Internext, AVN Expo

Internext Pictures

Tuesday, January 4, Mandalay Bay

Ron Levi, Luke Sunny Leone Terri Summers, Carmen Luvana Vicky Vette Aria Giovanni, Tera Patrick Tera Patrick Lisa Sparxxx Lisa Sparxxx Ashton Moore Wankus, Summer Haze Seka, Laurie Holmes Laurie, Seka Alexis Amore Alexis, Summer Haze Jenna Jameson

AVN Expo Pics Friday

Paolo Rey Paolo Rey Malezia Malezia Janine Haven Haven Julia Ann Julia Ann Julia Ann Holly Morgan Holly Morgan Sue Diamond

FTC Serves Signup4Cash Operators at Internext

Jeff Berg reports for XBiz:

LAS VEGAS - Agents from the Federal Trade Commission descended on Internext last week and served subpoenas to several individuals associated with Global Net Solutions and its affiliate program, Signup4Cash.com, as well as freezing the company's assets, according to information obtained by XBiz.

GFY thread

My Internext/AVN Expo Pictures

Thursday morning, January 6. Opening panel.

Al Bloom, sex toys Al, Aly

Email Luke IDs for the following pictures: Malezia Janine Janine Janine Howard Levine (super-salesman) and Janine Marty Turkel of Juicy Mercedez Nicole Brazzle Nicole Brazzle Evil Angel's Jeff Marton, Holly Wellin Ayana Angel Britney Skye, Greg Alves Britney, Greg Tricia Devereaux Tricia Devereaux Cherry Poppins Skyy Black girl Black girl Katja Kassin Alexis Amore Arianna Jollee Ashley Blue Ashley Blue Violet Blue Alicia Rhodes from England Alicia Rhodes Alicia Jamie Brooks Jamie Brooks Shy Love Kurt Lockwood, Samantha Ryan Kurt, Samantha Yoshiki Aogirl Sofia Sandobar blonde Roxanne Hall Avy Lee Roth Jon Dough, Michael Stefano Jon, Michael Samantha Slater, winner of multiple childhood beauty pageants Mr Laurie Holmes - Tony Montana Tony Montana, Buck Adams Anna Malle Anna Malle Anna Malle Stacy Thorn Sean Michaels Directors Nic Andrews, Jonathan Morgan Sandra Romain Sandra Romain Katin RLD asian Keri Sable Keri Sable Keri Sable Jasmine Byrne, Keri Jasmine Byrne, Keri Jasmine Byrne Jasmine Byrne Jewel DeNyle Harmony Rose Harmony Rose Mari Possa, the girlfriend of Seymore Butts Mari Possa Flower, Cousin Stevie Score booth, Crystal Gunns (left) and Vixen LaMoore (right) Vixen LaMoore Vixen LaMoore Crystal Gunns Crystal Gunns Crystal Gunns, Vixen LaMoore Teanna Kai Teanna Kai Teanna Kai Nadia Brian Pumper Sunset Thomas Sunset Thomas Paolo Rey Jassie Jassie Jassie Jassie Jassie

Friday, January 7

Vivid girl Monique Alexander Monique Alexander Jenna Jameson, Skye Blue Jenna Jameson, Skye Blue Jenna Jameson, Skye Blue Jenna Jameson Adorable Jenna fan Jenna, bodyguard Jenna, fan Jenna Candida Royalle Candida Royalle Alex Silk, Candida Bud Lee looks great busty blonde Brittaney Starr Brittaney Starr Davia Ardell Davia Ardell (L), Sofia, and Brittaney Starr (R) Davia, Sofia, and Brittaney Davia, Sofia, and Brittaney Mini Pipes Mini Pipes Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Lexi Marie Jessica Jaymes Jessica Jaymes Jessica Jaymes Jessica Jaymes Jessica Jaymes Latina Rose Latina Rose Kaylani Lei Tyler Faith Jenna Haze Jenna Haze Paul Fishbein, Steve Orenstein Paul, Steve Aspen Stevens Aspen Stevens Aspen Stevens Aspen Stevens Felix Vicious Felix Vicious Bella Starr Kevin Beechum before his fight Pat Myne, newcomer Pat Myne, girl Christi Lee, yummy Christi Lee Joey Silvera Joey Silvera, sweet blonde Angela Stone Mike Barbella, Lady Armani Mike Barbella, Lady Armani Swinger Nikki Nikki Cynara Fox Cynara Fox Cynara Fox Cynara Fox Nicki Hunter Nicki Hunter Nicki Hunter

The first Penthouse contract girl - Syvette Syvette chick with dick Vicki Richter Ashton Moore Ashton Moore Jenna Jameson and bodyguards Jenna Jameson Jenna Jameson Lori Tory Lane Tory Lane Dana Vespoli, Manuel Ferrara's girlfriend Dana Vespoli Jasmine Byrne Jasmine Byrne Jasmine Byrne Jasmine Byrne Jasmine Byrne Stacy Thorn Stacy Thorn Mika Tan Mika Tan Mika Tan Mika Tan Mika Tan Mika Tan Mika Tan Mika Tan Mika Tan Mika Tan Mika Tan Mika Tan Monica Mayhem Monica Mayhem Wanted List girl Kayla Marie Kayla Marie Tianna Lynn Tianna Lynn Tianna Lynn Swank Porn chick Michelle B wearing cross Michelle B Michelle B Michelle B Michelle B Michelle B Tyla Wynn Tyla Winn Kylie Ireland Kylie Ireland Cherry Rain Cherry Rain Selena Silver Selena Silver Holly Morgan Holly Morgan Holly Morgan Aidan Adult.com girls (Aidan (L), Savannah Hart, Marlena (R)) Adult.com girls Destiny St. Clair, Aidan Marlena Marlena Marlena Savannah Hart Aidan Aidan Aidan Mike Ramone, Rob Black Clara Gables Kami Andrews, Mike Ramone, Rob Black Rob Black Kami Andrews Kami Andrews Kami Andrews Kami Andrews Kami Andrews Kami Andrews Ice La Fox Ice La Fox Marie Luv Marie Luv Marie Luv Yazmene Milan Yazmene Milan Nikki Benz of JKP Nikki Benz of JKP Nikki Benz of JKP Nikki Benz of JKP Bob Friedland, CEO of Jill Kelly Productions

Julia Ann, the most beautiful girl in the history of porn Julia Ann Julia Ann HC with Justin Slayer Rebecca Bardoux Cytherea, Best New Starlet (AVN) Cytherea Cytherea Cytherea Exotica, blonde Mike South, Shannon Mike South, Jayna Mike South, Jayna Cowboy girl girl girl girl asian asian brunette brunette Avy Scott Avy Scott Avy Scott

AVN Awards, Saturday night, January 8

Tall Goddess Ron Sullivan, and director Tall Goddess Ron, Tall Goddess Ginger Jolie, Penthouse Pet (on left), NYU law student bisexual (middle), Crystal (Miss March, Penthouse, 2005) Taylor Wane knows Luke is her friend Avy Scott Avy Scott Monica Mayhem Felicia, Monica Felicia Summer Cummings Aria and her new boyfriend Lee Stone Devon Teagan Presley Teagan Presley Teagan Brittany Andrews blonde blonde Lisa Sparxxx, Felicia Fox Katie Morgan Katie Morgan Gene Simmons, blonde Amber Lynn (middle) Amber and friends Bree Maddox, Stephen Brandon, advertising manager for Penthouse Australia Bree, Stephen Bree, Stephen Stephen, Adultshop.com.au managing director Malcolm Day August Cousin Stevie, Flower Cousin Stevie, Flower Suze Randall, daughter Holly Cindy Crawford, Tyra Banxxx Cindy Crawford, Tyra Banxxx Cindy Crawford, Tyra Banxxx Cindy Crawford, Tyra Banxxx Jenna Haze, Tyler Faith Savannah Samson Rapper Lil' John Chasey Lain Chasey Lain Chasey Lain Jim South Jr, Holly Wellin Jim, Holly Right to Left: Dick Delaware, Layla Rivera, Kyla, Quinton Layla Rivera, Dick Delaware Layla, Dick Layla, Dick Quinton, Kyla Luccia Farrell Timlake Brittany Andrews blonde blonde chicks Gia Paloma, 24-hours after her collapse at the Center Bar A drunk and sad (over the death of Jim Holliday) Katie June, on the left, and Katie Morgan (right) Katie June, Katie Morgan Daisy, Wankus (L-R) Nina Hartley, Ira Levine, Theresa Reed (Darklady) Mika Tan Anh (Wanted List), Mika Tan Steve Holmes Lucy Lee Derek aka Ben English, owner of LA Direct Models Saana Paola Rey Maya Divine, Erik Masterson Chloe? couple Tom Zupko Scott Fayner, Barrett Blade Scott, Barrett Steve Hirsch Steve Hirsch Chi Chi LaRue Samantha Ryan, Kurt Lockwood Samantha, Kurt Victoria Paris Lauren Phoenix Mike South, Vanessa Felicia Fox Jessica Jaymes Jessica Jaymes Jessica Jaymes Hannah Harper C.J. Laing C.J. Laing Lezley Zen Lezley Zen Jay Grdina, Jenna Jameson's husband Jay Grdina

Sunday, AVN Expo, January 9

Las Vegas Show Reports

Tuesday, Internext:

* A recent corporate address for Trade News Corp (which owns CECash etc) is identical to that of Python in Toronto, confirming long-held belief that David van der Pool is that putative owner of Trade News Corp.

* I run into longtime Penthouse photographer Ken Marcus at Internext. He says he basically retired four years ago. He's shot exclusively on digital the last four years (mainly for his website). Ken doesn't mind shooting girls with tattoos.

* Ken used to hang out with the Adult Stars Magazine people but that operation went down the tubes when its publisher Jeff Cartwright went to jail for marijuana sale. Rumors have long floated that he was backed by money from the Cleveland Mob.

* The number of booths at Internext seems down slightly though the number of registered attendees is up. The number of people walking through the Internext seems down. The number of pages in AVN Online magazine seem down by about 25% compared to a year ago (as the online porn industry has slumped due to credit card processing issues).

* Dave Marshlack (David Marshlack) (of Voyeur Dorm fame, he also did jail time for embezzlement) owns and operates a line of strip clubs in Florida -- Tampa Bay, Ybor City, Fayetville, St. Petersburg, Myrtle Beach. He's sold Candid Cam.

* Hang briefly with Steve Seidman (formerly of the Bunny Ranch) and Kevin Blatt. Steve says Airforce Amy took Kevin for a ride and he had to go to the hospital afterwards (scrotum pain).

Someone asks KB how he is doing. He says he met a girl within 20 minutes of arriving in Las Vegas and he banged the s--- out of her last night.

* For the last few Internexts, CECash has had only a small booth. They used to be huge and give away big prizes. A while ago, CECash pulled all their advertising from AVN in a dispute.

* I run into Rick Muenyong, who lives in Las Vegas. He created YNOT in 1996 and sold it to Andy Edmond (announced in January 2000). He created and later folded the mainstream site ranks.com. Now he runs thebestporn.com, and says he makes more money than ever. He says the site gets about 60,000 uniques a day. It's the largest site of its kind. It reviews porn sites. Every site gets four reviewers.

* What's the back story on XBangcash and XTC? Who is their owner Tony? Where did he get his money?

* Ron Levi aka Fantasyman is backing a host of new ventures, including Elitewhite.com and 25poker.com. He's also backing this kid's new industry chatboard, which got flak on Oprano.com a couple of weeks ago.

Ron was at Internext. He walked in at noon the first day. I saw him by the CECash booth. He's lost weight and sports a tan and beard. He looks healthy and happy. I think he's in town for the gambling.

By 3:10pm, he still hasn't walked the show.

Will XTV Thrive?

The CECash booth is right next to Dave Koenig's huge XBox booth. Ron Levi fired Dave from CE (or Dave left on his own) and the parting was bitter. I wouldn't be surprised if there were a lawsuit for theft coming down.

I don't think Ron or his friend Lensman (adult.com) have a high opinion of Dave or XTV. I'm sure they both got a ton of spam promoting Dave's DVDsforabuck.com program. I know I was inundated for a few months (I got more spam from them than any other source last year and I never opted in for any of that crap). When I complained to Dave about the amount of spam his program generated, I did not get a reply.

Dave aka BossHolio posts: "We will never e-mail to any list we do not own or have the rights to mail to. If we obtain the rights to send to a list then it will be done legally."

Then why was there so much spam assocated with his Dvdsforabuck.com program?

Lensman said on an AVN panel that he doubted XBox aka XTV, the purported major innovation of the trade show, would be a success.

Jay writes on JBM:

I have been in the STB (Set Top Box) space for some time. I have a biased view since my current clients are www.akimbo.com and www.kiss-technology.com plus one big (very big) software company I cant name. Its VERY hard selling a Porn box (That's what XTV is). Grandma comes to your house and you need to explain to her what that box is for. Also the STB market is controlled by the Satellite and Cable providers so you need to work with them to get the boxes in to users home. These days they are giving away these boxes for free in return for long term subscriptions. Most of the major Telco and Cable providers are working on STB for home use plus Tivo wants to do video downloads working with NetFlix. Also at this years CES there were products that will allow you to stream movies directly from PC to your TV, also MSN TV 2 will be out soon, we have been working on it for some time and it does what XTV does + a lot more. So all this will make selling XTV hard.

On the plus side here is where XTV will do well, XTV contains a lot more XXX then what cable or satellite guys will give and people who want more hard core will get it Will XTV sell 1 M units, the answer is No. Will they sell 25K units Maybe, 10K-Yes. Save this thread and we will revisit at 2006 Internext.

People whisper that Lensman sounds more like Ron Levi with each passing day. Perhaps Ron's mantle is passing to Lens, the most difficult man in the industry to get a hold of (try calling him or emailing him, most people do not get replies because Lens is in such high demand, running much of Playboycash etc).

Because I have an acquaintance with Lens, I get people wanting me to hook them up with him.

About 18-months ago, I discussed with various people a generous job offer I got from Lens. People immediately said there was no way anyone could pay me the amount of money he was offering, but when I said his name, they said yeah, Lens could pay. He would know better than anyone how to monetize my traffic.

Ron Levi can look around the show and see a lot of people he's sent money through his programs and technology. He's bitter about the way he's been treated on his exit from the industry by Homegrown Video, Brad Shaw, Mike AI, etc...

Ron won't do business with Ron Cadwell and CCBill. From his experience with them, he probably thinks they're lowlifes.

Ron's girlfriend (of about three years) Christy runs a consulting company employs many of CE's programmers. She's not at the show.

Ron tells people he's looking forward to working on anything that is outside the adult internet, including a UK cell phone deal for streaming pictures of beautiful women boxing.

Levi remains good friends with AVN president Paul Fishbein. They had lunch a month ago.

Ron considered pursuing patents as a way to make money from the adult industry but eventually decided he did not want to do that. He considered going into business with Brian Shuster who claimed to have a patent on pop-up consols but decided against it.

Some people have claimed that Ron got stock in Acacia in exchange for CE settling with Acacia but Levi tells people that is not true. He owns no stock in Acacia.

* I hung around AVN's Acme Andersson at the AVN show. We didn't speak but he seemed like a cool cat.

* I heard reports that various AVN sales people and one department head were off their heads with drugs and alcohol at the show.

* Daron Babin seems as fired up as ever. His project of the past 15-months (in addition to Search Engine Optimization) has been webmasterradio.fm and YNOTradio.com. Even though it only generates a maximum of a few hundred listeners at once, the niche audience is good for advertising.

Daron broke his tibia a few weeks ago and he rolls around the convention on a cart (with his girl by his side). But when he wins an XBiz award, he walks the few feet to the mike.

"We're posturing ourselves for an acquisition," he tells me.

I remember Eyada.com, which flopped. "The problem with them," says Daron, "is that they were trying to broadcast to the masses. F--- the masses. Let somebody else go lose their money. It's all b-to-b (business to business). The next channel will be travel. If you're a travel agent, if you work for the airlines, rent cars, whatever... We're already in talks with the American real estate association. They want their own channel. We're creating vertical-market radio over the Internet that we can push to satellite."

* Microsoft Search and Google Adwords had reps at the show.

* Younger webmasters wanted the Internext convention out of the Venetian and into Mandalay Bay. The older crew were happy to stay at the Venetian. I hear the AVN Expo will move from the Sands, possibly to Mandalay Bay, next year.

* Undercover law enforcement officers prowl the show.

Joseph Elkind - High Stakes Gambler

JoeE was spotted in the Venetian during Internext. It was 2pm. He looked wasted. He was drinking and experimenting and gambling with at least $30,000 in chips. Did he win or lose? Given his state, the odds were against him.

But the odds have often been against JoeE and he's come back in a big way.

Reflections On AVN Awards

Crucifixio Jones writes on ADT:

Cytherea was really nervous and in tears when she came up to accept her award; it was like Sissy Spacek marching up to the podium to accept Prom Queen in Carrie, something very eerie about it to me for some reason. I can understand being emotional but man...she was REALLY emotional, shaking and crying and all. Maybe it was the shock of beating out favorite, Teagan [Presley]. Katsumi seemed equally as emotional when accepting her award for Best Anal Scene with Lexington Steele in Lex Steele XXX 3. Tommy Gunn's Best Male Newcomer award was announced on the big screen and he was only one table behind me. You should've seen his face. Total shock and amazement on his part. He was genuinely surprised and happy to have won. As far as Manuel Ferrara and Steve "Poppa" Holmes...couldn't have happened to two nicer guys, I don't care what country they're from. Both were deserving winners.

Lee O writes: "Is there some sort of backlash against Teagan? Because as cute as Cytherea is, it'd be hard to argue that she's generated as much buzz this year as Teagan."

Harri Patel writes:

It would have made a lot more sense to give the "new starlet" award to Teagan. Wasn't it exactly one year ago that everybody was hearing about her for the first time? She went from signing at last year's Vegas show as an unknown, with no movies yet released, to being on the covers of a bunch of gonzo videos, to getting a contract and having unnecessary plastic surgery, all within a year. Cytherea, it seems to me, has been around longer, and while she has been successful, hasn't had quite as impressive a career arc.

Jewel DeNyle posts: "Too bad for Teagan she has a contract as the gonzo world loved her, now that she's doing fluff porn she'll be lost in the mix and miss Keri Sable will take her limelight with the fans I predict."

Gia Paloma Survives Cocaine Overdose

She collapsed in front of me Friday night.

Saturday night at the AVN Awards, she told me repeatedly that there had been no problem Friday night. That she had staged the whole thing to get attention. And the more I questioned her, the more she lied through her teeth.

Chico "Wanker" Wang writes on ADT: "I think Gia Paloma would rather OD than watch White Noise she watched with us last night. That movie made me want to commit suicide and I believe Gia feels the same way."

KO_Artist writes:

I was standing about 20 feet away from Gia at the Circle Bar when she fell out. She was leaning up against a slot machine and just BOOM! Fell to the floor as if she was dead weight. Her friends and a close group tried to revive her and it took a few minutes for security to be alerted. It was very obvious to all who were there she OD'ed on something. She was then moved over to a bunch of stools by another set of slot machines. She was not too conscious still at this point and was very woozy and unable to stand. She was there for a while while security and medical personnel attended to her.

I saw her get taken out by the EMT's and started a nice convo with Luke who just happened to be standing right behind me watching the events unfold.

Next year I'm going to surprise my wife with a trip to Vegas. She'll have no idea why we're going that particular week. When we check in I'll plaster a big ol' yellow nametag on her and turn her loose on the town. Myself, I'll be wearing a yellow nametag labeled "Steph" [owner of ADT] and we will have the time of our lives.

Luke's Picture Thread

Diamond Dog writes on ADT:

Since I didn't attend, I enjoyed seeing how great the girls looked. Here are some of my favorites:

Roxanne Hall still looks amazing.
Jassie
Isabella Soprano is too cute for words.
Felix Vicious - Holy S---! I smell a contract coming.
Sylvia Saint. Please do guys again. Thank you.
Avy Scott. Curvy perfection.
Davia Ardell. Didn't know she was still around. Still looks good.
Jenna Haze. Please do guys again. Thank you.
Christie Lee. Quickly becoming someone I look forward to seeing.
Teagan is always cute as a button.
And of course our Queen. She couldn't possibly look any better in this picture. Killer.
And last but not least, the person that really gets my river flowing.

All photos courtesy of LukeIsBack except for the last one -- that's from HCG. Now, go to LukeIsBack and post your favorites.

Jenna Jameson writes:

This year was definitely a great year for hot looking girls! I thought Carmen Luvana was ridiculously hot!

I dyed my hair on a whim... Now I don't think I will go back blonde for awhile, if ever! I think being brunette suits me...

The funniest part of it... was the first day of AEE I started signing at Vivid, and literally there were 4 people in my line. I thought to myself, this is a good thing (a lot less work) or a breally bad thing (no one will recognize me at all) It turned out well, since the haircolor change spread like wild fire.

This year is off to an amazing start. Our first release will be Steal Runway starring Krystal Steal. ClubJenna has many more to come. I also am planning on directing this year, so I can look forward to being extremely busy!

He [Jenna's husband Jay] has his suits custom made... When I tell him you noticed, he will be wanting to have 10 more made!

MorbidThoughts writes: "Jenna's hair was a shock to many people. Many people were swarming Haven and Krystal Steal thinking that one of them was Jenna. I had to explain to this one nice couple that kept referring to Krystal as Jenna that Jenna had gone brunette."

Reflections On Internext

Longtime webmaster Dravyk writes on Oprano.com:

A long time friend who's been wanting to see the show since forever finally came to Vegas and I got to show him around. Everyone told him the same thing, that he should have seen it about five or six years ago.

Got me thinking. No cars, trucks, hummers, vipers, Austin Martins anywhere on the floor. No music blasting anywhere. No laser lights. No blimps. No search light things beaming logos on the ceiling. No bikini-clad nor nekkid womens ... being oiled up, jumping on trampolines, inside moon walk tents, riding bronco machines, wrestling or boxing in rings. No money grabs (where one stands in a cylinder grabbing money as it floats around.)

In many ways, very business like without the old carnie atmosphere. But in some ways, even I have to admit, while refreshing overall, a tad dull. The old feeling of something electric happening wasn't there. Guess it's the good and bad side of maturation and thinned herds. If it wasn't for the traditional flying tits at the end of the show, I might have wondered if I'd inadvertantly went to a convention for librarians.

That said, I'll still take it over the boat-peeing, window-breaking, punches-in-the-lobby, furniture-flying Florida shows. Just wondering if there isn't some way to combine business and excitement of the old days again. Right now it seems conventions either resemble a museum tour or Animal House, and that that electric something-in-between has been lost.

Video Of Brad Shaw Confronting Steve Lightspeed

Brad writes on JBM:

I saw him walking right by me, so I got in his path and said hello. I proceeded to tell him "here I am, tell me what you have to say to my face". He had nothing to say and cowered like an idiot. He asked me why I pick on him so much and asked me to leave him alone. I explained to him that his mouth wrote a check his ass could not cash. He then walked off.

The only reason I approached him in this manner is because he made threats to kick my ass in Vegas and I knew he was a keyboard warrior.

The point is that he ran his mouth and would never had said a word to me in Vegas. So I walked up to him. The actual conversation was not that exciting. I sat there and smiled to give him a good target. He had little to say in person, which is no suprise. Few people will say things they say on the board face to face. I am one of the few.

Corvett writes: "The tape looks as if you guys were talking, he yelled at you about something while you were grinning, then he glanced over and saw that you were taping him, said something else while walking away."

Hey Brad Shaw, your video didn't prove jack

Steve Lightspeed writes on GFY:

Except that I forgot most of the things I meant to say.

All your video proves is that I was able to stand toe to toe with you trying to provoke me into a fight, and yet I was able to control my temper. You aren't worth my time.

Congrats on your fake [XBiz] award, how much did it cost you?

The truth is he walked up to me, I thought he might be finally making a move to bury the hatchet so I stopped to talk -- when i realized that he was trying to provoke me, I walked away --- there was no big story except the bulls--- one he has made up afterwards.

Sorry to kill the drama folks, I know Brad needs the page views on his board.

Sausage writes on GFY:

Brad is off bragging on JBM that "I saw him walking right by me, so I got in his path and said hello. I proceeded to tell him "here I am, tell me what you have to say to my face". He had nothing to say and cowered like an idiot."

Now that video looks nothing like it. I have taught martial arts for 12 years, have done a lot of 'dealing with people' security work and I am an expert at reading postures because I had to be. Notice how Brad is clasping his hands and is 'almost leaning back' .. also his hands are in front of his body .. he is definitely not comfortable and in a defensive position, ...... but Steve has his chest exposed and even leans forward exposing his head, that is a much more comfortable and forthright posture.

Edit: now that I have looked again I would say Brad is trying not to show that he is quite uncomfortable and this probably took a lot of guts for him to do. Brad is clearly not comfortable with physical confrontation and is feeding everyone bull----.

Brad Shaw's Wicked XBIZ Acceptance Speech For Best Community (JBM)

He thanked his enemies Ron Levi, Steve Jones and the Australian Porn Mafia. He thanked his advertisers and said rates were going up.

Las Vegas Show Highlights

* Hang briefly with Steve Seidman (formerly of the Bunny Ranch) and Kevin Blatt. Steve says Airforce Amy took Kevin for a ride and he had to go to the hospital afterwards (scrotum pain).

Someone asks KB how he is doing. He says he met a girl within 20 minutes of arriving in Las Vegas and he banged the s--- out of her last night.

* For the last few Internexts, CECash has had only a small booth. They used to be huge and give away big prizes. A while ago, CECash pulled all their advertising from AVN in a dispute.

* What's the back story on XBangcash and XTC? Who is their owner Tony? Where did he get his money?

By 3:10pm, he still hasn't walked the show.

* An AVN source writes: "Of course Christy Canyon was comped. By the way, we gave over 500 free tickets away to talent this year (and that doesn't includfe companies who buy tables and have their talent sit with them). Someone's always unhappy when they are turned down and in some cases they wait until 5PM Saturday to ask for a ticket to an 8:30 show. We sold out late Friday and were 90% sold out before we got to Vegas."

* I was offered and I was tempted but when I was offered, I was not tempted, and when I was tempted, I was not offered, so I was chaste in Vegas. I spent less than $50 all told by sacrificing my dignity and freeloading off Terri "Headline News" Redor and Rob Spallone (thanks to his brother Roy for my final ride home Sunday night).

* My Tropicana roommate (Tuesday through Thursday night) Terri told Kayla Cam that for all my protestations of morality, I am not adverse, when going to a date with a porn star, to carrying along protection in my pocket. I say, better to be safe than sorry in case my lower nature overwhelms my lofty ideals.

* Brad Shaw writes on JBM about his meeting with Steve Jones of Lightspeed (a company which specializes in promoting girls of legal age who look much younger): "I see the idiot walking, he of course puts down his head like he does not see me. So I get in front of him and say something like"he steve, here I am, tell me what you have to say to my face"... Of course he cowered like a 4 year old and had nothing to say and ran off. The video is priceless.

"I was not trying to fight Steve. I was simply making a point that I am not hard to find, and that he could say his piece to me. Fighting is not my style, although he did threaten 2 weeks ago to kick my ass to one of my staff members."

* I speak to Tony, the secretive owner of XBangcash. He's a Japanese-looking guy about 50. His company, in one form or another, has been around since 1997. He didn't want to give me an interview and shuttled me off to Quentin Boyle, the marketing director. Nobody wants to talk about Tony's background or where the company gets its money. I hear they've spent $400,000 at the show with a booth etc...

* Devan was hanging out with Roy G-rcia and Lensman Tuesday night, January 4. Devan said adultbeat.com was a good site. Lensman agreed.

* Wednesday, January 5. Carmen Luvana and Terri Summers at the Adam & Eve booth are exhausted, jetlagged and sick.

* Regina Lynn from Wired magazine is walking around the Internext. She can't get any quotes on new porn technology. She says that maybe she will write an article on how technology has stopped.

* Dull show. No giant giveaways. No big prizes. No hummers.

* IBill people wander around, largely incognito. Their company owes webmasters millions of dollars. IBill appears finished.

* Alec Helmy wanders around the show with his fiance.

* Tuesday night, January 4, Kevin Blatt almost got into a fight with Rick Latona (Dollars.com) at the Jungle Bash.

* Kevin says he is one of the few porners not hungover Wednesday. He tells Scott, the traffic dude, that his life is nothing but sunshine, money and pussy.

* I have a brief chat with Laurie Holmes. She sued me four years ago. She's now the sales manager for Hollywood Video. She goes on KSEX with Seka.

* AVN's report on Dave Koenig's XTV.

* I chat with Alexis Amore. She left JKP last February. She's worked for Vivid and Wicked since. She appeared in five films last year. She shot her first interactive DVD, directed by Taylor Wane (in Spanish and in English). She directed for Anabolic. She believes she has another contract coming her way.

* A little guy accidentally kicks my foot on the way by and apologizes. It is Scott Tucker, who owns Topco Sales.

* I tell Ron Jeremy how much I enjoyed the movie The Boondock Saints. He says he will be coming back in the sequel. He says the original was Blockbuster's best-renting straight-to-video movie.

* I walk up to Jonathan Silverstein while he's talking to John Bennett (CEN). Jonathan puts his hand on me chest and says, "Excuse me, Luke. Seriously." I walk off. There's about a ten-inch height different between Jonathan and John.

* I hear JoeE wants to sell off all his adult holdings and that his employees are leaving one-by-one.

* New Adult.com employee RRRed raves to me about the looks of the new young president of Playboy, Randy Nicolau.

* Tony Dennis, Senior Analyst, Juniper Research, gave the keynote address about the Mobile porn market. The crowd is sparse and deservedly so, because Tony is a terrible speaker. It is hard to hear him.

Last year we had cool parties thrown by SMS companies. No such parties this year.

* The experts panel closes out the day of panels. Tom Hymes moderates a 30-minute discussion with Joe Lensman (Adult.com), Chris Mallick (Epoch), Aly (AVN), Scott Rabinowitz (traffic dude), Greg Clayman.

Tom to Lens: "Joe Lensman, is that how you want to be known?"

Joe shrugs. I detect a look of annoyance crossing his face.

I hear people saying that Lensman sounds more like Ron Levi every day.

Impressionists of the panelists: Lensman = cerebral, blunt. Mallick = stocky, blunt. Scott = spiky hair. Nobody could understand what he was saying. Greg Clayman = obsessed with talking about ethics. Aly = perky. I wouldn't mind dating her if she was into guys.

She repeatedly runs her fingers through her hair during the panel discussion. She looks solemn unless she's speaking. Then she lights up. She's a chatterbox.

Tom Hymes is an experienced stage actor and he exudes strength and enthusiasm.

A big porner tells me: "I was in Tom's office. I didn't think his staff treated him respectfully."

Lensman hosts a high-stakes poker game later in the evening.

Everything the panelists say I've heard before. I have to reach for material. None of the panelists have gray hair. They must dye. All are clean-cut business types.

Tom enthuses about Dave Koenig's XTV. Lensman is not as enthusiastic.

Tom Hymes writes: "If I seemed to be extolling the virtues of the actual Koenig set-top box, that was not my intention, as it would be an intolerable sin for a moderator to do such a thing. What I was and am enthusiatic about is that and any new technology that augurs evolutionary change, and a set-top box that provides every type of digital media download fits the bill. It could very well be that every satellite and cable company builds their own version, and that one simply uses the set-top box of the company one contracts with, eliminating the need to purchase one's own. I don't know; the market will sort that out. But whatever the future holds, Koenig and company are certainly out of the gate with their product, and why not be impressed with their speed, vision and determination?"

Lens says: "Our industry is a series of unconnected individuals. It's like herding cats. Cover your own ass."

Lensman's Pureplay booth at the AEE (Adult Entertainment Expo) is a big leap forward in sophistication and offerings from last year's debut. AEE boasts more technological improvements from last year than does Internext.

* Almost all the major porn players have incorporated offshore for lower taxes, protection against civil claims, and reduced likelihood for obscenity prosecution. A federal prosecution manual instructs its guys to concentrate on porners based and hosted in America.

Larry Walters arranges these off-shore incorporations. LawrenceWalters.com. He specializes in porn and gambling clients. He's a partner of Clyde DeWitt.

* Wednesday, 11pm. XBiz awards. A girl is passed out on the floor. She claims she's not been drinking or doing drugs and is not diabetic. EMTs rush to her side.

Anyone know this girl's name and what her problem was? Email Luke.

* Jim Holio opens up the awards wearing sunglasses. This strikes many people as pretentious.

* I spot Lori Zaitz. She was fired a few ago from XBiz as marketing director and she's launched her own porn marketing company.

* Lensman introduces one of the prize-winneres. He gives the longest introduction and cracks several jokes, which fall flat. Most of the crowd spend most of the night ignoring the presenters and talking amongst themselves.

* Mike from SilverCash says people keep asking him why he does big booths at shows. He says that if he didn't, people would wonder if he were going out of business.

* Thursday. 1am. I walk out of the XBiz Awards with Kevin Blatt, Evan Horowitz and Michael Landau (owners of Xpays), and Kevin Blatt's cousin Adam. Evan yells that Gary Kremen is an asshole. He uses more colorful language. He yells that Gary should do more crystal meth. He tosses around the f-word. Michael tries to calm him down to no good effect.

KB stays quiet.

Evan exchanges graphic descriptions of different vaginal shapes with Adam while we wait for the tram from Mandalay Bay to the Luxor.

"I'm a child of divorce," says Evan.

Adam laughs about KB banging Girly and that she supposedly has no teeth. KB looks abashed.

* I sit with a white Southern porn star in a bar. She says she would never have sex with a black guy on camera because her family would disown her.

* A veteran shooter on the video side went to Internext for the first time to learn about the new technology. After two days of walking around, he says there isn't any.

Convention Pictures With Commentary From Smelly Monkey

James inquires: What happened to the concept of pride and knowing when to fall on your sword?

We Were Five Miles Outside Of Barstow When The Prescription Drugs Began To Kick In

Dear Diary:

Days before I leave my house for any trip, I'm filled with anxiety and anticipation.

Trips to Las Vegas for the porn conventions overwhelmingly produce more anxiety in me than anticipation. This year was no different.

(My psyche views the outside world as the enemy to be debunked, says a friend who knew my father.)

We were five miles outside of Barstow when my prescription drugs (clonazepam, clonidine and a little lithium - have to keep that low because I've put on 30-pounds of water weight) began to kick in. I turned over in my seat and returned to sleep.

I didn't awake until we were on the Strip. It was 5am when Terri Redor and I checked into the Tropicana.

By 10:30am, I'm walking into Mandalay Bay and see massive lines (people, including exhibitors have to wait up to two hours for their passes). I strap on my psychic armor and get ready to go into battle.

Luckily, the press booth is open. I walk up and say my name. A woman, Sue Procko, tells the assistant I'm approved. Immediately my mood improves and though storm clouds threaten, I feel sunny.

Inside a few people tell me I've put on weight.

I return to my room after the show and go to bed and listen to Theodore Dreiser's novel Sister Carrie.

Arising at 7am and showering, I comb my hair in the mirror. It's been thinning dramatically since I lost my job at adult.com and can no longer afford those fancy Supercuts hair growth products.

Wednesday evening I get a call. Samantha Slater has flown into town. I walk two miles from my hotel through the cold and rain to the Imperial Palace (takes me 30-minutes of walking back and forth to find it). We sit down to the bar. I order water. She gets vodka and cranberry.

It's too strong. She has a sip and puts it aside. We catch up for an hour. She's only in town for 24-hours.

I walk two miles back to the Tropicana. I'm too cheap to spring for a bus, let alone a taxi.

I rest for 15-minutes and walk over to Mandalay Bay for the XBiz Awards. I'm exhausted. I keep expecting to lose my wallet, twist an ankle, get sick or punched and have my trip end in disaster.

Arriving at the Hard Rock cafe, I spot XBiz owner Alec Helmy with his dad. I'm ushered inside immediately, and run into a couple of my favorite First Amendment attorneys, including Florida's Larry Walters, who is 42 but looks 30. His wife is tall, blonde and beautiful. She's a computer programmer. She has a tattoo at the bottom of her back.

I hang with them for 30-minutes until my fright subsides and my confidence returns.

(Many porn attorneys are from Sicilian origins -- a guy in Chicago, Paul Cambria, etc.)

I wander around in the dark looking for scoop in the darkest corners.

I run into Jennifer Rosenblatt. Her favorite line of the convention is, "Let's talk about you."

A girl passes out. Jenn rushes to her side. She runs through the CPR checklist. EMTs come.

Brad Shaw makes a hilarious acceptance speech that makes people laugh. Otherwise, most of the presenters are ignored as the crowd gossips.

Thursday morning. Press registration is a breeze. Thank you Sue Procko and Andrew Munn.

I run into Avy Lee Roth. She's sweet. She thinks I'm the author of l-keford.com, who's written various critical things about her. Scott Fayner says she is not the daughter of David Lee Roth.

I tell her I am not Scott. She's a good sport.

Following in Paul Fishbein's handsteps, I wash my hands with soap about 20 times a day during the conventions.

I need to find a place to crash for the next three days. I call Rob Spallone. He says I can stay with him at the Bellagio.

Thursday afternoon, I have a burrito combo in the food mall at the Venetian. When it is done exactly how I want (no yucky vegetables in my vegie burrito, just salad and beans and rice and cheese and sour cream and guacamole), washed down with a lemonade, and accompanied on my headphones by a good book, I'm a happy man.

A few bites in, I spot one of my few genuine friends in the industry (he even bought my memoir hardcover) -- John Douglas. He gives me a ride back to the Tropicana.

I'm staggering around with exhaustion but we make plans to hit Danni Ashe's cabaret at 7pm and the Pure Play party at 9:30.

I gather my belongings and walk over to Bellagio, stopping every 100 yards to rest. I reach Rob on my cell phone. We meet in the lobby. I follow behind him and his friend to the elevators. Rob's sick. Nobody offers to help me with my bags.

Rob's room - 31626. Thanks Peter Kinsler. Rob's older brother Roy is resting on the couch. I drop down on Rob's bed as everyone leaves. I make no parties Thursday night.

2am. Rob returns. I stumble out of his room and take the cot. Roy sleeps on the couch.

I'm up by 7am. I'm at the show by 9am. I have to wait an hour to get in. I read Fyodor Dostoevsky's Notes From The Underground.

11:30am. I run into Rob. He says to call him before I leave the show floor.

I have to fight back the urge to get my picture taken with HIV-positive and Hepatitis-C-positive porn stars. Why are the sickest ones the cutest ones?

Now Missy Monroe is disease-free, I believe, and just adorable, but the things that girl does on camera...

3:30pm. I leave the First Amendment attorneys' panel. I'm staggering again. Not sure what it was all about. Perhaps how we as citizens can combat American's porno plague.

I call Rob and leave a message.

4:15pm. My Bellagio room. I dig out my candles. I can't find my kosher grape juice. I light the candles. I say the blessing. I say the blessing over wine but my cup has only water. I grab my loaf of bread. It's moldy. I throw it away. There's a $1:50 down the drain.

I find a left over piece from half-eaten room service. I say the blessing. I have a bite. I eat some peanuts.

I'm alone in the room. I stand up and walk to the window and watch darkness descend over a rainy Las Vegas. It snowed for a few minutes this morning while I was studying my Dostoevsky.

It sucks to be alone on the Sabbath. I've observed five of them in Vegas (skipping shows in 2001, 2002).

I sit on the couch and read Neal Karlan's book Shanda: The Making and Breaking of a Self-Loathing Jew. It's a one dimensional tale of how leaving one's Jewish identity is bad, making anti-Jewish jokes is bad, returning to one's Jewish identity is good, and the guiding rabbi is all-knowing. There are a hundred books like it.

Roy returns. He's freaking out. Rob hasn't returned his calls all day. That's not like Rob. Something must've happened. Something bad. Rob dropped dead of a heart attack. He got locked up the police. Something bad.

I give Roy one of clonazepam's (anti-anxiety). I put an announcement on my website that if anyone has seen or heard from Rob Spallone since noon, please call my cell phone.

8pm. Rob walks in drunk with Tommy Sinnopoli. They spent the day downing a bottle of Crown Royal whisky with Lenny Friedlander (owner of New Beginnings).

Tommy pulls the yarmulke off my head. "What's this?" he says. I snatch it back.

Rob and Roy fight loudly. Roy stalks out.

I miss Rob's dad Joe, a former semi-pro defensive lineman. He hasn't been getting out much of late. His wife works for Michael Esposito of Gentlemen's Video.

Mike doesn't carry a grudge with me even though I've run some stories about him by Anthony Fiato that were not flattering. Despite this, Mike always greets me with a smile and a funny story.

Tommy and I get along. He's one of the pioneers of the industry. He owned a company with Stuart Charles Segall and William Amerson in the 1970s and worked with the late Mafiosi Michael Zaffarano.

The first time I met Tommy (January 2002), he smiled at me and said, "The pen is more powerful than the sword."

Tommy says I can ask him anything. I just can't write it.

Rob orders steak and lobsters for three. They lead such a colorful life. I don't want to be stuck alone tonight when they are leading such vibrant lives.

I follow them to the Circle Bar at the Venetian, feeling guilty for violating the Sabbath.

Every time Tommy passes an attractive woman, he asks her the time. He says it is a great pick-up technique.

I spot a guy wearing a yarmulke at the bar. I don't say, "Shabbat shalom."

I shmooze for two hours. I see Gia Paloma collapse on the floor and the EMTs wheel her out on a stretcher and slide her into an ambulance.

I walk out in the cold and rain but the true chill lies beneath my jacket within my soul.

As Beethoven said, there are two wonders in life -- the starry heavens above and the moral law within. Neither comfort me.

Saturday morning. I don't want to be alone. I follow Rob into the New Beginnings ballroom for a free breakfast. I have a muffin and potatoes and a conversation with Christian Mann (Video Team) about moral dilemmas. How Cat Stevens abandoned the music industry to follow Islam. How does one work in an industry where so much goes on that one finds appalling.

I spot a bunch of old-timers who I've written have had connections to the Mob. Rob tells me to take off. I hang around. I read my book. I move about so I don't get kicked out.

Rob tells me I have to leave.

I do and come back.

Saturday afternoon. I pass Marc Bell Penthouse owner, with part-owner Russell Fry and head of film Don McDonald. It's the first time I've seen Marc without a suit.

They take a private jet back to Boca Raton (fastest plane outside of the military). They get home in three-and-a-half hours.

I make the cold dark walk back to the Bellagio in 30-minutes. I lie on the bed and gather my strength for tonight's AVN Awards.

At 7:30pm, I go down the elevators with Rob. He tips the valet guys from $10-$40 all weekend to keep his Escalade up front so he doesn't have to wait for his vehicle.

We join our comrades at the Center Bar. Porners are wearing their best but I am in the same black pants and black leather jacket I've worn all week. Shlepping a suit as I have always done for the awards seemed too much trouble this trip.

Paul Fishbein takes the stage for couple of minutes with Dani Woodward. Every year, every convention, Paul loses his voice. He sounds hoarse.

Tim Connelly looks vital and fulfilled. He does not look like a man who's contract as AVN publisher and editor is coming to an end. I spot him walking out with his girlfriend (?).

I try to figure out by body language if AVN VP Darren Roberts has a new girlfriend. Early in the night, he got down on hands and knees to straighten out the red carpet. These AVN guys work hard for their money.

I run into Mr and Mrs Quasarman (of Zero Tolerance). Q says that though he hates me, he reads me every day.

I have my annual chat with Penthouse journalist Eric Danville and his wife Abby Ehmann. They weren't able to show Eric's Deep Throat documentary Thursday night due to some obscure Las Vegas law about showing porn in a casino.

I walk back to the Bellagio and get into bed before 2am. My chastity and sobriety is in tact.

I miss sleeping alone on my floor. I'm tired from five days of bobbing and weaving with my subjects, getting close and then running away. I feel a certain unbecoming fascination with my subject. At the same time, I am morally repulsed. My spirit and body are at war. On the one hand, I lust for these girls. On the other hand, I can't condone what they're doing.

I want to rescue these fallen women and bring them up properly. I want to be their moral leader, particularly the cute young ones. I want to feel like I have something special to bestow on a woman. Once they get past their 20s, they're more likely to see through me.

Helpful writes:

Luke, When will you fully assume the mantle of "Moral Leader" and revise the Ten Commandments for the secular age? Your blog is as Moses tablets.

Khunrum suggests: How about never owning a vehicle that any self respecting Hispanic or other undocumented worker would drive?

I close the curtains on the city of sin and fall asleep to Sister Carrie.

Sunday morning, I run into Carly Milne. She's had an hour or two of sleep. She's wearing her sweats. She's wiped out.

I follow her to the Pure Play booth and claim my free bottle of water. It's an annual thing between us.

Carly introduces me to Tristan Taoromino of The Village Voice. Tristan was supposed to file her column last night. She did not. She had an hour of sleep before getting up and getting ready for her 10:45am interview with Teagan Presley.

Then Digital Playground publicist Adella called. Teagan was sick.

Now that she was showered and dressed, Tristan decided to come down to the show anyway. We discuss which girls we find hottest and which forms of plastic surgery are most repulsive.

I return home in the early afternoon.

Rob orders us all room service before the drive home.

I haven't had to put my hand in my pocket since I joined up with him Thursday night.

I tell Rob he'd be a millionaire if he wasn't my friend. My Internet column has cost him a ton of work.

January 6, 2005

* I see Cynara Fox for the first time in a couple of years. She'd left the industrfor over a year. Now she's back. Her hair is blue. She's been at the show for a couple of hours and says she's received seven offers of work. "She's more beautiful than ever," says her friend Toby Dammit.

I ask Cynara why she left porn.

She says: "I am woman enough and mature enough to understand that I had a mental illness, manic depression, that was causing a lot of stress for me and the people around me. I felt that it was time for me to go home where I had family to support me and get it taken care of. I had a couple of chances to come back prior to this but I knew that I was not ready.

"If you're stable, there's nothing wrong with this industry."

* Porn stars tell me with a flat voice how "excited" they are to be working with a new company, new talent, etc.

* Digital Playground co-owner Joone anticipates about 25 long days of shooting for the forthcoming joint project pirate-themed movie starring Jesse Jane and Carmen Luvana. DP will distribute as it has more ties to international distributors.

* Jenna Jameson has a couple of security guards escorting her everywhere. Their black jackets read across the back: "Touch her and die." Other jackets have similarly inspiring messages.

* Bill Margold says "Jerry Butler was the James Dean of porn. He ached with emotion." Jerry is pondering a porn comeback. He's chiselled. If Herschel Savage (about 50 years old) can do it, why not Jerry?

* Bill Day follows James DiGiorgio around for his start-up modeling agency BadGirlModeling.com.

* I meet Angela Stone, 23, with Joey Silvera. She's been a dancer for four years but has natural breasts. She got into porn about a year ago and done 20 movies. She's repped by LA Direct Models. Angela threw discuss in high school.

* Joey Silvera says he loves reading the gossip but he doesn't have any. He says he lost his mother last year.

* Promoter Renaud West asked producer Jon Finberg about his trip to Thailand. Jon put a pen to Renaud's neck and told him to get out of there or he would put the pen through his neck.

* KSEXradio is set up on top of the Adam & Eve booth and broadcast at the top of each hour right across from the Digital Playground booth. The two businesses have had their differences (Wankus vs Adella).

* I tell Bud Lee he looks great. He says he's taking care of himself. He doesn't drink or smoke (not cigarettes, not marijuana) anymore.

* Leo met his girlfriend Aspen Stevens in Jim South's office 15-months ago.

* I chat with Ayana Angel at the Evil Angel booth. She was with Video Team for a long time. She says they're not shooting anymore. A veteran of 60 movies, she's a free agent.

Video Team operator Christian Mann responds:

Untrue... We took a hiatus for the last part of December and early January... We shot "Hotel O 3" in early December and are shooting a new volume of No Man's Land next week.

I just checked with Ayana and she clarified... she misunderstood because of our earlier announcement that we are ceasing production of our 4 hour compilation series in addition to no longer releasing new titles in VHS format.

* Michael Sullivan (in porn seven years) says the Meatholes DVDs are distributed by JM Productions. I ask him if any girls are getting punched. He says not with a closed fist. "We're not knocking anyone down or breaking any bones. It's more like a rollercoaster ride where the girls like to get on it and they get scared for a little bit. They like it. It's for girls who like to push their limits. Experience a whole range of emotion, like going through a horror movie."

What's your role?

Michael: "I count the money. I produce some other lines -- Midnight Prowl, Frank Wank."

Does Kahn Tusion direct?

Michael: "There's no real directing. We turn it on and the camera directs. It decides what it wants to pick up. We just cut to the action. We just let the camera roll and see what happens."

How has your time in the industry affected you?

"It's answered all my prayers. My hopes and dreams have all come through. I'm not lonely anymore."

Do you date a lot of these girls?

"No."

Just a few?

"When I get lucky once a year, they throw me a bone."

Who are the best porn girls you've been with?

"All of them. They're all tied for first."

* I spot Lucy Lee at Mitchell Spinelli's Acid Rain booth. She scowls when she sees me. She's had breast implants since getting out of jail. She doesn't want to talk to me. The love has drained out of our relationship.

"Don't tell him anything," Lucy tells Mitchell.

* I meet Shy Love at the Madness Pictures booth. "I'm still in wake-up mode," she says. It's past noon. "Within a couple of hours, I'll be in party mode."

* Tony Montana: "I wanted to do the Honolulu Marathon but the only person who sponsored me was Steve Orenstein [owner of Wicked Pictures]. I wanted to raise a million dollars. I went to AVN and they wouldn't help. They wouldn't help me with a page. All I wanted was a cover to help Tony Montana raise a million dollars for AIDS research but nobody did anything. Fine. All I wanted to do was make the industry look good. Like we care. Look at the money they print at this show.

"Then, when those people got sick in Brazil, they called me. What did they want me to do? Counsel them? I told T.T. Boy a thousand times that if you keep going around there, something's going to happen. Just because it looks good doesn't mean it is healthy. Think how many people in this room could have HIV and don't know it? I feel like a vampire. A lot of these new girls don't even know I have HIV. They don't even know who Tony Montana is. People say, how come you tell everybody that you have HIV? Because I want them to know. I want them to know that just because you look good doesn't mean you are healthy. I want to send a message. Girls, pay attention!"

Tony says he's had enough pussy to last a lifetime.

* Buck Adams says he's directing for Antigua Pictures. He says in a good shape. He was in a coma a few months ago for eight weeks (from January 17 to March 21, 2004). He says he was on the wrong medication [at LA County hospital, they didn't know he had health insurance]. Now I've got a $200,000 bill. Now the insurance company doesn't want to pay. Now the lawyers want to sue.

"My sister [Amber Lynn] had the bright idea that when I went in, I was normal. Now I'm in a coma. Take him off whatever drugs you've put him on.

"She was dating some high falutin lawyer. If he dies, we'll blame it on you. They took me off the drugs and three days later, I came out of the coma.

"I was 80-pounds. I took some time off and went to the gym.

"It's been nice to show up here. I probably won't remember I met you here today."

* Stacy Thorn's stepmom is a producer for Playboy TV and that's how Stacy got into porn a year ago. She's done a hundred movies.

* Sandra Romain from Romania has been in the industry five years.

* Katin, 20, signs at the Red Light District booth. She's been in porn over a year and did about 100 movies. She says she is no longer in porn and doesn't want to be here. I ask her why she got out. She says she wants to have a future. "I planned on quitting. This isn't a career. It was just for fun.

"I want to go to school. Right now I am more focused on the fun things you can do while you're young -- snowboarding, surfing, working at a normal job (secretarial work in an office), living it up like a normal kid. Finally, I am living life like a normal person."

Has your porn background come back to hurt you?

"No. I figure it will but I have good ways of dealing with it. I don't let it bother me."

Do your coworkers know you were a porn star?

"Yeah. They don't have a problem with it."

Is it an office in the adult world?

"Yes," she laughs.

Katin says she only performed in porn five or six times a month.

Luke: "What did you love and what did you hate about the industry?"

Katin: "This is a bad time to ask me these questions because I'd rather not be here."

She did her last movie ten weeks ago. She says she won't be coming back because of "health issues. I have [ovarian] cancer. But it's ok. Everything's been taken care of. I don't like talking about it."

* Keri Sable says she was out drinking last night at the Circle Bar at the Venetian, even though she is only 18. She lives to party.

Keri complains that she isn't allowed to use much make-up today. Normally she likes to look like a drag queen. Jasmine Byrne signs next to her.

* I run into Mike Barbella, John Bone's former salesman. He noticed that we've both put on weight. He mans the Robert Hill Releasing booth.

Mike: "John Bone released a line called Choke The Bitch about eight years ago. It was ahead of its time. I sold it for him. John and I separated. There was a discrepancy. Maybe there was some money owed. I feel no qualms about reusing that title. Recently, John and I have begn conversing and doing some business ventures together.

"This was before anybody was doing Gag Factor and Suck This and all that stuff."

Do you choke them to the point that they vomit?

"No. I have a different twist on it. I'm going to let the girls do it to themselves. The guys won't touch the girls. The girls will take everything upon herself. I need a girl who enjoys fellatio so much that she gags and she pukes but I want her to do it on her own.

"My other line is Rag Dolls. Hardcore submissive girls on dominant men.

"John just shot a mother-and-a-daughter for us. We just did two hermaphrodite movies with him. He has good contacts in Brazil. He's bringing us back some good footage. John's come a long way. He's made a conscious decision to change his style of shooting.

"The porn industry has changed phenomenally in the past two years. If they're not beating the bitch up, or choking the bitch, it seems that nobody wants it. It's boring. John used to make great porn and did a bunch of way-out things. But he was missing this whole new genre. The last four movies he submitted to me were top-of-the-line, as hardcore as anything you see out there today, with the gagging, puking and fisting."

Is he based in South America?

"No, he's based in Brazil.

"John and I had a lot of wounds to heal. There were a lot of personal aspects to it. He was in a bind. I helped him out. And he helped me out of a bind.

"I've been doing this 16 years. It's in my blood. If men stop jerking off, I'll go back to school. Here's some talent I think I will be shooting tonight. Lady Armani."

* I see Jewel DeNyle and her fiance Adrian. She lives in NY. Her parents live in LA and run Platinum X.

* I ask David Crawford, head of DVD production at Evil Angel, why he doesn't have painted fingernails. "I've got an image to uphold," he says. "Actually, I've got two or three images to uphold." Rob Spallone mistook David for Kris Kramsky, who owes Rob money.

* I chat with Nadia. "You look 15," I say.

"That's what I'm trying to do," she says.

"I can't believe the change."

"Just the pigtails do that?" she asks.

"And the lolipop."

* Axel Braun wants to get married "but I just can't find the time. It's like setting up a production. I've got relatives in Italy..."

He shoots about five movies a month in High-Def for New Sensations and one feature a year.

* Axel's father Lasse (Alberto Ferro) lives in Italy and writes books.

* At the ClubJenna booth, I overheard Jenna Jameson telling Skye Blue that she's feeling much better.

* I meet Brittaney Starr. Her contract girl is Sofia. Brittany picked her up at a strip club. Davia Ardell (L), Sofia, and Brittany Starr (R)

AVN Expo Highlights

Some quick hitters from the show:

* AVN's coverage of Saturday night's awards show.

* Penthouse wanted to create a major presence at this year's show but a legal struggle with someone who wanted to own the magazine and brand prevented them. Penthouse plans a huge booth at next year's AVN Expo.

* Gia Paloma denied to me that she had a drug overdose at the Circle Bar at the Venetian Friday night. She denied she was drunk. She said she just created a scene and was carried out on a stretcher to get attention. I don't believe her. Scott Fayner says he did not sell her drugs and has not seen her in about two months (rumors to the contrary).

* What a difference a year makes. Last year I flew in to Las Vegas, knowing that my new employer would reimburse me for the expense. This year I caught rides with friends. Last year I had my own suite at the Venetian for a week, paid for by my employer. This year I crashed with friends. Last year I ordered room service, knowing my employer wouldn't blink. This year, I brought a loaf of bread, peanut butter and peach jelly to eat.

* Tommy Sinoppoli met Rob Spallone on the show floor Friday and took him up to the room of Lenny Friedlander of New Beginnings. Over the next six hours, they reminisced about the history of the business. Lenny told amazing stories. They polished off a bottle of Chivas Regal. Rob returned to our room at the Bellagio at 8pm drunk. After Tommy, Rob and I ate dinner, we went down to the Circle Bar at the Venetian.

* Circle Bar. 11pm. Gia Paloma falls down. She tries to get up and falls down again. She crawls along the floor. Security rushes to her side. They call an EMT unit and an ambulance. Gia struggles to rise. A friend picks her up. Other porners rush to her side. More porners gather around to watch. She's off her head drunk or on drugs or something like that. Her eyes are rolling back in her head.

She's rolled out on a stretcher into the ambulance. She waves at the crowd as you would expect a porn chick to do. I just saw a clip of her in a documentary celebrating her entry into double anal.

* I heard stories about the scams Reb Sawitz (Pretty Girl International) would run on new talent promising them trips to exotic locals if only they would blow him (think of it as an audition, honey).

* I'm getting a videotape where a former Vivid girl talks about how she prefers having sex with dogs than people. She's dead serious.

Mike Albo writes: "Jeez. Where have you been for the last few years? The girl in question was Cheyenne Silver in her earlier incarnation as "Wildkat" (or some variation of such) for a single-girl performance in a Mike Hott amateur video. I think the segment was called "Wildkat and Dog" or something equally lame. Claims she plooked her Chihuahua. Didn't seem "dead serious" to mebut probably would be considered as such by believe-everything-that's-heard rubes...like you. Oh, and this "news" was covered by several publications way back when."

* Skeeter Kerkove tells me I should put more pictures of Rob Spallone on my site and put red hearts around them.

* Shawn Ricks tells me how much he loves his wife, an executive at Playboy. He just wants to have sex with her, because sex without love is meaningless.

* I spot David Sturman, Dennis Paradise, Michael Stefano, Brandon Iron and about 40 other porners around the Circle Bar.

* A dramatic increase in the technology in many booths at the AVN Expo. Many Internet players have moved into DVD production, led by Adult.com. Many of these players hired non-porn models to sign autographs for fans and to pose for pictures (Bangbus etc).

* Gene Simmons (of Kiss) created a media commotion Saturday afternoon at the Adam & Eve booth. Joey Silvera and others love the celebrities who come to the show.

* A lot of companies who used to take booths (XBiz, Video Team) do not have booths at the two AVN shows but they are at the show in person, walking around and doing business.

* I hear a lot of grousing (much of it by the old timers) about the tremendous success of Paul Fishbein and AVN.

* AVN has a stunning slim blonde handing out its stuff at its two shows. I went to take her picture and she put her hand up. She said it had gotten her into trouble before.

* I shook hands with Manuel Ferrara (French porn performer) Thursday. We had an internet feud about nine months ago.

* Saturday morning. Stop by the New Beginnings hospitality ballroom for breakfast. Chat with Christian Mann about moral dilemmas. Pay my respects to Lenny Friedlander, owner of New Beginnings. Maybe he will let me ghostwrite his autobiography. The guy has made about $20 million from porn.

Hang out with Rob Spallone, Tommy Sinnopoli, Joseph Abinanti, Michael Esposito, Teddy Rothstein (short guy with a thick head of white hair and tremendous vitality and confidence) and my other fans.

* It seems Joey Abinanti does not like me. Nor Teddy Rothstein. Nor Lenny Friedlander. He reproves Rob repeatedly for bringing me. Rob says he didn't bring me. That I showed up on my own. Lenny tells Rob to get rid of me. Rob tells me. I leave. Then I sneack back in, walk to the back of the room and hang out for a couple more hours.

* Lenny had his arm in a sling. He's had numerous physical ailments over the past few years. Rob served Saturday as his bodyguard.

I cruise show floor Saturday. Don't do any work. Just shmooze. Run into Tim Case, husband of Felicia Fox. We talk about talent who grouse about not getting comped AVN Award tickets for their boyfriends. I said that Paul was kind enough to give me a ticket this year. Paul said I'd been fair to him this past year.

At that moment, AVN president Paul Fishbein walks by. "I heard my name," he says. "It's like that scene in Annie Hall where that guy is going on about Marshall Mcluan and Woody Allen produces Marshall to show the guy that he was full of it. Life should be like that."

* I heard Tim and company at AVN got a good laugh about my publishing a rumor that his AVN contract won't be renewed.

* I run into a line of ex-JKP employees with bad things to say about the company.

JKP publicist Scott Hooper tells me that their contract girl Ashton Moore faxed in a letter of resignation from the company Thursday. I saw Ashton signing at the huge ClubJenna booth at the front of the show.

* Toni English made a string of documentaries for the Australian government channel SBS about health care, gun control and other topics. But she hasn't made a mainstream documentary for several years. She's shot four years (over 100 episodes) of a 30-minute TV show behind-the-scenes in porn for Europe and Australia. A porn version of Entertainment Tonight.

Toni is a leftist and a feminist. She's enjoyed shooting erotica for women over the past few months. She's enjoyed shooting sex more than ever the past couple of years and no longer prefers shooting features. Porn stars are rarely actors. Hiring a porn star for a feature is like hiring a plumber to fix your electricity.

*Brad Shaw writes about Steve Jones, the owner of Lightspeed: "I confronted the idiot, my guys caught it on tape. Pansy had nothing to say to me and ran off like a little wet rat."

* I ran into Steve Jones, who owns Lightspeed Cash, Wednesday at the Internext Show. He had on a football shirt. I smiled, extended my hand and started to introduce myself. He shook my hand and smiled. I said my name. He disengaged his hand, swore, and stalked off. He said he had almost gotten into a fight with Brad Shaw a few minutes before.

* Thursday. AVN Expo. I'm taking photos of Candida Royalle at the Adam & Eve booth. She's talking with Alexandra Silk and Bud Lee. She smiles for my camera. She grasps Alex, turns her around, and they both pose for me. But tells Candida my name. Her face turns to disgust. "He writes terrible things," she says. For the rest of the show, she avoids me.

* I was talking to Tony Montana, a veteran male performer who is HIV positive, at the AVN Expo Thursday. He said he didn't run the AIDS-fundraising marathon in Hawaii because he couldn't get any sponsorship from any of the porn companies except for Steve Orenstein at Wicked. Tony particularly complained about AVN. Tony spots Tim Connelly, AVN Editor and Publisher, walking towards us.

"When are you going to sponsor me?" Tony demands.

Tim responds quickly. "According to Luke, I've been fired."

"That's not what I said," I protested. "I wrote that your contract has not been extended."

About a dozen people at the show talked to me about the Connelly news. Some reminded me that they had told me such months ago, about six months ago in one case, but I had been asked to sit on the story until I had another source confirm it, which I did.

* I spoke Friday morning for 20-minutes to Phil Harvey, owner of the 300-employee Adam & Eve company.

* The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) busted (for a CANN Spam violation) a small porn company on the floor of the Internext show Wednesday. The company quickly hired attorney Greg Picconelli.

* I hear Vivid is taking over Club2K at the Venetian. It will be called Vivid something. It could be the first in a line of Vivid caberets in casinos.

* Chloe has been selected for the lead role in a new HBO-Cinemax 13-episode series about swinging. Most of the 82-major speaking parts are taken by porn people. Robert Lombard selected the talent to show to HBO who had the final word. Seven years ago, Chloe lost out in a big role for Showtime because the head of the particular show did not want someone widely known as an "anal queen."

Robert had to emphasize to the porn stars to come in with minimal make-up and not come in their AVN Expo mode looking like drag queens.

* Playboy and Penthouse have had about a dozen representatives at the two shows (as both magazines are now in the hardcore video-DVD business). Penthouse magazine's redesign will show up in the March issue. They're dramatically increasing their content production and their website staff. They selected one contract girl at the December 14th Woodland Hills auditions (Syvette of Exotic Star Models) but they haven't signed her yet. They promised her a contract within two days but the paperwork has taken longer than expected to come through. She's getting tired of waiting. She has also received offers from Playboy and other companies. A marathon runner with natural C-cup breasts, she's lived in Texas all her life (except for six months in Denver as an infant) until moving to Los Angeles a week ago. She's never been to any other other state, let alone any other country.

* Companies like XBiz and Video Team which previously had booths at these AVN shows do not this year but new companies have taken up the slack. Many players skip hosting booths and just work the floor to do business.

* John Stagliano is not sold on the High Definition craze sweeping porn. He says it will reveal all the flaws and diminish the erotic experience of the viewer.

* Aly from AVN is at her second AVN Expo. She's trying to explain to the video-DVD guys about the Internet. Why let your content sit around in dusty warehouses when you could be streaming it over the Net and selling it VOD (Video On Demand).

* Skeeter and Bridgette Kerkove took the 1PM flight Thursday from LA to Las Vegas. They brought their two infants with them, one only two months old.

* Saturday, January 8. There were people selling trade badges to the AEE (Adult Entertainment Expo) for $100 in the Venetian.

* Sin City had its former contract girl Shay Sweet signing for them. Rob Spallone and Shay seem sweet on each other.

* Rob complains: "I go out to dinner with millionaires and I pick up the tab. Is that sick?"

* Rob complains: "I'll never be rich because I know too many poor people and I'd be buying them cars."

* Nine employees are left at VCA from the days when Russell Hampshire owned the company. That number will be dropping soon. They complain that it has gone corporate since Larry Flynt Publications took over. That it is no longer a porn company. Break times are strictly regulated.

* I hear Ron Levi owns 70% of porndollar.com.

* I walk down the Venetian to the AVN Awards Saturday night, January 9, with Spike Goldberg and the Timlake brothers of Homegrown. I ask them if they've moved offshore. Spike says no. That would be unpatriotic. I suddenly realize we are walking behind Larry Walters, an attorney who specializes in moving porn and gambling clients offshore to reduce their tax and litigation liability.

Behind us is Taylor Wane and her husband Laurent. He tells the AVN staff that he is a concert promoter and that he knows how to handle these things better than they do.

AVN VP Darren Roberts gets down on his knees and tugs the red carpet until it is straight.

* AVN.com's blog is taking off, largely thanks to the charming and debonair Acme Anderson. He writes: "You want a lead? Follow your nose on the rumor that several girls signing for one company at AEE were picked up for prostitution, only to be promptly bailed out so that they could sign the next day and nobody would ask questions."

* Acme writes: "Word on the street is the company let one girl go last week (Vegas likely being the last, uh, straw), or maybe it was that she's suddenly appearing on a popular escort site. Hey, New Yorkers, busy Feb. 6 - Feb. 9? I hear she'll be in town and rentable for the low, low price of $2000/hr cash ($2200 if you want to use your credit card)."

Well, that girl sounds like Devon of Digital Playground. But she is due to shoot for Digital Playground this week and seems to still be with the company according to my contacts within DP.

* I hear that Penthouse Australia sells about 60,000 copies a month. Playboy Australia went out of business a few years ago. It refused to go hardcore. Penthouse Australia puts out about six different editions because Australia's different states have different laws about sexual content.

* Shawn Ricks has been coming to the AVN Awards for 13 years. He says it is all bull----.

* Johnny Keyes (Behind The Green Door) pushes to get a photo op with rapper Lil' John. Lil' John's security guards try to push him out of the way after a minute. Johnny protests, "I'm a legend."

* Dick Delaware sits happily with Layla Rivera. They had a tempestuous break-up a couple of months ago.

* Jim South Jr sits with his girlfriend Holly Wellin. Jim Sr. is not at the show.

* A source near Wicked Pictures says he loves to see owner Steve Orenstein twitch every time I look in his direction.

Steve has always been nothing but affable and friendly to me, though I haven't had a substantive interview with any of the key players at Wicked since 1999.

* David Joseph Giarusso gives a wooden acceptance speech for the best selling tape of the year.

* Katie Gold is in tears. She sits between Dick Nasty and Katie Morgan. She rests her head on the table and then on Dick's shoulder. Then Morgan cradles her. Katie Gold cries out, "I feel so bad."

She's drunk and mourning the death of Jim Holliday.

* Paul Thomas says this is his 30th awards show. The main difference between then and now is that then he used to get paid in cash by Italians and now he gets paid by check by a Jew.

* Cytherea is the most overwhelmed by an AVN Award (for Best New Starlet). "I'm shaking so bad," she admits from the podium. She thanks her mother.

* Transsexual Vanity was busted at the show last year for giving blowjobs in the back. This year she sits at my table and bitches about other transsexuals. At the end of the show, she jumps on stage, opens up her top, and puts on a more energetic and erotic (if you didn't know she had a penis) performance than any girl.

* If porn is now for couples, why are the overwhelming number of people who line up outside the AVN awards male?

* 1am. As I'm walking out, I spot Johnny Keyes haranguing somebody just like the first time I saw him this evening.

Just imagine spending six hours telling people that you are a legend. Ain't fame (and the lack thereof) a bitch?

Internext Pictures

Show floor. Seminars. XBiz Awards. More.

Turner, the Drug-Sniffing Dog

Robert Lombard says many were popped during AEE.

Reading this column, I suddenly realize I am tired of this mindless bashing of porn, porn conventions and porn fans. If this was indeed the closest the William Hung lookalike has been to a real live woman (an over-used and usually untrue cliche), then that is primarily sad, rather than something worthy of ridicule. Porn primarily caters to the less fortunate. People with fulfilling lives don't spend hours a day with porn and rarely obsess over porn stars and get their photos taken with porn stars. Porn primarily appeals to the lonely, to those who, through bad genes and bad choices, are disappointed with reality. For many men, the most exciting sexual interaction they have is a virtual one with a porn star. Because we rarely get what we want in life, we seek out entertainment about the kind of lives we wished we led.

For the man who is broke and ugly and lacking in social skills, where is he supposed to get sexual fulfillment? He is constantly bombarded by the mainstream media by images of beautiful women he will never possess. I don't believe that porn is the best solution to these urges, and I am not at all sure that porn does more to slake these urges or to increase and twist them, but whether porn is good or bad, it is overwhelmingly used by these sad men because they don't have better options.

(Full confession: I prefer those parts of the conventions where the fans are kept out. It's less crowded and less creepy. I tend towards Judy's views of those who line up to get autographs and pictures from porn stars. I've never sought out a porn star's autograph -- sometimes when I am chatting with one and she offers one, I do not say no because I want to be polite. I certainly haven't kept any. When I was a kid, I got a few autographs from pro athletes and sportscasters.)

Nobody forced J.R. Taylor or Judy McGuire to write on porn and porn conventions. They came to the shows because they knew they were more likely to get good material there than alternative offerings in early January. Good material equals excitement and drama. I doubt they were immune to the excitement that they wrote about.

Most people who write on commercial sex (unless they are members of the industry, such as the AVN, LFP crowds, etc) quickly adopt this weary, cynical mocking tone. I know I have too. It sometimes makes for good writing and it sometimes doesn't. In Judy's case, it doesn't because much of her article is just a series of cheapshots. In J.R.'s case, it does because his points are more specific and therefore more interesting.

One thing I enjoy about Internext and the people online (as opposed to the DVD version of porn) is that they tend to be smarter. They tend to be techie geeks. They're quicker to spot fraud and the best of them are less likely to commit it. I suspect that most of the technological innovation advanced by porn over the past decade has been by those on the Internet.