As the 2009 AVN Adult Expo opens in Las Vegas this week, Girls Gone Wild CEO Joe Francis and HUSTLER magazine publisher Larry Flynt are petitioning the newly convened 111th Congress to provide a financial bailout for the adult entertainment industry along the lines of what is being sought by the Big Three automakers, a spokesperson for Francis announced today.Adult industry leaders Flynt and Francis sent a joint request to Congress asking for $5 billion in federal assistance, "Just to see us through hard times," Francis said. "Congress seems willing to help shore up our nation's most important businesses, we feel we deserve the same consideration. In difficult economic times, Americans turn to entertainment for relief. More and more, the kind of entertainment they turn to is adult entertainment."
I don't even know where to begin.
Hustler's Larry Flynt and Girls Gone Wild CEO Joe Francis Ask for Government Bailout of the Adult Entertainment Industry [PR Newswire]
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 1:40PM
Too schlong ; didn't read
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 1:41PM
To hard didn't read
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 1:41PM
To "hard" didn't read
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 1:44PM
They've got balls, I'll give them that.
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 1:45PM
Should have asked for $10B. Pussies.
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 1:47PM
First, they need to become a bank, but with special rules on deposits and withdrawals
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 1:48PM
5 - Its called foreplay... They'll ask for more. "It would be sooo hot if the two of you kissed just a little bit." is easier to start with than...
Posted by BillyRayValentine , Jan 07, 2009 1:49PM
It would be damn near impossible to make a living daytrading if plenty of on-line free porn wasn't available.
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 1:49PM
money shot
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 1:51PM
I work in porn. Stayed busy by going long this year. Short is for bankers.
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 1:53PM
This has the potential to be the greatest comment thread ever.
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 1:53PM
Anybody know first year fluffer #'s?
Posted by Anal_yst , Jan 07, 2009 1:55PM
Hustler Bank of Americawide Lynch?
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 1:56PM
In all seriousness, you think New York is hurtin', you can't even IMAGINE what would happen to the San Fernando Valley if we lost the porn industry. And the ripple effects would be huge.
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 1:58PM
That'll be some interesting collateral they post...everyone gets to cum at the Discount Window.
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 1:59PM
@14 no chance anything happens to San Fernando....
If ever there was a recession proof industry its porn.
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 2:01PM
"Just to see us through hard times," Francis said.
Too easy.
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 2:02PM
16 - Portfolio.com had an interesting article about the porn industry. Basically, they are having a hard time because of technology, youporn.com. I think the link to the article was on the front page.
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 2:05PM
@18 yeah after posting I started thinking about it and really no reason a big centralized studio system needs to exist. I guess I can see everything taking two steps in the amateur direction. Why pay premium for hotties in LA when you can pay bottom dollar for skanks in Buffalo..
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 2:07PM
16: Recession-resistant, sure, but keep in mind that when times are hard a lot more people are willing to have sex on camera for a lot less money. Look at the CraigsList for any city and you'll see a zillion ads offering webcam gigs for relative peanuts compared to what even a no-name porn actress gets in CA.
The mainstream porn industry's problem isn't lack of demand, it's cascading supply. I mean, it builds up, and builds up, and then fwoosh, it's all over everything.
Once all the women whose lives so far have been about looking good to get rich men realize that the supply of rich men is decreasing rapidly, they're gonna have to do something to eat. I for one look forward to a Playboy feature on "Wives of Wall Street." Or just having some former IB's mistress sweeping my floors and cleaning my drains. Heh heh. Did you see what I did there?
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 2:08PM
anyone know 1st yr fluffer #'s for stubs
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 2:10PM
@20 = "...it builds up, and builds up, and then fwoosh, it's all over everything."
What are you taking about again?
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 2:11PM
@14 The SFV porn industry is positioned well for the downturn.(i) more than half of wall street is at home surfing porn (ii) new fresh off the bus talent arriving daily from NYC (iii) myspace and facebook has created a new generation of sex addicts.
Posted by mrpink , Jan 07, 2009 2:16PM
Hustler Stearns
you heard it here first, dealbreaker!
-mrp
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 2:16PM
@23 I weep for the future
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 2:18PM
I hope no one here takes this seriously. That larry flynt guy is a real joker who likes to poke people in the eye.
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 2:22PM
Hard Up Men are good to find!
Jezebelle
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 2:23PM
"In difficult economic times, Americans turn to entertainment for relief. More and more, the kind of entertainment they turn to is adult entertainment."
Wait...so they are bringing in more revenues...
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 2:26PM
@21 - what you've got to take into account with Fluffers is the holdback. It can change everything.
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 2:27PM
Can't wait before they testify in front of Congress and call up their "expert" witnesses.
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 2:28PM
I vote YES!!! So long as with this tranche of TARP money we visually see were the tax dollars are going to errr cumming on.
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 2:30PM
Ah, now I remember what the T&A in TARP stands for.
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 2:33PM
with barney frank as chairman of the house financial services commitee how do they get turned down?
Getting sponsorship on the hill is a synch
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 2:36PM
I asked a masochist banker about this matter and he said, "Beats me."
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 2:42PM
@23 - I dunno. For some reason I see your average Wall Streeter being more into amateur gonzo facial-choke porn (you know, Girls Gone Wild only with bodily fluids.) If you think about it, their jobs are not unlike those of the guys who run the BangBus, only they wear nicer clothes. So there's a lot of identification going on there.
And that kind of thing is studio porn's biggest competitor.
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 2:47PM
Too Aroused To Fail
Posted by mrpink , Jan 07, 2009 2:47PM
omg... I almost forgot about the Bang Bus! fun times.... LOL
-mrp
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 2:49PM
heard GS is lead underwriter of youporn.com's IPO...can anyone confirm?
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 2:50PM
@29, even for the sprint points? that's hardcore dude
Posted by Anal_yst , Jan 07, 2009 3:00PM
@35
Prolly true, not alota guys I know are into the MSM-type studio produced pron.
Max Hardcore for Pron Czar!
Posted by blndebnker , Jan 07, 2009 3:03PM
My faith in the funniness of Dealbreaker is at least temporarily restored. Thank you everyone. I needed this.
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 3:08PM
@38- What kind of revenue is a site like that pulling in? I know it's one of the most popular ones out there. $1MM/ year? That's gotta be the best business model ever with almost no overhead.
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 3:25PM
Clearly they need A. Dupre and E. Spitzer on the oversight board...
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 3:29PM
@42 I don't really see the business model.
Little overhead is nice but there are also almost no barriers to entry...also how do you monetize other than ads? Hence there are like 6-7 of these sites now whereas redtube was the only one just 2 years ago.
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 3:33PM
@44- You're correct about the absence of a barrier of entry. Actually, there are like 40 of these sites. I would name them all, but that'd be tacky and just showing off.
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 3:36PM
Well, if p0rn is free, then there is no industry.
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 3:41PM
They just need to keep profits up and not go limp. Although if they have profits lasting for more then 4 quarters they should consult a doctor.
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 3:41PM
@46 - Broadcast TV is free and it has been a pretty big industry for quite some time. Admittedly, its glory days have passed, but it's not quite at the buggy-whip factory stage yet.
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 3:50PM
They just need to keep profits up and not go limp. Although if they have profits lasting for more then 4 quarters they should consult a doctor.
Posted by NAS Keflavik boi , Jan 07, 2009 4:25PM
@ 19 -- and, to top it off, it appears that the gritty "skank-next-door" pr0n is actually MORE appealing, too. The industry is clearly in liquidation mode.
Posted by NAS Keflavik boi , Jan 07, 2009 4:30PM
@ 19 -- and, to top it off, it appears that the gritty "skank-next-door" pr0n is actually MORE appealing, too. The industry is clearly in liquidation mode.
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 4:41PM
The various free porn upload sites kill premium content. I'm sure some of the advertising makes money because this is the ultimate impulse moron business other than gambling, but overall the free content is brutal for the industry. Even pay sites get heavily canibalized by the free sites because porn mongers download most of the content of a site and then upload it to the free ones.
As far as Joe Francis, doesn't he have an enormous IRS debt?
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 4:50PM
This is a very novel approach to the stimulus package.All adults over 16 get a new Unearned Pussy Tax Credit to be used like a charge card for use in strip clubs, video rental stores,whorehouses,sex toy stores,etc.Uncle Sam wants YOU to get laid.Any who wish can gift their credit and receive a full deduction on 2009 income.
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 4:54PM
@10 - long the Dong
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 4:57PM
Milf Hunter for Sec of Treasury
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 4:59PM
If i was in the pron industry I would invest in rapidshare and other file sharing sites.
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 5:19PM
Porn is becoming a commodity. It used to be somewhat taboo and exotic. Now its ubiquitous. This upcoming generation of teenagers is going to masturbate itself into desensitization.
Fetishes will get bigger. Look at amateur videos - they're practically a rite of passage for these hollywood debutantes.
But sooner or later a substantial market will evolve for other "products". It's happened in Europe. Just keep your eyes on Las Vegas over the next 20 years.
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 5:20PM
Nobody can save this industry. Not even the consultants at McKinsey.
Posted by Investorcluzo , Jan 07, 2009 5:33PM
@58 - c'mon, it's the mckinsey consultants that are keeping it afloat. what else are they going to do when they're in the middle of nowhere for 4 days a week with nothing to do...work?
as portfolio noted, the number of free sites is overwhelming - I'm sure some analyst has a list...
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 5:49PM
I wonder if the feds had it right when they tried to put reign in extreme stuff back a few years ago. As has been said by others already, the pervasiveness has lead to the creation of a consumer base ready for more extreme material. Had the Feds been more successful and pervasive with their clampdown then perhaps general tastes would still be where they were 10 or 15 years ago.
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 5:50PM
Will this be a part of a newly created Treasury MILF facility?
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 5:54PM
@60
please...all this stuff is cyclical...
the more you try to reign it in the more it slips through your fingers...so yeah the next couple of generations are gonna be a bunch of degenerate preverts but as always happens there will be a generation of tightwad prudes right behind them.
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 5:58PM
@58
The government can keep this industry afloat!
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 7:08PM
@61 - Vivid is the new Goldman as far as winning the associated government contract goodies?
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 8:15PM
Wow, only 7 days into 2009 and the headline/news story of the year is upon us. I am giddy.
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 8:27PM
Future titles:
1) Drowning in Liquidity
2) Drowning in Liquidity II: The Bailout
3) Drowning in Liquidity III: Injection
....
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 8:31PM
Why the fuck not? We got fucked over with the Wall St disaster, the Big 3 gave it to us in the ass, commercial real estate ass clowns have their hand out now. As least with porn you get entertained. Pretty soon all the fuck heads will be asking, "where did all the TARP money go". Can you say sham wow! Barney Frank & the MILF's - what a show!
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 9:58PM
@55 I met the hunter once down on Ft. Lauderdale beach. He offered my friend grand to do a film with him. She said no and then slept with some guy in the back of his car.
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 10:00PM
@61....The new facility is aptly named TWAT.
Posted by guest , Jan 07, 2009 11:13PM
@69-I assume the darling of Porn Valley, Sasha Grey, will be the designated Press Secretary of said TWAT facility. Protocol will call for any questions to be answered with some vigorous deepthroat and A2M. OSHA and sanitary work conditions be damned.
Posted by guest , Jan 08, 2009 12:35AM
request to Congress asking for $5 billion in federal assistance, "Just to see us through hard times.
that seems like an awful big production budget for a porn remake of a James Coburn film, Maybe they mean the Dicken's novel, that could be a classy period piece.
Posted by guest , Jan 08, 2009 1:29AM
Larry Flynt wants to receive a money shot from the US Treasury Secretary's stimulus package.
Posted by guest , Jan 08, 2009 3:43AM
I guess it won't be long before JPM, Citi, AmEx, and the rest all reorganize as Sperm Banks (bank holding companies are so 2008)!!
Posted by guest , Jan 08, 2009 11:14AM
$5 billon?! Seriously...
pretty sure we'll get porn around the world without Joe Francis..
hilarious article.
http://www.weeklyworldnews.com/politics/porn-bailout-solution/#more-4637
Posted by guest , Jan 08, 2009 12:28PM
They did this on purpose. It was meant to make a political point.
Posted by guest , Jan 09, 2009 10:04AM
I am a church-goer. Please discontinue this conversation!
Posted by guest , Jan 09, 2009 2:02PM
The US adult entertainment industry is undergoing exactly the same dynamics as the auto industry (and backoffice and textile and electronics, etc.etc.) are going through. Offshore labor is displacing good old girl next door whores. A massive facial on a Eastern European white girl look the same as on a valley girl, doesn't it? And it gets produced at a fraction of the cost. Besides, they only need to know a few dirty words to say in English during a scene. The cost of humiliating a piece of ass has dramatically come down with the Berlin wall.
- Unemployed M&A guy who surfs porn between sending out resumes
Posted by guest , Jan 09, 2009 2:05PM
The US adult entertainment industry is undergoing exactly the same dynamics as the auto industry (and backoffice and textile and electronics, etc.etc.) are going through. Offshore labor is displacing good old girl next door whores. A massive facial on a Eastern European white girl look the same as on a valley girl, doesn't it? And it gets produced at a fraction of the cost. Besides, they only need to know a few dirty words to say in English during a scene. The cost of humiliating a piece of ass has dramatically come down with the Berlin wall.
- Unemployed M&A guy who surfs porn between sending out resumes
Posted by guest , Jan 09, 2009 5:23PM
I can't believe they held back for so long...
J