Hookers for Jesus face Evil Angel
Between 40,000 and 50,000 performers, industry hands and fans were packed at the Adult Entertainment Expo last week in the convention space at the Venetian.
That was a lot of souls for Annie Lobert and Heather Veitch to reach with their message of salvation through Jesus. Mark Spiegler was sitting comfortably at the Evil Angel booth when the church group duo, with Lobert in the lead with her Hookers for Jesus tight T-shirt, approached him.
Spiegler's client, Melissa Lauren, was signing autographs for fans of her appearance in the final "Fashionistas" movie, a trilogy that spawned a Vegas show and became Stagliano's most award-winning series. (Another Spiegler Girl and star of the previous "Fashionistas," Sasha Grey, was also at the booth, talking to Stagliano's wife.)
Spiegler is one of the most important people you haven't heard of in adult films. He is a leading talent agent for many adult stars, by his own description a "legal pimp." He had two documentary crews following him at this convention.
Covering the Adult Entertainment Expo over the years, I've seen Spiegler in a lot of situations. But Annie Lobert of Hookers for Jesus seemed to have legitimately befuddled him with her questions about Jesus. Spiegler is Jewish, and he isn't the only one. "What if the girls are Jewish?" Spiegler asked.
"Even if they are Satanist we are still going to stand by them," Heather Veitch said. Veitch is from another church group that focuses on converting strippers. Lobert and Veitch teamed up for the convention. "You are the chosen race, by the way," Vietch told Spiegler.
Spiegler shrugged. "If Jews are really the chosen race, why do they have the only country in the Middle East with no oil?"
Veitch began, "I don't know, but the Bible says..."
But before this conversation about religion and foreign relations could reach fruition, an Evil Angel employee charged in with his hand in heavy metal horns, yelling "Hail Satan," followed by "Get out of here." Lobert and Veitch obliged at once and never got to meet John Stagliano (who, for the record, is a Cato Institute-supporting, Reason magazine-reading libertarian with no belief in God or Satan).
As for Lobert and Veitch, they were not in the least discouraged. "We just sometimes expect that kind of reaction. We are in their territory and they don't want God there."
"They probably think we are in the industry like these other girls," Veitch said. "But when they get home, they will see what our shirts say; they will know we have a different message."
Veitch and Lobert then enjoyed a laugh at one failing in their advertising plan: Lobert's Web address for Hookers for Jesus on her T-shirt couldn't be read by conventioneers because the writing had fallen out of sight, a victim of her cleavage.
(Photo of Mark Spiegler and John Stagliano/ Heather Veitch and Annie Lobert by Sarah Gerke)
Bookmark it:  
|
The secret side of the adult industry
One thing about the AEE/AVN adult industry convention and awards show is how very open and press friendly the entire experience. Everyone wants a picture taken and everyone wants to talk. This is how Dave Navarro (who I saw wandering about AVN looking as dolled up as any actress) put it on his blog:
I have been to a lot of award shows in my days but none have ever been as fun and loose as the AVNs. They feel a lot more like a celebration of the industry than a competition. Perhaps the fact that I am not in the porn industry has a lot to do with how it came off in my eyes. It also felt like there wasn't anyone looking for a poorly dressed entertainer or press looking for a screw up to blow out of proportion. It's rad that the industry is so raw and in your face that there really isn't any way to find "scandal".
| Bookmark it:
|
Troubles for Adult Industry Profits
AVN estimates the adult business is a $16 billion a year industry. Considering the diversity of adult offerings and the number of private companies involved, I would be very suspicious of that estimate. But no matter the number, adult is a huge industry on many levels. This was clear yesterday when Adult Entertainment Expo opened to the public and the fans came pouring in to the convention hall to get posters, picture stills and DVDs signed by their favorite performers. Since the adult stars were busy I tried to talk to producers, directors and distributors yesterday afternoon about the challenges the adult entertainment industry faces in 2007. I was surprised at what I found out. No one, for example, mentioned the Bush administration or law enforcement. | Bookmark it:
|
Mark Spiegler: The Patron of the Tarts
Yesterday I met up with Mark Spiegler who is always one of the most popular people at AEE/AVN. From Jesse Jane to Joanna Angel, everyone shouts out to Spiegler around the convention. Spiegler offers an imaginative job title for himself, actually printed on his business card: "Patron of the Tarts." Though Spiegler is a patron in the sense that Colonel Parker was a patron of Elvis, for a percentage. As for his job description, Spiegler refers to himself as a "legal pimp." He is one of the leading talent agents in the adult industry. He has about 25 clients at this convention and they include well known names in the industry like Melissa Lauren and Katsumi. But Spiegler specializes in bringing new talent to directors. At this point, he says he gets about two e-mails a month from women interested in appearing in adult films. Most don't pan out. And of those who do, Spiegler estimates that the average length of time a performer stays in the business is under a year.| Bookmark it:
|
The AVN Awards Arrive in Vegas
| Bookmark it:
|
AVN Awards Switch to Mandalay Bay
Yesterday, I was blogging about some of the unique ways Las Vegas and the adult film business mingle here. For example, most weeks adult stars host parties and events at resort nightclubs on the Strip. Numerous adult films are taped here, and we have a substantial number of porn stars living in the Las Vegas Valley. There is also the wonderful erotic dance show, "The Fashionistas," at the Aladdin that is based on an epic porn film of the same name.
But the most high-profile adult industry event in Vegas, by far, is the AVN Awards that takes place here every January. Dubbed the adult Oscars, the event has been held at a Venetian banquet room since 2000. But now it is moving to the far larger Mandalay Bay Events Center and actively marketing tickets to the general public for the first time. My guess is that this is going to be a huge success, based on the lines of people at the Venetian, four deep, who I saw show up last year just to watch the invited guests walk into the banquet hall for the AVN Awards. Yesterday I spoke to AVN President, Paul Fishbein about the switch:
Q: So, why the move to Mandalay Bay?
A: The truth is that we outgrew the ballroom at the Venetian. We were able to get about 4,200 people in that room. But it was a flat ballroom and so people about halfway back couldn't see and had to watch the stage on big screens, and I felt bad. Sometimes the event outgrows the venue and we needed something with a little more warmth and a little more seating. Mandalay Bay had been talking to us for awhile but I am very loyal to the Venetian. We do our trade show there. But at Mandalay Bay even though it is so much bigger, every seat is a great seat. It can hold about 7,000 people in that little arena and we know we can fill it. So, we thought we would give it a shot.
Q: The advertising says that tickets will be sold to the public for the first time, but hasn't that always been the case?
A: If they were kind-of an insider. The truth was that over 80% of the room was industry. Though, yeah, you could buy them if you knew how to or could figure it out. But now we have tickets available to the public through Ticketmaster. Before, every seat was $250, and now people can buy a seat for as low as $100.
Q: Do you think having the public invited will change the character of the AVN Awards?
A: No. It will still be more than 50% industry. I went to the Grammy Awards and there was a lot of public and it was a great event. I think the fans add something to it. Our obligation is to make the show more exciting, more entertaining and put a lot more into it. We are trying to make it more spectacular while still serving the industry.
Q: Final question: Anything about this upcoming show you want to highlight?
A: There is a bunch of amazing stuff we haven't signed yet. We have some major talent and major entertainment. There are a couple of major rock acts that have yet to be signed and to mention them would probably be bad luck. I'll know for sure in about three weeks.
Q: So, I can check back with you in a few weeks?
A: Sure.
| Bookmark it:
|
AVN Awards Part Four: Jeannie Pepper
In addition to the awards the program included a number of pre-taped humorous vignettes. Most were too filthy or too insider baseball for me to understand or enjoy though I had to admit that I laughed at one involving adult actresses who were unable to distinguish between Ron Jeremy and an overweight beer guzzling dude when both had bags over their heads. Of course, there were also parodies of the latest movies from the real Hollywood like the very predictable vignette featuring two male stars in a trailer for an upcoming film about a couple of cowboys out on the range together...You can fill in the jokes yourself here.As the people swirled around us, I asked Jeannie if she was surprised by how big the industry has become since she started doing films. "You have no idea," she said, "I just never imagined it would be this big. It was just a few of us back then and now look at this. I remember coming to Las Vegas in the 80s for this (AVN awards) and it was like 20 of us in a small room and it was cheesy as hell. But I love this. I've waited all year to come here. I love to see my fans and watch this. People don't know what we go through in this industry: how hard it is and how it can cause problems for your family, or whatever. But this night it is all of us together and we all know. And, this is fun."
| Bookmark it:
|
AVN Awards Part Three: A Category for Everything and a Nomination for Every Body
After a 15 minute warm-up of stand up by co-host Greg Fitzsimmons, Jesse Jane (pictured left) took the stage to wild applause and after a few unprintable words told us: "You all look so sexy! I can't believe this night is finally here." | Bookmark it:
|
AVN Awards Part Two: Waiting for the Start with the Staglianos
After getting past the metal detectors, the banquet room itself seemed a bit less packed, though no less chaotic. The $250 awards tickets gets you into a room designed only for the cameras, not the live audience. My ticket got me a seat behind a giant riser with television cameras blocking 100% of my view of the actual stage. Throughout the night, the stage was only visible to me on video screens set up around the hall. Wandering about, I found John Stagliano (who is the subject of my column today in Calendar) at the very front and center of the room. His movie, "The Fashionistas" won 10 AVN awards in 2002 (two more were acquired the next year for the DVD issue) a record that was being challenged on this night by "Pirates" starring the AVN Award's hostess Jesse Jane. As "Pirates" tonight had more nominations than "Fashionistas" had garnered in its day, I asked Stagliano if he was worried about losing his record?
He said he wasn't all that concerned one-way-or-the-other.
| Bookmark it:
|
AVN Awards Part One: Red Carpet
It may be big business, but the AVN awards are sprawling chaos to get into. The AVN publicity reps told press to come at 6:30 to set up for the red carpet arrivals though that was 2 hours before doors opened (and the show didn't even wind up starting until 10 PM). When I got there the fans easily numbered in the thousands. They (with their cameras and video recorders) lined the entire route though the hotel and casino snaking past the restaurants and bars, and then past the theatre where Blue Man Group plays, winding up all the way at the banquet room located near the very back of the Venetian. This is a distance that easily would equal several football fields and the fans were packed into rows 5 or 6 people deep in spots.
because of her run for Governor during the California recall. I had heard a rumor that she had been thrown out of her room at The Venetian earlier in the week for fighting with her boyfriend.(photos by Richard Abowitz)
Stand by for my report from inside the show.
| Bookmark it:
|
On My Way to AVN Awards Show
I am off to the AVN awards which I will tell you all about tomorrow morning. Last night I went to the Legends of Erotica, a sort of adult Hall of Fame, induction ceremony. Among those inducted was Georgina Spelvin (Miss. Jones of "The Devil in Miss. Jones"), a very sweet little old lady who, hard of hearing, left the stage to sit in the audience so she could better hear the other inductees tell stories about back in the day. But the times have seriously changed for adult particularly in recent years thanks to factors ranging from the Internet to the mainstreaming of stars like Jenna Jameson and, more recently, Jesse Jane (who has appeared in rock videos and mainstream magazine covers). According to AVN the adult industry generated $12.6 billion last year. And, this other Hollywood may be out of mind for most folks; but the adult industry is overwhelmingly based in Southern California to the extent that Porn Valley is a common designation among attendees here. Anyway, tomorrow morning I will give you all the details on this other Oscar. Be well!
| Bookmark it:
|
Aurora Snow and I Take a Walk
| Bookmark it:
|
Tale of Two Conventions
There are two huge conventions going on in Vegas this week. The International Consumer Electronics Show, at which the gadgeting world unites, and the unlink-to-able Adult Video News Show, that is, the porn awards. Both of these are enormous events in town for opposite but related reasons and I'll be filing reports from both through the weekend.
| Bookmark it:
|
Patron of the Tarts
Mark Spiegler's business card says "Patron of the Tarts." I found Spiegler in the Grand Lux cafe at the Venetian surrounded by his charges. One I had met before: Katja Kassin. Two years ago I had opened Spiegler's suite door to let her into the room, and she was shocked that I was not Mark. She demanded in a thick German accent where Spiegler was at. With my nervous stutter (I had a prude moment where I didn't want to tell this beautiful stranger that Spiegler was on the potty)I seemed to enrage her. And, after Spiegler cleared things up I avoided her for the rest of the convention. But this time I was able to speak to Katja in a more relaxed format and she really defies a lot of porno stereotypes particularly in the brains department. Katja speaks six languages with relative fluidity, among them obviously German and English but also Russian. Anyway, it is rare to sit with a porn star and speak of the special challenges presented by reading Goethe in the original.| Bookmark it:
|
Aurora Snow Previews the AVN Awards
I just had a brief phone conversation with adult superstar Aurora Snow. We have never met, but I am thinking of doing a profile of her for Las Vegas Weekly. She doesn't live here, yet in a sense she has become a regular headliner albeit just a tad south of the Strip at Las Vegas Boulevard and Sunset to be precise, the location of Pleasures topless bar which even when she is not in town, advertises itself as "the Home of Aurora Snow." (Snow will actually appear in Las Vegas on stage next at Pleasures January 5-7.)
Not coincidently, January 7 is the annual AVN awards at the Venetian, and Snow attributes a large part of her fame to being chosen AVN's Female Performer of the Year in 2003. She described them to me:
They are like the mainstream's Oscars. All year long performers, directors and companies do their thing and come January you see who has done the best. Everyone does well, but who has done above and beyond just doing well and that is what the awards reflect.
Snow was particularly happy about being chosen in 2003, because she credits her AVN award with allowing her to work behind the camera. "It allowed me to get my foot in the door as a director and I don't think that opportunity was available to me before I won the award." Of course, the AVN awards is one of the hardest tickets to get in in Las Vegas; fear not I will be there taking one for the team and letting Buffet readers know what happened.
(photo by Francine Orr/LAT)
| Bookmark it:
|
