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The Adams Report |
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Column #616 |
We've got two helpings of scandal this week involving newbie Joey Milano and -- who else? -- Michael Lucas. In the last column, I wrote about Mr. Milano's decision to film a bareback title (Dungeon for SX Video, in which he also appears with Drew Peters and Jason Tyler). This did not go over well with a number of powerful industryites, who will no longer hire Mr. Milano out of concern they will be seen as popularizing condomless sex. Turns out one of Mr. Milano's fellow performers showed him that column, and he was on the horn right away. He gave me an exclusive interview, and, well, if anyone was unhappy with him already, then our conversation will likely crank their blood pressure another notch. "I just want to make sure you hear my side of the story," he said over the phone. Mr. Milano has been filming sex flicks for about 16 months and they've made him one of the more popular newcomers of recent vintage. But he tells me that he'd stopped having fun. "And porn should be fun! I got into this because I wanted to have fun and enjoy myself, and I wasn't doing that anymore." Why? The cold, hard fact is that Joey Milano doesn't wear condoms in his private life, and he'd grown increasingly disenchanted with having to wear them onscreen. "Look, if someone calls and wants to put me in their movie and I have to wear a condom, of course I'll do it. I'm not like Jeff Palmer, who refuses to wear one anymore. But porn is about fantasy. And wearing a condom is not one of my fantasies, and it's not the fantasy of most of my fans. You wouldn't believe how many guys write to me and ask me to do a bareback movie." And so he has. Dungeon for SX Video was the first, followed by recently shot flicks for Hot Desert Knights and Spunk Video. (He is wearing rubbers in a forthcoming Dick Wadd film.) Mr. Milano firmly insists that I understand why he chose to go bareback at this point in his career: "I can't be a hypocrite," he tells me. "I just can't do it. I can't tell someone to wear condoms when I don't." But what about his responsibility as a performer in blue movies to educate viewers about safer sex? He replied, "My responsibility is this: I am negative, and I knew [what could result] in going bareback. I made a choice, and I do not regret it." Mr. Milano says he encourages fans who wear condoms to continue doing so. However, "I believe my viewers and fans have a conscience and know what's right and wrong for them. I choose to go bareback because I have that right and will not let anyone dictate [otherwise] to me. This may sound dumb, but we as Americans are slowly losing rights and slowly being told what to do. I won't let certain production companies take [my right to choose] away by threatening not to use me anymore. Like I said, I'm not a hypocrite. Most people know that going bareback is a risk but if they choose to take risk then that is their choice, not mine to make for them." What do you readers think? Take advantage of the e-mail address below and share your thoughts. LUCAS & THE GRABBYS Believe it or not, but the dust is still kinda-sorta settling over last month's rowdy GAYVN Awards showdown. Michael Lucas, whose company controversially shared the Best Picture win with Chi Chi LaRue's company, felt the need to give the final (for now...) word on his much-maligned acceptance speech, which he has repeatedly insisted was meant to be taken as a goof. Regarding the show, the director-producer-star says he felt it was "lots of fun. Or at least I had loads of fun. I am sorry that people don't get a joke. Did they really want me to go on stage and say 'thank you' and 'I love you'? How dreadfully boring that would be." Mr. Lucas noticed "no one applauded each time I went on stage, but to be frank, I get enough applause when I go to non-industry events, [be it] a lecture at Yale or a personal appearance at a club. The audience is always great to me. It's the industry folk that can't stand me." Although Mr. Lucas does feel journalists get his sense of humor. That's good to know! Michael Lucas also took the time to clarify his relationship with Chi Chi LaRue, and I'm not going to go into the details here. Suffice it to say, he claims the pair are "now a loving, sweet, cuddly couple as we always were," a statement I am not going to touch with a 10-foot pole, "and we can share Mt. Olympus and spit on everyone from the top. That is a joke, of course." Of course! Mr. Lucas also had a few choice words for the Grabby Awards, with whom he has had a contentious relationship ever since he took the stage several years ago (as a presenter) and denounced the bestowal of an award to agent David Forest, someone Mr. Lucas dislikes intensely for reasons I won't get into again. Subsequently, Mr. Lucas was banned as a presenter, and he, in return, stopped sending his films to the magazine for review purposes. As a result, he has not earned any nominations in recent years. (You can't be nommed at the Grabbys if you haven't been reviewed first.) This year, however, Mr. Lucas' Dangerous Liaisons snagged a number of nods, including one for Best Picture. That didn't appease him. "The Grabbys have been very unfair to me for several years," he states. "They just ignored my company. They were always focused on L.A." He says the show producers invited him to attend next month's ceremony, "but I don't think they will be fair to me. They hate me because I spoke my mind, but it gave the industry something to gossip about. From my 20-second speech on stage, the Grabbys were mentioned constantly for years and years. This is about entertainment, and I provided plenty of that." Mr. Lucas is peeved over what he perceives as snub of his employees, coworkers and the performers in his films due to what he considers a personal bias. "I do not singlehandedly produce those films. It involves a large creative force, and its work should not be overlooked just because [Grabby producers] have issues with me. I'm not the most-loved person in the industry, and that's fine. I'm not asking to be given the title of best performer but I think my movies should be recognized. So will I skip the Grabbys again this year? Probably, yes." For the record, I asked the Grabby producers to chime in, and I could hear their agonized groan from across the continent. Here is the official reply: "We really don't see any good reason to respond to his comments. He is free to have his own opinions, and that's all he is really stating. Anything we would have to say is not going to change his mind." And that, as they say, is that. BITS AND BOBS Last month in this space, I hinted about a major shakeup in GayPornLand. It's finally been made official what we've known for weeks: Studio 2000 has been sold. Dave McKay, formerly a consultant to Falcon Studios, is the new big cheese. Legendary studio founders Scott Masters and John Travis will stay on board. Newcomer John Paulus, who made tabloid headlines regarding his alleged condomless tryst with Clay Aiken and who subsequently filmed Lucas Entertainment's Michael Lucas' Auditions 8 just as the scandal broke, has established a blog: JohnPaulus.blogspot.com. It's titled "Clay Aiken Exposed" and contains a photo of the DNA- and lube-encrusted washcloth Mr. Aiken apparently used to clean up after his romp with Mr. Paulus. Also reprinted are what Mr. Paulus says are the singer's Instant Message notes arranging the encounter. Director Lucas Kazan tells me he has lined up locations and a star-packed cast for his latest epic to shoot in Southern Italy next month. His last film was the multi-nominated Love and Lust for KristenBjorn's Sarava Productions. The Grapevine: We've uncovered details on the passing (in 2001) of one of gay adult's best-known performers, a huge star throughout the 1980s and a man whose face helped to define the era. We haven't printed anything yet because he left behind one hell of an awful mess, and we're still sorting out the specifics. Stay tuned, though! |
- J.C. Adams |
| J.C. Adams has covered the gay adult video industry since 1995 and has served as the editor of Inside Porn Magazine and Unzipped Monthly. In addition to the "Adams Report" weekly gossip and news column, his work has appeared in Adult Video News, Gay Chicago Magazine, Genre, HX and many other print and online publications. You can reach him at: JCAdamsXXX@aol.com. |