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The Adams Report
by J.C. Adams
01/18/01
Vol. 3, No. 47
Department of Corrections: Last month we misidentified the production studios behind two of Ashton Ryan’s films: American Way 2: Lust is a RAD Video production, and The Apprentice is a Delta Productions film.
And now for this month’s Ryan Idol update: His tour of gay clubs began in January, about eight months earlier than I’d been told when last month’s column went to press. Mr. Idol kicked off his re-emergence into the gay erotica business with a December 13 online chat on the ForestMen.com site and appearances at “Cocktails with the Stars” on December 14 at Micky’s nightclub in West Hollywood and as a presenter at the Men in Video Awards on December 15.
While out running errands in West Hollywood, I ran into former Skinflicks editor Gary Phillipp, who told me he was working full time these days as a computer programmer. “I’m back doing what I love,” he reports. “The porn stuff was just something I did on the side. I’m really happy now.” G.P. has no plans at all to return to the world of gay erotica. Within moments of taking leave of Mr. Phillipp, I encountered Thomas Lloyd, who confirmed that he is leaving Los Angeles and returning to his hometown in the Midwest. “I’ve tried L.A. for a while, and I just don’t fit in,” he told me. Mr. Lloyd, a talented Web designer, will continue working online from his new digs, and leaves the door open to making another XXX film. “My last one was Dirty Hairy for All Worlds,” he says. “I’ll come back if the project is worthwhile. After films like Dirty Hairy and Animus, I’m kind of spoiled. I only want to do good stuff, if I do it at all anymore. There’s enough bad porn out there as it is.” Well said, Mr. Lloyd!
Web entrepreneur Steve Pierce called in with news of his new webcam site, GayPornCam.com, which he is slowly turning into a mini porn studio. “So far I’ve featured Mike Vista and Michael Brandon,” he says. “Since I use a camcorder rather than one of those little electronic webcams, I also have a videographer here following our every move for the highest production quality. I also post video clips in my galleries afterwards for people who couldn’t catch the live version.” More and more models and directors are moving in this direction, so check out S.P.’s site for a peek at how gay porn is evolving in the 21st century.
The big story around these parts in late December as we were going to press was the Men in Video Awards, held Friday, December 15. Now in its fifth year, the show bills itself as an awards sextravaganza voted on by porn fans (via the MenInVideoAwards.com site). The actual numbers of fans who voted ranged from 20,000 to 48,000, depending on whom you ask, so your guess is as good as mine as to how many actually participated in the process. Also, the nominees and winners were weighted, perhaps unfairly, towards models and studios with an active Web presence, resulting in more than a little head-scratching. Then there were winners like Tom Chase, who picked up two awards despite having appeared in only two films in three years, neither of which were released in 2000. Other oddities: Travis Wade picked up a Hottest Rising Star nomination, but he’s been around since 1997, and Tommy Cruise received a nod for Most Cuddly Stud, although he hasn’t appeared on camera in a year and a half.
Let’s be charitable and chalk up these and other peccadilloes to the ongoing appeal of Mssrs. Chase, Cruise and Wade. The show was held at a normally straight sporting club that had gone gay for the night. Things got off to a lousy start when the show’s director, Nick DiMartino, was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Hospital the night before with severe stomach pains (at press time, he was scheduled to undergo emergency surgery). Both Men of Odyssey’s Bob East and über-agent David Forest (also celebrating his birthday) threw pre-show parties, but I only had time to stop by director Drew Warner’s Hollywood studio for cocktails and chitchat before the show and reconnected with make-up maven Mr. Edd, a handful of models, a few drag queens and bisexual starlet Tina Tyler, among others. Shutterbug Mick Hicks offered me a lift to the club, where, after a twenty-minute wait in line, we were ushered into the club to find a crowd heavy on industry folks but light on fans (although there seemed to be more of ’em than have turned up in recent years).
Show organizers John Whyman and Mickey Skee were rushing about trying to corral presenters and nominees, while attempting to keep a lid on things without the benefit of Mr. DiMartino’s presence. As a result, the show kicked off about an hour late as directrix Chi Chi LaRue took to the stage to emcee. “I’m your host whether you like it or not, so fuck you!” s/he bellowed in response to those peevish types who are tired of Ms. LaRue being asked to emcee nearly every porn event. I dare those complaining folks to find someone who can work a room and keep a show moving like LaRue. There aren’t many.
Drink prices were typically exorbitant (four clams for a tiny bottled water?!), but the schmoozing was prime. I reconnected with Unzipped Monthly’s previous editor John Erich and his b.f. Sandy Fox, and chatted with Austin Foxxe, editor in chief of our sister publications Men and Freshmen. Elsewhere, hunky Steve Cassidy and his manager, director Thor Stephans, tried to enlist me in convincing Steve’s sexy civilian boyfriend to cross over to porn, but I demurred. Steve’s significant other may yet take the leap, though. Gossip columnist Billy Masters and I chuckled at the sight of several (male) celebs who stuck to the shadows and tried to hide among their pals (the celebs were soap studs, mostly).
Seen elsewhere: Ever-chic Lana Luster, who performed a cheerfully profane Christmas carol during the show; make-up artists Donatella (looking like LaRue’s younger sister) and Mistress Mona; Sharon Kane in a massive blonde wig and teeny mini-dress; director Kevin Clarke and a brood of cuties, among them Ashton Ryan and his boyfriend Jace Hughes; director Richard Morgan with publicist Allan Gassman and more newly minted porn pups; Gay Chicago’s Big Daddy Ferguson; bear-a-licious Daddy Zeus with his cub Robert Black; Falcon’s Max Phillips, Bill van Bokkelen and John Rutherford; director Paul Barresi and his humpy exclusive Stonie (who is magnetically sexy in person); plus models Colby Taylor, Will Clark, Sam Dixon, Michael Knight, Nick Young, Glen Matthews, Jackson Price, Spike, Logan Reed, Zak Spears and Derek Cameron; power couples Jason Branch/Blake Harper and Eric Evans/Brent Banes; editors Andrew Rosen and Kevin Glover; graphic designer Jefferson; Channel One’s Rob Novinger and Steven Walker; All World’s Dan Cross; director Wash West; David Forest with clients Caesar, Jeremy Tucker, Chad Donovan and Billy Herrington (bigger and buffer than ever); Jeff Palmer, wearing nothing but a jockstrap, a few pieces of leather and black vinyl wrapped around his midsection; and Ryan Idol, who managed to plug his yet-to-be-filmed comeback video when announcing the hottest video trophy. He opened the envelope and said, “Ah, just like Idol Gods!” before handing out the final trophy, which went to Falcon’s Out of Athens.
Hollywood Squares funnyman Bruce Vilanch turned up as the show wound down; by this time many in the crowd were outside smoking or schmoozing. The show eventually ended after Blue Blake presented a lifetime achievement award to director Gino Colbert (“Maybe next year the awards won’t suck,” LaRue griped apologetically as Colbert left the stage). Unfortunately, from my crowded vantage point at the back of the noisy club, I couldn’t hear a single word Gino said. I later asked Mr. Colbert later about his comments: “My speech dealt with the porn model and how important he is, yet he never gets the recognition he deserves,” Mr. Colbert told me. “I talked about how underestimated he is, underpaid, and at such a high risk, but he is the most important person on the set. So I dedicated my award to all of them.”
G.C. then went on to deliver a monologue from the play Shooting Porn: “I recited the part about the consumer who’s out there somewhere and may have no real connection with gay sexuality and can’t come out of the closet for whatever reason. But he’s seen a porn video and he’s made a connection, thanks to the models on-screen. And that connection may be all he ever has, and all he ever gets. So, basically, these models are a lot more important than any of us may realize.”
I think G.C.’s heartfelt comments are a good place to end this recap; I’ve picked over the evening enough. An unusually large percentage of the gay XXX community turned out for the show, and that’s a rare thing these days. At a time when the erotica industry (and the gay community at large) is bracing for an onslaught of Republican presidential b.s., any event that can bring so many of us together in one room is worthwhile.
Faversham…
—J.C. Adams
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