14th AVN Awards

The 14th AVN Awards ceremony, organized by Adult Video News (AVN), took place January 11, 1997 at Riviera Hotel & Casino, Winchester, Nevada, beginning at 7:45 p.m. PST / 10:45 p.m. EST. During the show, AVN presented AVN Awards (the industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards) in 41 categories honoring the best pornographic films released between Oct. 1, 1995 and Sept. 30, 1996. The ceremony was produced by Gary Miller and directed by Mark Stone. Comedian Bobby Slayton returned as host, with actresses Nici Sterling and Kylie Ireland as co-hosts. At a pre-awards event held the previous evening, 60 more AVN Awards, mostly for technical achievements, were given out by hostess Dyanna Lauren and comedy ventriloquist Otto of Otto & George, however, the pre-awards event was neither televised nor distributed on VHS tapes as was the main evening's ceremony.

Shock won the most awards with 11, however, Bobby Sox, an "off-beat period piece comedy" that received six statuettes, won for best film. Flesh and Blood was next with five awards including best gay feature.

The winners were announced during the awards ceremony on January 11, 1997. Missy was the first actress to win both Starlet of the Year and the AVN Female Performer of the Year Award in the same year. Kurt Young, however, was second to win the major gay awards in the same year, taking Gay Video Performer of the Year and Best Newcomer.

Missy, Female Performer of the Year and Best New Starlet

T. T. Boy, Male Performer of the Year winner

Jamie Gillis, Best Actor—Film winner

Melissa Hill, Best Actress—Film winner

Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface, and indicated with a double dagger (‡).

Farrah Houston Kristy Myst Julie Rage Ruby

Jasmin St. Claire Stephanie Swift Tatiana Nikki Tyler Stacy Valentine | Farrah Houston Kristy Myst Julie Rage Ruby | Jasmin St. Claire Stephanie Swift Tatiana Nikki Tyler Stacy Valentine | | Farrah Houston Kristy Myst Julie Rage Ruby | Jasmin St. Claire Stephanie Swift Tatiana Nikki Tyler Stacy Valentine | | | T. T. Boy‡ Tom Byron Mark Davis Sean Michaels Rodney Moore Jonathan Morgan Ed Powers Steven St. Croix Alex Sanders Rocco Siffredi Jake Steed Max Steiner Vince Vouyer | Missy‡ Juli Ashton Alex Dane Jeanna Fine Melissa Hill Jenna Jameson Jill Kelly Christi Lake Shayla LaVeaux Caressa Savage Nici Sterling Nikki Tyler | | | Jamie Gillis, Bobby Sox‡ Buck Adams, Sexual Healing Christoph Clark, Hamlet Mark Davis, Oral Addiction Mike Horner, Lust and Desire Steven St. Croix, Gangland Bangers Steven St. Croix, The Show Tony Tedeschi, Party House Randy West, Expose Me Again | Melissa Hill, Penetrator 2: Grudge Day‡ Kaitlyn Ashley, Penetrator 2: Grudge Day Christy Canyon, Oral Addiction Christy Canyon, The Show Melissa Hill, Dangerous Games Melissa Hill, Dreams of Desire Nicole London, Lust and Desire Jenteal, Dangerous Games Nikki Tyler, Bobby Sox Stacy Valentine, Expose Me Again | | | Jon Dough, Shock‡ Tom Byron, Gregory Dark's Flesh Jonathan Morgan, Silver Screen Confidential Alex Sanders, Stacked Deck Carter Stone, Whackers Tony Tedeschi, Heinie's Heroes Tony Tedeschi, Sue Vince Vouyer, Hard Evidence T. T. Boy, NYDP Blue | Jeanna Fine, My Surrender‡ Lisa Ann, Entangled Kaitlyn Ashley, Anal Inquisition Juli Ashton, Nightshift Nurses 2 Sindee Cox, Pristine Melissa Hill, Mindset Kylie Ireland, Twist of Fate Jenna Jameson, Silver Screen Confidential Jill Kelly, This Year's Model Christi Lake, Director's Wet Dreams Dyanna Lauren, Hard Feelings Shayla LaVeaux, Head Trip Tiffany Million, Shock | | | Tony Tedeschi, The Show‡ T. T. Boy, Lust and Desire Jamie Gillis, Goldenrod Tony Montana, Gangland Bangers Jonathan Morgan, Penetrator 2: Grudge Day Alex Sanders, Dangerous Games | Shanna McCullough, Bobby Sox‡ Kaitlyn Ashley, Penetrator 2: Grudge Day Chelsea Blue, Bobby Sox Jeanna Fine, Dreams Tracy Love, The Show Lovette, Gregory Dark's Sex Freaks | | | Tony Tedeschi, Silver Screen Confidential‡ Brad Armstrong, Conquest Steve Hatcher, Stacked Deck Jonathan Morgan, Anal Inquisition Jonathan Morgan, Heinie's Heroes Alex Sanders, Valentina Joey Silvera, Nightshift Nurses 2 Jake Steed, Valentina | Juli Ashton, Head Trip‡ Davia Ardell, Silver Screen Confidential Juli Ashton, Twist of Fate Sindee Coxx, XXX Jenna Jameson, Hard Evidence Kiss, Sue | | | Paul Thomas, Bobby Sox‡ Andrew Blake, Unleashed Stuart Canterbury, Dreams Nic Cramer, Penetrator 2: Grudge Day Joe D’Amato, Gangland Bangers Greg Dark, Gregory Dark's Sex Freaks Mike Horner, Dreams of Desire Robert McCallum, Lust and Desire Ralph Parfait, Oral Addiction Michael Santangelo, The Palace of Pleasure Paul Thomas, The Show Michael Zen, Expose Me Again T. T. Boy, NYDP Blue Tom Byron, Gregory Dark's Flesh | Michael Ninn, Shock‡ Nic Cramer, Pristine Gregory Dark, Gregory Dark's Flesh Alex de Renzy, Virgin Dreams Teri Diver, Generation Sex Veronica Hart, The Right Connection Jim Holliday, Car Wash Angels Kris Kramski, SexHibition 3 John Leslie, Fresh Meat 3 Candida Royalle, My Surrender Joey Silvera, Kink 3 Police Chronicles Greg Steel and Brad Armstrong, Conquest Justin Sterling, Head Trip Pierre Woodman, The Pyramid 1–3 | | | The Show‡ Best Butt in the West 2 Car Wash Angels Gangbusters Heinie's Heroes Nightshift Nurses 2 Silver Screen Confidential | Fresh Meat 3‡ Beyond Reality Dirty Tricks 2 Fresh Meat 2 Friends in Sex SexHibition 2 | | | Shock‡ World's Biggest Gang Bang 2‡ (tie) | Shock‡ | | | Buttman's Bend Over Babes 4‡ American Tushy Anabolic World Sex Tour Ben Dover's Alley Cats Ben Dover's Fresh Cheeks | Butt Row‡ Anabolic World Sex Tour Ben Dover Buttman Tom Byron's Cumback Pussy | | | Jenna Jameson, Rocco Siffredi; Jenna Loves Rocco‡ Nikki Tyler, Steven St. Croix; Bobby Sox Jeanna Fine, Vince Vouyer; Dreams Melissa Hill, Mike Horner; Dreams Infidel Lethal Affairs | Jenna Jameson, Vince Vouyer; Conquest‡ Ben Dover's Different Strokes Ben Dover's Little Big Girls Blue Saloon Buttman's Bend Over Babes #4 Fresh Meat #2 | | | Jill Kelly, Melissa Hill; Dreams of Desire‡ Lethal Affairs Lunachick Nightclub Party House Return Engagement The Show | Caressa Savage, Missy, Misty Rain; Buttslammers: The Thirteenth‡ Anal Aristocrats Buttslammers 12: Anal Madness Everybody Wants Some Frendz 2: Friendlier | |

These awards were also announced at the awards show, most in a winners-only segment read by Kylie Ireland during the event:

The previous night, January 10, 1997, during AVN's pre-awards cocktail reception, hostess adult film actress hostess Dyanna Lauren and comedy ventriloquist Otto of Otto & George handed out these awards, mostly for technical excellence:

• Mark Stone and Gary Miller on their 10th anniversary producing the AVN Awards Show
• Berth Milton Jr. and Robert Tremont for their success with Private Video

Presented to Steve Perry for Ben Dover series

AVN Hall of Fame inductees for 1997, announced during AVN's pre-awards event, were: Bunny Bleu, R. Bolla, Michael Carpenter, Desiree Cousteau, Duck Dumont, Jeanna Fine, Gail Force, Ken Gibb (posthumously), Victoria Paris, Jeannie Pepper, John Stagliano, Joey Stefano (posthumously), John Travis, Dick Witte

Shock won the most awards with 11; Bobby Sox was next with six, followed by gay video Flesh and Blood with five. Buttman's Bend Over Babes 4, Conquest, The Show, Silver Screen Confidential and Unleashed had three apiece. American Tushy! Idol in the Sky, Night Walk and Switchhitters VIII had two each.

The following individuals, in order of appearance, presented awards or performed musical numbers or comedy. The show's trophy girls were Midori and Stephanie Swift.

Comedian Bobby Slayton made a return engagement as host of the show. This year the show was centered around an international theme, “the world of adult,” with added emphasis on European presenters and awards. This was the first year the awards ceremony was split over two nights, with a pre-awards event held January 10, 1997, where awards for technical achievements were distributed, while the main awards were presented January 11, 1997.

Several other people were also involved with the production of the ceremony. Serenity was responsible for choreography and Mark Stone was musical director with original songs by Mark J. Miller.

The top selling and renting tape of the year was Shock, although it was tied in the best-selling category with World's Biggest Gang Bang 2. There were several new awards categories this year including Best Advertisement and the AVN Breakthrough Award to acknowledge "those who were carving new niches and forging new territories in the adult business."

The ceremonies were published on VHS tape by VCA Pictures.

The show received a negative reception from Hustler magazine, which said, “Long-winded speeches from several award winners threatened to bore everyone to death.” It went on to add that since AVN is a trade publication paid for by ads "from the same adult video companies it bestows awards upon, the critical value of such honors is subject to debate." Swank Video World magazine was a bit more positive, calling the show "the most glamorous night in the adult industry."

• AVN Award for Best Actress

• AVN Award for Best Supporting Actress

• AVN Award for Male Performer of the Year

• AVN Award for Male Foreign Performer of the Year

• AVN Award for Female Foreign Performer of the Year

• AVN Female Performer of the Year Award

• List of members of the AVN Hall of Fame

• "Backstage at the Flesh Film Awards". Cheri Magazine. July 1997.

• "Award Winning Pussy!". High Society magazine. July 1997. p. 90.

• "AVN Awards event report". Bachelor magazine (in Japanese). Japan. April 1997.

• "CES & AVN Awards show". Dick magazine (in Japanese). Japan. April 1997.

• Official website

• Adult Video News Awards Archived January 19, 2009, at the Wayback Machine at the Internet Movie Database

• Adult Video News Awards 1997 (1997 Video) at IMDb

• Adult Video News Awards 1997 at the Internet Adult Film Database

• 1997 AVN Awards at the Adult Film Database

• "1997 AVN Award Winners" and categories at the Internet Archive Wayback Machine