Wednesday, October 6, 2004

Email Luke Archives Photos Stars Search Luke Is Back.com AVN Sept 29

Vivid Girl Mercedez

By Cindi Loftus of Xcitement magazine:

Date-Saturday, September 4th, 2004
Place-Mandalay Bay Resort- Las Vegas Nevada.
Event- 2004 Gentlemen's club Award Show
Highlight- The announcer says, "And Exotic Dancer's Adult Performer of the Year is....... Mercedez!"

Xcitement: Congratulations on your Exotic Dancer Award!
Mercedez: I was so excited about that. It's always nice to be nominated and win. I know that a lot of girls get nominated every single year but they don't win. I won the Entertainer of the Year award (in 2002) and now I won this award, Adult Performer of the Year!
X: Wow!
M: Exotic Dancer, ever since I started, has always been really supportive, and the club owners have always been really nice, and the agents. I always treat the girls the way I want to be treated. Even the new girls. I never treat them like they are new girls. I treat everyone like they are all on the same level. I like Exotic Dancer because the awards are voted on by your peers. An award means a little more to me when it's voted on by my peers.
X: Who votes for that award?
M: Club Owners, Agents, other girls that have won awards, and I think anyone in the industry that subscribes. It's not voted on by the staff of E.D.
X: So the next big step is to win an AVN award! What do you think?
M: I don't feel like AVN embraces me, for whatever reason. I don't get good reviews from them. I did get nominated for four awards last year and didn't win one of them. Coming from what I come from, ya know, I have won pageants; I've won awards and I win awards in everything else, but for some reason AVN doesn't look this way. And I have a meeting with Paul Fishbein and a couple people at AVN in November to talk about it. So it will be good. I'll go in there and meet with them and see what happens. I just don't understand the AVN voting process. Maybe I just need to understand that a little better. I mean if I won an AVN award I would be ecstatic.
X: Is there anything that you've been pre-nominated for this year?
M: I got one for "Gathering Thoughts."
X: Well good luck with that! Where are you right now? LA?
M: I just got out of school. I'm in Texas. I moved back to Texas after all.
X: Well I hope Hurricane Ivan doesn't come your way.
M: We are getting some rain and stuff.
X: Do you have any natural disasters in Texas?
M: We have hurricanes, but we haven't had a really big one in a long time.
X: I think I'd rather move to LA and deal with earthquakes.
M: Or move to the middle of the US where they don't have hardly anything go on there.
X: I should go live in a cave! So your official site is MercedezXXX.com?
M: Yes I do a live cam off of there every week.
X: At a certain day and time?
M: I try to keep them on the weekends at night, so everybody can see them.
X: I read on your site that you like wrestling.
M: I am a huge, huge, huge, wrestling fan. As a matter of fact I was on wrestling not too long ago. I did the Diva Search. They had a huge Diva Search. I got picked out of a bunch of girls to go to Chicago, where out of like three hundred girls they pick out ten girls and out of those ten girls they pick out five girls and those five get to go to New York. Well I made it up to the point of ten girls, and then I didn't make it any further after that.
X: That's too bad.
M: It was good. I still got on TV. I had a lot of people e-mail about it. To be on wrestling was amazing to me. I got to meet "The Coach" and some other people that I like off wrestling.
X: Did you get to meet Triple H?
M: No, I didn't. But I saw him when he was in Corpus Christi and he's kinda old. I always said that I loved Triple H, but seeing him one on one, he's kinda old. I think I like Batista a lot better.
X: You are in really good shape. Could you ever imagine being a wrestler?
M: Uhm no. The only reason why I wouldn't do it, because I'm real physical, I'm afraid I'd bust my boob. I heard that Chyna busted her boob in wrestling and I think that would be painful.
X: Ouch! What's going on with your fitness stuff?
M: I'm still doing fitness modeling. I just shot for Planet Fitness. I'm also going to be writing a sex column, because we (all the Vivid girls) just did a book called "How to Have a XXX Sex Life."
X: I read it!
M: It's a good book. It's out everywhere. It's very mainstream. You can get it at Barnes & Noble. But being a fitness model and writing the book it makes sense for me to write a sex advice column.
X: Do you know which magazine it will be in?
M: No, not yet. It's pitched to three or four fitness magazines.
X: When I interviewed you several years ago I asked you if you would ever do porn and you said no. What changed your mind?
M: Ya know somebody else said that too. One of the girls is constantly mean about that, she's like Mercedez said she wouldn't do porn. But I don't remember saying that. Maybe the difference is a few years ago my parents were alive. The only reason why I am doing movies now, is because both of my parents have passed away. I feel like if my Dad was here there is no way I could do movies and face him. Now that they are gone I need to support my family and movies make a lot of money. Money for me to invest and buy a house and be where I feel like I need to be. I don't feel like I need to be on the road every week featuring.
X: That's a tough life.
M: It's very hard, and now I work six times a year and I make amazing money. I'm totally happy with it. A few years ago I liked the novelty of being in a different city every week. Now I'm like, it was fun for a while, but it's not any more.
X: Time to move on to something else. How did you end up being a Vivid Girl?
M: After I won the 2002 Exotic Dancer Award, I felt like there was nothing else for me to do, like there was no where else to go. I did Miss Nude Universe. I did the fitness modeling. I won the big award, and I felt like I was at a stand still. There was not really anything else for me to do. If I don't have anything to work up to I get bored. So I went and talked to Steve Hirsch at Vivid. And I had a contract within three hours. It was great. I love Vivid. I have another three years with them. We just signed a new contract. We did a reality show called "World of Vivid" and it aired in Europe and it is set to air in the United States this year or next year. It's been sold to Spike TV. It's a reality show about how porn girls juggle home life.
X: Sounds interesting. What else do you have going on?
M: Doc Johnson just put out a molding of my private parts. I just had an action figure of me put out this month.
X: That must be pretty cool to have a doll of yourself! M: It was really weird to look at. The weirdest thing though, was the molding. Because a guy was showing me the molding and putting his finger in it. And I'm like hey, whoa, wait a minute; I don't know you and I don't feel comfortable with you putting your hand in my molding. They he says, " No it's great, and he starts fingering it." I told him he was doing that a little hard, now stop! That was really funny because it has hair on it and everything and if you put your finger on the inside it's got a vibrator that goes off. There is no remote control like the old ones. It's a newer brand.
X: So it just turns on when you put your finger in there.
M: Right.
X: That's gotta be so weird.
M: It is weird to put your finger in yourself when it's sitting right there. Doc Johnson said it is the newest thing they are doing right now. We introduced it at the Anime and it went really good. I got a lot of orders for it and I got a lot of signings to go do when the stores start getting the product. I'm also doing a Vivid Girl comic book, and there is a novel coming out that is a fantasy story about me.
X: Vivid is going crazy with marketing all over the place. Movies, books, toys.
M: Oh yeah. Right now we have two huge billboards on Sunset. I had a billboard on Sunset with me and Jenna for Pony Shoes. Vivid gets so much mainstream stuff for us it's really good.
X: And you have the reality TV show, you've got it all covered.
M: Yes they do, they have it all. And then "The Girl Next Door" came into the AVN convention right before they finished filming and if you watch the behind the scenes, I am the only girl that gets to talk. It's called the Eli Experience; you have to flip the disc over. They show all the girls but I am the only one that gets to talk. To see myself on there was cool.
X: I rented that movie before the hurricane and I think I still have it. I'm going to make sure I watch that part. How did you feel when you did your first sex scene on camera?
M: I was very nervous. And they said do you want to have a drink? And I said sure and a drink turned into three drinks. So I was feeling.. Very drunk? No, just kidding. If you watch my movie "So I Married a Porn Star" and go to the behind the scenes, it shows the count down where they interview me a few minutes before my scene. I had never seen two people have sex in my whole life. It shows me watching them and it zooms in on my face and you can see my facial expressions like, oh my God I am terrified. And they interview me a minute before my scene and ask me how I feel and I say I feel like I don't know what I am doing here! They do a count down to the sex scene. I keep my eyes closed through the whole thing.

Then in the bloopers they show me and say they should have named the movie "Well I Married a Blind Girl." That behind the scenes is real, that was what my first sex scene was like. I like that Vivid is a condom only company. Vivid gives us the right of refusal; I have the right to not work with anyone for any reason. I am never pressured to do anything that I don't want to do. My fans see me as classy, so I haven't been ready to do threesomes or foursomes or two guys at once yet. I just did an orgy scene though for Diary of an Orgy. It's based on The Real World; they film us, our conversations. It's a story about how an orgy is done on film. If you want to learn about how movies are made, if you are curious about that stuff it's a good movie to watch.
X: Who was your scene with?
M: Steve St Croix, Evan Stone and Tony Tedeschi.
X: Who would you like to have sex with that you haven't yet?
M: I don't think there is anyone. I like to stick to the same group of guys. I really really like Evan Stone. When I get to the set he will come outside and get my bag out of my car. Talent doesn't usually do that. During scenes, he'll stop to get me water. He'll wipe the cum off me which is great. (laughs)
X: He's a classy guy.
M: There are some really nice polite guys and I like to stick with them. They pay attention to you and not themselves.
X: What is the best sex scene that you have done so far?
M: An all girl scene with Nicole Sheridan, Aspen Reign, Violet Blue and Jesse Vee. It was for the movie "Women in Uniform". It was a really long good strong scene. It got nominated last year for best girl scene.
X: Do you like girls in real life?
M: Yeah. But I am so picky. I like girls that don't smoke, don't drink, fit bodies, pretty faces. I really like Tera; she is my favorite Vivid girl. She is really nice, really sweet and not fake. We haven't done a scene together for a movie yet. We are friends, we are both like, I don't know if I want to do that together in a movie. It would kinda weird.
X: It would have to be a little strange to be really good friends with someone and all of a sudden you are going to go have sex with them.
M: Right. It is. Lucy L'vette is my best friend and I could never do anything sexual with her. It would never happen.
X: How did you end up on the Anna Nicole Smith Show?
M: Hustler was going to do a girl/girl layout using a blonde and a brunette, and then Anna came into the deal to film the shoot for her show. The truth of the matter is that Anna went through all the pictures and said she hated all the girls. The photographer picked Hannah Harper and me. When we got there she didn't want to do it to begin with. So she wasn't very nice to us. She seemed very off. She wasn't all there. She wanted us to put pickles in ourselves. She tried to get Hannah to put an old rusty bridle in her mouth. And we said no we aren't going to do that, and pickles would burn. So she was frustrated because we wouldn't do any of our ideas. And then they wanted to pore cold milk on us, and right when I left that shoot I had no time to shower I had to get on a plane and leave and so I didn't want them to pour milk on me. She got really pissed off and she even says on the show, " I didn't like the brunette, she wouldn't pour milk on herself. It was an experience. I would never do it again. The photographer was screaming at Anna, Anna was crying. It was not a good experience. It was a mess.
X: Sounds like it! What is the best thing about being a famous adult movie star?
M: Being looked at as an actual super star. When you are a magazine model or a feature entertainer, you are never put on that superstar status. If you look at Jenna Jameson she compares to JLo. People know both of them. Same thing with Tera. People look at her as a star. That's what I like is you are accepted by mainstream and people recognize your name. I like Vivid. I like the money. I like the girls I work with. Overall I just like what I do.
X: Do you have a message for your fans?
M: Everybody come to my website MercedezXXX.com and thank you for supporting me. If it wasn't for my fans I wouldn't be where I am right now.

Is Barry Bonds Gay?

Bonds insisted that Sheffield live at his house, not rent a car, and not pay for anything. Sheffield said he did bring his personal chef with him.

Sheffield ended the relationship soon after. According to SI, on the flight home to Florida with his chef, the chef told him, "Gary, I want to confess something. [Bonds] made an offer to hire me: He'll get me a car, give me a place to stay and pay off my student loan."

Sheffield told the magazine he and his chef soon parted ways. About a month later, Bonds called to inquire why the chef was no longer working for Sheffield -- without Bonds mentioning that he had hired him.

Thoughts On Dollars.com

Brad Shaw writes on JBM: "It is all over my head. Sounds like they invested a lot in it, but I do not get it. I am too Jewish to give someone else a cut on anything."

Hooper writes:

It's a pretty good concept but you have to have a LOT of faith in the dollars.com system... basically as a paysite owner you go upload your tours to their system and they host the tours, then you set up your billing in their system (it all goes through epoch only)... your exit consoles are completely handled by their system... which means that when brad and i trade traffic we do it in the dollars system... and when brad makes a signup from the system it gets credited to my dollars account... i think at some point the dollars.com system is taking a cut on all of it... i guess the bonus is you get to use the "RPM" system which is how much money you're making per thousand impressions on your tgp or exit console or whatver.. so that way you can optimize your exits.

i think the major flaw is that they failed to factor in the indendence and distrust factors of the adult internet. i barely trust my processor...and i hate that they are so powerful in the transaction cycle.. i'm not inclined to add more people who can take a cut and control things.

Fthylmann writes:

Dollars.com is a system for both Paysite/Program Owners (Dollars.com calls this the Advertiser) and for normal Webmasters/Resellers (Dollars.com calls this the Publisher). For the Advertisers it handles all hosting, processing, popup/exit management, cross sells and payments to resellers. Its basically a fully remotely hosted affiliate program solution from their point of view. For Resellers it manages their ads, and advertisers and provides them with stats. So for them, it basically is a fully remotely hosted ad management system.

Dollars.com's plan is to make money from ONLY the MONEY TRANSFERS to resellers. At least thats how I understood it when I watched one of the "demos" rick did a few months ago. So they take a cut on the money you withdraw from the system, that is it supposedly. I honestly have no idea how they pay for hosting all those tours and banners, but I guess either the Advertiser has to pay for that too (have not seen rates for that) or they have one awesome deal with NatNet. Now their main selling point here is what they call RPM. Meaning, because dollars.com handles ALL AD IMPRESSIONS they can tell you how much you make based on 1000 impressions per "source", "zone", "ad", "advertiser", "tour" and so on... This is basically supposed make it easier for you to judge who makes more money for you and which ad you should move up in weight and which one to remove completely so you can maximize your revenue.

While when thinking about this concept it sounds great at first, if you think about the whole idea you see flaws popping up everywhere. When you login to dollars.com, you can actually see easily one of the biggest ones. First of all, if you go to "Partner Search" you will see a "new advertisers" list. If you click CJBucks there, it gives you a list of CJBucks top Sites and top ads. The RPM for sites ranges from 0.2455 to 0.0027. For Ads, it ranges from 72 to below 0.02 in only 10 ads. Of course, this comes from the fact that the system currently has little traffic to base these numbers on, but it shows that the range of RPM is so huge, its probably hard to do any real calculations based on it. If now 1000 TGP webmasters take the 72 RPM ad and put it on all their galleries I _BET_ it will drop to 0.001 in a matter of days.

Also of course, Advertisers have to be VERY VERY VERY confident in their sites to make sure that their RPM will perform high enough compared to the other advertisers in the system, or noone will touch their sites anyway. Right now, CJBucks has a RPM of 0.0465, Epic Cash has a RPM of 0.0046 and So Cal Cash 1.6473. Huge differences in my oppinion, and I am wondering why anyone would pick Epic Cash if RPM is such a great tool to measure performance.

The other problem of course is that Dollars.com lets Advertisers FILTER their Publishers, making it easy to basically drop all the TGP webmasters and only let people that have high quality traffic send in anything, keeping the RPM lovely high compared to programs letting just anyone send traffic. What I also do not like about the system is that the stats seem to be extremely limited. But since I have nothing real to base this on, this could just look like it because I have no traffic on it, but it seems to only list impressions, clicks, conversions (which I think is sales), conversion ratio, RPM and Revenue. No way to list multiple days at once to see trends or anything like that. Also, no graphs I think. The stats are also not realtime. Rick said something about the Last 3 Hours stats being 15 minutes delayed, he also said something that sounded like this 15 minutes will increase once there is more traffic on the system.

I am sure this system was not cheap, but if it was as expensive as I have heard it was, then I think they should FIRE their programming company immediately and get someone new, because it just does not offer enough to justify the Price. I also think that the system was released prematurely, even if it already is 2 years under development. There are bugs scattered around the system, a bunch of help links just open empty popups, and the system seems slow, at least to me. Also, I think a lot of webmasters will get highly confused with the complicated setup procedure, because there is a bunch of stuff you need to do before you can even find a friggin banner to put somewhere At least thats how it looks to me, and I really only figured it out by trial and error because the explanation is really not there and its not obvious steps.

Now the MAJOR problem I am having with all this is: Single Point of Failure. Imagine that NatNet (god forbid) goes down for a few hours, or just dollars.com servers crash, then ALL the paysites are dead, ALL the tours are dead, ALL the pages which have dollars.com ads on them will be EXTREMELY SLOW if not dead also. People have to put a lot of trust into dollars.com, and I am not sure if enough people will. If they cleanup the interface a little bit more, get some of those bugs out of the system, and get BIG enough to produce intelligent RPM stats, then I think the system can be a very good tool to compare sponsors, but I would never put everything in one basket and only use dollars.com. A side note, Programs using dollars.com can of course still continue to use their own affiliate platform too. Basically offering their affiliates whichever way they prefer. At least that is what I was told.

Who Was Behind f--kPaulFishbein.com?

I've heard second hand that Rob Black admitted to Paul that he was behind it. The site was a minor sensation in early 2001.

Hayley Rivers Update

Hayley Rivers went to the big Heidi Fleiss party Friday night. "We filmed some pickups for that "Hookers, Inc" [independent non-porn] movie. I staged a hissy fit with the other girl playing a porn star. It was all improv. Then we got out of there. It was boring. It was fun to go dancing but you had 20 guys staring at you."

I thought you'd like that.

"I'm not into leering perverts. I prefer to be the pursuer.

"I met Nelson X and Jerry Tanenbaum in the "normal" area, where there were many more girls. Some cheesy fashion show was going on. I think the label was called "Ugly," and the clothes were totally boring--a bunch of t-shirts that could have been designed with more imagination by a robot on auto-pilot. It was the pornster/VIP area, not the regular area, that was filled with scary leering men.

"The other actress, Cheetah, is not a porn star [but a mother of two]. But she looks like a porn star. She has big silicone breasts and the bleached blonde hair and she was wearing a see-through hot pink dress. She came back from the party with a stack of business cards. 'These guys promised me I'd make $15,000 a month. Jenna Jameson is a millionaire. I want to be like that too.' I told her the reality of it. You can work for a couple of months and get all shot-up and then you won't work, but you will always have this in your history. You're not going to become Jenna Jameson."

There Are So Many Experiences I Want To Write About Having Had

As a writer, I have powers of observation far greater than those of the average person. Nothing gets by me. Sometimes, as I sit typing in my dank, dusty, windowless room, I stop and marvel at the tapestry of life. When I think about all the escapades that could inform my writing, my mind reels! The world is my keyboard's oyster-I just need to get out there and experience all the things that are waiting to be written about.

Mike South replies:

Luke I like ya, really I do but your "superior powers of observation" are, in fact, probably inferior to the average person in some areas and where you do exercise good observation it is with tunnel vision. When it come to that which you desire most your powers of observation are directed only inward. You easily see that which you desire but you are blind when it comes to paying enough attention to make it a reality. But hey it makes you ...you.

Luke replies: Mike, I like you, really I do, but my powers of observation, however weak, are clearly better than yours. By linking to a column on TheOnion.com (a humor site) and indenting the first paragraph from a column there, I am clearly (for most people anyway) pointing out that the words are not mine. You easily see that which you desire but you are blind when it comes to paying enough attention to make it a reality. But hey it makes you ...you.

Tim Case replies:

Mike, Luke...I like you both, really I do, but MY powers of observation, however surreal, are clearly better than either of yours (but not as good as Jimmy D., who is funnier than Harry Weiss). You both mistakenly see that which you may desire, but are both astigmatic when it comes to paying enough attention to make your separate truths into reality. But hey it makes you all ...you all. Where you look at the floor and see the floor, I look at the floor and see...MOLECULES!

I'll vote to induct you both, together, into the AVN Hall of Fame.

On The Set Of Brad Armstrong's Lover's Lane

Ava Vincent calls Monday afternoon. She had a birthday September 29. She went to New Orleans to celebrate.

Ava says I can't write about who she slept with last night.

She recites some dark lyrics from an album called Lose Your Illusions.

Ava is working on a Wicked Picture set all week -- Brad Armstrong's new movie -- Lover's Lane. It's about a guy who comes by a with a hook and kills the kids on lover's lane.

"I'm the one who doesn't get killed. I'm the sweet one. Can you tell?"

Yeah.

"I can be very sweet. I got cold resting on my laurels.

"We're having lunch now. I'm about to do my pretty girls."

She tells me something else I can't print. "If you do, I will sic John Decker [her ex-boyfriend] after you.

"I don't have to sic John Decker on you. I carry his knife. You know that, right?"

No.

"It's that big huge Smith & Wesson special black knife."

Have you ever used it?

"Only to flick in someone's face and make their eyes pop out."

Who do you flick the knife on?

"Everybody. It's a good deterrent. Apparently Kurt knew about it before he met me.

"I'm going to have to go wash my kitty cat and have sex."

Ava's ex-boyfriend Kurt Lockwood broke up with Tyler Faith September 29.

'The Surrender': The Beauty of Submission

Sunday, October 3: West Hollywood Book Fair.

I take the workshop "Tricks of the Trade: The Art of Writing Fiction" by Adreana Robbins, the author of Paris Never Leaves You.

I wondered if she was related to Harold Robbins (I read almost all of his books in my teens) but thought it would be tacky to ask.

From Booklist:

This first novel by the daughter of the late Harold Robbins continues his tradition of chronicling the lives of the rich and famous. The major players here are beautiful, wealthy, oversexed and one-dimensional. When young, naive, innocent, and beautiful Djuna Cortez learns that she has inherited a Paris apartment, a winery in the Loire, and the art collection of her grandfather (the famous painter Joaquim Carlos Cortez), she decides to settle in Paris, where she gets caught up in the glittering lifestyle of the jet set. Because she is so naive and trusting, Djuna soon becomes prey to a group of wily fortune hunters and barely gets out of the mess alive. Robbins includes an oddly disjointed, half^-hearted look at Paris cafelife in the 1930s, as Djuna explores her grandfather's journals, which detail his innumerous affairs and other meticulously recorded peccadillos. Readers may find Adreana's novel tamer than her father's works and not nearly as blatantly tawdry. Long-winded, long-drawn, and just plain long, this debut novel nonetheless will arouse interest.

Adreana is cute, mid 30s, French-looking, petite, polite and glamorous. She has no accent.

I was struck by these two sentences in her self description (one of three major handouts): "Other writings have been published in Hustler publications. She is a resident of West Hollywood and is working on a controversial new novel."

I asked her if she knew Bruce David and Mark Cromer from Hustler. She did.

She includes this inspirational quote from herself: "Creative writing is an exciting adventure in uncovering dimensions of yourself, new worlds, and the omnipotent power of imagination. Sharing this journey with other writers in a stimulating and nurturing environment can help strengthen your conviction to expressing your most exquisite art. I hope to be able to share this process, if only for a day, with you."

It sounds like something Mike Albo would say.

I got a perverse pleasure reading the wildly diverse customer book reviews (I've had devastating ones of my own works, including one published in Albo's former magazine):

One reader: "This is probably the worst book I've ever read."

Another reader: "By far, the worst book I have ever read."

Gerard Doherty writes: "Unedited and boring."

A reader: "Does the apple fall far from the tree? In this case - miles away."

A reader: "The writing is stilted and the plot is overwrought. The book is full of repetition, which was sadly mistaken for plot developement. Given this, the plot is everywhere but where it needs to be, and the characters are shallow and uninteresting."

This new novel has sold to Soft Skull Press: "Lydia Millet's OH PURE AND RADIANT HEART, about a pornographer with messianic delusions who spins wildly out of control in Los Angeles and mounts a PR campaign to make himself famous."

Phil writes Duke: "Your reporting on "the range war" is funny stuff, but it's old news. You should compare the statements of [Hustler] ownership (usually in the February issue) over the last few years to see how well Bruce David has done to improve sales of the magazine over his predecessor. You might be surprised at what you'll find."

At 4 p.m. Sunday, I stopped by Sex in the City -- Writing Erotica. Adreana moderated the panel discussion between Dodie Bellamy, Toni Bentley, Stan Kent, and Myriam Gurba. I didn't see anyone on the panel (aside from Adreana) or in the crowd that I wanted to sin with.

Stan Kent, with dyed hair and flamboyant manner, was the most engaging. Monday I email him at StanKent.com: "I stopped by the erotica panel. You were funny and engaging. I was worried by your hair and stuff that you might be a poof, but I am checking out your web site and it appears you play for the home team. Tell me I am right."

Stan replies: "Very much so a home team member. Thanks for coming by the panel - it was fun ... my girlfriend was there taking pictures - and as you can see from my website - I have every reason in the world with her to be very much on the home team. She is quite the muse when it comes to giving me inspiration for my erotic writing."

There's a full page (complete with a striking photo of the author) in Sunday's New York Times Book Review on Toni Bentley's ode to anal sex:

Predictably enough, the press material that arrived with my galley heralded this volume as a daring and courageous inquiry into ''what many consider to be the last remaining taboo.'' Anal sex is very far from being the last remaining taboo, of course. (The last time I checked, cannibalism and necrophilia were still struggling for acceptance.) Indeed, there are some signs that the status of anal sex as any kind of taboo is under attack. State laws against sodomy were struck down by the Supreme Court in 2003. And no less mainstream a fictional character than Bridget Jones cheerfully engaged in the practice, in the film adaptation of Helen Fielding's best-selling novel ''Bridget Jones's Diary.''

LF: I loved this movie but I completely missed the anal sex. Presley writes: "They're never shown in the act, only the post-coital conversation which is actually nothing more than "You realize what we just did was illegal in some countries?" Heck, they could have been talking about robbing a bank, but I seriously doubt it!"

From the Guardian:

The One Where Bridget Gets Anal Sex From Hugh Grant and Likes It and Wants to Do It Again.

I am not making that last bit up. It might happen off camera, but it's one of the film's raunchier, chancier, more grubbily English things, superciliously ignored in the acres of consumer-style journalism devoted to all things Bridget in the past few weeks.

Back to the NYT Book Review:

By giving herself up to ''this forbidden pathway,'' Bentley writes, she has not only found her self, she has discovered ''Paradise,'' she has experienced ''eternity in a moment of real time,'' and she has gotten to know God ''experientially.'' That's not all. She is also pretty sure that anal sex is responsible for piercing her yang, forcing her yin to the surface and releasing decades of anger stored in her lower intestine.

There is something grimly narcissistic about the world of zipless, fantasy sex that Bentley has created for herself; something sad and alienated about its unforgiving aesthetic standards and intolerance of human frailty.

Serenity's Take on Jenna Book

Serenity was Wicked's first contract girl after Jenna. The two didn't like each other. Serenity and her husband felt that they and Wicked Pictures suffered from Jenna's primadonna ways and her addictions.

Jenna had the attitude that she was number one and she knew it. And the world could kiss her ass if they didn't like her numero uno status.

Now Serenity writes in the Las Vegas Weekly that she wasn't thrilled with Jenna's book. She keeps her feelings under control and makes a fair critique.

Time To Induct Paul Fishbein Into AVN Hall Of Fame?

Mike South says so: "Paul Fishbein isn't in there either, sure he works for AVN, hell he IS AVN but I can think of few people more deserving to be in the Hall of Fame, he has done much for this biz."

I don't think it will ever happen. More likely that the VSDA and Larry Flynt will honor him. Though I'm sure that producing an Oscar-winning movie would have more meaning for Paul.

Shut-Up-And-Shoot

My sources in the industry have been surprised that so few people in powerful positions about talking about the implications of the Cal-OHSA $30,000 fines on TT Boy's production companies. I've noticed little decrease in shooting nor have I heard of production companies shifting out of California.

Ernest Greene aka Ira Levine writes on Nina.com:

Most of the producers seem to be following the shut-up-about-it-and-shoot approach to the current situation. I hope that strategy works, but I wouldn't count on it. The nose of the camel is under the tent at this moment, and if we don't give it a good swat, the rest of the camel is likely to follow.

I'm not suggesting giving in to Cal-OHSA's ridiculous demands. I'm proposing making a fight of it. The big guns in the industry are understandably disinclined to invest the money and time in doing so now, but it may be more expensive and difficult later.

Some seem to think that if TT just pays the fine and we all forget about it, the whole thing will just go away. If they'd ever spent half an hour in the same room with the likes of John Fielding or Peter Kerndt, they might think otherwise. These guys aren't about to quit with one scalp dangling from their belts. Paying the fine essentially validates the system they're trying to force on us. It will only embolden these people.

Sooner or later, this will come down to a court battle, one way or another. I fully expect this to be ignored like so many of my earlier warnings, every one of which, including the coming of just this kind of intervention, came true.

Nina Hartley adds:

Ernest speaks the truth. I've known him for fifteen years, now, and was at the meetings when he faced down an entire room of VERY upset producers and performers, waaaay back in '93, and again in '97, when he warned of this very situation coming to pass. No one listened to him then, and few are doing so now. He's been batting 1.000, so I don't know why they can't get their heads out of their collective asses and pay some freaking attention. I guess it's because his message is such an unhapy one.

Porn is no longer invisible to government, and the sooner we stop living in the past (when it was rather invisible) and get with the current realities, the better. I doubt it'll happen, though.

The Health Police want our asses, and they want us O-U-T of California, consequences to real people's lives be damned.

My Life Is At Stake

I am so powerfully attracted to a girl that it hurts me. It hurts me in such a tender spot that I am embarrassed to talk about it. I can only write about it. Unfortunately for my health (mental and physical), my religious observance does not allow me to do anything about my attraction for this woman as we are not yet married. I had to take two Advils today just to be able to walk. I wonder if my life is at stake, and if so, if that would sanction a little fooling with her around short of penetration? Your help urgently needed. I feel like I am about to explode. May God have mercy on me and bring the redemption soon.

Chaim Amalek writes:

Do you ever tire of telling your life story over and over and over again? Do you ever tire of uttering the same prayers, written in a tongue you do not even understand, over and over again? Do you ever tire of pretending to be an observant Jew? Do you ever tire of moralizing, even as you derive your income from pornography?

Then I think you should take a vacation from it all and live a month as you really want to live: no teffilim, no sucking up to any rabbis, no denying your obsession with pornography and hookers. Prayer the way you like it - in English - and with the fine Christian hymnals of your youth. Shiksas. Sex with more age appropriate porn women (early 20s) instead of pretending to want these 38 year old "professional" jewish women you feign coveting. Cricket, not, well, I cannot think of any sport that is present in the world of Jewish orthodoxy. Women with long, flowing hair that's their, not sheitels from India. Doing what you want on Saturday. Hanging out with manly Christian men (and hot Christian women) on Sunday.

Fred writes:

The advisory group has gotten together and decided that we will now sell indulgences.

As you know, people in porn valley sin on a rather regular basis. On occaision they worry about Cal OSHA. Sometimes they worry about STDs (when the drug-induced haze begins to clear). But rarely do they worry about what this does to their immortal souls (presumably because they think there is nothing they can do about it).

Well, now there is. For a mere $100, the LF advisory group is will sell you an indulgence. This includes a certificate personnally signed by his holiness, Father Fred. The $100 certificate is good for ANY MORTAL SIN. For $20, Father Fred will send to you a card good for any venal sin. The certificates and cards are guaranteed to get you past the pearly gates when the day of reckoning comes. They're recognized in the afterlife of most standard denominations. You can stock up now on indulgences. That way, when an opportunity to sin comes along, you can just use the card or certificate as the opportunity comes along. (After all, nobody wants to have to wait until a certificate comes in the mail when an opportunity for sin comes along.)

No need to worry about minor flaws. Sloth? No problem. Lust? Forget about it. Gluttony? No need to worry. Avarice? Pride? You're taken care of!

Porn directors--you can stock up on these handy items, and give them out to the talent as they come in the door each morning. And Luke, it sounds like the $20 venal sin card is just what you need for your little problem.

Keep the faith,
His Holiness, Father Fred

P.S.--Watch this site for further notices. We will soon be offering a License to Sin, personnally issued by God. That's right--a License to Sin. Not only will it get you past the pearly gates, but it's also good for getting you out of speeding tickets and parking violations. Send now for information!

Keisha Update

Nina Hartley writes on Nina.com:

Keisha doesn't do many movies these days. She's very busy with her site, her store, and her growing real estate empire. So far, she's the proud owner of three homes. Amazing, as I knew her as a 19 year-old woman living in the spare bedroom of her friend's condo in El Segundo. She is a constant inspiration to me, that's for sure!

Top men: Herschel Savage, Sean Michaels, Rocco, Evan Stone, Peter North, Mr. Marcus

Good guys I like to work with: Chris Cannon, Alec Knight

Hustler's Bruce David Declares War On KPFK Host Aura Bogado

Bruce writes:

We at Hustler can accept being rejected by certain elements of the progressive community. Sure, we are disappointed; we would like as much support as possible for the positions we are taking in print, especially since these progressive views have cost us at least some loss of readership. (You are right to point to the survival of our democracy and the survival of the planet itself as the real issues.) But, as Rick Nelson said, "You can't please everyone, so you gotta please yourself." We are pleased to have presented the views of Dr. Helen Caldicott, Janine Jackson (FAIR), Greg Palast, Karl Grossman (nukes in space), Howard Lyman (mad cow disease), George Monbiot, Peter Coyote, Carol Picou (Gulf War illness), Craig Unger, Christian Parenti, David Cay Johnston and others to the very people who most need to be reached.

What we will not abide, however, is being called rapists and being accused of fostering assaults on women and children, even by implication. People like Aura Bogado make these accusations so freely because the voices of reason remain silent in the face of such nonsense. Hustler's editors will not remain silent when attacked in this fashion. You can all expect to see a rather forceful series of responses in print, starting with Hustler's February issue. This, of course, will distract us from our attacks on Bush, Cheney, et. al., but then, that's of no concern to Bogado, is it?

Jamie Lee, organizer, L.A. Not In Our Name, writes:

Mr. Cromer, You do not have my permission to post or publish the e-mail I just sent to you nor do you have the permission of Los Angeles Not In Our Name to print, publish or post on any site any of the e-mails that you have received with regard to this issue. Please immediately remove all e-mails that you received from and through LA NION from the larryflynt.com website.

Hustler features editor Mark Cromer replies:

To the contrary, we have every right to engage in this debate and to do so as others have, via new media postings. Not only are we personally subjects of this debate, but Aura Bogado has made this anything but a 'private' discussion. To that end, we intend to continue posting these emails and viewpoints on our associated websites and you can be sure we will be covering this debate in upcoming issues of Hustler magazine. It appears you are uncomfortable with public scrutiny. Given your stated positions, that's understandable.

Part One-FLYNT TOUCHES OFF PROGRESSIVE RANGE WAR

Anthony writes on Nina.com:

It's a stark reminder of how some liberals really still don't get it about defending the full agenda of sexual liberty..and how deep the MacDworkinite/Jensen antiporn mentality runs amongst far too many progressives these days. (Not that the responses by Hustler editors Bruce David and Mark Cromer weren't as caustic and problematic as the original anti-Flynt blasts were, but the exchange does not bode too well for Pacifica Radio's commitments to free speech and genuine progressive principles...especially when it comes to sex.)

Cal-OHSA Discussion

Ren writes on Nina.com: "Suppose you took Christian Mann's experience, and the experience of any other producers who have tried the same thing, and used it to flesh out both scenarios and generate some numerical estimates of how much protection would be lost. I know this is the sort of argument economists and sociologists find persuasive. I have no idea how it would play in Sacramento. Loss of protection of course would correlate with loss of tax revenue, particularly if production moves overseas."

Christian Mann, owner of Video Team, responds:

Hello Ren: The one fallacy in your idea lies in the notion that protection of the talent is paramount in the motive of those seeking to regulate the industry. While I believe that they would like to see protection, the main agenda is to regulate adult producers out of business and to show their constituency that they are fighting the smut merchants. There is no political gain to merely say: "Despite the unfortunate and highly publicized Darren James, et al. HIV outbreak, the most pragmatic solution is for the adult producers to continue using the procedures in place. Any further regulation would drive production underground or out of state because the market demand is for non-condom and then the actors we seek to protect would be more at risk. Just go back to debating Swift Boat Veterans, Michael Jackson, Laci Peterson or whatever other diversion the media has in store for you this week." Political solutions are rarely effective because of the divergent objectives.

Company Owners Sympathize With AVN

It seems more company owners are sympathizing with Paul Fishbein and AVN than are with Scott Taylor over their sex discrimination lawsuits.

"I have my own suit pending right now so I can commiserate with the owners except with Taylor who probably deserves what he gets," says one owner. "The laws favor the plantiffs in all these instantances and owners end up settling for a payout. I had to settle with an other employee who sued for harrasment. It is cheaper to settle than go to court which is terrible. People who are not employers can not understand this. We are open to litigious employees everyday even if the harassment comes from another employee. The bottom line is it is their word against the owner's and who do you think the judge or jury would believe? In Fishbein's case, of which I have no personal knowledge, it seems that he was simply sick of dealing with his employee but couldn't fire her which out consequences. You can't fire anyone anymore without a posibble suit.

"TT Boy is an innocent victim, it could have been any one of us."

My Reading List

Patrick O'Brian: Master and Commander: B
Tom Landry: Tom Landry: F
Skip Bayless: God's Coach: The Hymns, Hype and Hypocrisy of Tom Landry's Cowboys: A
Bob St. John: Landry: The Legacy, The Legend: F
Mordecai Richler: Barney's Version: B

I want to read Lori G-ttlieb's memoir Stick Figure and I tried to read Jonathan Rosen's novel Eve's Apple but I just can't enjoy stuff that centers of vomiting (eating disorders).

I am often asked by people to be kept out of my writing. Would they say the same thing to Samuel Pepys or Jean-Jacques Rousseau? (Barney's Version)

Reflections On Scott Taylor

XXX Porner writes:

One of the reasons Mark Spiegler was pissed off with Lucy Lee was that when she was with his agency, his driver went to pick her up from New Sensations shoots, she'd be standing in public in front of the building making out with Scott Taylor.

A few months ago, when another actress shot for Taylor's New Sensations, she was quite upset because Taylor got her in the makeup room alone before the shoot and started coming on to her, went down on her (she was naked for the shoot) without asking and she had to push him off.

What makes me sick is that everybody's going on about what a "good guy" he is. A "good guy" who doesn't give a sh-- about his wife and kids? Since when do "good guys" indiscriminately and obsessively whore around while lying to their wives about it? It's one thing if you're single, another if you took those vows and you're f--king over your wife, who is supposedly the most important, precious person in your life.

A Great Miracle Happened Here

From this panties blog: Yom Kippur is probably not the right day to be sporting these panties from Jewish Fashion Conspiracy, but if you have a date with the Kosher Bachelor anytime soon, these would be perfect....

Rob Spallone Replies To Mike Davis Of Lowdown Productions

Rob calls at 10 a.m. "I got a hundred messages. This is for Lowdown. I have seven witnesses who called me because they read your site that Mike Davis told me in front of seven different people, 'Rob, you can borrow money out of the account. Just pay it back. Don't worry. Guenther won't know.'

"I borrowed the money (about $75,000). I put it all back. Then they signed a paper that I make $500 a week. I decided I didn't want to be partners with them, so they bought me out.

"There are another six witnesses that were there for the buyout. They didn't give me the money. They brought it to Jim South. Jim handed me the money. I gave Jim the masters. I signed a paper that I was out of the company and they were responsible for all bills. I have receipts that I paid bills that they were supposed to pay.

"Everyone in the business knows that I never robbed anybody.

"If Mike wants to play with the emails, there's plenty of s--- that I know that I can put up there. There are plenty of witnesses -- Michelle aka Calli, Pebbles, Samantha Slater, Jim South, Tommy, Steve Doss, Bill Margold."

Jewel DeNyle Replies To Corina Taylor

Jewel writes: Corina Taylor is Psycho she signed for us at this past AVN and I felt bad for Scott as she was stalking him. She waited at a bar for him came back to her room flipped out and started throwing things because he didn't meet up with her. So Corina you're the one with issues with Scott I could care less I was having a hard enough time trying to keep you professional at the show last Jan. I don't need to prove myself dear as you are a wannabe and already forgotten.

Devinn Lane Interview

Huggins293 wrote on AdultDVDTalk: 1. What was your worst sexual experience on camera?

DL: Having to deal with Jonathan Morgan as a director. Wasn't sexual but it ranks as the worst.

2. What are some of the things that you refuse to do in a sex scene?

DL: Anything that I'm not in the mood for.

3. Have you ever worked with partners who were nervous having sex with you on camera?

Yes

How did you try to relax them?

Told them to let me take control and just relax and enjoy the ride.

4. How is the sexual persona that you have on camera similar or different than the one that you have in your personal life?

DL: It's really not that different other than every now and again I like soft romantic sex.

5. You said in adult.dvd.empire.com that people in the industry will tell you that you can't be successful without doing boy/girl, how do they explain why Janine Lindemulder is one of the most successful adult film stars of the 90s?

DL: Industry tells you that to try and put more $$$ in their pockets. I never believed it was true but it does take a special girl to make it happen. Being beautiful and very photogenic helps. Penthouse also helps girls that only do girls.

6. Janine had sex exclusively with women because she feared that having sex with men would lead to her to be emotionally committed to them? Did you have those same fears doing boy/girl?

DL: No! It was just more personal and I was the one that had to get past that. I will never date within the industry. I don't need the industry to know that much about my private life.

7. Why do you think there are more men who enjoy girl/girl scenes than women who enjoy boy/boy scenes? Is it because of marketing?

DL: Social acceptability but I think a lot of women just don't admit it as often as men do.

8. Recently you said that you have not received any challenging roles. What character types you think would be challenging to play?

DL: I don't know. I guess I'll know when I get it. The most challenging part is making bad writing seem good on camera.

9. Give us some examples of real life situations in reality porn you put people through.

DL: Public sex is my favorite. Road Trixxx we were out on the sand dunes and people were cruising up on their ATV's and bikes.

10. What are some of the elements that are in reality porn that are missing from mainstream porn?

DL: The reality.

11. What is your advice to someone who wants to direct and produce their own videos? Go for it. How should they go about it?

DL: Pay attention to the directors you like and the way they shoot. Always shoot sex how you view it in your own mind.

12. You implied in 'adultdvdempire.com' that the FCC and the Clear Channel are 'picking on' pornographers as part of their decency campaign, do you think this recent trend is going to result in a more committed campaign to severely control the sale of pornographic material?

DL :We'll see after the election.

13. Do you think that the adult industry has underestimated the Far Right's moral hostility toward porn culture?

DL: No I just think that maybe more people are beginning to realize that you don't have to win every battle, you only have to win the war.

14. What's a day in your life?

DL: I get up at 6:45 every morning and make my daughter breakfast and see her off to school. I then go to Pilates, shower, get ready for the days events. That can range anywhere from pre-production, production,post, photo shoot, interviews, I come home make dinner, read ADT, update my site.

>Devinn is it true that you got into porn as a way to rebel against your strict Christian upbringing?

DL: No. I rebelled much earlier than that. I've always been an exhibitionist and facinated with the industry. Yes, my dad and my grandfather are ministers.

Gene Ross Dishes On AVN

Gene writes on Adultfyi.com:

Adding to the woes of AVN on top of the Jennifer Rosenblatt gender discrimination lawsuit is the fact that AVN now has a competitor. Next month you're going to see a trade publication for webmasters that, from what I hear, is going to be the death knell for AVN Online. It's coming from Xbiz.

And, oh, I was positively shocked to hear about an affair the owner of AVN had with one of the honchs of a big porn company a couple of summers back. I hear the affair ended very ugly.

I believe, but do not know, that the affair Gene is talking about occurred with Samantha Lewis (co-owner of Digital Playground) in the summer of 2002. It was on public display at the Internext in Florida that fall. Paul struck people as acting kinda strange and protective around Samantha at that time. They had been friends for a long time.

Some porn insiders sensed a less friendly shift in AVN's coverage of Digital Playground following the break-up of that relationship. AVN used to cover almost every edition of DP Tonight. That stopped.

Gene Ross writes on Adultfyi.com: "I would never have guessed that Fishbein cuckolded a famous entertainment personality who has NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO idea that his girlfriend cheated on him."

AVN brought in a consultant about nine months ago to tell AVN's owners where to trim the fat. Understandably, the consultant is not popular with AVN employees, who feel like they are walking on egg shells.

The shift in AVN's relationship with its head of advertising, Jennifer Rosenblatt, shifted a few months before the consultant, when Tim Connelly came in. Tim and Jenn apparently did not get along.

Christian Mann Joins The Discussion On Nina.com

The owner of Video Team writes:

I held out for four years...before throwing in the towel, or the condom, if you will. Further, it should be noted that there were mitigating circumstances: we were the only company specializing in ethnic product mandating condom use. Also, our decline in market share occurred at a time that new companies were popping up like weeds, heralding the dominance of gonzo vs. ol' fashioned "features". I think it's worth noting that several factors may have led to our short fall in sales. I remain convinced however, that the condom issue was at the forefront. I highlight this because my situation may not be indicative of every other company out there. I know that Wicked and Vivid have done well in their respective arenas despite the condom positive stance depicted in their movies. Also, the rise in sales since then has not been meteoric (Is this a bad metaphor? Does a metor rise?). Perhaps gradual at best is more accurate. Again, is it strictly the lack of condoms? I don't know with certainty. Last, make no mistake, "condom optional" means 90% condom free in most cases.

Like you, I believe that government regulation will be as effective as the airlines mandating plastic utensils in the First Class cabin as an anti-terrorism measure. The government believes they must "do something - anything". Logic dictates they would unwittingly serve the opposite goal. I agree that at least now we have some degree of tracking and cooperation in what has been a remarkably effective (statistically) campaign to make the work place safe(er).

The notable decline in sales directly attributable to going condom mandatory occurred in two markets: European sales and bookstore sales. There are indeed companies who fared better by being the edgier guys at a time when edgy become de rigeur. The Euro clients made no bones about their objection to condoms. The US adult stores weren't specifically vocal, but made their case with their purchasing decisions. The decision to go optional was made easier because I not only lost sales to the point that I was jeopardizing the survival of the company, but I also realized I was not protecting anyone. Every single performer that performed in my movies with the mandated condom went out the next day and performed for the competition without condoms. They were no safer and I suffered. All downside and no upside.

As for DAC, I don't need to see his posts to know they are opinionated, caustic, intelligent, passionate, vitriolic, articulate, needlessly verbose, pedantic, proselytizing, probably correct in substance and unwilling to consider any other possible point of view. If I'm right, I won't bother reading on. I love DAC (figuratively), but his writing overtaxes my brain and my emotional well being. I have experience in this area.

Two days after this post, AVN.com announced that David Clark had moved on from Video Team:

VAN NUYS, Calif. - Madness Pictures has signed AVN Award-winning director and writer David Aaron Clark to its roster. Clark will direct and own his movies with Madness Pictures through his production company, Serious Mirror.

Christian Mann replies to my inquiry: "His contract was up. It made better business sense to hire him on a pay for play basis. I still hope to have him shoot certain projects for us."

Has Scott Taylor Learned Any Lessons?

What is the nature of his relationship with his current salesgirl Belle?

Real Star Power: The Coming Boom in Porn

The Outsider writes on XXXPorntalk.com:

What exactly is a Star? In my book, a 'Star' is someone who commands authority because of a supreme talent. A 'Star' calls the shots. But has it really been that way in porn? How many 'stars' in porn can choose who they shoot with, or what they shoot? How many 'stars' in porn are really nothing more than well-paid slaves, who f--k who they are told to f--k, and when?

Now that 'stars' have been protected from disease, COURTESY of Cal/OSHA... ...A new, powerful sea change is about to take place. The STARS of porn, now that they can no longer be deemed 'infected' by society, will be much, much more powerful, and will command bigger followings. In turn, for studios, these followings will result in MONEY. What would happen if a porn 'star' was known to pick his or her talent, was known to be free from disease, was not a drug addict a drunk or a criminal, stood up for the health and welfare of his or her fellow workers, and was a trusted and well liked person?

Most of you think I'm describing Jenna Jameson. I'm not. Jenna is a 'porn chick', to be sure, but she definitely has her problems, and her problems are not secret. Drug addiction, gang rape, comes from a broken home, has escorted on the side, was a former stripper- you get the picture. Definitley NOT a candidate to be a STAR...that is...a REAL STAR. (Since I'm posting this on xxxporntalk.com, I guess I should make clear that I'm NOT describing Gen Padova.

While educated, Ms. Padova chose to side with the studio heads on the issue of worker safety. She won't be able to stand up to public scrutiny, as a result. She'll always be seen as a follower, instead of a leader. A REAL STAR simply does not follow. A REAL STAR is not, in short, a 'scab'. Pun intended.) So here's my question to all of you in the industry... What would happen if you found a 'good girl', made her a RIDICULOUS OFFER to come into the industry, and allowed her to call the shots? What would happen if you found a girl who is not on drugs... A girl who would say NO to things that were not appropriate... A girl who was educated... A girl who came from a household where both parents are still together, and she was NOT abused... A girl who PREACHES safe sex, and who actually abides by it... A girl who understands social limits on sexual behavior, and does NOT aggressively attempt to demean those who don't agree with her... A girl who can act, sing, dance, write, f--k, interview well, and does NOT cheat on her boyfriends, or knock down her friends... A girl who WILL NOT be told what to do by porn studios and agents, and who will NOT indulge in scandalous behavior outside the porn set... A girl who could stand up to scrutiny of the whole world, and the media of it, when her history is examined... Yes, you think I'm mad. Problem is, I'm usually right. Regardless... Here's what I want you to do, so you can all make lots, and lot of money, and stop complaining about condoms and gloves and dental dams.

FIND US THIS GIRL. What I want you to do is SEARCH. SEARCH for this girl, FIND HER, and then let her BE A STAR. We're looking for a GODDESS out here, folks. I thought I had one, but she wasn't tough enough. Find us a TOUGH ONE. Find us a GODDESS who can say NO to things that are BAD for her, and YES to things that are GOOD for her. Find us a GODDESS so smart, yet so sweet, and so tough, and so intelligent, that all of us MEN out here can RESPECT HER.

It's time to stop DEGRADING girls, ladies and gentlemen. It's time to find a girl, or girls, who are so SHARP, and so HOT, and have so much DIGNITY... That WE, the faithful porn CONSUMERS- want to WORSHIP THEM. We all know that porn chicks escort on the side. That simply won't do. Find us a goddamn GODDESS, folks. That's where the money is. We need something to worship. Once you find her, if we like her... ...Trust me... ...We'll be very, very happy that's she's protected from disease, and we will CHAMPION the fact that the actor that SHE CHOSE TO USE is wearing a CONDOM. Wanna make money in porn? Listen to what I'm telling you. We don't want 'whores' anymore, folks. We want a girl, or girls, that we can RESPECT, and LOOK UP TO.

We want a girl whom we can read about in the national news, who has NO SKELETONS in her closet. It's time to start looking. Do you know where to look? Probably not. Here's some more advice: Throw all of your old standards of recruitment out the window. Real Star Power can be found in the most amazing places. Is it a tall, tall order I have for you, so that you can stay in California, and don't have to live in Prague, or worse, Mexico? You bet it it is. Real Star Power is hard to find...and that's exactly why we WANT IT. We need someone who's real, who can stand up to criticism like a Presidential Nominee. Someone who is NOT a whore, NOT a bitch, NOT a SLUT... ...a girl whom we can WORSHIP.

Mike Davis vs Rob Spallone

Mike Davis writes:

Rob please get back to me to see if we can resolve the 37,500.00 which in total was 75,000.00 but my half was 37,500.00.I lost 24,500.00 in cash.I would be willing to take a 14,500.00 loss if you would give me 10,000.00 of the 30,000.00 you took from the company which was my money.That would mean you still walked away with 20,000.00 cash and did not have a cent of your money in the company.IM still not happy with losing 14,500.00 in six months but I could live with that deal.The money and interest plus time I lost really equals 300,000.00.If you had about 100k cash and six months you can make 200,000.00 on your money in the stock market or realestate.So if you look at it that way my loses are even greater.I would be willing to settle everything for 10,000.00 (cash).This situation is not going away until it is settled trust me.IM giving you an opportunity to settle this matter in a very fair way and still let's everyone come away with something.Right now I came away with sh-t and you are holding my money.The offer of my 10,000.00 settlement proposal expires on Friday,October 1st. 2004.If this is not settled by the referenced date I will have no other choice but to take legal action to recovery my money in full.Your actions in the company were very unprofessional and put my money at great risk.Did you really think you can walk away with 30k and I would be fine with a loss of over 40,000.00 come on.Not going to happen.You never had a dime in the company.I hope you elect to pay me by Friday so we can put this matter to rest.

Rob chuckled when I read him this email. "He sent me one," said Rob. "I called him and he didn't answer the phone. There's nothing to resolve, Mike. You broke up with Guenther. You shouldn't have let Guenther get over on you. He took advantage of you.

"Let him sue me. What could he sue me for? Tell Mike the Lawyer to sue me. If he goes on the Internet instead of calling me. You've got to take your losses. I was smart enough not to lose. He had a fight with Guenther and walked out with the checking account and left Guenther with the four movies. I got my salary, $500 a week. I robbed the company because he lost money? He wasn't crying about that last month when he told you everything was fine.

"Yeah, I robbed him for $3 million and I'm thinking of giving him back $2 million. I feel bad for them. I'm trying to rob some other people. I've been in the business ten years and I've never robbed anybody, but I see how easy it is.

"Guenther went to a company. Said he had a falling out with me. He asked this guy to distribute the four movies for him. The guy called me. I said, don't do it.

"Guenther, you should've paid your bills and you wouldn't have had a problem."

Why do conversions and retention continue to decline every year?

Brad Shaw writes on JBM: "Easy answers are oversaturation, and surfers getting smarter. What else though?"

Skanky writes: "I think with more and more people having broadband its easy for someone to sign up... download the whole members area (or most of the content they like) and wank for free for the next few months."

Bangwang writes: "Easy access free porn... especially video. A few years ago it was hard to find any free video porn. Better fraud protection and larger scrub lists."

Magic Mike writes: "A lot of surfers are more web savy now and know about p2p, free sites, and spoofing. Almost any paysite feed is accessable for free if you spoof."

WiredGuy writes: "I would say lack of trust. I'm sure a lot of people have been burnt by the prechecked cross-sales that were once around and since then they just don't trust porn sites and tell their friends the same. At the least, it makes them very weary of joining again."

TBabe writes: "A certain amount of blame also has to rest with the Jews also."

NiteRain writes: "If you do a real analysis, you will find you are getting people doing trials and spidering your site, and cancelling. Easy way to pay 2-3.95 a month and keep up-to-date on the content of a site. But lets face it, there aren't many sites that can hold customers attention for long, except for reality sites."

Corina Taylor Responds On AdultDVDTalk To Jewel DeNyle

Corina writes:

Was it your nightmare because Scott [Taylor] was not f--king you...Jewel? Also, I do not know what your beef is with me, but you are getting ridiculous with your mouth.I would not doubt Scott denying things in Vegas being as his wife was stuck somewhere up his ass.Scott had no problem calling me on the home phone of Robert Herrara when I stayed with him and John.I liked Scott and still do.I am going through much more important things in my personal life...and I am getting sick of constantly having to defend myself to a 30 something year old woman.Please go and find someone else to prey on...f--k I have been away for like 6 months now...there has got to be someone else you can victimize.By the way it is true that I changed my last name from Davis to Taylor after my fling with Scott...I think that would also be my business and no one else's...if Scott was such a bad guy I would not have done that.

Amazon.com, Microsoft Team Against Online Fraud

Amazon.com and Microsoft filed a joint federal lawsuit against a Canadian spamming operation allegedly responsible for sending millions of deceptive e-mail messages, including e-mail forgeries falsely purporting to have come from Amazon.com, Hotmail.com and other domains (a practice called "spoofing"). The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court in Seattle, alleges that Gold Disk Canada Inc., located in Kitchener, Ontario, along with co-defendants including Barry Head and his two sons, Eric and Matthew, mounted illegal and deceptive spamming campaigns that have misused Microsoft's MSN® Hotmail® services and forged the name of Amazon.com.

"In addition to the lawsuit filed jointly with Microsoft, Amazon.com filed another three lawsuits in King County Superior Court in Seattle against unidentified defendants allegedly involved in phishing schemes designed to defraud Amazon.com customers. Microsoft, too, filed a new and separate lawsuit against Leonid ("Leo") Radvinsky and his Chicago-based businesses Activsoft, Inc., and Cybertania, Inc., along with several additional unidentified defendants against whom Amazon.com filed suit in August 2003. The lawsuit alleges that Radvinsky sent millions of illegal and deceptive e-mail messages to MSN Hotmail customers, including messages that were falsely labeled as coming from Amazon.com."

Leo is the kid Brad Shaw sued years ago, who runs ultrapasswords.com and other password hacking sites.