[Las Vegas Weekly]- Two of the biggest names in the world of erotica will be co-hosting the 2009 AVN Awards show at Mandalay Bay on Saturday: Jenna Haze and Belladonna. It’s the 26th annual star-studded ceremony, and among the mainstream celebrities attending will be rocker Dave Navarro, rapper Flo Rida and Howard Stern’s radio regular Bubba the Love Sponge. More than 6,000 XXX-rated movies were reportedly reviewed, and the final nominations were narrowed down to a little more than 100 categories.

Adult Video Network President Paul Fishbein said: “This is treated with the same seriousness as the Academy Awards. An enormous amount of product is released weekly in the American market, and the glittering event is to reward thousands of people working in the adult business. The scope of this year’s awards is truly historic and shows just how far the industry has come from the days of peep shows and stag films. Our show was first presented in 1983, and it has grown into a massive and successful glamorous gala — our equivalent of the Oscars.”

It is the centerpiece of the annual, four-day AVN Adult Entertainment Expo that attracts some 30,000 porn professionals and runs from tomorrow through Sunday. The AVN Awards is open to the public Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, and traditionally fans and crowds line up six deep for the 1,000-foot-long red carpet. Many bring stepladders with them and cameras taped to broom handles to crane over the people in front so they can catch a glimpse of their favorite porn stars. Many of those sexy starlets totter along on the tallest of high heels and in the skimpiest of barely there costumes displaying as much flesh as is legally permitted by our vigilant Police Department!

For a sneak peek at this year’s AVN convention and awards show, I talked with co-host Jenna Haze, who is regarded in her industry as one of the very top performers and an ultimate fan favorite. Here’s our conversation as she arrived in Las Vegas for this year’s AVN expo:

Jenna Haze: The AVN show is the biggest event to my industry of the year. It is the one time we can go all-out, dress up; it is our Academy Awards. Our fans look at us like stars. We are appreciated and awarded by our peers for what we have done that year.

Robin Leach: How many awards do you have, and is this the first time hosting?

JH: It is the first time. I didn’t think I was ready for it, but the producers did. I have won five personal awards previously, and two of my movies also won in past years. When they asked me to host, the first thing I asked was, “Does this mean I cannot win anything this year?” Well, it’s OK, and it turns out I have nine nominations, and some of them are really big awards. I would like to take them home. They said not a problem — it’s the first thing every host asks — and, in fact, every host previously has taken home something.

RL: What are the biggest awards you are nominated for this year?

JH: Female Performer of the Year. I have been up for that the past two years, and I would really like to take it home. I’ve won Starlet of the Year, which is a coveted award. But I’m really hoping for the No. 1 this year.

RL: Do you keep them all in a special trophy case at home?

JH: No, they are stacked around my desk right now. I am looking at them as we talk. I won Best Couples Sex Scene last year. I would like to win Best Tease Performance this year for Pretty as They Come. That is so hot.

RL: Does that mean you only tease and nothing happens?

JH: No, it eventually happens, but it is for the person who did the best lead-up and seduction. I once won Best Onscreen Chemistry, and that was a neat one.

RL: Awards shows mean scripts and rehearsals for the long night?

JH: Yes, we have had production meetings. Me, Belladonna, who is awesome, and a comedian. We sat down and went over what we were doing, the different segments ,and they are emailing scripts before I leave for Vegas. I cannot wait to do this. I feel honored, nervous, excited. I hope I don’t fall on my face. I love being on stage. I am nervous going out there, but once I am there, everything will flow. The producers said they picked me because of my fun, spontaneous acceptance speeches in previous years. Nothing was scripted. It was all off the cuff. I said what I felt. It was pretty sexy and definitely funny. I think the reason I was picked was because of my offbeat personality, and that works in the adult world.

RL: There are so many different girls in this business. How do you stand out and rise to the top?

JH: I am independent right now. I am not a contract player to one studio. In fact, this AVN is special for me. I am launching my own company, which is called Jen X studios. It is short for Generation X. I am the new Jenna Jameson. I’ve been in this business seven years, so I’ve got high enough up to launch my own company. Now I can be a mogul in this business, as well as an onscreen actress. I’ll launch my own company with a lot of appearances, media exposure and fan signing and photos. I’ll work it very hard at my booth. My boyfriend is my distributor. My first advertisement announcing my new company comes out at the show. My first movie, Spoiled Sluts, will be sold at the end of the month, and I’ve got three magazine covers already shot to promote it.

RL: Why did you make the decision to go into the business end of all this as an owner and executive?

JH: I was shooting stuff for my Web site, and I wanted to direct. I love being in front of the camera, but I can’t do it forever, and one day I’ll have to give up that part because I want to have kids. So I decided to start directing for my own company. My boyfriend is a director, and he helped guide me as I shot a couple of scenes. I liked what I accomplished, and now I have my first DVD for release. Tomorrow is the first trade day at the convention, so I will meet with storeowners, distributors, other actors and actresses for future films I will direct — and hopefully a ton of fans.

RL: Meetings, negotiations and deals sound like normal business and are not very glamorous or sexy.

JH: Most of it is all business with press, interviews and photos. But I do get to go all out with my wardrobe. I wear the most amazing crystal-encrusted dresses. I have four wardrobe change dresses for the awards, so I am excited. One for red carpet, two for the show, and one for the after-party, too. It’s a ton of luggage to bring into Vegas, but you have to have the right outfits for signings by day and then another set for all the business dinners and hosting parties. I’ve spent over $30,000 for my Vegas outfits. It will make quite a statement.

RL: The adult film world has a decreasing number of companies because of Internet piracy. You are starting your company in an ever-dwindling marketplace. Is that a challenge?

JH: Yes, it is a challenge. I will try it. I have the instruments for the Web site: www.jennahaze.com. I know the DVD sales will be slower, but the Internet is where everything is going. I have had it for five to six years. I don’t know how many members I have, but I know that I make enough to make it worth my while. I think that free downloadable Web sites suck. The ones that steal all of our videos, they really suck and are contributing to the decline of our industry. If there were something for me as a spokesperson to lead that charge, I would. I don’t believe in piracy. I never download movies, music, anything illegal. People think that if they steal porn, it is OK. We have all these people involved, and they depend on these movies. It puts food in kids’ mouths.

RL: Why did you decide on an adult film world career in the first place?

JH: I danced in topless men’s clubs. I didn’t care for it. I was picking up guys at clubs and having sex with them … so I already wanted to have sex with people. I am a very sexual person. Why not do it on camera where it is safe, people are tested, it is legal. The business came to me and a guy came to me in a club and it dropped in my lap. I am very happy and lucky how it all turned out. I know girls that have taken this route of porn movies, and it hasn’t worked. You have to be a strong woman to make it work for you.

RL: Why do you think it went well for you?

JH: I have always made my own rules. I am my own representative. I do what makes me happy. I choose what I do, whom I do it with, and whom I do it, for that makes me more in control. I did really well at the beginning of my career. I had a good contract, and it enabled me to call the shots. I am very blessed. I’ve got another good five years of this on screen — and then directing and touring on the road, going to different men’s clubs, performing for the fans. It gives me a good connection with them. They post online and talk to one another on my forums. It is a personal experience, really good extra cash and direct marketing for my company and its products.

RL: To a person who is defined by the rest of the world as sexy, what to you is sexy?

JH: Realness. People being themselves, willingly and happily exploring sexuality. There are so many different levels to sexuality. Everything is sexier to me now than it was before.

RL: How do you separate work from play?

JH: Outside of the job, I have a boyfriend, and I am monogamous. Well, I admit I do party with other girls. The girls I hang out with are beautiful women, like Jesse Jane, and at parties it is fun. I have a boyfriend, though. I am dedicated to him. I think it is easy for me to keep it separate. Work is play and fun and easy money. I am really good at it.

RL: Did you ever hanker about leaving porn and going into mainstream?

JH: I have done a couple of mainstream cameos and whatnot, but if I happen to go that way, I’d just do that on the side. That is play and fun for me. My job is my job and my career. I am very content being in the adult world. I am very much at ease with myself. I love what I do, and I am comfortable with who I am, and I think society should be more accepting of sexuality. I still pinch myself about everything that has happened to me. I am very blessed and grateful. I appreciate all that I have.

RL: What advice would you give to someone who wants to get where you have gone?

JH: I would tell them to be smart and realize that she has the power to do what she wants whether it is doing adult or mainstream, anything she wants to do. I could have gone to modeling school and done mainstream. I was too wild. Be smart. These girls that get in the industry have the power to call the shots. If they are beautiful, healthy and sexual girls, they have all the selling power.

RL: What would you say if your daughter came to you and said she wanted to go into the business and have sex on camera for the world to see?

JH: I would not be able to say no. I would have to be supportive and make sure she made the right decisions.

RL: How do you define romance?

JH: I don’t feel like I am an expert. I am an expert when it comes to having sex on camera. I don’t try to be sexy. I am just myself. It just happens. To be honest, off camera I am a complete nerd enjoying my collection of vampires and werewolf movies and horror novels. I like to hike and read books. People would call me a geek because I don’t go out nightclubbing and partying all the time.

RL: Do these four AVN days in Vegas keep you at the top of the business for the rest of the year?

JH: I have nine nominations for eight different awards during the two-hour show. I would say Belladonna and I are the two top Gonzo girls, the two top girls in the business. We are independent and not contract players, so we do the edgier stuff, although I am middle ground. The top two contract girls are Tera Patrick and Jesse Jane.

RL: What does the show do for you if you win any of the awards?

JH: It gives more star power. That means more business for my new company. That means more money — after all, I have to pay for those $30,000 worth of dresses!