Hello everyone and Happy Holidays. We’re closing in on the end of another great year in Porn Valley. We have seen stars come and go, new companies sprout up like crabgrass and the continued rise of the internet as the primary source for smut. We have seen more people then ever buying DVDs on line, downloading whole movies from their favorite web sites and have even seen some of the bigger web sites convert their scenes to DVDs for home use. Time has gone quickly. It seems like it’s only been a few weeks since the last round of awards was passed out and it’s already time to start handing out more.
AVN made news in late November by announcing their nominations for the 2005 AVN Awards. To the surprise of absolutely no one, “Pirates” was the big favorite picking up 24 nominations. Up for Best Video and Best DVD, the joint venture from Digital Playground and Adam & Eve received a record number of nominations and is a heavy favorite to be a big winner next month. With over 43 pages of nominations this year we could take all day covering every category, instead let’s just hit the highlights. We have three women sharing the same last name up for Best New Starlet. Vanessa, Sunny and Tory Lane make up twenty percent of the field, but the favorites would probably have to be Jasmine Byrne, Keri Sable, Hillary Scott and Taryn Thomas. The Female Performer field seems stronger to me this year than last year and includes some very deserving women like Ariana Jollee, Audrey Hollander and Flower Tucci. Missing from this were contract stars like Jesse Jane, Carmen Luvana and Janine who all shined in “Pirates” but couldn’t crack the list for top female performer. It’s always fun to ponder some of the categories. Steve Holmes is up for Best Foreign Male Performer, but Manuel Ferrara up as Best Male. All fun aside, the staff at AVN has an impossible job. They have to go through thousands of movies and fill the categories with worthy names and performances. Though it’s fun to pick at the lists, they have done a really good job this year and should be commended for getting it right far more often than not. (Except for that whole Hall of Fame snub thing, but that’s another story for another time.
Courtney Cummz has already won herself a number of fans with great gonzo performances. As one of the top rookies of 2005, she was already slated for big things in 06. Zero Tolerance is ready to help make that happy and signed the sought after free agent to a contract that has her performing, directing and acting as a spokeswoman for the company. It should be a good match for both parties and will keep Courtney shooting the kind of scene where she can thrive.
I don’t usually run purely tabloid stories, but this one was too good to resist. If reports are true then super hot actress Jessica Alba is a fan of adult entertainment. The star of “Dark Angel” and “Fantastic Four” was reportedly seen browsing the shelves in Hollywood’s Red Hot Video. According to the stories she marched right back to the porn section and came up to the counter with Fetish Factor 2, Neo Pornographia, Latex and a spanking video titled Fetish Island. If the stories are true then the Ms. Alba likes fetish stuff, knows her porn and is a very big fan of Michael Ninn. Good for her.
Erik Everhard is also making a move to a new production company. After two years at Red Light District, Everhard will shoot and perform for Evil Angel from now on. After entering the industry in 1998, Erik performed in hundreds of scenes in front of the camera before getting behind the camera for Anabolic in 2001. He stayed there until 2003 when he made the move to Red Light. I spoke with Erik on the phone the day after the announcement was made and he was very excited to be joining Evil Angel. He told me that he is looking forward to expanding on the things he has already done and will be polishing his craft with movies that feature more tease and the same great sex we have come to expect from Everhard’s projects. He also promised that we would sit down over a few beers in Vegas and get a complete update on what he has in store for us. Everhard’s first release under the Evil Empire banner is due out in February of 2006.
Sin City has been looking for someone to fill the void left when they severed ties with Aurora Snow, and Gina Austin is the young woman who will give it a try. The 22 year old beauty from Ohio has signed a contract to be the latest Sin City Girl. Though she is still new to the adult movie business, porn fans may already know her beautiful face and smoking hot body. Sin City execs got their first look at her when she was a Penthouse Pet. Obviously they liked what they saw and are ready to turn her loose in full-fledged X-rated action.
Memphis Monroe might not be a household name yet, but she is already a contract girl. I got a chance to see this busty young girl in “Dawn of the Head” and was instantly impressed. Apparently the people at Hustler were equally drawn to this 20 year old Kentucky native. They inked her to a 24 scene deal that should help turn her into a household name in 2006. The naturally busty girl is certainly no stranger to the adoring and leering eyes of admiring males. Before she made the jump to porn, Memphis was a Hooters Girl. She certainly hopes to follow in the footsteps of porn’s other Hooters-alum Jesse Jane. If she is half as hot as Jesse then we’re all in for a treat.
It was a busy final week of November for Michael Ninn. First he announced that Ninn Worx would be severing domestic ties with Pure Play Media and that he would be doing his own distribution after the first of the year. Just a few days later Ninn announced that Red Light District would actually be handling the distribution. Not exactly venturing out on his own, but it’s still a big step for the man and the company, especially after the huge year they had with hits like “Catherine” and the “Neo Pornographia” series.
Finally folks, the RRFF (Rog Reviews Fan Faves) awards will be announced in the next column. At present, fans are voting in round two and we will be down to the top ten in a matter of days. The January Pipeline will reveal the winners of the fan poll as well as the nominees for the Critic’s Choice awards.
That’s all the time we have now everyone. Until next time and next year, I wish you well. I know that it’s not en vogue right now, but I’m going to wish you all a Merry Christmas anyway. Hey, it’s the holiday I celebrate so I’m extending all of the good wishes I have in honor of that special day. However you choose to celebrate, on whatever day is special to you, do it with all your heart, with the ones you love and remember to spare a prayer, good thoughts or vibes to those in need.
