PAGING MIKE BRANSON
This past week I landed a hot scoop when I was able to track down the peerless Mike Branson, the eternal star whose awesomely buffed physique, baseball bat of a cock and chiseled features have earned him a place in the gay porn firmament thanks to a spectacular run of videos for Falcon Studios. He made only nine movies between 1997 and 1999 (MANHANDLERS, THE FRESHMEN, THE CHOSEN, BASIC PLUMBING 2 — they’re all amazing). Then he left and he hasn’t been heard from since. Until now! He’s living “in the southeast,” and that’s all we’re getting on location because he wants to protect his privacy. Mr. Branson took his porn money, put himself through college, earned an engineering degree and he “has no interest in getting in front of the camera again.” He is “completely done with moviemaking” and very happy with how his life turned out after his porno career. As much as I’d love to have Mr. Branson’s many gifts on display in a new porn flick, it’s nice to know he’s happy and living a good life.

COCODORM SPEAKS OUT
In the last column I wrote about serious charges leveled against CocoDorm.com by the “Chicago Free Press” in an article that alleged the spread of HIV and other STDs to the local community by models from the website who had allegedly performed without condoms. The Chicago Department of Public Health delivered a cease-and-desist order on April 20th to the apartment out of which CocoDorm.com had been operating.

Jakson Robinson, the site’s owner, refuted those charges to the “Chicago Free Press,” as I wrote last week. “There’s no one HIV-positive in our dorm [and the] models also engage in safe sexual practices,” he said and countered with the claim that the city shut down his website because he did not have the proper business licenses.

This week Mr. Robinson released a press release titled “CocoDorm Survives After Natural and Political Attacks.” In the release Mr. Robinson announced that CocoDorm closed March 31st when “strong winds damaged the facade of the building that housed it. The Dorm temporarily relocated to another building in the city of Chicago, but will be making a permanent move to a new location outside of the city. Normal operations will resume just in time for the summer.”

Mr. Robinson alleges the “Chicago Free Press” has a “history of reporting negative stories against the black gay community” and described their report linking the spread of STDs to some of the site’s models as “slanderous and defamatory.” He says all CocoDorm models are tested for STDs and there is no proof any of them has contracted HIV while under contract at the Dorm. Stay tuned for further developments.

“DETAILS” AND DINK
The new issue of “Details” magazine (Matt Dillon on the cover) has an article on the gay porn scandal that has embroiled the 82nd Airborne in North Carolina, which also happens to be the home of director Dink Flamingo‘s ActiveDuty.com. So far two of the hapless paratroopers from the 82nd who were spotted on Active Duty have pleaded guilty and will face several months in prison among other charges. (As far as I’m aware, the offer from 1 Distribution and Tipo Sesso to employ any of these men, once the scandal fallout subsides, is still good.)

The “Details” article is fine although it’s as much about the Active Duty sex scandal as it is about the writer, Mark Simpson. Several years ago he was observing Mr. Flamingo work when allowed himself to be enticed into joining the action being filmed. (That movie is CALL OF DUTY and, thanks to a tip from my pals at Fleshbot.com, I can reveal it’s available online at MalePayPerView.com. You’re welcome.) If Mr. Simpson’s name rings any bells it’s probably because he’s the guy who coined the term “metrosexual.”

PORN MODEL IS “UNAN1MOUS”
This past week internet wags sniffed out another reality-tv hunk with a porno past. Hottie Jonathan of Fox’s “Uan1mous” was identified as popular model “Tino” from a RandyBlue.com stint three years ago. Jonathan is tagged in his Fox bio as a “self-described womanizer” but nevertheless he gave quite a show on Randy Blue. You can find more of him at Fleshbot.com for starters. Aren’t you surprised this hasn’t happened more often?

EURO GAY PORN AWARDS SCOTCHED?
The nascent Euro Gay Porn Awards (EGPA) are barely off the ground and they’re already facing a rebellion from the Stateside gay biz. A high-level porn exec told me, under the condition of anonymity, that “no one is going to take part in these awards. I’ve also talked to several larger [European Union] distributors, and they also do not want to participate.”

So what’s the rumpus? Claims my source, “At first everyone thought they sounded like a good idea, until the word got out regarding who was really behind them. It appears that some of the EU bareback producers were secretly behind this and wanted to include several bareback categories to try and promote their content. Once it was revealed that the people behind the awards were really producers themselves, we all opted out of being involved. An awards show being run by the producers being awarded is a little disingenuous at best.”

I did some calling around and my source isn’t the only studio planning to ignore the EGPA; another major production company and one prominent director have personally told me they will not take part in any way. A main point of contention is that Best Bareback Video category (there’s only one such award so far). The official website for the show is EuropeanGayPornAwards.com.

Show producer Marc Cram agreed to address some of the stated concerns. About the bareback category, “(w)e thought long and hard about this issue, but in the end we decided that it was not our place to be subject to a politically correct agenda or to decide whether barebacking is right or wrong,” he told me. “At the end of the day, [it is up to] individuals to decide. The fact of the matter is that bareback movies do exist and that they represent, rightly or wrongly, a major sector of the market.”

Further, Mr Cram says, the “whole premise” of the EGPA is that “they reflect the reality of gay porn in the early 21st Century. We are not here to judge, condone or condemn. It is simply our intention to acknowledge the reality of the industry, from vanilla right through to fetish.” Mr. Cram notes that “legality is our only determining factor” and the “general gay public” will be the ultimate arbiter as to which films to award.

Another issue raised by American porn studios has to do with the sponsoring company or companies behind the EGPA; specifically, Eurocreme. Mr. Cram acknowledges that Eurocreme is sponsoring the show. He identifies them as “Europe’s leading gay porn studio” and says they are allowing the EGPA to use their internet domains to “get this project off the ground.” But he denies that Eurocreme “or any of their subsidiaries” will have any pull with how nominations or winners are determined.

In an earlier conversation, Mr. Cram told me the inspiration behind the EGPA “came from the fact that Europe is seriously lagging behind the States on the gay porn awards front. Not for much longer, I may add.” He believes the European skin trade is on the rise and “at a time when U.S. gay porn is finding itself increasingly straightjacketed by the American administration. We’re taking advantage of these circumstances to promote gay porn on this side of the Atlantic.”

Mr. Cram also states a desire to create a kudocast that he feels gives a more honest reflection of the “ordinary gay man” than current shows like the “Adult Video News” GAYVN Awards and the “Gay Chicago Magazine” Grabby Awards, not to mention various international porn shows that feature gay categories. The EGPA would be “more democratic and less open to abuse. Whether this is possible remains very much to be seen, but our heart is very much in the right place and we are determined to uphold as great an egalitarian outlook as possible.” He notes, “(c)ertain parties have already declared that it isn’t possible. I guess the proof of the pudding will be very much in the eating.”

Porn Star Birthdays for May 8 through May 14: Carlo Cox, Maxx Diesel, Marcio Fonseca, Logan Grey, Joey James, Daxter Ryan, Lee Scott, Dillon Young (May 8); Angelo Bestiamo, Brad Hunter, Todd Maxwell, John Roberts, Ken Spencer (May 9); Justin Douglas, Hugo Griego, David Hunter, Dennis Lee, Marco Montana, Victor Racek (May 10); Jett Allen, Ferenc Botos, Randy Mixer, Guillermo Pastores, Alexander Strauss (May 11); Jeff Allen, Marcelo Reeves, Shaka Z. (May 12); Braeden Casey, Billy Dare, Scott Duran, Rod Matheson, Chase Rite, Daniel Santos, Scott Thornton, Danny Vox (May 13); Brendan Austen, Troy Banner, Trey Camden, Nic Collins, Emilio Di Medici, Shawn Justin, Tony Magera [Johnny Huzosh], Jarrin North, Jonnie Perrino, Nolan Powers, Tony Tarango (May 14).

J.C. Adams has covered the gay adult entertainment industry since 1995, and has served as the editor of “Inside Porn Magazine” and “Unzipped Monthly.” In addition to the “Adams Report” weekly gossip and news column, his work has appeared in “Adult Video News,” “Gay Chicago,” “Genre,” “HX” and many other print and online publications. You can reach him at JCAdamsXXX@aol.com

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