We’re only a month into 2007 and I already feel exhausted from everything that has been going on. That’s what happens when you start the year out with the huge Adult Entertainment Expo just days after putting up the new calendars. We spend the last quarter of 06 predicting doom and gloom for the show, so naturally there is plenty to say. This year is off to the usual fast start. A few new contract girls, a major move from one of porn’s heavy hitters and a whole lot of new stuff going on over at www.RogReviews.com
The annual trip to Las Vegas was as much fun as ever. There was plenty of talk about the changes made by AVN and the possible exodus of some big companies. It was hard to miss the fact that some big names did opt out this year. New Sensations, Sin City and Mercenary Pictures were all missing for the first time in years. Zero Tolerance was on hand, but down below outside of the pay area where fans could gather around their huge trailer. It is clear that some companies chose to sit this one out, but other production houses ramped up their visibility. Jules Jordan Productions had a massive booth complete with razor wire, chain link fences and a gun turret. The Pornoatentiary would seem to indicate that not everyone was ready to write off the AEE. Judging by the long lines to get in, the show was clearly a big hit with fans. That makes it a little tough for me to move around, but that has to be good news for the companies trying to get noticed. Like the business in general, the show may be shifting, but I think that proclamations of its demise are clearly pre-mature.
We’ve seen what Paris Hilton likes to do in the privacy of a hotel room. Hell, we’ve seen what she does in public. She’s not exactly a private about her trampy behavior of late. After her hugely popular sex tape of a few years ago, nothing should surprise us. Then comes word that the millionaire-heiress forgot to pay a $208 bill on her storage unit and had her possessions auctioned off to the highest bidder. The contents of that storage unit were purchased, cataloged, scanned, digitized and are now available for viewing on www.parisexposed.com. For a fee, you can see private letters, documents and even prescriptions belonging to the ‘celebrity.’ There are also some new nude photos and some sexy videos. How far these new videos go is still up in the air, but if you’re dying to find out, they are now available for a price. Questions have already been raised about the validity of this story. Would Paris really have left such damning stuff in a storage unit and then be so stupid as to not pay the bill? Is she in on the web site? Is it even legal for someone to release explicit material without proper ID and model releases? It’s questions like these that make us all wonder how long before some real celebrities catch on and start cashing in. Way to go Paris. You set those trends!
Max Hardcore is a porn icon. No one can deny that. He’s also bounced around quite a bit during his career. He’s been with Zane, Xplor, Legend, EXP and somehow nothing ever seems to quite work. Now perhaps he has found a home. Starting in March, Max Hardcore’s new releases and his entire catalog will be available through JM Productions. It is a reunion of sorts. At one time, both Max and JM were distributed through Legend. Apparently a mutual respect and admiration was forged that helped lead to this joining of two of porn’s leading hard-edge smut producers. Given JM’s hard reputation and their ability to produce porn that both arouses and offends, it would seem that Max is a perfect fit. His trademark style has won him legions of fans and nearly as many detractors. Through it all, his unwavering dedication to his audience has allowed him to thrive. Many of Max’s signature moves are now porn staples. This should be a perfect fit for Max and it adds another big gun JM growing arsenal. Then again, it puts two huge targets under the same roof. It will be interesting, that’s for sure.
As has become tradition, the winners of the 2006 Rog Reviews Critic’s Choice Awards were announced on the first day of AEE. I did it live from the www.DailyNoise.com studios again. This year, I couldn’t get any lovely porn babes to help me, so we had to do without the in-studio eye candy. The trophies were then passed on the floor during AEE. (All but Naomi’s as she had left the show a day early, without her RRCC trophy in hand.)
2006 RogReviews Critic’s Choice Award Winners
Best Female Performer: Hillary Scott & Sunny Lane (Tie)
Best Newbie: Naomi
Best Male Performer: Erik Everhard
Best Director: Robby D
Best All Sex Movie: Jenna Haze: Darkside- Jules Jordan Video
Best Feature: Tailgunners- Adam & Eve
Next Big Thing: Shay Jordan
Congratulations to all of the winners.
One of the stories that came out of Vegas was the trend away from skinny girls. People tended to notice that there were a lot of girls with nice curves and wonderful, natural racks. On the flip side of that, some fans couldn’t help but notice the profound weight loss on the once curvy figure of Naomi. AVN’s Starlet of the Year and the RogReviews Critic’s Choice Best Newbie was considerably thinner than any of us have ever seen her, prompting quite a bit of conversation about how she might have achieved such a new, svelte new figure. Apparently one fan was so disturbed by her new look that he spit a few cruel remarks her way and tore up a picture before storming off. Rude, dickish behavior aside, Naomi’s appearance had plenty of people concerned.
The battle for format supremacy may have reached a turning point. With some of the first adult titles hitting the market on HD-DVD, there are rumors that Sony is attempting to stop adult companies from producing product on their Blu-Ray format. Sony denies any attempt to keep porn out of the Blu-Ray arena, but to date, only one Vivid movie is slated for the format. Though it is unlikely that porn alone can tip the scales one way or another, the absence of adult content could end up hurting Blu-Ray in the long run. If you’re standing in the store trying to decide between two new players and one has a full range of titles, including adult, you just might pick that one over the machine that doesn’t offer any X-Rated options. One has to wonder if Sony isn’t heading for a Beta-sized nose dive.
That’s it for another month. It’s already time to start thinking about Spring. I hope none of you missed Valentine’s Day. (If you are reading this in time, remember that porn is always a good way to say I love you.) You should also have found the Pirates 2 trailer by now, so we can start the year long hype that is bound to surround this huge sequel. We should also have a few more awards to talk about. It’s getting close to that time of year. (In porn isn’t it always that time of year.) Take care of yourselves everyone. I’ll see you again in a month.
