LOS ANGELES — Reigning XBIZ “Performer of the Year” Maitland Ward has landed the lead role in the forthcoming mainstream sci-fi thriller “Just for You” from Emmy-nominated writer/director Sonja O’Hara.

The feature is set to begin production later this year ahead of a planned Summer 2023 release date.

“Just for You” centers on “a cybersecurity specialist who is attacked in the virtual world of the metaverse, and a woman (Ward) who unleashes her dangerous alter-ego, Vivian, to exact revenge on those responsible,” a rep said.

O’Hara is a 2021 Daytime Emmy Awards nominee for “Outstanding Short Form Daytime Fiction Program” for her digital drama series “Doomsday” and recently wrapped the indie horror feature “Mid-Century” starring Bruce Dern, Stephen Lang and Shane West.

She was cited as one of 2017’s “10 Filmmakers to Watch” by The Independent magazine.

“Like so many, I grew up watching Maitland on ABC and felt like I really knew her; when I learned she was making her return to mainstream film, I was curious. To now get the pleasure to not only direct Maitland, but also share this collaboration with her by playing these complicated characters in this beautiful dark film, well, it’s such a cool opportunity,” O’Hara said. “Audiences may feel they know her, but we haven’t seen or touched the surface of her capabilities as an artist and person.”

Ward’s plans for the remainder of 2022 include the expected Sept. 6 release of her memoir, “Rated X: How Porn Liberated Me from Hollywood,” and the Nov. 7 debut of her streaming comedy series, “The Big Time.”

“With my upcoming memoir, new comedy series and now working on this feature with such talented people, I am beyond excited for the year to come,” noted Ward. “I can’t wait for all these challenges ahead. I am very lucky and truly blessed.”

Follow Maitland Ward on Twitter.

LAS VEGAS — Retired performer Raven Alexis passed away last week from complications related to Crohn’s disease, according to relatives and industry associates. She was 35 years old.

On his Instagram account, Alexis’ husband noted that her GI issues led to “infection and sepsis that were unexpected.”

Alexis was a popular performer, mainly associated with Digital Playground, from 2008 until 2011. A few of her 50-plus IAFD credits extend to 2018, although she had been retired since the early-to-mid 2010s.

In 2012, Alexis won the XBIZ Award for female “Supporting Acting Performance of the Year” for Digital Playground’s “Top Guns.”

After her adult career, Alexis shared an extremely successful beauty and cosmetic injection practice with her husband in the Las Vegas area.

Their spa gained renown as a go-to Botox and lip injection specialist practice for a large number of adult entertainers, though some of their patients only learned about Alexis’ past on-camera fame only after her passing.

“She had completely been able to remake her life in the beauty business, and with her family, after she left porn, and she and her husband didn’t particularly mention,” her adult industry name or career, an industry source who is one of their patients told XBIZ.

Alexis is survived by her husband and four children.

A celebration of her life is being planned for Saturday, April 2 in the Vegas area.

HORSHAM, Penn. — Xgen Products is now shipping three new items from the Rabbit Company Butterfly Collection.

The Remote-Control Butterfly Panty Vibe is designed for couples and solo play with a wearable design that frees the hands for stimulation of a partner or one’s own body. An included adjustable harness securely keeps the vibe in place for direct contact with vibration and the wireless remote control allows for partner play from up to 30 feet away.

The Come Hither G-Kiss Butterfly combines a broad, curved tip with a “come hither” motion that caresses and massages the G-spot. The wide-spreading butterfly wings provide broad coverage for all-over contact and vibration, and the textured surface enhances the feel of the extended massaging butterfly wings. The Vibrating Dual Stim Butterfly features a curved tip that targets the G-spot, while powerful fluttering feelers provide direct clitoral stimulation and an external massage.

“The new Butterfly Collection from the Rabbit Company is great,” said Andy Green, CEO of Xgen. “Each item is completely unique and stands out on its own. Retailers will definitely want to have these in stock.”

“The distinctive butterfly design on all three items brings a new kind of pleasure experience to the Rabbit Company,” added Green.

The three new items are made from smooth, soft, hypoallergenic, body-safe silicone, are USB rechargeable and include a five year warranty.

Visit XGenB2B.com or contact a preferred sales rep for additional details.

TAMPA, Fla. — Tylee Texas will return to Dallas to headline Rick’s Cabaret Friday and Sunday, and Saturday at Silver City Cabaret.

“With WrestleMania coming to town, Tylee will be performing her signature aerial chains and fire act, and you won’t believe what you see, because everything is bigger in Texas,” a rep said. “Returning to Dallas this weekend has a very special meaning for Tylee. She is a huge wrestling fan and a wrestler and valet herself, and has been entangled with feature dancing and pro wrestling, trying to combine the two. This is a very big and exciting booking for her that she has always dreamed of.”

All Elite Wrestling star Brian Cage will be a special guest at Rick’s on Friday, along with other yet-to-be-announced pro wrestling stars. Wearing wrestling attire or dressing like a favorite wrestler will unlock a free cover charge.

Find Rick’s Cabaret Dallas online and on Instagram for additional details.

Texas will headline two shows at Silver City Cabaret on Saturday, where the festivities will include the club’s second annual “Silver Slam.” All Elite Wrestling’s Brian Pillman Jr. will be appearing at Silver City Cabaret on Saturday night, with other pro wrestling stars.

“Tylee will help pump up wrestling fans in anticipation of the big show,” promised the rep.

Visit Silver City Cabaret online and on Instagram.

“RCI Hospitality Holdings, the owners of Rick’s and Silver City, have always been a huge supporter of my career,” said Texas. “Dean Reardon, the current VP of operations, suggested I come to the Exotic Dancer Expo and represent Rick’s and become a feature entertainer. Dean has always seen so much potential in and always been proud of me.”

She continued, “The manager, Richard Butler, has always told me I could take over the world, and that they have never seen a more talented performer with all the attributes needed to succeed.”

Follow Tylee Texas on Twitter and access her premium social media links here.

NEW YORK — The Wall Street Journal highlighted on Saturday the trend of how the “twee design movement” has expanded into the pleasure products industry.

Art and Design section writer Fiorella Valdesolo explained how “the fact that the new generation of sex toys, from brands like Deia, Maude and Smile Makers, look like design objets has also helped overhaul their image.”

The term “twee” is borrowed from indie music, where it describes the intersection of hipster, girlish and whimsical — think Zooey Deschanel. Valdesolo emphasized how brands with such a design aesthetic had catapulted vibrators into heretofore out-of-bounds mainstream big-box stores.

“Now you can buy one at Bloomingdale’s,” she noted. “Also, Nordstrom and, most recently, Sephora, which began stocking Dame as one of its first pleasure-product brands last month.”

Valdesolo also explained how at-home isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic became a factor in increasing sexual self-exploration.

“In the first year of the pandemic, Maude, the sexual pleasure brand that has actor Dakota Johnson as an investor and co-creative director, had 25,000 pre-orders for its vibrator,” she wrote. “Goop’s premiere vibrator sold out in a day, upon its launch in February 2021; and Jessica Richards, owner of Brooklyn beauty boutique Shen Beauty, hasn’t been able to keep Dame vibrators in stock.”

The article also gives props to “wellness”-branded influencers and girlbosses such as Gwyneth Paltrow, whose “candor on social media and on the popular Netflix show ‘Sex, Love & Goop’ has helped shake off taboos around the topic.”

To read “The Twee Design Movement Has Come for Vibrators,” visit WSJ.com (paywalled).

Main Image: Maude founder and CEO Éva Goicochea and Dakota Johnson.

HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. — Adam & Eve has released the statistics from its new survey that compares results to the same questions they asked 10 years ago about whether people prefer to have sex with the lights on or off.

The survey results reveal most adults still prefer making love with “a mixture of the lights being on and off,” a rep revealed.

In 2011, 48% of the respondents preferred changing it up with the lighting while 32% of 2021’s respondents did. Lights off were preferred by 41% of the respondents in 2011 while only 28% of those polled in 2021 like it in the dark. And only 10% of those surveyed in 2011 chose lovemaking with the lights on compared to 11% in 2021.

Only 1% of the respondents in 2011 had no preference compared to 29% in 2021.

Dr. Jenni Skyler, resident sexologist at Adam & Eve, was not surprised by the results. “For most couples, having the lights on or off depends on the situation, mood and time of day,” she said. “I’m pleased to see the number of people who prefer lovemaking with the lights off has gone down. While making love in the dark can be a sensory heightening experience, I encourage all couples to feel comfortable and uninhibited with the lights on as well.”

Marketing Director Chad Davis added, “When it comes to sex, Adam & Eve offers a wide variety of products to enhance any experience regardless of the lighting situation.”

The web-based survey, conducted by an independent third party survey company of over 1,000 American adults age 18 and up, was sponsored by Adam & Eve to study sexual preferences and practices.

Visit AdamEve.com and follow the company on Twitter.

MONTREAL — Kendra James and Indica Monroe star in “Robbed of Her Dignity” from newly launched Adult Time studio brand Modern-Day Sins.

Under the direction of David Lord for the “Mad Fuckers” series, James plays a homeowner who discovers her neighbor, Monroe, became stuck under the furniture during an attempted robbery. She decides to enact a particularly erotic form of punishment.

“Kendra is always a dream to work with for these kinds of hot-blooded characters,” said Adult Time head of pre-production 3X West. “From the days of playing ‘dommy mommies’ on Girlsway to her iconically villainous performance as Miss Morgan in ‘Lesbian Revenge,’ we always know we can count on her to bring the fire for any spanking or femdom role.”

“Most newer talent might feel intimidated by that kind of powerhouse performance, but Indica really holds her own as Kendra’s submissive costar,” West added. “Her insatiable sexual appetite is sure to take her far in this industry, mark our words.”

Find Modern-Day Sins online and on Twitter.