The Hookies Awards Show and Black Party Expo 2013 Coverage

As someone who’s not living in The U.S. or Europe, big porn events full of porn stars like The Hookies, Black Party Expo and HustlaBall always intrigue me. That’s why I collected pictures from all these porn events for years now. What’s it gonna be like to be in those events? This time Patrick Sands helped me answer that question.

Patrick helped me with the interviews and he agreed to be Queer Me Now correspondent at the Hookies Awards show and Black Party Expo. I’ve published pictures from the events in my two previous posts – 2013 Hookies Awards Winners and Black Party Expo Roundup and More Pics from Hookies Awards & Black Party, now you can read about what REALLY happened at The Hookies and Black Party Expo in my guest blogger Patrick Sands’ report below.

Black Party Weekend in NYC is a gay porn treasure chest (or treasure trail if you prefer): it often seems the whole industry is in Manhattan for 72 hours. Walk around Chelsea or Hell’s Kitchen and you will see more than a few favorites. But, the best place to see them is the actual weekend events and my favorite is the very first.

Things get started, as they have for a few years now, with The Hookies, sponsored by Rentboy.com. These are not exactly gay porn specific, but rather for excellence in the world of escorting. A lot overlaps. There are awards for Best Pornstar and such, but to be nominated, one has to have an ad up at Rentboy.com. Some of the escorts are not familiar to gay porn audiences, especially those outside the biggest cities. On Friday, March 22, 2013, the self-titled “Oscars of Escorting” were handed out. Here’s a report from the floor…

The huge space at Roseland is covered in booths. This being the weekend of The Black Party, the main theme is leather. Lots of leather. Leather for parts of your body you didn’t know could be covered in leather. Lots and lots of dildos. Dildos have gotten so sophisticated that you can buy an apparatus that you can both fuck and that fucks you at the same time. Okay, maybe that’s new to only me, but it costs more than an hour with any of the Hookie winners!

Cockyboys and Lucas Entertainment were the two dominating studios, both NYC-based. Typically, there are a lot of smaller studios with booths, but this year, these two really vied for the attention at opposite ends of the room. No problem to go back and forth, take a sample from any of the lube booths and you could slide across the floor. If you want a lot of Max Ryder, he was happy to cling to fans for all photo requests, that devilish grin about the only thing he was wearing. Meanwhile, at the Lucas table, it was Vito Gallo anchoring the tables from beginning to end with a rotating galaxy of favorites. A bit shy, Vito remained clothed, but his shirt came off more than a few times for pleading fans. At both booths, the models were truly enjoying themselves and so thrilled to interact with their fans. I’ve seen reports on many sites about the guys being stand-offish or rushed. On their way to the bathroom, maybe, but otherwise, not in the least. There are few friendlier me in the entire industry than Adam Killian who was shirtless before the doors opened, that’s how much he knows what his fans want!

When Trenton Ducati showed up, it felt like everyone in the hall rushed over to him. As always, Trenton lit up to see the fans, posed for pictures, tore off his shirt and flexed his best features (actually, there are no bad ones) and brought the style for big sunglasses back to porn, looking like a hot off-duty cop all night. Also adored by lines of patient men with cameras: superstars like Christopher Daniels, looking amazing in a one-of-a-kind outfit that I still can’t describe, whose posse of followers grew exponentially each time he made a lap, Rafael Alencar, demure in a full suit and a gorgeous tranny on his arm (don’t worry, guys, she’s just a friend, he’s still single and still into men, checking out the ass on every guy in the place), Austin Wolf, a gigantic presence, but so warm and Seth Knight, eyes flashing, though spending his time over at the Lucas table and not with Cockyboys. No problem, the cute little stunner is easily found. He can wind through a crowd with a bit more ease than super muscular Diesel Washington, who was the tallest person in the joint and that includes drag queens teetering on platform heels and fanciful hats.

Okay, what about the show? Well, it was marred from the onset by three recurring problems: a terrible sound system that made it all but impossible to hear anything (causing many winners to miss hearing their names), a very unfunny hosting performance by Sharon Needles (usually so terrific, but like the Oscars, after the opening, there is no reason for a host) and a length that kept on growing, and that is not a dick joke. The crowd wanted the escorts and porn stars, not patter and random acts that kept popping up to halt the parade of beefcake.

Concentrating on the winners and nominees, it was tons of fun. I had the luck to be standing much of the evening with Mr. Florida (and last year’s Best Newcomer) Diego Vena, who is so adorable and frisky, I wanted to take him home before they got to his category. He’s very liberal with his touching in case you should ever run into him and having spent the week leading up to the event shooting porn scenes, he was incredibly horny! His running commentary on the other guys was excellent–here’s a guy who loves a 100-pound twink as much as a 65-year old Daddy, an ideal attitude for an escort.

I took a friend of mine who has a very specific “type.” He had his eye on a delicious twink all night, but every time I came around, the guy was nowhere to be found. It wasn’t until the name Sean Caden was announced as Best Twink that he said, “that’s the guy.” Yeah, you and a thousand others, but it’s tough to argue. Sean is mouthwatering up close (even from afar), and another one with a smile that gives you the chills, the good kind.

The very first award was Best Newcomer and the crowd went wild for winner JD Phoenix, finally breaking the rather gloomy silence that had greeted the pre-show acts and the opening monologue. He was followed quickly by Best Pornstar winner Trenton Ducati, who matched his first diamond with another for Best Body a few minutes later, the only double-winner of the evening. “They are heavy,” he kept saying. Luckily, Trenton has that sexy unbelievably perfect muscular body that makes it easy to carry such a load. Any load.

Everyone was a bit shocked at the PG-13 shyness from Best Ass winner Tate Ryder and Best Cock winner Rafael Alencar. Rafael, a former Mr. International, among many of his previous Hookies, remained clothed the whole time, though Tate was convinced to show off his diamond-winning butt after loud calls for it from the fans. To prove that not everyone has to be an active porn star, winners Eli Lewis, a lively Asian cutie, who won for Best Website (his “Tales of a Rentboy” is fantastic, do read it) and Best Dancer Erik Rage, a glamorous nicely muscled guy who great tattoos, who was one of the trophy boys, received applause every bit as fulsome as their giant porn star brothers-in-skin. Both Erik and Eli were as close to naked as possible when they accepted their diamond trophies.

It’s impossible not to like Charlie Harding, inviting his main man onto the stage and showing everyone his daddy, referring to him as such. One of the great things about the openness of the Era of Social Media is that where boyfriends or private lives were once kept away from fans, as it was assumed discussion of a husband would make a fantasy men less so, is that the fans even know the lovers and husband and boyfriends. When Charlie brought him onstage for a passionate kiss, as many people cheered as turned to the person next to them and let out an “awwwwww, that’s so cute!” I’m usually pretty good about predicting the winners, but one of the biggest surprises to me was Samuel Colt as Best Boyfriend Fantasy. Not because I think he’s unworthy (I would sell an arm to get that strapping hunk to come home to me with flowers–even a week after a birthday or anniversary), but I thought the way the evening was going, he would not be a winner. It was late in the evening, but his win was greeted with full acclaim.

As the sound system crashed completely, halting presenters like Chi Chi LaRue and Lucas Entertainment’s sizzling Marc MacNamara from unleashing their full wit because no one could hear, let alone what seemed to start as a touching memorial to some of our fallen favorites by Mr. Pam, Sharon Needles and co-host Cole Escola didn’t trim their schtick. It was inevitable that the Rentboy.com-produced “Rentboy: The Musical” would present a song from the show, but so late in the evening, it was treated with staunch indifference, a shame, because it was actually a sparkly little number.

What everyone wanted was Mr. International.

Finally, up came the gents, a sublime lot (Mr. London Leo Domenico got some of the loudest excited hoots) with sashes and no shirts, Sharon read out the nominees and then delayed the process with a pretend tie, at which a man standing near me threatened to throw a drink at her (“and I paid $10 for that drink,” he noted), finally the winner was announced: CHRISTOPHER DANIELS! It was a tough category, but that smirking blond sexpot was universally accepted as a welcome winner, who brings as unique a sense of humor and passion to the job as previous winners like Rafael Alencar and Jesse Santana (both on hand and both very proud to welcome Christopher to the gang of only seven men who have won the award). However, the worst moment of the evening came last, when the still blabbing Sharon Needles wouldn’t let Christopher make an acceptance speech, abruptly bringing the awards to an end. Where was that speed all along, Sharon?

As someone who has interviewed Christopher, I know his acceptance speech was inevitably going to be something smart and sassy, so Christopher, tell QueerMeNow what you wanted to say. We’re listening, your fans are listening and legions of new ones await! Email it over or record a video!

+ 2013 Hookies Awards Winners and Black Party Expo Roundup

+ More Pics from Hookies Awards & Black Party by Wilson Models

+ More Gay Porn Events Roundup