He’s finally livin’ la vida liberated

Apparently, Ricky Martin just remembered he's gay.

Back in the 2000 days of "Livin' la Vida Loca," he told Plus 7 Days magazine: "I love women and sex. I am a real hot-blooded Puerto Rican but have never been attracted by sex with a man." He flat-out told a newspaper, "I'm not gay."

Imagine my surprise when on Monday he wrote on his Web site, "I am a fortunate homosexual man." What is "fortunate" a euphemism for, hmmm?

I kid Ricky for leaving the closet at age 38, long after he's made millions as a chest-thumping pretend-hetero. But I wish him well.

To the closets I know of in Vegas, please follow suit soon. I know it's hard, but try to be true to who you are and trust in us not to give a rat's ass.

BURLESQUE STAR going 'Racy'

If you recall, last year, I was one of the people encouraging Carmen Electra to go nude or nearly nude when she guest starred in MGM's pretty "Crazy Horse Paris." She was reluctant to do so at first. But come on, it's a nude revue.

Starting Wednesday (through April 7), burlesque star and fetish model Dita Von Teese, 37, guest stars in "Crazy Horse Paris," debuting a new dance and adding a twist to her bathtub routine.

And Von Teese, who dances often at Paris' original "Crazy Horse," doesn't need persuading to disrobe.

"I don't think anybody's ever accused me of not being racy enough in my show," she tells me.

While performing at France's "Crazy Horse," she has found that mothers sometimes take teen boys to the "sophisticated, elegant, sexy" show, to break in those boys' curious eyes.

"A lot of men I know in Paris, it's sort of a rite of passage, where their parents would take them to the 'Crazy Horse' to see their first nude girl. You could go to the 'Crazy Horse' when you were 16 years old," Von Teese says. "It's not wrong or dirty."

Ah, France. Why was I not born in you?

In my blog today, Von Teese talks about her fetish past and present.

RIP, JIM

Rock photographer Jim Marshall died in his sleep while on a promotional tour for his work. Last year, he and I drank Jack and Coke, and he told me about the time he gave coke to the Allman Brothers to coax them into shooting the album cover for "At Fillmore East."

"I got them to smile because I had the only cocaine in Macon, Ga.," Marshall told me. "Is this gonna be for publication? Ah, (expletive) it.

"It's 40 years ago. I had the only coke in Macon, Ga. We're doing a group shot for the 'Fillmore East' album cover. I say, 'Hey guys, give me a (expletive) smiling shot, or I'm not gonna put out any coke.' And that was it. So Duane goes, 'On three, guys.' "

Marshall shot the last Beatles concert and the iconic Johnny Cash frame where Cash is flipping him the bird. As I wrote a year ago: "Marshall caught Bob Dylan smoking in an alley with Allen Ginsberg, Miles Davis stalking a boxing ring, Janis Joplin cradling Southern Comfort, Mick Jagger hugging Jack Daniels, Jimi Hendrix soloing at Monterey, Jerry Garcia lounging at Woodstock."

I've posted that interview on my blog.

SIGHTINGS

John Cusack went to "Boxing After Dark" at the Hard Rock on Saturday night, while incognito (sunglasses, hat, jeans and an Army green jacket) and hanging with two dudes. Then he took two friends to Lavo Italian restaurant Sunday and chowed on Kobe meatballs and crispy chicken dominic, while the restaurant charged his mobile phone. Also eating at Lavo on Sunday: rapper Younger Jeezy with a lady in a corner booth and a bottle of Dom Perignon and plates of seafood.

Doug Elfman's column appears on Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays. E-mail delfman@reviewjournal.com. He also blogs at reviewjournal.com/elfman.