SAN FRANCISCO — Raging Stallion has released its latest feature, the horror-thriller “Overdrive.”
Co-directed by Steve Cruz and Ben Rush, the title stars Derek Kage, Paul Wagner, Beau Butler, Lawson James, Timothy Chance, Brogan, Danny Starr and Sean Xavier.
“When awkward rideshare driver Derek Kage picks up handsome-but-cocky passenger Paul Wagner from a local airport, he can’t ignore his instant physical attraction,” said a rep. “Paul, both turned on by and hesitant about the driver’s intensity — and against his own better judgment — agrees to stop at a vacant nearby garage for a rough flip-fuck with the unstable motorist. As the night draws in, though, Paul grows increasingly uncomfortable with Derek’s obsessive and menacing text messages and calls, immediately filing a grievance with the ‘Let It Ride’ car service app. Discernibly unhinged and now even more enraged by Paul’s deliberate complaint, Derek begins a deadly and twisted descent into madness that leaves a grisly body count in its horrifying wake.”
Cruz enthused about the project.
“It was exciting to work on an all-new tentpole feature for Raging Stallion,” he said. “‘Overdrive’ goes to places ordinary porn projects do not, but I believe there is a crossover fan base between dark thrillers and porn fans who want more — more action, more hot sex, and more production value. Co-director Ben Rush and I worked our asses off to give you that.”
The first scene is streaming on RagingStallion; the full feature is available on VOD and DVD from the Falcon/NakedSword store.
LOS ANGELES — The ex-boyfriend of slain Pineapple Support therapist Dr. Amie Harwick was convicted Thursday of first-degree murder for her February 2020 death.
After deliberating for seven hours over the past two days, the jury found Gareth Pursehouse guilty of first-degree murder — with the special circumstance of lying in wait — and first-degree burglary.
Under California law, Pursehouse could be sentenced to life without parole at the next hearing on Dec. 6.
Purehouse was arrested shortly after the killing of the popular and well-respected therapist, who was helping several adult performers through her work with mental health nonprofit Pineapple Support.
As XBIZ reported at the time, Harwick died as the result of a fall from the third-story balcony of her Hollywood Hills residence. She had previously obtained a restraining order against Pursehouse. Investigators later learned that she had expressed fear about Pursehouse in the days before her death, after a chance encounter at an industry event in January.
Pursehouse was arrested on suspicion of murder in connection to her death, released on $2 million bail and then re-arrested by the LAPD on a no-bail warrant. His trial was delayed for three and half years, finally starting on Aug. 29 of this year and ending with Thursday’s verdict.
A Beloved Industry Therapist
Harwick worked in the adult industry as a Playboy model, before becoming a licensed therapist specializing in relationships and sex therapy. An accomplished author, her 2014 book, “The New Sex Bible for Women,” garnered widespread acclaim and solidified her as a go-to media source for sexual health and wellness advice and information.
She was an advocate for sex workers and collaborated with Pineapple Support to offer free and low-cost therapy options to active adult performers. Before her death, she was scheduled to host an eight-week support group for performers, focusing on examining triggers and trauma to gain insight on behaviors and facilitate better well-being.
Pineapple Support founder Leya Tanit issued a statement on behalf of the organization at the time of her murder.
“We are devastated to learn of the death of Amie Harwick, a longtime Pineapple Support therapist and a true force for good in this world,” said Tanit. “Amie was one of the first therapists to join our team and conducted regular in-person sessions for sex workers in her Los Angeles office. She contributed to our Pineapple Support Summit in October, worked with performers directly in a series of pioneering workshops, and was in talks with us about developing new projects that could help lessen the mental health burdens faced by performers. She was a friend and ally — funny, kind, intelligent and dedicated. Our hearts are broken.”
At the time and throughout the years, some of Harwick’s industry clients spoke with XBIZ privately, and unanimously shared moving stories about the difference she had made in their lives and the essential, nonjudgmental care she had provided for sex workers.
BROOMFIELD, Colo. — Eldorado has joined forces with Exsens for a virtual private training event to take place Oct.
The hour-long live event will be hosted by Exsens Senior Sales Manager for North and South America Rebecca Pinette-Dorin, and will focus on “the power of upselling.”
Pinette-Dorin will review how merchandising and the power of suggestion can help “raise the average basket size with Exsens lubes, lotions and body care products, and create a shopping experience customers will love,” a rep explained.
Pinette-Dorin said, “I am so excited to have this opportunity to talk with everyone about one of my favorite topics. Creating a better shopping experience not only helps stores raise sales and margins, but it keeps customers coming back. Exsens is really the perfect product line for upsell, but this webinar can be applied to many product lines and will, I hope, be interesting and informative for all stores.”
Eldorado Director of Sales Derek DalPiaz explained that the company’s Virtual Elevation series “connects manufacturers with stores and provides an avenue for store employees to gain product knowledge without leaving the store. Better product knowledge enhances the customer experience, which ultimately increases sales for all involved.”
The virtual event will start at 10 a.m. PDT. To register via Zoom, click here.
For more information, call 800-525-0848 or visit Eldorado.net.
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Dire Desires has released its latest Baby Gemini scene, “Getting Off Probation.”
“Baby Gem plays a horny probation officer who is running out of time to ride Jay’s thick prick,” the synopsis reveals. “With hours left on the clock, she calls him in and threatens to violate him if he doesn’t satisfy her. Luckily for him, he’s an expert at fucking hot sluts into thigh-shaking, cross-eyed, earth-shattering orgasms.”
Baby Gemini enthused about the scene.
“Jay is one of my favorite people to shoot with — from his ideas to how he shoots.” she said, “And the dick, yes, the dick is top tier. I can’t wait to work with and cum and squirt all over his dick again.”
NEW YORK — Ruby Lynne has landed the cover and is featured in the latest issue of Pick Me Up! magazine.
In her interview with the UK tabloid, Lynne discusses her new book, “Granny Panties: How I Made a Fortune Selling My Worn Undies.”
“I have found the Brits get a real kick out of me — maybe because I look like a proper lady with big boobs,” said Lynne. “The cover says, ‘Men pay me to poo my pants.’ Maybe I should have made that the title of my book.”
HANNOVER, Germany — Honey Play Box has unveiled its new Pearl vibrating panty.
“With its blend of functionality, power and design,” a rep noted, “Pearl embodies the future of intimate technology, promising electrifying sensations.”
Pearl is made of premium silicone with a pearlescent finish, and features a magnetic clip to ensure it stays in place. The app-controlled feature allows users and their partners to control play from anywhere, even across the globe.
“This feature facilitates wearable public play, ensuring users can transform their regular panties into a vibrating sanctuary of pleasure on the go,” the rep added.
Pearl has an IPX7 waterproof rating, allowing users to “fully immerse themselves in a revitalizing bath or shower play, allowing for versatile enjoyment in various scenarios,” the rep concluded.
Pearl is among the toys Honey Play Box will showcase at eroFame 2023, a global trade convention held in Hannover, Germany from October 11 to 13. From Booth No. 26 (Eingang Nord 2, Hermesallee), the Honey Play Box team will introduce the Honey Play Box app 2.0 and a range of app-controlled products to the global market.
For more information about eroFame 2023, click here.
For more about Honey Play Box, visit their website here.
LOS ANGELES — Grooby is now accepting preorders for its 2024 Grooby Girls calendar.
The calendar will feature Zariah Aura, Eros Orisha, Amanda Riley, Arden Hart, Pressure, Ember Fiera, Asia Belle, Eva Maxim, Azudem, Mya Badd, Paige Turner, Jasmine Lotus and Domino Presley.
“We’ve hand-selected 13 shots of some of our favorite Grooby Girls to assemble one of our most ambitious calendars to date,” said CEO Steven Grooby. “With the amount of models we work with, this is a task that takes weeks to finalize. Fans and collectors of our annual calendar will be very pleased with what 2024 will bring.”
LOS ANGELES — The deadline for pre-nomination entries for the 2024 XBIZ Awards, the adult industry’s biggest night, is Saturday at midnight, PDT.
Industry professionals who are registered members of XBIZ.net can access the pre-nomination portal here.
To be eligible for nomination, movies and pleasure products must be released between Oct. 1, 2022 and Sept. 30, 2023.
Links to digital content, marketing material and/or website access information must be provided via the entry forms.
The XBIZ Awards recognizes excellence across the most extensive and inclusive range of categories in the business, spanning movie production, digital media, pleasure products and retail. The annual ceremony is the crown jewel finale to XBIZ’s expanded 2024 winter events series, including XBIZ Show, Vibe Expo and X3 Expo.
Click here for a complete list of award categories.
LOS ANGELES — The much anticipated new science fiction thriller “Divinity,” co-starring Emily Willis in her mainstream feature debut, will finally premiere in theaters next month.
The film, written and directed by Eddie Alcazar and executive produced by acclaimed filmmaker Steven Soderbergh, also co-stars Scott Bakula, Stephen Dorff, Bella Thorne, Moises Arias, Jason Genao and Karrueche Tran.
The film had its world premiere at Sundance Film Festival in January and will be released theatrically in the U.S. on October 13, first in selected cities before expanding nationwide in November.
Willis spoke exclusively to XBIZ about her experience making “Divinity,” which led her to her current path pursuing other mainstream acting projects.
“It’s a very artistic movie,” was Willis’ first impression about the film. “Eddie is incredibly great at making amazing art. Every shot is an awe-inspiring vision.”
“Divinity,” she adds, “was my first feature film, which I shot last year, and it really was made me fall in love with both film and the sci-fi and horror genre. Eddie was the ideal person to work with for my debut — he has a very unique vision, and he really wants what he wants. That attitude is actually really cool to me. He’s a real artist.”
Willis shot her scenes with only an immediate awareness of the actions she was asked to perform, and only realize the scope of the plot once she saw it at Sundance, months after wrapping.
“I thought at my character was another character’s wife when we shot my scenes,” she says. “But when I saw the final edit, I realized there was much more to it. Now I know it was a very special character in the context of the movie, and she’s someone who may not be what she seems. It added to the mystery of the whole experience.”
One of the last scenes Willis shot for “Divinity” placed her alongside Thorne in a group of several other women who were being guided into different states of being.
“I got to do some great acting scenes,” she enthuses. “I’m really, really happy about that. And obviously there was a sex scene, yeah. I originally auditioned because they wanted somebody that was open-minded in general, and open to being sexual on camera. I sent in my audition and the casting agent liked it immediately. Then I did an in person audition — and then we immediately starting shooting like, maybe a week after that!”
Willis says her scenes with Dorff, a Hollywood veteran from an early age, helped her be comfortable on her first major set.
“Stephen was very welcoming, and very professional, and kind,” she reveals. “Nobody made me feel as if I didn’t belong there because I was a porn star at the time. Everybody was very level with me, which was awesome.”
A Mysterious Arthouse Thriller
After watching “Divinity” at Sundance and starting its promotion, Willis was delighted by the post-production work done between the 2022 shoot and the premiere.
“It’s my first big film — and it’s actually brilliant. I’m so happy that I was a part of it. It’s definitely an ‘arthouse film’ and it could become a cult classic. It’s edgy, and it’s mysterious — somewhere between sci-fi and horror. It really is like a trip.”
The official description of “Divinity” tells of “two mysterious brothers, who abduct a mogul during his quest for immortality, while a seductive woman helps them launch a journey of self-discovery.”
“I don’t know how much I’m allowed to say without giving too much away!” Willis laughs. “It takes place in an otherworldly space — we can’t even say too much about where we shot it. There’s a lot of chaos in it. Everybody in the film is on a quest for ‘divinity,’ which is this stuff that changes you so you can live forever and everyone’s kind of fighting to figure out who is on divinity and how it all works.”
As “Divinity” is getting ready to premiere, Willis continues pursuing her acting career, alongside developing a successful influencer clothing line, EmFatale.
Willis says she had always loved acting, but just didn’t think that it was a concrete possibility as she was pursuing her adult career, which included a rare two-years-in-a-row win as XBIZ’s Female Performer of the Year.
“Then I booked ‘Divinity’ and my dream came true — it was 100 percent the kind of work I love to do.”
For more about “Divinity,” visit the film’s official website here.
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — Brandi Love has released a new “Fuck a Fan” series clip on her OnlyFans.
The clip features Love with her latest fan contest winner, Smit.
“I knew Smit was as nervous as I was,” said Love. “There is usually some anxiety involved in meeting someone new, when on our first meeting we were going to fuck. I opened the door, and his hands were shaking. A soft hug and exchange of smiles brought both our nerves down.
“We sat and chatted for a bit, trying to relax,” Love added. “After the pre-sex talk, this is where you see our energy ignite. Enjoy, lovers, and thank you Smit for the memories.”
