LOS ANGELES – From the trailblazing naughtiness of Bettie Page to the pole-dancing craze among modern housewives, the continual mainstreaming of adult entertainment is undeniable. Now comes Naked Ambition, an R-Rated Look at an X-Rated Industry from renowned celebrity photographer Michael Grecco. The documentary film offers an unabashed peek under the silken covers of one of the few remaining concealed idiosyncrasies of pop culture, the multi-billion dollar porn industry.

Naked Ambition, produced by Lantern Lane Entertainment in association with KHG Documentary Productions, will open in theaters May 1.

The film takes the audience to a surreal setting where thousands travel each January: The AVN Awards, sometimes called “the Oscars of Porn.” Grecco gained access backstage and in every other area of the four-day Las Vegas pornography extravaganza known as the Adult Entertainment Expo. With footage culled from two recent AVN awards shows and conventions, the result is a unique look that captures artistic, revealingly human portraits of porn stars and filmmakers, both legends and literal newcomers. Along with human subjects, the documentary features provocative props, hardware, footwear, sex toys and gadgets used extensively in the adult industry.

Naked Ambition titillates and surprises with its portrayals of the journeys X-rated performers made from anonymity to erotic stardom.

“It’s a film about the industry,” Grecco said. “It’s not an industry film. This is not an industry of human casualties, but an eclectic collection of astute, enterprising sexual artists. Some of their stories absolutely boggle the mind.”

A high-gloss, fine art companion book bearing the same name overflows with creative photographs and includes guest forewords by iconic Hustler empire founder Larry Flynt and musician Dave Navarro (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jane’s Addiction). Navarro sees similarities between the music and porn industries.

“Rock and porn exist to break taboos, excavate the unique, sometimes unsavory, and express full-volume without attachment to what anyone might think,” he said.

Grecco has produced a stunningly intimate yet never explicit portrait of the world’s most shocking industry. By taking the focus off pornography and sex, he forced the performers to stop performing and to let their humanity be captured on film. The photographer’s lens gazes directly into the eyes of his models, capturing them as complex artists, not sleazy provocateurs. Grecco’s subjects are fully clothed and posed in a decidedly non-offensive manner. The outfits are outrageous and the make-up is thick, but Grecco never allows his subjects to titillate the camera. He captures joyous laughter, moments of pensive thought, and direct, unflinching gazes from the myriad of artists whom he captured as never before.

Among the porn stars and players giving the viewer a long, unadulterated, sometimes shocking and absolutely untouched images and personality, are:
•    Jenna Jameson, the world’s most famous porn star, whose majority of fans these days are not men, but women, a result of her best-selling 2006 memoir, How to Make Love Like a Porn Star: A Cautionary Tale.
•    Jesse Jane, who has Pamela Anderson looks, a naughty sneer and a background in classical dance.
•    Sunny Lane, a former competitive roller skater and ice skater who trained for the Olympics.
•    JoAnna Angel, the Sarah Silverman of the alt-porn industry, who is a leading director/performer/producer/writer of a new sub-sub genre of adult film: gruesome yet campy “sextires.”
•    Halcyon, a spike-haired former ordained minister, and his partner Tassy, previously a successful sales manager for a Fortune 500 company.
•    Brea, a 3.9-GPA student raised in “a loving family” in a quiet Arizona suburb, and her best female friend Cody, a pre-med student who wants “to deliver babies for a living.”
•    Erotic dancer and model Kitty, joined in her photo by her mother, Natasha, who knows that her daughter “could be a star” in the adult film industry.
•    Grand Maitre de Valmont, a professional “master” who for 18 years has trained hundreds of willing sex “slaves” within his Edwardian mansion in the North Carolina countryside.
•    JC’s Girls, a trinity of Christian activists who were at the AVN Awards to save souls.

Also captured in the documentary are Alexandra Silk, Luc Wylder, Michelle Aston, Carmen Hart, Jenna Haze, Cody & Brea Bennett, Audrey Hollander, Otto Bauer, Tera Patrick and Evan Seinfeld, Katsumi, Lucy Fire, Jada Fire, Steven Hirsch, Herschel Savage, Foxxy, Carmen Luvana, Ava Rose, Katie Morgan, Charlotte Stokely, Sunny Leone, Buck Angel, Flower Tucci, Seymore Butts, Cousin Stevie, Randy West, Kirsten Price, Peter North, Brittney Skye , Roxy Jezel, Belladonna, Gina Lynn, Mary Carey, Missy Monroe, Nautica Thorn, Tee Reel, Max Hardcore, Matt McMullen, BingXXX, Alexis Amore, Jessica Drake, Erika St James, Penny Flame, Tawny Roberts, Chi Chi LaRue, McKenzie Lee, Cytherea, Sandee Westgate, Kurt Vordahl, John Stagliano, Kimberly Kane, Stormy Daniels, Alexia Moore, Danielle Derek, Lexington Steele, Shane Diesel, Julia Ann, Janine Lindemulder, Kapri Styles, Kurt Lockwood and Samantha Ryan.

Prior to undertaking Naked Ambition, Grecco made a name for himself creating iconic portraits of the most recognized mainstream entertainment stars. His recent subjects included Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Will Ferrell, Penelope Cruz and Teri Hatcher. His award-winning work frequently is seen in magazines like Esquire, Time, Entertainment Weekly and Maxim. He also has photographed authors and scientists, skateboarders and musicians, and the locals he meets in his travels around the country.

In addition, Grecco is the author of the best-selling photographer’s guide Lighting and the Dramatic Portrait: The Art of Celebrity and Editorial Photography. He lives and works in Santa Monica, Calif.