I left Wednesday afternoon for Burbank airport, checking my car with the valet service (which is $10/day cheaper than parking it yourself, for some reason) and boarded my plane. The flight was pretty spare, so I had a row to myself. Within an hour, I was in Las Vegas in a cab on the way to the Paris hotel. My room had a view of the Eiffel Tower


and the pool


Once in the hotel room, I quickly unpacked, then headed over to the Expo, where I got my badge and one of those damn wristbands, then went inside. The gay section was much smaller this year, and I quickly found BRUNO RICCELLI, sitting at his Oh Man! Studios booth. We chatted for a while, then left the exhibit a bit later. I called X-Biz's gay content editor JEREMY SPENCER and the 2 of us had dinner together at the Grand Lux Cafe. A cab ride back to my hotel where I watched the fountains at Bellagio dance, then I checked my text messages and discovered a picture from CVK showing me that he had McDonald's for dinner. lol

My phone rang, and it was Jeremy again, telling me that the GayVN nominations had come out, and that I was nominated for 2, both in Best Screenplay! DARE and UNSPEAKABLE's scripts had been nominated, and DARE was also nominated for Best Marketing, Best Group Scene and Best Non-Sex Performance (Lou Cass). Of course, I was thrilled, but I couldn't help but be disappointed that DARE had not gotten nommed for Best Picture and Best Acting noms for Braxton and Riley. I also had hoped that DAN CROSS would get a nom for his work in UNSPEAKABLE.

I woke up the next morning at 10 and hurriedly showered and dressed, then headed back over to the expo. As I walked through the exhibits, I looked for JENNA JAMESON, so I could get an autograph for NICK CAPRA, but I couldn't find her. So I sat with Bruno again, where he generously allowed me to talk to the same people who came to his booth to make deals. I got lots of contact info, and I ran into a lot of friends: CHI CHI LARUE, COLBY TAYLOR, LANA LUSTER, RILEY BURKE, ROMAN HEART, CHRIS STEELE, COLE RYAN and JAKE DECKARD, among others. Then it was off to Mandalay Bay to see "Mamma Mia". I'd seen it before, in L.A., but I needed something perky, and the show hit the spot. I sat in the very front row, and it was a thrill to see the actors up close, as well as the orchestra. I can't wait for the movie this summer. Cliff sent a picture of his dinner to my cell phone: a bowl of cereal.

The next morning was Friday, and ZACKARY PIERCE was coming into town. I went back to the expo, briefly, then headed back to the Paris where I changed my clothes and headed back to the Venetian to see "Phantom!" I had invited Zackary and Riley to go with me. Seeing the chandelier assemble itself at the beginning was so much fun. One of my favorite parts. After the show, Riley had to leave, so after bumping into TREVOR KNIGHT, Zackary and I went to dinner at Japonais where we stuffed ourselves on sushi and sashimi.

Next, it was a quick stop at Zackary's hotel, so he could change clothes. There I met 3 of his friends, and then we headed to Krave, where the Hustlaball was taking place. I had never been, so it was an adventure for me. I don't like those big parties, so I doubted I would stay long. When we got there, we were greeted by a huge line, but HOWARD from Fabscout told us he'd cut us in line so we could be interviewed on the red carpet. "Let Zackary and Jett in," he told his helper, "then open the line back up." When it was time, the guy opened the red velvet rope, let Zackary in, then clicked it back shut in front of me! Next, he began letting people from the line back in! Sometimes I feel like the Rodney Dangerfield of gay porn. No respect, I tells ya.

Zackary came back and got me, and Howard put us in the VIP line where there was some sort of holdup. 3 guys rummaged through the envelopes while the line stood dead still for 15 minutes. Finally, we got in, and headed for the bar, where we waited for another 15 minutes for the stupid bartender to take our drink orders after waiting on everyone around us! 40 guys at the bar at once, and only 3 bartenders to service them. Sheesh.

While all of this was going on, there were lots of dancers on stage. Cole Ryan was humping his partner and had a big hardon pushing out the front of his underwear. Chi Chi was DJing, and I have to say, that bitch knows her tunes. The joint was rocking.

After we FINALLY got our drinks, we made our way through the crowd to Chi Chi to say hello. She gave me a big hug and congratulated me on my nominations. I returned the favor, then let her get back to work. As we made our way around the crowded floor, I ran into WARREN from Maleflixxx, BAILEEY, Colby Taylor and Cole Ryan. DALLAS REEVES waved to me from his spot dancing on the stage.

In the hall outside the men's room, I was grabbed by a handsome gentleman dressed in black whose face it was too dark to see. "Hello!" he shouted through the noise, and I recognized him as TODD MONTGOMERY from Falcon. He laid a big kiss on the side of my face and held me tight as he yelled into my ear, "Congrats on the nomination!" I thanked him, and said I was disappointed that it didn't get Best Picture. Todd shrugged and shouted, "What matters to me is sales!"

"How is it selling?" I yelled back?

"Great!" he shouted. "It's selling great! And I love your opening for OVERTIME! It's perfect!"

I thanked him and he squeezed me tight again, then headed off into the crowd. I looked at my cell phone. It was 1:00 am. My flight left the next morning, and I wanted to get some sleep, so I walked back to my hotel, crawling beneath the covers for my final night. I saw that CVK had sent me his latest dinner photo: hot dogs. I needed to get some good food back into that boy.

The next morning, I was ready to go. I bought some chocolates for CVK at the Lenotres shop, stuffed them into my bag, and headed for the airport. The flight was packed, but it was quick. Soon I was back home and in my baby's arms.

So what did I learn from the Expo this year? Two things:

1. The internet is where everything is headed. As dvd sales continue to slip, pay internet sites are growing and expanding. Everyone was saying that within 3 years, dvds will be a thing of the past (for porn).

2. Bareback. That's all I kept hearing: Bareback, bareback, bareback. All the distributors want it. In some cases, it's ALL they wanted. When I asked one distributor if he had any moral qualms about selling bareback titles, he merely shrugged and said, "That's where the money is." It was also at the expo that I learned that former All Worlds director PETER O'BRIAN (of Peter and Casey O'Brian fame) was now directing bareback titles. What a shame.

So, all in all, it was a good trip, but it's doubtful that I will return next year. Pity. Cuz I DO love Vegas.

JBK