October 21, 2005
Lucas announces La Dolce Vita project on Lucas blog, dubs himself Fellucas, in the manner of Bennifer or TomKat.
September 16, 2006
Principal photography commences on Michael Lucas’ La Dolce Vita in New York.
September 28, 2006
Lucas shoots
NY-based version of Fellini’s famed Trevi fountain scene with straight-adult star Savanna Samson.
December 2006
Lucas receives cease-and-desist letter for La Dolce Vita from International Media Films (IMF), the rights-holders for the Fellini estate.
February 15, 2007
International Media Films files suit against Lucas asking him to stop selling La Dolce Vita; the filing is covered by International Herald Tribune, Wall Street Journal and others.
February 16, 2007
Lucas releases official statement; suggests that Fellini estate may be homophobic, as straight porn titled La Dolce Vita appeared in recent past and received no such attention, and suggests that IMF might have a different investment in the case:
“There are dozens of articles that have appeared in newspapers like the International Herald Tribune to the New York Post to Wall Street Journal, and beyond to a countless number of blogs.
“Fellini’s ‘La Dolce Vita,’ which is not very well known to the average American, was released over 40 years ago in its original Italian language. Its director and most of the stars are long dead. And now, it is getting enormous free publicity… something I know something about.”
February 16, 2007
Raging Stallion head Chris Ward on his blog suggests La Dolce Vita may ruin Lucas Entertainment. Quoth the Raging:
“An interesting twist on all of this is that the GayVNs are coming up next week and La Dolce Vita is nominated for 14 awards, including best picture. The irony of the situation is that the more awards Lucas wins for this movie, the more money the Fellini people are going to demand for a settlement! In short, this is a perfect porn catch 22–if he wins he looses [sic].
”
February 25, 2007
Lucas wins record 17 GayVN Awards for Michael Lucas’ La Dolce Vita.
April 2007
IMF files motion against Lucas Entertainment seeking to stop him from selling any further copies of Michael Lucas’ La Dolce Vita
May 4, 2007
Lucas releases
another statement on the blog and mentions that the judge has granted Lucas and injunction against the IMF suit, suggests that Chris Ward seemed a bit too joyous in his February post.
November 7, 2007
Lucas emails industry invective against Chris Ward and Raging Stallion, announces that they are behind his legal troubles with IMF; humorously refers to them as “pooping horses.”
“It was bad enough that, boiling from jealousy and hate, Raging Stallion, including its co-owner G.C. Slader [sic], threw ice cubes at me while I was receiving my best picture award in 2006. But it was worse when Raging Stallion co-owner Chris Ward posted a nasty piece on his blog, analyzing the law suit against me in detail, predicting it would close my company. (Mr. Big Mouth’s aims were clear to me when I read that). But maliciously to lie about my company’s income to a third party that is suing me! To mislead the prosecution by lying about sales figures!”
November 8, 2007
Ward responds to Lucas in an industry wide email, claiming to have no connection to Fellini case:
“It is our hope that going forward Michael Lucas will keep his ongoing drama to himself and leave us out of it. We have nothing to do with it and all of us are baffled by the mention of our name in connection to this case.”
November 9, 2008
Lucas responds to Raging Stallion, calls them snitches, announces he has smoking gun …
“I promise I will make it public as soon as this pointless law suit is over. And this law suit will be over soon, as the whole mess is heading straight to trial.”
Now all we need is Dominick Dunne and a Free Dolce Commerative tote (complete with lube, a Fleshjack and a copy of Cybersocket, of course).