Set Your DVR: 2011 AVN Awards Premieres on Showtime Tonight!

CHATSWORTH, Calif.—The jewel in the crown of adult entertainment, the AVN Awards, is premiering tonight on Showtime, just after midnight, at 12:30 a.m. ET/PT. Depending on your cable provider, if you get Showtime’s east coast feed, the AVN Awards broadcast will start at 9:30 p.m PST. To be safe, check your local listings. For the full schedule of the 2011 AVN Awards on Showtime throughout the month, click here. Hosted by comedy’s Loveable Queen of Mean Lisa Lampanelli, along with Tori Black and Digital Playground contract star Riley Steele, tonight’s airing is the fourth time the star-studded awards show has been broadcast by the cable network. Showtime started airing the most glamorous evening in adult entertainment in 2008 with the 25th anniversary AVN Awards show. The broadcasts have gone on to be seen by millions of people.  This year, the awards blew the roof off of the sold out Pearl Theater inside the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. The Showtime broadcast gives viewers a behind the velvet rope vantage point of the gala affair from the blistering hot red carpet, to the night’s biggest winners as they accept their trophies, to all the backstage hijinks and emotional reactions from the winners’ circle. The night’s action began on the red carpet, where Kirsten Price, Jesse Jane, Dave Navarro and Kayden Kross interviewed the industry’s biggest stars while hordes of media snapped away. "I had so much fun rockin' the red carpet," said Digital Playground star Jesse Jane. "It was the perfect hosting gig for me. I could be wild and crazy and it was all good! I loved interviewing so many of today's talented adult stars. I'm so happy I was given the opportunity to be part of such an amazing night." For co-host Riley Steele, the night represented the culmination of the dreams that she had when she first entered the adult entertainment industry. Steele also took home an award for Crossover Star of the Year due to her mainstream success. "I will never forget my incredible night co-hosting the AVN Awards," Steele said. "Tori Black and I had such a blast. I would say it was definitely one of the highlights of my career so far. I can't wait to see it on Showtime. I felt like I was Cinderella at the ball with all the beautiful gowns I got to wear. I would like to thank everyone at AVN for letting me be a part of such an awesome event." For her fellow co-host Black, fresh off her unparalleled success in 2010 when she took home seven trophies, the show took her career to even greater heights after she won Female Performer of the Year for an astonishing second straight time—an unequalled feat in AVN Awards show history.  “It was a great experience,” Black said. “At the end of the night, I had an amazing night, I felt like I did a great job, I had a great time with Riley [Steele], the show was awesome, and I won some amazing awards. It was another accomplishment and something to be proud of.” Special to this year’s broadcast was the first-person account of new, rising star Jessie Andrews attending her first AVN Awards ceremony. Cameras captured the blonde Florida native as she took in the sights and sounds of the show as a roving reporter. Andrews also interviewed many of the night’s biggest stars—a huge thrill for her. “It was a tremendous thrill to go around an interview so many people,” Andrews said of her assignment. “It’s a huge opportunity being so new to the business. Being backstage and interviewing the winners in the afterglow of winning an award—the pure emotion of the night—was truly memorable. I can’t wait to see the awards on Showtime tonight!” The awards show’s pair of trophy girls are prominently featured on the broadcast: Madelyn Marie and Chanel Preston. For Preston, who also was a Best New Starlet nominee, the opportunity was a once in a lifetime experience. “I was floored when I found out AVN was making me a Trophy Girl for the 2011 AVN Awards,” she said. “I know how many girls are new to the adult industry each year and I was honored to be chosen. It was really exciting to be involved in the show and to be up on stage looking out at all those people. I know that me and the other trophy girl looked stunning and I can't wait for the broadcast on Showtime. I will be tweeting my fans to tune in all week. Showtime has a remarkable audience and this has been a huge honor.” The 28th annual awards was notable on numerous fronts. Not only did Black win Female Performer of the Year back-to-back, but the legendary AVN Hall of Famer Tera Patrick announced her return to performing after years away from the camera. Patrick took to the stage of the Pearl Theater with Rocco Siffredi and Chi Chi LaRue to announce an award and to the delight of onlookers, the power trio is planning on working with each other. That’s right, Patrick is reuiniting with LaRue who will be directing her in Sinner Takes All, the same title of her best-selling autobiography. She’ll also be performing with Siffredi. See Patrick’s announcement on the broadcast tonight.