Wednesday, May 19, 2004

Email Luke May 17

AVN Fires Advertising Manager Jennifer Rosenblatt

At Scott Fayner's well attended birthday party at Club Ice on Cahuenga Wednesday night, I heard speculation that AVN VP Darren Roberts was behind the firing. According to speculation, those parts of the AVN empire that Darren runs are more profitable than the parts that Paul Fishbein runs. Therefore, he's achieved more power in the AVN machine and he made the decision to get rid of Jenn.

I also hear that Farley Cahan, head of AVN Online, and AVN editor and publisher Tim Connelly were glad to see her go.

I understand that the primary reason for the firing was financial. Jenn's contract and annual salary was just demanding more money than AVN wanted to pay her. This firing has been in the works for about six months.

Almost nobody seems to blame Paul Fishbein any more for what happens at AVN. Either he has less apparent power than before, or his overtures to his enemies have largely succeeded.

Her husband D$ (Darren Blatt) posts on GFY:

Due to the unfortunate firing of my wife, Jennifer ( JenAVN) yesterday and the circumstances involving it, I feel I can no longer go on supporting AVN's internet events at this time.

As many of you know, Jen had been with AVN for 9 years and while she is hardly credited for most of her accomplishments while working there- she was instrumental in their growth and it's development of AVN ONLINE. I feel like there's been a death in my household to say the least.

I apologize to all the webmasters who were planning on coming to FLA just to attend the Player's Ball. I appreciate your support over the years and look very much forward to taking the Player's Ball's to new heights- and of course I still want to see as many webmasters at my parties as possible.

For those of you coming to San Diego June 10th for the Cybernet Expo Players Ball to see Eek-A-Mouse at Canes, we still look forward to seeing you party with us in full force. This does not mean this is the end of the Players Balls. This is just a new beginning for the Players Ball. Look for the rebirth and annoucements in the near future.

For those that aren't aware of the history of the Players Ball, we've had a streak of 11 Players Ball's catering to Internext dating back to IA2000, never missing one show.

No one really died people! It just feels like it.

Jeremy Steele's Mom Says Her Boy Has No Erection Problems

Dukeford.com reports:

Jeremy's Mom Writes: Mr Fayner I would like to introduce myself. My name is Margaret Steele. I am Jeremy Steele's mother. A friend of mine directed me toward your website where you made many hurtful comments about my son. As a mother I feel that it is my place to protect my boy at all costs. Mr Fayner your allegations about my son are 100% false. I have it on good authority that Jeremy does not have erection problems.

In fact, Jeremy can bring some very serious lumber when needed and many women in the business appreciate this fact. I help manage Jeremy's career and when you hurt his reputation you are also hurting my bottom line. I cannot let this happen. I am asking you to post an apology and a retraction. I want you to categorically state the Jeremy does not have any sexual performance problems.

Tuesday At World Modeling

I eat lunch with TheFloatingWorld.com publisher Terri Redor at an Italian restaurant near World Modeling. I see Jim South Jr and Sr eating with their assistant Envy.

I think Jim Sr waves at me but I have to watch my reputation, so I ignore him.

I walk into the building near 2PM and chat with Bill Margold.

Bill: "I am attempting to put together KEEP. I had a nice meeting with the most remarkable [AIDS] organization (AIDS Service Center) that I may volunteer my time to. At the end of the Arroyo Parkway... I haven't been that comfortable with a setting since I worked in juvenile hall.

"It's so beautifully decorated with stuffed animals and pictures that they draw."

I hug a teddy bear on Bill's couch.

:"Everything about the place is serene. It's a non-profit.

"I'm going to a much higher and rarified level, bringing in specialists from every field, putting together a board of advisors that will be unimpeachable."

A porn star calls. "Hey, Pappa Bear, take me off the speaker phone."

He does.

I wander into World Modeling. Junior says it is business as usual, at about 80% of normal. Just about as many anal scenes as ever. Nothing's changed since the HIV outbreak. One girl has gone condom-only but there's no general increase in condom scenes.

I chat with Senior about the French-Canadian girl who was our waitress over lunch. "She's a total hottie."

Jim Sr: "I'm going to put that on my website."

Michael Legge, the writer of Jim's autobiography, is taking photos in the office of Jim with a couple of beautiful blondes on his desk.

I chat outside with busty blonde Lennox, who entered porn in 1995 and left in 1997 (did about 150-200 movies). She did her first comeback scene today for Inter-Avid Productions.

Duke: "What brought you back?"

Lennox: "Boredom and not being able to find a job that paid decent money. The lifestyle that I am used to, I miss it. I've matured a lot. My hormones are changing (she smiles) and I desire to be ravenous again."

Duke: "What have you been doing?"

Lennox: "I had a child. I am not married but I am in a relationship. I'm happy except that I want spice. This business is fun. It's never the same. I'm used to the [porn] lifestyle. I work when I want. I don't work when I don't want. I'm not a clock puncher. I'm in school right now. I hate what I'm studying [hotel restaurant management at a community college, formerly studying cooking but couldn't afford the college, I'm a chef at heart]. I don't see myself having a career in that when I graduate. So I've decided to come back into the industry, make some money, and invest it so I can live a nice future. It doesn't matter if you are an attorney or a porn star.

"I'm a spontaneous person who wants to do what I want when I want. I want to offer my child the opportunity to be with me before going into kindergarten. I want to put money away so he can go to college. I don't want to be stuck to a humdrum mundane job meeting the same people every day. I need variety."

Lennox measures 34C-25-32. She stands 5'2".

"I used to get recognized all the time in Hollywood and in Chicago one time. Friends of friends.

"I told my boyfriend right off the bat that I used to be a porn star. I gave him pictures in magazines. He didn't want to see the guy-girl stuff. We discussed coming back. He's cool with it. He wants to do some movies with me. But I don't want to bring a newcomer in right now with all the misfortune and they're not shooting a whole bunch. Usually business is good this time of year.

"I'm grateful to be the age that I am and to have the cute little body that I do. I don't party."

Duke: "Did you party ten years ago?"

Lennox: "Yeah. I was a party animal. I traveled all over the world and partied. I'm grateful that I did it then because I am older now and wouldn't be able to sustain it.

"I danced for five years prior to coming into porn. I haven't danced in the last seven years. I enjoy magazine work. I enjoy being in front of the camera. Still photography is my passion aside from cooking. I love to be in front of a photographer."

Duke: "What sort of group did you hang out with in high school?"

Lennox: "Both sides. Some preppies and some outcasts. I wasn't a good student until I was threatened by my family to become one. Then I got on the honor roll and graduated high school.

"My father died when I was young. I have a sick mother. I was adopted. I've had a rough childhood. That's what brings a lot of women into this industry. I know for sure that women who've been abused or had traumatic things happen in their childhood, it gears them in this way. Sometimes they end up getting swallowed by it. That's one of the reasons I got out [in 1997] outside of the first AIDS epidemic (Tom Byron and Fantasia).

"I like to be with people who are going places. I'm trying my hardest. I'm supposed to be on my way right now to take an English final. I don't want to go because I'm just not interested in being in school. Not every millionaire and successful person has finished college."

In fact, many millionaires and successful people were once porn stars who used the industry as a stepping stone to greatness. Sheesh, I could list off a dozen such names right now. Diane Sawyer, Hillary Clinton, and Martha Stewart were all porn queens in their youth.

Lennox: "I don't think Lee Iacocca did. Just work, work, work. Have fun. Not burn out."

Duke: "Why do you think abuse in childhood leads women to get into this industry?"

Lennox: "It's the cycle of abuse. They're used to it. It's a comfort zone that you create. I know. I was domestically abused by my son's father. I went through a series of therapy. It's a cycle that you are used to. It's an illness. You have to overcome that abuse and stop abusing yourself. You have to learn to love yourself, love the people around you, and endure the stuff that is going to help you. This business can definitely destroy you. For sure. That's what happened to me. I was self-destructing myself while I was being self destructive."

She looks like she's about to cry.

"I'm in a different place now. [Abuse] is just something that a woman becomes used to. They don't know anything different. When they do get a man in their life who is nurturing and loving, for some reason, they always push them out. They go back to those guys who want to beat them up and abuse them. I see it still. Now I have a loving nurturing man. I put him on a high pedastal. Some women pass that opportunity up because they are used to being abused and they need to get help."

Bill's going to interview Eric Edwards this afternoon for a documentary. "It's called, X Marked Their Spot. It's a documentary catching the people while they are still able to remember their past. I would not have done the project if I had not gotten the OK from Eric Edwards. He began in the '60s, like Harry Reems. If this thing takes off, I'll pay homage to Harry [in Park City, Utah].

"It's being funded by Robert Herrara. I have a tentative list of people [to interview]: Jamie Gillis, John Leslie, Paul Thomas, Joey Silvera, Herschel Savage, Randy West, Ron Jeremy, Marilyn Chambers, Sharon Mitchell, Annette Haven, Kelly Nichols, Jane Hamilton, Seka, Gloria Leonard, Kay Parker, Tom Byron, Ginger Lynn, Amber Lynn, Marc Wallice, Christy Canyon. That will be the true essence of what the Golden Era was all about.

"I hope to do the majority of interviews. In some cases, other people might have to do them. Some people may not want to talk to me because of my reputation and personal problems. They should never let personality get in the way of history. This project should take about six months. We hope to get donated footage from a number of sources. I regret that I won't get to talk to Linda Lovelace.

"I've always been a nervous wreck before working with such legends. I've acted opposite Chambers. I've directed Mitchell. I acted with Annette Hamilton. I worked with Seka. I acted opposite Leonard and Parker. I turned down having sex with Parker because I thought it would be bad for her career. Because of my reputation at that time. I was the perpetual bad boy, the court jester. Court jesters don't go to bed with queens. I knew my place. I've always known my place.

"I don't think any of these people expected to become legends.

"I've offered the Free Speech Coalition a deal. If they will donate $1000 a month to PAW, I will do everything I can to get them fans and talent, not only to Erotica LA to man their booth, but to the dinner dance and golf tournament.

"I plan to run for the [FSC] board of directors in October. I miss being a member of the FSC. I discovered that my resignation was based on a house of cards that all fell down and never came through."

I heard that the FSC was promised $100,000 in donations if Bill Margold was ejected.

Bill: "There was no money given to Free Speech because of my resignation. Resigning was the biggest mistake I've ever made in this business. I don't think they have a conscience any more. A soul. A heart. I don't think my kid has all its arms and legs any more. I know that creatively I can out-think all of them. I have more concepts in my mind that I can give to them. I feel thwarted that I can't fulfill my own destiny."

Duke: "Did you meet with [AVN president] Paul Fishbein?"

Bill: "Yes. He came here. We talked for an hour and 40 minutes in this office. There was a bowl of water for his dog and a rubber rawhide toy. His dog didn't show up. I've been given my page back [free ad each month in AVN for PAW]."

Paul's dog is allergic to the rawhide, gives her diarrhea.

"Next time he comes to meet me, I'll give his dog a nylon bone. This means I get to nibble on this one."

Bill nibbles on the rawhide dog bone.

"I brought up certain mistakes that had been made in the magazine. He said that he would look into them. I brought up that [Mark Kernes] had said I would never get another ad in the publication and PAW would never be mentioned again in the publication. He said that person had no right to say that.

"Now I hope there can be a common ground. My problems are not with Paul. I must've congratulated him a half dozen times over the editorial he wrote about testifying for Max Hardcore.

"The last conversation I had with Paul, about 18 months ago, he came up and said he'd spoken with the people from HBO and said he'd heard himself sounding like me. Isn't that interesting?

"I hear ABC's Primetime at 9PM Thursday is having a special. A regurgitation of Belladonna and an update on the HIV thing. I think Belladonna played Diane Sawyer like a Stradivarius. Belladonna won an award from FOXE as fan favorite. I think the only reason they knew who she was was because of Primetime. Primetime made Belladonna a household name. I watched the whole show, studied her performance, and complimented her, 'That's acting, kid.' She grinned at me. She played the game better than anyone has played a major network. She played it to the hilt. Tears on cue. Grinning when she was supposed to grin.

"Right behind you is a picture of Lara [Roxx] sitting at home with the bear that used to be sitting on that spot on the couch. I see you're hugging a teddy bear right now. Even Quasarman, who received a bear on the show, immediately began feeling comfortable with it.

"Quasarman says he never appeared on the Frontline documentary [abusing his talent]."

Duke: "It was very funny."

Bill: "It wasn't funny. It hurt me. Never in my life have I ever talked to talent that way. I'm lucky that I got them there. I'm going to start mistreating them? You've got to be kidding. They'll leave.

"My enemies worked scrupulously to keep me off the Frontline show, so I never talked to them. That was the worst documentary made on this business. Primetime didn't do anything to us.

"Now you have Dukeisback.com. You need color in that website, kid. Unless you want to live in the shadow. You need popping things and animals running around to come alive. It looks like a blue book text. It's not inviting. They won't go back unless it is really pretty.

"Now you can promote it by designing a flyer to hand out, with color on the flyer. You may not want to do it because it may be beneath you."

Duke: "That's exactly right. I would never do that. Marketing is beneath me.

"Did you talk to Paul Fishbein about Tim Connelly [AVN editor and publisher]?"

Bill: "Yes. I said that Tim and I had problems from the past. I used the analogy of Fishbein being Othello and Connelly being Iago and AVN being Desdemona. They're being played against each other. I don't see Tim and I being friends again. We never really were.

"He was given to the XRCO [X-Rated Critics Organization] by [Tim's ex-wife, porn star] Kimberly Carson, who was one of my kids. I adored her. When she said, 'Can he become a member of the XRCO?,' I said, 'Anything for you, kid.' This was around 1985.

"He was not a founder of the XRCO. He came in on the second year because he'd just married Kim and we were all happy and this was an innocent time. After four years, I decided to leave. I suspected the XRCO was taking itself too seriously. I created FOXE. In 1990, the first three FOXE awards were given away on the Pier. The most popular female was Nina Hartley and the most popular male was Peter North. They would win two more and be retired. We had this strange fan of the year, a German named Albert Muckermann. He was responsible for creating FOXE. It was his $300 that created FOXE. He pulled out $300 to buy his way into the XRCO show. I snuck him in and set up FOXE to make sure he'd have shows to go to for the rest of his life. He died a long time ago.

"Pretty Girl International is now on Woodman and Sherman Way. Reb Sawitz's son Shane runs it."

Duke: "I spoke to someone. Leonard."

Bill: "He's an odd man who's been around. Leonard has been around. Reb adopts people. He collects people. Reb has a really big heart. He's the most important person in my career. If he hadn't let me run his office (6912 Hollywood Blvd) from 1973-82, he wouldn't be here.

"Quasarman asks what gives me the right to be the spokesman for the adult industry? They [the media] chose me. I haven't gone to it. I have rarely if ever called the press."

Phone rings from the news media.

Bill: "I want the XRCO back under Jim Holliday's protection."

The XRCO did not give out awards this year because its two leading men, Jared Rutter and Tim Connelly, moved to AVN from Adam Film World. The XRCO will probably gives out its awards this summer. Maybe some guys such as Roger Pipe, Dirty Bob, Dick Freedman will get involved.

Bill: "Paul Fishbein is a peacemaker. He wants everyone to be happy."

Paul and Bill did not talk about AIM. Paul says if Bill creates KEEP, he will give it publicity. "Paul believes competition is good. Tim took it upon himself to say a few things that Paul was not aware of.

"In 1990, Connelly decided to put out one of his popular/least popular performer lists in his magazine and at the top of it was Viper [the love of Bill's life]. This is the same Tim Connelly who called me to get him a job at the LA Xpress. Then he wrote in the LA Xpress that Viper was among the least popular. That did not sit well with me. Viper was distintegrating from the implant schizophrenia, drugs..."

Duke: "How much does Tim make?"

Bill: "I hope he's saving some of it because nothing lasts forever. I'd guess in the vicinity of $100,000."

Duke: "Gene Ross made that.

"Gene right now is in charge of the Internet. Gene reigns supreme. He is a busy boy. He's cranking out stuff every hour. It's amazing. I've yet to figure out how to get into the archives [Bill can't figure out how to register].

"As much as I condemn the Internet as a bunch of jerkalists (mean-spirited unhappy people), it's the only way to get the word out. It's sad we have to rely on your good graces to get the word out right. That's why I'm begging you not to mistreat poor Denise LaFrance [Montreal artist] who's coming out here. She'll do an incredible portrait of you with good intentions. She's a gentle artist."

Duke: "So am I."

Bill: "When you wrote cryptically back to me when I asked you not to hurt this woman, 'I'll try not to,' what does that suggest? You're laughing at this sardonically but you know what I mean. You are back in the fold because you are with Rob [Spallone], Mike [Davis] and this three-ring circus. There's nothing that can be done. You come up here. You haven't heard anyone recently. Maybe you don't want to do that anymore."

I crack up.

Bill: "You got burned up pretty bad in this whole thing between Scott Ross and you. I honestly believe [Margold was in the room participating in the speakerphone conversation at the time] that Scott Ross that this whole thing was being taped. I think it is sad what happened, because you seemed to be happy with Adultbeat. I don't know what happened to Adultbeat. Duke Floored Has Resigned. That's what you call stopping time."

Duke: "I need to make a living."

Bill: "Start driving [girls around] for Jim. Jack Kerouac on the Road #2. You can call it burning rubbers.

"Are you afraid you might have to start using your van as a home again? I might have to use mine as a home if things don't go well."

Bill used to get free rent for managing an apartment complex. He moved out two years ago to another place. "I'm trapped in this miserable place in West Hollywood that I don't like. I want to get out but I have nowhere to go. Two cats tend to be a detriment but they mean more to me than anything else."

Who Loves TT Boy More?

It's a toss up as to whether Mike Ramone or Tim Connelly idolizes T.T. Boy more. T.T. could pull a Marc Wallice and they would probably be blaming "the stoopid chicks."

No Justice For Sin City's Scott Justice

Somebody is out to get Scott Justice (Sin City's head of production) and is publishing lots of bad material about him on various sites. I received the following email. From what I understand, none of it is true:

I am hearing all these things about Scott Justice. Are they true? It would be about time if David woke up and smelled the Starbucks. See Mr. Justice had been ripping him off since the old days of Cinema West. A company that Justice and Raven ran. I do not think that Raven had anything to do with the money it was all Justice. As I know he had both hands in the cookie jar. Buying female performers this that and the other thing. Buying new motorcycles, even paying his rent out the company bank account, then at the end of the week the employs could not be paid. When Cinema West went bust old Justice blamed Raven and stuck everyone else with the bills. Like the new motorcycle was in the name of an Anabolic Video Director, Justice says it got stolen. But the truth is he let it get repoed and f-cked him for the money. He knew it was going bad at Cinema West. What he wanted was the GM spot at Sin City but at the time that spot was taken. He knew there was a problem between a Sin City female employee and the GM. So he says to her ''you should sue''. Gave her his lawyers phone number and she sued the GM and David. Well the GM got run out of town and Justice got the GM spot making about $ 20,000 a month. Not bad for an out of work stockbroker that drove his fathers company in to the ground. I wonder if big David knew what he was getting him self into with this clown? But from what I was told David likes scumbags and Justice in a big time scumbag.

Nobody sued David on this score. From what I hear, this girl was sexually harassed by Ari's son, Oren, the guy who got beat up by Neil Diamond's son for hitting on his wife. David had to give her two months paid vacation to get her out of the office until he could take care of the mess. The crazy thing is that Ari hired her after threatening to break her neck.

Another Pornkings Blockbuster

Pornkings won't say a word about what it is, and they (Roger V, the owner, who first broke the Paris Hilton tape) won't even hint what it is, but they will release a new tape that will be like a howitzer to Paris Hilton's firecracker in forty-five days. I'm totally speculating about this, mind you, but I wonder if it is the Lyndie England Gangf-ck in Bagdad. No, they didn't even hint that it was in that direction, but the timing would be right, and it will be a blockbuster politically more than porn-wise. I've heard speculation that the tape isn't such an exclusive thing, and that many computers with the images were found in Iraq. None of my speculation is anything more than that . . but they claim to have a blockbuster.

Nasty Trojan Horse

Garce writes:

One of the sites mentioned in this thread has been trying to install a trojan on my machine. It is not happening on the pantydrawer.net page, but on the "April Sponsors" page there is a link for girlsearch.net. Clicking on that caused my virus scanner to issue a trojan warning, and there was a small window with an error message saying that it can't write to my hard drive. I don't know the exact virus or trojan name, and I'm not going back to find out. Time to run my scanner...

After looking at my AV logs, it appears that it might be the trojan Dropper.Siboco.A I scan every day and this was the only virus listed for this month (only one this year, actually). The only alert I've received was from that site.

AIM Meets With Industry Leaders To Discuss Health Issues

DCypher writes on hardcoregossip.com:

A focus group was held last night at Suze Randall's ranch in Malibu to further discuss current adult industry health issues. In attendance were; Suze Randall, Jerry T. John Stagliano and Trish Deveraux, Roberto Herrera, Mark Speigler, Mike Sullivan, Ben English, Hannah Harper, Chris Roos from Anabolic, Vince Voyeur from Red Light, Dr. Sharon Mitchell from AIM Healthcare Foundation, and Holly Randall, Humphry Knipe from Suze Randall. The following topics were discussed;

1) A proposed recommendation for all new talent, and talent who travels abroad, to be tested the day they arrive, then two weeks later by PCR/DNA for HIV and STDs. All had hopes that this group of people would not work, or be given condom options while in the two week holding pattern. All companies present agreed to pay for talents tests for this protocol. Talent who's Doctors or clinics are affiliated or who wish to be affiliated with AIM, could test in their country of origin by chain of custody mail in testing through AIM, would have the option of having their window period closed, if they tested two weeks prior abroad before coming to the U.S.

2) Some of the companies present are considering to push the window period of their mandatory testing policy to two weeks for HIV.

3) The Adult Dat System was praised by all to aid AIM in the event of an HIV emergency to track affected talent better, but as it stands now, it is not protected information. It was agreed that Dr. Mitchell would approach Desi, to see if the system could be donated to AIM, so the information would be protected as medical information, to insure that the information would not be compromised. (As of this posting I have been informed that Desi has donated the AdultDat system to AIM.)

4) Suze Randall is suggesting that all anal sex should be shot with condoms, as this was the commonality in all of the latest HIV positive cases an investigation at AIM shows. This point is still up for discussion, and was tabled for now.

5) It was agreed that to assure better prevention education, a shortened version of the Porn 101 tape be made, and all talent must view this and sign off on it or answer some written questions on HIV and STD transmission before receiving their test results, when entering the industry. In addition it was also suggested for talent to attend at least one of the monthly AIM prevention educational meetings (first one scheduled for June 2nd, at AIM Building Lobby).

6) John Stagliano proposes to start a web site where talent and producers could post their policies, and or complaints. Mr. Stagliano suggested that talent who felt "compromised" by their own definition, could alert other talent of bad company policy. For example, if a company was continuing to shoot new talent without condoms during the two week holding period, or if a company was shooting abroad without tests, talent could be alerted to better protect themselves. Producers could also post their policies personally, and put accurate information as to their policies, and type of scenes they shoot.

7) Jerome Tanner (Jerry T.) proposed that a "slush fund" be put together, where producers or whom ever could donate and earmark donations for emergency purposes. For example, emergency testing needs, HIV medications, and emergency services for people in need.

Also noteworthy- Suze Randall took it upon herself to donate 4000 dollars to AIM for laboratory costs ensued by AIM for the people on quarantine. The tests were given free of charge, and now AIM is stuck with quite a bit of unpaid lab costs. We love her and thank her very much. All in all everyone felt if they took the lead with responsible action, it would make the industry a safer place, and remember that self regulation is possible, and effective, if people stick to their values.

Thank you for letting me be of service, Sharon Mitchell Ph.D.

Change At Asshole Of The Month

Mike Albo writes on AdultStarsNews.com:

Spoke with my bud Tim Kenneally last night. Tim, as you might recall, was recently removed from his post as Managing Editor at Hustler to make room for former Busty Beauties Editor N. Morgen Hagen.

According to Tim, he was given the standard "this-hurts-us-more-than-it-hurts-you-but-don't-worry-we'll-have-freelance-work-for-you" song and dance so many of us freed LFP slaves have heard before being slapped in cuffs and escorted off company property.

One of the more popular features of Hustler is the magazine's "Asshole of the Month" editorial. Tim long handled the duties of that department wih humor and aplomb. Unfortunately, in yet another of the brilliant editorial moves of Hustler Editorial Director and Master of the Bat-tusi Bruce David, Tim's skills and insight will be replaced by the turgid musings of Bruce's man-servant Mark Cromer. Any editor who has tried to work with Cromer's text will know from where we're coming.

However, the die is cast and the race has been run, and, with that in mind, we certainly know whom we would profile as the first Cromer-written "Asshole" column. Let's just say this person knows a hack when he sees one.

Sharon Mitchell Helps Jessica Dee

Gene Ross reports on Adultfyi.com:

Nicole London, www.outbackxxx.net, tells me that despite some postings on adult websites to the contrary, TT Boy is not footing the bill for Jessica Dee's medication. "That is totally false," she says. "I talked to Jessica today and I do have to commend AIM on one thing. Sharon Mitchell has been paying for Jessica's medication. It has not been TT Boy. TT Boy has never even contacted Jessica. Jessica, I guess, is upset because people started asking her, oh, that's good- at least TT Boy's paying for your medication. Well, apparently he has not and hasn't even called her. Evidently Sharon's been putting it on her credit card. I have to let you know- that's one thing I have to commend AIM about."

Naughtia Rio, Slain Wayne, Max Blacc

I hear Naughtia Rio is launching a lawsuit against Slain Wayne and Max Blacc, a male performer working during the quarantine. She claims that Max presented her with a false test. She did not get paid for her scene.

Gene Ross reports on Adultfyi.com: "Regardless of what you might be reading, there will be no Naudia Rio lawsuit filed against either Slain Wayne, www.slainwayne.com or Max Blacc. That comes from no less a source than Roy Garcia who found himself in the middle of the controversy when Rio, one of his finds, did a blowjob scene behind his back for Slain Wayne which involved Blacc who was on the quarantine list the time he performed with her."

Here's an email to MikeSouth.com:

I've long suspected there are people who should be on AIM's quarantine lists, but who aren't. This was confirmed yesterday, when I received a call from a black female model (I'd rather not share her name at this point) who is with World Modeling. I'd asked World to call her as I was interested in shooting her. During the course of our conversation, she told me she'd only done two scenes, both in late March. One of the shoots was on 03/26 with Maxx Blacc...

Maxx is on the first generation list of people who worked with Lara Roxx... In fact, Maxx worked with Lara on 03/24, just two days before the female performer I was talking to did. I asked the girl if she had retested since the shoot, and she told me she hadn't as she wasn't sure she was going to continue performing. She was aware of the HIV crisis in the Industry, but didn't know that Maxx Blacc was quarantined. I told her to get tested right away, and to tell AIM that she'd worked with Maxx very soon after he worked with Lara Roxx as she should be on the second generation quarantine list. I'm sure this is not an isolated incident.

I Hate Adultdvdsforabuck.com

Every day I get multiple spam emails for this site. I forward them to Dave Koenig, the owner of the site, but get no response.

The Agony Of Annie Cruz

She's a 19 year old Filipina girl who was on AIM's First Generation HIV quarantine list after working with Darren James March 29. Thankfully, she tested out negative.

Cruz was represented by CherryModeling.com. She did wild man T.T. Boy almost two months ago. She has since told friends that she caught herpes from TT in that scene.

I had a chat with Tera, owner of CherryModeling.com Monday night.

Tera: "She had shot for TT. He does rough scenes. Whatever. I vaguely remember this. After she shot with him, I cancelled all the rest of her shoots because she was sore. Then when I found she had herpes, I said, 'You can't shoot. There's no way.' That's when she went back up to San Francisco. There was no point in her being here.

"When she was up there, that's when the whole thing came about her being on the First Generation.

"She was going to do the four-man gangbang. She just continued to tell me that she was sore from the shoot. Then, when I looked, I saw that it was herpes. I then cancelled all her shoots. She didn't even know she had herpes.

"So she just did a BJ.

"I still represent her. I still talk to her. We're on good terms. I've never made any of my girls do anything they don't want to do. I have a good reputation. I don't make them do anything. If they are too tired, I make them get out of bed..."

In porn for two years, Tera used to work for another agent before going out on her own a year ago.

A source tells me: Annie was wrecked after working with TT Boy but still kept trying to work. She'd try a scene and not complete it. Then she'd try to work again. Tera was Roy Garcia's girlfriend; he taught her the ways of being a pimp. Except unlike Roy, who at least is picky about the gigs he gets girls and always tries to get them top price and build their image, Tera works the girls constantly. She delivers unshootable girls to the set, girls bleeding from the pussy, with pinkeye, etc.

David Aaron Clark writes on DavidAaronClark.com:

Annie Cruz, the smart, vivacious Filipina slut I wrote about last time, is on a long list of peformers exposed to the HIV virus - one of those punishing, membrane-ripping scenes that she was booked for by Cherry Modeling as her intro to the wonderful world of adult-filmmaking L.A.-style that left her unable to complete her scene for me was with Darren James, who unbeknownst to himself and despite his religious adherence to a testing schedule MORE stringent than that demanded by the industry, was at that time - March 29th -- infectious with the HIV virus. Though there's little way to determine it beyond a shadow of a doubt, he most probably picked it up on the trip he had just returned from, shooting bareback double-anals and the like with local talent down in Brazil for TT Boy, a bully famous for his death-wish whom every real insider in this business knows doesn't give a f-ck about tests as long as nobody's looking. Laura Roxx, another girl Darren worked with both before and after Brazil, has also come up positive - though thanks to willful ignorance both by herself, the companies shooting her and a string of pimps that reaches from Montreal to here, it's impossible to tell at this point if she indeed wasn't infected already.

But to what's weighing on me, personally, the most: As of now, Annie doesn't know whether she has HIV. Brian Surewood, one of the best friends I've ever had, and Sledge Hammer, the guys I booked for her scene, don't know if they do, either. Darren, a wonderful person and more thoughtful and mature than almost all of the male talent I've ever met, is missing, and a lot of us are very afraid that he's committed suicide.

In addition, Tyler Knight, also from my very small pool of favored male performers, has been directly exposed - he worked with Laura mere hours after she had been with Darren, same day, same set.

A great many people with their own agendas influencing their points of view are saying that while it's "certainly a shame," none of this is enough of a big deal to get all "panicked and hysterical" over. And that "everything's under control." Familiar platitudes, eh? Add to it Sharon Mitchell's mystical, mumbo-jumbo advice "Don't break the circle!" This is a realistic and mature health professional??!

Some of those all too ready to shrug this incident off as an inconvenience are the raincoater fans to whom Annie Cruz, Brian Surewood, Laura Roxx, Tyler Knight, Sledge Hammer and all the rest are basically no more real than the electronic images formed by the lines of resolution on a TV screen, images that go away when you're finished masturbating and turn off the TV to go get something to eat.

So far, the majority opinion on [AdultDVDTalk.com] seems to be that this is some sort of acceptable byproduct of providing them with the most appropriate possible fodder with which to relieve their lonely, otherwise unattended nutsacs. They're warning us that if the industry dares implement some sane degree of safety for its performers - like condoms, or at least a de-emphasis on the kind of sexual circus acts that go light years beyond what the CDC and AIDS organizations warn to be the most extremely high risk acts for the transmission of the HIV virus - they will stop buying porn. Which is bullsh-t - when a guy is horny and needs wank fodder, he'll use whatever he has to, whether it's an underwear catalog or the Sports Illustrated bikini issue. Anybody in the business who listens to that sort of threat is a naïve coward, and anyone who caters to it at this point is an opportunist without an ounce of social or moral responsibility.

Was I disappointed by the lack of sympathy leavened with the occasional crocodile tear from these fans? Nah. I know from a lifetime of experience with my own member as well as witnessing the actions of other dick-owners that indeed "A hard cock has no conscience," so truth be told I really don't expect too much from that crowd as a whole, especially when, as I say, we are all no more personally real to them than President Bush, Mickey Mouse, or Jesus.

But some of those voices in denial I've been hearing are also the company owners, producers and directors whom like me have made their living from instigating these increasingly dangerous acts simply in order to get ahead of - or keep up with - the Joneses. I've been disgusted at times by my peers in this industry on moral and integrity issues - hell, I'm disgusted by most of them every day on issues of native intelligence and aesthetic taste - but I can't remember ever feeling this hopeless and depressed by the pure cannibalism that is the badge of our particular tribe.

In recent months, I have found myself slipping towards the New Viciousness, too, encouraged both by the atmosphere fostered by AVN, which in the last couple of years has taken to rewarding gonzos full of life-threatening, reckless behavior with financially lucrative Editor's Choices, and by an increasing number of performers who through their own ignorance of the health issues or by being trained by other, more vicious producers who got there first, have taken to offering their services in scenes like DP, DPP, DA, CP, ACP, and all those other acronyms that sound like something the U.S. government dropped on civilians during the Vietnam War.

Because Annie Cruz - a 19-year-old influenced, I suspect, by watching the kind of porn that's been prevalent for the past five years, since she was 15 - was offering to do double penetration, that's what I booked her for - actually, only the second time I've ever specifically booked that act. I had resisted until just recently, both because I hadn't been sexually jaded enough to find anything appealing about it, and because in reality it is a difficult thing to do, and really doesn't give very much physical pleasure to any of the participants.

Last weekend, I edited up the Annie/Surewood/Sledge scene, which as it turned out was quite hot on its own terms, despite her inability to perform the circus act she was booked for. Gripped by the same spirit of competition that drives Jules Jordan and all the rest, I was intending to slap it right up on the site, because she is Fresh Meat. I even jerked off to it myself several times.

Now, I can't even look at it, and until all these performers are in the clear and it's been verified that they were lucky enough to dodge a bullet pointed right at them, it's going to sit on my shelf. As it was, I left in the parts where Annie was yelping because Surewood's dick hurt like hell in her already abused, raw pussy, and where she was examining herself and admitting that her first few days in the business were far more physically demanding than she had ever expected - it's the stuff they usually cut out, in order to collect the dollars of the raincoaters for whom life would evidently be without meaning if they could not have their fantasy of impossible sexual acts without any consequences. But I had thought it might be a little educational for people to see the REALITY of this kind of shooting. Now, I'm thinking about everything. About the anal cream pies I've been filming. About the kind of denial that I've been in, too, caught up in the struggle for survival in this vicious marketplace.

I've been thinking about a system where we not only tolerate but applaud and reward directors and producers who shoot "five-man creampies" without the female performer on any kind of birth control, and then brag about it as a sales point on their websites, as these excerpts from Mark Kulkis's Kickasspictures.com, reproduced today on adultbeat.com, attest:

THREE GIRLS - 15 INTERNAL CUM SHOTS! Birth control is such a drag. Condoms suck, and pulling out is dicey. It feels sooo good to just let loose inside a girl's pussy. Shoot your load right up there into her womb. "f-ck pregnancy, f-ck disease, just take my seed, bitch!" This movie is for all you frustrated men out there. Each girl submits to not just taking one load of sperm inside her birth canal, but FIVE! Watch three innocent babes submit to becoming human sperm banks as they suck and f-ck a pack of filty mooks who have been storing up their reproductive juices for days! Isn't it beautiful what some girls will do for money?

THE PREGNANCY GAMBLE "That's the exciting and risky game that these girls are playing. Are they on birth control? Do they trust it 100%? No form of birth control is foolproof, dummy. Yet here they are, letting five complete strangers cum inside them and possibly impregnate them. These girls are filthy! f-cking five guys is one thing, but welcoming unwanted sperm into your birth canal for money is the very definition of "whore." Enjoy!"

FULLY LOADED "That's what these girls are, filled to the brim with the potent semen of five different men. If these girls were smart, of course they would be on birth control. But guess what? "I'll be okay, I just had my period." That's the most common excuse. Another is, "I'm just going to douche really good afterwards." But why should you care? You can just sit back, relax and enjoy watching these girls open their fertile wombs to strangers - and thank your lucky stars that your daughter's not a porn star!"

A FRIEND INDEED "Vic Sinister came into our offices with another 5-Guy alumni, Renee Pornero. Seems that Renee has convinced her sexy friend that it was cool to let five men ejaculate inside her. We had read the rumors on the Internet about Lola being impregnated from an earlier shoot. But it Renee wasn't scared, then neither was she. Each time Vic felt another stranger's cock erupt inside her, she wondered if she was really doing the right thing. But she smiled and carried on until her fallopian tubes were filled with potent sperm cells. We've lost track of Vic since the shoot."

You might think that's all hyperbole. But it's not. A lot of these girls really are ignorant, and a lot of them really are not on birth control. (I have this information confirmed by two independent sources, as a decent journalist should.) So why would they do something like that? Because some asshole who DOES know better than an uneducated teenager offers them money to do it, because he knows it will "carve a niche" in the marketplace for his product, and make them rich no matter what the consequences to others. Isn't it special that such a guy would take the trouble to gloat over it in his sales pitches?

You could argue that these girls know what they're doing, but you would be rationalizing. If they're so responsible, would the producers or directors involved trust them to hold their wallets full of credit cards, or the keys to their luxury cars, all acquired through recklessly egging human beings not even out of their teens to take insane risks for the sake of a scene that will sell better than the next guy's?

The sad truth of the matter is that with a few notable exceptions, the most successful producers of "gonzo" porn today are the biggest monsters. I came into this business working for a sleazy, lying, cheating, stealing piece of garbage named John T. Bone, who was infamous in those days for the way he would bully and lie to the talent and put them at risk. I still remember when his business was failing and he was opining that Rob Black had stolen his thunder by being nastier and even less saddled with a conscience than him.

Make no mistake, they were both pieces of walking, talking excrement - I worked for both, and saw and heard things first-hand that still trouble me today. But I remember when Black took the Extreme crew on their first trip to shoot in Brazil - Rob Black, reviled by most of the industry today, except it seems by AVN, which has been offering him more editorial space than any three responsible producers put together, because he happens to be under indictment by the feds for producing pseudo-snuff porn - and even HE had his male talent use condoms when working with the local girls in an environment which even then was world-famous for its high heterosexual HIV-infection rate.

In 2004, by comparison, we have several major companies shooting in Brazil without condoms - perhaps some of them are paying more attention to valid HIV tests than TT Boy is renowned for not doing, but the bareback risk factor is still obscene. In fact, in the middle of this crisis, the major creep who owns one of the major gonzo companies is already planning a Brazil foray, hoping payoffs from his fat wallet will shut up those charged with overseeing the health of this industry's performers. Which, of course, makes him a hero to the raincoaters on adultdvdtalk.com who threaten that if we dare do the responsible thing with our product, they will take their dicks and play with them elsewhere.

There's a Good Old Boy network in this industry that has made it the ugly place it is today. If you're a Good Old Boy, you don't blow the whistle on producers who don't pay attention to HIV tests, who coerce talent into dangerous acts they don't want to perform.

If you're a Good Old Boy, you help mislead the industry and the public into believing someone with a mail-order PhD. diploma from a non-accredited, crackpot institution is a medical doctor, and qualified to have the final word and oversee the health of 600 people - that's roughly how many performers there are out there, these days. If you're a Good Old Boy, you circle the wagons, keep your mouth shut and do or say anything necessary to "keep the government off our backs and out of our business." Even if it's putting on blinders to conditions that directly lead to the destruction of some of the insignificant little people who have made you or your employers' fortunes. And why not? As Dr. Everett Koop - an actual physician - pointed out, porn actors are viewed as "disposable people" by most of society - and evidently that includes a large percentage of those who make their blood money from their flesh.

These guys all talk like government interference in our business would be the end of the world. I don't doubt that those merry capitalists responsible for the Triangle Shirtwaist fire said the same thing. And if you don't know what I'm talking about, go here:

http://www.csun.edu/~ghy7463/mw2.html

Yeah, nobody held a gun to those teenage girls' heads and told them to take the job either, did they? There is government regulation of the way we are served food in restaurants.

There is government regulation of health and safety in the workplace. This is NOT a freedom of speech issue anymore, I'm sorry to say. AIM has done everything it can in its present state, but despite all the warm fuzzies about Sharon's history in and devotion to this industry, it needs a professional manager and the daily presence of a qualified physician to act without fear or favor to properly protect the health of the industry.

So what am I, as a producer and director, going to do about all this? I really don't know; I'm still figuring it out. The latest BANANA CREAM PIE just came out - despite the fact it's one of my best-selling titles, it very well might be the last volume. A great director, one of my role models in this business, recently pointed out to me that he flinches every time he sees an internal comeshot, because an infected male ejaculating inside a woman's vagina increases the chance of transmitting the HIV virus exponentially to the risk of simple bareback f-cking.

One thing I'm certainly not going to do is hire any talent that has returned from a trip to Brazil or perhaps any foreign country within the last month, no matter who it is.

I'm looking at the facts, I'm questioning my own procedures, because obviously, trusting that the producers next to me are doing the right thing and that the performers who show up on my set have been previously working in a safe, sane environment is not a fair assumption. That I ever thought it was sadly points towards a fair degree of denial in my own mind.

I began making erotica and pornography because I love and admire women, not out of some need to "see them punished" - or to cater to some unpleasant market share that does.

Indeed, I am a pervert, I am kinky, I enjoy giving an often-dark psychological edge to my work. But I didn't become a pornographer to cater to the hateful demographic out there that is impatiently waiting for all this sh-t to blow over so they can see the next 18-year-old girl get her ass ripped open when two or three cocks the size of a cop's flashlight are stuffed into it while some sociopathic jackal cackles away from behind the camera and asks them what their parents would think, or embraces a series where a girl's face is held while guys come directly into her eye (not only painful, but a direct line of infection for HIV and all other communicable diseases). THIS is a far cry from simple bareback f-cking. I've HEARD these producers laugh in amazement at "the insane things these whores will do for money" - hell, at JM Productions and Anabolic and KickAss, they laugh over it on their websites, and then ask you for your credit-card number so you can laugh, too.

If that, as well the fact that as a responsible human being with some sense of right and wrong left, I can't help but speak out on this situation and these issues means I won't be getting the critical recognition, awards and glad-handing from the Good Old Boys, then I hope the company I shoot for can accept it, and that we can find other ways to create and bring attention to erotic entertainment that doesn't come with a death wish.

One of the reasons that I'm proud to work for Video Team is because my boss has a very admirable history of doing the right thing - even when it's directly cost him large amounts of money. By industry standards, I guess he's crazy. But right now, I'm certainly glad to be working for him, as opposed to the scum next door. I'm going to a meeting tonight that will be packed to the rafters with those "throwaway people," the actual manifestations of those lines on the screens that raincoaters are always hectoring to more and more ridiculous levels of risk. I'm sure there will be some wisdom, a lot of ignorance; I'm sure that some of the same bastards who push the performers into ever-dangerous acts will be there smirking and trying to stir division and fostering confusion. But we'll see what we will see.

And then we'll see what really happens.

She

She was everything he was not. She had the big job at the big newspaper. He wrote for his own website. She was cute and he was ugly. She was sophisticated and he was clumsy. She smiled and he grimaced. She earned several times what he did. She was probably married and he'd probably never marry. He wanted to ask her out. He wanted to tickle her. He wanted to sleep with her. He wanted her love and respect. He wanted to protect her. He wanted to inform her. He wanted to point her in the right direction. He wanted her.

She.

Sex.com Rolls Out Info On The Homegrown vs Voice Media (Ron Levi) Lawsuit

Why is Sex.com owner Gary Kremen publishing this? Because Ron Levi (Voice Media) won't return his phone calls.

I think there's bad blood between Gary and Ron. When Gary won back sex.com in late 2000, I think I told him that Ron Levi would be the best person to run the site for him at maximum profit with least litigious risk. But Gary didn't want someone else to run his site. He wanted to be hands on. Gary met with Ron and drove Ron crazy.

Gary eventually handed sex.com over to Yishai Habari for three months before yanking it back and going through various gyrations to the place it is today. Ron Levi felt like Gary had jerked him around. Ron can be the most charming guy in the world. He can also display a fearsome temper. Ron gave Gary's people a taste of his temper and resolved to not give Gary the time of day.

Now Gary's getting back at him.

When I spoke to Ron about this Homegrown suit a few weeks ago, he said it was inconsequential and that the matter was heading for arbitration.

I emailed Ron a few days ago to follow up on all this but I did not receive a reply.

According to sources unfriendly to Ron Levi, the reason he and CECash and Trade News and company settled with Acacia is that CE has loose books. He doesn't want an audit of Voice Media, CECash, Trade News, etc. According to my sources, Ron Levi said this in a meeting with Spike Goldberg, Jim Coles, Greg Klamen, Norm from Matrix. "We all keep our books loosy goosy." Greg, Jim and Spike say no. We have no problems with audits. That shut down the argument. Ron was trying to get Homegrown to settle with Acacia.

Plaintiff New Destiny...entered into an agreement with the principal defendant, Voice Media... The Defendant was to provide marketing and credit card processing for the site [www.homegrownvideo.com]. The Agreement, which provides for a 50/50 split of membership revenues derived from the site...

As plaintiffs recently learned...in May 2001, the Federal Trade Commission lodged a formal complaint against the Defendant and its principals regarding Defendant's egregious "deceptive acts and practices" it utilized in marketing and administrating adult internet sites. Defendant agreed in a consent decree still in effect to notify its agents, among others, of the consent decree. Defendant, however, did not notify plaintiffs of consent decree and thus continued to market and administer the Site. As will be demonstrated below, defendants are now engaging in the very acts prohibited by the consent decree in purporting to administer the site.

4. Defendants wrongful conduct in this matter and the resulting outrage from the public and damage to plaintiff's reputation

In late 2002, Defendant stopped providing monthly accountings to New Destiny for an extended period of time and New Destiny thereafter learned in August, 2003, that there were several thousand more registered members of the Site than reported to New Destiny by Defendant or for which New Destiny was receiving its revenue split.

[On November 7, 2003, the plaintiffs, through counsel, requested an audit. The Plaintiff alleges the Defendant threw up all sorts of roadblocks to getting an honest audit.] Even the limited and incomplete audit that New Destiny was permitted to conduct, however, revealed or confirmed serious wrongdoing by defendants, including that New Destiny was not being paid its share for thousands of users of the site.

Rather than addressing the legitimate concerns raised by New Destiny, the defendants, knowing they had been caught with their hands in the cookie jar, apparently decided to try to cover their tracks while at the same [time] implementing a plan to gouge unlawfully members of the site for as long as they could. Defendants, for example, first advised New Destiny that they were "purging" the site of some 10,000 members. Not surprisingly, plaintiffs thus began to get complaints from customers who had their memberships canceled with no notice...

In addition to complaints relating to defendants unlawful "purging," plaintiffs began to receive an avalanche of angry complaints from other members who: (1) were being double-billed for their memberships or for unordered services (2) were improperly enrolled in other internet sites when they signed up for the Site (3) were being billed for memberships to the Site after expiration of "free trials" without conspicuous notice of this practice...and/or (4) could not reach the bogus customer service numbers or emails disseminated by defendants... The following emails, for example:

"Going through my bank statement, I suddenly saw a charge show up of 49.95... It took a while to find out that Jettis [Premiere] had billed my card for a full membership to homegrownvideo.com. To say the least, I was not only stunned but furious that my card number had remained inside your/their system, even after cancellation and no attempts to access the site for over three months..."

"I signed up for the 3 free days and cancelled before the 3 days was up... I was then billed $49:95 on January 20, 2004 and again on January 30, 2004. I have tried repeatedly to speak to someone about this...never a call back, not able to leave a message."

"I tried to cancel my membership. I was redirected to transsecure.net, where I was given the choice to cancel subscription to 'Party Sluts,' a site I have never visited, let alone belonged to."

"I have been double billed by your credit card company. They agree they have double billed me but have refused to credit my account. They told me that the only solution is to refuse to pay my credit card bill and accuse them of fraud..."

"Just a question. I cancelled my subscription and noticed that my credit card was immediately charged for two months. Why is that?"

Defendants shifted to off-shore accounts due to the high charge-backs caused by their aggressive billing practices. Plaintiffs fear that at some point the credit card companies will catch up with the defendants and bar them from obtaining another merchant account. If that happens, the sanction could likely apply to all web sites represented by the defendants, including the Site.

AIM's Consent Form

Duke's Buddy writes: Here's the current AIM consent form that all clients must sign before getting tests drawn. It completely waives all HIPAA privacy rights and safeguards. It's inconsistent in that the paragraphs use the name of Dr. Steven York, but the bottom of the form has the name of Dr. Colin Hamblin. The release wording is much too broad and leaves no restrictions as to the who can decide to make positive test info available.

Roger from HOM Films writes:

Having produced films in the adult industry for 39 years and never had any performer become infected with any disease I am appaled at getting the government involved in the adult industry in any way, shape, or form.

First of all, the government screws up everything it touches.

Secondly, the adult industry has an infection rate which is 1 100th of 1 percent of the infection rate in our high schools and colleges. Every case of infection which has presented itself in the adult industry was caused by an actor having unprotected sex with an untested partner in their personal life, then bringing it to the adult industry.

If the City, County, State, or Federal Government takes any position of trying to regulate an industry which has very well regulated itself for over 50 years, then HOM Films, as will most of the adult film companies, will begin production overseas where there is no regulation.

Both Prague and Budapest are actively soliciting the adult industry as being extremely adult friendly countries, where the companies would pay little or no taxes, and be able to produce films for 20% of the current cost in the US. Most of the owners of the adult film companies are very American Supportive, and do not want to leave the US to film if possible. Can the California economy afford a loss of almost 2 billion dollars in tax revenue?

Jane writes Duke:

sorry to hear about your job turmoil (again)! i suppose eventually you start to expect it sooner or later, given your chosen line of work, but damn... do you ever find yourself wishing you'd followed a more sedentary, conventional career path? one with a predictable work schedule, job security, retirement benefits... y'know, everything we DON'T get in pornoland?! ok, most of us understood from the beginning that there are certain risks inherent to working as a freelancer in porn, but at least the female talent's paychecks make them risks worth taking! but what's your excuse? don't tell me you're just sticking it out to get back at a father you still feel resentment towards...? now don't get mad, i'm not trying to piss you off or anything! i'm just sitting here at my computer at 5:30 am, and i'm genuinely curious to know what makes you tick - why do you keep coming back for more to an industry that hasn't treated you all that well? (or so it seems to me, anyway) inquiring minds want to know!

Andy writes: "Dear Duke: I was sickened when I hear the news. Now who will I turn to to find out what is going on? Others, sure, but none as well crafted as you in your expoliation of the truth. Just remember that even in these dark times, whenever God closes one door, he makes you find another."

Why Is AVN Covering Up For TT Boy?

Nobody is giving TT Boy an investigation. He seems to be getting a free ride from the porn media. I don't recall TT Boy giving any interviews on the HIV crisis that started with his trip to Brazil. Why hasn't he been part of the story since day one? Why isn't AVN asking him questions? TT Boy is known for not worrying about HIV tests before shooting. He tells performers that HIV tests are optional.

Lensman On YNOT Radio

Confucy writes 4/27:

Did you listen to the Lensman interview on Hammer's YNOT radio show today? Hammer told me he was not going to ask my questions, but he did. Lensman said that the caller on the speakerphone asked specifically that what he said was *off the record* to adultbeat.com. Lensman said that OFF THE RECORD means OFF THE RECORD!

The rest of the interview was about when he started in the adult business and the sites he owns, the Miss GFY contest, and general information about GFY, including the problems he is having with hackers. He said GFY gets over 700 new threads a day, and he has 5 in-house mods. Lensman said there are over 70 message boards and he doesn't have time to keep up with GFY, let alone all the other boards, but one of his favorites is: http://www.amateurmasters.com

Then your name came up on the Oprano Radio show today with stupid Gonzo and CJ. Hammer was in the chatroom and he said from what he heard today talking to Lensman, that Duke Ford is not coming back to adultbeat.

Making Money Off Lara Roxx's Misery

XXX writes: Some moron from eromodels, who booked this Lara Roxx chick [who has HIV], is emailing people who are posting articles with promo model images of her... saying that they can not use the FREE images, but for $7,000 you can get some images and some video clicks of Roxx.... he has other girls photos and video clips available for $50.00. Talk about someone looking to take advantage of girl who just got the worst news of her life.

Anabolic Chris's Fondness For Transsexuals

It's well known in the industry that Biff Malibu AKA Chris Alexander, owner of Anabolic, does not mind a transsexual coming into his office and then coming into his office, if you know what I mean, squire.

Maybe that was one of the reasons that all those macho guys such as Eric Everhard, Lexington Steele, Mike Johns, etc fled from Anabolic for Red Light District. They did not feel comfortable working for a guy who was into trannies.

It also made them uncomfortable that Alexander was pushing Kahn Tusion's product.

Dr. Sharon Mitchell

Stan Gilbert writes Duke:

I find it disturbing that someone in traditional med school can't spell or use good grammar when choosing to attack Sharon Mitchell's credentials. Be that as it may...

I am utterly bored to death with the morons in this country who get on the "accredited college" bandwagon as though that means something more than setting a false standard to raise money. Are you idiots aware that for all practical purposes, no foreign colleges or institutions of higher learning are "accredited" in the US and that none of them have grading schedules like US schools. In fact, most foreign schools (yes, that's England, Germany, Switzerland, et al) don't maintain any academic or grade records... you either graduated or you didn't.

As to the complaints that she should not be administering health advice at AIM... might I point out she founded AIM... duh! As to the notion such "officials" should have a license or "recognized" degree... nobody is going to understand the issues facing this topic more than an ex-porn star who has made it her effort to grow, learn, and help in that industry.

In my lifetime I have encountered plenty of people with credentials from "accredited" schools who couldn't find their own ass in a phone booth with a flashlight and a book of Gray's Anatomy so get a little worldly experience before you start demonstrating your lack of intelligence. Intelligence is only fact gathering and anyone with experience knows the primary requirement for any "accredited" degree is the ability to memorize long enough to pass a test. It has nothing whatsoever to do with thinking... and the better your ability to memorize the higher the grade you can get.

Furthermore, you can stuff more superfluous and pointless crap into four years to qualify for the precious "accredited" degree it can end up a complete false representation of competency. The ONLY thing a college degree proves is that you did something long enough to get one. Being "smart" on the other hand... is the ability to integrate that material into real life experience... something very few people can do... something that cannot be graded... and something that is only tempered by experience. I am not in medicine although I studied premed at an "accredited" school...

I am not in the porn industry (although I've had a lot of sex)... but I have been around a bit. What is SIGNIFICANT about Sharon Mitchell is she is not out there "swindling" anyone or using her "degree" to leverage any fraud... she got her degree mostly because it establishes "some" sense of credibility, along with her experience, to have a dialog with people she is work with. As to the notion a mail order degree based only on "experience" is worthless... I will take experience over intellectual knowledge any day of the week in many areas.

Obviously, for you nit pickers... I am not talking about flying commercial airplanes or performing brain surgery. More fraud, pestilence, death, destruction, war, legal brutality, and fraud has been committed with the leverage of an "accredited" degree than you can imagine... ever hear of lawyers and politicians? It is my experience there is great truth to the adage, "those who can, DO... those who can't, teach"... so to those of you who preach the academic sanctity of your ivory tower... might I suggest you get a life!

Nothing's Changed

What's changed since porn's HIV crisis? Not much. Distributors are more loathe to carry product that advertises on the boxcover, "Double anal" or "anal creampies."

Mafia Soldier On HIV Crisis

Soldier writes:

I keep reading about the HIV scare in the Porn Biz and I find it kind of strange. I know most of the people on the list. I know that they all need cash, so they will still work. I know that a lot of the girls are doing "sidework". I was called last night, late to get some cash to a girl so she could head out of town for a side gig. It would have paid me like two grand, but I was tired. Do I feel sorry for these people? The girls. No. I was involved in the Biz since I was seventeen. People get into porn because they like the attention. The girls could make more money house dancing or outcalling and who would know? They never save a dime. I have been with hundreds of them and I always use protection. The companies just churn them up and spit them out. I made great money from the biz, so oh well!

John writes Duke:

Remember when I told you some heavy hands would fall on the industry and how zupko was the guidebook for the next ted bundys of the world? .....? ie: extreme associates bust and girls gone wild fed take over. And it seemed like yesterday that I was identifying porn starlets in Brazil who had HIV and scorned the industry via your site about how the HIV bomb was gonna blow up in their faces from doing brazilian porn, gosh whoda known? It amazes me the industry is so blind to the blatently obvious. Whats next for the porn industry? Keep an eye out for some serious legislative moves regarding strict guidelines to making and distrubuting porn. They are going to target small players and amateur shooters in an attempt to clean up the industry. Also see an attempt at bringing in the anti sodomy laws to convict some of the actors and producers. Also, very soon, arnold will be announcing a... One more thing, theres a certain producer who will be stepping down soon and selling off his company due to his failing health; he has chronic hepatitis B and is now looking for a liver.

Welcome To Trade News

I want to welcome our initial sponsors - Trade News Corporation AKA David van der Pool out of Curacao, Lensman AKA PlayboyCash2.0, Christian Mann at Video Team, Edward Wedelstedt of Goalie Enterprises, Farley Cahan of AVNOnline, Mike of Silvercash, Bottos of Maxcash, Ron Levi of Voice Media, John Bennett of Traffic Cash Gold, Mike AI of PureCash, Steve Hirsch of Vivid, Steve Orenstein of Wicked, Yishai Habari of Profit Plantation, John Atherton (Adstats.com), Scott Phillips (Pinkbits), Greg Lasrado.

John Gotti writes Duke: "Hope you are back up to speed soon. It was SO obvious that AVN needed desperately to knock you off the net at a time when they were orchestrating a huge cover-up "for the good of the industry." They are no morally better than the Bush dictatorship, which answered the revelations of U.S. Army abuse of unconvicted, uncharged prisoners by staging a CIA psyop of a false beheading by "arab terrorists." I think the biggest threat to human freedom and advancement are those who believe that by deceiving people they are somehow protecting them, when they are truly protecting nothing but the status quo of which they reside at the top. It occurs on every level -- unfortunately, while there is a natural human instinct to seek one's freedom, there is an opposing intinct to oppress and control others."