CHATSWORTH, Calif.—AVN Media Network is pleased to announce that with the 2022 AVN Awards Show, it will introduce a re-envisioned award category singling out the art of comedy within adult productions, which will be dedicated by name to late AVN Hall of Famer and AVN Awards creative pioneer, Mark Stone.
The Mark Stone Award for Outstanding Comedy will recognize comedic craftsmanship in adult cinema as its own standalone art form. Long known for his great propensity for comedy, Stone—who passed away in 2016 following a battle with liver cancer—not only directed a plethora of comic titles for both Moonlight Entertainemt (which he co-owned in the 1990s and for which he helmed multiple volumes of the legendary Sex Trek series) and Wicked Pictures, but perhaps even more significantly, he was single-handedly responsible for creating untold numbers of the most memorable comedic bits seen during the AVN Awards over the course of its 38-year history ... including but far from limited to the iconic song and dance numbers that opened the 2015 and 2016 ceremonies performed by, respectively, Alexis Texas and Tommy Pistol, and Joanna Angel and Anikka Albrite—which, aptly enough, also incorporated his other great love of music.
"Historically, having an award called 'Best Comedy' has always been problematic, because by its nature it begs the question of whether the winner is being deemed the funniest production of the year of the best production that happens to be a comedy," AVN senior editor Peter Warren said. "This eliminates that debate."
Warren continued, "Much like a soundtrack—or a sex scene—the caliber of the humor in any given production can very easily be, and often is, exceptional in and of itself with little to no bearing on the overall quality of the production as a whole. So we thought it was high time comedy be acknowledged as its own distinct artform, and what more appropriate way to do it than to make this unique honor a lasting tribute to the AVN Awards' godfather of comedy?"
Stone's brother and AVN Awards executive producer, Gary Miller, commented, "Between Moonlight Entertainment and Wicked Pictures, Mark shot dozens of comedies throughout the 1990s well into the 2000s. As an adult filmmaker it was what he was best known for. The idea of having pre-taped comedy segments in the awards show was originated by him over 20 years ago. In fact, during the early days of its inception, Mark was the driving force behind the AVN Awards Show. It was his vision that took it from corporate PR event in a small meeting room into the mega entertainment stage show that it is today.
"In specific, he believed that comedy and music should be a big part of the show," Miller added. "He would be proud to know that one of the biggest awards we have is named in his honor."
Look for more announcements about the 2022 AVN Awards forthcoming on AVN.com.
