from www.lasvegasweekly.com – Covering the Adult Entertainment Expo for the first time last year was an eye-opening experience.

Being face to face with the scantily clad stars in the flesh — rather than with some sort of viewing screen between us — was an interesting mix of excitement and awkwardness, especially considering I was on the clock.

And this year?

Well, I wouldn’t say it was boring, but for this former sports writer, at least, it reminded me of my previous area of coverage.

You don’t cover sports unless you’re a fan, and — unless you happen to be an entertainment writer in Las Vegas or Los Angeles — you don’t cover the adult industry unless you’re a voyeur. While this means fans of both subjects get impressively detailed coverage, it also means that big events like AEE or the Super Bowl end up with more media members on site than truly are needed. However, there is one big difference — while there are regulations against cheering in the press box, lining up for autographs from and photos with your favorite porn star is expected and even encouraged.

Especially if it turns out he’s not a dumb jock or she’s not a complete ditz. There’s a level of access you get as a member of the media that fulfills your fandom the ways purely watching can’t. Whether its finding out the athlete or actress truly is like the rest of us (other than his or her job) or that he or she is not a stuck-up pain in the ass, having a sit-down interview with one of these people can make your day and give a bit of humility and humanity to someone famous.

There’s nothing wrong with interviewing the same people game after game or convention after convention, other than maybe the occasional exception that proves this rule. The interviewing process definitely and quickly becomes just another part of your job. You don’t get any new information out of someone (besides maybe some trite response about the latest game or video), and seeing them in person no longer is exciting. After one interview, you almost certainly would rather just watch them perform — on the field or in bed.