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6/27/00 Manager Editor Ken Wood Leaves AVN Bighorn writes: "Luke , just wondering if you've heard about Mike Gogow (aka Ken Wood) getting fired from AVN. Rumor is that he and Gene Ross were getting ready to start a net magazine to compete with AVN, and when Fishbine got word of it, her fired Gogow. I called AVN today, and when I asked for Ken Wood, they transfered me to some woman, so I think he's really gone. If the rumors are true, Ross must be next on the list to get the axe." Luke: I talked to Gene Ross and he is very much ensconced at AVN. He's got a job for life according to publisher Paul Fishbein, a loyal employer. Gene says that Ken Wood resigned from AVN last Tuesday to pursue his mainstream interests. Meantime, Gene and Rebecca Grey will take over his position. Gene: "Ken resigned last Tuesday." Luke: "I heard you were going to start a net magazine to compete with AVN?" Gene laughs. "There have been all kinds of rumors but no rumors [are true]. Nothing to do with me and Ken. From what I gather, he was ready to go back to mainstream. He was just in for a short period of time. His feeling was, I don't have my roots in the industry. Personally I don't think he felt that comfortable." Luke: "I can relate." Gene: "Let's establish a fact - he got along very well with everybody in the industry. He was a valuable asset to AVN. He had an amazing rapport with all the video companies. Everybody liked him and he was very effective in the short time he was there. I just got the impression that at the age of 23 he had his sights set elsewhere..." Luke: "Who will replace him?" Gene: "In the interim, Rebecca Gray and myself... She's handling the internal structure of the whole editing process and I'm dealing with the public relations aspect of dealing with the companies." Luke: "So you're not off to start your own internet magazine?" Gene: "Christ, I don't even know anything about the internet. Everything I know about the internet, Luke, I learned from you." Jas: lol luke if mangr. editor ken wood was well liked it wasnt' from his coworkers at avn! not from everything i've herd! Bighorn: Luke, Gene Ross is full of s---. For one thing, a friend of mine at Wicked says that Gogow was down there the day he left AVN looking for a job, and Wicked said no. Also, Gogow has spreading all kinds of s--- about what he's doing now. He told one guy he was going to work for VCA, and then told somebody at VCA that he was going to work for Hustler. Supposedly, he also has been spreading the rumor that was spying for the FBI. Also he told somebody else that he has a bunch of s--- on Paul Fishbine, and he tried to blackmail him. Doesn't sound like the guy wants to go "back to mainstream" at all. From GeneRoss.com 10/3/00 Gene Ross writes: During a Monday mid-day press conference in which he announced his candidacy for the Los Angeles mayoralty race, Rob Black promised some other excitement with Extreme Associates' highly publicized E-days beginning in October. And that's exactly what Black got when he was presumably arrested two hours later by two LAPD [or thugs dressed as LAPD] after storming the AVN lobby accompanied by ten Extreme Associates employees, clicking cameras and major attitude. When asked what the cameras were about, Black said he wanted a record of how AVN has been systematically "screwing" his company. Black also insisted that AVN publisher Paul Fishbein was calling him a "deadbeat." Black immediately launched into a tirade of profanity and threats that would blanch a teamster, prompting someone from the office to call the cops. Because Fishbein wasn't in the office at the time, Black asked to see Gene Ross. When Ross came to the lobby, Black began a one-sided dialogue that consisted of exaggerated finger-pointing and snarling accusations among which that AVN was totally blasé about everything he was trying to do on behalf of his company. ...Fishbein, stressing that the safety of his employees was a paramount issue, filed a report with the police who admitted they couldn't act unless Black returned and trespassed on private property. Fishbein stressed that never at any time did he refer to Black as a deadbeat. "But he is a coward," said Fishbein. "What kind of businessman settles a business issue by bringing 10 guys to someone's office, with a video camera, puts on a show, tries to bully and intimidate the employees and then has his own arrest faked? We have the whole thing on tape from our security camera and if there was sound, I'd stream it on our web site. This is retarded." Fishbein was particularly miffed that Black hadn't returned calls about money Black's company owes AVN for past ads. "I guess this started because I called Rob Black for money he owed AVN and he refused to return my phone calls," Fishbein said. "We've been doing a lot of business with Extreme, and my partner handles all the financial situations. This one got away from him, and I noticed that Extreme was several months behind in paying their bills. Since Rob wouldn't call my partner back, and he had trouble getting Tom Byron on the phone, he asked me to call. "I called Rob six times over three days," Fishbein added. "His guys took the messages. They told me he was out buying new turnbuckles for his wrestling ring or something. Anyway, he never called back. I told my partner to just handle it the way he would anyone else who was behind in their bills. Why didn't Rob just answer the phone like a normal human being? All he had to do was pick up the phone and explain to me when he was going to pay his bill. That's all I cared about. And, as I said to you, why should we continue to give him all this publicity when he won't return calls." From GeneRoss.com 10/4/00 Rob Black writes: COME MONDAY MORNING OCTOBER 9TH WE WILL MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR PATHETIC LIFE FOREVER. YOU, AS OF YET, HAVE NO IDEA OF THE RAMIFICATIONS OF MONDAY OCTOBER 9TH. IF YOU THOUGHT WHAT I DID ON OCTOBER 2ND WAS SHOCKING, WELL, MOTHER f---ER, YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHING YET. MONDAY MORNING OCTOBER 9TH WILL BE A DAY YOU WILL REMEMBER FOR THE REST OF YOUR GREEDY, MISERABLE, WRETCHED f---ING LIFE. IT WILL RING IN YOUR HEAD OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER... Now, let's talk about money, Fishbein. When Tommy and I first started Extreme Associates in 1998, you laughed at us, thought of us nothing more than a big f---ing joke and wouldn't give us the time of day. We even came to you and asked what we had to do to play ball, what we had to do to get the same coverage that all of these other jackass companies got. We, like so many other newcomers in the business, had to lay at your feet and ask for your blessing, simply to be "allowed" to be privy to the "mysterious information" the VCAs, Wickeds, Vivids, et all seemed to know and understand so well. They got the coverage, regardless of how inept or lame their news and updates might have been. And you know what, you rancid piece of human waste? You sat up there like the slimy cocksucker you are with that pompous s----ass grin on your face and said that the way to play ball was for us to get all our printing done at Great Western, our duplication at Trac Tech and, most important of all, to put a lot of big fat ads in your magazine. You looked at us as if our motherf---ing fate was in your hands, thinking that we would be like all of the other spineless losers who would get on all fours and eat your s--- to get a four-star review and a 1,000 word write-up. Remember when we finally got a business report? After a month and a half of bitching and whining, it was a paltry page and a half. But what about Elegant Angel and that slimeball Patrick Collins?? That talent-less hack Randy Kaplan wrote a five-page piece on Elegant-the f---ing company that Tom Byron and I put on the map---how many pages did they get? Do you remember that, greaseball? Five and a half pages! Later there's a three-page business piece on Elegant Angel again, inferring that Extreme Associates is dead. Do you call that objective reporting, motherf---er? Do you call that objective reporting when it was basically a free forum to slam Extreme? Why was that, Fishbein? And to slam us into the s--- even more, our one and a half page business report shared the page with Digital Playground. Why was that, Paul? Was that because you were hanging out with Samantha Lewis at Musashi's? From day one you treated us like dirt, but you know what pisses you off more than anything else? The fact that you were forced to cover us because we made news. It probably kept you up a lot of sleepless nights because you had NO choice but to cover us, because we creating the kind of excitement and product the consumer wants. Now you talk about all the money I owe you? I'll take all the cash in my pocket (which is probably ten times more than you have in your savings account) and guarantee you that the amount of money that you say I owe is less than the money owed by most of the distributors and manufacturers who advertise in your magazine. I'll go so far as saying that many of them owe you double that amount. You may forget, Fishbein, that I deal with these same distributors and manufactures on a daily basis. And I know how they pay. And do your really think that they're going to pay you in a timely fashion? I'm fortunate though because the difference between my product and your product is the fact that the consumer wants my product and these distributors and manufacturers make money with my product. What the f--- does the consumer want with your f---ing magazine? They can wipe their asses with your f---ing magazine. So, c'mon, are these distributors and manufacturers really paying you in a timely fashion? I'll bet my last dollar that the answer to that question is no. And you want to know why they aren't harassed and extorted like me? Because they're part of the Good 'Ol Boys Club that you have your Thursday card games with together and your Cabo Wabo beach parties. Even though it's creating a lot of tension within the company, Tom wants to give you this money you claim we owe you, but I f---ing don't. I resent being held hostage for money. This is driving a wedge between me and Tommy, which I totally resent, and which you will eventually pay for. What, do you think Tommy is going to come over there and dance with you, you putrid, disgusting, nauseating f---? Now, what about that cover on the topic "Gonzo in the year 2000?" Who was the main guy featured on your cover? Ben Dover? I mean, c'mon, who the f--- is Ben Dover? You really mean to tell me that Ben Dover is more representative of gonzo than Byron, that this limey is the standard-bearer for this genre??? Please, that doesn't even deserve a f---ing response. If you think Ben Dover makes better gonzo videos than Tom Byron, Fishbein, you'd better retire right now. And I'm sure there are millions of fans out there who will agree with me on this. But, then again, I forgot, Ben Dover's with VCA with your right hand man, Darren Roberts. Isn't he married to Allison Shandobil? And wasn't she married to Walter Gernert, the part-owner of VCA? I may be way, way out of line here, but can that possibly be Ben Dover's juice.....???? Then there was the Matt Zane cover. The motherf---er is my cousin, but the angle of porn and rock, MTV meets porn, who was the first XXX filmmaker on MTV years before....I guess you forgot about that one...But does Extreme get a cover??? ...AVN is mainly about politics, money, and juice. I mean, here we f---ing are with two adult productions companies, releasing 15 XXX videos/features a month, all out the door at close to 3,500 pieces. Our wrestling videos sell 20,000 units a month and have been on Vidscan -the top-selling sports video charts-for twenty-two weeks. We're also in negotiations for a 10,000 square foot building that will house our wrestling shows and our nightclub, Club X., yet we still are looked at by AVN as the bastard child of the industry. Now, Fishbein, you talk about goons coming into your offices and harassing your employees? Well, you have harassed the adult entertainment industry for more than a decade, ripping off everyone you've ever come in contact with. But truth be told, Fishbein, I didn't bring in "goons" as you called them, I brought in directors like Luis Cypher, Luciano, Thomas Zupko, cameraman Derek Newcomb, legendary photographer Lance Kincaid-names that will one day be remembered far more than yours--just to show them what a spineless coward you are and so that they could document your sleazy hypocrisy, which pretty much went according to plan. Believe me, motherf---er, I know s--- about you that would blow your mind, that would make you cower in the corner and piss your pants like you did when we arrived at your offices Monday morning. Believe me, you aint seen nothing yet. If you think what we did on October 2nd was insanity, wait until Monday Morning October 9th when we tell the world who the real insane motherf---er is. You can call me crazy or spiteful, but I speak for everyone in this business who has had to lay down at the altar of Paul Fishbein, who has been afraid to speak out because he thought the ramifications of such would kill his business. Each of these "little guys" has confessed to me in private what I am now stating publicly: AVN is all about politics and juice and has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of videos. I defy anyone out there to say otherwise. So f--- you, Paul Fishbein, and Monday morning October 9th will signal your death knell. From GeneRoss.com 10/5/00: Jeff Spicoli writes: "Now that Rob Black threatens to "expose" Paul Fishbein and Gene Ross and the whole of AVN, maybe we can finally hear the facts behind the firing of Kim his secretary who used to regularly rat him out to Luke F-rd. And didn't I recall Jessica Darlin making some comment in her interview that Rob and Tommy are making regular monthly payments to Van Damage? I'm no law school graduate, but it sounds to me like Van won his case against Rob. And, whatever happened to Jon Blatt? Whatever happened with Mark Kulkis? Whatever happened with Jane Waters? Didn't Waters direct Miscreants and Black take credit for it? Whatever happened with that Brazilian mobster's girlfriend? Whatever happened with ex-girlfriends Tricia Devereaux and Nikki? Whatever happened with Casa Black in Bell Canyon? Whatever happened with the big Hanco merger? Whatever happened with Ashlyn Gere? Whatever happened with Jon Dough? Whatever happened with Amber Lynn? Whatever happened with Nicole Bass? Whatever happened with Rob's wrestling shows at the L.A. Sports Forum? Whatever happened with the "Real Deal" Damien Steele? Whatever happened with Shane Douglas? Whatever happened with Rob's deal with the ECW where he was going to be a "character"? Whatever happened with Josh Lazie? Whatever happened with Jasmin? Whatever happened with the Max Hardcore-Scotty Schwartz fight that Rob was going to promote? I think the whatevers with Rob far outweigh all the mindblowing s--- he claims he has on you guys. In the immortal words of Desi Arnaz I think Rob's got some 'splainin' to do, Lucy. I just got a feeling that, come Monday, all of Black's big talk is going to evaporate just like all of his other big business deals. Esad writes: luke, as a retailer with many stores i am appalled by the behavior of rob black. as a regular attendee of the avn awards show i clearly remember rob black winning many awards a few years ago much to the apparent displeasure of the mainstream adult companies! his success at that show prompted me to start stocking his product heavily in all of my stores. this ignorant asshole should kiss avn's collective smelly ass or asshole, as avn helped create rob black. without tom byron or paul fishbein, rob black would just be another unknown porno low life! because of their help, rob black is a successful, mentally disturbed porno scumbag, who makes people like me embarrased to selling his product! tom byron would be wise to distance himself from black and the litigation that will probably be heading his way! From GeneRoss.com 10/10/00 Gene writes: Ross was referring to a series of stunts straight out of Black's XPW wrestling league when, last Monday afternoon Black, along with 10 company employees bulldozed his way into the AVN lobby, uttered a litany of profanities and attacked a potted plant. Black was subsequently arrested and handcuffed by actors posing as LAPD. Black followed that up with two in-your-face e-mails sent to AVN followed by a delivery of black roses and dead fish which were delivered to the AVN offices Friday afternoon. Black now admits the whole deal was a setup and a publicity stunt to call attention to a gimmick called "E-Days". Black apologizes to anyone who took the events as real, that his actual intention was to bring Ross over to his company. Says Fishbein: "Gene came to me this morning and told me he wanted to leave AVN and try his hand at something new. After 14 years, it has come as a shock. However, he has been a wonderful employee and a great friend and much of the success of AVN can be attributed to him. Through thick and thin, Gene has been the glue that has kept the magazine together. "I wish Gene the best of luck in his new endeavor. He'll always be an AVN guy." From GeneRoss.com 10/11/00 Gene writes: When Rob Black first formed Extreme Associates he made an offhanded remark that he'd like to hire me - that is, if he could afford me... Ever the publicity hound, Black took a calculated gamble with the announcement of E-Days. Black now tells me he had it in his mind all along to bring me over to Extreme but had to keep me in the dark in order to be an unwitting but effective Internet dupe to some of the gimmicks he intended to pull, such as the staged arrest, the name-calling, etc. On Sunday, Black and Byron did their April Fool bit, revealed all and made an offer that I essentially couldn't refuse. Now, my reasons for accepting: The fact that someone would go to these lengths is indicative of commitment not to mention personally flattering. Black certainly understands the value of publicity and the Internet's role in supplying that. And he's going to back this up with every resource available to make his Extreme Associates and XPW websites the most attractive and provocative there are. The move to Extreme allows me to reenergize and reinvent myself in ways I could not have accomplished, otherwise. I have gone as far as I could go with AVN, and it's simply time to give someone else a chance to step in and become a clean up hitter. On a more personal note, I laud the AVN editorial staff both for its work ethic and operating under often times less than ideal circumstances. By that I mean having to cope with all the nonsense, good and bad, that's attendant with reporting on the adult industry from an advertising-driven standpoint. Because I don't have to deal with the politics anymore, for some people who have dished it out royally in the past, that might not come as such good news. From www.GeneRoss.com 10/12/00: Esad writes: "dear gene, your behavior regarding the whole rob black pubilicity stunt at the expense of your employers personal safety is quite disgusting! if you weren't quitting you certainly deserve to be fired! are we to believe that you weren't in on the joke the whole time? your popularity within this industry will certainly decline once people don't have to tolerate your pompous attitude because of your position at avn. i can't wait until extreme fires your sorry selfish ass, and you can crawl back to Fishbein and seek employment ordering lunch for the editorial staff! best of luck, Esad Gene sez: "Dear esad, the nice thing about going over to Extreme is that I won't have to tolerate goofballs such as yourself on behalf of AVN any longer. How about coming over to my lush, fully furnished new office [with brand new carpeting] at Extreme on November 1, and I can start by giving you a remedial reading and spelling lesson, and we'll go from there." 11/3/00 Gene Ross Extreme - The Gloves Come Off Take a look at Gene Ross's new web site, www.GeneRossExtreme.com, where he speaks out about his new job, myself, AVN, and Mike South. MikeSouth.com writes: "Well Luke I see you are doing a good job taking over for Gene Ross...Now all the self aggrandizing, bulls--- is appearing on your site. Is Rob Black gonna make you his butt boy? What happened to the old Luke, the guy who had some balls... Did the libel suits take it all outta ya?" Gene writes Friday: "To tell the truth, I really had no intention of doing another website, but Mike "big mouth" South provoked me Thursday by his unsolicited and insinuating comments on Luke F-rd. All I can say is, hell's coming to breakfast." About his departure from AVN, Gene writes: "Money really wasn't an issue; respect, some decent computer equipment and an office with a window was. "Anyone who saw my opulent office knows why I left. "AVN better start doing right by its editorial people and stop kissing the collective asses of the other departments who are only there but for the grace of God and some clever writers who put that mag together." Meni writes: Luke, www.GeneRossExtreme.com is not Netscape friendly. Luke, tried to check out Gene's new site I use Netscape 4.7 all I see is the logo, and blue background so does anyone else using Netscape, 4.# So to 35% of the web, the page looks empty hint, there is no or tags HTML 101 Listen to Luke talk to John Bone about Gene Ross Turnabout = Fairplay? Concerned writes: That Gene Ross has balls! He copied and pasted half your site on Friday. The nerve of some people. Gene Chats With Luke Copied from www.GeneRossExtreme.com: Luke F-rd talked to Gene Thursday afternoon. Gene told Luke the chat was off the record. For Luke that is. Gene, however, operates with the gloves-are-off policy and is not bound by conventional rules of Internet warfare. G. Ross: Yes, Luke what can I do for you. Luke: Just checking in, bud. How are you doing. G. Ross: What do you mean you're just checking in. You don't just check in. By the way, Luke, get it right. There's no woman here who writes checks for Extreme. Luke: Okay, I'll put a correction up. Gene: Be sure. I know with your integrity and all that you want to make sure you get it right. Luke: Heh--heh-heh. Gene; Now what can I do for you Luke? I know that you're just checking in.. Luke: How's your new... Gene: Surroundings? I got my feet propped up on the desk here, and I'm smoking an aged Macanudo. They go for about 20 bucks a pop. I'm living the vida loca here. Luke: Is a Macanudo a cigar? Gene: Yeah. Luke: Cuban? Gene: No. Cuban's are nowhere as good as Macanudos. Macanudos have a better draw. Cubans you have to suck your brains out to keep them lit. Luke: Oh. So what's your office? Do you have a nicer office than you had at AVN. Gene: Oh, it's vast. It's like a penthouse. Luke: Really? Gene: Yeah. I mean I get an echo effect when I talk. Luke: Cool. So do you like the feel of where you're at? Gene: Luke, I've got a window overlooking the Pacific. It's really nice. Luke: Hey, that sounds good. So are you going to continue to do a daily column? Gene: I haven't decided yet. I'll read your site and I'll kinda look at that for guidance. I'll play it by ear. You seem to know what I'm doing before I do. I'll just read your site first before I make any career moves. Luke: I don't have a clue what you're going to be doing. Gene: "I'm a vast, inspirational source already. I just talked to Tom Zupko and he's already got four epic movie ideas from a five-minute conversation we had together out in the driveway. Luke: So, are you fired up? Gene: Am I fired up. Luke, I'm always fired up. No matter what task I approach, I approach it with zeal and enthusiasm matched second-to-none Luke: You've certainly got more than me. Gene: I'm sorry to hear that. I hope I can been an inspiration to you in the future. Luke: I hope so too. Do you have more enthusiasm than you did at AVN. Gene: I have a new lease on life. And we're trying to renew the lease right now. But the landlord is a whole other thing. Luke: Is Extreme behind on any bills? Gene: Are you kidding me? They paid me a year-in-advance to come here. Behind in the bills? Jesus Christ. I'm tripping over gold bullion [or was it beef bullion?] trying to make it into my office. Luke: Do you think they'd like to sponsor l-keford.com? Gene: Would they? They'd definitely love to have you. We'd be the yin and the yang; the Ozzie and Harriet, whatever.. Luke: The father, son and Holy Ghost.. Gene: I couldn't think of a more fearsome twosome than you and I. Could you imagine striking collective fear in the hearts of the adult industry just knowing the one-two punch of Ross and Ford? Luke: Wow. That would be cool. Gene: I'm going to put a good word in for you. Luke: Put in a good word. Gene: Maybe Rob can look at you as a tax write-off or something or as a foreign investment, an offshore-thing, you being Australian, I don't know what the tax situation is there. But we'll work out something. Luke: Maybe as affirmative action. Gene: Anyway you want to call it. Luke: So when can we look for your next update? Gene: What update would that be? I'll get up tomorrow and that will be the date when I'm up. Luke: Did you read John Bowen's letter to Quasarman? Gene: Yeah. About the Phoenix rising from the asses? I didn't know what he was going for with that little metaphor. Luke: Everyone's dying to know whether you're going to like drop the dime on AVN. Gene: Aw see. I would never drop the dime on AVN. I just have a very mellow, soft feeling in my heart for them. Luke: Yeah..I bet Paul was really devastated when you left. Seriously. Gene: You think he was devastated? Luke: Yes. Gene: No. I think he was looking at all the money he was saving. Luke: I think he was really devastated. Really hurt. Gene: Nah. Nah. Luke: So what kind of job you think Tod Hunter's going to do? Gene: I think Tod will do a different type of website within the confines of his personality. Tod Hunter can't write geneross.com anymore than Gene Ross could write l-keford.com. I think it will take Tod a couple of months to feel his oats and find his way with it. This is something you can't be taught. This is something you develop on your own. We'll see what he comes up with. Luke: You've got to be the most talked about guy in the last month in this industry. Gene: Ah, bless you for saying so. Luke: It's true. Gene: I feel so modest in that assessment. Luke: Everyone's been talking about your move to Extreme. Gene: Who else would I go to? Extreme and me are just a match made in hell. Luke: You are a good match. Gene: Absolutely. We both have the same rough and tumble approach to things. Luke: One tough question for you? Gene: Yeah. Luke: Generossextreme.com was registered with that domain name June 15th of this year which seems to indicate that Rob Black and Extreme had plans to bring you over before that Sunday football game sitdown that you wrote about. Do you have any comment? Gene: If Mike South is inferring that I knew about it than why didn't I make a move five months ago? Luke: I don't know. Gene: I don't know either. I read his little snipey comment to you suggesting about a football game, yeah, right. Like I said, if I was indeed in on some kind of conspiracy five months ago why didn't I make a move five months ago. All I can say is how much does it cost to invest in a url? Luke: Virtually nothing. Gene: No different if I went out and decided, well, sometime in the future, maybe we'll get Luke F-rd over here and go out and register a l-kefordextreme.com Luke: Oh yeah. Let me see if l-kefordextreme is registered. Gene: Not likely now that you wrote this story because you kind of like, pissed me off, so I don't know. Luke, you want to be my best friend in the whole wide world, now. You don't want to piss me off. Luke: That's true...I went to type in l-kefordextreme and I typed in GeneRoss extreme. ..It's available. Gene: There you go. We'll have to keep that in mind. Luke: Tell Rob I'm available. Gene: Absolutely. I'll run it by him Luke: I've been deluged with e-mails about you. Everyone tells me I should have sent you flowers your last day at AVN. Gene: I already got them from Rob. They were black roses... Luke: Oh boy. I've never sent roses.. Gene: It was black roses and dead fish. Luke: I've never sent flowers to a guy in my life. Gene: Aw come on. I'll bet you have. You just don't want to admit it. Luke: I haven't it. Gene: You've got that little sentimental streak in you. Luke: I know I'm a big pansy but I don't think I've ever sent flowers to a guy. I don't even like to send them to women because I hate to spend money. Gene: That's a bad investment anyway. Luke: Seriously, can you say whether you'll write a daily column? Gene: I'll think about it. I just haven't decided. There's a lot of bigger fish to fry right here, right now. Extreme is developing a paysite and we're going to start upgrading the XPW website. There's a lot of other things to consider. Besides, thers'a all these great looking girls coming in and out of here all day. I'll be interviewing them for the Extreme site. Luke: Did Kendra do two d.p.s for Extreme? Gene: I know she did some really wild stuff for a movie called Ass Clowns. Luke: Do you think she might get signed as a contract girl? Gene: I don't know. They're not looking for contract girls. They're happy and pat with where they stand. Who knows what Monday brings but as of right now I don't think there's a desire top bring on additional girls. Luke: I've always pictured AVN as a relatively tranquil place to work for the adult industry. Gene: Yeah Luke: I picture Extreme as an Extreme place to work. Gene: It is. I've always said Extreme is like Animal House. It's like being in a fraternity house. Don't be surprised if you find a football whizzing over your head in the lobby. Luke: A lot of people think that you're absolutely out of your mind to have made this move. I'm sure you've heard that from people? Gene: Out of my mind? Nah. Extreme is going into a lot of interesting directions. This is the happening company. Luke: You've obviously put yourself where your comments are. You would be at risk if they were in financial trouble. Gene: Of course Luke: You obviously feel confident in Rob Black's ability to run a company. Gene: Absolutely. Rob is a little touched with genius and sometime genius brings madness. People perceive him as some Rasputinish character, so be it. But underneath it all, he's a pretty smart guy. Luke: He's a real smart guy and I've bashed him as much as anyone. But a lot of people think he shoots his mouth off too much. Gene: That's his nature. He's a east coast kind of guy and I'm an east coast kind of guy. We're a perfect fit. Luke: Is this going to cost you friendships and contacts in the adult industry? Gene: I don't think so at all. I'm the same old person. If it costs me something it's going to cost from those people who were never friends to begin with and were only because of my connection to AVN. That's something I wouldn't miss anyway. Luke: Are you going to be getting in front of the camera? Gene: Absolutely. Are you kidding? I've been getting tons of offers. Luke: Are you going to be doing sex? Gene: It's something I might consider. Luke: WOW!! That would be gutsy. You could start writing scripts again Gene: No desire. Luke: You can do anything you want. Gene: That's true. Luke: You can review Extreme product. Gene: Yeah, right Luke: You're a lot more free. Gene: That's it. I'm free to do any doggone thing I want to do. And I'm going to do it the EXTREME way. Luke: It sounds like a good fit, actually. Well, congratulations. Gene: Thank you very much and I'm sure we'll continue to talk in a most amiable manner in the future. And in the future get it right. A woman does not sign the checks here. Luke: Does Rob sign them? Gene: We have a secret signer Luke: Okay. Great. Anything you told me that you don't want repeated? Gene: Luke, you're such a card. When did you ever honor the sanctity of off-the-record? Luke: Many times Gene: You have I can't remember. Of course not in my direct association with you; maybe with others. Luke: I don't think you've ever told me anything that you..wait, we've had some off-the-record talks. I know you've honored them with me. Gene: Of course. Luke: But I don't think you've ever told me anything that this is off the record. Gene: Okay, well, Luke, everything that I've just told you for the last ten minutes" Luke: Ah-hah? Gene: It's off the record Luke: Oh, s---. Gene: Sorry Luke: Oh s---. So everything is off the record. Gene: Everything is off the record. Luke: Okay, thanks. [Gene sez: Of course the rules don't apply to me, because, after all, according to Luke's ethics ratings, I'm listed very low to begin with.] Luke says: I've removed Gene's ethics ranking. I'm too compromised to rank my rival. Reflections On Gene Ross Here are a few reflections on Gene Ross: * Why did he move to Extreme? Better working conditions, a better office, more money, more freedom and more respect from his employer. * Will he write a daily column at www.generossextreme.com? Probably. Gene knows where all the bodies are buried. * Gene has the freedom now. He's out from under AVN's corporate thumb. He can write scripts, act in front of the camera, even do sex scenes. * Will Gene reveal one tenth of the dark secrets he knows about porn? Will he drop the dime on AVN? * Was Paul Fishbein devastated when Gene resigned? Obviously not, or he would've offered Gene more money and honors to stay. I talked to director John T. Bone late Thursday about his best friend, Gene Ross. Listen here John T Bone writes Quasarmanrants.com: "I just read the final Gene Ross page littered with obituaries from insincere "friends" pluging thier websites.You poor disillusioned sheep, do you really think that a man with a map of where all the bodies are buried would join Rob Blacks empire of hell raisers to simple desk-jocky a highly successful wrestling venture? You are the victims of the greatest con job ever perpetrated on this industry. I promise you the phoenix will rise from the asses and this time he will have teeth. I doff my cap to the brilliance of young Rob and his foresight in unfettering a long silent bull dog. I repeat my comment of last week 'The King is dead long live the King"." Quasarman writes: It is my sincere belief that John is absolutely correct on this. Gene probably has enough dirt on AVN to be classified by the state as a landfill. Talk about knowing where all the bodies are buried!!! John Bone tells Luke: "My comment [to Quasarman] was written more in anger at the self obsession of the f---ing morons who consistently write in, "Hi Gene. Sorry you're leaving. By the way, my website address is..." One after another, every day. And I'm thinking, all of these f---ing people are feigning interest and all they're doing is grabbing the last few minutes of this guy's job for self promotion... None of them have thought beyond what they've been told, which is a publicity stunt. "Gene is a clever man who's given 15 years of his life to this industry in a job that he's been unbearably underappreciated. I remember Gene 15 years ago when it was him and Paul [Fishbein]. That was AVN. Two guys. And Gene basically wrote every word in the magazine. All the articles, all the reviews... Everything. "I think it is sad that he feels he has to leave. I think he should own part of AVN. "I don't like Rob, but I think he is brilliant. I remember Rob years ago, following me around shows. He was this uncomfortable kid with big shoes. His uncle and father treated him as though he was an idiot. And I remember him coming to town with all the money he had, and blowing it all on movies. And I remember him getting thrown out of VCA. And I watched him work his way up from nothing into a major powerhouse. It doesn't gell to me that this kid is taking Gene from 15 years of knowing everything, and then using him to help run an already successful business. "I think it is pitiful how much money Gene has in the bank after 15 years working for a multimillion dollar operation. Paul Fishbein went on Howard Stern the other day and said he was a millionaire. I know Gene isn't. For a man who spearheaded a multimillion dollar operation, I think he's been shortchanged. "[At Extreme] There's an alliance between a publicity hound and a man with a wealth of information. It's Warner Brothers and AOL. But I don't know. I have no inside information." Luke: "Gene has been the primary conduit of information about this industry for 15 years. He's dominated the information flow. That's why people care about him. He shapes their public image." John: "Have you seen Gene at a convention? There's always a parade of people desperately trying to tell him stuff. He sits in his office all day long and is like a therapist. He has nothing but a series of phone calls of people pouring their hearts out and giving him privileged information. And he's never betrayed a trust in 15 years. He has five books worth of information? A movie script's worth? A TV series?" Luke: "Gene has many things that I don't have." John: "One of them is integrity." Luke: "Yeah. And loyalty to the industry. He wants the industry to do well." John: "I don't know if you're right. Gene has had undying loyalty to AVN and always toed the party line. He has not divulged industry information because it would've reflected badly on AVN, which was his job and his bread and butter. I believe he has made incorrect decisions based on the policies of AVN. He's always had the best interests of AVN at heart. "Now he's his own man. He's Al Gore. There is nobody now saying 'You can't do that Gene, because if you do, you'll embarrass us.' Nobody will say, 'Gene, you can't say that because this person spends $200,000 a year advertising with us. If we offend him by expanding that truth, we'll have our income cut.' With Rob, there's never going to be anybody saying, 'You can't say that Gene, it might embarrass us.' You only have to look at Rob's hair and see that he is not embarrassed by anything. "He's my best friend. I admire him tremendously. I think that he's been a stalwart of the industry for a long time. And now he's becoming his own man. I want to see him grow and correct some untruths that he's had to say. I think there are some people that he will have to go out and shake their hand and say, 'Five years ago, I couldn't tell you that... I feel really bad so I'd like to straighten things out.' Gene's an honorable man. So those things will go on.Will we know about it? No." Luke: "I heard Fishbein was devastated by him leaving." John: "He can't have been that devastated because he let him go. I've been divorced three times. How devastating was each one? Not devastating enough to stay in the f---ing marriage. If you're that devastated, you don't allow it to happen. Gene is an employable man and I'm sure that money has a lot to do with his loyalty. That's the American way. So I'm sure if Fishbein had said, I will give you a lot more money to stay here, he would've stayed. "I know that he [Gene Ross] has been unhappy for a long time. I think everybody knows that. I think he's been treated with disrespect for a long time." Luke: "I didn't know that." John: "I think I'm one of his closest friends and he's never bitched to me. He's never complained to me. So I am not privy to any information. Anything I tell you is just my own observations. But I know that as I've seen AVN grow and become more splendid and have more magnificent premises, I have not witnessed Gene getting opulent offices or his own bathroom or the ability to get out from his desk and take three steps before he's in the corridor. "Gene has taken a lot of s--- from people over the year for having been my friend. From people like you. And in 15 years, he's never questioned his friendship with me. And he's never put me at arm's length because I embarrassed him by being his friend. He's always been straight forward and honest and truthful. And he's defended what he thinks is right. "I was the first guy to do really hardcore stuff in this country. When this entire industry was doing kissy face wimpy stuff. And I started Fantastic Pictures and the whole industry was up in arms. And the Free Speech Coalition was f---ing calling me up and telling me to stop rocking the boat because my stuff was too hard, Gene Ross wrote an editorial defending what I did. He didn't do it because he was my friend, he did it because he believed in my product. But as my friend, it was a very courageous move. And I don't think that when he wrote that editorial, that it was AVN's policy. It was Gene Ross's policy. And I've never forgotten him for that. "Does anybody really care about the man?" Luke: "Very few people know the man." John: "Well, all you had to do was sit down and talk to him. It wasn't hard. So who has cared to sit down and say, 'Hey Gene, what's going on with you?'" Luke: "He's not an easy guy to get to know. He intimidates a lot of people. Strikes them as standoffish." John: "To you maybe. Most people will sit with Gene Ross and say, 'Hey Gene, let me tell you about me.' And as a journalist he will shut his mouth and he will listen. That's his job. Gene has been to my house every Christmas Day for God knows how many years. Gene and I have hung out for years. We laugh and joke. I don't find him intimidating. But that's because I like him. I don't like what he can do for me or what he can write about me or how he can get me work. I just like him. "I remember him as the kid from Philadelphia who used to come out here to write articles for this magazine and he was excited that he was in Hollywood. We were pals then. We'd hang out in coffee shops and talk about the future of AVN. And I watched the magazine grow and I watched him grow with it." Luke: "Paul Fishbein is a bright guy." John: "Paul Fishbein is a genius. I don't think he remembers how important Gene was. Somewhere along the way, AVN stopped being Gene and Paul, and it became Paul. I think that's sad. It's none of my business. Without Gene, there never would've been an AVN. "I think Paul is a brilliant thinker, manipulator, dealmaker. But without someone sitting at a typewriter and turning out the magazine, there would've have been deals to make. Gene gave Paul the wherewithall to build his little empire." Luke: "Gene is an incredibly hard worker." John: "When I get into my office at 7AM, he is the only person I know [in porno] that I can call at work and talk to. At 7AM, I can't get some people on the phone in New York. I've talked to Gene at 2AM in the old days, when AVN was going to press, and it wasn't finished, and he was there in the AVN office wrapping up the magazine. I don't think he got paid more money." Luke: "Gene might have sex in front of the camera." John: "I don't think I could watch. I don't like to watch my friends. That's why I have problems watching porno movies. Porno movies lost their interest to me when I started making them. Because once I started knowing the people, I didn't find it erotic anymore. It's very difficult to masturbate to somebody you were just talking to on the phone. And you know they have chlamydia. I don't think I would want to masturbate to Gene. "The greatest sadness... If we were second hand car dealers, we would drive the cars, wouldn't we? I sell Mercedes. So I am going home tonight. I take a Mercedes off the lot and drive it home. So we're in the f---ing business. But somehow or another, there's this whole taboo that if you f--- these whores, you're not professional. "Now these whores are all seeking attention and self promotion. Who is the last person in the entire world they would ever think of f---ing? A journalist. Duh! The first person you should be f---ing is the journalist because he's the guy who holds the key to the f---ing attention that you want. But none of them have the f---ing intelligence to realize that. For 15 years, Gene has been the most powerful journalist in this industry. And to the best of my knowledge, he has not received one blowjob. To the best of my knowledge, none of the journalists have gotten laid. "I have these whores come see me for work. And they don't get why I want to try them out first? Why should I pay $700 to some girl before I see whether or not she can f---? I don't want to pay her $700 and then find out she's a dead f---... "These girls go around conventions f---ing every spotty faced little moron who can't do them any good, and I've seen all the journalists sitting in the bar later, all the guys who hold the keys to the power, all bemoaning the fact that these stupid whores are running around f---ing oinks. And not one of them [stupid whores] to f--- a guy who can make her a star overnight. "Ask some of the journalists. I have. It's universal. Not of the journalists get laid. None of them ask, to the best of my knowledge. There hasn't been one f---ing whore in this business who's been smart enough to go and f--- the guy who bangs the drum so they can get the attention. How dumb are they? "So Gene's going in front of the camera? It's about time he got laid." Luke F-rd Live 11/21/00 Gene Ross begins show. Luke F-rd Live 11/28/00 First hour with Gene Ross. Gene Ross talks about AVN 11/30/00 11/30/00 AVN Intrigue - Rebecca Gray's Plot To Fire Ken Wood Luke talked to Gene Ross Thursday afternoon about Adult Video News. Listen here. Ken Wood started worked at AVN in February of 1999. A year later, he took over as managing editor of the magazine and immediately ran into opposition from the "Arizona Mafia," a clique of staffers (Rebecca Gray, Mikey Ramone, Ken Michaels?) loyal to former managing editor Bryn Pryor. Here's a copy of a June 8th letter from Rebecca Gray to AVN publisher Paul Fishbein. Ken Wood found the letter (and the plot to fire him) and immediately resigned. Rebecca writes Paul (I've cribbed from Gene Ross where you can get the full scoop): I am exceedingly disturbed that you were willing to write off the majority of your staff as suffering from some kind of collective insanity when so many of us came to you and complained about Ken Wood; but as soon as you caught a whiff of trouble at your front door, well, THEN you saw the necessity of acting. Shame on you. Due to this and so many other reasons- not least among them my passing familiarity with your history of trusting bad people and then getting screwed by them- I need from you the following votes of confidence. 1. You are a savvy businessman, but you are no manager. The sooner you are relieved of this duty the better it will be for your magazine - which is, I feel it's time someone informed you, teetering on the edge of internal collapse. Ellen [Thompson] was the first to go. Paul, Gene is NOT loyal. My god, your naivete is actually somewhat inspiring. You really will believe the best of people, no matter what. This is part of the reason I like you so much, I know; but I'm still INCREDIBLY frustrated by it. Don't take this with a grain of salt. Don't think you know something I don't. If anything, it's the other way around. Gene is SCARED. His FEAR will keep him here forever - NOT HIS LOYALTY. It's fine if you want to ask of him that he take over company liaisoning during his interim period; but if he requires anything of the internal system, he will have to go through me. THERE WILL BE NO SCREAMING DOWN THE HALL, no temper tantrums, no reigns of terror. I mean it. On pain of my leaving- instantly- there will be NO HYSTERIA from either of you. Any issue either have you with editorial you will take up with me and I will deal with accordingly. 2. I will be in charge of the first round of interviews for the managing editor position. Paul, I'm sorry, but I don't trust you with this. You are, as has been borne out many times before, NO JUDGE OF PEOPLE. You trust everyone. And you are too far out of the loop here to understand the politics and intricacies of working in this office. Let me conduct the initial interviews. I will bring you qualified choices...from there, you can make the decision. But in my opinion, you are not capable of doing this on your own, with any degree of efficiency or good judgment. I am. 3. I will fire Michael [Ken Wood]. I will fire him on Friday, June 30, as discussed, after I have received all of this month's writing from him. I will come in early so it's just him and me, and I will help him box and move out. I'm sure he will want to talk to you. We will have to make arrangements to change locks and codes. I can set this up with Elaine starting June 26. It is the only option. I'm sure by now Michael has duplicate keys, and I've wondered if he's able to access our servers from home. We should make sure this is not possible, and change what we have to do if it is. Paul, if I leave it to you, it will never get done. Let me do this....this could be so simple. It's nothing to get excited about. It's easy. If you continue to contaminate it with all of your doubt and double-thinking, I can promise you more trouble. Let me do this. Everything will be fine." Judge Gene Ross sez: "Let's put things in perspective, shall we. I WAS a loyal employee of 14 years with AVN, that is, UNTIL I saw this letter of Gray's, which, taken for what it is, stands as a rather unblemished, narcissistic, paranoid, delusional, undistilled portrayal of arrogance completely out of check- an employee capable of talking down to their employer, treating them like an enfeebled child who's practically incapable of wiping their own ass. But that's the spineless entity AVN has become and those that practice subjugating behavior there thrive among the flora and fauna of its hypocrisy. Sadly, it's not the magazine I remember. "Unfortunately, I can only blame myself that a Rebecca Gray or others of her status exist in any life form. She's a struggling, over-the-hill SAG actress and was screaming bloody hell that Ona Zee had f---ed her for $500 on a script when I took pity and allowed her to smell the aroma of an actual paycheck. My mistake. The broadsides she takes against me are obviously my reward. It's also obvious, even to an idiot, that there was a well thought-out plan to eliminate Ken Wood which was going to take place over a span of 22 days, a cold, calculated f----you blueprint, that suggests if AVN is capable of devious means on this level, imagine what it can do on a broader one. "Wood's only crime in my estimation was that he was my protege, and the spirited assassination attempt against him was also a symbolic one against me. What makes this even more galling is that the day I resigned, when I brought this email to Paul Fishbein's attention as one of my reasons for leaving, he played dumb, as he generally does, and denied its existence- that is until my command of the facts of its contents forced his hand. "Rebecca's out of here," he told me. "Considering her comments, why, as a measure of support for me didn't you just fire her ass back in June when you first got this letter," I asked him. Hemming and hawing, Fishbein assured me he was "dealing" with it. Dealing with it in the sense that Gray, of all people, has a starring role in the Fishbein-backed Internet "movie" The Money Shot, an idea, which, by the way, was lifted from under my nose by Gray and her cronies. But that's another story to be told in the painful, December days of hell that are certainly to follow." (Gene Ross) Troublemaker writes Gene Ross: "Read your comments to Steph Dunn about AVN's DVD nominations, and, considering the fact that Bryn Pryor and Legend are at war, it's not surprising to see that Legend didn't get one crummy nomination." Insider writes Gene Ross: "Regarding Ken Wood's account of Paul Fishbein saying, 'f--- Jenna Jameson' and how it's going to stack up to Jameson's emceeing the AVN Show - here's how it's going down. The fix is in. This being Jameson's last movie, Fishbein and AVN are going to let her go out with a blaze of glory by letting her win the Best Actress award and letting Dream Quest snag a couple of statues. Is Fishbein going to put Jameson in front of thousands of people where she can be potentially embarrassed by losing? I don't think so. Even Fishbein ain't that dumb. This is by way of saying you won't hear comments from Jameson. Even she knows enough to keep her big yap shut." (Gene Ross) Gene Ross Interview I interviewed Gene Ross by telephone. (Listen here.) Luke to Gene: "Who's Rebecca Gray?" Gene: "She's an assistant editor at AVN who I hired in 1998 as a proof reader and eventually she assumed more responsibilities and became a writer, blah, blah, blah. My understanding is that after Ken quit, Rebecca was going to leave AVN. She took over temporarily as managing editor until Mikey Ramone took that over. Then she said she was leaving but she's never left." Luke: "Is she an essential cog at AVN?" Gene: "Rebecca is as essential a cog as wings on a pig. "As soon as Ken Wood discovered this email, he called me at home on a Saturday to come over to AVN. In fact, we were going to a Rob Black wrestling event. "He showed me the email and of course I saw red. And Ken says, 'I'm quitting.' I'm going to offer my resignation on Monday." Luke: "How did Ken find the email?" Gene: "Good question. You might have to ask him that one. He's a smart guy. And thank goodness he did find it. It is an eye opener. "It strikes me that she's referencing a conversation she previously had with Fishbein... This was already in the works... "There was nothing wrong going on at AVN. The simple fact is that Ken Wood took over the reins and everybody included Rebecca Gray fought him tooth and nail. It was like a Republican in a house of Democrats. They refused to do anything. They held their breath and kicked their legs like little f---ing children until they got their way. They did not want this guy in there. "Ken Wood had only come aboard as managing editor. He was only there a couple of weeks when these guys started in... I told Paul long prior to that, pardon the pun, that there were problems at AVN that he needed to address. I said, Paul, there's a cancer here. Certain people have to be gotten rid of. "Prior, again excuse the pun, maybe a week before the Maui AVN Conference in April, I told Paul, before we left, that there's about four people here who need to be let go." Luke: "And those four people would be Bryn Pryor, Rebecca Gray?" Gene: "I could've arbitrarily picked any other two. I just saw this bad vibe all over the place." Luke: "What was the cancer?" Gene: "Backstabbing. Backbiting. Disagreement to pitch in and help. People trying to make other people look bad." Luke: "Was there an underlying philosophical divide?" Gene: "First you need the intelligence to comprehend something. It was just if somebody didn't like somebody, that was it. There was no particular vision... "If there was a personal philosophy, Bryn Pryor believed that adult industry movies should be held accountable in the same terms of quality with mainstream stuff. And that anything that fell short was bad." Luke: "That's amusing. I hear that he would bring in people from different companies and lecture them on the fine points of filmmaking." Gene: "Of course he's yet to make a film. Oh, he did make one [mainstream film] - Liars Poker. It's actually a good title. It's never been distributed. I have a copy at home. It's bad, really bad. "Rebecca Gray's the starring character in The Money Shot." Luke: "She's an actress?" Gene: "You wouldn't know it to look at her, but she is. "A lot of the editorial meetings used to be occupied with her flights of fancy. You'd just say, reel her in for chrissakes, or shut her up." Luke: "Is Paul a savvy businessman?" Gene: "Paul was a lucky businessman. And just doesn't know how to manage. Paul caught lightning in the bottle with AVN. "Ellen Thompson got a better offer from LFP (Larry Flynt Publications). Ellen was my inspiration. She was disenchanted with what was going on there. Internal operation. Promises made, promises broken." Luke: "Rebecca Gray writes that you were not loyal." Gene: "Well, there you go. Isn't that an interesting assessment? I was a loyal employee for 14 years until I saw that email. "It all came down to this. They didn't like Ken Wood and I was his mentor. So therefore, by extension, I was evil too." Luke: "Perhaps they did not like Ken Wood because he was 22 years old." Gene: "Could be. "On the one hand they say that I am not loyal. On the other hand, they're chastising me for not having the nerve to leave. What does that mean? Isn't that contradictory?" Luke: "Rebecca writes, 'If Gene requieres anything of the internal system, he will have to go through me.'" Gene: "That's basically a coup. An assumption of power by her. I was Vice-President of Editorial Operations." Luke: "She writes, 'There will be no screaming down the hall.' Did you use to scream?" Gene: "I used to scream at Mark Kernes because he didn't have any clues about deadlines. If there was anybody over there who drove me nuts, it was Kernes. "The art direction was terrible. The best art we ever had came from Dave, who had his own personal demons to deal with." Luke: "How does AVN art director Robin Greenberg keep her job if she isn't very good?" Gene: "A really good art director wants big bucks. They tried hiring other art directors who came in and said, this is what I want. And once again, AVN in its typically penny wise pound foolish manner of operation, will always go for the cheaper person. "For instance, I suggested that Quasarman be my replacement. Quasarman came in. Paul interviewed him and said, 'I like the guy. He's terrific. He's great.' Except for one thing. Quasarman wanted money. He actually wanted a salary of substance because he was potentially leaving a pretty lucrative thing with directing. I guess he started waying the options and presented X number of dollars and said, this is what I want. And Paul said, well, I've got to look for somebody else. But I really like him." Luke: "I heard he was shopping the job around for $50,000?" Gene: "I don't know what he was shopping it for. But I know that he was trying to keep it under the lid of what Mikey Ramone (the new managing editor) was getting. Paul didn't want to create strife by paying somebody more than Mikey Ramone (Bryn Pryor associate) was getting." Luke: "What does Paul Fishbein get out of playing to someone like Rebecca Gray?" Gene: "Maybe he's a drama junkie. You'll have to probe his psyche. But to me it is clear cut. If I had a disruption like this, I'd get rid of the disruption." Luke: "Why didn't Ken fire Rebecca?" Gene: "Because he wasn't given the power to do it. And that was one of the things he constantly came to me to complain about. Paul wants me to do this and that but he's not giving me the public vote of confidence... No, Paul encouraged rebelliousness. Any time they didn't like something, they'd knock on his door and complain to him." Luke: "I've heard that there are employees at AVN who'd like to come to work and find the doors padlocked." Gene: "Could be. I've always sensed it." Luke: "AVN.com just seems to be a rewriting of other people's stories." Gene: "Right. While they're rewriting, we're creating the news here." Luke: "I can't seem to access AVNGossip.com or Tod-Hunter.com." Gene: "But you can access Tod Hunter through GeneRoss.com. They're playing off my name. That's gotta tell you something. But you and I know, GeneRoss.com wasn't making any money." Luke: "They've got 12 little banners here, at $1000 a month." Gene: "They've got substantially less than when I had that site. "That's $12000 for recycling news releases. I guess Tod's getting a piece of the action?" Luke: "I don't think so." Gene: "I don't think so either. I don't think he'll ever see a piece of that action." I stopped by Extreme Associates Thursday night and snapped these photos:
12/4/00 Esad writes: dear luke, no one knows more of the true porn dirt than me! i can tell you s--- about gene ross that would have him scrambling back to his parents trophy making business quicker than he could say "I would be nothing without paul fishbein!'" i know more about fishbein than even gene ross could ever imagine. I even have pictures of gene ross without the dead animal on his bald head! i am currently working on the 12 days of gene ross which i will send to you. i wonder if your new alliance with gene will forbid you from printing this? i might even arrange for you to contact one of gene's ex girl and "boy" friends from his very interesting and sexually confused east coast past! i am no paul fishbein fan by any means. fishbein would sell tickets to his own funeral and arrange for sponsors to underwrite the expense of it, if he could! however, gene ross is the worst kind of scum because he owes everything he has to avn and fishbein and he cannot deal with the truth! i plan to keep you posted on the real truth behind the gene ross, paul fishbein, avn soap opera. 12/13/00 Troubling Emails Monday morning I received a troubling email from hairmaster@ignmail.com. It outlined a series of charges against various porn journalists and associates. Rumdar writes: "It could be a CIA hatched plot to destabilize porn. Be careful." I initially declined to publish more than this paragraph of the email. I replied to the email sender that while I appreciated the insights, I would not be publishing the rest of the email right now. I was too busy going after AVN. So I talked to Gene Ross Tuesday morning and we decided to run these excerpts from the controversial email: Hairmaster writes: Luke, Much as I've enjoyed the last few weeks of AVN-trashing, it's getting tired (Paul Fishbein is corrupt and his staff are a bunch of hopeless losers; big news). So, in the interest of Interest, I've decided to wage my own one-man war against the biggest loser EVER to work at AVN, and the only man more hated by the adult industry than Fishbein: Gene Stormin' Halitosis Ross. Now, I realize that it's possible you won't print this since you seem to have become Ross' personal butt-boy lately, but maybe you've got some balls left, like you had in the old days. Let's find out. (By the way, Luke, the dirt I'm about to dish took maybe 12 hours to dig up. If you want to have some real fun, look into old Geno's past. It's hysterical) The best part about reading these rantings from Ross has been how he paints himself, and his other personal butt-boy Ken Wood, as total saints in their history with the most boring magazine on the planet. And since rumor has it that Fishbein has threatened to fire any AVN staffer who responds to you, and you seem to be too interested in quaffing Gene's choad lately to ask any real questions, no one's likely to call them on it. So I thought I would, just because I hate Ross, have for years, and it seems like fun. Let the carnival of darkness that is Ross's life in porn be told. If you're man enough to print it. Gals, be aware that Geno has a collection of tapes from his encounters. Be sure to check all the cubby holes and potted plants for hidden cameras. But enough on Gene's charisma. Let's talk business. And for every time Fishbein f---ed Gene over the years, Gene has f---ed Fishbein right back. One of the reasons Gene was so pissed over Sexpose folding is that he was trying to do a deal with Ted Liebowitz to start a competing magazine behind Fishbein's back. When Sexpose went under, that deal fell through. Maybe the reason Fishbein reneged on his ownership deal with Ross is that he knew he couldn't trust the cocksucker. Gene was making almost 100 grand a year at AVN PLUS Fishbein paid for his car PLUS Fishbein paid for Gene's s---box apartment PLUS Gene got big Christmas bonuses PLUS he didn't have to DO ANYTHING. That's right. That was the last straw for little Gene, and that's why he has such a hard-on for Bryn Pryor is that Paul hired Pryor to replace Gene. Ross kept his title, but didn't have anything to do with running the magazine, and everybody in the industry knows it. Until they put up geneross.com to compete with you, Fishbein didn't know what to do with Gene. Ross had no idea what was going on at AVN. He just wrote his little gossip column and kept to himself. Hell, Rebecca Grey's been gone from the magazine since October, and Ross didn't even know until someone told him last week. That's how in touch he was. Bryn Pryor was a f--- up too, in that everyone who dealt with the magazine hated him. He used to tell company owners to f--- off on the phone, and he got in a fist-fight with Matt Zane at the XRCO Awards. No one really knows why Fishbein kept Pryor around. I've heard he got Paul pussy, but that seems stupid. It was probably the stolen computers deal, or maybe the movie they were supposed to be working on that Ross now claims was stolen from him. Fishbein finally kicked Pryor out of the job when Jeff Steward called Paul's partner, Stewart Franks, and threatened to pull all of Legend's ads unless they got rid of Pryor. Pryor also asked to take over Gene's column when he left, but they wouldn't let him do it, afraid that he would be too abrasive. As for Money Shot; which Gene keeps whining about being stolen, the WGA (Writers Guild of America) registration lists six creators [including Ross]. The real story seems to be that Ross was also trying to get Ted Liebowitz to finance this, and couldn't come through. Then he hooked up with some producer who wanted to buy the idea, and cut them all out. When he got outvoted by the other five, he backed out and lost interest. They were thrilled because they didn't want to deal with his hack writing anyway, but they kept going to him for approval. He hasn't given any of them the time of day since they went to Fishbein, but now that they're finally doing it as a stupid-ass internet. Luke says: Gene Ross will reply to these charges this afternoon at 4PM on Luke F-rd Live on www.webmasterlive.com. I talked to him briefly this morning. Gene: "As John Bowen has said on many occasions, it is so easy for people to hide behind a cloak of anonymity. And make all kinds of charges. "As for videotaping women with secret cameras, that is nonsense. That's some nonsense charge levelled at me two years ago on your site. "I paid for my apartment, and if AVN is declaring that as a business expense, then we have an IRS violation. I was not making $100,000 a year. I did have a company car. I said that I had negotiated a deal to come to California. "Remember, I've always stressed - it [unhappiness with AVN] was never over money. I did not get big Christmas bonuses. "Money is the last thing I will beat somebody up on. I will always take the high road. I will never argue with anybody about money. I never have and never will." "Paul did not hire Pryor. I hired Bryn Pryor. "If AVN kept me on with such a lavish salary and nothing to do, it must've been a payoff. They were paying me to keep my mouth shut. "Yeah, I wrote my gossip column and kept to myself. But doesn't that contradict the previous statement that I had nothing to do? I was focused on working over there. I did not have time for interoffice gossip. All these other people did. Rebecca Gray being gone from the magazine since October. That's bulls---." Today Gene publishes on his site GeneRossExtreme: El Zorro writes: "Watch out my amigo, commandante Fishbein is hatching a plot of a diversionary nature. There will be a string of anonymous emails detailing how you allegedly sailed through AVN on a cush salary and did nothing; and how you were in bed with Ted Leibowitz to do a magazine with him." Gene sez: "If I was sailing at AVN, that then suggests that I must have had something on somebody and was being paid to keep my yap shut. As far as Leibowitz is concerned my last contact with the gentleman was a couple of years ago at dinner when he asked me if 'Fishbein was still banging the Mexican broad.' I understand Paul was very upset that that cat got let out of the bag. "And let's keep one thing in perspective, shall we, all the detractors have are broadside comments to make lacking wit and texture. My stories include substance with all the details, times, places, etc., not to mention written with panache, style and grace. Something seriously lacking at AVN. Frankly, who's more believable?" Ross quotes from AVN publisher Paul Fishbein's 1997 letter to Alex Katz of In-X-Cess: "I am deeply offended by your petulant, childlike behavior and your inability to do business like a man. And you have no guts....you are lucky you are in the pornography business, because it is a business of fools," Fishbein goes on to write. "Only in this industry can the most wretched, dishonest, and illiterate make money." Ross writes: "Fishbein then details the letter with three pages of self-aggrandizement, boasting his integrity, etc., obviously detaching himself from the refuse of the 'dishonest' that he is forced to do business with. "Think about those comments next time you get an ad solicitation. By the way, Fishbein had me do a grandiose axe job on Katz for geneross.com." (From Gene Ross) Esad vs Gene Ross Esad writes: dear luke, gene ross really has me upset now! i went from being Paul Fishbein, to Bryn from AVN, and now i think he just described me as something that is a cross between Ron Jeremy and Mark Kernes on his website. God, that makes me think about fishbein's first wife again! Here is quick Gene Ross Quiz: What is the accurate number of hookers that Gene Ross turned away in one two hour period due to the escort services "money back if not delighted policy" in Las Vegas at CES a few years ago? A- none, Fishbein doesn't pay well enough to buy pussy! B- none, the problem was that they kept sending "girls" over! C- three, the first two were really quite awful! D- none, he finally gave up on the hookers and nailed Samantha Strong Esad writes: dear luke, the answer to yesterday's gene ross quiz was officially the letter C. Gene would argue that the correct answer was A, and anyone who saw Gene leaving Samantha Strong's hotel room about 4:00am would argue that the correct answer was D. An exhausted Gene Ross finally nailed the third hooker even though he later admitted that he wasn't that thrilled with her either! esad Gene tells Luke: "Oh God. Then I am a stud. If I nailed three girls in one evening, then I am quite the stud. I already told you about Samantha Strong. I never went to her room. Randy Spears went there that night. "I wrote an article about the hookers, etc, in Exposed a few years ago. "I never had congress with Samantha Strong though I would've loved to have had." Luke: "Oh God would I have loved Samantha Strong." Gene: "Samantha Strong in her prime. Ohmigod!" Luke: "Totally hot." Gene: "I'm going to continue to write hooker stories at Rob Black's suggestion." Luke: "Lucky John Bone. He got to nail Samantha." Gene: "Oh God. What a piece of ass." Luke: "She's got such a sweet face." Gene: "I'm talking about Samantha when she first came into the business. She was physically my type of woman. She had the big ass and the strong legs. And then the industry started playing with her head and started f---ing with her, 'Oh, you're too fat. You're too this and too that.' But Samantha, when she won Best New Starlet, oh f--- yeah. In a heartbeat. In a f---ing hearbeat. "In fact I had even written a story in AVN about she had invited me to her room one time during one of the CES things. I'm going to write stories about the unrequited assignations I never had. One time Victoria Paris said 'I want to get together with you.' During the VSDA show. "As a result of having had too much sun, I got the symptoms of swamp fever or malaria. This one afternoon, I'm having the sweats and the chills. This is the first time I've gotten sick in my adult life. I've never missed a day of work due to being sick. Ever. That's like a f---ing Lou Gehrig streak. Technically, my streak was still in tact because I got sick during the convention. "So I told Paul, oh man, I can't even stand on my feet. I'm going back to my hotel room. So I go back to the Tropicana and I am freezing. And of course it is 107 degrees in Vegas and I'm shivering. I turn the heat on in the room. I got it into the 90s. And I lay in bed and decide to sweat the whole thing out the rest of the night. So about 12:30AM, I get this knock at my door. I go to the door and who is it but Victoria Paris. She wanted to play. And here I am as sick as dog and I've got to turn away a gorgeous piece of ass like Victoria Paris. "That's typical of my luck. I wrote about the Samantha Strong story and how I was supposed to go up to her room. And something came up at the last minute. And I never went. And it happened to be that very same night that her and Randy Spears had a knock down, dragged out... And hote security had to come. And I thought to myself, Oh Christ, it would've been hysterical. I would've gone there at the same time that Spears walked in the door. And it would've been a threeway that would've been priceless to had on video." Luke: "I can't believe that John Bowen got to nail her." Gene: "He's gotten to nail a whole bunch of women in this business. Sonofabitch."
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