PITTSBURGH — Adult Empire has debuted its official TikTok channel, @adultempireofficial.

“Adult Empire’s TikTok account is officially active, already stacking up hundreds of thousands of likes and millions of views,” said a rep. “Currently featuring curated interview clips with famous performers, Adult Empire is looking to expand this library with new and original content.”

Adult Empire’s Madison Greene enthused about the channel.

“We’re excited to add TikTok to our list of robust social channels including YouTube and Twitter,” Greene said. “We’re eager to expand our reach to new audiences, as well as further partake in the cultural conversation. We believe this new medium will give us the opportunity to bring content to our customers in new and interesting ways, and we look forward to expanding our digital footprint with more original content.

“The channel has already received a high level of traffic and interaction in a very brief span of time, which tells us that there is an audience there who are hungry for this sort of content. Fans will enjoy getting a glimpse into the minds of their favorite performers,” Greene added.

For more information, visit AdultEmpire.

Follow Adult Empire on TikTok.

LOS ANGELES — Mina Luxx headlines 2022 XBIZ Male Performer of the Year Mick Blue’s “Uncut 23.”

The POV title also features Anna Claire Clouds, Payton Preslee and April Olsen.

“Mick Blue’s intimate POV camera captures his private dates with XXX starlets, giving viewers the most personal perspective possible,” said a rep. “The award-winning, fan-favored performer-director presents uninhibited girls and unscripted reality in ‘Uncut 23.'”

Blue enthused about the shoot.

“Having these four AAA+ girls in front of my lens doing what we did was a dream,” he said. “Being super cool and having great sexual energy, all of them made ‘Uncut 23’ special.”

“Uncut 23” is available on VOD here; Luxx’s and Clouds’ scenes are streaming on EvilAngel, with the subsequent scenes premiering throughout this week.

Follow Luxx and Blue on X.com.

LOS ANGELES — Winners were announced for the 2023 Urban X Awards, which took place Sunday evening at the Globe Theatre in downtown Los Angeles.

The event was hosted by Ana Foxxx, Willow Ryder, September Reign, Ebony Mistique, Demi Sutra, Mazee The Goat, BADKITTYYY and Natassia Dreams.

A complete list of winners for the 2023 Urban X Awards follows: 

Orgasmic Oralist
Daphne Thick Ass

Urban X Stud
Justice

Rising Female Star
Willow Ryder

Most Amazing Ass
Numi Zarah

Best Actress
September Reign

Best Couples Scene
Erotic Medusa & Ricky Johnson (Ricky’s Room)

Talented Tongue
Musa Phoenix

Hottest Inked Star
Queen Rogue

Webcam Company of the Year
CamSoda

Studio of the Year
Brazzers
          
Most Beautiful Big Breasts
August Skye

Anal Performer of the Year
Tommy King

Best MILF Release
“MILF Pact Vol. 5” (Mike Quasar/Sweet Sinner)

Best All Sex Release
“Deep Inside Jennifer White (Jonni Darkko/Evil Angel)

Hottest Fetish Star
Leah Michelle

Best Pro Am Studio
Whoa Boyz

Best Pro Am Release
“Azz So Amazing” (Buddha Bang)

Best Transmasculine Performer
Austin Spears

Novelty Company of the Year
Adam & Eve

Industry Pioneer
Lee G

MILF Performer of the Year
Rachael Cavalli

Best Male Newcomer
Mazee the Goat
            
Best Big Butt Release
“Big Ass Beauties 10” (Bang Bros)

Urban X Hottie
Destiny Mira

Director of the Year
Disciples of Desire

Best Group Experience
“High Gear Blacked Raw V56” (Blacked)

Male Content Creator of the Year
Zay Hilfigerr

Female Content Creator of the Year
Charlie B Hustle

Best Pro Am Male Performer
Gucci Third Leg

Best Pro-Am Female Performer
Tokyo Leigh

Most Popular Content Creator Platform
OnlyFans

Best Anal Release
“Dredd Up Your Ass 4” (Jules Jordan Video)

Best All Girl Release
“Physical Vol. 1” (Slayed/Vixen)

Most Popular Talent Agency
Hussie Models

Most Popular Radio Show/Podcast
Down The Rabbit Hole

Most Popular Adult PR Agency
The Rub PR

Best Transgender Release
“Trans-Active 17” (Joey Silver/Evil Angel)

Most Popular Webcam Star
Lust for Lola

Best Pansexual Performer
King Noire

Most Popular Sex Educator
Sinnamon Love

Founder’s Favorite
September Reign

BBW Star of the Year
BADKITTYYY

Gay Performer of the Year
Jacobi Stennis

Social Media Star of the Year
Kazumi
Miss B Nasty

Feature Movie of the Year
“Sallie Mae: The Revenge of the Twin Dragons” (Adult Time)

Male Porn Star of the Year
Richard Mann

Female Porn Star of the Year
Mimi Curvaceous

Transgender Performer of the Year
Brittney Kade

Male Performer of the Year
Isiah Maxwell

Female Performer of the Year
Avery Jane

For more information, visit UrbanXAwards.

AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Department of Health and Human Services has declined to confirm or deny whether the “health warnings” mandated by the state’s recent anti-porn age verification law are supported by any official documentation or statement produced by that office.

As XBIZ reported, the Republican-authored HB 1181 was passed by the Texas legislature with bipartisan support in May and will go into effect September 1.

The new Texas age verification law — part of a state-by-state campaign by religious conservatives and anti-porn activists to outlaw all sexual material online — compels adult websites to post pseudoscientific anti-porn propaganda disclaimers declaring that “pornography is potentially biologically addictive, is proven to harm human brain development, desensitizes brain reward circuits, increases conditioned responses and weakens brain function.”

HB 1181 is a much-augmented version of Louisiana’s age verification law and its many copycats, and echoes the debunked “porn addiction” language of faith-based anti-porn groups.

XBIZ asked the Press Office of the Texas Department of Health and Human Services if the department could provide any documentation or statement pertaining to those warnings, and clarify whether the language of the warnings has its basis in any documentation or statement produced by the Texas Department of Health and Human Services.

After requesting several days to provide a reply to the query, Press Officer Tiffany Young declined to answer, deflecting the questions with an invitation to contact “the authors of this bill for information about how it originated.”

XBIZ also contacted Texas Department of Health and Human Services Chief of Staff Kate Hendrix and the bill’s main sponsor, Rep. Matt Shaheen (R), but received no reply to the same questions.

Pseudoscientific ‘Health Warnings’ of Unclear Origin

HB 1181 would compel any website showing adult content to post the following pseudoscientific warnings:

“TEXAS HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES WARNING: Pornography is potentially biologically addictive, is proven to harm human brain development, desensitizes brain reward circuits, increases conditioned responses, and weakens brain function.”

“TEXAS HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES WARNING: Exposure to this content is associated with low self-esteem and body image, eating disorders, impaired brain development, and other emotional and mental illnesses.”

“TEXAS HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES WARNING: Pornography increases the demand for prostitution, child exploitation, and child pornography.”

The warnings must be posted “in 14-point font or larger” on adult sites’ landing pages, as well as on any advertisements for adult sites.

The websites are also compelled by the state to post the phone number of the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s help line. However, there is no scientific basis for the belief — largely promoted by religious anti-porn activists — that there is any biological equivalence between watching adult content and actual substance abuse.

Free Speech Coalition (FSC) Director of Public Affairs Mike Stabile told XBIZ on Tuesday, “It’s shocking that the Department of Health and Human Services can provide no support, data or background for the pseudoscientific anti-porn warning that the state of Texas now requires to be posted on websites — in their name.”

Stabile added, “As we’ve long known, these warnings aren’t based on actual science or evidence, but on the moral and ideological objections of legislators. It speaks volumes that the Department will not defend the law in the slightest, and cannot explain where it came from.”

Earlier this month, FSC filed a legal challenge in Texas over HB 1181, and were joined as co-plaintiffs by an array of adult platforms and workers, including MG Premium, MG Freesites, Webgroup Czech Republic, NKL Associates, Sonesta Technologies, Sonesta Media, Yellow Production, Paper Street Media, Neptune Media, Mediame, Midus Holdings and Jane Doe, an adult content creator.

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Instagram this week censored several posts promoting the acclaimed film history podcast “You Must Remember This,” including SFW images from ’90s erotic drama “Indecent Proposal,” starring Demi Moore, Woody Harrelson and Robert Redford.

The podcast’s most recent season, “Erotic ’90s,” focuses on mainstream Hollywood productions of that decade that highlighted sexuality in their plots, images and marketing.

Hosted by film historian, critic and podcaster Karina Longworth, “You Must Remember This” is known for offering nuanced, thought-provoking takes on overlooked aspects of film history.

On Monday, the podcast’s Instagram account posted the following announcement:

“We have been forced to take down some images and videos to comply with Instagram’s ‘recommendation guidelines’ regarding nudity and sexual activity. All of these posts featured promotional images for and/or discussion of major releases by mainstream studios and publishers from the ’90s.

“We are often asked if we think Hollywood will ever again make movies geared toward a mature audience, as they did more frequently in the ’80s and ’90s. Not to be a conspiracy theorist, but everything is connected. What incentive would major corporations have to make and release movies involving sex if they knew they — and their viewers — would be handcuffed in terms of how they could promote and discuss these movies on social media?”

Longworth’s team shared with XBIZ screen captures of Instagram’s messages censoring posts that repurposed short TikTok videos where Longworth, shot in black and white, promotes episodes about “Indecent Proposal,” “Showgirls” and Madonna’s movie career around the time of her “Sex” art photo book.

In the videos, Longworth speaks below short montages of SFW images from those films and the book.

Instagram removed the content and penalized the account with a standard “Your account can’t be shown to non-followers” warning.

By way of explanation, Instagram only offered the following generic message:

Our Recommendations Guidelines help to promote content that fosters a safe community on Instagram.

We try not to recommend content that may be sexually suggestive.

This includes:

– Digitally created content that displays nudity

– All accompanying text or imagery associated with sexual activity or nudity, including hashtags, terms and bio information.

According to Instagram, the small photo montages above Longworth’s entirely nonsalacious analysis of the material were in violation of one of the five categories of content that the platform allows, but considers ineligible for recommendations:

“Content that may be sexually explicit or suggestive, such as pictures of people in see-through clothing. (We remove content that contains adult nudity or sexual activity.) We use technology to try to avoid showing sexually explicit or suggestive content to people under 16 years old.”

As XBIZ reported, in January, Meta’s own Oversight Board — a panel of experts selected by the company to deliberate on content decisions —recommended that the company clarify arbitrary and vague definitions concerning nudity, sexual activity and sexual solicitation.

Aug 22, 2023 12:30 PM PDT

LOS ANGELES — ARLCash is touting the 2023 XBIZ Europa Awards nominations of three of its affiliate sites.

PascalsSubSluts.com, LaceyStarr.com and LukeHardyXXX.com have each received a nomination for Performer/Director Site of the Year.

“We’re delighted, but not surprised,” said ARL’s business manager. “All three of these performers have been working hard and creating some of their best content ever. Plus, as we’ve seen with previous nominations, the recognition translates to conversions.”

Industry members and fans can find voting information for all categories here. Industry voting ends Aug. 21. Fan voting ends Sept. 11.

Visit ARLCash and follow the company on X.com.

Aug 22, 2023 12:29 PM PDT

HONG KONG — Fantasy Toys Factory will be exhibiting at the 2023 Asia Adult Expo, from Aug. 29-31.

“2023 will be a successful year for Fantasy Toys,” said a rep. “As customized sex dolls become more and more realistic, coupled with the development of artificial intelligence technology, the VMDoll brand is increasingly recognized by consumers.”

Nick Zhang, president of Fantasy Toys, enthused about the event.

“At the upcoming Hong Kong Adult Products Fair, we will present our latest research and development products,” he said. “We attach great importance to technological innovation and product research and development, and customized sex dolls will definitely be popular at this exhibition.”

Visit Factory Toys online.

Aug 22, 2023 12:28 PM PDT

LOS ANGELES — Riley Jean will be livestreaming on her OnlyFans in celebration of Find Your Inner Nerd Day, tomorrow at 3 p.m. (PDT).

“Find Your Inner Nerd Day was created to encourage everyone to embrace their inner geek, no matter how much they like or dislike it,” said a rep. “It’s a fun way to remind us that being a nerd is actually cool and something to be proud of — whether you’re into comic books, sci-fi movies, video games or anything else nerdy.”

Jean enthused about the livestream.

“There’s nothing sexier than embracing your nerdy side,” she said. “Having the confidence to be yourself and do what you love no matter what people say is so powerful, and as someone who went into the tech field fairly young, I certainly faced a lot of challenges — even among my own peers.”

Watch the livestream on Riley Jean’s OnlyFans and follow her on X.com.

Aug 22, 2023 12:26 PM PDT

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Sex education coach Alyssa Ljub is the most recent guest on the “Skinfluencer Success” podcast, hosted by Tanya Tate.

In the episode, Ljub discusses her career, her own podcast and sex education.

“I’m thrilled to have Alyssa join me on Skinfluencer Success,” said Tate. “Her expertise in sex education and ability to communicate important topics with clarity and compassion make this episode truly special. I encourage all our fans to tune in and learn from this insightful conversation.”

Listen to the episode here.

Find Alyssa Ljub’s social media links here.

LOS ANGELES — Brazzers has signed Alex Jones to an exclusive contract.

“Alex has been on our radar for some time. Not only is he a consummate professional but he has been highly requested across our production landscape by both crew and talent,” said a Brazzers rep. “We’re thrilled to begin working even closer with Alex exclusively on ZZ.”

Jones enthused about the contract.

“Honestly to me, and I hope this doesn’t sound too cheesy, but being a Brazzers contract star means you’ve made it to the top in the adult industry,” he said. “I feel like everyone’s striving to be a part of something big and I couldn’t think of anyone bigger and better than Brazzer.

“What I’m looking forward to the most is putting out some amazing scenes and attending the Brazzers industry events. I know it’s going to be an amazing time,” he added.

For more information, visit Brazzers.

Follow Jones on Twitter.