August 10, 2004 06:59am
Random Notes from a Red Notebook: Night of the Stars
Source: Tod-Hunter.net
by: Tod Hunter
Walked up from the parking lot into the familiar courtyard just outside the ballroom... First person I see is Renae from New Sensations... It's been a while.... Devinn Lane, looking glamorous and pensive... Kat Sunlove, all grins and continuous activity, always in motion... Carly with a couple of clients and her yoga teacher... Layla Jade, looking gorgeous as usual, and I pass the time of day for a minute or two, talking about the upcoming X-Con... Carmen Luvana, luminous...
Chico Wang. He snags me a ticket to go inside. I thank him for it, put it in a pocket. I really have no intention of going in, but I don't want to be rude... Juli Ashton. Last time I saw her we were in the Playboy Radio studios... I don't see her as much as I like... Cleopatra.... Candida Royalle, and Michele Capozzi. Michele has been shooting in Brazil for Candida. Candida Royalle tells me that I was one of the few people who got her movies, and tells a friend of hers "Tod was the reason we got so many pre-noms for Stud Hunters." She's in town for ANME, will be repping her Natural Contours vibe line [linked in the box to the rightin the box to the right] in the upstairs roof garden.... Buck Adams, haven't seen him in a long time. He was an honoree at the last one of these shindigs...
Max Hardcore with Catalina. Guess their break-up didn't work out. Or maybe it was just an incorrect rumor... Brad Armstrong... Luc Wylder and Alexandra Silk... Dani Woodward and I get into a discussion. She's going to protest Bush during the Republican convention. Good for her...
Keisha, who I think is Vanessa Del Rio until somebody set me straight. I suppose I wouldn't have made that mistake if I had looked at her face. I was going to get up there eventually... Joy King... Skeeter Kerkove... Christy Canyon, with whom I share an I-think-I-know-you moment before she breaks down and says "I'm Christy Canyon" and I smile, relieved, and say "I'm Tod Hunter" and she smiles and we chat for a few minutes about her autobiography...
Chi Chi LA Rue, in full drag, smiling and saying hi to people, joins us. I'm proud that I managed to get an extensive interview with him about his straight videos, which I think are great. He points at me, says to Christy, "This is the only person there who got it." I'm even prouder now... When the show starts, I cruise the silent auction in the lobby. There's a poster for Shakespeare in Love, signed by Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Affleck and Judi Dench. Judi Dench. Also, a gigantic sneaker autographed "Kobe" and I really don't want to go there...
There are high school reunions taking place here tonight, I find out from a furtive-looking stranger who tucks his name tag into his pocket before walking up to the bar. Burroughs and Burbank High Schools seem to be sharing a room in the nearby Studio Suites, and over by the pool there's a ten-year reunion of people from Taft High School who look like they're still in high school if you ask me.
I introduce myself to Lynn LeMay, who looks at me curiously and asks if I [did a scene with] her. I tell her no, and she sighs with relief... Jennifer from Pipedream is here, with their contract girl Monica Sweetheart... I get a picture of Monica... Dino Bravo, who I thought I had met, but I haven't... Mara Epstein... I run into Dennis Paradise, a longtime friend who is here for ANME: "Business is good. My golf game is good," he says in that offhanded way of his... Kim Airs, proprietrix of Grand Opening! and a member of the Free Speech Coalition board, invites me to join her at her table for the speeches. I accept her offer and get there in time for dessert...
Honoree Jenna Jameson takes the podium as a number of press people rush forward to take pictures. I go up there too, but she turns away every time I focus. I get a couple of profile shots featuring her left breast before I figure the hell with it... If you don't know what Jenna looks like, go here: ClubJenna.com [linked in the box to the right], they have more pictures of her than anybody... She endorses John Kerry, one more reason to love her... The show ends and people depart at a stately pace as if someone had yelled "Fire!" the place is deserted by 10:05... I see Jenna standing, alone, no entourage, with people not-approaching her. I turn away for a moment to say hi to somebody, thinking she'll still be there when I get back. She isn't. Sorry I missed you, Jenna...
Run into Nick East, who I haven't seen in a long time. We try to catch up on a mutual friend who - it turns out - neither of us has seen in a couple of years, and then I ask him what he's been doing. "I was installing satellite dishes in Akron, Ohio," he says with a grin. Maybe he's kidding. He still looks boyish, even with a goatee and a little grey in his hair. He tells me he's back, and ready to work. Sounds good to me...
I run into Brad Armstrong and jessica drake. We converse for a few moments, tentatively, and I say "It was probably good to see Jenna get the award, being a Wicked alum and all"... I then stop dead in my tracks, hoping the earth will swallow me up, which it doesn't, dammit, and I look at Brad who is enjoying my discomfort but won't let me off the hook until I say "I blew that one, didn't I?" and he agrees that yes I did. This may have happened differently, I've tried to block it...
[Stop by Tod-Hunter.net throught the link in the box to the right and have a look at the rest of the pictures from The Night of the Stars.]
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