Billy London’s murder is an open investigation

Billy London?

William Newton, who went by the stage name Billy London, was a gay porn actor who was an adult performer and director for about two years in the late 80’s.  On October 28, 1990, his head and feet were found in a dumpster off of Santa Monica Blvd in West Hollywood, California.  His gruesome murder was never solved.  Wendi Berndt who is now the supervisor for the LAPD homicide unit announced in 2005 that they were re-opening the case.  Berndt was the original detective on the case back in the early 90’s.

I have always been intrigued by the Billy London murder but have never posted anything about it since there is very little information available about him or his life.  For instance, I was not even able to locate a date of birth and the only photo I could find was the box cover of the adult film Head of the Class.  I am not even 100% sure that the actor in the photo is London.  If anyone has any information about Billy’s life or the circumstances that lead to his death please comment below.

http://www.warrenellis.com/?p=1410

Marilyn Chambers’ Cause of Death Determined

Marilyn Chambers

After weeks of listing the cause of death of Marilyn Chambers as “natural causes”, the Los Angeles coroners office has now reported that she died from complications related to heart disease.  Chambers was found dead in her Los Angeles area home by her daughter back in April.

The toxicology tests ran at the time of her death confirmed that Marilyn suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and aneurysm related to heart disease.  The tests also showed that she had traces of the painkiller hydrocodone and the antidepressant Citalopram in her bloodstream but not at levels to cause death.

http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSTRE54H6G720090518

Lori Michaels is Alive

Lori Michaels

Back in 2007 rumours began to swirl that ex-Vivid girl Lori Michaels had died from a rare heart defect.  There was no confirmation and there was much speculation that the reports were just rumors or that Lori had faked her own death.  I wrote a post about Lori and her supposed death in November of that year.

Over a year and many post comments later someone claiming to be Lori left a comment.

She wrote:

“I wish you all would stop saying I’m dead. Now lets get a few things straight. I’m not married and have never been married. I hate fucking swingers and have never been a swinger. Some sites used to use my pic in swinger ads, etc, but I could never control all of that. I never read so many stupid comments from people who never knew me but seem to know it all. I disappeared and live by myself mainly because some of my best fans turned into really weirdos and started stalking me. And I don’t dance at some club called Baby Dolls. God, you guys love to make up shit, don’t you. I repeat, I hate fucking swingers. I think they are sick people just looking for away to legally mess around on their mates..“

She also later wrote:

“Anyone can contact me at lorriemichaels@gmail.com if you have any questions. Just one comment. Someone tell this LC to go fuck themselves. I’m not married and I’ve never been a swinger.”

So I wrote her.  I asked her to do an interview and she declined.  I asked for a recent photograph to prove her identity and she emailed me back a picture.  I can tell by the photo that it is her and it is a non-professional photo that only she or someone close to her would have.  She has aged a bit and put on a little weight.  Don’t worry fellas she is still very much a babe.

She asked that I not publish the photo or post the email conversation we had.  What I can tell you is that Lori has left the business for good.  She is not married, lives alone, and is very concerned about her privacy.  She is not interested in an interview because  she wants to leave her past behind her and is also concerned about obsessed fans.  I will not post the photo so do not ask.  If you like you can email Lori yourself.

Lori Michaels

Marilyn Chambers Interview (1977)

A interview with Marlilyn from the Golden Age.  She talks about her fantasies and her career.  Remembering the Marilyn we all knew from a bygone era.

Marilyn Chambers, 1952-2009

Marilyn Chambers 1952-2009

A true icon of the adult film business has died.  Marilyn Chambers was found dead in her mobile home Sunday by her daughter McKenna.  She was a pioneer in adult entertainment and was one of the first adult film stars to become a household name.  Before there was Ginger or Jenna, there was Marilyn.  The cause of death is not known at this time.  I will post more as soon as I know.

Meanwhile here is a report I found about her death…

In 1972, a movie called Behind the Green Door proved that ordinary Americans would sit through a feature-length experimental art film with vague intimations of the occult, if it meant they got to watch Marilyn Chambers having sex. This was back when the porn industry was in effect cross-subsidizing the avant-garde film community, thus demonstrating its redeeming artistic merit and staying—sometimes—on the tolerant side of the law. In this case, the results were memorably strange: Chambers’ picture was based on a piece of folklore, but—as with the street poem that inspired another classic of lowbrow ’70s surrealism, Dolemite—it wasn’t the sort of folktale that ordinarily appeared on a movie screen.

Before that career-defining role, Chambers was best known as the model on the Ivory Snow soap box (advertised as “99 & 44/100 percent pure”). She went on to appear in David Cronenberg’s cult horror picture Rabid and a host of X-rated movies, and in 2004 she ran for vice president on the Personal Choice ticket, a spinoff of sorts from the Libertarian Party. She was later involved in the Boston Tea Party, another Libertarian offshoot, and in some states she served last year as the BTP’s vice-presidential candidate.

This past weekend she died of causes unknown, a week shy of her 57th birthday. She was, in her way, one of the cultural icons of 1970s America, and I hope she rests in peace.

Marilyn Chambers on the infamous Ivory Snow box

http://reason.com/blog/show/132873.html

Marilyn Chambers 1952-2009

Marilyn Chambers on the infamous Ivory Snow box

Marilyn Chambers 1952-2009

Jack Wrangler Dead at 62

Jack Wrangler Dead at 62

Jack Wrangler, the handsome gay porn star that everyone thought was bisexual, is dead. He was 62 and as handsome as ever. A life-long smoker, he recently had trouble with a lung disease that took his life after a long illness and died “peaceful and comfortable,” according to his doctor, Wendy S. Ziecheck. He should also be remembered as a tireless activist for AIDS/HIV causes.

Wrangler never hid behind the “bisexual” label, but let people think he was, especially since he had a longterm relationship with his wife, and other women, throughout his life.

I was part of a team that honored Wrangler into the Gay Erotic Video Awards Hall of Fame in 1992, and he put his bare feet and hand prints into the Porn Walk of Fame at the TomKat Theatre in West Hollywood, Calif. We got to spend some personal time together.

“I never hid behind saying I was ‘bisexual,’ I always knew I was more attracted to men,” Wrangler told me when we were awarding him the porn Hall of Fame award. “But I think there’s something to a gay man who has great sex with women—I think a lot more guys do that than talk about it, and it’s not necessarily bisexual.”

He married Margaret Whiting and very much loved her. In fact, she was at the awards show when we gave him his award (but they didn’t marry until 1994). He recently told Gay Wired:

“When I met Margaret, no one was more surprised than me when I fell in love with her. We knew right away. We became friends, and when we first started going together… I mean, I was out. I’m not straight, I’m not bisexual—I’m gay. When I got with Margaret, I knew I had to change course. She would have my bags packed and sitting outside the door when I got home at night and things like that. Plus I would go through massive guilt whenever I did go out with a guy and I was with her. So I finally said that’s it. I went to her one night and said I’m never going to cheat on you again with anybody. So my sex life became very masturbatory. And I’m good at that—very good at that, in fact.”

Wrangler did 85 porn videos, some of them straight, some of them gay. In fact, he’s one of the rare performers who went from the gay adult videos into hetero porn (when there was far less stigma to gay men doing that!)  He said he first had sex with a woman on film (in “China Sisters” in 1978). He was just always very sexual, and never had trouble getting it up for anyone or anything, he said.

He also told the Windy City Times:

“I just couldn’t live the gay lifestyle; it’s too hard to live. I’m very competitive, and with two guys having the same kind of thoughts, it’ll always be too hard for me. With a woman, there are different kinds of challenges because [ women ] come from a different place. Your interactions [ with women ] are always going to be surprising and different, whereas with a guy it’s one-on-one. It was just too hard; I tried it.”

Recently, at the GayVN Awards in San Francisco, the recent documentary “Wrangler, Anatomy of an Icon” by TLA Releasing, won Best Alternative Title, which is what they award to titles that are about the adult industry but aren’t really porn. A lot of the people shown in the documentary were in the audience that night, but not Wrangler, who was in New York, and heard about the win soon after it was announced.

Playwright Robert Patrick, porn directors Jerry Douglas and Chi Chi LaRue, porn star and director Gino Colbert, Hollywood funnyman Bruce Vilanch, journalist Michael Musto, porn star Joe Gage and many other friends of mine appear in the documentary.

Robert Patrick, my friend for more than a decade, not only performed with Wrangler, but authored the play, “T-Shirts” that they were in together. He wrote me this morning with the sad news and offered a picture that is in the slide show below.

“Jack, a Hollywood child (Marilyn Monroe baby-sat him), was getting nowhere much as an actor when a porn movie was offered him. He consulted with his father, a producer of “Bonanza,” who told him “just be the best.” Jack took his screen-name from his jeans and became the first identifiable personality on the tiny, blurry screens of gay porn. At a time when most “adult” actors wore socks and even masks, he created a persona modeled on the Marlboro man — butch. beautiful, and unashamed. And imitated! The gay “clone” look (plaid shirt, jeans) was inspired by Jack’s signature outfit. Having conquered gay porn with no real competition, he moved on to the more lucrative straight area.”

Before he got married he told Margaret he was gay, and she famously said, “Only around the edges, dear.” Wrangler himself told me, “It gets controversial with people always trying to label you, trying to understand you. I just let people think of me however they wanted, and I didn’t usually argue. People could fantasize about me however they wanted, that was just fine with me.”

Take a look at the video clips of Wrangler talking at one of this movie screenings, and below that is the trailer for the documentary. Also, I’ve compiled some of the more classic pictures of this handsome man, and see some personal photos, too.

http://www.examiner.com/x-3366-Bisexuality-Examiner~y2009m4d7-Jack-Wrangler-gay-porn-star-married-to-a-woman-is-dead-at-63

Bryan Kocis, Gruesome Murder of a Mogul

Bryan Kocis

By Mallory Simon
Court TV

Two gay porn actors are facing murder charges for allegedly killing a porn executive in a dispute over a coveted actor.

Police believe Harlow Cuadra and Joseph Kerekes went to the Dallas, Pa., home of Cobra Video boss Bryan Kocis on Jan. 24 and slashed his throat. After he was dead, they stabbed him 28 times and burned his body and home to hide the crime, according to court documents.

Kocis’ body was found that night when firefighters responded to the fire. The smoke detectors were disabled and there were no signs of forced entry. Police believe Cuadra and Kerekes gained access to the porn executive’s home by tricking him into thinking Cuadra was a new model who was interested in making a movie for Cobra Video.

Cuadra and Kerekes were arrested in May, almost four months after the murder. The pair had been held in the Virginia Beach County Beach Jail while they initially fought extradition. They were extradited Tuesday to Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

Police made the arrests after they found evidence on a computer that survived the fire. E-mails showed that Cuadra, pretending to be a new model, arranged a meeting with Kocis on the night of his murder, according to court documents.

Investigators believe Cuadra and Kerekes killed Kocis because they wanted to work with Kocis’ lead actor, Sean Lockhart, 20, known in the adult entertainment industry as Brent Corrigan.

According to police, Cuadra wanted to make a film with the “Every Poolboy’s Dream” star, but because of pending litigation and contractual obligations between production company LSG Media, Lockhart and Cobra Videos, the plan could not move forward.

Regardless of those obstacles, on Jan. 11, the pair met with Lockhart and Grant Roy, a partner with LSG Media, at a convention in Las Vegas to discuss a movie. At the meeting, according to police, Cuadra alluded to killing Kocis if necessary to secure the movie.

“What if Bryan [Kocis] left the country?” Cuadra suggested to the group, according to the documents.

“Harlow knows someone who would do anything for him,” Kerekes allegedly quipped. Roy told police he knew this meant Cuadra could have Kocis killed.

After that meeting, investigators say the plan to kill Kocis was put into motion.

Sean Lockhart, the object of desire

On Jan. 20, Cuadra ordered a background check on Kocis, which he paid for with his credit card, according to court documents. Then, Cuadra bought a prepaid cellphone, which was first activated near his house. The only phone calls made were to Kocis. The last call made was a hundred yards from Kocis’ home the day after the murder.

Cuadra also created a new e-mail address, dmbottompa@yahoo.com. Police say the e-mail address and the cellphone were solely for use in the murder plot.

In the days leading up to Kocis’ death, Cuadra e-mailed the executive, pretending to be a model named Danny Moilin. Cuadra sent the Kocis his own headshot and asked to set up a meeting at which, presumably, the two would have sex, according to the court documents.

“Umm, can we please be alone … at least this first time,” Cuadra wrote in an e-mail, according to court documents.

Kocis made plans to meet the model on Jan. 24 at 7:15 p.m.

Cuadra, 25, and Kerekes, 33, rented a gray Nissan Xterra SUV and a hotel room for their stay in Dallas, Pa.

The day before the murder, surveillance cameras show Kerekes and Cuadra entering the Superior Pawn and Gun Shop and purchasing a lock blade folding knife, a revolver and ammunition. The knife purchased by Cuadra is believed to be consistent with the knife that killed Kocis, according to court documents.

Harlow Cuadra (left) and Joseph Kerekes (right)

Police believe Cuadra showed up at Kocis’ home on schedule, but quickly became nervous that the porn executive recognized him. Shortly after Cuadra’s arrival, there was a knock at the door, according to conversations police later intercepted.

Minutes later, an unidentified witness called 911 to report a fire at Kocis’ house. That person said the gray SUV that had been parked in the driveway was no longer there, according to the court documents.

When the fire department arrived, they found Kocis dead in the living room. They noticed several computer towers missing, although the monitors and keyboards remained. Several video cameras were also later reported missing.

The next day, police say, Cuadra called Lockhart and told him to visit a television station Web site, where he found a story about Kocis’ death, according to court documents.

“I guess my guy went overboard,” Cuadra said, according to documents detailing police surveillance of the conversation.

In the days following Kocis’ murder, police intercepted conversations between Kerekes, Cuadra, Roy and Lockhart. Court documents did not explain why police initially suspected the pair, and Pennsylvania State police would not comment.

In one conversation, Roy asked Kerekes and Cuadra if Kocis had felt any pain.

“Don’t worry, he went quick,” Cuadra said, according to the surveillance.

The foursome were also recorded having a conversation at a nude beach, in which Cuadra talked about being at Kocis’ house during the time of the murder, discussed taking some of the porn executive’s computers, most of which he said he later destroyed, according to court documents. When police searched the home of Kerekes and Cuadra, they found video cameras with the serial numbers filed off, which they believed to be stolen from Kocis’ home.

“Actually seeing that f—er going down, it’s actually sick, but it made me feel better inside,” Cuadra said, according to the documents. “It almost felt like I got revenge and I know that sounds f—ed up.”

Kerekes and Cuadra maintain their innocence. The pair has created a page on MySpace called “2wronglyaccused,” and Cuadra continues to blog from jail by phoning and mailing messages to his friends.

“I just know in my heart that i am innocent and i did not commit this crime and then when i go to trial this will all come out and THE TRUTH WILL PREVAIL!,” Cuadra wrote in his blog.

Both men were charged in Luzerene County, Pa., with criminal homicide, conspiracy to commit criminal homicide, abuse of a corpse, robbery, burglary, theft and two counts of arson.

http://www.courttv.com/news/2007/0717/cuadra_ctv.html?page=2

Deep Throat Director Gerard Damiano Dies

Gerard Damiano, 1927-2008

Legendary porn director Gerard Damiano died October 25th from complications from a stroke he had in September.

Damiano is most famous for directing Deep Throat, one of the most infamous and financially successful adult films of all time.  It was produced for $22,000 and eventually earned over $600 million world-wide.  The film opened in NY in 1972 to outrage over it’s hardcore depictions but was also critically acclaimed.  Deep Throat along with other Damiano films such as The Devil in Miss Jones are credited for launching the modern hardcore film genre and the porn chic craze of the 70’s.

Damiano was born in Bronx, NY in 1927.  He served in the navy and worked as a hairdresser before getting into film production.  He is survived by a son and a daughter, both grown.  He was 80 years old.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/3274884/Porn-director-of-Deep-Throat-Gerard-Damiano-dies.html

Buck Adams, Dead at 52

Buck Adams, Dead at 52

NORTHRIDGE, Calif. – Veteran actor/director Buck Adams died this afternoon at Northridge Hospital of complications from heart failure. He was 52.

Born Charles Stephen Allen on November 11, 1955, Adams was the brother of adult superstar Amber Lynn. A former boxer and bouncer, he entered the industry shortly after his sister began her own adult video career in the early 1980s.

A three-time winner of AVN’s Best Actor award and a member of the AVN Hall of Fame, Adams performed in hundreds of adult movies and directed 80 of them himself. Among his many credits are Paul Thomas’ original Bad Wives (1989), Sin City’s popular Babewatch series, Buck Adams’ Frankenstein, Beach Patrol, and Uncle Buck (2005). His first movie as director was Squirt (1988, Arrow Films).

As director, Adams garnered a Best Film nomination from AVN for his big-budget 35mm Antigua Pictures feature Uninhibited, starring Rocco Siffredi. Originally shot in 1993 at a reported cost of $1.2 million, the movie was rated R by the MPAA and picked up by HBO and USA Network. Hardcore sex scenes were put back into the movie for its release to the adult video market in 2006.

Adams was well-liked in the industry and respected for overcoming his battles with drugs and alcohol. He survived several near-fatal heart attacks in the 1990s, and toward the end of his life had just finished building a studio where he planned to produce Internet content.

“Buck was a great guy,” said close friend Todd Blatt, who worked with Adams on Uninhibited and other Antigua Pictures releases. “He was a guy with a really big heart – he would do anything for anybody if you asked him, and that’s a rare quality. I should also mention that Uninhibited was really the first R-rated feature to come out of the adult industry. Buck was really proud of that, and I think he would want to be remembered for it. He lived a hard life, and he put a lot of hard miles on his body, but he was a good guy. He will be greatly missed.”

Adams passed away with his daughter Christa, his sister Amber Lynn, and his close friend and business associate Harold Jenkins at his side.

“My brother was a great man and a hero to many,” Amber told AVN. “He will be missed by all.”

Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced at post time.

Taken from:

http://www.avn.com/video/articles/33099.html

Feisty adult-entertainment attorney David Wasserman kills himself

David Wasserman (seen in this file photo) made his career as a lawyer defending strip clubs, X-rated bookstores, swingers

Not long ago, David Wasserman was a high-powered attorney for the adult-entertainment industry who wore $100 ties, lived in the country-club community of Heathrow and had an office overlooking tony Park Avenue in Winter Park.

But then Wasserman was arrested, his law license was suspended and he started living in a $350-a-month Orlando-area apartment.

On Thursday, Wasserman, who owned Lake County’s only strip club, committed suicide at home, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said Friday. He had battled depression since his mother’s death 16 years ago, said his companion, Lois Stone, 48, who found his body.

“I want David to be remembered for who he really was,” said Stone, a bartender at Wasserman’s Fantasy Gentlemen’s Club in Four Corners. “He was the most loving, caring individual I have ever met.”

Wasserman, 52, was a passionate defender of the First Amendment who loved a good fight and reveled in speaking his mind, those who knew him said. He was the Christian Coalition’s nightmare, a guy whose credo was naked bodies are no big deal. And none of the government’s business.

“I’m a crusader,” Wasserman said in an April interview with the Orlando Sentinel. “A lot of people love to hate me.”

At the time of his death, Wasserman was fighting for the survival of his club as Lake County and his landlord tried to shut him down. He was facing criminal charges for what investigators say were violations of Lake’s adult-entertainment law stemming from a raid earlier this year. Last month, he sued Lake County in federal court over the matter.

But his tribulations only made Wasserman feistier. A human run-on sentence, he was eager to preach his gospel of First Amendment freedom.

“When I knew him, he was passionate, he was bright, he was committed and he was absolutely a believer,” said Orlando defense lawyer Mark NeJame.

Wasserman made a name for himself in the 1990s by defending high-profile clients in Central Florida and beyond.

He argued for the rave club Cyberzone, which was fighting a county ordinance requiring it to close at 2 a.m. In Kissimmee, he battled the city over a store that sold X-rated videos and argued for a couple who operated a sex dungeon at a warehouse. He represented men who ran a gay-pornography Web site out of a Seminole County home. He fought adult-entertainment laws in New Smyrna Beach, where he owned a lingerie shop that gave the locals fits by selling adult videos and sex toys.

Although he was proud of his work, depression remained a near constant in Wasserman’s life. He told the Orlando Sentinel that he wrote his own eulogy and had tried to kill himself, including the night in January 2003 that he was arrested for growing marijuana at his Heathrow apartment. His law license was suspended in 2004 after he pleaded no contest.

“I’m not afraid to die,” Wasserman said.

“I want to be remembered as a first-class lawyer who was very ethical, that I was a caring person and tried to help the poor and the downtrodden.”

Wasserman is survived by his father, several siblings and a stepdaughter.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-wasserman2708sep27,0,192306.story