T H E_.H O T_.S P O T Is it sex, or is it art? By Janelle Brown In Austria, right-wingers take aim at a Net arts group for peddling porn (08/06/98) ___________________ Satisfy all your intellectual urges at barnesandnoble.com! ___________________   R E C E N T L Y The gentlemanly art of spanking By Carson Fitzgerald When women turn the other cheek, what are they asking for? (01/07/99) Two concepts of sexual hysteria By Linda R. Hirshman and Jane E. Larson The Democrats offer "Boogie Nights," the Republicans "The Crucible." Can we change the channel? (12/24/98) The shipping nudes By David Steinberg Why have certain postal services decided to become arbiters of obscenity? (12/10/98) Sade off By Molly Weatherfield The man who became history's most notorious pervert was no picnic to live with, either (11/19/98) - - - - - - - - - - Browse the Urge archives - - - - - - - - - -		Bonfire of the porn queens TRAPPED BETWEEN A SILICONE BREAST AND A HARD PLACE, THE ADULT VIDEO NEWS AWARDS STRUGGLE TO BOOST THEIR LEGITIMACY. BY BENJAMIN WEISSMAN | Three blond female porn stars approach slowly, arm in arm, smiling at a wall of gawking men. Some of the men are loud and obnoxious, yelling, "Show us your ass"; others are silent and probably not breathing. I am breathing, but just barely. The girls' hairdos are high and mighty, their skin, a hard glossy tan like shellacked wood. And their enormous chests burst from the seams of the sheerest formal wear a female can remove from a hanger and slip over her body (gowns more sheer than water). Who are these turbo-girls? Is it Serenity, Shayla and Shay? Or is it Missy, Marilyn and Malitia? These must be the maidens the king will marry. Lit from within, they morph into one another. I wish this obnoxious brotherhood of men behaved like gentlemen. I wish they were silent. They should drop to one knee, cast their eyes down and concentrate upon all those six-inch stiletto heels, for it is time to pay homage to the porn stars. Adult Video News, also known as AVN, a slick industry mag that focuses on all things pornographic, holds an annual awards ceremony in Las Vegas, now in its 16th year. There are other awards such as XRCO (X-Rated Critics Organization) and FOXE (Fans of X-rated Entertainment), both of which take place in Los Angeles, and the Hot D'Or, out of France, but the AVN Awards are considered by all porno power people to be the big daddy of awards shows. With its editorial offices in the San Fernando Valley, where 90 percent of adult video is made, AVN has managed to carve out an influential niche as the insider voice of the flesh industry. Word has quickly spread through the lobby of Bally's Hotel and Casino that these voluptuous stripper-creatures in evening gowns who are undulating down the hall like they're under water are at this very moment -- Jan. 9, 7:30 p.m. -- headed toward the 1999 AVN Awards Show in the Grand Ballroom. The pack of frat boys in their 30s -- drunk off their asses Las Vegas style -- have left their slots and craps and are now standing in blissful if unruly distraction. When standing on the same surface of the earth, a chunk of Vegas shag, the porn stars look even more remarkable than they do in their movies ("Lord of Asses," "Inner City Black Cheerleader Search," "Asswoman in Wonderland," etc.). The frat pack are heckling all the porn stars and their escorts, inventing spontaneous categories for them (Best Leopard Skin Teddy, Best Feather Boa, Best Mascara). Two hotel security guards stroll past, open what appears to be a utility closet and disappear inside: "Best Tag Team in the Closet," a software dealer yells to a roar of laughter. A mom and dad with their two kids are lost, they stumble by. "Best family" (I had to say it). An absurdly busty brunet approaches in a see-through dress, tiny starfish appliqués over her nipples. "Best seafood," an electrical engineer shouts. These inebriated outbursts continue every 30 seconds for an hour. N E X T+P A G E | An overdose of porn brought me to the AVN Awards