Saturday night saw the Hollywood premier of the newest porn documentary, Pornstar Pets, a warm and funny – and often surprising – look at some of the four-legged (and two-legged and no-legged) creatures that porn stars come home to after a long day on the set.
The premier took place at the Echo Park Film Center, a cooperative that survives mainly on donations – and more than 125 porn (or pet) fans ante'd up their $5 to check out the (entirely non-sex) action.
Clocking in at just under an hour, director Margie Schnibbe manages to squeeze in footage of more than 25 XXX personalities interacting with their pets – and that wasn't always easy, considering that Lena Ramon alone keeps 37, including a couple of South American millipedes that caused some attendees to gasp when they first came on screen.
But not all pets are created equal, and not all owners are equally eloquent, so busty Taylor Wane, who attended the screening, and Teri Weigel, who didn't, got the most screen time. Taylor, it seems, feeds her canines on spicy cooked shrimp, fresh from the frying pan – and they both love it. The smaller dog has even appeared in some of Taylor's features, in one case as the object of affection of several lusty babes.
Teri Weigel and husband Murrill Maglio are seen trying to wrangle their half-dozen miniature Shelties (officially, Shetland sheepdogs), who weave in and out among themselves and between the couples' legs to the point that one half expects Teri to fall flat on her face at any moment. But no, she's learned how to deal with them – even when she's carrying her just-washed parrot, snug in his little towel, between her tits in her bra. Of course, the dogs do seem a bit bewildered when Teri drapes one of her six-foot-long snakes around one dog's neck...
Teri and Murrill are only one of several couples appearing here – but they're the only couple that's stayed together in the two years since Pornstar Pets was shot. Also present are jessica drake, Evan Stone and their two dogs (one of whom is also an amateur non-sex porn star); Kim Chambers and Scott Styles and their pair of "sugar gliders," South American rodents that, as the name implies, love sugar and can spread the webs between their front and hind legs and glide for short distances; and Shay Sights and Nick Manning, who've rescued and kept several stray dogs and cats. (Who knew Nick gives 10 percent of his earnings to animal shelters?)
Schnibbe traveled all over the Southland to get her footage, even visiting Rebecca Lord in Las Vegas to shoot her and her three dogs romping in Lake Mead, then up to the Moonlite Bunnyranch outside Reno for Sunset Thomas riding her horse and ATVing with her dog, and Airforce Amy discussing how, when she has to get her cat neutered, she's going to cast his balls in Lucite because they're "so cute!"
Also attending the screening were Bill Margold, one of whose two featured cats (Pogo) died last week; Russ Meyer favorite Kitten Natividad, who's got a dog and a cat; and Jeremy Steele, who, due to financial concerns, had to move his cadre of chinchillas to somewhat less luxurious quarters.
Other featured pet owners, familiar and unfamiliar, are Brittany Andrews, Violet Blue, Caressa Kisses, LaTia Lopez, Mr. Marcus, Sharon Mitchell, Melissa Monet, Dave Pounder and Anastasia Sands.
And then there's Ron Jeremy and his pet turtle Cherry ....
Simply put, this is an engaging look at a side of porn performers that never gets seen, and Schnibbe is sure to win a few festival awards for her creativity and excellent direction.
Pornstar Pets will be available soon in stores, or can be ordered now from the Brink Films website, www.pornstarpetsthemovie.com. And for those in the Bay area who'd like to check it out with an audience, the vid will be playing at 6 p.m. on May 7 as part of the Sex Worker Film Festival at the Roxie Cinema, 3117 16th St., San Francisco.
