Home of XXX Corporate Porn Parties

Sir Rodney returned to the Big Apple from Las Vegas with a hangover and more than a few stories to share. We also have the flu, no doubt from too many all nighters partying on Hustler’s open bar at Pure Nightclub at Ceasar’s Palace, and at the Vivid Party at Tao in the sprawling Venetian Hotel. We regret not being sober enough to photograph the showgirls in lingerie swinging from a trapeze. The enormous scale of these parties gives us an inkling of the cost – and the value – to the big porno companies, who are doubtless raking in tens (perhaps 100s) of millions.

An AVN-sponsored survey, taken shortly before the show, suggests that porn is now a $12.5 billion business: $4.5 billion for video sales and rentals (there were 13,500 adult titles released last year), $2.5 billion for online sales, with strip joints accounting for another $2 billion. We wonder what the balance of $3.5 billion is spent on… must be novelties. Of course, this leaves out something like $20 billion in escort fees, which could never be quantified anyway, but it’s safe to say that the adult industry in the US is larger than professional sports, music, movies and television, COMBINED, at least in this correspondent’s opinion. Of course, I did just say I came from Vegas, didn’t I, so you’ll forgive me if my view of the world of vice is a bit more stilted, at least more stilted than it usually is, and if you know Sir Rodney, that is really saying something.

As the home of corporate porn, Las Vegas was a fitting location for our brief interview with Marc Bell, CEO of Penthouse Media. Prior to the acquisition of Penthouse, Bell was a serial entrepreneur who amassed a venture-capital war chest, which he used to acquire distressed Penthouse bonds, effectively gaining control of the company. The idea of reviving one the most venerated men’s lifestyle brands is simple: restyle the magazine with talent from Maxim and Playboy; throw out that horrible old website and start over; start a home media division to sell DVDs; a satellite PPV channel; and finally take the whole mega corp public in three years, increasing your investment tenfold. Ka-ching. Sir Rodney thinks, however, Bell is really in it for the pussy and the power, or vice-versa. Next year, we look forward to partying on Penthouse’s dime
In the meantime, we’ll share with you the first line of clever porn industry blogger Gram Potante’s rant on the subject “Dear Penthouse Forum: Yesterday I was pumping gas and scratching myself when my old babysitter from when I was ten pulled up in a hatchback…”

Finally, rounding out our first day back in the office is the announcement that our girl Joanna Angel has decided to stick it to the man from VCA by singing with Pulse. Pulse is apparently best known for the many Gay titles released through its Falcon label, Beefcake, Hard Mechanics, Swim Meat, and Cowboy Jacks.

Joanna intimated her unhappiness with Hustler/VCA when she leaned over and whispered in our ear while signing at the Hustler booth. Apparently, while touting the tarnation out of her image and movies, they were expecting her to make full-length porn movies for the price of a Kia. Sounds like someone over at Pulse saw Re-Penetrator (for which Joanna just received a much belated AVN award for “Most Outrageous Sex Scene”) and figured out that for the price of a Miata they could own the boldest, most innovative talent in porn. VCA snagged Joanna back before she inked the legend deal… I don’t know when this is going to be announced in that was good negotiating on her part While the movies won’t give you much of a woody, they will be among the most original you see from an American filmmaker.

That, my fine feathered friends, makes it all worthwhile (especially if you include all the orgasms).

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 11th, 2006 at 2:30 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.