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Porn stars want recognition
14/01/2008 14:27 - (SA)
Las Vegas - Stars and producers of
the US adult film industry gathered in Las Vegas this weekend
for annual awards dubbed the Oscars of porn, lamenting the fact
it was hard to win recognition with so much sex in movies these
days.
Even insiders admit the thought of viewing even a fraction
of the 12 000 porn films made in the United States last year to
choose award winners in specific sexual categories
was a less-than-enviable task.
"That is hell," said Jay Grdina, president of ClubJenna
Inc, a division of Playboy <PLA.N>. "I'd shoot myself in my
head before I'd go through this."
Grdina is hardly shy about hard-core content.
He has worked
on hundreds of movies behind the camera, and starred in others
with his ex-wife Jenna Jameson, perhaps the best-known name in
the history of adult film.
Unprecedented boom
Videotape, fewer prosecutions, DVDs and internet
advertising created an unprecedented boom in the US sex film
business since the 1980s.
Paul Fishbein, publisher of Adult Video News, said his
staff views 8 000 movies a year to find the best of the crop.
"It's a very long, horrible process," Fishbein said in an
interview, saying he has 10 people devoted to the task full
time. "It is a lot of watching."
The repetitive viewing is the underpinning of the event
held at a ritzy Las Vegas hotel on Saturday night complete with
an enthusiastic audience of more than 5 000 after a red carpet
arrival of scantily dressed performers.
In their 25th year, the awards have become the industry's
top celebration, dubbed the Oscars of porn, and were broadcast
for the first time on cable television via Showtime, a division
of CBS Corp.
'Thankless business'
"It's a thankless business," said Evan Stone, 43, who won
best actor. "You don't get a lot of feedback."
Added Tera Patrick, the award's co-host: "We should be
celebrated for all the hard work that we do."
Film studios and actors say the awards are important to
gain attention when there is so much sex on film these days.
"You get a lot more work," said Jenny Hendrix, who was
hoping to win in the "best tease" and other categories.
"It
goes on your business cards, people notice you more."
For many it is not easy to garner attention when widespread
body enhancement procedures gives many performers a uniform
blonde, busty look.
Breast enhancement is commonplace as are
collagen lip injections.
'Bump in sales'
"The movies that win certainly get a bump in sales, but
it's more important for just the image of the company and the
brand to be known as the company that makes the best movies,"
said Steven Hirsch, co-founder of Vivid, a leading studio.
Nina Hartley, who won the AVN best actress award in 1987
for Debbie Duz Dishes was more sceptical about the impact of
the awards.
"Nothing has consistently shown that it helps
anybody," she said.
Many say the awards add legitimacy to an industry that is
still often shunned by the mainstream.
"We've come out of the woodwork," said Randy Spears, 46, a
22-year veteran of the business. "Our audience is not the
raincoat crowd anymore."
- Reuters
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South Africa
