Money Shot (or, 'on another taboo topic')

[Drew Danielson]

'Money shot' has application and meaning in several realms of discourse
- e.g., sports, music, or any other endeavor where a well-timed success,
or the action that guarantees success, is important enough to warrant
it's own term.  The article linked and quoted below ascribes the term to
the porn industry.  I'd prefer to think that it originated in basketball
or golf.


[Here's where I stick to passing along reports.  NC17 stuff below.]


 From MSNBC.com's "The Juice", an arts and culture cum gossip column:
http://www.msnbc.com/news/743584.asp?0dm=W11NL

----------------------
  "See those dimples right there?" [Paula Abdul] remarked. "That's the
money shot! That's the money shot!"

[...]

Do I know something Abdul doesn't? Do I know something the show's
producers don't? I doubt it. Do I know something most "Idol" fans
probably don't? Maybe.

        That term comes from the porn industry. It's a porn-film term.
If you don't believe me, maybe this citation will help: "In 'The
Film-Maker's Guide to Pornography,' [synopsis at
http://www.brightlightsfilm.com/36/moneyshot.html]  Stephen Ziplow
describes 'the money shot' or 'c - - shot,' as the key moment in the
porn production[.]"
----------------------