The Movable Buffet

Dispatches from Las Vegas
by Richard Abowitz

Category: AVN awards

Sasha Grey: 'I wanted porn to be more creative'

January 9, 2009 |  9:55 am
Sg Mark Spiegler is among the best known talent agents in the adult business. He is by his own description a legal pimp. He supplies women actresses to adult movies. Covering the Adult Entertainment Expo for a decade I have had many chances to meet and interview Spiegler. But only once has he called me to speak about one of his clients. That was two years ago and the client was an 18-year-old named Sasha Grey.
 
Spiegler insisted Grey was going to be the biggest star he had ever come across. Two years later she is the name who most comes up when discussing stars who are transforming the adult industry. Interestingly, our first interview did not go well. It was brief and awkward. She just seemed very young to me and I did not see the spark behind all the excitement she was even then generating. In fact, John Stagliano had already cast her in the sequel to his successful "Fashionistas" film. For 2009 she is in the "Pirates" sequel that is the film that has hoarded so may of the AVN nominations this year.
 
Among Grey's more recent accomplishments are being cast in a Steven Soderbergh film and being put on the Rolling Stone annual Hot List. Grey has become such a star these days that, since I did not plan in advance, her schedule was too full yesterday and I was told she had no time for an interview with me. But Grey amazingly recognized me from our brief and awkward conversation of a couple years ago and called me over to speak:

Richard Abowitz: Two years ago Mark Spiegler told me I had to interview you because you were going to be a huge star.

Sasha Grey: I remember that actually. I remember we met briefly but did not get a chance to speak.

Abowitz: Well, we have a lot more to talk about now. Are you surprised how quickly all of this has happened for you?

Grey: I am surprised. I got into this business just wanting to make a change. I did not think my ideals would reach that far. I did not have any self doubt. But I did not think on my own I could have such an impact in such a short amount of time.

Abowitz: How has your work impacted your private life?

Grey: My fiance is a photographer and I have made him my photographer. I kind of stole him. It is pretty awesome because we get to work together a lot now.  We have similar artistic interests; we have a similar vision, and we work well together. But as far as the relationship, I think the first three months are the hardest. You learn so much about yourself in such a short amount of time. Obviously, jealousy is part of it. It is more the type of sex that you get to do in films I would like to have in my private life, but I don't have the money for even the gear for some of the stuff I do on film. I am not going to invest my money in that. I am going to invest my money in my own goals.

Abowitz: You are still only 20. What are your goals?

Grey: My goal right now is to continue to brand myself. I work on my website. I want to direct. I have a feature I really I want to come out of the gate with and that is my goal right now.

Abowitz: Next year I'll ask you if alcohol tastes like you expected it to. Do you find in the industry when it comes to getting opportunities to direct that your age is a barrier?

Grey: Absolutely. My age and my gender. Inside and outside. I wish they would say it to my face but they don't. I hear things said behind my back and I wish they would say it to my face.

Abowitz: Do you have any sense of what it is about you that in an industry of people fighting for the spotlight  has made you such a magnet for attention?

Grey: It is hard to answer that without sounding pretentious and stuck up. I think the difference with me is that I sought my way into this industry. I had a goal. I think that has made me a lot different. I did not get into this through a friend, or because I was a stripper or because I wanted to pay college tuition.  That and I am completely into film, music and art. I am into art house films.

Abowitz: OK, outside adult what art have you been enjoying?

Grey: I've been listening to a lot of black metal. For the past month I have been reading nothing but my script. I am on the fourth draft of it. Movies: I really loved "The Wrestler." It was incredibly intense to see him so vulnerable. I love when an actor does that. I did not like some of the dialogue. But I felt something that night.

Abowitz: Didn't you just do a mainstream film? Was that one of your goals?

Grey: No. I keep getting asked that question and it is a bit annoying. Stephen was brilliant. But unfortunately I can't really talk about it. You know how a lot of people make art you admire but you never want to meet them. But Soderbergh far surpassed my expectations. I have a huge respect for him. He is  very focused on process and not just the outcome and getting there is the exciting part for me as well. I guess most people know that the movie is about a $10,000-a-night escort and how she perceives herself to be in control of her life.

Abowitz: Was it an acting challenge for you?

Grey: I am sorry, I can't answer that part. But as far as trying to get into mainstream that is a silly idea. I got into porn because I wanted to get into porn. I did eight months of research before I entered the industry. And, as I told you before, I entered porn because I thought there was a void -- a lack of quality production. You see the same thing over and over and there was just so much titillation missing from porn. I really wanted to see two people perform like they are into each other. I want to see the titillation. I wanted porn to be more creative.

Photo credit: Sarah Gerke

Tera Patrick reveals new Vegas show for 2009

January 8, 2009 | 12:38 pm

Tp I am about to head down to the Adult Entertainment Expo and Consumer Electronic Show. But I just had a quick phone conversation with Tera Patrick, one of the biggest names in the industry. She has told the Buffet exclusively that she is planning a burlesque show at a Vegas casino in 2009. She would not offer the name of the casino, but I have reported in the past that she has had detailed negotiations with the Hard Rock, where she would be a perfect fit.

Richard Abowitz: How many years have you been coming to this convention?

Tera Patrick: This is my eighth year. I am being inducted into the Hall of Fame this year. That is exciting. I also am hosting my own event at LAVO. I am not going to be on the show floor this year. I am doing my own events at Lavo and Tao (see below). I am excited to meet the fans from around the world. I love handing out movies, giving autographs, promoting the website. I find everyone having a little piece of me exciting.

Abowitz: Has the downturn in the economy impacted your 2008?

Patrick: No. It hasn't affected TeraVision. It has hit the industry as a whole. But TeraVision is doing really well and everything is on the up and up. It is good to be the queen.

Abowitz: Are you up for a lot of awards this year?

Patrick: I am up for awards. But I don't know which ones. Ten -- no, wait, 15. I don't know what awards I am up for because I have been prepping myself day and night for the awards show. I am doing a tidbit for the show about being the best new starlet in 2000 and I have been working hard on that.

Abowitz: You've won awards and you have lost awards over the years. Does it make any difference?

Patrick: No. It is just good to be nominated. I could care less.

Abowitz: Is there any particular award you would like to win that you have not won yet?

Patrick: Nope.

Abowitz: What does 2009 hold for you?

Patrick: I am writing a book now. I am writing my biography. And I am preparing for my dance show in Vegas. It will be a burlesque show. I will be making more movies and working on promoting my website.

Abowitz: Please, talk about your show in Vegas. This is the first I have heard.

Patrick: I can not talk about it yet. It is top secret. But it will be happening in Vegas, and it is going to be a burlesque show at one of the casinos.

Abowitz: Can you say if we are talking about 2009 or 2010?

Patrick: 2009

Abowitz: What is your favorite part of the convention?

Patrick: Going to bed at night with my husband.

Tera Patrick's AVN schedule:

Thursday and Friday at LAVO is a meet and greet with Tera for fans from 5 to 7:30 p.m.

Thursday at TAO at 10 p.m. is a special burlesque show by Tera.

Friday at TAO at 10 p.m. is the Pornstar Ball.

Saturday at 10 p.m. at LAVO is the AVN after party with Tera and the Vivid stars.

Photo by Sarah Gerke


XXX Church: saving the porn convention

January 7, 2009 | 11:42 am
Craiggross In August, Craig Gross (right, with Mike Foster) moved his XXX Church to Las Vegas. And, as in previous years, he and his followers will have a booth set up at the Adult Entertainment Expo, trying to save the souls of porn industry performers and fans. I reached him by phone last night to talk over his plans for the 2009 convention.

Richard Abowitz: How many times have you now participated at the Adult Entertainment Expo?

Craig Gross: This is our sixth year doing the show.

Abowitz: What is it about this convention that brings you out each year?

Gross: As far as the porn world, this is the show of shows. You got to be in Vegas and now we have moved to Vegas. So, we can't miss it.

Abowitz: Have you ever "saved" a porn star at this convention?

Gross: I wouldn't say at the show or on the floor we save people. We use the show as an opportunity to get the word out. If people want to talk to us about leaving the industry, we are going to want to talk to people. A lot of relationships are started there.

Abowitz: Do you get the space for free or do you pay the porn people to be at the convention?

Gross: Honestly, nothing in porn is free. We pay. We have been at the show long enough that we get a good space, and this year we will have a bigger booth than ever. In the early years we stood out but now people expect to see us and wonder what we are doing this year.

Abowitz: Have you gotten a better sense of the porn world from working this convention year after year?

Gross: Yes, definitely. A lot of people instantly write people off because they are in porn. We discover a lot of spiritual people there who find themselves in the porn industry or at a porn show. A lot of people are scared of talking to people who don't believe as they do. We love to have conversations and be available to people. These are good, normal people. Once you see it and are there at the show, a lot of the hype goes away. It is just people like at the car show, or building show, but with less clothing.

Abowitz: But don't you think these people are going to Hell?

Gross: I don't. It is not my call to make. I screw up everyday in the things I do, and I am not a porn star. And I don't feel better than someone who is in porn. Everyone is on their own journey. As I said before, I meet a number of spiritual people, many with church backgrounds, and some of them are in porn. They are trying to figure things out. We have a saying, "Jesus loves porn stars," and that catches people off guard. I am not saying Jesus is into porn, but he loves you no matter who you are. There is nothing you can do or have done that will make him love you any less. They are used to crazies with signs that say things like repent or you are going to go to Hell. We don't do that. It is not that we are for porn. But we understand and, more importantly, there is a God that understands and loves them.

Abowitz: Do you get a backlash from other Christian groups with this view?

Gross: We have in the past. The first misconception is we want to be around porn. People in the church wait for you to fall. There is a long history of Christians speaking out against porn and then falling. Look at Ted Haggard. But we still have to get in the game. This isn't off limits. You can't blame the dark for being dark, you need to blame the light for not shining on the dark.  But we still get more resistance from the church than the porn industry.
(photo by Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Interview with AVN Awards co-host Belladonna

December 29, 2008 |  9:14 am

Belladonna Belladonna is one of the best-known porn stars in the world. She is less famous than some other performers to mainstream audiences as she has made few attempts to cross over in her work. "I only became interested in mainstream work this year for the first time," she says. To non-porn watching audiences she may be best known for crying while being interviewed by Diane Sawyer about the adult industry a few years ago. But her mainstream profile may be raised in 2009 as she says she is doing a  horror film and working on her autobiography.

In the adult world, of course, she has been a top-tier adult star for almost a decade: well known as a performer, director and company owner. Next week she will be in Vegas with an estimated 30,000 other porn professionals and fans for Adult Entertainment Expo at the Venetian and the AVN Awards (considered the adult Oscars) at Mandalay Bay Events Center. In addition to being nominated for a bunch of awards, Belladonna will be co-hosting the awards this year for the first time.

Richard Abowitz: How did hosting AVN Awards this year come about?

Belladonna: I have been interested in hosting for awhile, and I always wondered how they go about choosing the talent for the hosts. I wanted to do it. I thought I would be really good at it. My husband told me to call them up. But I don't like to do things that way. I want people to call me, because they feel they have the desire to have me there. But I called in 2007 and asked them to please think of me. In 2008 I asked again. And then they asked me to come in for an interview and they told me they wanted me to co-host the show for 2009. It was really exciting. I never do things like that. I don't go out and find things for myself. I let them come to me, because I feel better about that.

Abowitz: You haven't shown much interest in mainstream work. Why?

Belladonna: I wasn't interested in that at all until this year. Mainstream never appealed to me through my career until this year. What happened was I did a couple features. They were adult features, but there was acting involved. I don't do a lot of acting. So, it was fun and I learned a lot from it. Now, I got cast in a horror movie that is being shot next year. And it is all new to me still and I like to try new things. I get bored really easily and don't like to ever do the same things over again.

Abowitz: How often have you gone to this convention? And what do you think of it?

Belladonna: I have been there 7 or 8 times. This one stands out because it is a huge awards show that has been going on for years. It is in Las Vegas and that in itself is exciting and everyone comes to AVN. To me it isn't the same every year. I loved the year Jim Norton was the comedian, about three years ago.

Abowitz: On the subject of AVN awards, I assume you have won some and lost some. Do you care?

Belladonna: It doesn't hurt me to not win. But I really like to win. There are some awards I want to win more than others.

Abowitz: What award would you most like to win this year?

Bellladonna: Last year I won for best director and that meant a lot to me. This year I am up for a bunch, but again I would love to win best director. I work really hard at my movies. That would mean a lot to me.

Abowitz: How has being a performer helped you as a director?

Belladonna: I think it makes a huge difference to be a performer before you are a director. You know what it is like to be talent. You know what it is like to go in and be asked to do certain things. For me, when I am directing, I make sure the talent I use really wants to do what they are doing. I pay close attention to how comfortable they are doing it. I don't care what sells. I care that I am watching people having fun doing what they are doing. There are a lot of companies out there that aren't passionate about what they are shooting. They just shoot what they think sells. I think if people are enjoying themselves, that will sell. I care about the talents' feelings. I think that matters to having a great product.

Abowitz: Has the recession and piracy impacted your year?

Belladonna: I've noticed a dramatic change since January 2008. It has to do with the economy and pirating. Our sales are down. But that just inspires me to find other things to do. I am glad this is happening. To me it is exciting not to be comfortable.

Photo credit: Sarah Gerke


Hookers for Jesus face Evil Angel

January 15, 2008 |  9:58 am

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.

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Evil Angel is among the largest distributors of porn in the country, thanks in large part to the films of company owner and adult filmmaking auteur John Stagliano.

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).
After they left the Evil Angel booth, a reflective Spiegler offered, "A lot of girls in this industry could use something stabilizing like religion. I don't mind what they are doing at all." He then went back to closely monitoring how the fans interacted with his client.

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."Hookersforjesus_3
On the other hand, God's workers were very popular with the fans at the convention. Every few feet, Lobert and Veitch were stopped by fans who wanted to take photos with them. They always agreed.

"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)

The secret side of the adult industry

January 18, 2007 | 11:33 am

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".

This apparently is not a universal vibe in the adult business. Right now an Internet porn convention, Internext Expo, is taking place at Mandalay Bay. Las Vegas Sun reports that both national and local media have been denied access to the convention that has 5,000 attendees. Looking at the website for the convention it seems the side of the adult industry that the media are not welcome to view includes things like seminars on search engine secrets. The unseemly side of adult these days is not what it used to be.

Troubles for Adult Industry Profits

January 12, 2007 | 11:57 am
Avn2_j8ho02nc 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.
Continue reading »

Mark Spiegler: The Patron of the Tarts

January 11, 2007 | 12:42 pm
Avn_jboaqznc 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.
Most of Spiegler's clients (called the Spiegler Girls) are signing for adult film companies at the convention during the day. That means their expenses are being paid by the company they are signing for. The handful of Spiegler Girls who are not signing for an adult company need to pay their own way to the most important convention in their industry. Those women are in various suites scattered around the Venetian with two aspiring starlets sharing a room with Spiegler. On the convention floor Spiegler can't be missed going from company to company. Spiegler hounds and leads his actresses as a group introducing them to the different directors and producers who could hire them for films. Perhaps, because Spiegler has a distinctive waddle with a chain of women trailing behind him in a row, more than one person compares the sight of Spiegler followed by the Spiegler Girls on the convention floor to a mother duck and ducklings.
Continue reading »

The AVN Awards Arrive in Vegas

January 10, 2007 | 11:32 am
This morning I am heading over to the Venetian to pick up my press credentials for the Adult Entertainment Expo and AVN awards (dubbed the porn Oscars, because something has to be called that, right?). Last year I did a cover story for Las Vegas Weekly on the convention. But this year is a much more important year from a Las Vegas perspective.
For one thing, the awards show is moving from a banquet room at the Venetian to the Mandalay Bay Events Center where they are able to accommodate 7,000 people. In the rest of the country the mainstreaming of adult entertainment is a phenomenon people are just noticing. But in Vegas this mainstreaming took place years ago. These days the adult industry and the resorts have threaded together a range of mutual interest. Playboy, of course, has its name on a club at the Palms. And, Playboy also owns Club Jenna, the home of adult film legend Jenna Jameson who will be cutting the ribbon to open AVN this morning. Jameson also sponsors a Silicone Sunday event at 40 Deuce at Mandalay Bay every week. And, she will be joined this week by adult stars and companies like Hustler and Penthouse throwing parties in clubs all over the Strip.
Last year one of the biggest adult companies, Evil Angel, had its party at the nightclub at Wynn. The owner of Evil Angel is John Stagliano. Stagliano's name is familiar to Buffet readers because of his show Fashionistas at Krave at the Aladdin. Though the show isn't even topless, Fashionistas is regarded by myself and other local critics as among the best erotic shows in Vegas' history. Part of the reason may be the imagery and plot for Fashionistas show came from a hardcore porn film of the same name. The movie, "The Fashionistas" won 11 AVN Awards, and this year its sequel, Fashionistas Safado,  is up for 14 AVN awards. That would be a record.
Last week I was able to watch Stagliano rehearse his aerialists from the Vegas show for a 5 minute live performance he is hoping to stage at the awards show. It will be interesting to see the Vegas show kids and adult stars meet. If I am able to do so I am going to try to get the lead in the show (Marceea Moreno) and the star in the movie version (Belladonna ) together to compare notes for the Buffet.  Among the other  things happening for the awards show that I have heard about so far: Gene Simmons and Dave Navarro are presenting awards as well as Luxor headliner Carrot Top and Buck Cherry will be the not so surprise closing performance with "Crazy Bitch."


AVN Awards Switch to Mandalay Bay

November 2, 2006 |  1:41 pm

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.



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