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Tuesday, January 19, 1999

Barry Woods, the ex-husband of Trinity Loren, writes: "I have more information about Trinity's death. Her boyfriend Mike and roommates Joe and Justin said to me and to the police and AVN that Trinity was still snoring at 12 0'clock at night and 1 and 4 in the morning and that she died between 4 and 9 on the morning of the 24th [of October]. I spoke to the coroner and he told me that she died at about 9'oclock the night before and that rigamortis had already set in. He said it is a common thing for people to cover up what actually happened in drug overdoses and he said that the boyfriend probably was stoned too and had to clean up the evidence. Also, if someone had call 911 the chances of reviving her would have been about 95%."

No wonder Stephanie Swift looked so confused on stage at the AVN Awards show after winning Best Sex Scene - Film for supposedly doing it with Jon Dough. She actually did it with Mickey G, but overworked Paul Fishbein screwed up the program. Paul writes to me: "Yes, it was Stephanie Swift and Mickey G. I wrote about this in my column for March. I personally transfered the information from the program to the cards and it was wrong in the program. All the mistakes were mine but the ballots were correct, thankfully. I'll be hiring more people to delegate things to so mistakes like that don't happen. I am protective of the winners and do not want anyone to know who wins ahead of time so I personally transfer the information from the ballots to the cards. When you're doing as much as I am, mistakes can happen."

AVN's Paul Fishbein and Gene Ross huddled this afternoon to respond to the charges raised on this site by a former AVN reviewer who penned "The Careless Chronicles."

Fishbein and Ross write: "Since it happened six years ago, our recollection as to what happened is as follows:

"1. Jackie Watt, your source for this information, was living with Mark
Kernes (platonically) at the time. Jackie had a substance abuse problem.
Shee was fired from AVN for missing deadlines and also lost other
production assistant jobs from companies for similar reasons.

"2. Kernes denies her account of this story and says he never made
comments that she asseses he made.

"3. The Careless preview piece was done via phone, Gene interviewing
Mitchell Spinelli. Because we like the Spinellis, and it was their first
film in years, we gave them a lot of pre-press. The piece was a
dissertation on the Spinelli's and how they got into filmmaking. If you
read the piece, which we just did, it's the history of the family in
porn.

"4. Yes Careless got AAA (out of five) and yes, we gave it to several
people on our staff and this was the best review it got.

"5. I am having a hard time remembering the phone conversation that Mitch and I are quoted as having, but I will talk to him.

"6. Just because Jackie nomimated certain things doesn't mean it got
nominated. She asked for pre-nominations but other reviewers disagreed.
More than one person would have to nominate something for it to make the final nominations and the films got three nominations that it deserved.

"7. She's full of s--- concerning reviewers not getting corrections
because all reviewers received ballots and for many of them, that's the
first time they see the nominations. Reviewers who are not on full time
staff were shipped copies of all titles that they requested.

"8. Reviewers who have been fired for various reasons, including Jackie,
Bill Caits and others, who either don't make deadlines or who don't
watch the entire movie and write the reviews anyway, or who are just
plain bad writers, always like to pass bad s--- because they were
burned. They were fired. But talk to any former staff or writers who
quit and you'll get a different story.

"9. Like I said earlier, we gave Mitch the benefit of the doubt by
re-reviewing the movie in a he said/she said format. Like I said, it's
not something that we do often and probabbly will never do again, but we
did it because we wanted to help Mitchell and the company and Jackie had this burning desire to review the movies."

The Careless Chronicles

(By a former senior reviewer for Adult Video News who will go by the acronym FSR.)

Paul Fishbein says "Never" about corruption, which isn't true. Perhaps he no longer operates this way, but in 1993-94 there was some "over politiking" going on routinely. Mitchell Spinelli can back up everything contained herein regarding this matter; Tina Tyler can verify that Gene Ross was never on the set; and Mark Kernes (if he was so inclined) could verify other areas - but he won't because he's afraid of losing his job. Mark will always find a way to justify what Paul does. Mark's a nice guy who doesn't like confrontation.

Facts beyond dispute: Careless is an adult film produced by Plum Productions, directed by Anthony Spinelli and written by Mitchell Spinelli. Ralph Parfait did cinematography. Careless runs 114 minutes and stars Ona Zee, Tina Tyler, Jon Dough, Zack Thomas, Nikki Sinn, Alex Sanders, Sean Rider and Drago. Six sex scenes.

In the world of movie making, advance P.R. is essential, and XXX is no exception. Therefore it is completely normal for a magazine such as Adult Video News to feature an upcoming major release in a given issue with such things as: an "On The Set" piece, an interview with one of the stars, and even the cover of the magazine.

Careless received all three in the October 1993 issue of AVN. However, it is also customary that an "On The Set" piece by written by someone who was actually on the set. Especially when that piece lauds a particular performance and predicts award nominations. Unfortunately, Gene Ross (who penned coverage for AVN) never set foot on the set. [12/98 Ross confirms this.] And looking back, this is where the trouble all began.

I first saw Careless on October 31, 1993, and was blown away. It had been years since I'd seen anything in X of such quality. Even if you removed every frame of explicit sex from this movie, you'd still have a great movie. AVN's "official" reaction (read opinion of both publisher Paul Fishbein and editor Gene Ross), however, was a big "Ugh." It's boring. They don't change positions enough during the sex. Adding insult to injury, they gave it to Rich C. Leather (a reviewer whose experience and insight is painfully limited, and whose opinions tend to flow in whatever direction Gene and Paul are going at the moment). And thus the debacle began in earnest.

Along with at least two others eligible voters, I nominated Careless for several awards including: Best Film, Best Director - Film (Anthony Spinelli), Best Actress (Tina Tyler), and Best Supporting Actress (Ona Zee). Imagine my surprise when I received my "final" ballot and found that the only nominations listed for Careless were for Best Director and Ona Zee for Best Actress.

The fur began to fly when Mitchell Spinelli found out that Mr. Leather had given Careless a mere AAA rating (AAAAA being best) and saw the glaring omissions on the final nominations list. His first call was to Paul Fishbein, publisher of AVN, and a longtime friend. According to Mitchell, this is how the conversation went:

Mitchell: How come Tina's not nominated?

Paul: Oh, that was just an oversight. Don't worry, her name will be on the final list.

Mitchell: I thought this was the final list?

Paul: Don't worry, I'll call all the voters and make sure they have the corrections.

Mitchell: Why did Careless get such a low rating? Are you going to give Immortal Desires 4As just because it is from Vivid?

Paul: No way. We all know it's a piece of s---. It will get the rating it deserves, I promise.

For the record, Immmortal Desires was passed around at least four different reviewers, myself included, until one was found who liked it.

After Mitchell Spinelli related this phone conversation to me, I called Tina in Canada with an update on her nomination status, since she was not going to be able to attend CES.

January, 1994. Las Vegas, Nevada. The CES issue of AVN containing the Careless Review is distributed in mass quantities to all show attendees. The night of the AVN Awards was the first time I had seen the "Official Program" listing the "final" nominees. My blood began to boil as I looked for the promised "corrections" regarding Careless. Tina Tyler's name HAD been added, but in the Best Supporting Actress category. Ona Zee was still nominated for Best Actress, even though Tina is the star of the movie.

It turned out to be a moot point for several reasons. None of the other voters I talked to had received a phone call (or any other communique) from Paul regarding Tina's nomination, and because of this, most had not even seen Careless. Suffice to say, there were no awards for Careless that night.

I had almost managed to get the foul taste of this year's highly politicized AVN Awards (and the Careless incident) out of my mouth when the February issue hit the stands. Immortal Desires got a AAAA rating, Mitchell hit the roof, I seethed with disillusioned anger, and the battle was officially joined.

Mitch Spinelli called Paul demanding justice - reminding him of his own words regarding Immortal Desires. After much discussion, Gene and Paul decide to run another review of Careless. The format will be a "He Said/She Said", whereby they run the original review alongside a new review - done by a woman to boot. Mitch calls me to relay the information and he tells me that my name was mentioned as the person to do the "She Said" portion.

A week goes by with no word from Gene or Paul. Mitch calls me to see if Gene or Paul has called me yet. "Nope. Not a word. And I can't call them and ask, since they don't know you've spilled the beans to me - and besides, they may well have decided on someone else by now, given how well they keep their word."

Exactly when and where it was decided that I should do the new Careless review is anyone's guess, but what I can say for certain is that it happened AFTER Mitch called me again to tell me he had called Gene AGAIN. To be honest, I never did hear from Gene or Paul directly on the matter. Mark Kernes eventually told me that Gene had asked him, 'So, when is XXX going to have the Careless review done?" So much for "official" channels and the chain of command.

AFR's Careless review was hacked down before finally appearing in AVN.

Director James DiGiorgio employs Jackie Watt. "She has worked for me (almost exclusively) for the past few years. Yes, she once had a substance abuse problem, but that's way behind her. To my knowledge, she has never been fired from a production job. She walked off a couple of sets of her own volition, but that's not the same as being fired; and trust me, walking off sets in this business is not too uncommon (see the JB/Martino debacle currently aflame on your site).

"I met Jackie when she was working for Sin City during the time that Luc
Wylder was responsible for production there. Later, Jackie began
working for me as a production assistant. She is now my
producer/production manager on nearly everything I shoot. She also
works at my post-production facility where she manages the office,
schedules the editing bays, and is learning to edit on our AVIDs.

"Jackie has excellent rapport with talent and crew alike. She is
respected for her long-standing advocacy of HIV screening, as well as
safe sex practices within the adult industry. Although I'm unfamiliar
with the circumstances surrounding her "Careless Chronicles," I don't
believe it's appropriate for the individuals involved to respond with
attempts to besmirch her name."

***

Luke crawls into bed with Vivid girl Raylene and her friend Randi Rage Tuesday afternoon at a hotel in Hollywood to shoot the cover for a coming New Times article on Scoop. Thanks to PR man David Schlesinger at Vivid for bringing this off.

J.B.'s suit against Sin City for getting knocked around on the set of White Rabbit in late December raises many interesting questions. Will this mark the end of JB's long porn career?

JB has apparently contacted Workers Compensation through his attorney. David Sturman had determined to never use JB again after the Nightclub fiasco, but Chuck Martino took it on himself to hire the production manager for Michael Raven's White Rabbit.

The real power at Sin City rests with its talented art director Mark Schnyder. Contrary to rumors, Chuck Martino said Monday morning that he's not angling to become Sin City General Manager. "Mark has always, basically, run this company.

"I'm not a title guy," said Chuck. "I don't care what my title is. I make movies here. Why are you [Luke] trying to create trouble amidst our company?

"JB is a punk-sissy-bitch. I hired him to be a production manager on White Rabbit. He did a lousy job. He cussed talent out. Talent hated him. I had to fire him because I didn't like the way he was talking to people. On JB's last day, he got a ticket on his way to the set and was three hours late. He spoke disrespectfully to Don [Fisher, PA]. I fired JB. He left. He left the property and walked outside the gate on to the street. Don walked out there to ask him to stay. JB hits him with the front tire of his bike, and knocks Don back. Don picked him up and threw him off his bike. Now JB's trying to sue me for another man. This was just two men out in the street playing hoodlums. What does this have to do with me? Why is JB such a little pussy? He can't handle his own battles? He has to cry that he got roughed up on my shoot?

"Is this the end of JB? I hope so. There's a reason he no longer works at Metro. He's already screwed David over once (Nightclub). I was giving him a second chance."

Martino marries Shay Sweet (newly enhanced by a boob job) in early February in Cancun, Mexico.

JB replies: "Regarding your post from Chuck Martino on January 18,1999, there are multiple eyewitnesses to the incident that have a radically different version, and are ready and willing to testify under oath in a court of law, of what took place on the set. Don Fisher was a P.A. (production assistant). Camera work was done by Jack Remy. The other statements Chuck made are not even worthy of a response, as I choose to let my record and reputation in this business speak for itself. (You know what they say, never engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed person). Chuck has a hard time getting even the most fundamental details correct. It is obvious by Chuck's statement that in his own mind he knows the facts don't paint him in a very flattering light and he must resort to juvenile name calling and fairy tale fabrications to try to cover up his own incompetence. I am suing for the wages owed to me and for wages only, but will be more than happy to escalate this whole sickening situation through further litigation if that is how Chuck cares to handle it. I can't really believe any company wishes to represent itself to the public in such an ignorant, trailer trash manner by someone in a management position, but stranger things have happened in this business."

JB supposedly once vied for that same position, (GM) and word on the street has it that he was given a thumbs down from Sin City's San Francisco owners. The reason being that JB was the producer/production manager for Sin City's big budget Buck Adams film, "Nightclub." And rumor has it that that film went way over budget and that there was speculation that JB (allegedly) padded the budget and was suspected (along with Buck Adams) of pocketing the supposed budget excesses.

JB replies: "Nightclub was a 65mm and 35mm film production that came in at around $83,000. Buck Adams had given Sin City an estimate of $55,000 before I was hired on to the project, based entirely on guesswork and not the hard cold facts of film production. I wish I could have padded the budget and pocketed something. When all was said and done I didn't even get paid my fees for the project (seems to always happen with me and Sin City). I keep extremely accurate records for my own tax purposes and since all funds were run through my production account I have all the original financials(receipts, cancelled checks, invoices, etc,) in storage with all my other records and tax information for that year. Any time that Sin City wants to sit down with me and audit the expenditures on that show I am available. Typical of this business. Assign blame and make accusations without having the slightest clue about the facts.

"I also never solicited or wanted any position at Sin City, especially after
the hell I lived through on the "Nightclub" production. That is total
bulls---. The front office in San Francisco made it nearly impossible to
operate, and f---ed up the production insurance situation so completely that we had no permit or insurance (even though I was able to deliver camera gear, lighting gear, locations, etc. and commence shooting with only my word to all the suppliers of the above) until 8 hours into the first day of production. Let's see Chuckie pull that off.

"Can I also add (as an example of the moronic corporate horses--- that was attached like a stinking fungus to this show Nightclub) that the
first two checks I wrote for the "Nightclub" production were to pay World
Modeling for several months of Sin City's unpaid agency fees, none of which were for any productions that I had anything to do with, but had to be paid in order for me to secure talent for the shoot, and a partial advance of agreed to directorial fees to Buck to pay three months of back rent on his apartment. Let me repeat that I welcome an audit of the shoot. The numbers are all justified and can be verified (look at the production value of this film, the locations used, etc. all you know nothing ignorant motherf---ers who think film is that gross stinky s--- in your mouth when you wake up in the morning), and anyone who thinks that I stole money from that production can come go through reciepts, cancelled checks and bank deposits, do the math with me, (bring their accountant if they wish), and then kiss my f---ing ass. To all those "experts" who would question, how much did it cost you last time you shot a film like "Nightclub"? 99% of the stupid sons of bitches in this business don't know the first thing about any type of production, and the quality and production value of the garbage on the market is a screaming example of this.

"Let me clear something up here."White Rabbit" wasn't the only Sin City production I have been on since, as you put it, the "Nightclub" fiasco. I was the production manager on all of Sin City's productions in late
November and December, 1998, "Skinfilcks", "Street Meat", and "California Cocksuckers". I know Chuck would like the world to think that he was just being a real swell and charitable guy by "giving me a second chance", and we should all probably get our cards and letters in to nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize or Time Magazine Man Of The Year or something, but the fact is he doesn't know how to do basic things vital to his position like a script breakdown or a shooting schedule, wasn't aware that insurance is needed to rent locations, camera gear, etc., (items that are totally meaningless and useless to a production), and in fact is in desperate need of qualified help to cover his ass when it comes to producing anything more than a gonzo shoot. He can call me all the names in the world. I don't care. But the accusations of padding budgets, pocketing production funds, and his statements "He already screwed David over once (Nightclub)" and "He did a lousy job, He cussed talent out" are outright lies and slanderous. Maybe Sin City should just do the right thing and pay me the wages they owe me for "White Rabbit" so I can go on with my life and forget that I ever had anything to do with Chuck Martino. I would also suggest that someone at Sin City, be it Mark Snyder or David Sturnman, put a muzzle on Chuck and his statements to the media before his mouth turns this whole thing into a three ring
circus with lawyers crawling all over the place. Maybe somebody should inform Chuck what the word "slander" means and the legal repercussions that could come from his statements."

A source: "Here's some info that might help you put some things into perspective:

"1. Don Fisher is (sometimes) porn-stud Mickey Ray (he's also a shooter
in the biz, and a production manager---how many production managers does Chuck need on one shoot?). Who, by the way, was Chuck's roomate for sometime, and is Chuck's close friend. That might or might not be a reason for Don to have some bias in this matter.

"2. Sometime ago on your site, you printed some information regarding
Chuck's past. As I remember, Sin City's PR person responded, and in that response, Sin City was painted  as a company that believes in giving people a second chance. I suppose that's why Chuck gave JB the job (in spite of Mr. Sturman's previous decision to not use JB in the future)....becuase they're the "second-chance" company. And if you believe that, I'll sell you some beachfront swampland in South Florida.

"3. In Chuck's 1/18 words, he asked you, Luke, why you're trying to
create problem's in "our" company. What company is that? Sin City? Dane Productions? (who Chuck is producing for this week?) Sunshine? Factory?"

Dirty Bob on the AVN Awards balloting: "The voting is done very carefully, is computerized, and is available for the public to check out in person just to see if it was done (and totalled) correctly. I'm so tired of people thinking that ads buy votes; that is NOT true! I and others wouldn't associate our good names to the voting process if here was any hint that it was not legit! Nobody tells any of us who to vote for - not even a hint! And, over the years, I have found that it is a sense of pride to be a part of the process despite the sour grape people who bitch 'cause titles or people they assume would have to win or be nominated did not do as well as they thought. Sure, there are always surprises and that keeps us
all on our toes.

"You can speculate all year about how fair or real the voting process it, but you are wasting your time. I have never once seen even a legitimate hint that something is not fair or as voted on. I am not being naieve.

"People have trusted me to speak the truth in this industry about everything, and that is what I am doing here as well. The voting is legit! I will stake my reputation on it!"

VANCOUVER, Jan 15 (Reuters) - A British Columbia Supreme Court judge has ruled Canadians have a constitutional right to possess child
pornography if it is for private use and not for distribution, according to a decision made public on Friday. The judge dismissed two counts of simple possession against a Vancouver man, ruling the threat to privacy and freedom of expression rights posed by that section of the Criminal Code outweighed its limited benefits to society.

VAN NUYS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 18, 1999--In an original move by an adult film and video manufacturer, Metro Inc. has put a team of adult actresses on the road for six weeks in a custom-wrapped, 50-foot tour bus dubbed "Metro's Starlet Express."

The trip will send the company's popular contract stars and other performers to cities throughout California, Arizona and Nevada as good-will ambassadors on a mission to bring about greater awareness and understanding of the adult-entertainment industry.

Metro's Starlet Express made its debut at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Jan. 7-10, in Las Vegas. During CES, the bus transported Metro's talent and staff from the Rio Hotel and Casino to the Sands Expo Center on a daily basis and to other tradeshow events, making it the most outrageous moving billboard the city has ever seen.

"Metro's Starlet Express" and the Metro Starlets also participated in several promotions outside of CES, including two live remote broadcasts for local rock'n'roll radio station KOMP. "Metro's Starlet Express Tour" kicked off its six-week tour in Stockton, Calif., Jan. 11, and is now making daily stops at nightclubs, video stores and radio stations in major cities throughout the three states.

The "Ambassadors of Adult" are traveling in a luxury touring coach that sleeps 10 and includes a kitchen, full bathroom, and living room equipped with satellite television, Sony PlayStation two VCRs and a DVD player. The exterior of the bus is wrapped with giant, full-color advertisements promoting Metro's exclusive contract Starlets and product lines, as well as advertisements on behalf of the other tour sponsors.

In addition to Metro Inc., the official sponsors of "Metro's Starlet Express Tour" are Internet Entertainment Group (IEG), The Erotic Network (TEN), Goalie Entertainment, Adult Video News (AVN) and Hustler's "Freedom of Expression Campaign."

Highlights of the tour include a Jan. 31 Super Bowl party at the Sunset Strip, an adult nightclub, with an autograph-signing session at an adjoining bookstore immediately following the game.

On Feb. 6, "Metro's Starlet Express" will deliver popular Metro contract starlet Houston to the set of "The Houston 500" in Van Nuys, where she will attempt to set a new world sex record by partnering with 500 people in one day.

"Metro's Starlet Express Tour" is scheduled to make some special stops along the way and outside the three tour states. The first will be Jan. 28 in Park City, Utah, at The Sundance Film Festival for an independent screening event and party hosted by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, dubbed "Lapdance."

There, Metro will screen an R-rated version of a James Avalon/Cal Vista film, "Nothing to Hide 3: Justine's Daughter," and the Metro Starlets will entertain guests with a live dance performance.

On Valentine's Day weekend, Feb. 12-14, "Metro's Starlet Express" will pull into Chicago for the biggest annual sex party in the Midwest, "The Court of Porn," and for a pre-party at Dennis Rodman's nightclub, "Illusions."

From there, the bus will continue on to Cincinnati to make a special appearance at the Hustler store in support of Larry Flynt Sr., whose trial on obscenity charges there begins in April. The tour is set to end Feb. 16 in Cincinnati.

Ambassadors on board include exclusive Metro contract starlets Houston, Misty Rain, Shyla Foxxx, Claudia Chase and Coral Sands. Other starlets along for the ride include Jill Kelly, Melanie Stone, Brittany Andrews, Inari Vachs and Dee. At least three starlets will appear in every city, and on most days there will be more.

"This is a first-of-its-kind promotion for the adult-entertainment industry," said Greg Alves, vice president of Metro Inc.'s West Coast operations. "We believe that by applying sophisticated mainstream marketing techniques like this one to adult entertainment, we will greatly enhance consumer awareness for the Metro brand, its product lines and those of the other sponsors on tour."

Mike South: "On Saturday [1/9 at CES] at noon we were supposed to meet Penthouse staff photographer Carl Wachter in front of the Vivid booth. While we were waiting, Alexa got mobbed by photographers and fans... Steve Hirsch got pissed that she was getting all the attention and sent his flunkie Howard Levine over to ask us not to stand in front of the booth....On hearing this David Sturman told us we can stand in front of his booth all day if we wanted...."

Jim Gunn says: "Ft. Lauderdale, FL- Jim Gunn Productions, Inc. (jimgunn@bellsouth.net) has signed a major production deal with Pleasure Productions at the C.E.S. show in Las Vegas. Jim will be producing and directing another two volumes of the award winning "Strap-On Sally" series over the course of the next two months. Volume 13 of the best selling series is slated for production in South Florida during mid-February and it promises to be the most ambitious edition yet.

"The mostly outdoor, three day shoot on Betacam SP is currently in
pre-production, for what will surely be the largest encampment of porn
might outside of the left coast. Porn goddess Marylin Star has been
chosen to take on the lead role in the acclaimed all-girl toy-fest, aided
by a large supporting cast of hot new talent. Upcoming Penthouse model Kim Alexus co-stars in the movie as well as such nubile new pop-tarts as Amy Ashton and Sabrina Heat of the feature dancing duo Two Sweet. A dozen more female video debutantes, mostly yummy new teenage strippers who have never been shot on video before, will be cinching up the harness once again for six scenes of dildo driving lesbomania.

"Also on the production schedule is the start of a new spin-off series,
"Penis Envy", featuring Marylin Star as a woman obsessed with her penis, or more precisely, the lack thereof."