Hollywood has a love affair with hookers.  From the gritty performance of Jodie Foster as a teen prostitute in Taxi Driver, to every hooker’s fantasy of Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, Hollywood has painted the prostitute in a flattering glow of the red light district.

For example, Pretty Woman was originally supposed to be a rough tale of a Hollywood hooker.  Instead, thanks to the charm of sitcom master Garry Marshall and the megawatt smile of Julia Roberts, the film became a Cinderella tale of life on the streets.  Now prostitutes everywhere dream of being swept away by a handsome billionaire tycoon like Richard Gere.  Because we know that happens every day!

Entertainment Weekly has chronicled this decades-long love affair with a look at 25 Hollywood Hookers.

Even as a little girl, Amanda Brooks dreamed of someday becoming a prostitute.  “When I was in fourth grade, it sounded like a good idea for me.  To me it sounded like a really interesting way to make a living and not having to follow other peoples’ rules,” she said. 

Brooks grew up in a small town in Texas, graduated college with a dual-degree in English and photography, and got her first job in a strip club as a waitress.  It wasn’t long before she graduated again, this time to stripping, which she did for four years.  Then at age 26, she decided to become a professional escort. 

But instead of walking the streets and having to worry about pimps, drugs and muggings, Brooks chose to go into business on her own on the Internet.  She worked for 2-1/2 years, made a lot of money, and retired at 29.  Now she has published the Internet Escort’s Handbook series for aspiring call girls everywhere.

Volume 1 “The Foundation” covers “basic mental, emotional and physical considerations in escort work”.  Volume 2 “Advertising and Marketing” provides tips on how to set up a Web site and advertise online.  “When I began working I had a lot of questions and there wasn’t really any way to find out answers.  I did what they always tell authors to do: I wrote the books that I wished I had been able to read,” she said.

Brooks says her lifestyle as an escort suited her perfectly.  “How did I feel working as an escort?  Happy, satisfied, in control of my life; wealthy, healthy, at peace with myself, free, successful and I slept like a baby every night.”

More at FoxNews

In light of Eliot Spitzer’s recent announcement that he was involved in a prostitution ring, the Huffington Post put together a handy list of everything you need to know about the world’s oldest profession.

They define prostitution as “the act or practice of engaging in sexual intercourse for money.”  Statistics show that one in three men will hire a prostitute at some point in their lives.  Apparently fellatio is the key reason why men seek prostitutes and is the most common sexual act that prostitutes perform.

So why do men hire prostitutes when they can get sex from their wives for free?  Over time, marriages become centered around children and finance.  Prostitutes provide men (and some women!) with sexual satisfaction and an intimate experience they can’t get in their conventional relationship.

Prostitution: A User’s Manual