The Elephants in the Room

Two of our friends just moved to Myanmar. They claimed it was to work for the State Department, yet after these photos surfaced I'm beginning to suspect other motivations. Read HERE.

Gay Bar Lovegun Closes in Williamsburg

About a year after its high-profile opening, Benjamin Maisani and his fellow gay-nightlife-impresario business partners have closed Lovegun, the guys' first foray into Brooklyn. I sent an email to Mrs. Anderson Cooper -- who also owns Eastern Bloc, Bedlam and Atlas Social Club -- and I'll let you know if I hear back. 

Sharp-Dressed Men

Anderson Cooper and boyfriend Benjamin Maisani sure clean up nicely. People reports that the two donned sharp suits and ties to walk the red carpet hand-in-hand at the Elton John AIDS Foundation 14th Annual An Enduring Vision Benefit at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City on Monday night. Cooper, 48, and his partner also recently stepped out together at the amfAR Inspiration Gala in June and the GLAAD Media Awards in May.

You may recall that barman Ben looked VERY HUNKY in a bathing suit on Barry Diller's yacht over the summer, too.

Cruise Control

I'm not sure what's more amazing -- how good Sarah Jessica Parker's 50-year-old body looks in a swimsuit, or how hot Anderson Cooper's French boyfriend, Ben Maisani, looks ... always? These paparazzi photos were taken of action on Barry Diller's mega-yacht, Eos, in Ibiza, where a Matthew Broderick-less SJP and the French nightclub owner joined AC360 and Andy Cohen, Diller and Diane Von Furstenberg and others for some fun in the sun.

Stalk This Way

Anderson Cooper's Stalker Says Anchor's Partner Stalking HIM

Yes, sounds very likely. (You know how Ben likes to CAT AROUND!



I think AC's being stalked by Nathan Thurm!

LOVEGUN Opens With a Bang!

Well, this photo of Benjamin Maisani and me didn't turn out so great, but the opening night soiree for his new bar in Williamsburg -- LOVEGUN -- was a clear success. My friend Allen and I got there just as things were beginning to get going, and got to spend some time chatting with Ben about his newest baby. He said that coming up with a location and a concept is his favorite part of his work -- "it's when you get to be really creative" -- and that he was shooting for a sleek, late '70s/early '80s disco look with LOVEGUN, which features a retro-looking neon sign on the back wall, and a giant neon MORE MORE MORE above the first-floor bar, a connection to the late dance queen Andrea True. The upstairs overlooks the main floor and has its own bartender, canoodling-friendly banquettes, plus the DJ booth. 

My friend Micah with the couple voted most beautiful

Before long, Andy Cohen arrived (I thanked him in person for the blurb he gave me for my book), then Anderson Cooper showed up (in glasses) and Kelly Ripa and her hunky hubby, Mark Consuelos. By 11, the guest-listed opening party was over, and the doors were open for business -- and business did they have! (The line was wrapped around the block.) I later saw photos showing a half-dozen of my friends there, yet I never saw one of them. (Micah got proof, above!) 

You couldn't see two people in front of yourself -- but you can be sure a fire marshal was not in attendance. The bar is hip and casual and has all the right things going for it to be a big success. (Just two stops into Brooklyn on the L train, boys.) I spoke to the bartenders at nearby Metropolitan about it and they all agreed that they were happy to have another bar in the area. They think it makes Williamsburg more of a destination now, and figure both bars will benefit for guys bar-hopping in the 'hood. If Friday night was any indication, Williamsburg is officially on its way to becoming the country's newest Boystown.

P.S. Since Ben told me he's always looking for his next project, I suggested Inwood and Hamilton Heights. Be on the lookout, guys!

UPDATE: People are telling me that Kelly Ripa mentioned the party on "Live! With Kelly and Michael" this morning!

New Gay Bar LOVEGUN Shoots Into Williamsburg This Friday

As Chelsea's gay scene fades into the distance and Hell's Kitchen's blossoms, nightlife fixture Benjamin Maisani and his business partners are taking a chance on a new bar in the bustling but not quite fully gay Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. I caught up with Anderson Cooper's better half to find out why he decided to cross the river this time around, what the boys can expect from his latest venture -- the subtly named LOVEGUN -- and if it was really him I saw eating sweet potato casserole at Boston Market all those years ago.

Great to talk to you, Ben. You've already got your hands in three bars in New York City -- Eastern Bloc, Bedlam and Atlas Social Club -- what made you decide to open a new one in Brooklyn? 
Opening a bar in Williamsburg seemed like a logical step for me and my partners after Eastern Bloc and Bedlam, where a lot of our customers come from that neighborhood. On top of that, there's a relative scarcity of gay bars in Williamsburg, and we felt that there was room for growth in that regard given how many gay guys already live and go out in that part of Brooklyn. Unlike other neighborhoods with a sizable gay community like Hell's Kitchen, Chelsea or even the East Village, Williamsburg isn't saturated with gay bars, which made this project that much more exciting. Finally, there's something quite thrilling about stepping out of Manhattan for the first time after almost 10 years of operating bars there to open shop in Brooklyn: it's such a different environment out there, and it feels like a totally new experience as a result.

What can the Williamsburg boys expect to find at LOVEGUN that they don't get get at Metropolitan and This 'N That? 
I think the main difference between LOVEGUN and the other gay bars in Williamsburg is that our space is quite versatile because of the high ceilings and the width of the main room. There are 2 floors, with a mezzanine overlooking the main area. The semi-private area upstairs is the perfect spot for a bit of people watching, while the floor below offers a great amount of elbow room for dancing and getting down and dirty. Also, we're putting a certain emphasis on our DJ programming, and are planning to have rotating guest DJs on the weekends, to keep things fresh and fun.

You're opening this bar with Pablo Raimondi, Darren Dryden and Chris Canon. You and Darren co-own Eastern Bloc and you co-own Bedlam and Atlas Social Club with Pablo and I believe Josh Wood too at ASC. How do you decide who to partner with on each project? 
Josh is indeed one of the partners at ASC, along with Pablo and Asi Mazar. All three are old friends of mine that I've known for many years, and we had been talking about doing a bar together for years (Josh was one of the people I initially approached about opening Eastern Bloc back in 2005). As you pointed out, Darren and I started Eastern Bloc together nine years ago, and I've been eager to do another bar with him ever since, as I like his style. LOVEGUN marks my third collaboration with Pablo since we opened Bedlam four years ago, he's becoming like my right arm at this point. It's also my first official collaboration with Chris Canon, even though Pablo and I have worked with him since Bedlam (he was the previous owner of that bar who sold it to us and subsequently helped us a great deal during our renovations there, and then at ASC when we were building that bar last summer). I like having partners, it's always nice to share the burden and challenges of running a business with other people, especially with those guys that I've been friends with for over a decade. I've always been told not to go into business with friends, but personally I found the opposite to be true: there's an element of trust that's inherent to such a relationship that makes it very reassuring for me to partner with those guys. Also, we each bring something different to the table, everyone taking care of different aspects of what it takes to operate a bar, and we work well as a team. I keep using the same people that I love and trust on all my bars, but I also like to shake things up a bit by changing the configuration of each partnership: for Eastern Bloc, it's just Darren and me, for Bedlam, it's Pablo and me, for ASC, it's Josh, Asi, Pablo and me, and for LOVEGUN, it's Darren, Pablo, Chris and me. The difference in the make-up behind each bar guarantees that the dynamic is different from one place to the next, which keeps things fresh and prevent all four places from being too similar or feeling stale. I would hate to repeat myself, so I try hard to make each of my bars quite distinct from each other -- starting with the decor -- and having different cooks in the kitchen is just one more way to achieve this.

What are the unique challenges of running a gay bar in New York City? 
I think one of the unique challenges of running a gay bar in NYC has to do with the importance of location. If you think about it, most gays bars tend to be concentrated around a few spots in Manhattan and Brooklyn: Hell's Kitchen primarily, Chelsea -- although that neighborhood as a gay mecca is definitely on the wane -- the East Village, and Williamsburg in Brooklyn. It becomes really tricky to open a gay bar outside of these areas, because by definition such bars are a bit of a niche market, so it makes business sense to stick to a neighborhood that already has a sizable gay community. Because there aren't that many neighborhoods in the city where one can open a gay bar and hope to be successful, location is key, even more so that with a regular bar. It's too bad because I love what I do, and I would like to be able to keep opening gay bars in various spots, but I'm somewhat limited by the reality of this situation. I already have one bar in HK, two in the East Village, and one in Williamsburg, so now I wonder where I'm going to go next. Already Hell's Kitchen feels like it's about to reach saturation point, so I'm very interested in figuring out where the next gay destination in the city will be.

Can we expect anything special on opening night in Brooklyn? 
Opening night on Friday, September 12, is shaping up to be quite a special evening. We're kicking it off with a party for friends and family only with a guest list from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m., and then LOVEGUN will be open to all from 11 p.m. with a $5 cover for the launch of Frankie Sharp's weekly party "Girls," which promises to be insane. I think all the celebrities will come during the first part of the evening, and hopefully some will stay when Frankie and his crew bring out the real shenanigans to the dance floor!

And finally, I'm pretty sure you used to be a waiter in the back of Barracuda back when I was a youngster going there all the time. Am I imagining this, or did you and I share an affinity for Boston Market around the corner? 
Yes, I did use to be a waiter at Barracuda a billion years ago, funny that you remember that! Back then I was going to school at Hunter College while working full-time at the Morgan Library, and Barracuda was only a side job that I did on the weekends, not knowing at the time that I would end up making a career out of nightlife! And yes, I did go to that Boston Market on 23rd street -- and still do every once in a while -- as I love me some cheap comfort food!

Thanks, Ben. Sounds like you've got another hit on your hands! 

LOVEGUN is located at 617 Grand Street, within walking distance of the Lorimer Street subway station on the L train

Song of the Day: 'Crush' by Jennifer Paige

It was just a crush: Anderson Cooper 'stalker' defense

This story made me think the song "Crush," which all these years I thought was by Mariah Carey!

 

Anderson Cooper's New Stalk Show

According to the New York Post, Anderson Cooper and his boyfriend are living in terror, thanks to a "psychotic, gay, Jewish white supremacist" from Queens who wears X-men T-shirts and looks like Matthew McConaughey in character, as a psychotic, gay, Jewish white supremacist stalker!

The Post reports:

CNN’s Anderson Cooper has a stalker — a gaunt, scraggly-haired, 40-year-old Queens man who has the steely-eyed anchor stud fearing for his life.

Since 2008, Alex Hausner — described as a gay, Jewish white supremacist — has allegedly made unwelcome phone calls plus four attempts to see Cooper, last month trying to kick down the red, lacquered door to the posh, four-story West Village converted firehouse that Cooper shares with his hunky, bar-owner boyfriend. 

“I swear to f--king God, don’t insult me,” a security camera caught Hausner shouting as he kicked, according to court papers. “I’m going to f--k you up!” In his three decades as a newsman, Cooper has ducked Israeli rockets in Gaza and braved radioactive clouds in Japan. 

But it’s Hausner — a Far Rockaway, Queens, psychiatrNc patient — who now has him rattled, court papers say.

“I can prove from my sources that his boyfriend has sent people after me,” a fidgety Hausner, sitting in Manhattan Criminal Court last night before his arraignment, said of Cooper. 

The boyfriend, Benjamin Maisani, who owns an East Village gay bar, is also a victim, prosecutors say.

“He’s a thug and a mongrel,” Hausner seethed to a Post reporter of Maisani.

“They said I was not to be there — that’s not true,” Hausner ranted. 

Hausner, who wore ripped jeans and a black T-shirt featuring the X-Men was ordered held in lieu of $75,000 bail on felony first-degree menacing, and misdemeanor harassment and stalking. 

“He was told on numerous occasions not to call” Cooper, Assistant DA Rachel Ehrhardt said in court. 

On June 22, Hausner “showed up at Anderson Cooper’s house, and he was told that he did not have permission to be at that location,” the prosecutor said. Hausner has prior felony and misdemeanor convictions, she said. “He was a radical — he believed in his [Jewish] religion, and he believed in the one race, the white race,” an ex-neighbor at Hausner’s SRO told The Post last night. Cooper’s legal representative, Jason Berland, declined comment. Cooper, who is the son of Gloria Vanderbilt, purchased the 8,000-square-foot, landmark, 1906 firehouse for $4.3 million — complete with brass fireman’s pole — three years ago. Cooper also owns an estate in Quogue.

Ben There, Done That

Anderson Cooper’s Lover Inked Deal for a Restaurant and Bar in Hell’s Kitchen

Was just at Antoine “Benjamin” Maisini's Eastern Bloc on my birthday. Sounds like he's tired of bars and is ready to try something new now. Read HERE.

'Room for One More?"

Anderson Cooper: 'I Came Out in High School'

 Can't sit through Anderson Cooper's talk show -- or his CNN show, for that matter. But according to reports, his "Anderson Live" guest "co-host" Kristin Chenoweth grilled him today about his "big summer," which prompted the blue blood to turn red, before acknowledging that his "coming out" was really just a repeat of something he had already done in high school. AC must have agreed to this line of questioning -- but "cheating" boyfriend Ben appeared to be off limits. Read HERE.

Anderson Cooper Reacts to 'Slimy Slug' Photographers

You don't need to have gotten an A in PSY101 to realize what this tweet by Anderson Cooper is really about.

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Anderson's Boyfriend Has Not Flown the Coop

Further proof that Anderson Cooper and "cheating" boyfriend Ben Maisani have an open relationship: they're still living in AC's converted fire house in Greenwich Village, as evidenced by these recent photos. (Via NYDN)

Ben Does an AC 180

If I were Anderson Cooper, I'd have the Ronettes' "Is This What I Get for Loving You?" on autorepeat and a box of Cocoa Pebbles at the ready.

Kiss and Break Up?

Anyone know the scoop on Anderson Cooper's live-in lover, Ben Maisani, getting caught sucking face with another man in Central Park? He and AC either have an open relationship, or the the sexy Frenchman has some serious splain' to do. Read HERE.

Wedding Bells for Anderson Cooper?

 I would be very surprised if this report that A.C. is planning to marry his boyfriend, Ben Maisani, later this year. But I wouldn't blame him for trying to tie that Frenchie up down. FYI: The National Enquirer previously reported that mom Gloria Vanderbilt was pressuring him to give her a grandchild, but I've yet to see Andy pushing any strollers around Chelsea.