His real name is Joe Mannetti however many of you know him as Joe Falconi (photo - courtesy of Lee Friend of Talk Magazine) . He has been the heartthrob to many a Bear lover as he's appeared in quite a few photo shoots, magazines and Bear movies. You might even remember seeing him for a few seconds on Conan O'Brien (altho much to the dislike of CyberBears).

Well Joe has been a very busy Bear of late, especially with the ton of work he puts into the GLBT community. You should check out this article on The Complete Bear (website - profile) to see all the things he has been up as well as all the things he'll be doing.

Oh - he also just won the Mr. Los Angeles Bear '08 title held by BearsLA at Oil Can Harry's last September 13th. A huge congratulations goes to him.

On a personal note, I have always found Joe super duper cute ever since I first saw his photos on BearBound (preview pics of Joe - articles - profile). There's something about him that just captures your eye... and keeps it focused on him. I'm sure we'll be hearing more from him in the upcoming future.

Over at our VOD page (Video on Demand with PPVNetworks), they have added some old BearFilms favourites however they have been redigitized, these being 'Woof!' and 'California Bears'.

"Woof! - Announcing our brand-spanking-new video, fresh from the guys at BearFilms. Woof! is nearly 2 hours of steamy sex with 13 hot Bears and Cubs! Redigitzed for optimal playback! And 'California Bears' - we've got over two hours as well of sweaty Bears getting it on at the Lone Star in San Francisco and all over LA. These frisky husky hunks sure had a good time and we know you will too! Redigitized as well".

"The revival of BEAR Magazine (website - profile) is upon us! Come down to the Eagle LA (website) on August 29th to celebrate the rebirth, along with the release of 3 classic Jack Radcliffe movies on DVD for the first time ever! Those movies are: 'Palm Springs Vacation', 'Leather Bears at Play' and 'Big Bear Trucking Co'. Not only will participants receive a free issue of the new issue #65 and a BEAR bumper sticker (while supplies last), the man himself Jack Radcliffe will be available to sign copies and photos! This is a rare opportunity since Jack Radcliffe has been formally retired from the adult industry for the past several years! BEAR movies and gifts will also be raffled off to lucky winners!".

Team Bear has added a new look to their website. They have added more photos to their gallery and there's a new discussion forum as well. They have also raised a ton of dough for the San Francisco AIDS foundation - 145k.

"Team Bear is a community project of PrideWorks, a San Francisco-based non profit organization. PrideWorks absorbs administrative, marketing and development costs so that 100% of all net proceeds raised by Team Bear goes to AIDS LifeCycle, benefitting the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the Gay & Lesbian Center of Los Angeles".

In other news, they need volunteers for the Hairrison. "Several fundraising efforts for Team Bear will take place over the Labor Day Weekend during Hairrison Street Fair this year. We need volunteers 1) to staff the Team Bear Beverage Tent (selling drinks during the fair), 2) to act as bar managers for other Beverage Tents, 3) to sell Bear Tags, and 4) to help out at fundraisers that week".

There's a bit of news to share from artist Danny Babineaux. First off, he's updated his site Danny Boy Studio with some new drawings since the last time we've mentioned his work on this site (articles). He's also been selling his stuff internationally and he ships all his work all over the world. He has a new mailing list that is growing and he sends out images of his newest works. Just email him to join. He has also recently painted a picture of Kathy Griffin, gave it to her and she signed it and had it auctioned at an AIDS event in Los Angeles.

A must see for anyone who enjoys the look of a Bearish man is the Art by Minoru. His work kind of makes me think of how Michelangelo would have drawn Bears if he were alive today... then again... Minoru has his own very distinct style, especially when it comes to detailing faces. There are several Bearish guys I recognize that he has drawn which makes it all that more exciting to view his work. Prints are available of his work, all you have to do is email him.

Here's a little bit about Minoru, from his site: "Minoru was born in Shimonoseki City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. He attended Asia University in Tokyo and received his Bachelor's Degree in Business. He also attended the Bunka Fashion Academy in Tokyo where he studied Fashion Design as well as Fashion Illustration. He worked in the fashion industry in Japan until 1979 when he moved to Los Angeles.

Minoru has taken various life drawing classes at East Los Angeles College, Pasadena City College and finally Glendale Community College. Also while at Glendale Community College, he also took classes in illustration, oil painting, water color and print making. He has been given various First Place awards at student art shows for his works in life drawing, water color and print making. Currently, he lives in Burbank, California.

Minoru's unique style shows in all his work from his erotic pieces to his non-erotic fine art. For more than six years, rarely has a day gone by that he has not worked on his drawings. When you see the detail in his work, you'll no doubt agree it has been time well spent".

The following is from SeventyOne Productions: "My name is Jina Park and I am a Freelance Producer in San Francisco. With the ad agency GSW Worldwide and the photographer Robert Mizono, we are working on a campaign for the pharmaceutical company Roche Fuzeon/Invirase and we are looking to find a 'Bear' talent who is HIV positive for their ad campaign. It will shoot on Thursday, November 29th. We are working with the Morgan Agency in Los Angeles to find HIV positive talent but the choices for individuals who are 'Bears' and HIV+ are slim. We are looking for a Caucasian in the age range of mid 40s. We would need to see a current pic, face and body. The rate we can pay for talent is $3500. The usage is for 3 years, US only, all pharmaceutical industry trade uses (print, collateral, trade show and display, web and electronic uses). He will need to be held exclusive to the HIV treatment product category so we're sure he doesn't pose for any other HIV jobs while we're licensing his photo".

The following was sent in by BearFilms (click here to see the preview pics): "You can still hear the trace of an accent when Marco Vee opens his sexy mouth to speak. But Los Angeles is now home for this 26-year-old transplant from Eastern Europe. Marco now works at a local bank and at the Faultline Bar but has always wondered about trying his hand at porn.

Marco showed up for the shoot at a home in the Hollywood Hills with a bag of clothes and a little bit of nervousness. He soon relaxed as the camera captured his beefy, hairy Cub body and sensuous smile. Then he slipped into the tub and let the arm water soak his stiff cock and tight ass.

Marco says he loves hung muscle Bears and daddy Bears, especially the hairy ones. So if you fit the bill, this cute Cub could be looking for you".

From the Bears on the Run site: "Over the last few years, outlets like Bear Radio Network, Bearapalooza and Woobie Bear Music, along with a host of supportive Bear runs, bars and podcasts, have given Bear musicians, songwriters and performers a place to share their talents. This fall, 6 performers will head out in a van for the 1st ever Bear tour which will span 12 cities and 7 states including Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri and Oklahoma.

The tour is called Bears on the Run and showcases the talents of Bobaloo (a comedian from Los Angeles, CA - TubeBear profile), Kendall (a songwriter and performance artist from Buffalo, NY), Matthew Temple (a folk singer/songwriter from Nashville, TN), Nakia (a Blues singer/songwriter from Austin, TX), Elijah Black (a rock singer and songwriter from Akron, OH) and Shannon Grady (a singer and songwriter from Minneapolis, MN). Along for the ride will be two videographers who will capture performances as well as life backstage and on the road to be edited into a documentary.

The tour's founder Shannon Grady (a singer and co-host of the popular podcast bTALK) hopes that the tour will grow and open up doors for other Bear artists and find new audiences for their work".

Maximus is a social event for cigar smokers that are beefy, real and raunchy from Bears to Leather men. Maximus was created by LeatherBear 2002 titleholder Joe Smith and DJ Reed (TubeBear profile).

From their site: "The first Maximus smoker they put together, on September 20th 2003, was such a success - drawing, beyond their wildest expectations, stogie studs and briar brothers from all over the USA - they decided to continue holding smokers on a more-or-less quarterly basis (and then some)".

They have their social gatherings in such areas as Palm Springs, Long Beach and Los Angeles. Check out their calendar for their next upcoming events, and also check out their galleries as well as their great array of flyers. Great site and although I don't smoke, I still have high respect for a man who knows how to smoke a cigar well.

There's new pics to be seen over at ButchBear.com as their newest featured model is Ross Taylor who epitomizes fur, tan, muscles and Daddy. And you can also see Ross Taylor in Butch Bear's latest DVD Tap Out (full cover image here). Here's a description they sent in: "Based on the wrestling entertainment industry, masculine muscle mayhem rules as the men of Muscle Wrestling Entertainment (MWE) thrill a crowd of horny, cigar-smoking tough customers who cheer for these modern-day gladiators in no-holds-barred matches. 'Tap Out' to survive and submit to the aggressive sexual will of the winner. Tap in to the behind-the- scenes, crusty, hard-body action of the MWE, as a shady promoter takes and gets what he deserves".

There are also planning release parties for 'Tap Out' around the country in major cities beginning at the Eagle in June 30th in Los Angeles, CA. Other release parties will happen in NYC, San Francisco, Fort Lauderdale, Atlanta, Dallas, Seattle and Provincetown throughout the summer.

Team Bear ~ (B)ears (E)ngaged (A)gainst (R)etroviruses ~ is a group of men who bike 585 miles in 7 days (June 3rd thru the 9th) beginning their road trip in San Francisco and arriving in Los Angeles in order to raise money as well as awareness for those living with HIV and AIDS. Team Bear has a couple of 'Beer Busts' coming up ~ one on May 12th at the Eagle Tavern and then one on May 26th at the Lone Star. For more info, check out the AIDS LifeCycle site.