When Chi Chi LaRue heard presenter Dean Phoenix announce the Best Picture award with "It's a tie!" the directrix, who had earlier won the Best Director award, gulped. "I thought, Oh no, they couldn't make a decision, and they're going to have the two divas up there on stage just to see what is going to happen."
LaRue was right. He shares the Best Picture award for Wrong Side of the Tracks 1-2 with Michael Lucas' Dangerous Liaisons. When it was his turn to say thanks, LaRue thanked Lucas for giving him as much publicity on his blog as he has given himself. It turns out that the feud between the two is more manufactured than real. LaRue points out, "We're both cartoon characters of ourselves, of our personas. I just wish sometimes he'd tone it down a couple of notches."
But ignoring any real or perceived rivalry, LaRue said he doesn't feel slighted at all sharing the Best Picture award. "It didn't cross my mind at all, I think this is the best thing I've ever done, and I'm delighted that it was honored and recognized. It was such a huge commitment by everyone," he said. "I truly believe this is the award that has established our company as one of the major players in the business, and it is long overdue."
Although LaRue's work has won plenty of awards each year, and he's often nominated for a non-sexual performance, it's been awhile since he has had his own Best Director trophy. In 2002, he and John Rutherford shared the honor for co-directing Deep South for Falcon. And two years before that he tied with Rutherford (Out of Athens 1-2) for the Director honor for Echoes (Odyssey). LaRue has won the GAYVN Best Director award two other times.
LaRue also won Falcon a few awards this year for Heaven to Hell, the very beautiful sexvid with feathers and devils and tattoos. Bradley Picklesheimer picked up the Art Direction award, and the video won Best All Sex in a highly competitive category.
"Bradley has done such amazing work on sets for me. It's about time he won something. I'm so glad. And Mistress Mona and Spike worked so hard on the makeup — those tattoos had to be touched up constantly! It was truly a collaborative effort. Of course, using all the great Falcon exclusives and having Brad Patton bottom for the first time and having a fantastic flip/ flop between Eric Rhodes and Matthew Rush didn't hurt the Best All Sex win. No director does everything himself."
