West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval...the wild 'n kinky party of the year!

In this neck of the woods, local thrift shops are packin' in excited masqueraders, in search of the perfect accessories for their titillating costumes, for West Hollywood's much-anticipated annual Halloween Carnaval party extravaganza, October 31st. (2008 Gay Edition)

Of course, the annual event is a show-stopper in the Los Angeles lower mainland.

The main street in "Boys Town" will be shut down to traffic to accommodate the two or three hundred-thousand costumers expected to hit the ghoulish trail.

According to MTV and E Entertainment, on the spirited occasion - the little city that could - throws the wildest bash of the year on the hippest square mile on the planet.

There will be three stages featuring live entertainment - enough to rock anyone's world - including the much celebrated costume contest stage, where starry-eyed hopefuls can strut their stuff before the teaming masses!

A number of the clubs will be featuring parties.

This year, Chi Chi La Rue's wild outrageous soiree at HERE LOUNGE is sure to be packed to the cobwebbed rafters and rife with studly boys and a gaggle of ubiquitous gay celebrities toasting cocktail glasses and dancing the spooky night away to the wee hours of dawn with carefree abandon.

Chelsea Handley - star of "Chelsea Lately" on "E" - will be ceremoniously crowned the "Queen of the Carnaval" along with her assistant Chuy ("King of the Carnaval") at the Coronation of the Queen *& King which begins at 9 p.m. on the "Bat Stage."

The honorary title of "Queen" and "King" is a highlight at the Carnaval, with the coronation taking place in front of more than 250,000 anticipated revelers this year.

Costume Contest
The quest for the most creative, outrageous and original Halloween costumes in Southern California will take place on Halloween night—right on Santa Monica Boulevard—during the West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval on Friday beginning at 6 p.m.

Unlike in previous years, there will be no pre-qualifying contests in local bars the week before Halloween. Instead, anyone in costume on Santa Monica Boulevard on Halloween night will be a potential finalist for the Costume Contest.

A team of "secret" Halloween judges will be walking up and down Santa Monica Boulevard beginning at 6 p.m. and handing out wristbands that will qualify 20 contestants for the Costume Contest finals at 10 p.m. that evening on the "Bat Stage" located on the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and San Vicente Boulevard.



So, if you want to get noticed, dress to impress.

Costume Contest finalists will be vying for the $1000 Grand Prize; $500 Second Place Prize and $250 Third Place Prize.

So, get crackin' on that costume, eh?

For spectators, the perennial favs will be out in full garb; the West Hollywood Cheerleaders, for example, in their wild bouffant hairdos, careening roller-skates, and eye-catching red & white outfits (with tight-fitting sweaters stretched to the max so that over-size boobs can bob gloriously in the fray).

Any celebrity in the news will be fair game, of course!

I expect, there will be wicked, naughty, or just plain hilarious get-ups poking fun at Paris Hilton, Sarah Palin (no effigies please or Jeffrey Prang will getcha), John McCain, O.J. Simpson, you name it.

One year, I suited up as a cowboy. Ho hum!

Studly, yes. Exciting, no.

If I heard one more "Howdy partner" that night - I thought I would scream bloody-murder - or commit it!

The chaps chaffed, too.

Ouch!

Probably one of the most thrilling, sexiest costumes I ever donned, was hatched at the last minute.

Yeah, one dismal year I was going to beg off from the outdoor festivities to catch the show ringside at home (old age was creepin' in, I guess) - but, last minute - I snapped out of the deep funk and sprang into action.

With despair, I gazed into my sorry closet.

Nada.

But then, what did I spy?

Whoa, nellie!

A pair of boots, a felt fedora, and a slightly-wrinkled trenchcoat, beckoned.

Presto!

I tossed in a jockstrap and came up with a real party-pleaser/

A "Flasher".

Boy, in that impromptu get-up, I encountered the zaniest wildest gang of revellers in my entire Halloween-ie life!

No ***!

As I elbowed my way through the crowded clubs, bar-hoppers were prone to surreptitiously slip their bejwelled or hairy ice-cold hands under my topcoat to cop a feel, non-stop!!!

Or, in a sort-of "truth or dare" moment, offered me enticing beads if I would flash 'em right out there on the street!

Not only did I end up with a whopping set of jewels that year, but I nearly ended up with pneumonia, next day!

For years - I've been promising myself I'd train real hard and sculpt my physique to perfection weeks before the big event - so I could confidently strut down the street in a black speedo with glorious outstretched Angel wings to reveal a fabulous six-pack along with humungous pecs!

Well, guess I'll have to settle for "couch potato" this year!

Who knows? Maybe I'll meet up with the condiment of my dreams!

Heh, it's not as bad as one year.

On that occasion, I woke up next morning with a rabbit next to me in bed, and a lot of hair in my mouth!

Yeah, too many Zombies, go figure!

West Hollywood...no longer a "gay" city. Sign of times!

Years ago, when West Hollywood first incorporated as a city, a big ta-do was made about the fact most of the City Council members were openly gay, a large number of the local businesses were owned or operated by their rainbow entrepreneurs, and the neighborhood was populated primarily with "out" fags.

Understandably, West Hollywood became a bit of a gay mecca.


Over the years, events like the annual Gay Pride Parade, grew in momentum and evolved into well-organized, highly-publicized (and accepted) gargantuan pride celebrations.


Today, hundreds of thousands of revellers, usually attend the festivities in June.

Meanwhile, the Carnaval on Halloween, has not only endured as a highlight each fall for the gays - but for the straights, too - who turn out in full force each spooky October 31st.

In fact, the high-energy entertainment extravaganza has become so popular over the years that - E Entertainment, ABC TV, and MTV - usually descend on the high-spirited occasion to capture coverage they'll broadcast on the airwaves all over the U.S.A.

A reporter once referred to West Hollywood as the "hippest" two-square miles on the planet.

Well, as Bob Dylan would warble, the times they are-a-changing.

Where young sexy men once sun-bathed at a local park just a hop-and-a-skip from the Design Center, a dozen or so young families now wile away the mornings with tots in tow.

And - in the early evening - you'll probably encounter more straight couples out shopping at the local grocery than muscled studs on their merry way to "Happy Hour" at trendy watering holes.

Yup, the whole "make-up" (forgive the expression) of the community has changed.

Some say, it's due to the fact a number of old apartment buildings and quaint little cottages have been torn down, and handily replaced with tony apartments and design-forward condominiums.


Well, that's part of the scenario.

Few young gay men can afford the sky-high rents, even with a room-mate cuddling up on the designer couch, in the one-bedroom unit.

When I discussed the trend with a friend the other day, he was inclined to point an accusing finger.

"Gays gentrify an area, then the straights move in."

Well, I don't know that it's a calculated plot, but to some it appears that way.

Others, on the other hand, theorize that because gay rights are now in force - which weren't in place when WEHO was first established - that homosexuals don't need to "cluster" in a ghetto for protection any longer.

Confident, liberated fags fan out now and blend into the communities nearby.

Today, West Hollywood is a mix of gays, seniors, and young straight couples.

Frankly, I find the demographic appealing.

The streets are safe and clean, there are no wild parties late at night during the week to wrestle a light sleeper from deep slumber, and there doesn't appear to be any negative element threatening to upset the status quo.

Gee, I must be getting old!!!

Metro Rail...pink line for West Hollywood?

Metro Rail announced that the spanking-new subway extension may shift course and drift over from Wilshire Boulevard to journey along Santa Monica Boulevard out to the Beach Cities.

Old-timers may recall that a trolley-on-rails followed the same route around the turn-of-the-century.

In fact, in Beverly Hills, there are still vestiges of the old line just off the edge of the flats.

City planners must have taken a nostalgic glance at the past and opined it was the best way to go.

Although one City Official noted that West Hollywood welcomes the subway, can anyone overlook the turmoil such a project will cause in Boys Town?

I recall the mess on Vermont which lasted for an unsettling couple of years; huge trucks thundering in and out the neighborhood, a perpetual din of gathering dust, torn up pavement which caused the occasional flat tire, and a noisy barrage of jack hammers piercing the early dawn!

If there is a green light for the line, some residents have threatened to sublet their apartments and residing elsewhere until the rail is completed.

On the other hand, many are excited about the subway project; after all, it would be a boon to the west side.

Already, the bus lines on Santa Monica Boulevard (No. 4 and No. 704) are crowded to capacity.

In fact, bus drivers often zip right by pedestrians at the curb, because there's no space left on the carriers.

Double-sized buses - fashioned at the center with a sort-of accordian-style attachment to allow for cramped turns - have been trying to meet the demands of a public hungry for cheap accessible transportation.

But, some complain when they board a bus, there's rarely a seat for white folks; the metro buses appear to be packed to the rafters with Latinos - day-workers, gardeners, and maids - heading off to work in Beverly Hills and beyond.

Well, if immigrant workers are denied Driver's Licenses, and are paid a paltry minimum wage, what other option is there but public transport?

Others feeling the pinch financially due to high gas prices are taking the Metro, too.

It's a vicious cycle which requires some review.

In the meantime, West Hollywood residents wait patiently for a decision on the subway extension.

Will Metro Rail crown it the pink line?