The XRCO Report: Seen and (Barely) Heard

Above, Female Performer of the Year Angela White; photo by Jeff Koga. Check back later today for XRCO Awards galleries. LOS ANGELES—Now on its 35th show, the XRCO Awards have hit the MILF mark. And like all the nominees in the MILF Performer of the Year category—the first award to be announced after the XRCO Hall of Fame inductees—the venerable awards show is looking good. First, the new location: Boardners, an even more venerable Hollywood bar, proved to be a good choice for the show. Guests began arriving promptly at 6 p.m. for the red carpet, which was set up in an entryway that led to the back patio. Once past the gauntlet of photographers, guests relaxed on the patio. It was genuinely pleasant to see friends and colleagues in the last couple hours of sunlight on this long summer evening, with plenty of time for socializing before the show began. Two XRCO mainstays, “Dirty Bob” Krotts and Mike Moz, both expressed satisfaction with the new venue. As with all XRCO shows, there was the requisite noise and chaos that adds to the event’s casual charm. The first order of business was to honor the 2019 XRCO Hall of Fame inductees, given their proper due right at the beginning of the show by industry icon Evan Stone, who took over this traditional portion of the show from the late Bill Margold. Alana Evans was in the house and delighted to get the opportunity to speak, dedicating her speech to “women who inspire me,” in particular mentioning her colleagues in the Adult Performers Actors Guild. Stone took it in stride when some Hall of Famers weren’t on site (or couldn’t hear their names above the din). He suggested Phoenix Marie would have to pick up her award at his house, and that he’d be selling Jay Crew’s on eBay. Then the distracted presenter called up John Holmes to the podium—followed by Moz’s disembodied voice pointing out, “For those of you waiting for John Holmes to show up, you are going to be waiting a long time.” Fortunately, Steve Holmes came bounding up, in the flesh. Though the same could not be said for Ramon Nomar, Art Koch and Brandi Love, the crowd cheered each inductee heartily nonetheless. Stone passed the baton on to Moz, who took the opportunity to ask that the assembled industry insiders make some noise to honor longtime salesman Howard Levine, who passed away the day before. “He was a true fucking O.G.,” Moz said. Next Moz introduced the show’s hosts. “I want everyone to know Sophie Dee is fucking back,” he said, reminding everyone of the Welsh beauty’s millions of Instagram followeers and her recent ascension to the Vixen Angel of the Month throne. And as for Prince Yahshua, Moz expressed deep gratitude to the longtime star for hosting. “Pay some respects!” he asserted as Yahshua took the stage in his trademark jeans and work boots, standing next to the curvy Dee in a white mesh dress made more modest by the bandeau top and high-waisted panties she wore underneath. For the 35th anniversary, the XRCO organizers went all out to get some true veterans involved. Seen in the crowd were Herschel Savage, Misty Rain, Luc Wylder, Alexandra Silk and many others. And the first presenter certainly qualified as a veteran: Eric Edwards, who made his adult debut in 1969. Of the four awards presented, only one was accepted on stage: Best Paarody, which went to Deadpool XXX: An Axel Braun Parody. Director Braun was joined on stage with cast members Will Ryder and James Bartholet. Presenting next was a lively threesome: adult stars Karla Lane, Lauren Phillips and Ryder Sky. They made the proceedings more fun by commenting on the nominees for Unsung Siren (“I like her too,” “She’s adorable”), before announcing the winner: Valentina Nappi. “She’s probably in a European country doing her European thing,” Phillips said when Nappi didn’t come up. But the winning Girl/Girl Performer of the Year was in the house. In a form-fitting retro foundation garment, Charlotte Stokely looked sleek and (as the presenters put it) “fucking hot.” Stokely yelled to the crowd, “Can you hear me? Do you want to fuck me?” before claiming her trophy. Presenters Jillian Janson and Jason Brown both were stylishly attired—Janson in metal-studded black bolero jacket and shorts, which showed off her long legs. They gave a spirited reading of the nominees for Best Director - Feature and seemed genuinely pleased to announced Kayden Kross as the winner, who graciously offered thanks to “everybody who showed up to my sets ... and thank you XRCO.” Alas, Best Director - Non-Feature winner Jonni Darkko didn’t make it to the stage (“I know Jonni Darkko is too cool for school,” Brown joked), but Best Director - Parody winner Axel Braun was happy to bound back to the stage. Another sexy threesome took the stage after that—Lacy Lennon, Ariana Marie and Rebel Lynn—to reveal New Stud Jason Luv and Best Director - Web winner Ivan, both of whom were present to get their due. They also revealed the winners for Best Actress and Best Actor: Avi Love, who was absent, for The Possession of Mrs. Hyde (Wicked Pictures) and Tommy Pistol for Anne: A Taboo Parody (Pure Taboo/Pulse). Pistol managed to hear his name over the chattering crowd and hit the stage. Adult stars Christana Cinn and Derrick Pierce—both frequent presenters at the AVN Awards—were joined by a brand-new face: Maitland Ward. The tall, pretty redhead caught the eye of girl/girl performer Serene Siren, who asked her name and said, “I want Maitland Ward and Jayden Cole in a scene tomorrow.” (Note to Siren: She’s with Society 15 but has "extremely limited availability.") They announced XRCO’s first Trans Performer of the Year: Aubrey Kate. The much-fêted trans star didn’t appear to be present, so Sheena Ryder accepted the honors on her behalf. But very much ready and willing to accept her win was Joanna Angel, whose excellent A Trailer Park Taboo (Pure Taboo/Pulse) won the All in the Family Theme trophy. Angel came on stage with her co-star, Small Hands, and thanked the team at Gamma. Small Hands was back on stage in short order to accept the Male Performer of the Year accolade. He acknowledged his fellow nominees (“you deserve it just as much”) and said, “All the women I’ve had sex with, thank you very very much.” His counterpart, Female Performer of the Year winner Angela White, thanked “all the incredible directors I work with ... and XRCO, obviously.” The XRCO organizers themselves were no doubt thankful that White was able to show up. AVN’s reigning POTY came fresh from the last day of shooting for Bree Mills’ big 2019 feature, Perspective—and despite multiple long days on set, White was picture perfect, looking fresh and lovely in a red dress and posing for event photographers with her usual panache. Dick Chibbles, Marica Hase and Chris Cock revealed the winning website (EvilAngel.com) and Unsung Swordsman (Charles Dera), as well as Orgasmic Oralist, which went to Vicki Chase, who came on stage and said, “You guys really really really like me,” acknowledging her multiple wins in the category. Then Chibbles yelled, “Quiet down for one moment. Everybody relax your sphincter,” before announcing the winner for Awesome Analist. The room quieted down enough to hear that Abella Danger was the winner—though she didn’t make it on stage. “You’ve got to go to Evan Stone’s house to accept your award. Ladies beware,” Chris Cock joked. The final group of presenters—Johnny Goodluck, Draven Star and Genevieve LaFleur—revealed Superslut (Adriana Chechik), New Starlet (Gia Derza) and Teen Dream (Kenzie Reeves). They also named the Best Release winner: Kayden Kross’ Abigail (Tushy), but neither the star (Abigail Mac) nor the director appeared on stage. Fortunately, White was still present to pick up another trophy for Best Showcase. She asserted that I Am Angela (Evil Angel Films) was “a highlight of my career.” And on top of her two personal wins, White’s company, AGW Entertainment, also took home prizes for Best Gonzo Release (Angela Loves Anal 2) and Best Girl/Girl Series (Angela Loves Women).