LOS ANGELES – Chi Chi LaRue and the men of Club Channel 1 plan several appearances around the U.S. during the summer months. The “sweaty summer tour” kicks off July 18 in Seattle and is expected to end Sept. 4 in New Orleans.

In Seattle, LaRue, Sister Roma, Jason Sechrest and Josh Griffin will join the fun at the Annual Grants Party, OZ. Presented by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, the shindig will occur at the Abbey of St. Joan.

PRAGUE – European studio Bel Ami and American studio Corbin Fisher have released the first scene from their month-old collaborative project. Now available at BelAmiOnline.com (NSFW) and CorbinFisher.com (NSFW), the scene answers fan questions like “How will the two gay studios merge their disparate styles?” and “How will the models bridge the language barrier?”

The language barrier between Bel Ami’s Czech men and Corbin Fisher’s English-speaking all-American boys next door proved to be the least of anyone’s concerns. As everyone discovered, the language of sex is universal.

SAN FRANCISCO – Nothing says summer like a bunch of hot, naked, uncut studs working up a sweat in the heat of the noonday sun — and that’s just what TitanMen Fresh’s newest release delivers.

Summer Blaze stars TitanMen exclusive Marco Blaze and all-American guy-next-door Otto Roberts as boyfriends who embark upon a mission to hire a lawn-care crew for their summer estate. The problem is, neither the boyfriends nor the workers they hire are as interested in the grass as they are in each other.

SAN FRANCISCO – COLT Studio Group has added consumer-oriented promotional content in order to expand the reach of its Buckshot brand. The studio describes the Buckshot line as “clean boys doing dirty things.”

COLT calls one of the brand-builders “BUCK shOts.” The series is composed of exclusive, Web-based interviews with and solos performed by the Buckshot Boys. In addition, the studio has posted Scene 1 from its new Buckshot release, Curious, to the website at COLTStudioGroup.com (NSFW).

LOS ANGELES – Freshmen magazine has unveiled the top five finalists in its 14th annual Freshman of the Year contest. The ultimate winner will appear on the magazine’s September cover, scheduled to his the stands Aug. 18.

The final five, in alphabetical order, are Kirk Cummings, Trent Davis, Marcus Mojo, Dylan McLovin and Zack Randall.

SAN FRANCISCO – Sex, the final frontier … at least as far as intergalactic scientific researcher Epoc is concerned. When Epoc find himself smack-dab in the middle of one of the most oversexed and under-inhibited gay communities on Earth, his research becomes much more compelling than he imagined.

GAYVN 2009 Performer of the Year Logan McCree stars as Epoc in Raging Stallion Studios’ (NSFW) new double-disc sci-fi sex saga, The Visitor. Directed by GAYVN Award winner Tony Dimarco, the flick is a voyeuristic journey through the raw carnality of San Francisco’s infamous gay playground, The Castro.

SAN FRANCISCO – In response to consumer demand for “harder-edged content in mind-blowing high definition,” Titan Media will release all expanded “Director’s Hardcore” versions of its gay adult titles solely on Blue-ray Disc, the company’s vice president said Thursday.

Previously released on both standard-definition DVD and high-resolution Blu-ray Disc, the Director’s Hardcore edits contain expanded and bonus scenes with hardcore fetish sequences including fisting, watersports, BDSM and other “extreme fetish” content. The expanded material is not available on regular retail version DVDs, which are geared primarily towards U.S. wholesale and retail accounts that prefer a less edgy product, according to Titan Vice President Keith Webb. The standard retail versions will continue to be released on standard-definition DVDs.

AMSTERDAM – Following its 2008 split from former parent company Eurocreme, Netherlands-based Staxus has launched its own website. A company spokesman said Staxus.com will serve as the gay adult studio’s main marketing vehicle for both consumers and the adult industry.

Staxus maintains offices in Amsterdam, London and Prague, where it collaborates with AVI Productions. The studio produces the longstanding lines Bare and Raw as well as newer lines like Fit Lads and Dirty Business.