Vivid Studio Insider for April 25th, 2008

Vivid Studio Insider for April 25th, 2008

Tristan Taormino photo courtesy of puckerup.com / Penny Flamephoto courtesy of vivid.com

JEZEBEL READERS LOVE TRISTAN - The hot and popular feminist website Jezebel.com posted an announcement of Vivid director Tristan Taormino's new reality-based porn series, " Rough Sex " to the hearty approval of its readers. Within a few hours of its posting the item was viewed by thousands of readers, scores of whom posted comments, summed up by one: "I will so buy this." "Some women like rough sex? Bless my heart, I feel the vapors coming on..." said a reader. Another replied, "Absolutely, absolutely fabulous. There is a desperate need for adult entertainment for women, and for women who aren't all into gauzy romantic sh*t. I'll definitely pay to see some scratch-and-bite, up-against-the-wall sex with NO female degradation." Another expressed her girl-crush on Tristan: " I don't watch porn - but I will say that I *heart* Tristan Taormino and damn if she isn't the cutest thing ever...." And another wrote, "Bless her. Rough sex doesn't have to equal hate sex, porn industry. It's ok if the girl looks like she's enjoying, too, ya know," while the next post said, " YES PLEASE. I will buy it. I am so bored of male-centric porn. I can't watch any of it, if just because the acting is so bad and the bodies are so fake. Thanx Tristan." The series will be introduced with the Taormino-produced film " Penny Flame's Expert Guide to Rough Sex " with performer Penny Flame . It will be issued by Vivid-Ed, Vivid's sex education line and will be the first instructional video of its kind to examine how to play rough and do it safely. "Rough Sex" will cover a range of controversial topics including dominant/submissive role play, spanking, slapping, hair pulling, and even choking. A release date will be announced.

RAY J. (AND VIVID) MAKE THE WIRES - The new album release by hip hop artist Ray J. continues to get media attention, and with it are mentions of the Vivid-Celeb sex tape he made with Kim Kardashian . An Associated Press story by Sandy Cohen this week was distributed to thousands of newspapers and other media outlets. It's headline: "Sex, lies and videotape; Brandy 's brother hopes notoriety equals album sales." Cohen wrote, "Ray J," born Willie Ray Norwood Jr. , started acting at age 8 and released his first album in 1997. But Brandy's little brother became freeway-photo material just last year, when his homemade sex tape with Kim Kardashian hit the Internet and he was linked with a freshly divorced Whitney Houston , Lil' Kim and tell-all hip hop groupie Karrine "Superhead" Steffans . Now the 27-year-old hopes to shift the focus back to his music with the release of his fourth album, 'All I Feel.'" The article goes on: "The infamous sex tape, which also shot Kardashian to a new level of notoriety, was made in Cabo San Lucas , Mexico , on the socialite's birthday five years ago. Ray J says the two had been a couple for 'four years off and on,' and insists the video was made strictly for private purposes. 'We were just having fun, letting it all hang out,' he says. 'But I didn't think they were going to see it actually hanging out.' He says he doesn't know how porn purveyors Vivid Entertainment got a hold of the video, but he and Kardashian filed lawsuits after its release. Both reportedly settled for multimillion-dollar sums." The " Kim Kardashian Superstar " DVD is currently one of the hot adult sellers nationwide.

"ISRAELNEWS.COM" COVERS " JEWS IN THE AMERICAN PORN INDUSTRY" -- In an article flagged with a bright red " WARNING!!!

This article contains adult content. Viewer discretion advised! " IsraelNews.com this week covered Jews in the adult film industry. The warning was not so much because of the editorial content but rather the explicit photos of Vivid Girls accompanying the story, which focused on what the writer called the "triple-exthnics" who he says are the "true blue Jews." After first relating the story of adult film pioneer Reuben Sturman , IsraelNews.com writer Nathan Abrams notes:

"The contemporary incarnation of Sturman is 43-year-old Jewish Clevelander Steven Hirsch , who has been described as 'the Donald Trump of porno'. The link between the two is Steve's father, Fred, who was a stockbroker-cum-lieutenant to Sturman. Today Hirsch runs the Vivid Entertainment Group , which has been called the Microsoft of the porn world, the top producer of 'adult' films in the US . His specialty was to import mainstream marketing techniques into the porn business. Indeed, Vivid parallels the Hollywood studio system of the 1930s and 1940s, particularly in its exclusive contracts to porn stars who are hired and molded by Hirsch." Writer Nathan Abrams is a lecturer in Modern American History at the University of Aberdeen . He has just completed a book on neo-conservatism in the United States . Acknowledged sources for his story range from The Jewish Quarterly to Vivid.com .

Photo courtesy of www.vivid.com

SAVANNA PUNCTURES THE POLITICOS -- Vivid Girl Savanna Samson made her first appearance as a political reporter on the late night Fox News Channel talk show " Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld ." She looked demure and spoke extremely well about the Clinton/Obama debate, candidate tax returns and Putin's love scandal. She told her viewers that the Democrats seem to be arguing less about public policy and more about which candidate feels the other is too harsh in their give and take. She also had some spicy words about Senator John McCain , who had released his tax records just before the show. She noted that the senator earned over $400,000 last year, "mostly from his Senate salary and book royalties," but because she files separately we still don't have any idea how much was earned by "his wife, Cindy - who is worth an estimated $100 million." Savanna even dipped her toe into international reporting, noting that former Russian President Vladimir Putin is denying a recent report that he has split from his wife "and plans to marry a former Olympic gymnast less than half his age."