Short Takes: Adonis Gets Brutal…and More

Here it is, guys! The first pic of Jason Adonis from his just-wrapped role in Raging Stallion’s upcoming holiday release Brutal. It was only last week that talent agent David Forest announced that returning client Adonis would be appearing in a scene in award-winning director Tony Dimarco’s new sports-themed epic. Now, Tony tells VincentLambert.com that after a grueling 19 days, the big-budget San Fran production is complete. Adonis, who appears in a threeway with Spencer Reed and Trent Diesel, is in impressive company, with a cast that includes Ricky Sinz, Alexsander Freitas and Angelo Marconi. RSS president Chris Ward says, “Brutal is our most high-profile movie of the year and adding Jason to the cast is perfect. I look forward to seeing him under our lights!” Oh, and it just so happens that Adonis’s scene was shot on his 30th birthday. Have a happy, bb! Next up for the hung stud? A gang bang movie for Jet Set Men and an appearance at Forest’s Cocktails With the Stars event at Micky’s in Weho on September 9. For more information on Brutal, visit RagingStallion.com.…We broke some sad news on Twitter last week. Industry veteran John Summers passed away on August 21. Known as the Black Buddha of Porn, Summers produced and directed numerous films, including Two Handfuls, Big and Thick and Style, and discovered major stars throughout his many years in the porn business, especially through his association with gay porn innovators Chuck Holmes, Matt Sterling (both deceased), John Travis and Jim Hodges. Summers died of a heart attack in North Hollywood. He was believed to be in his early sixties.…Anyone remember Big Penis? The book, that is. Well, TASCHEN, the German publisher of the 2008 oversize volume of large appendages, is now releasing two related products: The Big Penis Diary 2011 and The Big Penis Calendar 2011. The former is spiral-bound yearly diary that offers a new picture every week and every week a new spread; the later is a monthly calendar with mind-boggling pictures from famed photographers including Bob Mizer (Athletic Model Guild), David Hurles (Old Reliable) and Chuck. And yes, that’s our own Chad Hunt on the cover. For more information, visit taschen.com.

Short Takes: Titan Ranch for Sale…and More

It’s moving time for Titan Media! The studio is putting one of its prime shooting locations—an 80-acre ranch about an hour outside San Francisco in Pescadero, California—up for sale. The country retreat boasts three bedrooms, two baths and two cabanas. It also has partial views of the Pacific Ocean, a private redwood forest and three streams. The asking price is more than $1.5 million, so if you want to eat breakfast on the counter where Dean Flynn banged Jay Roberts in Toolbox, it’s gonna cost ya! To see more of this amazing property, click here.…Now, we move on to a few techie items. First up, Athletic Model Guild has announced that it’s launching two mobile sites—AMG Classics Mobile and AMG Brasil Mobile—as part of a partnership with Spankmo Mobile. Each features the same content as its corresponding Web site and is formatted for mobile devices such as the iPhone, Android, Blackberry and others. The mobile sites will be updated regularly. “Now you can watch your favorite AMG models from anywhere in the world without sacrificing quality,” AMG president Dennis Bell says. “We’ve worked really hard to make sure that our studio remains on the cutting edge of technological innovations, and the mobile platform is no different.” For more information, visit AthleticModelGuild.com.…Next, Male Spectrum, producer of the Desperate Twinks and Straight Guys Take the Bait DVD lines, has started MaleSpectrumPad.com, a new site that is best seen on the iPad. “We’re offering access to an enormous amount of content, all optimized for viewing on the iPad, at a low price,” marketing director Lea Busick says. She added that the start of Male Spectrum’s mobile sites should come as no surprise to those familiar with the gay porn market. “Gay men have a high level of education on average and typically have more disposable income than their straight counterparts,” Busick says. “And they are quick to adopt new technology, media-related technologies in particular.” Yay for the gays!…Finally, Pacific Sun Entertainment has announced that customers can now rent its large catalog of hard-core gay porn DVDs by mail. The company has partnered with Oddesse Inc. to create the Pacific Sun Online Rental Store, which allows viewers to select adult DVDs online (such as the hot UK Naked Men release Are You Being Serviced?) and have them delivered via mail. It’s just like a big faggy Netflix! PacSun promises no late fees, and you can keep a movie as long as you like. Just mail the DVD back in the preaddressed envelope when you’re done and the next smutty pick on your wish list will automatically be sent to you. For more info, visit gaypornnetflix.com.

Short Takes: Brandon Wilde Makes Splashy Porn Debut…and More

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News: Athletic Model Guild Goes Greek

Athletic Model Guild has announced the release of Days of Greek Gods. The DVD, which features 12 films from the infancy of beefcake, focuses on the work of prolific photographer and longtime AMG collaborator Richard Fontaine. The film was originally released in 1954 and stars physique icons Bob Delmonteque, Artie Zeller and Johnny Apollo. Fontaine created the first-ever theatrically released film of this type. Along with Bob Mizer and a handful of other gay photographers, his physique films flickered from the home projectors of gay porn patrons in the 1950s.

“A few years ago, while opening hundreds of boxes of films shot by Bob Mizer, we uncovered a real treasure,” AMG President Dennis Bell says. “In the early 1970s, after a fruitful career in physique filmmaking, Fontaine abandoned his early work for a career in mainstream filmmaking. He gave all rights to his library of physique film negatives to Bob Mizer. Bob continued to sell the films through Physique Pictorial, under the AMG name for decades. Imagine our delight to find that Fontaine’s film negatives were still intact and well preserved among the rest of AMG’s films.” For more information, visit AthleticModelGuild.com.

News: AMG Launches New DVD Line

Athletic Model Guild has announced the launch of a new line of DVDs dubbed “The Complete Collection” under the AMG Classics brand. Each DVD from the line focuses on an iconic figure from the studio’s past, presenting the model’s film and photo portfolios in their entirety. The first two releases in the series are The Complete Monte Hanson and The Complete Jim Paris.

“We wanted to a create comprehensive collection of those models who were the bread and butter of this business so many years ago,” AMG president Dennis Bell says. “It’s a nostalgic collection, so we gave it a look that harkens back to Bob Mizer’s AMG. They are a gorgeous product, and we’re extremely proud of them. They reflect a dedication to quality that Bob initiated over half a century ago.”

There’s some great historic work here. Oh, and is it just us or does anyone else think the photo below inspired Cher’s “Half-Breed” costume!? For more information on the AMG Classics brand, visit AthleticModelGuild.com.

Book Review: Bob’s World

Athletic Model Guild has joined forces with international publisher TASCHEN and book editor Dian Hanson to celebrate Bob Mizer’s late-period color photography in the hardcover book Bob’s World: The Life and Boys of AMG’s Bob Mizer. It consists of 288 pages of Mizer’s color work and an oral history of AMG. This is the first publication to look exclusively at Mizer’s color photos. Mizer’s groundbreaking black-and-white photography was prominently featured in The Big Penis Book (also from TASCHEN and Hanson), and it was in the editing of that book that Bob’s World was born.

“I wanted to do this book as soon as I saw the color photos provided for The Big Penis Book,” Hanson says. “The quirky backdrops, the vibrant gels, the playful attitudes of the models, their straight hoodlum charm, and Bob’s eccentricity shining through all grabbed me immediately.”

There are more than 250 photos in the book, and the accompanying oral history is provided in quotes from David Hockney, Jack Pierson, David Hurles and Hal Roth, among others. The book also includes a one-hour DVD of Mizer films spanning from 1958–1980, specially edited for this edition. “Bob was an extremely reserved person,” says AMG president Dennis Bell. “He hardly ever granted interviews. Bob’s World blows the top off of his closely guarded persona. It’s the most honest, most original book ever published about the reigning king of beefcake.” For more information, visit athleticmodelguild.com.

Short Takes: Rob Romoni Returns…and More

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Short Takes: Porn Couple Sets Sail…and More

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Short Takes: Gus Mattox Returns…and More

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Seen: Legendary Directors at Book Event

PHOTO BY VINCENT LAMBERT

Jeffrey Escoffier’s new book, Bigger Than Life, traces the history of gay porn throughout its many years. To celebrate its release, the author brought together three of gay porn’s legendary directors. Jerry Douglas, Chi Chi LaRue and Wakefield Poole (above) were all on hand at the LGBT Community Center in New York City last week to discuss the early years of the porn industry and answer questions from fans.

During the event, Poole shared the story of how he conceived his epic Boys in the Sand (“I just wanted to make a pretty porn movie!” he said), and Douglas talked about The Back Row (Chi Chi directed the remake), Joey Stefano in More of a Man and when his models first started using condoms. Editor Bob Alvarez was also on the panel to discuss Hand in Hand Films, which he co-founded with Jack Deveau, and how they produced A Night at the Adonis, Left-Handed and Jack and Roger (starring the late Jack Wrangler).

Escoffier also ran historic clips from Bob Mizer and his Athletic Model Guild, of model Fred Halsted and that mesmerizing shot of Casey Donovan emerging from the ocean in Boys in the Sand. He even divulged which movie claims to have the very first cum shot in gay porn history. The panel discussion was interesting and lively, and the directors all agreed that their works helped contribute to a more open sexuality for gay men at a time when many chose to live in the closet. Oh, and if you’ve never seen them, all the titles mentioned here are classics, so check ’em out, kids!

Short Takes: Lance Black Pieces Out…and More

He may have won an Oscar earlier this year for his genius screenplay for the film Milk, but these days Dustin Lance Black finds himself doing damage control. Two weeks ago, a certain snarky blogger ran some compromising pics of Black naked and barebacking. And even though they were taken a few years ago, the photos still caused a stir for the safe-sex advocate. Black came to town this week to accept an award from the Trevor Project, and the 35-year-old screenwriter was also set to make an appearance at our old buddy Will Clark’s Porno Bingo at Pieces Bar this Wednesday. Now we are hearing from Heritage of Pride (which booked Black as the grand marshal at this year’s Pride March on Sunday) that he will not be attending. Was the gay porn connection too much for the Hollywood golden boy to take right now? “HOP has said he’s coming, then said not, then said yes, now saying no, so who knows?” Will says. Too bad. It would have been fun to see an actual Academy Award winner at the earthy Pieces (Cher drag queens don’t count!). At least activist Cleve Jones and porn star Nick Capra will still be on hand. “We’ll have a great time whomever my guests are that night!” Clark adds.…Ready for some naked guys on your iPhone? Well, Athletic Model Guild is happy to oblige. The company announced that Apple has approved its iPhone application, AMG Brasil Boys. It is the first iPhone app from a gay adult studio to be sold in the iPhone App Store on iTunes. AMG Brasil Boys is a virtual gallery of more than 100 images of Brazilian models from the studio’s hard-core brand. “Just as Bob Mizer pushed America’s moral boundaries for decades, resulting in the birth of gay porn by the late 1960s, we are proud to announce that AMG Brasil Boys is the very first gay adult app that Apple has allowed into their store,” AMG president Dennis Bell says. “We are proud to give our customers images of their favorite Brazilian porn stars on the very latest cutting-edge viewing platform.” The app retails for 99 cents. For more information, visit AMGmobile.net.…Pacific Sun Entertainment is about to bring a bit of South Africa to gay porn. The company will be distributing new product from Liberate Studios, which films and operates out of Cape Town, South Africa. Liberate was founded this year by model Kurt Rogers (below), who has worked in England for studios such as Men at Play and UK Naked Men, and director Ross Winters. “Basically we are single-handedly creating the porn industry [in South Africa] and giving it a S.A. touch,” Winters says. “The faces are fresh, the locations are different and for our upcoming films we are going to be showing more of that. We intend to offer different kinds of guys. In the long term, we aim to cater to pretty much all tastes, from bears to twinks. Our goal is to put South Africa on the porn map.” The studio’s premier release, Rogered!, will be out next month. For more information, visit gaymagix.com.

Short Takes: AMG Revamps Sites…and More

Athletic Model Guild (AMG) has announced the relaunch of the company’s two membership sites, AthleticModelGuild.com and AMGBrasil.com. The new sites will be updated multiple times weekly and include thousands of images, hundreds of video scenes (complete with HD and full-screen capabilities) and historical memorabilia from the studio’s past, including Bob Mizer’s magazine, Physique Pictorial. “The brand-new interface will allow us to showcase our 65 years of historical images and movies with the most up-to-date technology possible,” says AMG president Dennis Bell. “In addition to our hard-core Brazilian line, AMG Classics has a vintage library of 3,000 films, 2,500 videos and about a million gallery images.” That’s a lot of porn! The studio also provides access to a video-on-demand page; a blog; the AMG Web store; a podcast (downloadable in the iTunes store); and an AMG Twitter. “We realize that technology is constantly in flux, and we are ready to adapt to the ever-changing atmosphere of the Web,” Bell adds. “No one can say AMG is a relic of the past. AMG is a studio of the future.”…Porn star Kurt Wild has taken to his blog to let fans know that he has amicably parted ways with AngelSlutGarden.com and ASG Entertainment, which had recently signed him to star in and direct porn. “For me to continue as a team with ASG, in my opinion, would not help me with fulfilling my dreams as a model and director,” Wild says, “because I have always done better as a soloist. I am very much a people person, but when it comes to goals and working, I tend to be a real perfectionist.” The married father of three (anyone know whether his wife has popped out the fourth yet?) who made a splash on The Tyra Banks Show goes on to say that he will remain friends with company owners Angel Skye and Brad Star but will focus on building his own ClubKurtWild site. Meanwhile, the AngelSlutGarden site is down amid rumors that Skye has quit the business and that he and Star are no longer a couple. We smell some gay porn drama!…Is porn star Chad Manning (below) in or out? No, not of the closet—the porn biz! After announcing on his blog that he was retiring from the wonderful world of porn, the former Titan Media exclusive changed his mind and decided to stay—all on the same day. In an updated statement, Manning says, “I had some personal issues that led me to make a rash decision and things got out of hand.” It seems that working with director Steve Cruz on his new Green Door flick for Mustang had something to do with his choice. “I’m shooting for Steve Cruz right now and he has helped me realize that all porn isn’t bad! I’ve had an amazing time and I wouldn’t give it up for anything.” Okay, now we know about his career, but what about Manning’s supposed breakup with fellow screen stud Damian Rios?

Short Takes: Mavericks for Real…and More

Hot on the heels of The Village Voice’s spot-on cover proclaiming “Mavericks, My Ass,” Studio 2000 is jumping on the political bandwagon by offering a special on two of its Mavericks movies. From now until Election Day, both classic films Mavericks and Mavericks 2, starring Logan Reed and Blake Harper, are available for just $29.95. Well, golly-gee dang it, that’s a bargain! For more information, visit www.studio2000video.com.…Athletic Model Guild has announced the launch of AMG Podcast, which is available in iTunes by searching “Athletic Model Guild” and “AMG Brasil.” The podcasts will feature trailers, teasers, exclusive on-set footage and other short-format video content, including interviews from the company’s upcoming release, Rio. “It’s a movie unlike any other ever produced by AMG,” says promotions manager Christopher Trout, “and we figured this was the perfect opportunity to prove that just because we’re an old studio doesn’t mean we can’t learn new tricks.”…Lucas Entertainment has wrapped production of its big holiday release, Return to Fire Island Parts I & II. Filming took place entirely in the Cherry Grove section of Fire Island at the historic Belvedere Hotel. “This was the perfect backdrop for our elegant and steamy sex romp,” co-director Mr. Pam says. New groom Michael Lucas (below) adds, “This is our return to Fire Island, but we had such a great time it’s as if we never left.” The films feature Ben Andrews, Wilfried Knight, Rafael Alencar, Rod Barry, Nick Capra, Jason Crew, Mike Dreyden and Jackson Wild.

Short Takes: Antonio Biaggi’s Store…and More

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News: AMG Releases Bob Mizer Wrestling Tapes

Athletic Model Guild has announced the release of two new DVDs that pay homage to Bob Mizer’s 1980s wrestling tapes. Titled Wrestling Live 23 and Wrestling Live 25, the movies feature four hours of fully nude matches between more than 50 hard bodies from the last decade of Mizer’s career.

“The last years of Bob’s career [after 1985 and up until his death in 1992] aren’t very well known,” AMG president Dennis Bell says. “Physique Pictorial was no longer being produced regularly, so those years weren’t being advertised. He continued to shoot every day that he could up until his death. This footage is gritty, intensely sexual and entirely void of the innocence that marked Mizer’s early career.”

AMG promotion manager Christopher Trout adds, “The ’80s are back in a big way, and these DVDs are so ’80s. Even after the models shed the striped gym socks and short shorts, they’ve got those shaggy haircuts and mustaches that made the men of that era so hot. They are truly masculine and when they start wrestling, you can almost smell the testosterone seeping from their pores.”

Along with 480 minutes of skin-on-skin wrestling, each DVD includes more than 100 photo session stills and expanded model galleries of AMG favorites such as Jerry Suter, Tory Bell, Brian Diaz and Stavlos Aeokomas. For more information, visit www.AthleticModelGuild.com.

Book Review: The Big Penis Book

According to TASCHEN, the German publisher of The Big Penis Book, men with more than eight inches of cock in their pants make up less than 2 percent of the world’s population. Hmmm, wonder how many of that 2 percent end up working in the porn industry. This companion volume to The Big Book of Breasts explores mankind’s centuries-old fascination with big dick. The hefty volume, edited by Dian Hanson, is illustrated with more than 400 historic photos of spectacular male endowments, including rare shots of legendary porn star John Holmes. The majority of the pictures are from the 1970s, when the sexual revolution first freed photographers to depict men entirely nude. Photographers include Bob Mizer of Athletic Model Guild, David Hurles of Old Reliable, Colt, Falcon, Chuck, Third World and Champion Studios, and each of these iconic artists is interviewed or profiled, along with information about their models. Guess no one’s gonna complain about too much of a good thing here. For more information, visit www.taschen.com.

Event: AMG’s Carnaval Release Party Tonight

Athletic Model Guild is holding a launch party for the latest AMG Brasil release, Carnaval, tonight at the Bench and Bar in Oakland, California. The event will feature drink specials, Latin go-go dancers and music from DJ Jorge Eclipse. The Guild will also give away 10 copies of Carnaval, which stars nine of Rio de Janeiro’s hottest young guys, and a gift basket that includes each of the studio’s 14 Brazilian hard-core movies.

“We’re really happy with Carnaval and we are even happier to be teaming up with the Bench and Bar to promote it,” says AMG president Dennis Bell. “They are the biggest gay Latin nightclub in the area, and this is our biggest production of the year, thus far. It’s a perfect fit.” For more info, visit www.AthleticModelGuild.com.