Golden Goddesses Hustler Launch!

'Golden Goddesses' of Porn Light Up Hustler HollywoodBy Jared Rutter, XBIZ.comFri, Nov 30 2012 12:00pm PSTWEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — The years rolled away Thursday night at Hustler Hollywood on Sunset Strip when a crowd of about 200 porn-lovers gathered to celebrate the release of a new book. Golden Goddesses by Jill C. Nelson is a collection of interviews with divas who lit up the XXX movie screen from 1968 to 1985, considered the Golden Age of Porn.The hefty tome — 900-plus pages, $50 cover price — covers 25 women, and more than half of them showed up at the Hustler store to sign copies and meet fans.In no particular order: Kitten Natividad, Rhonda Jo Petty, Kay Parker, Serena, Annie Sprinkle, Laurie Holmes, Nina Hartley, Veronica Hart, Ginger Lynn, Amber Lynn, Christy Canyon, Kelly Nichols, and late arrival Sharon Mitchell. Also: screenwriter Raven Touchstone, one of the few non-performers interviewed, who’s about to publish a memoir of her own.Nelson, who earned porn-historian cred as co-author (with Jennifer Sugar) of John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches, seemed relieved that the book’s unveiling had finally arrived. “Now it’s fun,” she laughed nervously, looking back at three-and-half years of hard work. “But I think it’s gonna be fine.”For the stars it seemed like old home week. Kay Parker oozed class, warmth and charm, as ever. Veronica Hart appeared on the arm of her Las Vegas high school beau. Annie Sprinkle had a brief moment of panic when she couldn’t find her lipstick, usually stashed in her capacious cleavage. She relaxed when it turned up in her clutch purse.The women sat behind tables at the front of the store, and fans — who mostly seemed to be in the same age group — moved down the line with their copies of the book, much as they might have back in the day at CES in the Sahara Hotel in Vegas.There were quite a few guests from the same period, including directors Bob Chinn and Cass Paley, actors John Seeman and Richard Pacheco, and still photographers Kenji and Joel Sussman. It was Sussman who snapped the book’s stunning cover photo of Serena, “in my backyard in 1974.”Attendees from a later porn generation included Debi Diamond, director Ernest Greene and actor-director Luc Wylder with significant other Alexandra Silk.Bill Margold, who like many of the stars was there at X’s beginning, emceed the proceedings, finally getting the chatty crowd to quiet down enough to hear him read a letter from interviewee Gloria Leonard. He called the event “a once in a lifetime experience” full of “a whole lot of love for people that we love.”Then he turned the mic over to Nelson, who read a few excerpts from the book’s introduction. She was effusive in her praise of her subjects, whose current ages, she said, range from 46 to 76. “This is a really good representation of the era I wrote about.”Then she paid them the ultimate tribute: “I would go into a foxhole with any one of these women, any day of the week. They are awesome.”Another round of star appearances was scheduled for the following night at Larry Edmunds Bookstore on Hollywood Blvd.


Golden Goddesses (and Their Book) Grace Hustler HollywoodThey'll also be appearing tonight at Larry Edmunds Bookstore in Hollywood ��but you'll have to buy a book to get in!By Mark KernesNov 30th, 2012 04:45 PMBEVERLY HILLS—It was a night that's unlikely ever to be recreated. We're talking about the gathering of 15 adult stars from the classic era—porn's "golden age"—to help promote the most recent book about them, Jill Nelson's Golden Goddesses, a tome of nearly 950 pages that, according to Nelson, took more than three years to write, and contains the life stories of 25 classic performers.Former talent agent Bill Margold served as Master of Ceremonies for the event, which drew a capacity crowd to the Hustler Hollywood store at 8920 Sunset Boulevard, and just trying to get the actresses to stop signing autographs briefly and take part in the short book-release ceremony seemed more like a job of herding cats.The "goddesses" present for the event included Serena, Amber Lynn, Ginger Lynn, Laurie Holmes (widow of John), Kay Parker, Veronica Hart, Annie Sprinkle, Nina Hartley, Christy Canyon, Kelly Nichols, Sharon Mitchell, Rhonda Jo Petty, softcore star Kitten Natividad, Exhausted director Julia St. Vincent and screenwriter Raven Touchstone—but that's hardly all.Spotted in the crowd were actresses Tori Welles, Kelly O'Dell, Alexandra Silk and Debi Diamond; actors Richard Pacheco, John Seeman, Luc Wylder and Scotty Schwartz; directors Bob Chinn (perhaps best remembered for his "Johnny Wadd" series), Loretta Sterling, formerly of Totally Tasteless Video, Ernest Greene, Wesley Emerson and Dana Dane of Erocktavision.Calling it "the best program ever created from the adult industry," and noting that Sprinkle had deemed it "the ultimate pajama party," Margold introduced each of the actresses to the crowd, which pressed in close for photo (and video) opportunities that they likely would never see again.One actress who couldn't be in attendance was Gloria Leonard, but she had sent a letter expressing her feelings about the (then-impending) gathering, which Margold read to the crowd."I am very proud and humbled to be included in Jill Nelson's definitive book about the golden age of adult movies," the letter began. "Hey, back in the day, they were movies, shot on either 16 or 35 film. I have nothing against video, but celluloid provided a certain depth of field and skill by all involved at the time... Along with my many sisters-at-arms, I'm sure there were many times when they were overjoyed by the results of a film, and others when they wished they could hide under their seat. Jill has compiled a rare homage to the women who did it all, and I am flattered that she chose to include me. And to all the other brave, ballsy babes whom Jill selected and some who were not, due to space constraints—no doubt perhaps there'll be a Volume 2—all I can say is, being in the adult industry gave me more than I can list here: Opportunities to travel, meet great people, make some lifetime friends, have my own TV show, speak at colleges and universities, and much more."Margold then introduced Nelson, who thanked everyone for appearing "to support this book and to support all of you ladies who are legends in this industry," and Hustler for sponsoring the event.Fearing that she'd give one or more of the actresses short shrift if she read some excerpts from her book's individual chapters, she instead quoted a section from the book's introduction—which she accomplished more easily with Kay Parker acting as her bookstand while she read."My idea for each woman to share her own story openly was surprisingly met with a positive reception when I pitched it to a few of the females I'd gotten to know," she stated. "I remember speaking at first with Rhonda Jo Petty in the spring of 2009. Petty was enthusiastic about the concept and encouraged me to get started. In September 2009, I packed up my little black Yaris on a sunny Sunday morning, and traveled east to Montreal to interview Seka."Nelson continued, describing that first meeting with Seka and her husband, following with, "Afterwards, Seka promised to put me in touch with some of her legendary girlfriends: Kay Parker, Veronica hart, Gloria Leonard and Annie Sprinkle. True to her word, by the end of September, I had established interview dates with all four ladies. One thing led to another, and soon I had enough material and additional contacts to begin piecing together a chronological history of the lives and times of these fascinating women."After Nelson finished reading her excerpts, the actresses continued signing autographs until it was time for a group photo-op, and later, some champagne and the cutting of a ceremonial cake which had been carved and decorated in the shape of an open Golden Goddesses book.It was a congenial evening, with many "old-timers" renewing acquaintances with people they hadn't seen in decades, and an ample crowd of "newbies" getting their first exposure to performers they'd probably jacked off to as teenagers.The festivities had begun well before the official 7:30 starting time, and when we left shortly after 9 pm, the party was still going fairly strong—and like Margold, we too can't wait for a Volume 2.As we previously noted, a second signing will take place tonight at Larry Edmunds Bookshop in the heart of Hollywood. There will be readings, a slide show, and a discussion of the '70s Golden Age with several of the "Golden Goddesses." Larry Edmunds Bookshop is located at 6644 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood. The signing will begin at 7:30 pm. Seating will be limited, but attendance can be guaranteed with advance purchase of Golden Goddesses while space is available. Call Larry Edmunds Bookshop for details at 323-463-3273.