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Tuesday, September 1, 1998

From the Miami Herald 9/1/1998:

Porn actor leaves full house in the lurch

By STEVE ROTHAUS

Herald Staff Writer

Troubled actor Ryan Idol promised ``smooth sailing in South Beach, Fla.,'' before his opening at the Colony Theater in Making Porn. Saturday night, Idol sailed out of the theater in a huff, telling a sold-out audience there would be no performance.

``Ryan Idol walked off stage, breached his contract and left,'' said Murray Hodgson, the show's producer. ``The house was full on Saturday, and we had to refund all the tickets. We had to call Miami Beach Police to throw him off the premises.''

Idol, who last year was arrested during a Making Porn performance in Chicago after he allegedly punched playwright Ronnie Lawsen in the head -- and who five months ago drunkenly threw himself through a fourth-floor New York City apartment window -- declined to comment on the latest fracas. ``I'm not going to release any live statements,'' said Idol, 31, back at home Monday in Los Angeles.

Idol and company arrived at the Colony on Aug. 5 for a scheduled three-week run. Business was so good that Hodgson extended the show an extra week. The show was supposed to close Sunday.

Early in the run, Idol's behavior was uneventful. He promised he was off drugs and booze for good. Gradually, though, a change came over the gay-porn icon, according to Hodgson.

Backstage bickering ensued, and one night -- on stage -- Idol cursed out a fellow cast member, pretending it was part of the script, Hodgson said.

Idol's contract called for him to arrive at the theater at 6 p.m. for 7 p.m. performances. Saturday night, he arrived 45 minutes late, just before curtain. The house was sold out, 465 people in the audience.

``His eyes were dilated, and he was extremely agitated,'' Hodgson said. ``I told him he was in breach of contract for showing up late. His response to me: `Sue me. . . . F--- you. . . . I'm not going on.'

``In his street clothes, he went center stage in front of the audience and said: `Ladies and gentlemen, the show has been canceled.' He walked out through the front door and left.''

Hodgson followed Idol outside. They continued to argue in front of shocked theatergoers. The producer called police. Idol eventually agreed to leave the theater premises and to check out of the South Beach resort where the cast and crew stayed.

The incident was strangely reminiscent of Idol's final Making Porn performance last year in Chicago. That time, however, police led him from the theater in handcuffs.

The week before Idol came to Miami Beach, playwright Lawsen had predicted the worst. ``He's a huge risk,'' Lawsen said of Idol.

On Monday, he gloated. ``That's the story of his life. . . . That's his way of saying thank you to Miami and the producer. By walking off the last two days,'' Lawsen said. ``They threatened to sue me for libel after the last story, for saying he's a liability. He is a liability. You know what's amazing? That he made it through a month.''

Tim Evanson writes on RAME: "Ronnie Larson just proved himself an amazing hypocrite, too. That guy DROPPED the charges against Idol. I would much rather have seen Idol have to face responsibility for his actions AT LEAST once.

"I wonder how many people who've donated money to his "health fund" now wiûh they hadn't? I wonder who will now defend Idol, now that he is clearly back on the drugs and booze and behaving irrationally again. I wonder if anyone will demand an auditing of the "health fund" and see what bills, if any, were paid and where the money went. It just seems to me that every donation made to Ryan Idol in the past couple months was "enabling" money -- money that simply enabled him to justify his actions and resume his drugged lifestyle.

"This is a man who has said "f--- you" so many times to the gay community -- when will the gay community finally say "f--- you" back? One can only hope it's SOON."

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Porners are buzzing about allegations that Gene Ross has a financial interest in Cream Entertainment. Cream distributor Jerry Garfinkle (Impressive Video) says "at no time did Gene Ross have any interest in Cream Entertainment."

Porners and police suspect arson as the cause for the burning down of Western Visuals on Sunday. Owner Elliot Segal owes lots of people money. WV declared bankruptcy a couple of months ago.

The Sunday 4:30PM fire caused more than a $1.2 million in damages to three porn shops at the 15800 block of Stagg Street near Van Nuys Airport.

Firefighters found heavy smoke coming from a one-story, 35-by-40-foot concrete block building in the Mission Business Park, writes Tuesdays LA Times. It took 80 firefighters about an hour to extinguish the flames.

The damaged property included videotapes and printed material, authorities said.

Most of the damage was sustained by Western Visual, with $750,000 in property and $500,000 in structural loss.

Lyndon Distribution sustained about $20,000 in property and $5,000 in structural damage, and Magnetic 21 sustained about $5,000 in structural damage, authorities said.

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Jim Holliday's productions over the past year show extra craftsmanship, and sales of his latest releases reflect this. "Eye Candy was the most pleasant surprise [sales] of the summer," says Jim. Holliday is now casting for three movies (one a sequel to Eye Candy) scheduled to be shot in October.  Each movies will probably feature 20 blondes. "The next half dozen of my movies are going to be killer. From now on, everything I do is in the Car Wash Angels design [with lots of foxy blondes]."

Kendra Jade appeared on Howard Stern today. She talked about her fling with TV host Jerry Springer. She says he's extremely kinky, wanting phone sex all the time, that he loved it when her step-mom was in the room when they were getting it on...(Jimymac80)

On Saturday a source told me: "Porn star Kendra allegedly took a hidden video camera with her when she slept with Jerry Springer. After taping their session, she supposedly tried to shake him down for $1 million. He responded by saying that in Illinois you have to have my permission to tape me and you don't have a waiver either. No one will show the tape. He agreed however to pay her $100,000 for the tape and make the whole situation end."

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Charley Frey remembers how one of his employees (Carmen) was abducted by Michael J. Peter for several hours.

Charley used to represent Christina Angel, but "she is totally wacked out on something... In fact, we chose never to book her again; and all the clubs she went to said the same thing; she's on something."

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AVN's Mark Kernes says STDs in the biz "would seem to argue in favor of performers using condoms."

Eden Rae replies: "No. It is an argument for better accountability in porn Mark, don't try to manipulate this to fit your needs. Its an argument for better testing, more complete testing (like my own companies Hepatitus testing and Hep B shots), more accountability on behalf of the directors (don't allow talent with ANY type of STD to work, even in limited capacitys), and a rule of exclusion of talent who escort and are known IV drug users.

"I am ALLERGIC to condoms Mark......what should I do then? Retire because YOU think its better that condoms be mandated to absolve the performers and producers/directors of responsibility for their and their co-stars health? I think the condom bit is simply an easy out....the real answer is not "condom only so who cares if you have gonorrhea" but mandatory testing for ALL STDs."

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I met a friend at a picnic on Sunday. I learned that like Sharon Mitchell he was certified by the state of CA as an HIV counselor. He said that the course to get the certificate took three days to complete.

In a couple of years, Sharon (who runs Adult Industry Medicine) plans to have her BA. She then plans to move on to graduate school.

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I was introduced today (8/20/98) to David Woodrow, the "nice Jim South," meaning he's a talent agent on the soft end of the sex business - Playboy, Penthouse, Hustler and strip clubs.

Like his peers in hardcore and Hollywood, he prefers unbuttoned shirts, strong tans and gold chains.

Born in 1964, Woodrow began as a Chippendales dancer in his native country of Canada. "One guy would entertain 400 women while in the US, Chippendales would employ five guys to entertain that number of women.

"Being in the female talent business, you end up working with night clubs, dance clubs, strip clubs… A good friend of mine is Michael J. Peters, who was the biggest club owner (35-40 clubs) in the world. He got his big money from the owner of the Miami Dolphins. I've had some good mentors over the years including Charlie Minor, a record executive who was killed by his girlfriend last year in Malibu."

David helped start the boom in strip clubs which have been renamed "Gentlemens Clubs." He launched Canada's Stripper magazine in 1986 with Rob Abner of Cheri. "I became more interested in playing agent in LA while he was more interested in developing the magazine, so we split.

"About twelve years ago, we were bringing these great looking girls (strippers) from other countries to LA. And when the photographer or agent asked 'what do you do?', that's when this whole thing [respectability given to sex businesses] took off. The clubs became more upscale. More and more movies used clubs as locations. Then movies about clubs…

"At one time Playboy would not take a dancer. That's changed.

"Girls would come to LA. She comes here for two weeks, and spends the day time chasing modeling and acting gigs. At night, these girls are at the bars and parties meeting more directors and producers. That gets these guys thinking, 'what a great idea for a movie…'

"Years ago, in countries like Canada [with no large media market]… You're a good looking girl just out of high school… Where do you go? What do you do? You either go get married, waitress or move to the States. Or you become a stripper. And a celebrity. The big thing to be in Canada a few years ago was to be a stripper. You're getting a better quality of girl. Classier. More brains. More beauty. While years ago, only a few girls were great and most of them were average… Now, half the women in clubs are knockouts."

Strippers fall into two categories - house girls who pay clubs to dance there and live off tips, and features who are paid by clubs from $3,000 - $15,000 a week.

"We'd get girls to come to LA to work with us because we could get them into Playboy and Baywatch and build up their credits so they could become features. We had a straight agency [David Woodrow Agency] but half the girls were strippers."

Woodrow is helping start a magazine called Vice, published by Brion D. Ware of Media Net Studios. "Playboy meets Details magazine, some nudity but more meat and potato articles and interviews… The emphasis is vices like smoking, alcohol and cigars…

"All the top-end magazines touch up their pictures. Because it's expensive, only the big companies do it. The models do not look as great in person. We add great make-up, great photography and great locations. The girls are beautiful, but we're selling a whole look." (Winnipeg Free Press 8/25/96)

Woodrow says Playboy has become more professional over the years. "We're getting more of a female look…like Cosmopolitan…

"Playboy does not like to be lumped in with the rest of the group [sex mags] because they are trashy. Playboy is classy. We get celebrities, great news stories…

"Lots of people would like to trade places with me. I run around the country looking for talent. It's fun. You meet lots of great people. You talk to the press. You get the key tot he city. That Bunny hear - I heard it's the second most popular logo in the world - opens a lot of doors." (Ibid.)

David's latest project is the Venus Swimwear Model Search (9/17-26), using beautiful girls from around the world.

"We supply great looking people for different clients. We've never had one girl hit it really big. We fly in girls from around the world. We drive them around to the clients (Playboy, Penthouse, etc). It gets to the point where they are fighting over the girls. 'We'll give you a $5,000 finders fee if you give us an exclusive deal.' Perhaps we made a mistake choosing quantity over quality…We got so wrapped up with volume, that we never took the time to make that special girl a star."

David has worked for years with Dianne Bennett, Kenny Copeland (strip club owner) and Sheila Thompsen (casting agent).

In 1996, Woodrow shut down his talent agency to get married and live in Seattle with Bobbi Brown, a stripper and nude model. Now (8/98) he's getting a divorce and thinking of restarting his agency.

David says the key factor in his ability to attract girls to his business "is to be really nice. Treat them professionally. Because there are so many do-do brain guys out there who just want to sleep with them… I never hit on them. If a girl wants you to hit on her, you'll know. For me, it's business first and pleasure second.

"Over the years I've had some interesting and crazy offers… Heidi Fleiss and her partner approached us six years ago. That's a line I won't cross. I don't do hardcore. There are lots of great ways to make money legally…

"We've done lots of casting for Playboy over the past ten years. We've produced videos for them. I've given them photographers and make-up people. It's a huge company with many different divisions…"

David says he has self-destructed three times in his career. "I've made a ton of cash and partied it away. LA is a great town to make money.

"Ten years ago, most of the girls, and most people, thought of gentleman's clubs as a shallow sleazy business. But…we've been using the girls for so many different projects that it became acceptable for these girls to say, 'I'm a dancer.' Ten to fifteen years ago, it would've come back, 'we can't hire you for the job.'

"The girls are getting more into the public eye. The clubs are getting fixed up. It's a classy business. Though you still have the seedy dives where there are five guys sitting around the stage…

"You have criminals elements no matter what. So long as you can disassociate yourself from that… It's everywhere, movie studios, record studios… You can go to any night club in LA, and at one table will be the biggest celebrities around. At the next table, the biggest cocaine dealer around. At the table next to them, a bunch of models.

"The women find us. Ten years ago, I had ten offices around the country scouting for talent. People are constantly sending us women.

"I've had three different businesses - David Woodrow Productions, Extreme which became Sirens… Sheila Thompsen Casting…

"That was a smart thing I did - put everything under my name. Everything was David Woodrow…

"We did magazines, calendars… We were the T&A agency. Body doubles… I developed more contacts and got more into the straight world.

"I've never crossed over into hardcore because I've had too many clients that are straight. It's too taboo. Same reason that I ran away from Heidi Fleiss…

"Sexual entertainment is becoming more acceptable, especially with AIDS. Guys are willing to watch now instead of actually participating.

"Last night I caught a concert in San Diego. Now I'm going to CBS to see my friend Bill Maher's show Politically Incorrect. Later on dinner at the House of Blues. Alice Cooper plays tonight. The one good thing about being in the girl business is that you get a lot of doors opened to you… Every day I get several calls inviting me…

"The best commodity in the world is not oil or gold or diamonds. It's beautiful girls. Every man will do anything for a woman. And when you surround yourself with the best, it's amazing.

"In the old days [late '80s], I'd get five or six models dressed up, and I would take them to the best places in town like Chasens, the Polo Lounge… That's how I got people' attention. Here's this young kid walking through the door with five or six gorgeous babes. Every guy was handing out his card, wanting to pick up the girls. It's now to the point where they just want me to show up… I know everybody. Back then I wanted to build up a name and that was the quickest way to do it, because you meet the directors and producers… So why go to offices and bang on doors and do it the hard way when you can just get that first boom… You get their attention and then they're calling me.

"That's how I became friends with Stallone. My friend Joey DePinto was best friends with Stallone in the late '80s. We had dinner with Sylvester. Then we all went back to Stallone's house in the hills for a drink. We had similar girlfriends. We'd dated the same girl at one time. That's how I met guys like Charlie Mathau [son of Walter Mathau], Gary Busey… I've met hundreds of stars. I had a casting business with Lloyd Raglin who used to play for the Miami Dolphins. Through him I met OJ Simpson, Magic Johnson, Marcus Allen… Then Charlie Minor was in the music business, and he introduced me to many people. And Allen Miller who owned New York Seltzer and a part of the Mondrian Hotel. That was the place where rockers stayed for a week and never got out of their pajamas.

"I was the new kid on the block with all the girls and so I became instant friends with these guys.

"I was the biggest agent in Canada. I had 500 females that nobody had ever seen before. When I came to town, I was an instant hit. Immigration laws were not as tough then as now… It was easier to get people down here to work.

"Once I saw how everybody wanted new blood, I started setting up offices in New York, Florida, St. Louis, Seattle, Dallas…

"A lot of girls only make $400-$500 a day doing adult movies. About ten years ago, we helped these girls get feature dancing gigs where they were paid thousands of dollars a week.

"The only time I'm not moving is when I'm sleeping. I'm always on the go. My mind is always on. I have so many deals going down…

"When I got married, we got a house in Seattle. To be fair to my marriage… Like this Venus Swimwear gig with 85 girls from all over the world. Most of them are dying to come to LA. Once they find out who I am, and my connections… I am very classy and professional, and that's why the girls feel comfortable with me… There's no casting couch.

"I've slept with over a thousand women in my life. At one time, I was dating 50 girls. It was crazy. I had a different date for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

"I want to become more selective about the projects I do. I want to work on a big feature film and have several businesses that send me royalty checks in the mail."

Charley Frey says Woodrow and his wife Bobbie owe him several hundred dolars in commission. And that Bobbi bounced a check for $1000 to a costume maker in the midwest.

Michael Peters is now (8/98) out of jail, and out of house arrest, after getting busted for income tax evasion. As part of his deal with the government, he had to relinquish ownership in the clubs. He now serves as a "consultant" to strip clubs.

Woodrow played a prominent role in the essay "Work on the Wild Side," by Jamie Kastner.

Then I noticed that Playboy's Special Editions and Playboy TV were here were doing a "Model Talent Search" at a waterfront nightclub. Why not find out how the professionals do it?

Inside the club's glass-walled VIP lounge are three goateed men with receding hair, hunks of neck gold, open shirts, sunk in mushroom chairs, their backs to the lake. They talk loud on cell phones, softly to each other, whisper in the ear of the odd woman who passes through.

A stream of double vodka sodas is flowing.

The goatees are from Playboy. The big one is David Woodrow, Canadian co-ordinator. Once from Calgary, he's now leather-tanned with spiked blond hair -- pure L.A.

The medium goatee is Kevin Kuster, photo production manager with Playboy Special Issues. He's pallid, with a southern accent toned down by a decade in Chicago.

The small goatee (even with the aid of patent-leather brothel creepers) is Eric Mittleman, a producer with Playboy Entertainment Group, L.A.

"We think there may be some production opportunities in Canada," says Mittleman with a slight lisp. "We've come to scout for talent, locations, production resources. I like the look, the feel of the city." He glances over his shoulder. "There's a very Florida feeling here. Very southern U.S."

Woodrow and Kuster swish across the club to a dark stage at the far end. At the edge of the stage is the evening's talent: women of varying heights but the same shape, with sculpted hair, cartoon chests, champagne-flute legs, vertigo-inducing heels.

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Alex Katz, Russian immigrant owner of In-X-Cess productions (since 1994) and numerous other companies, entered porn in 1988 while still in college.

He owns the one-stop distributor "Pro-Video" which distributes tapes across America, and other business such as the LA restaurants Uzbekhistan and Rasputin.

At one time, Katz had Kylie Ireland, Sylvia Saint (Czech) and Isis Nile under contract. He now has dozens of Russian girls under contract through his St. Petersburg modeling agency (SPB). "Since the fall [of communism], they all need money. They'll do whatever it takes."

On 8/25/98, Katz said "I don't think anyone else is shooting in Russia. It's very difficult to…"

Luke: "Dangerous [mafia]."

Alex: "You said it. I didn't."

"It's not illegal to shoot pornography in outlying areas of Russia, but in many of these areas you can't release anything harder than a softcore version.

"America is the only place in the world where, for selling a porno tape, your loved ones, your peers and your family may forget you. You can be exiled from polite society. While for killing a man, you can live happily ever after, not only in Brentwood. But still, you can make lots of money [in porn]."

For the first two editions of his "Russian Model Magazine" video series, Katz used girls brought to him by Moscow talent agent Leonid Perlin. In September, Alex releases the third volume. "We also plan later this year upscale large budget feature productions in Russia.

"We don't just shoot simple scenes with Russian girls and present them to the market, 'there's a Russian girl.' Who'd believe you in today's market if you said someone was a Martian, they truly are, unless you film them in Mars, speaking Martian… Unless that Martian takes it in the ass in a special way."

After receiving a legal threat from a law firm representing Zorro Productions, Katz took his In-X-Cess movie The Erotic Adventures of Zorro off the market.

Katz's biggest movies include Hamlet, Marquis de Sade, Sexy Killer with British model Sarah Young, Magnificent Seven Girls (which features the debut of Vicca and Nikita), Betty Blue, and Castle of Lucretia.

Though the box cover for Marquis de Sade says it was directed by Luca Damiano, it was helmed by Joe D'Amato. "Europeans are disorganized with their materials. They could care less about particularity."

Alex says his company and D'Amato have concluded $2 million worth of upcoming productions - Experiences, Hell's Angels, Selen - Queen of the Elephants… "It was shot in Tunisia, Africa with real life animals… She'll be riding them… Selen takes it in the ass with a smile and a breath of fresh air."

D'Amato has shot a 35mm, $500,000 "pirate epic" Treasure Island.

"We're co-producing some movies with Nicholas Moore who made Sexy Killer, Castle of Lucretia and others… Also, Luca Damiano's Lolita and Anastasia. Plenty of anal and production values.

"Frank Thring is doing the Lee Nover ("Some people bend over, but we Lee Nover and give you more") gonzo line for us. He directs the series for Private called Pirate. He travels all over the world, finding girls in France, Germany, Czech Republic, etc…"

In-X-Cess also plans to release further editions of Hawaiin Video Magazine, Japanese Video Magazine… "I've created The Girl Banger, a private nerdy person, Ed Powers style, with Doctor Dick aka Dick Stud Burro."

Alex created this year an upscale gay line called USMALE. In September, it will release The Men of Magnum, a "big budget production… Each box contains a complimentary Magnum condom inside. We're also releasing the first big budget gay movie shot in Russia, An American in Moscow, shot by Russian Andrei Lev. Next, Killer Looks. And in October, our gay movie of the year, a mafia epic (The Underboss) with a cast of 27 directed by Paul Barresi."

In November, Alex will release The Stiletto Connection fetish series helmed by Frank Thring, which will resemble his line Pirate line. First volume will be entitled Stiletto Boots, second Stiletto Tits…

Katz donates a percentage of every gay movie sale to the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and gives away up to 50,000 free condoms a month.

Alex says porn is "a boys club. The FSC is on the right track… This is the only place in the movie industry where an outsider can come in and become immediately successful.

"Years ago you could've called this a mafia controlled business… The government helped it out of that in 1987 when the FBI busted 17-24 manufacturers… This business should've been a closed business and I should not have been in it… But because they [1980s industry leaders] did not control it the way they should've, they destroyed themselves.

"Prices are jumping all over the place. There is significant over-production. Buyers face such a huge selection that they don't know what to do. They often don't go for quality."

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Mike Ross says:

The Adult Entertainment Industry Education Fund today kicked off their coverage of the "Campaign '98," by announcing their SUPPORT for Senator Bill Lockyer's bid for Attorney General and OPPOSED to Assemblywoman Sally Havice's bid for reelection.

"We're providing a service that this industry has never had and is not currently receiving direct access to campaigns," Adult Entertainment Advocate Michael Ross said. "In total, we will be taking over 75 positions on candidates from all political parties recognized by the Secretary of State's Office, creating a website for you to view information about the candidates and reporting on the latest up-to-date Campaign developments as they affect you and your business."

SENATOR BILL LOCKYER - Democrat - SUPPORT

- Strong Supporter of 1st Amendment - Vocal about his support;

- Understands the "industry" and has met with us several times;

- Votes - has voted in our favor. Specifically, Lockyer was opposed to the "juice bar bill" sponsored by Scott Baugh. Lockyer helped kill the bill once with a last minute vote, then forced amendments to this year's bill;

- Over 20 years of Legislative Experience;

- Former Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

· Opponent: David Sterling - Republican

· Current Office: Senator. Was Senate President Pro-Tem\

SACRAMENTO'S ATTACKS NUDITY

... ANY SUGGESTIONS?

For the last few months, Sacramento's Adult Business Community and I have been working with Sacramento's local political community in an effort to fight and/or negotiate a new local zoning ordinance.

During this time, we have done the following:

1) Negotiating with City officials and staff on the proposal;

2) Conducting education seminars with business and talent;

3) Written a model ordinance, supported by local attorneys;

4) Written the outline and compiled the statistics for a secondary effects report in an effort to help defeat the proposal and help other adult businesses in trouble;

5) We have started to prepare a legal case;

6) We are establishing a campaign committee to conduct a local referendum.

7) Made appointments and have met with, City Council members about their positions and areas of interest;

All of this put us in good position, or so we thought. Why?

One of the main sticking points was whether there was or was not going to be a "total ban on nudity."

Last Monday afternoon we got our answer - Total ban on nudity - New York style.

Since I heard the news, we have been scratching our heads wondering if our stance is correct and preparing our organization for battle. However, something is missing and I can't put my finger on it and are thus asking for your suggestions and help. Why? For 2 reasons:

First, we as an industry are on "trial," not just before Sacramento, but the State of California, and to be quite honest, I'm afraid that we will wind up in a worse position than New York unless we work together effectively - (In other words, 2 heads are better than one).

Second, I believe that New York took the wrong approach to their proposal, focusing their attention with just one option - fighting the ordinance in court. I believe in having as many cards in my hand as possible and could sure use additional options/suggestions.

As we all know, California's cities are attacking the industry, especially exotic dance and unless we work together and share information and expertise, we could be making mistakes that cost us. If you have any suggestions, I look forward to your call at (916) 456-7311.