LOS ANGELES — The winners of the 2008 F.A.M.E. Awards were announced tonight in a star-studded ceremony on the main stage of Erotica LA at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Fans logged nearly 104,000 online votes to determine the winners in the third annual consumer awards show. And this year's show was not only the glitziest to date, but included some of the funniest bits seen on the F.A.M.E. stage thus far.
Easily taking the cake in that regard was the presenting routine by Sophia Santi and Penny Flame for the Favorite Breasts award. Santi announced that she would be translating Flame's reading of the nominees in "her own language." And Flame proceeded to rattle off a string of nonsensical garblings that elicited roars of laughter from the crowd. (Trust us, it was rich.)
Before the show got underway, however, adult's finest posed for scads of photographers on the red carpet, then mixed and mingled in the VIP seating area before the stage. In the front two rows sat such luminaries as Stormy Daniels, Evan Stone, Tera Patrick, Evan Seinfeld, Vivid Entertainment co-chairman Steven Hirsch, Jenna Haze, Jules Jordan, Belladonna and Sasha Grey.
A few rows back were Adam & Eve Pictures contract girls Ava Rose and Bree Olson, and Bree was staring dead ahead and repeating something aloud over and over again. Asked what she was talking about, Bree explained that she was practicing the line she had to deliver on stage. Later, after she had delivered said line (an introduction of the trailer for Adam & Eve/Zero Tolerance Entertainment co-production Roller Dollz, it turned out), Bree returned to her seat and anxiously asked Ava, "Did I say it good? I had to hold my own hand because I was shaking so bad!"
In addition to the Roller Dollz trailer, the show included previews of some of this year's other most anticipated adult video releases, including Pirates II: Stagnetti's Revenge (Digital Playground), Fallen (Wicked Pictures), Tera Goes Gonzo (Teravision), Cry Wolf (Vivid Entertainment), Not Bewitched XXX (X-Play/Adam & Eve Pictures) and Hillary Scott: Icon (SexZ Pictures).
Hosts Jesse Jane and Randy Spears (of Digital Playground and Wicked Pictures,respectively), kept the show lively and brisk throughout, with Jane sporadically tossing in exclamations about the dirty things she loves doing and would very much enjoy doing to Spears and others who took the stage.
One of the totally new additions to the ceremony was a presentation of the AVN Award for Best Renting Title of the Year by AVN founder Paul Fishbein and AVNLive's Michelle Maylene. Fishbein explained on stage that it was decided to present the award here "because it's really a fan award."
The award went to Vivid's Debbie Does Dallas... Again, and was accepted by Hirsch, who announced during his acceptance speech that Vivid is currently planning a big-budget remake of adult classic Deep Throat with Sasha Grey in the lead.
There was a snafu or two during the show, including the trailer for Icon freezing midway through and Penny Flame turning up missing when it was announced she had won Favorite Oral Starlet.
But there were some genuinely heartfelt moments, as well. Stormy Daniels, upon winning Favorite Director, seemed to be in true shock. "I pour my heart and soul into the movies I direct," she said, choking up a bit. "This is really awesome. Thank you."
The women who presented that award to Daniels, adult legends Amber Lynn and Bianca Seven, devoted a moment first to speaking about the upcoming benefit shoot of which they'll be a part to aid cancer-stricken director Henri Pachard, We Are the World XXX. Lynn encouraged those interested in helping with the project to go speak with its originator, Bill Margold, at his Protecting Adult Welfare (PAW) booth during Erotica's last day Sunday.
In another semi-emotional moment, Evil Angel's Karen Stagliano — who grabbed Belladonna on her way to the stage to accept the Favorite Studio award — said with a bit of a gasp, "I really did not expect this! This is very cool. Thank you."
And in another first, it was announced that the winner of the Favorite Female Starlet award (which went to Tera Patrick for the second year in a row) would be given a pearl Tiffany's necklace.
After the ceremony, Robby D., who had taken the Favorite Feature Movie trophy for Digital Playground's Babysitters, told AVN, "There were a lot of people tonight that didn't win that I thought should have, so to be included in the actual winners was very cool. Though I seriously think I get to work with the best girls in the business. I really appreciate and respect every single one of my contract girls. I think they're the hottest. There's not one of my contract girls that I wouldn't fuck."
Judging by Jesse Jane's randy pronouncements during the show, the feeling would seem to be mutual.
The complete list of winners is as follows:
Favorite Female Starlet: Tera Patrick
Favorite Male Star: Evan Stone
Favorite Celebrity Sex Tape: 1 Night in Paris (Red Light District)
Favorite Feature Movie: Babysitters (Digital Playground)
Favorite Oral Starlet: Penny Flame
Favorite Anal Starlet: Jenna Haze
Favorite Breasts: Ashlynn Brooke
Favorite Ass: Gina Lynn
Hottest Body: Jesse Jane
Favorite Female Rookie: Bree Olson
Favorite Gonzo Movie: InTERActive (Hustler/Teravision)
Favorite Director: Stormy Daniels
Dirtiest Girl in Porn: Hillary Scott
Favorite Studio: Evil Angel
Favorite Underrated Star: Brooke Haven