 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
|
Grabby Awards (better known as The Grabbys) are presented annually in Chicago for the gay adult erotic video industry. The awards are sponsored by GRAB Magazine. The Grabby Awards and GRAB Magazine are owned and operated by Grabbys, LLC. The awards were owned until 2009 by Gay Chicago Magazine .
| Categories | LGBT |
|---|---|
| First issue | 2009 |
| Company | Grabbys, LLC |
| Country | Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Website | grabchicago.com |
GRAB [1] is a Chicago, Illinois, LGBT entertainment magazine. The biweekly publication is distributed free in the Chicago area. Founded in 2009 by Stacy Bridges and Mark Nagel. GRAB organizes the annual Grabby Awards (better known as The Grabbys) for the gay pornography industry. Both GRAB magazine and the Grabby Awards are owned and operated by Grabbys, LLC.
The first Grabby Awards (formally known as Adult Erotic Gay Video Awards) were given in 1991, when the awards were listed in the year-end issue of Gay Chicago Magazine . Awards given that year included "Burnout of the Year", "Comeback of the Year", "Fresh Surprise of the Year", "Best Supporting Actor", "Best Newcomer", and "Best Overall Performer". According to "Big Daddy" Ferguson, founder of Gay Chicago Magazine and creator of the awards, the Grabbys are "...our way of highlingting [sic] certain aspects of the past year's videos that, in our opinion, are worth[y] of special notice." [2]
The award's second year, 1992, saw the addition of some more traditional award categories, such as "Best Video of the Year" and "Best Screenplay"; "Best Overall Performer" was shortened to "Best Performer". The unique awards continued, however, with the presentation of the "Pull-Lister Prize", given to Gay Sex: A Manual for Men Who Love Men. [2] [3]
In 1993, the third annual awards included "Best Ethnic Performer" and "Best Cum Shot", and saw the first tie for an award, that of Falcon Studios and Kristen Bjorn Productions for "Best Video of the Year". [2]
"Best Director" was added in 1994, along with "Best International Video", "Best Cinematography", "Best Sex Scene", "Best Bisexual Video", and the "Whopper Award", presented to a Canadian performer.
"Best Cum Shot" was renamed "Hot Shots", the only change in award categories for 1995. The 1996 awards included the addition of "Best Non-Sexual Role" and "Promising New Performers"; there were no additions or name changes for the 1997 awards. [2]
Held on Saturday, May 29, 1999, the 1998 Grabbys were presented during an awards ceremony for the first time during the Memorial Day weekend. [4] Chicago had been home to the International Mister Leather Contest (IML) for 20 years, and the founder of IML, Chuck Renslow, suggested that the Grabbys be added to the weekend's activities to provide additional entertainment for the IML attendees.
The ceremony was a fundraiser for the Reimer Foundation, "a nonprofit corporation that promotes safer sex". [5]
The first live show took place in the Music Hall of Man's Country, [4] a gay bathhouse in Chicago's Andersonville neighborhood. The event drew a capacity crowd. Fans, gay "adult male erotic performers", [6] directors, other industry people, and national media came from all over the United States to attend. Well-known Chicago performer Honey West and prominent porn director Chi Chi LaRue served as co-hostesses for the evening's festivities.
Ferguson addressed the audience during the inaugural live presentation of the awards. Encouraged by his friend Mickey Skee from AVN Magazine, Ferguson wanted to create an awards show in the Midwest that would rival the shows organized by Mickey in the West, while offering a unique experience that would attract stars to attend all of them. The award categories were expanded once again, introducing new categories or subdivisions of existing ones. Some of the changes included the addition of categories such as "Best Video: Romance", "Best Video: All Sex", "Best Video: Fantasy", "Best Actor: Dramatic", "Best Actor: Action Hero", "Best Duo Sex Scene", "Best Group Scene", "Best Ethnic Video", "Best Fetish Video", and "Best Leather Video". [7]
Unlike the similar Gay Video News (GayVN) Awards, which are open only by invitation to participants and journalists, tickets for the Grabbys are available for public purchase, allowing fans and performers to mingle and network directly. The event also includes a "People's Choice" category, though other awards are given by a committee selected by the magazine. Additionally, the Grabbys show X-rated video clips of the nominations, while the GayVN Awards do not.
The show also saw the creation of a "Wall of Fame" to honor industry legends, awarded for their impact on the industry rather than the length of time they had been involved in it. Relative newcomers to the industry Ken Ryker, performer, industry critic and author Mickey Skee from Adult Video News and Bob East, the Executive Director of the Men of Odyssey Studio, were inducted alongside long-time directors Jim Steel, Toby Ross, and co-hostess Chi Chi LaRue. Ferguson" was also inducted into the "Wall of Fame" despite his protests; his staff insisted that he be honored as the creator of the awards.
LaRue also won awards for "Best Ethnic Video" and tied with Kristen Bjorn for "Best Videos". Commenting on the award for "Best Ethnic Video", LaRue remarked, "With 10 hot black studs and a white bottom boy, how can you miss?" [8]
For the 1999 Grabbys, additional awards for "Best Actor: Fantasy", "Best Actor: Romance", "Best Screenplay: Fantasy", "Best Screenplay: Romance"; "Best Solo Scene", "Best Threeway Sex Scene", and "Best Twink Video" were added. Once again, LaRue and West were the co-hostesses. The award ceremony, held over the Memorial Day Weekend of 2000, also included a surprise appearance by comedian Judy Tenuta, in town doing promotional work. She delighted the crowd and, as Ferguson remarked in his report on the event, "it was a great treat to have her come out to support the gay porn industry. People like that have a lot of class, because they risk a lot to come to these events, and God love 'em, if they're gonna support us, I'm gonna support them!" [9]
For the 2000 awards, Zak Spears and another person were added as co-hosts with Honey and Chi Chi. The awards moved from the prior shows' location, Man's Country, to the Circuit nightclub, [4] in the heart of the Lakeview, Chicago Northalsted district, known as Chicago's "Boystown". Award title changes / additions included "Best Actor" (with no other qualifiers), "Best Comedy Video", "Best Newcomer: Director", "Best Video of the Year" simplified to "Best Video", "Best Videography", and the debut of Editor's Choice Awards: "Documentary", "DVD—Classic", and "DVD—Extras". [10]
Due to the change in location, there was more clothing visible than in past years and the closing orgy was omitted. However, Jeff Stryker, on his way to sign the "Wall of Fame", managed to "lose" his bathrobe and strut across the stage naked—his body well-oiled— and proceeded to stroke his erection for the appreciative crowd. Chi Chi LaRue exclaimed, "OK, we're all going to jail!" [11]
For the first time, the Trophy Studs for the 2001 awards were selected during the previous few months at events at Chicago's Lucky Horseshoe nightclub. The evening's ceremony, held again at the Circuit nightclub, included Editor's Choice Awards for "Classic Movie Remake", "Best International Screenplay", "Best International Actor", and "Best International Director".
The award titles continued to change for the 2002 awards: "Best Solo Scene" became "Best Solo Performance"; "Best DVD Extras" (previously an Editor's Choice Award) was added to the regular list of awards along with "Best Classic DVD". The Editor's Choice Awards for the year were "Best Bisexual Video", "Best Reviewer Promo Package", and "Special Achievement Award", presented to Bob East, Executive Director of the by-then defunct Men of Odyssey Studio. [12] The event took place on May 24, 2003, at the Circuit nightclub for the third year in a row, and was once again hosted by Chi Chi LaRue and Honey West. They were joined by Kelly Love and their male co-hosts Matthew Rush and Kyle Kennedy. The show was interpreted for the hearing impaired by a porn newcomer. Jason Sechrest, of JasonCurious.com, was on hand to present a gift basket of several types of sexual lubricant to super-bottom performer Bret Wolfe. [13]
The 2003 award ceremony was held at the Park West theater on May 29, 2004, moving to a well-known professional concert / event venue. The perennial Chi Chi LaRue and Honey West were joined in co-hosting duties by Chris Steele, Michael Brandon, and Bret Wolfe, with sign language interpretation again provided by Dillon Press. [14] Awards added to the year's gathering were surprise awards "Hottest Cock", "Hottest Ass", "Hottest Versatile Performer", and "Hottest Cum Shots". The Editor's Choice Award for the year was for "Hot New Directors". [15]
Jason Sechrest was in attendance again to present the basket of lube and was joined by the previous year's recipient, Bret Wolfe. The basket was presented to the individual they felt was "most likely to use this entire basket" in the very near future. The recipient, Michael Knight, was called to the stage and the popular bottom thanked "the endless number of inches who have entered me". [16]
A return to the Park West for the 2004 awards brought Honey West and Chi Chi LaRue together with co-hosts Tag Adams, Michael Brandon, and Zak Spears for host / hostess duties. [17] The "Best Video" award was apparently renamed "Best Gay Video"; the "Hottest" awards from the previous year remained, and the "Maleflixx.tv Peoples Choice Award" was added. There were no Editor's Choice Awards. [18]
On May 27, 2006, the 2005 Erotic Gay Video Awards—the "Grabbys"—were presented at The Vic Theatre. Chi Chi LaRue and Honey West once again led the ceremonies; their male co-hosts for the event were Rod Barry, Brad Benton, and Chad Hunt. This was the last Grabbys attended by "Big Daddy" Ferguson, the founder of Gay Chicago Magazine and the Grabbys; Ralph Paul "Big Daddy" died in June 2006 a couple of days after his 72nd Birthday.
In 2009 Gay Chicago Magazine decided to stop reviewing gay porn videos, [19] and dropped the Grabbys. Former Gay Chicago publisher Stacy Bridges, in a deal to sell his portion of the magazine, took ownership of the awards show along with former Gay Chicago Sales Manager Mark Nagel. Bridges and Nagel also founded Grab Magazine in Chicago. [20] [4]
On January 5, 2009, for the first time ever, the Grabbys allowed fans the chance to vote for their preferred porn star co-host. [21] On February 2, 2009, the top ten nominees to join Chi Chi LaRue, Honey West, Blake Riley and Brent Corrigan as co-host were announced. The finalists were: Steve Cruz, R.J. Danvers, Wolf Hudson, Trevor Knight, Nash Lawler, Collin O'Neal, Erik Rhodes, Jason Ridge, Giovanni Summers and Jackson Wild. [22] Soon afterwards, Knight dropped out of the race due to having co-hosted the previous year, as well as Wild for undisclosed reasons. [23] On March 10, 2009, Hudson won the competition, becoming the first ever fan-selected co-host of the Grabbys Awards and the last of the 2000s (decade). [24] Jeremy Bilding was the second selected co-host in 2010 and the first of the 2010s decade. 2009 also marked the first year the Grabbys had an official host hotel, The Hard Rock Hotel Chicago. In 2016 the official host hotel moved from the Hard Rock to the Fairmont Chicago where it is currently.
Chi Chi LaRue and Honey West have hosted the awards every year since 1999. In 2000 and afterwards, they hosted alongside porn stars. Since 2009, fans have been able to vote for one porn star co-host.
Jeff Stryker is an American porn star who has starred in bisexual, gay, and straight adult films. He lives in California.
The AVN Awards are film awards sponsored and presented by the American adult video industry trade magazine AVN to recognize achievement in various aspects of the creation and marketing of American pornographic films. They are often called the "Oscars of porn".
Sean Paul Lockhart, known by his stage name Brent Corrigan, is an American film actor and director, known for Milk (2008), Judas Kiss (2011), and Triple Crossed (2013).
Larry David Paciotti is an American director of pornographic films. He appears as the drag-diva persona Chi Chi LaRue, and has been credited as director under the names "Lawrence David" and "Taylor Hudson".
Johnny Hazzard is an American former pornographic actor, model, and recording artist who performs in gay and bisexual pornographic films for a number of studios, mainly Rascal Video, and has appeared in mainstream film and television productions under his own name.
The GayVN Awards are film awards presented annually to honor work done in the gay pornographic industry. The awards were sponsored by AVN Magazine, the parent publication of GAYVN Magazine, and continue the recognition for gay pornography which was part of the AVN Awards from 1986–1998. The awards went on a hiatus after the 2011 ceremony and returned in 2018.
Michael Brandon is an American, pornographic actor and director who specializes in gay pornography. He has had his own subdivision at Raging Stallion called "Monster Bang" and has previously participated in some charitable efforts.
Scott Masters (1934?–2020) was an American gay pornographic film director and studio owner active in adult film since the mid-1960s.
Will Clark is an American gay pornographic film actor. He is a member of the Grabby Awards Hall of Fame and has received a special citation from the GayVN Awards for his fundraising work in support of HIV/AIDS charities.
Steven Scarborough is an American gay pornographic film director, the founder of Hot House Entertainment (1993), and he was an Executive Vice-President and director for Falcon Studios from 1987 to 1993.
J. D. Slater is an American gay pornography actor, director, and music composer from San Francisco who co-founded Raging Stallion Studios (RSS) with Chris Ward in 1999.
William Higgins, also known as "Wim Hof" was an American director of gay pornographic films who based his businesses in the Czech Republic since 1996. He started his career as a porn director and producer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, when sellers of pornographic movies, including Falcon refused to mail them to customers in many southeastern states for legal reasons. In addition, he said in an interview, that gay porn movies were "so bad" that he decided to begin making them himself. In 1978, he was busted and his premises raided. Although the charges were later dropped, Higgins decided to go on a "world tour" looking for a better legal environment for his films. After rejecting Australia and Thailand as new venues, he settled in Amsterdam, where his distributor was, and later relocated to Prague, a less expensive city. Although the legal climate in the U.S. has changed, he had no interest in returning.
Rod Barry is a former pornographic actor and director from the United States who has been credited in over 150 pornographic films and internet-based shows since entering the industry in 1996. Most of Barry's appearances have been in the gay pornography genre, but he has appeared in bisexual, transsexual and heterosexual videos. In 2008, he was inducted into the gay pornography industry's Hall of Fame.
Richard Allen Karp, better known by his stage name Cole Tucker, was an American actor in gay pornography. Tucker was born in New York. He started making appearances in gay pornography in 1996 at the age of 43, previously working as a realtor. In 1998, he appeared in Sex/Life in L.A. Jochen Hick's adult documentary about the sex lives of the men who make L.A. adult movies. In 1999, he revealed in a story published in the London Standard that he was HIV-positive and also had a relationship with former British Conservative Party MEP Tom Spencer.
Chad Jason Hull, better known as Josh Weston, was an American pornographic actor who appeared in gay pornographic films and magazines.
Jumper is a 1991 American gay pornographic film directed by Chi Chi LaRue and starring Ryan Yeager as the titular character. Written by Stan Ward, the film was originally released by HIS Video. In the film, an angel, Jumper, is sent to Earth to spend five days seducing the following men in West Hollywood, California in order to influence their lives: an aspiring model, a straight-identified man, a nerd, and a Hollywood producer. During the journey, Jumper uses his angelic powers on a bickering couple to help them make up. Jumper is reunited at the end with the man who earlier identified as straight, whom Jumper seduced and then has fallen in love with. The film received generally positive reception and awards, including AVN Awards and Grabby Awards.
The 12th AVN Awards ceremony, organized by Adult Video News (AVN) took place on January 7, 1995, at Bally's Hotel and Casino, Paradise, Nevada beginning at 7:45 p.m. PST / 10:45 p.m. EST. During the ceremony, AVN presented AVN Awards in 89 categories honoring the movies released during the period December 1, 1993 to November 30, 1994. The ceremony was produced by Gary Miller, Mark Stone and Marco Polo. Actor Steven St. Croix hosted the show for the first time, with co-hosts Dyanna Lauren and Tera Heart.
The 9th AVN Awards ceremony, presented by Adult Video News (AVN), honored pornographic films released in 1991 in the United States and took place in January 1992, at Bally's Hotel and Casino in Paradise, Nevada. During the ceremony, AVN presented AVN Awards in 59 categories. The ceremony was produced by Anthony Devon and directed by Steven Austin. Actor Randy West hosted the show for the first time, with actresses Angela Summers and Hyapatia Lee as co-hosts.
Winners
