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 Views,
Reviews, and Interviews
by Dianne R. Davis
diannerd@aol.com
Photos by Dianne or Burt Davis
Lifestyles
Conventioneers Party in Vegas
If it is going on in Las Vegas, we cover it on
www.lasvegasroundtheclock.com . And a lot was going on at the
Tuscany Hotel from August 8th to 12th. The Lifestyles convention was
back. I met with Gary Booth, the group’s Public Relations Director to
find out a little more about the organization and the convention.
DD: How long has Lifestyles been coming to Vegas?
GB: Lifestyles has been coming to Vegas off and on for the last 35
years.
DD: What is Lifestyles?
GB: Lifestyle is the largest couples’ organization in the world
dedicated for the Lifestyles community. We are a couples only community
and these are not what you call people that are swingers. These are
people that are just very open-minded. You take a group of about 100
couples, you may have 50% that are swingers, 25% are maybe bi-sexual,
and the other 25% are people that just like the ambiance. They just like
to be a fly on the wall and watch what goes on.
DD :Voyeurs?
GB: Voyeurs, exhibitionists. Exactly.
DD: What happens at a Lifestyles Convention? Is there a lot of sex going
on all over the place?
GB: Oh I’m sure there’s some sex going on. I’m not in everybody’s room.
Primarily it’s four days of partying. We have a marketplace with about
40 vendors. Seminars to learn everything that you always wanted to know
about sexuality and health issues. Every night we have a different theme
party. This year’s include a retro back to the 60’s night and 007 night,
spy night. So , we have different themes in the evenings after the
ballroom party, we have after hours parties in some of the suites. We
also have a pool side party that goes to 4:00 a.m. with DJ’s, swimming,
and having lots of fun.
DD: Are there any parts of the convention that are open to the public?
GB: The adult marketplace is open to the general public. We encourage
anyone to come down and check it out.
DD: Is it possible to come to the convention for just one day?
GB: Absolutely. They can get a day pass and come just one day or get a
night pass or come for two or three days.
DD: Will you be back to Vegas next year?
GB: It looks like we will be. A number of hotels are interested in
hosting us. The Tuscany seems to be working very well for us and there’s
a good change we’ll be here.
DD: How many people are members of the lifestyles organization?
GB: Our company has a mailing list of about 40,000.
DD: What else does Lifestyles do over the course of the year besides the
convention?
GB: Actually, this is kind of a small part of our company. The
Lifestyles organization is broken into basically four different
divisions. The Lifestyles organization itself which does the Lifestyles
Conventions, and that also includes the Lifestyles Splash parties, we do
one on the West Coast and one on East Coast, a smaller mini convention
is what that would be. Second is Lifestyles tours and travels. We book a
lot of travel for couples to resorts like Hedonism and to Desire Cancun
and Desire Cabo San Lucas. Also Grand Lido Braco. The third part of the
company is Lifestyles Resorts and that’s the wholesale part of our
business. Actually, other travel agencies other adult businesses come to
us and book the travel to these resorts through our wholesaler.
DD: And the fourth?
GB: The fourth is our Club Lifestyles which is our internet based
business. It includes our logo clothing line, the web site.
DD: Why Vegas?
GB: Why Vegas. It’s just conducive to what our clientele is looking for.
Open 24 hours, the bars don’t close, and a very open minded though on
sexuality and we are not going to offend anybody here.
I tried out a device called the “Bungee Sexperience”
The Fantasy Marketplace
I was anxious to check out the Fantasy Marketplace on the second floor.
Wow! It was fun surveying the specialized merchandise .That’s where I
found the Bungee Sexperience. Steve Bisyak told me that this device
“Helps put the bounce back in your sex life, “ as he helped me get in or
on or whatever you would call it. It’s a harness type device and the
literature says that users report the sensation of being gravity free
really enhances their sexual experience by relaxing inhibitions and
focusing physical sensations. Okay, well, I don’t think they sell this
at Macy’s.
Next stop was Eyemagine Fine Art where I spoke with Rick Diaz, a
photographer who is building a series of fine art photography posters
and other works for a gallery dedicated to the Lifestyle way of life. He
was happy to pose with Lisa Martin, a candidate for Ms. Lifestyle.
Although Lisa did not win, Rick reported after the convention that Lisa
was spotted by some ad people and managed to pick up a fashion clothing
contract for a local vendor. Meanwhile, she will continue to reign as
“Ms. Freedom Aches” until her successor is crowned in California.
Around the corner we found Sandra who was more than happy to model a
waterproof vibrating glove available from 3rd Planet Products, Ltd.
The Rhinestone Outlet had some interesting styles to choose from and
quite a few attendees were purchasing them. It would be an
understatement to say that people shopping at this Marketplace will be
buying a lot of batteries. Bottom line is that most of this merchandise
isn’t available at the local mall. You might say, hey, adult stores
carry this. But many of those at the convention would not dare be seen
entering the adult stores where they live so they do this special
shopping at the Lifestyles Convention or here in Las Vegas.
Richard Woods author of "The Myth of Monogamy"
I also stopped in to hear author and lecturer Richard Woods speak on the
subject of “The Myth of Monogamy”. Richard is the author of “UnLearn!
Because Life Can Make You Stupid.” His presentation was amusing. He
might have been more suited to doing comedy than addressing the topic.
Richard Bourke, Hedonism II General Manager
Hedonism Resorts
Richard Bourke, the General Manager of Hedonism II in Negril, Jamaica
and Kevin Levee, General Manager of Hedonism III in Ocho Rios were at
the convention to promote their resorts. They brought along a number of
Entertainment Coordinators as well as Tavis Smith, the Promotions
Manager at Hedonism II. The Hedonism resorts are major sponsors of the
convention and hosted a reunion as well as a pool party at the Tuscany.
I asked Mr. Bourke if Hedonism II is a Lifestyles resort. He preferred
to use the designation of “Lifestyles friendly” explaining the
atmosphere and level of activity at Hedonism II are dictated by the
guests and varies from week to week. Throughout the year, there are
weeks designated as “lifestyles weeks” when members of the Lifestyles
groups take up the majority of rooms. Traditionally there have been more
“PDAs” during these time periods. (The designation stands for Public
Displays of Affection) Hedonism II and III are all-inclusive adults-only
facilities and offers their clients a full range of sports and other
resort activities, but sell heavily to American clientele looking for
the freedom to express their sexuality in an accepting environment.
Well, it was an interesting day. The people attending were all shapes,
ages, and sizes. They were friendly couples from all over the United
States and abroad. They are simply another of the special interest
groups who meet, mix, and mingle in Las Vegas with others who share
their interests.
The
Osmonds, their Fans, and their Family
Last week, I interviewed three of the Osmond brothers – Jay, Merrill,
and Wayne as they prepared for the second and third of three shows they
performed at the Orleans along with Alan, Donny, Jimmy, and Marie. The
three brothers are celebrating their 50th year in the entertainment
industry. The concerts will be made into a PBS special to be broadcast
next March.
Their concerts on August 13th and 14th were notable because it was the
first time in more than 25 years that they had all performed together.
It was also the first time I had seen any of the Osmonds perform. The
Orleans showroom was a perfect venue for the performances.
All Styles of Music:
It’s easy to see why this family group has lasted. First of all, they
perform all styles of music including barbershop, pop, rock, country,
and jazz. Marie’s segment at the 9:00 p.m. show on Tuesday, August 14th
was all about Broadway.
Fanbase:
Second is the fan base which they have nurtured, loved, and respected.
The moment they came out on stage, dozens of their fans rushed to the
front of the stage to be closer to their icons. The crowd was orderly as
they moved up as close as they could to the people they worshiped and
adored. The beginning of each song was greeted with the applause of fans
who know their stars and their music. It was thunderous when they sang
“Crazy Horses”, their biggest international seller.
The fans were all ages and predominantly females. I spoke with Rena Wait
of St. Michael, Minnesota and Tammy Larson of Monticello, Minnesota
following the show. They’ve been fans for 34 years and came to town
solely because of the Osmonds’ shows. Rena said that they are, “Blessed
to be able to meet each and every one of them.”
One and a half hours after the show ended, there were still Osmonds
signing autographs and chatting with their loyal fans.
Family is What it is About:
Sitting with Alan’s family at the 9 p.m. show on Tuesday was a treat.
They clearly were as enthralled as the other Osmond fans. There were
occasional tears of joy as they enjoyed the special family event.
For many of the next generation, it was the first time they could
remember seeing their aunt and uncles perform together on stage. Tyler,
Alan’s son and Jason, Jay’s son were two of the more than 20 Osmond
grandchildren there. They both expressed their delight in having the
opportunity to see the family together on state.
Osmond brother Verl and his brother Tom stood at opposite ends of the
stage and signed the final song. “Families are eternal, “ he told me
following the show. “Mother always said what is important is our family.
We felt her spirit tonight.”
And the audience felt the incredible warmth and love reaching from the
stage and into the audience. So, to me the Osmonds are about fans and
family. And to them, the fans are their extended family. May they
continue on for another 50 years.
It’s not hard to spot an Osmond. More than 20 of the 54 cousins were in
the audience for the show.
Alan’s 17 year old son Tyler, left , sings and plays guitar.
Jason, Jay’s 19 year old son is a drummer.
Marie’s son Stephen Blosil took the stage and had the women swooning as
he sang.
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