Also, on a more surreal note, a sex tape allegedly showing one O.J. Simpson
having sex with two prostitutes was distributed by an independent company. O.J.
denied that the man was him, but confused things by admitting that he appeared
in the video with his clothes on -- another classy O.J. episode.
2 - Celeb sex tapes are not restricted to the US
Call it the triumph of the Global Village, but Westernized, secular North
Americans and Europeans are no longer alone in their bombardment of celebrity
sex tape scandals. This global trend was made very clear when Zahra Amir
Ebrahimi, one of Iran's well-known actresses, was the subject of a huge sex
tape scandal in her homeland. The 20-minute tape allegedly shows Ebrahimi
engaging in explicit sex acts with her ex-fiancé, but the soap opera star
accused her ex of releasing the film featuring himself and a look-alike as a
vengeful act to damage her career.
Iranians don't seem to care who is actually in the film, as the video has seen
wide distribution on DVD with an estimated 100,000 copies in circulation. The
tape and the publicity surrounding it caused a massive domestic uproar, so much
so that Iran's fundamentalist clerics labeled it a "national shame" and a
massive investigation followed resulting in the arrest of several individuals
alleged to have distributed the tape.
3 - Some tapes are professionally marketed
Some tapes become so widely available in bootleg form that the participants
decide to give in to the situation and allow the scandalous tapes to be
marketed legitimately. The obvious example of this would be Pamela and Tommy's
notorious romp, which is now stocked in porn stores and readily available.
Also, Tonya Harding's honeymoon escapades with ex-husband Jeff Gillooly
(Tonya's inspiration for the harebrained, knee-bashing scheme) were eventually
repackaged as an official porn video, sweetly entitled Tonya and Jeff's Wedding
Night. And let's not forget perpetually rehabbed actor Tom Sizemore's grainy
romp with several women which was recently picked up for distribution.
Before Paris did it, Marilyn was getting in on the sex tape action.
Finally, Saved by the Bell actor Dustin Diamond (aka Screech) authorized the
release of a 40-minute sex tape in 2006 in the hopes that it would bring him
profits and provide a boost to his sagging career. Sadly, such was not the
case, but longtime SBTB fans were fascinated -- and perhaps a little disgusted
-- to learn that sweet little Screech is hung like a horse.
4 - Celeb sex tapes have been around for a long time
While it's not quite as horribly icky as accidentally hearing about your
parents' or grandparents' past sexploits, it might be a bit off-putting to
learn that some blue-haired or long-dead celebrities were trailblazing the sex
tape road decades ago. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Marilyn Monroe is at the center
of the most rabid speculations. Even though there are reports of several
existing tapes starring Monroe, the most prominent rumor actually involves the
tape of a young Norma Jean having sex with an unidentified mustachioed (how
appropriate!) man. FBI files indicate that former spouse Joe DiMaggio tried to
pay $25,000 USD for the tape in order to destroy it.
Moving from dead movie stars to old rockers, there's a urine-themed videotape
available that allegedly stars Chuck Berry. Unfortunately or fortunately, we're
not sure which, the man in the tape never shows his face so there's no way to
tell if the main pee-star is actually Berry. And finally, going way back, there
are persistent rumors that '30s movie starlet Joan Crawford acted in several
pornographic films early in her career, including some with lesbian content.
The films were supposedly destroyed when her career really took off.
5 - Some participants still profit from their sex tapes
Celebrities usually attempt to shut down distribution of an errant sex tape
promptly via injunction or lawsuit. But some celebs, such as Paris Hilton, have
accepted their fate and decided to get in on the sex-paid loot. Hilton
initially pushed back against the distribution of her infamous night vision
video with Rick Salomon. Hilton sued a Panama-based internet company that was
distributing clips of the tape and cited a violation of privacy and emotional
distress.
But Paris eventually dropped that lawsuit, and never sued Salomon -- who
initially hawked copies on the internet for $50 USD a pop -- or Red Light
District who eventually became the main distributor of the tape. Hilton
probably realized that the tape was bringing her the waves of publicity and
notoriety she craved, and that she didn't exactly have a sterling virginal
reputation to uphold in the first place. Hilton cut a deal with the
distributors and now, according to her lawyer, shares in the ample profits from
sales of the tape.
Public Interest
Although technology has vastly improved pornography, it really is as old as
civilization itself. Societal obsession with the doings of celebrities is a
more recent phenomenon, and judging by the rising circulations of Us Weekly and
Star magazine, this obsessiveness is only getting stronger. Put both craven
desires together and you've got a self-sustaining industry in the making --
celebrity porn. Trying to find a male under 40 who hasn't seen at least a part
of the Tommy Lee and Pamela video is like trying to find Britney's underwear on
a warm summer day.
Given that video technology is getting easier to master and that celebrities
aren't likely to stop being careless or stop having copious amounts of casual
sex, star sex tapes aren't going to go away. And it's not likely that interest
in celebrity sex romps will disappear. However, the sheer volume and
availability of such videos may slowly detract from the novelty effect, and
therefore diminish interest. But, let's all keep our fingers crossed that one
day we'll be able to see that Scarlett Johansson really is as raunchy as we all
imagine her to be.
AskMen.com
