Lucky

Townsend, that W hotel may look nice, but when you are at Dick's cabaret you may be wishing that money was in your pocket. I tried Priceline and got a 4* hotel for $40 a night- with free parking. No, I am not getting any points, but I may score some at Dick's when I have cash to flash.

Gay City News has more: Manhattan DA Pledges to Investigate Gay Men's Prostitution Arrests By: DUNCAN OSBORNE 03/08/2009 Activists who met with Robert Morgenthau report that the district attorney said he would investigate the 2008 prostitution arrests of at least 30 gay and bisexual men in at least six Manhattan porn shops, and may dismiss the cases against five of the men who are contesting the charges. "The first thing Morgenthau said was, 'We are going to investigate all these cases,'" said Joey Nelson, coordinator for the Queer Justice League and a member of the Coalition to Stop the Arrests. "That was the first thing out of his mouth." The March 6 meeting lasted roughly an hour, and included coalition members, elected officials or their representatives, community groups, and Leroy Frazer, the executive assistant district attorney for governmental affairs and community relations. "They were going to go back and start looking at all the individual cases," said Robert Pinter, also a coalition member and one of the men who was arrested last year. "They really seemed genuinely concerned that something wrong was happening here." The arrests, which were later cited in lawsuits seeking to close the shops brought by the city against five of the six businesses, are widely seen as false arrests in the gay community. "They weren't trying to cover things up or hide," Pinter said. "Morgenthau himself brought up that he has prosecuted police over 300 times in his career." Morgenthau's office could quickly dismiss the charges against the five men who pleaded not guilty, but Pinter and Nelson said no promises were made. "He said that those would be easier to act on, but there was no promise of automatic dismissal," Nelson said. "He said they would investigate those cases and that those would be the first that they would investigate." Morgenthau's office may already be doing that. At court dates, the district attorney's office has repeatedly adjourned the cases saying they are not ready, leading defense attorneys to speculate that the prosecution is letting the time limit it has to bring the cases to trial run out so the cases will have to be dismissed. Activists asked that Morgenthau reopen the other cases in which some of the men are known to have pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and received minor sentences. Those dispositions should be vacated, the charges dismissed, and the cases sealed, activists said. Morgenthau cannot do that on his own, though he might not oppose such motions. Those men convicted would have to ask that their pleas be vacated. "Those cases would have to be brought forward by the individuals," Nelson said. "At this point, we should be doing an all-points bulletin that people who have been arrested should be contacting the district attorney's office to ask if their cases can be vacated." The meeting was convened by State Senator Thomas K. Duane who, activists said, was an effective advocate. "I thought Tom Duane was very, very strong in putting out the lay of the land," Nelson said. "He called it homophobic... He said it was a set-up." Duane, who is openly gay, represents Chelsea where some of the arrests happened. State Assemblywoman Deborah Glick, an out lesbian who represents the West Village, was also praised by activists. "[Duane] was really forceful and Deborah Glick chimed in a really forceful way," Pinter said. "They were just very outspoken." Other attendees included Assemblyman Dick Gottfried, who represents Chelsea, Brendan Fay, a coalition member, and staff from the New York City Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project (AVP). Activists had a February 11 meeting, organized by City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, an out lesbian who represents Chelsea, with senior police officials who said they had paused in their efforts. "The message, at least in the DA's office, was heard really loud and clear," Pinter said. ©GayCityNews 2009

No, I didn't know who this kid "is." The poor quality of the pix makes it look like just any old pic of a naked guy is enough to satisfy some people...but it didn't satisfy me.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg doesn't like protesters outside his house, so those New York gays worried about police stings at bookstores can relax just a little. Here's the story from today's NY POST: By LARRY CELONA Last updated: 2:07 am March 9, 2009 Posted: 1:57 am March 9, 2009 Following accusations that vice cops were making dubious arrests of gay men at pornography shops, the NYPD has decided that similar investigations will now have to be approved by the department's higher-ups, sources told The Post. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly called the head of the department's Organized Crime Control Bureau, which oversees the vice squad, and others to Police Headquarters after protests outside Mayor Bloomberg's home over the arrests. Protesters said undercover vice-squad cops were flirting with customers in Manhattan shops and offering to have sex for money - which the activists said amounted to entrapment. The department had said it was not targeting gay men but was rather conducting a nuisance-abatement operation in response to neighbor complaints. As a result of the talks, it was decided that all such operations would have to be cleared by OCCB head Chief Anthony Izzo, the sources said.

Nice to meet you. Some of us are planning to come to Phoenix for the Pride activities, so i guess now we have a reason to stop by Dick's and meet a local stud!

If your losing socks means that we get more pix like these, then I hope your whole sock collection disappears...and soon!

I am for the death penalty when it is given to the person who is really guilty of a heinous crime and when it is administered within a reasonable time following the conviction. They seem to be having trouble finding a means to enact the penalty that is not painful to the recipient. I think studies show that the firing squad is the most effective and least painful way, so for all of those cruel people who like to kill children, torture, or commit mass murders, I favor the firing squad. Otherwise, it's on a case by case basis.

I wish we did. You only post to antagonize.

I hope farting is allowed...

One has to wonder a lot of things. After having alienated most people at another website, there was a period of welcome silence, and now you bring your arguments over here. They are never pleasant approaches to the topics which seem to concern you, and ultimately it turns out that no one wants to engage you, so you go away for awhile. I like that last part. What I think, and it is only a think, since I don't know you, is that you love to post pictures of yourself, and are afraid that no one would look at them if you didn't accompany them with all this angry hoopla.

I woulda given him a t-shirt and a full report if he hadn't created a new screenname for that one occasion.

My first night in Rio I was having a wonderful meal at a restaurant on the beach street. Up the block there was some commotion, so I checked it out. One dead body, under wraps, but a big stick still protruding through him. And here it had been so festive just a block away. In fairness, I went four more times and saw no crime at all.

Now, Townsend, that I would like to see. You in your leather chaps, whip in one hand, whipped cream in the other. Those New York boys would be on their knees for you. Has any one heard if Jon Thomas is going? I'll be looking for his report on the festivities!

Conservatives like their porn, according to a report by ABC News. Per capita, Utah is the biggest porn purchaser. Across the board, these purchases tend to go down on Sundays. See the full report; http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Business/...7202&page=1

I sure wish I could go help these guys out! I did go a year ago, and the violin guy was doing his show. I wonder if he gets tired of doing it every night. In my mind, the bars were not as user friendly as I remembered them from years ago. Much more commercial now.

BigK. in your post about the Duchess, it seems as if you are saying that Kate WInslet is in that as well. Pardon me if I read it wrong. I was happy to see Winslet win best actor in a female role because a) I thought she deserved it and I thought Meryl Streep in Doubt did not. Sean Penn was great in his acceptance speech, and it was nice to see all of the Jamils and Salims on stage. Funny that Penn talked about gay rights and other gay mentions were made about Milk but my mother (watching with me) seemed not to notice and did not ask me about the film or about Harvey Milk. She prefers to keep things like that from her brain. She asks about everything else though.

One fun thing about movie-going is that my friends can walk away from a movie with a completely different reaction than I can. I disagree with Adam about RR. As for Slate, well, I often disagree with them. For my money, Kate and Leo were great in RR. And I was smoking nothing!

I guess that the Post should be happy that Obama supporters can handle an offensive cartoon better than certain Muslin groups can.

Everytime I sign on to my computer, this is what I see: http://www.thecinemasource.com/moviesdb/im...Franco1-300.jpg

If Jerry Springer and Maury Povich, are still on the air, I wouldn't know. I couldn't bear to watch their shows. Isn't Povich married to Connie Chung? I wonder what happened to her.

The website Defamer has a hint from Hugh: http://defamer.com/5153554/hugh-jackman-te...-of-your-dreams

What would Townsend have done had he been stranded in a van with 8 or more escorts? It coulda happened, as it did today with others on the I-5; From the LA Times (abridged) Motorists Stranded in Castaic Heavy rain and intermittent sleet caused frustration and resignation among motorists stranded in Castaic, as they pondered their travel options in the wake of the closure of the Grapevine section of Interstate 5. After a relatively smooth trip north on the I-5 from the Santa Clarita Valley, California Highway Patrol officers directed drivers off the freeway at Parker Road in Castaic. The I-5 would remain “closed indefinitely†between Parker Road and Grapevine Road, a 50-mile stretch of freeway, said Officer David Porter, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol. “We discourage people to come up that way altogether,†Porter said. In what could be the largest winter storm of the season, heavy rains were expected to last much of the day, according to the National Weather Service. Several drivers said that despite numerous weather reports they had not expected the freeway closure. Many jammed the parking lot of a Carl’s Jr. fast food restaurant and huddled in groups, chatting in the pouring rain... Several trucks lined the streets in Castaic just past the Parker Road freeway exit. A crowd gathered around a CHP officer who had parked his vehicle at the corner of Castaic Road and Ridge Route. Clasping a soggy road map and visibly trembling from the cold, the officer said he had been at the corner giving people directions since 6am. “How do I get to Gorman?†one man asked. “We’re going up to Portland,†a woman said, clutching her own wet map. “When can we get back on the freeway?†another motorist inquired. “It’s going to be closed for 24 hours,†the CHP officer told the drivers, who scrambled to scribble down his suggestions for alternate routes on soaked scraps of paper. Townsend P. Locke and his van full of children were shocked to learn that the freeway would probably not reopen until Tuesday. He had driven up from Huntington Beach and was headed to River Bank, near Modesto. “I just sent my kids off on vacation to the Mexican Riviera, and I’ve got to get back to work,†said Locke, a high school teacher in *****, Calif. “I think I’m going to go back" to Huntington Beach. Other travelers were resigned to staying put for one more day. At the Castaic Inn, manager Tyson Schmid said most of the hotel’s 51 rooms were occupied, and many of the guests said they were stranded because of the weather. “It’s bad weather, but good for business,†said Schmid, adding that many guests would probably book a room for another night. Porter, the CHP officer, said that if drivers “get caught†in Castaic and still wanted to head north, there are two other routes. They could take California 14 north to California 58 through the Tehachapi Pass, and reconnect through the 99 north with the I-5 north in Bakersfield, Porter said. Or motorists could take the 126 west to the 101 north, in order to reconnect with the 41 north and then to the I-5 north.

I like to watch the Oscars. Joan Rivers on the Red Carpet was always a favorite part, but she fell out of favor with the powers that be. I won't watch Ryan Seacrest. After the Red Carpet, there is some kind of awards show which occasionally shows good movie clips.

Leo was not in The Reader- he was with Kate in Revolutionary Road. But I wouldn't mind if the young actor who was in The Reader became the next Leo. It seems there are not so many moviegoers here, but I would ask one question- why is Streep getting so much acclaim for Doubt? It wasn't that hard of a role, and any number of actresses could have done it just as well.

If our purpose in posting is to have fun and entertain ourselves, this thread has been a hoot. I think deej had a tagline "thank you for playing" which fits aptly here. The Palm Springs event appreciates the publicity, and hopes that you are encouraged to attend next year. We can even join Lurker, and call it the HooMer Weekend, but if we can get Rentboy to join, it would be the Hoomerboy Weekend.