Pornographic films (pornos), erotic films, sex films, 18+ films, or also known as blue movie or blue film, are films that present sexually explicit subject matter in order to arouse, fascinate, or satisfy the viewer. Pornographic films present sexual fantasies and usually include erotically stimulating material such as nudity (softcore) and sexual intercourse (hardcore). A distinction is sometimes made between "erotic" and "pornographic" films on the basis that the latter category contains more explicit sexuality, and focuses more on arousal than storytelling; the distinction is highly subjective.
Pornography has existed since the origins of the United States, and has become more readily accessible in the 21st century. Advanced by technological development, it has gone from a hard-to-find "back alley" item, beginning in 1969 with Blue Movie by Andy Warhol, the Golden Age of Porn (1969–1984) and home video, to being more available in the country and later, starting in the 1990s, readily accessible to nearly anyone with a computer or other device connected to the Internet. The U.S. has no current plans to block explicit content from children and adolescents, as many other countries have planned or proceeded to do.
Jeff Stryker is an American porn star who has starred in bisexual, gay, and straight adult films. He lives in California.
Priape is a privately held Canadian company, headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. Priape owned and operated several retail stores specializing in DVDs, books, clothing, leather, sex toys, and other products that appeal to the gay consumer.
Playmen TV is a Canadian English language specialty channel. It is a premium adult entertainment television channel aimed at gay men, with programming consisting mainly of adult films and adult-related television series.
Kelli Rachelle McCarty Oseen is an American actress, model, photographer and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss USA 1991. She then placed in the top six at Miss Universe 1991, representing the United States. After ending her career in pageantry, McCarthy began an acting career and starred as Beth Wallace on the soap opera Passions (1999–2006). After Passions, McCarthy began acting as a pornographic actress, appearing in a number of softcore and hardcore films, receiving an exclusive contract with Vivid Entertainment that also gave her a say in the casting process of the scenes she was in.
Gay TV was an encrypted subscription channel from the UK that broadcast over Sky and Virgin Media television platform from 20:00 to 05:30 daily, targeted at gay men.
Pink Visual is a reality and gonzo pornography film production company, based in Van Nuys, California, United States. It began as an Internet pornography provider before eventually moving into DVD production. Pink Visual also licenses adult content to cable, satellite, pay-per-view, hotel chain channels, and other Internet content licensees. Currently marketing their content with the tagline of "Raw. Raunchy. Real.", Pink Visual content is largely reality-based, taking inspiration from reality television. Pink Visual's porn productions typically utilize amateur performers and are shot in a 'Pro-am' style, utilizing digital video, including the high definition format.
Kurt Lockwood is an American pornographic actor and director, model, and musician.
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.
Lucas Entertainment is a New York-based gay pornographic studio started by porn star Michael Lucas, funded by his ex-husband Richard Winger. It is one of the largest such studios in the world. The studio is known for lavish, big-budget films, and it contends that its 2006 film Michael Lucas' La Dolce Vita is the most expensive gay porn ever made. The film won 14 GayVN awards in 2007, the current record.
In the United Kingdom, pornography is regulated by a variety of laws, regulations, judicial processes, and voluntary schemes. Pornographic material generally has to be assessed by regulators or courts to determine its legality. British censorship laws with regard to pornography have often been some of the most restrictive in Western Europe.
OutTV is a Canadian English language specialty channel and streaming network that was launched in September 2001. It broadcasts general entertainment and lifestyle programming aimed at the LGBT community.
Michael Lucas is a Russian-American-Israeli businessman and with his ex-husband, is the co-founder and CEO of Lucas Entertainment, Manhattan's largest gay-adult-film company.
Cazzo Film is a German pornographic film studio based in Berlin. The company has been producing gay pornographic films since 1996.
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.
Adult Swim is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel owned by Showcase Television, Inc., a subsidiary of Corus Entertainment. The channel primarily airs animated and live-action comedies targeting a teenage and young adult audience.
Adult chat television channels and programs are a format of phone-in live television programming that has developed in Europe since 2002, often having elements similar to webcam modelling and softcore pornography.
