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2/4/99 Luke impersonated a porn expert this afternoon. His tiny tawdry guest house hosted the glamorous cameras of Entertainment Tonight as he played the white collar expert on porn star salaries. It will probably air Monday. Making sure I had the correct information, I phoned Gene Ross at AVN Wednesday afternoon. Luke: "I hope you weren't upset by my calling you a 207-pound bully who threw my ass out of the AVN office Tuesday?" Gene, his mouth full of French fries: "You played it right down the middle Luke, as always. And after a couple of donuts, I'm now up to 208 pounds." I read Gene Brandy Alexandre's comments on the newsgroup alt.cult-movies.erotica: "They [AVN Awards] may not be fixed, per se, but I have personally experienced how they can set you up so you can't possibly win. "My
movie Best Butt(e) in the West was nominated for Best Anal-Themed Video.
It's not an anal movie--never has been, never will be [does have one
anal scene]. It's like they wanted to recognize me as having made
a good movie, but there are other companies, perhaps those who don't
cram ads for two movies on one page, who are more "deserving"
to win. Gene: "It was called Best Butt(e) in the West. It sures sounds like an anal movie... Coast to Coast [production company] thought it was an anal movie... But I guess I don't know an asshole from an elbow... When you start putting 'butts' in a title, you're painting yourself into a corner. "This was seven years ago and that was the only category it stood a chance of winning. And we always took the tack that we would place certain nominations in the categories in which they had the best chance [of winning]. So we were being more than fair to people. This year, Jace Rocker's Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down... We put that in Best Sex Comedy... That was one of the reasons that we started that award [in 1991], because there were some decent comedies coming out that would never had stood a chance [for Best Film, Best Video Feature] against the more dramatic things. It seems to be a prevailing thing in this industry that people want to see drama and comedy is a red-headed stepchild in this business. We wanted to recognize the stuff that Jim Enright and Scotty Fox did lots of - comedy. They weren't getting a fair shake against the more dramatic videos. John Leslie was doing the darker stuff for VCA..." Arch Stanton: "Of course it never dawned on AVN that the more categories they 'create' the more winners they'll have. The more people they keep happy the better. Good marketing scheme. When a movie wins best picture in mainstream Hollywood they say this generates a number of sales for the movie. Does AVN have any such impact on any of their awards?" Torris: "I don't know which I find more pathetic. Brandy's grovelling for consideration for an AVN award or Ross's bobbing and weaving explanation of award criteria." Gene: "We were helping Brandy, so what's her bitch?" Luke: "Isn't it hard to do porn comedy?" Gene: "Comedy is difficult..." Luke: "For those of us trying to jerk off..." Gene: "I understand your malady, Luke. My consolations... Comedy has always been a disproportionate part of the sex movie industry." Luke: "ET's coming to my hovel to interview me as the expert on porn star salaries. So how much do these girls make?" Gene: "The IRS is coming to interview you... Entertainment Tonight, good lord, Luke, you're moving up in the world. Well, you're the expert. You tell them. "It ranges, anywhere from $200 - $1500 [per scene]... It depends on the type of sex, whether there is a boxcover... Is she a contract girl? Contract girls get a stipend per month. Buffy was making $5000 a month from Cinderella (CDI) [as its contract girl], and often only doing one scene a month." Luke: "I think few girls make more than $100,000 per year from porn." Gene: "Well, they supplement it by dancing on the road... Fan clubs. Web sites. Jill Kelly works two weeks a month on the road, hauling in, probably between $5-$10,000 a week. That's $120 - $240,000 a year. That's almost as much money as I make." Gene and I concluded that porn's leading ladies probably earn well over $250,000 a year. Some may make more than $500,000. Luke: "What percentage of porn women don't have drug or alcohol problems? Saturday night on KFI radio, I said 50%." Gene: "You're more optimistic than I am. Every one [porn girl] has some kind of jones... abusive boyfriend, alcohol... To say that there is a girl free and clear of any kind of [severe psychological or social problem]... I don't know. Every one seems to have something they're dealing with... That's reflective of life too, but here it is under the microscope. "What prompts a woman to work in the sex business? From prostitution to adult films. There has to be some circumstance bringing them to the table. If the woman says 'I love sex,' I don't think that's the only reason. There have to be others factors. Jim Holliday will tell you that a lot of them just hear the sound of the cash register. Dr. Robert Stoller [wrote books Porn and Coming Attractions] about women in the sex business." Brandy Alexandre responds: "Luke? Hello, Luke??
Mr. Ford? Where is your hard hitting reporter hat? Don't you think it
would have been prudent to counter with something like, "So, Mr.
Ross, what you're saying is nobody actually watched the movie to know
whether or not it was an anal movie?" 4/7/99 Gene Ross, Luke F-rd Tag Team Gene Ross said to me today that we're a good tag team. He's right. This is fun. I love the competition. We both love bashing the other at the slightest opportunity. It's interesting to see the patterns we're settling into - mainly Luke raises outrageous charges on his site, Gene talks to more people and balances things out. I'm more the provocateur and reckless outsider, Gene's the mature insider and responsible journalist. I don't think the industry will ever be the same because porners can no longer get away with stuff. One of us is going to catch them and expose them. I look forward to some outside journalist doing a comparison and analysis on www.geneross.com and www.l-keford.com. I strongly believe in the law of unintended consequences. This is new territory, who knows where it will lead and what its effects will be? The significance of our writings does not lie in its surface reporting of events, but in the deeper human dramas that we reveal, and what we reveal about ourselves, and how that interacts with the readers and affects their decisions. For instance, I believe Van when he told Gene that Extreme was making business decisions based on what they read on my site. Fred Buccolini writes: "Luke: About two weeks ago when this Ross/Ford HIV debate began to brew again, I sent Peter Gilstrap an email, giving him a heads-up! He sent me a response: "Thanks for the tip." I don't think he was aware of Geneross.com. "So, I'm sure somebody is out there monitoring this stuff. The question is: Outside of the players in the adult industry, is any of this really significant to the average websurfer? "I think there's a definite titillation factor, a crash and burn factor, similar to what you get when reading the major tabloids. "Considering the small
number of units sold per feature, all of this industry contention is
laughable." 4/9/99 AVN's Gene Ross Resorts to Blackmail? Gene Ross, of www.geneross.com, in response to this site's airing of charges against him, has apparently tracked down a police report and extensive background check on Luke, revealing his secret and deceitful double life as Leonarto August. And unless Luke eases up on his investigation of him, Ross threatens to unmask Luke for the no-goodnik he really is. Who is Leonarto August? That's the American name of my Israeli roommate between March 1995 and May 1996. At 5:30 PM, Thursday, Gene sent this email to Luke: "Leonarto, I didn't realize I've touched such a nerve. Methinks you are trying to create diversionary tactics to hide something. What's that S Beverly Drive address all about? How can somebody use your SS# number without you knowing anything about it? You know that's illegal. Why did you make so many moves over a three year period? What were you doing in Orlando for the brief period of time in 1994? Why does you driver's license list you as a blond? You're not a blond. Isn't that similar to the Marc Wallice thing about being 49 and female? I could go on..." At 1:07 AM, Wednesday morning, Luke received this email: Subject: ...be f---ing with the wrong crew. Dossier Search LUKE CAREY FORD Other Records/Names linked by social security number AUGUST, LEONARTO SS#: xxx Addresses Linked to
Subject... Driver License : xxx
Restrictions : NO RESTRICTIONS
Convictions:xxx [Two traffic tickets, one for running a red light and one for speeding. Luke has never spent time in jail.] Relatives (* - denotes address match with Subject) Report then lists several names, addresses, Social Security numbers and phone numbers of Luke's relatives. From www.geneross.com Thursday evening: "Perhaps feeling the extreme pressure of geneross.com, Luke F-rd is grasping at one last straw with a so-called "expose" of Ross in which Kendra Jade is supposed to say that she saw Ross taking bribes from John T. Bone every Friday. Ford's also going to run with a story claiming that Paul Thomas of Vivid said the best way to get a good rating from Ross was to supply him with hookers. Thomas was still in Budapest when Ross called him Thursday to verify if he talked to either Ford or Buck Adams who's supposed to be the source of the quote. According to Ford, Adams is saying he supplied Ross with sexual favors. Ross e-mailed Ford Thursday and said he was quite capable of getting his own hookers and sexual favors, thank you. "Attempts were made to reach Jade Thursday afternoon. Jade was sick in bed but did say she hadn't talked to Ford since last December when she made those allegations in an attempt to get back at John T. Bone. Jade has since publically stated that she made the whole story up. Ford never ran a retraction. "I don't think she's responsible in any way shape or form for what Ford's now saying," said Bone. "Luke F-rd is an unmitigated liar."
Luke: Even if Kendra Jade retracts her statements to me in early December, 1998, that she saw first hand John Bone of Cream Entertainment pay Gene Ross cash every Friday, Luke does not back off pursuing these allegations. Kendra eventually settled her problems with John Bone, and it would be in her interest to retract the allegations. Luke has heard similar ones from several sources, none of whom, however, want to go on the record. Luke does not know if the allegations are true and Luke has no proof that they are. Luke believes them worthy of investigation. That Gene would attempt to blackmail me through background checks and threatening to reveal personal information makes Luke suspect that many of the charges Luke's outlined against Ross have significant validity. Luke's heard about a pattern of corrupt behavior on the part of his competitor Gene Ross, such as receiving sexual favors from porn stars and hookers in exchange for positive reviews and press from AVN. Luke's heard that Cream contract girl Cassidy has been coerced into giving Gene sexual favors. Luke does not know if these charges are true. Luke has no proof for them. Porners generally fear talking about Ross on the record because of his power at AVN. On Friday afternoon, 10/30/98, after 4PM, Luke sat around at Star World Modeling with Rob Spallone, Buck Adams and some other porners.... Buck Adams and Rob were talking about AVN's VP of Editorial Operations Gene Ross whom Rob had slammed that week on my site. As the sun set, moving time into the sacred Sabbath, Luke could no longer tape record or work. He sat around and listened to Rob and Buck talk about Ross. Buck Adams said that he'd been long frustrated with his AVN reviews. Then one day, Vivid's Paul Thomas told him that if he wanted good reviews, he needed "to shoot Gene a hooker" once in a while. I think Buck then either said he'd procured a sexual favor for Gene with a woman, or heard from a woman who'd done Gene a sexual favor (sent by a porn video company to raise its AVN reviews). Buck relayed a graphic and detailed story that the woman had told him about her meeting Gene in his hotel room. Is there truth beneath these charges? Luke finds them credible because most everything else Buck said that afternoon that I heard has checked out, and that Buck relayed this in front of about half a dozen people. His manner was one of forthright honesty. Rob Spallone phoned up Thursday afternoon screaming, "I'm going to drive you to the desert and put you in a f---ing hole. How dare you mention my name about stuff that has nothing to do with nothing anymore!" Gene Ross responds Thursday morning: "Every one of my 710 conquests was generated on my own. Now, do you want me to call Buck Adams and Paul Thomas and get them to say that these are more fabrications. I'm working on the Rob Black story right now, thank you." Luke's heard that Gene Ross wrote the script for Cream Entertainment's Too Hot For Porno 2. Gene denies this. He writes: "No... I was on the set hanging around...Bowen promised me shrimp fried rice...can't pass that up." Luke does not know if Too Hot even had a script. Luke does know that Ross (as of late 1998) does not review videos from either Cream or Extreme Associates because of Ross's friendship with John Bone and Rob Black. This move by AVN came partly in response to my airing charges that Gene Ross had a "financial interest" in John's company Cream. AVN publisher Paul Fishbein denounced the charges as reckless, and said that if they were true, he'd fire Gene. Gene and John dismiss the charges as nonsense. Since Bryn Pryor aka Mark Logan has taken over as AVN's managing editor, and particularly since Gene shifted his concentration to his website www.geneross.com, Ross has had little influence over AVN reviews. Obviously Luke is a competitor with www.geneross.com and to some extent with AVN. At times Luke has aired charges that were neither unfounded nor reckless. If Luke F-rd or Gene Ross took bribes from porn companies, would it matter? Would it matter equally? If Luke or Gene had sex with porn girls, would it matter? What if porn companies procured sexual favors for us? What if we wrote scripts for porn companies? Give Luke the Scoop! JD replies: "Considering how much you've [Luke] complained lately about not getting laid, probably. But given how contrary you are, you'd probably just come down all the harder on whoever it was you had sex with. As for Ross -- Does he even enjoy sex? You wouldn't know it from his writing." Luke thinks that it would matter more if Gene committed such deeds because he represents the industry's trade magazine Adult Video News while Luke only represents himself. Luke's relationships with some of his sources (such as Rob Spallone, James DiGiorgio, Mike Ross) compromise his reporting on them (Luke does not rate them on his Ethics Rankings). Do Gene's friendships with such folks as John Bone and Rob Black compromise his reporting on them? Luke believes so. It's no accident that they consistently get friendly coverage from their buddy Gene. Just as it is no accident that the industry generally gets more friendly coverage from Adult Video News than from consumer magazines like Screw or Hustler Erotic Video Guide, let alone disinterested outsiders like the Los Angeles Times. Even if these charges (either against Luke or Gene) were true, would they matter? Luke has had some sort of sexual relations with several porn girls, all of whom he's written about on this site. Luke constantly exchanges favors with porners, burying one story to get a better one. Luke has received hundreds of dollars in gifts from Rob Spallone, and such gifts from VCA's Russ Hampshire as a prime ticket to the 1999 AVN Awards as well as a pass to CES. Luke's received several hundred dollars worth of AVN back issues as a gift from AVN publisher Paul Fishbein though Luke and Paul, contrary to rumors, have never had sex. Gene Shills, Shelle Sucks From www.geneross.com: "Shelle Pearson has been named sales manager for the Cream Entertainment Group. According to John T. Bone, "Shelle had a really good morning. Between what she's doing in sales and what's coming in over the FAX in repeats, she said it was a really good day to be on commission. It's nice to have good news in view of what's been going on this week. She's getting incredible reaction from the customers. They seem to like the idea of a girl doing the selling. We're getting somewhere between a 5 and a 10% increase in numbers. People who were ordering 80 are ordering 90. That's what I'm noticing."" Gene forgets to mention one integral part of Pearson's job description - sex with John Bone.
From www.geneross.com: Luke F-rd Runs to Mommy; Has Rodger Jacobs Do His Dirty Work For Him In a desperate attempt to elicit either sympathy or evade certain potentially incriminating issues, Luke F-rd is crying on his site that Gene Ross is resorting to "blackmail." Consequently, Ford took it upon himself to reveal certain background information about himself that has been made available to Ross via the "Ford Dossier." Ford did this, presumably, as a preemptive strike, thinking that he may have taken wind out of Ross' sails, with the belief that Ross was going to release the information and wage some major offensive. Ross was not. April Fool, sucker. However, what Ford's sudden attack of petulant conscience has done, is raise serious credibility issues about his own character. Ford, the man, who takes rapier glee in revealing aliases of the porn stars, stands to have some vital personal information about his own background opened like a gaping sore. Could it be potentially damaging? Who knows? Ford's quick reactions indicate that might have something to hide behind that Australian accent. Ford writes on his site: "That Gene would attempt to blackmail me through background checks...makes Luke suspect that many of the charges Luke outlines have certain validity." "Validity" is an amusing word to be occupying space anywhere on Ford's website, no doubt. Ford, at the moment, is attempting to conduct a vain, cut-and-paste sex/bribery scandal against Ross, claiming that industry women have been "coerced" into having sex with Ross, a stone cold love machine, for whatever apparent motives, presumably better ratings. And that directors like Bucks Adams and Paul Thomas have supplied women to that end. [Isn't this considered libel?] Adams merely supplies helicopters and machine guns; and Thomas supplies profound anecdotes about himself. Ford ran parts of exactly the same libelous story last year when Ross began attacking him in editorials. What Ford's doing is dusting off old urban legends and trying to put new, libelous, spins on them by now saying that Ross is on the take from Extreme Associates, simply because Ross attempted to give a balanced view of the bizarre distortions about the company that have been plaguing Ford's site all this week. Ford, by the way, has slipped, erringly along the way, and revealed Mike South as one of his Extreme sources. What South knows about Extreme could be put on the head of a pin prick, and, Ford, usually in one way or another, gives up his sources, making him an increasingly prohibitive news risk. This may have South seriously considering future scoops to the Fordster. South has been contacted for comment. At the end of the day, none of these things amount to a hill of beans. The question is why is Ford engaging in e-mail wrestling? Several reasons are apparent. 1. Ford is totally threatened by the Gene Ross site. If you examine Ford's site, it has become a gallery of musings by others, none of whom are players or pundits in the industry, nor have anything to do with the day-to-day operations of the industry. Smart industry people do not talk to Ford. The negative equation, subsequently, leaves Ford with all conjecture, rumor, no substance or value to carry on to his site. Whatever Ford's been running of value of late, he blatantly steals off the Gene Ross site, as his boldfaced lifting of the entire Rob Black interviews run this week on the Ross site. If there really were enforcement of such a thing as Internet copyright infringement laws, Ford would be left with a blank. 2. Ford, sensing that Ross received the Ford Dossier, and, feeling extremely threatened by what it might ultimately reveal, began to wage war as a smoke screen. 3. Luke F-rd knows that Ross reads Tarot cards which gives him an incredible edge over Ford. Ford's birth sign reveals that he's particularly vulnerable to psychic attack, and he's running scared. [By the way, Luke, a crystal reading reveals that you're covering up a dark secret for a family member.] Let's make one thing very clear. Gene Ross did NOT initiate a background check on Luke. It was handed to him on a silver platter. Someone out there hates Ford's guts, evidenced by the note to Ross accompanying the dossier: "Gene - PLEASE post this on your site! Trust me. He'll be gone from the web in a few days." Why would this person go to the trouble of submitting such a dossier with the promise of dire consequences for Ford? Ford has certainly reacted vigorously to it, even getting his James Carvillesque buddy, Rodger Jacobs, aka Martin Brimmer, to deflect bullets on his behalf: Dear Gene, You know, several years ago a former roommate of mine used my SSN to obtain credit with Pacific Bell. I didn't learn about it until recently, similar to Luke's situation with his former roommate Leonarto August, who fraudulently appropriated Mr. Ford's SSN. You questioned how Luke could have been ignorant of the fact that this had happened, implying something ominous. SSN's are stolen every day. Luke is neither Leonarto August nor a criminal for being ignorant of the fact that this so called friend betrayed his trust. The e-mail that you sent to Luke, which he posted on his website this evening smacks of breathless desperation to me. If you wish to imply that Luke F-rd is pretending to be someone other than who he is that is one thing and I anxiously await future reports, however to suggest that Luke, and whatever phantom story you are chasing here, is analogous to the Marc Wallice situation is outrageous, and dare I suggest, a step down into Luke's own gutter. Luke may not be the credible journalist that either you or I purport to be but it seems to me that he must have struck a nerve in one way, shape or form for you to resort to such childish and unprofessional behavior. What the hell is the deal with this "dossier" about Luke? You know and I know that Luke's true name is Luke Carey Ford and he was born in Curri Curri, New South Wales on 5/28/66. If you have any information to disprove this fact or to otherwise insinuate that your brother in trade journalism is anyone other than who he claims to be then lay your cards on the table or back away from the game. As for Kendra Jade's assertions to Luke that she witnessed you accepting monetary favors from John T. Bone, allegations that she later retracted, it is not Luke's responsibility to publish a retraction if Kendra or any other source for that matter was admittedly using Luke as an instrument of revenge. With my sincerest respect, Rodger Jacobs Both Jacobs and Ford have missed the boat completely. For one thing, Ford is not my "brother" in trade journalism. He's a pretender to the throne of journalism. It's positively alright for Ford to attack the industry, but, now, the shoe seems to be on the other foot. Ford can live by the sword, he can now die by the sword. It was Ford who instigated the assault. Ford posted his story yesterday afternoon BEFORE Ross e-mailed him. And Ford had called AVN publisher Paul Fishbein warning him that an expose on Gene Ross was coming. Under the circumstances, Ross has every right to defend himself against lies which Ford admits on his site he can't prove. My e-mail to Ford was also meant to serve as an object lesson to Ford. His driver's license states that he has blond hair. Ford's hair is dark. A driver's license is considered a legal document. This legal document, obviously, contains erroneous information. Marc Wallice's HIV test also posted wrong information. Is it just possible that a clerical mistake was made, thereby, pointing an accusing finger at Wallice? Neither Ford, Wallice's executioner, nor Jacobs, Ford's apologist, got the point. Jacobs calls it "outrageous" that I would make such a connection, Wallice and Ford. And supporting the man who vilifies the industry, isn't, Rodg? Jacob's defensive gestures also beg the question about Leonarto August. Who is Leonarto August? Ford claims August is an Israeli. Really? With that name? Ford, who is such an expert on ethnicity, should be able to explain that one with a straight face. And Ford, who cries poverty, seems to be able to maintain another address - in Beverly Hills - besides the one he declares on La Cienega Boulevard. Doesn't this raise some questions, Rodg? On the subject of libel, for Jacobs to say that Luke's "not responsible," for printing retractions to libelous accusations placed on his site is irresponsible, spawned from, either total f---ing stupidity, or blind allegiance to a friend who's leading him down the garden path just as Ford is doing with Kendra Jade - cultivating her friendship in exchange for whatever shards of information he can suck out of her brain to get back at John T. Bone. Those attacked on Ford's site in the past have refrained, so far, from trying to sue him thinking that Ford doesn't have a pot to piss in. Au contraire. Ford's on the verge of developing what's being touted as a "mega-website," and has been discussing the matter with investors over the past few months. Except, Ford's got a big mouth, and the information is leaking like pus. Ford, a trust fund baby, will be ripe for the pickings very shortly. I just hope that his financial backers can withstand the jolt of litigations that are sure to come. Gloria Leonard writes: "I think it's time to investigate whether or not Luke F-rd is a bona fide American citizen or is he here on some transient Australian visa, which of course, could mean booting his skinny ass back to the outback. I think it's sort of sad that both your sites are succumbing to a form of "website wrestling." Normally, I would say, "May the best man win," but this one's a no-brainer, Gene, for if nothing else, you are in fact, a real MAN, while Little Luke is nothing more than a pathetic little peon, a poseur, and a porno-parasite. His contribution to this industry, if you want to call it that, is rife with a mean-spiritedness not seen since Linda Lovelace accused everyone else for her own behavior, which included having sex with a German shepherd - it makes sense that both of them appeared on the same TV show recently, which more appropriately should have been titled "Dog Files." Quasarman writes: " Hi Gene: This is Mike a.k.a , Quasarman, writing to you today because according to Luke F-rd's sight, a positive video review can be acquired simply by providing you with sexual favors. I just wanted to let you know that though I do have 6 porcelain veneers in my mouth and a few fillings, I can still perform top notch fellatio. If you would please see to it that my latest video being released by Metro entitled "Stop, My Ass is on Fire" receives at least a four "A " review in next month's AVN, I promise to drive to your house at any hour of the day or night and service you orally until you ask me to leave. Sincerely, Quasarman. [Just in case it isn't painfully obvious I am being sarcastic. Feel free to post to your site however if you feel it will help illustrate the absurdity currently taking place on Luke's site.] Gene Ross writes: "Sorry, Quasarman, can't use your services, I'm hetero. But Luke F-rd, who openly entertains sexual fantasies about attorney Jeffrey Douglas, might. By the way, didn't Ford fraudulently introduce you last year as a "source" of bribery accusations against me? Bite hard with those porcelain veneers, my friend. Hustler's grand vizier, Mike Albo, has this to say: "Marc Medoff does some freelance work for me, but in his capacity over at Arrow, he had some issues with Luke's appearance on the Fox Files. So he called him up and Medoff mentions that thing about the pitchers & catchers on Ford's site. Medoff, baiting Luke, asked him if Mike Albo was really gay? Luke says, 'Everything I write about him is true.' "First of all, I'm not pretty enough to be gay. Second of all, I swear to God, if I run into this guy, I'm going to end up going to f---ing jail." Scotty Schwartz writes: "Gene, Upon reading Luke F-rd's site on Tues, April 6th I have this to say. First of all, I have never gone to his site, I was given a copy of the gossip by my good friends at VCA. I, to be honest with you think his site for the most part is not what's happening in the biz, it's a negative slant on the industry as a hole and there's more imaginary quotes in there than you can pull out of a presidential "I didn't do it" speech. Here's the meat of my response. When I responded about Regan Senter discussing World Modeling, I was in no way bad rapping Mr. South or his business. I believe that everyone is responsible for their own actions. Mr. Austin and Mr. Gunches were responsible not Mr. South. Mr. South to my knowledge did not know that any wrong doings were going on. I have a firm belief in Mr. South, and World Modeling as I know they do things the right way, and that Mr. Senter does not. Those former employee's were let go, I believe because Mr. South found out what they were doing and they were immediately dismissed. Ford now says that I fear for my life??? This puzzles me.. Exactly who have I said that to? No one is the answer. Mr. Ford has the imagination of Willy Wonka and since I was refered to as "a little midget." [I guess that would make me an umpa lumpa.] As for responding to someone only known as "one porner" who said ".....that I was going to be feeling this one" exactly who would that be? I didn't speak about anyone except Mr. Austin and Mr. Gunches, neither of whom I'd be afraid of in any way, shape or form. Mr. Ross, I have had good relations with Mr. South and World Modeling for the past 12 years and plan to continue to do so. My comments were not meant in anyway to harm World Modeling, I was just setting the record straight, and responding to Mr. Senter's comments concerning myself and World Modeling. World Modeling is truly the only real, honest and upstanding agency that the industry has!!! Thank you, Scott Schwartz ps. I am sure Mr. Ford
will reprint this for his site, I just hope that he doesn't take me
out of context as I have saved this letter for my files. If he wishes
to get any other info from me, please tell him to contact my PR department,
which would be www.geneross.com.
4/10/99 J.J. Tornello writes www.geneross.com: "Hello Mr. Ross, "I think it is unfortunate that you have done nothing more than build an internet version of AVN, meaning a trade publication that you have decided to model your website after. I think any aspirations you have of sending Luke running with his tail between his legs are nothing more than "you" having an over active imagination. You could have actually built a site to compete, and possible even overshadow Luke's site. But instead you chose to bore us with another advertising vehicle for the industry, which had no need for such a site. Surely, with your considerable contacts within the industry, you could have positively posted your fair share of "scoops" that are of the nature that we as readers are interested in. But instead, you wasted our time (yours and the readers) by doing nothing fresh or different than the same crap that has been done so many times, by so many people, yourself included, that nobody outside your little kiss ass group of "porno parasites" (a term Ms. Leonard used to describe Luke, but one that is better suited for you and yours in my humble opinion) even cares about. We don't buy into any
of the "just one big happy family" bulls--- that you crank out like
robots, day in and day out. It is truly laughable that you have such
a low opinion of the intellect of your customers, readers, parasites,
pick any term you wish, that you actually think people outside You will never be able to "REPORT" honestly on the business, because you have absolutely no objectivity, and don't have the balls to tell the truth about the business that has allowed you to keep your dick wet for the extent of your time involved in promoting it. You are no more a journalist than Mr. Ford. He may not check his facts and recheck again, but he writes about what the consumer wants to know about. The consumer doesn't want everything to be whitewashed into Ozzie and Harriet before we read it. We want the f---ing truth, and that is something that, as long as it isn't the rosiest of pictures, we will never, ever hear from you. Mr. Ross, these are not insults, just facts. I don't look down on you for being a trade writer. There is nothing wrong with that, But I do take acception to you insinuating that you are a news journalist, writing about the industry. We both know you are a person paid by industry advertisers at all levels, and that your livelihood depends on you building and keeping those attitudes about the business. Luke on the other hand, can afford to tell the truth about what is going on in the biz. Which I suspect is something you envy him for. I believe that you would love to blow the doors off of some of these assholes, but because of your place in the scheme of things, you simply can't. I will grant you that Luke isn't likely to become the responsible and thorough journalist that maybe he should be, but by the same token, neither is the despicable Jim South going to stop getting his dick sucked by every girl who has the misfortune of walking through his door either. Which one do you think is worse Gene? That question is not rhetorical. So Gene, don't you ever have the nerve to call anyone else's journalism shoddy, and reckless when your own is so much fairy tale fabrication that it reduces you to no more than a short story fiction writer. Either start telling the truth about the people in the industry, who you call the movers and shakers, and what they are really like, or be honest for once in your career, and admit that you don't ever write anything of any importance to anyone other than the subjects of your fiction writing. And before you start your usual tactics of questioning my knowledge of the business that is "ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY" and what gives me the right to make such statements about people like that pile of human excrement, Jim South, let me tell you that I have spent the past couple of years sleeping next to one of Mr. South's victims. She is someone who has had a very hard life, and will always have, even though she left the business in 1991, because of the total absence of anything resembling morality within 1000 feet of dear sweet Jimmy boy. So, Mr. Ross, save your polished and spit shined response for someone who is stupid enough to give it any validity at all, cause we ain't buyin' your line of bulls--- here. You are gonna have to sell it elsewhere. Sorry, I just calls em as I sees em. I don't for one moment expect you to print this, but be my guest if you wish. It says to many damaging and 100% true things in it to put on your powderpuff cheerleaders site. But if you do print it, do it in full, or not at all. Gene, I don't hold you responsible for the actions of these scumbags in the business, and you do what you do to make a living. But for you to act like you are a serious journalist is absurd. Sincerely, J.J. Tornello
P.S. I am not anti-porn in the least. I would be a compete hypocrite if I claimed to be. What I am is anti-kiddy porn, and against people using there positions and companies for there own sexual proclivities, and sick games. f--- Jim South, He is a piece of s--- xxx. He may scare people in the biz, but I don't fear him, I pity him. He is everything that is bad about the business in one piss poor excuse for a man. 4/14/99 AVN's Gene Ross Is Corrupt AVN publisher Paul Fishbein and AVN journalist Gene Ross are busting the balls of porners who first give the scoop to Luke. Luckily for Luke, much of the industry thinks the Scoop has more integrity than www.geneross.com. It's no coincidence that Gene's closest friends in the industry are such questionable characters as John Bowen and Rob Black. All three promote the great con of professional wrestling. Bone and Ross, according to a source, have double f---ed porn star Kendra Jade, threatening to destroy her if she does not apologize for ratting out the illicit relationship between Bone and Ross. Jade witnessed first hand (she said 12/98) Bone pay Ross cash every Friday. Ex-Cream salesman Mike Barbella can back this up, if he choose to. From www.geneross.com: Subject: Re: geneross.com
a message from mike
......................................................... My source says that Bone and Ross have threatened Kendra that Gene and AVN will destroy her career if she does not apologize for her charges. So on Monday, Kendra apologized to John and Gene. But she did not retract her charges of bribery and corruption on the part of Ross. In addition to cash bribes, John Bone has handed Gene Ross the tall blonde Cream contract girl Cassidy for sexual favors. As I reported several weeks ago, when David Christopher pitched the pro wrestling porno Nude World Order to Sin City, one of the major selling points he used was that Gene Ross, the VP of editorial operations for AVN, had written the script and would see to it that it got generous AVN coverage, which it did. Hey Paul Fishbein, is it not an obvious conflict of interest to have your VP write scripts, then order coverage of them in the magazine? If Sin City verifies that Ross was a part of the Nude World Order package, will you fire Gene? If not, why not? Ross also wrote the script for John Bone's Too Hot For Porno 2. Bone also gave generous AVN promotion to Rob Black's wrestling plans, which have amounted to almost nothing. It is obvious to disinterested observers that through Gene Ross, John Bone and Rob Black get disproportionately positive and frequent coverage, not only in AVN but in the new site www.geneross.com. John Bone's company Cream Entertainment is on the verge of collapse, I hear. Because he couldn't pay the rent, Bone was forced to take on his landlord Martin as his 50% partner. John owes his ex-salesman Mike Barbella about $16,000. Bone owes Zoe about $4000 and a little less to his tall blonde contract girl in Texas, Jenny. Overall, he owes various porners about $60,000 and far more than that to the IRS. Bone would be sunk without his corrupt relationship with Gene Ross. Through it and the power of AVN, John, the master manipulator, can keep his porn girls in line, in his sinking company and sucking on his dick. Zoe, an exceptional Bone contract girl in that she's refused to have sex with John, returned to Cream through Bone manipulation that he'd use Gene Ross to destroy her career if she did not, Luke's heard. John has frequently told Zoe that he's not promoted her career as much as that of Kendra Jade because Kendra sleeps with him while Zoe will not. Typical porn girls, Cream's contract players Kendra, Zoe, Jenny and Cassidy are in an abusive relationship with John Bone, and must find the inner strength to break free. And then they can get therapy to figure out why they like to be abused. Highlights from www.geneross.com: Hell hath no fury like Luke F-rd scorned. Apparently. Kendra Jade, calling from the airport this morning, said she told Luke F-rd, in no uncertain terms in a chat room last night that she didn't want to talk to him. Ford said something back to her about him feeling "betrayed." ...[A]ll of a sudden, today, Luke F-rd proclaims in banner headlines that Gene Ross is corrupt. Read on Ford's site how Gene Ross is out to destroy the careers of Zoe and Kendra Jade! Read about Gene Ross' coercive love nest with Cassidy! Read how Ford drags Mike Barbella into the picture about secret Cream cash deals to Ross! Read how Ross takes cash from John T. Bone even though Ford writes in the same breadth how Bone owes thousand to everyone including the IRS! Read how Paul Thomas is covering up for Gene Ross! Read how Ross' magical touch with a keyboard supposedly seals deals with Sin City for David Christopher! Read how Ross writes Kendra Jade scripts even though he's out to destroy her career! Read how Ross covers up for Rob Black, an unconvicted felon!! Read about Ross' secret wrestling deals!! Read about Ross' some sinister connections with John T. Bone's Hardcore Championship f---ing video!! Read how Ross spends Monday nights watching wrestling!! Then, read geneross.com and find the real truth about the adult business. Through all the crap, the question still remains, why is Ford so afraid of this background "dossier" that leaked out? Forensic analysts are welcome to examine it because there's something in there that Ford is very much afraid of. Gloria Leonard writes about the Mike Ross controversy: "Gene, I find it amusing that the two most self-aggrandizing and possibly the most loathed individuals around, find themselves in each other's company with their singular claim to fame being their attacks on FSC... "As for Luke and his allegations of interest conflicts with you, Paul and AVN, perhaps it might be well to point out that Disney owns studios, tv stations, magazines, theme parks, theatres, ad nauseum, as do many other megamedia conglomerates. How come this isn't viewed as being a conflict of interests? Frankly, the pissing contest between you and Ford is becoming boring - you'd never see Peter Jennings taking Tom Brokaw to task. No wonder most outsiders think of this business as "unprofessional." Mike Albo [editor of Hustler Erotic Video Guide]: "[W]e've been waiting all week for you to "bury" Luke F-rd with the secret information you hinted at last week. What the hell happened? Is there no stopping this Australian dick-head? Are you going to let him bitch slap you with impunity? Just curious." Gene Ross sez: "It's a matter of laughing last and laughing the loudest. I will have the last word on the Luke F-rd matter, you can rest assured." www.geneross.com covers the twists and turns of Cream contract girl Kendra Jade. She retracts her allegations about Ross taking bribes from John Bone and claims her computer was hacked. Gene writes: "I have no Luke F-rd log. To my knowledge there is no Luke F-rd log, but there's plenty of paranoia afoot. If Luke F-rd were to print this so-called log, then it would should pretty conclusively where he stands on the Kendra matter and what friend to him she is. Luke: "I have no log. I've been gone from Saturday to Tuesday night. I usually log IRC chats when I participate in them however." Email: "Considering
that John Bone said that he "knows s--- about wrestling," then how exactly
did he come up with the idea to make any movies pertaining to wrestling?
And in the same time frame as Rob Black? Coincidence? Or do you think
it has anything to do with the fact that Gene "As far as what Kendra Jade said to you in December... Well,besides the "poor me John took all my money and took my house for no reason," most of it was true. She says it's not now because after she called Elegant Angel and tried to talk to Rob Black about getting into the company and he said "f--- No!" because he has brains. She knew that she was better off just lying once again, and go back to f---ing John and playing these silly games. "As far as Gene getting paid for *maybe* helping with Too Hot for Porn 2 script, helping John with some new, more exciting box cover ideas, helping John with movie ideas, with new contract girl ideas, with new gonzo ideas, coming in on Fridays and getting paid......well, John's bookkeeper handles the money so nobody exactly saw money changing hands. Just a story from a revengeful pornstar made up of the top of her head?" 4/15/99 Doom writes on RAME: "This is truly shocking news. Carl Bernstein Ross is corrupt? He lacks integrity? I can't believe that a highly ethical and impartial publication like AVN has been compromised like this. I had believed AVN's only journalistic peer was the Formerly Gray Lady herself. This must indeed be a dark day for Ben Bradlee Fishbein. "Judging by recent actions, it seemed like C.B. Ross had tired of the role of selfless pursuer of the truth behind the Wallice story. He was changing his gimmick to another major player in Watergate. Of course, I am speaking of Dick Nixon himself. D.N. Ross was engaging in oppo research of his enemies' list, and enemy number one was Scoop Luke. "Perhaps Dick Nixon Ross can look to his role model for guidance in slipping out of these embarrassing charges. Does anyone know if Ross has a dog named Checkers? "On an related note, recently D.N. Ross has succeeded in making a porn gossip site boring. Two-thirds of his current update is a Free Speech Coalition manifesto. Most riveting stuff." (RAME) Luke hears from two sources that the Deep Throat referred to on Gene Ross's site is Bianca Trump. Trump denies this. In late February, Luke received this email: "Remember that crummy movie (Nude World Order) Sin City did with David Christopher about professional female wrestlers? Sin City pumped lots of money both into the movie and into PR. "The idea for Nude World Order came from Gene Ross and David Christopher. Ross either told Christopher that if the movie was produced, AVN would get behind it, i.e., free publicity, awards, etc., or Christopher simply decided to tell potential producers that this was the case. Christopher shopped it around and in so doing, took it to Sin City. Sin City took the bait. They figured they had a guaranteed Editor's Choice, and a guaranteed hit because of the Gene Ross thing. They gave Christopher a large budget (by their standards for a video - not a film) of somewhere between $45k and $60k. "AVN gave them almost no publicity beyond an on-the-set piece which is done for many movies, without any "we're behind this one" attached to it. Nude World Order won no AVN awards. "A humorous anecdote: before shipping, the brain surgeons at Sin City decided to send out screener and slicks to buyers. They also bought these little toy magnetic wrestlers, and the screener and toy and slicks were put in some pretty expensive packaging. Well, if you know anyting about video tape, you might know that the media is recorded on the tape magnetically. If you want to remove media from a tape, you degauss it, i.e., use a magnet to remove the media. Hehehehehe...you figure it out. They erased the tapes. "The whole thing was a disaster as neither Gene Ross delivered the goods in terms of AVN getting behind it (as was thought), nor did Christopher make a half-way decent movie. "By the way, for all those who figure that if a company spends a lot on advertising, AVN will consistently deliver outstanding reviews. Well, Sin City spends thousands on advertising, and their parent company, GVA takes a one page ad every month as well. Did you ever notice that Sin City's reviews are consistently, for the most part, mediocre? I think Sin City should get awards for the most three and a half star reviews of movies of any company. Maybe AVN doesn't play favorites, huh? Or maybe they simply don't like the sin city people (make that Mark Snyder or David Sturman)." A source: "Gene Ross was there all day at the Reseda Country Club day. One out of three days. Even the article had a smarmy tone to it, like "gee Sin City might have a hit." He wrote the on-set piece, someone else wrote the sneak peek, Paul wrote the review. "Gene really was the one who inspired David Christopher to write the script. "Nude World Order got lots of publicity, not just from AVN." 4/17/99 All the Closet Poofters, Where Do They Belong? Porner: Not in porn, that's for sure. I've been reading your site. I'm really sorry. They get upset with you because you guess at the truth? Because you won't suck their dicks? These people are so stupid! How can you stand it? I thought Paul Fishbein was absolutely adorable, too. Guess he got too old for Gene. Or got married, or something. See, if it were as easy as getting someone to blow Gene to get a mention in AVN, hell, I'd be blowing Gene under the keyboard! But see below. Poofter No. Eight -- Lenny Friedlander. Poofter No. Seven -- XXX. Actually more of a vulcanophile -- goes for rubberized, identical Barbie Dolls Poofter No. Six -- Paul Barresi Poofter No. Five -- Ed Powers Poofter No Four -- Mike Albo Poofter No. Three -- Max Hardcore Poofter No. Two -- John Stagliano Poofter No. One -- Gene Ross From the 4/13 edition of www.geneross.com: "Luke F-rd is intending to run a list of top "faggots" in the business, with Gene Ross listed as number One. Impeccable sources place Lynne L-patin as the author of this latest wave of assaults. When contacted, L-patin had this virulent message to offer: "Closeted faggot. Big difference. Need an explanation? Actually you were third on the list. I bumped you up after I read several days worth of silly back and forth between you and Luke. Whereas I had previously only read the "Luke is so cute" crap you encourage. You do want him, don't you? Regards. The born-female bitch you managed to 86 from this industry for ten years." Gene Ross sez: "Gee, I had no idea. 1), that I'm encouraging the "Luke is so cute crap." Where is this coming from? Did I miss something? Luke is cute in the way a cobra is cute. Perhaps L-patin should go to the dictionary and look up the word, 'irony'; 2) That I "want" Luke? Does L-patin see this because I make patently absurdist comments about Ford's vanity and mythical 8 by 10 glossies? Puh-leese; and 3) that I 86-ed her from the industry for ten years? How was I supposed to have done that, and what were the means at my disposal? Considering that I have had virtually no communication with L-patin, this is a truly remarkable turn of events. Up until now, I had given L-patin credit for some degree of intelligence. She should confine her imagination to her script writing. She'll need it." 4/19/99 AVN Cries Libel Friday afternoon, respected Adult Video News publisher Paul Fishbein snapped. Long tired of Luke F-rd's bulls--- accusations against his magazine, the porn industry veteran, I hear, called his libel attorney and prepared to file suit against the Scoop. Here's my accusation that Paul thought stepped over the line: That in the fall of 1998, Metro Home Video, long controlled by Mafia associate Ken Guarino, threatened to pull their advertising from AVN if their girls did not get to present at the January 1999 AVN Awards in Las Vegas and if their movies did not get better ratings and rankings in the best seller and rental charts. I hear that AVN accommodated and Metro kept advertising. From www.geneross.com: "Wanted One attorney. Libel, slander, Internet theft and copyright infringement. Open and shut no-brainer, high-profile case. The sky's the limit. E-Z terms available. Being a wrestling fan's a plus. Call Gene Ross 818-786-4286 Ext. 114" Luke's received email and phone calls confirming his accusations of corruption against AVN's Gene Ross. Porners have known for years that the best way to get good reviews from AVN is to send Gene sexual favors in the form of hookers and porn stars. Ross almost got fired from AVN Thursday. John Bone has told people how relieved he is that Gene was not fired. Gene writes on his site Thursday: "Kendra Jade, calling from the airport this morning, said she told Luke F-rd, in no uncertain terms in a chat room last night that she didn't want to talk to him. Ford said something back to her about him feeling "betrayed."" Did Gene even talk to Kendra Thursday as he implies or did Gene simply get this relayed from John Bone? I think this is a Bowen relay job. Ross implies a lie. From www.geneross.com: "In Luke F-rd's never ending attempts to be a moron, he puts on his site that Gene Ross was David Christopher's inspiration for Nude World Order, a wrestling movie. Maybe Ford or whoever came up with that brilliant piece of logic should contact Eric Bishoff of the WCW who's idea it was to create the New World Order. When Luke F-rd attempts to talk about subjects beyond his ken, he reveals his essential ignorane." A leading porn executive: "He [Ross] completely sidesteps the Nude World Order question. He claims not to have created the New World Order, a professional wrestling sub-group and not the Sin City movie which he, it is rumored, had authored. He says you are a moron, but this shows who is a moron and who isn't." Gene claimed Tuesday on his site that Kendra Jade has retracted her 12/98 claims about him taking money from Bone, but a careful reading of Jade's interview with Ross shows no such retraction. Jade, appearing under pressure, simply apologizes to Gene but at no time retracts her serious accusations. Who was Gene's date to the 1998 "Night of the Stars" FSC banquet at the Universal Sheraton? Cassidy, a Cream contract girl and sexual plaything delivered to Ross on a platter by John Bone. Cassidy, I hear, broke off with Ross at the 1999 CES. Until then, Ross gave her coverage. After that, he either ignored or dissed her in AVN. How did Alex Sanders garner his Breakthrough Award from AVN? I hear that Alex sent Gene Ross numerous hookers along with his Body Slammin' series. Sanders tells AVN: "I will go on record with any publication to give the right information to people to help fight this asshole [Luke F-rd]. I can't believe this guy. I don't know where he got this information, but this is the kind of thing that makes me want to kill somebody. Out in the parking lot [of the AVN office] I did say to Ken [Michaels] jokingly that I might bring a girl by with the second copy of the video. That was a joke. That was never told to anybody else. I'm aware that this guy [Ford] said I brought two hookers to your office. Obviously I never did. We both know that's bulls---. I consider this slanderous to me as well. It takes away whatever things I've gotten honestly. I don't want that to happen." www.geneross.com AVN journalist Ken Michaels told www.geneross.com: "As fas ar Sanders' breakthrough award, let this be known. I gave him his first-ever 4A review. I gave him a 5 A for the first Bodyslammin.' I've never gotten money from him, a woman from him, and we are not lovers. We shared KFC one time and portly guys do love food. I challenge anyone in this industry to prove that I ever gave a good review based on favoritism. You [Ross] had nothing to do with Alex's breakthrough award. Everyone concurred on the quality of the Bodyslammin' tapes." Luke's heard that Gene wrote and partially directed Too Hot For Porno 2. This is captured on the videotape masters. Ask anyone who was on the set such as Tom Chapman and Dave Hardman. Both Chapman and Hardman deny the accusations against Ross. Unfortunately, porners will not go on the record with their accusations about Ross and AVN because they fear their power. This fear runs from talent (like Buck Adams, Sanders) to directors (like Paul Thomas) to companies (Sin City, Metro). Porners fear that AVN and Fishbein will resent them for revealing and documenting Gene's crooked ways. Porners fear that even if they do step forward, Fishbein won't take them seriously and they will be left out on a limb, vulnerable to the most powerful magazine in the industry to destroy them. Luke, however, knows of no instance of AVN using its power to destroy people. Dozens of people reading this site know that Gene Ross is a crook. They know Ross is on the take, that he helps create videos that he then writes about in AVN without disclosing his creative role, that he corrupts reviews in exchange for kickbacks. Yet you who know this are gutless. You don't have the balls to stand up for what is right. You lack integrity. You do not live in truth. Meanwhile, AVN's Ethics Ranking plunges. "I think your Gene Ross kick is great," said a porner who insisted on anonymity. "Those guys at AVN are f---ing corrupt. I know. I was deep deep deep with XXX company and I heard all the goings on. You're right on the money. AVN is a big company and they push people around. AVN pushes the contract girls because the companies are buying ads. If you print my name on this it will ruin my career. "They are so big and powerful. It's a shame people read their reviews as gospel when they are obviously so slanted." A porner: "The first thing I asked was, 'how do I get a great review from AVN?' I'm going to make a great movie with wild stuff... And everybody told me, 'send Gene Ross hookers.' Really? 'Yes, send him hookers. Send him over a hooker with the tape.' "I asked some people at the Night of the Stars dinner dance, who's that? That's Gene Ross. Who's the chick with him? That's Cassidy. That's his toy." Another porner: "Gene and Bowen could not a conspiracy make. The money could easily have been for a hooker, or cocaine, or to pay back a loan, or money Gene is taking on the side away from Paul. "But one cannot buy reviews in AVN. Poor Gabor at Heatwave has been trying to figure this one out for years. Or Marina Pacific. Yes, the AVN review story is plenty sordid and worth exposing but you aren't on to it." 4/20/99 I've heard that AVN's Gene Ross co-directed the 1992 Cinderella video The Party with Anthony Spinelli. It was the first video to win five As from AVN. Ross sold and wrote scripts through 1995. Producers figured it would help their AVN reviewers if they bought some of Ross's sorry shtick. Publisher Paul Fishbein forbade AVN staffers from creating and appearing in videos after Mark Kernes starred in Herbert Dingle in 1996. The Party won AVN's 1992 award for Best Director, Video in a tie with Alex deRenzy's Two Women. According to statements attributed to Bill Margold, two prostitution services refuse to send girls to Gene Ross because of his reputation for abusing women. Gene writes: "Put this on your website www.l-keford.com, you gutless, lying little waste of humanity. You hide behind your step-mother's skirt? I want you here in my office confronting me face-to-face with this nonsense. Today. I also expect you to be putting up on your site your past PCR/DNA tests. You want to have sex with girls in the business? Then you have the proper validation, don't you? Let's see those tests." Luke: "If AVN wants to pay for it, I'd be happy to take another PCR DNA test. AIM has one on file for me." Gene: "Get your buddy Vasiloff to pay for it. And I said PCR/DNA." Any corruption at Adult Video News pales to what has long gone on at Hustler, where reviewers, I hear, have routinely exchanged good reviews for drugs, cash and VCRs. From www.geneross.com: The Party was directed
by Anthony Spinelli and co-directed by CDi's Jack Stephan... Mitchell
Spinelli served as dialogue director. I [Gene Ross] was there to write
an on-the-set piece. On 4/21/99, Gene wrote
on www.geneross.com:
"I've been accused of being abusive towards women, prostitutes
specifically. Really? The accusation is leveled in this manner: "statements
attributed to Bill Margold..." then it goes on to say that two
prostitution services refused to send me girls because of my reputation
for being abusive towards women. Ross then details bad experiences he had with hookers and escort services who tried to steal from him. 4/25/99 Porn For The People Opines on Ford vs. Ross Johnny Denim, at www.unchain.com, writes in his latest column about the war between Luke F-rd and Gene Ross. Here's an excerpt: For as long as I've been online Luke F-rd has been the main porn gossip guy. His exploits are nearly at Al Goldstein levels of infamy and excellence... Gene Ross launched [through AVN and a VCA server in early March] a Luke F-rd-type website and has since attempted a smear campaign against Ford. Luke isn't innocent either, writing nonstop Ross-bashing inch-and-a-half high headlines days in a row. The war has gotten to a point where even those inside the industry are taking sides. Luke's most visible contacts are leaving him left, right and center. Rob Black has long since turned his back on him... Everyone connected with John T. Bone won't speak to him and even Kendra Jade has specifically told him to not speak to her... [T]he Blacks of the world... have walked out on him [Luke] for being honest about their affairs. Luke took the entire low end of the industry to the next level with this kind of writing and now he's getting s--- on... As we go higher up the ladder in the industry we find that Luke's contacts at places like Sin City and Wicked are strong as ever while Ross is in danger of being fired by AVN. Isn't it ironic that
Rob Black was quoted on Luke's site as telling Luke quite poignantly
that "... the minute that Luke makes a dime at AVN he's sold out!"
Now he's buddies with Gene Ross a longtime writer for AVN, kinda sad
isn't it? AVN Threatens Luke The Scoop Porn trade magazine Adult Video News has used its lawyers at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP (an intellectual property firm with branch offices around the US including Century City and in Hungary) to threaten Luke F-rd. Suite 1800 Deborah Drooz, Esq. April 19, 1999 Mr. Luke Carey Ford Re: Internet Posting, 4/14/99 Dear Mr. Ford: This office represents Adult Video News magazine ("AVN"), its publisher Paul Fishbein, and journalist, Gene Ross. Our clients have advised us that you are the creator and operator of the website known as "l-keford.com" and have exclusive control over its contents. It is also our understanding that, on a daily basis for the past year, you have used that website to disseminate a gossip sheet that focuses on the adult entertainment industry. This letter concerns your 4/14/99 posting to that website, hereinafter, the "Posting." The Posting's headline reads "AVN's Gene Ross Is Corrupt." The text of the Posting purports to describe specific corrupt acts and practices that were allegedly engaged in by Mr. Ross and implicitly sanctioned by Mr. Fishbein and AVN. Virtually without exception, these accusations are pure fabrication, and appear to have been published with the sole objective of destroying my clients' reputations. Of the multifarious falsehoods in the Posting, five are particularly damaging and offensive. The first of these is the unfounded accusation that AVN "accommodated" Metro Home Video's request to have its "girls" "present at the January 1999 AVN Awards" in order to prevent Metro from pulling its advertising. The Posting goes on to allege that AVN gave Metro "better [ostensibly undeserved] ratings and rankings" on its bestseller and rental charts in order to secure Metro's advertising dollars. The gist of these aspersions is that AVN permits its business operations to influence the contents of the magazine. Simply stated, the Posting falsely asserts that good ratings and rankings can be bought. This is, without a doubt, the most heinous and damaging charge that can be leveled against any publication. That you were willing to disseminate such an accusation on the basis of apparently unsubstantiated tips from anonymous sources clearly demonstrates that you publish with reckless disregard for the truth. Another of the Posting's particularly damaging falsehoods is that journalist Gene Ross "corrupts reviews in exchange for kickbacks." Here again, the language of the Posting is designed to gull readers into the belief that AVN's reviews are for sale. Nothing could be farther from the truth. AVN has never permitted its editorial content to be influenced by financial considerations and has always had zero tolerance for any journalist who would accept kickbacks or engage in graft of any kind. Your utter lack of factual support this charge is especially apparent given that Mr. Ross has not been in charge of assigning reviews for over a year and therefore is in no position to take kickbacks if he he were so inclined - which he most decidedly is not. The false claim that actor/director Alex Sanders garnered AVN's "breakthrough" award by providing Mr. Ross with prostitutes is another of the Posting's more contemptible libels. As you must surely know,l Mr. Sanders was chosen as an award recipient by 12 individuals and not by Mr. Ross alone. Mr. Ross has neither the power nor the authority to exchange the award for sexual favors. This highly offensive charge constitutes not only an unsubstantiated attack on Mr. Ross' integrity but also a vicious assault on AVN's credibility in the industry. Like the preceding excerpts from the Posting, the charge that Mr. Ross accepted money from John Bowen for some "illicit purpose" and then threatened to destroy the career of an alleged witness to the transaction is pure fiction. Neither the alleged illicit payments nor the alleged threats ever took place. In light of the foregoing, Mr. Ross and Mr. Fishbein, in his own capacity and on behalf of AVN, hereby demand that you retract and apologize for each and every falsehood referred to hereinabove without delay. Although we do not believe that you are entitled to avail yourself of the protections set forth in California Civil Code Section 48(a), that Code Section provides some guidance regarding the nature of an effective retraction. Pursuant to 48(a), the retraction must be made no later than twenty-one (21) days of the date on which the demand therefore is received. In other words, any retracted published by you must appear on your website at the same time of day as the original Posting and that it appear no later than twenty-one (21) days after you have received this letter. Moreover, your retraction must be complete, unequivocal, and published in a manner that is substantially as conspicuous as the original Posting. Demand is further made that you cease and desist in the publication in the above-referenced defamatory statements concerning our clients - regardless of whether such publication is made by means of Internet transmission or otherwise. Be forewarned that your failure to comply with the foregoing demands will result in my clients' immediate exercise of their legal rights and remedies against you. c: Mr. Paul Fishbein Luke replies: I would happily "retract and apologize for each and every falsehood referred to hereinabove without delay" if provided with some strong evidence for so doing. A nicely-typed letter from some lawyer who wouldn't know a double anal from a transvestite hooker does not constitute proof. It's very sweet that porn and corruption expert, Deborah Drooz Esq., assures me that my accusations are "pure fabrication." How the hell would Deb know if Gene Ross got hookers in exchange for good reviews, or took bribes from John Bone? Because Gene and Paul said he didn't? I'm sorry that AVN found my remarks "damaging and offensive," but until I get some stronger evidence, I don't plan on retracting anything. Meanwhile, my cutting investigation into porn corruption continues. Once Gene Ross is irrefutably shown to be corrupt, expect the crooks that he protects to become similarly exposed. AVN publisher Paul Fishbein should be thanking me for pointing out the corruption engaged in by his chief journalist. Fishbein says that Ross was warned back in Philadelphia (around 1987-89) that he could no longer create movies and write and sell scripts while working for AVN. He would have to choose. Ross stayed on at AVN, but has continued selling scripts, including to Jim Holliday at Plush in 1994. Fishbein should also know that the major source of detailed stories about how various AVN awards over the year were changed at the last minute for political and financial reasons is Gene Ross. Ross has told various people in the industry how Paul would frequently buckle into advertisers' pressure. Through other sources, Gene Ross was a major source of my December exposes of AVN. Sources tell me that Gene Ross has taken credit for Rob Black's success at the 1998 AVN Awards (over the wishes of Paul Fishbein, Vivid, VCA and other major AVN advertisers) through Gene's pull with other AVN reviewers. Much of the corruption at AVN is endemic to most close-knit organizations. They tend to think similarly and present a united front to outsider criticism. For instance, Paul and Gene say that all AVN writers believe that porners should use condoms in their sex scenes, and that condoms do not significantly detract from a scene's sexual heat. This is a bold and minority view among porn viewers, but at AVN this minority view rules 100%. Paul and Gene have created a magazine in their own image and attract writers who share most of their cherished views. Advertising takes up 90% of the AVN magazine. As a trade magazine, it's primary purpose is to promote and justify its group. Thus its editorial stance more closely resembles a church newsletter than a news journal. 4/26/99 Noose Tightens Around The Neck of Gene Ross Porn's trade magazine Adult Video News is in a panic this morning as evidence mounts that the magazine's senior editorial figure of the past decade is corrupt. Gene Ross is running scared that his secretive deceitful dealings are steadily being exposed. And AVN publisher Paul Fishbein faces the awful truth that he will have to fire Gene. Fishbein has said that Ross was warned back in Philadelphia (around 1987-89) that he could no longer create porn movies and write and sell porno scripts while working for AVN. He would have to choose. Ross stayed on at AVN, but has continued selling scripts, including to Jim Holliday at Plush Entertainment in 1994. Just ask Jim, or Jack Gallagher (now at Babenet) or Jack's son Mark why Plush would purchase such crummy scripts by Ross. Because they hoped that it would win their products better AVN ratings if they bought Gene's schtick. Fishbein should realize that the major source of detailed stories about how various AVN awards over the year were changed at the last minute for political and financial reasons is Gene Ross. Ross has told various people in the industry how Paul would frequently buckle into advertisers' pressure. Through his comments to my sources, Gene Ross was a major source of my December exposes of AVN. Sources tell me that Gene Ross has taken credit for Rob Black's success at the 1998 AVN Awards (over the wishes of Paul Fishbein, Vivid, VCA and other major AVN advertisers) through Gene's pull with other AVN reviewers. Sunday night Luke carried on this IM (Immediate Message) conversation on AOL with Shay, a former employee of John Bone's Cream Entertainment and ex-roadie for Cream contract girl Kendra Jade. Luzdedos1:
Hi, it's Luke F-rd 4/27/99 Be Sure Your Sins Will Find You Out The dark dirty deeds of AVN's Gene Ross, long carried out in secret, are finally receiving light as the magazine's sturdy dam against truth crashes and porners flood each other with stories of corruption by the industry bible. AVN publisher Paul Fishbein has previously stated that Gene Ross was told back in the magazine's Philadelphia days (1987) that he could no longer write and sell scripts for porn movies and write for AVN. Fishbein has promised that he would fire Ross if he found out that Gene had violated that rule. Paul has found out definitively that Gene had indeed sold scripts during the 1990s, certainly one to Plush Entertainment for $300 in 1994. Plush believed that it would help their AVN reviews if they bought one of Gene's sorry scripts. Gene insisted that the scripts not be credited to "Gene Ross," but rather "Gus Cordoba." Ross did not want it made public knowledge that he had written and sold the scripts. Luke has learned that many of Ross's scripts are specially written for certain actresses. No definitive word yet on if sexual favors were exchanged for Ross writing parts for specific girls. AVN publisher Paul Fishbein wants to depose people (Kendra Jade, Shay, Metro, Plush, Extreme?) who might have any knowledge of Gene Ross's misdeeds. Why? To root out corruption in his own organization? Don't be silly. Why look within when you blame an outsider like Luke? Fishbein's preparing for his libel suit against the Scoop. I overheard an LFP employee say Monday that Gene was one of the five sleaziest persons in porn. AVN, Fishbein and Ross are twisting and turning in the harsh wind of truth. They are finally reaping the corruption they sowed years ago. Paul Fishbein will look you in the eye and say that there has never been any corruption in the AVN Awards. But three of his managing editors (including Gene Ross) have told porners differently. At first, Fishbein and Ross dealt openly with my questions and challenges. That didn't shut me up. Then they took after me on www.geneross.com. That didn't silence me. Then they offered me a truce (with the implication that they would ransack my private life if I did not accept it), but I refused it. Then they invested in an elite Century City law firm to threaten me. That didn't shut me up. While they cast around for another strategy, they've decided to keep my name off www.geneross.com and simply run oblique but murderous threats. Here's an excerpt from the 4/23 edition of www.geneross.com: "Hopefully, soon - someone will tear the head off this piece of garbage [Luke] and just s--- down his neck." There's a classy response to moral challenge. Someone points out something you're doing wrong and you respond by publishing death threats. Another AVN response has been to research Luke's private life, to figure out where Luke lived in what years (largely the years before he ever wrote a word about porn), what his hair color was in 1994, where he and his family and relations have lived, what their social security numbers and phone numbers are, etc... I suggest to Paul Fishbein and company, that instead of making me the fall guy for your own wrongdoing, you look inside. Then you might figure out which parts of your operation are irretrievably corrupt and excise them, and which parts and persons need reform. 4/28/99 AVN Twists and Turns in the Hurricane of Truth AVN's Gene Ross spends about 20 paragraphs defending himself on www.geneross.com. But the text reads more like a resignation speech. Meanwhile, AVN publisher Paul Fishbein is racking his brains trying to figure out how he can fire Gene without Gene then giving up the truth about the AVN Awards and other shennanigans around AVN that directly or indirectly implicate Fishbein. The whole rotting edifice of Adult Video News may come tumbling down, and with it the den of vipers they've been protecting. Shaye writes: "It has come to my attention that some people didn't really understand our somewhat jumbled instant message conversation, and I wondered if you would mind if I kinda wrote out exactly what I know. Gene [Ross] was there for, and participated in the direction of Too Hot For Porn 2 and in writing the script. Also, [Gene] came up with the idea of the Wrestling movie [for John Bone's Cream Entertainment], but I was not there for the work on that or the script or anything, so I guess I can't really vouch for that one. Besides that, what I told you before, [Gene Ross] just giving John "tips" so to speak, on box covers and storylines." Altakaka (yiddish for old man) writes: "Oy, Lukey! You need to schmooze the bubey, Mitchell Spinelli about Gene's scripts under the name W. Bozley DeLongpre. The first movies put out with that name were Gene's scripts, but later Mitchell appropriated the name (which, as I recall straight from Gene's lips, irritated the s--- out of him!) I have a copy of one of these scripts... I'll dig through my garage... That gentile lawyer lady of AVN's is a real piece of work, I tell you! A lawyer kvetching about corruption...lawyers should know from corruption...they invented it! Shalom." Parliament and Gourmet rarely advertised in AVN....they
were locked into their distribution system and didn't see what AVN could
do for them, especially when they got free ads in all their own s---ty
magazines. From www.geneross.com: Lynne L-patin, a former Heatwave employee, in an interview
on another website, also implicates Gene Ross and Gabor from Heatwave
in a sexual bribery/kickback scheme. Lynne writes Luke: "We had two movies ruined by
editors who communicated with the company rather than us, sometimes
for the most petty of reasons. I did a movie for VCA based on the the
job we did with our gay movie "Handsome Ransom," though unfortunately
the editor chose not to include sound clean-up in his original job,
so the sound sucks. Unless Gabor went in and re-edited the movie (which
he has the legal right to do) it's all ours, or I should say mine: the
editor tried to intimidate Bruce and foist an inferior product on him,
and I went in and made him do it right. Jim Holliday Confirms He Bought Scripts From Ross A furious Jim Holliday screamed into my phone at 4PM, Tuesday. "What the hell am I doing all over your website?" Luke: "I heard some stories about Gene Ross selling scripts. And I heard that some were bought by you. I used your name Monday..." Holliday: "Read it to me!" Luke reads Jim the Scoop on Gene Ross and stories of AVN corruption and asks Jim for comment. Jim: "It was one script, not three, you yoyo. And the dollar figure is wrong." Luke: "I heard it was $300." Jim: "No comment, but that's wrong. What's this s--- about me making outrageous comments about Gene and chicks?" Luke: "I just read it to you. You're never quoted anywhere. It has nothing to do with you and Plush. It's about Gene and his exploits at Cream Entertainment. "Now, is it true that Plush bought at least one script from Ross in 1994?" Jim: "How the f--- did you find that out?" Luke: "I told you at the XRCO [3/99] that I have sources." Jim: "Well, it has to be one of only seven people and I intend to find out who." Luke: "Good luck. What if one of those seven talked to other people, you know how the industry works." Jim: "Better than anyone Luke, please keep me the hell out of this goddamn internet. I'm a quiet person and I value my privacy. And I'm as square as anyone. There ain't no controversy with me. I don't want to be involved in weird s---." Luke: "Jim, let me set you straight buddy. I've known much of this for a long time..." Jim: "Ten years ago I would've been dumb enough to threaten you but now I don't say s--- like that anymore." Luke: "Is AVN corrupt?" Jim: "All I have to say is, I've been writing for them for 15 years. And I don't know what you're talking about. But I do like Paul [Fishbein]. So leave me out of this stuff." A calmer Holliday hangs up. But amidst his bluster, he confirmed that he did indeed buy a script from Gene Ross in 1994. This is years after Fishbein told Ross in Philadelphia (1987?) that if he continued to write scripts while working for AVN, he'd be fired. 4/29/99 Kelly Jade Nails Coffins of Gene Ross, John Bone Luke talked via telephone to Kendra Jade’s stepmom Kelly at 2:45 PM, PST, 4/28/99. Kelly Jade: "I talked [12/98] to [AVN publisher] Paul Fishbein about what was going on with Gene. That Gene was on the payroll [of John Bone’s Cream Entertainment]. That he [Gene Ross] had scripts he was selling. John kinda made it public knowledge. He didn’t really hide any of it. They did these private meetings, but I was there for half of them. The guy who used to distribute John’s movies?" Luke: "Jerry Garfinkle." Kelly: "He knew. He’s well aware of all this. So I told Paul about it [12/98]. I said, that’s not right. He said, well, I know that you guys are angry, blah, blah, blah. I said, ‘it doesn’t matter that we’re angry. These are the facts.’ Well, if we can come up with some tangible proof that he is doing this…’ "So Paul has known since way back when [12/98, because Luke printed this information on www.l-keford.com and Paul talked privately with, among others, Kendra and Kelly Jade, who confirmed what I printed about Gene taking payoffs from John Bone], and he has overlooked it. So he can sit back with his saintly little face and say, ‘it’s not AVN.’ But it is AVN [that is corrupt], and he is well aware. "John and I have been at war for a while. I am going to take that man down. And apparently, I have to take Gene down in the process." Luke: "Yeah, because Gene has been protecting him." Kelly: "Yes, but John has been protecting Gene. This whole thing has been going on since I stepped in during the Springer scandal [3/98]. That’s when Gene and John joined in… There’s stuff that Paul [Fishbein] doesn’t even know that I’ve held back on. That Gene had done to Paul, such as promising certain spots for where the picture would be, or the cover story or whatever." Luke: "The placement of stories and pictures." Kelly: "Yes, yes. And that is not supposed to happen." Luke: "Gene had promised that to John Bowen?" Kelly: "Yes, yes. That Kendra would get the cover story. "And when we went into AVN to meet with Gene, we were near this little machine where you can view pictures, and I had mentioned some things. I’m naïve. I didn’t know how good the information I was hearing. So I just blurted out, and he [Gene Ross] backed off. ‘Oh no, I can’t promise that she is going to get the cover at all.’ And he’s [Gene] looking at John, and John kinda shut me up. That’s how I knew something was up. "Now, can we prove that they exchanged money? Kendra has seen it. Kendra is not going to rollover on John. She knows no better and she trusts nobody. Do we [Kendra and Kelly] get along? We haven’t talked to each other in a long time. "I raised that child [Kendra] and she knew damn well that I was going to speak with you about John. And that I wasn’t going to be nice. Then she hopped on the internet and chose to say some choice words regarding me. She went overboard. There was no need for that. I’m not angry, she had to do what she had to do, but I still feel strongly about that." Luke: "Well, AVN is preparing to sue me to defend Gene Ross." Kelly: "I would testify for you in a New York second, sweetie. "We were all there [when John paid off Gene]… If Shaye has seen it and I’ve seen it and Kendra has damn well seen it… And so does everybody else who’s been to one of those ‘private meetings.’" Luke: "So you’d sit there with John and Gene…" Kelly: "Oh yes… At every private meeting, he never asked us to leave or anything. We sat right there through the whole thing and John would say, ‘oh, don’t worry about them, they’re all right.’" Luke: "How many meetings?" Kelly: "Ohmigod, they probably met twice a week while I was there [from March to July, 1998]. I’ve seen Gene regularly." Luke: "Kendra has said that Gene would come in on Fridays to get paid. Was Friday payday?" Kelly: "Yes, because that was when John got his money. Gene knew. Because John pays whoever is in his face first. Gene knew that if he didn’t get in his face, he wasn’t going to get it. But John always made sure Gene was paid because that was how he was moving up in the world. So, Gene came first. He’d pay Gene before he’d pay the rent on his building." Luke: "Did you ever see a direct payoff?" Kelly: "Money was exchanged. But when money was exchanged, it was more of a hush than anything else." Luke: "Did you see money exchanged?" Kelly: "Yes. But can I say that he [John] stood there and said [to Gene] ‘this is for,’ no. But have I seen money go from one hand to another? Yeah. I think a lot of people did. And we just never figured it was anything important. They’re friends. They always portray that they are friends. Then, you’ve got to remember that Gene was doing his nasty with Cassidy." Luke: "Oh www.geneross.com today he says that he never had sex with that woman, Miss Cassidy." Kelly: "Hah, he’s full of s---. Because I made a comment once to John that I thought Gene was a nice looking guy. John said, ‘yeah he is, but Gene’s taken.’ I said, ‘oh.’ And then he told me by who [Cassidy]. And I said, ‘ohhhh.’ Cassidy never confirmed it to me but me and Cassidy weren’t buddy buddies. But John did [confirm it]. John didn’t care really what he said to people because we were nobodies. Remember, I’m a nothing house wife. Well, this nothing housewife is going to sink that fatboy. Think about it. All those shady deals that he was doing… "I wanna call Paul Fishbein up and say, ‘Look, we had this conversation. You were well aware that Gene was doing these things. Don’t stand here and be shocked about it now.’ We discussed it. He told me, that if we had tangible proof [Paul would fire Gene]… Which we did, which was Gene being in certain shots in movies before they were deleted out." Luke: "In the master tapes, before editing, would show Gene directing. Which movies?" Kelly: "Too Hot For Porno… Shaye might know. He [Gene] was still doing it at the time I left. This stuff is so old. I know all about this and I’ve been gone for how long, since July of last year?" Luke: "I didn’t know it. I’d hear whispers of things and I ignored them." Kelly: "Why? Me and Kendra, in December. Read December [archives on l-keford.com]. It was all there." Luke: "Yeah, it was not all there. But I printed that…" Kelly: "It gives you the idea of what was going on." Luke: "I was talking to AVN’s lawyer today [Deborah Drooz at Strook & Strook & Lavan, in Century City, a high powered intellectual property firm]. And they said, ‘what evidence do you have of this [corruption by Gene Ross], and I said, ‘I have two on the record sources (Kendra Jade and Shaye) who say that Gene would get payoffs from John Bowen. And now I have three on the record sources in addition to several not-for-attribution sources." Kelly: "There’s no doubt. I didn’t think anything of it [corruption]. I thought that was just how it [porn industry] was run. It’s not a nice business." Luke: "This is how the business is run, through corruption. It’s just that no one has come along before and reported on it consistently. Most people in the business just yawn about such corruption, but once you make it public, you shine a light and all the insects scurry." Kelly: "If you only knew half of what goes on. Hah! Ohmigod, all the people who are involved, including Gene. "Gene [Ross] served as an advisor to John in the Jerry Springer scandal. What would make her [Kendra Jade] more famous to get into AVN." Luke: "When did you first meet Gene Ross?" Kelly: "I think I met him in the first four hours [of Kelly and Kendra Jade’s arrival in Los Angeles, 3/98]. We met him at a restaurant. John was asking Gene, 'this is what is going on. We're going on a show. We're going to do a gangbang [contest]. We knew who was going to win before it started." Luke: "Did Kendra win that?" Kelly: "Oh yeah. We knew before it even began what the deal was. Everything had been fixed from day one." Luke: "Like this latest Kendra Jade Duro2000 scam." Kelly: "That's a joke. That backfired in John's face. He was hoping to get big reviews about it, especially a spot on you. If it makes your article, then it is something. But it didn't. Therefore, it backfired. My husband produces the Howard Stern show at the local radio station [in Connecticut]. He wires it... So he hears Howard every day. She'd gone on it [last Tuesday], saying she was dating this guy, blah, blah, blah... And the consensus from listeners was that she wasn't dating this guy, it was to sell these vitamin pills. And they laughed it off. That wasn't what John wanted. He wanted a big ordeal. He wanted it to hit the tabloids. He wanted it to make the big great thing like the Springer scandal. But he doesn't have one important part of that, and that's me. "The British tabloids set everything up. They set up all the cameras... Via John. John supervised. Supposedly the News of the World happened upon this story. No way. They set it up with John. They'd told John what he needed to do [to get publicity for Kendra]. And Kendra and I would go to all these meetings, with Gene and John and with the tabloids. I just assumed that this was part of the thing [porn]... "The reason I talked to Paul Fishbein in December [of 1998], was because of Gene. Paul wanted me to know that if I was accusing Gene, I was accusing AVN as well. 'And I don't want no part of that,' he was saying. 'If you have proof, blah, blah, blah... Because I was accusing Gene of taking money. Paul said he had no knowledge of this... If Paul is going to side with Gene, he's going to lose. "On that [Cream] movie with Kendra and a tiger, Gene was actually there camera in hand. He was shooting stuff. And I never knew it was anything bad. You're talking a year of s---, with me not knowing what it meant until now, which is why I am very amused by the whole thing. And if AVN takes you to court, let me know. John needs to be held accountable as well... I don't know how long Gene has been selling scripts... I don't know how long he has been corrupt. I just know that he was corrupt with John and I have a feeling that John is stupid, because I have a feeling that John wasn't the only one that Gene was corrupt with. I think that Gene was corrupt all the way around. And stupid John, feeding him his cash to get what he wanted, wasn't getting any further. "We had given Gene the [full] story [about the Jerry Springer - Kendra Jade in a hotel] days after the scandal. But we [Cream] couldn't run that story. We had to hold that story. And Gene held the story, and he waited. Which any good person, like yourself for example, if you have a story like that... Why would you hold it? All of America knew nothing and Gene knew. Gene sat in his office and wrote out the whole thing. How Jerry was set up, who was involved... It was all written in Gene's computer before anyone knew, before the scandal came out..." Luke: "He didn't publish anything shocking." Kelly: "He's got a whole interesting story... He took tidbits out and that was it. Probably John had something to do with that because John wasn't sure how to let Gene use it. And so Gene held the story and waited until John made profit. Why would he do that? If I went to you with a juicy story and told you, 'no, you've got to wait.' Isn't it your job to report? If you have the facts... Gene knew it was true. The people were sitting in front of him. The facts were all laid out. At some points John would tell me to shut up and he'd have Gene erase what was said. Gene had every detail of that story long before the tabloids knew. "Paul Fishbein didn't. He had no clue. Gene feared him. I feel bad for Paul. He had the wool pulled over his eyes by Gene in a big way and back then he had little knowledge of Gene. But when I told Paul in December, he should've gotten wise to it. And he still has Gene on his payroll?" Luke: "Paul pulled Gene off assigning reviews a year ago." Kelly: "John is not that intelligent because he thought that he was buying Gene exclusively. But he really wasn't. Gene was just taking John for a ride. He was promising John things and wasn't delivering them and John was a little unhappy from time to time. Because he wasn't getting exactly what Gene had promised the first time. And Gene would say, 'if I do this, it is going to look like this, and I have to be careful.' Gene tried to cover his tracks but they discussed it in front of me and Kendra like we were nothing. I don't remember these things. I remembered every detail I could about LA to protect my own ass. I knew that I was swimming with the big fish. I was told by some friends of mine who deal with big fish, you have to keep your mouth shut and your ears open. I've just been waiting for the right opportunity to get even with John Bone. "John screwed me for a lot of money. He got a settlement from the Springer people (more than $350,000), which he promised to split. He wasn't supposed to get any of that money. That money was supposed to go to Kendra and me. He took it, said it was his money, but that he would give her things. He asked Kendra if he should send me some money. She said no, because we were arguing then, and he didn't. "John owed a lot of people money. And he has his own problems at home. His little wife has been taking his money and squandering it in a little account for herself ever since I've known her. She's ready for him to fall and she's going to take off for her own country with all that money. I say, more power to her. "John owes everyone and his brother so he manipulates his way through. How Gene got involved with John in the first place amazes me. Gene should've been more cautious. Here you are sitting in front of two girls and they were talking like you and I, about everything and anything. Gene questioned it once and John said, 'they're all right, don't worry about it.' "Gene was on film. So if Paul Fishbein wants proof, there it is. We told him that back in December. The names of the movies. That if he got a hold of the masters, he'd see Gene on film [shooting and helping direct a production]. Whether or not Paul did that, I don't know. These movies hadn't even come out yet." Luke: "Did you learn anything about AVN awards being fixed?" Kelly: "No." Luke: "What about reviews? Did John pay Gene for good reviews?" Kelly: "That's what it was all about. It wasn't just money for movies and scripts, it was about reviews and being in the biggest spread in AVN. And if you notice that when Kendra's career started, she was in AVN quickly and lots of [picture] spreads. That's because Gene was getting paid for that." Luke: "Did John give Gene Cassidy?" Kelly: "No." Luke: "She was attracted to him?" Kelly: "Yes, that was a very private thing that I'm sure Cassidy wouldn't want out. I think it helped John. I think that she may have expressed an interest in Gene and John said, go for it. But if you notice, Cassidy is a B girl. She's not under contract..." Luke: "She is now, a Cream contract girl." Kelly: "Last I knew she wasn't under contract with John, that is why she was with Gene, from what John said. Because John was mad at Cassidy, and Cassidy would tell Gene things. Gene was getting his inside information on John through Cassidy. Gene's not completely stupid. He was always looking to see what John was doing because John is a crook. So Gene was using Cassidy to get information about John. Because Cassidy was pissed at John. That another reason John wasn't getting the reviews and other things he was supposed to be getting, because Cassidy was with Gene at the time, and John had kicked Cassidy out. So John made her a contract girl because he knew that Cassidy would go behind his back. But if he made her a contract girl, he could keep his eyes on her and keep things inside the company. That's how John is. "And it was such common knowledge. I'm surprised that people are shocked about it. Yeah. I'm reading it and going, huh? Why is he [Luke] going through all this old stuff. This can't be new. I had to start my computer three times and load it again because I thought something was wrong. I had my husband sit down... He knows everything too because I would sit down on the phone in LA and feed this s--- to him. You need to remember this, and you need to remember that. I needed my own security because with John, you need your own security. And if I had to blackmail him, I had to blackmail him. To get home, because I couldn't trust that John would pay me so that I could fly home. So I always had something that I could use over John's head as my security. "Anything Shaye says, I know it has to be true. Because she worked in the same office...And if he didn't care that I knew, I'm sure he had her doing errands... I'm sure she made phone calls. I'm sure she knows things. That's how open he was about it with everybody who was in Cream." Luke: "Did John bribe anybody else that you know of?" Kelly: "He didn't have anybody else with those kind of connections. His biggest problem was to get rid of his movies... He tried to work with one of these little asian people and it fell through. Jerry knows all his connections. I know that John screwed over Sterling Raw. The first movies Kendra made went through that company. John made a contract deal with Sterling to make these movies... He'd get paid, but he did not deliver the movies as agreed. "Then John broke the contract with Sterling and went with Joseph at Factory Home Video. With Joseph, it was the same goddamn thing. He was taking money for the movies, say four, and then he would only make two, and not on time. And you don't mess with Joseph. Joseph is another one who will bulls---. He will promise all sorts of money, and then when it is time to deliver, he wouldn't have the money. But John wouldn't make the movies for him either, he would just take the money. He'd pick up his paycheck on Fridays... That's how he would pay Gene. And Gene knew what John was doing and where the money was going. This was when John was trying to start Cream up after he threw out Charley Frey from Florida. "I know Charley as well. They're both dubious characters. Charley is a small fish. He owes me $200. I was the one who replaced Charley Frey [as a promoter for Cream]. I dealth with promotion, interviews she was going to do. I was there for all of them because I was part of them. I helped figure out what we were going to say and where we were going to go. I was with him with all the lawyers. I helped out with the scandal and with the tabs... Do I regret that I did that to Jerry Springer? Yes I do. That was horrible. That wasn't fair. Jerry was my friend. He'd call my house at 5PM and see how I was doing. He'd talk to my kids on the phone. He was our friend and I felt bad... "John had talked about it... How this guy [Jerry Springer] wanted to get a hold of you. And Kendra and I had talked about it and we weren't sure we wanted to do this. Then we're on a plane and get to the hotel and the people from News of the World were already there, setting up their surveillance stuff. We couldn't get out of it if we wanted to. Kendra and I never gave our okay to that [tabloid coverage, cameras, etc]. John did. We felt that we had to because all these people flew out and they were determined to get a story, no matter what. "Yes, we appeared on Springer. It was our third time. I didn't do much on the show because I had just had a hysterectomy two weeks before. It was on the second show that Kendra's mom knocked her tooth out." Kelly says she did not have sex with Jerry and neither did Kendra. She only gave Jerry a blowjob. Kelly says she had sex with nobody because she's happily married. "I wouldn't cheat on my old man if my life depended on it." Luke: "But didn't you do Too Hot For Porno?" Kelly: "Ahh, no. Not really. Practically no. I never had sex with anybody... There's a small little five minute blowjob scene. Herschel Savage. A small little scene that was supposed to make me millions. Yeah, sure, it was another way for John to sell the movie. I was being stupid but you learn from these things. "I was the one who dealt with all the media who came in and wanted to film parts of movies that were being made. We had a few groups of different publishers and magazines take pictures of us..." From www.geneross.com:
"Cassidy says that a certain website writer has been pestering
her with incessant phone messages, trying to get the lowdown on Gene
Ross. [Luke actually phoned only twice, and never left any message beyond
his name and number.] Luke hears that John Bone's new girlfriend is Teah, a girl from Jim South's agency World Modeling. John owes World Modeling thousands of dollars and so they refuse to send Bone talent. Cream contract girl Kendra Jade didn't show up for the Rick Dees show Wednesday morning with the judge. He was by himself and not too happy about it. I hear that Mike Barbella [recently departed Cream sales guy, John owes him about $16,000] is doing drugs, along with Kendra's uncle Donny. John and Donny live together, and owe their landlord Martin, John's new partner in Cream and landlord, money for rent. Highlights From www.geneross.com Where
The Smear and the Antelope Play Bone: "It's ludicrous.
She [Jade] is going to bring me down. She sat in on all the private
meetings. You [Ross] were a party to the Jerry Springer-thing. You knew
everything but, AFTER the Jerry Springer-thing they sat down and did
and interview with you where they told you everything. And you sat on
it. It's unbelievably stupid. This is graffiti. This is taking a spray
can, writing your name on a wall and then standing back with pride when
everybody sees your name. This is trailer trash who is jumping on another
opportunity to say, 'Hey, look, my name's on the Internet!' This is
pathetically funny. Oh man." Bone reads aloud how
Ross, according to Jade, was taking Bone for a ride, promising him everything
and delivering nothing that Bone was "getting a little unhappy."
4/30/99 Johnny Denim Grills Luke > 1) What's up with
this whole Gene Ross thing? I mean how did all > of this start? I've lost numerous sources
over the past few months because of my aggressive reporting, like Rob
Black, Gene Ross, Paul Fishbein, Reb Sawitz, Vivid, etc... Fine, I still
have more sources than I have time to talk to. Gene Ross Awards "Too Hot For Porno" Spotlight Pick In case you have any doubt about Gene Ross's corrupt dealings, check out page 175 of the September, 1998 Adult Video News. The "Spotlight Pick" goes to a movie from John Bone's Cream Entertainment, Too Hot For Porno. Reviewer Gene Ross gives the video, which he helped create, four stars. Here is Gene's review, bought and paid for by Bone: To paraphrase Popeye the Sailor, now you can see what all the hubbub is about, bub. Kendra Jade, a platinum blonde from the cute school, who's managed to paylay a quick ticket on the porn expressway by way of her biblical knowledge of talk show host Jerry Springer, is the subject of what amounts to an elaborately-constructed biovid. Let's rephrase that. The Q&A with Jade and her stepmother, Kelly, is about as slick as the living room couch it's staged on and has all the emotional resonance of a court deposition, but the attendant sex scenes are what give this tape a certain raw power and passion that edge it into must-see territory. With Brandon Iron doing a modest Springer impersonation and the editing bay working overtime to achieve a b/w film look, Kendra essays teh role of a street tart in an anal plugging that has a stylishly quaint, nicklelodeon feel to it. Kelly Jade's comments about a sexual fantasy then prompt a threeway in which Dave Hardman plays a slobbering shock treatment patient who, with the assistance of Elena, gapes, then squat-f---s Summer Knight lookalike Elle DeVyne's luscious ass. On top of that, Hardman adds another awards-consideration performance when he gape-mouths Cassidy's butt in a scene that has a certain essence of gothic weirdness to it. Truth be told, though, the "mother-daughter" scene which got all the hype on the Internet, a threeway with the Jades and Herschel Savage, is the tape's lead anchor. In their interview, Kelly Jade cops out due to a recent hysterectomy and is little more than a topless accomplice, while Kendra does what most married women do best: takes it on her back with hardly an emotion. Marketing: The Springer connection. What else? On the 4-28-99 version
of www.geneross.com, Gene writes:
"I received a very interesting phone call from John Bowen last
night. Besides age, Bowen and I have something else in common. We've
both been stalked, vilified and hounded on the Internet. The price of
doing business, er porn business, you might say. From the 4-29-99 version of www.geneross.com: "Bone [reads]: "Did John pay Gene for good reviews?... So I [John] was paying you [Gene] for good reviews. Where are they?" Try the 9/98 issue of AVN, John. I hear that AVN's policy on fraternization is an informal and obviously ineffective one. 5/3/99 Jasmin: "Gene Ross helped me to go to Extreme Associates last June. I was in Gene's office one day and John Bone was meeting us to have lunch. Gene told me that Rob Black was trying to find me to make a deal with me. When I was in Gene's office, Gene picked up the phone and called Rob. Then he put me on the phone with Rob Black. Then a second later, John Bone came knocking on the door and I pretended I was speaking to someone else and I hung up on him. "Gene told me, 'If I was your manager or agent, I would send you over to Extreme. That would be a good place for you to be.' "In January, 1998, I was standing outside Gourmet Studios with Gene, Charley [Frey], John [Bowen], after my final gangbang. And John's exact words were, 'I'm going to f--- [AVN publisher] Paul Fishbein up the ass in October. I'm going to take Gene away from him.' "I speak four or five different languages. My memory always serves me correctly. "I wondered, how is he going to pay Gene? With what? Being that Gene [Ross] was on payroll, which I believe, maybe that's why Bowen couldn't pay me? Maybe that's why John couldn't afford to pay us and everything went downhill. Because it could also be a whole bribery thing going on. I'm sure. I haven't been checking up on your site but someone just called me and told me about all this stuff [on Gene Ross, AVN corruption]. "I'm happy at Extreme. Rob's checks don't bounce. He pays me every week. I just got home from a two week vacation in Mexico. I walked into Rob's office and I didn't even have to ask him for a check. With John, I always had to ask him, and feel bad. I'm sorry he [John] got in two car accidents..." Luke: "Did you ever see any payoffs from John to Gene?" Jasmin: "I'm not sure. I spoke to one of the girls' ex's... And he explained to me that John dropped the girl [Zoe] over at his [Gene's house] for the day. Her ex can verify this [Other reliable sources deny this]. Cassidy goes to dinner with Gene all the time, according to her. If you want to consider trading out girls as payoffs, then yes there were definitely payoffs. Gene has an interest in some of the [Cream] girls [like Zoe and Kendra]. "I heard stories about Kendra doing stuff with Gene. Honestly, I think it is gross. [Sources deny a Gene connection with either Kendra or Zoe.] "With the wrestling, Gene took John's side with the whole thing. Gene claimed that I did not even show up to the ECW thing, which I did... I actually got in the ring and wrestled. "John used Gene as a way of umm, 'AVN and the press is going to write about this if you f--- it up, blah blah...' He used Gene more as a friend and as a pawn for the girls, so that they would think, 'oh wow, he's friends with Gene Ross over at AVN. Wow, that might mean I'll get awards.' "John's lunches with Gene were all about awards [and Cream never got any]. He would always say, 'Gene is going to help us get awards...' Honestly, all I think Gene helped him do is run up a lunch bill. "I had asthma last year... I've been dealing with the death of my father. I don't deal with it very well. I'll probably never be able to deal with it. It's a very touchy issue with me. "I like Paul Fishbein. From day one with John Bowen, I was taught that he was our enemy. I think he's nice and that he has a great business. From day one, T. Bone told me, 'when you see these guys on the sets [writers], you don't want to f--- them. Or treat them really nice. AVN is so political...' I got molded from that. Now that I am not with him [Bone], I have a lot more fun with the press and am more friendly with my coworkers. "I just did a great scene with Luciano for Suitcase Pimps. "Gene will deny everything because he has a job to keep. Your sources are reliable..." 12/19/99 Mike South writes an explosive gossip column for www.xxxgen.com which contains this: I am still working on the Rob Black story. I keep hearing two rumors over and over but neither has been confirmed. Here are the facts: Rob was in a relationship with Nikki. Nikki was also the receptionist at Elegant Angel and then at Extreme. Even though Nikki hasn’t been the receptionist at Extreme for quite some time, she is sill getting money from Black, regularly. The buzz at Extreme has been why? What does Nikki have on Rob? Obviously there is tangible proof, whatever it is otherwise Black would discredit her as a psycho bimbo like he has the other former Extreme girls. The two most commonly heard explanations are that Nikki has proof positive that Rob was paying off Gene Ross. I personally find this one unlikely, if for no other reason than Rob would let Gene hang before he would pay off Nikki to keep her mouth shut and I have no reason to believe that Gene would even accept a payoff. Second is that Nikki has proof positive that Rob has had some bisexual experiences. As I said, so far both are just speculation.
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