THE ADULT FILM MINUTE: Once per month, except for occasionally when it’s twice, Dr. Chauntelle Tibbals will be telling us a little bit about what’s going on in adult entertainment and why it should matter to you.
I just got home after six long nights at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas, which can only mean one thing – another cycle of AVN Awards have come and gone.
The 2015 AVN Awards, hosted by Alexis Texas and “Tomy Pistol” (as was announced by a fantabulous typo on some pretty prominent signage), went down on Saturday, January 24th. And even though someone out there named Vince felt I was the only person in the entire venue that was actually invested in the awards, that’s totally wrong. AVN staff looked like the world’s best zombies after laboring tirelessly to pull off the ginormous show. Performers and directors laughed and cried and raged as the results were called. And at least one AVN Awards voter cheered really really (really) loudly when her choices for Best Whatever ended up with enough marks to warrant a golden statuette.
All the winners are awesome, but here are some that I thought were the awesomest.
(most links following are totally NSFW)
1. TOMMY Pistol
Though he spells his name with a conventional two Ms, Tommy Pistol is anything but. Co-host Alexis Texas was golden and charming, but Mr. Pistol stole the show with his variety hour-type dancing, hilarious pre-shot skits, and general spasticity. I hope he gets a special honor for being the best host ever. He totally deserves it.
Check Tommy out in Vivid’s Pee-Wee’s XXX Adventure, one of the best films ever made (like, objectively, not “for porn”) and the project that showcases his comedic genius most perfectly.
2. V for Vicki wins Best Star Showcase
You all know about my love of the star showcase – a genre form that presents a performer’s talents in a variety of sex scenarios, as well as via interviews and behind-the-scenes footage (explained more here) – and this year, the Best Star Showcase went to V for Vicki [Chase]!
To quote respected critic @ApacheWarrior, V for Vicki is “an exquisite beautifully shot production showcasing the top Latina performer of our time.” I’m inclined to agree.
3. Venus Lux and Dana Vespoli win for Best Transsexual Sex Scene
Performer/Director Dana Vespoli is many things, and boundary-breaking is definitely one of them. TS, I Love You is a wonderful collection that challenges all sorts of stereotypes present both in porn and in the wider social world. It’s also hot as hell. [And has one of the better parody titles around. -Vince]
It seems only appropriate that Dana and the savvy, sensational Transsexual Performer of the Year, Venus Lux, win for their scene in TS, I Love You (which Dana also directed).
4. Dani Daniels Deeper wins Best Interracial Release
As a genre, interracial porn (or “IR” as it’s often referred) comes with many issues related to language, tone, aesthetics, and more. There’s a general schtick present in this content that seems to play haphazardly with certain socially situated racial divides. As such, IR content often seems more troubling than sexy to me…
*BUT* there’s a new studio out there called Blacked.com, and their content seems to be doing something different with IR. I’m not suggesting this marks an end to all things struggle-worthy related to the genre, but something is happening here. Dani Daniels Deeper marks a beautifully rendered point of change.
5. Anikka Albrite and Mick Blue win Best Couple
Just kidding, there’s no Best Couple award! But married IRL Anikka Albrite and Mick Blue did win Female Performer of the Year and Male Performer of the Year (respectively). It was a once in a lifetime dual win that was 100% deserved and almost too cute to behold.
[Vince’s Note: One moment I witnessed was Anikka getting up from a chair where she’d been doing an interview, and Mick so fascinated by the butt divot she’d left on it that he had to take a picture. It seemed strangely cute.]
Check out Anikka and Mick in Anikka and Anikka Vol. 2 – so they can record their love!
Dis/agree? Got something to add? Tell me!
Dr. Chauntelle Tibbals is a sociologist specializing in gender, sexualities, work and organizations, media and technology, and popular culture. She has been studying the adult entertainment industry for more than ten years.