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Controversy... gossip... politics. All this can mean only one thing: award season for the gay adult entertainment industry is in full swing!

Long before the inception of the Probies (presented in July) and the GayVN Awards (Adult Video News' first all-gay presentation held in December '98), the one and only all-gay event honoring the X-rated biz was the Gay Erotic Video Awards. "This was a really challenging year because we had competition for the first time," acknowledged Sabin, founder of the trailblazing award show.

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For six consecutive years, Sabin's award show was held the first week in December. When Adult Video News announced that their GayVN Awards would take place the same week, Sabin felt the squeeze. "I thought there was a deliberate attempt to siphon away my audience, so I had to move my show up two weeks to avoid conflicts," he said. "I think the general public was confused by the sudden change of dates."

The 7th annual Gay Erotic Video Awards, hosted by Chi Chi La Rue, was presented November 16, 1998, at The Palace, located in the heart of Hollywood.

The evening's top honor, "Best Video," went to Falcon Studio for French Connections 1 & 2: Temptation & Conquest, which also snagged trophies for "Best Production Design" and "Best Cinematography" (Todd Montgomery).

Another multiple winner was New Age Productions' Three Brothers, which captured awards for "Best Director" (Gino Colbert and Sam Slam), "Best Screenplay" (Rick Alan and Sam Slam), "Best Actor" (Vince Rockland), and "Best Cum Shot" (Paul Morgan). Citing outstanding scenes in Three Brothers, the nods for "Best Oral Sex" and "Best Group Scene" went to Vince Rockland, Hal Rockland, Shane Rockland (yes, real-life siblings), and Derek Cameron.

"It was a great fantasy to be with all three of them; each in a special way, but all at the same time," said Cameron, commenting on the award-winning scene. Declining to pick a favorite Rockland brother, Cameron added, "They all have similar traits that are very interesting, but they're each individual characters."

Thunderballs, a James Bond spoof written and directed by Thor Stephens, picked up awards for "Best Sex Comedy" as well as "Best Non-Sexual Role" for Lana Luster's perfectly campy portrayal of an evil vileness. "I myself don't quite understand why we have drag queens doing wild and wonderful things in porno films about gay men, but I'm happy that I'm one of the ones that gets to do it," commented Luster. (Sans drag, the performer's well-hung alter ego, Vince Harrington, also appears in the flick.)

But while the winners reveled in the spotlight, the talk of behind-the-scenes scuttlebutt persisted. "Unfortunately, I've gotten bad press lately, saying that none of the money goes to charity, and that's just totally not true," stated Sabin. Raising funds for an LA-based AIDS charity, Being Alive, a silent auction-- with prizes ranging from X-rated videos to dinner with a porn star-- was held in conjunction with the show and netted about $6,000 (with additional donations expected).

"In the beginning, the show was a total labor of love and everybody did it to support the AIDS causes; everybody was willing to put on a show for ourselves," he added. But as the event matured over the years, the overhead grew. According to Sabin, "The bulk of the income donated to charity is from the silent auction, while the majority of the revenue raised from the event overall pays for the theater, the sound equi pment, salaries for people who have worked for three months, and so on." The budget for this year's Gay Erotic Video Awards was $30,000.

"It was really, really difficult to put the show on this year, but we did it, and I think everybody had a good time," Sabin concluded. "It's a good way to make money for AIDS causes and to help others." **

Author Profile:  Ed Karvoski, Jr.
Ed Karvoski Jr. is the author of All-Male: Quirky Quotes, Intimate Interviews, and Tantalizing Trivia from the Most Desired Men on Earth (Kensington Books)
Email:	edkarvoskijr@prodigy.net
Website:	www.edkarvoskijr.com