AVN March 1996 Magazine

SPECIAL REPORTS
26 The 1996 AVN Awards Show
Complete coverage, including who won what, who did who, interviews with the winners, fashion commentary by Mr. Rosswell, and more
86 Consumer Electronics Show '96
The booths, the whole booths, and nothing but the booths. If it ain't here, it wasn't there
163 BoneYard
Top Story
166 There's no man like a Vivid man?
Steven St. Croix and Jon Dough sign on the dotted line
Innerview
171 Anna Amore
Gossip
176 Loose Lips
The lips were loose at CES '96, and we've printed everything
Reviews
162 Review Index
185 Film
186 Video
184 Editor's Choice
186 Midnight Obsession from om Xcel Films Video
191 Wall to Wall
198 Gonzo
206 Anal
204 Editor's Choice
Butt Banged Cycle Sluts from Anabolic Video
205 Editor's Choice
Beyond Reality from Exquisite Pleasures
209 Specialty
215 Alternative
218 Girl/Girl
220 Amateur
222 Gay & Bi
231 InPrint
236 Hardwares
Departments
10 EDITORial by Mark Kulkis
Why Garth Brooks will never win an AVN Award
14 ReaderSpeak
18 Charts
Expanded, a wealth ofstats!
254 Retailing
Adult Expectations of Tuscon, Arizona
154 Business Side
Bella Pictures - Al Borda does it his way
138 LEGAL news & views
158 Compilations
256 Classified Marketplace
On the Set
248 The Last Train 2
Max Bellochio comes to America in search of fame, fortune and a location for his latest opus
250 Entangled
Jim Enright directs Lisa Ann in a bone-inducing comeback vehicle for Klimaxxx Productions

EDITORIAL
At the 23rd annual American Music Awards, Garth Brooks refused to accept the favorite artist of the year award. "I cannot agree with this [award]," Brooks said from the podium. "Without any disrespect for the American Music Awards and without any disrespect for the people who voted, for all the people who should be honored I'm gonna leave it right here." And that's precisely what he did, leaving the statue on the podium and walking away.
Could this ever happen at an AVN Awards Show?
Certainly, there has been no shortage of second guessing our judgment in choosing winners. Considering the number of theories flying around as to how we go about "fixing" the awards, Oliver Stone should quit dabbling in presidential autobiographies and film The AVN Story.
We've heard them all. We're in Vivid's pocket. We're VCA's "boys." We're in cahoots with Evil Angel. We're in bed with Wicked. (Admittedly, we wouldn't mind being in bed with Jenna Jameson, but that's another story.) Film A didn't win because, back in '88, Gene Ross sneezed and the director of Film A neglected to say "God bless you," and that fuckin' Ross has been carrying a grudge ever since. Starlet B didn't win because Mark Kernes has a "thing" for Starlet C, from whom he undoubtedly hopes to get a blowjob (too bad she's a bull dyke in her real life, ha-ha).
Contrary to what some believe, the AVN Awards judging process is not a group effort. We don't gather together in a smoky back room and divvy up the awards according to who's taken out the most ads over the past year. Although, ironically, it appears certain people wish this were the case. More than one company in the past has threatened to pull its ads because its film or video didn't receive the rating it "deserved." (Some have actually carried through on those threats, though to no avail as far as the review was concerned.)
I'm sorry to disappoint conspiracy enthusiasts, but the real judging process is not nearly so nefarious. We take the nominated tapes home, watch them, and rank the nominees according to how much we honestly like them. (Anyone who wants to examine the signed ballots is free to do so — just call and make an appointment.) The process is similar to a presidential election. You go alone into your voting booth and choose the person you feel, for whatever reasons, will make the best president.
Is it a perfect system? Hardly. Witness some of the presidents our country has put into office recently. However, until the radical right gets its way and we all become so homogenized that we look, act and vote alike, it's the best system we've got. And unlike the electoral college, we at AVN are at least receptive to suggestions. We've already enacted changes in our voting procedure to address certain problems, and will continue to refine the process to adapt to the changing landscape of the adult industry.
Garth Brooks justified his rejection of the favorite artist award on the following basis: "...I've been around [the country] talking to retailers...and every one of them credits Hootie [& the Blowfish] for keeping them alike in 1995 and I couldn't agree more. So I thought that's who shoulda won."
Unlike Mr. Brooks, a lot of the people bitching the loudest about not winning an AVN Award haven't even watched the other videos they were up against. They simply assume that, because they poured a lot of money into the project, or it was a labor of love, that they "deserved" to win. One has only to look at mainstream dogs such as Waterworld to see that such reasoning does not hold water.
Last year, we collectively watched every single adult video that was released, an astronomical 5,500 tapes.. As for talking to retailers as Mr. Brooks did, that's our job' We're a trade magazine; video retailers are our primary readership. With all due modesty, there is no single entity better informed about what is happening in the adult industry than AVN. And that's a fact.
Could it happen here? Doubtful. Very doubtful. Of course, having said all this, watch some actress make the fool of me by getting up on stage next year and proclaiming, "With no disrespect to AVN, I cannot in good conscience accept this award for Best Anal Scene. I watched all the other videos, and there were other assholes gaping way wider than mine."