NBC cuts 600 jobs. Dell cuts 6,000 jobs. This may be one industry when cutting something could be a "wee" bit dangerous. The potential damage to the San Fernando Valley's (it makes me so proud to live close) multi-billion dollar porn trade may be substantial. Homemade videos, pirated uploads and cutthroat competition have sliced nearly a half billion dollars out of the $4.3 billion pornography trade."People are making movies in their houses and dragging them and dropping them" onto free web sites, Harvey Kaplan, whose company processes internet credit card purchasers for porn producers said. "It's killing the marketplace." Edgy video-trading sites have proliferated in recent years, providing an X-rated alternative to the popular YouTube video site, which does not allow graphic videos. Many of those web exchanges are laden with commercially-produced, copyrighted porn clips that have been uploaded by users.
"There's a glut. We did it to ourselves," Oren Cohen, president of Tightfit Productions (fitting name) said. "Anything that seems to be too good to be true for too long probably is." Filming, post-production, packaging and product distribution largely takes place in the San Fernando Valley, where pornography has become a local economic powerhouse. "We should focus on other ways to make money," Cohen says, "because people are always going to want to watch sex."
Well, I'm so sorry to hear about the economical impact of porn on the L.A. area. But to keep you inticed, check out this next story about an "artistic" photo shoot in the Land of Big Brother...
2,000 Gather For Nude Shoot In Amsterdam
Dozens of women posed naked on their bicycles on a bridge over one of Amsterdam's historic canals Sunday --a unique sight even in a city famed for its relaxed attitude toward nudity and sex. They were among 2,000 men and women who participated in a series of four nude group photos in the city in the early hours of the morning as part of the latest project of U.S. photographer Spencer Tunick.The first and largest composition was in a decidedly bizarre location: a parking garage on the outer ring of the city. But what the location lacked in romance, it made up for in style. Participants lined the railings of the garage's twin circular towers, creating a pattern of multicolor stripes against the white building and an overcast sky. The women on bikes were selected from the larger group and posed with their chins pointed triumphantly upward toward the sky. Other compositions included a group of men posing together near the parking garage and a mixed group of men and women on another bridge.
Tunick, from Brooklyn, N.Y., has become famous for photographing thousands of naked people in public settings worldwide, from London and Vienna to Buenos Aires and Buffalo. He set a record for naked photography with a photo of 18,000 people in the buff in Mexico City last year. Photos from Sunday's session were exhibited at an Amsterdam club later Sunday.Congrats Spencer on another "large" photo shoot of a bunch of asses! And speaking of asses...
Comedian Johnny Knoxville Sued For Penis-Mousetrap Incident
Perry Caravello filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging fraud and negligence, seeking $10.5 million in damages. The actor claimed he was severely injured when the comic Johnny Knoxville tricked him into putting his penis into a mousetrap during an appearance on a radio show. Knoxville had told Caravello he would receive $10 million just for complying with the mousetrap directive, but the device went off, the lawsuit states.
"Much to his emotional tranquility and to his physical harm, Caravello was severely injured when the trap literally went on his manhood," the lawsuit stated. The incident was videotaped without Caravello's permission and circulated over the Internet, but I couldn't find it on YouTube. Caravello also is suing Adam Carolla, the radio show host; station KLSX-FM, talk show host Jimmy Kimmel and comic Don Barris.Representatives for Knoxville, Kimmel, Carolla and Barris were not immediately available for comment and I'm sure this story is going to get some "length" in the upcoming weeks as the trial approaches. And now folks, in a totally related but unrelated story...
Man Beats World Hot Dog Eating Record
A California man smashed the world record for hot dog eating at a contest Saturday, gobbling up more than 59 franks in 12 minutes. Joey Chestnut, of San Jose, shattered the record held by Takeru Kobayashi of Japan by downing 59 1/2 "HDBs" - hot dogs and buns -during the Southwest Regional Hot Dog Eating Championship at the Arizona Mills Mall in suburban Tempe.
Kobayashi's old record of 53 3/4 was set last year at Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest, held at Coney Island in New York. "He's unbelievable _ he just keeps on going," said Ryan Nerz, who works for Major League Eating, which he describes as "a world governing board for all stomach-centric sports. These guys' numbers have just been going up at a tremendous clip. I always thought there was a limit to the human stomach and a limit to human willpower, but I guess not."Chestnut won a free trip to New York, a year's supply of hot dogs and a $250 gift card to the mall.
Okay, I'm done with the "adult" oriented puns! Have a great day and remember, in our insane world, it's just my opinion...I could be wrong!
