GayVN Awards

It’s awards show season, even in gay porn land. Last week the nominations were announced for the 8th Annual GayVN Awards. For those of you who don’t know, the GayVN Awards are like the Oscars of gay porn. Let someone else speculate about Brokeback Mountain’s Academy Award nods, I’m more concerned with the fuck flicks.

It looks like the two front runners this year are Michael Lucas’s Dangerous Liaisons (yup, a gay porn version of Choderlos de Laclos’s 18th century novel) and Chi Chi LaRue’s Wrong Side of the Tracks. No big surprise there. These are two crazy ambitious DVDs from two damn fine pornographers. One of these two is going to take home the award for Best Picture, but I can’t even begin to speculate which. I’m thinking Chi Chi will get Best Director over Lucas.

As for best actor, it’s another tough call. I’d narrow it down to Rascal Video’s golden boy Johnny Hazzard and critical darling Brad Benton. Hazzard is up for a ton of awards – all for Wrong Side of the Tracks – and he’s bound to get a lot of them. A hot guy in a hot film is a tough combo to beat. Benton’s big staring vehicle this year, Spunk’d (Strand Releasing), is nominated for Best Alternative Release, and I’m thinking that’s where he’ll get the recognition.

Two of my favorite releases this year, Cirque Noir (Titan Media) and Owen Hawk’s Unleashed (Dark Alley Media), are up for Best All-Sex Video. Both are up against Raging Stallion Studios’ Arabesque (Raging Stallion Studios), which poses some stiff competition. I want Cirque Noir to get this one, though. It features a ground breaking performance by transsexual male performer Buck Angel, who was totally snubbed by not receiving a single GayVN nomination. Unleashed is my pick for Best Leather Video.

I’m sort of shocked that Remy Delaine wasn’t nominated for Best Newcomer. The strapping Aussie stud would have been my pick. Of the actual nominees, I’d like to see the award go to either Tober Brandt or Andy Kirra, though Huessein stands a good chance of winning. Ken Mack and Damon DeMarco have my vote for Best Oral Scene. Mack has this whole hot-gay-uncle thing going on, and NYC boy DeMaro is just one of nicest boys in porn right now. Best Duo Sex Scene is anyone’s guess. Some of my personal favs (Benton, Hazzard) are nominated for this one, but I’m not sure about their partners. It could go to Hazzard and Tyler Riggz in Wrong Side of the Tracks, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it went to either Huessein and François Sagat in Arabesque or Wilfried Knight and Arpad Miklos in Manhattan Heat (Lucas Entertainment). I’d like Brad Benton to walk away with Best Supporting Actor, but I have a feeling that one’s going to Kent Larson for Dangerous Liaisons.

Which brings us to Performer of the Year. While I’d love to be the filling in a Brad Benton-Owen Hawk sandwich, I don’t think either of them is getting this award. The same goes for Pete Ross, Jacob Slader, and Gus Mattox. No, I’d put my money on Johnny Hazzard. He’s in one of the most nominated pornos of the year (Wrong Side of the Tracks), directed by an industry favorite (Chi Chi LaRue), and he’s actually not a bad actor. If he gets no other award this year, he’ll get this one.

The complete list of nominees is here. The GAYVN Awards show is on March 9 at Rage Nightclub in West Hollywood, CA. Let me know who you’re betting on.