A few months back, John David (photo) took the title of International Mr. Bear at IBR hosted by the Bears of San Francisco. This seriously handsome hunk sent in a few words of what he's been up to and what's up and coming for him. From John:

"Hey guys, just a note from the International Mr. Bear front. I have been very busy with several fund raising events in several different states. I have been working closely with the Imperial Court of Kentucky raising money for local charities and was named Leather Daddy of the Year by the court a few weeks ago. With the help of my Bear brothers we have built from the ground up 3 new Bear events one of which will be the first Mr. Virginia Bear/Cub contest in Virginia Beach at The In-Between on July 10th & 11th, and I am in the early stages of planning an appearance at Bear Pride, Cologne, Germany in November. With all of this the focus has to be raising awareness and funds for our charities. In a small city like Lexington, Kentucky that can be a challenge, however, all of the events I have gone to so far have displayed a great willingness to reach out to their communities and do their part and no effort can be too small, every little bit helps".

Joe Mannetti aka Joe Falconi (articles - profile) has been seriously busy within the Bear and Gay community of late, it's almost kinda hard just to keep up with him. And all the while he's running around gathering funds for charities, he's also been winning a lot of Bear titles.

The following is from Joe: "I cannot believe that I won the Mr. International Daddy Bear 2009 title! A big thank you to all the great men that were a part of 'Team Bear' (website - articles) that weekend! The Bears of San Francisco (BOSF) selected the best organizations as the beneficiaries this year. The Transgender Law Center, Positive Resource Center, and the International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission represent the diversity in our LGBT communities beautifully. BOSF proved that their city is still 'the progressive city' by choosing them as the recipients for the funds that were raised at IBR.
 
I have never been more proud to work side by side with a more caring and attractive group of individuals in a more wonderful city. Thank you for letting me be a part of your family, and thank you for offering me the chance to give back to our communities. Please, let me know what I can do to help out in any way, and I will do my best to be there for you.

In other news - John Clifton has graciously offered to hold a champagne reception at Pistons in Long Beach on Saturday, February 28th to welcome me back to LA! You are all welcome, and I would love to celebrate with you there! I would also like to give a heads up that a documentary film-maker named Julian Dahl will be present and filming there that evening. Be ready to volunteer to be a part of a documentary titled 'HEAVY' that he is filming that evening if he chooses to shoot you, and you are willing to be a part of it! The documentary is about larger sized people in the community. But it is also about diversity, acceptance, and support for others who do not fit certain stereotypical standards of beauty".

Click here for some recent photos of Joe.

Last weekend was IBR ~ International Bear Rendezvous ~ a major event in California hosted by the San Franciscan Bears. It's a full week full of gorgeous Bear men. There's also a ton of events one can participate in, tons of parties to attend, tons of bars and dances, tons of vendors, and then there's the big Mr. IBR contest. With IBR, they have 4 titles and here are the winners from this year's contest:

"From top-left going clockwise that’s Mr. International Bear 2009, John David Elam from Lexington, Kentucky; Mr. International Grizzly Bear 2009, Barry Welch from Madera, California; Mr. International Cub 2009, Jose Ignacio Zurbano from Sevilla, Spain; and Mr. International Daddy Bear 2009 Joe Manetti from Toluca Lake, California" (photo & credits to Bearotic).

Open 'er up and take a look under the hood... whaddya find...? That IBR is just around the corner. International Bear Rendezvous is hosted by the Bears of San Francisco and it's all happening from February 12th thru the 16th. This year's theme is 'Mechanics - Bears under the Hood'.

From their site: "The event fosters a sense of community among participants while at the same time raising money for agencies serving the gay and HIV communities at the local, state, and national level. Fundraising is accomplished primarily through raffles, auctions, and direct donations from participants and the community. Since the first Rendezvous in 1995, the net proceeds have resulted in donations totaling over $435,000 to many non-profit organizations".

Can you tell me what you're looking at...? That's the very 1st cover of the very first BEAR magazine (full cover) which was published back in '87. Were you ever curious as to what those early BEAR rags looked like? Well you'll soon be able to see all the back issues online. Bear Fund is working right now on posting the complete archives ~ issues #1 thru #64. All the proceeds will benefit the Bear community through the Bear Fund and the Bears of San Francisco.

A little Bearish history lesson: Richard Bulger and Chris Nelson started the mag back in '87 as a photo-copied flyer. As the magazine grew in popularity, they decided to 'inc' it and they formed Brush Creek Media (archived website) as well as grab the brand name 'BEAR' as a registered trademark.

In '94, they sold the company to BearDog Hoffman who at decided to expand Brush Creek into several 'special-interest' mags (such as 'International Leatherman', 'Hombres Latinos', 'Foreskin Quarterly' to name a few). However, by '00 the company was having financial issues and by '02, BearDog had run the company into the ground. This forced Brush Creek to go bankrupt.

For years the brand name 'BEAR' was actually up for grabs, and either nobody knew about it or nobody actually cared. It wasn't until '06 when Butch Media Ltd of Las Vegas, a creditor's of Brush Creek, decided to go court and they were judicially assigned the name BEAR. Since then, Butch Media has formed Bear Omnimedia and has already published their very 1st BEAR Magazine ~ issue #65, with issue #66 slated for the winter '09 (website - interview - profile).

Once they acquired the BEAR name, they also acquired all the back issues (1 thru 64) as well as the videos. After speaking with the guys at Bear Omnimedia, they told me that they might put up a pay section for guys to view the back issues and whatever proceeds they make from doing this, it will to be benefit charitable groups.

So there's your Bear history lesson for today. Keep an eye out on the Bear Fund website, and we'll be sure to let you know here at PlanetBears when you can start perusing them very 1st BEAR issues... 'cause it's real important to know where your Bear roots come from, and what better way than to look at naked photos of Bearish men (some sources from Wikipedia's article on BEAR Magazine).

If you ever plan to head on over to San Francisco, there's certain things you must do. Take a picture of yourself on the corner of Haight & Ashbury, walk the Golden Gate bridge, hang out with the Bears of San Francisco at the Lone Star Saloon, and on Friday night, play bingo with The Sisters of Perpertual Indulgence.

The sisters work very closely with the Bear community in San Francisco and for IBR they are managing 2 fundraisers. Visit their site to learn more about these hairy nuns and find out what's on their upcoming schedule of angelic good deeds.

It's time to get busy and register with IBR - International Bear Rendezvous, with only a couple of months left until the event happens (February 14th thru the 18th). The following update from the Bears of San Francisco should be reason enough to get your registration in soon: "on behalf of the IBR 2008 Coordinators and planning committee, we'd like to cordially invite you to International Bear Rendezvous 2008. While there's plenty of time until the event, we'd like to let you know of some reasons to register as soon as possible: IBR has registered 75% of our capacity on Gold and Platinum packages. The Host Hotel is similarly booked . 'An Evening With Kathy Griffin' at the Castro Theatre is 57% booked after just 12 days of public sale. This is planned to be filmed for Kathy's Emmy award-winning Bravo reality show! Some optional events are at or over 50% of their capacity quickly, such as the new Napa Valley Wine Experience, SF Bus Tour, Beach Blanket Babylon".

The Bears of San Francisco have been doing their best to keep their well kept secret concerning their 'special' guest that will be putting on a show during IBR (articles). The guest is the well known comedian Kathy Griffin (website). IBR will be taking place in San Francisco, CA from February 14th thru the 18th. It's just shy 2 months away so it's best to get your registration in soon which you can order online from their site.

Press Release from the Bears of San Francisco - International Bear Rendezvous '08 registration is open, and that means it's time to visit our website to register for IBR! While it's many months away, there are a limited number of packages available.

This is our 14th year. The event will take place on President's Day Weekend - February 14th thru the 18th (yes, it starts with Valentine's day this year - awww!).

This year the theme is Bear Patrol - Bears in Uniform. We are celebrating those who are uniformed and/or badge-wearing. There will be plenty of opportunities to break out that fireman, security guard, and cub scout uniforms.

If you're interested in donating something for IBR's silent or live auctions, or would like to become a contestant, vendor, advertiser, sponsor, or partner, please feel free to use the downloadable forms on our website. If your Bear organization would like to host a free Club Day table, and/or be willing to staff a block-hour shift at our Hospitality Suite/bar, please let us know!

Press Release - "Bears of San Francisco and The Complete Bear have officially kicked off a Bear drive aimed at the local Bear and GLBT community. Teddy bears collected will be donated to the SFFD Toys for Tots program benefiting needy children in the Bay Area this holiday season.

"To kick of this effort, we are pleased to have 20 Bears donated by the artist, Frisch - website . His generosity and support of the community has consistently proven him to be a leader in the SF Bear community", said Rich Tramontozzi, President of BOSF. The official kick off party of the drive, as well as Frisch's send off to Palm Springs will be held on October 11th at The Lone Star Saloon . "Bring a Bear, have a beer and come toast one of the true great Bears of San Francisco", urged Mike Doherty of The Complete Bear.

Frisch has been drawing cartoons which have published in the community since 1986. Frisch is a cofounder of the 'Bear Expo', 'International Bear Rendezvous' and The Bears of San Francisco'.

Frisch Bears and logos have been imprinted on over 25,000 tshirts, hats and more in the past 20 years. Frisch drawings have raised over $51,000 for charity in the past 20 years.

The Bears of San Francisco and The Complete Bear invite you share in the holiday spirit by donating new, unwrapped teddy bears until December 16th. Bears can be brought to the kick-off event or be dropped off at 2339 3rd Street, Suite 21 San Francisco, CA 94107, from 9AM to 6PM Monday through Friday".

Read more interesting articles of at Chewin' The Fat - latest issue.

First off, the Bears of San Francisco have redesigned their site. Very snazzy, have a look. Now here are some upcoming events they are planning. On September 18th they are having an after work social, shopping event and dinner, then on the 24th, it's off to the gym. From BOSF: "The staff of the Human Rights Campaign store (Castro & 19th St) are having a special appreciation shopping event for BOSF members. As a kickoff for extending an on-going 10% discount for BOSF members, they will have a private, 10% off shopping event just for BOSF, with a special thank-you gift for making purchases at the event. We will also be treated to a mini-beer bust at the store, so come thirsty! Bring your BOSF membership card, and if you are not a member (or need to renew), we will have membership forms available! We will be going from this event to our BOSF September Dinner Night at The Fire Wood Cafe right afterward!

Check out HRC's website to find out more about The Human Rights Campaign, the largest national gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender advocacy organization, which envisions an America where GLBT people are ensured of their basic equal rights, and can be open, honest and safe at home, at work and in the community. HRC has close to 600,000 members all committed to making this vision of equality a reality.

Them on September 24th, Bears pumping Iron. Come get of your lazy chair and get out all your work frustrations at Bears at the Gym night in the Castro".

If your Bear group has activities, email them in or use the Submit News form and we'll post it here on PlanetBears and TubeBear.

Bears ~ The Movie (MySpace page - poster) - a documentary by Marc Klasfeld will be showing at the Castro Theatre on June 17th as part of the Frameline festival.

However, there have been some screenings of the film and some reviews have been coming in from some well-respected Bear community members:

"There is a time and place in the development of a community when the true essence and spirit of that community is captured on film. Marc Klasfeld's new and engaging documentary 'Bears' does just that for the expanding Bear Community. Whether you're a Bear yourself, a Bear admirer or just Bear-curious this is the film you don't want to miss in Frameline31" ~ Michael Lumpkin, Frameline Artistic Director.

"The movie 'Bears' goes where no other film has gone before to capture the true essence of the fastest growing part of the Queer community. The film is funny, touching and at times a downright scream! Director Marc Klasfeld gets it right on his depiction of Bears in their natural habitats in addition to the BIG contest finale. If this movie ever opens in West Palm Beach, I am forcing my mother and her mahjong group to see it! Hell, I'll even buy their tickets!" ~ Harry Lit, Castrobear Presents Lazy Bear Weekend - founder and producer.

"Marc Klasfeld's film 'Bears' blissfully captures the playfulness, sexuality, and brotherhood that uniquely binds the Bear community together. As a former BOSF Board and IBR Committee member (but never a contestant) it was a great pleasure and privilege to follow the emotionally diverse journey of six contestants to International Bear Rendezvous 2004. You may already know who wins, but you'll thoroughly enjoy seeing what it takes to win the title International Mr. Bear!" ~ Jeffrey Glover.

"I laughed, I cried, I cringed. An emotional ride to say the least! Very entertaining and very real. And a few surprises for those that know me!" ~ Dave Hayes.

"The movie is entertaining - it's funny, there's some drama, and oh yeah lots of eye candy. Lots. And hell, I'll take this film over Ms. Congeniality any day of the week!" ~ Kevin Murphy.

As well, the Bears of San Francisco will have a Beverage Benefit at the Lone Star Saloon on Saturday, June 16th.

The Bears of San Francisco are going to be at the premiere screening of Bears ~ The movie (poster), a documentary which is playing in the San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival known as Frameline (more here) which is taking place on June 17th.

More info about the movie can be found here on their MySpace page, but here is a description from the net: "Take 'Spellbound', the documentary about kids preparing for and competing in the National Spelling Bee, repopulate it with large, hairy gay men selling long strips of raffle tickets using the 'boots to balls' method, and you’ve got Bears. Director Marc Klasfeld jumps from the world of music videos - where he worked with musicians such as Beyoncé and Eminem - to follow seven contestants as they prepare for the Mr. International Bear Contest, held in San Francisco each February.

The action kicks off with a look back at the first IBR contest held in 1992, with John Caldera, the contest’s first winner, describing the rise of Bear culture to the newbies in the audience. Then let’s meet our fine contestants: from wide-eyed Mr. Kentucky Bear to PR-savvy Mr. So Cal Bear, from bagpiping Mr. New York Bear to our own Dave Hayes, Mr. San Francisco Bear.

The contestants quickly get to work meeting and greeting the thousands of Bears converging on San Francisco, hoping to get their support and their vote. Who will be the crowd favorite? Is Mr. So Cal Bear campaigning too hard? What is 'boots to balls'? And the big question: Who will be the next Mr. International Bear? Whether you're a Bear yourself, a Bear chaser or just Bear-curious, Bears is a fabulous introduction to this vibrant subculture".

The Bears of San Francisco - the gents who run IBR every year, have raised a ton of money for charity. These guys should aspire anyone to start up their own Bear group in whatever part of the world you live in.

The following is from Richard Tramontozzi, prez of BOSF: "It is my pleasure to announce that IBR 2007 has awarded to our IBR Beneficiaries $33,000! Our 3 beneficiaries were blown away by their $11,000 checks. This is an all-time IBR record, and BOSF was also able to raise a record $51,000 for our fiscal year, due to a combination of favorable weather, our hard-working volunteers, and our partners. We think that it's important that you know that most of this money, minus a very low operating cost, has been given out to our selected non-profit organizations. We had a special BOSF Check Distribution 2 weeks ago and gave out $10,500 in grants to selected non-profits in the Bay Area".

Head on over to their website to see pics in their gallery section and videos as well as info to join their group.

First off, if you have any club news you'd like to share, send it in and we'll post it here on PlanetBears.

Now the following is from the Bears of San Francisco: "It's time again from the 2006-07 BOSF Board of Directors. We'd like to invite you to consider applying as a candidate for the Board of the Bears of San Francisco. To help you in deciding if you would like to be a candidate for this year's election, we'd like to give a brief description of the general Board member responsibilities, and specific Board Chair duties. If you have talents in these areas, we'd especially like you to consider applying as a candidate".

Do you think the Bears of San Francisco would take a break after hosting their world renowned IBR event? But of course not. First off they have an IBR 2007 Survey they hope those who attended IBR will fill out. From BOSF: "In an effort to get feedback and continually improve IBR, we'd like your responses to our survey questions. Doing so will help us continue to bring you the best possible IBR". As well, head on over to BOSF's photo page and see some new IBR pics.

There's only 10 days left until IBR begins, an event held by the Bears of San Francisco, and they are looking for some more volunteers to help out. From their staff: "We are having a bit of a crunch on the Volunteer Shifts this year. There are still more than 50 open shifts, especially in places like Bus Escorts, Hospitality Suite, Hospitality Den (Bears Den), Decorations (with help schlepping stuff) and the Auction/Breakfast on Monday. And there are a few others in a couple of the areas. If you aren't working a shift we ask for your help. It actually can be a lot of fun and you get to meet a lot of people. And, if you are working a shift, don't forget, every shift gives you another volunteer token. The more tokens you get, the more free stuff you can get in the IBR Store (like tags, hats and t-shirts). Click hereto go to Online Volunteer sign up page".

There's only 22 days left until the Bears of San Francisco kick off IBR the 13th. The following is from Richard Tramontozzi, president of BOSF: "Myself, the IBR Coordinators, and Committee are proud to welcome all of you who registered for IBR 2007 (February 15th - 19th), and invite everyone to enjoy what could be one of our best years ever.  There's been so much enthusiasm with 'IBR the 13th' that we want to encourage you to register early before the end of our online and mail-in registration cut-off, which is next Wednesday, January 31st.  As always, walk-up registration will begin on Friday, February 16th (with cash-only ability starting at noon)."

Aside from their ever popular IBR which will be held in February, the Bears of San Francisco are going to be busy in the next little while. Check out their site for all the details for all their upcoming events but a quick load down of what they plan on doing are; Dinner & Shopping on December 20th, Holiday Toy Drive on December 23rd & 24th and Bearracuda New Year's Eve on December 31st.

The Bears of San Francisco are preparing for their upcoming International Bear Rendezvous entitled IBR the 13th which will be taking place from February 17th thru the 19th, 2007. This is one of the most well known Bear events so if you've never gone to any Bear event in your life, maybe this is a good one to start with.