LAS VEGAS - The roller derby skated through the Palms Resort & Casino on Friday night with Adam & Eve and Zero Tolerance in the middle of the bump-and-grind action. Three-hundred plus invited guests enjoyed free shots, decadent desserts and go-go dancers on wheels as the stars from the movie Roller Dollz kept the mood light and the atmosphere sexy. (photo gallery)
Professional roller derby skaters from the BakerBabes and Sin City Roller Girls joined assorted Vegas high-rollers, adult industry executives and A-list performers deep inside the Palms Ballroom to celebrate the movie's September release. Guests warmed up by downing plastic test tubes full of absinthe served by stripper-like models outside the Ballroom's theatre-style entrance. Once inside, party-goers couldn't miss the mock roller rink next to the DJ booth complete with metal bars to save skaters from wipeouts. Or the 944 Vegas staff that rolled in dressed like serious roller derby pimps.
The magazine's creative director Noah Ray set the tone for the night when he showed up wearing a mesh cut-off, tube socks and a bleached blonde wig. He brought a referee with a whistle, a graphic artist with a fake black eye, and an advertising manager wearing multi-colored wristbands, goggles and a black mouthpiece.
"What happened?" Ray asked seriously when he saw I didn't have on skates.
Gobo lights projecting Adam & Eve, Zero Tolerance and Roller Dollz logos bounced off the red-lit walls as drinks were poured in cabana-like areas underneath the custom scaffolding that was brought it to give the room an industrial feel.
Director James Avalon shot the X-rated, roller derby epic over six days in Los Angeles, spending two full days on the skating sequences alone with a focus on authenticity. The avid roller hockey player and AVN Hall of Famer said the project was two years in the making and a blast to shoot, especially the fast-paced skating sequences that were captured at Will Rogers State Beach off the Pacific Coast Highway. Avalon, who also edited the movie, gave everyone their first taste of the finished product as a variety of Roller Dollz trailers played on plasma screens.
Four of the Roller Dollz - Adam & Eve contract girls Kayden Kross and Bree Olson, Zero Tolerance exclusive Courtney Cummz and Alektra Blue who is now with Wicked - were also featured in two music videos with the band The Mother Truckers, which licensed its songs "Let's All Go to Bed" and "Dynamite" for use in the movie. Peter Reynolds, the former vice president of sales and marketing for Adam & Eve, orchestrated the cross-promotion with the up-and-coming Funzalo Records recording artists after seeing The Mother Truckers perform in Austin, Texas. Reynolds, now owner of his own worldwide licensing firm called Plaid Bag Media, made sure everyone in attendance was taken care of Friday night as the Hillsborough, N.C.-based studio returned to the Palms to celebrate a big movie for the second straight summer. Last year the company toasted the island fantasy Eden in two lavish parties at the Palms.
On Saturday night the Roller Dollz festivities continued at the Palms Pool as Adam & Eve and Zero Tolerance broke out the custom silk pajamas and lingerie for the annual Jimmy's Naughty Nightie Nite bash.
There was no shortage of eye candy Friday as flirty models in tiny derby outfits teased the crowd, a sexy Japanese DJ spun roller skating music and porn stars sipped cocktails and ate chocolate-covered cherries. Among the adult performers spotted included Veronique Vega, fresh from a recent trip to Paris where she starred in a Private movie and Roxy DeVille, who recently played Lily Munster in Hustler Video's new parody. The vivacious Sunny Lane, who plays the villain in Roller Dollz, said she came to the party ready to tie on the same special skates she wore in the movie - black with pink wheels. The sex was easy compared to her turn as the bad girl opposite Bree Olson.
"It was so hard to be mean to Bree," Lane joked.
Fortunately, Lane and the rest of the cast pulled it off, including what is believed to be the first orgy ever filmed at a roller rink. Lane, the Déjà vu Showclub contract girl who used to be a competitive figure skater before she began her porn career, said she was fortunate to be able to showcase her real-life talents in the movie. She needed all her skills while she was jockeying for track position with several derby players that Avalon brought in for the shoot. Now that she knows she can hang with the pros, Lane said she actually would consider joining a roller derby team.
Adam & Eve executive producer Meredith Christopher, who was spotted relaxing on a comfortable couch with Roller Dollz star Kayden Kross and director of public relations Katy Zvolerin, said she was excited about combining feature and gonzo in a fun movie. Christopher believes the movie will stand out this year as it's a departure from the industry's more serious plot-driven fare. Adam & Eve executives Bob Christian, Wit Maverick and Ryan Thomas joined the party along with Third Degree's Joey Wilson and Tony Santoro and Third Degree director Danny Case. Zero Tolerance marketing chief Scott Stein, New Sensations president Scott Taylor and X-Play's Jeff Mullen and Scott David also were spotted along with performer Heidi Mayne, Tony Batman and Dominic Bongiorno. Several industry buyers attended the event, jumping into pictures with the stars in front of the busy step-and-repeat wall.
Reynolds said the week leading up to the party was occasionally nerve-wracking as they finalized the partial rink setup inside the ballroom. The fire marshal nixed one of the final proposals for roller skaters on top of the scaffolding late in the process. But it all worked out.
"The whole weekend was fantastic," concluded Peter Reynolds on Sunday. "I just got a congratulatory text from the Palms. Just the good will alone with our customers was worth it."
"The networking, the way they had the party set up was great. No one got too wasted, it was just stupid drunk stuff," added Moose from Girlfriends Films.
T.J. DiReda from It Models called the event "well planned and well executed with strategic deployment of guests."
Click here for a photo gallery of the event,
Photo of Kayden Kross by Hew Burney.
