Ruth Holladay
Beer’s the latest buzz in flap over IU porn film
February 11, 2003
Remember the story about the California porn crew and video company that showed up at Indiana University last fall in Bloomington, persuaded a number of students to engage in sex acts on and off campus and then released what we used to quaintly call a “dirty movie” in December? This is a story that just won’t crawl away and die, folks. (And let’s get this out of the way. You can indeed blame the news media; we keep resuscitating the body).
And why are we doing it, besides the obvious — that we are only one cut or so above the wicked, godless pornographers themselves?
First, there’s still a buzz. The latest is a report that aired Thursday on “Inside Edition,” which revealed — get ready for a news flash — that alcohol played a prominent role in the making of this sleaze.
According to crack investigative national TV reporters, the evil porn crew brought two 30-packs of beer to one party in order to get the action going.
This hot scoop made the Bloomington Herald-Times last week, which noted that “Inside Edition” “suggested students made their decisions when their judgment was impaired by alcohol.”
Oh, those poor babies. I wonder if their mommies know they had their little judgments impaired.
Puh-leeze. According to Calli Cox of Shane Enterprises — that’s the video company — the performers were invited. Kinda like vampires: They can’t come in unless you ask them.
“We sent out a mass e-mail to different campus organizations, from frats to the bowling team to the legalization of marijuana, telling ’em these are the dates we are looking at coming,” says Cox. “Several contacted us back, and those are the ones we kept in touch with.”
Of course. And the result was, and is, an ongoing rush on the video, “Shane’s World, Vol. 32, Campus Invasion,” which is still selling well; some outlets have reduced the $39.95 price (an outrage) to $29.95.
So what is the fatal attraction here, exactly?
First, let’s dispense with what it is not. It is not, even by porn industry standards, a good video. It is a yawner.
Take Roger’s Review — no, that’s not Roger Ebert, just some horndog Roger X who writes about these things in excruciating detail online (what a great country).
After three pages in which Roger mechanically describes every sex scene, he boils it down to this: “At two and a half hours, this movie runs a little long in places, but if you like the party stuff and girls gone wild type of footage then you’re going to be just fine with the stuff in between the scenes.”
Excuuuse me, Roger. It is “the stuff in between the scenes” that is generating sales (and heat) here in Hoosierland. It is the sad possibility of actually seeing someone you might actually recognize.
And if you want to blame anybody for that, pin it on reality TV. You know, all those shows that originated in Europe (blame Europe) in which a camera runs as people live their pathetic lives.
Of course, in reality TV, everybody is a star. Nowhere is that concept more transparent than at the video’s end, when you meet a student named Baxter.
“We got the number one party school,” says Baxter. “You want to be me. You really do. I may be drunk, but this is gonna be on VH-1. If my parents see this, I’m sorry, Mom and Dad. But I’m gonna be a rock star soon.”
Sure, kid.
Just a comment to all of you Director types out there…If you serve alcohol on your sets, or drugs you are making a HUGE mistake. Your model releases will very likely NOT hold up in court. Remember that.
