Tuesday, Aug 10, 2010    Text size: 

So far, the eight-minute video, available at just-launched news information site DotXXXOpposition.com, has spurred the attention of online adult industry pros, who mostly dismiss the proposed .XXX's merits.

"Satire and parody have a great way of re-invigorating people and getting them to take a fresh look at important topics," said Colin Rowntree, who had a hand in narrating, casting and directing the video.

"Reaction has been very positive from both people in the industry and mainstream media that have seen it thus far," Rowntree, who operates SpiceCash and Wasteland, told XBIZ.

The video, which premiered at the recent AVN Show in Florida, starts off with a monologue by an actor portraying ICM founder Stuart Lawley, who for the past eight years has advocated for a walled off and regulated .XXX sTLD.

Industry executives Larry Flynt of LFP, John Stagliano of Evil Angel, Joanna Angel of Joanna Angel, Q Boyer of TopBucks Mobile, Allison Vivas of Pink Visual, Peter Acworth of Kink, Ron Cadwell of CCBill, Mitch Farber of NETbilling and others have cameo parts in the video.

Rowntree said the ".XXX — The Movie" shoot went smoothly.

"The majority of the time spent was in collecting all of the cameo video appearances that was a very fun and interactive process involving a lot of leaders in the industry that I really respect and enjoy the company of," Rowntree said. "The person that donated the editing time and special effects probably had the biggest job in combining everything from HD to iPhone footage, creating the Fx, Ken Burns 'effect' montages, green-screen shots and all the rest of it.

"A good time was had by all in this, a true collaborative effort where no one really did a lot more than anyone else to bring it to fruition," he said.

Darklady said that she was motivated to produce the video because a walled-off adult world doesn't make sense.

"Long before I knew what and who ICM Registry and Stuart Lawley were, I had decided that, although .XXX sounds great upon first hearing, it doesn’t sound good for very long once the many real world implications are considered," Darklady told XBIZ. "I think the movement by the adult biz could topple the plan to implement .XXX, but it ultimately depends upon 'the movement,' which hasn't always been as pro-active or as active as I'd prefer.

"Most of the biz is made up of small business owners who don't have a lot of cash or time to fight malicious legal battles — and entirely too many of those business owners buy into marginalization of their concerns, figuring they'll make whatever money they can and just keep a low profile.

"Given that Lawley has informed us that this is a done deal and resistance is futile, I fear that some may well believe him. The deciding factor, of course, is likely to be access to the ICANN board, which has been deceived into believing this sTLD is desired by the target community, which it is not.

"Nonetheless, I believe that I have a responsibility to speak up when I see something that is wrong — and ICM Registry and Lawley's relentless push for control of the .XXX sTLD and, eventually, its billing, strikes me as something very wrong. Hopefully, this video and this website will help inspire other industry professionals to step up and speak their minds."

Diane Duke, executive director of the Free Speech Coalition, applauded Darklady's efforts in getting the video produced.

"This has been a long and frustrating battle for the adult entertainment industry," Duke told XBIZ. "Clearly the industry does not want a .XXX sponsored top level domain.

"In an industry famous for its parodies, this video is just one of the ways the industry has communicated its displeasure with a .XXX sTLD. I applaud Darklady and all of those who worked on this video for their creative form of communication, saying what the industry has said all along, 'We oppose ICM’s proposed .XXX.'”