ENCINO, Calif. – Sasha Grey, adult performer, author and one of the stars of Steven Soderbergh’s The Girlfriend Experience (Magnolia Pictures, 2009), will present the keynote address at the 2010 AVN Adult Entertainment Expo. Grey’s speech will begin at 1:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 8, in the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas.Immediately following Grey’s talk, the expo will present a women’s session entitled “We are Women, Hear us Roar.”

“I am very excited to be asked to give the keynote speech at the 2010 AVN Adult Entertainment Expo,” Grey said. “This has been an incredibly exciting year, and one in which many things have changed for me and for our industry at large. In this tough economy it is of even greater importance to show appreciation for the fans and supporters who make it possible for us to continue to do what we love. I am proud to be part of AEE and to continue to work hard and provide my voice to an industry that I believe in.”

According to AEE spokesperson Sean Devlin, Grey plans to share her thoughts about the adult entertainment industry, her artistic and sexual aesthetic, women in the industry and breaking through to mainstream film.

“Sasha Grey is one of the most thoughtful, intelligent and original voices in adult entertainment today,” Devlin said. “We are thrilled that she is going to share her thoughts with our attendees.”

Having appeared in more than 80 adult films in the past three years, Grey already has made a strong impact on the adult industry. She has received four AVN awards, including the prestigious Female Performer of the Year. Additionally, Grey frequently appears outside the adult realm. She was featured as part of the art work for The Smashing Pumpkins’ 2007 album Zeitgeist, and she also was included in Rolling Stone magazine’s 2009 “Hot List.”

“To me, what’s most important about her is her impact on feminism,” Rolling Stone’s Vanessa Grigoriadis recently wrote. “Porn has been one of feminism’s most divisive issues because it hits on such a raw level to so many women. Here are the fantasies of men, and it’s of course better to live out those fantasies through pornography than to try to do them in the real world, but the fact is the real world is impacted by it. Grey says, ‘If you look at me and you think, here’s a woman who’s intelligent, cognizant and making her own choices, and you still tell me that what I’m doing is wrong, screw you, because that should end the debate.’”

The AVN Adult Entertainment Expo will take place Jan. 7-10 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas. The largest event of its kind, AEE annually attracts buyers and fans from around the world by showcasing a comprehensive collection of adult talent, studios, manufacturers, distributors, retailers and products. The 2009 expo hosted approximately 25,000 attendees and scores of popular entertainers.

Thursday, Jan. 7, is restricted to trade attendees only, and special “trade only” hours on Friday and Saturday will restrict access to industry professionals and the media in order to permit exhibitors to make and build business and media contacts before fans are allowed into the expo.

To register or to obtain more information about the expo, visit AdultEntertainmentExpo.com.