GramPonante.com has learned that AVN has created another press release-regurgitating entity [PRRE] to join Trent Brown, Chip Baker, and Ben Marco: “His” name is Marty Murphy.
“I am shocked, appalled,” XBiz news editor Martin Murphy did not say. “It is like they have stolen my identity. The identity that is so precious to me. Where will I be without my identity? More importantly: who?”
AVN President Paul Fishbein, orbiting the Earth in a spaceship owned by Vivid and the People’s Republic of China, claimed to have no knowledge of the matter, and suggested I talk with someone else about it (he did the same thing when I asked him why I got fired). AVNOnline editors Tony Lovett and MJ McMahon did not return calls, AVN.com editor Dan Miller wasn’t there, associate editor Acme Andersson never got back to me, and art director Jay Moyes didn’t want to get caught in the middle. Only publisher Farley Cahen said he would “stay on it.”
AVN’s Murphy himself was no help, saying, “The second course offers a one-stop shop for the best in blowjobs, NutInHerMouth.com. The DVD-quality video has 100-percent uncensored and exclusive blowjobs from every angle, in every size.”
“We get so many press releases in a day here at AVN that we can’t follow up on them all,” wrote Gram Ponante in his personal journal in 2002. “That’s why they’ve created these aliases. We’re also not allowed to re-write anything from Vivid.”
XBiz’ Murphy was alerted to the presence of a doppelganger when he was asked if he had been moonlighting.
“One identity is enough, thanks,” Murphy said, “Plus, my non-compete agreeement specifically forbids that sort of thing.” Murphy has been XBiz’ news editor for four months. “I was surprised I got asked that question.”
The question that has turned the industry on its ear is this: did AVN know of the existence of the other Murphy when it created this one?
Marty Murphy is cryptic. “TxtNation has announced that its mENABLE SMS billing product is now available for webmasters on the NATS program back-end affiliate software,” he said.
“I interviewed Paul Fishbein for a Bill Margold story a couple of months back,” XBiz’ Murphy said, “and once [former AVNOnline editor] Tom Hymes told me that they [AVNOnline] had a story very similar to one of my own on their site, so I’m sure they knew, but I couldn’t believe that it was at all intentional.”
The choice of PRRE names at AVN is wreathed in secrecy, as is its awards-nominating process. GramPonante.com does know that the naming procedure follows a complex algorithm in addition to a vision quest in which Fishbein, Darren Roberts, Tim Connelly, and Mike Ramone wander in the unincorporated land north of the 118 for several days before an old alias is retired and a new one is given birth.
“Sometimes it’s a painful process, but we learn a lot about ourselves, and each other,” Connelly did not say.
“Platinum Bucks has launched SexFind.com, a pay-per-click adult search engine with bids starting as low as 5 cents,” Marty Murphy added.
As the adult industry has announced a 60-day work stoppage over this matter to assure hovering federal regulators it is self-policing, XBiz’ Murphy is morose.
“I’d hate the outside world to think we all operate from the same pool of press releases, and the only difference between me and a non-person is that I rewrite them.”
While XBiz’ Murphy lamented that Defiance Films, a company he’d just profiled for the upcoming issue of XBizWorld, had released news of its new contract stars exclusively to AVN, he took comfort in that he was probably paid better than his doppelganger.
JESUS I love you
(jESUS, i LOVE YOU)
xox