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February 29, 2008
Cairo, The City of Liars and Thieves
Did you know that when you arrive in the airport in Cairo, Egypt, what greets you is a sign saying that people with drugs will be punished by hanging?
Having just spent four days in Cairo, I repeat something I will never tire of saying; those who don’t go to these places have no business talking about them. I had an idea that Egypt would be like a majority of the other third-world Islamic countries I’ve visited, but nothing had prepared me for seeing people living in such wretched squalor. Cairo is far dirtier than Mexico City and Calcutta combined; the city is basically one big trash can.
The place is like the lowest ring of Dante’s Inferno, without the great poetry. Never have I been in a city with such disgusting and ubiquitous environmental pollution. No matter what kind of human depravity you might have witnessed in the traffic circulation in any other city, Calcutta, Mexico City, wherever, you have not seen true automotive barbarity until you have been to this place. The roads are wide but nobody understands the concept of driving in a lane. What passes for a car looks like a banged up anchovy can on wobbly wheels, with black smoke belching out behind it. Picture endless numbers of such contraptions weaving in and around each other in a chaotically violent muddle. Picture open trucks of cattle pooping away in the middle of that mess. There is an appearance that nobody has informed the civil engineers of Cairo of the invention of the traffic light. With the madness of banged up anchovy can cars in this driving hell, there is a very small chance that any driver will stop for a man to cross the road. But there is as good a chance of them slowing down for a woman as for a dog. It is hardly surprising that there are about 6,000 auto related deaths here every year.
Of 20 million people in Cairo, it seems to be that ten million are driving cars and that the other ten are using the subway and train system. I have seen unpleasant subways, but this takes the cake and the cake was baked from shit. Riding it is a cruel experience, which I decided to try one day. To board, mobs attack the train, pushing each other in groups to get on, working with their elbows. The doors don’t close all the way but the trains start moving anyhow, with dozens of people falling off as they do. Arriving at a stop, the mobs inside can’t get out because the mobs outside won’t let them. People get off where they are able to get off, not where they would like to. By the time I got out of that subway, I felt like I had been through a boxing match with Mohammed Ali.
Because Four Seasons hotels are dependable, I often choose to stay in them, and did so in Cairo. The opulence of this Four Seasons property, if anything, outshines that of most of their others. Extravagant floral arrangements, deep plush lobby seats and sofas, sumptuous décor, all in shocking contrast to the incredible poverty and filth right outside the sparkly front doors. While there are some American and European tourists, the majority of the customers are from other Muslim countries in the Gulf.
Employees of the Cairo Four Seasons Hotel and its restaurants were so servile that it troubled me. On the premises, one sees processions of rich sheiks surrounded by their many wives, some of those wives in full burkhas, some with facial veils only, but always carrying Louis Vuitton bags. The style of catering to these super-rich sheiks and their entourages involves the hotel and restaurant employees demeaning themselves in a preposterous way. For example, you can not take a few sips of a wine or water glass without having the servers ask if you would like for them to replace the glass with a fresh one. Whenever a server has finished interacting with a table, he takes his leave of the people there as though they were the Queen of England and her court, taking two steps backwards, bowing, practically in a prayer position. I asked a waiter who was requesting this humiliatingly obsequious service, if it was the Saudis demanding it. He told me no, that it was Americans asking to be treated that way. I told him that he was lying, that we in America do not force waiters to behave this way.
I asked the manager about this tradition, she was an American with Egyptian background and looking into my eyes she tried to lie to me that Americans request this. I briefly explained to her that this is making people behave like slaves. Of course I didn’t get any comprehensible response; but I did get an extra huge bowl of fruit delivered to my room.
Egypt is a nation of liars, they lie everywhere, and can not be trusted even when asked what time it is. The only time they are speaking the truth is when they talk about their hate for Israel and Jews. In a taxi, I passed a museum. When asked, the driver told me it was a ceramics museum. But then I saw that it was a museum dedicated to the 1973 war against Israel. I asked him who won that war. (This was the famous Yom Kipper War, which began when Egypt and Syria made a surprise attack on Israel on the High Holy Day of Yom Kipper. Israel quickly won.) Nevertheless, the driver told me that Egypt had won that war. I’m sorry I didn’t have time to visit the museum to see how these ratfinks distort history. These Egyptians lie, lie, lie, every step of the way.
The whole time I was there, looking around for openly gay men, I didn’t see one. I of course know they exist in Cairo. But after all the recent arrests and terror against them, they have probably changed their meeting places. Tourist guide books tell you they do that as a survival technique. As in every Muslim city, there are men wandering around together hand in hand, or with a hand around another man’s arm or shoulder. This is described by Muslims as their “local tradition.” Everything in the Muslim world gets explained away by the left wing Muslim apologists as “local tradition,” the new term for shit such as the mutilation of people accused of theft, and genital mutilation of young women. But let me tell you that the “local tradition” does not stop at hand holding; they also jerk each other off, and/or suck each other and/or fuck. Because of the extreme segregation of the sexes, there is no way for the men to have sex with women before marriage. Do you really think they all wait? When they see foreign gays, they see two main opportunities; 1) to get money; 2) to get sucked off or fuck, and usually, they are aiming to have sex and get paid for it. The proposition comes in the rudest, nastiest ways. They have actually learned a few words of English, and can say “me fuck you” or “you suck me.” One of them is still moaning over his genitals from the kick I gave him between his legs right after his proposal for me to suck him off.
Don’t get me wrong. There are stunning things to see in Egypt, especially the monuments of the Pharaonic culture. But to see those monuments, you pay a very high price in terms of what you have to put up with going on around them. Hoards of thieves loiter in touristy places, especially around the pyramids. They loiter around their “merchandise” and have many ways of getting into your wallet. At every step they accost you, some with their trays of ugly faux-Pharaonic souvenirs which they try to pass off as authentic objets d’art from antiquity. A simple “no” never works. They dog your steps with their shit. Often, they approach you with their camels and their donkeys, offering you to be photographed with the livestock. They swear they are doing it to show “hospitality” and that they don’t want any money for it. Afterwards, they demand unreasonable amounts. Their demands become even more absurd towards the evening, and can go like this; they come yelling “You have to give me money, because you were photographed with my camel in the background.”
These duty merchants slow everything down tremendously; you can barely take a step around those pyramids because they are clogging all walkways up with their garbage. Fake gold, fake stones, statues of Pharaohs, and other ugly things which stupid tourists buy out of lack of taste. God forbid you should trip over one of those objects in trying to avoid them. They’re going to yell that you have to buy it immediately, quoting some crazy price, as of course the object is from the ancient Egyptian period. If you refuse, they will curse you, all your relatives and all of your offspring. I doubt that when the Pharaohs were building their tombs that they thought they would become the operating grounds of a ragged Islamic mafia. It’s not as if that Islamic mafia cares about the Pharoahs’ tombs, anyway. The pre-Islamic culture means nothing to them. They shit and piss right on the walls of the pyramids. They throw their trash and their bags all around, polluting the place without end. And I’m sure they would blow them up just like the Taliban blew up the Buddhist relics of the 4th century, except that they know that without the Pharaonic monuments, they’d never attract even one tourist.
It would seem they gave up their Islamic tradition of mutilating thieves because the thieves are trying to steal from you everywhere you go, including in the bazaar Khan el-Khalili, where they sell plastic tchotchkes and cheap stones with, as usual, the claim that the things are ancient artifacts. They are there with this crap every step of your way, around the museums, around restaurant entrances; everywhere. “Muslim hospitality” in turns out extends to forcing you into a broken down store-front, forcing a nasty tea into your mouth and then trying to sell you some piece of garbage for $100. Some fools pay that. Others get into haggling over the price, and when they get the piece of crap down to $5 bring it home and brag to their friends about the great deal they made for a plastic piece of junk.
Tonight, thank goodness, I am leaving this cesspool and returning to Tel Aviv, where I will breathe fresh air and be surrounded by civilized people.
Gay sex tourists, including those who like rough trade, can take my word for it that in Egypt, even at the age of 25 the young men have swollen bellies like pregnant women. They dress and smell like camels. You should definitely instead go to a place like Puerto Rico where the air is cleaner and they know how to treat tourists as though their experience in the country mattered. Besides, those Boricua papis with their big dark hairy dicks and bubble butts have what it takes, if you are looking for a real hombre.
Posted by Michael at 02:49 PM | Comments (7)
February 21, 2008
I Stand With Israel, I Stand With Jews
Today was my first day in Israel in over a year. Yes, it's been a while since I last left, when yet another war had been unleashed by Muslim barbarians, at that time by Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, who took over Lebanon, destroyed its churches, Muslim-ized it, and turned a once-beautiful Christian country into a terrorist's heaven.
I arrived to Tel-Aviv this morning and took a car to the King David Hotel in Jerusalem. I walked through the old city and sat in an open restaurant watching beautiful men and women passing by, laughing and kissing. The most beautiful free people of a free country that always amazes me with its optimism and the ability to enjoy life. I came back to the hotel and wrote something like a manifesto, which was derived from my independence of thought, from my curiosity, from my many travels though the world, and through the many books I've read on history, on Islam, and on all the issues that are important to me.
I will call it, "I Stand With Israel, I Stand With Jews":
It makes no sense that all over the world there are hordes of protesters who march with rainbow flags and paint swastikas on the eyes and foreheads of Israeli leaders.
It makes no sense why the so-called Left is putting on the same level the stabbing by the Hasidic Jew of gay demonstrators at the pride parade in Jerusalem three years ago, to the thousands of decapitations, stonings and hangings that are a part of a daily life in the world of Islam.
It makes no sense that all over the world they boycott Israeli goods. They, who do not give a rat's ass about Palestinians but are just so anti-Semitic that they are happy to ally with the most ghastly ideology in the world.
It makes no sense that American President Jimmy Carter can write an anti-Semitic book comparing Israel to the Apartheid regime, criticizing Israelis for everything and Muslims for nothing.
It makes no sense that the president of Iran, who voted to nuke Israel and who denied the Holocaust, can be hosted by the United States and receive standing ovations at Columbia University (by probably the same students who did boycott my talk on safe sex because of my views on Islam).
It makes no sense that all over the world there are those who burn synagogues, urinate on their walls, and destroy Jewish cemeteries.
It makes no sense that they give the Nobel Prize to the likes of Yasser Arafat, this eternal ultra terrorist who authorized the killings of thousands and poisoned the minds of millions. Who taught kids how to become suicide bombers until his death in a FRENCH hospital. It doesn't make sense to me that after keeping his people in shit and sending all their financial aid directly to his Swiss accounts, he still remains a symbol of a revolutionary, a symbol of a peace fighter.
It makes no sense that film producers and directors all over the world make films and documentaries sympathizing with Muslims and bashing Israelis. That TV stations, from CNN to BBC, cry for Muslim deaths and downplay Israeli deaths and 50 years of Israeli struggle for surviving.
It makes no sense that world politicians, American ones included, are demanding the withdrawal of Israeli troops from territories that we gained through the wars that were started by Muslim countries in order to destroy Her.
It makes no sense that the world governments (the most ghastly and totalitarian included) are demanding a Palestinian state (read: a terrorist state), built next to the state of Israel.
It makes no sense to me that the world is pushing for Israel to negotiate with barbarians, to attempt dialogue with those whom dialogue is impossible and with which dialogue will only become a monologue.
It makes no sense to me that the world does not understand that no matter how much Israel will give, how much land She will give up, how many compromises She will make, Her neighbors will not stop with their demands until the only democracy in the region is pushed into the sea.
It makes no sense that the sheiks and oil bags of Saudi Arabia, who are sponsoring terrorists, are sleeping over in the White House, shaking hands and kissing with our politicians, presidents included.
It makes no sense to me that the world news media undermined the death tolls of Israelis, stating that more of them are killed daily in car accidents.
It makes no sense that more than 60 years after the end of the World War II and the Holocaust, Jews are still not able to get their money from Swiss banks and their properties that were stolen from them by European Nazis.
BUT... Let me be honest:
I also do not understand and cannot make sense of the Israeli patience, which I more and more see as a masochism which one day will bring the Israeli Jews to extermination.
I don't understand how Israelis can be so patient with their corrupted governments, presidents, and prime ministers, who are so incapable of protecting their people from suicide bombers, from deadly missiles, and from Katyusha rockets.
I don't understand how Israelis can tolerate a government that lets their enemies build their terrorist infrastructures right under their very eyes.
I don't understand how Israel can tolerate the useless "politicians" who betrayed their army—which was once so glorious and capable of defeating not one but six invading armies—to the point of losing the war with Hezbollah.
I don't understand how Israelis can allow the deeply anti-Semitic United Nations and European Union to push on Israel their ridiculous resolutions.
It makes no sense to me why the people who have been tortured for millenniums are now keeping their watchful eye on Europe—scared to be disapproved by it—and would not take their own security in their own hands (Are Israelis so naive to think that the world would ever appreciate Israel for any "right-doing"?).
It makes no sense why the State of Israel is not capable of making a decision of blowing away the barbarians that are plotting against Her and keep of no secret of wanting to erase Her from the world maps.
I stand with Israel, I stand with Jews, regardless of how I will be viewed in America where I live, and in Europe where I regularly work, and by friends and enemies alike.
Posted by Michael at 08:03 PM | Comments (14)
February 20, 2008
A response
re: today's Stanford Daily article "Op-Ed: The power of knowledge"
Mr. Mohammed Ali, Sir.
The fact that you followers of the "Prophet" at Stanford University were trying to boycott me, just proved the fact that Islam is a religion that doesn’t allow for second opinions. And don’t tell me what subject I am qualified to talk about, because in this country, there is such thing as freedom of speech and freedom of opinion. Respect it.
You would have people believe that I can not possibly have knowledge of Islam because I am not a scholar, because I did not get some piece of paper from some university that panders to the fascistic Islamic point of view, which unfortunately so many European and American universities do.
I have a law degree, and access to the best of libraries with their great books, as well as access to the internet, which spreads news around the world within seconds. I read papers from all over the world, and I travel to the countries where your brothers of faith live.
There are so many things I could talk about here, but you see, I have a plane to catch. A plane to the only Middle Eastern country with a true democracy. It’s called Israel, the country that your brothers have not only vowed to wipe off the face of the earth, but actually tried to do on many occasions. Muslims have slaughtered Israelis there, and would slaughter every Israeli if they could, just as they were slaughtering Europeans in the Middle Ages you were referring to.
However, Mr. Student, your propaganda doesn’t really sit well with me or with anybody who has two brain cells to rub together. You want to tell me that Islam is a beacon of light that was leading us stupid infidels through the Dark Ages? You’re calling me a liar for calling your religion backwards? Like we don’t know who has been terrorizing the planet for the last 30 years, not to mention the last 1,400 years of history.
You want to tell me that Islam is a beacon of light, and that we stupid Westerners should thank you for guiding us through the dark centuries? I refuse even to compare your supposed culture to the Western one. This would not work on any level. If I would start listing for you the achievements of Western culture, it would take me weeks of writing, as the list is very long, from our literary figures such as Homer and Plato to Tolstoy and Doris Lessing. From Ancient Rome to today’s progressive West with its incredibly high standard of living. Yes, you’re right, there was the Catholic church that tortured people with its Inquisition. But the same church gave us beautiful art and contributed to the history of thought and finally changed and evolved. That’s when we went through the Renaissance with Da Vinci and Raphael, up to Rousseau and Voltaire. And let’s not forget the gorgeous music of Tchaikovsky, Bach, Brahms, Verdi, et cetera, et cetera. You benefit from our science and technology on a daily basis, and none of the associated advances were invented by your brothers of faith. Or maybe you would tell me that Darwin, Einstein and company were followers of the “Prophet?” Were rocket science, electronic devices and all the medical achievements from heart transplants to cancer and HIV treatments invented by some bearded Mullahs?
And now tell me, what did your “culture” give to this world in 1,400 years? You are giving me a fairy tale that you supposedly invented mathematics. Mathematics was not invented by Islamists. Here’s lesson 101. Mathematics was invented before the unfortunate birth of your “Prophet.” It was by Mesopotamians, Greeks, Arabs and Indians. Muslims did not invent numbers. They only invented a new way of writing them.
Now tell me; where are the Islamic achievements in the arts, in technology, in the garden of thought, in social welfare? Give me some names, Mr. Mohammed, because I can give you thousands of names. But let me help you out here, because I, who am not a scholar, I, a pornographer, whose speech you boycotted, know about Averroe and Omar Quyam and the fairy tale called The Thousand And One Nights. But a single swallow doesn’t make the spring, Mr. Bigmouth.
Progressive thought can find its way even through such a totalitarian ideology as Islam. But in all honesty, let me tell you that it would be silly to compare your Thousand and One Nights to my Shakespeare your Amarhaya to my John Milton. My ancient palaces, churches, monuments, and art to your gloomy mosques. There are some beautiful mosques, but many of those were churches forcibly turned into mosques during the bloody wars unleashed by your co-religionists all over the world. Like the Islamicization of Constantinople, transmogrifying it into Istanbul, killing the majority of people in the city, and the rest sold in the slave markets of the Muslims. Look at today’s Lebanon, which you began strongly Islamizing in the 1970s; today your dirty job there is nearly done.
So don’t try to tell me that your Islamic culture is superior to Western culture. The most important book connected to your culture is the Koran, and I will never get tired of repeating that in the name of that book, humanity has been tortured for 1,400 years. If you really want to go back in history to the period of the “Great Ottoman Empire,” then get off your duff and take a trip to the library. Read the real scholars of Islam, like Bat Ye’or. In those books you will learn how in the countries your predecessors Islamized, Christians had to bow whenever a Muslim was passing by. The only choice non-Muslims faced was to either pay unbelievably high taxes or convert to your miserable religion. In other words, non-Muslims under Islamic rule had the status of dhimmis, second-class citizens deprived of their rights. The only “art” you ever succeeded in was that of brutal wars, Islamicizations, and stonings. This art, Islam has indeed perfected.
Last but not least, as for your point that Stanford did not “buy into” my remarks regarding Islam; go check the many hundreds of comments under my previous article. Had you been present at my speech, (and since you were not, what gives you the right to talk about it?) you would have seen a long line of students waiting to get my autograph. Instead of attacking people who make legitimate criticism of the barbarities of Islam in the contemporary world, why don’t you criticize the Muslims trampling human rights and squelching free speech around the world?
In your “article,” you did not bring up even one crime of Islam in the contemporary world, crimes that I had addressed, as doing so would be too inconvenient for you, and you would have nothing to say about Islam in that context which would leave sane people believing it is “a religion of peace.” You are digging in the history of the Medieval centuries, hoping that other peoples’ lack of knowledge about the brutality of Muslims in the period will work to your advantage.
Posted by Michael at 01:08 PM | Comments (7)
February 18, 2008
Responses to a few blog comments
Re: "My Appearance at Stanford"
Michael,
I respect and honor a lot of the work you do for our community and the world as a whole. However, I can't agree with your stance on the lack of African-Americans in porn.
Being a black male I can speak only for myself, but just like I'm sure you have better insight on the life of a pornstar I think I have a better grasp on the plight of a black male.
It really has nothing to do with homophobia. There are tons of openly gay/bisexual men of color. Your company is successfulm but there are also companies that only film men of color and they are susscessful as well so where do they find their "actors"? The men are there; the work is't. Maybe some companies methods of hiring performers is too limited.
I think the answer you gave was very safe to say the least. The reality is most producers are in the business to make money and for an industry that is dominated by white males ( a lot of whom do not engage in interracial sex simply based on preference) it is hard to convey the chemistry on flim when paired with certain on screen partners and you know as well as I do that it's chemistry you guys are going after. So while homphobia may be an issue lets not try to make it seem as though it's the biggest issue.
Again, I respect you and for the most part agree with you on most subjects but on this one. I think you gave a PC answer and didn't really get to the heart of the matter." —Rod
Dear Rod,Thank you for your kind words.
I agree with you in part and disagree with you on the other. I do agree that there are many openly gay/bisexual men of color. I also would not argue that perhaps there are racists who don't want to work with black models.
On the other hand, you can also argue that the companies who do hire only black models have their niche... and that there is nothing surprising with some companies hiring only whites, as that is their niche.
What I know for sure is that the black community is more homophobic than the white community. That is something no one can argue with. And of course there are reasons for homophobia in the black community, in the same way there is anti-Semitism. The responsibility not only lays in the black community but also in the historically horrible treatment of African-Americans by white Americans. It's mainly that black people could not get a higher education until relatively very recently. Homophobia comes from ignorance and lack of education.
You are saying rightly that "the reality is most producers are in the business to make money." You are exactly right. Even if producers are racist, they would still hire black models if they knew that they could make money off them. I know of a lot of companies that have owners who are anti-Semitic, yet they will hire Israelis as models. I also know lots of anti-Semites who still want to sleep with me. :-)
Let me also mention to you that black models more frequently than other models ask me not to show their faces on film, which is impossible and makes me not work with them. And they ask me to not ask certain questions on camera, like where they live and work, which I then don't do.
I do hope you know as a fan that I do hire a black. Just check out "Auditions 22," my next release, which features seven black models out of nine. And in my career I've does scenes with at least 30 black models.
I will always fight and speak against racism using every platform I have. But at the same time I will not compromise myself when it comes to stating the facts.
-Michael Lucas
Re: "Little Brit Behaving Badly"
"As far as [Victoria Beckham] having as many security as she had that night, she escaped a kidnapping plot in the UK which involved her children...I think after an incident of that magnitude, you'd always live your life with un easiness. Secondly, with a high profile individual such as herself, she was seen as a the guest of honor by Marc himself, otherwise no way in hell would she be let in with all of those security detail. At the same time you must also look at it as a matter of simply walking through a building without every gay and or woman of a certain age stopping you just to chat...As it were, What exactly brought you to the show, To my knowledge, correct me if I'm wrong was his female line. The last time that I checked, you did not follow under this category, which in essence gives you no right to critize and or call a WOMAN names for simply being invited and attending the show." —Daniel
Dear Daniel,You must be kidding me. So apparently Mrs. Beckham escaped a kidnapping plot... Well, she came without children to the event. All 12 security guards were all around only her.
You are concerned about Mrs. Beckham "walking through a building without every gay and or woman of a certain age stopping just to chat"? I hope your imagination would allow you to accept the fact that there were much higher profile celebrities in the audience, like Anna Wintour (a little more desirable to talk to by the attendants of a fashion show) and famous actors and singers. All of them, including Mrs. Beckham and myself, live for the attention. We all go to those events to chat with people. In case we're not in the mood to chat, it's really easy to come to the event before it starts and leave right when it finishes, in a hat and sunglasses, incognito. Mrs. Beckham, on the other hand, came way too early and stayed for at least 40 minutes after the event was over, precisely for the purpose of being noticed, chatted with, and photographed. All her bodyguards were there to serve one purpose only: to make sure that the little lady would catch as much attention as possible.
As for your comment that I have "no right to critize and or call a WOMAN names," I recommend you to check the American Constitution. Dear sir, I have my right to criticize anyone I want, as much as I want, and that is what I intend to do.
-Michael Lucas
"I am a big fan as well & agree with a lot in your post.
I must admit you sound like you are a little jealous of all the attention she is getting (you would probably be happier if it was on you)
If you were enjoying the show, why would you even care about her whole entourage? Apart from a bodyguard bumping you - which is annoying I agree
It sounds to me like bitter grapes. You tell Chris to get a sense of humor - yet you call her "absurd" "unattractive", etc. etc.
If someone described your mother that way (she has children) - Where would your sense of humor be?
Sounds like a little bit of jealousy to me despite the fact that I agree/appreciate much of your post."—Justin
Dear Justin,No, I was not jealous. If I had been jealous I would have brought 10 bodyguards myself. Check out my red carpet footage. I get attention perfectly well without any entourage. I call Mrs. Beckham absurd and unattractive because in my opinion she is absurd and unattractive.
As for my mother, what the hell are you talking about? I hope this comment of yours is a joke. So in your opinion, I can't criticize anyone who has children???
-Michael Lucas
Posted by Michael at 03:17 PM | Comments (2)
February 17, 2008
Mystery around "Gigolo"
Though I was happy to win four GAYVNs last night to become the third most award-winning studio of the year, I wanted to express my big concern that all of my awards were for the movie "The Intern." "The Intern," I agree, is a great comedy, but it could not be compared or put anywhere close to the same level of "Gigolo." In fact, there were some absolutely ridiculous moments last night. For example, "The Intern" won Best-Renting Title of 2007. I am my own distributor, and I know we sold at least twice as much of "Gigolo" than "The Intern." My accounting is available for that.
The reviews for "Gigolo" were outstanding. After being in the business for 12 years, I can tell you that the packaging was absolutely stunning and incomparable to any other cover. It was created and shot by Tony Dimarco, who has been in photography for 13 years. The art direction by Tony was outstanding. Take a look at the cover once again... only a blind person wouldn't see what I'm talking about. The videography by Tony and Mr. Pam could only be compared to mainstream productions. So could the amazing screenplay, also written by Tony.
Last year I won the award for Best Actor in "Michael Lucas' La Dolce Vita," where I did nothing but walk around New York City with a sad look on my face. In "Gigolo," I had a very complex part, which, according to many reviews, was the best performance in porn. And how come none of the other actors were acknowledged? Ray Star was brilliant.
This film got raging reviews, where everyone was comparing it to a mainstream feature with five-star sex. What kind of mystery is there for such an acclaimed film not getting awarded at all? Not for one category? I talked to many reviewers last night who were stunned by this fact, reviewers who were in fact judges and who actually told me that they voted for this film. What I'm hearing now is that this movie didn't get to all the judges and was accidentally sent to Specialty Publications where it was sitting for some time before getting shipped to GAYVN. And I found out about that just now.
My company has many questions about this situation. I do want to be clear: I am NOT comparing "Gigolo" to any other company's work. I am making a simple comparison to this movie and "The Intern." Even a retard wouldn't make the mistake that "Gigolo" is on a totally different planet. It's like comparing champagne to Coca-Cola, like comparing a diamond to a rock. "Gigolo" is a serious feature that sold in comparably higher numbers and had higher production values, a serious storyline, and impeccable art direction, screenplay, and packaging.
I have many questions, and I need the answers.
I am fine for not ever being recognized as the Performer of the Year. I am fine having never being admitted into the Hall of Fame after all these glorious reviews about challenging the industry to create bigger blockbusters and raising the industry bar. I'm just asking about the comparison between my two films. If Tiger Tyson is more deserving, than I am, then I respect it. But I'm just talking about the reviewers own reviews, their own feedback about both of those films.
So what went wrong with "Gigolo" that it got nothing? If you praised "Gigolo" as a groundbreaking film, then acknowledge it. "Gigolo" is a serious feature that was raved about. "The Intern" is a cute comedy. What went wrong? Where is the common sense? I want the answers.
I don't want to hear from any other companies on this matter. I am not comparing my films to theirs... only to each other. And I cannot derive any sense out of this comparison.
-Michael Lucas
Posted by Michael at 12:49 PM | Comments (6)
February 15, 2008
My appearance at Stanford
First let me tell you that I had a wonderful time speaking at Stanford. It was a paid engagement, and I was honored to be hired by such an prestigious institution. They gave me the best reception, from accommodations at the best hotel in town to an enjoyable dinner with the organizers of the event—about 10 students—who were absolutely marvelous to talk with.
In my speech I addressed the controversy, talked about my life and business, discussed my stance on safe sex, and made clear my political views. It was followed by a Q&A session, where I answered over 30 questions in over an hour, but just like my engagements at Yale, NYU, and Rutgers, there wasn't time to answer all the questions. The students appreciated my straight talk and honest approach.
The only one controversial moment that I can recall in the two hours on stage was when one of the students asked me why the gay adult industry "segregates" African-American models. I answered that he probably has never seen my films, as my movies are all interracial. I've personally performed with African-American actors at least 20 times in my career, and numerous African-American actors are constantly featured in my films. That's why one of my very first awards at the GAYVNs was for Best Ethnic-Themed Video, as I've always used actors from all over the world, from South America to the Middle East. The student, however, tried to provoke me and kept asking about the issue, wondering why other studios don't use more African-American actors. I gave him a very straightforward and a very truthful answer, stating the fact that though we would all love to see more African-American actors applying to work in our films, we don't have as many of them doing so. And the reason is simple: homophobia in the African-American community, which prevents them from applying. This one particular student started arguing, and I repeated my statement and told him that the truth does not always stay in the middle... sometimes it's either on the right or the left, sometimes the truth can be unpleasant. But homophobia in the African-American community is a well-known fact. It's not even a subject for argument. Homophobia something that we should all be working on in every community, regardless of race.
I thanked the students for coming in such a large number, especially on the evening of Valentine's Day. I received a round of applause and spent about 20 minutes signing autographs. The entire event was filmed by my friend, cameraman Mr. Pam. I will release it in a couple of weeks. It will also be included in a documentary about my life which will be out sometime this Fall.
Below are three articles that appear in the Stanford Daily today. One is a report on the event, one is an editorial, and the third is my response to yesterday's Stanford Daily article about me, which I appreciate that they reprinted in full.
Report: "Lucas talks safe-sex, AIDS and controversy"
http://daily.stanford.edu/article/2008/2/15/lucasTalksSafesexAidsAndControversy
Editorial: "Silencing speakers"
http://daily.stanford.edu/article/2008/2/15/silencingSpeakers
Op-Ed: "Racism and intolerance: disappointing at liberal university"
http://daily.stanford.edu/article/2008/2/15/opedRacismAndIntoleranceDisappointingAtALiberalUniversity
And in case you missed it, here's the article the Daily printed yesterday, "Adult film star's remarks spark debate"
http://daily.stanford.edu/article/2008/2/14/adultFilmStarsRemarksSparkDebate
XXX,
Michael
Posted by Michael at 01:47 PM | Comments (5)
February 13, 2008
Three Men
I've had many lovers and a several boyfriends throughout my life, but for tomorrow's important-for-some and not-so-important-for-others Valentine's Day, I want to talk about three of them in particular. I'm choosing them as they are the three who really shaped me and my opinions on love, relationships, friendships, loyalties, life and many things that make me ME.
I met Sasha in 1994, the year I graduated from university and planned to leave Russia for the West. But I did not leave... I delayed my long, cherished dream of changing my life for what I thought would be love forever (well, I was 22) with a top Russian model.
Sasha was my first love. It was love at first sight, the kind of love that does not make any sense and was based on looks, nothing but looks. And he had looks! These badly-made amateur pictures above, taken by me with a cheap Russian camera in 1994, do not serve him any justice. Not a bit.
He was truly a stunner. Men and women would turn their heads as we passed by (and not because of me). With him I became an unnoticeable shadow. He became my obsession, my sickness. I realized that I was not only not thinking about myself, but I could not thinking about my family, my friends, or my future. I was robbed of the ability to think about anything but him.
Was my relationship with him pointless, or was that one year with him important? I think it was important, as it taught me a lesson: relationships cannot be based on an obsession with someone's pretty face and gorgeous body; it has to be more than that, much more. So I will never forget my Moldavian-Russian, and not just for his looks, his deep voice, his beautiful smile, and not even for all the sleepless nights, insecurity, and tears. He will always live in my memory as a reminder of how close one can get to losing one's dreams and one's identity for a person who is not worth it.
I left Sasha without leaving a note, without ever saying goodbye. Without ever speaking to him about it, I left for Europe the day after I decided to leave him.
I met Anthony in 1997 when I was visiting New York. He had everything I thought I needed in a man: intelligence and a great education (he was a doctor of philosophy, having graduated from Columbia University). At the time he was working on Wall Street and teaching in the evenings.
We shared all the same interests: opera, books, travel—it was like a dream. He was the man I was longing for. So I moved in with him after two weeks, leaving my boyfriend back in Germany and my lover back in France (neither of them was important).
I introduced Anthony to my parents during our trip to Moscow, and he introduced me to his in New Jersey, the place I had to visit every weekend! His parents were nice but common. I was bored there but thought that love was a lot about sacrificing. I still do think so, but I do not apply it to frequent trips to a partner's family.
Anthony and I traveled the world together. We fought and made up. It went on for three years, and we might have stayed together, but as one can not be perfect, my Italian-American was not the exception: he was a drug-addict. A functional one. A smart one. Very smart, in fact. So smart that I (who never knew anyone who did it and never even tried a cigarette himself) found out about it by accident a year into the relationship.
After finding out, I told myself that every problem we ever had was because of the damn drugs, and for two more years I tried to get him sober. With no luck, of course... after all the meetings that I took him to, all the numerous psychologists we saw together, all nights in the emergency room of St. Vincent's whenever he overdosed...
I left him, as all his promises to quit were broken and I finally understood that one can not help a partner with a drug addiction unless that partner makes the decision to help himself (and that's often not until he hits rock bottom). In fact, I realized that with me around he would never stop (drugs are always more important and more powerful than the one you love when you're an addict). We broke up, and it was a nasty one, with the police, friends and family all involved. It was the saddest thing.
I met Richard in December of 2001. A graduate from Yale, a smart business man, and a community leader, he was intelligent, wise, kind and respectful.
We did not move in together for nearly seven months. I was observing him. I wanted to know that at the age of 29, I was not making a mistake. And now I know I didn't.
After seven years together, he has proven to be the greatest life partner: one you can always rely on, one who listens and respect your opinion (without necessarily agreeing), one who never judges or pushes his opinion on you, and one who gives the best advice when asked. I know Richard will be there for me (as he has been many time) whenever I need him.
So I hope that this one will work in the long-run as it has been working now for nearly seven years. I hope I will not make a mistake. As after all these years, after all this experience and knowledge, I am still very human and very capable of making mistakes. I am an atheist, but I feel like saying: help me, God.
Posted by Michael at 11:09 AM | Comments (8)
February 11, 2008
Little Brit Behaving Badly
I was there, too. New York Magazine even wrote about me on their blog: http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2008/02/we_explore_the_dark_side_of_th.html. They quoted me as saying some very true things about a totally ridiculous woman going by the name of Victoria Beckham.
Beforehand, I did not know who this absurd woman was. I don’t watch television, though my sources tell me that she has appeared on a show called "Ugly Betty." I don’t doubt that she has.
Imagine my nausea when at one point during fashion week I suddenly saw a diminutive, unattractive woman creating a stir among the crowds, not because of anything striking about her appearance, but because she was surrounded by a private security detail of at least ten bodyguards, each six feet five inches tall and 250 muscular pounds.
The genuine fashion A-listers moved out of the way for this foolish procession, as though at the center of it were Queen Elizabeth II, the President, or some other major potentate. We are talking about fashion kingpins with a strong say in giving direction to international style making way for a cameo actress from "Ugly Betty."
It was one of the most ludicrous and ironic things I’ve seen in my entire life. The question of where this ridiculous woman would put her little foot every time she wanted to move it another step forward or backward was handled like some major state of emergency. Her bodyguards were elbowing people, running around and clearing a path for her to walk.
As the group moved towards me, one guard in the group touched my elbow to move me out of the way. I said, "Mr. Bodyguard, Sir; you are in the United States of America. It’s a free country. I have a right to stay on this spot as much as your precious little charge with a cute little bottom. You are not escorting the President. So don’t dare touch me, because if you do, I will call the real security, the people with the power to move you and your entire ridiculous entourage out of these facilities."
After that, he backed off and left me alone completely, though he continued with his business of elbowing other people out of the way so the ridiculous little tacky woman could pass.
What was the necessity of so many bodyguards for the likes of Victoria Beckham at the Marc Jacobs fashion week event? What kind of alert did she get, that she treated this fashion show as though she were walking through Nairobi or Iraq? Or did she think she was Madonna, trying to get to the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem? As far as I’m concerned, she’s just the wife of a soccer player with good looks and waning talent for sports. Did she walk into this fashion event with all these hulking bodyguards because she needed to be protected from gays and women of a certain age?
The show was actually about Mr. Jacobs. It was his collection. He, the most celebrated of American designers, had no bodyguards. Nor does he ever use any, walking the streets of New York or going to the public gym or flying all over the world.
Who would consider Ms. Beckham a target for violence at a fashion show? She is a common woman with bad skin and utterly tasteless make-up. I’ve seen moneybags with oil fortunes running around with a few bodyguards all over Moscow, Dubai and London. I guess they were incredibly inspirational, and became role models, for this ex-Spice Girl.
Before I had a chance to learn who this presumptuous woman was, they took a picture of me with her. Afterwards, everybody was whispering "They just took your picture with Victoria Beckham!" Whoop-dee-doo!
I was left asking myself whether Americans actually buy into this nonsense. If they do, I’m disappointed. Brits often criticize Americans for being vulgar, loud, having bad taste, and having good teeth. With this Victoria Beckham, the Brits seem to have shipped us something louder, more vulgar and in worse taste than anything actually native to our country.
With legendary French Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld
With supermodel Karen Elson
In the press line with Debbie Harry
Chatting with Inside Edition
Interview with Extra
Posted by Michael at 03:01 PM | Comments (17)
February 08, 2008
Recent Awards Speeches
I've been in L.A. these past few days for some important business meetings and to attend the Cybersocket and XBIZ Awards shows. The following are the speeches I made at the shows. The XBIZ speeches were controversial, but I think it was the right time to make them. The Cybersocket speech was a bit more fun.
XBIZ AWARDS
First I presented the award for GLBT Feature Movie of the Year with XBIZ's lovely Joanne Cachapero. The winner was "Link: The Evolution" by All Worlds, so I said, "Hello, beautiful straight people! [The crowd was 95 percent straight people.] We're presenting a very important award for GLBT Feature Movie of the Year, and I'm very glad to say it goes to the most beautiful woman in the audience: ChiChi LaRue for All Worlds' 'Link: The Evolution'!"
After that I was presented with an award for GLBT Director of the Year (which I share with Tony Dimarco). My speech started with this: "Thank you, XBIZ, for your support and recognition of the GLBT community." As soon as I said that, I heard laughter from the front table, so I interrupted my speech, pointed to the person laughing, and said, "When I see people like you I feel really happy that I graduated from college!" Then I continued my speech as people started making more noise: "All of us, gay and straight, are together in this fight against the bigotry, backwardness, and hypocrisy of this world. So let's keep fighting together!"
I'm very happy and glad that the GLBT community is recognized by XBIZ. But it amazed me that straight folks in the adult industry can act so arrogantly and disrespectfully—in other words, so incredibly homophobic—towards their GLBT colleagues. We're in the same boat and facing the same enemies. I felt incredibly uncomfortable facing an audience with ignorant people. How much better are they than those who are persecuting all of us?
CYBERSOCKET AWARDS
I was presented with Best Personality, and when I went up on stage I said, "Thank you very much for this great award. I worked very hard for this award, but there is a very high price to pay for being the best personality. Some quotes I found in recent posts and comments about me on the web: 'Zoolander.' 'Fat bitch.' 'Skinny bitch.' 'Balding bitch.' 'Arrogant bitch.' 'Bitchy bitch.' 'Aging whore.' 'Old whore.' 'Mean whore.' 'Makeup whore.' 'Saggy-assed whore.' 'Ugly whore.' 'Victim of plastic surgery.' 'Plastic surgery gone wrong.' 'Fake lips.' 'Fish lips.' 'Cheap kike.' 'Ugly kike.' 'Old kike.' 'Self absorbed.' 'Self centered.' 'Egomaniac.' 'Sadist.' 'Gold digger.' 'Spotlight grabber.' And my personal favorite one: 'Shameless self promoter.' Please visit my website at www.LucasEntertainment.com. Thank you!"
Posted by Michael at 11:31 AM | Comments (4)
February 07, 2008
Lucas PR: Michael Lucas invited to speak at Stanford University
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New York, NY (February 7th, 2008) -- Lucas Entertainment President and CEO Michael Lucas will speak at Stanford University in California on Thursday, February 14th. The event, entitled "An Evening with Michael Lucas," will take place at the Cubberley Auditorium (485 Lasuen Mall) starting at 7pm.
Organized by the Associated Students of Stanford University (ASSU) Speakers Bureau (http://speakers.stanford.edu), the event will include a lecture by Lucas, a Q&A session, and a reception. Admission is on a first come, first serve basis.
"The ASSU Speakers Bureau is thrilled to welcome Michael Lucas to Stanford University," said T. Patrick Cordova, spokesperson for the ASSU. "We are excited to bring together Stanford's commitment for academic excellence with Mr. Lucas' cultural and social perspective."
Lucas has previously spoken at Yale University, New York University, and Rutgers, about topics as diverse as the adult industry, politics, safe sex, relationships, and Israel.
"I appreciate that I am not limited to speak just about pornography when invited to Stanford or other universities," said Lucas. "Porn is my main job, but there are other fields in which I became expert in and feel confident and comfortable talking about."
Located between San Francisco and San Jose in the heart of Silicon Valley, Stanford University is recognized as one of the world's leading research and teaching institutions. Stanford's current community of scholars includes 16 Nobel laureates, four Pulitzer Prize winners and 24 MacArthur Fellows.
For more information about the event, visit http://speakers.stanford.edu/bios/lucas.html.
Posted by Michael at 02:40 PM | Comments (4)
February 05, 2008
eBay sale news!
So our eBay sample sale proved to be a very effective!
After a week, we sold about forty percent of the old wardrobe which was used in our films like Dangerous Liaisons, The Intern, Michael Lucas' La Dolce Vita, Gigolo, and others. Not only have we emptied half of the numerous racks piled in our studio, but so far we have made enough to finance an incredible wardrobe for our big, annual blockbuster set to be filmed this summer.
There was a wide variety of buyers, from label queens bidding only on Dolce & Gabana shoes and Hermes sweaters to fans bidding on heavily-used sneakers. And of course there was my favorite item that sold—my Calvin Klein underwear, which received 22 bids and went for $123.50!
The good news is that I was emptying my storage over the weekend and now I'm going to get rid of another couple hundred items which I no longer use because, you know, how much clothing can one person have? :-) So here's the deal, folks: the eBay sale is going to go on!
Click here to see what's up! Have fun bidding!
Posted by Michael at 06:09 PM | Comments (2)
February 04, 2008
HX column: The Curious Notion of Romantic Love
Here's the unedited version of my Lucas Life column in this week's issue of HX:
It’s almost Valentine’s Day (not my favorite holiday to say the least, as I hate to see so many people feeling like they fell out of the parade: sad and miserably suicidal), so let’s talk about love. I do not mean love in the sense of loving humanity, but in the way it is usually associated with Valentine’s Day. I am talking about so-called “romantic love,” the kind of love that usually sparks from what is known as “love at first sight.”
What’s love at first sight based on? Physical looks, and nothing more. Love at first sight makes the brain produce endorphins that raise your mood and release adrenaline that exaggerates your feelings and causes a chemical imbalance of the brain. This leads two people to the delusion that they are experiencing something divine, something heavenly. But how long does this kind of love last? When we choose jobs, we are always rational. We think about the responsibilities, the payroll, the benefits, and the requirements. When falling in love we use no rationality. Our brains are clouded, and we can't think straight. In fact we cannot think about anything but the object of our love. We become slaves of love.
Things get worse, as falling in love gives us insecurity, mood swings, and, in the end, obsession. Obsession that robs one the freedom to think of anything but the one he loves. Obsession that gives us insomnia and a loss of any joy in life. And God forbid something actually goes wrong with the romance, causing a slip into deep depression. I know many whose love brings them to the state of madness and even schizophrenia.
What is love? Ecstasy and despair? Heaven and hell? In my own life and by observing the lives of others, I realized that we cannot be happy in love unless we try to love sanely, and this is possible only by understanding the origins of love and choosing your partner rationally, knowing that love can only be built on mutual understanding that takes time. You have to understand the intimacy of being rather than body, otherwise as soon as the passion is gone (and sooner or later it will be) you risk waking up in bed with a stranger.
I know that what I am saying sounds unromantic, but “love sickness” is not worth it. So before falling in love, stop for a moment and think: is this person right for you? Does he share your interests? Is he anything more than a pretty face? Do all the great qualities you see in him really exist or is it all just in your imagination?
Can you handle love, and can you love sanely? Without drama, melancholy, pointless jealousy, hate, and loss of comfort, all of which will make you forget about your work, your family, your friends, and yourself? Can you be in love without getting addicted to it like a drug? So many people get so addicted that they commit suicide; love has many vitcims. There’s that great song lyric: “The French are glad to die for love.” Are you ready to?
XXX,
Michael Lucas
Posted by Michael at 06:32 PM | Comments (8)