CANOGA PARK, Calif.—Adult industry powerhouse Wicked Pictures is pleased to announce that the company and the product lines it distributes have been honored with nearly 100 nominations for the 2012 AVN Awards. While many of the accolades speak to the variety and quality of Wicked's in-house productions, the rest recognize the excellence of specialized lines like Jessica Drake’s Guide to Wicked Sex, Wicked Passions, Video Marc Dorcel, JoyBear Pictures and Abby Winters.
The famed Wicked Girls—Stormy Daniels, Jessica Drake, Kaylani Lei, and Alektra Blue—and more than 20 of the company's in-house productions received nominations, with director Brad Armstrong's AVN Editor’s Choice The Rocki Whore Picture Show: A Hardcore Parody leading the pack with 18 major accolades.
Sam Hain's innovative sci-fi spectacular Horizon followed with 13 nominations, while Armstrong’s stylish dance opus Sexy received nine.
The year also saw Wicked reaffirming its status as one of the industry’s top creators of adult comedies, with no less than four releases gracing the Best Sex Comedy category.
Turning to new horizons, Wicked's entries into the sexual wellness market performed extremely well, with Jessica Drake's Guide to Wicked Sex receiving six major accolades, including Best Educational Release nominations for all of the installments released this year – Fellatio, Anal and Basic Positions.
While best known for his stylish dramas, Brad Armstrong proved to have a deft comedic touch in 2011. Already an AVN and XBIZ Editor’s Choice, The Rocki Whore Picture Show: A Hardcore Parody emerged as one of the year's most highly regarded titles, leading the way for Wicked with recognition in such diverse categories as Best Parody - Comedy, Best Director - Parody, Best Art Direction, Best Screenplay - Parody, Best Supporting Actress (Alektra Blue), Best Supporting Actor (Randy Spears) and Best Group Sex Scene.
Armstrong also earned a Best Director – Non-Feature nomination for Sexy and, fittingly, a well-deserved spot in the Director of the Year (Body of Work) category.
In contrast, filmmaker Sam Hain, already considered one of the industry's most gifted creators of parodies, chose Wicked as the home for his first original production. An effects-laden deep space adventure, Horizon received nominations in several major categories, including Best Feature, Best Director – Feature, Best Actress (Jessica Drake), Best Supporting Actor (Rocco Reed), Best Supporting Actress (Kimberly Kane) and Best Screenplay. The film is currently an AVN and XBIZ Editor's Choice and has been screened at mainstream theaters and college campuses.
Created for the company’s romance line Wicked Passions, Stormy Daniels' charming Heart Strings earned the veteran writer/director/performer a well-deserved Best Director – Feature nomination, and a selection from the film’s soundtrack, “No Song, No Supper,” was nominated for Best Original Song.
Daniels’ Gracie Glam vehicle Teacher's Pet earned a nomination for Best Feature, while her fun Kaylani Lei romp Blind Date earned praise in the Best Comedy category.
The 2012 nominations also saw veteran contract director Jonathan Morgan exercising his penchant for hardcore humor, with both Party Girls and XXX Avengers receiving Best Sex Comedy honors. He was also honored in other genres, including a Best Interracial Release nomination for My Black Fantasy.
Among the overseas lines distributed by Wicked, France's Video Marc Dorcel received over a dozen nominations, including Best Foreign Feature and Best Director - Foreign Feature for the exotic big-budget release Bangkok Connection. Abby Winters was honored with several noms recognizing the popular Girl Girl Hardcore and Intimate Moments franchises, while the innovative JoyBear Pictures titles Chloe's Column: Fuck Fame and Private Thoughts received multiple accolades.
Having received nearly 100 nominations in the many areas of direction, performance, eroticism and design, Wicked Pictures president and owner Steve Orenstein is justifiably pleased with his company's performance. "As always, I am very proud of our whole creative team. I am especially thankful for the recognition of all the 'firsts' for us. From Brad Armstrong's The Rocki Whore Picture Show: A Hardcore Parody getting released in a sea of parodies and still garnering more nominations than any other title, to Sam Hain's blockbuster Horizon, his first non-parody, being recognized with thirteen nominations."
Orenstein added, "I was also extremely happy to see every release in the Jessica Drake's Guide to Wicked Sex series receive nominations and to see Stormy Daniels get a directing nod for our Wicked Passions line. And once again, AVN showed tremendous appreciation for the foreign lines we distribute, including Abby Winters, Video Marc Dorcel, and JoyBear Pictures."
Wicked Pictures congratulates its talented performers, filmmakers, and staff for their 2012 AVN nominations. From science fiction to a musical parody, from sprawling epics to the most intimate of love stories, this forward-thinking studio continues to prove that it is built to last.
A complete list of Wicked's 2012 Adult Video News nominations is below:
WICKED PICTURES NOMINATIONS
ABOUT JESSICA
Best Comedy
ANARCHY
Best Vignette Release
Best Three-Way Sex Scene, Lizz Tayler, Danny Wylde, Sascha
Best Music Soundtrack
Best Original Song, “In Control”
BLACK & BLUE
Best All-Sex Release, Mixed Format
BLIND DATE
Best Comedy
COUGARS TAKE IT BLACK
Best MILF Release
ETERNAL
Best Feature
Best Director - Feature — Barrett Blade
Best Supporting Actress — India Summer
HEART STRINGS
Best Director - Feature — Stormy Daniels
Best Original Song — “No Song, No Supper”
HORIZON
Best Feature
Best Cinematography
Best Director - Feature — Sam Hain
Best Art Direction
Best Screenplay
Best Actress, jessica drake
Best Supporting Actor — Rocco Reed
Best Supporting Actress — Kimberly Kane
Best Non-Sex Performance — Andy San Dimas
Best Marketing Campaign, Individual Project
Best DVD Extras
Best Special Effects
Best Make Up
JESSICA DRAKE’S GUIDE TO WICKED SEX
Best New Series
JESSICA DRAKE’S GUIDE TO WICKED SEX: FELLATIO
Best Educational Release
Best Oral Release
Best Oral Sex Scene — Bobbi Starr
JESSICA DRAKE’S GUIDE TO WICKED SEX: ANAL
Best Educational Release
JESSICA DRAKE’S GUIDE TO WICKED SEX: POSITIONS
Best Educational Release
MY BLACK FANTASY
Best Interracial Release
PARTY GIRLS
Best Comedy
PRIVATE LESSONS
Best Director - Feature — Marcus London
ROCKI WHORE PICTURE SHOW: A HARDCORE PARODY
Best Parody - Comedy
Best Cinematography
Best Editing
Best Director - Parody — Brad Armstrong
Best Art Direction
Best Screenplay - Parody
Best Actor — Mac Turner
Best Supporting Actor — Randy Spears
Best Supporting Actress — Alektra Blue
Best Group Sex Scene — Alektra Blue, Jessica Drake, Kaylani Lei, Brandy Aniston, Nikki Daniels, Lucky Starr, Puma Suede, Randy Spears, Tommy Gunn, Marcus London, Ron Jeremy, Jack Vegas, Dick Chibbles, Rocco Reed, Mac Turner
Best Non-Sex Performance — James Bartholet
Best Original Song — “Fuck-a-Fuck-a”
Best Original Song — “Oversexed Pornstar”
Best Marketing Campaign, Individual Project
Best Packaging
Best DVD Extras
Best Make Up
Best Music Soundtrack
SEXY
Best Vignette Release
Best Director - Non-Feature — Brad Armstrong
Best Art Direction
Best All-Girl Group Scene — Jessica Drake, Alektra Blue, Kaylani Lei, Brandy Aniston
Best Tease Performance — Brandy Aniston
Best Original Song — “Sexy”
Best Packaging
Best DVD Extras
Best Music Soundtrack
TEACHER’S PET
Best Feature
A TOUCH OF SEDUCTION
Best Ethnic-Themed Release - Black
WICKED PASSIONS
Best New Line
XXX AVENGERS
Best Comedy
YOUNG AT HEART
Best Screenplay
WICKED PICTURES
Best Overall Marketing Campaign
Best Membership Site
Best Studio Website
DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
Brad Armstrong
VIDEO MARC DORCEL
BANGKOK CONNECTION
Best Foreign Feature
Best Director - Foreign Release — Max Bellochio
MADEMOISELLE DE PARIS
Best Foreign Feature
Best Director - Foreign Release — Herve Bodilis
MY FIRST ORGY
Best Director - Foreign Release — Max Candy
MAXIMUM FITNESS
Best Foreign All-Sex Release
FRENCH MAID SERVICE
Best Foreign All-Sex Series
RUSSIAN INSTITUTE
Best Foreign All-Sex Series
RICH LITTLE BITCH
Best Foreign Feature
ORGY: THE XXX CHAMPIONSHIP
Best Orgy/Gangbang Release
Best Group Sex Scene — Kaci Star, Liz Del Sierra, Marie McCray, Aiden Ashley, Alan Stafford, Anthony Rosano, Asa Akira, Austin Matthews, Charlie Theron, Diana Doll, Evan Stone, Jaelyn Fox, Jeanie Marie, Ramon Nomar, Raven Alexis, Sean Michaels, Sophia Lomeli, Xander Corvus, Yuki Mori
FRENCH MAID SERVICE TRAINEES
Best Sex Scene in a Foreign Shot Production — Cindy Dollar, Ian Scott, Alex Forte, James Brossman
DORCEL.COM
Best Studio Website
ABBY WINTERS
GIRL GIRL HARDCORE
Best All-Girl Series
INTIMATE MOMENTS
Best All-Girl Series
NATURALLY SEDUCTIVE GIRLS
Best Amateur Release
LUSTFUL PLEASURES
Best Solo Release
TEMPTING URGES
Best Solo Release
JOYBEAR
CHLOE’S COLUMN: FUCK FAME
Best Foreign Feature
Best Director - Foreign Release — Ted D
PRIVATE THOUGHTS
Best Foreign All-Sex Release
Best Director - Foreign Release — Justin Ribiero Dos Santos
For more information about any of these titles, visit Wicked.com and Wickedb2b.com.