Exxxotica DC 2021

Exxxotica makes its first appearance near the nation’s capital. The convention isn’t actually in the District of Columbia, but calling it Exxxotica Dulles or Exxxotica NoVa does not have quite the same marketing ring. Given the new area, I wasn’t sure if this show would be the smallest one after the pandemic, but it turned out not to be. In fact, it was very busy. With less exhibitors and more attendees than the show in Miami, there was a steady crowd every day drawing from the DMV population.

Having met and photographed many of the same exhibitors the past three post-pandemic Exxxoticas, I interacted more with the popular webcam performers this time around; especially Chaturbate. Even though the booth is sequestered behind individual plexiglass displays due to health concerns, the Chaturbate models were accessible going outside the booth and checking out rest of the convention. They were also accessible hanging out around the host hotel and after-parties. I met up with Mary Moody for the first time in nearly 2 years, and she asked if I was vaccinated before hugging me which made me realise that I wasn’t wearing the COVID yellow wristbands that I had worn in the previous Exxxotica. I hung out with AVN Favourite Webcam Couple, 19Honeysuckle and Tom Christian, at and after the parties and made pretty photos of Evangeline Darling during off hours.

Since this seemed to be the first Exxxotica in December, I saw plenty of people wearing holiday-themed apparel like Lilly Bell and Fiona Frost. The lines to see the performers at the Bad Dragon booth were evenly distributed. Vicki Chase hosted one of the official Exxxotica after-parties while Alex Coal vacillated between being a go-go dancer and bouncer, wielding a baseball bat.

This had been a successful Exxxotica season for 2021. I didn’t know what to expect after a year of cancellations due to the pandemic. Here’s to an even better one for 2022.

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Exxxotica New Jersey 2021

The largest adult convention this year and possibly the largest one that Exxxotica has held in New Jersey, you wouldn’t think there was a pandemic by the attendance and the behavior of the attendees. Like the previous Exxxotica shows this year, most of the attendees did not wear mask nor did they bother to obtain the wristbands that designated them as vaccinated. People didn’t care and the performers signing did not discriminate. One thing I also noticed was that there wasn’t any alcohol on sale on the premises. Since it had been two years since the last show, I couldn’t remember if that was always the case in New Jersey

Again, like in Miami, Violet Myers and Kenzie Reeves had the longest lines at the show with people waiting over an hour to greet them. Luckily, Violet let me skip her lines for a couple of snaps. Kenzie consistently wore a mask that coordinated with her outfit, but I never did ask her why she chose to do so while scores of attendees breathed upon her. Instead, I wore a mask myself around her out of respect for if she was concerned about her own health. Both Violet and Kenzie maintained their long lines through Sunday when the crowd thinned out.

The after-parties at the host hotel were also raucous every night. Both Alex Coal and April O’Neil hosted trivia night with the theme of “Are You Smarter than a Porn Star?” However, the team that beat them were mostly comprised of porn stars. Heh. Looking forward to Exxxotica DC in December.

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Exxxotica Miami 2021

The second adult convention since the pandemic started, this year was the busiest Miami show I’ve attended. Not the crowded madhouse that Chicago was, but a steady stream of attendees kept the performers busy especially in the evening hours. There were very little mask-wearing attendees or wristbands denoting their vaccination status. Kenzie Reeves was the only performer I saw who consistently wore a mask.

The front of convention hall were dominated space-wise by the webcam companies, Chaturbate and MyFreeCams. I saw 3X AVN Favorite Cam Couple, 19Honeysuckle and Tom Christian, and popular performers like Hime Marie and Jade Baker webcamming. I even saw Sabina Rouge several times webcamming without recognising her. Being that this was Miami, there were a lot of beauties walking around, and I didn’t approach many of them because my reluctance to photograph non-industry people out of respect for their privacy. I missed out on meeting a lot of east coast talent as a result.

Even though there were many attendees, I couldn’t pinpoint which performer had the busiest lines between Kenzie Reeves and Violet Myers. I think the crowd love was just spread out, and I think they were most likely to be enjoying the stage shows. I was pleased to see my friends, Taylor Blake and Alex Coal, again and having a grand time. Taylor was bouncing around from booth to booth while Alex was doing the chicken dance in an appropriate onesie. Onward to New Jersey, the home of IAFD and the next Exxxotica.

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Exxxotica Chicago 2021

The first convention since the pandemic started, Exxxotica Chicago was a madhouse this past weekend. Tons of pent up energy in the air, a rampant amount of people that attended combined with less exhibiting talent made the event less casual than in previous years and more hectic like an AVN expo.

Mask wearing and social distancing were almost virtually nil, and I doubt the attendees were all vaccinated. Chaturbate was the only booth that took precautions with plastic screens separating the cam models and public. Exxxotica provided wristbands for those who could prove their vaccination, but the talent did not discriminate against greeting those that didn’t have wristbands. So I did not understand the point unless it was an insurance or local requirement. Even though I wore a mask when I could, I realised it was impossible to have a conversation with the performers without their being able to also read lips due to the noise.

Seeing many performers like Vicki Chase, Alex Coal, and April O’Neil again was a pleasure. Violet Myers easily had the longest lines at the convention and made me curious whether the fans lined up because of her obvious looks, her scenes, or some other online notoriety since I was not familiar with her performances. Some performers like Cadey Mercury, Madi Collins, and Jade Baker were at the webcam booths while others like Kaitlyn Katsaros were just walking around and visiting. Fiona Frost was even one of the Exxxotica Hotties, go-go dancers for the con.

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Our Picks for the 2021 AVN Awards

Oh, it’s been quite a year. I’m not talking about the pandemic but the actual amount of reviewing that it takes to vote for the AVN Awards. As AVN founder, Paul Fishbein, once said, “It is a very long, horrible process”. You would think that with production stoppages this year there would be less things to vote on, but there seemed to be even more categories with 10-15 nominations in each. Apparently, everyone on the nomination committee worked for Oprah at one time, but you can’t please everyone. Sure, we have the option of not voting in every category – this year we voted in 69 of 89 categories – but you still have to watch all 10-15 nominees in order to fairly rank them in that category!

AVN doesn’t give us guidelines on how to vote so every voter has a different criteria on what they look for. As I mentioned last year, and for all of you analytic-minded masturbating prognosticators out there, I use a hybrid clinical approach in judging the technical aspects in the production and director categories and an overall feel for the scene and performer categories. People have asked whether voters have biases based on their experiences with the industry, and the answer is of course we do. Experience does impact how we view a product. No one has offered us blowjobs or even a handjob for a vote though, but that’s a lot of work to coordinate even for those that have publicists. Most of the performers just know me as a photographer while the producers/directors tend to be more savvy in their discussions around me.

But for the sake of transparency and further rumour mongering, here are some of our picks for the 2021 AVN Awards:

Movies

I wish Rocco would come to America more. He is a legend and his performing prime may be behind him, but you get see the excitement of the American performers that get to work with him which we don’t see as much in his European work. Jane Wilde is such a filthy performer and Jonni Darko, who I believe is the most technically adept director out there, make a great pairing for her showcase.

Directing

I realise that feature directors have a very difficult job juggling more factors on their sets than their gonzo, umm I’m sorry, non-narrative counterparts. However, I still place a lot of weight on the heat of their scenes/movies which is why I favour someone like Miles Long or Chris Streams who show a workmanlike approach to their craft; technically proficient in capturing the heat without being glossy or abstract. I also find that female directors/producers like Casey and Scarlett are stronger at answering the “Why are these people having sex?” premise beyond “THEY ARE HOT & HORNY!” and bridging the “Why are they taking so long to have sex?” filler that differentiates features from gonzo non-narratives.

Acting

Angela White would have made an excellent phone sex operator in the days before we had camming. Her dialogue and charisma would turn a eunuch on. I think it’s the Australian accent. Penny Pax has shown great range in the movies I’ve watched over the years. She can go from shy housewife to goofy nerd to seductive vixen. Even though Mainstream Venture is not a traditional acting category, Lily Labeau was the only nominee there for her acting. I found her acting chops and comic timing appropriate in the series where she switches between being the straight woman and comic foil.

Performing

After the year we had, I didn’t want to repeat any winners from 2020 so we voted for a new group of performers. Mary Moody is the first performer chosen that I knew mainly from camming. Every time I see her in public at the conventions, her delighted interactions with her cam colleagues also translated into her partnerships in scenes. She is very easy on the eyes and incredibly nice to boot. Anna de Ville and Erik Everhard, both veterans of American porn, continue to put out great scenes in Europe. I would be hanging out at my buddy’s house all the time as a kid if Sarah Vandella was his mom. Last, I am a big fan of Kenna James’s scenes. They do not involve much theatrics, but there is something about how her squinty eyes, the curl of her lips, and crooked smile contribute to her girl next door charm and accessibility. Her costars, men or women, all seem to be really into her. I may be clumsy compared to say Don Juan DeMarko in describing her appeal, but there was a reason why she was Penthouse Pet of the Year and why we feel she should be Female Performer of the Year.

Good luck to all of the nominees we supported.