11/03/2005
Pitt and Clooney Buy Laguna Beach's Boom Boom Room — Not.
One of the last remaining beach bars on the West Coast and the centerpiece of gay nightlife in Laguna Beach has been bought by George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and an airplane finance tycoon, who plan to turn it into a ritzy bed and breakfast.
The Boom Boom Room and adjoining Coast Inn will be developed into what is reportedly the first in a chain of B&Bs that will have the celebrities' names attached. The financier, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy, is 125th on Forbes' list of richest Americans.
This appears to deal a death blow to a huge chunk of gay tourism to the area as many who visit Laguna are weekenders from L.A. proper who spend the day at the beach and then hit the (one) club at night. Without the nightlife, I suspect a good portion of them will be looking elsewhere.
UPDATE: Clooney and Pitt say this news is simply NOT TRUE.
Pitt and Clooney: From Vegas to Gay Guests [defamer]
Clooney, Pitt to Buy Boom Boom Room [ocbj]
Related
The Friendship That Never Went Away [tr]
Posted 9:05 AM EST by Andy Towle in Los Angeles | Permalink
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What a shame. I'm sure the B&B will be "nice," and I'm not saying the Boom-Boom Room was any great shakes, but do we really need "Planet Hollywood"-type B&B's all ovet the place?
Posted by: cafegogo | Nov 3, 2005 9:41:16 AM
What???
Are they wiping out gay spots in Orange County?
I found out that Buena Park's OZZ (one of the nicer bars in OC) is closing down as well.
Posted by: Kiss My Mike | Nov 3, 2005 9:50:18 AM
This is just the pre-work of Pitt and Clooney finally announcing that they're a gay couple...it's about time ;)
Posted by: Wayne | Nov 3, 2005 10:11:38 AM
Ah, so sad. There is still Woody's and Main Street, but "The Boom" has been a fixture here forever and it will be sad to see it go.
Posted by: bmwlaguna | Nov 3, 2005 10:27:56 AM
Yea it sounds liek this story is a fake but I l lwait to hear about on t.v
Posted by: Jessica | Nov 3, 2005 1:36:33 PM
Having worked in commercial real estate for 21 years, there is yet another possibility. The two actors could purchase the underlying real estate without purchasing the businesses which occupy the space. This can be done if the lease is up or close to its expiration assuming the purchaser wants the tenant out by or shortly after closing. Also, the building owner can negotiate directly with the tenants and have a buy-out or lease severance agreement in escrow prior to signing the real estate sales contract. Any of these events, and possibly more creative legal maneuvers, would allow Pitt and Clooney to deny the purchase of the club. Realistically, we will have to stay tuned. Clooney just purchased a major interest in a planned 3,000 room mega resort and casino with high rise residential towers to be built in phases in Las Vegas. This is a lot for an actor to be absorbing at once.
Posted by: Johnny Lane | Nov 5, 2005 5:53:54 AM
I still can't figure out if Clooney really cruised me at the Delano in SoBe 5 years ago? Is he gay or am I just naive?
Posted by: Jordy | Nov 5, 2005 9:57:10 PM
Jordy, the first words from your inner voice are usually correct. Only you know how strong you "gaydar" is. Compare this moment with similar events in the past and you may have the answer.
Posted by: Johnny Lane | Nov 6, 2005 4:08:58 AM
While the boom will still be open for quite a while, there is a new bar in town. After years of talk Hamburger Mary's has finally opened in Newport Beach (near MacArthur/Von Karman). I think they are aiming for the UCI crowd.
Posted by: ocdixon | Dec 20, 2005 2:34:23 AM
GREAT NEWS ABOUT BBR, IT HAS BEEN THE SQUIRGE OF LAGUNA'S REPUTATION TOO LONG. IF YOU'RE A FAG, GO BACK TO HOLLYWEIRD OR S.F.
Wow! What if all the gay bars were bought and shut down by right wing & religious zealots... Could we ship all the homos to Iraq?
Posted by: Naturally Straight | Jan 2, 2006 3:50:34 PM