Porn Industry Attempts Vivid Embrace of Sheen

LOS ANGELES—No word has apparently been received back by Vivid about its March 3 letter to Charlie Sheen, who was offered the unique opportunity to direct a porn flick for the leading studio, but that hasn't stopped the company from moving ahead with pre-production for the one project, and even coming up with another idea that may just tip the scales in favor of a 'yes' from Sheen. “As I sit back and watch all the craziness that seems to follow you I had an idea that you might like,” wrote Hirsch to the actor. “Within the next several days Vivid.com will be shooting a porn parody titled Two and a Half Women. It may star three girls that I think you know. They are Elizabeth Ann, Melanie Rios and Cassandra Cruz. “We think it would be great if you would come in and direct the movie. You pick the scenarios, positions, etc. The fact that you are the ultimate connoisseur of adult films would definitely work to your advantage.” Hirsch also offered to “come by” Sheen’s place to discuss the offer, and threw in the idea that if they come to an agreement, Sheen could also “bring ‘The Goddesses’ along with him to the set. They can either help you direct or, better yet, jump in the scenes with the other girls.” In response to a query from AVN Thursday morning, Vivid revealed that not only is the directing offer to Sheen for Two and a Half Women, which is in development, still on the table, but Hirsch already has another project in mind for him, one that Sheen may find impossible to refuse. "When we finish our first movie with Charlie we'll be ready to film a second,” said Hirsch. “This one could be called Winning, and Charlie can put all the executives he's worked with behind -the-scenes at Two and a Half Men in any sexual situation that he would like.” That sounds like a movie that could get very kinky. In the meantime, Sheen’s own embrace of porn is fodder for increasing mainstream coverage, including a Fox News feature Wednesday headlined, “Charlie Sheen Gives Porn Industry 'Shot in the Arm.'” “Adult entertainers and the studios that employ them have seen a huge increase in sales of Sheen related material since Sheen has embarked on a one-man mission to rant against his former employers at CBS and Warner Bros,” wrote Meaghan Murphy. AVN Managing Editor Steve Javors also was quoted prominently in the article, citing the growing anecdotal evidence that the Sheen blow up (melt down?) has brought a million megawatts of media attention to the adult entertainment industry in general, and to Charlie Sheen’s favorite porn stars in particular. “There has been a huge storm of publicity around the girls associated with Charlie Sheen,” Javors told FOX411. “Whether it’s Capri Anderson with that infamous night at the Plaza Hotel in New York, or his 48-hour bender at his house up in the Hills—we’ve seen all these girls on the celebrity blogs, TMZ and in the mainstream media.” While outfits like TMZ and RadarOnline are ground zero when it comes to breaking gossip about not only Sheen, but all things celebrity, the Sheen-porn industry connection is not a one way street, with the emphasis only on his dalliances and domestic arrangements with stars from erotica. In addition to the tantalizing offer from Vivid, as noted by Javors, a slew of other studios and websites have either rushed Sheen-inspired films into production or posted up already shot content featuring Goddesses such as Bree Olson. “Since Sheen’s meltdown started a couple of weeks ago, there’s already been about five or six Sheen-related titles released,” said Javors. “The number of adult titles has gone down in recent years, but something like this that has really captured mainstream media’s attention—everyone’s talking about it—is a phenomenon. The industry likes to capitalize on people’s notoriety, and they’re doing that with Charlie Sheen. “A lot of studios are putting out compilations of previously shot footage that they have of the girls,” he continued. “The big thing now is parodies of mainstream TV shows and movies. There is an original parody that is coming out from Exquisite Multimedia called Charlie Shein’s Vegas Porn Star Party, and [there are] also a lot of comp releases—DVDs using previously shot footage of girls who are rumored to have been with Charlie Sheen. Smash Pictures is coming out with Charlie’s Party Girls, starring Bree Olson and Kacey Jordan—two of the more high profile names. It also features Melanie Rios, Gigi Rivera and Ginger Lynn." RadarOnline also has been staking out the Sheen story, and broke the news that Brazzers has an offer of its own it wants Sheen to consider. Details are a secret, but the company told Radar that they are being given access to his gated community, and to Sheen, which means it’s an offer he "obviously wants to hear..." The Fox article also mentions the positive impact that performer Capri Anderson’s association with Sheen has had on her career. “She’s now a contract girl for Vivid,” Anderson’s manager, Gina Rodriguez of DD Management Group told FOX 411. “A contract girl will only shoot for one company, she won’t shoot for anyone else. Most actresses in the adult industry are free agents—they’ll shoot for anyone. Being a contract girl is kind of a big deal. Most contract girls make $60,000 a year, which isn’t very much—but Capri’s contract is more than double that. In one year, a contract girl will shoot four movies, and each movie takes about two or three weeks to shoot. Capri is also doing appearances, and that can be pretty lucrative. She charges $3,500 for an appearance, and no nudity is involved. She just shows up at a club and hosts. She’s booked almost every weekend through June right now. Before the incident with Charlie Sheen, Capri was completely out of the business. So this definitely changed her life—for the better. She’s even been approached by mainstream producers to do a reality show.” AVN’s Javors also directed Fox reporter Murphy over to leading porn parody director Will Ryder, who has reaped the benefits of Sheen’s whirlwind of publicity for his film Not Bionic Woman and the Six Million Dollar Man XXX, which stars Bree Olson. “This is the perfect storm for us—we couldn’t have planned this any better,” Will Ryder told Fox411. “There’s no way that I could have ever predicted that Charlie would have this huge, public meltdown and the stars of my movies would be so public on national television. It’s unbelievable, it’s unprecedented and I’m loving every second of it. “Charlie has given the adult industry a shot in the arm, there’s no doubt,” added Ryder. “We’ve only been out for one week with [our latest Sheen-related video] and we’ve already moved 10,000 units. For one week of sales, that’s a lot of units to sell in porn. For most titles, a company will sell 1,000 units at best." In truth, that last comment by Ryder tells the story. Whether it lasts or not, Sheen’s impact on at least a percentage of porn’s bottom line has thus far been a ‘shot in the arm’ for some, a virtual godsend for others. “Keep selling my movies, buddy,” said Ryder, through Fox, to Sheen. “I love it!”