Billy Bob Thornton and the Boxmasters catch Canadian flu

Apr 12, 2009 by Ian Evans

I’m sure entertainment journalists around the world will be sending Billy Bob Thornton chicken soup after he and his band, the Boxmasters, canceled the rest of the Canadian leg of their tour with Willie Nelson. The reason given is that the band “has the flu.”

It’s the sort of flu that one catches to cap off a week that saw media siding with one of their own after Thornton became testy and unresponsive with radio host Jian Ghomeshi on the CBC radio show Q.

Thornton didn’t like the fact that Ghomeshi had the audacity to mention in passing that Billy Bob was also an actor especially after he had been “instructed not to.” Unfortunately some stars think they have the power to direct journalists.

Billy Bob, who compared Canadian fans to mashed potatoes without the gravy then faced booing concertgoers when he opened up for Willie Nelson at Toronto’s Massey Hall. Ghomeshi, on the other hand, faced a chorus of well wishes from fellow journalists who felt he handled the situation perfectly.