In an exclusive interview, Vivid Entertainment Group co-chairman Steven Hirsch spoke to AVN.com this morning about the company's acquisition of the Kim Kardashian sex tape. The company has also provided AVN with a 30-second clip from the video, which will be released on DVD and the internet on Feb. 28 as Kim Kardashian Superstar.
Vivid paid $1 million for the Kardashian video, which shows the Beverly Hills socialite having graphic, hardcore sex with her then-boyfriend, hip-hop star Ray J. According to Hirsch, the company has been deluged with calls from the media and distributors since news of the acquisition broke this morning.
"This is a breakthrough tape," Hirsch told AVN. "Something like this only comes along once in a great while. There are so few of them out there that when something of this magnitude comes along, there is a tremendous amount of interest."
Interest in the Kardashian sex tape has been building since January, when the New York Daily News first leaked word of the video's existence. Kardashian initially denied the sex-tape rumors, but admitted participating in the video last week during an interview with an E! Channel reporter.
Hirsch believes the Kardashian tape is poised to become the biggest-selling celebrity sex tape since Red Light's 1 Night in Paris, which featured Kardashian's best friend Paris Hilton. "Who knows, it may be even bigger," Hirsch said. "Remember, the Paris Hilton tape was out there on the internet for free long before it was available on DVD. Nobody has seen this, so we believe that when we release it simultaneously on DVD and over the internet, we'll be able to really maximize the sales."
"What's interesting and unique about this video is that it is crystal-clear," Hirsch noted. "You can clearly see the explicit sex, and people are going to be really happy with it."
According to Hirsch, the 40-minute video contains 25 minutes of explicit sex – but contrary to rumor, it does not feature a "golden shower" sequence as reported in the Daily News.
Hirsch said that Vivid was offered the Kardashian tape roughly three weeks ago by a third-party source, closing the deal last week.
"I don't think there's any question that we can do a better job distributing this tape than anybody else," Hirsch said. "Obviously, we will have substantial DVD distribution along with internet, TV, hotel, wireless and international sales."
Meanwhile, this morning's edition of the New York Post quoted a rep from Kardashian's reaction to Vivid's press release. "Kim is going to die . . . are you sure?" the source reportedly said, adding, "She will be taking legal action against anyone responsible for this."
Hirsch declined to elaborate on the legality of Vivid's release, stating only that "we talked to our attorneys, and we feel that we have acquired the proper documents from the proper people."
Kardashian has not officially commented on the Vivid acquisition. The website TMZ.com reported only that Kardashian was "blindsided" by the news.
"We've released other celebrity sex tapes, including Tom Sizemore, Supahead, and the Janine-Vince Neil video. They all did very well, but none will measure up to Kim Kardashian Superstar," Hirsch said. "This one is a blockbuster, for sure."
When questioned about the ethics of releasing such material, Hirsch replied: "If they didn't want them to be distributed, they shouldn't have made them. We feel comfortable that we have the legal right to distribute the tapes."
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