Gender-bending 80s singer and DJ Boy George, 47, was denied a visa to the US as he awaits trial in England. George planned to tour the US this summer and will have to stay put in the UK instead. George has been denied a visa due to a pending trial for false imprisonment charges.

In April, 2007 Norwegian prostitute Auden Carlson, 28, met George on Gaydar.com and agreed to come over to his London place to pose for erotic photos at a rate of $800. Carlson says that George and another guy took photos of him in fetish gear, and when the other guy left George handcuffed him to a hook on the wall, menacingly brandished sex toys and said “now you’ll get what you deserve.” Carlson escaped and called the cops, and it’s unclear if he got what George said he deserved, if he escaped unscathed, and/or if he got the cash he was promised for the photo session.

George will be tried for that case in Britain on November 22. He also has a criminal record in the states after he pled guilty to cocaine possession in NY. Police found 13 bags of the stuff when responding to a burglary call at his place in October, 2005. George said the drugs weren’t his and that a lot of people were in and out of his apartment, but he eventually copped a plea in exchange for community service and a stint in rehab.

Now he’s talking about his inability to enter the US and perform. The flamboyant singer appeared on The Today Show this morning wearing a bright red hat with green applique bugs and full makeup including shimmering green eyeshadow, bronze lipstick and giant penciled-on eyebrows.

Here’s a partial transcript of George’s appearance on the Today Show this morning.

Meredith Viera: “24 concert dates starting today, you’ve got to be frustrated, being denied this visa.”

Boy George: “I’m feeling very upbeat at the moment. Yes it’s disappointing because of the fans. A lot of people have bought airline tickets, so I’m disappointed for them, but it doesn’t happen it will happen in the new year…

I will come back… but I’d love to come now obviously.”

Boy George: I got “so much love” during community service in America
George confirmed to Meredith that he won’t be able to come to the US until he’s faced trial in the UK, and mentioned his community service, saying “I came and swept the streets of New York and did a great job, and as far as my problems in America are concerned I feel like I did a great job… paid my dues.”

George spoke of the love he received from the people who saw him pushing a broom, saying “When I came to my community service I got so much love everyday… apart from the press thing… I was surprised by how much affection I received… I didn’t feel humiliated I thought it was a great experience.”

Meredith Viera asked him if he’s angry that he’s being accused of false imprisonment and he said “Anger.. what good is that going to do me?”

George says he’s touring in the UK in October and there’s no reason to get upset because he doesn’t have a visa.

Boy George: “The happiest I’ve ever been”
Meredith asked him about a recent statement on his website that he’s happy and getting his life together and George said “I’m sober, I’ve put my head back on the right way… I’m the happiest I’ve been possibly in a long time.”

George said he’s not going to get upset or “have a hissy fit” and that “there’s no point.”

Boy George is shown at the opening of the RS Lounge Club on 6/11/08, thanks to WENN.

Once upon a time, Culture Club lead singer Boy George was an openly gay icon in an era where famous people lived double lives, because coming out of the closet would ruin their careers (cough George Michael cough). These days, Boy George, aka George O’Dowd, is more well known as a drug addict who likes to order male prostitutes from the Internet, chain them to a wall and refuse to let them leave. Not exactly helping the gay rights movement there, Georgie boy.

George pled not guilty to false imprisonment charges in a London courtroom today, claiming that the young prostitute, Auden Carlsen, was free to leave his apartment at any time.

Boy George has pleaded not guilty to falsely imprisoning a male escort by chaining him to a wall.

The singer and DJ, whose real name is George O’Dowd, is also accused of assaulting Audun Carlsen during the alleged incident on 28 April last year.

Prosecutors claim the 46-year-old former Culture Club frontman chained Mr Carlsen up at his home in Ravey Street, Hackney, east London.

He was released on bail until a trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court in November.

[From BBC News via DListed]<

No word yet on how George and his attorney will attempt to explain away the whole "chained to the wall" thing.

After Culture Club broke up in the 80s, George became addicted to heroin and nearly died. In 2002, he attempted to revive his career by appearing in a musical on London's West End called "Taboo." The show ran for two years and was a success in the UK, but a Broadway version produced by Rosie O'Donnell didn't fare as well. The US "Taboo" received abysmal reviews and closed after 100 shows. George now works as a DJ, and toured throughout the world last year. At least he has some money coming in to feed his need for sadistic sex acts with male prostitutes.

Boy George is shown outside of court on 11/22/07, thanks to PRPhotos.

Remember last April when Boy George tried to have his way with a male prostitute? Yeah I know you’ve blocked it out of your mind and tried to plunge it into the deepest recesses of your psyche, but there it is. Boy George and a friend found a male prostitute on Gaydar.com, got the guy to go back to George’s place, then chained him up. The petrified prostitute (that’s my favorite alliteration EVER) managed to break free and run to the police station. I have this image of a man running through the streets of London wearing only a leather harness and dragging chains behind him. Okay, now try to plunge that image into the deepest recesses of your psyche.

George has now been charged with false imprisonment.

Boy George was charged Tuesday with falsely imprisoning a 28-year-old man, the Associated Press reports. The Culture Club singer, 47, was arrested in May after allegedly chaining a Norwegian male escort to a wall in his London flat.

Auden Carlsen told London’s Daily Mail that he met Boy George on the website Gaydar and agreed to go back to his flat to take photographs. Carlsen claimed that George then pulled out a box of whips and sex toys and told him, “Now you’ll get what you deserve,” and tied him up.

“I was convinced I was going to die,” Carlsen told the paper. He said he yanked the hook off the wall and fled to the police.

This isn’t Boy George’s first run-in with the law: He was ordered to sweep the streets of NYC as part of his community service after pleading guilty to falsely reporting a burglary at his NYC pad. Police found cocaine instead. Boy George is due in court in London November 22.

[From Us Weekly]

I wonder how Boy George will plea. You would think he’d want this to go away as quickly and as quietly as possible. If he pleas, he could probably avoid jail time… and I’m guessing going to jail on a charge like this wouldn’t be pretty. Although considering the kind of stuff Boy George is into, it might be just what he wants. I have no idea if that joke even applies to British jails. Somehow I imagine the inmates are more polite and drink tea with their pinkies in the air. But something tells me there will be less of that and more “beating the crap out of the guy who got ‘Karma Chameleon’ stuck into our heads for nine years.” And now it’s stuck in my head again. Damn it.

Picture note by Jaybird: Here’s a photo of the male prostitute, Auden Carlsen. I don’t know why George would think he couldn’t get a guy like that without paying him.

I can’t really tell what Boy George or the hecklers are saying as it’s kind of muffled and everything George is shouting back gets beeped out, but he was obviously mighty pissed off at some kids shouting homophobic insults at him during this ITN interview. [via]

Update: Thanks to Glitterati for the details of the interview:

Boy George looks haggard as he heads to New York Criminal Court to face drug charges. Police found 13 bags of cocaine in George’s apartment after responding to a burglary call in October, 2005. George initially claimed the drugs weren’t his and that lots of people were in and out of his apartment.

Today George pled guilty though, and charges were dropped on the condition that George enters rehab and does some community service:

Here are pictures of George outside the courtroom. Three more after the jump.

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