pornochromatic

A few weeks ago, I went to a friend’s wedding in LA and was seated at “the porn table” with a few adult industry luminaries – including Joey Silvera. I’d never met Joey before, but I was happy to find out that he’s a very cool, friendly guy.

We talked for a few minutes about the interview I did with Miles Long and Jenna Haze’s first scene and her blowjobbery in said scene. The topic of conversation evolved and eventually, he told me this story:

When Joey was a young man (he estimated he was in his early 20’s), he was hitchhiking with a a friend to a destination that I don’t believe was ever mentioned. They were picked up by a guy whose car was littered with porno mags. Joey had never seen porn before and got super turned on (I believe he actually made a reference to how hard his cock was, but I forget his phrasing).

The driver, knowing how excited a young impressionable man can get about pornography, offered to take them to his house where he had lots more porn. Joey’s older, wiser friend said no way and had the guy deposit them back on the side of the road.

Joey said that he was so young, naive and horny that he probably would’ve gone back to the guy’s house and “let him blow me” or some such thing, perhaps ending up at the bottom of a river in a trash bag. Looking back, he says he’s thankful the friend got them out of there, although it sounded like he was kinda pissed about it at the time.

Joey obviously went on to become a performer and then director of some of the perviest, awesomest porn ever made. One’s first encounter with porn is a life-changing experience and on some level, and I guess we have the creepy porno car guy to thank.

As a complete side note, I got to pitch Joey my favorite unrealized porn idea: “Tranny Step-MILFs” (get it? because they can’t have kids). Perhaps unsurprisingly, he’s been working on a Tranny MILF movie, but has only been able to get one scene in the can so far. I guess finding 40-year-old trannies willing to do porn isn’t as easy as one might think. Either way, I hope he finishes it and Tranny Step-MILFs becomes a hugely successful and popular series. Then Joey can make my second-favorite porn idea. I can’t tell you what it is just yet, but I will say it does not involve Octomom…

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas sociology department released the results of surveys conducted during the 2008 and 2009 AEEs. They asked both fan and trade participants about their demographics and attitudes on various topics. The results are pretty much what I would have expected, but there were a few pieces of info that I found interesting.

Only about 20% of the trade attendees were female.
This seems incorrect to me. Even if you don’t count the performers (although I’m not sure why you wouldn’t), I’d guess that 30-40% of the people I saw or met while working the show were female. In my experience, most companies are owned by men, but have a good number of female employees.

Click images to enlarge

Most companies report business is flat or down
We’re in a recession and battling the biggest threat (piracy) that porn has ever seen. That 67% of companies are seeing flat or reduced sales is unsurprising. What is surprising is that almost no one at the show seemed to be talking about what to do about that.


More than half of respondents watch free porn online
One star I interviewed told me that when she has tried to sell her movies at conventions, fans will actually say that they’re just going to download her movies for free online. It seems insane to me that people could be this insensitive, but the numbers don’t lie.


If you’re interested, you can read the report here.

Celebrity sex tape promotion has become pretty formulaic in the last couple of years. First, rumors of a tape are “leaked” to the media, and the star publicly denies that the tape exists. Then, the distributor (often Vivid) announces the upcoming release of the video and the star responds by angrily threatening to file a lawsuit to any media outlet that will listen. Finally, the star gives in to the “unstoppable” force of the tape and often gets openly involved in the promotion of the video so that they can make sure that the release is “handled properly.”

I’ve tried to ignore the existence of the Shauna Sand sex tape, but the success of the formula has guaranteed that I’ve seen no less than a dozen stories about it. The latest one confirming that it is indeed Shauna’s signature on the model release form giving Vivid the right to distribute the amateur porno she starred in and edited herself. Oops, I guess she forgot.

The stars of these videos always claim they were stolen or that the company releasing the movie doesn’t have the right to do it, but there are two reasons why no celebrity sex video you’ve ever seen was distributed without the star’s permission:

1. No company in its right mind would distribute a video that didn’t come with a valid model release. The Right of Publicity allows one to keep one’s image and likeness from being commercially exploited without permission or contractual compensation. The right to privacy, or the right to be left alone and not have one’s personality represented publicly without permission. (See Wikipedia)

2. The Child Protection and Obscenity Enforcement Act of 1988 (aka, 2257 Regulations) require producers of sexually explicit material to obtain proof of age for every model they shoot, and retain those records. Under this law, the distributor of the video would be considered a “secondary producer” and is legally obligated to have proof-of-age documentation (like a driver’s license or other non-publicly-available form of ID) on file for these videos even though they didn’t create the content themselves. (See Wikipedia)

The lawsuit threats and public statements decrying the “theft” of these people’s amateur sex videos are nothing more than attempts to generate publicity and sales for the movies. There’s something thrilling about watching something you’re not supposed to see, and I think the dog and pony show helps maintain the fantasy that the videos weren’t produced for commercial distribution.

I’ve been hearing rumors for a while that Tera Patrick and her husband, Evan Seinfeld/Spyder Jonez were splitting up. Over the weekend, Cindi at Luke is Back seemed sad to confirm the news.

I, on the other hand, couldn’t be happier for Tera. Over the years, I’ve had several interactions with Evan Seinfeld and I don’t look back on any of them with fondness. The guy is the dictionary definition of “douchebag” and I was always perplexed by what Tera saw in him. Especially after an encounter about a year ago when I was trapped in a limo with him and treated to endless bragging about his new website (called Rockstar Pimp, of all douchey things) where he gets to fuck all these hot chicks and how much everyone wants to see that. I assume he meant everyone except people with eyes.

From where I’m sitting, Evan used Tera for a variety of reasons: money, access to porn pussy, an overblown sense of self-importance, etc. and I’m really pleased to hear that she’s moved out of their house and hopefully on with her life.

I think 2009 will be remembered as the year of TV porn parodies. They’re everywhere these days and I think they’re at least partially an effort to stop the hemorrhaging DVD business from finally kicking the bucket. But how did this madness start?

I’m glad you asked. Hustler can be credited with starting the trend in 2007 with Not The Bradys XXX. The director, Will Ryder, had previously done several movies of dubious quality (I only managed to sit through one of them) in which a butterface Britney Spears lookalike* played the character Britney Rears.

Hustler saw a goldmine in these spoofs (Not The Bradys became a bestseller) and parodied Get Smart and The Munsters (of all things) in 2008. In 2009, they kicked the parody machine into overdrive with spoofs of The Partridge Family, Three’s Company, Gilligan’s Island, Happy Days, Star Trek, The Cosby Show, I Love Lucy, Married with Children and in a slightly more modern, but completely bizarre choice, Hell’s Kitchen.

Maybe they thought that the demographic of porn parody buyers was over 45 or that the folks who produce shows now on Nick at Nite would be less likely to sue, but Hustler has mainly focused on older shows for their lampoons.

New Sensations smelled money (every single one of Hustler’s spoofs was a best-seller) and jumped into the satire genre with takeoffs on far more modern shows like The Office, Scrubs, Seinfeld, Friends and 30 Rock. They’ve also got an X-Files parody in the works, which has earned them a cease and desist letter from 20th Century Fox.

Of course, other studios have gotten in on the act and this list is by no means complete. Parodies of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, Rock of Love, Dog the Bounty Hunter, and Big Love have all been released recently by studios mainly known for gonzo films.

Porn parodies are nothing new, but I think they’re an interesting reaction to the collapse of the DVD business. At a time when most people are eschewing DVDs for more convenient internet porn, these things actually sell (even though most of them are barely watchable) and I don’t think we’ll see the end of them until they’ve been completely wrung dry.

My predictions for TV shows we’ll see porn versions of in the next six months:

• True Blood
• 24
• Lost
• Survivor
• CSI
• Weeds

What do you think?

* Her name was Jessica Sweet. In the third and fourth installments of the series, Britney was played by Hillary Scott.

The L.A. Times published a story yesterday about the trouble the porn industry is in and how it’s affecting performers and business owners alike. It’s an interesting read, but to make a long story short, free content is killing porn. Business is down across the board and the irony is that the tube sites that are destroying the industry aren’t even making money.

Paying for content simply isn’t necessary anymore and most of us don’t really want to. Sure, MP3s are only a buck on iTunes or Amazon, but you really can’t beat free. And free content’s not going anywhere.

I do wonder about the accepted wisdom that people who want free porn go to tube sites and never pay for anything. I know the tube sites are popular and I know that the advertising on them is next to worthless, but I’m never one to take the Chicken Littles of the world without a small grain of salt. So tell me…

How often do you watch or download free porn?

• I never pay for porn
• Almost always
• More than half the time
• About half the time
• Occasionally
• Almost never
• I always pay for my porn

View Results

 Loading ...

Where do you get your free porn?

• Galleries on TGP sites (ex: thehun.com)
• Tube sites (ex: youporn.com
• File hosting sites (ex: rapidshare.com)
• Torrents (ex: thepiratebay.org)
• Friend's paysite password

View Results

 Loading ...

It must be sweeps week because CNBC’s documentary special, Porn: Business of Pleasure premieres tonight – Wednesday, July 15th – at 9pm, 10pm and 1am EST. Much like CNBC’s other sensationalistic specials, the program claims to give an insider’s view on the scandalous world of porn.

(more…)

Like the outbreak in 2004, this instance of a porn performer testing positive for HIV and possibly spreading it to other talent has spurred a lot of discussion about changes that need to be made to protect people in the future. The three main suggestions being put forward are mandatory condom use, more testing and overhauling AIM. While HIV may be one of the risks of working in porn, I believe the last two options could significantly improve the chances of preventing future outbreaks.

Mandatory Condom Use
On the surface, condoms seem like the obvious answer to this problem. In fact, several people and organizations that I hold in the highest regard have endorsed this policy. I simply cannot.

Whether it’s true or not, porn producers are very certain that condoms lower sales. Which means legislating the use of condoms in California will have two effects: some producers will move to more hospitable states (Florida, for example) and others will flaunt the law. John Stagliano (himself HIV+) has said, “The market determines whether or not this will be shown. A government agency the size of Los Angeles couldn’t stop it. It’s not going to change.”

Perhaps topping that, condoms could put female performers in more, not less, danger of contracting STIs. According to veteran director (and partner of the lovely Nina Hartley), Ernest Greene:

While the folks who suggest legislation certainly have the best interests of the performers at heart, in my opinion, mandating condoms simply won’t work.

More Testing
In yesterday’s post, I talked about the factors that make the current system untenable. Thirty days is a long window and in the porn business, a person can have dozens of partners in that time. Even with the PCR-DNA test that AIM uses, the window between contracting the virus and it showing up on a test is at least 12 days.

In an unlikely, but entirely possible scenario, a male performer (males are more likely to pass on the virus than females) could contract HIV from a non-industry sex partner on May 1st, receive a negative test on May 10th and go on to infect any number of partners in that 30 days until his next test. At least with a 15 day testing window, only half of those people would be exposed. Obviously not perfect, but I’m sure the people he would’ve worked with in the second half of that month would appreciate it.

Additionally, testing for all life-threatening STIs needs to be conducted on a regular basis. More on that below.

Overhaul AIM
Long-time industry veteran and commentator Mike South put forth a five-point plan for bringing AIM up to the level that it needs to be to adequately protect performers:

While I don’t always side with Mike, I think he’s put a lot of thought into this and it would almost certainly help make AIM more reputable and effective.

I realize my stance may be relatively controversial, but I honestly think something needs to be done before we’re back in this same position again.

As a final note, it’s very important to remember that when we talk about Patient Zero and those who are under quarantine, we’re talking about real people going through a dark and frightening time in their lives. While medical advances have improved the quality of life of those with HIV tremendously, the sad fact is that contracting this disease changes your life forever. My heart goes out to them and I truly hope to never have the occasion to write post like this again.

On the heels of the announcement of a new HIV infection in the porn industry, a lot is being said about what ought to be done to prevent it from happening again. This post is part two of a three-part series on HIV in the porn industry.

This tragedy has provided a stage for a number of industry insiders (and outsiders) to make criticisms about how we ended up in this sad situation. In today’s post, I’ll explain the four main factors that are contributing to the lack of safety in porn:

1. Performers’ personal lives
   Porn performers have sex with people other than their scene partners, be they lovers, tricks or random guys in bars. One of the unfortunate facts of this business is that having sex with the right people gets women work. Directors, producers, agents, you name it – they’re screwing talent. And most of them are not getting tested. Not to mention that a lot of stars escort on the side, possibly without condoms. This is a huge X factor in the STI equation.
2. Agents concerned with profit above girls’ safety
   As director Donny Long very ineloquently pointed out, agencies in LA routinely send their female talent to shoots to work with men they know have done gay/bisexual scenes without telling the girls. This may not sound like a problem on the surface, but as I mentioned before, the gay industry does not test. So many of the performers are HIV+ and rely exclusively on condoms for protection. Between condom failure rates and barebacking movies, the chances of actors who do gay work getting HIV would seem to be far higher than those who only work with women. Combine that with a 30 day testing window and you have a problem.
3. Ineffective testing requirements
   Not only is a 30 day time lapse between HIV tests far too long, there is no requirement to test for all of the sexually transmitted diseases that are at best unhealthy and at worst possibly fatal. Hepatitis B and C can be passed through sexual contact and can ultimately cause death in afflicted individuals. Most talent get only the “AIM Panel” – HIV-1 DNA by PCR & Chlamydia and Gonorrhea by PCR. These are important tests, but they aren’t adequate by themselves.
4. Sharon Mitchell
   You may remember Sharon Mitchell as a performer. She is also the co-founder and director of AIM, the primary organization responsible for keeping talent safe. “Doctor” Mitchell has a Ph.D from an unaccredited university and absolutely no background in public health. To make matters worse, she is so unscrupulous that she agreed to be an expert witness for the defense in a rape trial in 2004. For those unfamiliar with the case, Ms. Mitchell testified that a young girl who’d been drugged and gang-raped was actually attempting to make a porn film and was conscious while having bottles and pool cues unflinchingly shoved into her orifices. Sharon Mitchell apparently knew this even though she is not a medical doctor or qualified in any other way to make that assertion. Her testimony was so worthless that the judge threw it out. The fact that this woman runs the only organization standing between performers and life-threatening diseases is something I find personally reprehensible.

In tomorrow’s post, I’ll discuss the proposals being put forward to protect talent in the industry and why some well-meaning people may be putting performers’ heath in danger.

As many of you are likely already aware, a case of HIV was reported in an active performer in the adult industry. I’ve been following the news very closely but have waited until now to write about it so as not to make hasty proclamations before the real story is known.

Now that nearly a week has passed, I’m comfortable giving a rundown of what most likely happened and what I think about it. Today’s post will go over the sequence of events that have transpired over the last week. In a subsequent post, I’ll talk about why I think the way porn performers’ health is protected needs a well-thought-out overhaul.

What Happened

The news was first made public on an industry message board by actress/producer Nina Vain. Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation (AIM) was contacted by several people to confirm or deny the report of a positive HIV test and all were initially told that it was untrue (including Peter Romero, an early and vocal supporter of AIM). Only after the outcry reached a critical mass did AIM finally admit that it was true. In a statement, AIM founder and former performer Sharon Mitchell said that it was their policy not to make the news public because it was “not a major event.”

Almost immediately after AIM publicly confirmed the story, it was picked up by the LA Times. The newspaper contacted the LA Dept of Health and broke the news that 22 individuals have tested positive for HIV at AIM since 2004 – approximately 18 more than most people in the industry were aware of. This caused a firestorm of controversy in industry circles as well as the mainstream press.

If AIM is to be believed (and no factual evidence has contradicted their story so far), of that twenty-two,

• One is Patient Zero who tested positive on June 6th
• Four were straight performers who became infected in the outbreak in 2004
• One was a transsexual performer who tested positive in 2004
• Ten were male performers who have sex with other men (Gay talent is not tested because they are generally assumed to have the disease. This is why the gay industry uses condoms in 99% of their movies.)
• Six were people receiving their first AIM test so that they could enter the adult industry

AIM also asserts that it did not make any mistakes in giving MILF/Patient Zero her results. Their timeline is:

• April 19: Patient Zero receives her first HIV test at AIM. The test is negative.
• June 4: Patient Zero is tested at AIM again. No results are given on this date.
• June 5: Patient Zero performs in a boy/girl scene.
• June 6: AIM notifies Patient Zero that she has tested positive for HIV.

This means that Patient Zero had gone 36 days without a test and was allowed to work. The standard period between tests is 30 days. It’s alleged that the director who hired her despite knowing that her test was 36 days old was Tom Moore, aka Tranny Dundee. The identity of Patient Zero and the two males she has had sexual contact with since June 4 is still unknown and all are under voluntary sexual quarantine.

Patient Zero is said to have performed in three scenes between her first and second test and although it is technically possible that one of those performers either exposed her or was exposed by her to HIV, they are not being quarantined at this time.

At the present time, both critics and supporters of the industry are calling for change. Some in the form of different testing regimes, others supporting mandatory condom use. The public reaction from most performers and directors has been relatively muted, with most pointing out that there are risks inherent in the job that a condom requirement may only exacerbate.

Stay tuned for part two of this series on HIV in the industry and what changes I think need to be made for the protection of the performers and of the business overall.