The biz has become more about "business" and less about performers having "fun"--and, in my opinion, the product suffers. I don't care what the performers say in interviews, and on message boards: I don't believe they "enjoy" what they're doing! The biz seems to have become very "impersonal" and "competitive" in the worst sense.

Some people may call it "progress." I call it "fucked-up."

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Sounds like Francesca is upset because the industry didn't stand still and pay rates actually went up over, you know, the last fourteen years .

I'm also not sure why she thinks that holding Savannah up as a model to be emulated is a particularly good idea.

It does appear that Fran's ideas are stuck in a bit of a time warp, and she comes off quite bitter for it.

meh.

Oh, Derek117. The business has always been filled with people doing it purely for the money rather than fun. At least in the same ratios. The aforementioned Savannah would be a good example.

Edited by - scipio on 4/23/2006 9:57:52 PM

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Yes, rates are going to increase (but what I think Fran is referring to are the girls who, today, charge simply astronomical rates, even by today's standards simply because of their "name" or level of popularity. That's not inflation, that's ego, pure and simple), not everyone who performed in her era was a model citizen and sure, even then there were girls who were doing it strictly for the money. Hell, everyone knows that's the prime motivation for most of them. The "fun" girls are few and far between; Francesca's the last of a dying breed.

But one has to admit that somewhere between then and now, the mainstreaming of porn has made the business lose its way and that "just-for-fun" vibe she spoke is a rare occurence in modern product. It's true when she says that everyone that comes along now wants to be a big star, wants to be the next Jenna but little do they realize that's an occurence that's going to be harder and harder to come by since they let anyone who's willing to get naked and collect a check shoot a scene. That is if they even have the discipline or enough work ethic to show up on time, if at all and not just lie there and think the world is going to love them anyway because their agent told them they're hot.

Girls want the Jenna-like fame but don't want to put in the Jenna-like work to get it.

I don't mean to rant but I agree with a lot of what Francesca said. However, there are plenty of female performers out there right now who don't fit what Ms. Le' describes and I spend my time watching, talking about and supporting them rather than the bad seeds with stars in their eyes who obviously aren't built for this.

Edited by - Crucifixio_Jones on 4/23/2006 10:22:40 PM

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Savanah had a terrible reputation on sets, if what I have read is true. And she epitomized robotic. As did Shauna Grant. There have always been those who were like this.
I like the girl next door look. When not litterally girl, I could do with more womanly bodies. But Fransesca herself looked young when she started.

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Francesca's a veteran, and she knows the business from just about every angle now. Clearly she's going to see a lot of things that don't seem right. These are natural comments, and nothing to get worked up over.

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While I don't know Fran personally, and so don't know if she's truly bitter or not, from reading those quotes I do think she comes off as bitter that things have changed.

It's a basic tenet of the free market that if a girl asks for "astronomical" rates then it's the producer's choice to hire or not hire that girl and gain or not gain the sales that come as a result. It's not ego to get as much as you can for your work.

Unless I'm horribly mistaken, the girls who's rates Fran is complaining about here aren't her close personal friends, so why should they take an offer that's below their going rate and why should Fran expect them to take anything less? Especially when you consider the turnover of girls in the industry these days (another thing that's changed since Fran's heyday, BTW) then who can blame the girls for getting as much as they can as fast as they can when chances are that they won't be making a living from the industry in 3 years time?

Girls want to be Jenna but don't want to put in the work? Who really cares? They won't get to be the next Jenna, but those stars who do put in a lot of work might not become the next Jenna but they seem to do pretty well for themselves. Katja for example. But let's also not forget that Jenna got to where she is today also thanks to a pretty hefty marketting push and no little exposure with Stern. That's why Stormy was all over the special features of the 40-year-old virgin, after all. While she may not be the next Jenna, I'm sure she's doing well out of the publicity.

I personally dislike the numbers of trailer park girls that fill porn these days, and I do my best to avoid them. But, you know, if you don't like RLD's movies, noone is forcing you to watch them or hire the people out of them. Easy.

The business is the same as it ever was, mate. it's only when people have those lovely rose-coloured glasses when they look back that they think otherwise. And that's what makes them seem bitter.

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Rosebud? Features? I don't think so.

She says the talent has changed. "It used to be you had to be a certain class of girl, like me, Nikki Dial... We were up against Victoria Paris, Ashlyn Gere, Savannah, Racquel Darrian, Christy Canyon.

Much as I enjoyed Ashlyn and, to a lesser extent, Nikki, I'll take Vanessa Chase, Sabrina Johnson, Rebecca Lord and Alexandra Nice any day of the week. And I wonder what class she puts Tiffany Mynx in.

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Davis was then asked what he thought of the freshman class of porn

"Tyler and I call it the XBox age because they have the baby fat," said Wankus. Davis said it was kind of creepy because girls are coming in at the age of 18 doing stuff of girls twice their age but not doing it well at all. On the other hand, Wankus said there are older guys in the business who prefer the young, fresh meat. Davis conceded that the viewers want to see the young girls but thinks the talent pool is oversaturated.

"There are features that cater to that look," he said.

"Caters to the ugly look," Wankus ventured to say. "Not the girl next door but the dog next door. I don't mean to be rude but there are a lot of fucking ugly girls that are making it."

Faith also added the point that just because some of the girls can stick an umbrella up their ass, doesn't make them a porn star. Contradicting what Dick Nasty had to say the other week, Wankus said these girls are porn performers and not porn stars. To become a star, said Wankus is about the marketing behind you and all the decisions you make in your career. Faith was also of the opinion that girls in the business aren't allowed to say no to various propositions that might seem abhorrent. Davis said it also depends who's behind them and pushing them in certain directions.

"They don't know- they're already misled and they think it's about the money," said Davis.

"They could get popular in a twisted niche," Wankus added.

"They'll be popular but they'll be shot-out," added Faith.

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p_n

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It's not the girls coming up with this stuff, by the way, it's the producers thinking of things that hadn't been done.

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If you cut the checks, you complain about how much you have to pay. But the cost of doing buisness is the same as everybody else.
Now if Fransesca could show she ever turned down money for a scene she agreed to do, I might listen more.

But Fransesca started in a Max Hardcore I believe and then later moved to features. And, interestingly, was made to look like the girl next door for her scene.

I can't say that her Gang Bang girl scene made her look much older.

If features and 12 hour days is where she thinks the industry should be, she could try and make some. Put her money where her mouth is. That seems to be gonzo, doesn't it?

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After the awards, Anthony Petkovich (Editor of Adam Film World) introduces me to Francesca Le, 35, and as beautiful a woman as I've ever met.

She operates LeWood Productions with her husband Mark Wood.

Francesca does about five movies a year for her own company. She started in porn in 1990 and worked for three years.

"After three years it wasn't fun for me, so I left."

For the next eight years, she did wrestling, fetish modeling, bondage, stripping, etc. Anything but sex. She went to work for Extreme Associates in sale in 2001 and lasted a year before returning to performing.

Luke: "Why?"

Francesca: "We launched our own company."

She met her hubby Mark Wood in 2002.

Luke: "How did you find the industry had changed?"

Francesca: "Scary. I don't know if it is for the best. The girls are lazy. It's very robotic. People are in the business for fame and fortune and not for fun. In the early nineties, we were ----ing everybody for free. It was fun.

"Everybody wants to be the next Jenna. There's not going to be another Jenna.

"People today don't want to work. It's no fun for anybody.

"In the early nineties, we did all features. We were on twelve hour sets. You were doing a three hour anal scene."

Luke: "What do you love and what do you hate about the industry you are a part of?"

Francesca: "I hate the astronomical rates we pay. I love the freedom and the nice people I meet. They're doing it because they're freaky and they want to have a good time."

Luke: "How do you reflect on how it's affected your life?"

Francesca: "It's affected my life wonderfully."

Mike Ramone comes over and playfully warns her about me. "What's he asking you?" he says.

Francesca: "He's asking me in-depth questions, the kind that AVN doesn't ask me. He gets to the core of my soul."

She laughs. "I have a good life. I'm married to a man who's open. We have a sexually free relationship."

Luke: "In the civilian world?"

Francesca: "I try not to say. I'm quiet. I live a quiet life.

"We shoot at our house while the neighbors hold Bible studies."

Francesca says she stopped doing drugs at 25.

She says the talent has changed. "It used to be you had to be a certain class of girl, like me, Nikki Dial... We were up against Victoria Paris, Ashlyn Gere, Savannah, Racquel Darrian, Christy Canyon. Porn now, I don't know why they want the girl next door. I want my porn girls to be porn stars. Big hair. Nice taut bodies.

"When they opened the door to the girl next door, to the teen phenomenon, they let girls come in who would never have worked [in the early nineties]. They're more sloppy."

Luke: "More tattooed and pierced."

Francesca agrees. "And braces. I look at them and think, 'What makes you think you can do porn? I don't know who told you you can do porn, but OK."

Luke: "What were the rates you were charging in 1992?"

Francesca: "$300-$400 for a boy-girl scene. Anal was about $500. [Now it's more than double that.]"

Edited by - -Kelly- on 4/24/2006 2:04:36 PM

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"They're more sloppy." I don't even know what that means.

She was skinny, nearly flat-chested in those days and one of the few "porn stars" that got nasty and did anal. I was a big fan of that Francesca with that girl next door look.

The girls in porn seem more willing to do nasty things now than they did in the 90's. A girl not willing to do anal now is not going to get much gonzo work.

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This gives the porn fan more girls to choose from. If the fans don't like a certain girl, then she will eventually be weeded out.

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If she's not all smiles about the state of the business, then she must be bitter right?

Not.

My spider sense tells me that that woman is happy, and confident, and enjoying her life. Francesca doesn't need to be bitter. She's bright, sexy, talented, and beautiful -- the real deal.

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She is bitter that, in her mind , tastes have changed and the girl next door type gets opportunities now that she would not have gotten in the early nineties. I disagree with that and find it quite ironic, since she started out in the business as a girl next door teen type. I thought she was quite hot back then.

One thing that I believe has changed...Very few girl next door teen types got their pictures on the boxcovers in the early 90's like they do now.

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I found in my own career that while looking 12 when I first came into the biz was great at the beginning (at 19,) that after 2-3 years I was no longer believable as "just 18." The companies couldn't see me as being a glamour girl and I missed out on a lot of great roles as a result. It took my growing up my own image on screen in order to continue to stay in the loop. Today, lots of these girls do more and more extreme stuff with the hopes of sticking around but they don't have the same luxury that those from my gen had... there are too many performers now and once you make career changing mistakes there are others ready to take your place... That didn't exist years ago.

I think one of the only reason I have managed to stick around is because I not only changed my look for the better and created the glamour image that others didn't see when I walked through the door, but I also only do the things I really, truly love on screen - so my performances are always sizzling hot... hoping that in doing so the fever will spread and fans will always enjoy what they see.

And being able to change my look from GND to Glamour Girl to Fetish Queen doesn't hurt. ;-)

~*~ Sinn ~*~

Edited by - SinnamonLove on 4/25/2006 8:01:53 PM

Edited by - SinnamonLove on 4/25/2006 8:04:15 PM

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Would you rather not have people like Steve Buscemi, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and James Woods acting, but rather Brad Pitt and Jude Law because they're more handsome and glamorous?

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Edited by - respect on 4/26/2006 1:28:18 PM

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A good pornstar should be completely beautiful and fully passionate. I think recently, porn fans have lost sight of that and just look for anyone who can do the circus acts the best.

Edited by - masamune on 4/26/2006 4:09:52 PM

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Don't forget that there are other people in this world with different beliefs and tastes. The only thing a pornstar "should" be is 18.

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Like Midtown, I feel this isn't even a valid allusion. As a generalization, people watch Hollywood movies to see a story enfold and be entertained by that- looks are not a factor to tell a story well. People watch porn to satisfy sexual desires- looks are a big factor when it comes to sexual fantasy.

A good pornstar should be completely beautiful and fully passionate. I think recently, porn fans have lost sight of that and just look for anyone who can do the circus acts the best.

Edited by - masamune on 4/26/2006 4:09:52 PM
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you completely contradict yourself in this post.

"People watch porn to satisfy sexual desires- looks are a big factor when it comes to sexual fantasy."

"A good pornstar should be completely beautiful and fully passionate."

maybe some peoples idea of satisfying sexual desires thru porn does not involve "completely beautiful" and "fully passionate" girls.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

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I also don't think new girls earned the right to be called porn stars. They're sex performers until their value rises.

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I thought she came off bitter by reading the specific words and complaints that she spoke . If you want to only see sunshine and daisies coming from your favorite porn personalities, that's your choice.

God forbid that anyone else should have an opinion on what your favorite (ex)pornstars have to say in an interview, right?

I see them as people who have flaws, just like the rest of us. Just like I can come across sounding like an angry cunt, others can can come across as bitter or otherwise. See?

Whether Francesca is actually bitter or not, I can only state with great certainty that I have no idea as I don't know her personally. Just like you have no true idea about how happy or confident she is.

I'd also argue that today's talent pool is so huge that there are more exceptionally hot girls (whatever your own personal definition of that happens to be) than ever. Just find whatever it is and gravitate to that while avoiding what you think is the dross.

I do think there's a larger percentage overall who I'd rather not watch these days, but as I've said before, and this applies to the girls I mentioned in the preceding paragraphs, that nobody's holding a gun to my head and making me watch anyone in particular. If others do, that's fine by me. Their call. Good for them.

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