Friday, April 21, 2000

Email Luke

Webmaster Adventure In SF

A bunch of leading porn webmasters attended a record release party for the rap group "Digital Underground" Wednesday night. The pajama party, called, "Talking Dirty After Dark," featured numerous black gangbangers and gangsters, many of them record producing friends of the late Tupac Shakur.

Netporners included Kevin and Darren Blatt, Slavic, Xpays... They were the only five white boys in a Crip and Blood gang infested evening.

Two minutes after the Jew porners left for a massage parlor (where they give more than massages), one black guy shot and killed another.

Porn star Houston has a newly trimmed labia. A home-made video of the surgery is selling like hotcakes, according to an insider. "Something you can curl up in bed with your loved one and watch something downright unreal...

"Houston will be back on Howard Stern in the next month to show off the finished product. Her pussy looks beautiful. People are going to love it."

Before she did the surgery, Houston had her vagina molded for a Cal-Exotics sex toy. They've already molded her mouth and tits and ass. Now they're going to have to mold her pussy again, so they can offer a before-and-after job.

Realpornworld.com

Rob Spallone's talking to me again. He's just been furiously busy taking care of his new shooting house in Sunland. After operating the place for 120 days, he says he's had shoots at the house for 111. Next time he wants to move to a warehouse, so he won't have to take care of a pool, lawns, etc...

Rob has several porn girls living at the house, and they're all available for viewing through realpornworld.com.

Kendra Jade got a surprise birthday party Thursday night in Hollywood.

Production manager J.B. may be moving on from the porn industry. He's got an 18-day gig as a production manager on a mainstream film. J.B.'s sick of porn.

A fan wrote Asia Carrera about the possibility of a sequal to "A is for Asia." Asia replied: "actually, i'm thinking about financing it myself. i'm thinking big, something on the scale of appassionata budget-wise, but with all the sexual stunts i performed in a is for asia. so hopefully it could appeal to couples and raincoaters alike.... or with my luck, it would probably wind up pissing everyone off, and making nobody happy LOL."'

Hymie writes: Looks like Earl Slate has more problems than the ability to differentiate between females and shemales. I think I may be able to help him. Now Kianna admittedly likes rough sex and reportedly took a good beating in Rough Sex 1 or 2. It may be safe to assume that Earl and Kianna have engaged in this type of activity. So, when Kianna came over to his houseboat perhaps Earl was just trying to express his love in the way they always did; a good hard beating. Perhaps over time the line became blurred. Which was sexual kink and which was a good oldfashioned beating? This could be used as a novel defense. After all, remember the guy who ate too many twinkies and went on a shooting rampage in SanFrancisco killing the mayor and others? If a jury could buy that it could buy anything. I rest my case.

AVN Adultery

AVN VP Darren Roberts has been flaunting his affair with Fishbein's secretary Lisa Love for months. Dozens of people in the industry know about it. Roberts and Love were together at the AVN internet awards in January. They were caught together at the GayVN Awards a few weeks ago. Roberts had said that he'd broken off the affair.

Roberts is married to talent manager Allison Roberts. They have three kids including the four month old baby. While flaunting his fling, Roberts has been angrily threatening Allison if she tells anyone about his affair.

Lisa Love used to date Wicked webmaster Aaron Karackis though she's long been thought to prefer girls.

WebSideStory - Another Porn IPO

From wired.com: As it moves forward with plans to tap into the IPO market, a San Diego Web traffic-analysis firm is bowing out of what has traditionally been a key source of its revenue: selling banner ads for adult sites. WebSideStory, a 4-year-old firm that measures traffic to websites and analyzes user behavior, filed plans this week for an offering on the Nasdaq exchange. The company signed on the prominent investment bank Robertson Stephens to underwrite the IPO, which it hopes will raise about $58 million.

"In late 1999, we adopted policies designed to eliminate all revenue from adult advertising on our websites and we anticipate the elimination of such revenue from sales of advertising for adult content sites in the near future," the company stated in its IPO filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The company said it is making that switch despite the fact that it has historically derived "the substantial majority of our revenue from sales of online banner ads for websites, including sites that contain adult content."

Chairman Blaise Barrelet [a French guy] stepped aside as chief executive late last year and was replaced by John J. Hentrich, a former partner at the law firm Baker & McKenzie. The company added a new chief financial officer, marketing vice president and privacy chief this month.

Luke: WSS owns hitbox.com. They are the main competitor to Andy Edmond's SexTracker.com. Ron Levi of Cybererotica.com used to partner with the French guys behind WSS until they screwed him over.

Barrelet got his funding largely from French sources and has not been forthcoming about how many shares he plans to offer and at what price.

WSS made the stats counter what it is, and SexTracker.com followed in their footsteps and refined the techology and application.

I also picked up this story from Wired.com:

Tore Loding wishes he never heard of adultbuffet.com. That's because a few weeks after a romp one night through that site's adult offerings, the 24-year-old San Francisco State University journalism student got a $357 phone bill that made him consider swearing off pornographic websites.

...Now the only company left that will admit to hosting the adult smorgasbord known as Adultbuffet is Flying Crocodile, a Seattle company that hosts 60,000 adult sites.

Flying Crocodile CEO Andrew Edmond said Adultbuffet isn't doing anything wrong, and said about 15-20 percent of the adult sites out there are now using dialers as an alternative payment. Dialers, he said, represent anywhere from a $60-110 million business annually. They're a natural solution to the problem of online credit card fraud.

John Copeland writes on YNOTnetwork.com: Watchdog organizations

We already have tons of people offering buttons and emblems and such. Many "watchdog" groups are just gimmicks to get traffic and do little to promote ethics on the net. APIC is the only group I have seen that actually works at policing the net. It started to ensure the survival of a group of photographers and producers whose work was showing up illegally everywhere...and they don't kiss ass for favors, for traffic or for pats on the back and take no BS from anyone. If you don't accept favors there is no need to give them back. For legal reasons you must be a member for them to help you specifically, but what they do helps ALL legal site owners in the long run -- members or not.

On Sponsor ratios

It is impossible for a Sponsor to give average click/signup payouts rates. The more people in their program, the worse the overall ratios. I would venture to say 20% of the advertisers bring in 90% of the sales. That is because probably only 20% have the knowledge and put in the work required to direct traffic to get good signups. We have some webmasters that can get 1:80 week after week after week... but a lot more can send 2,000 over a time and never get a signup. Some can make pretty good money working traffic. But no such thing as average ratios.

ISP's help to stop illegal posting to their servers?

ISP's should have to bear some responsibility. But I guarantee you, until it is law, ISP's will never make any effort to control what is posted. Most barely make a mention of the posting of copyrighted material in there Terms and Conditions, and when they do it is on Paragraph 14 of a 22 Paragraph. This mentality comes down from the biggest ISP's of all, MCI WorldComm, UUNet, Sprint etc... They make bajillions off the newsgroups alone. Nothing eats bandwidth quicker and makes that counter ka-ching more than porn. Do you think they care if a producer is being infringed upon??? I doubt it. It is their lobbyists that are convincing legislators that the "Internet needs freedom to reach it potential" Why do you think the Digital Millennium Copyright Act is such a lopsided pain in the ass? They had to give some protection to copyright holders -- so they made it as complicated as they can, and have these loopholes to relieve ISP's from liability if they comply. It sucks, and it is not fair to private individuals whose likeness is being illegally exploited or to producers of intellectual properties who are being ripped off. But for now it will have to do, and it is better than nothing.

At PIXOTNA we are getting ready to change over to CCBill, and they have claimed to have very tough acceptance guidelines. I was told by both Doug and Craig that "if we are honest and ethical, and provide a good product we will be very pleased with them -- however if we try to rip off our customers, play games, or infringe on others... we will be history." They are a preferred processor of APIC, and have a record of responding promptly when their customers are found to be infringing on APIC members copyrights. Business ethics seem to be a major concern for them. That is what I want to see in a 3rd party processor.

On the other hand, I know from personal experience that IBilI protects the infringers they host. They handle abuse complaints like a "circle jerk" site. I know there are a lot of honest webmasters using them as well, but it seems to me, from my experience, they are a haven for the dishonest webmasters among us. Naive as I am, I still think(hope) that the ethical will survive. If the webmasters they protect are stealing content, they probably cheat their customers too. Those customers will often charge back. The last thing I want to do is go with a processor that could go out of business because of excessive chargebacks. I think processors, more than ever must value their good clients and get rid of the bad ones.

As it is now, the honest, quality sites with 1% chargebacks are offsetting the bad sites with the 4-5% chargebacks. With the new regulations those bad sites are going to have to "shape up or ship out." all the good sites in the world can't offset them anymore.

Buttlord: most (if not all of) 3rd party billing companies do not discriminate about who they let on (barring of course child porn sites), but more importantly, they do not ask questions about the applicant, or require evidence that the applicant's website is legal from a copyright standpoint. Yes, the ISP has to have some responsibility regarding these issues too, but my concern here is specifically for the longevity of the current 3rd party billing system we have now.

If certain restrictions and screening processes don't intensify in the 3rd party billing industry, then the future may become bleak for some of them out there now, and will spill over to affect other businesses (like my own) who rely on them for day to day processing needs.

Espcially now, with credit card companies focusing their chargeback ratios on the adult industry, it would be a step in the right direction for us to clean up the fraud and senseless (but COSTLY) "mistakes" commited by newcomers who rush into the adult paysite market. And if it can be stopped before it starts, then that's all for the better. It's not easy to attain a merchant account in most cases, and it shouldn't be "guaranteed" to attain a 3rd party account either. Especially in the adult industry, where scams and schemes are rampant. :-)

As I stated in the article for YNOT News ( http://www.ynotnews.com/ ), there are paysites popping up every single day just LOADED with illegal pics of all kinds, and operated by people who have absolutely NO prior experience in the adult industry at all. In light of all that was made of freehosts lately, and how copyright infringement is rampant on those parts, perhaps the time has come as well to make it just a little more difficult to get a 3rd party billing account in the adult industry. Perhaps a questionnair when one is applying that asks certain specifics such as:

"Have you any prior experience running an adult paysite?"

"Have you taken all the proper steps in developing your paysite, such as registering legal content?"

Rick's Cabaret Buys Clubpix

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 19, 2000--Rick's Cabaret International, Inc. (Nasdaq:RICK - news) announced today that it has entered into a Letter of Intent with Voice Media, Inc. (VMI) to acquire another website, www.clubpix.com. This website had gross revenues of $10.29 million for the eight months ended February 2000.

Rick's proposed acquisition will be the second of a planned series of adult Internet website acquisitions aimed at greatly increasing the size and scope of Rick's Internet business operations. Rick's anticipates that this transaction, when completed, will approximately double its gross revenues.

VMI's flagship website is www.CyberErotica.com, which boasts of over 436 million unique visitors since February '96. VMI's websites currently receive over 2 million page views per day and, as part of the proposed acquisition, www.clubpix.com will continue to be managed and marketed by VMI for a flat monthly fee. VMI was reported to be one of the largest Adult Portals in the Forbes magazine May '99 issue. VMI pioneered automated marketing and affiliate programs on the Adult Internet dating back to December '95. VMI currently does business with over 36,000 Adult websites that send traffic to their programs. Ron Levi, President and CEO of VMI is known for creating and implementing premiere adult marketing programs to generate interest and increased sales on the Internet. VMI's www.CyberErotica.com won the Award for Best Marketing at the AVN Adult Internet Awards Show at the InterActive 2000 Adult Internet Trade Show in Las Vegas in January 2000.

Under the terms of the Letter of Intent, Rick's will issue 1,700,000 restricted shares of Rick's common stock and $3,128,000 to Voice Media. Of the 1,700,000 shares of Rick's, 700,000 shares will remain in escrow until certain earnings benchmarks are achieved. The entire 700,000 shares will be released if the EBIDTA of www.clubpix.com equals or exceeds $4,000,000 during the twelve month period following the closing of this transaction. Voice Media could also receive an additional 300,000 restricted shares of Rick's common stock and up to $9,000,000 (inclusive of the $3,128,000) if certain other earnings benchmarks are achieved. Voice Media would receive the entire amount if the EBIDTA of www.clubpix.com during the twelve month period following the closing of this transaction exceeds $6,000,000. The cash portion of the purchase price is payable only from up to 75% of the free cash flow from the web site payable over six years.

Eric Langan, President and CEO of Rick's, stated, ``We are confident that teaming up with Voice Media, a recognized leader in the adult internet industry, will evidence our commitment to the growth and expansion of our internet presence. We intend to utilize Mr. Levi's proven expertise and knowledge to bring additional credibility to our acquisition strategy among other Adult Webmasters and pave the way to continue our plans to consolidate this industry.''

Rick's recently entered into a Letter of Intent with Voice Media to acquire the website www.xxxpassword.com and entered into a Management and Marketing Agreement with Voice Media to manage, operate, market and distribute www.dancerdorm.com.

Rick's Cabaret International Inc. opened its first ``Rick's Cabaret'' in Houston, Texas in 1983 and went public with its IPO in 1995, making Rick's the world's first publicly traded topless entertainment business. Rick's owns and operates premier adult entertainment Internet web sites, such as www.DANCERDORM.com and www.SMUTDOG.com. Rick's also owns and operates three Rick's Cabaret locations, two of which are in Houston and one of which is in Minneapolis. Rick's also owns and operates two XTC Cabarets, which are located in San Antonio and Austin, through its 93% owned subsidiary, Taurus Entertainment Companies Inc. Rick's and its subsidiaries own all the real estate properties where their cabarets and Internet production studio are located.

Gigi Appleton Sues Luc Wylder

GeneRoss.com reports that Gigi Appleton has filed suit against her former business partner Luc Wylder. Gigi says Luc owes her over $90,000 and two investing partners about $60,000. Gigi tells GeneRoss.com: "There was also a clause in our dissolution agreement that he [Wylder] would continue to pay our producers and manufacturers [Roy Alexander, Dave Cummings, Liquid Video, Twist Productions, Bob's Video, et. al.] the money they were owed through my sales and the sales deparatment of Fallen Angel - in a prompt fashion. These things have not occured. We have been in negotiations for a year over that."

Mike Bushler of Phase One Graphics, a highly respected boxcover man in the industry, says that Wylder entered his office with a goon and sought to intimidate him. Wylder reportedly cleared Bushler's desk, destroying an important project, and generally caused havoc at Bushler's business.

Bushler told GeneRoss.com about Wylder: "He plows through my front door, past all my employees and goes into my office, about two inches from my face. He starts screaming at me that I can't do this to him, that nobody's going to put him out of business. This all transpired from a week before with me telling him that I wasn't going to be doing work for him anymore. He started screaming, clenched fist. I saw frustration in him and felt sorry for him. Then he stomped around in my office with his hobnail boots and my employees were hiding under their desks at this point. He walked over to my desk and with one fell swoop of his arm, cleared my desk. I had a prototype for a big project that I was doing for another client which he shattered."

Appleton is well regarded around the adult industry and porners will tend to take her side against Luc, who some view as a pretty boy lacking substance. Though his business has been struggling the past few years, Luc never fails to get in his regular gym workouts and tanning sessions to keep himself looking on top.

According to sources favorable to Gigi, Appleton provided most of the money and the money-making expertise for Fallen Angel. They say that Luc spent Gigi's money recklessly in production, so that the money flowing out of Fallen Angel far exceeded the dollars coming in.

Appleton is not the type of person to file suit quickly and without cause. But she's been waiting for payment from Wylder for months. He's way behind schedule.

Luc has his own share of friends in the industry, and his wife Alexandra Silk is popular inside and outside the industry. Wylder may simply be overwhelmed with the responsibilities of running a manufacturer and distributer. There's no free lunch, not even in porn.

Porners have been expecting Appleton's lawsuit for months.

The type of desk clearing intimidation used by Wylder is far more common in porn than conventional businesses, though I remember similar acts in my years in the construction trade.

Since my days at my high school newspaper, I've had people try to intimidate me out of writing stories.

The most painful intimidation I've suffered is personal. When someone close to you says, "I won't be your friend if you write that story." That has happened several times to me over the years, and I've lost friends. Sometimes I've chosen to not write something rather than lose a friend or a source.

I try to treat everyone I run into politely. When I interview people, I try to understand where they are coming from and to convey a sense of empathy. But because I try to do this with everyone, I inevitably leave many people feeling burned. They'll say things like, "Luke, I thought you were my friend." At times, people from Kendra Jade, Rob Spallone, Paul Fishbein, David Sturman, Russ Hampshire, Reb Sawitz, etc have felt that I have burned them, that I have betrayed their trust in me.

I don't think you can be a good reporter without engendering these feelings in many of your sources. It's a balancing act to keep enough sources to keep you supplied with scoop, and yet pursue the full truth of a story. These two aims are not fully reconcilable.

Other forms of intimidation are legal. Such as when my high school and college administrators threatened to shut down my paper. Or threats of lawsuits. Or actual suits. I think some people think they can intimidate me out of a story by threatening an expensive lawsuit. Or by actually filing one, they can force a retraction. They believe that I'd rather cave than go through the expense and nuisance of a court case.

I feel I have much to prove in my two current suits (XXX and Laurie Holmes). Most of all, that what I write was true. But secondarily, that I can't be intimidated out of a story.

In some ways, I receive less intimidation than I used to, because, I think, I have proved a certain amount of toughness.

The most obvious form of intimidation that I've received over the years is physical, similar to what Wylder allegedly did to Bushler. I've had my share of death threats. I've had people punch me and knock me down. I've had people come up to within an inch or two of my face and scream at me.

Today I drove around and talked to a few sources. I discussed my plans to write a book on Hollywood's Velvet Mafia. I was warned how dangerous that was. Rich and ruthless folks like David Geffen, Barry Diller etc don't hesitate to defend their interests and values. Geffen has frequently used the services of cutthroat attorney Bertram Fields, who was cc'd on a legal threat I received from Geffen's attorney.

I've talked to about two dozen folks around Hollywood who believe that Geffen and Diller and company have the sort of money and power that can make people like me disappear.

I don't oppose intimidation generically. I do not think it is ipso facto wrong. Sometimes it is right and good and in your self interest to try to intimidate a journalist or anyone else you want something from. It is all in how you do it, when you do it, and to whom you do it.

I have no moral problem with celebrities and porn stars and anyone fighting back against the news media or myself. We all need to have a "Thick Face, Black Heart," to quote the title of an excellent book I've just read. A "Thick Face," to protect ourselves from others' disparaging opinions and a "Black Heart," to use a spear when necessary to get what is right.

I enjoyed Tom King's book on Geffen, "The Operator." It came as no surprise that the music industry billionaire sometimes used ruthless and unethical methods to get ahead.

The big question in my mind, that we should all ask, is - "What is the sum total of my striving?" Has Geffen done more good than harm? Have I? We will all have to face God one day, and I hope we all get what we deserve.

I am animated by a sense of justice. When I feel someone has been dealth with unjustly, I want to do what I can to right things. Such as reporting on the affair by a key AVN executive, who left a wife with three kids at home to play with Paul Fishbein's secretary. Left his wife struggling with a four month old child. That seems like dirty pool and I wanted to embarrass the guy and push him into doing the right thing.

Goddess: "I don't agree with your tactics when it comes to revealing the story that supposedly took place in Maui. All it did was add MORE humiliation to a woman who is already suffering enough thanks to her husband, IF the story is true. And if she's struggling with three kids, why in the world would you want to add to her misery by making the story known to everyone who reads your column? And it was one thing to run a blind item, but to give further clues like the fact that they have a new baby is TACKY on your part. Unless you can prove this incident is in some way compromising AVN ethics, it's nobody's business but that of the three people involved."

Luke: That I believe I have noble motives, of course, means nothing. Most of us do. The key is to act in ways that maximize the good, and punish evil. We should judge actions, our own and other peoples. We can't judge motives.

I've just finished the mesmerizing book "Dish," about America's gossip industry. During the 1990s, according to the author Jeannette Walls, celebrities found that the most effective way to respond to threatening gossip was by employing folks like Anthony Pellicano to intimidate those gossiping about you.

Jane Galbraith writes about Pellicano in the 9/1/93 issue of Newsday:

...the point man claiming pop star Michael Jackson is the target of a $20-million extortion plot. In recent weeks, Pellicano also was hired by a Columbia Pictures executive to find out who'd been spreading rumors linking the executive to Heidi Fleiss...

In the not-so-distant past, Pellicano's name could be found in newspaper stories about how Roseanne Arnold found the daughter she gave up for adoption - she became enraged with him later, believing he sold the story to the National Enquirer - and again in stories disputing the legitimacy of taped conversations between Gennifer Flowers and then-presidential candidate Bill Clinton.

Who is this guy? His business cards say that he does either "private investigation," "electronic surveillance" and / or "negotiations" - he's had three versions printed. His purported expertise in any combination of the above has brought him clients ranging from Kevin Costner to the National Enquirer - and a high-profile status achieved by no other private "dick" working the Tinseltown beat. He's also been dubbed "The Big Sleazy" by GQ magazine - a moniker some say couldn't be more accurate.

"He turns up really spectacular kinds of evidence," said one avowed fan, entertainment lawyer Bertram Fields, who represents not only pop star Jackson but other big names as well. Fields, who hired Pellicano in the Jackson case, credited him with getting the emotional distress suit dismissed against "Beverly Hills Cop" and "Top Gun" producer Don Simpson, whose secretary had claimed he made her schedule appointments with prostitutes and other alleged transgressions.

On the foe side is Jeffrey Wells, a freelance writer covering Hollywood who believes Pellicano tapped his phones when he was doing some investigative reporting on Columbia Pictures executive Michael Nathanson earlier this year.

The Chicago native first made a name for himself in Los Angeles by casting doubt on government tapes as an expert witness for John DeLorean in the former auto maker's 1983 cocaine trial. DeLorean was acquitted - and later claimed Pellicano intimidated government witnesses.

Pellicano, who did not respond to a reporter's requests for an interview, has admitted to resorting to strong-arm tactics. He's bragged about beating somebody with a baseball bat on behalf of a client.

Hal Guthu Mystery

Wyatt Earp writes: Mr. Ford, I am a polite, distant reader of your website. I have thought a bit about the murder of Hal Guthu. I'm going to call it a murder because of the fire that was there (typical in cases where people want to destroy evidence), the fact the bird died, and there was no note. In many cases, suicide is a final call for understanding, and people usually want to get their message across and therefore leave a note or message behind, unless that message is implicit in the act, as it may have been with Kurt Cobain's blowing off his head - a nihilistic rejected of his heroin-soaked life. In the case of Mr. Guthu, it appears that there was no forewarning. Nobody heard him moan or act depressed, at least from the people that are among your contributing readership.

In the case that it was a murder, we can pretty much write off any random act of violence theory, in that Hal knew a lot of low-lifes most likely and some of them may be violent. More importantly, from what I gather, Hal was one of the most influential talent agents in the business. It would seem an up-and comer in the business would have sufficient motive to kill him. Among my suspects would be the competing talent agents. Searching the web, you can find several, such as modelspage.com and beautifulmodels.com (there are more). Some of these sites are based in LA and they all do porn girl placement services.

I reckon it was a cold calculation in the way the act was performed. The act took place at his business, leading me to believe that the act was purely business as well. I wonder if the local police department has questioned any of Mr. Guthu's competition? I doubt it. Maybe they don't put much thought into porn investigations.

Gilles: Hi Luke.I don't want to play the detective but there is a few point I would like to comment.First,If they couldn't find any home where Hal was living,it can simply be that he was living at the studio.He has a bed there an everything needed to do so and it will also easily explain why you could find him there at 6 in the morning and also as late as midnight.Second,I remember about the note he apparently left in his car parked a few block away.Apparently the police check out the signature of this note with a signature they found on a credit card slip.Anybody can easily copy a signature,it's another story to write a full note with the appropriate writing.They should compare that note with a full letter written by Hal's hand.I had such a letter when I hired a model from him last summer and it turn out to be a nightmare,but when I looked for it, to offer it to the police,when I heard about his death,I couldn't find it.Hopefully they do find one of such document and compared both.

RAME vs AVN

I've been helped immeasurably over the years by the sharp opinions of folks who frequent and moderate the newsgroup rec.arts.movies.erotica. Particularly Jeff, Tim Evanson, Peter Van Aarle, Roger Pipe, Mike South and Pat Riley.

Here's a post from Jeff aka FAQ@RAME.net.

Kernes writes: >The controversy started (where else?) on r.a.m.e.

Jeff: I always thought l-keford.com was the hotbed for controversy... but then again, every other article on Luke's site seems to be cribbed from here, so... I guess the controversy started here, but the flames were really fanned on the Web, methinks...

>(rec.arts.movies.erotica, an Internet newsgroup) with Ridley99, and >perhaps others, who aren't even in the porn biz, nonetheless expressing >their opinions on how the industry should be run.

Is Kernes actually suggesting that the porn fan is not allowed an opinion since he is not in the porn biz? I don't think he is saying this, but it sure sounds like it. What difference does it make if Ridley, et al are in the porn biz? To say they shouldn't have opinions about "how the industry should be run" is like saying sports fans shouldn't have an opinion as to how their favorite teams should be coached since they're not professional sportsmen... or that people who are not software engineers have no business commented on Microsoft's business practices, isn't it? Am I mischaracterizing?

As I recall Ridley's initial post, he railed against the Rough Sex movie. Not so much about the industry as a whole, but about a product he felt strongly about. He made it clear that he felt this movie had no place in the marketplace. Obviously, some people within Anabolic agreed with him because the series was discontinued. So, the question becomes "Why was the series discontinued?" If we're just a bunch of know-nothing fans, how did one thread in a should-be-ignored-since-we're-so-clueless newsgroup kill a video line of a major distributor? Why did Chris Alexander buckle if we're all a bunch of cluelss dim-bulbs as Kernes seems to characterize us? Why did Gene Ross give the topic any ink? Can anyone answer this?

The moderators have an obligation to approve articles that fall within the bounds of the charter and posting guidelines -- but news outlets have no such obligation. Why was the choice made to give his topic credibility outside this forum? I mean, its one thing to be "that other gossipmonger" who will print anything and promote this crap, but why did Ross sink to our level? How did this thread become news? Was it because Ford gave it press, and so it had to be countered and neutralized by Ross?

>Nothing particularly wrong with that; ignorance is usually bliss, ... always with the backhanded remark. No one knows nothing if they're not on DeSoto Ave in Chatsworth, is that it? ... >and >those reading the posts who are in the industry should have had enough >sense to give said opinions as much weight as if those same persons had >expressed a liking for, say, strawberries.

I guess the operative phrase is "*should have* had enough sense..." since apparently, they didn't have enough sense to ignore it... If the thread was discounted as the ramblings of a ignorant consumer, why was the video line dropped? Is it because Khan Tusion was the only person with the vision to produce the line and he got spooked by the bad press? I can't believe there aren't other pornographers out there with the ability to make this genre of porn? (i.e. Jon Dough had his own line for a while, and he *was* in the series in question, perhaps he could have helmed Volume 3? We'll never know.)

Why wasn't our thread ignored? Why didn't he turn down Rog's request for an interview and just stand by his work? Why did he legitimize the brouhaha by paying it any sort of mind? (Has RAME become a scapegoat for insiders to use when they disagree with a colleague's product? Were those colleagues secretly relieved to see the line discontinued and RAME allowed them the smokescreen to let out their heavy sighs?) Or was this all a calculated move on Anabolic's part? I have a hard time believing that this line was discontinued because of a thread in our group. It's been long said that we carry no sway with the industry -- I don't expect us to carry any weight, to be honest (why is for another thread) -- so why did we this time?

>Now don't get me wrong: I have nothing against sites where the >contributors know what they're talking about - you know, where they >actually investigate and speak to the participants in all sides of a >controversy?

This has always been my criticism of Luke as well -- its just shoddy, lazy work. But RAME has never passed itself off as a "news" site - we're just fans passing notes. But can't geneross.com -- part of the AVN online presence -- be accused of doing the same sloppy thing? Gene initially attributed the Rough Sex posts initally to Rodney Moore... couldn't this be considered sloppy and hardly a benchmark of investigative journalism? Did Gene ever ask Ridley for comments or to try and get his side of the story? It seems that Gene's site, which is such an obvious attempt to counteract Luke's site (which is fine by me) with the "official" word, sometimes falls into the same traps that Luke does and when it does, its air of superiority just makes it seem conceited. The knife cuts both ways.

AVN has especially taken great strides in dismissing the online community -- all the way back to 1996 when Kernes and Tony Lovett crucified alt.sex.movies -- and I am not sure to what end. Is it to discredit us so people continue to rely upon AVN for their news? Does AVN consider itself the "official" line because it is produced by people "in the industry?"

Personaly, I have always found AVN to be somewhat schizophrenic -- on the one hand it is a magazine for retailers, on the other it is a fan magazine covering the industry... and it increasingly seems like it does not appreciate the competition on the "fanzine" side of things. (It is still unequalled in the retailer niche, IMHO)

> -or ones that review tapes, discuss perceived trends in the >industry, or give contributors' preferences for one star's tits over >another's - even some interesting posts detailing which scenes and bits >are being cut out of Vivid movies when they go to catalog or DVD.

How did RAME get a rep for being anything other than fans blabbing? When did we become a "news outlet"? When did people start paying attention to us? Its obvious that Joe Pornographer is going to continue churning out his one-day wonders and Mary Slutbunny is going to continue getting her tits inflated despite our protests to the contrary. It has been long held that the on-line community does NOT mirror its real world counterpart. The RAMErs seem to hate Leisure Time. Yet, Leisure Time is one of the most successful companies -- their product always seems to be rented and sold according to sources here who own or work at video stores. If it was up to us, Carriere would be out on the street; yet he is "making a living." Ditto for fake tits.

As with any broad base of people, especialy those who congregate on Usenet, you're going to get a broad range of articles, and those articles will cover the gamut of unintelligble drivel (which we try to filter out) to thoughtful to useful. I'm glad that Kernes at least gives passing credit to reviewers and posters like J Smith with his Vivid Cuts list. Its projects like these that give the group its true worth -- in protecting the consumer from an industry that seems to take f---ing to every level of the supply chain :-)

I hope Mr. Kernes will delurk, discuss this and clarify some things. I am fairly certain he will not, but a boy can hope :-)

Mike South writes: Luke, I'll tell ya why Mark Kernes is always jumping to make RAME a scapegoat. It is because RAME represents everything that the porn industry fears. A cross section of consumers educating each other, very timely reviews, very timely gossip all things that could make print journalism a thing of the past. Add in the fact that industry insiders do NOT like for anyone outside the industry to voice an opinion to the world and viola! you have the reason. An educated consumer is this industries WORST nightmare and like it or not more people read RAME in a day than read AVN in a month....RAME is educating consumers....slowly but surely and Kernes may whine and squeel about it BUT RAME is having an impact...A lot moreso than the non RAMErs realize.

MMasw writes on RAME: AVN makes an interesting read for this porn fan....primarily to see what may be upcoming (hmmm) or what I may have missed. And sometimes even the editorials are on target.

But that doesn't mitigate the pretentious nature of the rag. I think the porn industry woud be better off if it was "located" a few hundred mile further away from Hollywood. Then the porn fans might not be subjected to so much self-indulgent BS from pornographers who somehow are convinced that they are "filmmakers"....and AVN is a cheerleader for that kind of product.

I know some people like the machine-gun, cheesecloth style of Anderw Blake, or the insufferable "sophistication" of Michael Ninn. But there is a reason why Gonzo and Wall-to-Wall (AVN categories) are such major parts of the porn industry...it's what a large segment of the consumers want.....not a lot of storyline, and dialog, or the cheesy special effects that some goofball pornographer confuses for art. And of course the elitists at AVN would much ather be associated with "art" then splooge flying across the living room.....even though splooge is the lifeblood of their industry. and, also of course, RAME...... where there are often.....make that constant frank discussions about splooge and other bodily secretions and the orifices from whence they come....is just to base for the deilcate sensibilities of AVN . Just to [be] crude and ignorant here.

Lynne writes: My usual psychic connection to Luke F-rd had me wondering this morning, as I stumbled half-awake to the computer, why so few pornographers take part on his site these days... Luke may be the boy they love to hate, but there's been plenty of far worse characters who've been allowed to function unchallenged in the business for years.

There's a reason I'm so besotted with Luke. It may have begun over an obsession with his personal beauty but quickly became an unlimited appreciation of what he's done for my beloved porn business -- providing a forum for uncensored discussion about the products and the participants, without concern about tact or who might be offended.

I've never participated on r.a.m.e. --- mostly because my opinions about the industry, as a true insider of many years, didn't need to be shared in public. That didn't change until Adult Video News ignored my dying husband's participation in a gay production Mickey Skee called one of the best ever, and went on to ignore our "Indigo Moods" black "couples" video completely. I became angry -- my husband had only a few weeks to live and nothing would have pleased him more than to have his ability at moviemaking recognized by his peers in the short time he had left.

At that point I turned to Luke and "went public." I knew it was a step that, once taken, I couldn't undo. That, if AVN chose to ignore my work (which is good, dammit) and I sought another venue for exposure, I could never get back into their good graces.

Mostly what I've gotten from having participated on l-keford.com is ridicule about my personal appearance and accusations of grandstanding. I've even been told by Luke's regulars that, because I am taking a break from porn, I should no longer be allowed to participate!

When AVN editor Mark Kernes first arrived in Los Angeles, I invited him out to lunch and gave him every encouragement. I was one of the Old Guard, so to speak, having been in the adult industry long before videotape became the primary format for pornography. At the time, he respected that. Ten years later I've been ostracized right out of the business. What happened? What happened to my career? What happened to my career goal of creating good hot porn, hetero and gay, which was not only politically acceptable but did its job of sexually exciting the viewer?

It would be easy to blame my relationship with Luke F-rd for it, but I think that's an easy "scapegoating" out.

What I think, to use a metaphor appropriate for the Passover holiday, is that AVN has become the "golden calf" of porn. AVN has drifted from its original commitment of providing a forum for insiders to an "old boys' network" promoting a self-defined status quo. Agree with us, or else. Women's voices are acceptable ONLY as long as they support that status quo -- play Aunt Tomasina like the niggers they're expected to be -- or they're out. I've been bitching about the preponderance of anal sex in so-called hetero porn for years: unacceptable to Adult Video News. Bruce Walker and I made a gay movie, but Mickey Skee, the Gay Editor for AVN, was in love with Paul Barresi, so instead of playing fair with our movie, appeased Paul by cutting Bruce out of the reviews. (Tim Evanson should be familiar with this and with our movie, "Handsome Ransom," which should have been the first of some good gay product rather than the only one made. And note that Gabor Szabo was later allowed by Gene Ross to take credit for the movie after Bruce's death.)

AVN does not sell tape, people. Reviews appear months after tapes are released and distributors and retailers have made their decisions as to which tapes to purchase. In their continued coverage of the industry, they promote some individuals as being "good pornographers" and ignore others. The tapes continue to sell based on their sales history, regardless of AVN's coverage.

This wasn't always true -- The "Buttman" series and the "Dirty Debutante" series received extensive approval from AVN, and were brought to industry awareness in that way. At the time they were unique and different, and reflected a move away from porn movies which aped straight movies, often losing their heat in the process. These two series, along with the advent of home video, opened the floodgate for the "anyone can make porn" school of adult video, even as they returned the state of the product to the amateurish 8mm loops which preceded explicit adult filmmaking of the 1970's and 80's. I liked 'em, because, like Luke, I like "audience participation" and the voyeuristic approach to sex. My husband hated 'em -- said they were clumsy and had no moviemaking art. But then, I've always argued that "porn has its own aesthetics."

Let's take Al Borda as an example. Came from nowhere, went nowhere, brought nothing to the genre and yet was lauded as a great new player. And cover boy Matt Zane: a truly vital, charismatic guy who entered porn because it was a family business, combined "rock with porn" to keep himself from getting bored and told anyone who would listen how much he hated making adult videos. I had a lot of fun working with Matt as a production manager a few years back -- he didn't need to get into the business to meet cute young chicks, and is the antithesis of the fat, old slob who does. But it was hard working for someone who didn't like his job, and Matt has yet to make his contribution to the genre. He likes music, he likes clothes, and porn is his "day job."

Adult Video News promotes its own agenda, folks. It has its list of approved "players," and allows for no dissent. Never has. Not even in a "devil's advocate" role. When they stick to the facts, such as in their coverage of censorship and legal issues, they provide excellent coverage. But they have room for only one version of pornography -- that which exploits and degrades women. They are not in tune with the changing times, and they turn a deaf ear and a blind eye to the true significance of the product they laud.

My favorite high-ranking company owner told me at last January's CES that I should get off my butt and stop whining about AVN, and do something myself about creating a more objective venue for reviewing pornography. I explored doing this at CES, and received plenty of support from directors, distributors and the behind-the-scenes industry executives (who've known me all these years as an opinionated bitch who gets things done right) for such a venture, but no capital and no job offers.

I daresay that the "Rough Sex" line was pulled either because it found no support from buyers, or because it received threats of legal prosecution. If I were still working in video distribution, I'd know, but I'm not, so can only speculate. Still, no one pulls a successful commercial product just for the hell of it. Smacking women around during sex is just not acceptable to most communities, making it a blatant violation of the Miller Obscenity Test. Sticking a speculum up an orifice is stupid, but not necessarily obscene. Having sex with a rubber octopus is stupid, but not obscene. Sex in the context of violence is an unacceptable representation of arousal. Maybe there are more potential serial killers out there than we think, but catering to them as an audience does not bode well for pornography and is very hard to justify as media entertainment.

RAME got a reputation as being a "news outlet" when the audience realized that Adult Video News was not an accurate reflection of the business, and turned to RAME as the forum for the discussions which AVN will not allow.

Leisure Time products are popular on the retail level because they are priced right for the market, both sell-through and rental, not because they have any artistic or erotic merit. They are priced to compete with catalog, yet are packaged as new product. They leave the shelves in droves, but have no passionate fans. One takes one home hoping for a hot scene or two in the absence of available new releases that week. And their mail-order ads were/are brilliant, focusing on individual performers and a huge quantity of material vs. any particular style or substance.

Fake tits, on the other hand, have become an acceptable part of mainstream culture. I edited a magazine called "The Catalog of Big Breasts" back in 1978 which sold 400,000 copies in several editions. Large breasts are a favorite personal fetish of mine, and implants make it possible for a woman who meets the current standard of beauty to become artificially buxom. "Slim but stacked" is what we call it in the parlance of the trade.

In some countries, such as France, big tit mags NEVER sold well, but America has always been obsessed with outsized mammaries. The natural ones are few and far between, and rarely beautiful once unleashed from clothing. Most women with naturally large breasts also have naturally large hips and butts, which aren't 2considered attractive in these days of lanky supermodels and Kate Moss body types. America being the land of mechanical ingenuity and superficial beauty, we make our own ideal babes. Only after one tires of the artificial, cookie-stamped "Barbie dolls" does one yearn for the real thing, and there aren't enough around for the porn industry. Manufactured women are a natural for manufactured sex, and most fans aren't discerning enough to care.

I don't know when Mark Kernes went from being a passionate fan to being a shill for the industry, but I'm sure a regular paycheck had something to do with it.

Mike South makes a very valid point when he writes that "RAME represents everything that the porn industry fears. A cross section of consumers educating each other, very timely reviews, very timely gossip; all things that could make print journalism a thing of the past. Add in the fact that industry insiders do NOT like for anyone outside the industry to voice an opinion to the world and viola! you have the reason. An educated consumer is this industry's WORST nightmare." But if industry insiders do not like for anyone outside the industry to voice an opinion to the world, they hate it even more when an industry insider speaks out.

Thus my ostracism. Ask Heatwave, VCA, Video Team and Adam & Eve why I'm not making movies. It's not because I'm a "woman," or that my movies are "bad." It's because I've dared to question the quality of the product promoted by a bunch of little boys who dislike women and sex and feel the need to justify their sexual inadequacies by praising the garbage produced by their little group of male whores.

Luke F-rd On Stunning Curves

From www.stunningcurves.com: "Love him or hate him, Luke F-rd has made people remember his name from covering the Adult Industry on his website, www.l-keford.com. We have just posted the Real Audio portion of his interview taken at CES, with the transcript to come a little later. Head on over to our Interview Section right now and listen to what Luke has to say about himself, religion, masturbation, being bullied and much more."

Radical Gay Takeover

Tim Evanson writes on RAME: The two owners of Odyssey Video (both gay, by the way; I guess Luke F-rd can add that to his pile of evidence about the Great Radical Gay Take-over Theory) have the sole license to distribute Private in the US.

But I for one am VERY aware of Odyssey's other videos -- their GAY videos. Odyssey has built a solid gay line over the last 10 years. They've gone from being a real nobody in the gay industry to being one of the top players. These days, I'd hazard a guess that Odyssey is even more important in the gay industry than long-time player Catalina. They've clearly outlasted Centaur Films and Forum Studios (although for reasons that may not have much to do with quality of product).

And Odyssey scored a big coup (to my mind, of somewhat dubious value) by stealing Ken Ryker away from Falcon Studios and putting him back before the cameras. Heck, legendary director Jerry Douglas has even worked for Odyssey, and if the rumors coming out of the GayVN show are any indication he'll work for them again, too.

Ryan: In response to Lori Michaels' comments from last Friday about Vivid signing up two new contract girls with natural breasts...what's to say they won't be sporting boob jobs in the next couple of months, if not weeks?. It's happened before at Vivid. Does the name Sky ring a recent bell?. I don't necessarily think the powers that be at Vivid are "getting the idea", it's too early to say. And what about all of the women who HAVE gotten breast implants through industry insistence?. What about them?, just throw them on the scrap heap and move on?. Nice attitude. Let's see the Vivid PR machine send out press releases on how they aren't pressuring women to get breast implants any more and even helping former female adult performers get implant removals through responsible doctors. Surely, Gross and Schlessinger can put a good PR spin on that. Think of the possibilities for positive mainstream coverage!. The only problem I see is a big one...they have to MEAN it.

Gary: You should take a trip to Japan. You think Europeans are open about sex? Japan is much more perverse. They have shops called burusera where they have thousands of photos of high schoolers in in uniforms showing their underwear. If someone likes a particular girl they can buy the style of the girl's uniform and their used underwear.

Hank writes about CNN's Lynne Russell: I find her aggravating because she does CNN "slam" journalism so poorly that it is obvious. Be it "the children" or the latest Mathew Sheppard update (or the latest Elian quarter hour update) she is so grating that the propaganda becomes obvious. Otherwise I'd like her.

David writes: I came across a comment about Anita Cannibal I wam a big fan of hers and I came across her last movie which was done by a company called California Wildcats. She performed with Andy Lace in a all girl flick called Dark Lessons. It is probably one of the best quality videos I have ever seen. I passed it around the office and the guys were all thinking those two had some of the hottest scenes they had looked at in a long time. I mean luke those two go at it like there is no tomorrow. Well go check it out http://www.californiawildcats.com/193.htm They have a 1 or 2 minute viewing there.

Steve Neece writes: Looks like I have hit some sore spots.Good! First off ,let me rebut Ogmans confused diatribe and try and make clear to him what I said.

First off,I very pointedly said that only 1 or 2% of all porn ever made would qualify as high art.I hardly think that makes me a knee jerk pornophile.I have spent some time with performers.I consider Veronica Hart a dear friend and one of the warmest and kindest people I know.Likewise Annie Sprinkle.Among present day performers I have found Anita Cannibal to be a delightful free spirit.I take it you are in the industry and possibly worked on sets.Did you suffer rejection from performers? My comments on religion/morality and the ancient Greeks were in 2 separate paragraphs.You obviously have trouble separating two trains of thought.Are you possibly dyslexic.?

As to the ancient Greeks & religion,they had their Olympian gods who were very much as humans except for being immortal and if I remember right most of 'em went both ways.I made no mention of the ancient Greeks in terms of religion,only in their acceptance of gayness. I stand by my observations re. Stacy Valentine.I could not follow your rant at the end of the paragraph.You seem to have homicidal tendencies towards performers. Why does Lynn L-patin threaten you?Are you that inadequate in your personhood? Being hostile to those displaying intelligence is a sure sign of inferior mentality and character. I would be honored to be Lynnes lover should the opportunity arise and that includes giving her all of the oral anal stimulation her heart desires.Have you ever rimmed a lover? Are you too insecure to do so? Finally,why in the world would I want to meet Max Hardcore.? He seems more your type.Do you share his prediliction for pedophilia? Maybe that's it.You just can't deal with any woman past the age of puberty. Re.Markus Killus;Rhodes saying he would paint Africa red from the Cape to Cairo referred to the color red that was used on maps of the time to denote the colonies of the British Empire.

Emmett Reviews Lexington Steele in Gangland 6

Emmett writes: I have seen Gangland 6 and the film is good. What makes it awesome is [blonde Caucasian] Jennifer Leigh and here is why...

Scene one: Jennifer Leigh with Lexington Steele, Jake Steed; two other Afro-Americans are featured. There Identities are unknown. I will call them James and Hank.

Jen is sitting outside on the porch wearing a blue top and blue panties and she has blonde hair. She has a blue then like rag around her waist, barely covering her bright, blue, panties. The men hop over the fence to her house to put her body to work. They walk in, Jen is unaware, sitting down, and smoking. She lifts her shades to see an echelon of "f--- troops'. She talks to them while some of the other men fondle her breast. Jake drops his pants, grabs Jen's hair, and shoves his crooked, bloated, cock in her wet mouth. Now the other men drop their pants, pull her hair, and mouth as a rag to wash their blood, filled, dicks. Her tears ducts open due to facial slamming of her mouth. Her face looks like a floor of saliva. Her mascara is running. Already these nasty men are putting her to work. Jake stands her up, drops her bright, blue, panties to the ground, and jams his serpentine prick into her dry vagina. James sits in her chair. Jake bends her down to James. Her mouth slides right down James' spear of a cock. Jake rams into her vagina hoping to push her gut through her mouth. Jen looks back as a suggestion to calm down. Jake slows down, giving her time to adjust to his deformed f--- meat.

Jen still keeps her blue bra and slip on. She looks erotic getting reamed from behind outside wearing practically nothing. She then sits down on James' big cock. Jen is laughing due to the size of his black pole. She moans and groans as her box is being stuffed with black meat. She stands up and the troops escort her in side the house to give her the banging she truly needs. Already the scene is cut and has Jen on the floor being doggy styled by Henry. He is slowly pumping his rod into her wet vagina. He picks up the pace but never slams too hard. Still keeps her blue attire on. Still looking erotic.

All I can see for 6 minutes is an eagle shot of her body. the men love pounding her in the rear. The rest just use her mouth to clean off there stiff cocks. Lex comes to her rear. He tries to slowly shove it all the way in but he can't. Jen takes his slamming like a pro. She barely utters a sound. The scene is now cut to where Jake has Jen on her back while he pounds her missionary. Note; both scenes with Lex and Jake tires her out real quick so the pumping doesn't last long. She then stops and sits on Henry's cock. His rod is slopped down with Jen's vaginal fluids.

Anal time! James uses this time to take her anus. Now Jen is really moaning as he pounds his meat in to her s--- pit. The scene is cut very quickly and the men are replaced by Jake who takes her vagina and Lex who punishes her butt crack just for existing. Lex holds on his cock trying to shove all of his 12inch cock into her tight ass. She keeps looking back to see if her ass can fit that football pole into her ass. She doesn't last long and the scene is cut. Now she is on a brown couch sitting on Lex's cock while Jake shoves his crooked penis into her. They quickly show Jen's face and her facial impression looks as though she just gave birth to twins. Except these twins are trying to make it home. The men are doing there best put their entire super sized cocks into her tight holes, making little progress. Jen is moaning and taking it like a pro. Jen is sitting down on Lex's elephantine, bloated, cock while Jake tries his best to distort Jen's vagina. Jake finally made some progress and now is shoving his cock in her slit with out any problems. James takes Jake's place. Steele has never left her ass. He doesn't even try shoving it in he just sits there. He knows his cock can go no further. Lex is out her ass stretched ass and has decided to go for her semi-ruined vagina. Now he makes progress. Jen is moaning and groaning. She slides up and down on Jake's cock to relieve the pain. Lex is putting his entire rod into her. Lex can't make it and just dumps his cow fluids all over her face like a toilet. Before Lex is even finished Jake gets up quickly and pounds her vagina. And follow suit. The others do the same and just make a mess on her face. She looks exhausted. We never see her nipples. But it gives us something to look for next time.

Mad Jack writes: Emmett: I'd bet my life that your cock was hard, (I mean really, really hard!! ) when you wrote that overdiscriptive, longwinded review. Had I been into other men's cocks, I'm sure I would have come two or three times before I had finshed reading. I think you have a bright future awaiting you. Call Chi chi.

Curious writes: Curious writes: Not another digital Valentine from Emmett to Lexington Steel!! It just plain creeps me out how Emmett drools over Lexinton's penis.

Emmett, it is clear to me that you suffer from LOAD (Lexington Obsessive Addiction Disorder). You live your life focused on a heterosexual porn star that you have never met and never will meet!

Please take this short test to confirm my analysis of your fragile mental state. The LOAD quiz is broken into five main areas of general knowledge. If the subject is fixated on Lexington Steel in three or more areas he is then diagnosed as LOAD Positive.

HISTORY:

Copernicus was branded a heretic when he proposed that this was the center of the universe: a) the Earth b) the Sun c) the Mind of God d) Lexington Steel's cock

LITERATURE:

It is widely believed among literary scholars that William Shakespeare was probably a pen name for this Englishman: a) Francis Bacon b) King Henry VIII c) Walter Raleigh d) Lexington Steel's cock

ART:

His statue of David is considered to be the finest example human anatomy in classical statuary. Who was this artist: a) Roden b) Da Vinci c) Michaelangelo d) Lexington Steel's cock

POLITICS:

This twentieth-century President's term is often referred to as "Camelot." a) John Kennedy b) Dwight Eisenhower c) Richard Nixon d) Lexington Steel's cock

ENTERTAINMENT:

This was the first motion picture to have sound. a) Birth of a Nation b) The Jazz Singer c) Dracula d) Lexington Steel's cock

ANSWERS: b) the sun, a) Francis Bacon, c) Michaelangelo, a) John Kennedy, b) The Jazz Singer

Add up the number of times you responded d) Lexington Steel's cock. Here are your results:

0 times - You are perfectly normal. Congratulations!

1 time - Possible mild retardation, but functional.

2 times - Borderline LOAD. Low mental ability. Well suited for internet porn journalism career.

3 times- LOAD Positive! You may qualify for disability benefits contact the Social Security office for details.

4 times- Severely LOAD afflicted! Complete separation from reality. Institutionalize immediately!

5 times- LOAD OVERDOSE! You are gay! You have always been gay! You will always be gay! Your name is Emmett!

Emmett writes: People have been writing email about Lex for the past week and almost everyday, and I have not see any of those pussies such as Curious and Mad Jerk write to those people. Both them are dumb asses. When a person watches a straight porno, how the hell can a person just ignore the man f---ing her? The guy is there so why ignore him? Wimpy mother-f---ers like curious (which his name probably refers to sex life) and Mad Jack-Ass, always fear that if a guy admires another guy for his sexual performance they might be deemed as a homosexual. I don't see the problem since they are all ready gay. Anyway, I don't have a yellow back like those ass wipes. I will comment on anyone who is f---ing in a porno I watch. I admire the man because he is 50% of the reason why f--- scene is good. But the my review was purely based on Jennifer Leigh and not Lexington Steele.

He was included obviously, because he was f---ing her. But then again Illiterate, homo-maniacs like Mad Jack-Ass and pussy boy, "curious" cannot seem to process information well. If those un-educated, Lexington-penis-watchers, would take the time to think (which they can't b/c they are probably blowing each other off as people read this), than they would know that all porn stars should be recognized. No matter the color or sex. I also believe Mad Jack-Ass and Homo-Curious (These will be there new names from now on), constantly speak about there dislike for Lex is because they want me to talk about other male performers so they can whack off to it at home. Mad-Jack Ass had some anal experience in jail. I am sure every night some guy named "Tiny" shoved his prick into Mad Jack-Ass s--- pit so he would quit begging for it. Homo-Curious seems agitated that I am talking about a black guy and not a white person. His homo-fetish, racists, ass inadvertently confirmed it a while ago. He just wants me to talk about big Caucasian dicks so he can whack off on his computer. Instead of asking readers to answer stupid questions, he should ask the male readers who can fill his scummy, s----hole because that's all he wants (Note: The person has to be a white guy, he will not accept anything less.) But I don't think he needs to do it. Mad Jacks-Ass has had plenty of cock sucking and anal rampaging in prison. I am sure Mad Jack-Ass used and abused, dirt, hole will be enough to calm down that pussy boy's scum hole.

Curious: Who the hell is Emmett kidding? That whole review was nothing, but a Shakespearean love sonnet to the object of your affection, Lexington Steel! You thought you would be clever and use Jennifer Leigh's performance as a premise to write about your Sexy-Lexi! Any fluent reader could instantly pick up on your disdain for Ms. Leigh. Referring to her anus as a "s--- pit"? Describing her debasement as "punishing her but crack for existing"? Got some issues Mr. Emmett? Astute readers would also pick up on your descriptions of other actors' penises as "crooked" and "deformed", but your imagined boyfriend's cock is "elephantine."

BTW I have never said anything negative about Lexington Steel. I saw him once on an HBO special and he seemed really relaxed and honest about his porn stardom. He's cool. You're obsessed! Label me anyway you like, but the fact is I watch porn for the FEMALES and you do not! Why don't you slobber over Mr. Marcus instead? He's bisexual so you would at least have some chance of living your homo-erotic fantasy.

One more thing, will some of Luke's black readers please support me that the term "Afro-American" is passe (that means over Emmett).

Luke: I just read in the cover story at www.newtimesla.com, that one researcher believes that penis size and intelligence are inversely related. Comments please.

From New Times: "Rushton is another Pioneer Fund recipient -- he's received more than $500,000 -- who asserts that there's an inverse correlation between brain size and penis size. He claims that blacks' larger penises are an indication not only of lower intelligence but of greater promiscuity -- a conclusion he reached based on interviewing just 50 black students at the university where he teaches. Rushton's theories have made him such an intellectual pariah that in 1989 he was investigated, but not charged, under Canadian hate-propaganda laws."

Killing the Messenger

Lynne writes: We saw a great video in Sociology class today called "Tough Guise," which is a documentary exploring how men are socialized into our culture of violence. Following a segment featuring one of Luke's favorite rabble rousers, Rush Limbaugh, the educator who narrated the video explained his ranting against feminism as "by killing the messenger, one can avoid hearing the message." In other words, when men insult the women who attempt to participate on Luke's site, it's to drive them away! What is it we have to say that's so offensive? That we object to tapes portraying rough anal sex, showing women as sex toys for the use of men, etc.? That when it comes to sexuality, we want our voices heard? The men who complain show themselves for the sexually misfit fools they are.

Ogman, I must admit that it did feel good to have Steve's warm wet tongue on my ass. For a moment I thought it was the dog, being that I was bent over retrieving my keyboard at the time. I despair of Luke's ever learning to edit. You don't know how many times I've scolded him about it. But thanks for addressing the issue rather than the size of my butt. It's hard to have a long distance relationship by e-mail, and so the personal gets mixed in with public, and Luke forgets that what interests him in the context of our relationship bores the bejeesus out of other people. Blame him, not me -- he wears his heart on his sleeve, or rather his website, but because he has no real life he gets carried away living vicariously through mine. You must learn to spell "misogynist" at the very least, though, if you want to complain about being called one.

By the way, I've met Max Hardcore more than once. When he's not trying to show the world how badly he can treat women, he's a very pleasant fellow. Pat Riley analyzed Max Hardcore through his product a few days back, and was extremely accurate in his assessment of Max's sexuality. When I see a guy drooling over another guy, I assume he's gay. And I have seen Max drool... Or maybe that was my dog again...

And speaking of the size of my butt, not only is a man in his early twenties in my weightlifting class murmuring terms of endearment to me in class as we go round the circuit, but one of the hunky young instructors in his late twenties is starting to give me "buddy pats" on the shoulder in the gym. I must look a lot cuter wearing baggy sweat pants, a T-shirt dripping with perspiration and no make-up than I do in Luke's pictures. Some men like women who value their bodies enough to work out, and who are strong enough to f--- back. Hell, some men actually LIKE WOMEN! Believe it or not.

Witness For the Persecution

I asked Chaim Amalek's response to the www.newtimesla.com cover story on psychology professor Kevin McDonald. Chaim writes:

Dear Reb Luke: Last night I saw an offoffoffoffoffoff broadway show supported by New york City taxpayers in which two nude young women interacted with large bowels of water, sponges, and urinated into large blue plastic bags. I won't tell you the name of the show because the artists are serious dancers who deserve better than an audience of raincoaters, flocking in to relive the days of old. (This is not sarcasm! While I did not think much of this piece or of the public urination - so common among our performance artists that it no longer shocks me - at least one of the dancers really is very bright and a very talented classically trained dancer.)

Regarding the Kevin MacDonald piece, Tony Ortega did a great job in explaining the issues. (I would kvell, but judging from his name, he is not jewish, so why should I bother, right?) Where to begin: First, there is no way that a full discussion of the issues raised in the article can be had on your web site. And you know it. (By the way, have you ever considered posting a link to the American Kennel Clubs?)

Nature made us inference generating machines, capable of distilling complicated facts into simple generalizations and theories. That's not bad - we would not be able to make it to work, let alone know what to do once we got there, without that skill. But the downside is that it imbues intelligent men with the drive to find simple, easy to articulate master theories of things that in truth are too complicated for that. While grand theorizing works in simple areas, like physics, but generally falls apart when discussing large ensembles of extremely complex systems, like people. But that does not stop people from trying. Hence, Marxism, the Church, feminist critical theory, etc. Which is not to say that these grand theories do not have powerful strands of truth, only that there often is a lot more at play than the Grand Unified Theory of the Human Condition will tolerate.

I think there is some truth to what I have read MacDonald is saying, but as his critics have noted, lots of facts not supported by his theories as well. Such as the vast amount of intermarriage, both then and now. Unfortunately, the free and open discussion of such ideas is totally suppressed in the monopoly press and in our entertainment industry, largely because the jews who control those organs want it that way.

The irony is that the jewish "race" in the west is disappearing insofar as it ever was a distinct genetic grouping, thanks to exogamy (which directs jewish sperm to gentile women) and the consequences of feminism (which reduces the number of children jewish women have). The only exception to this is in the morbidly inbred and very fecund world of the Chasidim. Having seen these people up close, and read their newspapers, and talked to them, I am fairly certain that they will come to great grief in this country in the next century. Parents in that world are systematically crippling the minds of their young to shield them from secular culture. These people will not be able to wield power over anyone. They will become so base a people that not even the Jegroe project will save them.

When you were a child, did you have any pets? And were they properly cared for? Please put this old jew's mind at ease.

Luke: I had pets, mainly dogs. And they were properly cared for. And I have never had sex with an animal, not even oral sex. Could you please inform my readers why you too were not in London to testify for David Irving?

Chaim writes: Some times Chaim chooses not to take the bait. Anyway, it seems to me that I may have contributed more original material to this web site than you, yet it has profited me not. Where are MY stock options, where are the beatnik journalists calling to interview ME, and most critically, where are the pornets willing to gratify my, um, ego? Regarding the latter I will sweeten the deal as follows:

Listen up you pornets! Provided the CDC in Atlanta gives its blessing, you can now buy my silence regarding your activities, provided you offer me the deepest recesses of your "friendship". And do not let the miles stop you. That's what jet planes are for. - Luke F-rd, writing to myself again because I am still recovering from the four cups of wine I had and do not know what became of the afikomen.