AVN Awards 2011: Photos, Porn Names And User-Generated Content

THE AVN adult video awards 2011 have taken place at the Pearl at the Palms. A ticket would have set you back $329. Porn gets respect in the US. It’s the event billed as the Oscars of the adult world, albeit with a special award for gushing.

We spotted a couple of stars who crossed over into everyday porn, known as the tabloids: Michelle McGee (Sandra Bullock’s nemesis) and Jocyln James (star of the Tiger Woods Biopic: The Back Nine.)

Performers are up for 29 different categories, including Best Feature, Best Classic Release, Best Solo Release (which may both be euphemisms), Best Young Girl Release (which sounds scary) and Best Big Butt Series.

The show began with a compilation film called “Some Crazy Things Have Happened in Porn This Year”. It ended with a snatch of the porn parody “Tron: Jeremy“. Porn names are the best thing about porn. But it needs more than a pun to compete.

The Californian porn industry is at risk of dying on its back, undone by the internet and free sex videos. The irony is that sex made the web popular. But the industry can’t compete with free, user-generated content.

But back to the show. When nominated, each actor and actress gets to star in a short bio. Here’s what Kimberly Kane had to say:

“I grew up with a mother who was a stripper, and I was raised in the sex industry, in a way, so the vibe was very familiar to me, very comforting.”

Get a load of those names. How did they get them? Lynn Comella asks:

My favorite story came from Spencer Benedict, who wrote and directed the movie Gia: Portrait of a Porn Star (which also featured music by local band “Sin City Sinners”). His name was inspired by an episode of the Odd Couple, where Felix Unger shoots for Playboy magazine. Unger gets a delivery for a “Spencer Benedict” and explains, “You don’t think I’d use my real name for nudies.”

The final word is with the show’s host Lisa Lampanelli, who tells the throng: