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| November 29, 2002
Mound House brothel featured in HBO
special
The Moonlite Bunnyranch in Mound House
will be featured in an HBO special immediately following the
season finale of "The Sopranos" on Dec. 8.
"When most
people think of a prostitute, they imagine an underage, ethnic
girl in a short skirt with a crack pipe on the street corner,"
said Bunny Ranch owner Dennis Hof. "We want to change that
myth."
The documentary-style show, called "Cathouse,"
shows the inner workings of the brothel in a reality-show
format. Producers used hidden cameras then asked for
permission from those photographed before the tapes were
watched, Hof said.
"We're going to expose the world to
what actually transpires in a cathouse," said Hof, who expects
as many as 20 million viewers to watch the HBO show.
Of
the 45 people captured on the hidden cameras and asked to be
featured on the show, 40 agreed and signed a release. "That
just goes to show that the Bunnyranch is now mainstream," said
Hof. "It is an acceptable form of entertainment that is
needed."
With the show, which could be made into a
series, Hof hopes to further the cause of legalized
prostitution across the nation.
"When I moved to
Nevada, gambling was dirty," he said. "It was a nasty little
business. Now they have sanitized that vice, and that's what
we're doing with prostitution because it's the right thing to
do and it has to be done."
Hof said he feels the best
solution to the problems associated with street-corner
prostitution -- exploitation of woman and rampant spread of
disease -- is legalization.
He also said he feels his
"working ladies" are unfairly grouped with those who work the
street.
"Look at Sunset Thomas, she's the publisher of
Cheri Magazine," said Hof of his girlfriend. "She's making a
six-figure income. These are businesswomen."
Hof said,
"It's like a highly motivated commission sales team." The
girls set their own rates and split earnings 50-50 with the
house, he said.
He's also eager to illustrate what kind
of customers do business at his brothel. "They're not Johns or
tricks -- they're clients or customers," said Hof. One
customer featured in "Cathouse" is a 22-year-old man brought
in by his mother to lose his virginity.
Next week Hof
will be in New York City speaking on several television shows
about the special, including "Geraldo Rivera," "The O'Reilly
Factor," "Entertainment Tonight" and "Connie Chung and The
View."
"These are credible shows -- this isn't
'Hardcopy' crap," said Hof.
Hof, who figures the
coverage on HBO will lead to increased business, is looking
for a way to give back to the community. He has donated to the
Lyon County Library and was instrumental in getting HBO to
donate to the library.
"The police cars wouldn't be in
the county if it weren't for the cathouses," he
said.
IF YOU WATCH
What: HBO special
"Cathouse" filmed at the Moonlite Bunnyranch in Mound
House
When: Dec. 8 following "The Sopranos" at 10
p.m.
Where: HBO pay channel
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