THE PIPELINE: JULY 2003
Greetings my friends and welcome to another addition of the Pipeline. As I write this and as many of you read it, July 4th is rapidly approaching. It’s time for another Happy Birthday America, time to celebrate freedom, light off some fireworks, consume massive amounts of food that isn’t good for us and ogle some exposed flesh in the summer sun. A lot has gone on since the last column, in the business and on a larger scale. Los Angeles was host two summer porn conventions, a number of directors found new homes, a porn empire expanded to retail stores, another company added toys (No, not that kind) to their product list and the Supreme Court of the United States made two crucial decisions related to adult material and sexual freedom.
As June came to a close, the US Supreme Court handed down some very big decisions that affect the sexual freedom of all Americans. By a 6-3 decision, the USSC struck down a Texas law that allowed the state to punish homosexuals for having consensual sex in their own homes. Legal experts say that the decision establishes, for the first time, a broad Constitutional right to sexual privacy. Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote for the court’s majority. “The petitioners are entitled to respect for their private lives. The state cannot demean their existence or control their destiny by making their private sexual conduct a crime.” Though primarily considered a victory for homosexual activists, the decision may well reach beyond sodomy laws and help open doors toward other sexual freedoms. That’s something I think we can all get behind. Of course, the mere thought that homosexuals are now free to engage in consensual sex in their homes drove former Senator Strom Thurmond straight into the grave later the same day.
On Sunday June 4, the Hyatt Regency Hotel hosted Adultcon 4. Filling two ballrooms with dozens of booths, Adultcon attracted a few thousand attendees who lined up long before the doors opened. Platinum X Pictures had a booth that was manned by Brandon Iron, Michael Stefano and company president Jewel De’Nyle. Seymore Butts’ Tushy Girls drew quite a crowd. Mari Possa, Flower, Belladonna, Avy Scott and Reina Leone gave fans a thrill by posing for pictures, singing photos and selling DVDs. Not every booth was filled with adult film stars. There were plenty of websites represented as well as specialty clothing and bondage gear. KSEX Radio had a booth where I talked to Katie Morgan about her weekly show on the station. Judging from the throngs of people who were still jockeying for position by the time I left, I would say that Adultcon 4 was a success on every level.
Elegant Angel added another talented and high-profile director to its roster this month. Award winning Ren Savant joins Thomas Zupko, Axel Braun, Eli Cross and Patrick Collins to give Elegant one of the most talented crop of directors in the business. Savant’s greatest success came in 1999 when his “Seven Deadly Sins” swept the AVN Awards. One of the most decorated movies in history, ‘Sins’ garnered Savant 8 awards including Best Film, Best Director, Best Editing, Best Screenplay, and Best Art Direction. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for Axel and Patrick, and I really felt that this was the perfect place to be” Savant says “They are really trying to take pornography to another level and I’m anxious to contribute to their vision.” Savant’s contract calls for six movies in the next year and will have him overseeing the editing on other Elegant Angel titles.
A recent census report showed that Latinos were the largest minority in the United States, representing 13.5 percent of the population. The Hispanic influence is even stronger in Porn Valley than it is nationwide and a number of companies have added Latin-themed lines to their catalogs. Some companies have even begun to release their movies in Spanish to reach this growing audience. Adam & Eve has taken the next big step with the debut of adameve.com in Spanish. Users can access the new site through a link on the Adam & Eve main site or by going directly to www.espanol.adameveshops.com. “It was a technological challenge for us,” said Adameve.com CTO Sean Trotter. “In undertaking this project, we had to make a special effort to understand who we were creating this site for. It wasn’t for our traditional audience and, because of that, we made an extra effort to get it right. I’m proud of the results and of our people who put it together. I think we’ll see this as an important step for Adameve.com, and PHE, as we move into the future.”
The second Supreme Court ruling involved adult material on public library terminals. For years, forces have battled over what sort of controls should be placed on these terminals. Since children have access to the internet in public libraries, parents have been understandably concerned over what material their kids will be exposed to. A law requiring libraries to use filtering software on terminals was challenged by librarians and the battle over public library censorship has raged for years. The USSC ruled that funding for libraries can be cut off if they don’t put filtering software into place. As someone who runs an adult site and an advocate of adult material, it might sound strange, but I view this ruling as a good one. Public libraries don’t routinely carry Playboy, Penthouse, Hustler or other porn mags, so why should they provide porn via the internet? If children are to sit at internet terminals in public libraries, why would any librarian be opposed to the idea of filtering out material that is clearly not meant for children? I support adult material, totally and completely, but only for adults. This decision will force public libraries to at least make an effort to filter out material that is meant for adults.
It took her a few years, but Jenna Haze has finally taken the necessary steps towards launching her web site. The Jill Kelly Productions contract girl has been sitting on her domain name for a long while before choosing MK Multimedia to set up and run her site. This is the same team that has put together sites for Serenity, Jewel De’Nyle, Jessica Drake, Amber Lynn and many others. Jenna thought long and hard before making the choice. She explained the decision in the official press release by saying “I was wined and dined by a number of website development companies but when I saw the type of sites MKMM builds I knew I wanted them to help me launch mine. When I got into the adult biz I got some very good advice from my friend Roger T. Pipe. He told me to make my choice about an official website very carefully. Internet horror stories for adult stars are common so make sure you find a company you can trust and one that really knows what they are doing. MKMM is exactly what I was looking for and they come very well recommended. Besides, now I get to do content shoots with the very ‘yummy’ [fellow Jill Kelly Productions star] Alexis Amore, who is also an MKMM client.” Hopefully my advice to that pretty young girl will pay off.
The Penthouse porn empire will soon be expanding to brand new territory. On the 24th of July 24th, the doors will open on the first Penthouse Boutique. The story, located at 9 Banner Drive in Milford, Connecticut, will carry videos and DVDs from nearly every manufacture in the industry as well as toys, lingerie and logo apparel for discerning adult patrons. Daniel Quinn, CEO of Horizon Media and SMASH Pictures said of the store “”Our video department is revolutionary” said Dan Quinn. “We have plasma screens on the walls showcasing promotions and advertising from various production companies. The graphics will change for each ad campaign that is being featured. We have most every production company housed together like you’d see in a large upscale department store. We’re implementing an electronic catalogue which allows the customer to type in whatever title they’re searching for. The system then tells them where in the store it’s located. I’m very excited about this.” The grand opening of the store is by invitation only and will be attended by a number of Penthouse Pets.
Wicked Pictures has joined forces with Plastic Fantasy to create the first company-specific line of adult action figures. The “Women of Wicked” are 7.5″ tall and the first series will feature Wicked Contract Girls Stephanie Swift, Devinn Lane and Sydnee Steele. Each of the dolls has been laser scanned to replicate the face and body of the featured performer. To kick off their first collaboration, Wicked Pictures and Plastic Fantasy are sponsoring the “Win A Date With A Wicked Woman Sweepstakes” which will give a lucky fan the chance to experience a night out on the town with a Wicked girl. The sweepstakes include airfare, limo, hotel and dinner for one night in Los Angeles. Summing up Wicked’s involvement with Plastic Fantasy, Wicked Pictures Owner And President Steve Orenstein commented that “with their wide range of quality products, Plastic Fantasy have proven themselves to be leaders in the action figure industry, and we’re thrilled that they’ve chosen Wicked and our contract girls to create their first company-specific line.” Interested consumers can visit www.plasticfantasy.com for a list of retailers currently carrying the action figures, or buy them directly through the web site.
A few months ago we learned that Tera Patrick had added a set of new boobs to her arsenal. This month she unveiled the new rack as part of a promotion for her new show on KSEX radio. “Totally Tera” airs every Wednesday from 5-6 Pacific time. Her future in porn is still up in the air, but we’ll get to hear from her once a week for a while and enjoy (Or weep over) her brand new set of fun bags.
Finally my friends, it’s time to unveil this year’s top twenty list. The fifth annual Top 20 list is out. I’m sure many of you will have names that I forgot or under-rated. Now it’s your turn to comment on the list. Who did I leave off? Who did I under-rate, who did I over-rate? If you have any comments, please drop me a line
1.  Aurora Snow (Interview) (Bio) (Aurora’s Movies)
2.  Avy Scott (Interview Coming Soon) (Bio) (Avy’s Movies)
3.  Katie Morgan (Interview Coming Soon) (Bio) (Katie’s Movies)
4.  Layla Jade (Interview) (Bio) (Layla’s Movies)
5.  Amee Donavan (Interview Coming Soon) (Bio) (Amee’s Movies)
6.  Calli Cox (Interview) (Bio) (Calli’s Movies)
7.  Julie Meadows (Interview) (Bio) (Julie’s Movies)
8.  Sabrine Maui (Interview Invitation Extended) (Sabrine’s Movies)
9.  Melanie Jagger (Interview) (Bio) (Melanie’s Movies)
10.  Gauge (Interview Coming Soon) (Bio) (Gauge’s Movies)
11.  Nikita Denise (Interview Invitation Extended) (Bio) (Nikita’s Movies)
12.  Loni (Interview Coming Soon)
13.  Violet Blue (Interview Invitation Extended) (Bio) (Violet’s Movies)
14.  Kiki D’Aire (Interview) (Bio) (Kiki’s Movies)
15.  Nicole Sheridan (Interview) (Bio) (Nicole’s Movies)
16.  Kaylynn (Interview) (Bio) (Kaylynn’s Movies)
17.  Keilani Lei (Interview Invitation Extended) (Bio) (Keilani’s Movies)
18.  Brittany Skye (Interview Invitation Extended)(Bio) (Brittney’s Movies)
19.  Melody (Interview Coming Soon) (Melody’s Movies)
20.  Jewel De’Nyle (Interview) (Bio) (Jewel’s Movies)
Honorable Mention -(In Random Order)Sierra, Audree Jaymes, Sophie Evans, Monica Sweetheart, Queeny Love, Jessica Darlin, Olivia O’Lovely, Fujiko, Alana Evans, Cris Taliana, Flower, Jenna Haze, Belladonna, Jessica Drake, McKayla Matthews, Hannah Harper Taylor Rain, Alaura Eden, Sunrise Adams, Haven, Mari Possa, Devon, Chloe, Bisexual Britni, Catalina, Dee, Daisy, Asia Carerra, Ashley Long, Cindy Crawford, Kitty Marie, Karina
As always, this is a personal taste list, not the women who are the biggest stars in the business. The Euro-girls are probably under-represented a bit, Michelle Wild, Nicky Sweet and the like for example. Also, this list goes from June of 02 to this year and includes women who were active during that time. Tera Patrick, Serenity, Jenna Jameson etc aren’t on because they either didn’t do enough movies or didn’t do any at all. The Vivid Girls aren’t on here because it’s hard to rank women you never get to see.
That’s all there is this month. Next month, we should have news for Tom Byron concerning his new company as well as the usual comings and goings from the world of porn. Keep reading, keep watching and keep enjoying yourselves.
