IN THE FLESH ADULT ENTERTAINMENT TRADE SHOW EXPOSES NORMAL SIDE OF PORN STARS.Byline: BRENT HOPKINS Staff Writer LAS VEGAS -- John Lazarus had seen Lacie Heart naked before and wanted a moment of her time. Lazarus clutched a handful of photos and magazines as the 20-year-old porn star held a shiny gold pen. He asked for her autograph. She smiled and signed away. The 51-year-old Huntington Beach photographer's eyes lit up and he snapped her picture as she signed. For a brief moment, the actress and the enthusiast shared a little rapport. ``For the adult fan, this is a bonanza,'' he said. ``Most of them are really nice people, just with a slightly unusual occupation.'' Such was the scene at the Adult Video News Adult Entertainment Expo 2007, a four-day trade show and extravaganza that will culminate Saturday night with the AVN AVN Aviation AVN Avenue AVN Adult Video News AVN Avascular Necrosis AVN Atrioventricular Node AVN Aviation Model (weather forecast model, now Global Forecast System) AVN Air Vanuatu (ICAO code) Awards, billed as the Oscars of the porn world. For that intense span, companies from the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. and elsewhere pack up their wares and head to Vegas VEGAS Vocational and Educational Guidance for Aboriginals Scheme (Australia) to talk shop, show off and put their performers on display for scores of rabid fans. Where else could a routine business conversation take place amid recordings of primal love screams with no one even raising an eyebrow? Stunningly realistic mannequins and replica body parts fill the aisles, and women click-clack around atop towering heels. And yet, for all the unusual eye candy flashing about, the participants are strikingly normal. When they sit down to talk about their life stories, they sound just like the girls who were your classmates in high school. They could be stockbrokers or homemakers, regular people down the street, and they converse freely about subjects as varied as American bulldogs and French cinema. Most fans will settle for a quick snapshot and a smile. ``When you're watching someone on the Internet or a DVD DVD: see digital versatile disc. DVD in full digital video disc or digital versatile disc Type of optical disc. The DVD represents the second generation of compact-disc (CD) technology. , they don't seem real,'' said Joanna Angel, an actress and director who splits time between New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of and Los Angeles. ``It's important for (the fans) to see us as real people.'' Real people with Hustler emblazoned across their underwear and acting titles like ``Porny Monster'' and ``Reign of Tera'' on their r(hrt)sum(hrt). Real people asked to sign nude photos of themselves and pose seductively for a seemingly endless stream of very enthusiastic enthusiasts. ``On our side, it's the couple of days a year when we get validated,'' said Tera Patrick, a Studio City-based actress who appeared at the Vivid Video booth. ``... To be recognized by the fans is great. When they come up to you and say, `You got me through Iraq,' or `My wife and I had our first baby after watching your movie,' that really means something.'' Participants recall past shows as being much more shocking, with more sex and more backroom back·room n. or back room 1. A room located at the rear. 2. The meeting place used by an inconspicuous controlling group. adj. 1. craziness. This year's version, aside from the video screens flashing hard-core scenes and the occasional provocative comment, didn't seem particularly shocking, especially for Vegas. The women toting drinks to the gamblers at the casino outside wore skimpier outfits than many of the adult performers. ``You show your face, play some mind games with the competition, embellish your sales, pretend to be all risqu(hrt) and debaucherous, then you pack up and go home,'' said Oren Cohen cohen or kohen (Hebrew: “priest”) Jewish priest descended from Zadok (a descendant of Aaron), priest at the First Temple of Jerusalem. The biblical priesthood was hereditary and male. , president of Van Nuys-based Tight Fit Productions. ``This used to be dangerous, with sex and drugs  This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject.Please help recruit one or [ improve this article] yourself. See the talk page for details. and crazy things. Now, it's all about the money.'' And, for the unusual cavalcade cav·al·cade n. 1. A procession of riders or horse-drawn carriages. 2. A ceremonial procession or display. 3. A succession or series: starred in a cavalcade of Broadway hits. of visitors, that didn't seem so bad. Though mostly male, the crowd spanned everything from shaven-headed tough guys to nerds with digital cameras. A grandmotherly grand·moth·er·ly adj. 1. Characteristic of or befitting a grandmother. 2. Having the qualities of a grandmother. woman parked her motorized mo·tor·ize tr.v. mo·tor·ized, mo·tor·iz·ing, mo·tor·iz·es 1. To equip with a motor. 2. To supply with motor-driven vehicles. 3. To provide with automobiles. wheelchair near the Hustler Video booth and looked on with bemusement be·muse tr.v. be·mused, be·mus·ing, be·mus·es 1. To cause to be bewildered; confuse. See Synonyms at daze. 2. To cause to be engrossed in thought. as she watched Angel toss her hair and laugh with her co-stars. ``It's not what I expected -- it's a lot classier,'' said a 27-year-old Las Vegas tattoo artist known as Joey Needles who came to visit the show with his father. ``A lot of the porn stars are just regular looking. I'm not intimidated at all.'' brent.hopkins@dailynews.com (818) 713-3738 CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Digital Playground Inc. actress Lacie Heart signs photos of herself for fans Thursday at the Adult Video News Adult Entertainment Expo 2007 at the Sands Expo Center in Las Vegas. (2 -- color) - Actress and director Joanna Angel, above Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer |
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