Best of the Decade: Part 1 (2000-2004)

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Dueling Divas: Beach House Diaries

We recently announced the launch of Vincent Lambert’s new monthly column (with business associate and XBIZ GLBT editor Jeremy Spencer) for XBIZ magazine. The column is called “Dueling Divas” and the two longtime porn journalists have already written three of them. Now, for everyone who has asked, the first one, a review of Men of Odyssey’s comeback hit, Beach House Diaries, is available online at the XBIZ Web site. So to see Spencer and Lambert get all Siskel and Ebert on director Jim Steel’s latest, click here. And let us know what you think!

Seen: Roman Heart, the Jarics and Shane at AEE

The pictures keep coming in from the Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas last week. Porn actress Shane was signing across from the booth of www.sunshinedvd.com (the official site for the Men of Odyssey titles, including Beach House Diaries), and the queen of gonzo just couldn’t resist the gorgeous gay porn stars surrounding her. Among the studs she posed with: Falcon’s Roman Heart (um, what color is she?) and Aden and Jorden Jaric (above), Titan Media’s Dean Flynn and Diesel Washington, and Raging Stallion’s Jake Deckard. “This show was a blast!” Shane said. “I mean these guys were so hot, how could I stay away? If I do another one of these shows, I hope our booth is near the gay section. They’re way more fun than straight guys!”

News: Men of Odyssey Releases Gift Sets

Just in time for the holiday season (and that one wacky hard-to-buy-for uncle!), Men of Odyssey has packaged its top-selling DVDs into two library-case gift sets. Volume 1 features the classics Idol in the Sky (Ryan Idol), Jerry Douglas’s Top Secret, Lucas Kazan’s Journey to Italy (Derek Cameron) and Chi Chi LaRue’s Uniform. Volume 2 has Ken Ryker in Ryker’s Revenge, the time travel epic Pharaoh’s Curse, Jim Steel’s Carnal Intentions (Tony Donovan) and Hardbody Magazine (LaRue’s gossip-and-sex homage to Entertainment Tonight).

“This is a great gift idea for the porn lover, especially if they are into big movies with major stars,” says Men of Odyssey’s Bob East. “The combined nominations and awards for each set is staggering! Best actors. Best directors. Best screenplays. And almost every one of these won awards for sex of all kinds! What more could you ask for? These are truly from the golden age of Men of Odyssey.”

The sets are available for a limited time and in limited quantities. For more information, visit www.menofogv.com.

News: Beach House Diaries Hits VOD

Men of Odyssey announced that its first new release in more than five years, Jim Steel’s Beach House Diaries, is now available in VOD and PPV from its own site, www.menofogv.com. “In this new market, VOD and downloading have become as common as rentals became in the ’80s,” says Bob East of Odyssey. “We were advised to hold off a while to put this on the Web because it is thought it would hurt sales of the title. But we have had so many inquiries about VOD that we figured to give it a try on our own site.” The site is connected to www.sunshinedvd.com, which contains many of the older Men of Odyssey titles as well as those of other lines. “Sunshine has a state-of-the-art delivery system and will enable the consumer to have the best possible experience for their equipment type through its options,” East adds. “We have had a terrific response to the movie, and the reviews have been great. We couldn’t have asked for more from our first new release in some time.” Beach House Diaries stars Brad Benton, Tory Mason, Jesse Santana, Barrett Long and Brant Moore and is available now. For more information, visit www.menofogv.com.

Movie Review: Beach House Diaries

BY VINCENT LAMBERT

Director: Jim Steel.
Cast: Brad Benton, Cole Ryan, Tory Mason, Brant Moore, Romario, Barrett Long, Jesse Santana, Christian Owen, John Wright, Luca Alexander.

Men of Odyssey is back…and so is the swag! The studio that ruled the industry in the late ’90s with award-winning titles such as Echoes, Carnal Intentions and Technical Ecstasy returns with Beach House Diaries, a first-rate production helmed by Jim Steel. And to accompany each review copy, Men of Odyssey goes back to the good old days of porn promotion by including a tote bag filled with goodies to make critics beach-ready. There’s a shovel and pail, beach towel, beach ball, bottled water and saltwater taffy. Thanks, Men! And, we are happy to report, the movie inside the bag is a scorcher as well. Writer/director Steel has assembled a gorgeous cast and filmed them at an equally gorgeous beach house, complete with pool, Jacuzzi and oceanfront view.

When fun couple Brad Benton and Cole Ryan welcome a group of attractive friends to their home, all kinds of horniness breaks out among them. But first, a long-haired, now beefy Benton (we thought he had gone legit!) and furry cutie Ryan steam up their bathroom with lots of kissing, sucking and fucking. Visitors Tory Mason, Brant Moore and Romario get steamy in their own threeway. Mason and Moore share Romario’s sweet cock, which happens to be attached to an amazing bodybuilder physique, but Mason ends up topping Moore, who is the receiver of all loads! After some shots of the guests frolicking in the pool, the action continues when Romario poses on the stairs for shutterbug Luca Alexander. Again, there is oral and a bit of anal, but alas, muscleman Romario ends up jacking alone by a fountain. Barrett Long turns up to romance adorable newbie Jesse Santana, who gets one look at Long’s massive piece in the hot tub and is soon deep-throating with zeal. Long is still hung huge (and when did he get so nicely hairy?) and, after banging Santana, pops a big load all over his face. Night falls on the compound, and Christian Owen and John Wright entertain themselves by the fireplace. The lighting in this scene is dark and moody, and the sex fits the atmosphere.

All in all, Steel has made a film that appeals to the eye with beautifully composed shots (in letterbox format) that do justice to the subjects. The models don’t have much dialogue or character development to deal with, but the hot bods and sex are what count, and they do not disappoint. The editing by D-3 is also quite good, with lots of interesting crosscuts and fades. Viewers may not get the swag, but as summer draws to a close, they will get a memorable trip to the Beach that will both excite and entertain. For more information, visit www.menofogv.com. (Men of Odyssey)

News: Phoenix to Offer Beach House Diaries

Mail-order company Phoenix Releasing has made arrangements to offer Men of Odyssey’s new release, Jim Steel’s Beach House Diaries, on July 24, the same date as the scheduled street date for the title.

“This is our first simultaneous offering,” says Michael Lavelle, of Phoenix Releasing. “We have always been a believer in the quality of the Men of Odyssey line, and this is very exciting for us. We are offering it at a special reduced price for a limited time through our Web site [phoenixreleasing.com] and to our regular customers.”

Beach House Diaries is the first new release in nearly four years from the multi-award-winning company known for hits such as Ryker’s Revenge, Echoes, Idol in the Sky and Family Values. The movie stars Jesse Santana (pictured, above), Tory Mason, Cole Ryan, Brant Moore, Christian Owen, Barrett Long and five other top models. Shot on location at a beachfront house, the film tells the story of a group of friends who get together for some fun in the California sun.

A PPV/VOD provider has yet to be announced by Men of Odyssey.

News: Paladin to Release Men of Odyssey Return

Gay company Paladin has agreed to distribute Jim Steel’s Beach House Diaries, the first release from the newly relaunched Men of Odyssey.

“There was never a doubt who I wanted for this production,” says Bob East of Odyssey. “From the day we first talked about starting up, I said, ‘We need a top-notch distributor that specializes in gay material behind this line.’ Paladin was the immediate choice based on our previous track record with them.”

Paladin was the exclusive distributor for Men of Odyssey in its first incarnation, only ending its association when the company closed in 2003. During that time, it distributed hits such as Idol in the Sky, Ryker’s Revenge and The Journey Back. Paladin also released the award-winning Echoes and Carnal Intentions.

Jim Steel’s Beach House Diaries stars Jesse Santana, Luca Alexander and Brad Benton (pictured, above), in addition to Christian Owen, Tory Mason, Barrett Long, Cole Ryan, John Wright and Romario. It is scheduled for release in July. For more information, visit www.menofogv.com.

Porn Star Interview: Clay Maverick

BY VINCENT LAMBERT

Spread the word: Clay Maverick is back! The 26-year-old superstud who first turned the porn world on its ear in 1997 has returned from a two-year hiatus to star in MSR Videos latest release, White Trash. And Maverick brings along six feet and 185 pounds of smooth, hard muscle.

Originally from Seattle, the hunk relocated three years ago to Denver, where he is a full-time interior-design student. Maverick began dancing at a club in Seattle in 1997. It was there that he was approached by a talent scout. “The guy asked if I would be interested in jerking off,” Maverick recalls. “He said I would get paid $1,500. I figured I would be jerking off anyway, so I agreed!”

That resulted in his first scene, a solo in the video Hard Focus. Maverick felt so comfortable in front of the camera that when Big Video asked him to go all the way on film, he had no problem with it. “They said it would pay more,” he says, “so I figured I would do it.” Soon after, he signed an exclusive contract with the studio. This led to appearances in such hit videos as Naked Highway and Handsome Drifters. Then Studio 2000 came to call, and Maverick signed with them for such films as Billy 2000, The Big Shot and Night Riders. After that contract expired, Maverick went on to work for Falcon Studios (Sting: A Taste for Leather), Men of Odyssey (Carnal Intentions), Atomic Video (West Hollywood Hope) and others.

In 1999, Maverick decided to take a breather from the industry. “I just needed a break,” he says. So he returned to everyday life and took a job as a milkman (just imagine that delivery!). “Doing porn hadn’t really changed my life,” he says. “None of my friends really cared that I had done it.” But when Maverick made the decision to return to school, the porn world once again beckoned. “I needed the money,” he says.

Since his comeback, Maverick has done a couple of orgy scenes for Falcon and starred in White Trash. “It’s good to be back,” he says. “Doing a scene is such a turn-on. It’s hot. It was especially fun making White Trash. [Director] Tony Alizzi was great. He let me do my own thing, yet everything was very professional and organized. I like that on a shoot.”

The big-dicked (nine inches, cut) star says his favorite thing to do on-screen is suck cock. He is exclusively a top (“In real life too!” he is quick to add), and his favorite type of man is “tall, dark and handsome.” Maverick says he never watches his own movies (“You can’t watch yourself screw. It’s too creepy!”). In fact, he says that he rarely watches porn at all. “When you do it for work,” he says, “it loses its appeal.” But Maverick admits that he is a very sexual person and is always horny. And—good news!—he is single. “When you go to school and travel and dance on the weekends,” he says, “it’s kinda hard to find the time for a relationship.”

Traveling to clubs as a dancer takes Maverick all over the country. “Performing live is the most fun ever,” he says. “You get up there and get to be a rock star for a night. And the fans are great. It’s always a shock to me that they know who I am.”

And what kind of image does the screen stud hope his audience will have of him? “I have no idea how the studios market me,” Maverick says. “I know that they never make me smile, though. So I guess you could say that I’m a tough guy!”

Reprinted from All-Man magazine (2002)

Porn Star Interview: Jeremy Tucker

BY VINCENT LAMBERT

Sexy porn star Jeremy Tucker returns to New York on Thursday, May 9, 2002, for a special midnight show at Stonewall. The perfectly built twentysomething from east Texas has certainly kept busy in his three years in the porn industry. Tucker has appeared in more than 20 films, including recent releases such as Raging Stallion’s Raiders of the Lost Arse, Men of Odyssey’s White Party Boiz, and Chi Chi LaRue’s The Missing Link for All Worlds Video. When he’s not making movies, the tall (six foot) and solid (180 pounds) hunk enjoys riding his bike, shopping and going to the beach. We recently caught up with Tucker at his home in Los Angeles as he snacked on a light breakfast of tortilla chips and ranch dressing.

What can we expect from your upcoming midnight appearance at Stonewall?
Well, they tell me I am doing a 30-minute erotic show, so I guess it will be a 30-minute erotic show. (laughs) I haven’t performed live in a while, but it’s kinda like riding a bike. Performing live is cool when people appreciate what you’re doing. You react to the audience’s energy. But midnight is past my bedtime, so I’ll have to nap on the plane.
And afterward you’ll be doing an autograph session. Tell us about your fans.
My fans are a broad audience—from the young to the old. I mean I’ve been clocked by everyone from people in wheelchairs to drag queens. (laughs) You just can’t have any expectations. You just have to go into it with an open mind. Besides I’m a social kind of guy.
You’ve been doing porn for a while now. Are you still enjoying it?
Yeah, I’m still going strong after three years. I wouldn’t be doing it if I wasn’t having fun.
Tell us about your latest films.
Making Raiders of the Lost Arse was great, working with [director] Chris Ward and Raging Stallion. My scene for White Party Boiz was filmed at The Abbey in L.A. And The Missing Link was nasty. I can get into some kink if I am into the person. For that scene I was with Blake Harper and two other guys, so it was fun.
And I hear you’re up for a part in director Wash West’s next film.
Yeah, but I can’t really talk about it. It’s still in development. I love working with Wash though.
Well, he has won a lot of awards. And speaking of which, you won for Best Ethnic Performer at last year’s Grabby Awards. What is your feeling about winning awards?
It’s not really important to me. I guess it’s cool, but it’s not gonna determine how I feel about a performance. It’s all about politics anyway. I do the stuff I am directed to do. I mean I accepted the award, and I thanked the fans, but it was a new thing for me.
Would you say you’re a shy person?
Oh, yeah. When you’re having sex on film, it’s not really you. You’re performing. But getting onstage, if I am prepared, I’m okay, but accepting that award, I wasn’t prepared.
Are you very involved in the West Hollywood porn scene?
I don’t really keep up with who’s doing what. I just do my own thing. I follow my creative juices. Jeremy Tucker is a character I play. I try to balance my life as a porn star and an individual. It gets complex at times.
Are you still single?
Yeah, nobody wants me. (laughs)
Can I ask about your reported relationship with porn star Sam Dixon?
No.
Okay, how about the controversial, supposedly anti-gay remarks you made at a porn event last year?
No. I made a public apology about that, so it’s done as far as I’m concerned.
Do you ever watch your own movies?
No, dude! If I saw myself I’d get so embarrassed. For sure.
What’s the hottest thing you’ve done on film?
My scene with Marcus Iron in Convictions. There was a lot of chemistry there. He was very open, which made it easier.
Have you been to New York City since 9/11?
No, but I love New York, dude. People are a little more real there. It has been hard for me to comprehend what happened there. It’s so far-fetched that people planned to kill other people, and now people are getting bombed and we are at war. I have closed my eyes to it a bit. I know it’s there, but my motto is, “Live and let live.”
And are you still living up to your reputation as a party boy?
I have my moods. Sometimes I like to stay home and cook dinner and rent videos. Then I’ll have my party moods. I have a good time. (laughs)

Reprinted from HX magazine (2002)

Movie Review: Caesar’s Hardhat Gang Bang

BY VINCENT LAMBERT

Director: Chi Chi LaRue.
Cast: Caesar, Ryan Block, Mason Flynt, Jeremy Tucker, Dave Casino, Stonie, Richard Bangs, Shahan, Allan Sunn.

Buffed and beautiful Caesar has no idea what’s in store when his car breaks down near a construction site in Caesar’s Hardhat Gang Bang. As eight hot and horny men of flavor toil away, Caesar asks to use the phone. But pretty soon more than their hats are hard. Caesar doesn’t realize that he is interrupting the initiation of supercute Stonie into the stud club. Musclebound Mason Flynt forces his cock down Stonie’s throat while the other workers cheer him on. And for a supposed first-timer, Stonie does a helluva job on Flynt’s flute. But when the time comes for some up-the-butt action, gang leader Flynt decides he’d rather take stranded motorist Caesar for a ride, and he brings the blond bottom to his knees. For the next 20 minutes, Caesar proceeds to suck every one of the hard workers, taking their uncut pieces in his mouth, working their hairy balls, turning to and fro, shucking and jiving as he delivers a stunning performance of the cock-hungry variety.

But sucking isn’t all he does. The construction crew strips Caesar—exposing his own perfect physique and perky prick—and invades his butthole. Sexy Jeremy Tucker is the first to taste Caesar’s ass, but he’s not the last. One by one the guys probe him with tongues and hands, licking and fingering his chiseled bottom. But that isn’t enough for Caesar. He demands, “Fuck my ass!” And the men oblige. Tattooed Stonie steps up to the plate first, and he gives an intense pounding (another first?), showing off his smooth body and gorgeous ass in the process. Caesar takes the first of many dicks with ease, and he even eggs the boys on to greater heights. Tucker, Flynt, Dave Casino and Ryan Block all hammer Caesar to great effect. It’s no wonder that after the others shoot on him, Caesar jerks his impressive meat and explodes in an awesome climax of his own.

Caesar’s Hardhat Gang Bang is one film that’ll have you working overtime. Director Chi Chi LaRue has chosen a fine cast of ethnic performers and given them ample room to shine. The group action never droops, along with the impressive uncut cock, and the sex stays hot over the course of more than an hour. But it is white-hot Caesar who deserves major props. He joins the pantheon of porn superstars with his raw and raunchy performance, as he takes on this bevy of hot men and emerges as the hottest of them all. Hail Caesar! (Men of Odyssey)

Reprinted from Latin Inches magazine (2000)

Event: Chi Chi LaRue’s Birthday Party 1998

STORY AND PHOTOS BY VINCENT LAMBERT

Directix Chi Chi LaRue threw her annual birthday bash in West Hollywood tonight. Held at Close UP Studios, the party coincided with the seventh-annual Gay Erotic Video Awards on Monday. Two camera crews—one from England’s Channel 4 shooting a documentary about LaRue, the other filming for Men of Odyssey’s Hard Body 2000 series—captured the sultry doings. The large space, which was a converted film studio, was decorated especially for the occasion with elegant black draperies and silver streamers. But more decorative was the crowd, which included a virtual who’s who of glittery porn stars. Among the guests (pictured above, from top): Ken Ryker; Vince Rockland; Christopher Scott; Derek Cameron; Dean O’Connor; Sam Dixon and David Thompson; Sam Crockett and Max Grand; Sharon Kane; Andrew Lennox and Kyle Brandon; and Joey Hart. Also seen: Chris Green; Grant Wood; Nick DiMartino and Zak Richards; Cole Tucker; Marcus Iron; Hawk McCallister; Mickey Skee; John Rutherford; Lana Luster; Jackson Reid; J.C. Adams; Peter Logan; Alex Carrington; Cole Tucker; Lex Kyler; Eduardo and Sam Carson; Matt Bradshaw; Doug Jeffries; Geoffrey Karen Dior; Austin Black; Alex Stone; Kurt Young; Seth Black; Jamoo; and many others. When things got too hot to handle, the fire marshal showed up to shut down the party (for overcrowding)—leaving the revelers all dressed up with no place to go!

Porn Star Interview: Dino DiMarco

BY VINCENT LAMBERT

He’s been called the “Delta Burke of porn,” but as Dino DiMarco sits before me in tight jeans, diaphanous black shirt and motorcycle boots, he looks anything but. Currently on the third leg of a 15-city tour for the film Night Walk, DiMarco has just strutted his stuff in a 20-minute dance routine at the Eros Theatre in New York. Although he’s been touring for several weeks, the dark-eyed, classically handsome star looks fit and trim. And he’s certainly eager to talk.

It’s been a long journey to the top of the porn world for 28-year-old DiMarco. Born and raised in Rochester, New York, he is the oldest of three brothers. At age 17, he moved to Manhattan, where he worked as a model for Elite. But DiMarco, who is of American Indian and Irish descent, actually failed at his original career goal: becoming a runway model. “They said I was too short and too fat,” he recalls with a laugh, “so I quit.”

When life in the big city proved overwhelming, DiMarco moved to Florida and joined the Air Force. After working as an auto mechanic for more than two years, he decided to pursue his education in the Pacific Northwest and received a degree in marine biology from the University of Oregon.

Upon graduation, DiMarco relocated to Los Angeles and started working as an extra on such shows as Baywatch, Dave’s World and Star Trek. “I spent a whole season as a bailiff on Picket Fences,” DiMarco says. “Oh yeah, it was real exciting. I got to sit in a brown uniform in the back of a courtroom for months!” He also did extra work in film, appearing in Three Wishes with Patrick Swayze and Crimson Tide. “I’m the guy who pulls out a gun to help Denzel Washington take over the sub,” he says.

But DiMarco’s stints in showbiz were strictly part time. He soon landed a job as a phlebotomist in an AIDS clinic, where he drew blood. So just how did he make the transition from doing lab work to porn work?

“Well, my roommate at the time was Coy Dekker, and he was a porn star,” DiMarco says. “When he asked if I’d be interested in working in the industry, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to. So I called my mom—she’s known I was gay since I was a kid—and I said, ‘Mom, what if I did Playgirl?’ And she said, ‘That would be cool.’ And I said, ‘What if I did gay magazines?’ She said, ‘I could live with that.’ And I said, ‘What if I did a gay movie?’ And she said, ‘Well, would you be the boy or the girl?’ I said, ‘I’d be the boy.’ And she said, ‘I guess I could live with that.’ ”

But even with his mother’s seal of approval, there were still doubts. “Everyone said, ‘If you do it, you’ll never get a boyfriend,’ ” DiMarco says. “And I thought, well, I’m broke, I don’t have a boyfriend now, so I won’t have a boyfriend, but I’ll have the money. So I took the money.”

His first film was Matt Sterling’s All American, and he doesn’t recall being nervous. “I just remember it was a really long day,” he says. Several films for Catalina followed, and DiMarco’s career took off, along with any doubts about his new profession. “It’s stupid to lie about it if you’re gonna do porn,” he says. “You might as well have the balls to admit it because somebody is going to see it. I’ve had people I knew before I did porn come up to me in the grocery store and say, in a really bitchy tone, ‘Oh, we’ve seen your movies.’ And I’ll say, ‘Oh really, which one? Did you like it?’ Listen, I take my clothes off and fuck people in front of other people. If they’re gonna try and embarrass me, they’re gonna have to do better than that. Besides, everyone who is important to me—my mom and my boyfriend—knows, so I don’t care.”

The boyfriend that DiMarco is referring to is his current flame, Sal. The two live together in West Hollywood, and they recently solidified their relationship with a commitment ceremony and domestic partnership papers. Although DiMarco says that his lover is the jealous type, even Sal is a fan of the movie that put this screen stud into a Christian Dior tux. “Night Walk was the hardest to make, but it’s definitely my favorite movie,” DiMarco says. “We worked really long days, sometimes from 9am to 4am. The sets were huge; it felt like the set of Batman or something. And there was rain and wind and a sports car and Art Deco furniture. It’s just a cool film.”

Although DiMarco has two new movies (Lost in Vegas for All Worlds and Idol in the Sky for Men of Odyssey) and Ronnie Larsen—writer and director of the off-Broadway hit Making Porn—is courting him for a play, he says that what he’d really like to do is return to school for a degree in animal behavior. But mostly he’s content with the quiet life he shares with Sal; their dogs, Sammy and Sky; and their six-foot Burmese python, Lucy. “People think it’s so glamorous, but my life isn’t that exciting,” DiMarco says. “Doing movies and touring and dancing is like a fantasy. But it’s really just a job like any other.”

Reprinted from HX magazine (1996)