Entertainment | Mr. Pink's Blog

The OC: A New Porn Mecca

The San Fernando Valley might be known throughout the world as the home of hardcore porn, but it seems a new challenger has appeared – and it’s only a short jump across LA County. Orange County, home to the Crystal Cathedral, UC Irvine’s huge student population, Disneyland, Gwen Stefani, and that TV show everyone would like to forget, is also the birthplace of many of adult entertainment’s most highly lauded performers: Jenna Haze, Tasha Reign, and Eva Angelina, to name a few.

In its current issue, the annual Sex Issue, OC Weekly has ranked the 20 most accomplished Orange County-based “entreporneurs” from yesterday and today, and editors even allowed the former Laguna Beach star Tasha Reign to grace the publication’s cover.

From Huntington Beach harlots Eva Angelina, Candy Apples, and Jenna Jameson to well-equipped OC residents Peter North, Billy Glide, and Michael Brandon to the most infamous crossover pornstar of the last ten years, Nadya “Octomom” Suleman, it seems Orange County isn’t as conservative and God-fearing as many of its residents would like to pretend it is.

The annual Sex Issue of OC Weekly is freely available throughout Orange County now and ‘America’s Porn Paradise’ can now be read (and ogled) in full online. Still, nothing beats a free bathroom poster of the OC porn industry’s proudest offpsring, writer/director/producer/performer/TV star/Penthouse Pet/UCLA student, Tasha Reign, right?

PornHub Denied Super Bowl Ad Spot

Try as they might to gain mainstream acceptance, many adult industry entities find themselves blocked at every turn, including, not surprisingly, the most-watched television event of the year: Super Bowl XLVII.

Ok, so it might be hard to believe any porn company, website or otherwise, would manage to have a commercial aired on national television under any circumstances, let alone during the Super Bowl, but PornHub insisted on trying, only to find their submission rejected by CBS. If you’ve seen the relatively harmless ad, you might wonder “But why? It’s just a fully-clothed elderly couple sitting on a bench gazing lovingly at each other over a gentle piano score. What’s wrong with that?” The reason given by CBS is as follows: “CBS Television Network Standards do not permit advertising related to pornography. Therefore, we cannot accept your submission.” Sounds simple and clear enough, doesn’t it? Could it be, though, that PornHub knew they’d be rejected regardless of the actual content of their submission and cobbled together as inoffensive an ad as possible just to point out how prudish network television advertising really is? The cynic in me say “No shit, Sherlock,” while the other Mr. Pink, the valiant warrior fighting for justice and equality for porn, its purveyors, its performers, and its patrons… well, he also agrees.

If you care to, you can vote on whether or not you find the commercial, which has been removed from public availability by YouTube, worthy of Super Bowl airtime. Not surprisingly, most folks are voting in support of the spot. Where do you stand on this vitally important issue facing America today?

AVN 2013: The Big Winners Pt. 2: The Women

Not surprisingly, most eyes were firmly trained on the female nominees and guests of the 2013 AVN Awards – and for good reason. 2012 saw an industry-wide rise in quality and production, and a renewed mainstream interest in celebrating the women of adult entertainment. The winners of this year’s trophies exemplified porn’s versatility and commitment.

Everyone’s favorite bubbly blonde, Lexi Belle, took home trophies for Best Oral Sex Scene, Best Tease Performance (with Remy LaCroix), and Best Three-Way Sex Scene – Boy/Boy/Girl (with Mick Blue and Roman Nomar), while 2012 Female Performer of the Year, Brooklyn Lee, nabbed herself the other Three-Way trophy, sharing that particular spotlight with Asa Akira and James Deen. Lee also snagged Most Outrageous Sex Scene for her “Clothespin-Head” with Rocco Siffredi in John Stagliano’s Voracious: The First Season, Best Anal Sex Scene (with Manuel Ferrara), and Best Foreign Non-Feature for Brooklyn Lee: Nymphomaniac.

This year’s Female Performer of the Year award went to one of porn’s most consistently outrageous, courageous, and popular women: Asa Akira. She also took home awards for Best Double-Penetration Scene, Best Group Sex Scene (both for Asa Akira is Insatiable 3), Best POV Sex Scene (with Jules Jordan) for Asa Akira to the Limit, which also nabbed the very first Best Star Showcase award.

Best New Starlet Remy LaCroix, MILF/Cougar Performer of the Year Julia Ann, Best Actress Lily Carter, and Female Foreign Performer of the Year Aleksa Diamond were all awarded for their excellent breakthrough work this year, too, but one female-classified accolade arguably drew more attention than even them, that of Transsexual Performer of the Year. The award went to Vaniity, who now also holds the honor of being the first transsexual performer awarded onstage at an AVN Awards ceremony.

Look for more post-ceremony coverage right here at Mr. Pink’s as I cover everything from “ethnic” and “sex tape” releases to curios like Best Educational Release, as well as other notable winners throughout the next week. If the 2013 AVN Awards confirmed anything, it’s that the adult entertainment industry is not only alive and well here in the USA, but that it’s absolutely thriving!

AVN 2013: The Big Winners Pt. 1: The Men

Now that the porn industry’s annual celebration of all things carnal has come to an end, it’s time to congratulate those who sucked, fucked, shot, or produced their way into the winner’s circle of the 2013 AVN awards, “the Oscars of porn”, and the one event every year that combines porn, comedy, music, and red carpet garment-ogling in one pretty package.

Notable men winning awards this year weren’t just those who show the world their penis on a near-daily basis. Arguably the biggest male winner was Graham Travis, director of 2012 AVN winner Portrait of a Call Girl. This year, Travis’ Elegant Angel feature Wasteland took home awards for Best Cinematography (Alex Ladd, Carlos D., Mason), Best Drama, and Movie of the Year, as well as Best Screenplay, Best Editing, and Best Director for Travis himself.

Axel Braun’s Star Wars XXX: A Porn Parody nabbed awards for Best Art Direction, Best Parody – Comedy, Best Screenplay – Parody (Braun and Mark Logan), Best Selling/Renting Title of the Year, Best Supporting Actor (Tom Byron), Best Overall Marketing Campaign – Individual Project, Best Director – Parody for Braun (his first award in that particular category), and Best Director – Body of Work for Braun, his second in as many years.

Performers awarded trophies this year include Mark Ashley for Unsung Male Performer of the Year, Rocco Siffredi for Male Foreign Performer of the Year, Logan Pierce for Best Male Newcomer, and Steven St. Croix for Best Actor. The greater glory, that of the Male Performer of the Year went to James Deen, who in a gracious speech thanked “every director who hires [him]… any girl that will have sex with [him].” Deen also won for Crossover Star of the Year in a tie with Sunny Leone, and with one of the reasons for that accolade (Paul Schrader’s film The Canyons) inching closer to release, Deen’s star is only on the rise.