> posted on www.xxxporntalk.com: there are grumblings in Red Light District Video. Martin del Toro [pictured] has been stealing from them and their budgets by forging production dates, forging model releases, stealing money for location fees, stealing editor pay checks, faking and duplicating shoots for both internet and video, getting kickbacks from performers by overpaying them courtesy of RLD vouchers, sending Red Light checks to his girlfriend Lori Carpenter and cashing them himself, using cameramen for another company’s shoots and charging Red Light, then trying to get everyone to lie for him to cover up his tracks. a notorious sobber who was trained in acting in Hungary but was beaten up there (where are his front teeth?) because of embezzling investors and pinning the blame on his wife in Hungary who spent 2 years in jail, Martin Del Toro has been fired from RLD.
> Christian X posts on ADT: Not sure if this is the correct forum for this, but I really wanted to do this, so here goes. This is my review and thoughts from The Other Hollywood: The Uncensored Oral History of the Adult Film Industry by Legs McNeil and Jennifer Osborne.
This book is one of the most fascinating books I have read in the past ten years. Not just because it deals with my industry, but the writing and the comments are so thought provoking and intriguing. I simply could not put this book down, and it was almost 600 pages!
The book starts at the beginning, with 8 and 16 millimeter cameras shooting loops in New York in 1969. Then it talks about the first 3 feature porn films, Deep Throat, Behind the Green Door, and The Devil in Miss Jones. There is a lot of talk about the organized crime influence behind the porn industry and a lot of comments about heavy, heavy drug use.
It also delves into John Holmes and the Wonderland murders, Reuben Sturman, Savannah and her suicide, the AIDS scare of 1995, and a plethora of other porn related events. What makes the book so fascinating is the comments by the interviewees. They corralled so many people to talk about their experiences! I consider myself lucky, because I am good friends with Freddy Lincoln, Joey Silvera, Tricia Devereaux, and a host of others featured in the book. Don’t think for a second that I didn’t call them all up and ask them 20 questions about parts of the book! lol
I dont know who else has read this book, but if anyone wants to discuss it, i would be more than willing!
> Kelly responds: When the book came out, AdultFYI featured several responses and reviews, ultimately casting doubt upon the accuracy of certain portions of the book. I believe there was a bit of criticism over how heavily Sharon Mitchell is quoted. The main thing I do remember, though, is that they somehow contacted Tracey Adams, who disputed Sharon’s story of meeting Warren Beatty through her.
However, I found the book to be a compelling read, much as you did. I picked up a used hardcover, and once I got around to reading it I couldn’t put it down. It is a fascinating oral history-narrative. The way McNeil crafts the stories as he sees them by using his own interviews as well random quotes from pre-existing interviews can be a bit troubling, but it’s also his editing that makes it such an engaging read. Considering that the book was published in 2005, I was a bit surprised that it stops its story at 1998. However, aside from how long the book had been in the works and how much work it must have entailed Legs probably got to the Marc Wallace story and realized that there was no better way to end than on the unexpected love story of Tricia Deveraux and John Stagliano.
> tricia devereaux writes: It is an engaging read. But I’m glad you brought up the pre-existing interviews – very few of which are credited as such, which makes it seem like the interview and corresponding quotes were obtained by Leggs and his staff. If you consider that over half of my portion in this story was gleaned from Luke Ford’s site (when it was actually Luke Ford), take it as you will.
Oh, and I can certainly vouch for Christian playing 20 questions with me. Cracked me up – he was so enthusiastic about asking me which parts were actually true. thanks 🙂
> from NY Post: THE “Girls Gone Wild” video empire got spanked by federal prosecutors yesterday for failing to make sure all their amateur porn queens were at least 18. Joe Francis and his companies, Mantra Films and MRA Holdings, pleaded guilty in a Florida court yesterday for neglecting to record the names and ages of the often-drunk college girls who bared their boobs for the series in 2002 and 2003. He’ll pay $2.1 million in fines and must also hire an independent monitor to ensure future tapings feature bona fide adults. For his plea, Francis avoids prison and the federal charges against him will be dismissed in three years if he keeps his nose clean. His lawyer Aaron Dyer told us: “All this boils down to is a few record-keeping violations from 2002 and 2003, and two girls who lied about their ages and presented false ID. We’re glad this is behind us.” Meanwhile, Francis is busy touting his latest flesh epic, “Girls Gone Wild – Ultimate Rush,” which promises “hot naked girls and wild non-stop action!”
> also from NY Post: THE King of All Media is losing ground. Hitwise, which monitors Internet traffic, says the number of visitors to Howard Stern’s Web site has declined a staggering 71 percent since March 2005, when the shock jock announced he was jumping to censorship-free, but audience-challenged, Sirius Satellite Radio. And look-ups of Stern’s name on search engines plummeted by 90 percent in that same period. Stern’s publicist did not return our call.
> posted on www.lukeford.com: Cloud9 Content has closed down after 5 years in business and is in the process of filing for bankruptcy! After exploding onto the content market 5 years ago and making a name for themselves, then latching on with Metro Interactive for a distribution agreement of their DVD’s, Cloud9 is no more.
The industry has another victim!