With Mickey Skee

Here's a bit more lowdown on the nominees for the GayVN Awards, which are going to be held just before the Oscars in the Castro Theatre in San Francisco. There's a Colt Studio 40th anniversary party just before, and a few other porn parties going on there—I'll give you all the dish in my next column.

But for now, I'll give you some of the delicious highlights for some of the performers this year in adult video. Of course Michael Lucas is the odds-on favorite to beat for his most-nominated La Dolce Vita, but will he be a Mel Gibson, Kevin Costner or a Clint Eastwood and never, never actually get an acting award? He won best director last year, and this year, he's showing a bit of range as a randy reporter for a fashion magazine, but he's up against stiff competition, particularly Danny Roddick in Boot Black Blues, Shane Rollins in Justice, Derrick Vinyard in From Top to Bottom, Cole Ryan in The Chest and Eddie Stone in 2nd Inning.

What exactly does best actor in porn mean? Well, it's not only superb in-and-out sex (bottoms can win just as easily as tops), but it also means that you have to deliver a line pretty well, and come across as sexy with clothes on, too. So, Colby Taylor as the unsatisfied lover who runs off with truckers in Big Rig; Shane Collins as the cute, irrepressible dog walker in Doggie Style; Erik Rhodes in the super-ambitious Falcon spoof, The Velvet Mafia; and Justin Wells as a guy who's ready to steal yor heart in Booty Thief are all top contenders.

In the foreign categories, it's a lot tougher to judge acting, but Lucas Kazan chose a wonderful performer in The School for Lovers when he cast Jean Franko, who emotes no matter what language he's speaking. The other favorite of mine in that category is cute twinkie Sebastian Stone who plays a frisky footballer in World Soccer Orgy.

Supporting actor is always a tough one. It would be great to see rough and sexy Gus Mattox get the award for his swan-song performance in Big Rig. But then again, Jason Crew has a superb body of work as a seductor, such as his Holier than Thou performance with a priest. Spencer Quest for La Dolce Vita, Matthew Rush for Velvet Mafia, Travis Carlton in Doggie Style and Trevor Knight in the psycho-drama Going Under are also up for the award. And then, there's Supreme for The Show from Dark Alley who is notable, if for no other reason, for the 12 incher he wields. He could support a whole other body with that appendage!

Most competitive for a change is the odd best non-sexual performance, which pits Vivid girl Savanna Samson from La Dolce Vita up against the likes of Paul Barressi and Chi Chi LaRue as sleazy unscrupulous agents in The Velvet Mafia and Gabriel Dubois as an Orson Welles-like commentator in The DaVinci Load. Also vying for that prize is Ross Cannon as a supportive daddy-type in Delinquents; Derek Hartley, who has a comic cameo as a hotel clerk in Big Rig; and Bruce Vilanch, Chi Chi LaRue and Billy Masters in Fucking with the Stars.

Performer of the year nominees include superstars such as Brad Patton, Jake Deckard, Trevor Knight, Erik Rhodes and Dean Monroe; solid performers like Benjamin Bradley, François Sagat, Spencer Quest, Rafael Alencar; and relative newcomers like Jason Tiya, Kyle Lewis, Benjamin Bradley and Matt Cole. I have no idea who will win, and I'm a judge. It's a tough decision in all categories!

For a full list of nominees and categories, check out www.gayvnawards.com.

Mickey Skee has covered the adult entertainment industry since 1986, and his latest porn fiction book, F.U., was released by Alyson. Mickey Skee's F.U., Bad Boys, and Best of Gay Adult Video series are on Amazon.com.