SOURCE: AVN

February 23, 2007 06:00 ET

GAYVN Award Recipients in Top Categories From 2006 Return to Present Awards to 2007 Show Winners

Johnny Hazzard, Chi Chi LaRue, Gus Mattox, Roman Heart Head GAYVN Presenters; Award Winning Director Gino Colbert to Induct New Hall of Famers; Comedienne Kathy Griffin to Host Gay Adult Industry's Most Respected Awards Ceremony

SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- February 23, 2007 -- Last year's top winners are turning out this year to present the 2007 GAYVN Awards at the annual ceremony, being held in San Francisco for the first time Saturday, Feb. 24, 2007, at the Castro Theatre.

Johnny Hazzard, winner of last year's Best Actor award; Gus Mattox, Performer of the Year; Roman Heart, Best Newcomer winner in 2006; and Chi Chi LaRue, last year's Best Director, will crown their successors.

Award-winning director and producer Gino Colbert will once again present the GAYVN Hall of Fame inductees. This year's six inductees are director Chris Ward, performers Ray Dragon and Chase Hunter, and porn pioneers Kathryn Reed and Steven Toushin.

Special guests Theresa Flynt, vice president of marketing for Hustler Video, Todd Montgomery, president and CEO of Falcon Studios, and AVN president Paul Fishbein will all present awards.

Other presenters include Tyler Riggz, Colby Taylor, Dean Phoenix, Caleb Carter, and Christian Owen.

Stand-up comic Kathy Griffin, star of Bravo Cable Network's reality show, "My Life on the D-List," is set to host the evening's festivities.

"Kathy's trademark wit will keep us in stitches," said Chad Beecher, Vice President, AVN Business Relations. "Expect a hilarious evening."

The GAYVN Awards recognize talented individuals and the movies that have contributed to the advancement of the gay adult entertainment industry. Its broad-based, nation-wide panel of judges, predominantly gay-press-affiliated, has been awarding trophies for 21 years, making the GAYVN Awards the most respected and recognized awards in gay adult entertainment history.

2007 sponsors include ASACP, Cybers*cket, Epoch, GayImLive, GayH*tMovies, Maleflixxx, ManSh*p, Nakedsw*rd, Rentb*y and VideoSecrets.

AVN Media Network, the leading adult entertainment media company, publishes the most widely read industry trade journals and operates avn.com.