Monday, January 30, 2006
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The Adams Report by J.C. Adams
January 30 - February 5, 2006
It was a busy week in GayPornLand, so much so that lots of sizzling scoop is being pushed to next week (that new gay porn scandal hitting the military, agent David Forest's pandering trial), including news about BONESAW from Adonis Pictures—a gay porn spin on the horror film "Saw"—and BI-BACK MOUNTAIN from All Worlds Video. In this week's column, one of our own hits it big (twice!) at the Sundance Film Festival and we bid a sad farewell to performer/director Johnny Rey.
First up from the Dept. of Corrections and Clarifications: Last week I mistakenly referred to Jacob Slader's scorching performance with newbie Joey Jay in Rascal Video's WRONG SIDE OF THE TRACKS (part one) as a full-on hardcore scene. The film's director, Chi Chi LaRue wrote in to clarify: "Jacob and Joey have an all-oral scene in WSOTT, girl!" I also mentioned the all-girl series WHERE THE BOYS AREN'T that Ms. LaRue directs for Vivid Entertainment and managed to get the name of the series wrong at various points. It is definitely WHERE THE BOYS AREN'T (and it's an "all-girl" as opposed to "lesbian" series because straight porn people are weird like that).
And the voting is now closed in the race to determine Best Newcomer and Performer of the Year as determined by readers of "The Adams Report by J.C. Adams." I'll notify the winners this week and announce it publicly in the upcoming column. Many thanks to the hundreds (literally!) of folks who took the time to chime in with their picks. We'll run some of your quotes next week!
JOHNNY REY: 1963-2006
I was able to confirm this week that performer and director Johnny Rey died on January 18th at just 42 years of age. Cancer and various illnesses related to AIDS was the cause. At the time of his death he was living with his family in Pomona, California and they were with him when he died. Mr. Rey's ex-boyfriend Dino Phillips was able to visit with him prior to his passing, and confirmed some of these details.
Dino Phillips tells me Mr. Rey was cremated and that his family is planning a memorial service. "He began having problems with his vision," Mr. Phillips told me, "and so he went to the doctor. They said he had testicular cancer that had metastasized to his lungs—he was a smoker—and to his brain, where lesions formed and caused him to become blind." While in the hospital undergoing tests, he was diagnosed with advanced AIDS.
Mr. Phillips notes that Johnny Rey "had a really hard life" and "burned a lot of bridges," a sentiment echoed by directrix Chi Chi LaRue on her new blog. One of my most vivid memories of Johnny Rey is an hourlong conversation in reviewer Mickey Skee's backyard circa 1998 or thereabouts, wherein Mr. Rey vivisected all of his porn industry enemies (as he perceived them) in colorful detail. His battles with one person or another were legendary, a true sign of a man who lived his life with real passion. That's all water under the bridge, although Mr. Phillips tells me that Mr. Rey had been diagnosed as bipolar, "which explains a lot," he notes.
Despite all of this, Ms. LaRue describes Mr. Rey as "one of the best actors in our biz" and expressed "heartfelt sadness [over] the passing of someone that I was both friends and sometimes enemies with, Mr. Johnny Rey. He was a big part of my life back in the Joey Stefano and Karen Dior days [and] joins a list of people that made a lasting impression on my life and the lives of many others. Johnny will be missed."
Of course, Mr. Stefano and Ms. Dior have also passed on. All of them were a part of the fabled "gay porn brat pack" era (late 1980s through the mid-1990s) I've written about many times, most recently when Ms. Dior died from AIDS complications in August 2004.
Dino Phillips says he and Mr. Rey "parted ways when we moved out of our apartment in Encino two and a half years ago. We saw each other a few times after that when he would come up here to help me out with computer problems. He always seemed to be doing fine. He loved spending time with his family—two nephews and a niece from his sister. He went down to the San Manuel casino practically every weekend to play bingo. When he went into the hospital three weeks before Christmas he called me and said he was dying. I went to visit him a few times and be with his family. [The disease] took him fast and he wasn't suffering for a long period of time. He was unaware of his condition until it was too late."
Gino Colbert directed Johnny Rey in several films, including INSIDE KARL THOMAS (Venus Video, 1994). "I remember that day well," he told me. "This is sad news. He was a nice, genuine guy. He will be missed." I asked Dino Phillips if he would care to share a favorite memory of Johnny Rey with his fans and the readers of this column. He graciously agreed.
"The best thing I can remember from the time we were together was December 1995," he recalls. "We were living together and we had a great holiday season. He bought a huge spruce tree for our apartment. He threw me a surprise birthday party and got me my cat, Samantha, that year for Christmas. I still have her. We went to Gay Days at Disneyland around that time with Chip Daniels and his boyfriend. He just showered me with gifts that year. That was a great winter. He wasn't close to that many people, but those he let in, he really cherished."
Johnny Rey starred in and directed dozens of movies through the early and mid-1990s. He became known for his videography's numerous B-movie titles, leading Mr. Skee to infamously dub him the "Ed Wood of gay porn," an appellation that infuriated Mr. Rey at first, but one he eventually grew to laugh about. However, he is perhaps best known for ROMEO AND JULIAN: A LOVE STORY (Forum Studios, 1994; d. Sam Abdul), an ambitious musical for which he won GAYVN trophies for Best Actor and Best Sex Scene. Other films include AT YOUR SERVICE (Academy Video, 1995), THE INSIDERS (Lonestar Video, 1995), MORE THAN FRIENDS (Sex Video, 1995), NIGHT WATCH (Mustang Studios, 1994), NUDE SCIENCE (Great Dane Productions, 1999), SCORE OF SEX (Bacchus Releasing, 1995), WHILE I WAS SLEEPING (Forum Studios 1995) and the classics POSING STRAP (HIS Video/VCA, 1994) and TOILET TRAMPS (Stallion Video, 1994).
"QUINCEANERA"
We had some exciting news this week out of Park City, Utah and the Sundance Film Festival. As noted in an earlier column, Wash Westmoreland (a/k/a "Wash West") had a film in the dramatic competition written and directed with Richard Glatzer titled "Quinceanera," described by "Daily Variety" as a drama "about young people caught in the warp of Latino tradition and gay gentrification in Los Angeles' Echo Park." Well, "Quinceanera" won both the grand jury prize and the audience award during the Sundance closing night ceremonies. Congratulations!
"Quinceanera" was shot over a three-week period in early 2005 in Mr. West and Mr. Glatzer's neighborhood. Both are known to indie film audiences for 2001's "The Fluffer," a dark romantic drama centered around the gay porn industry. Of course Mr. West has won numerous awards for gay skin flicks ranging from the brilliant NAKED HIGHWAY (BIG Video, 1997) through ANIMUS (All Worlds Video, 1999), TECHNICAL ECSTASY (Men of Odyssey, 1999) and DEVIL IS A BOTTOM (All Worlds, 2000) which was named by the "L.A. Weekly" as one of their top films of the year. Recent hits include THE HOLE (Jet Set, 2003) and THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS: GLUTTONY (All Worlds, 2001).
As yet, "Quinceanera" has no distribution deal. That will now change. When it screened for Sundance audiences on Monday, January 23rd it earned glowing reviews from the "Hollywood Reporter" and "Daily Variety" (which compared it to recent films "Raising Victor Vargas" and "Real Women Have Curves") but no distributor went for it, which has to make the double wins that much sweeter. Also, the "Los Angeles Times" ran a very complementary story and interview with Messrs. Glatzer and West on Sunday, January 22nd (which should be archived at LAtimes.com). I gave Mr. West his first mainstream interview back in 1997 or '98 for "HX" magazine in New York City. I've had the pleasure of interviewing him numerous times over the years as his career flourished. It's very cool to see him finally begin to crack the mainstream.
Porn Star Birthdays from January 30 through February 5: Matthew Anders, Kevin Cobain, Marcus Day, George Fleece, Justin Greer, Alexei Gromoff, Anthony Holloway, Trent Sebastian, Mischa Viaeu (January 30); Chris Holland, Chad Hunt, Luc Jarrett, Eric Payne, Dean Spencer, Randy Storm (January 31); Robert Collins, Dustin O'Donnell, Jason Sizemore, Brad Slater, Carlos Tyler (February 1); Nathan Brooks, Nicholas Clay, Michael Fox, Lindon Hawk, Zed Kelly, Steven Richards, David Scott, Kris Wolff (Feb. 2); the late Bruce Jennings, Johnny Law, Antonio Madeira, Tom Penn, Park Wiley (Feb. 3); Michael Anthony, Gynt Klein, Ron Miller, Tony Molina, Mitch Ryder, David Thompson (Feb. 4); Sasha Byazrov, Michael Crawford, Jan Dvorak, Joe Foster, Luke Loader, Brady Martin, Joel Thomas (Feb. 5).
J.C. Adams has covered the gay adult entertainment industry since 1995, and has served as the editor of "Inside Porn Magazine" and "Unzipped Monthly." In addition to the "Adams Report" weekly gossip and news column, his work has appeared in "Adult Video News," "Gay Chicago," "Genre," "HX" and many other print and online publications. You can reach him at JCAdamsXXX@aol.com
500 Turtles Productions © 2002 - 2005
# # #
The Adams Report by J.C. Adams
January 30 - February 5, 2006
It was a busy week in GayPornLand, so much so that lots of sizzling scoop is being pushed to next week (that new gay porn scandal hitting the military, agent David Forest's pandering trial), including news about BONESAW from Adonis Pictures—a gay porn spin on the horror film "Saw"—and BI-BACK MOUNTAIN from All Worlds Video. In this week's column, one of our own hits it big (twice!) at the Sundance Film Festival and we bid a sad farewell to performer/director Johnny Rey.
First up from the Dept. of Corrections and Clarifications: Last week I mistakenly referred to Jacob Slader's scorching performance with newbie Joey Jay in Rascal Video's WRONG SIDE OF THE TRACKS (part one) as a full-on hardcore scene. The film's director, Chi Chi LaRue wrote in to clarify: "Jacob and Joey have an all-oral scene in WSOTT, girl!" I also mentioned the all-girl series WHERE THE BOYS AREN'T that Ms. LaRue directs for Vivid Entertainment and managed to get the name of the series wrong at various points. It is definitely WHERE THE BOYS AREN'T (and it's an "all-girl" as opposed to "lesbian" series because straight porn people are weird like that).
And the voting is now closed in the race to determine Best Newcomer and Performer of the Year as determined by readers of "The Adams Report by J.C. Adams." I'll notify the winners this week and announce it publicly in the upcoming column. Many thanks to the hundreds (literally!) of folks who took the time to chime in with their picks. We'll run some of your quotes next week!
JOHNNY REY: 1963-2006
I was able to confirm this week that performer and director Johnny Rey died on January 18th at just 42 years of age. Cancer and various illnesses related to AIDS was the cause. At the time of his death he was living with his family in Pomona, California and they were with him when he died. Mr. Rey's ex-boyfriend Dino Phillips was able to visit with him prior to his passing, and confirmed some of these details.
Dino Phillips tells me Mr. Rey was cremated and that his family is planning a memorial service. "He began having problems with his vision," Mr. Phillips told me, "and so he went to the doctor. They said he had testicular cancer that had metastasized to his lungs—he was a smoker—and to his brain, where lesions formed and caused him to become blind." While in the hospital undergoing tests, he was diagnosed with advanced AIDS.
Mr. Phillips notes that Johnny Rey "had a really hard life" and "burned a lot of bridges," a sentiment echoed by directrix Chi Chi LaRue on her new blog. One of my most vivid memories of Johnny Rey is an hourlong conversation in reviewer Mickey Skee's backyard circa 1998 or thereabouts, wherein Mr. Rey vivisected all of his porn industry enemies (as he perceived them) in colorful detail. His battles with one person or another were legendary, a true sign of a man who lived his life with real passion. That's all water under the bridge, although Mr. Phillips tells me that Mr. Rey had been diagnosed as bipolar, "which explains a lot," he notes.
Despite all of this, Ms. LaRue describes Mr. Rey as "one of the best actors in our biz" and expressed "heartfelt sadness [over] the passing of someone that I was both friends and sometimes enemies with, Mr. Johnny Rey. He was a big part of my life back in the Joey Stefano and Karen Dior days [and] joins a list of people that made a lasting impression on my life and the lives of many others. Johnny will be missed."
Of course, Mr. Stefano and Ms. Dior have also passed on. All of them were a part of the fabled "gay porn brat pack" era (late 1980s through the mid-1990s) I've written about many times, most recently when Ms. Dior died from AIDS complications in August 2004.
Dino Phillips says he and Mr. Rey "parted ways when we moved out of our apartment in Encino two and a half years ago. We saw each other a few times after that when he would come up here to help me out with computer problems. He always seemed to be doing fine. He loved spending time with his family—two nephews and a niece from his sister. He went down to the San Manuel casino practically every weekend to play bingo. When he went into the hospital three weeks before Christmas he called me and said he was dying. I went to visit him a few times and be with his family. [The disease] took him fast and he wasn't suffering for a long period of time. He was unaware of his condition until it was too late."
Gino Colbert directed Johnny Rey in several films, including INSIDE KARL THOMAS (Venus Video, 1994). "I remember that day well," he told me. "This is sad news. He was a nice, genuine guy. He will be missed." I asked Dino Phillips if he would care to share a favorite memory of Johnny Rey with his fans and the readers of this column. He graciously agreed.
"The best thing I can remember from the time we were together was December 1995," he recalls. "We were living together and we had a great holiday season. He bought a huge spruce tree for our apartment. He threw me a surprise birthday party and got me my cat, Samantha, that year for Christmas. I still have her. We went to Gay Days at Disneyland around that time with Chip Daniels and his boyfriend. He just showered me with gifts that year. That was a great winter. He wasn't close to that many people, but those he let in, he really cherished."
Johnny Rey starred in and directed dozens of movies through the early and mid-1990s. He became known for his videography's numerous B-movie titles, leading Mr. Skee to infamously dub him the "Ed Wood of gay porn," an appellation that infuriated Mr. Rey at first, but one he eventually grew to laugh about. However, he is perhaps best known for ROMEO AND JULIAN: A LOVE STORY (Forum Studios, 1994; d. Sam Abdul), an ambitious musical for which he won GAYVN trophies for Best Actor and Best Sex Scene. Other films include AT YOUR SERVICE (Academy Video, 1995), THE INSIDERS (Lonestar Video, 1995), MORE THAN FRIENDS (Sex Video, 1995), NIGHT WATCH (Mustang Studios, 1994), NUDE SCIENCE (Great Dane Productions, 1999), SCORE OF SEX (Bacchus Releasing, 1995), WHILE I WAS SLEEPING (Forum Studios 1995) and the classics POSING STRAP (HIS Video/VCA, 1994) and TOILET TRAMPS (Stallion Video, 1994).
"QUINCEANERA"
We had some exciting news this week out of Park City, Utah and the Sundance Film Festival. As noted in an earlier column, Wash Westmoreland (a/k/a "Wash West") had a film in the dramatic competition written and directed with Richard Glatzer titled "Quinceanera," described by "Daily Variety" as a drama "about young people caught in the warp of Latino tradition and gay gentrification in Los Angeles' Echo Park." Well, "Quinceanera" won both the grand jury prize and the audience award during the Sundance closing night ceremonies. Congratulations!
"Quinceanera" was shot over a three-week period in early 2005 in Mr. West and Mr. Glatzer's neighborhood. Both are known to indie film audiences for 2001's "The Fluffer," a dark romantic drama centered around the gay porn industry. Of course Mr. West has won numerous awards for gay skin flicks ranging from the brilliant NAKED HIGHWAY (BIG Video, 1997) through ANIMUS (All Worlds Video, 1999), TECHNICAL ECSTASY (Men of Odyssey, 1999) and DEVIL IS A BOTTOM (All Worlds, 2000) which was named by the "L.A. Weekly" as one of their top films of the year. Recent hits include THE HOLE (Jet Set, 2003) and THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS: GLUTTONY (All Worlds, 2001).
As yet, "Quinceanera" has no distribution deal. That will now change. When it screened for Sundance audiences on Monday, January 23rd it earned glowing reviews from the "Hollywood Reporter" and "Daily Variety" (which compared it to recent films "Raising Victor Vargas" and "Real Women Have Curves") but no distributor went for it, which has to make the double wins that much sweeter. Also, the "Los Angeles Times" ran a very complementary story and interview with Messrs. Glatzer and West on Sunday, January 22nd (which should be archived at LAtimes.com). I gave Mr. West his first mainstream interview back in 1997 or '98 for "HX" magazine in New York City. I've had the pleasure of interviewing him numerous times over the years as his career flourished. It's very cool to see him finally begin to crack the mainstream.
Porn Star Birthdays from January 30 through February 5: Matthew Anders, Kevin Cobain, Marcus Day, George Fleece, Justin Greer, Alexei Gromoff, Anthony Holloway, Trent Sebastian, Mischa Viaeu (January 30); Chris Holland, Chad Hunt, Luc Jarrett, Eric Payne, Dean Spencer, Randy Storm (January 31); Robert Collins, Dustin O'Donnell, Jason Sizemore, Brad Slater, Carlos Tyler (February 1); Nathan Brooks, Nicholas Clay, Michael Fox, Lindon Hawk, Zed Kelly, Steven Richards, David Scott, Kris Wolff (Feb. 2); the late Bruce Jennings, Johnny Law, Antonio Madeira, Tom Penn, Park Wiley (Feb. 3); Michael Anthony, Gynt Klein, Ron Miller, Tony Molina, Mitch Ryder, David Thompson (Feb. 4); Sasha Byazrov, Michael Crawford, Jan Dvorak, Joe Foster, Luke Loader, Brady Martin, Joel Thomas (Feb. 5).
J.C. Adams has covered the gay adult entertainment industry since 1995, and has served as the editor of "Inside Porn Magazine" and "Unzipped Monthly." In addition to the "Adams Report" weekly gossip and news column, his work has appeared in "Adult Video News," "Gay Chicago," "Genre," "HX" and many other print and online publications. You can reach him at JCAdamsXXX@aol.com
500 Turtles Productions © 2002 - 2005
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Saturday, January 28, 2006
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[Update: New column posted below.]
BREAKING INDUSTRY NEWS
Quinceanera, written and directed by Wash Westmoreland and Richard Glatzer, won both the audience award and the grand jury prize at the recently concluded Sundance Film Festival. Quinceanera is described by "Daily Variety" as a " 'neo-sink drama' about young people caught in the warp of Latino tradition and gay gentrification in Los Angeles' Echo Park." As yet, the independently financed film does not have a distribution deal, although with the double wins that is expected to change.
Wash Westmoreland and Richard Glatzer wrote and directed 2001's The Fluffer, a dark romantic drama centered in the gay porn industry. Mr. Westmoreland (as "Wash West") has won GAYVN Awards for directing The Seven Deadly Sins: Gluttony (All Worlds Video, 2001) and The Hole (Jet Set, 2003). Other films include the acclaimed Animus (All Worlds, 1999), Technical Ecstasy (Men of Odyssey, 1999) and Naked Highway (BIG Video, 1997).
Contact J.C. Adams at: JCAdamsXXX@aol.com
[Update: New column posted below.]
BREAKING INDUSTRY NEWS
Quinceanera, written and directed by Wash Westmoreland and Richard Glatzer, won both the audience award and the grand jury prize at the recently concluded Sundance Film Festival. Quinceanera is described by "Daily Variety" as a " 'neo-sink drama' about young people caught in the warp of Latino tradition and gay gentrification in Los Angeles' Echo Park." As yet, the independently financed film does not have a distribution deal, although with the double wins that is expected to change.
Wash Westmoreland and Richard Glatzer wrote and directed 2001's The Fluffer, a dark romantic drama centered in the gay porn industry. Mr. Westmoreland (as "Wash West") has won GAYVN Awards for directing The Seven Deadly Sins: Gluttony (All Worlds Video, 2001) and The Hole (Jet Set, 2003). Other films include the acclaimed Animus (All Worlds, 1999), Technical Ecstasy (Men of Odyssey, 1999) and Naked Highway (BIG Video, 1997).
Contact J.C. Adams at: JCAdamsXXX@aol.com
Thursday, January 26, 2006
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BREAKING INDUSTRY NEWS
HOLLYWOOD, CA -- "The Adams Report by J.C. Adams" confirmed today that performer/director Johnny Rey has died. He was 42 years old. According to performer and director Dino Phillips, who visited with him several weeks before his death, Johnny Rey passed away January 18th from testicular cancer and other related ailments. When he died he was living with his family in Pomona, California.
More information is forthcoming.
Johnny Rey starred in and directed dozens of gay adult films during the 1990s. He is most famous for ROMEO AND JULIAN: A LOVE STORY (Forum Studios, 1994: d. Sam Abdul), an ambitious, flawed musical for which he won GAYVN Awards for Best Actor and Best Sex Scene.
Mr. Rey was also a celebrated member of the "gay porn brat pack" that caroused from the late 1980s through the mid-'90s. Members included directors Crystal Crawford, Karen Dior and Chi Chi LaRue, writers Alan Gassman and Mickey Skee, performers Sharon Kane, Christian Murphy, Joey Stefano, and others.
Select films of Johnny Rey:
AT YOUR SERVICE (Academy Video, 1995; d. none credited)
THE INSIDERS (Lonestar Video, 1995; d. Crystal Crawford)
MORE THAN FRIENDS (Sex Video, 1995; d. Karen Dior)
NIGHT WATCH (Mustang Studios, 1994: d. Chi Chi LaRue)
NUDE SCIENCE (Great Dane Productions, 1999; d. Dane Preston)
POSING STRAP (HIS Video/VCA, 1994: d. Chi Chi LaRue)
SCORE OF SEX (Bacchus Releasiong, 1995: d. Rey)
TOILET TRAMPS (Stallion Video, 1994: d. Gino Colbert)
WHILE I WAS SLEEPING (Forum Studios, 1995; d. none credited)
Johnny Rey: 11/16/63 - 01/18/06
Contact J.C. Adams at: JCAdamsXXX@aol.com
BREAKING INDUSTRY NEWS
HOLLYWOOD, CA -- "The Adams Report by J.C. Adams" confirmed today that performer/director Johnny Rey has died. He was 42 years old. According to performer and director Dino Phillips, who visited with him several weeks before his death, Johnny Rey passed away January 18th from testicular cancer and other related ailments. When he died he was living with his family in Pomona, California.
More information is forthcoming.
Johnny Rey starred in and directed dozens of gay adult films during the 1990s. He is most famous for ROMEO AND JULIAN: A LOVE STORY (Forum Studios, 1994: d. Sam Abdul), an ambitious, flawed musical for which he won GAYVN Awards for Best Actor and Best Sex Scene.
Mr. Rey was also a celebrated member of the "gay porn brat pack" that caroused from the late 1980s through the mid-'90s. Members included directors Crystal Crawford, Karen Dior and Chi Chi LaRue, writers Alan Gassman and Mickey Skee, performers Sharon Kane, Christian Murphy, Joey Stefano, and others.
Select films of Johnny Rey:
AT YOUR SERVICE (Academy Video, 1995; d. none credited)
THE INSIDERS (Lonestar Video, 1995; d. Crystal Crawford)
MORE THAN FRIENDS (Sex Video, 1995; d. Karen Dior)
NIGHT WATCH (Mustang Studios, 1994: d. Chi Chi LaRue)
NUDE SCIENCE (Great Dane Productions, 1999; d. Dane Preston)
POSING STRAP (HIS Video/VCA, 1994: d. Chi Chi LaRue)
SCORE OF SEX (Bacchus Releasiong, 1995: d. Rey)
TOILET TRAMPS (Stallion Video, 1994: d. Gino Colbert)
WHILE I WAS SLEEPING (Forum Studios, 1995; d. none credited)
Johnny Rey: 11/16/63 - 01/18/06
Contact J.C. Adams at: JCAdamsXXX@aol.com
Monday, January 23, 2006
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The Adams Report by J.C. Adams
January 23 - 29, 2006
"I've got five more months to go and I want to make some porn!" That statement came from Jacob Slader who is prepping for a move to Japan for three years (!) to teach English. He's been living in the gym lately and says he looks better than ever. I agree with him. In the meantime I've got dish from Chi Chi LaRue and news about the inevitable: BAREBACK MOUNTAIN timed to the success of "Brokeback Mountain." Let's dive in, shall we?
First to Mr. Slader. "I think this is probably my last hurrah," he tells me. "I've done a lot of really good movies since I made my comeback. But I want to go out on a high note. So tell everyone that I'm ready to work!" Consider them told, sir! Want to hear to hear a funny anecdote? Mr. Slader and I met for dinner at Basix in West Hollywood and we got kind of blitzed (the first of what I'm sure will be many such occasions before he leaves the country). There was a guy at the next table who couldn't keep his eyes off Mr. Slader. Eventually I pointed this out. "Yeah, I saw it," he told me casually. "I plowed his ass last year. It was the fuck of his life." Y'know, I believe that, too. This kind of thing happens when you hang out with porn stars.
Mr. Slader is sure to be up for a few GAYVN awards when the nominations announced in a couple weeks. I directed him smacking the shit (in an loving, erotic way) out of Caleb Carter for SEX WITH STRANGERS; as much as I'd love to take the credit for their volcanic pairing, all I did was put them together. The connection and hot sex was all theirs. He's also fantastic in DIRTY LITTLE SINS (paired with Brad Benton from writer/director Jett Blakk). And then there's Chi Chi LaRue's WRONG SIDE OF THE TRACKS (part one) for Rascal Video. He plays a coke addict fucking off his high in a seedy hotel room and if Mr. Slader's snarling, dirty, sweaty pounding of newcomer Joey Jay isn't nominated for Best Sex Scene you have to wonder about the purpose of awards in the first place.
Speaking of Ms. LaRue, we met up for one of our periodic update lunches at the Silver Spoon restaurant in West Hollywood. (Side note: The late, great Shelley Winters hung out at the Silver Spoon. I met her there many times. And during my lunch with Ms. LaRue the Shelley Winters Fan Club met at the next table underneath a framed poster of one Ms. Winters' movies. They asked Chi Chi to take their picture as we got up to leave.)
Ms. LaRue had plenty of dish: I'd heard a rumor that Rascal Exclusive Brandon Lee was quitting porn to attend flight school this spring. That's half-true; he is not leaving the biz but he is indeed going to flight school. Good luck to him! The Rascal Video Exclusive ranks are in flux right now: Brandon Lee out (temporarily), Benjamin Bradley in. Eddie Stone out, real-life boyfriends Tyler Riggz and Luke Strong in. And they're getting more mainstream modeling gigs. After Luca DiCorso's appearance in "GQ" modeling Tom Ford eyewear, he turned up with Mr. Stone and Rod Barry in a recent issue of "ID" magazine modeling Gaultier and Gucci. And the current issue of "Paper" magazine has a spread titled "The Tribes of L.A." As the intro explains, "we pay homage to the great style of Angelenos by documenting some extraordinarily creative and diverse tribes whose members share career interests, zip codes, aesthetics and, as a result, fashion preferences." The terrific pictorial features Ms. LaRue with Mr. DiCorso, Johnny Hazzard and Mr. Stone, who it should be noted are naked in this one. Our boys are everywhere! (And don't forget pup Hunter James in Italian "Vogue" or Bel Ami pups modeling swimwear for "Interview" mag.)
Ms. LaRue's pop culture takeover continues on television with an appearance on the WE: Women's Entertainment network. Their "Secret Lives of Women" documentary series did an episode titled "Women in Porn" and the directrix was interviewed in her capacity as a director for Vivid Entertainment, specifically their all-girl line WHERE THE BOYS AREN'T. And if that weren't enough, she and Johnny Hazzard are set to be grilled by Sandra Bernhard on the QTV queer network Wednesday, January 25th. It will have already aired by the time most of you read this, so look for repeats.
As if that weren't enough, Chi Chi LaRue's DJ career is exploding. It turns out performer Filippo Romano is a popular DJ in his native Italy. He spins under the name "Phil Romano" and Ms. LaRue is flying to Italy at the end of February to host a huge circuit party with him, then she jets to Palm Springs to DJ the opening night VIP gig at the White Party. Oh, and here's some hot news: A Chi Chi LaRue compilation CD is coming sometime this year.
The directrix also wanted to break some news about her relationship with Vivid Entertainment. First is the amusing tidbit that Vivid's upcoming RAWHIDE was filmed at the infamous gay watering hole of the same name. "Vivid is very excited about the movie," Ms. LaRue tells me. But soon after delivering the film she discovered to her dismay that Vivid is apparently going back to a "condom optional" rule for their features. What that means is "their directors will not be required to use condoms when they film, and neither will their performers. In good conscience, I can't go along with that."
She will remain with Vivid as the director of the WHERE THEGIRLS BOYS AREN'T films and has pitched an all-oral series featuring a new Vivid contract girl named Sunny. "But it would be hypocritical of me to direct condom-optional features. How could I do that given how public I've been about the using condoms on all of my sets?"
And that's a damned lovely segue to BAREBACK MOUNTAIN from 1R Media and being flacked by PornTeam.com. Afton Nills is the director. I suppose it was inevitable, but I'm not sure how I feel about it. The DVD cover mimics the now-iconic "Brokeback Mountain" shot of Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal in their cowboy hats facing opposite directions. The flick stars Tyler Anthony, Turk Melrose, Jason Raze, Winter Vance and Hunter Wylde.
"Did someone declare Cheesy Gay Porn Title Month when we weren't looking?" snarked the gay side of Fleshbot.com. "We're almost ashamed to post about this given the fact that the barely amusing 'Bareback Mountain' pun has long since worn out its welcome." I wholeheartedly concur. What do you folks think? Take advantage of the email address below and share your thoughts.
THE BEST OF 2005
We have one more week to vote for Best Newcomer and Performer of the Year as determined by readers of "The Adams Report by J.C. Adams." Following are the top ten in each category and all you have to do to vote is drop me a line via the email address at the bottom of this column:
The top ten for Best Newcomer: Bruce Beckham, Caleb Carter, Remy Delaine, Luca DiCorso, Alex Fuerte, Roman Heart, Marcos Pirelli, Spencer Quest, Cliff Rhodes, Francois Sagat.
The top ten for Performer of the Year: Joshua Adams, Michael Brandon, Jason Crew, Mario Cruz, Owen Hawk, Cory Koons, Corbin Michaels, Dean Monroe, Jacob Slader, Bobby Williams.
DEPT. OF SELF-PROMOTION
My FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS is now available directly from RADvideo.com. Please check it out! The flick stars Caleb Carter and Corbin Michaels with Jason Crew, Jason Longh, Brett Matthews and newbie Trevor Matthews. Messrs. Carter and Longh share the cover.
And the 2006 Adam Gay Video Directory is hot out of the oven. AdamGayVideo.com is the address for ordering online although it should be found at your friendly neighborhood porn newsstand. I checked Circus of Books and Drake's in West Hollywood weekend before last and both were doing brisk business; Circus of Books, in fact, had already blown through two-thirds of their initial order! Hot House Exclusives Alex Collack, Marco Paris and Jason Ridge adorn the cover. Enjoy!
Porn Star Birthdays from January 23 through January 29: Ethan-Michael Ayers, Devon Barry, Joe Kent, Jay Richards, Rob Roberts, Jeremy Shelton, Damien Steele, Ryan Wagner (January 23); Jake Andrews, Gus Avery, Roberto Giorgio, Gary Hanson, Hercules, Jordan, Christopher Montana, Ivan Mrozek, Robert Petri, Supreme, Chad Thomas (January 24); Jason Berringer, Brian Cox, Paul Dawson, Raul Dias, Arpad Majoros, Emerson Prata, Rob Roberts, Dano Sulik (January 25); Joey Amor, Rob Cryston, Zach Falconer, Luciano Haas, Maleek, Anthony Mengetti, Triton Rivers (January 26); Marc Brodey, Marcelo Costa, Cruz Lennox, Tom Matthews, Matt McGrath, Tom Moore, Eddy Ryan, Nick Thomas (January 27); Brandon Angelo, Tim Brensen, Brandon James, Alex Manning, Rex Parker, Randy Summers, Jake Rowe (January 28); Tiziano Cortese, Tom Dacascos, Billy Gascon, Dan Hanson, Marc Pierce, Malik Romero, Mitch Ryder, Zavier Vulcain, Parker Williams (January 29).
J.C. Adams has covered the gay adult entertainment industry since 1995, and has served as the editor of "Inside Porn Magazine" and "Unzipped Monthly." In addition to the "Adams Report" weekly gossip and news column, his work has appeared in "Adult Video News," "Gay Chicago," "Genre," "HX" and many other print and online publications. You can reach him at JCAdamsXXX@aol.com
500 Turtles Productions © 2002 - 2005
# # #
The Adams Report by J.C. Adams
January 23 - 29, 2006
"I've got five more months to go and I want to make some porn!" That statement came from Jacob Slader who is prepping for a move to Japan for three years (!) to teach English. He's been living in the gym lately and says he looks better than ever. I agree with him. In the meantime I've got dish from Chi Chi LaRue and news about the inevitable: BAREBACK MOUNTAIN timed to the success of "Brokeback Mountain." Let's dive in, shall we?
First to Mr. Slader. "I think this is probably my last hurrah," he tells me. "I've done a lot of really good movies since I made my comeback. But I want to go out on a high note. So tell everyone that I'm ready to work!" Consider them told, sir! Want to hear to hear a funny anecdote? Mr. Slader and I met for dinner at Basix in West Hollywood and we got kind of blitzed (the first of what I'm sure will be many such occasions before he leaves the country). There was a guy at the next table who couldn't keep his eyes off Mr. Slader. Eventually I pointed this out. "Yeah, I saw it," he told me casually. "I plowed his ass last year. It was the fuck of his life." Y'know, I believe that, too. This kind of thing happens when you hang out with porn stars.
Mr. Slader is sure to be up for a few GAYVN awards when the nominations announced in a couple weeks. I directed him smacking the shit (in an loving, erotic way) out of Caleb Carter for SEX WITH STRANGERS; as much as I'd love to take the credit for their volcanic pairing, all I did was put them together. The connection and hot sex was all theirs. He's also fantastic in DIRTY LITTLE SINS (paired with Brad Benton from writer/director Jett Blakk). And then there's Chi Chi LaRue's WRONG SIDE OF THE TRACKS (part one) for Rascal Video. He plays a coke addict fucking off his high in a seedy hotel room and if Mr. Slader's snarling, dirty, sweaty pounding of newcomer Joey Jay isn't nominated for Best Sex Scene you have to wonder about the purpose of awards in the first place.
Speaking of Ms. LaRue, we met up for one of our periodic update lunches at the Silver Spoon restaurant in West Hollywood. (Side note: The late, great Shelley Winters hung out at the Silver Spoon. I met her there many times. And during my lunch with Ms. LaRue the Shelley Winters Fan Club met at the next table underneath a framed poster of one Ms. Winters' movies. They asked Chi Chi to take their picture as we got up to leave.)
Ms. LaRue had plenty of dish: I'd heard a rumor that Rascal Exclusive Brandon Lee was quitting porn to attend flight school this spring. That's half-true; he is not leaving the biz but he is indeed going to flight school. Good luck to him! The Rascal Video Exclusive ranks are in flux right now: Brandon Lee out (temporarily), Benjamin Bradley in. Eddie Stone out, real-life boyfriends Tyler Riggz and Luke Strong in. And they're getting more mainstream modeling gigs. After Luca DiCorso's appearance in "GQ" modeling Tom Ford eyewear, he turned up with Mr. Stone and Rod Barry in a recent issue of "ID" magazine modeling Gaultier and Gucci. And the current issue of "Paper" magazine has a spread titled "The Tribes of L.A." As the intro explains, "we pay homage to the great style of Angelenos by documenting some extraordinarily creative and diverse tribes whose members share career interests, zip codes, aesthetics and, as a result, fashion preferences." The terrific pictorial features Ms. LaRue with Mr. DiCorso, Johnny Hazzard and Mr. Stone, who it should be noted are naked in this one. Our boys are everywhere! (And don't forget pup Hunter James in Italian "Vogue" or Bel Ami pups modeling swimwear for "Interview" mag.)
Ms. LaRue's pop culture takeover continues on television with an appearance on the WE: Women's Entertainment network. Their "Secret Lives of Women" documentary series did an episode titled "Women in Porn" and the directrix was interviewed in her capacity as a director for Vivid Entertainment, specifically their all-girl line WHERE THE BOYS AREN'T. And if that weren't enough, she and Johnny Hazzard are set to be grilled by Sandra Bernhard on the QTV queer network Wednesday, January 25th. It will have already aired by the time most of you read this, so look for repeats.
As if that weren't enough, Chi Chi LaRue's DJ career is exploding. It turns out performer Filippo Romano is a popular DJ in his native Italy. He spins under the name "Phil Romano" and Ms. LaRue is flying to Italy at the end of February to host a huge circuit party with him, then she jets to Palm Springs to DJ the opening night VIP gig at the White Party. Oh, and here's some hot news: A Chi Chi LaRue compilation CD is coming sometime this year.
The directrix also wanted to break some news about her relationship with Vivid Entertainment. First is the amusing tidbit that Vivid's upcoming RAWHIDE was filmed at the infamous gay watering hole of the same name. "Vivid is very excited about the movie," Ms. LaRue tells me. But soon after delivering the film she discovered to her dismay that Vivid is apparently going back to a "condom optional" rule for their features. What that means is "their directors will not be required to use condoms when they film, and neither will their performers. In good conscience, I can't go along with that."
She will remain with Vivid as the director of the WHERE THE
And that's a damned lovely segue to BAREBACK MOUNTAIN from 1R Media and being flacked by PornTeam.com. Afton Nills is the director. I suppose it was inevitable, but I'm not sure how I feel about it. The DVD cover mimics the now-iconic "Brokeback Mountain" shot of Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal in their cowboy hats facing opposite directions. The flick stars Tyler Anthony, Turk Melrose, Jason Raze, Winter Vance and Hunter Wylde.
"Did someone declare Cheesy Gay Porn Title Month when we weren't looking?" snarked the gay side of Fleshbot.com. "We're almost ashamed to post about this given the fact that the barely amusing 'Bareback Mountain' pun has long since worn out its welcome." I wholeheartedly concur. What do you folks think? Take advantage of the email address below and share your thoughts.
THE BEST OF 2005
We have one more week to vote for Best Newcomer and Performer of the Year as determined by readers of "The Adams Report by J.C. Adams." Following are the top ten in each category and all you have to do to vote is drop me a line via the email address at the bottom of this column:
The top ten for Best Newcomer: Bruce Beckham, Caleb Carter, Remy Delaine, Luca DiCorso, Alex Fuerte, Roman Heart, Marcos Pirelli, Spencer Quest, Cliff Rhodes, Francois Sagat.
The top ten for Performer of the Year: Joshua Adams, Michael Brandon, Jason Crew, Mario Cruz, Owen Hawk, Cory Koons, Corbin Michaels, Dean Monroe, Jacob Slader, Bobby Williams.
DEPT. OF SELF-PROMOTION
My FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS is now available directly from RADvideo.com. Please check it out! The flick stars Caleb Carter and Corbin Michaels with Jason Crew, Jason Longh, Brett Matthews and newbie Trevor Matthews. Messrs. Carter and Longh share the cover.
And the 2006 Adam Gay Video Directory is hot out of the oven. AdamGayVideo.com is the address for ordering online although it should be found at your friendly neighborhood porn newsstand. I checked Circus of Books and Drake's in West Hollywood weekend before last and both were doing brisk business; Circus of Books, in fact, had already blown through two-thirds of their initial order! Hot House Exclusives Alex Collack, Marco Paris and Jason Ridge adorn the cover. Enjoy!
Porn Star Birthdays from January 23 through January 29: Ethan-Michael Ayers, Devon Barry, Joe Kent, Jay Richards, Rob Roberts, Jeremy Shelton, Damien Steele, Ryan Wagner (January 23); Jake Andrews, Gus Avery, Roberto Giorgio, Gary Hanson, Hercules, Jordan, Christopher Montana, Ivan Mrozek, Robert Petri, Supreme, Chad Thomas (January 24); Jason Berringer, Brian Cox, Paul Dawson, Raul Dias, Arpad Majoros, Emerson Prata, Rob Roberts, Dano Sulik (January 25); Joey Amor, Rob Cryston, Zach Falconer, Luciano Haas, Maleek, Anthony Mengetti, Triton Rivers (January 26); Marc Brodey, Marcelo Costa, Cruz Lennox, Tom Matthews, Matt McGrath, Tom Moore, Eddy Ryan, Nick Thomas (January 27); Brandon Angelo, Tim Brensen, Brandon James, Alex Manning, Rex Parker, Randy Summers, Jake Rowe (January 28); Tiziano Cortese, Tom Dacascos, Billy Gascon, Dan Hanson, Marc Pierce, Malik Romero, Mitch Ryder, Zavier Vulcain, Parker Williams (January 29).
J.C. Adams has covered the gay adult entertainment industry since 1995, and has served as the editor of "Inside Porn Magazine" and "Unzipped Monthly." In addition to the "Adams Report" weekly gossip and news column, his work has appeared in "Adult Video News," "Gay Chicago," "Genre," "HX" and many other print and online publications. You can reach him at JCAdamsXXX@aol.com
500 Turtles Productions © 2002 - 2005
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Monday, January 16, 2006
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The Adams Report by J.C. Adams
January 16 - 22, 2006
The business typically quiets down after the Adult Entertainment Expo in Vegas as we await nominations for the GAYVN Awards. So it's a perfect time to continue our look back at the highs and lows of this crazy business over the past year. And don't forget to vote for Best Newcomer and Performer of the Year as determined by you crazy kids.
THE BEST IN GAY PORN
About 200 fans voted in our best-of polls this past week and as such there are several performers bunched near the top of both categories, with the rest of the top ten close behind. As I've stated before, winners will receive a free copy of the 2006 Adam Gay Video Directory and bragging rights for twelve full months.
The top ten for Best Newcomer (arranged alphabetically): Bruce Beckham, Caleb Carter, Remy Delaine, Luca DiCorso, Alex Fuerte, Roman Heart, Marcos Pirelli, Spencer Quest, Cliff Rhodes, Francois Sagat.
The top ten for Performer of the Year (alphabetically, natch): Joshua Adams, Michael Brandon, Jason Crew, Mario Cruz, Owen Hawk, Cory Koons, Corbin Michaels, Dean Monroe, Jacob Slader, Bobby Williams.
THE YEAR IN PORN: 2005
It was a busy spring in GayPornLand, especially for me. I wrapped production in March on my third directing effort—SEX WITH STRANGERS for All Worlds Video. It was newcomer Kevin Brown's first starring role and one of the final films stage managed by Bob Bouchard, a veteran of hundreds of gay and straight videos in his capacity as stage manager, lighting director, set designer and general jack-of-all-trades. By year's end Mr. Brown was a full-fledged star. And, tragically, Mr. Bouchard passed from a heart attack soon after leaving Los Angeles for retirement in New York. His brief on-screen cameo in SEX WITH STRANGERS was his final filmed appearance…
BUCKLEROOS (Buckshots) snagged eleven GAYVN wins, including Best Picture. HORSE: FALLEN ANGEL 5 (Titan Media) won five, while BOLT (Rascal Video) earned three. Rascal Exclusive Eddie Stone earned Best Newcomer (although by year's end he and Rascal had parted ways), while Tag Adams was the deserving winner for Performer of the Year, and when his name was announced the room erupted in cheers. Mr. Adams was clearly moved by the approbation when he accepted his trophy.
"During the Chi Chi LaRue afterparty," I wrote in this space, "I talked with the charming and flirty Brad Benton, who was clearly feeling no pain and celebrating his second consecutive Best Supporting Actor win. This year's trophy was for Jet Set's FREAK: JET SET DIRECT, TAKE ONE while last year's win was for THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD (All Worlds). When the beaming Mr. Benton took the stage, he was speechless. 'I didn't know what to say and for anyone who knows me that's unusual,' he laughed."
Soon after the GAYVN Awards concluded, "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest openly complained about Jet Set's AMERICAN PORN STAR and that film's host Jason Sechrest. Mr. Seacrest made his case on his Los Angeles radio show and to "Celebrity Justice," claiming defamation and other charges. " 'I had to legally go after someone who was doing an 'American Idol' porn,' [Seacrest] explained. 'And I was host of the porn...the guy's name was Seacrest and he had blond spiky hair. The only difference was, instead of a microphone, he was holding something else.'"
I noted in this space that "either Mr. Seacrest was lying or he'd never seen the film because Mr. Sechrest's role in AMERICAN PORN STAR is nonsexual [nor did he have 'blond spiky hair']. Further, the damned movie came out a year ago!" In any case, the complaint never went any further and was dropped.
Elsewhere in April 2005, COLT Studio's John Rutherford announced that his BUCKLEROOS co-director Jerry Douglas would be helming another picture for the studio (by year's end BEYOND PERFECT hit the shelves with Jason Kingsley and Brad Patton, who made the film following his release from his Falcon exclusivity contract)…
Adult Industry Medical (AIM) founder Dr. Sharon Mitchell was profiled on an episode of ABC's "20/20" and, as I wrote, "given ABC's prudish, hysterical reports on the porn business over the years [I did not expect] Mitch's profile would be complementary, but I was pleasantly surprised at the tenor of the piece. It definitely portrayed her as essentially fighting the good fight all alone, one woman trying to save the industry one STD test at a time, which is true." However, the reporter made a glaring error, referring to the pornography industry as "being illegal only ten years ago. What?! So much for fact-checking at ABC news! And, as usual, they ignored the gay side of adult entertainment. No mention that although STD testing is generally not performed on the gay side, studios have self-regulated the use of condoms for over fifteen years, yadda yadda…"
"Celebrity Justice" (now canceled, by the way) also ran a short piece on Marc Schaffel, a former associate of Michael Jackson and better known in GayPornLand as Marc Fredericks, gay porn producer. I wrote, "I've written about this fact several times over the years, and so has 'Vanity Fair' magazine. That's about it. I heard from Court TV last autumn when they did a piece on Mr. Schaffel but there wasn't much I could tell them. I never met or worked with the guy. Amusingly, 'CJ' took note of Schaffel's porn career and even showed a clip of COCKTALES, but they bleeped out the word 'Cock' for added effect, as though there was no other Schaffel-produced film with a title they didn't have to bleep.
"Incidentally, "COCKTALES was one of Rex Chandler's first flicks, produced way back in 1992 for HIS Video Gold/Jocks. I'm not sure which models appeared in the clip (it wasn't Mr. Chandler) but can you imagine? You're a retired porn star, your XXX career ten years or more behind you. Maybe you've got a gut and your hair is thinning a bit. You're sitting on your couch, beer in hand, watching 'Celebrity Justice' and suddenly, for a few seconds, there you are. Your younger self is fornicating on national television in front of an audience of several million people, early in the evening on a weekday. Gotta love it."
As we cruised into summer, Chi Chi LaRue and the Rascal Video crew jetted off to Majorca, Spain for two shoots that would become SET IN STONE and MASTER OF THE HOUSE… Raging Stallion's J.D. Slater launched his pet line Centurion Pictures with CENTURION MUSCLE and newcomer Erik Grant, a bald, bearded wall of muscle who literally knocked on their door one morning and asked to be in a Raging Stallion flick… And All Worlds Video kicked off their twentieth-anniversary celebrations with plans for a massive come-one-come-all orgy in Palm Springs. Afterwards one of the participants would be awarded twenty grand in cold, hard cash on the spot. The movie became WORLD SPLASH ORGY and the winner of that moolah? None other than newbie Kevin Brown…
Porn Star Birthdays from January 16 through January 22: Gareth Bates, Victor Cowboy, Dario D'Alba, Jim Danielson, Robert Gunn, Little Steven (January 16); Spencer Allan, Kanye East, Donald Jarrott, David Laval, Drew Sumrock, Jarod Tucker, Dylan West (January 17); Bobby Bacon, Ace Hanson, Troy Masters, Ryan Michaels, Rovert Novy, Walter Perras, Shane Thomas, Damon West (January 18); Ken Houser, Derek Rei, Rafael Valentino (January 19); Tristan Adonis, Villem Cage, Rick Chase, Brad Erikson, Leaf Hendrickson, Josh Weston, Dave Yanek (January 20); Babaji, Adrian Bradshaw, Tom Katt, Toine Rousseau, Jason Sanchez, Scott Tanner, Dallas Taylor, Tony West (January 21); Sky Donovan, Kamrun, Shane Patrick, Tod Parker, Robert Smiley, Evan Taylor (January 22).
J.C. Adams has covered the gay adult entertainment industry since 1995, and has served as the editor of "Inside Porn Magazine" and "Unzipped Monthly." In addition to the "Adams Report" weekly gossip and news column, his work has appeared in "Adult Video News," "Gay Chicago," "Genre," "HX" and many other print and online publications. You can reach him at JCAdamsXXX@aol.com
500 Turtles Productions © 2002 - 2005
# # #
The Adams Report by J.C. Adams
January 16 - 22, 2006
The business typically quiets down after the Adult Entertainment Expo in Vegas as we await nominations for the GAYVN Awards. So it's a perfect time to continue our look back at the highs and lows of this crazy business over the past year. And don't forget to vote for Best Newcomer and Performer of the Year as determined by you crazy kids.
THE BEST IN GAY PORN
About 200 fans voted in our best-of polls this past week and as such there are several performers bunched near the top of both categories, with the rest of the top ten close behind. As I've stated before, winners will receive a free copy of the 2006 Adam Gay Video Directory and bragging rights for twelve full months.
The top ten for Best Newcomer (arranged alphabetically): Bruce Beckham, Caleb Carter, Remy Delaine, Luca DiCorso, Alex Fuerte, Roman Heart, Marcos Pirelli, Spencer Quest, Cliff Rhodes, Francois Sagat.
The top ten for Performer of the Year (alphabetically, natch): Joshua Adams, Michael Brandon, Jason Crew, Mario Cruz, Owen Hawk, Cory Koons, Corbin Michaels, Dean Monroe, Jacob Slader, Bobby Williams.
THE YEAR IN PORN: 2005
It was a busy spring in GayPornLand, especially for me. I wrapped production in March on my third directing effort—SEX WITH STRANGERS for All Worlds Video. It was newcomer Kevin Brown's first starring role and one of the final films stage managed by Bob Bouchard, a veteran of hundreds of gay and straight videos in his capacity as stage manager, lighting director, set designer and general jack-of-all-trades. By year's end Mr. Brown was a full-fledged star. And, tragically, Mr. Bouchard passed from a heart attack soon after leaving Los Angeles for retirement in New York. His brief on-screen cameo in SEX WITH STRANGERS was his final filmed appearance…
BUCKLEROOS (Buckshots) snagged eleven GAYVN wins, including Best Picture. HORSE: FALLEN ANGEL 5 (Titan Media) won five, while BOLT (Rascal Video) earned three. Rascal Exclusive Eddie Stone earned Best Newcomer (although by year's end he and Rascal had parted ways), while Tag Adams was the deserving winner for Performer of the Year, and when his name was announced the room erupted in cheers. Mr. Adams was clearly moved by the approbation when he accepted his trophy.
"During the Chi Chi LaRue afterparty," I wrote in this space, "I talked with the charming and flirty Brad Benton, who was clearly feeling no pain and celebrating his second consecutive Best Supporting Actor win. This year's trophy was for Jet Set's FREAK: JET SET DIRECT, TAKE ONE while last year's win was for THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD (All Worlds). When the beaming Mr. Benton took the stage, he was speechless. 'I didn't know what to say and for anyone who knows me that's unusual,' he laughed."
Soon after the GAYVN Awards concluded, "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest openly complained about Jet Set's AMERICAN PORN STAR and that film's host Jason Sechrest. Mr. Seacrest made his case on his Los Angeles radio show and to "Celebrity Justice," claiming defamation and other charges. " 'I had to legally go after someone who was doing an 'American Idol' porn,' [Seacrest] explained. 'And I was host of the porn...the guy's name was Seacrest and he had blond spiky hair. The only difference was, instead of a microphone, he was holding something else.'"
I noted in this space that "either Mr. Seacrest was lying or he'd never seen the film because Mr. Sechrest's role in AMERICAN PORN STAR is nonsexual [nor did he have 'blond spiky hair']. Further, the damned movie came out a year ago!" In any case, the complaint never went any further and was dropped.
Elsewhere in April 2005, COLT Studio's John Rutherford announced that his BUCKLEROOS co-director Jerry Douglas would be helming another picture for the studio (by year's end BEYOND PERFECT hit the shelves with Jason Kingsley and Brad Patton, who made the film following his release from his Falcon exclusivity contract)…
Adult Industry Medical (AIM) founder Dr. Sharon Mitchell was profiled on an episode of ABC's "20/20" and, as I wrote, "given ABC's prudish, hysterical reports on the porn business over the years [I did not expect] Mitch's profile would be complementary, but I was pleasantly surprised at the tenor of the piece. It definitely portrayed her as essentially fighting the good fight all alone, one woman trying to save the industry one STD test at a time, which is true." However, the reporter made a glaring error, referring to the pornography industry as "being illegal only ten years ago. What?! So much for fact-checking at ABC news! And, as usual, they ignored the gay side of adult entertainment. No mention that although STD testing is generally not performed on the gay side, studios have self-regulated the use of condoms for over fifteen years, yadda yadda…"
"Celebrity Justice" (now canceled, by the way) also ran a short piece on Marc Schaffel, a former associate of Michael Jackson and better known in GayPornLand as Marc Fredericks, gay porn producer. I wrote, "I've written about this fact several times over the years, and so has 'Vanity Fair' magazine. That's about it. I heard from Court TV last autumn when they did a piece on Mr. Schaffel but there wasn't much I could tell them. I never met or worked with the guy. Amusingly, 'CJ' took note of Schaffel's porn career and even showed a clip of COCKTALES, but they bleeped out the word 'Cock' for added effect, as though there was no other Schaffel-produced film with a title they didn't have to bleep.
"Incidentally, "COCKTALES was one of Rex Chandler's first flicks, produced way back in 1992 for HIS Video Gold/Jocks. I'm not sure which models appeared in the clip (it wasn't Mr. Chandler) but can you imagine? You're a retired porn star, your XXX career ten years or more behind you. Maybe you've got a gut and your hair is thinning a bit. You're sitting on your couch, beer in hand, watching 'Celebrity Justice' and suddenly, for a few seconds, there you are. Your younger self is fornicating on national television in front of an audience of several million people, early in the evening on a weekday. Gotta love it."
As we cruised into summer, Chi Chi LaRue and the Rascal Video crew jetted off to Majorca, Spain for two shoots that would become SET IN STONE and MASTER OF THE HOUSE… Raging Stallion's J.D. Slater launched his pet line Centurion Pictures with CENTURION MUSCLE and newcomer Erik Grant, a bald, bearded wall of muscle who literally knocked on their door one morning and asked to be in a Raging Stallion flick… And All Worlds Video kicked off their twentieth-anniversary celebrations with plans for a massive come-one-come-all orgy in Palm Springs. Afterwards one of the participants would be awarded twenty grand in cold, hard cash on the spot. The movie became WORLD SPLASH ORGY and the winner of that moolah? None other than newbie Kevin Brown…
Porn Star Birthdays from January 16 through January 22: Gareth Bates, Victor Cowboy, Dario D'Alba, Jim Danielson, Robert Gunn, Little Steven (January 16); Spencer Allan, Kanye East, Donald Jarrott, David Laval, Drew Sumrock, Jarod Tucker, Dylan West (January 17); Bobby Bacon, Ace Hanson, Troy Masters, Ryan Michaels, Rovert Novy, Walter Perras, Shane Thomas, Damon West (January 18); Ken Houser, Derek Rei, Rafael Valentino (January 19); Tristan Adonis, Villem Cage, Rick Chase, Brad Erikson, Leaf Hendrickson, Josh Weston, Dave Yanek (January 20); Babaji, Adrian Bradshaw, Tom Katt, Toine Rousseau, Jason Sanchez, Scott Tanner, Dallas Taylor, Tony West (January 21); Sky Donovan, Kamrun, Shane Patrick, Tod Parker, Robert Smiley, Evan Taylor (January 22).
J.C. Adams has covered the gay adult entertainment industry since 1995, and has served as the editor of "Inside Porn Magazine" and "Unzipped Monthly." In addition to the "Adams Report" weekly gossip and news column, his work has appeared in "Adult Video News," "Gay Chicago," "Genre," "HX" and many other print and online publications. You can reach him at JCAdamsXXX@aol.com
500 Turtles Productions © 2002 - 2005
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Monday, January 09, 2006
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The Adams Report by J.C. Adams
January 9 - 15, 2006
As the No Man's Land of January grinds on, this week we'll take care of a few odds and ends cluttering my desk and push our look back at the tumultuous past year in GayPornLand into next week. Until then we've got the top ten contenders for Best Newcomer and Performer of the Year as determined by you fine people; minor fallout resulting from designer Tom Ford's decision to use Luca DiCorso in "GQ" magazine; an update about Bel Ami's Tommy Hansen on "Big Brother"; and a peek at my quickie day trip to Las Vegas for the Adult Entertainment Expo. Dive on in.
FORD, DICORSO AND "GQ"
From the Dept. of Corrections and Clarifications: Last week I wrote about Rascal Video Exclusive Luca DiCorso appearing in the new issue of "GQ" in a fashion spread promoting Tom Ford's new line of eyewear. He is posed with a hetero starlet whom I misidentified last week: The actress is Lanny Barby.
In Mr. Ford's Q&A accompanying the layout, Mr. DiCorso is identified only by his first name and no mention is made that he stars in gay skin flicks, just that he is a porn star. On her personal blog, a "Paper" magazine editrix named Kim Hastreiter slammed Mr. Ford for his use of porn models in the spread and the contretemps was further fueled by "Page Six," which quoted the woman as saying Tom Ford "has become more and more obsessed with pornography as time passes. Maybe it's a midlife crisis. He's starting to look pretty self-indulgent and even a little foolish." Perhaps she's right, but there are worse things to obsess on than porn and I am all for our boys getting some mainstream exposure.
STAR SPOTTING IN VEGAS
The Consumer Electronics Show went down in Las Vegas January 5th - 8th, and with it the "AVN" Adult Entertainment Expo. I drove out and spent the day Friday the 5th and will have a full report next week. The AEE convention hall was cavernous and absolutely swarmed with people. The appearance of a name starlet produced a rock star-like frenzy that required each girl to have numerous bodyguards and protectors. It was insane—as if no one had ever seen a set of bare tits before. The cutely titled "Gay Pavilion" was actually a far corner of the hall and housed about thirty studios and companies, as well as the GAYVN Lounge sponsored by TLAvideo.com. Channel 1 Releasing's booth was the biggest of the lot with posters of exclusives Benjamin Bradley, Luca DiCorso, Johnny Hazzard and Tyler Riggz that towered over the convention floor.
The weekend's festivities included the "Cybersocket" Awards, the 2006 HustlaBall Las Vegas at Krave nightclub, and various private parties. Among the performers present to press the flesh were Andy Kirra and Trevor Knight for Adonis Pictures; Chris Wide for COLT Studio; Rod Barry, Ethan Kage and Matthew Rush for Falcon Studios; Alex Collack, Alex Fuerte and Marco Paris for Hot House Entertainment; and Buck Angel, Tober Brandt and Jake Deckard for Titan Media. I also spotted Michael Brandon (hawking his signature dildo), Sam Dixon (there with his 1 Distribution outlet), Rob Ramos, Ashton Ryan and three barechested, tattooed cuties from StraightCollegeMen.com. More next week.
VILLAGE VOICE AND WET PALMS
GayPornBlog's Michael Stabile (co-writer with Jack Shamama of the WET PALMS erotic soap opera serial) was profiled in "The Village Voice" a few weeks ago. "I wish more people involved in porn were clever," he tells interviewer Jay C. Barmann. "Everything is so surprisingly earnest and heavy-handed in this genre." I couldn't agree more. The brief Q&A is archived on VillageVoice.com.
TOMMY HANSEN AND BIG BROTHER
I wrote some time ago that Bel Ami star Tommy Hansen was cast in the Czech version of "Big Brother" under his actual name, Filip Trojovsky, and that he was booted when his porn past came to light. Lo and behold, he was invited back onto the show after an apparent write-in campaign orchestrated by his manager and he subsequently made it all the way to the end of the show as one of the final three contestants, but ultimately lost.
At the same time, the Eastern European press is slowly starting to take note of the booming gay porn trade in their neck of the woods. "Trim, tanned and well-proportioned where it counts," reads one recent news report. "Those are some of the prerequisites for making it in the gay porn business in the Czech Republic. The 'biz' has come under the spotlight recently in the country's edition of the 'Big Brother' reality show, in which Filip Trojovsky—known professionally as Tommy Hansen—admitted to acting in gay porn films though he insisted he was heterosexual. Strike you as unusual? Apparently in the Czech Republic it is often the case that actors in gay porn are 'straight.'"
To which everyone in America replies with a resounding "Duh!" There is a lot of debate raging on the porn message boards about whether these guys are truly heterosexual, etc. etc. But one of the reasons gay porn has flown under the radar in Eastern Europe is that most of these guys sign contracts that prevents their movies from being released in their home country. Of course the internet has changed all that. And one can't help but imagine that Mr. Hansen/Trojovsky knew his porn past would be uncovered during his fifteen minutes of television fame.
THE BEST OF 2005
The voting was fast and furious this past week for Best Newcomer and Performer of the Year as determined by the readers of "The Adams Report by J.C. Adams." The upper rungs of the charts changed daily. Out of 24 contenders for Best Newcomer and 33 for Performer of the Year, here are the top ten. Voting will now commence for the winner in each category and whomever prevails will receive a free copy of the 2006 Adam Gay Video Directory and bragging rights for a full year (50,000 people read this column every week, so it is quite a commercial endorsement just to be nominated).
Best Newcomer: Bruce Beckham, Caleb Carter, Remy Delaine, Luca DiCorso, Alex Fuerte, Roman Heart, Marcos Pirelli, Spencer Quest, Cliff Rhodes, Francois Sagat.
The remaining contenders finished just out of the top ten by just a handful of votes: Buck Angel, Kevin Brown, Mike Grant, Rhet Hengst, Erik Hunter, Jason Kingsley, Andy Kirra, Brett Matthews, Joey Milano, Erik Rhodes, Tyler Riggz, Luke Strong, Jedd Wilcox, Marc Williams.
Performer of the Year: Joshua Adams, Michael Brandon, Jason Crew, Mario Cruz, Owen Hawk, Cory Koons, Corbin Michaels, Dean Monroe, Jacob Slader, Bobby Williams.
The remaining 24 contenders could have easily placed in the top ten with just a few more votes. I think that's a sign of how much good work was actually done this year: Rod Barry, Brad Benton, Alex Collack, Tim Hamilton, Johnny Hazzard, Roman Heart, Blu Kennedy, Kent Larson, Michael Lucas, Gus Mattox, Arpad Miklos, Jeff Palmer, Marco Paris, Brad Patton, Troy Punk, Spencer Quest, Trey Rexx, Jason Ridge, Lukas Ridgeston, Shane Rollins, Matthew Rush, Michael Soldier, Parker Williams, Josh Weston.
DEPT. OF SELF PROMOTION
My SEX WITH STRANGERS for All Worlds Video was among ManNet.com's "100 Best Videos of the Year" compilation. Check out Allworldsvideo.com for details. FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS (RAD Video), my most recent flick, is now available for pre-order via RADvideo.com. And the 2006 Adam Gay Video Directory will soon be on shelves everywhere. I hope you find it useful and entertaining. AdamGayVideo.com should be updated soon with ordering information and so forth. It was a hair-raising rush to get the book finished by deadline, so if you come across any typos I don't want to hear about it until at least Memorial Day. Got it? Good.
Porn Star Birthdays from January 9 through January 15: Agustin Agar, Renato Bellagio, Angel Castaneda, Franco Di Ostia, Joe Gallagher, Tony Mecelli, Clayton Romero, Tony Stevens (January 9); Matt Cook, Shawn Islander, Trevor Knight, Rick LaFonte, Pablo Picaco, Justin Roxx, Titan, Andy Zee (January 10); B.J. Bratt, Chad Donovan, Gerardo, Sebastian Gronoff, Josh Holiday, Doug Jeffries, Cameron Sage, Kurt Stefano, Jeremy Tucker, Jeremy West, Rick West (January 11); Paul Baressi, Eric Carter, Kai Cruz, Peter Ericson, Tommy Lawrence, Brad McGuire, Attila Sipos, Richard Well (January 12); Nathan Hamilton, Rodney Parks, Patrick St. Martin (January 13). Ivan Andros, Jake Butler, Christopher Fleur de Lis, Ray Harley, Fabian Harri, Junito, Kirk Kelley, Brayden Knight, Mike Vespa (January 14); Hank Cruz, Gino Gultier, Jason Harley, Daniel Paxton, Mark Rockwell, Zak Spears, Peter St. James, Alex Turner (January 15).
J.C. Adams has covered the gay adult entertainment industry since 1995, and has served as the editor of "Inside Porn Magazine" and "Unzipped Monthly." In addition to the "Adams Report" weekly gossip and news column, his work has appeared in "Adult Video News," "Gay Chicago," "Genre," "HX" and many other print and online publications. You can reach him at JCAdamsXXX@aol.com
500 Turtles Productions © 2002 - 2005
# # #
The Adams Report by J.C. Adams
January 9 - 15, 2006
As the No Man's Land of January grinds on, this week we'll take care of a few odds and ends cluttering my desk and push our look back at the tumultuous past year in GayPornLand into next week. Until then we've got the top ten contenders for Best Newcomer and Performer of the Year as determined by you fine people; minor fallout resulting from designer Tom Ford's decision to use Luca DiCorso in "GQ" magazine; an update about Bel Ami's Tommy Hansen on "Big Brother"; and a peek at my quickie day trip to Las Vegas for the Adult Entertainment Expo. Dive on in.
FORD, DICORSO AND "GQ"
From the Dept. of Corrections and Clarifications: Last week I wrote about Rascal Video Exclusive Luca DiCorso appearing in the new issue of "GQ" in a fashion spread promoting Tom Ford's new line of eyewear. He is posed with a hetero starlet whom I misidentified last week: The actress is Lanny Barby.
In Mr. Ford's Q&A accompanying the layout, Mr. DiCorso is identified only by his first name and no mention is made that he stars in gay skin flicks, just that he is a porn star. On her personal blog, a "Paper" magazine editrix named Kim Hastreiter slammed Mr. Ford for his use of porn models in the spread and the contretemps was further fueled by "Page Six," which quoted the woman as saying Tom Ford "has become more and more obsessed with pornography as time passes. Maybe it's a midlife crisis. He's starting to look pretty self-indulgent and even a little foolish." Perhaps she's right, but there are worse things to obsess on than porn and I am all for our boys getting some mainstream exposure.
STAR SPOTTING IN VEGAS
The Consumer Electronics Show went down in Las Vegas January 5th - 8th, and with it the "AVN" Adult Entertainment Expo. I drove out and spent the day Friday the 5th and will have a full report next week. The AEE convention hall was cavernous and absolutely swarmed with people. The appearance of a name starlet produced a rock star-like frenzy that required each girl to have numerous bodyguards and protectors. It was insane—as if no one had ever seen a set of bare tits before. The cutely titled "Gay Pavilion" was actually a far corner of the hall and housed about thirty studios and companies, as well as the GAYVN Lounge sponsored by TLAvideo.com. Channel 1 Releasing's booth was the biggest of the lot with posters of exclusives Benjamin Bradley, Luca DiCorso, Johnny Hazzard and Tyler Riggz that towered over the convention floor.
The weekend's festivities included the "Cybersocket" Awards, the 2006 HustlaBall Las Vegas at Krave nightclub, and various private parties. Among the performers present to press the flesh were Andy Kirra and Trevor Knight for Adonis Pictures; Chris Wide for COLT Studio; Rod Barry, Ethan Kage and Matthew Rush for Falcon Studios; Alex Collack, Alex Fuerte and Marco Paris for Hot House Entertainment; and Buck Angel, Tober Brandt and Jake Deckard for Titan Media. I also spotted Michael Brandon (hawking his signature dildo), Sam Dixon (there with his 1 Distribution outlet), Rob Ramos, Ashton Ryan and three barechested, tattooed cuties from StraightCollegeMen.com. More next week.
VILLAGE VOICE AND WET PALMS
GayPornBlog's Michael Stabile (co-writer with Jack Shamama of the WET PALMS erotic soap opera serial) was profiled in "The Village Voice" a few weeks ago. "I wish more people involved in porn were clever," he tells interviewer Jay C. Barmann. "Everything is so surprisingly earnest and heavy-handed in this genre." I couldn't agree more. The brief Q&A is archived on VillageVoice.com.
TOMMY HANSEN AND BIG BROTHER
I wrote some time ago that Bel Ami star Tommy Hansen was cast in the Czech version of "Big Brother" under his actual name, Filip Trojovsky, and that he was booted when his porn past came to light. Lo and behold, he was invited back onto the show after an apparent write-in campaign orchestrated by his manager and he subsequently made it all the way to the end of the show as one of the final three contestants, but ultimately lost.
At the same time, the Eastern European press is slowly starting to take note of the booming gay porn trade in their neck of the woods. "Trim, tanned and well-proportioned where it counts," reads one recent news report. "Those are some of the prerequisites for making it in the gay porn business in the Czech Republic. The 'biz' has come under the spotlight recently in the country's edition of the 'Big Brother' reality show, in which Filip Trojovsky—known professionally as Tommy Hansen—admitted to acting in gay porn films though he insisted he was heterosexual. Strike you as unusual? Apparently in the Czech Republic it is often the case that actors in gay porn are 'straight.'"
To which everyone in America replies with a resounding "Duh!" There is a lot of debate raging on the porn message boards about whether these guys are truly heterosexual, etc. etc. But one of the reasons gay porn has flown under the radar in Eastern Europe is that most of these guys sign contracts that prevents their movies from being released in their home country. Of course the internet has changed all that. And one can't help but imagine that Mr. Hansen/Trojovsky knew his porn past would be uncovered during his fifteen minutes of television fame.
THE BEST OF 2005
The voting was fast and furious this past week for Best Newcomer and Performer of the Year as determined by the readers of "The Adams Report by J.C. Adams." The upper rungs of the charts changed daily. Out of 24 contenders for Best Newcomer and 33 for Performer of the Year, here are the top ten. Voting will now commence for the winner in each category and whomever prevails will receive a free copy of the 2006 Adam Gay Video Directory and bragging rights for a full year (50,000 people read this column every week, so it is quite a commercial endorsement just to be nominated).
Best Newcomer: Bruce Beckham, Caleb Carter, Remy Delaine, Luca DiCorso, Alex Fuerte, Roman Heart, Marcos Pirelli, Spencer Quest, Cliff Rhodes, Francois Sagat.
The remaining contenders finished just out of the top ten by just a handful of votes: Buck Angel, Kevin Brown, Mike Grant, Rhet Hengst, Erik Hunter, Jason Kingsley, Andy Kirra, Brett Matthews, Joey Milano, Erik Rhodes, Tyler Riggz, Luke Strong, Jedd Wilcox, Marc Williams.
Performer of the Year: Joshua Adams, Michael Brandon, Jason Crew, Mario Cruz, Owen Hawk, Cory Koons, Corbin Michaels, Dean Monroe, Jacob Slader, Bobby Williams.
The remaining 24 contenders could have easily placed in the top ten with just a few more votes. I think that's a sign of how much good work was actually done this year: Rod Barry, Brad Benton, Alex Collack, Tim Hamilton, Johnny Hazzard, Roman Heart, Blu Kennedy, Kent Larson, Michael Lucas, Gus Mattox, Arpad Miklos, Jeff Palmer, Marco Paris, Brad Patton, Troy Punk, Spencer Quest, Trey Rexx, Jason Ridge, Lukas Ridgeston, Shane Rollins, Matthew Rush, Michael Soldier, Parker Williams, Josh Weston.
DEPT. OF SELF PROMOTION
My SEX WITH STRANGERS for All Worlds Video was among ManNet.com's "100 Best Videos of the Year" compilation. Check out Allworldsvideo.com for details. FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS (RAD Video), my most recent flick, is now available for pre-order via RADvideo.com. And the 2006 Adam Gay Video Directory will soon be on shelves everywhere. I hope you find it useful and entertaining. AdamGayVideo.com should be updated soon with ordering information and so forth. It was a hair-raising rush to get the book finished by deadline, so if you come across any typos I don't want to hear about it until at least Memorial Day. Got it? Good.
Porn Star Birthdays from January 9 through January 15: Agustin Agar, Renato Bellagio, Angel Castaneda, Franco Di Ostia, Joe Gallagher, Tony Mecelli, Clayton Romero, Tony Stevens (January 9); Matt Cook, Shawn Islander, Trevor Knight, Rick LaFonte, Pablo Picaco, Justin Roxx, Titan, Andy Zee (January 10); B.J. Bratt, Chad Donovan, Gerardo, Sebastian Gronoff, Josh Holiday, Doug Jeffries, Cameron Sage, Kurt Stefano, Jeremy Tucker, Jeremy West, Rick West (January 11); Paul Baressi, Eric Carter, Kai Cruz, Peter Ericson, Tommy Lawrence, Brad McGuire, Attila Sipos, Richard Well (January 12); Nathan Hamilton, Rodney Parks, Patrick St. Martin (January 13). Ivan Andros, Jake Butler, Christopher Fleur de Lis, Ray Harley, Fabian Harri, Junito, Kirk Kelley, Brayden Knight, Mike Vespa (January 14); Hank Cruz, Gino Gultier, Jason Harley, Daniel Paxton, Mark Rockwell, Zak Spears, Peter St. James, Alex Turner (January 15).
J.C. Adams has covered the gay adult entertainment industry since 1995, and has served as the editor of "Inside Porn Magazine" and "Unzipped Monthly." In addition to the "Adams Report" weekly gossip and news column, his work has appeared in "Adult Video News," "Gay Chicago," "Genre," "HX" and many other print and online publications. You can reach him at JCAdamsXXX@aol.com
500 Turtles Productions © 2002 - 2005
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Monday, January 02, 2006
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The Adams Report by J.C. Adams
January 2 - 8, 2006
GayPornLand packed up for the holidays (Michael Lucas in Israel, Chi Chi LaRue in Minnesota) so there isn't a whole lotta news to report. Once everyone has recovered from New Year's they will be setting off to Sin City for the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and the Adult Entertainment Expo. Gay industry attendance at this thing ebbs and flows; this year for whatever reasons the Gay Pavilion is full. Otherwise, we'll continue our look back at the year in porn.
First, though, Ms. LaRue continues her multimedia pop culture assault with an appearance on AMC's "Movies That Shook the World: Pink Flamingos." The original airdate was Friday, December 30th but look for multiple reruns over the coming weeks. The directrix is done up in fierce drag and prominently featured as she waxes rhapsodic about the movie. She and "Flamingos" director John Waters are old pals; the latter interviewed her for "XXX: 30 Porn Star Portraits" by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders. This comes on the heels of Ms. LaRue's recent interview on MSNBC's "Live and Direct with Rita Cosby," the release of her "warning!" photobook (with snapshots by Greg Thompson) and an upcoming "Paper" magazine layout with Luca DiCorso, Johnny Hazzard and Eddie Stone.
(An interesting side note about the "Pink Flamingos" episode of "Movies That Shook the World" is that reclusive legend Joe Dallesandro is one of the talking heads. The star of many Andy Warhol and Paul Morrissey cult classics is alive and well. You may remember his legendary beauty; he's still extremely handsome in late-middle age.)
DICORSO VERY "GQ"
And speaking of Luca DiCorso, he appears together with hetero starletMonique Alexander Lanny Barby in the current issue of "GQ" in a photo spread promoting designer Tom Ford's new line of eyewear. One year ago it was eight Bel Ami pups modeling swimwear for "Interview" magazine, then a few months ago Hunter James turned up in Italian "Vogue." And now we have Mr. DiCorso frolicking with a straight chick in "GQ." The pics were shot last August in the Hollywood Hills by shutterbug Jeff Burton.
Actually, although the models are identified as porn stars, in his Q&A Mr. Ford only mentions Mr. DiCorso, who is identified by his first name with no indication that he's a gay skin star. Plus, you can barely tell it's him; one extreme closeup of essentially his nostril (seriously!) and another with Ms. Alexander's fingers in his mouth don't leave much skin to ogle. Two additional quick shots hardly show any skin. But good for him! (Eddie Stone and straight starlet Lanny Barby were also part of the shoot but unfortunately did not make the final cut.)
BEST OF 2005
Lots of movement this week in the jockeying for Best Newcomer and Gay Performer of the Year as determined by readers of "The Adams Report by J.C. Adams." Voting closed New Year's Day and next week I'll reveal the top vote-getters in each category. As noted last week, winners get a free copy of the 2006 Adam Gay Video Directory and bragging rights for a full year.
A few comments about the voting: Two people voted for Jeff Stryker for his appearances on "Celebrity Justice." You people are hilarious. And one vote for Michael Brandon named him Performer of the "Era"—although that might have been a particularly heinous typo. Additionally, a small handful of votes for various performers came in as attachments; those were deleted unread. Sorry, guys. But you know how the internet works these days. We'll make that clear before the start of voting next year.
Caleb Carter and Roman Heart are still leading the potentials for Best Newcomer, with Spencer Quest overtaking Marcos Pirelli for pole position. The rest of the pack is as alphabetically ordered as follows: Buck Angel, Bruce Beckham, Kevin Brown, Remy Delaine, Luca DiCorso, Alex Fuerte, Mike Grant, Rhet Hengst, Erik Hunter, Jason Kingsley, Andy Kirra, Brett Matthews, Joey Milano, Cliff Rhodes, Erik Rhodes, Tyler Riggz, Francois Sagat, Luke Strong, Jedd Willcox, Marc Williams (24).
And for Performer of the Year, Jason Crew and Cory Koons are currently tied at the top (with about 200 votes still to be counted) followed by Michael Brandon and only a handful of votes separating Joshua Adams, Mario Cruz, Corbin Michaels, Dean Monroe and Jacob Slader. Here are the remaining contenders (arranged alphabetically): Rod Barry, Brad Benton, Alex Collack, Owen Hawk, Tim Hamilton, Johnny Hazzard, Roman Heart, Blu Kennedy, Kent Larson, Michael Lucas, Gus Mattox, Arpad Miklos, Jeff Palmer, Marco Paris, Brad Patton, Troy Punk, Spencer Quest, Trey Rexx, Jason Ridge, Lukas Ridgeston, Shane Rollins, Matthew Rush, Michael Soldier, Bobby Williams, Parker Williams (33).
THE YEAR IN PORN: FEBRUARY-MARCH 2005
In February, the feature documentary "Inside Deep Throat" premiered with a splash at the Sundance Film Festival and soon thereafter in theatres (eventual box office gross was so-so)… Michael Lucas continued to generate mainstream press coverage of his DANGEROUS LIAISONS shoot… I continued obsessing over Dean Monroe: "Falcon announced that my crush (and future husband when Gus Mattox is out of town) Dean Monroe will soon star in BANG BANG from their Mustang line. 'This time it's all about Dean,' reads the press release, 'and that deliciously accommodating ass of his.'"…
Also in February, "Cycles of Porn: Sex/Life L.A. Part 2" from German documentarian Jochen Hick began making the festival rounds. A follow-up to his 1998 original (featuring Matt Bradshaw, Kevin Kramer and Cole Tucker among others), industryites "Bastian, Sergio Anthony, Holden Grey, Johnny Law, Corbin Michaels, Vin Nolan, Rocky and Chi Chi LaRue anchor one section of the sequel. Bareback filmmakers Ray Butler, Bill Gardner and Will West are featured in another. Messrs. Bradshaw, Kramer and Tucker return in a follow-up segment that also features Damian Ford and photographer Henning von Berg" (the film is now available on DVD from TLA Releasing)…
February and March also brought the bizarre tale of Jeff Gannon/Jeff Guckert to light. As I wrote then, "(t)he gay skin trade recently crossed into the mainstream in an unusual way. If you pay attention to liberal and progressive news blogs, the strange and sordid tale of 'Jeff Gannon' is already familiar. The mainstream media is now running with the story. Mr. Gannon, whose real name is James Guckert, was unmasked as a journalist with shaky credentials and a shady past whose access to the White House press room is being questioned. Further, it appears Mr. Gannon has also worked as a gay escort selling his services for two-hundred bucks an hour. Can you imagine the uproar if this had happened in a Democratic White House? The double and triple layers of irony are mind-boggling…"
At this time last year we also sadly took note of the passing of "Hooboy" of Male4MaleEscorts.com and famed erotic artist John Klamik, better known to legions of fans as "Sean the Artist"… "Blue" magazine featured an entire layout devoted to COLT Studio… Bel Ami hotties Sebastian Bonnet, Johan Paulik and Lukas Ridgeston were flown into Los Angeles by a high-powered Hollywood A-list homo to lend some erotic glamour to his pre-Oscars bash. The toothsome trio also turned up at Elton John's annual Academy Awards afterparty. And porn's top set designer Bradley Pickleshimer decorated the whole thing from top to bottom… Finally, the famed Gaiety in New York City closed its doors forever…more next week.
Porn Star Birthdays from January 2 through January 8: DC Chandler, Josh Hammer, Bruce Hill, Ricky Martinez, Claudio Meneses, Mikey, Mike Vista (January 2); Dirk Adams, Tim Bruno, Rick Estephan, Lorice Jackman, Mark Long, Ben Mason, Eddie Moreno, David Pierre, Tanner Reeves, Luis Sanchez, T.J., Jean Walace, Todd Winters (January 3); Anton, Michael Cooper, Kent Michaels, Lucas Rally, Sean Sullivan, Lorenzo Vargas (January 4); Rick Fernandi, Marc Hamilton, Johnny Rider, Hunter Scott, Eric Wood (January 5); Big Blue, Gerardo Cortez, Mirko, Niko, Robert Razo, Nick Young (January 6); Laurence Cain, Jon Christian, Seth Cullen, Kris Kole, Kane O'Farrell, Tristan Paris, Vasco Roriz, Bobby Williams, B.J. Woods (January 7); Nicholas Babral, Vance Bajnok, Pietro Cattani, Brett Collins, Nick Nicaste, Jason Ryder, Max Schneider, Dale South, Bobby Tyler (January 8).
J.C. Adams has covered the gay adult entertainment industry since 1995, and has served as the editor of "Inside Porn Magazine" and "Unzipped Monthly." In addition to the "Adams Report" weekly gossip and news column, his work has appeared in "Adult Video News," "Gay Chicago," "Genre," "HX" and many other print and online publications. You can reach him at JCAdamsXXX@aol.com
500 Turtles Productions © 2002 - 2005
# # #
The Adams Report by J.C. Adams
January 2 - 8, 2006
GayPornLand packed up for the holidays (Michael Lucas in Israel, Chi Chi LaRue in Minnesota) so there isn't a whole lotta news to report. Once everyone has recovered from New Year's they will be setting off to Sin City for the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and the Adult Entertainment Expo. Gay industry attendance at this thing ebbs and flows; this year for whatever reasons the Gay Pavilion is full. Otherwise, we'll continue our look back at the year in porn.
First, though, Ms. LaRue continues her multimedia pop culture assault with an appearance on AMC's "Movies That Shook the World: Pink Flamingos." The original airdate was Friday, December 30th but look for multiple reruns over the coming weeks. The directrix is done up in fierce drag and prominently featured as she waxes rhapsodic about the movie. She and "Flamingos" director John Waters are old pals; the latter interviewed her for "XXX: 30 Porn Star Portraits" by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders. This comes on the heels of Ms. LaRue's recent interview on MSNBC's "Live and Direct with Rita Cosby," the release of her "warning!" photobook (with snapshots by Greg Thompson) and an upcoming "Paper" magazine layout with Luca DiCorso, Johnny Hazzard and Eddie Stone.
(An interesting side note about the "Pink Flamingos" episode of "Movies That Shook the World" is that reclusive legend Joe Dallesandro is one of the talking heads. The star of many Andy Warhol and Paul Morrissey cult classics is alive and well. You may remember his legendary beauty; he's still extremely handsome in late-middle age.)
DICORSO VERY "GQ"
And speaking of Luca DiCorso, he appears together with hetero starlet
Actually, although the models are identified as porn stars, in his Q&A Mr. Ford only mentions Mr. DiCorso, who is identified by his first name with no indication that he's a gay skin star. Plus, you can barely tell it's him; one extreme closeup of essentially his nostril (seriously!) and another with Ms. Alexander's fingers in his mouth don't leave much skin to ogle. Two additional quick shots hardly show any skin. But good for him! (Eddie Stone and straight starlet Lanny Barby were also part of the shoot but unfortunately did not make the final cut.)
BEST OF 2005
Lots of movement this week in the jockeying for Best Newcomer and Gay Performer of the Year as determined by readers of "The Adams Report by J.C. Adams." Voting closed New Year's Day and next week I'll reveal the top vote-getters in each category. As noted last week, winners get a free copy of the 2006 Adam Gay Video Directory and bragging rights for a full year.
A few comments about the voting: Two people voted for Jeff Stryker for his appearances on "Celebrity Justice." You people are hilarious. And one vote for Michael Brandon named him Performer of the "Era"—although that might have been a particularly heinous typo. Additionally, a small handful of votes for various performers came in as attachments; those were deleted unread. Sorry, guys. But you know how the internet works these days. We'll make that clear before the start of voting next year.
Caleb Carter and Roman Heart are still leading the potentials for Best Newcomer, with Spencer Quest overtaking Marcos Pirelli for pole position. The rest of the pack is as alphabetically ordered as follows: Buck Angel, Bruce Beckham, Kevin Brown, Remy Delaine, Luca DiCorso, Alex Fuerte, Mike Grant, Rhet Hengst, Erik Hunter, Jason Kingsley, Andy Kirra, Brett Matthews, Joey Milano, Cliff Rhodes, Erik Rhodes, Tyler Riggz, Francois Sagat, Luke Strong, Jedd Willcox, Marc Williams (24).
And for Performer of the Year, Jason Crew and Cory Koons are currently tied at the top (with about 200 votes still to be counted) followed by Michael Brandon and only a handful of votes separating Joshua Adams, Mario Cruz, Corbin Michaels, Dean Monroe and Jacob Slader. Here are the remaining contenders (arranged alphabetically): Rod Barry, Brad Benton, Alex Collack, Owen Hawk, Tim Hamilton, Johnny Hazzard, Roman Heart, Blu Kennedy, Kent Larson, Michael Lucas, Gus Mattox, Arpad Miklos, Jeff Palmer, Marco Paris, Brad Patton, Troy Punk, Spencer Quest, Trey Rexx, Jason Ridge, Lukas Ridgeston, Shane Rollins, Matthew Rush, Michael Soldier, Bobby Williams, Parker Williams (33).
THE YEAR IN PORN: FEBRUARY-MARCH 2005
In February, the feature documentary "Inside Deep Throat" premiered with a splash at the Sundance Film Festival and soon thereafter in theatres (eventual box office gross was so-so)… Michael Lucas continued to generate mainstream press coverage of his DANGEROUS LIAISONS shoot… I continued obsessing over Dean Monroe: "Falcon announced that my crush (and future husband when Gus Mattox is out of town) Dean Monroe will soon star in BANG BANG from their Mustang line. 'This time it's all about Dean,' reads the press release, 'and that deliciously accommodating ass of his.'"…
Also in February, "Cycles of Porn: Sex/Life L.A. Part 2" from German documentarian Jochen Hick began making the festival rounds. A follow-up to his 1998 original (featuring Matt Bradshaw, Kevin Kramer and Cole Tucker among others), industryites "Bastian, Sergio Anthony, Holden Grey, Johnny Law, Corbin Michaels, Vin Nolan, Rocky and Chi Chi LaRue anchor one section of the sequel. Bareback filmmakers Ray Butler, Bill Gardner and Will West are featured in another. Messrs. Bradshaw, Kramer and Tucker return in a follow-up segment that also features Damian Ford and photographer Henning von Berg" (the film is now available on DVD from TLA Releasing)…
February and March also brought the bizarre tale of Jeff Gannon/Jeff Guckert to light. As I wrote then, "(t)he gay skin trade recently crossed into the mainstream in an unusual way. If you pay attention to liberal and progressive news blogs, the strange and sordid tale of 'Jeff Gannon' is already familiar. The mainstream media is now running with the story. Mr. Gannon, whose real name is James Guckert, was unmasked as a journalist with shaky credentials and a shady past whose access to the White House press room is being questioned. Further, it appears Mr. Gannon has also worked as a gay escort selling his services for two-hundred bucks an hour. Can you imagine the uproar if this had happened in a Democratic White House? The double and triple layers of irony are mind-boggling…"
At this time last year we also sadly took note of the passing of "Hooboy" of Male4MaleEscorts.com and famed erotic artist John Klamik, better known to legions of fans as "Sean the Artist"… "Blue" magazine featured an entire layout devoted to COLT Studio… Bel Ami hotties Sebastian Bonnet, Johan Paulik and Lukas Ridgeston were flown into Los Angeles by a high-powered Hollywood A-list homo to lend some erotic glamour to his pre-Oscars bash. The toothsome trio also turned up at Elton John's annual Academy Awards afterparty. And porn's top set designer Bradley Pickleshimer decorated the whole thing from top to bottom… Finally, the famed Gaiety in New York City closed its doors forever…more next week.
Porn Star Birthdays from January 2 through January 8: DC Chandler, Josh Hammer, Bruce Hill, Ricky Martinez, Claudio Meneses, Mikey, Mike Vista (January 2); Dirk Adams, Tim Bruno, Rick Estephan, Lorice Jackman, Mark Long, Ben Mason, Eddie Moreno, David Pierre, Tanner Reeves, Luis Sanchez, T.J., Jean Walace, Todd Winters (January 3); Anton, Michael Cooper, Kent Michaels, Lucas Rally, Sean Sullivan, Lorenzo Vargas (January 4); Rick Fernandi, Marc Hamilton, Johnny Rider, Hunter Scott, Eric Wood (January 5); Big Blue, Gerardo Cortez, Mirko, Niko, Robert Razo, Nick Young (January 6); Laurence Cain, Jon Christian, Seth Cullen, Kris Kole, Kane O'Farrell, Tristan Paris, Vasco Roriz, Bobby Williams, B.J. Woods (January 7); Nicholas Babral, Vance Bajnok, Pietro Cattani, Brett Collins, Nick Nicaste, Jason Ryder, Max Schneider, Dale South, Bobby Tyler (January 8).
J.C. Adams has covered the gay adult entertainment industry since 1995, and has served as the editor of "Inside Porn Magazine" and "Unzipped Monthly." In addition to the "Adams Report" weekly gossip and news column, his work has appeared in "Adult Video News," "Gay Chicago," "Genre," "HX" and many other print and online publications. You can reach him at JCAdamsXXX@aol.com
500 Turtles Productions © 2002 - 2005
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