Porntifications

Posted by mikezillion at January 30th, 2007

I had really hoped to avoid weighing in on this one. I mean, yeah, I’m Jewish, so I do have a personal stake in how my people are perceived. In this case, TightFit Productions released a title called Assraelis, which featured the trademarked “Kof-k” symbol usually reserved for foods authenticated as kosher. It was a publicity coup when the group which authorizes use of the symbol asked that it be removed from this inedible (and therefore technically kosher) product. Everyone from the blogosphere, the adult news industry publications, the major Israeli newspapers, and even the New York Times are weighing in on this one. Ya gotta laugh at yourself a little to survive for six thousand years.

Posted by mikezillion at January 29th, 2007

First Amendment lawyer and Free Speech Coalition Chair Jeff Douglas has a great article in XBiz about the lack of parallel standards for protecting minors from exploitation from Hollywood producers. Although the draconian 2257 record-keeping regulations have led to at least ten investigations of adult studios, the proposed standard for non-adult studios is much more lenient. Considering how frequently minors are intentionally placed in simulated sexual positions on mainstream movie sets, it’s a shame that there aren’t better controls on both sides of the imaginary line separating porn from plain old smut.

Posted by mikezillion at January 28th, 2007

I like breasts as much as the next man, assuming the next man is also a philosophical pansexual. It’s great to hear that the Breast Awareness Benefits Everyone (B.A.B.E) booth at the Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas raised over $15,000 this year. Stars recruited by Genesis Magazine staffed the booth space, sponsored by Booble.com and Adam & Eve. Fans donated $5.00 to receive a personally signed squishy boobie toy. I want one!

Posted by mikezillion at January 27th, 2007

Ebay, a name which needs no link (but gets one anyway), has decided to delist all virtual property. This means that it is no longer possible to use the popular c2c commerce site to sell land or goods which exist only in Second Life, World of Warcraft, Everquest, or any of the other growing virtual economies. While this isn’t technically about porn, it does concern the online valuation of digital property, and it’s inevitable that the world of porn is going in that direction.

Posted by mikezillion at January 26th, 2007

The Berlin Venus show is much bigger and busier than the Paris Venus show. However, I’m shocked to hear that Venus Paris, the other big porn industry trade show in Europe, has abruptly been canceled. The organizers say it was a combination of lackluster exhibitor registration and a few quibbles with the operators of the fairgrounds. All I can say is that my plans for April in Paris have been dashed!

Posted by mikezillion at January 25th, 2007

Hu Jintau, the leader of the Chinese Communist Party, says he wants to ‘purify the internet’. With China’s history that includes getting collusion on censorship from web giants such as Yahoo and Google (although not Wikipedia), this statement comes as no big surprise. Pornographers and political dissidents alike should all watch this closely.

Posted by mikezillion at January 24th, 2007

I do have an MBA. Whoopee! One of the most valuable lessons I learned while I was earning that sacred degree was a quip from a classmate. He said, “Planning is everything, but the plan is worthless.” The point of business planning is the thinking that goes on during the planning process. Getting locked into a plan–a snapshot of the thinking process at a moment in time–is one of the biggest mistakes businesspeople make. I just read another great riff on the subject by Guy Kawasaki, whom I worked with briefly during the late 1990’s. We can all stand to learn more about stuff like this.

Posted by mikezillion at January 23rd, 2007

Producer Joe Francis of Mantra Films, makers of the ubiquitous Girls Gone Wild and Guys Gone Wild video series, has been sentenced to 200 hours of community service, fined half a million dollars, and ordered to have all his travel in and out of the country approved by the courts for two years. All this because of his arguably questionable attention to detail in following the strict-yet-ill-defined 2257 record-keeping regulations for his performers.

Posted by mikezillion at January 22nd, 2007

The debate rages on. Is it better for an adult studio to go exclusive with a single streaming video company, or spread the wealth around? There are good arguments on both sides: Exclusive deals usually come with higher percentage revenues and lots of marketing muscle. Non-exclusive streaming lets the customer choose the way he wants to view the content, and makes it available in more places. Either way, gay porn powerhouse COLT Studio Group has decided to go exclusive with gay streaming powerhouse NakedSword. It’s hard to argue with success, but that approach may still work best for big names like COLT.

And speaking of NakedSword, you gotta love this company! They’ve got some of the most innovative online marketing around, from GayPornBlog to the Tim and Roma Show. As mentioned earlier, they just partnered with AEBN, so it looks good for them!

Posted by mikezillion at January 19th, 2007

Who doesn’t love Jenna Jameson? I can’t imagine anyone. With her industry-driving ClubJenna.com subscriber site, and her amazing diversity of products, this woman is a definite powerhouse. Now rumors are flying that her autobiography, How to Make Love Like a Porn Star, is going to be made into a mainstream Hollywood movie. Is it true that Jenna wants Scarlett Johansson to play her? We’ll have to wait and see…