GOSSIP, GOSSIP and MO' GOSSIP! Hey! Heard any juicy LA strip club related gossip? Saw a celebrity at a club? Clubs for sale? Manager fired and sued? E-mail me ASAP before it's not hot anymore. Stop watching those soap operas and talk shows and get your water cooler talk right here. I will attempt to seek a second source on all rumors but if none can be found and the info seems legit, it will appear here anyway. Normally, I will not give out my sources for gossip. However, if you want to be in the spotlight, say so in your email and all dirty credit will be gladly given. But remember why it's called gossip and rumors, and not news and facts. Also remember to check the GOSSIP topic of my bulletin board for more timely (like the same day) stuff.

Vegas, Baby
December 30, 2000

It is rumored that the owner of StripTease in Vegas (same owner as Crazy Girls) has bought the property that the club is on.

In related Vegas rumors, the owners of PlayPen is rumored to be getting ready to open a club there.

It's Over
December 30, 2000

Multiple sources have reported that the lease for TJ's is running out and they will be forced to close their doors. If this is true, that would explain why they never seem to spend a dime on improving the club.

IC vs. Employee Now Class Action
December 28, 2000

The Independent Contractor vs. Employee law suits in which dancers are suing the clubs have now moved to the next phase of being declared class action. There are currently fifteen cases pending in Los Angeles county brought by dancers seeking payment of back wages and reimbursement from the clubs for the money taken from their lap dance money. So far, eight of those fifteen cases have been certified by the court to proceed as class actions. That is, any dancer who danced at any of the following eight clubs at any time since December 8, 1995, to the present is a member of the lawsuit:

1. Bob's Classy Lady
2. Exotica
3. The Gentlemen's Club
4. Industrial Strip
5. Lacy Street Cabaret
6. Paradise Showgirls
7. Sahara 3
8. Sam's Hof Brau

Also, in San Francisco, four other dancer suits have been certified as class actions:

1. Casbah
2. Centerfolds
3. Garden of Eden
4. Roaring 20's

4 Play Opens VIP Room
December 16, 2000

4 Play has opened a VIP room upstairs for $29 per song, 5 songs minimum. In the area where the ATM was is now a staircase leading up to a second floor area which encompasses three quarters of the building.

Spearmint Rhino (Industry) Breaks Record
December 12, 2000

According to John Gray, the Industry Spearmint Rhino branch broke their all time record for the month of November by recording 43,000 lap dances for the month.

Paradise Rumor Not True
December 11, 2000

According to another source, the reported selling of Paradise in February is not true.

Pure Platinum Turns Tin
November 29, 2000

As reported earlier, this Studio City club is becoming the club that wouldn't open. This was the old Aftershock location and is still having problems with the city as well as some financial problems. The city refuses to give them their permits, as well as restrictions on parking and hours of operation. It appears that this club will never see daylight.

Dude, where's Bare Elegance
November 14, 2000

There are scenes from "Dude, Where's My Car" that was shot at the Bare Elegance.

Industrial Goes Rhino
November 7, 2000

According to several sources, both Industrial Strip and Lacy Street Cabaret will be partly owned by the Rhino chain and will be remodeled. There is a chance of a name change as well.

Celebrity Sightings
November 4, 2000

It has been reported that Keanu Reeves (Matrix) was seen at Star Strip Too in October, which may squelch the rumors that he is gay. Also, Mick Jagger (Rolling Stones) was seen at Jumbo's Clown Room of all places. It must be like Dr. Pepper. He's a clown, I'm a clown, we're all clowns. It's very catchy.

Defections at 4 Play
October 22, 2000

There is a rumor that several of the 4 Play girls are defecting to other clubs because of difficulties with the management. I'm sure it's no coincidence that the new owner of Rio used to be the manager at 4 Play. It is rumored that a new manager from Germany is being brought in to fix this problem.

Starz Goes VIP
October 14, 2000

The same management of First King has taken over Starz and have now opened a more private area for lap dances with curtains and the mileage is reportedly off the charts.

Lacy Shuts Doors
October 1, 2000

Lacy Street Cabaret has closed their doors as of about 3 weeks ago. The gossip on their closure was that the owners told the staff that they were closing early on Thursday night. When they returned on Friday, it was closed and they were told by a security guard that they will be remodeling for a month. By no coincidence, Friday was payday for the staff. According to this source, some of the staff went to Industrial Strip to try to get paid with no luck.

Dancers 1, Clubs 0
September 21, 2000

In more gossip about the IC vs. Employee law suit, the courts had ordered the clubs to allow the off-duty cops representing the dancers to distribute information for the law suit to the dancers at their place of employment. Apparently, the people at Exotica did not appreciate this move and decided to call the police and tried to have the off-duty cop arrested. The lawyers for the dancers promptly filed an application for contempt of court and Exotica was taken to court in November of 1999.

In related gossip, a source tells zbone.me that the lawyers representing Deja Vu gave a seminar at the Gentlemen's Club Owner's Expo in Vegas. At this seminar, the lawyers warned the club owners that the law is against them and all the cases are coming down against the clubs and the dancers being classified as employees. The lawyer then made the recommendation to the owners that they change the way they compensate their dancers. If this isn't a peek into the future, I don't know what is.

Lacy Bites The Dust
September 10, 2000

There are rumors going around from dancers that Lacy Street Cabaret has officially announced to their dancers that they are closed and out of business. The writing has been on the wall for this club for a while and it's not a big surprise to anybody that has been there lately.

Name Change Game
September 4, 2000

Star Strip Too, which has been for sale for a while, has been sold and the new management will be changing the name of the club to Extasy 2000. This club was originally opened by one of the owners of Extasy in Northridge, then sold to the owner of the Star Strip, who changed the name to Star Strip Too. No explanation for the name change was revealed at the time of this writing.

In related name change gossip, Southern Comfort will also be changing their name to Pleasures 2.

Morgan-ized Aftershock to Open in November
September 3, 2000

According to an inside source at a private party for Dennis Morgan, the current schedule is for him to open the Pure Platinum at the old Aftershock location as a bikini "strip" club with alcohol on or around November 1, 2000. However, keep in mind that originally, this club was going to open in March.

Sunset Dry As A Bone
September 2, 2000

Sunset Strip has gone the way of Tropicana and has lost their liquor license and has turned their club to nude. This is probably better for this club anyway because it was nearing death and perhaps this will revive it's customer base. Turning nude will make this club a direct competitor to Hollywood Cabaret which suffers from not having a parking lot. This certainly is not good news for the Cabaret since it has not been doing good business lately.

In related dry gossip, both Captain Cream and Sam's Hof Brau are on suspension until later this month when they will get their liquor licenses back. Both clubs were hit with multiple violations by the ABC.

Dino's Sold
September 1, 2000

Dino's in Tarzana, which fought the city to go topless, has been sold and will reopen as "Frisky Kitty's" in October. The club will be undergoing remodeling for a few weeks, then will reopen as a nude club.

Paradise and Sahara 3 Face Lifts
August 30, 2000

The Paradise in La Puente and Sahara 3 in the City of Industry (same owner) are being remodeled and have been give a new website to boot. The remodeling at the Paradise is completed and the Sahara 3 remodeling is nearing completion. The assumption is that remodeling will keep it more competitive with the more upscale Spearmint Rhino in Industry. However, it's not clear to this reporter that the club itself is the determining factor when club goers make their choices.

Barbary Coast Owner Dies
August 24, 2000

According to Walkertown.com, the owner of Barbary Coast in Anaheim, Lydia Eagles, died at age 69. She has been the owner of this local bikini club for 10 years. The new owner is Steve Davis. The cause of death was not mentioned in the article.

Let Them Not Eat Cake
August 22, 2000

There is a strange rumor that the dancers at 4 Play are being told to be on a strict diet that excludes them from eating bread or cake, especially while they are at work. I have not verified this rumor with my connections at 4 Play and this information comes to me second hand. Perhaps, they figure carbohydrates makes the dancers get yeast infections causing them to have to clean the poles more often.

Fantasy Owner Dies
August 17, 2000

In December of 1999, Tom Green, co-owner of Fantasy Theater in Colton died of a heart attack at age 50. He is survived by his wife and co-owner Marla Green. As reported earlier here, the Greens have had a hard time being sued by dancers in a employee vs. independent contractor law suite which apparently caused a great deal of stress for both owners.

Monet Opens In Victorville
July 7, 2000

There is a rumor that a new club has opened in Victorville called Monet. There is only some sketchy information and nothing has been verified. If anyone knows about this new club, please email me.

Tropicana Goes Up?
June 21, 2000

The Tropicana has moved their mud wrestling to the upstairs on the same building where the massive dressing room used to be located. It is a temporary situation and the DJ does not even have a microphone and just shouts at the customers. This reporter speculates that either construction is being done downstairs or it will be used for other purposes. Moreover, the only explanation for this dead club to continue to be open is that they are still trying to get a new liquor license permit from the ABC.

Toni Braxton Goes Bare
May 21, 2000

Toni Braxton shot her video at the Bare Elegance for the entire day and the club was closed to the public. It has not been disclosed as to what the music video will include but it's a fair guess that a strip club scene would be included like the Madonna "Music" video. If there is a God, Toni Braxton will bare all and it will be shown uncensored on MTV. Unfortunately, it's more likely that Toni Braxton will not even be in the strip club scenes.

Cat Inspected By ABC
May 20, 2000

The Candy Cat 1 was inspected by the ABC without notice but escaped being busted for any violations. According to my source, it put a scare in all the employees and all dances became 6 foot air dances. To make matters worse, the management called their sister club, Candy Cat Too, and told them to cool it there too. I guess there's no candy for the cat for a bit.

Nude Club About to Open in Huntington Beach
May 5, 2000

After literally years of fighting with the city, sources tell zbone.me that a nude club is finally under construction to open in Huntington Beach. If this club opens, it will be first in this city.

Sources say that the probable location of this club is at 18121 Beach Blvd, just south of Talbert St. and was formerly the Le Marseille French Restaurant. It is rumored that the owners of the property wanted to open a nude club and may have enlisted attorney Roger Diamond as council and possibly as a partner in the business.

The OC Register has reported that the owners have obtained the proper licences and permits before demolition and construction of this location.

According to OCRob, the new structure, in keeping with the latest building and parking codes, will be quite a bit smaller then the old restaurant. A new parking area has been laid out but the concrete has not yet been poured. The building is past the "framing" stages but there are no interior finishes. Electrical wiring is still being run. The old Le Marseille sign is still posted in front on Beach Blvd. One source tells zbone.me that they are hoping to compete construction in 90 days and opening the club soon after.

Parking should not present a problem at this location since it is right next to a Professional Office Building that is closed on evenings and weekends. The two buildings share the same driveway.

Because this area is conservative, the owners will probably keep things quiet until the grand opening. Since they have obtained the permits, it is legally located far enough from residential areas but may face picketing like the original Scamps (now Deja Vu) in Westminster.

Westminster Snags Deja Vu
May 5, 2000

By OC_ROB

Deja Vu Westminster (formerly Scamps) has hit its first snag with the city after less then one month. The newest club in the Deja Vu chain was sited by the City of Westminster for failure to obtain the proper building permits before beginning its interior remodeling.

Deja Vu had completely tore out the old Scamps main stage and had begun to reconstruct a new smaller main stage against the club's east wall when the city sited them for lack of the proper permits. The permits, which according to several dancers, were "just a paperwork thing" were to be resolved in a few days. The paperwork thing has tuned out to be a nightmare for the club that has gone on for almost 2 months now. In the meantime new stage construction and further remodeling is at a complete standstill.

Currently customers are crowded into the western half of the club behind the bar and can watch dancers perform on the previously existing small stage (roughly 6ft x 6ft) in the clubs northwest corner. An area outside the stage has been roped off to allow proper distance between the performers and the customers so the dancer may still perform topless. However, the ability to see the ground level stage is difficult except from the first few rows of makeshift seating the club has arranged while the permit fiasco continues.

Flesh Goes VIP
May 3, 2000

A source tells zbone.me that the new club Flesh will have a VIP room opening soon where 3 nude dances will be performed for $100.

TL Keeps Chin Up
May 3, 2000

In related gossip, business at Tropical Lei (sister club of Flesh) has tapered off a little since the much publicized bust there. This is probably exactly what the city intended by publicizing the bust to the media. However, the actual effect of the bust is no more than the other busts that the club has had previously, and the general attitude and moral of the dancers are still good.

In related TL rumors, a source tells zbone.me that, as suspected, both TUSCL and zbone.me were used to help with the Tropical Lei bust. This is just another reminder for everyone to keep submitted reviews devoid of information regarding any information regarding illegal activities.

Madonna Shoots Strip Club Music Video
April 27, 2000

Madonna has shot a 70's music video for her new single off her new CD to be released this summer. In this video, Madonna plays a pimp-mommy strip club patron who takes several dancers to her limo for some out of the club fun. The club scenes were shot at Crazy Girls and other scenes were shot in downtown and at a studio near Crazy Girls in Hollywood.

Since Madonna is about 4 months pregnant, she nicely told the dancers doing lap dances for her to be careful of her stomach area. Sources from the set told zbone.me that Madonna was super nice to all the dancers and made everyone feel comfortable on the set. There is a sexy scene with the dancers in the limo which I hope makes it to MTV. Some topless nudity was shot in downtown for the European MTV market.

Even More New Clubs
April 22, 2000

Lately, I've been hearing numerous rumors of new clubs opening in various places including another club in downtown, of course the one in Huntington Beach, yet another one in Industry and one near Rosecrans and Vermont. How many more clubs can we have in and around LA? I guess the market will determine who survives.

Savannah Gets New Manager
April 6, 2000

Sources have told zbone.me that the manager from 4Play has moved to Savannah. The reason for this move was not disclosed. The club has had some renovations, including more seating area and a larger lap room. They are also promoting dance contests and lap specials on some nights.

In related Savannah rumors, X porn-star and Jane Lixxx, Hustler model Sandi, and magazine model Sophie are all house dancers when they are not busy featuring or promoting. I have also seen adult star Ruby there when she is not featuring. Seems like the place for porn girls to hang.

Daryl Hannah Sighting Again
March 31, 2000

Darryl Hannah and Jennifer Tilly (and posse) were seen at Crazy Girls tonight. They spent most of their time in the smoking area, just relaxing for about 30 minutes. Some customers did talk to Ms. Hannah, who was very accommodating and nice to her fans. Both actresses are in the upcoming movie Dancing at the Blue Iguana, which has already wrapped their shoot so I would have to guess that they were just hanging out, unless they were doing some "research" for another movie.

Rhino Goes To The Russians
March 3, 2000

Along with the rumors of European clubs opening under the Spearmint Rhino or Hustler name, there is also a rumor that the Rhino chain may open a club in Moscow. The phrase "world domination" comes to mind.

Dino Goes Topless
March 2, 2000

The city of Tarzana was not able to provide a new location for Dino Showbar and thus has had to allow the club to go back to topless with alcohol. The city was sued by the club and was trying to help find a new location for the club.

Pure Platinum Goes Brass
February 19, 2000

The rumored Pure Platinum that was to open at the old "Aftershock" location by Dennis Morgan (formerly of Beverly Club, Tropicana) and Michael Peters (of Florida) has apparently gotten into a snag with the city and is having problems getting the proper permits to open by the original March 2000 estimate. In fact, there is some speculation that it may not be able to open at all and Morgan may be looking at other locations.

This brings back memories of a failed Morgan/Pure Platinum on Hollywood Blvd near La Brea, 5 or so years ago when the location had a mysterious fire and never opened.

Sahara/Paradise Sold
February 18, 2000

A reliable source has informed me that the Sahara/Paradise chain of clubs has been sold to a new owner. This is probably a good thing for customers since most people were complaining that the management was not good, so it can't get worse.

Rhino and PlayPen Duke It Out
February 3, 2000

Before the Spearmint Rhino in downtown has even opened, a reliable police source tells zbone.me that Spearmint Rhino has accused PlayPen of being involved in the arson damage to their new downtown building. Furthermore, PlayPen has returned the favor and accused the Rhino of threatening to take revenge regarding this matter. Boy, I can't wait for the Rhino club to open and see what happens between these clubs.

Angel's Rumors Not True
January 2, 2000

There has been some rumors flying around that the Angel's club in Long Beach was going to close in March 2000. Some reliable sources have told me that not only is this rumor not true, but in fact, the club is getting ready to expand and open new clubs and may be trying to purchase Jerry's Stables in Fontana.

Valley Ball Goes Online In Club
January 1, 2000

According to sources, as of mid 1999, Valley Ball had installed some computers in the club that allow customers to connect to the Internet from the club. The customer must pay to use this service. Presumably, it's for customers that are pretty bored with watching live nude dancers and want to see them on a screen instead. I'm not sure if this is going to become a popular thing but it seems to work at some coffee places so why not a strip club? Hopefully, they have zbone.me bookmarked in the browser.