IN THIS ARTICLE cause i was just staring at that Ferret pelt he’s got on his head
hahahaa Ferret pelt..I love it!!
You know if Justin Theroux goes bald and starts wearing a toupee it’ll be called the Theroux Rug. 🙂
Theroux rug! I’ve got to quit reading y’all’s comments while drinking coffee. I’m ruining my iPad! I’m going to laugh all day now. Thanks!
Kudos to his plastic surgeon! If I didn’t already know him as a wrinkly-faced a-hole, I would not have guessed that that was a facelift.
You’re kind of proving his point here…
i used to date a guy who’d buy his pants in the women’s section of banana republic. he liked them tight and showing off his junk. no bueno.
Deal breaker.
yes.
But so so funny … Kinda cool that he admits it
i only found out about it because we went pants shopping one day. haha. i always thought that his pants were too tight for work, and then i found out why. i would love to say that that was the straw, since “i love to show off my dong, so i wear pants as tight as possible” is super weird, but it was a while before we broke up. haha
Haha – you probably blocked it out for a time before you could let the truth sink in.
BWAHAHHAHA AG THIS STORY IS EVERYTHING!! tell the real… Where you dating Justin Theroux?? Blink twice for Yes!
@QQ LOL *no blinking* but yes, he was a douchey hipster poser.
Great story… I suppose J. Bieber and J. T. do the same but probably in the toddler section!
Were you able to share pants? Because if so, I would have kept him on for a while 😉
QQ, Justin Theroux!!! LMFAO!!!
Ha! Wow, Ag. Just wow. 🙂
That quote was funny, although I was blissfully unaware that that there was cupcake conflict on the front.
I thought he was funny in general. I think his overall quirkiness had overshadowed my memories that he was/is a pretty smart, witty guy.
Yeah, I like him too, especially since he was sublime in Fargo.
Haven’t seen it. But I guess now I can binge watch my way through it, which is my preferred method of watching TV nowadays.
bless him, he’s an awesome actor. Dont know anyone better than him in Hollywood.
I would buy a ‘Seriously, it’s not that g-d dangerous to make a cupcake’ shirt.
Ha, you should make one.
Hmmmm, well no one is forcing him to watch Cupcake Wars, are they?
I have a very strong suspicion that he isn’t one of the viewers. Just a hunch, lol.
I guess my point is why rail on something that you don’t watch?!
I can relate because I feel the same about the mere existence of most reality programming, myself. The ubiquitous nature of it means that other, more thoughtful, well written shows with talent are being wedged out. And that was a funny quote. I mean, it’s true, they’re freakin’ cupcakes, it’s not rocket science. lol
well, I don’t watch KUWTK but I will rail on it as poor programming ALL DAY LONG.
same for Teen Mom, Honey Boo Boo and any other show that rewards/glorifies bad behavior.
@ Kiddo
I saw the woman who wrote Six Feet Under interviewed yesterday. Her new pilot won the subscriber vote for more episodes at Amazon or something. She said she loved subscription TV because at no point in the process had a toilet roll manufacturer told her to change XYZ because they were going to advertise in the break and their customers would prefer ABC to XYZ. She said that, sink or swim, this show she’s making now would actually be what she intended it to be. And that had never happened for her before.
I guess, if it’s really like that, I should a) be glad of the BBC and b) stop being surprised at the amount of reality shows. It must be much easier to match advertisers with content.
@Sixer..Haha. It was brilliant how you called it shite in such a remarkably subtle way.
I bow down to your greatness.
No, but you can’t watch either the FN or the CC without being subjected to these competition shows. It’s ridiculous.
Everything seems to be a competition these days and it gets really old, really quick.
I agree, I am so tired of the competition. Especially with things like food, sometimes there isn’t a “best”, and taste is so subjective. It seems sometimes they have to bend over backwards and make absurd “challenges” in order to add the competitive aspect to cooking.
I don’t think that was his point.
I am pretty certain I understood his point. Seems to me a Cupcake show is the least of the offending trash on tv. I am sure 99.9 % of what TLC, Bravo and E! have as their programming is worse than a cupcake bake off show.
Those are cupcake shows too, in a different way.
Eliza, I don’t disagree. And I’d guess BBT wouldn’t disagree either. He was just using the Cupcake Wars as an example and riffing in a funny way about the ludicrousness of reality programming in a general way vs. comparing content of various programs. JMHO.
eliza, IMO, I would think those shows fall into the category of competition for nothing (not sure if BBT would agree, though). Like the Housewives shows…they just put the women together and encourage them to fight with each other and throw amputated body parts or tables.
@Doofus- PRECISELY. I would think KUWTK, Housewives, Honey Boo Boo would be more offending to his delicate sensibilities vs a show where people bake a damn cupcake. I will watch a food competition show over white trash eating spaghetti with margarine and ketchup farting throughout the meal if forced. I rail on those shows. I just find it odd he chose a cupcake show as an example of stupid programming over KUWTK.
I wish he HAD mentioned KUWTK…the more A-list (or even strong B-list) people who comment to that effect will hopefully drive E! to take them off. the legitimacy they get drives me crazy.
yeah, you got famous for a fetish-esque sex tape (how proud she must be!) and from there…what, exactly?…
but I see his point, which (I think?) was that not EVERYTHING has to be a competition, or a “war”.
This headline made me laugh. Thanks for that.
I still watch Top Chef, but I DVR it, and skip the parts when they’re not cooking. If you want to see a cooking show where the contestants are mature, sportsmanlike and adorable, watch Masterchef Junior. Those kids put the adults to shame.
I don’t like any of the cooking competitions. I haven’t watched the food channel in a very long time. Ever since they decided to go the reality route.
Agreed. The one reason I used to like cooking shows was because I found them soothing and relaxing. My favorite thing used to be to watch PBS on Sat afternoons when they’d show about 4-6 half hour shows back to back. Quiet voices, good food made to look simple to prepare. The Food Network stuff, not so much.
I love Jacques Pépin. Simple, delicious, classic food basics with no gimmicks or over the top forced personality.
Love Jacques P – I make his black bean soup sometimes. It’s wonderful.
Agreed .
The Boston-based PBS shows on Saturdays were THE BEST.
It’s where I was first inspired to prepare wonderful meals for my family.
Soothing, informative – Julia Childs, Jacque Pepin, Victory Gardens segments on how to prepare the seasonal bounty of the home garden!
But I love today’s cooking competitions as well.
I don’t revel in seeing anyone taken down at all.
Rather I am amazed and impressed with the poise, talent and tenacity of each contestant long after whoever is sent home.
Witnessing the integrity and talent of the teens in these cooking competitions is something wonderful, too!
Yes, Jacques P! Does anyone remember Cooking With Claudine? The shtick of “accomplish French chef teaches clueless American daughter” was kinda cheesy but I was always lulled into watching the whole thing. Also, reading Julia Child’s bio gave me a new appreciation for his graciousness.
@Esmom, Nope, never heard of that show. Was it on PBS?
yes, i remember cooking with claudine!
i found it oftentimes painful to watch because i found jacques’s impatience with his daughter borderline verbal abuse – LOL.
it exposed an anger issue jacques obviously had.
i still watch PBS on saturdays…i just love Lidia’s shows…
her NYC restaurant Felidia’s is the most exquisite dining ever.
each bite is over the top…and so is the bill….
but i’ve tried to celebrate special family occasions there whenever possible.
you only live once!
Yes, Kiddo, it was one in the seemingly endless stream of PBS Saturday afternoon favorites of mine including Everyday Food and Everyday Baking, Sarah Moulton and Rick Bayless’s shows, etc. Good times.
Bella, I always thought his impatience with his daughter was so over the top because it was an act, maybe not. I also thought her cluelessness was exaggerated for show as well. Who knows. And good for you for enjoying Lidia’s restaurant. Well worth the splurge I’m sure!
@bella, Really? So disappointing, he always seemed so chill on his show where he was solo, or had a grandkid on as a guest. Some people can be incredibly good in their artform, but that may not carry over to teaching. My mother was an accomplished seamstress and could design clothes and patterns, but had ZERO patience for a wanna-be teen-aged apprentice like myself. I can’t sew for shit, now, obvs. She doesn’t do too much of it now. So…done.
esmom.
i never considered it to be an act – that’s interesting.
for me it seemed claudine was genuinely uncomfortable and embarrassed with her father’s obvious impatience and disdain for her inability to follow instructions and do things to his standard…
i would cringe.
but that’s just my take…
Esmom, I love Rick Bayless! I have used so many of his recipes!
Tiffany 🙂 I’m in Chicago and so is he so I have seen him numerous times in his restaurants and around town. I get a bit giddy when I see him, never say hi or anything. I love seeing his amazing garden and kitchen at home and when he goes on location in Mexico. What a life. And his enthusiasm/on screen delivery is oddly mesmerizing.
That would be so fun to see him in real life! I love how he does the bits in Mexico, showing the authentic recipe, and then he brings it back to Chicago and shows you how to do it in an American style kitchen. I agree, I love his passion for his food. He seems like a charming man.
Jumping on the foodie bandwagon here! I have a 1963 edition of “Joy of Cooking”. And it is well used and stained by my “gourmet” efforts. What happened to Sara Moulton? I haven’t seen her show in a while. Is she on Create perhaps?
Well, at least he’s off the tricked out aquarium reality show kick.
I’m sorry, but he creeps me out on numerous levels.
God, BBT was so f***ing amazing and creepy in Fargo. Fargo was amazing. period.
I agree with him.From Cupcake Wars to Doughnut Wars to Deep Fried Wars to BBQ Wars ,etc.
Sorry Billy but Chopped is amazeballs.
I agree with everything else he said.
The worst are the Bobby Flay shows. Every week there’s a new show that involves him “out-cooking” some innocent. It just seems so show-offy, self-serving, and egotistical.
Speaking of the cupcake craze, a year or two ago, a bunch of cupcake places opened up all over the city. Now, most of those places have closed up shop. Such an odd fad cupcakes are. They’re just small cakes. I just don’t get all the excitement about them.
i don’t get the craze either. and, they freaking run $4.50 or so for a cupcake. a freaking cupcake. it’s ridiculous.
IKR? At Crumbs here in Boston that sh*t is like $7.99!
F*ck off.
Didn’t they just file for bankruptcy?
@OriginalKitten, Crumbs is closed. So are Cakeology and LuLu’s.
Haaaa! I just googled an you’re right.
Aw, I sort of feel bad..
Part of the problem is that they opened up a bunch of cupcake places at the same time-too much competition for a food item that isn’t even that popular around here. Overall, Boston is a really health-conscious city–peeps aren’t lining up to get $8 fancy-ass mini-cakes.
EDIT: There was a mini LuLu’s right across from my office-I saw that it shut down within a few months. Cakeology closed? Now THAT is a bummer. Where am I supposed to get my cake pops for wedding showers, parties etc? Guess I’ll have to drag out that Paula Deen pound cake recipe after all…
I think the original appeal of the cupcake fad was that it wasn’t a whole cake…it was a smaller bite and easy to share because they were in individual servings. But I think people went overboard with the craze, and supply and demand just couldn’t support the number of places offering them.
That being said, I make a yummy sweet potato cupcake with maple syrup cream cheese frosting. Trends be damned!
@kiddo
yes, they did. I think most of their shops are closing too. We had a bunch open up in my area too and only a few are left. the one seems to be doing well b/c they also use a food truck to sell them in certain areas but I dont see them lasting that long either. from what I hear they’re way over-priced and not that good.
Im surprised he mentioned Old Navy. I used to love that store way back but now the quality of their clothing is so cheap and chintzey looking that I dont even bother browsing in there any more.
Thanks Macey. For something everyone was basically ignoring, it made big news when it closed. It was a trendy thing there for a while, and trends tend to die.
I haven’t been in Old Navy in a long time.
Well Crumbs originated in NYC right?
We didn’t get one in Boston until 2012…maybe they expanded too quickly.
I never go into Old Navy. It’s like a cheaper version of The Gap, which I also loathe.
@original kitten
Are you kidding?
Boston is a health conscious town?
Ive lived here my entire life and say thats not accurate.
Sure – there have been pioneers here trailblazing with health conscious dining tries over recent years, but this is home to Nirth End Italian fare and bakeries, Back Bay steak houses like Abe and Louie’s, Copley fine dining at Mistral’s, Chinatown delicacies….and don’t forget iconic ballgame dining at Fenway.
Cupcakes were a fad and one shop will do – not 20.
BTW – the bakery at any Market Basket if they dont close down during the current family feud carries the cake lollipops 😉
that’s “North” End…
Ninth Fittest City. Nothing to sneeze at, hon. http://www.boston.com/health/2014/05/29/boston-ninth-fittest-city/Ka3tQHeVnN2Pyn82TRseJP/story.html
College towns like Boston tend to be much fitter than other cities. I go to an all-women’s gym that is always packed wall-to-wall and I can tell you that there is only a handful of women that aren’t in killer shape. Maybe it depends on your age?
I saw that about MB. So crazy! The news said their sales are 90% down? It’s kind of amazing that a protest by employees could have that large of an impact…gotta admire that.
fit maybe in the sense that there is an enormous base of athletes…but not fit when it comes to food…
PLENTY of foodies in boston, including the athletes!
yes – the MB think is nuts…many stores are empty…i heard on store manager on the news today saying there were only 5 customers in his store during a time when he usually has 300…shelves are empty…
will the current board succumb to the pressure and reinstate arthur t?
very interesting stuff…
“Every week there’s a new show that involves him “out-cooking” some innocent. It just seems so show-offy, self-serving, and egotistical.”
The thing is he nearly always loses, which tickles me to no end.
The only FN Shows I watch are Chopped and Diners, Dive Ins and Drives. Even though I can’t stand Guy Fieri, the latter has inspired me to try out some great fast food recipes.
Oh hahaha….well that’s good at least. I suppose it’s good publicity for whoever is featured as well.
Agree that DDD is totally addictive.
I am not a fan of Guy Fieri, but I LOVE that his show promotes small local restaurants! I think it has helped people skip the chains and appreciate their mom and pop places that are usually fresher and tastier!
Have you tried the Guy Fieri food name generator? It is hysterical! You push a button and it puts out names like “Buffalo smashers with gonzo banger sauce crunch”
I tend to enjoy the Master Class show on OWN.
(The one Vanessa Williams done a couple of weeks ago, was really interesting.)
I did watch this one with Billy Bob. And he is a guy with out a lot of f*cks to give. So it means he tends to talk without a filter. Which makes me wonder what didn’t make the cut to air. 🙂 I want to see the uncut version of this chat.
But he mentions that deal about the jeans… after he tells he got this skinny by going vegan many years ago. I like how he talked about growing up in Arkansas. His family. And is Mother being “gifted”. ( “The Gifted” the movie with Cate Blanchett… is a Billy Bob movie script)
I also suspect he did have some kind of work done on his face about 15-17 years ago. And honestly… it improved his profile. It looks like he stop at that time too, with the surgery stuff.
Maybe he does enjoy a little botox … but I don’t see where he went back to the knife, for work.
(I will mention… this format of show… does not do well for some. The one with Goldie Hawn was painfully dumb to watch. She has no idea how to form a complete thought. Much less being able to speak out loud and it make any sense. She ramble for an hour. And said nothing.)
Interesting. I hadn’t heard of it, but gave up on the OWN network some ago. Maybe I’ll watch that show.
For me… since the guest of the week… is the only one talking. Makes it more interesting. There is no visible interviewer driving the conversation. All you see is a close up of the person talking. Which means there is no “filler”. Just a one sided conversation.
OWN goes on little jags, where they will air a few hours of the older shows back to back. Usually on Sundays. (The new ones air Sunday nights.)
Thanks Hautie.
I remember an Australian interviewer, Andrew Denton, once talking about how he’d done an interview with Goldie, the same kind of thing as this, and out of hours of film he only had about 5 minutes of usable footage so that whole show was scrapped. Same thing with Melanie Griffith.
I really thought, that Goldie got stoned before she sat down, to do this interview with OWN. She ramble on and on and on… and said NOTHING.
I just could not image how she has lived this long and been that dense her entire life. Butttttt…. had she been stoned, that would explain it so much better.
I didn’t believe I was much of a BBT fan until I was watching him on the OWN network and I thought about all the movies he has done that I really liked and well then there is Fargo that just finished on FX that I adored mainly because of Martin Freeman but still. After watching the Masters class I found that I did have a new found respect for him. My favorite teacher of my life was Mrs. Nelson, my 9th grade English Lit teacher and on the first day of class she opened by telling us that if we learned only one thing from her she hoped it would be “to thine own self be true”. After I figured out what that meant I have tended to live my life by that rule whenever possible and I think BBT does too. I know a woman who still buys her jeans in the men’s department because they are roomier in the butt and the thighs so to each their own!
Loved him in Fargo! That’s it……
I love behind the scene! It’s really good,you get to see the person and not the celebrity. I didn’t know bbt was so funny and smart,the part about his brother got me so emotional.
Those clips were good. Made me kind of like BBT.
I watched the Master Class episode with Billy Bob. He is an interesting and accomplished dude in his own right. I can see why AJ remained friends with him after getting over the initial bitter feelings over their divorce. I also thought he played a part in her getting clean from drugs. He was good in Fargo.
He is very articulate and this interview made me look at him in a different more favorable way separate from the tabloid personna.
My dad died last month and I’m really struggling with it. Hearing what BBT had to say about grief really helped. It kind of takes the pressure off, you know? Everyone around me seems to think that I should be over it by now, so I’ve been feeling like something is wrong with me for being so sad.
I also lost my dad last month, and oddly agree with you about BBT’s take on grief. I go from being perfectly fine to being irrationally angry & sad for no apparent reason. It is a process, eh? Good luck, dear.
I thought his thoughts on grief were really profound. Sorry about the loss of both of your dads Ojulia 123 and lw. I have always appreciated BBT, but after watching him on OWN MasterClass, I feel like I “get” him. He is really amazing. I also enjoyed his stories of struggling before he made it. He seems like such a normal guy and I would love to have a beer with him sometime (or maybe a cupcake).
I love when people talk honestly about grief. I lost my brother a little over nine years ago, and while, the pain isn’t all the time like it was in the beginning it can still bring me to my knees even know sometimes. So many people don’t understand how much of your life can be intertwined with someone else’s until it happens to them. Grief is so tricky and personal, we always balance remembering that person and continuing to live. It’s almost as if every joy is marked by the bitter memory that someone who should be there isn’t.
man, there’d be something wrong with you if you were over your dad’s death in a month. it took me well over a year, maybe a couple years, before the pain eased. you go through stages, shock, anger, gradual acceptance. there’s something with people who tell you you should be over it after a month. sorry about both of your losses.
Years passed before I could talk about my parents deaths without bursting into tears. I felt fine, like I could talk about it, but the damn dam broke every time…
that is not counting the times I cried myself to sleep. It is hard, ab¡nd at the beginning yu have to let yourself be sad and talk about it with your loved ones, but… be careful to not fall into stages of depression, and observe your loved ones too, help each other. Depression can trigger hidden illnesses and that is dangerous, it lowers our defenses, really.
I like him a lot more after watching these clips. That’s all.
Follow up question, BBT: Rockstar, Diva, Sweetheart or Boyfriend?
He scares me on-screen (which is good) and he scares me off-screen (which is kinda interesting, too). So Cupcake Wars bthers him? Then how can he shop at Old Navy and not be pissed? Is he okay with it not being an actual navy? And he’s fine with that piece of bear on his head that would look much better back with the rest of that rug in front of his fireplace. Oh,well-at least he isn’t being railed at for his “basic” jeans and sausage curls.
I think he’s a really interesting dude. The kind of guy I’d like to have as my neighbor or something. Come over on the weekend, shoot the shiit. Lots of criticism on his looks but, to me, he looks really good.
Sigh. Did you guys watch any of the clips? He’s pretty inspiring and thought-provoking and all you care about is his hair? Thanks for the real life demo of what he’s talking about…
IDK – I see his point about Cupcake Wars, but I don’t believe competition shows reflect American zeitgeist of the 21st century. BBT is saying art (“art” defined very loosely) is imitating life. Sometimes it does, but in this instance I suspect it’s down to copycat-ism. Awhile back some competition show was an anomaly in tv programming and for some reason ratings took off followed by a zillion new competition shows thereafter, most of which are cancelled after one season. All the networks keep producing competition shows even though most fail. In time, they’ll stop introducing new competition shows especially when the next big outlier comes along that grabs ratings. This, I believe accounts for the cyclical plethora of a particular genre – examples are – cop shows, law, nighttime soaps (Dallas, Knots Landing, Melrose Place) etc.
need more convincing those competition shows are popular because modern society likes to see people lose.
There’s a mangina gag in there somewhere
Not having any of this. Doesn’t make up for Q-gate, where he came off as the most judgmental asshat ever, so hypocrite much, BBT?