Last year when we looked at the guys who were nominated as performers and actors for the Grabbys awards we thought there were a few clear front runners. As it turned out it was an unpredictable year. This year seems just as unpredictable simply because it would appear that there are no front runners. True, we've seen all the nominated performers and their films but that's not necessarily an insight into voter preferences. We also have quite a few personal favorites here at Jack Manly and that makes it even harder to be objective.  So again, we're here merely to recap the nominees in advance of next weekend's awards.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR.
 You could argue that some of the guys here should be in the "Best Actor" category if you're looking at screen time, billing, or character importance. But, like the Academy Awards the criteria here is a little fuzzy and, as they always say, it's an honor just to be nominated. Besides the guys nominated here could argue that they have a more difficult job---making the most out of their "supporting" role and standing out without overshadowing other actors or the movie itself.

Bruno Bond Focus/Refocus, Raging Stallion. As the silent sentinel and plot "explainer" Bruno's detective role was both believable AND sexy. When someone is a natural actor like this you have a tendency to take him for granted. By being nominated this hasn't happened.

Cameron Adams, Whorrey Potter , Dominic Ford Features. As Himmione, Cameron had a few good one-liners and seemed to be having fun here whether it was acting or having hot sex with his co-stars.  

David Taylor, Focus/Refocus, Raging Stallion. He brought his past mainstream acting experience to bear here in a very important role that required a great deal of subtlety.  

Diesel Washington, Asylum, Falcon. Playing a bad guy can be fun but making him sexually appealing is hard work and that's why we appreciate the efforts of Diesel.



Johnny Hazzard, Playing With Fire 4, Channel 1. Johnny is the master of underplaying a role and that works to his advantage here as a guy often lapsing into post-smoke inhalation sex fantasies. 

Matthew Rush, Whorrey Potter, Dominic Ford Features. Matthew relishes his villain role and hams it up just enough for comedic effect.  

Rafael Alencar, Revenge , Lucas Entertainment. Again a bad guy role but this time with an intense bite--so intense it's almost disturbing. Definitely a different side of Rafael. 
 
Ryan Raz, Entrapment , Lucas Entertainment. Another intense role and a departure for Raz whose roles are mostly so light. A cop, no less!

 

Steve Cruz, Focus/Refocus, Raging Stallion. Not really a bad guy, not a hero either. Cruz does a very good job of blurring the lines and creates a very interesting character. 

Tony Buff, Battle Creek Breakdown, Titan Men. Another role that can only be pulled off by a real natural. As the charming nudist Tony could seduce anyone!
   
Trevor Knight, Big Dick Society 2: Dicktimized , Jet Set Men. Travor is one of the gifted few who can act ad perforn at the same time and he does plenty of that here.

Vince Ferelli, Head Hunters Two , Hot House Entertainment. Ferelli could easily get by just being eye candy but he gives considerable effort to his acting and it shows. 

  Adam Campbell                            Benjamin Bradley                      Brent Corrigan                                    Cameron Marshall


BEST ACTOR.
  Do we really have to mention how important an starring actor is to the success of a story & script-heavy movie?
Many of the guys here are on screen almost all the time in their respective movies and a lot rides on how convincing they are. 

Adam Campbell, 5 Easy Ways to Fuck a Straight Guy , Jet Set Men. As the star/narrator of this docu-comedy Adam does a great job, impressive when you consider than this is his first starring role.
 
Benjamin Bradley, Tread Heavy, Channel 1 Releasing. He doesn't come to mind as a fetish-minded protagonist which is why Bradley is nominated for playing the role so convincingly.

Brent Corrigan, Working Hard , Dirty Bird. Corrigan directs and plays his porn persona. It sounds easy enough until you think of hard it would be to do it yourself.

Cameron Marshall, Cream Filled Twinkys , Channel 1 Releasing. Marshall is another one that has always played it cool in movies so it's impressive to see him step it up for this cute & funny role.


             Christian Sharp                                                     Cole Streets                                                               Erik Rhodes

Christian Sharp, That 70s Gay Porn Movie , Randy Blue. Sharps was impressive in a first -time starring role: acting in a comedy/parody with subtlety when the whole plot is far from it.
  
Cole Streets, Focus/Refocus, Raging Stallion. It required some skill to play a guy that was ethically compromised and show all his nuances. In his first starring role he did it well. 

Erik Rhodes, Asylum, Falcon. In many roles Rhodes has played a dick so it required some doing to come off as the hero/victim that you're rooting for but he did it.


          Logan McCree                        Luke Marcum                                 Marcus Steele                                     Wiliried Knight

Logan McCree, The Visitor, Raging Stallion. You could argue that this role of an alien was made for Logan but he still added in some nice touches like acting without much dialog.

Luke Marcum, Whorrey Potter , Dominic Ford Features. We can forget the occasional lapses in his BRit accent and appreciate that Marcum held his own against a more experienced cast.

Marcus Steele, Carjackers, Jet Set Men. You don't have to think about this one. Steele is a super actor, hands down one of the best in the biz.

Wilfried Knight, Obsession, Lucas Entertainment. Convincing as a psychologist even though his accent almost required subtitles. However, he made up for it very well. 
 
PERFORMER OF THE YEAR.
  Here you'll find perennial fan favorites, newcomers, rising stars, superstars, etc--all of whom distinguished themselves in some way throughout the year. Here again we could easily have added many more names to this list but without naming them we're sure they'll appear in future nominations 

 Adam Killian. You can find our comments about this handsome & charismatic star in our other spotlights and we'll add one more---he is probably destined to be in one or more Hall of Fame. 
 
 Benjamin Bradley. You can't typecast this sexy star because he's worked hard to avoid it. He's been in the biz for several years and still has still has yet to peak.

 Diesel Washington. Undeniably a one-of-a-performer who constantly tries to be innovative and at the top of his game. Another future Hall of Famer.

 Erik Rhodes. A superstar in every sense of the word who had a resurgence in 2009. Now it looks like he's reinventing himself as a filmmaker. Expect to see him nominated next year in this role.

 Kyle King.  This versatile star is still on the rise and his uninhibited style has served him well. Another of those guys that is still hitting his stride and has more untapped potential. 

 
        Adam Killian                                 Kyle King                                          Jeremy Bilding                                  Matan Shalev

Jeremy Bilding. What we've always liked about this hot & handsome star is that he's consistent without being dull or predictable. Takes on a variety of roles and stays true to himself.
  
Johnny Hazzard. This hot tattooed star has an aura of danger & edginess and yet he still retains that semi-innocent bad boy look that you want to tame.

Logan McCree. He might disagree but Logan remains an interesting enigma. Efven if her didn't have those tattoos he'd still be a standout performer.

Matan Shalev. Without question this Israeli stud could easily be a super-model but gay porn got dibs on him. A super-hot newcomer that needs to do much more.

Matthew Rush. Another future Hall of Famer whose superstar status was established long ago and never ceases to diminish thanks to his resurgence in 2009.

Rafael Alencar. Talented star who epitomizes the "latin lover" both in his near-perfect looks and passionately dynamic performing style. Does anyone NOT want him?

 Steve Cruz. Multi-talented sex bomb and another future Hall of Famer who we think is going to go down as one of the most influential inspirations in modern porn.

 Tony Buff. This naturally sexy & charismatic handsome & hung star has been one of best proponents and spokesmen for kink in gay porn and he definitely puts his imprint on a film.