LAS VEGAS — Ricky Greenwood has been nominated for Best AltStar Feature Video at the 2023 AltStar Awards for his Adult Time skateboard drama, “Grinders.”

The title features Charlotte Sins, Lilly Bell, Lucky Fate, Maya Woulfe, Nathan Bronson, Robby Apples, Tommy Pistol, Vanna Bardot and Vicki Chase.  

Greenwood previously took home the title of Best Feature Video in 2022 for his film, “The Bargain.”

“This is definitely an honor to be nominated again for ‘Grinders,’ and hopefully, this year, I’ll be able to accept the award in person if I win again,” said Greenwood. “Thank you, ALtStar Awards, and everyone who helped get the film nominated.”

For additional details about the 2023 AltStar Awards visit here.

Follow Ricky Greenwood on Twitter.

CANNES, France — Quentin Tarantino confirmed Thursday that his next project, “The Movie Critic,” will be based on the story of a little-known second-string film reviewer for a 1970s porn magazine.

Tarantino spoke to Deadline’s Baz Bamigboye while attending the Cannes Film Festival. It was the first time the cult director described at length the topic of his upcoming, yet-to-be-shot film.

“It is based on a guy who really lived, but was never really famous, and he used to write movie reviews for a porno rag,” Tarantino told Deadline.

Tarantino explained that when he was a teen, one of his jobs was restocking vending machines that sold porn magazines.

“All the other stuff was too skanky to read but then there was this porno rag that had a really interesting movie page,” he explained.

In “The Movie Critic,” the porn magazine will be given a fictional name: The Popstar Pages.

Tarantino said that while the real critic behind his new movie’s protagonist, who wrote about mainstream movies, was not known to the general public, “He was known if you read ‘The Popstar Pages’!”

“I think he was a very good critic,” Tarantino elaborated. “He was as cynical as hell. His reviews were a cross between early Howard Stern and what Travis Bickle might be if he were a film critic. Think about Travis’s diary entries. But the porno rag critic was very, very funny. He was very rude, you know. He cursed. He used racial slurs. But his shit was really funny.”

Tarantino added that the reviewer “wrote like he was 55 but he was only in his early to mid-30s. He died in his late thirties. It wasn’t clear for a while but now I’ve done some more research and I think it was complications due to alcoholism.”

The film has yet to be cast, with the director now looking for “somebody in the 35 year-old ball park.”

“It’ll definitely be a new leading man for me,” he added.

LOS ANGELES — KKitty Stryker’s new book, “Ask Yourself: The Consent Culture Workbook,” will debut on June 2.

“Ask Yourself,” available on paperback and Kindle, is a how-to guide to help navigate the undercurrents of social influences while building an affirmative culture of consent to practice in everyday lives.

The title is a companion workbook to Stryker’s “Ask: Building Consent Culture,” inviting readers on a contemplative journey through 28 days of journaling over four weeks. The various sections explore “Introspection,” “Our Relationship to Each Other,” “Our Relationship to the Community” and “Reflection,” through discussions of sexuality, boundary violations, substance use, sexual assault, abuse, trauma and other topics.

Stryker called the book “a much-needed resource that addresses the nuanced dynamics of consent in our society, and hopefully sparks conversations about cultivating a more enlightened culture based on mutual respect and autonomy, which challenges the existing power structure that often rewards entitlement and overshadows individual agency.”

Published by Thornapple Press with a foreword by Wagatwe Wanjuki, the book also features insights from a diverse group of writers, journalists and activists exploring how consent can empower individuals and inspire self-examination.

“Ask Yourself,” a rep noted, “equips readers with the tools they need to better understand the complexities of consent and firmly establish their boundaries through their words and actions.”

“Ask Yourself: The Consent Culture Workbook” and “Ask: Building Consent Culture” are available through Stryker’s author page at Amazon.com.

LOS ANGELES — YouTube removed on Wednesday an episode of the “Holly Randall Unfiltered” industry podcast, an interview with Reason magazine journalist Elizabeth Nolan Brown debunking myths spread by anti-sex work activists, mainstream media and politicians about sex trafficking.

YouTube informed Randall the content had been removed due to a supposed violation of its policies against “harmful conspiracy theories.”

Randall appealed the removal and YouTube quickly dismissed the appeal, claiming it had reviewed the content “carefully, and have confirmed that it violates our policy on harmful conspiracy theories. We know this is probably disappointing news, but it’s our job to make sure that YouTube is a safe place for all.”

The Google-owned platform informed Randall that they “won’t be putting your content back up on YouTube.

Incredibly Disappointing

Randall told XBIZ she is “incredibly disappointed that YouTube decided to remove my interview with Elizabeth Nolan Brown, a respected journalist who I was so thrilled to have on my show.”

The fact they claimed their thoughtful conversation endorsed “harmful conspiracy theories,” Randall noted “just once again demonstrates an anti-sex work rhetoric that continues to dominate mainstream media.”

YouTube consistently platforms anti-porn, anti-sex work, pseudo-scientific and religious attacks against sex workers and the adult industry without flagging its lack of factuality. One controversial anti-porn TEDx talk with millions of views, which has been criticized by its use of scientific language to support the notion of “porn addiction,” for example, continues being shown by YouTube above a disclaimer by the TEDx organizers distancing themselves from the content.

The podcast’s description of the episode notes that Nolan “is a senior editor at Reason magazine and a journalist who has written extensively on sex trafficking. In this episode she exposes some of the inaccurate statistics being shared on social media, and how hysteria and conspiracy theories have resulted in bogus police busts, racial profiling, and ultimately hurting legitimate sex workers.”

An excerpt of Randall’s conversation with Nolan Brown debunking “sex trafficking” myths can still be found on the platform here.

An audio-only version of the “Holly Randall Unfiltered” episode featuring Nolan Brown can be heard here.

XBIZ has contacted YouTube/Google for comment.

NEW YORK – Brittany Andrews will be headlining at Sapphire Times Square tomorrow evening.
 
Andrews’ performance will begin at midnight (EDT). She will also be available for photos and VIP lap dances, and will be selling her merch on site.
 
“I always love being in New York, and the Sapphire gentlemen’s clubs are always a blast,” said Andrews. “If you’re in the city, definitely stop by. You might want to get presale tickets or go VIP to ensure you get in because it will be standing-room only.”
 
For more information and to book VIP packages, visit Sapphire Times Square online.

Follow Brittany Andrews on Twitter.

LAS VEGAS — Cassidy Luxe earned a nomination for Best Female Performer of the Year at the upcoming 2023 AltStar Awards.
 
Notably, this marks Luxe’s first industry awards nomination.
 
“I was so excited when I saw I was nominated,” said Luxe. “I’m definitely going to attend the two days of events in Vegas. I would love to win this, so please vote for me as much as possible.”

For additional details about the 2023 AltStar Awards click here.

Follow Cassidy Luxe on Twitter.

LOS ANGELES — James Bartholet’s next “Inside The Industry” livestreams today, with guests Elana Bunnz, Chaney Crossfire and Nikki Knightly.

“This will be a special party broadcast,” said a rep, and will also be taped for the recently debuted “Inside The Industry with James Bartholet” Roku TV Channel. The show will also be taking calls from the audience during the live broadcast. 

The latest “Inside the Industry” will stream on InsideTheIndustry, the show’s Facebook page and on iHeart/Spreaker today at 6 p.m. (PDT).

Follow James Bartholet on Twitter; direct inquiries to u.