Los Angeles- [LA Times] – The man of the hourYou may talk about James Gandolfini, Kiefer Sutherland or Neil Patrick Harris, but on the floor of the Governors Ball one man walked like a titan above pygmies; his thinning hair pulled into a ponytail and trademark Durante schnoz stopped traffic before him. Porn star Ron Jeremy graced the academy with his presence, and all paid homage.

“I have a right to be here,” he explained. “The season of ‘The Surreal Life’ I was on with Tammy Faye was the highest-rated Sunday night show in the history of the WB. The movie I made, ‘Boondock Saints,’ is the all-time No. 1 straight-to-video rental in Blockbuster history.” And he is a bestselling author and has a copy of the New York Times bestseller list to prove it.

I asked how this event compares to a similar gala in the adult film world. “Well, the girls in porn also wear very expensive gowns,” he said. “But you’d see a lot more cleavage and a lot less underwear.”

As we talked, Tom Selleck spotted Jeremy and broke into a huge grin. “You are the greatest,” Selleck leaned in and told him. “You are too,” the porn maestro nobly answered. Jeremy was asked to pose for a photograph with another set of admirers, something that happened to him throughout the night.