The Mainstream
Porn has never been a dirty little secret for the gays. But it seems through the oughts it's made huge strides right on into the mainstream. Gino Colbert casts for here! TV's The Lair (and the cast includes porn stars like Johnny Hazzard, Colton Ford and Brad Benton); MTV's True Life series chronicled Jet Set Men's Aaron James; and Target and Amazon are stocking the BangBangBoys calendar and hot underwear designer Andrew Christian has tapped three of the BangBangBoys to model his creations in an ad campaign for his summer '08 collection. What we need now is a major network to create a reality show about a certain gay porn industry mag...
Versatility
Screw tops or bottoms, you gotta be really fluid to last long-term in this industry. Look at Chris Steele for a sterling example of how to remain relevant: He started in the industry in 1998 as an exclusive for Studio 2000, and in 1999 was the first gay porn star to launch a webcam and do live shows on the Internet. He then segued into screenwriting, penning more than 40 scripts, joined Falcon as the "condom and lube" guy, and within a year was running the studio's production department in addition to writing and directing the studio's top-selling movie, Taking Flight. He moved to LA to work for Centaur Films and soon was working at Jet Set Men too. Last year, he left Centaur to focus on Jet Set and early this year was made a partner at the studio, where he writes, casts, directs and produces films in addition to overseeing practically everything. So in addition to being versatile, you also have to be able to multitask. But in an industry that celebrates youth for the most part, you could do worse than follow Steele's path.
Going Green
You can do Leonardo DiCaprio proud by going green with certain products when you get off. Earth Erotics has a line of phthalate-free, environmentally friendly sex toys that includes the Flexi Felix, Smartballs and the Freshstub Magnum. Al Gore must be so proud...
Going Blu
Titan broke the barrier by being the first to release a gay adult film on Blu-ray, the studio's instant classic Breakers, and Maximus was close behind with Men of the Tropics, and now Afton Nills has announced his company, Xtreme Productions, will offer its content on the vastly superior Blu format as well while Raging Stallion has gone Blu with its blockbuster Grunts. Seems that all the talk about the DVD being dead may be a bit premature...
Going Gay
We know we're cool (not to mention hot), but it seems the straight side is starting to hark to our tribe as well (expecially our wallets). Apparel company Sexx University recently launched a campaign aimed toward the GLBT market; Pink Visual announced plans for a gay line, Male Spectrum, to debut in 2009; Naughty America launched a gay division, Suite 703; AdultRental created GayAdultRental, a VOD site just for us; and HellHouse created Devilboyz, a line of gay product.
Hair
Hair never went away entirely, but the smooth look sure took precedence for a while. Perhaps the tide is changing? Whether it's a light dusting or full-on carpeting, not only bears are sporting fur these days. A-listers including Jake Deckard, Dean Flynn (pictured), Alex Baresi, Vinnie D'Angelo, Steve Cruz, Collin O'Neal, and Roman Ragazzi are making hirsute hot again.
The Return of Boy Bands
New Kids on the Block have reformed and are planning a fall CD release and tour. Boyzone's back and kicked off a reunion tour in May. The Backstreet Boys may have never gone away but they're back on the pop music map with a current tour and a spring 2009 announced date to record the group's next album. And Hanson, while always active, is back in the news with babies (Zac), surgeries (Isaac), and a new tour, The Walk Tour, designed to bring awareness to suffering in Africa. Can LFO be far behind?
Marriage
It's official. Once California recognizes something, the rest of the states fall in line (sooner or later). So it seems we'll get to experience the joy of togetherness and the bitterness of divorce just like the rest of society! Immediately following the California Supreme Court's decision legalizing same-sex marriage, George Takei announced his plans to marry, and Ellen DeGeneres on her self-titled talk show declared her intention to wed hottie Portia de Rossi, who was in the audience crying happily.
Restrooms
Cottaging probably hasn't been this popular since the '70s. Idaho senator Larry Craig (leave it to the repressed Republicans!) brought it to national mainstream attention after being caught soliciting sex in an airport bathroom last year and introduced the phrase "wide stance" to the nation's vernacular. Alexander Pictures and TitanMen made sexier splashes with No Rest in This Room and Mens Room III: Ozark Mtn. Exit 8, respectively.
The Good Old Days
Bijou, Falcon, Channel 1, AMG and others are releasing classic flicks from days gone by,'70s stud Jack Wrangler is being lionized in the new documentary Wrangler: Anatomy of an Icon, and he straight side is cashing in on nostalgia with its naughty take on The Brady Bunch. Can the resurgence of polyester pants be far behind?
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