heidi fleiss, the would-be madam of crystal


good evening! last night i watched an amazing documentary that i had to fill everyone in on – heidi fleiss, the would-be madam of crystal – i hope everyone knows who heidi fleiss is…the hollywood madam who once ran a very $uccessful worldwide prostitution ring and then ended up getting busted in the 90s and spent almost three years in prison – then she had all that drama with her loser ex-boyfriend actor tom sizemore who ended up beating her up – this film tells the tale of heidi’s attempt to climb her way back to the top by opening up a ‘stud farm’ (that would service female clientele with twenty guy ‘studs’ on staff) in the middle of the nevada desert (pahrump/crystal) where prostitution is still legal in a few areas – call me crazy but i’ve always had a thing for heidi (i’m totally drawn to messy & tragic figures for some reason…)



right now she’s still in nevada – plans for her new brothel venture have been put on hold (i doubt the ‘stud farm’ will ever be built – sadly i think she’s chasing a pipe dream) and cares for a bunch of exotic & expensive birds (approximately 70) left to heidi by her next door neighbor marianne (an old madam in fact) and also opened up a laundromat called dirty laundry – there’s a number of incredibly bizarre moments (she likes to collect rocks) along with some touching ones (especially with the birds) heidi has a bunch of problems & issues (right now she’s facing drug charges) but i think she is basically a good person and would never harm anyone intentionally – who knows what the next few years will bring ms. fleiss’ way – i do have my fingers crossed for her! i highly recommend watching the film next monday (july 21st) when it airs on HBO as part of its documentary films series – major kudos to directors fenton bailey & randy barbato from world of wonder for crafting such an excellent view into a slice of heidi fleiss‘ oddly fascinating life! popbytes over & out for now…xxoo



HEIDI FLEISS, THE WOULD BE-MADAM OF CRYSTAL chronicles the infamous Hollywood Madam’s attempt to open the first legal brothel for female clients in the tiny desert town of Crystal, Nevada. Leaving behind her glamorous life in LA and the memory of three years in the penitentiary, Heidi soon discovers that she faces a mountain of opposition, including the need to convince local authorities she’s fit to run a brothel despite being a convicted felon. In an unexpected twist, Heidi befriends her next door neighbor, Marianne, a now-destitute and bedridden former Madam who lives alone with a dazzling collection of exotic birds. As Heidi’s problems mount, she finds herself irresistibly drawn into Marianne’s world despite an avowed aversion to emotional attachments. Priding herself on self-sufficiency, Heidi ultimately struggles alone with her inner demons — including a predilection for methamphetamines — as she tries to keep her dream in sight through a combination of grit, humor and sheer perseverance.



About MICHAEL KNUDSEN 5716 Articles
MK (Michael Knudsen) first started PopBytes back in September of 2003—while trying to make a website for his design portfolio, the site quickly turned into one of the premiere online destinations for all things pop culture! A native New Yorker, he currently resides in Los Angeles with his partner Ivan along with four dogs, four cats and two parrots. Follow him on Twitter @PopBytes.