Candida Royalle says on her Face book-
Anyone catch Jenna Jameson on the Oprah show? Jenna trying to take credit for ‘feminist porn’ was a joke. Only thing worse was watching Vivid founder Steve Hirsch try to take credit for the ‘couples market’. Oh really? Was he even in business when I created my Femme line for women and couples in 1984? Oprah couldn’t h…ave looked more uncomfortable. I guess even Oprah has to play the game for November sweeps month.
So here’s the deal: I was called by the producers in June and worked with them for 5 months on that show…only to be canned at the last minute along with a bevy of other far more qualified and significant women who made a difference for women in porn…like Nina Hartley who graduated Magna cum Laude in nursing and has directed her own ‘how to’ vids for years, and Jamye Waxman who has a masters in Sex Ed and who’s written two self-help books for women and directed pro-woman vids…
In the end they went for the most famous, wealthiest and recognizable person who they hoped would bring in the ratings…it is after all sweeps month. I think the most telling moment was when a rather shell-shocked looking Oprah turned to her audience with a forced smile and asked, ‘Did we all learn something? Did we all have fun?’, and the camera panned the entire audience, and NONE of them, not ONE, applauded or had a smile on their face. They were completely bemused.
Look, I don’t begrudge Jenna her accomplishments, she’s worked hard and went for what she wanted and got it. But I hate when people take credit for other’s hard work and efforts. If it was just a show about the most successful and richest porn star that would have been fine, but Oprah betrayed her audience by parading this woman around as the creator of movies the average woman can relate to.
Am I miffed? Yup…At the very least a nod to the fact that I in fact pioneered this genre along with my original partner, Lauren Niemi, back in 1984 when the porn-powers that be patted me on the head and told me women weren’t interested would have taken the sting out of watching this sham of a show.
Candida makes several very good points here. Should O have gone for the real-deal & not ratings, there are several more significant and pertinent people she could have showcased – but thats television for you. It is, after all NOT a news program (as if that matters anymore
Mainstream media is terrified of truly intelligent women in the sex industry and always has been, they can’t be too smart or not have had rape or abuse in their backgrounds, because God forbid their own daughters take a shine to one of them as a role model. I tried to do positive mainsteam interviews for years and realized it’s just not possible, I was always edited out of context and made to look weak willed or less intelligent than I am, after a while I gave up. Mainsteam hollywood is far more exploitive and insidious than porn.
Mainstream media uses porn for it’s own purposes, not to stimulate thought, just ratings.
Join the club Ms. Royalle — as it’s not just ‘porn’ that your average afternoon talkshow misaligns.
Take ANY topic and you’ll find many others like yourself who are irritated their side was ignored or not fully explained. Besides, even if you, Nina, and others were the focus of Oprah’s show, the audience wouldn’t have been any more or less receptive. That’s why it’s called BROADCASTING…as they’re only really equipped to discuss issues in the BROADEST of terms to the WIDEST audience.
Honestly, few people outside of porn fandom are going to know a ‘Candida Royalle’ or a ‘Jamye Waxman’. Nina Hartley, slightly more recognizable — but again, that’s a whole different generation of porn fan who would care enough about Ms. Hartley to tune into Oprah (and last I checked, a show like that cares more about ratings than educating the public).
so Oprah USED all the experts in the biz for the writing and research on the show and then grabbed Jenna ( the figurehead) to be on the show. Sounds like Oprah wanted the best show she could get with the most ratings. Don’t think it was right the way she did it, but does she care if she steps on a few porn chicks toes, fuck no. I will say that “Violet Blue” was a blabbering pseudo intellectual who even managed to make talking about sex boring.
“Violet Blue” is (or was) a good name for a porn star, but not for a pseudo-intellectual.