Sin City's head of production Chuck Martino has returned from his honeymoon in Mexico with his soon-to-be wife Shay Sweet. Legal problems prevented the couple from getting married in Cancun, but they plan a quick trip to Las Vegas in the next two weeks to formally marry. Despite rumors, Martino appears solidly entrenched at Sin City. His bosses at GVA West seem happy with his work.
Vivid PR man David Schlesinger marks today his one year anniversary at porn's biggest grossing company ($40 million last year). Last week he took the new Vivid girl Kira into Hustler to shoot polaroids for a possible layout. After she'd slipped out of her clothes, she glanced out the window and said "ohmigod, there's the Hollywood sign [big block letters across the Hollywood Hills about six miles north of the Larry Flynt Publications building on Wilshire and La Cienega Blvds]." It was Kira's first time in Hollywood.
Standing 5'6" with large natural breasts recently "lifted" by the knife, the feature dancer has worked with the Lee Network [stripper agency out of Florida]. "She's a knockout," says David. Polynesian looking, Kira sports long hair and speaks with a southern accent.
Kira does her first porn scene (according to Schlesinger though other sources say she's done a dozen) this week in a Paul Thomas movie. "She has many relationships with the mainstream rock n'roll world," says Schlesinger. "She had guys who did the Kiss tour doing her pyrotechnics on stage [for her strip act]. She has a neat stage show, into explosions, confetti... Some of the [Vivid] girls saw her out dancing and brought her into Vivid.
"I don't know yet if Tiffany Mynx is going to sign with us. We'd love it. That's a hot battle around the industry right now."
Vivid is going through a massive redesign and restructuring of its web site www.vividvideo.com. "I've hired a good friend from Chicago who's an incredible web designer and marketing guy... We built a new set of offices at Vivid to house our new internet team. We've hired six people for our internet site and are in the process of hiring more. We're bringing all our servers in-house. We're going to relaunch our site www.vividvideo.com in the middle of March, and then again in May. We're going to blow everyone else away."
Schlesinger's handing over the reins as PR director to someone else so that he can concentrate on Vivid's internet operation. "I've given myself a crash course [on the internet] over the past few months. Instead of picking up the Rolling Stone or Details magazine, I've been picking up Wired or Business 2.0 now. It's the future."
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Talent agent Rob Spallone and director James DiGiorgio met Monday with VCA owner Russ Hampshire, and signed a contract to shoot two more movies for Russ, possibly next week. Russ persuaded Rob to join the Free Speech Coalition, the porn industry's trade group. Luke called Russ Hampshire later in afternoon to let him know that Luke had been impersonating a porn expert across the media over the past few weeks.
Russ: "How can you be a porn expert? You hate porn. You can't be an expert and hate it. You only go with your point of view."
Luke: "You don't think I also like porn and am titillated by it?"
Russ: "The only reason you like it is that it gives you something to hate.
"I started shipping VCA Xplicit last week. We're doing about 2200 [pieces]."
Luke: "What's your stance on breast implants?"
Russ: "To each his own. Do I require them? No. I can't tell them what to do with their body. It doesn't make any difference to me. Breasts don't make the woman."
Luke: "Wasn't there something in AVN about three years ago about you and Chasey Lain and breast implants?"
Russ: "No. Why don't you read the goddamn magazine. It had something to do with condoms."
[Source: "Interesting how Chasey was "in negotiations" with VCA and it fell through. Her requiring condom use was rumored as a reason the contract was pulled off the table. In AVN's interview with Chasey, responses from Russ were interjected after Chasey's comments (how about that, an interview with sidebars from another party...unbelievable!). Russ denied she wasn't given a contract over condoms, pointing out that Kelly O'Dell had worked for VCA and that she required condoms and was allowed to work. Yet, after this, Chasey's boobs got bigger and she wound up with a VCA contract AND was allowed to use condoms. Compromise?"]
Luke: "Do you ever tell girls 'you can't be a star or on the boxcover unless you get breast implants'?"
Russ: "No, we don't do things like that. We get phone calls [from girls wanting to work for VCA, one of the few porn companies that pays reliably]. They [about 10-30 girls a month] come by. Stephanie [Ross, production manager] takes a few polaroids. They fill out a form which asks what do you do, what do you not do. When we're ready to shoot, the directors go through the books and choose the girls.
[Source: "So why do 95% of the women in VCA titles and on boxcovers have implants? And what are they *willing* to change to insure working for one of the best companies, one that pays reliably?"]
"This is not our own talent agency. Most of these girls are still with Jim South, Reb or other people. But instead of us having to go down to the agencies and look at their books, we have our own books. I don't select the girls, I leave that up to the people who shoot. What do I know about whether a girl is good on camera or not. I've never made one [porno]."
[Source: "Passing the
buck. It's the *directors*. He has *no* say, *no* control over the directors?.
What about "limiting" piercings and tattoos?...and "requiring" condoms?.
Obviously, he must pass those along. Obviously, the directors are told
some things, and what isn't said is just as
telling."]
Luke: "Do you or does anyone at VCA recommend certain plastic surgeons for breast implants?"
Russ: "No."
[Source: "Would he be willing to say that in a court of law?"]
Luke: "Jeanna Fine thanked you at the 1999 AVN Awards show for buying her tits and nose."
Russ: "She borrowed the money from me. I've known Jeanna since she's been in the business. We're good friends."
Luke: "Do you think there has been a decrease in the talent pool since the HIV thing?"
Russ: "I wouldn't even know. I don't pay attention to it. Let me ask somebody."
Russ switches to his mobile phone and walks over to Stephanie Ross's office to relay my question.
Russ to Stephanie: "Do you find that since this HIV thing there's less talent coming by, or maybe more talent coming by because we use condoms?"
Stephanie: "Lots more. The girls love it."
Luke: "What about the quality?"
Stephanie: "The same."
Luke: "There seem to be more tattoos and piercings."
Russ: "We limit that. We can't use that."
Neither VCA nor Vivid report any affect on sales from going condoms only.
[Source: "Great! "We
limit that. We can't use that". But you don't limit breast
implants and other plastic surgery because you CAN use that?. Bulls---,
this is a cop out. If you can limit tattoos and piercings and go so
far
as to require condoms, you could have the same pull on breast implants.
VCA could go heavily or completely natural if you wanted to, obviously
you don't want to. Encouraging implants by not discouraging implants."]
Luke: "Did you and Stevie [Vivid owner] and Paulie [AVN publisher] get together in Denver with Eddie W [owner of Goalie, a chain of sex shops] a few weeks ago and try do defraud the public by reducing production and raising prices?"
Russ laughs.
Luke: "Admit it. You did. You all sat around and figured out how to defraud the public."
Russ: "You're so far off-base it's pathetic. We'd love to be able to sit around... Right, Vivid and I control the marketplace. How? I'd like to know how it is done, so that I could try it. Luke, it's called supply and demand. There's an oversupply of product now so the price goes down. Why would Eddie W. want to raise prices? The lower the price he gets, the more profit he makes."
Luke: "My book A History of X will be out next month."
Russ: "I want an autographed copy so that I can say, 'I knew him when.' Then I'm going to read it, to see how much truth is in there."
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Email: "Houston is in Cincinnati (Feb. 15th) along with Ron Jeremy, Coral Sands, and others doing a call-in on WLW radio and a signing at Larry Flynt's HUSTLER store in Cincinnati. Houston spoke about the bang gang and the infamous "shower tape" she made in Florida where, while singing nude in a shower in the wee hours of the morning, she received an additional shower of a bucket of ice by Scotty Schwartz."
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Pat Riley watched In Your Face 4 from Zane. "It's the usual unstructured plotless/interview debutante type tape done by Mark Zane. Now Mark, who looks all of 14, is one of those baggy-panted, pierced, tattooed, snapple-swilling, pizza-munching, gum-chewing, acne-ridden, Gen-X (or Y or Z) pieces of crap that could do with two years in the Marines to get him into shape. But in his favor at least he looks much more human than Kid Sparkle and Johnny Toxic. Even the Marines couldn't fix them.
"He also has a couple of other things going for him: he doesn't perform himself and he doesn't ask the girls if they like older guys. He's gauche though and just comes out with "Are they your real tits?" causing momentary embarrassment on the part of Honey (white, appeared in one of MDD) and Tina Thomas but they do admit enhancement and provide some information as to where the incision was and in Thomas's case the info that it was behind the muscle (they're still bad). He also goes into detail about each of the girl's tattoos--what they are--for which I thank him (useful for ID). Come to think of it this detailed examination of the tattoos does allow one to get a good look at the girl's body. OTOH he doesn't ask Honey about her large birthmark on her right belly, Lola about her splotches on her back, or Tina about her vertical incision which looks like major abdominal surgery to me.
"The scene with Lola is a pick up in a parking lot--reminds me of TT Boy but she doesn't pretend to be a hooker--and then a return to some studio where she's shared by Steve Taylor and a black guy who's credited as Jordan Ramone. The black guy looks peculiar and is completely bald and boy does he have problems getting off. Even in FF it takes forever. No anals in this scene. All dicks are condom-clad throughout the movie.
"Honey...well she's trash. Gets screwed by Pat Myne who shakes his butt at the camera.."for the ladies" according to Mark. Arrgh! I nearly lost my dinner. "Monique is black but is not THE Monique. New girl, says she's done one previous video, too toothy and not much waist. She'd better change that name or get a last one fast! Millina is either a new name for a now black-haired Molina or Mark is illiterate...probably the latter. Hardman and Steve Taylor do a four way with them which is choreographed...what was the movie where the Hartman twins and the Young twins did a choreographed four way?...wasn't erotic then either. Anal of Molina here.
"Lolita is a pretty white girl...well, I'll have to think about the "pretty"... with a sunburst tattoo on her back...she's been in one of Ed's recent movies where she said she was only going to do BJ's and girls and also under another name with Kristen (Zane) for Pleasure. She does a g/g with Dynasty (a black girl) and then Tony (no wool hat, Torris) Everready turns up and screws Dynasty while she munches on Lolita's twat. Why would Lolita call herself "Lolita"? Maybe Mikayla Shore could call herself Lolita but this one doesn't look like a Lolita and with her restrictions I doubt Max will be doing her soon.
"Last scene has Tina getting screwed by Chris Cannon. He says "I think everyone would like to see your cock sucking skills" She demonstrates. They f---. All scenes end in facials except...aha, more support for the Riley black facial theory--Dynasty but then Monique does take a facial so it's even steven. Still Monique was being screwed by a white guy...have to consider the ramifications of this.
"Tina Thomas is drunk. I mean falling down drunk, slurring words drunk...I wouldn't notice otherwise. She staggers...the words come out all jumbled up. Unless...maybe a speech and motor defect...nah! Or the effect of another illicit substance."
Mr. Owsley writes on RAME: "I was reading Luke F-rd's site the other day and ran across an article saying that Van Damage, Tiffany Mynx, Lizzy Borden and a few others were all living in Tom Byron's house. Now I know Luke hasn't always been the most accurate person, but I've read other articles that mentions groups (4, 5, 6 etc) of porn stars living together also. There are immigrants from Iraq and Somalia that live down the street from me and they aren't packed in as many to a house as porn stars seem to be! I've known strippers making $1,000+ a day and not even having a car to drive because they spend it all on drugs, but I can't imagine that many porn stars having habits that huge without evidence showing on film. I know housing is expensive in LA but you'd think you could at least get an apartment.... I thought the whole reason to get into porn was decent money with little work, but if I couldn't even afford my own place, I think I'd have to find another line of work. Can someone shed some light on why porn stars group up like fresh immigrants?"
Mike South (pornographer): "The females give their money to the wannabe rock stars that they live with, whats left is used for cosmetic surgery like boob jobs and nose jobs, add the weekly appointment with the tattoo and piercing parlor and a trip to the mall and there's barely enough for the HIV test."
Bushmiller: "I think it has as much to do with the clannish, carnival and outcast aspects of the biz. In at least a small way, it's a womb-like defense mechanism."
Beberickct: "Nah, most are immature and nonconformist, overextending the roommate thing into the 20's and 30's is just an extension of their personalities. You really expext them to marry, move to a bedroom community (pardon the pun) have a couple kids and join th PTA? A few might. But not many."
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Porn star Suzi Suzuki Suzi appears at the Power Exchange (74 Otis St.) in SF for a Valentine's event on the 20th. "She has done this before, and it has been wild. She plays dice games and balloon games. Prizes: pictures, hugs, blow jobs...She blew me and allowed to go down on her. BTW, business for porner Christina Angel was slow during her scheduled Feb.1 to Feb. 14 stand at the Moonlight Bunny Ranch in Carson City, so the AVN Award-winner is staying on till Sunday to try to make some money. She's barely charging more than the house girls. Christina's great in bed."
Tryekaiza replies on RAME: "I've been to the Power Exchange before and its a sham. There are two different clubs but even in the "hetero" side there are mostly TS [transsexuals] and TVs [transvestites] giving guys blows. The only females I saw were with their boyfriends and were strictly there to see 6'2' 200lbs guys wearing dresses and lipstick and high heels. Also there were a few lesbos (very butch) spanking each other. They were behind a fenced off area so the closest you might get is five feet. I would recommend to ANYONE to streer clear of the Power Exchange unless you consider gay guys blowing drunk sailors a good way to spend the night."
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Nina Hartley writes on her web site www.nina.com: "On Thursday, January 28, 1999, I was forced to file suit against Nina Footwear, a New York shoe company in order to keep my website up and running. As many of you know, I have used Nina Hartley as my stage name since 1983. My first screen appearance was in Juliet Anderson's 1984 film "Educating Nina." In 1995, I registered Nina.com with Network Solutions. Since then I've spent lots of time (and money, of course) creating this website to share with you.
"Last Fall, I received a letter from a lawyer representing Nina Footwear, a New York based manufacturer of women's shoes and handbags. They told me they had trademarked "Nina" in 1969 for their shoes and done the same in 1987 for their handbags. Nina Footwear's lawyers then "requested" that I hand Nina.com over to them. When I ignored their "request", they complained to Network Solutions. Because I did not have a registered trademark for my name the only way I could keep my website up and running instead of being summarily taken off line and put on hold was to file suit against Nina Footwear or wait for them to sue me. I think this situation is outrageous. Nina is my name and, needless to say, I don't make shoes or handbags. They registered Ninafootwear.com but I guess they liked my domain name better. I think they are trying to bully me into giving up my name.
"I tried to negotiate with them, but their final offer wouldn't even begin to pay for what it has cost me to create and maintain the site up until now, let alone cover the kind of expense I would have if I were to create a new domain name. It would take years to popularize it and make it as instantly recognizable as NINA.COM is now."
The first time that Luke and several other persons tried to log on to Nina's web site (which features little content), they tried www.ninahartley.com, which Nina has just registered with Internic.
Contrary to rumor, the following www.salonmagazine.com review of a book on the sex industry is not about my A History of X but rather "Satyricon USA" by Euridice: "It's not that Eurydice's quest is an unworthy or uncomplicated one -- literate hipster goes on cross-country tour to gauge the sexual state of the union -- or that her willingness to probe human nature at its most vulnerable isn't gutsy. It's that she's not only not up to the task, she's smugly, condescendingly wowed by her own limited abilities. Reading her prose is like going for a long ride with a driver who's still coasting on a learner's permit. You can understand a little of where the self-satisfaction is coming from, but you don't exactly want to share in it."