Not 
too long ago, the average consumer would blush when talking about Larry Flynt’s business. Today, they very well may be promoting his company on their shirt.
As the porn film business continues to see revenues decline – a victim of both piracy and the copious amounts of free content on the Internet – more and more adult companies have begun expanding into new fields of business. And business has been good.
In 
the wake of the Sandy Hook school shooting in Newtown, CT, the National Rifle Association squarely pointed a finger of blame at the video game industry. But that isn’t stopping them from releasing their very own game.
On Monday the group released NRA: Practice Range, an iOS app that’s rated not for mature users, but for anyone ages 4 and up.
Fame, 
in any part of the celebrity world, is a fleeting thing – but that’s especially true in the porn industry.
A new generation of porn stars is on the rise and while the old guard is certainly not stepping out of the spotlight, there are a lot of up-and-comers eager to take their place.
With the industry’s annual expo under way in Las Vegas Jan. 16-19, we’ve once again assembled a list of the most popular porn stars. This year, however, only four of the actors who appeared on last year’s list make a return.
Performers 
might take the spotlight in the porn industry, but they rarely (if ever) have any of the power.
Instead, the people pulling the strings often tend to remain behind the scenes. While some have familiar names, the majority prefer to keep a low profile. And more and more, the most powerful people in porn have no direct ties to onscreen sex.
CNBC spoke with industry insiders, ranging from executives to stars, to get their thoughts on who are the true power brokers in the world of porn today.
Last 
year wasn’t the best year for the porn industry.
Piracy continued to ravage the already suffering video business. And scandal rocked the industry more than once. The industry suffered a setback in November when voters in Los Angeles County passed a resolution that made condom use in adult films shot in the area mandatory – and, depending on how the issue is enforced, could mean a lot more than that.
While 
the town of Southington, Connecticut decided at the last minute to cancel its controversial plans to collect and destroy violent video games, a Massachusetts town is following in its footprints.
The town of Melrose, Massachusetts is planning to launch a program that would encourage kids to turn in violent video games in exchange for gift certificates and homework-free nights. The city’s mayor, Robert Dolan, says he hopes to have things up and running by the beginning of February.
The 
videogame industry takes its franchises even more seriously than Hollywood.
New games — or at least digitally downloadable content — are expected every year by a voracious audience, with billions in grosses potentially at stake. One misstep can turn a popular game’s most ardent evangelists into its loudest critics.
It’s 
easier than ever for gamers to get their fix, whether playing “Words With Friends” on a plane, “League of Legends” for free online or the latest “Call of Duty” on Xbox or PlayStation consoles.
Figuring out how to maximize revenue on these platforms is a lot more challenging. Last year, the overall videogame market declined again, despite blockbuster launches of “Call of Duty: Black Ops II” and “Halo 4,” surging digital sales and the arrival of Nintendo’s next-generation Wii console for the holidays. Microsoft and Sony are expected to follow suit with new consoles before the end of the year, potentially splintering the market further.
When 
Activision-Blizzard launched Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure in 2011, there were a lot of questions about its chances of success. A hybrid toy/video game based on an aging franchise? Would people be interested?
The answer, of course, was yes. Skylanders has been a hit for toy companies and Activision alike. A really, really big hit, as life to date sales have now topped $500 million, reports Activision.
Every 
January, the Consumer Electronics Show gives the world a preview of the flood of gadgets heading our way in the coming year and beyond. Some are incredibly silly, while others are complete game changers. All promise to make people’s lives better somehow. We’ve crisscrossed the show floors to come up with six products — each representing larger trends in consumer electronics as they relate to the world of media.
Chris Morris: Journalist 