It’s a tough time to be obscene — at least if your name is Max Hardcore. The notorious pornographer has been sentenced to 46 months in prison and fined more than $1.4 million. (avn.com, more at xbiz.com)
Original post by Lux Alptraum
“Get on that carpet!” growled Max Hardcore to his jittery arm candy as a strolling Mexican family observed. “They need to see you!” The event was the “Pirates II” premiere at downtown L.A.’s jewel box Orpheum Theatre this weekend, and the adult industry was on notice that if they didn’t attend they would be kicked out and banished to perform random blowjobs in Vancouver. Vancouver, Washington, no less. That is why Fleshbot West attended, and brought you the following report.
The biggest American adult industry event prior to January’s AVN Expo, the “Pirates II: Stagnetti’s Revenge” premiere attracted most of the movie’s stars including Jesse Jane, Katsuni, Stoya, the sylphlike Riley Steele, Evan Stone, Tommy Gunn, Steven St. Croix, and David Aaron Clark, seen here with Jandi Lin, whose process in his pivotal whore-negotiating scene involved eating two turkey legs.
“I was there for two days of shooting,” he said.
The premiere marks the midpoint of “Pirates”-related marketing and publicity, coming more than three years after the debut of its predecessor’s first press release and three years before the collected weight of all its publicity efforts will sink the Pacific Rim (which, considering the analingus involved in this movie, would have made a good subtitle).
The only porn stars to arrive dressed like pirates were the swashbuckling Nicki Hunter and Tommy Gunn, the Stagnetti of the title, who wore his evil glass eye.
“I wasn’t in the movie much,” he said. “But I’m hoping for a Supporting Actor nomination,” Gunn said.
“But you were the title character,” we observed. Hollywood is so unfair.
Former Digital Playground contract performer Teagan prowled the red carpet for XBiz which, like rival AVN, now features video interviews. If only Sophia Santi and Janine had been there, it would have been a “Pirates” reunion.
Other porn luminaries in attendance were publicity magnet Kayden Kross, Aiden Starr, Bobbi Starr (no relation), Ringo Starr (not actually there), Satine Phoenix, Jenna Haze, and Sasha Grey, who came dressed as Sasha Grey.
As usual, Ange Venus, who plays the inscrutable Katsuni’s henchwoman in the movie, attracted most of the attention on the red carpet, wearing almost nothing but her hair. Katsuni by comparison dressed very elegantly. It was as if Venus was going to the MTV Awards and Katsuni to the Golden Globes.
This reporter spent so much time outside that he did not get in on the free bar in the lobby, but by then the movie was starting. The crowd cheered as the first popshot broke over Shay Jordan’s prow. We’ll give you a review of the movie, that may or may not include the blurb Belladonna is salad tosseriffic!, soon.
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- Photos by DCypher
• “Pirates II: Stagnetti’s Revenge” (official site @ piratesthemovie.com)
• Digital Playground (digitalplayground.com)
Original post by Gram Ponante
Speaking of pornographers in trouble, did Max Hardcore not exactly get a fair shake in his obscenity trial? Jurors refused to talk to reporters after returning their guilty verdict because they had already agreed to band together and write a book about the trial. First of all, that hardly leaves them unbiased (or ethical), and second—who the hell wants to read a book about jury duty? Isn’t there some way we can get out of that? (tampabay.com + tbo.com)
Original post by Dashiell Bennett
Following 14 hours of deliberation today, a Tampa jury found extreme pornographer Max Hardcore guilty on ten counts of distributing obscene material, the first time Hardcore has been found guilty in a career full of obscenity legislation. Hardcore said that he would appeal, and is free on bail until a September 5 sentencing. “I’m full of good spirits and they didn’t get my house,” Hardcore told AVN.
Hardcore’s attorneys told jurors that no one could have purchased or seen the eight hours of fisting, urination, and mock-”underage” footage by mistake, and (according to AVN), several jurors approached the Hardcore team afterward and expressed sympathy, saying the poor wording of the legislation painted them in a corner.
Despite past successful defenses for more extreme material than the likes of “Fists of Fury 4″ and “Extreme Max 19,” as well as the positive testimony of retired porn star Summer Luv—who told the jury that Hardcore, unlike other porn directors, “cared” and paid on time—the jury was unable to sidestep existing law, which counts as obscene anything that “appeals to prurient interest.”
As a precedent, this case bodes ill for Evil Angel and director John Stagliano, who face similar charges for tamer movies. That case is not expected to go to trial until next year.
· “Closing Arguments In Max Trial Reveal Prosecution’s True Agenda” and “Max Hardcore Found Guilty in Obscenity Trial” (avn.com)
· Max Hardcore (maxhardcore.com)
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Previously: Porn Valley (Adjacent) Dispatch: Max Hardcore Busted, Max Hardcore Trial Update, Porn Valley Dispatch: Max Hardcore’s Process
Original post by Gram Ponante
So far, most of the legal wrangling in the obscenity trial of Paul Little (a.k.a. Max Hardcore) has been a prolonged argument about just how much porn a jury needs to see in order to determine if it’s obscene. Believe it or not, it’s the defense team that is saying they need to see all of it, a strategy which could backfire. After watching eight hours of hardcore porn in a packed courtroom, even we might get the urge to convict someone. (avn.com + tampabay.com + foxnews.com)
Original post by Dashiell Bennett