AVN 2020

Two weeks along with a bout of the AVN flu have passed and I still feel fatigue from thinking about the show. Must be because of all the “lived experiences” that happened in the frenzy of that week.

Adult Entertainment Expo

Photos on Flickr

In reviewing my photos, I can see the mortality of continuing to cover the show. I took much less photos this year, not because the show was smaller (it was only slightly smaller than last year). I had broken my foot in September, and it started swelling again during the show. I was content to have longer conversations with my friends and then allowed random people to stop me from doing what I did best which is take more photos. I even had an assistant for the first time which unintentionally slowed things since everyone tried to flirt with him. This, in turn, led me to see less of my industry friends overall.

The most popular people signing were Angela White, Riley Reid, Abella Danger, and Adriana Chechik. I don’t like cutting in line, but I did for the first three because they agreed to it beforehand while the logistics of doing so with Adriana due to the placement of the Evil Angel booth was impossible. If I were to line up to see all of them in a day, it would take a combined 2-4 hours of waiting to see them. They are popular not just for what they do on the screen, but how they interact with the fans. Riley absolutely crushed it by signing for her own booth from opening to closing every day despite a bout of food poisoning on the second day.

Jules Jordan had the best booth overall in terms of talent and access. Angela had her lines there. The Evil Angel – Manyvids corridor was the most frustrating since it wasn’t navigable whenever Adriana was signing. Having the Manyvids women elevated inside their booths made them inaccessible in general.

AVN Awards

I attended the AVN Awards for the first time in four years. It felt weird going this time as a guest without my camera, but it was fun to catch up with friends that I didn’t talk as much to on the convention floor. There weren’t too many surprises with the winners since I knew many of the voters. Even though we didn’t practice groupthink, there seemed to be a consensus around specific winners in polling the voters.

Congratulations to Angela for winning Female Performer of the Year for the third straight time and to Charlotte Stokely for repeating as G/G Performer of the Year. Congrats also go to Gianna Dior for winning Best New Starlet.

About Ginger Banks

I used to spend a lot of time on camsites. So when I first met Ginger Banks nearly five years ago in Dallas, I knew her as the girl who cammed from her university library. I’m not sure exactly how we hit it off, but I found her to be more mature and adept at engaging people than the typical camgirl I meet at cons. The years go by, and Ginger became more prominent advocating on issues pertaining to the adult industry. If you have read an article about performer rights or mental health in the past three years, Ginger is likely to be quoted. Why do I bring this up?

Because I photographed her before the con! She was a riot. If you would like to see more of the photoset including the naughty, it’s probably on her onlyfans.

Acknowledgements

I would like to give a shoutout to my boys at IAFD, ADT, and XCritic. I’d also like to thank Mark Spiegler, Miles Long, and Evil Angel for their hospitality that week.

Thank you to Ginger, Paige Owens, Kira Noir, and Jocelyn Sweets for making magic with me.

Our Picks for the 2020 AVN Awards

AVN voting is a horrible process to go through which may be surprising to the casual fan. You can’t just pick your favourites to watch and vote from there, you basically have to watch everything to be at least fair to the nominees since AVN and most other awards I know of use a ranking system to voting.

Watching this much porn makes me want to claw my eyes out. 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. When I mean feel, I don’t mean touch myself because porn reviewing is like wine tasting. Not only are there not enough hours in the day, can you properly assess the next item if you already blew your load? This is the reverse There’s Something About Mary dilemma!

With that said, for the sake of transparency, here are some of our picks for the 2020 AVN Awards:

Movies

Best Action/ Thriller: Derelict, Kink/Digital Sin
Best Comedy: Babysitter Auditions 2, BurningAngel/Exile
Best Drama: Adelaide, MissaX
Best Parody: The Gang Makes a Porno: A DP XXX Parody, Digital Playground/Pulse
Best Romance: Holding Out & Giving In, Bellesa/Mile High
Best Star Showcase: Angela White: Dark Side, Jules Jordan Video

Joanna Angel and company (Burning Angel) make underrated comedy. Angel has been called the Sarah Silverman of porn, but the problem was I didn’t like Sarah’s neurotic comedy. I didn’t get Angel’s deprecating goofy hipster (ALT!) comedy when she first arrived on the scene, but 15 years go by, and the irreverent satire now seems smart and relevant.

Directing

Best Director – Comedic Production: The Gang Makes a Porno: A DP XXX Parody, Digital Playground/Pulse; Vic Lagina
Best Director – Dramatic Production: Drive, Deeper/Pulse; Kayden Kross
Best Director – Foreign Production: Rebecca, An Indecent Story, Marc Dorcel/Wicked; Alis Locanta
Best Director – Gonzo/Anthology Production: Angela Loves Women 5, AGW Entertainment; Angela White
Best Director – Web Channel/Site: Miles Long, BangBros.com
Director of the Year: Manuel Ferrara

Director of the Year was a toss-up between husband/wife, Manuel and Kayden, the latter picked for Dramatic Production. I just preferred Manu’s RAWer body of work.

If it wasn’t for these award nominations, you would never know many of the directors behind some of the most popular web channels since they don’t go out of the way to promote the directors of their particular scenes. I appreciate Miles Long’s technical proficiency at Bangbros, and he understands the heat of the action without being glossy or abstract.

[Miles also goes out of his way to keep us in the loop of what he’s produced and released. We would love to see more producer/directors credited for their web content. We are curious to the reasoning behind leaving these credits out. – Jeff]

Acting

Best Actor – Featurette: Nathan Bronson, Dibs on Mom, Pure Taboo/AdultTime.com
Best Actress – Featurette: Joanna Angel, Maid of Honor (Dysfunctional Marriage | DVD), Pure Taboo/Pulse
Best Leading Actor: Danny D., Uninvited, Digital Playground/Pulse
Best Leading Actress: 4 way tie between Lacy Lennon, Kristen Scott, Angela White, and Whitney Wright
Best Supporting Actor: Tommy Pistol, The Gang Makes a Porno: A DP XXX Parody, Digital Playground/Pulse
Best Supporting Actress: Nina Hartley, Confessions of a Sinful Nun 2: The Rise of Sister Mona, Sweetheart/Mile High

I think there is some irony that the two best actors in porn, Tommy & Nina, were our picks for best supporting actor and actress. We couldn’t find consensus for Best Leading Actress.

Performing

All-Girl Performer of the Year: Charlotte Stokely
Best Male Newcomer: Alex Jett
Best New Foreign Starlet: Jia Lissa
Best New Starlet: Gianna Dior
Female Foreign Performer of the Year: Anna de Ville
Female Performer of the Year: Angela White
Male Foreign Performer of the Year: Danny D.
Male Performer of the Year: Manuel Ferrara
MILF Performer of the Year: Tie between Cherie DeVille & India Summer
Niche Performer of the Year: Lance Hart
Transgender Performer of the Year: Natalie Mars

Speaking of irony, we chose an American in Anna de Ville as the best “foreign” female performer because she is indeed the best performer outside the United States. We also chose Lance Hart as niche performer of the year, because he does everything and then goes home to (service) a loving wife in Charlotte Sartre.

We picked Gianna Dior out of a competitive field for Best New Starlet just like she would always pick Auburn over Alabama in the Iron Bowl. I believe she would represent the industry well in years to come.

You would think we were Warren Buffet, with tried and true picks like Stokely, Ferrara, and White to repeat as performers of the year. I just like their experience and professionality in putting forth a great scene in such a volatile industry and world today.

Dirty Minds Vol. 4: “Where is the strangest, craziest or most daring place you’ve ever had sex?”

If you’ve even said the exact same thing or expressed the same opinion as another person during a conversation, then you’ve almost certainly either said or heard the expression “great minds think alike”. Is it just a coincidence? Is it simply having the same thoughts and opinions as someone else? Or is there something more to it than that?

For the sake of argument, let’s say that it’s actually true. That there is something deeper to it than mere like-minded thinking. If that is true, does the same logic apply to people with dirty minds as well? Do they think alike too? In our quest to find an answer to this question, we here at IAFD sought out the filthiest, most imaginative, and dirtiest minded individuals we know: the gorgeous stars of the adult industry, of course.
To complete the process, we researched some commonly asked questions by all you perverted fans out there and asked the pornstars things you were wanting to know, paying particular attention to see if there were any common themes in the stars’ response.

Oh, who am I kidding? We just like talking to smokin’ hot chicks about all sorts of dirty stuff.

The featured question in this edition is: Where is the strangest, craziest or most daring place you’ve ever had sex?

The stunning Kenzie Taylor in Wicked Pictures‘ ‘Snapshot’

 

Kenzie Taylor: The strangest place I have had sex was in a church pew before a Sunday morning service, so the chance of getting caught was very high! I have also had sex in an elevator while other people were in it. I lifted up the back of my dress a little and we rode up and down in it for a while! haha!

 

 

 

The lovely Kira Noir in Sweet Sinner‘s ‘Student Bodies 6′

 

 

Kira Noir: The most daring was probably in a deer stand …. High up in a tree, holding a rifle, and trying to keep quite in case any deer went by!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The breathtaking Jaye Summers in nurumassage.com‘s ‘Chinese Medicinal Tummy Rubdown

 

 

Jaye Summers: Oh boy, I’ve had my share of crazy places! All the way from a screening at the movie theatre, to out in the woods (I did live in North Carolina for a while lol), to before class in a secret hallway in my high school!

 

 

 

 

The ultra sexy Brett Rossi in her directorial debut of Deviant Entertainment‘s ‘Girl Crushed 2

 

 

 

Brett Rossi: I once had sex in the Blue Lagoon in Iceland… that was pretty bad ass.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The captivating beauty of Ariana Marie in vixen.com‘s ‘Passionate Raw Sex

 

Ariana Marie: I’d say the craziest place I’ve had sex was in an office with people on the other side of the wall. I had never done anything like that before so it was crazy for me because I was always afraid of someone hearing but still turned me on at the same time.

 

 

 

 

 

The gorgeous Riley Reyes in DarkX‘s ‘Interracial Anal 3′

 

 

 

 

Riley Reyes: I once had sex on the top of a waterfall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The smoldering Dani Daniels in Penthouse‘s aptly titled ‘Dani Daniels’ Lesbian Chats’

 

 

 

 

Dani Daniels: In an alleyway in the East Village of NYC… It was just so hot and raw, and easy to get caught.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The incomparable Casey Calvert in Evil Angel / Toni Ribas‘ ‘All Stuffed Up 2

Casey Calvert: By far the craziest place I’ve had sex is under a bridge in downtown Los Angeles in the middle of the night. I was out on a date, and we were so horny that we couldn’t make it home. We fucked under the bridge with a homeless guy passed out 20 feet away for like 5 minutes, and then we finished up with a two hour long fucking marathon when we got home.

 

 

 

The tantalizing Lisey Sweet in Evil Angel / LeWood‘s ‘Anal Couples Swap

 

 

 

Lisey Sweet: In a glory hole at a ‘MEN ONLY’ guesthouse.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The sultry Honey Gold in TRENCHCOATx‘s ‘Sancrosect: Episode 2

Honey Gold: The craziest place I’ve ever has sex was on a pool table. To most, this may seem pretty amateur, but considering the fact that I’ve had limited sexual experiences prior to porn, the pool table takes the cake by far! The most daring place I’ve ever had sex was with my ex-fiance. He decided it would be a good idea to have a little fun in his mom’s backyard while the house windows were open.

 

 

The adorable Chloe Cherry in DarkX‘s ‘My Big Brother’s Best Friend’

 

 

 

 

Chloe Cherry: On the beach …. while there were other people there!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The sophisticated beauty of Tanya Tate in girlsway.com‘s ‘Babysitter’s Playtime

 

 

Tanya Tate: In one of my earlier movies, I got to have sex with 2 guys in an old warehouse in-between scaffolding. There were so many cold sensations and it felt strange being held up by metal poles, but also very exciting.

 

 

 

 

 

The alluring Olive Glass in naughtyamerica.com‘s ‘My Dad’s Hot Girlfriend’

 

 

 

Olive Glass: It was probably on a rooftop in Brooklyn in the snow. It was so cold, but yet so hot!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The sexy Sofie Marie in MILFVR.com’s ‘Big Dick, Little Time’

 

 

Sofie Marie: I was walking home from a dinner date, and we were so horny we walked off the street and on to a neighbor’s front porch and fucked each other silly!

 

 

 

 

 

Jillian Janson: You’d think that a lot of our scenes are a spontaneous and spur of the moment kind of thing, but in reality, there’s a lot

The enchanting Jillian Janson in Jules Jordan Video‘s ‘Dredd 2′

more to it. Setting up equipment, paperwork, and getting the performers prepared are all part of the process. That includes any environment we set up in, regardless of it being a cool or warm climate, you can imagine we have to adjust appropriately. It may not be easy having sex in 100-degree weather outside a farm in Florida with sweat dripping, horse hay sticking to you, and flies swarming all around. This may influence the way you feel afterward, but as long as I know I gave it my all then the more complicated it may be, the more amazing they are!

Exxxotica New Jersey 2019

The New Jersey show is the capstone of Exxxotica’s annual tour throughout the country. The largest and busiest show in terms of square footage and attendance, you definitely would be waiting in line at various moments in the show for your favourite performers. Friday was the most packed with the Ladies Free promotion while Saturday was steadily busy even with the extended hours of the show.

Abella Danger
Abella Danger at the Brazzers booth

Abella Danger and her Brazzers booth had the longest lines at the show. Abella’s line wrapped around the entire booth while she greeted every fan making them feel like they had reached the pot at the end of the rainbow. She even had to call me on my cell phone so that I could snap her photos while she would take a mini-break from the line. Teanna Trump probably had the second longest lines in the show in that I was only able to photograph her on the quieter Sunday.

Teanna Trump
Teanna Trump for FanCentro

New Jersey is also the only location where Exxxotica hosts its afterparties at the site hotel. They had fun house bands playing mostly eighties and nineties covers and the stars were more easily accessible in that you didn’t have to wait in a line to mingle with them. There was a roped off section in case the stars needed to hide but for the most part everyone was flittering around the ballroom engaging their fans in selfies and such. I mostly hung out with Vicki Chase, who is my closest friend in the industry. She humoured me while I was focusing on the World Series.

Vicki Chase
Vicki Chase at the Sapphire booth

For the rest of the photos

Exxxotica Miami 2019

Exxxotica returned to Miami for its 40th show overall; Miami being where it all started. There was some concern the week prior to the show that Hurricane Dorian would leave a wreckage. The area was spared though, and the show enjoyed increased attendance from last year, especially on ladies free Friday.

Kenzie Reeves knows her angles

Bad Dragon, Chaturbate, MyFreeCams, and Clips4Sale had the biggest booths while Alexis Texas‘s Team TexASS had the busiest booth. In what seems to be a pattern recently, the talent at the Chaturbate booth was better and more consistent than their competitor, MFC.

Vicki Chase at the Gold Rush

While there was no nudity allowed at the show, the after-parties filled the skin gap since they were all at strip clubs. I visited Vicki Chase and Karma RX feature dancing at the Gold Rush where everyone seemed to have fun.

For the rest of the photos on Flickr…