Adult Entertainment Expo 2010
by Tony Hanson
Parental note: This article includes no nudity or profanity. It does discuss the adult entertainment industry and discretion is advised.
Every industry has professional trade shows, even the adult entertainment industry. “Adult entertainment” has always been a euphemism for pornography, but the industry has been changing. It’s trying to distance itself from its seedy past with dirty old men in trenchcoats watching loops of fuzzy films and appeal towards mainstream men – and women. The Adult Entertainment Expo is held the first week of January in Las Vegas. Besides X-rated movies it features clothing, novelties, and toys. Manufacturers introduce new products hoping that the public will be interested. Even in bad economies the adult entertainment industry is growing.
In the early days of X-rated movies producers were proud of the fact that they were outlaws and bypassing the law at any possible moment. The producers of “Nurses of the 407” (a parody of the movie “M*A*S*H”) noted that their shot of helicopters about to land is stolen directly from “M*A*S*H”. The producers of “Debbie Does Dallas” asked Brooklyn College for the use of their library, locker rooms, showers, and football field to film an educational movie. While many producers today use similar shenanigans, many of today’s movies are made with decent budgets including sets, costumes, and even location shooting. For example, “Flight Attendants,” a parody of the “Airplane!” movies, was shot partially at Air Hollywood, a company with a jumbo jet cabin, cockpit, and gate area which caters to Hollywood movies, television shows, and commercials who need to film aboard airplanes. Only a small percentage of the personnel involved in making an X-rated movie are the actors, most are behind-the scenes folk like makeup, camera, editing, and even costuming. The result is higher quality movies with production value as well as sex. Many of the companies are owned by women and are trying to make products that appeal to women as well as men. Certainly quick-and-dirty amateur quality X-rated movies are also available and the market supports both.
A few X-rated movies have decent scripts, but they’re the exception, not the rule. Most movies are fantasies, with no relation to real life. In real life the pizza delivery guy does not automatically get invited in to join the girls in the house who happen to be wearing lingerie (or less) when he arrives. An X-rated movie portrays sex as accurately as a “Die Hard” movie portrays the life of a typical police officer or “Titanic” portrayed how the human body reacts when the body’s exposed to icy ocean water.
Hundreds of adult movie stars showed up for the Adult Entertainment Expo to meet their fans. The keynote speech was presented by Sasha Grey; an adult star who has also acted in mainstream movies, most notably Steven Soderbergh’s “The Girlfriend Experience.”
Several adult stars have written books about the adult industry or instructional books about sex, typically with the help of a ghostwriter. Stars Tera Patrick and Nina Hartley autographed copies of their books.
Hartley, now 50, started her adult film career in 1984 with the movie “Educating Nina” and has appeared in over 600 movies. Her most recent project is educational movies, like “Nina Hartley’s Guide to Seduction” and she still stars in adult movies. Hartley met thousands of fans, in some cases the children of her early fans. Her book, “Nina Hartley's Guide to Total Sex,” is a frank honest look at many different types of sex from the point-of-view of both men and women. It's incredibly valuable in the world of “safe sex” and Hartley uses her professional training (she’s a registered nurse) when recommending hygienic procedures. In some cases it may not sound erotic but it's important to avoid damaging your body (or your partner) and avoiding the spread of Sexually Transmitted Diseases. She notes that X-rated movies present an idealized fantasy where the boring precautions for hygiene are ignored. In one passage she notes, “It doesn’t matter that you may have seen performers do this in a video. They shouldn’t have, and the editor probably cut out the trip to the clinic that followed.” The book is a decent read.
One of the ways the industry promotes itself is with “contract girls”, porn actresses who have signed contracts for a specified period of time to appear in movies from one company. It’s a good deal for both parties – the actress gets additional publicity and guaranteed work while the company gets to show off its superstars. Digital Playground announced the addition of actress Kayden Kross as its newest contract girl. Kross has appeared in about 30 movies, most notably “8th Day”, a critically acclaimed science fiction film set in a post-apocalypse world. In the official announcement Kayden Kross said, "I am thrilled to join Digital Playground and I get to work with some of the hottest girls in the industry!” and Digital Playground Founder Joone said, “Kayden has an astounding beauty that compliments her personality and wit. Kayden has a very real sex appeal and we look forward to bringing her truest light to her fans.”
One of the most unusual activities for attendees was a 7 foot mechanical penis ride, based on a mechanical bull. Several actresses tried the ride but for the most part the convention attendees were too afraid to try the ride with so many attendees watching, knowing that their ride would be captured for posterity on hundreds of digital cameras and cameraphones and quickly published on the Internet.
Female sex toys have been around for a long time, but there are more sex toys for men each year. Attendees could watch porn star Jenna Haze as her mouth was molded for a Fleshlight toy. One of the most unusual toys for men fits around the male sex organ. Massage belts, a heater, and pump for lubrication lets the viewer feel the same things the actor in the movie feels. It only works with pay-per-view movies you rent online from the company. It’s an interesting concept but the only way it could succeed is if the company has lots of movies available at a reasonable price.
A sex robot was put on display. The manufacturer claims, “The artificial intelligence robots are specially engineered to completely gratify the owner and fully equipped to carry a conversation or have an intimate encounter” but we didn’t see the robot in operation.
Digital Playground announced a new set of adult novelty toys, based on its popular “Pirates XXX” movies, but did not have the toys on display. Spokesperson Nicole Rane said, “At this time we are only releasing information to potential buyers.” The concept of a Pirate-themed vibrator with a hook or peg leg on the end boggles the mind. It will be interesting to see the new products when they’re released.
Critics claim that nobody wants porn in their community, but if they were correct the companies which produce porn would quickly go out of business. “Nobody” was 22,000 professionals in the adult entertainment industry and enthusiastic fans who paid up to $80 a day to visit the Adult Entertainment Expo – that’s a lot of nobodies.
Photos by Leslie Thomas.
Links
Order The Girlfriend Experience
from Amazon.com.
Order Nina Hartley's Guide to Total Sex
from Amazon.com.
Order Nina Hartley
products from Amazon.com.
About the author
Tony Hanson considers Las Vegas one of his hometowns. This is his first contribution to neatinformation.com.
© 2010 neatinformation.com. All Rights Reserved.
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