LOS ANGELES — The overeducated might call it a “litter,” a “sedan,” or even a “palanquin,” but everyone else knows the royal platform where a female ruler is carried by handsome, scantily clad male slaves as “the Cleopatra Chair.”
And that’s exactly how Stormy Daniels, the most famous sex worker in the world, and — shall we admit it — the sitting President of Porn, made her triumphal entrance at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel ballroom in Downtown Los Angeles to inaugurate adult’s biggest night, the 2019 XBIZ Awards. Wearing a stunning blue gown lined with crystals and cut in the style of a queen from antiquity, Stormy was carried aloft on her gilded, baroque platform to the strains of the muscular cover of the Beatles’ “Come Together” (John Lennon’s anthem to both mutual orgasm and political engagement) by Gary Clark Jr. and Junkie XL.
Stormy’s barechested “slaves,” incidentally, were played by a who’s who of current gay porn “It” boys: Max Adonis, Nick Fitt, Devin Franco, JJ Knight, Cade Maddox and Dakota Payne. Her processional clergy, clearing the way for this one-of-a-kind star who managed to successfully challenge one of the most powerful men in the world, was embodied by charity and protest performance artists the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a group that combines monastic zeal and activism with truly awesome costumes and kabuki-style makeup.
Stormy took her role seriously, borrowing the solemn wave to her subjects from the Queen of England, and striding onto the stage with the pizzazz of a seasoned feature dancer used to equally facing down unruly club patrons, sketchy vice squad entrappers and rich guy fixers with the same “seen-it-all” stare. Not even the security detail around her — which prevented even this official XBIZ chronicler from getting anywhere near Her Storminess — matched her paralyzing gaze.
Ordering her slaves to lower her chair with just the right gesture, Stormy descended and basked in the glory of the applause of an industry that, unequivocally, saw her as a role model—not just *an* adult star, but *the* adult star: the woman who made bank, and then proceeded to sue the hired fools who dared threaten her family and good name.
“Welcome to the 2019 XBIZ Awards, adult entertainment’s biggest night,,” Stormy — like Coleridge’s Kubla Khan decreeing his stately pleasure dome — proclaimed. “I’m Stormy Daniels and I am thrilled to be back where I belong — with the mavericks and the pioneers, the entrepreneurs and the activists, the innovators and the trailblazers that make up our awesome industry.” The crowd cheered, like thrill-thirsty patrons of a Roman Coliseum ready for the main event.
“I am honored to join XBIZ in turning the spotlight on all of you,” the President of Adult Entertainment added. “You’re the producers and the directors, the photographers, editors, camera operators, hair and make-up artists, the pleasure product creators and the techies who form the backbone of a global and very sexy industry. You’re the performers, the cam stars, the clip artists and the entertainers who provide companionship, satisfaction and so much more to tens of million of men, women, straight, gay and trans around the world 24/7, 365 days a year. It is my privilege to stand here tonight and honor all of you.
“In a year when sex workers were turned into political props —,” Stormy continued, only to interject “I mean, you may have seen my name in a headline, or two- …thousand,” to predictable laughter, “and in a year when the adult industry came under attack — yet again — from politicians who can’t quite seem to grasp the concept of free speech, we have continued to innovate. We kept pushing the national conversation on vital issues, from consent, to personal agency, social media etiquette and individual responsibility.
“We don’t always get it right,” Stormy conceded, “but at least we get it started.”
Stormy was now showing off her forensic skills. Seriously, if this woman wants to run for office, she absolutely could. She showed that she could easily speechify circles around many a politician, even at the highest levels, one of whom she’s known, albeit briefly, in an intimate manner.
But then, it was time to bring it home. “We all belong to the same family,” Stormy declared. “A rising tide lifts all ships. We don’t always agree with each others — bitches — but when one of us wins, we all win.” The interjected cuss was intended to show that even though she might be feuding with the highest temporal powers of the land right now, the lady is down for sure. The crowd got it.
The first presenters were Cherie DeVille — in a revealing red dress with a notable boob-level buckle — and Alexis Fawx — in a striking, shiny black gown that harkened to the glory days of Jean Harlow. They were there to announce the winner of the Comedy Release of the Year — “Deadpool XXX: An Axel Braun Parody” (Wicked), the Marvel parody helmed by legendary high-budget productions mastermind Axel Braun.
“This movie really belongs to Seth Gamble,” said the goateed Braun. “He deserves to hold this and to say his piece.” Gamble, wearing a dapper crimson suit, said a few words and returned the mic to Braun, who extolled the professionalism of co-star Jessica Drake, while a radiant Romi Rain looked on in her jaw-droppingly cleavaged red gown.
Cherie DeVille and Alexis Fawx stayed to announce the Performer Showcase of the Year, and this was the first award to the evening’s great winner — Abigail Mac’s “Abigail,” produced by Greg Lansky’s Tushy empire and directed by adult’s favorite performer-turned-creator, the incomparable Kayden Kross.
Abigail Mac took the mic to thank Lansky — “not just a friend but a mentor for so many years” — and then turned to her director. “Thank you, Kayden,” Abigail gushed to the stylish icon standing next to her in the platonic ideal of a sober, yet compelling, little black dress. “You are an inspiration. You are seriously the most amazing woman I’ve worked with and you pushed me farther than I ever thought I could go. You’re wickedly talented.”
Kayden Kross then thanked Lansky (for the first time of several in the evening), the crew and her star. “I’ve never seen anyone do what you did,” Kross told Mac. “I feel we’re gonna get engaged right now,” she joked. “This was the best project I’ve ever made, and you were the best choice for it.”
The next presenter was the buxom Nicolette Shea, overflowing out of an outfit largely made of fishnet material. She announced the award for Innovative Sex Toy of the Year (by Design), which went to Satisfyer Pro Traveler, by pleasure products titan Satisfyer.
Immediately after a speech by Satisfyer’s Jerome Bensimone, one of Nicolette’s nipples popped out of her top, but she was unfazed and announced the award for Fetish Product Line of the Year — Master Series by XR Brands.
Cam-girl-turned-pro-performer and sex worker community advocate Ginger Banks in a red gown (rented, as usual, from Rent the Runway, as Ginger explained on her no-filter Twitter feed) and performer and VR entrepreneur Ela Darling in a stunning, shiny gold dress took the stage next to announce the Clip Site of the Year award.
The reading of the nominees caused much cheering by those aligned with industry heavy hitters like ManyVids and MyFreeCams. The award went to ManyVids, announced as “a force to be reckoned with.”
The acceptance speech was given by ManyVids CEO Bella French, wearing a branded top, a playful riff on the Louis Vuitton pattern with MV instead of LV. French thanked her business partners and ManyVids models like Ginger Banks, who has over 15,000 followers on the platform. “Our MV stars,” French praised. “You’re successful, independent entrepreneurs, you’re the CEOs of your own business — beautiful, smart, sex workers. Always be proud, because you make the world a better place. At ManyVids we believe that the next demographic of millionaires online are sex workers and that’s why we’re dedicated to provide you all with cutting-edge tools. We believe in you, we love you.”
The Girl-Girl awards were presented by Kristen Scott, wearing a simple (and simply stunning) black dress with silver ring neckpiece and the mesmerizing Whitney Wright, clad in a sparkly gold dress. They proclaimed Charlotte Stokely as the Girl-Girl Performer of the Year winner, a choice the XBIZ show announcer extolled as “the epitome of high-end girl-girl performer” boasting her very own “trademark class, wit and sexy charisma.”
“I have sexy charisma! And a trophy!” Charlotte yelped. The effervescent blonde could not contain her glee at the well-deserved award. “This is a symbol of so much hard work.”
Scott and Wright then announced the winner of All-Girl Feature Movie of the Year, which went to “Fantasy Factory: Wastelands,” a sci-fi dystopian fantasy about an AI apocalypse by Gamma Films. The Gamma gang, led by famed director and head of production Bree Mills took the stage to thank everyone in the cast, including the evening’s most lauded performer, Abigail Mac.
Brandi Love, in a very 1980s green wrap dress, was up next to announce two pleasure products awards. Luxury Brand of the Year went to LELO, the world-famous Swedish manufacturer that specializes in premium pleasure products. The Pleasure Products Company of the Year award went to CalExotics, an iconic brand with a “commitment to romance and passion in relationships.”
Adriana Chechik — dubbed, not incorrectly, as “dangerously beautiful” by the XBIZ announcer — strode the stage next in a fascinator hat and transparent halter top, showcasing her usual knack for the right stylish choice. Chechik announced Cam Site of the Year, which went to MyFreeCams, who must have brought a full posse of models to the awards, if one is to judge by the ovation that greeted their announcement as a nominee and the win.
The company had its models pick up the award, led by Kristie B. (aka Kristie Bish), who raised her “smol” frame to the mic to thank XBIZ for recognizing “our family, once again.”
The first interlude of the evening was a hilarious, “Funny Or Die”-style fake audition tape (shot by outspoken industry vet Mike Quasar) where several top performers vied for the opportunity to play Stormy Daniels in a biopic. Starring Joanna Angel, Karma Rx, Whitney Wright, Kenzie Taylor, Penny Pax, Britney Amber and Small Hands, the video poked fun at the evening host’s adventures and misadventures, taking several cues from the media coverage and from her notorious memoir, last fall’s “Full Disclosure.”
All the expected laugh lines were there. The most unique performance was by Wright, who intensely scammed to get the part and gave a string of hilarious, absurdist spacey/gross replies that clearly cracked up the crew.
Stormy came back on stage soon thereafter and asked, “I want to know who’s buying me a drink after this? What did you think of the auditions for the Stormy Daniels story? I personally thought it was fucking funny — I want them all!”
The next presenters were a pair of bona fide whip-smart glamour queens: Casey Calvert and Janice Griffith, both in sophisticated, stylish gowns. The audience audibly gasped at the sight and someone blurted to Janice why she was so hot. “I’m not sure why I’m so fine,” she answered, a little taken aback, to the crowd’s laughs.
Calvert and Griffith announced two big performance awards. Best Actress in a Feature Movie went to Avi Love for “The Possession of Mrs. Hyde” (Wicked), a labor of love by Axel Braun with a script by his father — Italian porn pioneer Lasse Braun — shot in black and white with an all-star cast, and his first non-parody feature film since 2003. The award was accepted by Charlotte Stokely, who explained that the actress “couldn’t be present, but I’ve done her in “Possession of Mrs. Hyde,’” so it was somehow all good.
The next award was for Best Actor, which went to the extremely actor-ly Tommy Pistol for Bree Mills’ “Anne,” the auteur’s demented “parody”/adaptation/reimagining/creepification of the classic newspaper comic strip and Broadway musical “Annie.” Tommy — who “channeled his inner Hunter S. Thompson” for the performance — thanked Bree Mills, Pure Taboo and Craven Moorehead (“you guys are killing it, consistently over and over”) and then explained that “I got to play a horrible man, an asshole — opposite of who I am — and goddamn it’s a lot of fun.”
Trans performer extraordinaire Aubrey Kate — in a tux with a pink bowtie and riding crop — presented a pair of Sex Toy categories. The award for powered sex toy went to Tri-It, by Screaming O, and for non-powered to the Trident Series, by Aneros.
Stars Elsa Jean and Penny Pax took the stage to present one of the evening’s biggest awards — Feature Movie of the Year. The award went, for the second time in the evening, to “Abigail” (Tushy), a shocking double-win making XBIZ history, as the announcer put it “as the first-ever Performer Showcase of the Year to also win Feature Movie of the Year, cementing Kayden Kross, Greg Lansky and Abigail Mac as legendary forces in adult entertainment.”
An overwhelmed Mac confided that they “spent so much time working on this movie” and Kross, at a loss for words, thanked Lansky again and added a heartfelt “I’m so thankful, I love this industry, and thank you XBIZ!”
Best Actor winner Tommy Pistol returned to the stage to give the award for Director of the Year (Body of Work), which went to his “Annie” director, Bree Mills. It was Mills’ second consecutive victory as Director of the Year, with XBIZ crowning her as a “mad genius disruptor” who was transforming the landscape.
Mills’ speech named all her cast regulars — a true roll call of adult acting talent, who had earned 27 collective nominations in projects she directed in the past year. “You guys are the reason why I am standing here today,” Mills said about the performers who played out her outstanding scripts in a variety of adult genres. “I want to thank you for your energy, I want to thank you for your talent and for your bravery and for your openness to go down so many rabbit holes with me and I pledge that I would do everything in my power to ensure that you have as many beautiful and thought-provoking and safe stages to shine on.”
It was time for Pistol to announce the Feature Director of the Year award, and the “Abigail” momentum did not die down. Kayden Kross, “as intelligent, imaginative and ambitious as they come,” according to the XBIZ show announcer, accepted her award in tears and tried to express her emotions in words. “When I stepped behind the camera it was because [her partner] Manuel [Ferrara] didn’t want to make a movie that month … thank you Manuel.” She thanked her producing partner Greg Lansky (again), her crack cinematographer (Winston Henry) and “all the people who come on my set and give me everything. I’ve been there, I know what it takes and I appreciate it.” At one point, overwhelmed by the intensity of her grand win, Kross said, “Goddamn it, I didn’t want to cry!” and the audience was moved deeply. It was, by the end of the night, the most emotional of the acceptance speeches.
Before the MILF Performer of the Year award, raucous presenter Natalia Starr made out with her co-presenter, the luminous Britney Amber. “I brought my own sexy MILF right here,” Starr explained. The award went to “Spanish doll” extraordinaire Bridgette B. “Holy fucking shit!” Ms. B. quipped bouncing onto the stage in a striking pink outfit that generously displayed her famous boobs. “I was about to go to the bathroom — I really have to pee really bad.”
She shared that she had been in the industry almost for a decade, and thanked the people who supported her and mentored her, particularly ATMLA agency’s owner Mark Schechter and her husband Markus Dupree. “Anything in the last three years, [Markus] has taught me to be exactly what I am right now — the hardest working I can be.”
After B.’s speech, the VOD Company of the Year award went to the Euro-based Erotik.com.
It is a worthy tradition at XBIZ to include gay and trans awards. Presenters (and real-life couple Small Hands (2018 XBIZ Male Performer of the Year) and a very sparkly Joanna Angel took the stage to celebrate the Gay Movie of the Year. “Hello friends,” greeted Small Hands, “and specifically hello to all my gay friends.”
The award went to “Flea Pit” by CockyBoys, a Bruce LaBruce production that was also a 2018 XBIZ Europa Award winner. “Let’s get some dick up on the stage,” said the famed director, inviting the CockyBoys up, and added “trust me, I love all the boobies too. Thank you XBIZ for always including a gay category in your award show. It’s a class act.”
The Trans Performer of the Year award went to Chanel Santini, for the second year in a row, who wore a skin-tight dress with the stripes of the trans flag — two light blue, two pink and one white in the center. “I mostly want to thank the fans,” said Santini, highlighting the contributions of “subscribers, our viewers, our members. I wore my dress, this is the trans flag, so I’m representing my community here. We work as hard as the cis women.”
After a dance performance, it was time to begin the last stretch of the awards. Daniels returned with a social media proposition to the audience. “You may have seen the PSA I filmed with XBIZ earlier this year about the stigma faced by those of us who work in the adult industry,” Daniels began. “Lately, I’ve felt that stigma in the way I’ve been treated in the mainstream press. I expect all of us in this room have faced that prejudice in one way or another. But this is our family. Protecting and uplifting one another is our shared responsibility.”
In order to create “a little moment here at XBIZ,” Stormy invited everyone in the room to “get out your phones, open whatever social media you prefer and take a selfie and post it with the hashtag #ProudSexWorker.”
Next 2018 XBIZ Sexpert of the Year Dr. Chris Donahue and genderqueer performer Jiz Lee presented awards for Sex Doll Brand of the Year (to Ultimate Fantasy Dolls, by Pipedream Products) and Progressive Pleasure Products Company of the Year (to COTR, makers of “modern, high quality products” with a “sex positive, inclusive approach”).
A radiant Jessica Drake, in an almost transparent gold dress, gave the coveted Best New Starlet award to the tattooed and buxom Karma Rx, recognized by XBIZ for her excellent year working for many major directors and developing a very powerful social media following. “I’m not really good at words,” confessed Karma, and proceeded to thank “the people who fucked me and paid me to fuck other people.”
The Best Male Newcomer award went to the tall, fully tattooed Jason Luv, one of the most popular actors associated with Greg Lansky’s Blacked brand. “I’m beyond excited,” said a soft-spoken Luv.
Kayden Kross took the stage to award the Female Performer of the Year trophy to … her star Abigail Mac, for “Abigail.” It was now time for Mac’s big speech of the evening.
“This is so overwhelming right now,” she admitted excitedly. “When I started eight years ago as a cam girl, I knew nothing about the adult industry. I starred in girl-girl films only, and when I told people what I wanted to do with my career, they said it was impossible. People told me what range I should have, people told me what scenes I should film, people even told me what I should look like as an adult performer and my best advice to anyone in the industry is — don’t listen to anybody else, do what makes you happy and do whatever you want to do. You can have whatever career you want to have.”
Mac then thanked fellow stars Markus Dupree, Adriana Chechik (“for telling me how to do anal like a champ”) and Romi Rain (“for being such a woman that supports other women who has always told me this isn’t a competition and we can support each other and build our brands together”).
Kross then announced the Male Performer of the Year award, which went to the much beloved Isiah Maxwell, the star of over 200 titles in 2018 alone, spanning a dozen major studios, accepted the accolade in an ultra elegant, laid back open blue shirt and jacket, and his win was acknowledged by one of the biggest ovations of the evening.
“I’m entering my 30s this year,” said Isiah. “When I look back at my 20s — early 20s was very iffy, but this industry has pulled me into a different zone and has made me into half the man I am today and thank you all for letting me give you all the good parts of me now.”
Young industry vets Carter Cruise (per usual, wearing a radical ensemble) and Megan Rain presented the awards for Female Cam Model of the Year (Studio) to Rich Girls Studio’s brunette stunner KendraSummer, who also thanked her cam platform of choice Live Jasmin.
The Female Cam Model of the Year (Independent) award went to the entrepreneurial Emily Bloom, the Ukrainian-born cam model, actress, YouTuber, and “explorer of the art medium” whose “driven, multidimensional” approach was lauded by the XBIZ show announcer.
The lithe beauty, wearing a classic green gown, thanked MyFreeCams as a “great, empowering platform” and extended her gratitude “to my members, my friends, my people, and my followers for voting.
“Webcamming made me who I am,” Bloom added. “Let me move across the world, follow my dreams and support my family. Keep spreading the love and the message of unity and keep rocking you guys.”
The evening was coming to an end when adult stars Valentina Nappi, Ana Foxxx and Kenzie Taylor named industry leader SegPay as the Payment Services Company of the Year.
The presenters then gave Cuban/French-born Natasha Nice the Web Star of the Year award, with the announced noting her longevity in the industry, multi-faceted stardom spanning shoots, camming and clips, her incredibly strong Twitter following and her consistent chart-topping rankings on popularity tracking sites. In a bountiful sparkling pink dress, one-woman-business Nice revealed that this was her “first award ever in the 12 years that I’ve been in porn. I kind of do it all.”
The last presenter took the stage in a cowboy hat. “Hi, I’m Buck Angel, the man with the pussy,” was the self-introduction, before moving on to name Dr. Emily Morse, host of the long-running podcast “Sex with Emily,” as Sexpert of the Year.
Dr. Morse explained that all the nominees in the category are friends. “We are all in this together,” she added, “because we all want the world to have better sex and relationships. We’re all the ones who go home and are the weird ones at Thanksgiving, because we fucking care — we want people to have better sex, and relationships and dating.”
On that note, Daniels returned to the stage briefly one more time to wrap up the proceedings. “I love you all, and good night,” she concluded, before adding, “now, who’s buying me a drink?”
For a full list of winners, click here.
For photo galleries from the 2019 XBIZ Awards, click here.
