News: Ryan Idol Sentenced to Jail Time

In a sad turn of events, porn superstar Ryan Idol has gone from Broadway to behind bars. The attempted murder case (which was tried in September of last year) that has been pending for the past several months has been decided. Unfortunately, Idol, who has long been retired from the industry, was sentenced to 12 years in prison. According to his onetime agent David Forest, Idol appeared in Sacramento Superior Court last week where the judge denied his motion for a new trial and instead sentenced him. Idol was given a total of 466 days credit for the jail time he’s served in the past year. According to Forest, Idol’s attorney will file for an appeal. “I will get everyone Ryan’s prison address once he reaches the first stage of the journey,” Forest adds. “I’m sure he will appreciate some support.”

News: Ryan Idol Guilty of Attempted Murder

A porn superstar of yesteryear has a new gig: prisoner! A Sacramento Superior Court jury has found Ryan Idol guilty of attempted murder and three other felony charges related to an incident involving an ex-girlfriend. According to The Sacramento Bee, Idol, 47, was accused of “smashing his girlfriend over the head with a toilet tank lid.” Ouch! The altercation occurred in September 2009. Idol, who has starred in films such as Idol Eyes, Idol Country and Idol in the Sky, most recently worked on Broadway in a revival of The Ritz in 2007. His last live appearance was at the popular Cocktails With the Stars event at Micky’s in West Hollywood last May. He is scheduled for sentencing on December 9 in Sacramento County Courthouse. Here’s our exclusive interview with him from 1997!

Seen: Ryan Idol at Forest Cocktails in L.A.

Look who returned to gay porn (or at least a gay porn–related event) while we took a brief hiatus. Yes, that’s Ryan Idol you see pictured above. The porn superstar, who hasn’t been spotted in a dog’s age (or since he appeared in The Ritz on Broadway a few seasons back), turned up last week for a night of the David Forest–produced month of Cocktails With the Stars at Micky’s in West Hollywood. From what we hear, Idol started the evening with a macho mustache, which was gone by the time he left the building. Also in attendance were Chi Chi LaRue (who directed Idol in some of his biggest hits from the ’90s); Trevor Knight; Dean Monroe; and DJ Dominic Pacifico. Forest claims this will probably be Ryan’s “last appearance in the adult arena.” But haven’t we heard that tune before!? (Like in this interview we did with Idol in 1997!) Forest Cocktails, hosted by Scotty B, continues with muscle hunk Zeb Atlas this Thursday. For more info, visit ThePremiereArtists.com. And to see Cheesh telling a looonnnggg story about the filming of Idol Country, click here.

Short Takes: Bad Boys Set to Cruise…and More

Will Clark and his Bad Boys on the Hudson will be setting sail once again on Sunday, July 11. And we now know exactly which pornsters will be on board. Will tells us that porn superstar Michael Brandon (left) will headline along with New York’s own Mike Dreyden. Veteran and returning stars include Colin Steele, Scott Spears, Bryan Slater and Duke Rivers. Newbie Lance Navarro will be making his maiden voyage. This is the seventh time that Clark and his guys have raised money for a worthy cause; this year it will be for New York’s Anti Violence Project. The Bad Boys on the Hudson cruise launches at 7 pm from Pier 40 (just off Christopher Street). Tickets are $22 in advance and $25 at the door. You can check out Bad Boys Pool Party group on Facebook. And for more information, visit willclarkworld.com and seatea.com.…While we were busy reporting the latest exclusive about the ongoing Robert Van Damme case, another porn star got arrested. Sean Cody performer Addison has been indicted for murder along with his porn star girlfriend Sunny Dae, who allegedly brained one of her clients in the head then asked Addison to help her complete the job. Addison was reportedly arrested while attempting to use a stolen credit card at a Home Depot store. And did they really tweet before, during and after the killing?! WTF?! They sound like a fun couple—whoever they are!…Superagent David Forest has announced that his stable of stars are confirmed for a month of appearances at the ever-popular Cocktails With the Stars event at Micky’s in West Hollywood. Forest isn’t saying which of his current Premiere Artists and Meet the XXX Stars talent will appear on five consecutive Thursday nights in September. Dare we hope for Mark Dalton (below), Zeb Atlas, Brent Corrigan, Johnny Castle or even an old-timer like Ryan Idol? Or maybe newcomer Steven Daigle will turn up. Forest announced last week that the former Big Brother reality star is now available for, er, private meetings. Daigle has already shot for Channel 1 Releasing, Falcon Studios, Jet Set Men and Lucas Entertainment, and his XXXposed debut is finally set to street on June 29. It’s about time! Isn’t everyone sick of him already!? For more information, visit thepremiereartists.com.

News: David Forest Returns With New Ventures

David Forest is on the phone. Fresh out of rehab, the flamboyant talent manager sounds happy and healthy after spending the past three months in a facility near Palmdale, California. “I’m glad I endured prison years ago,” the almost-60-year-old laughs, referring to his incarceration in the ’90s on pandering charges. “It got me used to living the institutionalized life!”

Forest, who sold his business in a highly publicized deal with FabScout Entertainment last July, was supposed to be in for four months but was released after three following a judge’s decision. He is now back at home in Van Nuys—with a bit of extra weight, he admits—and ready to start the next chapter of his life. “I learned that drugs and alcohol are for the birds,” Forest says. “I think, 35 years of partying, what a waste of a lot of money! Sobering up, I can see everything clearly now. I can see the shit of this smut business.”

That’s the biz that has kept Forest working with porn superstars such as Ryan Idol, Ken Ryker and Billy Herrington for the past 27 years. And even though he’s been out of action, his clients were still in the spotlight, thanks to deals he set up before selling his company. Superstar Zeb Atlas, currently making a splash in Falcon Studios’ Best Men, had Forest negotiate for both his oral and topping scenes earlier this year. “Zeb’s movie is a tremendous hit and he is a tremendous star,” Forest boasts. “I got him a lot of money for those two scenes. Now, he’s done it all. What else does he want to do? He may want to produce his own movies. Who knows?”

Another Forest favorite is bodybuilder Mark Dalton, who is still in prison in Texas. Forest says he is likely to return to the industry soon. “Mark gets out on February 16. He’s doing all right. He knows he fucked up and will hopefully be ready to get back to work. We’ll see.” In the meantime, Forest has launched Forest Meetings, a new incarnation of his private-meeting program, where he initiates introductions between stars and their, er, fans. “I love connecting men to the models,” Forest says. “And I’ve got some great new guys, including Brent Diggs, who has done work for the Randy Blue Web site; Rocky Sanoma; Adam Killian, who co-stars with Zeb in his big Best Men scene; and adorable Jonathan Lowe. Of course, I still have Zeb Atlas, Johnny Castle, Tony Capucci and Billy Brandt, who is living in Denver and returning to private work.”

Forest, who worked in the music industry for many years pre-porn managing artists such as ZZ Top, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, is also planning a return to the mainstream. He has created Forest Casting, a company that will book gay porn talent in mainstream movie, TV and Internet projects. “Who better to do full frontal or simulated gay sex in major projects than guys who do it for real in porn?” Forest asks. He says he has gotten two top models work in an upcoming motion picture in which they use their real names in the credits. But he promises they will be recognizable to porn fans. “I’ll be doing casting for nonadult mainstream productions only,” he says. “I won’t be representing talent. I’m no longer in the gay XXX management business and will not in any way compete with the folks who bought my former company.”

And he says he will also stay on the path of clean-and-sober living. “I have no interest in drugs and alcohol now,” Forest says. “I have lived 60 years, and I want to live another 60.” And he hints, he might even have time now to work on that long-awaited book about his life. “I just keep living and adding chapters!” he says.

For more info, visit ForestMeetings.com and ForestCasting.com.

News: David Forest Retires From Adult Business

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News: We’re One!

Who can believe that it’s been a year since the launch of VincentLambert.com? In that time, our original concept (which was to create a sort of online archive of more than a decade’s worth of interviews, reviews, on-the-set reports and photos) has grown by leaps and bounds—and so has our traffic (with more than a quarter million hits so far). And what a premier year it’s been: The site has been featured in Cybersocket Web Magazine and was a pick for HX Site of the Week; our original “Should Do Porn” column spotlighting Rusty Joiner (above) landed us our biggest traffic day to that point; then our exclusive interview with Johnny Hanson on his bareback debut got picked up by numerous outlets, leading to our biggest traffic day ever! New superstar Johnny Castle granted us his only sitdown after being named Man of the Year by Men magazine, but our classic interviews with Jeff Stryker, Ryan Idol, Billy Herrington and Tom Katt proved to be just as popular. Our most read review? Caesar’s Hardhat Gang Bang! Who knew? We visited the set of Lucas Entertainment’s award-winning sex comedy The Intern and traveled to San Francisco for the GAYVN Awards. We were even invited to join a Blog Circle Jerk! And, of course, one good thing leads to another. Thanks to the site, Vince landed his own monthly column for XBIZ magazine (with old bud Jeremy Spencer) and continues to contribute to GAYVN, Unzipped and other magazines.

A special thanks must go to our Web mistress Sally Stover, for her expertise and advice, and to all the faithful readers who visit to read our daily updates. Even though we don’t get a lot of comments (yet!), we appreciate those regular contributors (you know who you are) who weigh in on their favorite movies and porn stars. So send an e-mail or leave a comment and let’s keep the dialogue going! In our second year, VincentLambert.com hopes to keep bringing you the very best the biz has to offer in a way that is exciting and new. And though we can’t cover every story that comes down the pike, we promise to pick the ones that interest us and hope that they interest you, too. Long live the Internets—and gay porn!

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.

Seen: Ryan Idol Relaxing After Work

Porn superstar Ryan Idol was spotted posing for fans outside the theater district’s popular Joe Allen Restaurant following a performance of his hit Broadway debut, The Ritz. The Roundabout Theatre’s revival of the show, directed by Joe Mantello, has been extended at Studio 54 through December 9.

News: DNA Mag Profiles Agent David Forest

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Seen: Ryan Idol at His Ritz Broadway Opening

PHOTOS BY BRUCE GLIKAS/COURTESY BROADWAY.COM

Porn superstar Ryan Idol made his Broadway debut last week in the Roundabout Theatre Company’s revival of Terrence McNally’s The Ritz. Directed by Joe Mantello, the show is a madcap comedy set in a 1970s-era gay bathhouse. Idol, who gained fame in the ’90s in such films as Idol Country, Idol Eyes and Idol in the Sky, is credited in the program with his porn name but his bio also lists his real name and previous theatrical credits (Making Porn off-Broadway and Scent of Rain at Chicago’s Bailiwick Theatre). Seen on opening night (from top): Idol sports a mustache to play his towel-clad character; Idol with porn director Jerry Douglas, who directed him in 1992’s classic Trade Off; Idol with (from left) McNally, co-star Rosie Perez, director Mantello and co-star Kevin Chamberlin; the actor in character. The Ritz runs at New York City’s Studio 54 through December 2.

News: Ryan Idol Returns to Stage

It was announced today that porn superstar Ryan Idol will make his Broadway debut this fall in the Roundabout Theatre Company’s revival of Terrence McNally’s The Ritz. The show, which will be directed by Joe Mantello, stars Rosie Perez, Kevin Chamberlin, Brooks Ashmanskas and Seth Rudetsky. Idol, who appeared in Ronnie Larsen’s off-Broadway hit Making Porn at the Actors’ Playhouse in the mid-’90s, will play one of the patrons of the bathhouse where the comedy is set. In recent months, Idol, the star of such films as Idol Country and Idol in the Sky, has been collaborating with writer-director Jerry Douglas (for whom Idol filmed Trade Off in 1992) on a one-man show about his career and life titled My Messy Bedroom: Anatomy of an Idol, which was also slated for a fall run. No word on the fate of Bedroom at this time. The Ritz begins performances at Studio 54 on September 14, and opening night is set for October 11.

Event: Joey and Carlo Palm Springs Pool Party

STORY AND PHOTOS BY VINCENT LAMBERT

Palm Springs is known for its hot weather and the hotter men who party there; and the weekend of September 20 was no exception. That’s when the Los Angeles porn posse ventured to this desert resort town for the second-annual Joey and Carlo Palm Springs Pool Party, which was actually held in neighboring Cathedral City, California. The event helped raise more than $2,000 for the Adult Industry Medical (AIM) HealthCare Foundation, a nonprofit organization created to care for the physical and emotional needs of sex workers and others in the adult-entertainment industry. The weekend festivities included autograph sessions with the stars, a XXX model search hosted by directrix Chi Chi LaRue and funny man Bruce Vilanch, a silent auction, raffles and a bevy of naked porn stars basking in the 115-degree heat.

The three days of events kicked off with an underwear party on Friday night, where guests familiarized themselves with the grounds of the Cathedral City Boys Club, the 3.5-acre spread on which the parties took place. Under an outdoor tent, columnist Jason Sechrest interviewed old-timer Ryan Idol, who revealed that he may sue Odyssey Men, the porn studio that pulled out of producing his Idol Cruise video. Together, they hosted an amateur wet underwear contest.

But Saturday was the main event, when fans could relax by the pool, enjoy the sunshine and catch up with their favorite porn stars. Supercouple Blake Harper and Colton Ford explained that the camera crew following them around was for a Miramax documentary focusing on their lives and burgeoning non-porn careers. We learned that Harper is studying acting at the Lee Strasberg Institute and working on an indie film titled Lost Everything. While Ford, who was a singer before he was a screen stud, is working with producer Frankie Knuckles on his first album and will have a single titled “Everything” dropping in November. They also continue to make porn films and stay at the Live and Raw Hotel, where subscribers on the Internet can follow their every move on 12 live cams. Seems like privacy isn’t that big with these two.

In the air-conditioned VIP room, Caesar, who is bigger than ever, confirmed the November release of Cowboy, his first starring role in more than a year. Fellow bodybuilder and co-star Tom Katt was there too, fresh from shooting a scene in Ken Ryker’s self-written/produced/directed film. Superhung Spike revealed that he’s taking a break from the porn world to work on his art but is checking into the Live and Raw Hotel in October to room with Blake and Colton. Sounds cozy to us. Chi Chi LaRue plugged the release of her latest for Channel One Releasing, 2nd Gear, the sequel to In Gear starring (who else?) Lance Gear. The diva also expressed surprise about seeing her picture in the September issue of Vanity Fair. The bitch has arrived!

Director Drew Warner of Sports and Recreation Video proudly introduced his sexy new discoveries, lovers Matthew Faulkner and Nate Bater, to an eager crowd. These cuties star in Warner’s amateur CornFedBoyz video line. Boston boy Anthony Holloway told us that he has just moved from the East Coast to take up residence in West Hollywood with boyfriend Brad Rudolph. He has also filmed a new movie for director Paul Barresi’s Regiment Studios titled Bad Boys, Volume 4.

Also seen: Dino Phillips, who had hosted Derek Cameron the previous night at “Cocktails with the Stars” at Micky’s; Flex-Deon Blake, who has moved to L.A. following his break-up with Bobby Blake; tattooed newbie Rhett O’Hara, who reminisced about his days working as director Blue Blake’s chauffeur and chef before he was discovered for films; Chris Green, who was talking up his Web site and single “Drive” from 2nd Gear. We also heard that New York queen CoCo LaChine has accepted a job as director of operations for All Worlds Video and is relocating to San Diego to work for the major porn studio. She’ll be missed!

A hangover barbecue on Sunday afternoon hosted by Michael Brandon brought the weekend to a close as many of the stars prepared to return to L.A. But event co-founders Joey Di Bartolo and Carlo Ricci seemed pleased with their efforts. “Our site promotes sex workers and focuses on the adult industry,” said Ricci, “so we figured this would be a good event for us to promote. We wanted to help AIM, which is a great organization. I think the fans and porn stars all had a good time.”

Reprinted from HX magazine (2002)

Event: Gay Erotic Video Awards 1997

STORY AND PHOTOS BY VINCENT LAMBERT

The Sixth Annual Gay Erotic Video Awards were held at the Hollywood Palace in Los Angeles on Monday, December 8, 1997. More than 800 people attended the event, which raised $10,000 through donations and a silent auction for Being Alive, an L,A.–based organization of and for people with HIV/AIDS. The show, which was hosted by Ryan Idol and Chi Chi LaRue, featured some of the porn industry’s best-known performers giving and receiving awards in more than 20 categories.

When the screen studs weren’t busy vying for the coveted trophy, nicknamed “the Dickie,’ they mingled with fans and were photographed and interviewed by national TV and print journalists. Although celebrity judge Sandra Bernhard was a no-show, disco diva Stacey Q gave the crowd a blast from the past as she duetted with Karen Dior on her 1986 hit “Two of Hearts.” Boogie Nights never had it so good.

Seen (from top): Award winner Jim Buck, Max Grand and Kyle Brandon, Austin, Kurt Young and Jordan Young

Reprinted from HX magazine (1997)

Porn Star Interview: Ryan Idol

BY VINCENT LAMBERT

“Can I get those Polaroids back at the end of the shoot?” Ryan Idol asks. “I mean, I wouldn’t want these pictures to get around.” One of the biggest names in gay porn is standing naked in a drafty photo studio in downtown Manhattan. No, the star of numerous videos and nude layouts isn’t suffering from a bout of temporary memory loss. He's simply running lines from Making Porn, the off-Broadway hit that he’s appearing in for an eight-week run. Idol is posing for the play’s ubiquitous poster in which the leading stud glares nakedly into the camera as a clapper is held in front of his privates. As the lighting is adjusted, Idol chats good-naturedly with the play's writer/director Ronnie Larsen. The topic of conversation is how cerebrally challenged some of Idol’s fellow porn stars are.

“Jeff Stryker has about two brain cells,” Idol cracks. “Lex Baldwin has three, and Rex has about four, if he's lucky.” The Rex that he’s referring to is Rex Chandler, who originated the role in the New York production of Making Porn that Idol now plays.

While Larsen may share Idol’s opinion of the show’s previous star—and for that matter, his replacement, Johnny Hanson—he’s certainly an Idol worshiper now. “I was less than thrilled with Rex and Johnny,” Larsen says. “Both ran out on their contracts; they both got bad reviews; and they both were extremely difficult backstage. Everyone told me that Ryan Idol would be the best thing for the show, but I never thought he'd be available. But when he came to audition, I was impressed with his professionalism and charm. And the irony is that Ryan has an awful reputation, but he’s been respectable and quite humble.”

Some of the bad rep that Larsen alludes to includes rumors of drug and alcohol addiction, an overdose, steroid abuse and unprofessionalism. Although Idol denies he overdosed, he does admit to battling a few of his own personal demons. “It’s like I was exorcised,” Idol says. “There was so much anger and hatred inside of me, but I found forgiveness of myself, then others. I've been through this whole spiritual, inner-growth metamorphosis. And people can balk at that, but positive things are happening in my life now.”

As Idol takes a break between shots, he sips water and talks about his life. His speech is peppered with 12-step recovery jargon, and one gets the feeling that this 30-year-old native of Worcester, Massachusetts, has been preparing for his new incarnation as a New York stage actor for quite some time. “I always wanted to be in show business,” Idol says. “I saw the movie American Gigolo as a teenager, and that’s what I wanted to be. All I ever wanted to do was be a Playgirl centerfold.”

Idol, who is of French-Canadian and Irish decent, grew up in a single-parent family that consisted of his mother, brother and sister. He remembers being “poor” and says that he didn’t have any role models growing up. After high school, he attended vocational school for two years, where he trained to be a construction worker. “I framed, roofed, installed windows and siding,” he says. “I could build a house from scratch. It was so rewarding to structure something from the ground up, even though I didn’t have that in my own life.”

So just how did these humble beginnings lead Idol to pursue a career in porn?

“Well, I was looking for love in all the wrong places,” he says with a smile. “I wanted to go to California because that was where I thought the American gigolo lived. So I joined the Navy. I knew that was my ticket to California.” But after a couple of years, Idol says, he “strayed” from his goals of having an acting career. (The cherry tattoo on his lower torso is a souvenir of his stint in the service.) “I got discouraged. I was told, ‘You bleed sex, and you’ll never go anywhere in show business.’ That stuck in my mind. It wore down my psyche, my confidence and my self-esteem.”

So Idol started dancing in clubs. One night, when he was approached to act in a porn movie for 15 times the amount he was earning, “My eyes lit up,” he recalls. “I didn’t know it was a gay porno. When I found out, I said, ‘Are you fucking crazy?’ But I thought, if real show business is going to be so tough, I might as well get paid for the bullshit. So, I went for the money.”

His first film, Idol Eyes, made a splash,and, similar to the character he plays in Making Porn, Idol found himself with a new career. “I was an instant star overnight,” he says. “What more could a person like me want at age 23? At first I took offense at my success—where it was coming from—but then I went through stages: I became an egomaniac, then I took it for granted; now, I'm appreciate. I owe a lot of my growth to the adult video industry.”

Although Idol has starred in six films—he peddles the current Idol in the Sky video nightly after the show—and hints that there may be a seventh in his future, he believes that “there are some really ruthless, gutless, heartless people in the porn industry. It has downfalls, like any other business.” One example is the recent incarceration of Idol’s former manager, David Forest, on charges of pandering. Idol characterizes the incident as unfortunate but inevitable. He also claims to have no friends in the business. “I may make jokes about the brain-cell counts of other actors, but I don’t condemn anyone. I just think totally differently from everyone else. I've never met anyone I identify with.”

However, he says that he does identify with his character in Making Porn and even sees parallels with his own life. “I think Ronnie Larsen did a really good job in the writing of this play,” Idol says. “He hit some of the fundamental issues within the porn industry. Actually, this play is like art imitating life. It all ties together. What better way to tell my story and at the same time pick up on my dream as a child.”

After building his image and making his fortune as one of porn’s notoriously straight, “gay for pay” models, Idol seems to have experienced some growth in the area of his sexuality as well. “You’re raised in a society that is heterosexual at its core,” he says, “but I would say I’ve had some of my best relationships with men. I’m still searching to find what that love means with a woman, but I’ve found a certain love with a man. I believe that we’re all here to love—whether it’s a man or a woman, it shouldn’t matter. If people need to label me, then let it be bisexual. Just say that I’m into pleasures of the flesh.”

Something else Idol is into is coming to terms with his past. While his role in Making Porn represents a shot at more legitimate, mainstream success, he says that if it doesn’t work out, “I won’t cry at night. I don’t regret anything. If I had it all to do over, I wouldn’t do it the same way, but it made me the person that I am—very strong and determined.”

Once again, talk turns to Idol’s memories of his childhood. His trademark blue eyes grow serious. “When I was a kid, they told me, ‘You’re a dreamer. Nothing comes from dreams, and you’re going to waste your life.’ I chose to rebel against that. I followed my dreams, and I got sidetracked a few times, but now I know myself a little better. I hope to attain what they used to call the unattainable: to be an actor, have a lavish life and be respected. You have to earn respect; it’s not a given. I didn’t know that before.”

And what ever became of his Richard Gere–inspired fantasy? “I’ve achieved the American gigolo dream, but in the gay world,” Idol says. “I no longer have that dream. I got in Playgirl, and it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. I’m the gay version of the American gigolo,” he laughs. “It was a foolish childhood dream, and now I can chuckle at it. I’m on to new dreams.”

Reprinted from HX magazine (1997)