Popstar

Studio: Vivid
Director: B. Skow
Cast: Monique Alexander, Audrey Bitoni, Nick Manning, Presley Maddox, Carolyn Reese, James Deen, Evan Stone

Portions of this review originally appeared on Fleshbot

A boulevard of broken dreams story from today’s Hollywood, “Popstar”‘s nipslips, lipsynch malfunctions, and clandestine trysts are so much more compelling than the Tinseltown reality they emulate.

“Take your clothes off for Din,” Hollywood Weseal Nick Manning says to Sunrise (Monique Alexander) in Vivid’s “Popstar”. “Din wants to see some nipples. AND THE REST!”

Sunflower is new in town and starmaker Avery Din has invited her into the VIP lounge. Meanwhile, her cattty hometown best friend’s career goes the other way: she is reduced to porn.

“Din’s nude,” Manning says, adding: “I’m gonna stick it where the sun don’t rise.”

The adorable Alexander makes us believe that she wouldn’t actually shun us in a club, or perhaps she only appears to be an ingenue against Manning’s utter oiliness. Either way, if we can forgive Jack Nicholson for playing the same character in all his later movies, we are equally satisfied when Manning arrives at load-droppin’ time. (In addition to “Dropping loads!” Manning has added the catchphrase “Wrecked!”)

As Din seeks to jettison Paulina (Audrey Bitoni) as flavor of the month, planting cocaine in front of paparazzi and sabotaging TV appearances, he also sends his assistant, Paige (Presley Maddox) to manipulate a late night host by whatever means necessary.

Then Sunrise must get cozy with a VJ (James Deen). Squalid. Especially since she can’t sing.

Yesterday’s news Paulina tries to get her career back by coming on to Marvin the engineer (Evan Stone). It seems like her fall from grace has schooled her in her humanity. Her natural singing talent and her Gram-bearing hips made her cocky. Can she redeem herself? Porn really does teach us things. It was at this point I wanted Bitoni to win.

Realizing it was Din’s machinations all along, the women in his life finally get together, you know, in a “Sisters Are Doing It for Themselves” sort of way, taken to logical conclusions.

Popstar is a delightful stocking stuffer, and so much less sordid than watching TMZ!