THOUSANDS TURNOUT FOR TEMPTRESSES
Thousands of adult entertainment fans lined up along the walk-on-the-wild-side as early as 5 p.m. to stand three and four deep on both walls of a winding 1/4 mile walkway thru the lobbies and hallways of the swanky resort this weekend. They started at Wolfgang Puck’s LUPO restaurant and past Hubert Keller’s Fleur de Lys and Michael Mina’s new Stripsteak before ballooning into one major crowd near the airport-security-type metal detectors at the entrance to the Events Center.
Some 7,000 fans shelled out as much as $225 a ticket to join the industry stars. Some even taped their cameras and video recorders to broomsticks and poles 20 feet high to go over the fans in front—all a far cry from the original Adult Video awards back in the ’80s, when just 20 people gathered!
AVN publisher, Paul Fishbein told me, “This turnout of both fans, exhibitors, film-makers and stars is even larger than last year’s record-breaker. We’ve really become a mainstream business with proper recognition.”
Proof of the adult business going mainstream showed with the re-designed awards show—think of it as the Oscars of Porn, with awards in 114 categories!
Mainstream entertainers Artie Lange and Bubba “Love Sponge” Bob, both Howard Stern satellite radio sidekicks, led the lineup. With so many fans and stars walking the red carpet, it didn’t start until 9 p.m. and it was midnight before the top stars left to head out to nightclub parties. Twelve actors and actresses were inducted into the AVN Hall of Fame. For the first time ever the show will air on the Showtime cable TV network.
“That’s a giant step for our business,” said show host Tera Patrick. Comedian Greg Fitzsimmons was co-host for the second time in three years. Nostalgic cable-TV clips from past AVN awards were screened between award groupings, along with porn-stars themselves showing their talent as comedians and musicians.