EZEtoGRU

Expensive I’m sure. I’m wondering how much money the family spent on renting the $4.7 million ranch with 36 acres prior to buying it? A whole lot I’m sure. So live the upscale ranch lifestyle for multiple years and then seek a bailout from the public to meet expenses going forward? How about living a more modest lifestyle all the way back to when they were already in default with taxes in 2017? Had they made better choices starting back then, they might not be in the tight financial situation they are experiencing today. Maybe they wouldn’t have to be seeking handouts. It’s obviously everyone’s choice whether they wish to donate to the GoFundMe campaign. I sure ain’t going to contribute so they can continue their upscale ranch lifestyle after seemingly making poor financial choices for many years.

Good catch!

I noticed the same thing. I’m not sure it’s really a legit source. True high-end discreet companions are not going to want to plaster their facepics online. The sort of escorts we are discussing in this thread are mostly not going to be found on the internet.

Were the guys decent quality? Masculine? Muscular?

Even if friends lent money for the down payment on the $4.7 million ranch, this whole story seems to scream poor money management over many years and possible deceit. Clearly, the family was having money issues years ago as they had a $269k tax liability from 2017/2019. It was repaid in 2022 but does indicate money issues had been a problem even before he became sick. If money was so tight, why were they renting a multi-million dollar ranch for years? Couldn’t they have found something more within their budget? When they bought the ranch 1-2 months ago (with help from friends for the down payment) knowing that James’ illness was terminal, who did they think was going to make the ongoing mortgage payments, tax bills, utility, and general upkeep costs? GoFundMe drives? If friends want to fund this family’s extravagant ranch lifestyle until all the kids are grown, that is certainly their prerogative. But why get the general public involved with a begging campaign? None of the additional news that has come out regarding the ranch or how they purchased it has removed any of my doubts. If anything, it raises more questions.

Yeah…I guess we can’t jump to conclusions quite yet. Probably need a little more meat around the bones of this story. Sure does merit the questions being asked though.

Hmm…Seems that James bought a $4.7 million ranch in Texas a month before dying. Not clear if he paid cash or took out a mortgage for part of the cost. Either way, it raises lots of questions about the GoFundMe that his wife set up after his death. At best this is bad optics…at worst, it could be fraud and getting on the gravy train dishonestly via the kindness of others. The cancer and leaving behind six kids is very sad. What is coming out now seems pretty sketchy though. Reminds me of Erica Kirk’s shenanigans post her husbands death. let’s see how this story develops. https://www.tmz.com/2026/02/13/james-van-der-beek-purchased-texas-ranch-before-dying/

Regarding "Melania" movie: I Really Don't Care. Do U?

I saw no movies in 2025 unfortunately. I recently decided I wanted to see some of the Academy Award nominee movies in advance of the telecast. The only one currently available in my area was Marty Supreme with Timothee Chalamet, Gweneth Paltrow, Fran Dresher, Sandra Berhard, & Kevin O'Leary (yes the shark!). I knew virtually nothing about the film before seeing it so I went in with no preconceived ideas. Spoiler Alert: you get to see Chalamet's (or his stand-in's) butt for a while. I won't go into a lengthy review. Know that it is a long movie at 2 hours 29 minutes. It was engaging for most of the film. The actor's performances were good but not great. Chalamet has been nominated for an Oscar but I would be surprised if he wins. Same with the film overall. It was good but not fantastic. It won't win Best Picture...but it is worth seeing IMHO. Marty Supreme (2025) - IMDb

How is the condo crisis currently playing out in Florida? Is that the segment where a lot of the foreclosures are occurring? 12 months ago, there was lots of talk about the condo crisis in the older buildings in South Florida where upgrades and improvements were being required. Special assessments were devastating many condo owners who didn't have the funds to pay. It was said at the time, some were going to lose their condos and a glut of units would go on the market...likely bringing down prices in that segment of older structures. I'm curious how that has played out.

This has to be one of the worst examples of entitled influencer behavior I have ever heard. Details in article but highlights of their antics include: - Boarding a plane drunk. - Sneaking into first class seats whilst having economy tickets. - Purposely behaving badly to get arrested - Calling flight attendant a bi**h. - Causing de-boarding of entire aircraft. - Doing the splits and handstands whilst being escorted off. - Filming entire event for social media purposes. - Bragging about the incident on social media after the fact. -Selling merchandise (ie coffee mugs) with picture of mugshots on them. - Openly encouraging others to do the same and thus start a trend/movement on social media. This has to be some of most outrageous behavior I have ever heard of spawned by social media in order to create content. This is what society has come to? And there are no consequences? https://www.aol.com/onlyfans-models-arrested-kicked-off-063249033.html

The guys coming down from Montreal to dance in Florida during the winter has fallen off a lot since Covid. There was only one dancer from Montreal at Johnson’s on the nights I was there this past week. I’ve seen him in Florida the last few years. So he may be the last one doing the trek to Florida from Montreal. Average looks in my opinion. Toned but not worked out body by any means.

I’m currently in Lauderdale and heading back up north tomorrow. I visited Johnson’s four nights in a row: Thursday Jan 1…pretty quiet. Not many dancers. I guess everyone was partied out from NYE. Friday…absolutely packed. I’ve honestly never seen it so full. I generally avoid weekends at these clubs and I was reminded why with the club so full. Apparently, a gay couple got into a fistfight shortly after I left. I was told one of the guys was flirting with a dancer and the other guy didn’t like it. Oh and the new owners turned up for a while. Someone pointed them out to me but I didn’t speak with them. Saturday…More comfortable than Friday. Busy but not packed. Sunday…just having cocktails at the front bar before I call it an early night. I agree with the sentiment expressed above. No outstanding dancers at the club currently. I hung-out and chatted with multiple dancers (practicing my spanish which I enjoy) and had a good time doing that. Lucas (the Argentine guy that looks like Brando) was not present any of the days I was there. I didn’t get to any of the other strip clubs during my visit.

I was at Johnson’s in FTL last night. It was absolutely packed to the gills. The waiters were delivering bottles of Dom with sparklers attached to various tables and I immediately thought about this event at Crans-Montana. It didn’t appear like there was anything flammable on the ceiling at Johnson’s but there were curtains hanging in multiple spots throughout the club. Who knows if they were flame resistant curtains though. Anyway, I was thinking how a situation can spiral out of control very quickly.

Who cares about it if you’re already dead? Seriously though, I think only people that have something to hide would be concerned. Those folks would fit into two categories: 1. People that are assumed to be straight yet live a hidden gay life that those around them know nothing about. The person in question may wish to take that secret to the grave. 2. People that are involved in serious illegal activities that they wish to keep hidden forever. Take your pick of what those illegal activities might be. Outside of those situations, why would anyone be concerned about their on-line actions being discovered?

I've been in contact with one of the FTL dancers. He and other dancers seem to think the club in Lauderdale is safe...for now.

Is it only the Tampa club that is in trouble or is the Fort Lauderdale location at risk also??

Matt has indicated on his Facebook page that he plans to move back to Atlanta. I hope that means he will open a strip club there. I do frequent Johnson’s in Ft. Lauderdale but, in all honesty, it irritates me to spend my gay dollars in a state where I am not respected. I would like to have options in other states. Atlanta would be perfect!!

Which location are you speaking about?

If it was the club right on the riverbank in the late 80's, it was JP's. Great club with worldclass strippers. Toronto and Montreal strippers used to cycle through there on the regular. It was wonderful. If it was later than that, it was probably The Happy Tap on Wyandotte in Windsor. Not nearly as good as JP's, but decent.

Yep. Lots of people need to choose their words more wisely…including on this thread. What’s next…hurling insults and hate at the victims on Bondi Beach? People’s choices are astounding nowadays.

So Sad. I appreciated his advocacy for important causes as well as his film work. RIP. The body isn't even cold yet, but our resident clown is already hurling insults at the deceased. Tacky and thoughtless as usual.

On his Facebook account, Matt says he has resigned from Johnsons. In the subsequent comments he says he never should have sold it. I wonder what's going on and how this will change the clubs...if at all.

I would agree that it would be great to have a male dancers club in Detroit. The Gold Coast lasted for many decades and there was a 10-20 year period where it was the best male strip club in the Midwest...including being better than anything in Chicago. Sadly, it started a long decline in around 2010. The last 5 years of its life were sad as the quality of the dancers dropped substantially. I blamed it on lousy ownership and poor management. It was doomed to failure with the crew that was running it.