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Friday, June 23, 2006

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Robbye Bentley, Who Turns 30 Sunday, Goes Sober

She emails me June 12:

I went into detox on Wednesday, and the first 2 days were REALLY hard. I had bad withdrawls (shakes, throwing up, hot flashes, restlessness)...but, after the initial pain I started to slowly come around.

By yesterday, they couldn't hold me still...I was running around the treatment center dancing and singing. I don't think I've felt this good in 10 years. Everything is so much brighter and clearer, and I'm actually motivated to do things now. And I feel so healthy. I would not trade this feeling for the world. I have no intention of ever picking up a drink or use drugs again...nor do I have the desire. I even went to a pro beach volleyball tournament yesterday afternoon (where everyone drinks), and wasn't even tempted.

I had a great morning rowing, went to an AA meeting, and I go to 4 hours of outpatient rehab 5 days a week. I'm going to do outpatient for 90 days...so every day I do an AA meeting in the morning, and rehab in the afternoons.

Being there was really humbling...there were people from all walks of life, and we all were dealing with the same thing. And there were people coming off of harder drugs-that made me grateful to even be alive. I made it a point today during my rehab break to stop in and visit with my friends still detoxing...some of them don't have anyone at all. I dropped off a bunch of magazines and lollipops for a few people while I was there.

The journal I kept is priceless...I think I'm eventually going to write a book about my life. A pornographer...battling a drug and alcohol addiction, and her recovery...what a juicy read. I wonder what the next chapter is going to be about.

Heidi Joy Pike Resigned From AVN, Peter Warren Feels The Love

Heidi, who wielded tremendous power in the industry through her position at Adult Video News, left after five years with the company. There's a great back story here but I don't have it.

Heidi has passionate friends and passionate enemies in porn. Her enemies are ecstatic she's gone from AVN and I assume her friends are rallying behind her.

Her friends accused her of unethical practices and her supporters said she was a straight arrow.

I have my sources at AVN but none of them are speaking to me about the story behind Heidi's departure.

Heidi won't tell me either.

She was a trophy girl at the XRCO show in April.

AVN journalist Peter Warren blogs:

One of life's hard truths is that some people are gonna like you and some people ain't. All you can do is be the best person you can, and befriend those who enjoy having you around.

That's how I try to lead my existence in the world, and it's served me pretty well, I think. Except, that is, in the mysterious and exceedingly vitriolic case of one Chloe Bannion [not her real name, but I won't stoop to disclosing such]. Chloe was one of my fellow editors at AVN for around six months or so, and I recently came to be informed that for nearly that entire time, she was posting invective-filled hate blogs about me here on MySpace, for what reason I may never know.

For the life of me, I cannot think of one single reason why this girl held, and continues to hold, evidently, such bristling enmity toward me...nor can anyone else I've discussed it with. But since she has made her profile private, I can't even so much as email her mano a womano about this. Hence, writing a blog of my own seemed to be my only possible recourse.

Now, I've taken plenty of abuse online, and withstood it just fine. But that's been by anonymous strangers, and THIS is somebody I WORKED with, saw every day, shared mutual acquaintances with. And one of those acquaintances (who shall remain nameless) unwittingly tipped me off to this stream of hate-spewing.

The problem, you see, is not really that I can't deal with her hating me, but that these things she wrote about me, whatever they were, got enough public exposure to find their way back to me, which leaves unknown the number of people who may have seen them before she made them private, and worse - as they did come from a coworker - means they constituted defamation of character.

And there's more. Earlier this week, I was interviewed in the AVN offices by a British TV crew in what, all signs would indicate, was some sort of a Punk'd-esque segment (whose humor I'd say was sorry at best), and based on the headline of Chloe's lastest blog entry (see below), I have most concrete grounds to suspect she was in on it somehow. So what's her beef? Why is she so obsessed with trashing me? Like I said, I may never know. But I do have some of her lovely blog headlines to share with you, both on the topic of me, and on that of how much she despised this job. So draw your own conclusions, folks, and enjoy:

Jan. 16, 2006: "May I Introduce: That Piece of s--- Pete Wa---n"

Jan. 20, 2006: "I Hate Pete You Know Who, Part Twat"

Feb. 17, 2006: "Whose dick do i have to cut off to get fired from this place?"

Apr. 19, 2006: "You know what I will continue to dislike? Pornography"

May 8, 2006: "Free at last, free at last, thank god almighty, i'm free at last!"

May 11, 2006: "Parting is such sweet sorrow, piece of s--- Pete W--" June 9, 2006: "A long, intricately detailed blog all about pete warren."

June 13, 2006: "New British Documentary on Douchebags--Expert Interview With You Know Who" JUST ADDED

(June 16, 2006): "Brand-New Pete Warren Urinal Cakes!! -- ORDER HERE!"

(Oh yeah, wanna be her friend?! Go to myspace.com/therealbubbles!)

Chloe was this cute tattooed chick who I thought was loved by everybody at AVN. She was not thrilled to be writing on porn, I suspect, and was happier to get a job in the Spring of 2006 writing for a mainstream publication.

Chloe Bannion responds to Peter Warren:

You are not very pleasant to work with, and i am not the only one who feels that way. in fact, i truly can't think of one person who worked there who EVER had anything nice to say about you. i'm sure people hated me there, too, but not EVERYBODY, and unlike you, i really don't give a s---. I have heard from several people that in YEARS, you never gave them the time of day and only bother to say hello or even do more than smirk at passersby only when you need something.

But I talked s--- about a lot of people there, but gradually you more than anyone else. why? i'm not even going to get into the embarassment i suffered as an avn staffer over your insufferable fanboy behavior and icky horny writing style, but i really didn't appreciate having f---ing 12 of your review movies dumped on me at the last minute one month. remember that? Probably not, but yeah, 12 out of a grand total of 15 that you were too lazy to do that month. As you can see from my blog titles, i did not enjoy the porn as you did, and for you to --THREE months in a row --dump a s---load of porn on my desk AFTER the due dates so i had to rush through them without so much as an apology or thank you --not one -- did not endear you to me at all. here's 12 more f---ing pornos to watch, i'm going on vacation, f--- you! That's you. Thanks.

So after a few months of that, ramone decided to cut your review load down to what was it, 12 a month because you were too incompetent and lazy to do them? So then i got to do nearly 25 of those f---ing things that you couldn't be bothered to do, presumably too busy arguing on the phone over interminable porn tard drama and trying to talk cytheria through how to make a peanut butter sandwich.

Taryn Thomas posts:

What is with this CRAZY chick? One may ask... I cents some jealously here, may that be the case, or maybe did Peter not except your date offer. Or are you just u upset that Peter is a better person and journalist than you... Fact of the matter at hand is that this is childish and needs to come to an end. Peter is a great guy and knows his s---! SO BITCH BACK OFF!!!

Joanna Angel posts:

Peter is one of the few genuinely nice people I've met in this industry. Almost too nice, to the point where people take advantage of his kindness. I don't know why you guys are ganging up on him, it seems really unfair. Pardon me for being such a hippi, but I don't like seeing my friends so upset.

Piracy

Martin writes:

Luke,

Why do I keep reading comments from people like Patrick, that want to correlate the adult biz with legit Hollywood? A social interaction may exist, but as business models, they're only comparable from a far distance.

Look at the piracy issue. Patrick wonders why Big Porn doesn't start dropping lawsuits for copyright infringement, like MPAA/RIAA has. The first difference is money. Not money lost, but money spent by the orgs to pursue these handful of cases. MPAA/RIAA are collectively financed by all the studios/labels and also act as a lobbying arm for the industries, (which is why Dan Glickman, a former US Secty, replaced Valenti and not some ex-studio head). The legal, technical and political resources needed just to pursue the handful of cases they've gone after is immense and would be a huge burden to any singular media conglomerate, which is what Patrick and some others are advocating. When that's coupled with the earlier part in your thread, (real profits v. industry hype), it's not hard to see why, from a purely financial position, a company like Vivid would decided to invest more in offense, (technology), than defense, (lawsuits).

Another thing one must remember, is that a porn company did try and follow RIAA's lead and it went nowhere. IIRC, it was a gay pornhouse out of San Fran. They used the same tactic, (sue an ISP for the name behind an IP address), and were grounded out in court for privacy reasons. So consider the Pandora's box an Adult Video Association of America organization could open by challenging its audiences first amendment rights. If they won, and names were made available in court, these people would probably countersue on the basis that "what I do in the privacy of my home is my business" and the outing of their names and sexual tastes has had a detrimental effect on their livelihoods in the community. So while an AVAA could sue from a purely copyright violation position, the damage to the privacy/obscenity argument could be huge and in turn, give stronger ammunition to State and Federal Justice Dept's.

Studio movies are not made with the same outlook porn takes on its product. You don't see the latest releases sliced and diced for download from a website a week after release. The vast majority of music and film piracy are still ripped from a hard source and then placed online - which is the main target for the MPAA. Technology like iPod is trying to create content parity with fast-n-cheap downloads, but the studios aren't playing along yet. Like usual, legit media is watching adult to see what does and does not work in new technology mediums.

David Clark writes: "Um, look at Itunes, whomever you are, where Disney, ABC, MTV, CBS, Fox, etc are all gung-ho into Ipod downloads of TV series, comedy stand-up, music videos, etc. "Legit media" is all over it."

The Problem In Porn

Mark Pornographer writes:

The biggest problem isn't online piracy. The problem is the over-abundance of s---ty gonzo companies. Notice the companies who built their brands on quality are doing just fine. It's the ones who built on foundations of sand and figured, "It won't hurt if we keep putting out s---ty movies with ugly girls." Last time I checked Evil Angel is doing just fine. Anabolic and Diabolic are healthy (and any decline in numbers are due to a dropoff in quality... thanks Chico). Jules Jordan is selling as many DVDs out the door as anything aside from Club Jenna releases starring Jenna herself.

But maybe the public is smarter than we think... that cookie-cutter gonzo isn't that exciting. Fifteen years ago, everyone wanted to copy the "Buttman style" and "Ed Powers style" because it looked so easy. Some of those guys are still around, some are long gone. Some of them are on Showtime. Ten years ago it was the "Anabolic style." Next it was the "Jules Jordan style." Same story.

Sometimes it isn't as easy as it looks to make the whole thing work. But a mix of great product, a good business sense, and a touch of luck never hurt.

The problem started around 2003 when everyone noticed that Jules Jordan (at the time an Evil Angel director/producer) and Vince Vouyer (then at Red Light District), among others, were driving much nicer cars than they were. They thought, "Hmmm... maybe the path to a $130,000 Benz is to shoot hard gonzo and own my titles."

That's great in the 2003 market. But not such a good plan in 2006. It's almost a joke now when you see an AVN ad for a new studio. First you think, "Wow, for someone as tapped-in to the biz as I am, how have I never heard of so many companies?" Then you realize, "It doesn't matter, they'll all be gone in 120 days when the distributors start smelling blood and telling them to go f--- themselves." Somehow I don't see Defiance Films and Vicious Media still around in 2010. Call me Nostrapornus.

Earlier today, Patrick wrote, "I believe the only solution is to follow the model use by Hollywood and the recording industry. Start suing the down-loaders. It won't completely stop the problem but it can make a major impact."

First of all, the music industry (RIAA) and movie industry (MPAA) haven't made a habit out of suing downloaders. Actually, I may be wrong, but I don't think they ever have. They have gone after the uploaders. Big difference.

The adult business needs to succeed where the RIAA and MPAA have failed -- evolve. Though Jack Valenti might not want to hear it, this battle won't be won on Capitol Hill or with "piracy education" in grade schools. It will be won by creating new, profitable, more secure methods of content delivery. That is something the jizz biz has always been very innovative at doing. Remember when the internet was going to destroy the VHS market? It didn't. Porn got bigger than ever. New customers realized they liked it. VHS only died when it was replaced by the DVD.

The VOD market is evolving and becoming lucrative, but that is only part of the puzzle. Vivid just launched a "download-to-own" and "download-to-burn" business model. It may work, it may not. But there's enough creative, smart people in this business that some of these new ideas will work, and will make them very rich. And maybe when it does, they can buy that Benz they've always wanted.

Looking For Annabel Chong

Loretta writes: "I am a theatre director based in Singapore and I have been commissioned by the National Arts Council to write and direct an original work based on Annabel Chong. As such, I am keen to get in touch with her and wonder if you may have any leads as to whom I may approach for help. The play will open next April 5 and will be the opening production for the annual Esplanade Theatre Studio Season. As such, I do need to look for Annabel rather urgently and hope you may be able to shed light on any information about her."

Sless is more for LFP?

Stom writes:

In what has been a roller coaster year for the Nike of adult, the news today is the hiring of a veteran who actually has a track record in adult. Former Vivid shooting star David Schlesinger has found a home at LFP.

It sounds as though David will be heading up the marketing for the aging 32 year old brand. With the momentum he started with Vivid, it is not a stretch to assume he can take the biggest brand in adult and improve on what has become a tired "historic" brand.

Having watched some of the embarrassments that have been involved with the LFP marketing efforts this is one of the first moves in a long time that makes sense. The last new hire was the typical Hollywood washout who was as unpleasant on the eyes as she was to deal with, and the guy before her was another Hollywood name dropper who seemed more like a contest winner than a marketing genius.

David seems to have sparked some attention with what he can bring to LFP and is not a bad looking guy for the gals to whisper about either. For those of us who stay in the shadows we hope to see someone who at least has heard of the adult industry making some drastic changes to the way the company is marketed to the consumer.

The outgoing woman thought adult was a cake walk and she never had any success in anything she suggested because like her application of make up, didn't know what she was doing.

Kudos to Larry or who was responsble for bringing in someone who has at least worked in the industry. Keep it up so the 9th floor does not have drink throughout the day to get by until 5:30. I can promise I will not be known to David but I will be watching.

Tawny Roberts Three Months Pregnant

Mary Carey visited her in New York last week and reports that Tawny hasn't changed her personality or her drinking.

Mary is back with her boyfriend Harold. "I must sound crazy to all your readers," she says.

Playboy Acquires Club Jenna

I reported this last December. Now it is official.

Matt O'Connor writes for XBiz.com:

LOS ANGELES — Playboy Enterprises has purchased Jenna Jameson’s Club Jenna. Financial terms of the deal are not being made public at this time, but the agreement does cover all aspects of Jameson’s company, including websites, DVDs titles, film production assets and retail distribution. Playboy also will incorporate Club Jenna’s DVD content into its pay-per-view TV offerings nationwide and make use of the company’s contract stars in future productions.

DVD Sales Down About 25% For 2006

Digital Playground is the exception due to high sales for Pirates.

Reasons for the overall drop in DVD sales:

* Piracy is easy.
* VOD sales are up.
* More companies.
* Discretionary spending down because of gas prices.

I hear that the Legend layoff story was exaggerated. Many companies lay off people in the summer. Some of the layoffs were firings for due cause. Why did Jack and Bruce get rid of their luxury cars? To make a statement to their employees.

DVDs will die off in the next decade as VHS has died off but sex shops will remain to sell dildos etc.

"You can't download a dildo," says Paul Cambria.

Rob Spallone calls. "You don't call me no more."

Luke: "Do you have a number for [Juicy Entertainment salesman] Mary Turkel?"

Rob: "Marty gets out of Encino hospital Friday. He's been there for weeks. I've been going every night. I've missed two nights."

Luke: "I hear DVD sales are down."

Rob: "The average company sells 700-1000 DVDs of a title. Companies keep opening up. Everybody has a computer. Why buy a movie when you can watch a clip on the monitor for free?"

Jane writes: "Luke, can you find out why the porn companies aren't going after the people downloading and trading their movies via Torrent programs like BitComet or P2P programs like EDonkey and Kazaa? Its soooo blatant and they are doing nothing, unlike the movie studios who have actually prosecuted people for doing so..."

A source writes: "A lot of studios got hit hard by Eastern Video going bankrupt owing them a bunch of money."

Patrick writes:

I would say it's a 25% drop across the board. The drop is compounded by the shift to lower priced product. When wholesale product is being sold for 80 cents the profit margain is pennies. Three years ago the same product was being sold for $4.

However the biggest problem is online piracy. My opinion is that the adult industry has ingored the problem of free, unauthorized material on the internet. It's a very short-sighted view. When everthing was selling like hotcakes nobody in the industry cared about a little piracy online. Now it's starting to bite us. Broadband internet access is widely available for $25 per month. There isn't a lot of incentive for a customer to spend $75 for 3 DVDs when an unlimited amount of free material is available online.

The mainstream movie business and the recording industry began addressing this problem years ago with some success. But the adult industry has basically done nothing at all.

The problem has been ignored for a long time but now it's becoming VERY serious. There is just so much pirated material on-line and the industry had done absolutely nothing about it. When everybody was making a killing on DVDs there wasn't much incentive to address the piracy problem. Now it's starting to affect peoples income. I hope that the industry doesn't wait too long.

Everyone knows that the business is transitioning from DVD to VOD and PPV over the next several years. It's just like the transition from VHS to DVD that took place. Fortunately there are piracy protections built into VOD and PPV which will help down the road. But the current problem is that anyone can rip a DVD and put it on the Internet where thousands of people can download it for free.

I believe the only solution is to follow the model use by Hollywood and the recording industry. Start suing the down-loaders. It won't completely stop the problem but it can make a major impact.

I do know that Philips lawyers have been contacting retailers and advising them that they can be held liable if the adult DVDs they purchase are not licensed. This is just my opinion but I expect Phillips to start enforcing their patents on adult producers.

I hear Philips has been sending legal letters to replicators around Southern California letting them know they are liable for massive damages if they don't get licensed.

All CD manufacturers pay a royalty fee per CD to Philips and Sony.

'The Interview We Never Got Around To (To save you the trouble, no one will ever know that it was I who wrote it)'

Hank Rose writes in my voice:

Past playing phone and E mail tag, I finally get around to interviewing the enimga and Forrest Hump of "blowbiz," as he calls it and himself. His wifey is away at work. Photographs of domestic bliss adorn a curio wall unit and bookcase in the cramped living room. He has a mid-sized dog that looks like a miniature version of Lassie. The apartment in East Porn Valley is a cozy townhouse that shelters a manchild who has long escaped the porn grind and lives in a 40 something nostalgic revelry of his old soul old schooled past. He has been away from the industry for 8 years. And it shows.

LF: So I finally get to meet you.
HR: Likewise. If I had your looks, I would have been a star in this biz. (Rose looks like a cross between old time middleweight boxer Bobby Cyz and ex druggie actor actor Robert Downey Jr. Not fugly by any means, but not pretty boy buff)
LF: This has been a long time in coming. I interviewed you once before. But you requested another. What's on your mind this time around?
HR: To establish pornishness as humanity, and not another excuse to mouth off for a sound bite. The real world has more problems than us. A libido public or private, keeps you young. Agelessness is the for public promiscuity.
LF: What makes you different than all the other porners? As you say, you were just JoePornStar.
HR: I always had a brain and talents outside of video lay for lay. And no ego to think that porn fame means anything. When you're a star in the gutter your fans are vermin.
LF: Is that your legacy or is it a divestiture of your footnote hasbeen status?
HR: No, I just call it the way it is, not necessarily the way I see it.
LF: Let's talk about your legendary guru mentor, Margold. Was it a generation gap or your farewell to the biz to join the real world that strained ties?
HR: No it was my discovery of his long lost twin brother.
LF: You know, my colleague Gene Ross likes to say that us Geminis are a bit on the wacky side...
HR: Not this one. If I am telling delirious tall tales, then a mountain of circumstancial evidence as well as several corroborators are all ditzy as well.
LF: Seeing that porners tend to be refugees from failed families in the first place, your discovery would seem to be a lost cause...
HR: Oh, I know that. Bill doesn't care. Porn is his family. His home is professional sexuality. I can't knock him for that. He made my diry dreams cum true. So this is water under the bridge. Just another sidebar subplot in my career odyssey.
LF: In getting past that, what have you been doing away from the smut spotlight?
HR: I skipped my high school reunion back in '02 and instead met for dinner with some old classmates from my school days.
LF: So you bypassed it? Why?
HR: Too many dull boring establishment types from the class of '82. I would have stood out like a sore thumb.
LF: So what was it like holding summit as the HHS Class of '82 ex smut stud?
HR: It was like playing a psychological councilor for mid life crisis oat sewers while I was lucky to be the porno poor man's Don Juan/Casanova when they were all in college.
LF: You graduated from Hollywood High. Were you popular in school?
HR: I was under the radar. Aside from studies which I breezed through, I was either a tennis bum or a porn star in training.
LF: How's that?
HR: I was a fan with the stones to dream. Today web porn is virtually free. But even back then I don't think I hardly ever paid to see a movie back in the glory days of the 70s. I snuck in the back doors of theaters. The difference is, I saw the legends. I was a fan when X was chic and sleazy. So I've a greater respect for the old timers. Like me. By the time I entered this biz and substituted my penis for my pen, I came full circle.
LF: Literally. And now?
HR: The business has fallen victim to the media zeitgeist.
LF: Elaborate, if you will...
HR: You've heard of Generation X and Y? It would seem only Z is left. My point being that kids today with their evil is hip attitudes act as if they were all reincarnated from killers or murder victims given their inability to accept a full range of sentiment, emotion or beauty in art. As a result, they can't contribute anything to entertainment beyond cheap reality shows, bad ass movies---and shock and awe porn.
LF: So porn is just a reflection of Hollywood's worst generation? What to do?
HR: Help it crossover. That's my mission.
LF: Got anything in the works?
HR: I have an adult animation sitcom I'm pitching around town with an artist partner.
LF: You told me about that. Any luck?
HR: It's a hard sell. The project is in limbo because it's too cute for industry bottom liners and too hard for mainstream prudes. That leaves us between a rock and a hard place. Online may be our last option.
LF: What's it about?
HR: Two starlets who are trying to quit video lay for pay and gain acceptance into the real world. Hell, it's a metaphor for the plight I face in trying to sell the damn thing.
LF: Any standout supporting characters fans should know about?
HR: There's beloved Papa Porn, based on Margold. A villian Magazine Man, derived from a jerkoff from my gangbang days. We're hoping to get Ron Jeremy to play himself as a porno superhero. And of course, porn press hound Duke Lord---based on you!
LF: Gee, I don't know whether to be flattered...or offended...
HR: Be both. As you have, the character will undergo a natural progression in the biz. Starting as a moral foil for the show and evolving into an accepted part of the Xian universe. Proof positive that your press star power counts. You belong. Always did.
LF: You seem to keep busy. What else have you been up to besides the cartoon?
HR: I'm a budding songwriter. I feel like Bob Dylan did 40 years ago. But today elders need to diss the youth culture. The world's screwed up much worse than it was in the 60s. But there's no draft to make the kids get up off their asses and speak out. So there are no message protest tunes and no one's writing them. I've collaborated with a legendary jack of all music trades for a contest, written with an old school folk singer and penned a new age rock anthem with a major up and coming artist.
LF: You can't name names?
HR: If I did that, I'd blow my cover. Haven't made it just yet. In the meantime, I have to use pseudonyms. No male has ever crossed over into the serious mainstream. Dreck reality shows don't count. The mere thought of trying to conquer legit Hollywood as myself is a joke. Besides, everyone will find out that I was just a journeyman. Of course, my old movies would sell like barbie schrimp cocktails, some stiffer drinks than others.
LF: Pun intended? Your saving grace is that they say you were known as a shooter.
HR: Yeah, and if I can't cum like like I did in my heyday, then I'm of no use to the E porn generation without health endangering performance enhancers. So the comeback deal was just talk. Besides, X is not the only entertainment letter I want on my multimedia career resume.
LF: Hank, you've got a full plate away from porn. You're not a pro lust lifer. Why is that?
HR: Let's just say there are Renaissance Men in the video sex trade. I am one in real life. It's just that the stigma of my past may cloud the promise of my future.
LF: What other goals loom if the crossover aspirations fall short?
HR: Politics. Not in the up front fish bowl sense. I'm a not a fool. My place would be behind the scenes as a 3rd party ghost speechwriter. We've had so many loser leaders in this post 9/11 world, that a media subculture misfit can tell you more about what's wrong with this government and world than the crooked political hacks in Washington who have spent the last 15 years f-ing the US up.
LF: You once sent rants here worthy of Pat Buchanan on a good day. That might put a wrench in your demographics.
HR: That was taken out of context, a tit for tat comeback when you pegged Italians as all having criminal genes. My wife and a lot of my best friends are people of the book. We are the yin and yang of porn, the brains and brawn. We co-exist and tolerate one another. But take special note that us olive-skinned tough guys helped the Roman Empire last a 1000 years while the US will be lucky to make it to 300.
LF: You don't say? Any Nostrodamian predictions?
HR: The s--- will hit the fan in 2008. Dems wanna keep our borders open until we become a 3rd world slave wage state. Reps wanna sell America to international globalists. The sad, mad bipolar policy recipe portends even harder times ahead.
LF: So your political affiliation is?
HR: Independent. We've always been ruled by minority parties of rich or poor. The average majority middleman buys into the sheepish polarization of the two party system and thus has no political representation whatsoever. If a 3rd party doesn't rise up to represent the will of the people to fix the system, I see civil unrest.
LF: Will that put a damper on your hopes and dreams in this grave new world?
HR: We shall see. It is often said that only crazy people are willing to speak the truth amidst a PC landscape where lies are bought and sold as status quo.
LF: So by revealing the truth, poet philosophers can save the world?
HR: No, ivory tower Greek choruses can only reflect what's hapening, not affect it. Paul Simon once wrote a song about it. And I quote a line from the verse... The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and tenement halls...and echoed in the sound of silence...
LF: It was a revelation, Hank. Good luck with your new age reinvention. You'll need it.

Delilah Strong Vs. Emily

Delilah responds June 21, 2006 to the former Redd Rose assistant:

Emily- I was surprised and glad to hear that you were released from the mental hospital.You should've called me..its too bad you were released before your "recovery"was complete.Now I have found some "interesting"reading material while packing up your belongings..I'll be sure to forward these "thoughts"to your therapist so that you can address these ISSUES you have...also,be sure to up your dose of lithium,and zoloft so you stop hearing those "voices"you apparantly hear.also what size buckles do you need on your staightjacket? because I'm sure you're going to be committed again once we forward your "diary" to your parents.we've also included your prized belongings like your coloringbooks,stuffed animals,disney movies playdough and lincoln logs.as to address your accusations as to me being a whore,I've never denied that and furthermore,arent I known in this industry for even practically wearing a sign that says so..so what?as far as being a bad mother,I support my child finacially,emotionally and send my child to private schools,send her wearing louise vitton backpacks and tiffany jewelery..at least I gave my child the chance..you know what I mean babe...twice..right? :) .... also,wasnt it you that was "entertaining"gentelmen to support your drug habit?? :) so when you go as far as to say I'm a drug addict, sure I smoke pot,have for years and am not ashamed of it.. so feel free to rant and rave i know it makes you feel better.....

Metro Late Paying

Scott Fayner posts on lukeford.com:

Got a call from a male performer today saying Metro has taken over eight weeks to pay him. They've been ducking his calls, he tells me, and when they are dumb enough to answer the phone he is told the check is in the mail. This male performer gave me the names of some other people who could be experiencing the same problem and so far each of them tells me the same thing...Metro owes them money for quite some time and they're not paying.

Lukeford.com updates that the guy got paid. His check finally came in.

Production Shutdown At Red Light District

I email owner David Joseph: "Just hearing stuff such as a production shutdown."

He replies: "Yes, we are 6 month ahead. That’s all that is going on and nothing else."

Gene Ross reports that RLD employees have been asked to take a paycut.

David replies: "Call any of them yourself, it is absolutely not true."

They Come For The Girls

A friend writes:

As you know, porners & related slime feel suspicious of outsiders, and many early on quickly let me know so. At one point I asked a question of a local strip club owner, who did not seem the most evil person in the world but surely no Jonas Salk, with whom I had then only spoken casually and never really explained much about my then current work. The club owner said simply "why do you come here?" I felt somewhat awkward like maybe he resented that I had not previously given him a fuller heads up. So I started to give a brief explanation, but he cut me off, saying, "basically you, like everybody else, for whatever reason, come here because youi like my girls."

Luke, you have said that you felt more fascinated by the tales of the owners and power brokers of porn than by the trampy female "talent". Well noted, but only the tiniest handful want to read a Wall Street Journal of porn on the web. Thus I would much advise tootnoting, if not exorcising, the stuff about replicator finances & who got fired as assistant box unpacker at Who Cares Pornmovies. As awful & disgusting as they many often seem, people care about the girls. And if you shine the light on their slime, as you did on the slime of the AIDS scandals, you might get improvement.

AVN Editor Mike Ramone writes: "Question: If your friend thinks porners are “slime,” what in the world is he doing hanging out at a strip club? Conducting “research”?"

Katsumi Interview With Da Burglar

How is the production (and views) of Pornography and Sex Different between Europe and the USA?

A: The differences are huge but first when we speak about Europe we speak about France, England, Germany, Italy, Spain...each country has his own market, his own style. For exemple France is very particular because the market is drived by TV and by TV's rules : features with condoms only. Medias play an important role for the promotion. German market is the biggest one but they don't really care about quality; it's a lot of small budgets.They are very crazy about SNM and hardcore. Spain is close to America but 10 times less budget! They make good features (IFG.Private), good hardcore but they don't have so much money. England with Harmony cares a lot about high quality etc...Italy looks for a "porn cinema", they have another kind of perversion, they will easily speak about politics and religion. To compare all the european countries to USA, I would say that EVERYTHING IS BIGGER IN USA: bigger market to sell and in one language, bigger budget, bigger incomes for everybody, bigger crews. It's also the perfect market for gonzo so it's more extrem. To finish most directors were performers too so the notion of pleasure is more respected. In USA adult industry is a real business, it's professionnal. In Europe porn is almost considered like a black market.

What is your educational/work background prior to Pornography? How exactly did you get into Pornography?

A: Oh I don't like this question! Ok, my parents are not divorced, they always cared about me and my studies, I never needed money and nobody raped me BUT it's true that I have been overprotected. When I was 20 I met a guy who became my boyfriend and educated me to sex and crazy things like gang bangs, and of course porn. I was very very shy, not confident and to change it I began to do gogo dance and strip-tease.Then I met somebody from Penthouse France who asked me for an exclusiv contract as an actress. I did a scene to try and I loved it! I felt very proud to be good enough to do it, I was fascinated by pornstars.

Relationships between men and women are already not very simple so be a «pornstar» is 3 times more difficult. People recognize from Tv, medias so they see first the character and men focus too much on the «porn» side which is normal as I'm supposed to be their fantasy. To be a porn actress is for life. People will never forget it. The other thing is the risk to not be able to improve and have another career. Money is good and fast, it's very easy to become lazy and one day the dream is over . It's important to be ambitious and independant because there are also lots of people who are not honnest and want to use us.

I'm very selfish, I focus a lot on myself and when I want to help a friend,unfortunatly, we even are not in the same country in the same time!lol The last time I helped somebody was few lminutes ago on Myspace. A girl asked me some advices to meet fetish photographers and I explained to her how to do. Few days ago I introduced another actress to my surgeon because she was depressed because of her bad surgery. I took care of a contract for internet for one of my friend...nothing huge, just little things of daily life.

The last time somebody helped me it was one of my best friend. He spent few days for me when I did my surgery and took care of me. I'm lucky, I have good friends.

There's my website www.clubkatsumi.com soon in english. I will direct gonzo scenes for it but also erotic short videos. I'm making a new company in France to produce and direct features for a french channel. I will still dance a little bit in discotheques in Europe and I will feature dance in USA. I plan to do more medias in USA.I'm a spoken model for the company «Royal dragon» (www.royaldragon.net») I have a show for french tv where I speak about nightlife in France and everyhting sexy. Maybe, it's not sure yet, I will also introduce a programm about Hentaï. I'm writing a book about my career but it will take time to finish it. And...this is the most important, I have another company in USA and it's nothing about porn.

Aria Giovanni's A Busy Girl With The Boys

From In Touch magazine:

Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein is finally moving on from Nicole Richie. Adam, 33, got cozy with nude model and porn star Aria Giovanni, 28, who he met through a friend, at LAX nightclub on June 14. "They were clearly flirting and partied into the wee hours together," an eyewitness says. Reports claim he's also dating fashion designer Monica Byrne, but insiders deny a romance.

Matt writes: "Aria Giovanni [is] married to this guy in Marilyn Manson's band - John 5."

'I Love Lyra!'

Veronica Oliva (MySpace) writes:

Hi luke, so your probably wondering who the f--- is this well im the one and only veronica oliva....i just got a letter from lyra and she told me to write to you and tell you a little about OUR little crazy expirience!! i was in prison with lyra i just got out may 3rd! she told me to go to ur page and i saw ur articles on her, very sweet! but yeah beautiful women dont deserve to go to prison like myself and lyra! im 20 shes 24 so she looked out for me we became really good friends we were pretty much eachothers only friensd....and yet sometimes it was like a spa....we would lay out in the field on our sheets take off most of our clothes and tan read books, gossip work out u know! im soo exited that shes gets out in 15 days! i love that girl!! im gonna got to SD when i get a chance to see her!! she taught me a lot for example i had to idea john lennon was dead, eggs come from real chickens , and no post cards dont get here faster than regular mail..i guess u can say i have my blonde moments but just wanted to write you a little something!! heres a picture of me! and check out my page on myspace its....www.myspace.com/princessnymph19 ! always , me p.s. im in the green and the one on the right, that was my coming home party!

Trouble At Redd Rose

Look at the blog from Rose's former assistant Emily.

Redd Rose office manager Josh Clarkson emails:

I do not know Emily nor do I appreciate the slanderous post of my employer that is currently up on your website. To me she seems to be nothing more than a disgruntled former employee and I would like to know if it would be possible to remove said post from your website. Rose is currently seeking a restraining order against Emily due to 37 threatening phone calls as well as a hand full of threatening emails. Her behavior can only be explained by severe withdraws from a very addictive narcotic. Rose and I truly wish her the best in her recovery and Rose is extremely saddened and frightened by Emily's actions these past couple of weeks.

What Percentage Of DVD Releases Are Porn?

According to the 2005 Annual Report by the VSDA, it was 2%.

VSDA estimates U.S. DVD/video sales and rentals at $24.3 billion for 2005. Two percent of that figure would make DVD porn a $486 million business in 2005, down from AVN's estimate of $4.28 billion.

According to the VSDA, there are approximately twice as many dollars spent on sales as rentals. If this ratio holds for porn, DVD/video sales would amount to $324 million for 2005.

If there were 13,600 releases in 2005, the highest possible average (median) number of units sold per title would be 1,000 and the median price would be about $10 each, which would make for total DVD sales for 2005 releases at $136 million.

According to experienced distributors, sales in dollars for new titles the calendar year they are released are about half of those for catalogue (older titles). So the combined sales of new titles ($136 million) and catalogue ($272) would equal $408 million for 2005.

According to the Digital Entertainment Group (quoted in the June 8, 2006 issue of DVD News), the DVD format will be 99% of the business in 2006 with VHS making up 1% of the market.

Patrick writes:

Luke:

I’d like to point out a significant flaw in your attempt to determine the size of the adult DVD market.

You are comparing wholesale and retail figures, which is like comparing apples and oranges. If you want to measure the overall size of the market you need to measure retail sales, which is what the VSDA is quoting.

For example: You say that the top 6 adult producers have $100 millions in sales- (which by the way I think is a low figure). That $100 million is almost entirely wholesale. Companies like Vivid and Evil Angel do have some retail sales but the vast majority of their business is wholesale to distributors and retailers. By the time that $100 million of DVD product gets to the consumer through sales and rentals it has become approximately $300 million in retail revenues.

As you know that adult DVD business is highly fragmented with over 400 different manufacturers. The top 6 companies that you mention probably account for less than 15% of the overall market.

Jim writes: "I have to disagree with Patrick’s contention that the top six companies have stand-alone DVD revenues in excess of 100 million. I think you are much closer to the truth. When looking solely at revenue generated by the actual production companies, it’s not nearly as big as some would have you believe, and the reality is that it is getting smaller! One only needs to look at the financials of Private (available in public forums); Patrick may be surprised by reported revenue of their stand-alone DVD sales. When the next (this one American) company goes public - slated for year-end – he may be surprised by that company’s stand-alone DVD gross sales as well."

Director David Luger Gone From Red Light District

Allie Ray writes me: "i told he wasn't fired ask them yourself theres no way there gonna lie and say they did when they asked him a number of times during his meeting to consider staying, they said they wanted him around and they didn't want him to leave ask yourself and stop posting this s--- about him getting fired until you have heard with your own ears from the direct source!"

Was the drama with his girlfriend Allie Ray the last straw? Gen Padova and others say Allie was getting a hold of David Luger's paperwork and used the info to make trouble for Gen Padova, publishing Gen's real name, social security number, etc.

Gen Padova says on XPT: "I explained [to] Ralph briefly the situation and then said, that she and David Luger are putting RLD at jeopardy for having paper work not in a safe place. Being that Allie is not an employee. And that I felt it was his right for their protection to know these facts because if the threats of murder don't stop, I will take it a next step further."

Allie Ray writes me:

omg this is hilarious first of all david was shooting yesterday and he got a call from some moron at redlight telling him dumbass john strong was filming to much and they told him to stop and take a break because of idiots like juan cuba and john strong filming to much the movies were all backed up and they asked david to take a week off until the movie releases caught up he got pist and told them it wasn't his problem and that those other idiots dont have a life and theyre shooting all day and night so he said they can go f--- themselves for that they asked him to stay and think about it but he was fed up so get the story straight the bitch gen had nothing to do with this whatsoever ralph was actually hesitant to even bring the issue up with david he said he felt stupid for even asking him but he said he thought it was only right to ask him why some used up female talent was emailing him some crap about her information being put up, god this whore sure loves to think shes more important than shes not if you think david luger got fired your mistaken and misinformed just ask the source directly ask ralph or mike santiago the real people dont listen to this crap its hilarious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! for the record my husband nor i have the time to put energy into that washed up skank i admitt to that when i see her poor white bitch but as far as whatever this weird s--- is about her information being posted whatever let that bitch think shes so important just let her.

just so everyone knows the facts about rld at the moment and whats really going on those idiots are getting sued by about 5 different cases at the moment and those dumbs---s up there arent paying there directors david has not received a check from them yet today being the 22nd he was supposed to get paid on the 1st you do the math he was fed up and anyone would working for a bunch of assholes who get to go home to there pathetic double life familys and go home with there hands clean because theyre not doing the dirty work but on top of that they dont pay?????? bulls--- and that's why life is going to take its course on those stupid bastards why do you think some of the most nicest and best men have left there david is not the first and most certainly not the last vince vouyer left he f---in is like the most coolest guy and you know why because he also had his own s--- with them tim von swyne also sean micheals all these really great directors/talent have come to realize the s--- these assholes pull and they all moved on and are doing great so dont let yourself be fooled by some moron who is lying trying to cover up his s--- obviously by saying there 6 months ahead this is coming from someone who owes his own brother flesh and blood money that's a scumbag piece of s--- and this will continue to happen now that no one decent is left at rld who knows and for anyone that goes in there a new guy or gal will in due time also come to realize the sneaky s--- that goes on there RLD WILL GET WHATS COMING TO THEM THEY WILL OBVIOUSLY GO BANKRUPT BECAUSE OF LOSING ALL THESE CASES FROM PEOPLE AND WHO WILL SUFFER THE DIRECTORS STILL THERE THE MONEY WILL COME OUT OF THERE POCKET NOT THE BIG SHOW IDIOT OF COURSE THE ASSHOLE ISNT GOING TO PAY FOR ALL THE EXPENSES OF BEING SUED OUT OF HIS OWN POCKET USE YOUR HEADS PEOPLE RLD OWES DAVID ABOUT 10 GRAND HE KNOWS HE WONT SEE IT THEY GIVE HIM THE RUN AROUND DAY IN AND DAY OUT BUT HE KNOWS WHATS GOING ON AND HE KNOWS HOW IT GOES IN LIFE.

RLD owner David Joseph responds: "WOW I am shocked, that’s too bad, I never met this girl, and she has no idea about what is going on here at our company. David was with Red Light District from day one, and in my opinion he has done a great job for this company. I only wish him the best."

Allie Ray responds: "stupid asshole if david did such a great job then pay him you idiot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! what he did a great job doing."

Am I Worth Pennies A Day?

Bob writes:

Luke, The untimely death of Don Lemmon, Asia Carrera's husband, has me concerned about your financial future. I know it's unpleasant to think about, but does Holly Randall have a life insurance policy that will benefit you if she should (God forbid) perish tomorrow? She is your sole benefactor and without her financial support who will buy your lattes, lithium and Levitra? I would hate to see you reduced to begging for PayPal handouts.

For literally just pennies a day a healthy, young, non-smoking female like Holly can purchase a term life insurance policy that will protect your standard of living should the unthinkable happen. She owes it to you Luke.

Jane writes:

'Am I worth pennies a day?' .. isn't that a slogan used on TV when trying to get people to sponsor poor children in Third World countries? Have you got any life insurance? You ought to get some and make your nieces and nephews the benefactors.

Why do you think Heather Pink didn't register the url TrustFundSluts.com before announcing it? Even if she didn't have content for it, she could have used it to promote affiliate programs and made it her flagship site. I swear video porn people don't have a clue when it comes to the internet, not one clue. Even if a site grosses $1000 a month, that's 1k they didn't have before.

Legend Lays Off Staff

Gene Ross writes on Adultfyi.com:

Nelson over at Legend Video wrote some of the funniest p.r. releases imaginable. But no more. That's because Nelson among 10 other employees were let go by Legend Video as the $15B a year porn business claimed more victims.

There were rumors also floating around that Legend is up for sale but that doesn't seem to be the case.

The Grand Vizier comments to Gene: "The theory is that the Factory Home Video 50 cent pricing has killed the industry. The companies are hitting a cash crunch and loads of product is being returned. The new release business is a disaster. They're all getting killed. But Legend is definitely not up for sale, although they're downsizing in other areas. It's a big deal now if you're going 500 to 800 pieces. That's $5,000 to $8,000. What happens if you do a project for $17,000? When catalogue was $3 to $5 you made it up on the back end. Now as catalogue is going 60 cents to a dollar, how do you fight it?"

What does Factory's 50c pricing means? Industry-speak for 50% off retail.

Mary Carey writes: "Hey luke, On the legend story, all I can say as being their contract girl for 6 months they have been totally wonderful. I also know they had reason for letting go some of the employees. Also, I have always been paid on time and treated well."

Ugly George Interview

From Medialifemagazine.com June 17, 2005:

Ugly George is making a comeback. The infamous New York pornographer, who had a late-night cable access show from the ‘70s all the way into the early ‘90s, wants to get back on the air, according to report in today's New York Post. Ugly George, whose real name is George Urban, was known for searching the streets of New York for women willing to get naked for his late-night show. Over time the show gained such cult status that he was able to snag interviews with celebrities like John Lennon and Yoko Ono, as well as a number of politicians. No surprise, a favorite topic was the First Amendment. Ugly George says he's now gathered fresh interview footage and that the new incarnation of his show will be available on satellite for cable operators sometime during the next couple weeks. His web site, UglyGeorge.com, warns visitors that it’s “Not for minors or commie pinkos.”

Link Link Pic Pic Ugly George at Plato's Retreat Ugly George with Geraldo Rivera

George (born June 13, 1941 according to IMDB) calls me Monday night, June 19: "You may be richer than I am but I'm more famous. Is that true?"

Luke: "I have no money."

George: "Just good looks."

Luke: "I hope so.

"When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?"

George: "Many different things, least of all a guy who picked up girls and got 'em nude. I wanted to save society. I wanted to save America from the baddies. I want to kill the commies. All the things I was taught to do in my straight borsch-belt right-wing American upbringing."

Luke: "When were you born?"

George: "Depends upon whom you talk to. I don't want to make fun of journalists, but sometimes they lie. I know the guy who started the Biography series on A&E. It's full of crap. Journalists write what they want to write. Every journalist provides his own answer."

Luke: "What do you say?"

George: "I don't say anything. You've got to understand, Luke, that I am in New York, the so-called capitol of journalism. I've been interviewed a hundred times. Every time the journalist has his preconceived ideas of what he's going to say before they interview me. They want me to confirm what they think already. If I say anything different, they say, 'Oh, you're just lying to cover it up. You really mean this.'

"I've learned to answer 'Yes' sarcastically. I'm asked, 'You really love women with large breasts?' I say yes. They say, 'You really hate women. You despise them. Picking them up and filming them is your way of disguising that you really despise women.' I say yes. They say, 'You're always surrounded by women but underneath you're secretly gay.' I say yes.

"That's what you do in New York when you talk to wiseass journalists who have their own agenda."

Luke: "Have you encountered any journalists that you respected and trusted?"

George: "Very few. One guy you're probably too young to remember -- Hugh Downs. I'm in the land of liberal big-mouth hypocrisy. No one here in journalism is a conservative. Hugh Downs was one of the few journalists who not only wanted to interview me, but said hello to me on camera and signed a model release. He was on ABC with Barbara Walters, a typical big-mouth phony liberal. She would never say hello to me. She ran away from me. I can give you a hundred journalists who ran away rather than talked to me, like Dan Rather."

Luke: "Are you still a conservative?"

George: "I am anything anyone wants me to be. I am a real person. I pick up real girls. That's why the show was called 'Truth, Sex and Violence.' You know that many years ago there was a lot of controversy and people said there was too much sex and violence on television.

"You're aware that there are a thousand websites imitating me without real girls. Almost all those girls are contacted in advance or paid in advance or plied with drugs and liquor in advance. It's set up.

"When people watch my show, they say, 'This is real. This girl doesn't want to pose nude and he's talking her into it. She doesn't want to go into a hallway.' No girl ever said yes to me. Not one. I had to be a great psychiatrist and figure out when they said no, what they really meant by that.

"Girls with great bodies in New York get hit on 50 times an hour. The last thing they are looking for is a guy coming up with a camera who says, 'Let's go into a hallway and pose nude.' They're used to guys coming up to them handing them business cards and saying, 'Do you know who I am? Do you know who I know? I know Mike Ovitz. Do you know that I am best friends with David Letterman and I'm going to get you on the show.' The name dropping here is unbelievable. 'I know L-ke Ford. You should come into a hallway and give me a BJ because I know L-ke Ford.' Your name is dropped fifty times an hour here."

Luke: "Which values have you retained from childhood?"

George: "God, country and the American way.

"Did you look me up on the net? Did you put quotes around 'Ugly George?' Did you see the unimportant people who put 'Ugly' in front of their name to get noticed? Did you notice that one of the most unimportant is a guy named George W. Bush? I know a journalist in Washington and I asked him to relay this to the president: 'Mr President, you're just the president of the United States but I'm a sex star. I outrank you.' Apparently he's gotten that message.

"You may have noticed Ugly George Steinbrenner, Ugly George Clooney, Ugly George Lucas and so on.

"The word 'Ugly' is becoming one of the most used words on the net for the sole purpose of getting on my search pages, which I'm proud of."

Luke: "How often has the scorn that you've endured gotten to you?"

George: "I have the greatest weapon in the world -- it's called the TV camera. Rather than shoot people, which I might like to do... I have people come up to me and say, 'You're filthy and disgusting and how dare you have that show on cable. How dare you pick up those girls.' I resist the urge to punch them in the mouth or shoot them. I whip out my camera and say, 'Would you like to say that on camera?' They run away. They do not want to be on the show that they are watching.

"Teddy Roosevelt and I say that the television camera and cable TV is a bully pulpit. It scares the s--- out of phoneys. If I'm on a moral crusade, it is to unmask phoneys. Nearly everyone likes sex of one sort or another, but only in New York are they loudmouth about it. Only in New York do they say, 'I love my wife. I love my husband. I wouldn't watch a show like yours.'

"Notice that they all know who I am."

Luke: "I've read on the web that you've been homeless."

George: "They write all kinds of crap."

Luke: "Is it true?"

George: "It's not true at all but it doesn't matter.

"LA is not as ethnic as New York, but do you know that a lot of Polish peasants came to New York a hundred years ago and they were the poorest and stupidest Poles. They found out quickly that the rents were cheaper if you lived in the basement. They spun a whole lot of Polish jokes. In LA, you may not be familiar with them. There are a lot of Polish jokes on the show. I call a basement a Polish penthouse.

"Did you see the picture of me with Andrew Cuomo? You see a little grey in my hair. You see I'm a little fatter than I used to be. But I'm still doing it.

"I don't know if you know who Mario Cuomo was? Our governor here. This is his son who wants to be the next attorney general. He came over to me and stood next to me for the sole purpose of getting his picture in the paper and helping his campaign. When I say have an effect, I mean I have an effect.

"Everybody used to watch the show in Manhattan. I used to wipe out the networks three nights a week. The networks were predictable. You knew what was going to happen. I invented reality TV. On my show, you never knew when the girl was going to do it or not do it. It would happen many times that I'd be in a hallway and the girl would be smiling and I'd get her bra half off and she'd say, 'My God, I can't do this. What kind of girl do you think I am?' She'd button up and run out of the hallway."

Luke: "If you didn't go into your line of work, what do you think you would've done with your life?"

George: "I could've been an undertaker or a garbage collector. I could've been a college professor, but I said, 'Do I want to spend the rest of my life behind a desk with some morons? Or do I want to be out in the streets in the beautiful hot stinking New York summer and the freezing snow in winter to document hot girls?'

"When I started, New York had 73 channels on cable. The Nielsen people told me quietly that I was getting 66% of the ratings.

"The trouble was I was ahead of my time. None of the big-mouth liberals would come out and support me with money. But now I'm getting close to streaming my old shows and new shows on uglygeorge.com."

Luke: "How has your line of work affected your relationships with women?"

George laughs. "I'm glad you asked me that. I live in liberal-land. Many many women say to me -- you know I'm liberated. I'm not a conservative from middle-America. I am a hip woman. We have a relationship but I know you have other girls you have to pick up, and we'll have a relationship in spite of that.

"Every time, I'd say, 'You know I'm not in love with this girl. But my show has to go on. I have to pick up other girls.'

"So they'd break off and say, 'I'm liberal but I can't spend time with a guy who chases other women.' So, so much for liberalism."

Luke: "Do you think it is possible for you to meet the kind of woman you'd give up your work for?"

George: "No. That would never happen.

"Most people in the Adult industry like women but they like money better. After a while, it becomes like a job for them. They go to the office and they wear a suit and they look at pictures of naked women all day long. At 5 p.m., they go back to the suburbs. That's not what I do. I'm on duty 24-hours a day with my silver suit and my backpack."

Luke: "How do you decide what is right and what is wrong?"

George: "What do you mean what is right and what is wrong?"

Luke: "How do you decide what is right and what is wrong?"

George: "I never force anybody. My backpack is very heavy. It happened many times in the past that some disgruntled woman would run over to the cop and she would say, 'Officer, I want that man arrested. He tried to drag me into a hallway and rip my clothes off.'

"After I got finished taking a picture of the cop and his badge number, I'd say, 'Listen, wise-ass. Pick up this camera.' Every once in a while, I'd get one to do it. I'd say, 'Do you see how heavy this camera is? Sixty five pounds. Do you think I could chase anybody and drag them if they didn't want to be dragged?' As you know, you need some light to take pictures in a hallway.

"You can never do anything wrong. They know what is going on, even though they say they don't.

"You know about guilt? Later on they would say, I didn't really do it. He dragged me into the hallway and ripped my clothes off.

"Do you remember Dana DeLany from China Beach [TV series from 1988-91]? I had met her and tried to take her into a hallway. Not a helluva lot happened. She said, 'I'm going to be a big star. I can't do this. It would destroy my reputation.'

"Years later, she wound up on China Beach. If you remember the series, she got her blouse opened every week on China Beach.

"When she was promoting the movie Exit to Eden, a bomb, she was going around talkshows. She didn't have a lot to say. One day she's asked, 'Dana, you're a well-built girl. You're pretty. Did you ever meet a guy named Ugly George?'

"She said, 'Did I ever meet him? He tried to drag me into a hallway and ripped off my clothes and he said, 'You're going to be nothing if you don't pose nude.'

"It made US magazine. It made 50 other magazines.

"Suddenly, she gets an inspiration. Why doesn't she embroider the story? Every time she went around getting publicity on the news, the story got bigger and bigger.

"I understood she had something to sell. But a lot of girls, I don't appreciate it. I get them in a hallway. I set the lights. I walk into the picture and we get it on.

"Later they say, 'He had a light on. I thought he was kidding. I had no idea. He put a microphone in my face but I didn't know what it was.'

"They present it as though they took advantage of me and they couldn't get away from me."

Luke: "How do you approach women? What do you say to them?"

George: "There's no one thing. This is why I'm the greatest psychologist in history. You can't go up to girls and give the same line every time. You have to read them. The Beach Boys say, 'Good vibrations.' You have to read their vibrations and work with them.

"Many guys say to me, 'If I had a big camera, I could do it too.' I've been responsible for more nerds buying cameras than any other guy in history. And they still can't make it with the chicks. Everybody thinks it's just the camera. I like to say it's my stunning personality."

Luke: "How many women do you think you've been with in your life?"

George: "Over 400. I have videotapes of every one of them."

Luke: "You've never done it with a woman you haven't videotaped?"

George: "That's the exception that proves the rule.

"There's a tremendous amount of guilt in New York. Plus, you have large ethnic families. Every once in a while, there's an incredibly stunning woman and she says to me, 'The family would never forgive me.' A good example is [the 2002 movie] My Big Fat Greek Wedding where she says, 'My family is my life.' We have a lot of that here.

"Every once in a while we have a woman who is up to my standards who says, 'Please, put the camera away.'

"Once in a while, I lower myself to do that."

Luke: "Why do women do this with you?"

George: "They like my honest approach. This being New York, 80% of guys try to impress women with their money. I have no diamond rings. I have no limousine. I have no chauffeur, no cadillac. If I'm not taking them into a hallway, I'm taking them into a basement.

"I consider the lowest form of life on earth a beautiful female who's taking acting lessons. My idol is that Los Angeles native Marilyn Monroe. She didn't worry too much about acting lessons. She knew what the guys wanted and that's why she became a big star.

"Of course I can't say this to you over the phone but I interviewed her husband Arthur Miller, the last man who went to bed with Marilyn Monroe, two days before he died. And off-camera, he told me quite a bit about her.

"Marilyn Monroe became the biggest female star of the 1950s because she did what she had to do.

"Most women with beautiful figures who want to be actresses work as a waitresses. I consider that worse than being a prostitute.

"Marilyn never waited on table for one day in her life. She always managed to get work, one way or another, in her chosen field. What did she say? 'I have a beautiful body. You want my body. Let me use it to get somewhere.'

"Whereas we have hundreds and thousands of women walking around with portfolios saying, 'I'm going to be an actress but I'm not going to use my beautiful body.'

"Every once in a while, I pick up a beautiful wanna-be actress and I get her nude and she says, 'Gee, I hope this doesn't destroy my career.' I say to her, 'You mean your career as a waitress?'

"I'm on everything. I'm on all the talkshows from Jerry Springer on down. Every woman I've ever picked up and stayed with me long enough got on a talkshow. She could've never done that on her own. Only with me. I'm proud of that."

Luke: "What are the differences in sexuality and getting naked between Jewish women, Catholic women, Protestant women, Hindu women?"

George chuckles. "I'm glad you asked me that. Jewish women say, 'I shouldn't have let him take my picture.' My show would come on at 11:30 p.m. I'd get calls many times at 11:35 and it would be some Jewish woman, 'George, George, my Uncle Hymie just called. He said he doesn't watch the show. He just happened to turn to it by accident. And he saw me on the show and he called me up and said, 'Rachel, why would you do shmutz like that?'

"I had many guilty calls like that.

"Protestants are the best because the only Protestants in New York are wealthy Protestants and they have less guilt and more brains than anybody else.

"Catholic women have been browbeaten by the nuns. You know another word for nun? Lesbian. 'Those men want young girls for sex. You shouldn't let me touch your body.' Meanwhile, the nun is trying to touch her body.

"I've had many Catholic girls say to me, 'I went into a hallway and posed nude for you and we had a little sex and I shouldn't have let that happen. Now I'm going to burn in hell because he told the father confessor and he told the mother superior. I am doomed for eternity. They have all this bulls--- about purgatory and burning in hell and it's usually about sex.

"One of the biggest rabbis in New York a few years ago was a so-called expert in ethics. He was invited to synagogues all over the country to talk about ethics.

"He was flying somewhere. There was a ten year old girl sleeping under a blanket and he molested her and got arrested. They called off the lecture.

"The people who are the most vociferous against me have the most to cover up.

"I discovered this 1910 silent movie (A Soul for Sale?) about an alleged crusader against sex. At that time they called it the white slave trade. It turns out he's the owner of a secret whore house. In 1910, they knew that those who were loudest are the biggest hypocrites.

"We have a lot of rabbis here who are always yelling and screaming and with young Jewish girls, it is always about sex. What else would they talk to young girls about than sex? They don't talk about the opera. They're always talking to young girls about not giving their bodies away, especially not with a shaygetz [a Gentile man]. Because if you do, you might get pregnant and you might burn in Gehenna."

Luke: "Have you had any experiences with Orthodox Jews?"

George: "Oh yes. I hope you're not shocked, but I was actually in bed with an Orthodox girl from Stern College. She had a gorgeous body. She said to me, 'You're not Orthodox,' and she tried to push me out of her. 'I shouldn't let you do this. You're not Orthodox.'"

Luke: "Are you Jewish?"

George: "Yes and no. It's a difficult question. I didn't grow up that way but I found out about my heritage."

Luke: "I'm interested in getting more of your insights into the different reactions you get from Jews, Protestants and Catholics?"

George: "Where would all three of those religions be without guilt and hell? If you read the Torah and the scriptures and Maimonidies, they have a lot to say about loose women. But that was before cameras.

"You see the word 'harlot' all the time in the Bible. What they meant was that a woman would do something in a tent and somebody may or may not find out about it. But now we have cameras and cable TV and the internet and all that. For thousands of years, a Jewish woman could do something and no one would know about it. Now there are no tents left to close because it is on television. A woman could be on my show for a fwe minutes and a 100,000 people could record it off the air. Then they'd make dubs and send them to their rabbi in Jersey.

"I'm about to be seen and heard by 50,000,000 people around the world. And it doesn't show any nudity. John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

"I was at a big movie premiere years ago. John came up to me and tugged on my sleeve. He said, 'Aren't you Ugly George, the fellow who gets the babes nude on television? Me and Yoko have been watching your show.

"I turned the camera on and he did the dirtiest interview he ever did.

"I don't know if you're familiar with public access cable but it's huge in New York. I had the biggest show. I had 600,000 viewers in Manhattan alone. John knew it. We talked about hard-ons and wanking. Do you know what wanking means? It was not the standard interview. Somebody recorded it off the air. Legally, I'm trying to track them down but there's nothing I can do about it yet. They've announced they're going to put it on the internet for 50,000,000 Beatles fans around the world.

"I met John later. He said, 'Aside from the publicity, you know the real reason I asked you to interview me? I live at The Dakota [elite Manhattan apartment house]. I wanted to see how many of my phony neighbors would say to me, 'John, what were you doing on that dirty show with that fellow Ugly George?'

"He told me some of the names and I plotzed. From Goldie Hawn on down, who knocked on his door or ran into him in the lobby.

"Anybody can do a porno show. It depends on how much money they will pay as to what the girls will do. I meet regular girls, nice girls. They're not porno stars.

"I had the top people in New York City, and, because New York is like the capitol of the world, the top people in the world watching my show. They'd make copies of my show and bring them back to Saudi Arabia where it's completely illegal.

"A guy admitted to me when he was the attorney for the House Committee for Telecommunications, his job was to go to New York three nights a week, tape my show, duplicate copies, and quietly hand it out to Congressmen."

Luke: "Do you have any children?"

George: "My stock answer, which is probably true, is that I have 14 illegitimate children. You'd be amazed at how many kids come up to me and say, 'You know you're really my father. My mother told me all about you.'"

Luke: "How would you feel about your daughter doing things with a guy like you?"

George: "This is America. It's her decision. I just hope she would do it right.

"Fifty percent of the time when a young woman tells me that her mother went to bed with me, the daughter will go to bed with me. I have no idea if these girls are really my daughters or not."

Luke: "If the girl was really your daughter, would you still want to have relations with her?"

George: "No. But if she did something with some other guy and it made her famous, it would be a good thing. It would advance her. We return again and again to Marilyn Monroe and other actresses who use their bodies to climb to the top."

Luke: "How do you feel about gay marriage?"

George: "Being the libertarian that I am, that's their business, not my business."

Luke: "What about human - animal?"

George: "If the dog doesn't object... It's up to the dog.

"I know some guys who are married to some dogs. They're human. But any port in a storm. You'd be amazed at how many guys are married to ugly women because they know they won't stray."

Luke: "How do you deal with the angry fathers, brothers, husbands?"

George: "After I get my axe out and murder them, I forgive them. I say, 'The girl made a decision. What does that have to do with anybody else?' I'm a libertarian hippie."

Luke: "What do you love and hate about your life today?"

George: "I hate not having enough bread. I hope that will change soon. I hate watching everyone else take my thing, do it in a money way, do it with a tuxedo on, fake these reality TV shows... Not too many years ago, Sarah Jessica Parker walked up to me on the street and she all but admitted that I was the inspiration for Sex in the City and Real Sex.

"A few years ago, I met Norman Mailer. He thought I was great. He got money. He did a movie. It bombed.

"Time magazine asked a writer to do a story about me. The writer (Dean Brelis) was very annoyed. He came over to my studio and he barely concealed his contempt for me. 'Do you understand I'm a highbrow writer. I've written about presidents and prime ministers and the biggest people in the world. Somehow the editor of Time assigned me to you, you a public access guy who goes around and picks up girls on the street.'

"Like a lot of writers, he didn't live in the city. He lived in the suburbs. He didn't have a chance to see my show. He considered it so far beneath him, he practically insulted me to my face.

"We walked down Fifth Avenue. He said, 'I'm going to give you the acid test. I'm going to follow you by about ten paces. Don't acknowledge me. Don't turn around and talk to me. Just pretend I'm not there.'

"I started to chase a few girls. Not ten minutes passed, and he rushes up to me and says, 'Let's go into that coffee shop. I don't want to talk to you on the street.'

"His whole attitude changed. His face lit up completely. He said, 'George, I now see why I was told to do a story about you. You don't know these people but that was the president of Chase Manhattan who passed by. I know him because I did a story about him. He passed by with the vice-president. He kept a straight face while you walked by with the camera. As soon as you passed, they laughed and said, 'Did you see the tits on the babe Ugly George picked up last night?'

"And then it was the head of the stock exchange and Father So-and-So.

"Unfortunately, Time magazine never did the story.

"He said, 'The way you appeal to people in high places is unbelievable. Too bad they're all in the closet and they're not going to admit it.'

"I don't want to name a lot of names to you, especially over the phone. Kings, queens, presidents, prime ministers..."

Ugly George emails June 20:

Hollywood Porn Ignores UG: Good 2 rap 2 U last night. As noted, besides Mike Tolkin writing of me in the NY "Village Voice" c.Feb '77 and ignoring me in 'The Player'; another cat with a very high opinion of himself named John________(when I remember I'll email u) also went on the spend million$$ on a failed Hollyw. flick--ignoring me completely, c.1984. Have u ever noticed that Hollyw. fails UTTERLY when it tries to do the Porn World without Ugly George? I know virtually every Player who ever worked in NYC, from Jonny Wadd on down. Linda Lovelace REFUSED to go on another mindless talk show when she saw me in the Green Room & knew I would explode her bulls--- tale of drugs & enslavement. So I'm left out of "Hardcore," "Notorious Betty Page," "Inside Deep Throat" (ad nauseam)--and they FAIL at the B.O. It seems that Suits and Accountants think they know everything -- when Ugly George video'd and slept with every 2nd femme Adult Star except Lovelace. Did screenwriters ever do that? So how could they make a Hit Movie? Check your mailbox for the Emmy.

1985's documentary "Rate It X" was assembled out of pieces on a NYS Arts Council Grant; I was cut in together with Arnold Schwartenegger. Whatever happened to Arnie-did he find work in Calif? As you see from my last attachments, all my Classic footage is now golden. as soon as I get a cash advance from a distributor, I will intercut that footage with today's pickups--and the new DVD will sell 4ever!

Wankus Weighs In

wankuspd: Today's random Wankus thought comes in regards to Weight Watchers pulling their adverts from MySpace to avoid being associated with adult stars who have pages that some of the companies ads appear.
wankuspd: While I don't agree with their desire to pull the ads based on association with stars like Jenna, Tera, Tyler Faith, Stormy, etc....I do think they are over looking thousands of dollars in potential revenue by completely moving ALL of the ads from ALL porn star pages.
wankuspd: Since the modern day porn girl grew up stuffing her mouth with Zagnuts while surfing the internet, the appearance of the common star has become...well...plump to say it kindly.
wankuspd: I would like to recommend that Weight Watchers surfs MySpace's adult pages finding such models and reinstates their advertising on their pages only...just in case, we're all lucky enough for one of these heffahs to click on the link and shed the blubber before baring all in her next triple anal.

Porn and Preppies Don't Mix

From Page Six:

...Parker was set to produce "Trust Fund Sluts" - starring Pink - which is "based on real socialites whose names I can't mention, but if you watch the movies you'll figure out who they are," Pink told The Post back in February.

The porn goddess may have gotten her inspiration for the high-society smutfest while working with Parker at his ultra-preppie clothing boutique, A.S. Parker, which counts Matthew Modine, Muffy Potter-Aston and Fabian Basabe among its well-heeled clientele.

Parker told us yesterday that he gives the film a "50/50" chance of being released now that he's no longer involved in the project. He acknowledged that his mother "certainly wasn't happy" about him funding "Trust Fund Sluts," but said his two-year relationship with Pink had already run its course.

"She's just very high-maintenance," Parker said. "She threatened to leave me about 100,000 times, and I just had enough. As of now, I am out of that lifestyle. I think my involvement in that industry showed a lack of judgment on my part."

And what about the fate of the four-legged pooch, Parker? "The dog happens to be mine," he said.

Kenny Gallo On Jill Kelly

Kenny writes:

I was so busy on the road with Jill Kelly and I was having fun , that I let other things slip. This was easy work. I mean who would not want to fly around the world with a porn star. It was great! I was surrounded by naked girls all week with Jill. Then I would fly back into town and shoot some porn! These blow job flicks had become all the rage. One day I shot 27 blow jobs! The girls were stupid. We used to give them 200-250 for a blowjob, that took 30mins to film. They took it. People do not get how little these girls are paid. They can never get together and demand more because they do not stick together. So whore will do a film for less because she has to feed her drug habit.

I would see [accused Mafia associates] Louie Gelfuso and John DeMattia also. They were always trying to come up with cash. I know it is a hustle out there, but if you cannot make it you have to just get a job. John would make a good greeter at Wal-Mart. Like Hello welcome to Wal-Mart!

Kenny writes:

We would meet strippers and others from each town. I met a girl while I was in Providence Rhode Island that I am still close to today! We always met these young girls who were obsessed with moving to California. Jill likes girls, so they flock to her. I hooked up with so many girls because of Jill! What a great friend and what a way to get over a bad marriage.

When I hit LA I would meet with Louie Gelfuso, flow him a few bucks and go over whatever I was doing. When I was on the road I would reach out for anyone in the town where I was working. This is how I met so many people from so many places. Louie, Jimmy or even Fat Steve had friends everywhere. I also found that bad guys tended to know the strip club owners or the girls. So they would be in the club or with some dancer and I would meet them and then say I was friends with so and so. This would help me in my life. I still had things going in Los Angeles and the OC. One thing we were doing was cloning cell phones. This was easy and it made cash. We had all the equipment which was cheap. When we first started doing it, you could get up to three months on a chipped phone. Then it dropped to two, then one, then a couple of weeks and then it was days. The coppers started being a able to check them and see if they were chipped so I decided to get out. That kid Black Dave who stole video's for me wanted to keep some of the phones and stuff. I sold the rest to some Vietnamese kids in Garden Grove. Dave lived at a home where a guy dealt cocaine. the coppers raided the place and Black Dave got caught with the cloned phones. Black Dave like so Many people tried to talk his way out of it, but he was hooked up anyway. Stupid kid, he should have just kept his mouth shut and he would have been alright. I still made my trip to see Jimmy.

I would also speak to Rosario who told me his son Tommy wanted to make movies. I just wanted to make this low budget crime/Action flick. I made a trip to see Joe Isgro and he was going to help. Then Jimmy asked me to relay a message to Joe Isgro. I gave it to him in his office one day. Joe stood up and yelled at me. He cant talk to me that way! I’m a wiseguy too! Did you know that? (I really knew he was made) I shook my head no. Joe was a real piece of work!

Kenny Gallo On Kevin Beechum

Kenny writes:

Kevin is a great businessman who has made the most money out of the porn biz that a guy can. Kevin surrounds himself with tough biker types and UFC fighters so he can walk around with his entourage. They will beat you sown if you look at the wrong. Kevin will fight also. He will beat guys down. Kevin will also roll when the chips are down.

Kenny Gallo's Affair With Amber Lynn

He writes on HollywoodMafia:

Amber was crazy! She would accuse me of all these crazy things... She would say I was f---ing this girl and that girl. When? I was working and coming home to her. The girl never slept so she would f--- me all night long. I was a mess! The night before Thanksgiving she hit the pipe and the bottle hard. She got insane. She pulled out a 38cal. revolver and woke me up. It was like that scene in Goodfella's where the wife has the pistol against his head when he wakes up. She was screaming at me. She said I committed crimes against her. Blah Blah! She had me strip down to my underwear and kneel down. I could have taken the pistol away at anytime, but why? It might go off or we would fight and I would be locked up. Not my job. She wanted me to get on the phone and call Charlie.. She wanted me to tell Charlie what I done to her. I said okay. I did not know Charlie, so I dialed 911. They came on and I said that Amber told me to call and say what a piece of s--- I was. The 911 Operator knew right away that there was trouble. She asked me if it was the Irate female in the background. I said yes. Was she armed? Yes. Rifle or pistol. I said the second. She said do not hang up the phone, so that she could hear. This crap with Amber went on for like an hour. She finally put down the pistol to do some more cocaine and bam the door came smashing in! I was kneeling on the livingroom floor. The coppers ran in and threw me to the ground. They smashed my face to the floor and put the cuffs on me. Amber takes the pistol and her cocaine and runs into her room and shuts the door. This is LAPD, they killed a guy in a wheelchair with a butter knife. Yet nothing happens to Amber. They talk her out and she goes away. Me I am let go. Amber is calling my cell phone like crazy from jail. She was not even gone 30 mins. She starts saying she is pregnant and she is having my baby.

Internext Moving To Jan 15 - 17

Jane: Can you mention something about Internext 2007 on your site?
Jane: I already have the AVN Expo dates
Jane: Now I need the Internext dates so I can make reservations
Jane: Can you say, 'I'd like to confirm the rumor that Internext 2007 will start Jan 13 2007 instead of the March 2007 dates announced earlier this year'?
An AVN source responds: "Correct. The Monday after on the 15th though the 17th, in a new format, similar to our summer show in Florida. No more big booths, as those days are over. More conference style, designed to do business."
Jane: Your stats on Vivid and their compilations is sooo true.. I've always found it odd that their comps seem to totally outnumber the original titles
Jane: I wonder if part of the rumor about 'Vivid working their girls hard' has something to do with making them shoot alot of scenes that are actually just for compilation tapes
Jane: Tericka Dye aka Rikki Andersin was on Rita Crosby last week with her attorney and she finally admitted she did more than one scene Jane: She copped to doing 6 scenes for around $700 a piece. She said that in January, she got a letter that had stills of her from the movies and she didn't tell anyone. On the day she got fired, she was called into the principal's office and was let go with pay. Her original hearing on May 24th was cancelled. I hope she gets on 60 Minutes. Sales will go through the roof. I still need to track down someone who knew her when she was in LA.

DVD Sales Falling?

I'm hearing from various sources that DVD sales are down compared to last year. VOD sales (online and over cable) are up. Total porn DVD/VHS sales and rentals have been essentially flat for the past eight years.

I have it from a source who would know that the six biggest porn production companies (in order: Evil Angel ($20 million), Vivid ($20 million), Zero Tolerance, Red Light District, Anabolic/Diabolic, Adam & Eve) sell no more than $100 million a year worldwide in DVD/VHS formats.

Vivid releases about four times as many comps (wholesale for about $3 each) as original titles (wholesale for about $10 each). I suspect that Vivid's new titles sell about $5 million a year, which would mean about 500,000 units sold. If they put out 200 new titles a year, that means they're selling about 2,500 units per title.

I suspect that sliding sales are the reason Vivid is increasingly shooting without condoms and advertising their movies (such as Tera Patrick's latest) as non-condom in Adult Video News magazine.

Vivid says that the industry's HIV-testing is so good, the company does not have to restrict its talent to condoms. But HIV-testing in porn is no different from what it was seven years ago. It's the same PCR-DNA test once a month.

Evil Angel puts out about 120 new titles a year (few if any comps) at about $15 wholesale (almost none of them are comps).

How Come L&M Optical Is 30% Cheaper For Replicating DVDs Than The Competition?

Ty Kirstein replies from L&M:

I'm not sure why we are cheaper. Danny is a very good and successful business man. This, im sure, is why. But again, there is no way we can be so large and not be licensed. It just does not make sense. People just need to do the math before they start jumping to conclusions. They need to ask themselves, "Why is L&M still in business for so long, and the only people that are getting busted are the smaller replicators"? BECAUSE they are not licensed! We are. It wouldn't not surprise me if the smaller unlicensed replicators are spreading this gossip.

Program Owners, What is your exit strategy?

Jay23 writes on JBM:

I am seeing three types of situation with current adult internet business owners.

1. These are guys kind of realizing the membership model is getting harder and harder every day so they are moving to other growth areas of adult such as VOD, Cams, Dating etc. Some have done this move very well and doing well while others are struggling.

2. Then there are guys who are selling their business at fire sale prices and getting off of adult completely.

3. Now my question is to the last group, which keeps running the traditional pay site membership based adult Internet business. I agree its great cash flow (but its getting harder and harder these days), but what’s the exit [strategy]?

Why is that all the pay sites owners are starting VOD sites? I am not going to argue if Pay Sites are better or VOD sites are better, but if you want I can show you stats where VOD sites are converting 5 - 8 times better then pay sites.

Trust Fund Sluts

I met Heather Pink at the Tampa Show in October 2005.

She writes me June 18:

Andrew Parker and I are no longer together. He lost it when his mom found out I did porn. Before I met him I performed a couple times, but was out of the business.... He was the one who convinced me to go back.

He threw me out while I was out of town working. He calls me on Memorial Day and says "I can't be around those type of people."

This is after he got wasted at every porn party, performed in a scene at the Tampa Show, and planned on doing more scenes. I was able to relocate quickly, thank God!

His mother said she would cut him off if he continued to see me. Not like that would be some big deal. They are about $50,000 in debt! My family, who lives in Palm Beach, are actually doing better financially and I am the "disgusting porn girl."

He sabotaged the Trust Fund Sluts film. He basically was doing it so he could run around at parties and clubs in Manhattan, and tell people he is a porn producer. He didn't want to do any of the involved work. I had to fight with him to get my things back, and in the middle of packing, he had security throw me out. He won't return my dog, and is threatening to give him away.

I call Heather, 26, Sunday morning, June 18.

Luke: "When did all this happen?"

Heather: "It started on Memorial Day. I was out of town. I just got an apartment on the Upper West Side.

"I'm trying to get my dog back through a civil suit. It's taking forever. I'm contacting attorneys. I can't steal the dog back. Plus, there's a doorman at his building."

Luke: "His parents knew you, but they didn't know you did porn?"

Heather: "Exactly, but it was his idea to put it in the New York Post and to exploit that I did it. Then he couldn't handle the results."

Luke: "What's he concerned about?"

Heather: "That he's never going to talk to his mother anymore. She's psycho. She tries to kill herself all the time. I had to rescue her from a few incidents because he didn't want to deal with it."

They were together for almost two years. "Everything was fine. We got along fine. We'd yell at each other a little bit but we never really fought. We worked together. I worked for him."

Luke: "He seemed to love the porn industry?"

Heather: "He did. Now he's changing his ways."

Luke: "Before that, what was his family's reaction to you?"

Heather: "They loved me. I was Jewish. They liked my family. I worked for them. I did a very good job. They liked that."

Luke: "How does your family like him?"

Heather: "They liked him. They still like him. They just think he's being manipulated by his mother. Whenever he does anything she doesn't like, she threatens to commit suicide."

Luke: "When was the last time you spoke to him?"

Heather: "He had his friend call me Thursday. Told me I wasn't going to get the dog back. He was just going to pretend it was his."

Luke: "Why doesn't he want to give your dog back?"

Heather: "I don't know. He's the one who broke it off. Give me my stuff and my dog and I'll never speak to you again. He's holding on for some reason. Either that or he just wants to torture me.

"He allowed me in his apartment while he wasn't there to get my stuff. Then he called security and had me thrown out. He's almost 40 years old and he's doing this?"

Andrew and Heather did a scene for Mike South at the Tampa Show. They kept having sex in the public pool area at the hotel and kept getting kicked out of the pool.

Luke's Joe McCarthy Moment - The Suzanne Shumway Story?

A friend says: "She's completely harmless. Can the janitor at LFP send you something and you'll publish it? Everyone gets along with Suzanne. How far down the chain does someone have to be before they are safe from people commenting on them publicly?"

Asia Carrera Mourns Her Late Husband Don Lemmon

She writes on her Bulletin page:

06/17 - Donny's home. He's in a wooden box carved with pineapples on it, to remind us of the happy times we spent in Hawaii. I cried, I screamed, I sobbed, I held onto the box for ages and just wailed over it, but eventually a peace came over me, like I felt his arms around me. And I calmed down, and we had a quiet talk together. He told me he was glad to finally be home, and I told him I was glad he was home too, however I could get him. Then I printed out a picture of Daddy and Catty and stuck it to the box, and called Catty in to give her Daddy a kiss. Funny thing is, she didn't kiss the picture - she kissed the box. And when I told her to give Daddy another kiss, she kissed the box again, not the picture. Like she knew he was in there, and she was glad he was home too... I'm glad Donny's home. I missed him. Welcome home, Donny I love you.

06/16 - Here is a copy of Don's obituary that's running in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. It does seem woefully inadequate, but I wasn't feeling my most eloquent when the guy was asking me questions. I tried to get prescribed for anti-depressants yesterday, but the doc would only give me mind-numbing tranquilizers and I don't want to be stupid so I wouldn't take those. I asked again for antidepressants and he said he wouldn't provide those to me while I was pregnant/breastfeeding, so I left with nothing. I think I will try another doctor, because I have done the research now and Zoloft seems to be safe enough. Today's the day the coroner people are delivering Don's ashes. It's not a good day. I'm going to lose my mind when they hand me my big strong handsome husband in a tiny little wooden box... Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who has donated some money to us. Every little bit helps. At least I don't have to worry about trying to get a job at almost 8 months pregnant right now, and I can concentrate on grieving and trying to pick up the shattered pieces of my life... *sigh* This is all so hard, the hardest thing I guess anyone ever goes through, huh. If I didn't have sweet little Catty's smiling face to wake up to every day, I swear...

Anyway, there's a spot on my sales page where you can donate up to $100. If anyone wants to send more than that (I'd be forever grateful!), you can use my Paypal Account, to address asiac@asiacarrera.com (that's asiaC@, not just asia@). And for those who requested a snail-mail address, here you go: Asia Carrera 875 W Redcliff Dr. #2, PMB 144 Washington, UT 84780

Thank you everyone, for making me feel like a little piece of Don has touched all of you and will live on in our hearts forever. God, I never thought I'd be writing words like these, I can't believe this is my life. What did I do to deserve this?? What did Catty and baby Donny do to deserve growing up without ever knowing a father who loved them so very much?? *cry cry cry*

LukeisBack Reports Death...

Da Burglar writes on XPT:

...Of my friend "Roxy", an exceptionally beautiful and tragic escort I knew in Vegas in the Mid 1990s. I wrote Luke late last year about my experience with Roxy, and her life's tragic experience, in response to Jack Sheehan's Book SKIN CITY, which tends to unrealistically, and distortingly portray the Sex Industry as exceptionally positive, all "Puppies, Bunnies and 100 dollar bills and diamond earrings." It seems Roxy passed away last October...I just found out about it when another former friend of Roxy's wrote Luke about her death.

It seems Roxy's addiction to pills (especially Xanax) ultimately did her in....she choked to death in her sleep after vomiting from taking too many Xanax and possible drinking booze.

This was one of the defining periods and experiences of my life, back in the mid 1990s, when I met and developed a relationship with Roxy. You can go to Luke's site and research my story to get the full background and details, but for now, suffice it to say that Roxy was one of Vegas' best known Escorts of the mid to late 1990s, and her life was anything but glamorous and successful, as Jack Sheehan's BOOK would have you believe such lives typically are...

Roxy often made in excess of $250k per year, and this working only 3-4 days a week (since she was actually married with a couple children.) She easily could have cleared $350k or more if she worked 5 days a week and without distractions. But Roxy suffered from a acute addiction to pills, particularly anti-anxiety medications like Xanax and Valium (with some abuse of pain pills like Percocet as well.) She also consumed alchohol excessively....

When I said and referred to a "defining moment" above, I mean it. One of the single most powerful, and scary moments of my life came one time when I was with Roxy during a visit in my hotel room. After finishing our session, Roxy had just counted out 3 or 4 individual, 1 (one) milligram tablets of Xanax in her hand and was about to swallow them down before going to her next outcall appointment...she turned to me and stared (basically tearfully) into my eyes and said "You could offer me a million dollars and I could not give up pills..."

I was speechless after that....Roxy often told me (in great detail and to great extent) the role that Xanax played in her life...she told me how it calmed her down to a point where she "did not care about what others thought of her, she did not need approval, nor feared disapproval, and she said that the drug essentially turned OFF her moral/sexual conscience...it allowed her to allow complete strangers to do what they wanted to her body, in order for her to get paid...she liked sex, but this allowed her to do things in such a way, and to such a degree that she would NOT normtally do them except for the fact that the drug now allowed her to do that..." I found this scary, and credible...many of the anecdotal accounts of people that I have heard who use drugs like Valium and Xanax report such similar experience. In fact, in Roxy's case, she said she was able to "Lose herself" in the sexual action with her clients, to become the absolute "Slut" and "Dirty, filthy whore" that her clients wanted, because of the drug. Xanax allowed her to be a super whore, complete with the attitude, and energy during sex, and even the words that come out of her mouth were facilitated by the drug. She said she was NOT like that at all when not on the drug (or not on such a high dose.) Well, Whether one blames Xanax, or Vegas itself or the abusive stepfather Roxy had as a girl who raped her, the life she lived as an escort was anything but glamorous. And, at 38 years old and still in great shape physically despite the slight case of death she now has, Roxy is a prime example of the TRAGIC life the Sex Industry (Escort/Porn/Stripping) can embody and facilitate. R.I.P. babe....

William Hyde writes: "Maybe we should blame the insensitive Johns who subsidized her addiction, and paid her to feel like a "dirty, filthy whore"?... Oh wait, that was YOU wasn't it?"

Damaged writes:

We all know that to "consume" porn, or escorts or really any product or service means that we subsidize it. I'm not saying it's right or wrong-that's a matter of individual conscience. Let's just agree that by buying/renting porn and buying/renting escorts that we are both endorsing and subsidizing this industry. Even Duke, the pinnacle of hypocrisy, talks about the evils of porn and the damage it causes while making cash from the links on his page. I can't say I've taken the high ground either. The struggle between my morals/conscience and my lust/appreciation for the female form is what drives my interest in this industry in the first place. If punching the clown was all that porn meant to any of us, we wouldn't spend our time in these forums...and we'd be the poorer for it. So I'm as conflicted as the next guy.

Why Will LFP Be Glad To Stop Distributing Vivid?

Scorpion writes: "Because LFP got sold a bill of goods on the deal. LFP expected much bigger sales numbers than they are currently seeing. Expect to see Howard Levine & company back at Vivid eventually."

Lisa Ann Undefiled?

A source writes: "Tom Zupko put out a huge press release two days ago announcing the shooting this Saturday of "Lisa Ann Defiled" for Extreme. Well, she just told him to f--- off. Why? Because he insulted her during one of his drunken 4:00 AM phone calls, calling her a piece of s--- whore. Guess she didn't wanna f--- him for the glory of working for him. Bottom line: the movie will not happen."

I made calls to all the relevant parties and I will publish what they give me.

I heard Zupko called male talent and said the shoot would not happen Saturday but that it would happen eventually.

Derek Hay of LADirectModels.com replies: "Lisa Ann will not be making this movie for Extreme. It became too difficult to coordinate the logistics with Thomas, whose creative desires are not always matched by his production managerial abilities to achieve and organize same. In a nutshell, both Lisa and I felt it was excessive to require Lisa on set for 12 - 18 hrs for one scene."

AVN Awards At Mandalay Bay?

Tod Hunter reports: "Word has it that the January 2007 AVN awards will be held at Mandalay Bay instead of the usual Venetian."

Erotic Expo In NYC

John Gray from Adult Quest magazine writes:

Luke- You are not missing a thing only 30-32 exhibitors and maybe 150- 200 fans showed up all day and I thought the venue may have beeen the worst one that I have seen since I have been in the business doing the mags for 11 years. No carpet for the booths and it was spread out in what a 60,000 square foot whare house Pier 94. It made the Hotel penn last year look like the Bellagio in Vegas!

I dont think they marketed or advertised this event at all to the NYC public, hell 3 taxi drivers didnt even know where the venue was. I know that Ricks Cabaret paid to be a co sponsor and have exclustivity but as they set their booth uo they were right across the aisle fro Club Harem and Satin Dolls and were told oh they are from New Jersey u only have it for NY?

Tera Patrick's booth was the busiest right next to the Genesis Mag booth where Tyler Faith and Wankuas hung out but the speakers got on stage at the other end and not one of them had anyone listen to them, in fact the Attorney speaking on the 2257 laws wouldnt even get up and wanted to wait and see if more people were going to show up. I hope the Erotic Ball is better or it will be two nites at Ricks in NYC and the trip will not go wasted.