Loveable



This past weekend, I had the chance to view Alan Zweig's latest documentary at HotDocs. "Loveable" is a surprisingly honest confession of a 50-something man who - despite repeated failures- continues to search for the woman of his dreams. His candid commentary is interspersed with interviews with various single women, who discuss the ups and downs of their own romantic pursuits. This charmingly simple concept (which reminded me a little of a series from the channel that I produced a few years back called, "The Sex Lives Of...") was a reminder of how compelling real people's stories can be. And the vulnerability and honesty that Zweig puts forth makes the piece heartwarming and heartbreaking all at once.

The film premieres Wednesday May 2, 2007 at 10 pm on TVO's The View From Here. It's worth checking out.

Posted by Berrygirl
Monday, April 30, 2007 3:28pm


The Scott Walker Experience



This past weekend, while attending a series of screenings at the Hot Docs film festival, I had one of those—as Oprah likes to say--“eureka” moments. Half-way through a “30th Century Man”, at times a brilliant and equally maddening documentary of famed singer Scott Walker, Jarvis Cocker (a brilliant musician in his own right) pulls out a vinyl copy of Scott Walker 1 and puts it on the record player; he then proceeds to listen to it. What follows is a lengthy and sublime montage of various music clips and people—famous people, from David Bowie and Brian Eno to Damon Albarn and Alison Goldfrapp—listening to Scott Walker’s tunes; their faces visibly moved, transformed and—shockingly enough---as naked as Penthouse centerfold. A sense of intimacy was revealed on screen, which transcended the anatomical explicitness of porn—no porn film I’ve witnessed has revealed people so naked, and starkly “in the moment”. Music, unlike film, painting or architecture is a purely audio medium; what one envisions while listing to a song or tune, is personal and individual; like literature it forces the viewer—the receiver—to conjure up their own visuals; it transports someone “inside” themselves, into their own vortex of emotions and feelings. Watching these faces in rapture was a genuine moment of “truth” and “nakedness” that exposed people’s souls in a way mere words or actions could only faintly grasp at. The sequence left me stunned, in awe, and slightly embarrassed.

Music can do quite a bit; it can fill us with joy, sadness and euphoria—it can also make us move and groove; but then once in a while music can allow us to tap into some divine part of ourselves that is a gateway to who we really, truly, are; and that is a remarkable thing. Scott Walker has done this for a slew of artists, and maybe, in the future, Hillary Duff will do the same for another generation of musicians…then again, maybe not.

Posted by Nicolas
Tuesday, April 24, 2007 10:11am

T.G.I.F: Vagina Power!



There have been a few notable distractions around the Sextv office of late – in particular, the fact that summer season is finally - finally!! - starting to rear its head; the impending approval of the CTVGlobemedia purchase of Chum Limited; and last, but certainly not least, the discovery of Alexyss K. Tylor’s charming approach to “sexual spirituality” in ‘Vagina Power’.

While we could easily spend hours online watching Alexyss “wake up a dead nation”, the video clips on Penis Power and Vagina Power are two of our favorites.

Expect Ms. Tylor’s zingers to appear on a T-shirt near you any day now.

Posted by Lady Elaine Fairchild
Friday, April 20, 2007 4:44pm

Puppy Lust



Here’s a legitimate question: if you are a healthy, sexually-active, refined canine where do you go to consummate your passion? The first answer that might pop into your head, might be the floor, or a shade of grass, or perhaps a pillow, but take note that you are no mere pouch, yet a “refined” canine, which means those surfaces are not sufficient enough for you, so then, what do you do? Well, Robson Marinho—a super-duper-smart pet shop owner in Brazil—has just the place for you: a love hotel “for dogs”. Yes, that’s right a “love hotel for dogs only” complete with soft lighting, romantic music, a headboard resembling a dog bone, a DVD player (with animal porn perhaps) to get you on all fours. Oh yes, the end of the world is here, and it has gone to the dogs!

:: Link

Posted by Nicolas
Monday, April 16, 2007 4:46pm

'Faced



Last week, I was making fun of several of my colleagues' involvement with Facebook. I’m somewhat embarrassed to admit that this past weekend, I became hooked.

I am now sitting back, trying to put a finger on exactly why it is so compelling. I consider myself to be a person who successfully manages an array of intimate relationships. I also don’t think I have any particularly abnormal voyeuristic tendencies. But there is something so delicious about having a small window into people’s lives - especially those you haven’t seen or thought about in years.

Clearly this is not a new desire – the whole reason that high school/college reunions are such potent experiences is because most people seem to share an urge to check in with people from their past. And let’s be honest here – what is so seductive about this is not just reconnecting with old friends and looking at photos of their kids – it’s to see who's lost their charm, and if the people you had the biggest crush on are still juicy.

But there is something beyond all of that – something that is so embarrassing I hesitate to write it down. I think a huge part of what is so addictive about this type of experience is the way it plays into our own narcissism. We want to see who wants to be our “friend” – and then we provide specific information and carefully selected images (heck, entire albums) - to construct what other people will see & know about us. And I think, on some level, everyone who participates is aware of this.

Thomas De Zengottita’s amazing book, Mediated, looks at how we have become part of a culture of reflexivity. He suggests that being bombarded with so many images putting "us"—the individual person—at the center of the universe that we cannot help thinking that this is where we belong. In other words, our lives have become movies and we are the overindulged stars.

With our culture’s ever growing addictions to this type of online voyeurism & exhibitionism – are we going to become a world full of self-obsessed losers who can't truly connect with other people? Or are we already there?

Posted by Berrygirl
Monday, April 16, 2007 2:19pm

The Human Fox Hunt



There is much in the world of sex that is strange and bizarre especially when it pertains to humans and animals. Witness a recent article in the New York Times about “Zoo” a documentary about a man who died recently after a sexual encounter with a horse. Last fall we were invited to witness a “fox hunt” in the outskirts of San Francisco that would be populated by animal role-playing enthusiasts. The invite was too good to give up, so a crew went down and spent a few days, as a group of ponies, puppies, handlers and a human fox performed a traditional “fox hunt”. The end result is airing this weekend on Sextv and is entitled “Where the Wild Things Are: The Strange & Erotic World of Animal Role-Playing. Though I am not one for self-promotion, I can’t resist writing about this particular episode because its content is unlike anything I have ever seen; it’s just fascinating. The people at the hunt are an array of smart, articulate and thoughtful. They enjoy the world of make-believe and they are anything but creepy. In fact, they all come across as “sweet” (a word I never thought I’d use with a “fetishist” of any kind). Anyhow, if you happen to find yourself at home on Easter weekend, and Citytv is station you have access to, have a peak, and let us know what you think.

Airdate on Citytv: Saturday, April 7, 2007 @ 11:30pm ET

Posted by Nicolas
Wednesday, April 04, 2007 3:55pm

Loving Lost Girls



I have to admit that I’ve never really been a fan of comics, save perhaps the Saturday morning variety back in the early ‘80s. (And even then, how much Cathy can a girl read?) However, I have long been a fan of fairytales - so it was with keen interest that I opened up the first volume of Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie’s recently released erotic novel, Lost Girls.

Lost Girls tells the story of three popular childhood icons – Dorothy (The Wizard of Oz), Wendy (Peter Pan), and Alice (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland) – who, as adults, meet by chance at a luxury Austrian hotel amidst the encroaching shadow of WWI. Throughout the thoughtful and richly-illustrated story, the heroines exchange their respective revelatory tales of sexual awakening, and proceed to explore the limits of their erotic imaginations.

We had the pleasure to sit down with professional-turned-romantic partners Alan and Melinda in England last month, to discuss their thoughts on pornography, censorship, and the power and importance of unfettered sexual imagination.

“As a human being, you have to be connected with all the parts of yourself – they’re all valuable,” Moore says. “I don’t see why you can’t be an adult and still have a rich sense of play. And I think that is partly what Lost Girls represents – it’s been us playing and enjoying ourselves in a very refined way for the past 16 or 17 years.”

Porn that is both a physical and intellectual turn-on... finally.

Stay tuned for the profile on Lost Girls to air on Sextv sometime this Spring.


Posted by Lady Elaine Fairchilde
Monday, April 02, 2007 4:13pm