You won’t find Don Hollywood or Brooke Hunter’s names in the editorial pages of AVN. And that’s because blackballing is such an ugly word. And while it’s only his opinion mind you, Hollywood’s hardly shy to use the term blackballing to describe AVN’s tactics of blackballing both him and Brooke Hunter from the pages of the magazine.
It’s no secret, according to Hollywood, that AVN’s been practicing a form of editorial discretion whereby his stage name and Hunter’s are being conveniently dropped from news stories. And that’s an important point.

By the same token, Hollywood’s been finding both his stage and real names more than bandied about by the national tattle sheets lately. It’s being finally discovered by the mainstream media, after all these years, that he’s also an attorney. Which doesn’t bother Hollywood in the least. But ol’ Don’s been this close to calling out AVN to find out what gives as far as the bug up their corporate ass. It’s no secret that Hollywood’s been involved in litigation with AVN under his name Ron Miller. When presented with basically no other choice- a fine point yet to be decided- Miller sold Erotica L.A. to Teddy which is yet another AVN company. In turn, when he attempted to start up another adult show, Miller was served with papers.

Regarding the legal issues, Hollywood’s been alerted by more than a few sources who claim to have heard from AVN owner Paul Fishbein directly that Hollywood’s name would not appear in the magazine based on the fact he breached a non-compete clause. “Of course that was before there was any decision on the validity of the non-compete clause,” Hollywood says.

There’s been a partial ruling on the non-compete, but not a final one. Yet, as Hollywood’s hearing it, on good information, he might add, AVN will not drop either the names Hunter or Hollywood in the editorial mix. “We can do the most newsworthy-thing and they won’t publish it,” he says. “But they will take advertising from our distributor for a Hollywood/Hunter production but they won’t put Don Hollywood’s name in that advertising. You can buy advertising from them, but they won’t do stories to promote you.

“AVN’s been proving what people have been saying for years,” Hollywood continues, “that it’s totally self-serving.” Hollywood refers to the fact that AVN continually promotes free speech but fails to practice it. “What free speech are you promoting if you’re blackballing talent?” he asks. “Don Hollywood did not own Erotica L.A. and Don Hollywood did not sell them Erotica L.A. Everything connected to Erotica L.A. is Ron Miller. God knows it’s been published in the Globe and everywhere else that I am one and the same. This issue has nothing to do with the fact that I practice law under the name Ron Miller. Still, Erotica L.A. goes on without me and we clearly have differences of opinion as to the transactions involving Erotica L.A.”

More importantly to him, Hollywood questions what his legal beefs with AVN have to do with Brooke Hunter. Hollywood points to the instance when Johnny Black’s husband attempted to start a union for talent. “He pissed off a lot of production companies but it wasn’t off on Johnny Black. That was her husband’s deal. In this case, Brooke is not in any way, shape or form mentioned in any of the litigation involving Erotica L.A. She got not one dime from the sale of Erotica L.A. She has no ownership interest in it. She has nothing to do with anything that has transpired since then.”

Hollywood notes that the sale of Erotica L.A. to AVN went down in September, 2001, and that he and Hunter began getting buried by the magazine January 2002. According to Hollywood, the legal issues that remain undecided deal with the scope of the non-compete. “The arbitrator has ruled that the non-compete is valid but questions the scope. The judge, prior to arbitration in the initial restraining order, limited their non-compete to Los Angeles County only.” Hollywood says there’s been ongoing discussions between his attorneys and AVN’s team of lawyers as to exactly what the scope of non-compete should be and whether there was duress in the sale of Erotica L.A. Those issues remain to be decided.

Through it all, Hollywood says there’s been some of the most ridiculous attorneys fees he’s ever seen. “At the same time they’re trying to sue me for attorneys fees and costs while attempting to cut off any income our household has,” he contends.

“To me the news here is that they would take it out on Brooke. What does she have to do with any of it? Essentially what they’re attempting to do, and in my opinion appears to me, and it’s not necessarily a legal opinion, is, vindictively, they’re attempting to force us out of the business by blackballing us. I haven’t heard of blackballing anyone in entertainment since the Fifties- the McCarthy era.”