 |
"(Porn Valley Observed is) the smartest and funniest coverage of the adult industry you will read." - About.com |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Professional johns review "The Girlfriend Experience"
 No matter how you slice it, Sasha Grey comes out the winner regardless of how Steven Soderbergh's "The Girlfriend Experience " is reviewed. Shot on the newish, ultra-lightweight red digital cameras, the film looks beautiful and Grey has done what many porn performers have done before - play a sex worker of some kind in a mainstream movie - except not as a punchline.I went to the Erotic Review, the top site for rankings of "service providers," and found uniformly scathing reviews of the movie. "There's not one interesting character in the film," one reviewer said, "cold and soulless," said another. Another reviewer speculated that Soderbergh used Grey as the best marketing possible for a movie he knew would be small - it was released in theatres, cable, and on VOD the same day. Set in the financial meltdown, pre-election Fall of 2008 (this movie was released faster than most Vivid films), "The Girlfriend Experience " devotes a lot of its script to discussions about money - negotiations for more or less of it, the fear of losing it, the quest for more of it.So, even if the movie tanks, Sasha Grey has made out in the transaction. There are no explicit sex scenes in the movie, Grey's eyebrows look great (or are a distraction) and the whole movie serves as an excellent addition to Grey's promo reel. It doesn't matter if the movie tanks; Grey has taken a step up by association. In fact, it is as if Grey's cold, soulless character is a human manifestation of the sentient planet in Soderbergh's "Solaris."
See also: Sasha Grey, 2929 Productions; My Girlfriend Experience - A Set Diary, by Glenn Kenny; "The Girlfriend Experince" reaction on The Erotic Review Labels: geekery, mainstream movies, prosties, sasha grey, steven soderbergh ¶ Thursday, May 28, 2009 0 Comments Links to this post 
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Sex workers like bacon, can operate in small spaces
Activist and former sex worker (to me, she will always be a sex worker) Audacia Ray put together a public service announcement from this month's Sex Work Awareness Media Training Seminar in New York. Featured are sex workers and former sex workers, including porn performer Dylan Ryan and Ray herself, making a series of brief statements that identify sex workers, in whatever form the work may take, as bacon-loving, dog-owning, sex-for-money-having people like you and me.  The use of humor is very important when activism is concerned. Of course, some activists should not use jokes at all (like, say, advocates for landmine victims) but, when appropriate, humor creates a bond between activist and audience and avoids creating an atmosphere of perpetual victimization that might turn people off. Also, if anything deserves to be fun, it is sex work. Reaction to the video has been mostly positive, though one person suggested that the part about loving bacon should be cut out. "I love the video but the last comment was really distasteful. It doesn’t dispel stereotypes. Talking about loving bacon will only gross out vegetarians, not make anyone think that sex workers are diverse. I wish you would remove that last one and ask her to think of something more positive to say about herself."Case in point re: humorlessness. And since when has there been a stereotype that all sex workers are carnivores or that, to be successful, something needs to dispel stereotypes? Previously on Porn Valley Observed: Believing the strangest things, loving the Sex Mannequin; Audacia goes the extra mile See also: Sex Work Awareness Labels: "audacia ray", activism, dylan ryan, new york, prosties ¶ Wednesday, April 29, 2009 1 Comments Links to this post
Friday, April 24, 2009
Stormy Daniels wins key endorsement
 Following weeks of private reflection and prayer, I heartily endorse Mrs. Stormy Daniels as the next junior Senator from the Great State of Louisiana."I will be taking a big pay cut," said Daniels of the $170k per annum job, showing the plucky American confidence that emphasizes national service over personal gain. She also showed her breasts. Eligible by virtue of her 30th birthday on March 17 and her U.S. citizenship, the Baton Rouge native is legally changing her name to the one known by millions of porn fans, members of the U.S. Postal Service, and Judd Apatow, and beginning her campaign in earnest next week. Daniels will be talking with voters and gathering signatures in Lafayette, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans for the race to succeed David Vitter, who in 2007 was named as a client of Deborah Jeane Palfrey, otherwise known as the D.C. Madam. Daniels was informed of the website DraftStormy.com and at first was upset. "I called them and said, 'You think you might have checked with me first?'" she said. Indeed, her husband and publicist Mike Moz said the professionally designed web site (the domain was registered last November) caught the two by surprise. "They put a lot of thought behind it," he said, stressing that neither he nor Daniels nor Wicked Pictures, for whom Daniels is a contract performer and director, had anything to do with the site. But what seemed at first like a joke and an attempt by his detractors to discredit the morally hypocritical Vitter by running a porn star against him, Daniels and her team began to take seriously. "The idea anyway was to not perform anymore," Daniels said this week on the set of Tormented, where she plays a sexier Alice in Wonderland in one scene. "This will be one of my last movies, and then I'll be going behind the camera full-time." Daniels' interest in the Draft Stormy stunt has actually helped the site gain momentum. Already comfortable showing up in places porn stars usually aren't seen, such as ABC News and the National Press Club (promoting Internet Safety), Daniels, Moz, and Wicked executive Joy King have already positioned Stormy as the sexy intellectual alternative to most porn stars. The web site features on its "Issues" page talking points that are similar to those brought up at adult business conferences: "It's the Economy, Sexy," intellectual poroperty concerns, and methods of preventing minors from accessing online adult material. To be clear, Daniels and the web site are still independent of each other. Registered in Pennsylvania, DraftStormy.com runs a disclaimer on each page indicating that it is "not authorized by Stormy Daniels or Wicked Pictures."  But at this point, with Daniels throwing some effort into the campaign (and URLs like "StormyforSenate.com" and "Stormy2010.com" redirecting to the DraftStormy site), it is only a matter of time before the Swiftboating of Republican Vitter becomes a legitimate grassroots contender.For those who might think Daniels incapable of handling spiky members of Congress, public relations, or understanding working class economics, see how a dancer from Louisiana established herself in the adult industry at a time when the competition was fiercest. (And don't try to suggest that she is biting off something she can't chew, because that would be too easy.) And maybe she was joking when she said it, but the following claim would put Daniels at the top half percentile of a very high heap and is itself a tremendous achievement: "I am the biggest bitch in the porn industry," Daniels said. (And she's got to be better qualified than Roland Burris.)  Daniels had long been courting my endorsement, marveling at how on this very website I predicted the victory of then-longshot Barack Obama back in January of 2007.But I was not like Rod Blagojevich and Daniels was professional: None of her patented B(ayou)Js were demanded or delivered (even though it was a Wicked set).
See also: Draft Stormy, Stormy Daniels Labels: aiden starr, david vitter, hype, joy king, louisiana, mike moz, politics, prosties, Stormy Daniels, wicked ¶ Friday, April 24, 2009 3 Comments Links to this post
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Crack Whore Confessions now available from Samuel French
 A while ago I watched the movie Crack Whore Confessions 3 and I have been haunted, I tell you, by the imagery. Scroll down to see how you can win my copy of the movie.If David Mamet, Harold Pinter, and Monty Python had collaborated on a porn script it could not have been better (well, sure it would have been - but who could perform it?) than this casual unscripted dialogue between a man named Cracker Jack and his legitimately crack-familiar prostitute, Sammy. At great pains to myself I transcribed part of their conversation and present it below. If I were a director, I would have instructed Sammy to present herself as a Dream Merchant, an Enchantress who could assume the form of whatever her lover desired. Of Cracker Jack I would have asked that his motivation be to find out if Sammy was of legal age to rent cars. "Now: Go," I would have said. SCENE ONE  Can you picture Sammy as the leading lady in a highbrow Merchant-Ivory/Miramax/Darren Aronofsky film? I can. Tell me which movie, what her character would be, and provide a few lines of dialogue and I will send the winner this movie.
See also: Crack Whore Confessions Labels: "the craft", contest, cracker jack, florida, las drogas, prosties ¶ Thursday, April 16, 2009 1 Comments Links to this post
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
"Crack Whore Confessions": Heeeeeeere's Edie!
 Usually I forget porn I watch moments after I watch it, unless it is very bad, very good, or very different. The "Crack Whore Confessions" series has stayed in my head for almost 24 hours."Crack Whore Confessions 3" features a porn performer the likes of whom I have never seen: a combination of Little Edie Beale from "Grey Gardens" and The Lady in Room 217 from "The Shining." This actual crack whore was found by a man named Cracker Jack somewhere in Florida. The "Crack Whore Confessions" series is different because the crackitude is front and center rather than somewhere in the background. It's not like watching a JM Productions movie and thinking, "Oh, someone didn't show up and they had to go out on Sepulveda and get a crack whore" - These women make no bones about being in it for the crack. Also, it needs to be said that they are not attractive.  You might say, "Oh, Grams. How dare you comment on the physical attractiveness of a woman, you Tool of the Patriarchy?"But their unattractiveness is what makes the business between crack whore and john so interesting; I actually watched the scenes to hear what they would say. Cracker Jack is an excellent interviewer because he is as shameless as the women servicing him. Both chat all the way through the transactions, which are sexual for no other reason than the body parts involved. You might also say that "Crack Whore Confessions" is sad. That it can be. But separating pleasure from happiness from commerce is a lot easier in this series, shot in Florida, than it is with most Porn Valley fare. Previously on Porn Valley Observed: Cream My Crack; Smokin' Crack 2 - The sequel; "After Last Season"; Riley Shy deserves medal, towel See also: Dirty D Labels: dirty d, florida, las drogas, new porn daily, prosties ¶ Tuesday, March 31, 2009 3 Comments Links to this post
Monday, March 16, 2009
Hollie Stevens is my whore
 More than a year ago I asked readers to please help me with a problem I was having. When writing about prostitution, I said, I needed a standardized image so that quick browsers could glance at the photo and know immediately that this was a story about prostitution.Thanks for nothing. Anyway, I encountered Pride of Kansas City/clown enthusiast Hollie Stevens outside my vehicle the other night and realized that my problems were over. So you know, Ms. Stevens is not a prostitute. She is an adult actress. I asked her to inhabit the role of a prostitute for the purposes of art, however, and she complied. I can do great things with this picture, like put a little Arizona state flag in the negative space when I write about a hooker bust in Phoenix. And Stevens' exotic European look is useful for prostitution stories originating everywhere from Brazil to the Caucasus Mountains. I cannot use her for Pakistani or Nigerian hooker stories, though. I wonder if Gia Jordan and Jada Fire might help me out? Previously on Porn Valley Observed: Hollie Stevens dodges a bullet; Hollie Stevens' balloon animal See also: Hollie Stevens Labels: gia jordan, hollie stevens, jada fire, prosties ¶ Monday, March 16, 2009 0 Comments Links to this post
Thursday, March 12, 2009
This Brothel Life: Booty is only part of it
 I've been to a few brothels in my callow youth and I have never, ever seen one that looks like the kind that are depicted in porn movies. And that's fine.The Moonlite Bunnyranch? A collection of windswept trailers in the desert. The Kennedy Compound it is not (and I've also been to the Kennedy Compound which, despite what you may have heard, is even less like a brothel). The fleshpits of Tijuana? Bars where the tequila tastes like feet attached to Soviet-style hotels reeking of disinfectant and the palpable despair of veracruzanas. Anyway, I drove to a familiar house in Woodland Hills where a company called West Coast Flava was shooting "The Brothel Life."  "I'm the madam," said the perfectly cast Vannah Sterling as she slipped in and out of clothes and character. "I get it up the ass from Mr. Marcus at the end."We were standing outside on a slightly chilly day that did great things for Sterling's nipples. "A lot of the Skinemax movies featuring bordellos and brothels don't have the madam in sex scenes," I noted. "Why is this movie different?" "Because I like to get it up the ass?" Sterling said.  I talked with the director to be sure. He was upstairs shooting Elena Heiress against a purple wall.T.B. is not just a man - he's a condition. The production manager of African-American-centric West Coast Productions, T.B. created West Coast Flava a year ago to focus on different niches, and distributes the movies through WCP. "We're shooting higher-end gonzos with a little bit of a plot," the Los Angeles native said. "And we try to get a good blend of girls no one has ever seen before with girls you'd recognize."  Elena Heiress has some great tattoos on her back, but she is getting one on her belly lasered off."I want to be a contract girl," she said, and she feels that a frontal tattoo might hurt her chances. But why does Vannah Sterling get it in the ass? The first time I saw this house it looked more like the brothels I spent my childhood in, learning to play piano while the good-hearted whores taught me about life; its carpets were stained, the floors looked bad, and the furniture was mismatched. Today the place looked great.  Except for the sex swing.There is something about the Porn Valley attitude toward money that can drive people a little nuts. You might be walking through a pleasant home with a great view of trees and mountains and then stumble into what appears to be a living room except it has a sex swing bolted to the rafters. It's just a little more gaudy than the stripper pole. You expect Al Goldstein to come shuffling by saying "I'm hung like a squirrel but I can smell your wife's cunt." Luckily, the sex swing was just there for the production. The prostitutes Sterling manages were all healthy, well-fed, clean, sexy, and appropriately attired. Elena Heiress, Jessica Bangkok, Alexis Breeze, Angel Cummings, and Vanilla Red flounced around the carpet awaiting orders. I especially liked Red's outfit, which holds appeal for people who like stockings and people who couldn't care less about them. I like T.B. as a director. He seems to like what he's doing. While posing the group he solicited advice from visitors.  "If it was up to me it'd be all booty," he said. "Booty booty booty. But this isn't an all-booty picture. You gotta show the front of them."Yes you do. Thanks for jumping on that grenade. Aside from Mr. Marcus bringing up the rear as it were, other brothel patrons included C.J. Wright and a man named Jodi Breeze, new to the porn business. He does not seem like a Jodi Breeze. But I admire his courage. "Breeze" seems like a good pimp name from the 70's. "Sometimes you gotta bring the hand down," he said.  In the corner the girls arranged themselves for eventual plucking by the patrons. They sat, they stood, they draped themselves over each other. Elena Heiress had a really bad habit of putting her hand in front of Jessica Bangkok's crotch for each picture I took."Please stop doing that," I said. "She wants me to see it." Maybe Heiress was trying to protect me from the madness that grips all men drawn into Bangkok's vagina.  The last time I saw Marcus he was wearing a Red Sox hat. That was also the last year (2007) the Red Sox won the World Series. His choice of Dodger cap might be a vote for Manny Ramirez."I'm not saying anything," Marcus said. Despite the sunlit and unrealistic classiness of this brothel, Brothel Life has one welcome element that outskanks its real-world counterparts: No condoms. Porn is about the fantasy, after all. See the Brothel Life gallery here. Previously on Porn Valley Observed: These milves are on the move!; Hirsch's heavies heave haunches heavenward; The famous vagina of Amber Peach; On the set of Analingus Blumpkinhead See also: West Coast Productions Labels: alexis breeze, angel cummings, cj wright, elena heiress, jessica bangkok, jodi breeze, mr. marcus, prosties, set visits, sports, vanilla red, vannah sterling ¶ Thursday, March 12, 2009 1 Comments Links to this post
Friday, February 13, 2009
Sunny Lane in the spirit world or: Every picture doesn't necessarily tell a story
 I don't expect Dennis Hof of the Moonlite Bunny Ranch to remember me, even if I've eaten In-n-Out Burgers with him and met him several other times. Have I had an HBO show? No, I haven't. I am indistinguishable from the next person; I blend in everywhere I go.Regardless, when I shook his hand last night, said, "Hi Dennis, I'm Gram," I expected him to say something other than "Good." Ditto Ron Jeremy. Every year in Las Vegas, for the past five years, I have ridden in an elevator with him between 3 and 5 on the Sunday morning after the AVN show. It just happens that way. I could set my watch by it if I was in the habit of leaving a two-hour window for appointments. But I suspect he has no idea who I am, nor should he: he is like VH-1 in a local stations only cable package world. But Sunny Lane, who accompanies these two everywhere, gives me the time of day. "Thanks for all the nice things you've said about me, Gram," she said.  So about this picture: it was a nipply 38 degrees just past midnight this morning, and a group of us were leaving the XBiz Awards.But for the life of me I don't know how those three other people got in the picture. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that those extra three (especially the guy) are the ghosts of California pioneers who were killed in a landslide on what would become Sunset Blvd. 300 years ago. The week has been spooky that way. But another thing that only revealed itself after I took the picture was the cellophane wrapping on the heat lamp. What the hell is that all about? If it were a stripper pole, I'd understand it - you can just rewrap the pole after each dancer to reduce the risk of infection. Maybe those extra three people were the ghosts of strippers who'd died from contaminated stripper poles and fatal thigh chafing.  So even though I don't travel in the rarefied circles of Hof and Ron, Sunny Lane always makes me feel like I'm just about to get lucky.(And maybe you, too: Sunny Lane will be at the Bunnyranch from February 18 through 27.) Previously on Porn Valley Observed: Sunny Lane bares her chess in North Hollywood; Ron Jeremy's Unified Field Theory See also: Moonlite Bunnyranch Labels: dennis hof, geekery, prosties, ron jeremy, strippers, sunny lane ¶ Friday, February 13, 2009 3 Comments Links to this post
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
2008 in Review: Books about Sex with Strings Attached
 No tampon or puppet-fucking jokes, pleaseAs you can tell from my lack of command of basic English grammar, I don't read much. And when I read, I don't read quickly. So the five books on this list I read for work, and they each happened to explore the dark side of sex for money. 1. John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches, by Jennifer Sugar and Jill C. Nelson. A must-read for porn fans and cautionary tale enthusiasts. Buy it here.I also read The Unbearable Lightness of Being this year, finally, and it was a great gift. While there is plenty of sex in the book, I'm not under the impression that there were any conditions. Though Teresa thinks her husband's hair "smells like a woman's groin," this is not the website for my thoughts on Milan Kundera. This site is all about porn kitsch. Previously on Porn Valley Observed: Prather prattles, pimps periodically published porn potboiler, Memphis Monroe unpeeled for field manual; Narcissistic Personality Disorder or just two very blonde women getting paid to have sex Labels: "tina tyler", 2008, Apple, books, ed fox, feet, interviews, Jenna presley, jennifer sugar, jill nelson, john holmes, las vegas, milan kundera, natalie mclennan, prosties ¶ Tuesday, December 30, 2008 0 Comments Links to this post
Thursday, December 04, 2008
Brandon Iron says we are all Hungarian hookers
 Dear Readers,Unless you are employed by New York Law School, it is probably illegal to look at this site from work. The thrill and danger of possibly catching a glimpse of a disaffected Hungarian hooker with a cold sore is more than likely too much to reconcile to your job description. It is only because porn is considered taboo that it is so attractive. Have you ever thought about what it would be like if prostitution were legal? Imagine a whole world that looks like Pahrump. Think of it in terms of swingers. Have you ever seen an attractive swinger? No, because there are no taboos with those people. Toilet seat up? Fine. No deodorant? No problem. Live in Texas? I'll have my mom drive me. That is why Brandon Iron's Perverted Planet 3 is so disturbing. For years, you thought that you were the only one who was perverted. Now the subversive Canadian tells you the whole planet is. He implies that watching Hungarian hookers being ass-serviced and then ass-servicing international porn ambassador Steve Holmes is as common as philately and numismatics. Yes, he implies those very things by calling his movie Perverted Planet. Philately.  But it's not so dire. It turns out the m0vie is shot entirely in the gray city of Budapest, with hookers traveling from other European capitals - probably by modern trains - to perform on a couch in a walk-up apartment. What we at first thought of as a global crisis is in fact very local. There are only pockets of perversion. It's not like people are fisting in the street. Not yet, anyway.But Iron persists in telling us that there is a universality of hookers. In fact, when performer Joe Blow introduces a scene he is about to undertake with Angela Winters, a scrolling caption tells us that Angela Winter flaked, so Lulu Martinez stepped in, and to just take what Blow is saying about Angela and apply it to Lulu. "All these euro chicks are interchangeable, so he's better off anyway" the caption reads. Iron kept Blow's intro because the Danube was behind it.  Like Gordon Lightfoot, the Canadian Iron says that if we could read his mind, Love, what a tale his thoughts would tell. Does he think that we will all become Hungarian prostitutes, and in so doing that none of us will be Hungarian prostitutes?Watch Perverted Planet 3 Now Buy Perverted Planet 3 Now See a gallery here. Previously on Porn Valley Observed: Don't tell Pazuzu; Hookers And Blow - an important film See also: Brandon Iron Labels: brandon iron, budapest, Europe, gordon lightfoot, Hungary, joe blow, lea lexis, lilu martinez, prosties, stella delcroix, steve holmes ¶ Thursday, December 04, 2008 0 Comments Links to this post
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Books: Prostitutes provide great return of investment
 I spoke with Natalie McLennan, formerly Manhattan's priciest prostitute (aside from David Gest) and most recently the author of The Price: My Rise And Fall As Natalia, New York's #1 Escort, from her home in Montreal.McLennan's book is a picture of that era in New York following 9/11 that saw a resurgence in conspicuous consumption that today seems ripe for the backlash that eventually came. In McLennan's case, the life she led as the female face of the escort agency New York Confidential (a name that would prove misleading) was so public that it's hard to understand how it went on so long. After all, offering sex for money is illegal in New York, right? "It was a time of real excess," McLennan said. Her book doesn't go into why post 9/11 New York was such a profligate place, where NY Confidential's owner, Jason Itzler, would brag about his pimpitude on Page Six of the New York Post, but maybe we can draw a parallel to Depression-era Chicago, where celebrities were made of high-rolling criminals like Al Capone. I liked The Price. McLennan goes from broke Canadian expatriate and out of work actress to coke-snorting, expensive shoe-buying, retired NFL quarterback-servicing high-priced hooker. Though the drugs get out of control eventually, McLennan's real downfall seems to come due to the boastfulness of Itzler, who invited scrutiny. Along the way, McLennan met and briefly worked with a woman named Ashley, who would later find fame as the favorite prostitute of disgraced former New York Attorney General and Governor Eliot Spitzer. [In related news, prosecutors last month decided not to pursue Spitzer in court.] A fun airplane read (provided you hide the cover from the person sitting next to you), The Price never gives the reader the impression that McLennan would do things differently (she eventually pleaded guilty to reduced charges of money laundering) if she could do it all again. Natalie McLennan: I was an intelligent girl. I had ambition - which might sound crazy from someone coming from Canada - and I was lusting for something. I just didn't know what it was until I got it. Gram Ponante: You talk about wondering where your rent was going to come from and three weeks later having thousands of dollars of disposable income. But that's how I read the story. Was money ever a real issue for you? NM: Well, I was always very sexual. I always liked attention. And I knew I could be good at what I set my mind to. So I made the leap of faith to escorting when the opportunity came up. GP: So it could have just as easily been anything else, like being the drummer for Rush? NM: That job was taken, but yes, I think so. Escorting was something I set my mind on. GP: 20 years ago this book would be all about your self-doubt and the judgment of others and what it meant to sell your body, but you write as if it is just a job with perks. NM: I remember the job really fondly. Everybody talks about eras in New York City, and I really think that if you weren't there between 2003 and 2007 or so, you missed the party. It was a free party for me. Maybe I choose to be so optimistic about it because I'm Canadian. GP: But toward the end, you were facing jail time, deportation, overdoses, not to mention the disapproval of your family... NM: Well, my family can not read this book... (McLennan's family know all about what she did in New York, but she feels that she can spare them the specifics.) GP: ... was there a "rock bottom" in any of that? NM: Oh, I went through a succession of rock bottoms.  GP: You describe your clientele as mostly handsome, always rich, always successful, often married. Why pay your hourly rate - which at the peak of your fame reached $2,000 - when they could get the same basic release from a lap dance or a $50 street hooker?NM: These guys saw me - us - as both a girlfriend and a porn star. What you're left with at the end, considering that money really isn't an issue, is that you could walk away from it feeling like a million bucks having only spent six grand. GP: That's a million bucks American? NM: Yes. It was all good karma shit. I like to think I left people feeling better than when I walked in. GP: Sex Worker Advocacy is a growing field in the United States, but I get the feeling that the issues common to high-end prostitutes are not in the case files of the street-level sex worker advocate/educator. Do you see yourself dispensing advice to women thinking of this profession? NM: Oh yes. I was at such a level that street-level things didn't really affect me, but I feel strongly that women should have a place to go for legal advice. And it can be a lonely industry without a real support system.  GP: But the overall feeling of the book was that you had fun.NM: It can be a very rewarding lifestyle, yes. Still, it's a huge responsibility to guide a girl toward it. I think about giving that kind of advice to someone and then picturing me smoking freebase while masturbating in my big mirror. GP: That's what I'm doing now! NM: So you're writing a think-piece, Gram? GP: You know it! So now you're managing a spa in Montreal but promoting - I won't say "pimping" - The Price around North America. What's next? NM: I have a fearless gene. We'll see where that takes me. Buy The Price: My Rise and Fall As Natalia, New York's #1 Escort  Previously on Porn Valley Observed: The Delivery Man; The Voluptuous Feet of Ed Fox; Christa Faust's "The Money Shot" (with Tina Tyler) Labels: books, canada, interviews, natalie mclennan, new york, prosties ¶ Wednesday, December 03, 2008 1 Comments Links to this post
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Moxxie Maddron's labia swoop in where Craigslist fails
 The very day that Craigslist announced it would begin clamping down on prostitution ads, the delightful and labially frank Moxxie Maddron declared that she would begin fucking fans.And because she is kind, she didn't say it like I would: ("Fucking fans"). Starting now, Maddron will select one member of her website to film a sex scene with each month. That's right, she said "member." And that's not all: Maddron indicates that it is the very social taboo that compels her to do it. "I get all wet and tingly when I think about one of my hardcore fans sliding their hard cock all the way up in me," she said in a statement. "It's so naughty!" Maddron recently garnered the Best New Performer honor at Tampa's stripper-centric NightMoves Awards and is a contract girl for Seattle's Hellhouse Media. In addition to the monetary contribution (membership at MoxxieMaddron.com is $24.95 per month), sex with Moxxie must be merit-based and the fan must be of sound mind. Fans are being encouraged to write in to Moxxie, explaining why they think they should win this amazing opportunity and what they plan on doing in the scene. Moxxie will then select a winner, based off of the most creative and erotic answers sent in. HellHouse reminds fans that no matter how excited they are they should remember to always be respectful and to keep their suggestions legal, safe, and sane.As I mentioned earlier, Maddron's announcement could not have come at a better time. The Associated Press reports that 40 state Attorneys General have enjoined Craigslist to crack down on providers of erotic services. As part of Craigslist's agreement with attorneys general around the country, anyone who posts an "erotic services" ad will be required to provide a working phone number and pay a fee with a valid credit card. The Web site will provide that information to law enforcement if subpoenaed.Thanks, Moxxie Maddron, for doing your part! (And by all means get that head injury taken care of.) Previously on Porn Valley Observed: On the edge of a rainbow in the dark; Meggan Mallone: Head on her shoulders; Sexy Janine hides head injury, signs with DP; Lexington Steele tries to be all things to all people See also: Moxxie Maddron, Hell House, Craigslist to crack down on prostitution ads (AP) Labels: contest, FitM, hellhouse media, moxxie maddron, prosties, SEATTLE, strippers, TAMPA ¶ Wednesday, November 12, 2008 0 Comments Links to this post
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Money is tight, but Audrey Hollander is not a whore
 In worsening economic times, the tough get entrepreneurial. This morning I thought, "If I were a pimp, I could rent out bathroom stalls at Gram Ponante Towers [etc.] to hookers the way estheticians rent out pedicure stations."Then I wondered if I had any pictures of porn stars in toilets. Then I remembered that I do have a picture of a porn star in a toilet, but that she is not a hooker. Audrey Hollander is not a hooker. I took this photo on the set of Hustler's XXX 30 (in May, for some reason, it was known as XXX 28, which doesn't make sense, because in porn everybody knows that 28 is the new 50), which was just released this week. That white spot on the wall that looks like a camera flash is actually the Holy Spirit. Still, the renting out of bathroom stalls to hookers: what a great idea! I wonder if I could get a loan? Previously on Porn Valley Observed: Gargantuan cock public toilet; Site emerges from toilet, patriotically; The Black Toilet of Lust; Kissy Kapri has a secret Labels: audrey hollander, money, prosties, toilet ¶ Wednesday, October 22, 2008 0 Comments Links to this post
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Kami, Kiki, and Anastasia: Battle of the Exes
 Kiki D'aire, Kami Andrews, and Anastasia Blue are three former porn performers (one of whom allegedly is returning and two of whom I've met) who have large and eclectic fan bases that are different from those of the standard-issue porn star. They also have ex-boyfriends and ex-husbands (and, in one case, ex-families) who will take every opportunity to trash them.In recent months I have received anonymous e-mails and comments from people telling me everything from these performers' real names, addresses, and telephone numbers to how much their escorting fee is and how much they've let themselves go. I delete as many of these comments as I can. No offense to any other website or publication, but I have neither the time nor inclination to air your grievances. According to the women themselves, each of whom has contacted me, they are getting on with their lives and have guarded words about the people who are putting them down anonymously, all of whom share certain identifiable characteristics with exes. However invested a porn star is in his or her fan community, she is performing a job that ends when she quits, and she has a right to privacy and, at the least, the right to defend herself in person. I would no sooner print an anonymous tip about Kiki D'aire as I would about Tom Cruise (a little bird told me they are the same person - ZING!) and the fact that their detractors want to attack them in such a personal manner leads me to an issue I have with some porn fans. Public bulletin boards and website comment sections are not the place for personal attacks, especially anonymous ones. And the woman you pay to jerk you off, whether she is on a screen or in your hotel room, is a temporary employee and not a substitute for every woman who has ever turned you down. To paraphrase Mika Tan, porn performers are whores, not sluts. You pay them and they perform a service, in the same way that you pay me and I file nuisance lawsuits at the courthouse. And if you encounter them in an outcall situation, you do not own them and, despite literature to the contrary, being a 'monger does not make you cool. As always, the only reliable metric of coolness is the amount of sex one gets for free (without being Uday Hussein). UPDATE: A commenter said today that Anastasia Blue died on July 19 from an overdose of Tylenol. I have yet to verify this. If anyone has reliable information please share it with me. Previously: Where have you gone, Kiki D'aire?; Anastasia Blue, where are you?; Kami Andrews leaves porn, having never been to me; Mika Tan Fights for America, Whores, and the Right to Film Sex with Asian Men See also: Kiki D'aire on MySpace, Kami Andrews on IAFD, Anastasia Blue on IAFD Labels: anastasia blue, kami andrews, kiki d'aire, mika tan, prosties ¶ Wednesday, July 23, 2008 4 Comments Links to this post
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
San Francisco takes first step in decriminalizing prostitution
 San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom, mulling the idea of succeeding Arnold Schwarzenegger as governor of California, is against decriminalizing prostitution in his city, saying that it will hinder investigation of sex trafficking.But members of the Erotic Service Providers Union, which represents some prostitutes, strippers, and other hands-on laborers, who gathered 12,000 signatures to land a measure to end prostitution prosecution (as well as requiring first-time johns to attend a class) on this November's ballot, rejoiced. "We made it!" said Starchild, a Bay Area male prostitute and activist. "Now all we have to do is win the election." A Prostitution Task Force convened by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors recommended decriminalization in 1996. Sex worker activist Maxine Doogan said it was about time the said it was about time the Task Force's suggestions were implemented. "Criminalizing sex workers has been putting workers at risk of violence and discrimination for far too long," she said. Previously: Mom and pop whores benefit from rising gas prices; Gram needs prostitutes See also: Erotic Service Providers Union Labels: legal, prosties, san francisco ¶ Tuesday, July 22, 2008 0 Comments Links to this post
Thursday, July 03, 2008
David Lord denies prostitution charges
 Director David Crawford, whose alias in the porn industry is David Lord, said in a statement released today that his recent arrest on charges of staging a sham marriage has nothing to do with prostitution, as has (allegedly) been reported elsewhere.According to the Associated Press Crawford, 37, married the Hungarian Agnes Jeges in 2003 and two years later applied for a green card for her. Routine investigation by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service revealed that Crawford and Veges, who is alleged to have worked in a Sherman Oaks brothel, did not live together. Crawford is charged with perjury for having lied on Jeges' immigration application. If convicted he faces five years in prison. Jeges would serve ten years if convicted for making false statements. Having once been married to a Hungarian myself, I agree that it was a sham. Jennifer Silliman, deputy special agent in charge of the ICE office in Los Angeles, said her agency investigated the legitimacy of the Crawford/Jeges marriage on a tip. Everyone I know who knows Lord likes him, but I guess I don't know the type of people who ratted him out. Apparently there have been reports that the director, who has worked for a number of companies, was "linked to a prostitution ring" and he denies this, as does Jeges deny she is or was a prostitute. "Those statements are false and have absolutely no merit," Lord said in a statement. So not only did someone drop a dime to the federales about his marriage to Jeges, but there have also been reports he's linked with illegal prostitution. Someone is pulling out all the stops. Crawford's attorney could not be reached at press time, but I do wonder why a porn director facing federal charges in one matter would make an effort to distance himself from something he is not charged with, unless there is a risk of being charged with more crimes. I have known several people involved in sham marriages and it really does seem like a victimless crime, especially when compared to the large number of legitimate but loveless marriages. Lord was released from jail on his own recognizance yesterday. Above: image from Lord's Pinks  PinksPreviously: Pinks review on Fleshbot; Surewood arraigned on eight charges See also: L.A. porn director charged with staging sham marriage (sfgate via AP) Labels: david lord, Hungary, legal, prosties ¶ Thursday, July 03, 2008 0 Comments Links to this post
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Mom and pop whores benefit from rising gas prices: Report
 While legal brothels in Nevada, zoned for communities of fewer than 400,000 people and often far from interstates, are suffering from the steady increase in gas prices, illegal prostitutes are doing just fine, the National Network of Johns, Pimps, And Prostitute Teamsters (NNJPPT) reported."Corporate prostitution is and always has been the bane of the individual practitioner," said [name withheld], a user of prostitute services in Detroit. MI. "It is only now, when truckers can't get to the Bunnyranch without shelling out an extra 200 bucks for diesel, that any light is being shined on the millions of streetwalkers, escorts, and hot prosties who don't have some gated trailer in Pahrump to fellate in." A recent Newsweek story said that revenue in legal brothels in Nevada was down by nearly 50 percent across the state, due in part to a flagging economy but also because truckers, who represent a significant amount of bordello customers, could no longer afford to both fill their tanks and clean their pipes. "And that's fine by me," said [name withheld], a rail-thin Reno prostitute delivering a vigorous handjob to [name withheld] in the Atlantis Hotel lobby mens' room. "America isn't Wal-Mart; it's the corner shop where things might not smell as good but, damn it, you get personal service." [name withheld] relaxed her grip and effortlessly caught [name withheld]'s issue in a ready Kleenex in her left hand. "I see you've had your Zinc today, [name withheld]," she said as he exited and his successor arrived. "For generations, prostitutes have given head for little or no overhead," said [name withheld], curator of Miami's Museum of Hookers, "and while state-sanctioned brothels may have conferred some legitimacy on the profession of hookery, the corporatization of whorehouses has by and large neutered the essentially in-call nature that made a prostitute's visit more than just a GFE; it was a cultural event." [name withheld] said that, when brothels were legalized in Nevada, the retronym "stationary escort" was coined to describe the difference between a mobile prostitute and the kind sequestered in places like the Chicken Ranch. "We don't want Middle America to believe that the fate of the stationaries is the fate of the mobiles," she said. [name withheld] also warned that the public should not think that, just because one state's legal prostitution profits are down, that hookers from Freeport to San Diego aren't benefiting from increased walk-and-bike-up traffic. "It's amazing what you can get done in a bicycle basket," [name withheld] said. "The only potential side effect to the brothels' money hemorrhage and increased work for truck stop prostitutes is the resuscitation of the career of JT Leroy." Previously: "The Delivery Man": bodies buried in the desert See also: Feeling the Pinch: Nevada's Brothels Hit Hard Times (newsweek) Labels: money, nevada, prosties ¶ Thursday, June 26, 2008 0 Comments Links to this post
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Seis de Mayo: Shame and redemption
 The first thing one thinks when confronted with Wicked's new Latina Hollywood Hookers is, "Well Duh. You think there's Latina hookers in Glendale? It would be a step up to have Latina hookers in Glendale."On that subject: Irvine Robbins R.I.P., whose first ice cream store was in Glendale. Mourn ya 'til I join ya (pours Friendly's Fribble on grave). After the triumph of Cinco de Mayo we are faced with harsh realities: some Latinas turn to prostitution. Luckily the "hookers" of the title are not streetwalkers but classy call girls with phone numbers, credit at a florist, and their own couches. Demi Delia is the head of this escort agency but, striving to stay close to her roots, also sees select clients. One is Ben English.  In the first scene, English and Delia offer a valuable service to consumers, providing an example of the small talk and protocol characteristic of a session with an escort: he places the money on the table, she pretends to have missed him since the last time, and then they get down to it.The only inaccuracy was that they kissed each other. That Wicked requires condoms made for more authenticity. If a hooker does not require a condom, you should run (unless you are only there to strangle her, in which case you should reconsider and go to Baskin Robbins).  The second scene is even more authentic in its awkwardness. Tommy Gunn forgets to pay Sienna West until she prompts him with something legally innocuous, just in case he is a cop:"Do you want to take care of business?" Sienna West utters not one "Ay, Papi" throughout the scene, but she does imply she is a Latina by asking, "So do you like to fuck Latinas?"  Daisy is a massage therapist in the next scene, and Randy Spears tells her that her "money is over there." Nick Manning plays a serial whoremonger in his scene with Cassandra Cruz. She asks if he has seen women from the agency before."All of them," he says. "And none of them can keep up with me."  Finally, Alex Sanders and Dick Delaware sign on for Maya Gates. "You know it will cost you a little more?" asks Delia in the phone interview.I found this scene the most verdad of all of them. The conversation was stilted and Cruz knew very little English. In fact, it was less like a porn scene and more like a hard-hitting HBO documentary, with poignant human drama everywhere you looked.  One bit of dialogue I would have liked to see was:"You sure you're not a cop?" "You sure you're not Armenian?" Wicked has done a great public service in releasing this prostitute primer. Still, I can't help thinking that if these women had been white, they would have been called "escorts." Previously: Hookers And Blow See also: Wicked Labels: daisy marie, demi delia, latin, minireview, new porn daily, Nick Manning, prosties, randy spears, Tommy Gunn, wicked ¶ Tuesday, May 06, 2008 0 Comments Links to this post
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
The Delivery Man: Bodies buried in the desert
 Prior to steady employment as America's Beloved Porn Journalist I parlayed my state-issued Commercial Driver License into a gig driving escorts to appointments.When driving a pro it was as solid a job as working at General Electric; when the escort didn't take her job seriously it was like herding cats. Cats who lie to you and have gonorrhea. "The Delivery Man," the debut novel of Joe McGinniss, Jr. (his father wrote "The Selling of the President 1968  " and the Ted Kennedy biography "The Last Brother ," among other books), tells the story of Chase, a half-hearted artist who takes a driving job for a Las Vegas escort agency.Like any resort town, the desperate side of Las Vegas is never too far away. And that might be its appeal. "The Delivery Man" paints a picture of Chase, the artist, and Las Vegas, his home, in equally somber tones, but no less rich. Read it before your next trip to Vegas. I talked with McGinniss recently. GP: Most novels containing world-weariness usually feature older characters. What compelled you to write about younger natives? JMcG: This is as much a story about the hypersexualization of young people and the rise of sex in popular culture - as it is a Vegas story. Young people had to be front and center of "The Delivery Man" because they reflect society and social mores so clearly. And the combination of young people and Las Vegas was irresistible given the fantastic glittery void and raison d'être of the city. What do the kids who grow up in the spillover from the Strip aspire to? How does living in ground zero of social and moral dysfunction - complete with adult industry annual awards shows and Latino immigrants handing out call-girl flyers offering 'girls in 20 minutes or less' t-shirts - impact kids as they come of age? So this is why I had to focus on the younger natives of Las Vegas. GP: Like Los Angeles, the accepted wisdom about Las Vegas is its artlessness. Chase's pursuit of an art career is one of the many ominous elements of the novel, because a reader has a good idea it won't go well. Where did his half-hearted profession come from? JMcG: There are some wonderful artists in Vegas. And some impressive efforts to develop an art community. But yes, there's a mountain of angst in that place and so few places to put it. So what better then to have Chase channel his personal pain into his art. His favorite painting 'Carly' possesses obvious emotional power for him. But like too many "victims" of a Las Vegas upbringing - Chase never quite gets his ambitions off the ground. He has a sense of what he wants, and even a track record of achieving something (gaining admission to NYU, nominated for Teacher of the Year), but like so many in his hometown, he's afflicted by a paralyzing lack of self-esteem that manifests itself in his half-hearted pursuit of an art career. GP: Lack of self esteem leads to half-heartedness? Don't tell the porn industry. I was happy to see via a trip through your site that there is a screenplay in progress, because Las Vegas needs the treatment Michael Mann gave to L.A. and Scorsese gave to New York and Boston. Who do you see playing the main characters? JMcG: I'm officially an "associate producer" on this project therefore I'm under contractual obligation not to mention specific names of potential directors and talent. I take this job and that title very seriously so I'm afraid I can't offer anything. Kidding. I really haven't given it too much thought but have recently become fixated on a few excellent young actresses out there. I see Lauren London as Julia and Nikki Reed as Michele. Both of them are talented and stunning and have this intangible quality -- a certain sultriness -- that I think would really fit with a film version of this novel. There's no question that the film will give young actors an incredible opportunity to completely bust out with something so edgy and fast and tough. Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run) or Paul Thomas Anderson could direct. Are they available? GP: I'll see what I can do. Issues I have with the book (feel free to become enraged; it is your birthright as a writer): The character Julia arrives for a conference in the middle of the year as an adult convention and awards show is going on, porn stars abound at the Hard Rock. Which convention would this be? The AVNs are in January and I can't think of another Vegas awards show. JMcG: Two words: artistic license. And the National Black MBA isn't in the Spring -- it's held each fall as I am well aware because my wife went to that for many years during and just after she graduated "b'school" as they call it (with some of her stories making it into "TDM"). But that timing didn't work for the book. As well, in fairness, I didn't name the AVN's -- just an unidentified adult film convention. GP: AVN's PR firm will be stoked to read this. Who is the actual model for the cover girl? JMcG: Isn't she amazing looking? Her name is Anna Seeberg. An aspiring model who lives with her family in Wisconsin. The picture was snapped by her younger sister -- 16 at the time -- in the backseat of their mother's car. The art director for Grove/Atlantic found the photo on Anna's MySpace page and worked something out with her parents (she wasn't 18 at the time) and we got the rights to her photo. Stunning picture. Urban Outfitters must like her look too because they're selling the book hard in all of their stores. As far as characters in the book -- I don't think she's supposed to be anyone in particular. It's more about the expression on her face, the red glasses, the light finding her hair the way it does, the lolita thing, the back-seat of a car. But if she has to be someone -- I say Aubrey -- from El Cajon -- who weighs 87 pounds and whose favorite food is an Egg McMuffin without the egg. Previously: Christa Faust's "Money Shot" See also: Joe McGinness Jr. Labels: books, interviews, las vegas, prosties ¶ Tuesday, April 29, 2008 0 Comments Links to this post
Monday, February 04, 2008
Sex workers: Republicans provide more work, but Democrats do in a pinch
 Denver's upcoming Democratic National Convention will lure not only Clinton and Obama supporters but also thousands of hookers, the people who keep track of sex workers say. But that's nothing compared to what Republicans get up to.The following story has a similar lead paragraph to what I just wrote, but I swear I didnt copy it. I'm just that hooked into the zeitgeist. From The Rocky Mountain News: Political tricks may not be the only ones turned during the Democratic National Convention in Denver this August. Previously: More than ever: Gram needs prostitutes See also: DNC boost for sex biz (Rocky Mountain News) Labels: denver, politics, prosties ¶ Monday, February 04, 2008 0 Comments Links to this post
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Call for submissions: Gram needs prostitutes
 As you know, I write about prostitutes as often as I can and this MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant will allow.But I am sick of searching Google for images of "prostitutes" when I know so many of my close personal friends list that occupation on their tax returns. So I am looking for the Official GramPonante.com Prostitute whose image can grace every 2008 post about prostitution. The requirements are as follows: 1. The prostitute must be female and over the age of eighteen 2. The image must be a full shot of the subject in one of the 23-U.N.-sanctioned "hooker poses," including self ass-slapping, alley-leaning, bending to vehicle window, and showing up at hotel room door and saying "Hey, Sweetie." 3. A little nudity is OK, even encouraged 4. The photo(s) must be submitted by the subject herself 5. The subject need not be a prostitute currently but must make a convincing case for it The Official GramPonante.com Prostitute will receive a text link to her website each time her image is used, as well as universal admiration. Labels: contest, prosties, website ¶ Tuesday, January 29, 2008 0 Comments Links to this post
Sex workers to convene in Chicago
 The Desiree Alliance, a volunteer foundation of sex workers and sex worker organizations based in Henderson, NV, will host its annual conference July 16-20 in Chicago.The conference, titled "Pulling Back the Sheets: Sex, Work, and Social Justice" continues the Desiree Alliance's commitment to sex worker rights and education. Recent conference subjects included Internet-based marketing of services, the treatment of disabled clients, and How to Handle Arrests. Previously: Sex workers gather in Poland; Pot smoker calling kettle black See also: Lorelei Lee Gets Nakedly Personal in Sex Worker Art Show (The Naughty American); Desiree Alliance Labels: events, news, prosties ¶ Tuesday, January 29, 2008 0 Comments Links to this post
Monday, January 21, 2008
Pot smoker calling kettle black
 A retarded man is stalking the transgendered prostitutes, or "transvestitutes", of Atlanta and posting YouTube videos of them.Steve Gower is a director of the Midtown Ponce Security Alliance (MPSA), a member-funded community policing organization that regularly tails prostitutes in this residential section of Atlanta. It is difficult to know who to root for in this video, in which an Elmer Fudd soundalike taunts bedraggled prostitutes clacking up and down the quiet streets of his neighborhood. The attention Gower pays his quarry and the throbbing house soundtrack accompanying the video indicates an affinity for his subject. Gower got into the neighborhood watch game when his pot smoking was interrupted by a car theft. He admits that he just wants to shift the prosties a few streets away. "We're not social workers," he said. Previously: Amsterdam's car hump service; Prostitutes don't actually like you See also: One man's battle against Midtown prostitutes and their johns Labels: atlanta, commentary, news, prosties, transsexual ¶ Monday, January 21, 2008 3 Comments Links to this post
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Tuesday shocker: Prostitutes don't actually like you
 Britain's Guardian newspaper printed an "interview with a prostitute" that contradicted what she feels is the empowering feminist myth depicted by the blog Belle du Jour and its spinoff TV show "Secret Diary of a Call Girl".The 50-ish prostitute says that the recent trend of hookers seeming glamorous is a male invention. The reality is far more sordid, she says. At the very least the life of a prostitute is very rarely like that of Belle du Jour, played in the British show by "Doctor Who"'s Billie Piper (pictured). This is a shocking distortion of the facts. Who hasn't looked into the vacant eyes of a person one is paying for sex and thought, "I believe she's really into me"? You are always on top in a hooker's hierarchy of priorities. The real-life prostitute's account is here. I think she has a bad attitude. My impression is that she was probably not of the sunniest disposition when she was working as a secretary, either. Belle du Jour's blog is here. Previously: Hookers have no sense of humor Labels: billie piper, blogs, commentary, england, geekery, news, prosties ¶ Tuesday, December 11, 2007 0 Comments Links to this post
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Sex trafficking and moral entrepreneurship
 Susie Bright interviews Laura Agustin, author of Sex at the Margins: Migration, Labor Markets and the Rescue Industry.Agustin says: Traditional prostitution debates are theoretical, focusing on the abstract question of whether selling sex can be considered a job -- or must be defined as violence against women. Often debates seem to be a search for a single moral truth, in which the words of the subjects themselves are irrelevant.Read the rest of the article here. Previously: Hookers have no sense of humor; And another thing: it's not 'sex work' when you're just lying there See also: The Truth Behind the Sex Trade (alternet.org), A different view: The Girls Next Door (nytimes); Teen girls' stories of sex trafficking (abcnews) Labels: commentary, prosties, susie bright ¶ Thursday, October 11, 2007 0 Comments Links to this post
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Hungarian prostitutes to emulate Radio Shack
 ...by providing receipts.Hungary's tax authority will allow sex workers (or Budaprosties) to apply for permits and pay taxes on their earnings, adding legitimacy to an occupation that is already quasi-legal but not part of the Hungarian tax base. Opponents say this move will allow Hungary to capitalize on human trafficking without improving conditions for sex workers. It also doesn't address how johns might declare "Fellatio Services" on their taxes. Read the full article after the gap. Hungary Gives Permits to ProstitutesPreviously: Hookers have no sense of humor; Memoirs of a Madam See also: Hungary gives permits to prostitutes (sfgate) Labels: Hungary, news, prosties ¶ Sunday, September 30, 2007 0 Comments Links to this post
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Hookers have no sense of humor
 It is one of life's great ironies that something that should be so much fun - sex for money - is taken so goddamn seriously.Recently I interviewed the organizer of San Francisco's Back Alley Cat Bike Ride, an event scheduled for next Saturday that in her words will "build connections between communities." In this case, the communities being linked are Erotic Services Providers and San Francisco's Bike Messengers Union. You all know me; you know how I earn a living. So you can imagine my excitement to talk further with this person. Read about the disappointing outcome after the gap. The Back Alley Cat Bike Ride is a short fundraising cycle that will begin at noon on September 22. Interested parties should meet at the feet of Gandhi's statue at the San Francisco Ferry Terminal. The ride will be followed by a barbecue and entertainment at The Eagle on 12th Street. "Gandhi symbolizes community building and spirituality," said Maxine Doogan, aka Mistress Max, organizer of the ride and founder of The Erotic Services Providers Union (ESPU). "Like Cesar Chavez, Gandhi embodies community building." The ESPU was established to address the safety issues, legal hurdles, and double standards sex workers face. To that end Doogan has created an organization that has raised not only awareness but also the funds to send "two prostitutes, a webcam girl, and a dominatrix" to labor organizing school, which is no mean feat. Unionization has long been a pipe dream among Porn Valley's performers, but it never catches hold because people stay too short a time in the business to make the idea feasible. The money is too good to offset the occasional (but inevitable) pitfalls, such as non-payment, undesirable conditions, and broken contracts. It seems to me that by the time performers have achieved a certain longevity enough to care about the so-called performer community, it is already too late for them to make the living that characterized their early careers. But prostitutes have a longer life span, and San Francisco (and Las Vegas) are hotbeds of sex worker union activity. {Many people point out that porn performers, because they trade sex for money, are prostitutes. One key element differentiating the two professions is the presence of a recording device. So next time you're with a hooker, make it legal by bringing a stenographer.) Anyway, Ms. Doogan devised the Back Alley Cat Bike Ride because, she said, "bike messengers and sex workers are always using the back alleys" for their work. This sounds like a fabulous idea, so naturally I wanted to know if, based on the success of next weekend's ride, bike messengers would turn tricks or provide erotic massage for future fundraising events. "I don't know what you mean," Doogan said. "Well, if you've got prostitutes riding bikes this year," I said, "maybe next year bike messengers could, you know, give handjobs." "We're not having prostitutes become bike messengers, if that's what you mean," she said. "No, that's not what I mean," I said. "I mean, you've got the prostitutes - sex workers - employing the trappings of the bike messengers for the purpose of this fundraiser. Maybe next time the bike messengers can take on the tools of the sex workers, a quid pro quo role reversal." "I'm afraid I don't know what you mean." "Forget it." Don't get me wrong; I love hookers. But even though an actual streetwalker will be obtained for the occasional Ghetto Booty, and even though porn performers will often escort, their attitudes on the (w)hole are very different. When one is forced to dodge bike messengers all day in a back alley, whimsy is the first casualty. Previously: Sex workers gather in Poland; It's not sex work when you're just lying there See also: Erotic Service Providers Union Labels: events, philanthropy, prosties, san francisco ¶ Tuesday, September 11, 2007 4 Comments Links to this post
Friday, July 20, 2007
Asian hookers treat David Aaron Clark most shabbily
 David Aaron Clark's Legend of the Oriental Luv Motel! is a riveting look at one man's realistic expectations of prostitutes.As Gram Ponante Towers, Aviary, Helipad, Salmon Hatchery, Kibbutz, and Centrifuge are in Koreatown, now I know what to look for. Read the review here. Previously: Pornhounds; Dreaming of Snow See also: David Aaron Clark Labels: "david aaron clark", asian, prosties, reviews ¶ Friday, July 20, 2007 0 Comments Links to this post
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Memoirs of a
 While Shy Love does not set pen to paper or address the camera in Sinsation's Memoirs of a Madame, thus making the title misleading, the movie does reveal little-known truths about upscale escort services previously possessed only by viewers of late-night Skinemax:1. Bordellos comprise a rigid hierarchy presided over by an icy and absolute ruler, so possessed of sexual self-confidence that her attendants stand at attention, slack-jawed, around her. 2. It is every street hooker's dream to manage a brothel for someone else. 3. No one has a conversation in the breakroom, like every other corporate environment in America; the business gets done in sparse offices and well-lit bedrooms. This movie made me think, if these are hookers, who were all those people in Mexico? Shudder. Read the review here. Previously: San Francisco celebrates hookers as "least deviant by comparison"; So much more convenient than doing rails off hookers; It's not 'sex work' when you're just lying there See also: Sinsation Pictures Labels: dvd, prosties, reviews, shy love, sinsation ¶ Thursday, June 21, 2007 0 Comments Links to this post
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Sex workers gather in Poland
 An international group of sex workers attended the recently-concluded 18th International Conference on the Reduction of Drug Related Harm in Warsaw. Below is the group's statement.STATEMENT FROM SEX WORKER HEALTH AND RIGHTS ADVOCATES The statement is based on materials developed by Stella, a Canadian sex worker See also: Sex Workers Outreach Project Labels: Europe, events, prosties ¶ Wednesday, May 30, 2007 1 Comments Links to this post
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
All I wanna do is bicycle
 Bringing new meaning to the term "oral interpretation"*, Sex on Wheels, a bike tour that will feature dramatic portrayals of San Francisco's legendary sex workers and smut purveyors, is seeking actors to illuminate the roles of the Mitchell Brothers, hooker/Sausalito Mayor Valerie Solanas, Chinese prostitute Ah Toy, and many others. The tour will take place on July 22 from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. People interested in playing a part should contact Jenny Worley at jgworley@usfca.edu (I hope she wrote a big fat grant for this). Organizer Shanti Rieber describes the event as "Think Colonial Williamsburg, but with whores." It occurs to me that Frisconians, as they prefer to be called, spend so much time being sex activists that I wonder if they're actually getting any. Previously: Visit the Venice Beach Whore Memorial; Shame's diminishing returns See also: "Bicycle Race" *With an opening line like that, I wish I had a weatherman to turn to for today's pollen count. Labels: events, prosties, san francisco ¶ Wednesday, May 09, 2007 0 Comments Links to this post
Thursday, April 26, 2007
San Francisco celebrates hookers as "least deviant by comparison"
 Considering what else goes on up there, San Francisco officials say, this weekend's Courtesan Carnival, a benefit to send sex workers to classes where they will study labor organizing, will be like a "wholesome church spaghetti dinner.""I walk three steps out of my office and there's some poly-gendered juice straining PVC-clad Kucinich supporter fisting God-knows-what in the alley and asking for healthcare and a BART discount," didn't say San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom. "The prostitutes seem like Cub Scouts by comparison." The Erotic Service Providers' Union is throwing the first annual Courtesan Carnival, a two-part event that begins this Sunday with a Porn Star Karaoke Rock and Roll Show and Auction, co-sponsored with the Harvey Milk Democratic Club (www.milkclub.org), at Annie’s Social Club from 6:00 p.m. to 10 p.m.Eyeing the poster depicting a couple of pairs of shaved white legs, Newsom didn't add, "Compared to what I just saw at the ATM on Market Street, this looks downright wholesome." Previously: San Francisco sex workers seek to unionize; And another thing: it's not sex work when you're just lying there See also: Erotic Services Providers' Union Labels: events, prosties, san francisco ¶ Thursday, April 26, 2007 0 Comments Links to this post
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
San Francisco sex workers seek to unionize
 An affiliation of "erotic service providers" ("an Erotic Service Provider is anyone who is compensated for his or her erotic services or compensated for their support of someone else’s erotic service" - thus making yours truly an Erotic Service Provider) in San Francisco is gearing up for a season of fundraisers and awareness-building events in anticipation of the latest attempt at unionizing the skin trade.The 'San Francisco Courtesan Carnival' series of charity events and parties will support labor rights and education funding for erotic service providers. Funds raised will provide tuition so 50 erotic service providers can attend intensive labor skills training organized by the United Association for Labor Education during the summer of 2007.See? If we ESPs had been unionized, I could have called my shop steward on March 1 rather than bringing in The Man. It is not lost on me that, using the loose definition of what constitutes an erotic service, all the waitresses at Sardo's should get in the union based solely on the way they bring me my copious amounts of alcohol. Previously: It's not 'sex work' when you're just lying there; Shame's diminishing returns See also: Erotic Service Providers' Union ¶ Tuesday, March 20, 2007 0 Comments Links to this post
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Italian human trafficking ring whacked
 Italian police have broken up a human trafficking ring operating across Italy with the aid of 45 women forced to work as prostitutes.Police arrested over 800 people in a sting known as "Spartacus", which referred to both the slavery aspect of the crime and the fact that there was no clear organizing body (though a law enforcement official delicately alluded to there being a "family-based" element within the gang of culprits). Many of the prostitutes were from Eastern Europe. 22 buildings, including night clubs and sweat shops, were also closed down as a result of the four-month investigation. Previously: It's not "sex work" when you're just lying there See also: Italy smashes prostitution ring (bbc) ¶ Wednesday, January 24, 2007 2 Comments Links to this post
Friday, December 22, 2006
And another thing: it's not 'sex work' when you're just lying there
 The Bush Administration has requested that the term "sex worker" be expunged from government vocabulary because it believes that most people involved in prostitution (or porn) are not there by choice; therefore they are slaves.From Agence France-Presse: Prostitutes are usually termed sex workers by governments and socialAnd I believe we need to call hookers "Hot Prosties". Previously: Amsterdam's car-hump service See also: SWOP-USA ¶ Friday, December 22, 2006 0 Comments Links to this post
Monday, December 18, 2006
Amsterdam's car-hump service
 In addition to prostitution that is legal betweeen adult citizens of Dutch and European Union countries, The Netherlands boasts designated parking areas with privacy shields in which prostitutes can allow clients to access Their Netherregions.The areas also have a coffee service and social workers nearby, though presumably not so nearby as to dampen the mood. As you know, maintaining an erection near a LICSW is damn-near impossible. Petra Timmermans is an Amsterdam-based advocate for porostitutes' rights. Prostitution is a reality, she argues, and in order to protect those women and men who engage in it, it should be given equal status to other occupations.We should really start offering prostitute drive-in service at Rally's. Their hamburgers are just awful. Previously: Shame's diminishing returns; I, Vuur; Ron Royster: Escape from the Valley of the Dutch! See also: How the Dutch protect their prostitutes (bbc) ¶ Monday, December 18, 2006 0 Comments Links to this post
Friday, December 15, 2006
Visit the Venice Beach Whore Memorial
 I realize that I use the word "whore" pejoratively, but never against women or men working as prositutes. I have used it to describe AOL, Verizon, Congress, and your mom, but now I understand that any stigmatizing use of that word gives real whores a bad name.That is why on December 17 you should visit the "Wall of Whores" on Venice Beach between 12 and 4 p.m. Organized by the Sex Worker Outreach Project (SWOP) LA, the wall will feature contributors' anonymous "whore stories" and the SWOP booth nearby will allow visitors to pay five bucks for ten minutes of "Real Talk with a Real LIVE HAPPY SEX WORKER" (you can discuss tipping once you get there). "Topics ranging from sex advice to holiday plans will all be fair game," says the press material of the five dollar rap sessions. I plan to talk about how Valentine's Day is a goddamn whore. The exhibit and booth are to promote Sunday as the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers, and in attendance will be SWOP-LA founder and "proud whore activist" Jenna Jasmine and Norma Jean Almodovar, founder of the International Sex Worker Foundation for Art, Culture, and Education (ISWFACE). “The death of punitive stigma around words like whore and prostitute is the first step that sex workers and non sex workers alike can take (to) critically examine how institutionalized misogyny really operates on a daily basis,” said Jasmine, discreetly billing my credit card. Previously: Shame's diminishing returns; Britney Spears continues to offer hope of immaculate conception; Michelle Aston will eat your girlfriend like fried chicken; Whores Not Wars See also: SWOP-USA, Whore Labels: events, news, prosties ¶ Friday, December 15, 2006 0 Comments Links to this post
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Shame's diminishing returns
 The world is changing. The threat of exposure and humiliation adds spice to many an activity, and if the shame is removed, you're stuck with an expensive prostitute you might not otherwise find attractive.The formula for China is d(one billion) where d=drab. If picking up a karaoke prostie loses its thrill, what is left? From the Washington Post Foreign Service: BEIJING, Dec. 8 -- To local officials combating Shenzhen's reputation as aPreviously: Pigs of Bay bust brothel; No coercion in the champagne room; Tough time for Arizona prostitutes; The Losers you knew in high school get jobs; Masturbation and shame; Squirting, shame, and the Dark Knight See also: World Sex Guide: Shenzhen, China Digital Times (tag: prostitution) ¶ Tuesday, December 12, 2006 0 Comments Links to this post
|
July 2002 December 2002 January 2003 January 2005 February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 October 2008 November 2008 December 2008 January 2009 February 2009 March 2009 April 2009 May 2009 June 2009 July 2009 18 U.S.C. 2257 Record-Keeping Requirements Compliance Statement This Website fully complies with 18 U.S.C. 2256 and 2257 and the regulations promulgated thereunder. The owners and operators of this Website are secondary producers and are not the primary producer (as defined in 18 U.S.C. 2257) of any of the visual content contained in this Website. All models, actors, actresses and other persons that appear in any visual depiction of actual or simulated sexually explicit conduct appearing or otherwise contained in this Website were over the age of eighteen years at the time of the creation of such depictions. All other pictures, graphics, videos or other visual media displayed on this Website are exempt from the provision of 18 U.S.C. 2257 (a) through (c) and 28 C.F.R. 75 because the pictures, graphics, videos or other visual media: (1) do not consist of depictions of sexually explicit conduct, but are merely depictions of non-sexually explicit nudity, (2) contains only visual depictions of actual sexually explicit conduct made before July 3, 1995, or is produced, manufactured, published, duplicated, reproduced, or reissued before July 3, 1995; (3) contains only visual depictions of simulated sexually explicit conduct; (4) contains some combination of visual depictions described in (2) and (3) above; (5) have been certified by its primary producer to the operators of this Website (as secondary producers) to satisfy the standards under (2) through (4) above. |
