Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Porn movies based on public figures: A trend showing no signs of fading

When pop music star Miley Cyrus turned 18, Hustler Video celebrated the occasion with an X-rated parody about the celebrity.
The adult studio released the movie “Hustler’s Untrue Hollywood Stories: Miley Cyrus’ 18th Birthday” on Dec. 14.
In real-life, Miley has been photographed flashing her privates, smoking a bong, dressing like a tramp and staggering around drunk. In the parody film, according to online summaries, she services all three Jonas Brothers (referred to as the “Johnson Brothers”).
How can Hustler get away with this?
Because Cyrus is a public figure and the film is clearly identified as a parody.
“This is a parody movie featuring a fantasized version of a young, well-known celebrity singer and performer,” a disclaimer reads. The movie “is not to be taken seriously, and does not depict actual events in any of their lives.”
Hustler, founded by Larry Flynt, is known for pushing the boundaries of the First Amendment and freedom of speech.
In 1988, Flynt won an important U.S. Supreme Court decision, Hustler Magazine v. Falwell, after being sued by the Rev. Jerry Falwell in 1983 over an offensive ad parody in Hustler that suggested that Falwell’s first sexual encounter was with his mother in an out-house. Falwell sued Flynt, citing emotional distress caused by the ad. The decision clarified that public figures cannot recover damages for “intentional infliction of emotional distress” based on parodies, according to Wikipedia.
It’s not surprising then that Hustler is leading the current trend of X-rated movies parodying celebrities and public figures.
Hustler has made recent movies parodying politicians (one-time Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, President Barack Obama and disgraced New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer) and celebrities (Lindsay Lohan, Jessica Simpson, etc.).
But Hustler isn’t alone in the trend. Vivid Entertainment is planning X-rated spoofs of Elvis Presley, the Beatles and the Rat Pack for 2011. Up first is “Elvis XXX: A Porn Parody,” due out Jan. 8.

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