Belly Up is out; Taboo is in.

Byline: Serena Markstrom The Register-Guard

For the nightclub that changes names as often as Paris Hilton changes boyfriends, this is a new record.

In November we told you about The Jungle, at 23 W. Sixth Ave., becoming Belly Up. Its new owners spruced up the 700-capacity club and held a grand opening.

But it turns out the name Belly Up isn't up for grabs.

"Negotiations for usage of the name fell through," club co-owner Jeff Gaulton said. In San Diego, a Belly Up Saloon has operated for 30 years.

"It's not a big deal,' Gaulton said. `We've moved on."

They renamed it Taboo and replaced the bubbly Belly Up signs with flaming Taboo ones.

"Everything else is the same," Gaulton said. "The ownership and commitment to doing the best we can is the same."

Since May 2001, the club's name has changed four times, usually corresponding to a change in ownership.

Remember Biagio's? Olympus? The Annex? And of course, The Jungle?

Gaulton worked with both of his two partners, Steve Jaffe and Jeff Lowe, at the Mill Camp in Springfield, which Jaffe and Gaulton operated from 1992 to 1999.

Their company - Jeff, Jeff & Jaff Ent Inc. - has a five-year lease with options for renewal, Gaulton said. Gaulton said he's not concerned about the short tenure of past tenants.

"That's a great location and we're a very strong dedicated ownership group," he said.

After a radio promotion failed to turn up a suitable name, Jaffe came up with the name Taboo.

"Taboo has a lot of hidden meanings," Gaulton said. "We're going to leave that up to your imagination."