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Sunday, November 15, 1998

Jenna Jameson is returning to porn for Wicked Pictures.

Early Thursday afternoon, Luke F-rd talked to a real journalist – the Vice President of Editorial Operations at AVN, Gene Ross, who recently wrote on Rob Black, pro wrestling and porn.

"The porn industry should embrace the same mechanics that have made professional wrestling so popular," says Gene. "You create controversies and rivalries and highlight skullduggery…because it develops viewer interest. Porn should take it to the next step where they carry these story lines through to video and not just air out stuff in print. Once you bring this controversy into the video forum, you can create a cliff-hanger context where you take these story lines and drop them off into the next feature so people can see, say, what is happening now between Jasmine and Kendra… I think Rob is successful in his persona. The reason for watching much of his stuff is that he is a character in his movies. He has the ability to make the industry interesting in a conspiratorial sense. He makes you feel that you are being made privy to some deep secrets. He presents it in an interesting way.

"Rob is most successful when he does a day in the life of… The Pornographer for instance, where he airs out what’s happening at Extreme Associates. They air out all the drama… Companies would be smart to do this within the context of their movies."

Luke: "Rob Black is a marked contrast to staid businessmen like Russ Hampshire and Steve Hirsch."

Gene: "You always have to look for the new way to promote the stuff… I’ve been in the business for 12 years. There’s always some new guy who says, ‘I’m going to change the face of pornography.’ Well, no you’re not because sex is only done a certain number of ways. You’re going to find a new way to have sex? No. What you’re going to do is to find a new way to promote sex. There isn’t much more you are going to do under the sun to change the look of a porno movie. They are what they are. Some people have a better knack for capturing porn than others but the whole idea is promotion and it’s always been promotion."

Director James DiGiorgio writes to Luke: "Is it my imagination, or did Gene Ross very nearly describe  Shooting Sex in his comments to you? Did this occur to you while speaking with him? Did you, perhaps, mention Shooting Sex  as an example of exactly what he's talking about? Why am I f---ing reading about EA's "The Pornographer" all over the place, and nary a mention of "shooting sex?" Are you falling down on the job as a self-promotionalist? Are you forgetting that I did NOT toss your shameless, self-promoting plugs (in the movie) onto the "cutting room floor?" Are you invested in EA? Are you a cast member of "The Pornographer?" I'm heading out to vegas with Rob Spallone for the weekend to do some biz-a-ness [with the family], I hope you'll have some pro-active answers when we return."

Pro wrestler Sam Pinico sees "numerous parallels between wrestling and porn. We can only show fighting so many ways before it gets boring, so storylines and "angles" are invented. That's probably the thing I like about Rob Black. He's taken what can appear on screen, after repeated viewing, as boring and made it interesting by adding gonzo elements and his controversial air. Much like wrestling though, I deplore the way a lot of women are used in these productions. My own personal feelings towards women tend to be on the worshipping side, so go figure.

"An interesting thing to know is that ECW and "garbage" style promotions are viewed at as "porn" because they overuse blood and weapons. Recent attendees, ironically enough, to ECW shows have been Rob Black and Tom Byron (who bears a striking resemblance to the WWF's X-pacc)."

Late Friday afternoon Luke basked in the warmth of his new friendship with Gene Ross. As he prepared to shut down his computer to celebrate the Sabbath, Ford got a call from the boss - Rob Spallone, who was driving to Las Vegas with James DiGiorgio.

"What the f--- are you doing, Luke?" asked Rob. "You've got to print this. Rob says that Gene Ross... all he did was bad mouth Luke to hundreds of people."

Jim in the background: "On the Ed Powers Show radio show."

Rob: "On the Ed Powers radio show. Now he's telling you that porno people should do this and that. The only reason he's doing this is because Rob Spallone said that Gene is a c-nt. You're got to print this sh-t, Lukey. And our movie [Shooting Sex], that you're in, you've got to promote the sh-t out of it.

"You've got to say, 'Rob never reads me but somebody told him what was on there [Gene Ross on wrestling] and he's like, 'Gene Ross, this is the guy who says Luke F-rd is a piece of sh-t, the worst journalist ever...'' I want you [Luke] to bury him [Ross]. I don't like the guy."

Jim in the background: "Unless he's [Ross] offering you a job to work there." [Not true] And where's our piece of your new pay site?"

Rob: "We don't do that yet. Lukey, we have to have this understanding. You and me...All the owners call me up and ask, 'how is your newspaper doing?' They think that you're mine. These other people call up, 'I want to kick Luke F-rd's ass but I know that if I kick his ass you're going to beat me up.' Luke, you don't write nothing bad about me. You write what I tell you. You and me. We're like partners."

Jim: "That's exactly the controversy Ross was talking about."

I hear that the new Hustler Erotic Video Guide lists the 50 most powerful people in porn for 1999. I did a top ten list over a month ago.

Luke gets email: " I don't watch porn, nor do I patronize strip clubs or other elements of the sex industry. Nevertheless, I've been hooked on your site since I discovered it a couple months ago. Rob Black is absolutely right: the future of porn is in professional wrestling and its soap opera atmosphere. And that soap opera is being played out daily on www.l-keford.com. You do a great job, Luke. You're a fantastic journalist. Your apparent "nothing-is-off-the-record" approach is your greatest asset. It's also many print journalists' greatest failing: smart sources suck them into conspiracies of silence, wherein secrets are shared with them with the proviso that it not be printed. The readers (journalists' clients) are the victims (or, in some cases, it's the journalists themselves, if they allow their coverage to be influence by unnamed, off-the-record sources). I've been preaching this to up-and-coming journalists for more than a decade (I'm an editor). The few who listened have really gone some places. Most of the others met dead ends, careerwise. You are far more gonzo than any so-called "gonzo" porn; at this late stage in the game, you're even more gonzo than "gonzo's" inventor, the estimable Dr. Hunter S. Thompson. By design or not, you're doing with the adult sex industry EXACTLY what Hunter did with the greatest gonzo journalism work of
all time, Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72. Having said all that, I beseech you: DON'T GO PAY! You'll lose most of
your audience and, mot importantly, your influence. At the very least, mirror the pay site on a free site. Then the rest of us who will refuse to pay can still tune in. The shenanigans in the indusry are FAR more interesting than any f--- flick. Don't abandon us, Luke!"

www.l-keford.com will remain free.

Email: "Oh Luke, Say it ain't so. It is starting to look like commercialism at it's  best/worst? I don't know, pay sites usually mean selling out to the   enemy. I think the idiots in the business have finally realized that befriending you, is far more intelligent than keeping you on the outside. But I know that letting you in, will negate your objectivity. In bringing you into the fold, they will silence you, and render you unaffective. After all, you can't destroy your family. I'll bet you right now, that within 18 months, you are offered a job at AVN. And you don't think so now, because you aren't in the family yet. But by then you will not be a fiancee, you'll be a son in law, so you'll accept. To bad. For all the crap written about you Luke, you know I always supported you, and will continue to do so, as long as you prove me wrong. This is one of the few cases where I hope someone does prove me wrong. Just don't forget, these are the same people who were threatening your life just a few short months ago. And don't ever forget the lesson behind the Trojan horse. It may be all s---s and giggles now, but you know these people can't be trusted. Think about this before you lose your objectivity. Most murders in this country are commited by either family, or someone the victim knows personally.
Take care, watch your back, and call me if you need me. P.S. remember these people have been liars since Moses was floating in
the river Nile. They may not be able to act on camera, but off, they are the best.  I smell a rat. Something ain't right here. These people will never be your friends. One day they hate you, now all the doors are opening. I know where you come from (7th Day Adventism) I grew up around it. I know it keeps you separated from the world around you, and makes you naive. Don't let your guard down."

Denver’s leading stripper agent JR Wolfe fell unwittingly into the Luke F-rd Star Chamber this week. I published the following about my Tuesday afternoon at Reb’s Pretty Girl International:

Domonique DeWitt says she had an awful experience entering porn through Denver journalist and agent JR Wolf, veteran photographer Johnny Castano and Max Hardcore.

Domonique: "I went to the Exotica 98 Expo [strip club convention in Las Vegas in September] with JR Wolfe. He was supposed to get me all this work. He didn’t do s---. He got me one shoot. It was with Max Hardcore. I like the guy but it was the worst possible first shoot I could’ve done. It was my first anal in my life. He was not gentle.

"I got stuck in Las Vegas because the maid threw my plane ticket away. Johnny Castano said I could stay at his house. JR called him and bitched about me. I bitched about JR. Johnny stood up for JR. We got into a big screaming match. He starts throwing stuff… He said, ‘I’m going to call this person and you’ll never work again.’ I took my s--- and I left his house. Johnny Castano can die and rot in hell.

"Paul Little as a person is a nice guy but when Paul turns into Max… Paul and I E-mail once in a while. He’s cool but I don’t know if I’ll ever work for him again."

Thursday afternoon, JR Wolfe sent me this E-mail: "Thank you for asking me my side of the Dominique DeWitt story [sarcasm – Luke did no fact checking on this story]. Here are the facts. I met Dominique when she approached me about the striptease business. When I told her that Diamond LaRocce and I were going to the Exotic Dancer magazine "Gentlemens Club Expo" in Las Vegas. I explained to her that it was a convention of feature entertainers and night club owners. It was explained that it was not a convention of adult video companies. I told her that I would introduce her to whoever I knew at the event. I did just that. I introduced her to Max Hardcore, she did a scene with him. She was so proud of the scene, the next day she had Max's company logo painted on her butt. I have pictures of her doing this on the convention floor.. I introduced her to Johnny Castano. She promised to pose for him, then blew him off until she had no place to stay in Las Vegas. She had her own room, and her own transportation. She loses her plane ticket, then blames it on the maid. There is the problem. Dominique has a history of blaming her irresponsibility's on someone else . I did not call Johnny and bitch about her, I was driving home to Denver. I did not know that she had lost her plane ticket until I got home. Johnny did call me, and tell me that she was "trouble" and I agreed. Johnny stood up for me because he saw me introduce Dominique to a number of people, and then watched her either backstab me, or blow them off. According to witnesses Dominique blew the money Max paid her at the blackjack tables. Dominique did several hardcore shoots before that trip to Vegas. Including "Sex In Public" for AMX. She called me on Oct.10th [well after her "horrible" experience at the stripper convention] looking for work. I turned her down. Mr. Ford, you may contact Johnny Castano, Diamond LaRocce, or Ernie Flores about Dominique. They will tell you how she partied all night, slept all day, and missed every opportunity given her."

Mr. Ford was too damn lazy to contact anyone about Domonique (who was referred to Reb by Charley Frey). He instead spent his Thursday yammering to his therapist about his lack of impulse control and moral back bone and overabundance of laziness and greed. While twiddling with his computer late Thursday afternoon, Luke got a phone call from JR Wolfe and Johnny Castano.

The most colorful quotes came from the veteran Las Vegas photographer: "Luke, she ain’t into doing porno. She’s into doing tricks."
JR: "She lost all her money playing blackjack… Max paid her $600… The girl will smile to your face till she gets your money, then she’ll backstab you."

Johnny: "Reb doesn’t know how much trouble she is. Wait till she goes on sets and starts complaining. They’ll throw her off sets.

"Tell Regan that I’ve been acting as a casting office since 1979. Luke, I don’t think he’s [Regan Senter] is going to be around that long. Someone is going to put him in a hospital."

Domonique told Luke that Johnny had told her: "I’m going to call this person and you’ll never work again."

Johnny: "I never said that. Who do I know that could do that?"
JR: "Who is she talking about?"

Luke: "I don’t have a clue."

JR: "You don’t have a clue and you printed it? You didn’t bother to ask her who she was talking about [that would bar her from porn]?"

Luke: "Right. I didn’t really care."

Johnny: "I’m not involved in porno. I don’t shoot porno. All these porno people are crazy, especially these girls. You should hear the stories they tell me."

Unaware of Luke’s brand of "journalism," poor JR was stunned that Luke would run a story without checking the facts. For 18 years Wolfe has written for the Rocky Mountain Oyster and other publications such as Exotic Dancer magazine. He checks his facts three times before publishing. "Journalist to journalist," said JR to Luke, "how could you do this?"

JR Wolfe began work as a male stripper at age 21 (in the late ‘60s). He then developed a dance agency. He does not have sex with his talent and won’t let his girls prostitute themselves.

Luke got this Email: "Dear esteemed member of the porn media: This is your invitation to visit the set of ASIANATRIX, the first Extreme feature directed by the E-Team’s newest director, DAVID AARON CLARK. This unique, all-Asian feature is a cutting-edge fantasy incorporating performance art, fetish fashion, and the uncompromising hardcore scenarios that have brought ROBERT BLACK and company to international media attention. Filming is MONDAY, NOV. 16… Our first scene is a performance by San Francisco performance artist JADE-BLUE ECLIPSE; if you would like to appear on camera as part of the audience, please dress accordingly (you can’t go wrong with basic black!)."