BREAKING NEWS

PORN STAR – Bareback or condoms? (my thoughts and an announcement)

In the past couple weeks, the controversy over bareback porn reared its head again. The announcement by Lucas Entertainment that they were starting a bareback line of films (after many years of intense criticism of performers who bareback and studios who filmed it) seemed to be the spark that reignited that controversial fire. The announcement that Porn Superstar Trenton Ducati had been signed as their first bareback exclusive star added to the chatter… both positive and negative.

My first point is about bareback versus condom porn in general. I find it interesting that we only find condom-less porn as being taboo in the gay porn culture. The majority of straight porn has been bareback for years, and with much less talk and scorn for its stars. Bareback straight porn is the norm, and no one seems to question that. In the gay world, after our ranks were decimated by HIV/AIDS in the past decades, we developed an extreme sensitivity to illness exposure and for some reason it was deemed that porn should be forced to carry the burden of being the role model for gay sex. While I understand that porn has an opportunity to teach a lesson, we need to remember that’s not the main reason it exists. PORN IS CREATED TO ENTERTAIN AND PROVIDE A FANTASY, not necessarily as a tool for social activism.

The next point on which I pondered after Trenton’s recent move to bareback porn, has to do with public disclosure of a porn star’s HIV status. Trenton talked about making responsible, informed decisions as to who he will or won’t film with, and caught a lot of negative comments with his first bareback flip-flop scene partner choice of Blue Bailey. As I read through the public comments section of one of the porn blogs that talked about the scene, the commenters spouted mostly gossip, rumor and shock. Many of the folks were making huge assumptions and leaps calling Trenton HIV positive simply because he shot bareback porn, or because of who he chose to shoot with. My point? Unless you are actually having sex with him, his status whether negative or positive, does not directly concern you. Each of us in the industry make informed decisions as to what risks we are willing to take, and act accordingly. A performer’s HIV status is no one’s business except their own and their sex partners both in front of and behind the camera. Again, PORN IS A FANTASY created to entertain, so as long as you enjoy seeing the activities on-screen, then it is serving its purpose.

My third point is this. If bareback porn offends you, DON’T WATCH IT. Here’s another example… While country music isn’t something I enjoy, I don’t rally against it and try to force others not to listen to it. I just choose to change the station to a different type of music. As a consumer, that’s what we can do. Watch what you enjoy, and ignore the rest. But it is not your right to force me to only watch what YOU think is appropriate. I’m not going to limit your choices, so don’t try to limit mine.

My final announcement and point is that I am now also filming both condom and bareback porn. As this article is being published, I am actually on set filming a bareback scene with my special buddy Mike Dozer (@mikedozerxxx). He and I have an amazing chemistry, enjoy each other immensely on and off the set and wanted to take our connection and put it on film. Does me shooting bareback mean that my HIV status will be questioned? YES, unfortunately it will. I can say that I just tested again 7 days ago for a shoot I have in a week with a condom using studio, and I am still HIV negative, not that its anyone’s business but mine and my sex partners. Am I being irresponsible by choosing to film bareback? No, I am choosing based on my own research and the information I have, to do something that I WANT TO DO with scene partners that I WANT TO DO. I am continuing as I always have to take whatever level of risk (or lack thereof) I am comfortable with, and producing FANTASY material for the public to enjoy. I am not attempting to convince everyone to have bareback sex, and I am not saying anyone else should stop using condoms. Will I have people angry and upset that I am choosing to film bareback as well as condom porn now? OF COURSE I WILL. And I tell those folks this: Watch what you want to watch, just like I will film what I want to film. There’s enough porn out there for everyone!

New York City Photography: 5 Ave Homeless

by Mark Giarrusso

In New York City, there is no greater divide between the haves and, quite literally, the have-nots than in Midtown Manhattan. According to reports from CBRE in 2012, rents between 49th and 59th Street on 5th Avenue were $3,000/ sq ft. Tourists line up to pay $60 for a t shirt and there are 24 hour computer stores. However, lost amongst the glitz and glamor are those who have fallen through the cracks of city society. Those whose stories are too infinite to mention and whose circumstances are too complicated to explain. They sleep on church steps and subsist on hand outs and charity.

If you have followed this journal you have seen some of these photos before. One could argue that it has been some what exploitative of me to use others destitution as “art”. I assure you that was never my intention, but only to simply showcase life as I saw it. However, I think there may be some merit to that argument. In order to rectify this I am re-presenting those same photos in this journal specifically to raise awareness to their plight.

In the end, it really doesn’t matter what keeps them on the streets, be it drugs, or mental illness, or disability, or anything else; just as it doesn’t matter what you do about it, as long as you do something. Give something. Even if all you do is think about it and discuss it in polite company. I hope that by doing this journal I have done something. I hope to do more.

Sleeping — Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013

Umberella — Photo by Mark Giarrusso, 2013

A Restaurant to Call His Own: Fred Mero and the New La Rosetta

by Jaime Kohl

Now you may not have heard of La Rosetta, but Fred Mero’s name has been synonymous with many great food establishments, such as the four seasons and the boathouse in the New York City scene over the past 20 years. Now he has gone off on his own with Vincenzo Roberto to open up La Rosetta.

One thing that was clear throughout the meal was the attention to detail. They cook with a “process well worth it.” I came in on a cold afternoon and asked the chef to take his pick and cook for me what he would want.

Hydro Arugula Salad: Muscat raisins, shaved Parmiggiano, Marcona almonds, Vin cotto

Mero’s process was clearly evident in the Arugula salad. What seems like a simple salad was taken to the next level with its details. The salad was a Hydro Arugula Salad with Muscat raisins, shaved aged Parmiggiano, Marcona almonds with a Vin cotto dressing. I was amazed at how much I enjoyed this salad, because I am not a huge fan of raisins. They just don’t tend to be my thing, but these were homemade raisins and where we can see that “process well worth it.” Chef Mero takes the Muscat grapes and roasts them over night in a very low temperature oven. This process pulls all of the flavor into the raisin and creates a texture that is far more pleasing in a salad than your typical raisin, plus they do not stick to your teeth. There is a creaminess the raisin that compliments that pure and beautiful Marcona Almonds and rich Vin cotto dressing with the bitter greens. This is a salad that I would not have ordered on my own; but I was more than happy enjoying every bite of the delicate salad.

Seafood Risotto: Shrimp, lobster, calamari and muscles with lemon and herbs in a parsley broth.

Next course; Seafood Risotto. Risotto is a fickle thing. Everyone has their perspective and way of doing it. Some want it soupier, some like it drier. I like a good texture and toasting on my rice. That was the one thing missing for the beautiful bowl. That warm toasted texture would have put this stick to the ribs dish over the top. The lobster was cooked to perfection. Fresh large chunks of that delicious white and red meat danced in the lemon parsley with grace. The calamari and muscles were absolutely perfectly cooked. All of the seafood was incredible fresh and clean, pure white and shinny (right where it should be). The jumbo shrimp were delicious and served with the heads on. So if you’re adventurous you can enjoy sucking the briny head and popping a little post Halloween eyeball into your mouth (no joke they happen to be delicious).

With fresh berries, mint and cookie — Banana Ice Cream with Lemon Sorbet, fresh berries, mint and cookie

To close out the meal, I requested something very light. Next thing I knew there was a beautiful bowl presented to me with banana ice cream, fresh berries, a light cookie, a beautiful classic lemon sorbet and a small sprig of mint. At first I wondered banana and lemon, really is that a flavor combo you really want; but it sure is. I loved it. The cookie added a nice texture, but the extra crumb did not actually add enough texture to be noted. Once again the freshness of the ingredients was clear with the berries. The lemon sorbet cleaned my palate and re-energized me to get started on my way.

All and all I truly enjoyed La Rosetta. I have no need to wonder why Ruth Reichl had called Fred Mero’s cooking perfect in the past. Here he is at La Rosetta without the support of a big name working to develop his very own passionate organic and sustainable version of foodie nirvana.

But if you don’t believe me, please check out any of these reviews… CBS, Zagat’s and Manhattan Sideways.

Jason Aldean’s Tour Bus Strikes and Kills Pedestrian in Indiana

by Blair Kaplan

Jason Aldean’s tour bus struck and killed a man on a highway in Knox County, Indiana, early Monday morning. The tragedy occurred at 1:28 a.m., according to a police report. The coroner pronounced “the individual deceased from trauma to the head and chest.” The “My Kinda Party” singer, 36, acknowledged the sad news on his Facebook page.

“With a heavy heart, I’m sad to say that a man passed away last night after stepping out in front of my bus in Indiana,” he posted.

“In all the years I’ve been touring and all the miles we’ve driven, nothing prepares you for something like this to happen,” Aldean wrote. “I’m praying for Albert Kennedy’s family and friends today and ask that you do the same.”

So far there has been no word on the cause of the accident.

Lou Reed Dies at 71

by Michael Tyminski

It was reported Sunday afternoon that rock legend and art-rock pioneer Lou Reed has passed away, the cause of which is undisclosed at this time.

Reed is best known as the vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter of late 60’s art rock trailblazers The Velvet Underground. It was there that the band began it’s close affiliation with pop artist Andy Warhol, a relationship that was often full of turmoil. In the aftermath of leaving Velvet Underground, Reed would start a long and prodigious solo career which included the release of Transformer in 1972 and Reed’s most well known song “Take a Walk on the Wild Side”, a song about his time with Warhol.

Much of Reed’s music was well ahead of it’s time, forming an aesthetic back bone for what would become punk with simplicity, dark lyrics, and a considerably more dissonant guitar sound that sounds like a closer match to grunge than to his late sixties and early seventies contemporaries. His songs often had a sleazy, gritty feel to them that reflected the urbane characters that populated his life. As a result, many bands (The Ramones and Nirvana among them) have cited Reed and the Velvet Underground as an influence on their own genre-defining styles.

Reed’s influence however, went much further than his music. The man whom many rockers have referred to as Uncle Lou exuded a sense of cool that is unparalleled among rockers in his generation. While many others in his cohort either sold out or flamed out, Lou Reed managed to do the seemingly impossible – age gracefully as a rocker, and was still considered as a titan and elder statesman in the rock community up until his death.

Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis Expecting First Child

by Blair Kaplan

Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis are expecting their first child together according to People Magazine. “They are incredibly happy,” a source close to both says. “They’re very excited to welcome a new member into their family.” Reps for both Wilde and Sudeikis confirmed the baby news to People.

The actress, 29, and the actor, 38, who met on the season finale of Saturday Night Live in 2011, began dating in November 2011. The pair got engaged in January.

Wilde was previously married to Italian filmmaker and musician, Tao Ruspoli, in June 2007, at the age of 19, but filed for divorce in March 2011 citing “irreconcilable differences.” The divorce was finalized in September 2011.

“I can’t wait for children,” Wilde told Marie Claire back in April. “I’m open-minded about how many, but three, which I love, is like a little party. [Jason] is so good with kids,” she added. “I’ve never before experienced looking at someone and thinking,’ That’s who I want to raise a child with.’”

In the October issue of Allure, on stands now, Wilde gushes about how much she adores Sudeikis and that she cannot wait to have a family with him. “Jason is fantastic with children,” she says.

It appears Wilde will have to wait no longer.

Chris Brown Arrested for Felony Assault in D.C.

by Blair Kaplan

Singer, Chris Brown, was arrested for allegedly assaulting a man outside of the W Hotel, on K and 15^th Street, in Washington D.C. early Sunday morning.

Although the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department stated that alcohol and drugs do not appear to have been a factor, Brown, 24, allegedly got into a verbal argument with the man before punching him repeatedly. The incident occurred around 4:25 a.m.

Brown faces a charge of felony assault for the incident. Another man, Brown’s bodyguard, Christopher Hollosy, 35, was also arrested and charged. According to the DCMP, Brown and Hollosy were taken into custody and are being held at the 2^nd District police station.

The victim of the attack was taken to the hospital to treat the injuries he sustained. The DCMP did not disclose the victim’s condition, instead only stating that “he’s alive.”

Brown was infamously arrested in February 2009, after assaulting then-girlfriend, singer, Rihanna, on the night before the Grammy’s. Brown was found guilty in California of felony domestic violence. He was placed on five-years of probation after entering a guilty plea, and was ordered to fulfill more than 1,400 hours doing “labor-oriented service.” In a Youtube video, Brown expressed deep remorse and claimed he “accepted full responsibility.” His probation for the 2009 assault was reinstated in August, after he was involved in an alleged hit-and-run, which he vehemently denied.

Brown has been scheduled to appear before Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge, James Brandlin, on November 20 for a probation hearing.

Update: The assault charge has been reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor. Brown still pled not guilty and was released without bail; he was ordered to stay at least 100 yards away from the alleged victim.

Sick Of Scrubbing In After Only One Hour

by Michael Tyminski

Scrubbing In: Thursdays at 10 Eastern Time on MTV

With the explosion in reality television across all segments of the cable spectrum (with ironically enough the worst offenders having once been cable’s bastion of high-culture television), it’s pretty interesting to see how networks brand their reality television. For example, E! focuses predominantly on psuedo-celebrity, whether it’s Kim Kardashian or WWE divas. Bravo tends to have cartoonish and morally repugnant caricatures of shallow rich people. At the other end of the spectrum, A+E takes glee at mining comedy out of society’s lower classes with shows like Duck Dynasty, while Discovery takes its’ reality content deadly serious. Oddly enough however, MTV (whose The Real World basically originated the formula) seems to often have a more schizophrenic take on the genre, flipping between super serious (early Real World, Kesha My Beautiful Crazy Life) and completely ridiculous (later Real World and pretty much anything from the Jackass and Jersey Shore trees).

It’s from that perspective that MTV brings us its’ newest occupant of the 10 spot in Scrubbing In. Scrubbing In follows nine young nurses doing a short stint at a hospital in Orange County. Dropped into new circumstances and from all across the country, our young traveling nurses must deal with navigating a new city, disrupted lives, and a hospital in need in what seems MTV would probably pitch as a mix of The Real World and Grey’s Anatomy.

Like many workplace reality shows, Scrubbing In could have taken one of two paths: It could either be a show about nurses who happen to be drunk millenials, or it could be a show about drunk millenials that by extremely contrived circumstances happen to be traveling nurses. It’s pretty clear throughout the first half hour that this show is clearly the latter, and it’s truly a shame as there could be some deep and very real drama within the walls of the hospital (the sort of drama that drove a show like Scrubs).

Instead what the show pushes for is to become some sort of Nursey Shore (sorry guys, I couldn’t resist on that one). The first half hour in particular tends to over focus on the sort of matters that appear in every other MTV reality show ever (petty squabbles, tons of booze, minimum two club scenes a show). Even the drama that occurs at work (Heather’s licensing issues, Tyrice and Chris’s spat over Chris trying to defend himself at the office) tends to fit squarely into this box. The end result is a soul sucking experience that feels like its’ been done before (and better).

This whole scenario would play off much better if our initial cast was likable. To the contrary, we instead get half the cast lumped off into an amorphous faceless mass seemingly more focused on bedroom matters than anything else (collectively referred to as the Pittsburgh girls), with the one outsider on the female half of the cast willing to snap at a moment’s notice (Tyrice). The guys aren’t much better, as Chris is played off as someone who will hit on everyone that moves and slightly two-faced, Adrian is played off as paralyzed in thought and incapable of taking decisive action in his personal life, and Fernando (who for now is this show’s de facto Vinny) never gets to register in any meaningful fashion.

The Final Verdict: If Scrubbing In represents the future of American health care, than I pray that I don’t ever get sick. Instead of getting any real drama derived from a potentially interesting hook, we instead get a pedestrian Jersey Shore clone without any of the personality that made that show entertaining. Skip this one and just give it a couple of months before MTV goes into season 90 of The Real World because it’s a mess, and a boring one at that.

Miranda Kerr and Orlando Bloom Have Separated

by Blair Kaplan

Miranda Kerr and Orlando Bloom have separated after three years of marriage, according to a statement a rep for Bloom made to E! News.

“In a joint statement, Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr have announced that they have been amicably separated for the past few months. After six years together, they have recently decided to formalize their separation,” the rep explained.

“Despite this being the end of their marriage, they love, support and respect each other as both parents of their son and as family.”

The Australian former Victoria’s secret model, 30, and the British actor, 36, first went public with their relationship back in April 2008. The two married in a private ceremony in July 2010, and their son, Flynn, 2, was born in January of 2011.

Earlier this year, Kerr announced that she would be parting ways with Victoria’s Secret after six years together, but will remain busy, as she works to manage her Kora Organics beauty line, and continues modeling.

‘Fifty Shades’ Casting No Longer Grey?

by Blair Kaplan

No more grey areas?

British actor, Jamie Dornan, 31, is reportedly set to play Christian Grey in the adaptation of the hit selling erotic romance novel, Fifty Shades of Grey. Dornan was cast alongside Dakota Johnson, 24, who will play leading lady, Anastasia Steele.

It was announced in early September that Sons of Anarchy star, Charlie Hunnan, had landed the coveted lead role after it had been turned down by actors, Garrett Hedlund and Ryan Gosling. It was also rumored that the novel’s author, E.L. James, had wanted actor, Robert Pattinson to play the part.

The news that Hunnan was cast in the role created a whirlwind of criticism, backlash, and disappointment among diehard fans of the novel. Hunnan, dropped out of the film on October 12 due to scheduling conflicts. It remains to be seen if the new casting news will garner a more excited response from fans.

The film is projected to be released on August 1, 2014.

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