2011 AVN Awards

Porn is becoming more and more mainstream. Maybe because people are becoming more accepting of sex workers. Maybe it's because, in the world of free internet content studios have come up with different ways to market their material. Whatever it is porn stars are getting more and more attention. Tommy Gunn and Sasha Grey both have parts on HBO's "Entourage". Nikki Benz can regularly be found on FoxSports "Cubed". Lady Gaga even had several of the Wicked Contract Girls in her video for Telephone. Porn stars are everywhere and they are being recognized for their acting abilities and who they are. Porn stars are no longer seen as people with the sole talent of being promiscuous on screen. Don't believe me? Check out the web series I Hit it With my Axe on The Escapistt. It features Zak Sabbath and Mandy Morbid's weekly Dungeons and Dragons games with their friends.

The new found attention of porn, for it's many reasons, added a new element to this years AVN awards.

More studios are starting to pay attention to their every changing audience and releasing movies that women and couples can enjoy together. New Sensations took away the AVN award for Best New Series for a new line they have called The Romance Series where the focus is on character and relationship development.

Something else that has taken adult entertainment by storm is parody's. X-rated parodies used to be very campy and were mostly a way to spoof on a popular movies name. Today much more thought, planning and time goes into them. People who wouldn't normally watch adult movies end up watching these parodies because they are so well done and stay very close to the characters in Hollywood's creations. This is why Batman XXX: A Porn Parody directed by Axel Braun took away the AVN Awards for Best Renting and Selling Title of the Year and Best Parody.

Brad Armstrong added to his growing collection of AVN Awards when he took away the award for Best Feature and Best Director for his movie Speed that revolved around rival motorcycle gangs.

Joanna Angel took away the AVN for Best Porn Star Website, Evan Stone was, for the third time, crowned AVN Male Performer of the Year, Tori Black the AVN Female Performer of the Year and Gracie Glam the Best new Starlet. Best Actress was shared by Andy San Dimas for This Ain't Glee XXX and India Summer for An Open Invitation: A Real Swinger's Party in San Francisco. Sex educator Tristan Taromino once again won an AVN Award for one of her educational videos put out by Vivid as part of their Vivid-Ed line.

Most importantly, John Stagliano took away the Reuben Sturman Award, an award given away to someone who, over the previous year, stood up for First Amendment Rights. In 2008 the federal government sought to bring Stagliano to trial for obscenity. In 2010 when the case went to trail all the charges were dismissed. During that time John Stagliano, instead of quietly waiting for his trial, publically spoke out about the case and Freedom of Speech.