LOS ANGELES — Producer Mike Hatton told XBIZ that his new film “Live Nude Girls” starring Tera Patrick and Bree Olson in their mainstream movie debuts is set for its red-carpet world premiere in August.
The campy feature showcasing both mainstream and adult stars that is more than three years in the making will be unveiled at a private screening at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 12 at Avalon Nightclub in Hollywood.
Hatton, an experienced actor and TV personality, and his company Ton of Hats executive produced the film in association with Oscar Gold Productions. In addition, Hatton last summer launched a successful IndieGogo fundraising campaign that helped to offset the post-production costs of “Live Nude Girls,” which is being exclusively distributed on DVD and Xbox by Screen Media starting on Aug. 19.
Adult stars Asa Akira and Missy Martinez also make appearances in the sexy comedy, while seasoned actors Andy Dick and Dave Foley, along with singers Har Mar Superstar and Kuba Ka all played prominent roles.
Hatton said he was relieved to reach this final stage with his first feature film, but that getting to this point also is “bittersweet.”
“We put a lot of work into it and the whole thing was a roller coaster,” Hatton said.
The single biggest hurdle turned out to be the sudden passing of Hatton’s close friend and mentor, Jay Leggett, who directed “Live Nude Girls” from start to finish but died of natural causes on Nov. 23 at the end of a hunting trip in Wisconsin.
An accomplished writer, actor and stage director, the 50-year-old Leggett was a former cast member on the early '90s, sketch-comedy series, “In Living Color." He also was Hatton’s teacher at The Second City, an improvisational comedy enterprise.
“He was one of my best friends and mentors,” Hatton said. “I’m grateful people are going to be able to see the movie that Jay shot. He really kicked ass on it.”
He said that Chris Lorusso "did a phenomenal job" editing the film while carefully preserving Leggett’s vision for it.
“This movie is Jay’s final cut,” Hatton said. “We followed the log of notes that Jay had maintained throughout. We just did the sound and color to finish it off."
Hatton also lauded Mark Sherman for his efforts running the set for the 11-day shoot, which officially wrapped after a pick-up day last September.
The movie, which is set in an L.A. strip club in the '80s, centers on Hatton’s character Shane, a "regular guy" from Chicago who inherits a struggling strip club on the brink of going out of business.
One of the characters Shane encounters is his uncle’s ex-girlfriend, Nancy, played by Tera Patrick, who is upset that she didn’t inherit the club and wants to do whatever it takes to get it. Bree Olson’s character arrives at the club thinking she is applying to be a cocktail waitress. Then she “accidentally helps Shane discover a new type of dance that was not popular before that," Hatton teased.
With a comic tone in the spirit of sexually charged classics such as “American Pie” and “Porky’s, Hatton & Co. shot most of the film during a 10-month period in 2012 at the Déjà Vu club in downtown L.A. The producer said that he came away impressed with the quality of the acting performances from each of the porn stars he cast.
'“They’re all incredible actresses and it was fun to show them in a different light,” Hatton said. “I think Tera is going to surprise some people with her performance. This could be a new chapter in her career.”
Hatton called producing the film “the greatest experience of my career" and thanked all who supported the Indiegogo campaign.
“The crowd fundraising was very humbling, very tiring and extremely positive," he added. “We’re amazingly grateful for friends and fans and fans of friends who stepped up to contribute."
Both Patrick and Olson will be attending the premiere, along with Mindy Robinson, Kristen DeLuca, Andy Dick and more cast members, Hatton confirmed.
And in celebration of the event, the producers are offering a "Live Nude Girls" Fan Experience package. It includes four tickets to the screening, a reserved table with bottle service, a meet-and-greet with the cast and a copy of the movie. Anyone interested in the Fan Experience may email livenudegirlsmovie@gmail.com.
Hatton said that after the movie debuts on DVD and Xbox that within a month it would be available for pre-sale on Amazon.com, VUDU and other VOD services.
