body2body

When Arclight opened their Hollywood Cinemas in the early 2000’s a friend and I went to see a film. The tickets were $11 which seemed really expensive. The facility was beautiful, there was a full bar, gift shop, and cafe in the main lobby. All seats were reserved. There were only two previews, and No Ads. If you arrived 5 minutes after the feature began you could not enter the theater so the audience wouldn’t be disturbed. Arclight pioneered online ticket sales. You registered with their website, selected the date and time, picked your seats, and printed your tickets. You could arrive 5 minutes before a popular new release, they would scan your ticket and you could sit down and enjoy the film. No lines, no waiting. The end of an era.

I have been around since the Hooboy era. When Hooboy passed Daddy had to deal with legalities involving keeping the site ( the Forum and review site were one entity then) going. If memory serves me well ( which at my age it sometimes does not) there was a period of darkness when it all disappeared. Daddy worked very hard to transfer much of the material from the old site to the new. Then the Rentboy arrests happened and that put a chill on everything. The review site and the Forum were separated at that time, and Daddy remained Daddy on the review site and assumed the Guy Fawkes persona here. There was again a huge amount of work while Daddy re-edited graphic reviews that could prove problematic in the post Rentboy chill. He gave so much of himself and certainly never got rich. I do not know what the future will hold for either site. Will there be a White Knight to step in and figure out a way to keep this going The way Daddy did when Hooboy died? I don’t know, but I am grateful to Daddy/Guy Fawkes for providing the review site and this Forum.

I saw Mack and Mabel in 1974 at LACLO. The show opened there as an out of town tryout before going to Broadway. I have very fond memories of the show. Preston was superb, and Bernadette Peters was heartbreaking. Time Heals Everything had everyone in tears, and then Lisa Kirk brought down the House with Tap Your Troubles Away. For Jerry Herman it was different because of how dark it was, which I think is why it was not a bigger success.

Among my circle in West Hollywood in the 1970s and 80s a “Munchkin” was a very hot guy of smaller stature. It was a compliment and not a term of derision. I am sorry if those who do not share my cultural reference points did not understand what was intended as a compliment. Mr. White is very handsome. I have always found men of his stature attractive. I will edit my post.

- I’ve seen him at the grocery store a couple of times (Gelson’s West Hollywood) and he is only about 5’7”. He is also better looking in person.

I live in WeHo and the building is a very average 60s era building. Mr. Buck does not “live” in the building. Mr. Buck rents the apartment the apartment as a place to go and have sex. The neighbors in the building report that there is no furniture other than a mattress and mirrors in the apartment. The difficulty the Sherriff and the DA’s office have is proving that Mr. Buck administered the drugs that caused the overdoses. Mr. Buck could be accused of Drug possession but unless it can be proven in a courtroom that he injected the two deceased men with the drugs that killed them, it will be very difficult to bring an indictment against him.

The date of the tires manufacture is required by to appear as part of the manufacturers code on the sidewalk of every tire. Here is a link which shows how to determine the week and year of manufacture. https://www.tirebuyer.com/education/how-to-determine-the-age-of-your-tires# Motorweek on PBS recently said that you should always demand to see the tires and check the production date before installation.The compounds begin to deteriorate after 5 years an this can effect braking and handling. I agree that the suggestion to contact your credit card provider is a good one. Contact the vendor, speak to the owner or manager, and politely explain that you believe they made an error and put your old tires back on the car by mistake- give them an easy out. If this fails, contact your states department of consumer affairs (if they have one ) and file a complaint. Do the same with the Better Business Bureau. Every local TV station where I live has a consumer affairs reporter, contact them all, photograph the worn tread, and the DOT code on all the tires. Finally, file a police report, claim you have been a victim of fraud. When you begin this process write down what happened, dates, times, amounts, have copies of your receipts to support your claim. Be consistent, if need be, read from a script every time you speak to anyone.

After great success at Chloé and Fendi, he assumed the directorship of Chanel. At the time Chanel had become a dowdy House whose clothes were worn by “A certain kind of Doctor’s wife”. His genius was to mine the Chanel Archives and re-interpret the classics looks created by Chanel- the tweed jacket, the lace evening gowns, the little black dress, the black patent toe beige sling back pumps, the quilted leather bag with chain strap- he took them all and updated them. He kept it all Chanel he never tried to create a Lagerfeld look. The House of Chanel was alive only due to perfume sales when he took over. He demanded a salary of $1,000,000 per year. Today Chanel’s sales are nearly 9 Billion. His Salary increased to a million per collection. He was never interested in ownership of the House of Chanel.

@edjames, thank you for the info on this production. A friend and I were considering a trip to New York to see it. I may have already seen the best production this troubled work has received. The La Jolla Playhouse mounted a revival in 1985. Sondheim, Furth, and James Lapine (who directed) all massaged the work. They assembled a stellar cast ( John Rubinstein, Chip Zein, Heather MacRae, Marin Mazzie) cut the opening and closing graduation numbers, added some new songs, cut a few others, and gave “Not a Day Goes By” back to Beth who sang it on the steps of the courthouse after divorcing a man who she loved, but could no longer live with. This production was great, but like Follies the show will always be flawed because the concept is too complex.

Circus of Books was one of the fixtures of the West Hollywood Gay Community. Like @Guy Fawkes, I bought more Science Fiction ( it was my source for the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction) than porn there. They also had vintage copies “Physique Pictorial”. They had some trouble with the neighbors on La Jolla Ave. during the 90s due to all the sexual activity in the Alley behind the store. It became known as Vaseline Alley because guys would hook up there after the bars closed and the bookshop remained open. Sometimes the activity spread to the adjacent street. Things reached a head when LAPD ( the WeHo LA border was a block away) began using plain clothes officers to entrap guys that were lured away from the Alley across the border to LA. The bookstore also employed many guys with AIDS at the height of the crisis when no one else would hire them. Like many of the fixtures of the Gay Community in WeHo it is going away. Our “Gay Village” is disappearing. The place I’ve called home since 1978 is changing and I don’t like it. Here is today’s article from the Los Angeles Times https://enewspaper.latimes.com/infinity/latimes/default.aspx?pubid=50435180-e58e-48b5-8e0c-236bf740270e

The last time I saw West Side Story was at Opera Hanover in Germany in the early 90s. It was performed in English with Robbins Choreography. This classic of American Musical Theater is performed around the world. The Chatelet theatre in Paris did a splendid production of a”A Little Night Music” with Leslie Caron as Mme Armfeldt, and Kirstin Scott Thomas as Desiree. The Chatelet has also done a superb production of “My Fair Lady”. What I’m trying to say is that the top tier of American Musicals are regarded as the equal of light Operas all over the world. “Sweeney Toddd” has been performed at the Finnish National Opera, Gothenburg Opera, Chatelet Theatre, Tokyo, Barcelona... The Test comes for any great work comes in its ability to withstand different treatments and interpretations. I’ve seen “Antigone” performed in a modern setting at the National Theatre, Peleas et Melisande set in a Malibu Beach House. I for one will be very interested in seeing what Van Hove and De Keersmaeker will do with this great American Classic.

I volunteered at the Los Angeles Gay Community Service Center Men’s VD Clinic back in the mid 70s. We routinely took 3 GC swabs from every client (oral, anal, urethral). Back then if you went to a straight Doctor they would tell you there was no such thing as pharyngeal gonorhea. It is sad to think that after all this time we are still subject to ignorant heterosexual practitioners. Back then in the old days, we saw as many as 200 clients in a single night, and everyone was tested for GC in three locations and received a Syphilis blood test as well. We used a blind numbered system for results, and it was not uncommon to have clients return with a full house of positive test results. In those days Gay men were terrified of going to their Doctor for fear of being found out.

I generally like vegetables, and am quite fond of spinach, Swiss chard, cabbage ( try it sautéed in olive oil seasoned with lemon juice, black pepper, salt, a little sugar, and cumin - just don’t overcook- it brings out the sulphur). However, I can’t get past the texture of Kale. I always feel like I’m eating a plastic shower curtain. I’ve tried blanching it, massaging it, but I can’t get past the texture.

Wishes for Happy Holidays to everyone here. My Christmas wish is that Guy Fawkes and Daddy will find a way to make this site and Daddy’s viable for the coming year. My hope is that January 2nd I can return here to learn, gripe, praise, and laugh. If that means I need to subscribe, so be it. I want to Thank Guy Fawkes, and all the Forum Moderators who have made this place right at the head of the line of “frequently visited sites”. Enjoy the break and I look forward to interacting with you all in the New Year.

About 10 years ago I arrived in Paris in late October. It was unseasonably warm, in the high 70s, yet everywhere I went the Parisians were on the street in tweed jackets, flannel pants, and sweaters. I commented on this to my waiter at a Cafe, and he said “it is Fall, in Fall we wear Fall clothes”.

I have loved David Hockney’s work for years, like Matisse, and Frank Stella, his work is often dismissed as being “decorative” as if it were somehow a sin for paintings to be pretty, colorful, easy to look at. He has been an innovator too working with Polaroid photos and Video. Like Picasso, and Matisse, his designs for the stage have also been important. I have had the pleasure of seeing productions of Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde”,and Richard Strauss’ “Die Frau Ohne Schatten” Hockney’s sets, costumes, and lighting added to both productions.

I saw a guy a couple of times a month for about six years. After about 3 months, as we were saying goodbye, I reached into my pocket to pay him, he took my hand, shook his head, and said “this one is on me”. Every so often he would do it again. I always appreciated it (and never expected it), and I’m sure it was one of the reasons I saw him for so long.

Mme. Louise Elizabeth Vigée Le Brun. The self portrait with her daughter Julie from 1786 is one of my favorite paintings in the Louvre. There is a palpable sense of affection between the beautiful Mme Le Brun and her daughter. Marie Antoinette’s favorite painter, she was forced to flee in 1790, and enjoyed a successful career working in Rome, Naples, Vienna, St. Petersburg, and London before returning to France where she worked until her death in 1842. https://joyofmuseums.com/museums/europe/france-museums/paris-museums/the-louvre/highlights-of-the-louvre/self-portrait-with-her-daughter-julie-by-louise-elisabeth-vigee-le-brun/

Jeanne Lanvin was a Genius, and Lanvin was until Poiret was revived from the grave this year, the oldest name still in use ( she joined the Couture syndicate in 1909). I still have a sports jacket I bought at the old Lanvin Men’s boutique on the rue de Castiglione back in the late 80s. I treasure it. However, the title of First fashion house belongs to the House of Worth, founded by Charles Worth in the 1850s. He was the designer to Empress Eugenie, Elizabeth of Austria, and practically every person of wealth and influence in Europe. Worth was the first house to show two annual collections, the first to show clothes on live models in Fashion shows, the first to have Salons in Paris, London, Deauville, and Biarritz, and the first to put a label with his name in every garment. When Empress Eugenie went to Egypt for the opening of the Suez Canal she told Charles Worth that she would need to order 250 gowns for the trip. Every designer since owes Charles Worth a debt for creating the concept of Haute Couture.

Cristóbal Balenciaga was one of the most legendary designers with a career that ran from 1919 to 1968. He was Spanish-Basque. He had a salon in Paris from 1937 to 1968. He was respected and admired by both Christian Dior and Coco Chanel as the greatest tailor living. His clothes were innovative and sculptural. His work was often spoken of as architectural. He was also respected as a teacher with Hubert de Givenchy, Andre Courrèges, Oscar de la Renta, and Emmanuel Ungaro among his students. I saw an exhibition of his work at the Musee de la Mode in Paris back in the 90s and was taken by the beauty and originality of his designs. Balenciaga closed his House when he was no longer able to personally be in charge of his collection. He died in 1972, Women’s Wear Daily ran the headline “The King is Dead”. Unfortunately Balenciaga has become one of the “Zombie” fashion houses, revived to license the name to produce clothes, handbags, shoes, and perfume that have no relationship to the Genius whose name they bear.

I saw Ray on several occasions, I always had a good time. We discussed what I was comfortable with and my preference for “safer” sex practices. He did not push me into uncomfortable territory. I stopped seeing Ray after he sent me a text while I was at work, and in the midst of a Client meeting, there on the conference table, in clear view of my Client, was an unsolicited, and very undesired pic of Ray sporting an erection with the message “call me f****r you know you want to”. That was the end of my association with Mr. Dalton.

The House in question predates the existance of West Hollywood. It dates from when the town was an exurb of Los Angeles built by Moses Sherman to house workers for his Pasadena-Pacific Railway in 1896. Here is an article from one of our local Public TV stations KCET- https://www.kcet.org/shows/lost-la/how-the-town-of-sherman-became-the-city-of-west-hollywood

Back in the 1980s I bought a small apartment building in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles. The building was constructed in 1922. I had the building inspected by a reliable inspector with a good reputation. I also had a termite inspection done, and because of the buildings age, got the seller to agree to have the building tented an fumigated. A couple of years later I had an exterior wooden stairway replaced and the contractor opened the stucco wall. The studs looked like Swiss Cheese. It was old termite damage, there was no recent activity, and neither the building inspector, nor the termite inspector could have seen it without removing the stucco. It cost me thousands to fix the problem. When you buy an older property there can be issues that no inspector can see.

West Hollywood (particularly the West Side- west of La Cienega Blvd. ) has become a pricey neighborhood. The L.A. Times Real Estate section periodically publishes average sale prices and WeHo zip codes routinely give Beverly Hills a run for the money in the priciest residential neighborhoods in the LA Metro area. My 900 sq ft townhouse was purchased for $199,000 in 1990. Today several real estate agents tell me that they can get $700,000. The rise in values is, alas, changing the nature of the city. The prime stretch of Santa Monica Blvd. that once formed the heart of “Boystown” is about to have two big straight restaurants open. Small local, often gay owned, businesses are being driven out by astronomical rents. I had to relocate my business to Beverly Hills to find rent that was “affordable “. The cute young men who still flock to the Abbey and the Bars on the Boulevard, are coming from East Hollywood, and Koreatown, they can’t afford to rent in WeHo, where a One Bedroom apartment rents for $3500+ a month.

Margaret Atwood must be in the running as a one of the best creators of Dystopian worlds. The Handmaid’s Tale Oryx and Crake The Year of the Flood MaddAddam The last three are related, but she resists classifying them as a “trilogy”.