Jenna Jameson and the future of the porn superstar

When the one person who stands a chance of refuting the belief that porn stars are interchangeable and anonymous says, “I’ll never spread my legs in this industry ever again,” you know something is broken.

That it was Jenna Jameson who said this, sounding a little bitter but no more incoherent than anyone else on the stage at the 25th annual AVN Awards, means something. Where others have said this and come back to the porn business for want of money, ejection of a boyfriend, or simple change of heart, Jameson means it.

Read more after the gap.

Jameson has had a tumultuous couple of years. In no particular order, she authored (with ghostwriter Neil Strauss) “How to Make Love Like a Porn Star”, sold ClubJenna to Playboy, had a miscarriage, broke up with husband Jay Grdina (who still runs her eponymous company), hooked up with fighter Tito Ortiz, began appearing in mainstream gossip blogs and, most famously, underwent a series of surgeries that have radically altered her appearance.

Like Tera Patrick, Stormy Daniels, and Jesse Jane, each of whom has a chance at Jameson’s name recognition, Jameson’s relationship with the porn industry runs hot and cold. Each owes her fame to porn, but each has aspirations beyond it. Finally, each embraces what she hopes will be her porn past with varying degrees of tightness.

After Jameson vented, Daniels accepted the Jameson Crossover Star of the Year award with all the graciousness one could expect. “I plan to be spreading my legs for the porn industry for some time,” Daniels said.

Wicked made Jameson an icon in the 1990s. Daniels’ achievement with Wicked is even greater, as she writes and directs her own movies and has essentially set up her own imprint within the company. Jane’s name is copyrighted by Digital Playground, which licenses her out to Playboy for hosting duties, and Tera Patrick, whose celebrated break from Digital Playground is the reason many of the company’s new starlets have registered trademarks as names, is the best set-up of all, with her own company and a club appearance fee that rivals that of many celebrities.

But they are all eyeing the next move, and the extent to which that move succeeds depends on the level of comfort which exists between them and their porn careers.

Sadly, Jameson’s bitterness about the porn industry is probably a result of the ground she has broken in making “former porn star” an acceptable title in mainstream media. She has taken the brunt of the scrutiny from that front as well as the inevitable ridicule that goes hand in hand with the uneasy titillation porn provides.

Patrick and Daniels have watched this and learned from it; their public personae and porn choices are much more controlled as a result.

Porn awards-granting organizations shouldn’t present “crossover star” honors because it is a tacit devaluing of what porn is. If anything, they should make a crossover TO porn award for people like Amy Fisher and Dave Navarro.

But if there has to be a mainstream crossover award, it is appropriate it be named after Jameson. After Saturday’s valedictory speech, however, it seems like she doesn’t feel honored by it. It is up to her successors to figure out if there is anywhere to go from here.

Previously: Tera Patrick: “I want world domination”; A messy situation for Daniels; AVN08 gallery
See also: Club Jenna

About Gram the Man 4399 Articles
Gram Ponante is America's Beloved Porn Journalist

4 Comments

  1. For CindisNakedTruth.com: You’ll love this Gram.

    Adult personality, Wankus, continues the coverage of the 2008 Adult Convention in Las Vegas…from his home studio in Los Angeles. In this clip, Wankus interviews a fan who attended the convention about Jenna Jameson, Stormy Daniels and Lisa Sparxxx.

    http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/341b2c1a45

  2. Lovely seeing you in that town you call Vegas. Your dispatches from the desert have been enjoyed by all who have read them. Did you come across anyone new and interesting or just interesting?

    Have you heard anything about Vivid Alt being shut down? That’s the word going around town. Maybe you’ve finally sunk that battleship.

    Dug your entry into the JJ debate. I watched the clip and don’t understand the hoopla. She’s a mess, looks like hell, hasn’t really shot in a couple years and who really wants to see her on screen looking like that anyway? Yes, she was inelegant and dismissive and perhaps could have been more articulate, but at the end of the day she’s a porn star. Regardless, the crowd that sat there snacking eagerly on finger foods and drinking champagne as they waited to find out who won Best Anal expected something more from their creation and lashed out when they didn’t get it. The industry media that trashed her for the last year erupted when they weren’t shown more respect from the girl who would be nothing without them. (They should have been thankful that she gave them a moment of entertainment during the never-ending show.) How can Jenna ever thank them enough for letting her suck cock in the adult industry? Seems only sucking more cock will do. Just like the mainstream, the adult industry will never see her as anything more than a whore. And we wonder why she wants out?

    Nice Vegas coverage, Mr. P. You are a credit to your craft.

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