PIPELINE: JULY 2005
It’s been a very hot and extremely busy June in SoCal. With the mercury crossing the 90 degree mark the porn world got together not once, but twice in the city of Angels. Could the two be related? When they weren’t gathering for award shows or conventions, the folks from porn world were scrambling to get their stuff in order for the new 2257 regulations. The FSC has filed an injunction, but we’re all still waiting around to see what is left when the dust settles. To listen to some people tell it, the sky is falling and we’re all going to be out of business. Others say that nothing will really come of the new regs. As usual, I think that the truth lies somewhere in the middle. In the meantime we can follow closely and write our representatives.
The first big gathering in LA was the XRCO awards show. The even drew a great crowd who watched a number of winners repeat their speeches from the recent AVN Awards. Lauren Phoenix and Manuel Ferrara picked up the big awards as top performers. No surprise there, but the XRCO did right one huge wrong from AVN. They named Teagan as the top rookie for 2004, getting it right and pleasing all of us who have been campaigning for this perfect babe all year long.
Just a week later the porn world got together in downtown Los Angeles for the Erotica LA show. I was out of town so I missed the show this year, but all reports indicate that it was bigger than ever with some of porn’s brightest stars in attendance. Over the course of the four-day event some forty thousand porn fans made their way through the doors to eye the merchandise, rub elbows with the stars, collect autographs and pose for photos with their favorites. The outstanding attendance and enthusiasm from venders bodes well for future shows in Los Angeles and around the country. There are rumors that AVN will put on a show in a city other than Vegas soon. Chicago, Miami and New Orleans are names that keep coming up. Personally I’d be happy to set out for any of those cities.
New York City will host a second expo this year in October. After a successful show in May, organizers hope to double the number of exhibitors to over 150 for the fall show. The event is being held at the Pennsylvania Hotel right across the street from Madison Square Garden. I’ve stayed there twice myself and it’s a great location for anyone coming into NYC. For further details, see www.eroticexpo.com The expansion of adult expos beyond the traditional Winter CES show bodes well for an industry that is working hard to achieve even greater mainstream acceptance and success.
Becoming the latest JKP Contract Girl to go free agent, Jenna Haze has announced that her three-year relationship with the company is now over. There have been rumblings for months that she was about to bolt, but the official announcement came last week. Jenna, who signed with JKP shortly after entering the business, has been doing girl/girl scenes ever since. She has indicated that she would like to continue working with other girls, but hasn’t ruled out a return to both gonzo porn and boy/girl scenes. According to her initial statement Jenna mentioned companies like Digital Playground or Wicked as a possible new home should she the contract girl route. Since she did some of her best work for Jules Jordan it makes sense that she would talk to him about shooting some gonzo stuff before inking any deal that would keep her off the raincoater radar. Given what Jules was able to do with Gina Lynn in her “Darkside” movie, we can all hope that a similar title could be in the works from Ms. Haze. (And dare we hope for an Aurora Snow’s Darkside now that she is also on the market?)
Jenna’s departure is just the latest chapter in the continuing saga of JKP. For about a year now contract girls have been leaving the company and rumors of a downfall were in the air on a monthly basis. Haven has been MIA for nearly two years and indicated in an interview with me that she was looking for something else. Cindy Crawford left earlier this year and now Jenna Haze has bolted. Even company President Jill Kelly has resigned leaving people to wonder if there can be a JKP without the JK. Most people think not, but I have a feeling that rumors of their death may be greatly exaggerated.
Following a trend in the industry June brought us a number of new contract girls. I swear there has been at least one new one every month for the past year. The only shock is that Club Jenna hasn’t inked anyone in a while. With a new Vivid Girl though I would expect CJ to get into the act really quickly in order to keep pace.
Vivid jumped into the new girl game first by signing Stefani Morgan to an exclusive deal. Those of you saying “Stefani who” shouldn’t feel too bad. They have gone out and nabbed another non-porn girl to be their latest contract star. Stefani comes to us from the world of mainstream modeling and will be making her adult film debut for Vivid later this summer. The nineteen year old California girl has never even posed nude for still photographs. It is a long way from good-looking teen to top-notch adult performer, but she certainly has the face and body to be a big star.
Not to be outdone, Digital Playground added a slightly more seasoned adult entertainer to their roster. Sophia Santi is the newest DP girl and some of you will recognize her face if not her body. Back when she was known as Natalia Cruze, the beautiful brunette was named Penthouse Pet of the Year Runner-Up. Though she has been posing for three years, Sophia has yet to make her video debut. At first glance the naturally busty brunette looks a little bit like a young Tera Patrick. Digital Playground is no doubt hoping that her career track takes off more like their last video-virgin contract girl Jesse Jane.
Sin City/Mayhem have actually lost people recently. Skeeter Kerkove, Shay Sweet and of course Aurora Snow have all left, but this month they added someone to the fold. Fresh off a stint with New Sensations Axel Braun has been brought in to direct for Sin City on a non-exclusive basis. It is the third stop for Braun in the past few years and he is expected to re-vamp Sin City’s features and take things to the next level, wherever that might be.
And now it’s time for the annual Rog’s Top 20 List. Keep in mind everyone, these are my personal favorites. You are going to see some women on this list you might not think deserve to be here, you are going to find that some big names are missing. Remember that this list is imperfect and reflects movies that I’ve seen. (Hence, not a lot of Vivid Girls) Also, quantity counts so women like Jenna and Tera didn’t score higher based on a limited number of movies. Feel free to send me your comments, complaints, omissions and over-rateds.
Rog’s Top 20 for 2005
1. Aurora Snow 2. Teagan Presley 3. Kaylani Lei 4. Nautica Thorn 5. Jasmine Byrne 6. Lucy Thai 7. Katie Morgan 8. Jesse Jane 9. Audrey Hollander 10. Gia Paloma 11. Vicky Vette 12. Lauren Phoenix 13. Flower Tucci 14. Kat 15. Selena Silver 16. Christy Lee 17. Tiana Lynn 18. Haley Paige 19. Cindy Crawford 20. Stormy Daniels
Honorable Mention:
Asia, Mary Carey, Chanel Chavez, Jessica Drake, Tyler Faith, Rita Faltoyano, Roxanne Hall, Layla Jade, Jenna Jameson, Janine, Kimberly Kane, Katja Kassin, Tory Lane, Melissa Lauren, Jennifer Luv, Marie Luv, Carmen Luvana, Ashton Moore, Tiffany Mynx, Jayna Oso, Gen Padova, Tera Patrick, Mari Possa, Taylor Rain, Britney Rears, Sandra Romain, Sativa Rose, Keri Sable, Brittney Skye, Monika Sweetheart, Mika Tan, Brandy Taylor, Lily Thai, Staci Thorn, Paige Turner,
