LAS VEGAS—While X-Play producers Will Ryder and Scott David have earned dozens of trophies through the years, primarily for parodies, the duo doesn’t mind a bit when a win comes in for an original script. (photo galleries)
“Out of all the awards we have won I think I am most pleased with this AVN trophy for Best Comedy because I truly didn't expect it,” Ryder, who also directed the movie, said about the 2016 AVN Award bestowed on Love, Sex & TV News Saturday night at the 33rd annual show.
“Love, Sex & TV News for Adam & Eve Pictures is our first original comedy since we produced Flight Attendants, and both won the AVN Best Comedy trophy; so maybe I should have done more original comedies.
“We created a ton of parodies of course along the way which kept us busy and won awards but it's really exciting to create a brand new story with fresh characters that rise from nothing but my mind. I love the process of writing an interesting story that a large audience can relate to and I think there is something intriguing about a big market TV news station, so this movie was perfect for me.”
Love, Sex & TV News is the story of News 10 and the high-stakes world of TV journalism. News 10 was once the No. 1 station, but lately it's slipped down the ranks. Associate Producer Maggie (Sarah Vandella) is stuck in a rut and hasn't had sex in months, but her boss bugs her to get the station back at the top, which makes it tough to balance her career and her sex life.
Everything takes a turn when Maggie joins horny Weather Girl (Carmen Caliente) and sexy Reporter (Janice Griffith) to go undercover in the world of high-paid escorts.
“I think that viewers can relate to the central character of Maggie—played wonderfully by Sarah Vandella—because she has problems just like most people do,” Ryder said. “She really makes you forget she's a porn star and actually becomes a TV news producer. It was a wonderful cast and I think the fact that it truly looks like a working TV news room makes this movie sizzle. If you have a believable great script with relatable characters you might have a chance for success and this is one of my best movies ever. It plays much more like a TV show than a porn movie which is part of the appeal.
“I love our cast, including Roy Karch, Nick Manning and Frank Bukkwyd, who bring real-life newsroom grit to the screen,” he added. “These guys could have worked at a TV station just like Lou Grant. Then the girls like Skin Diamond, Carmen Caliente, Sarah, Janice Griffith, Capri Cavanni, Josie Jagger, Anya Ivy, Josie Jagger, Jenna Marie, Kendall, Lucky Starr bring the newsroom to life with a sex appeal but truly as a newsroom. Seth Gamble, Kurt Lockwood, Alec Knight and Chad White provide plenty of manly appeal.”
The latest win brings X-Play’s total to more than a dozen AVN Awards in major categories, and more than 50 overall from various industry shows.
“That does not count actors/actresses/non-sex individual awards, so we are quite proud of our haul for being such a small company,” Ryder said. “Let's put it this way, we've earned more awards than I ever dreamed possible when I started in this business back in 1983 doing music for porn.
Besides, he added, "I didn't want Axel Braun and Greg Lansky to have all the fun!"
