Jenna Jameson - facts about her.

Jenna Jameson has been recognized as the top female adult star of all time by the erotic industry’s leading trade journal (Adult Video News, January 2002).

Perhaps more important for the long haul than this recognition is that 27-year-old Jenna J is also CEO of her site's company, that is rapidly emerging as a powerful force in adult entertainment. Through her official site, Jameson has taken control of her own acting career -- most recently through an output deal with industry-leader Vivid Entertainment Group for a series of new films in which she stars with other leading adult actresses. The first film, “Briana Loves Jenna” immediately soared to the top of both sales and rental charts when it was released in December 2001, and the release this year of “I Dream of Jenna” is eagerly anticipated.

Beyond films, her site is also an Internet content provider with marketing clout. Jameson had a hands-on role in the creation of her own Website as well as those for other adult stars she manages. Her official site has a robust content – a candid personal diary, sex tips, film clips of Jenna and a bevy of very sexy friends, erotic stories and tens of thousands of photos taken of her to whom she has retained all rights. Members get the chance to chat personally with Jenna when she drops in for frequent live-online appearances or for regular weekly gossip sessions with members.  Jenna’s constant involvement with the site and her fans are prime reasons for its success.

Under Jameson’s direction, her site began a licensing program, launched with a major deal with Plastic Fantasy, Inc., for a “Jenna Doll” action figure modeled after Jameson. Over half of the first limited edition production run of 10,000 units was sold in the first week. The licensing division also created and marketed a glossy 2002 calendar. Next up will be her clothing line, Jenna Jeans.

Jameson has made regular appearances on mainstream television shows, from hosting E!’s “Wild On” and stints on other E! Channel specials to “The Man Show,” “Fox Magazine,” “Entertainment Tonight,” “Extra,” HBO and many others. Her stunning beauty has fascinated magazine editors from the start, and so far she has graced over 300 magazine covers and appeared in nearly 1,000 magazine articles or pictorials, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Allure, and Jane to Esquire, Playboy, Penthouse and FHM, which consistently ranks her as one of the 100 Most Beautiful Girls in the World.

Born April 9, 1974, she danced ballet as a child and was a self-described nerd in high school. And, while she was a cheerleader, she didn’t have a date to the prom.  But by her senior year in high school, she had blossomed into a tall, blonde, voluptuous and sultry stunner with an innocent look. She had no trouble getting jobs as a model and topless dancer on the Vegas strip. She quickly moved on to the world-famous Crazy Horse II and began stripping.

Within a year Penthouse and Hustler photographed Jameson, and soon the offers to do adult movies appeared. She consulted with her father, who encouraged her to follow her conscience, but added, “You know, Jenna, this is a big step. You can’t erase this.”  She decided to go ahead with it, and at age 19, began making adult films.  She was an instant success and was voted the “Best New Starlet” by AVN, XRCO and FOXE – the only actress ever to win the award from all three groups in the same year.  Since then, she has won virtually every honor the adult industry bestows.

“I have always had strong ideas about creative issues, but it was difficult to get people to listen to me when I was just an actress,” Jameson says. “Now I have a structure with a track record of success that gives me credibility and authority. It’s the way to go, and as far as I’m concerned it’s about time women in this industry assumed a more powerful role in its direction.” 

During a two-year hiatus from adult films, she did more mainstream work and was featured in Howard Stern's film hit “Private Parts.” In late 2001, she returned to adult film work, signing on for exclusive work with Vivid Video, which named her a “Vivid Girl.” More important, she formed her Club, which has a joint venture with Vivid Entertainment Group for film production and distribution and Jameson has a major role in both creative and distribution decisions.

The magazine Revolver says (March 2002), “Jenna is well on her way to joining the Hootchie Hall of Fame," but it then makes the larger point that "Jameson has managed to crossover into the mainstream."   Adds Swung Magazine: “Don’t worry, Jenna will still be JennaJameson, Queen of the Adult World, even if she’s wearing more hats than usual.” Jenna has helped bring Adult into mainstream entertainment and has successfully become an icon in both industries.

The porn star has made the most of her fame, creating her own Web site and exercising a great deal of control over the Jenna Jameson brand. But she's the first to say that it hasn't been easy, fun, or even desirable. She appeared on "Anderson Cooper 360" to talk with the host about her new book, "How to Make Love Like a Porn Star: A Cautionary Tale."

COOPER: It took a fraction of a second for a Google search to return 992,000 hits for Jenna Jameson; 700,000 of those sites also come with the letters X, X and X. But that's understandable, considering she's the reigning queen of porn.

OK, Jenna, I have got to clear up something right from the beginning. I read an account that said you actually wanted to be a TV anchorwoman one day. Is that true?

Now, the woman who gave us "I Dream of Jenna" and "Lip Service" is telling her very adult story in the book "How to Make Love Like a Porn Star: A Cautionary Tale." Suspense thriller it ain't. It is also a best seller. I spoke to Jenna Jameson earlier today.

JJ: That is -- that was definitely what I wanted to do. I used to practice with the TelePrompTer when I was young, because my father was a television producer. So it didn't come to pass, but you know, at least I'm still on TV.

COOPER: Well, you know, such is life. Maybe in the next lifetime.

JJ: Yeah, I don't think it is going to work out for me now.

COOPER: Well, you never know.

Why porn? I mean, you -- why did you get into that business?

JJ: Well, that's a very good question. I tried to track it back and figure out what I decided to do what I've done, but who knows? I mean, I've always been so overtly sexual. And I've always been driven to succeed at something that hasn't always been accepted by the American public. So I think I chose the right profession.

COOPER: But you had a really tough background, which you write about in the book a lot. I mean, you know, you were abused as a child, you lost your mom at an early age. Did that in any way play a part? Because there are those who say, look, you know, young people who experience abuse often gravitate to the porn industry.

JJ: Right. Absolutely. It's something that I've thought about a lot, and I can't really say for sure if that is reasoning behind why I've gotten into the adult industry. All I know is that when I lay my head down at night, I feel comfortable and I'm happy, and I guess that's all that really matters.

COOPER: You know, as you say, I think, in the book, it can be very demeaning to women.

JJ: Well, it can be. I think that nowadays, the American public, or they're much more accepting of the adult industry, and it goes to show that we should give the American public much more credit than we do.

COOPER: Do you think people are hypocritical about this? On the one hand, I mean, publicly they say, oh...

JJ: Absolutely.

COOPER: ... they condemn it, but in truth, if they're logging onto the Internet, they're buying the DVDs.

JJ: Well, obviously they are, because this is a billion-dollar industry. So everybody watches porn. It's just a fact of the matter.

COOPER: It's just a question of whether they admit it or not.

JJ: Exactly. I think a lot more people are starting to admit it, because women feel that it's acceptable nowadays. So that's really helped our industry, because now men feel comfortable bringing the movies home.

COOPER: It's a huge industry, which I think a lot of people don't really realize, or maybe they just don't admit that they realize. But I mean, in terms of income, it rivals, you know, motion pictures. It rivals pro sports in America. And yet it's an industry which is kind of in the shadows and is -- has a lot of pitfalls, which you write about in the book.

JJ: Right.

COOPER: There are, you know, obviously you know there are critics. Writer Naomi Wolf recently wrote that basically the porn industry has raised expectations for men in a way that women feel, how can I compete with this? And in fact, she claims it's sort of has deadened the male libido, because you know, they feel like the real thing isn't good enough. Everyone has to be a porn star.

JJ: I really don't believe that. I think that it's added to people's sexual lives, and I think that it's added to women's especially, because there's a little bit of Jenna Jameson in every woman out there, and I think that now that they're starting to see me coming out more into the mainstream, they feel a little bit more comfortable being naughty in the bedroom.

COOPER: I've read that you want to have a child now.

JJ: Yes.

COOPER: After you have had the child, you've said that you would stop doing porn. Is that true?

JJ: Yes. Absolutely. And it's certainly not because I feel ashamed of being a porn star, but I think it's because I want to focus 100 percent of my time on my child, and I want to be able to tell my child that once they came along, that mommy was no longer a porn star.

COOPER: And if your daughter one day said to you, if you had a daughter, if she came to you and said that she wanted to get into that industry?

JJ: I'd tie her in the closet. Only because this is such a hard industry for a woman to get ahead and get the respect that she deserves. I fought tooth and nail to get to where I am, and it's not something that I would want my daughter to go through. It's not something that any parent would choose for their child.

COOPER: So you would advise young women not to get involved in the industry?

JJ: Not unless they had their head on completely straight and they knew that this is what they wanted to do. For my child, hey, I want them to go to college and be a doctor.

COOPER: Well, Jenna Jameson, you are a leader in your industry and you are now a best-selling author. Your book's on The New York Times' best-seller list. We appreciate you joining us. Thank you very much.

JJ: Thanks.

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