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Did California Taxpayers Foot The Bill For A Stadium Porno Shoot?

Did California Taxpayers Foot The Bill For A Stadium Porno Shoot?

“The plot of the movie, to the extent that it has one, revolves around a football team and a cheerleader.”

That’s how The Los Angeles Times describes “The Gangbang Girl #32,” a porno shot on the turf of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in 2001. So far, no one can say who allowed the movie to film under the lights at the taxpayer-owned stadium and national historic landmark, home of the USC Trojans and the spot where John F. Kennedy once accepted the Democratic presidential nomination.

“I was just in awe that we were at the Coliseum,” the film’s star, Mr. Marcus told the Times. “I’ve made movies for about 20 years and I’ve done a lot of things, but that one really stands out…. I mean, who gets to have sex on the Coliseum floor?”

Marcus told the paper he remembers filming on a cool night from around 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. In the film’s earlier scenes, he pretends to be a quarterback, tossing a ball around while wearing a jersey featuring the logo of Anabolic Video, the production company. The film’s credits say it was shot on Sept. 16, 2001.

According to the Times, the film included 40 minutes of group sex on the field, plus “non-explicit” scenes filmed in a locker room that did not make it into the final, 90-minute release. About half the movie was filmed at other locations.

So how did this happen? The stadium is run jointly by the city, county, and state. People familiar with the workings of the stadium say that gaining access to the field and lights “typically requires the approval of a high-ranking manager.” But no one contacted by the Times could say who gave the approval in this case.

The Times has been reporting for over a year on financial irregularities and oversight problems involving the stadium’s nine-member governing commission. Former General Manager Patrick Lynch resigned last year, and was indicted in March in a corruption case.

Earlier this month, facing insolvency, the commission voted earlier this month to surrender control of the facility to USC.

Read the full story here.

Eric Lach

Eric Lach is a reporter for TPM. From 2010 to 2011, he was a news writer in charge of the website’s front page. He has previously written for The Daily, NewYorker.com, GlobalPost and other publications. He can be reached at ericl(at)talkingpointsmemo.com

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