LOS ANGELES — One of the highlights of the 2012 XRCO Awards on Thursday will be the induction of the new Hall of Fame class.
Each year the XRCO selects a handful of performers, directors and industry contributors who have made an indelible impact on the adult film industry. Among this year's honorees are superstar performers Jenna Haze, Jesse Jane and Julia Ann, directors Vince Vouyer and Miles Long as well as sex educator Tristan Taormino.
The Internet Adult Film Database (IAFD), a leading source for adult entertainment data, congratulates the entire Hall of Fame class for their tremendous achievements and contributions. Two of the new members of the XRCO Hall of Fame have a long history and special relationship with the IAFD.
Director Luc Wylder has been behind the camera for more than 100 movies and has been both an innovator and a tireless voice of advocacy for the adult film industry.
"Luc was one of the first industry people I ever met, back in the mid-90s at the East Coast Video Show in Atlantic City," said IAFD's Jeff Vanzetti. "He has been a big supporter of ours from way back in the RAME days, and we're very excited to see him back in the director's chair and now, in the Hall of Fame. Luc pioneered the pro-am genre with his 'Dirty Dancers' series, did some great MTV Cribs-style work with 'Adult Stars at Home' series and fun travelogues in the 'Sex Across America' series, and this is to say nothing of his B&D work epitomized by his 'Master's Choice' series."
Vanzetti continued, "I always worry that Hall of Fame status comes at the end of a career, but I think with his new entries in the Amateur Angels series, he's put those fears to rest. Congrats, sir!"
Also honored with induction into the XRCO Hall of Fame this year is the late Internet film critic, Den. After producing his own mail-order adult content and fighting a legal battle for free speech rights, Den founded his site, Cyberspace Adult Video Reviews or CAVR.com. The author of more than 25,000 adult movie reviews, Den was easily the most prolific writer of online adult film reviews ever.
A pioneer whose career spanned more than two decades, Den influenced a generation of reviewers and ushered in the era of independent, online critics. He was a tireless voice for the industry he loved right up until his passing last year.
"Den is now my second friend who has been honored posthumously," Vanzetti said. "And since it is the only way Den would have had it, I would prefer he not be in the Hall of Fame, if it meant he was still with us. It is our great honor to keep his legacy alive. Not only was Den a reviewing machine, but he was a giant fan of the industry, and one of the first independent amateur producers with his company Den Video which got him jail time in the mid-80s for producing adult movies. We miss his emails and his phone calls and walking around AEE with him. If there ever was a reviewer who deserved to be in the Hall of Fame, it's Den."