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Sundance Channel Blog

Em and Lo

Eat Chocolate, Pray, Love

Article: Eat Chocolate, Pray, Love

Posted March 13th, 2012, 1:03 PM by

We’re suckers for a good Kickstarter project — all that hope and passion and entrepreneurship, and you can be part of it for less than the cost of a dinner out. The most recent one we heard of is called The Placebo Chocolate Effect (we’re fans based on the name alone). The story reads like the dude version of Eat, Pray, Love: Daniel Jacobs set off on a trip around the world in search of a cure for a deep sadness he felt (hang in there, it gets better). Along the way he met a bunch of people who inspired him, including an old lady in Scotland who gave him a “prescription” for love — actually it was just these words scribbled on a piece of paper: “Take this love I give you, use it as often as you need, and share it when you are ready.” After meditating in Spain, volunteering at an orphanage in Guatemala, building a sustainable farm in Argentina, and writing beside painters in Chile (we’re not kidding), Daniel finally found love (of course he did), and then he discovered that love had been inside him all along (of course it was).

A new look for Lolita

Article: A new look for Lolita

Posted March 12th, 2012, 1:03 PM by

Lolita, such a great book. So deserving of a great cover. One blogger held a contest. Now it’s being turned into a book, with designs from both contest entrants and solicited pieces by well-known designers. Here are all the links to follow:

Not one but three star-studded movies about porn

Article: Not one but three star-studded movies about porn

Posted March 09th, 2012, 1:03 PM by

Yesterday we discussed celebrities with porn names. Today we’re talking about celebrities in porn movies. Okay, not actual skin flicks. No, movies about skin flicks. Just as there are two modern movie versions of Snow White coming out at the same time (our money’s on Charlize Theron’s evil queen kicking Julia Roberts’ queen’s ass), there are also two competing star-studded Linda Lovelace biopics, plus an indie film about a fictional rising pornstar: INFERNO: A LINDA LOVELACE STORY, LOVELACE and CHERRY, respectively. The latter two star James Franco. (Of course they do.) Here’s a more elaborate breakdown of each’s cast:

Celebrities with awesome porn names

Article: Celebrities with awesome porn names

Posted March 08th, 2012, 1:03 PM by

A recent article in Salon about trends in porn names (disturbingly, there is apparently a “direct correlation between trendy baby names and porn stars’ names”) got us thinking about celebrities whose names are perfectly designed for a post-career-slump porno. Here are our top 10 favorite male and female celebrities with porn names:

What your outfit color means on the pick-up scene

Article: What your outfit color means on the pick-up scene

Posted March 07th, 2012, 1:03 PM by

A recent study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology looked at why men are more attracted to women who wear red — because, according to earlier studies (not to mention the lyrics of one Chris DeBurgh), men sit closer to ladies in red and ask them more intimate questions. Well, it turns out that — stop the presses! — men see these women as more sexually receptive. And according to the study, this sexually receptiveness makes them more attractive to men. Welcome to the 1950s, folks! We hope you packed your red scarf and lipstick and your copy of Sex and the Single Girl. For women who’d rather not send the message that they’re universally, generically up for it, here are a few other color-coded suggestions we think everyone — women and men — should adopt. If we start now, it should take just a few thousand years of social conditioning for the trends to kick in:

Rush Limbaugh says he was just joking – lighten up, you guys!

Article: Rush Limbaugh says he was just joking – lighten up, you guys!

Posted March 05th, 2012, 12:03 PM by

Rush Limbaugh is the master of the non-apology (remember his wishy-washy apologies to Michael J. Fox and Chelsea Clinton, amongst others?). And his way-too-late-to-even-count apology to Georgetown Law student Sandra Fluke is no exception. Let us count the ways that his apology does not count:

Switcheroo, a photo series

Article: Switcheroo, a photo series

Posted March 01st, 2012, 1:03 PM by

photo “Mish & Colin” from the series Switcheroo by Sincerely Hana

“Sincerely Hana” is a self-taught photographer raised in Whistler and currently living in Vancouver, Canada. On her website, she’s got an ongoing project called Switcheroo: dual portraits of two people each — almost always one man and one woman — standing side by side.

Naked News: on gay marriage, artificial wombs, and Zac Efron's prophylactics

Article: Naked News: on gay marriage, artificial wombs, and Zac Efron's prophylactics

Posted February 28th, 2012, 1:02 PM by

This week, Zac Efron manages to distract us from the fact that the Pope thinks he knows more about sex than we do. And also from the fact that for every two steps forward — yay Maine; yay ass-kicking working mothers — there’s always, somewhere, a step back. (We’re looking at you, Family Research Council.)

The Oscars: If the Academy were a little more turned on

Article: The Oscars: If the Academy were a little more turned on

Posted February 27th, 2012, 1:02 PM by

When the Oscars primarily entail being lectured by a bunch of narcissistic celebrities about how awesome and important their jobs are, when the highlight is Sacha Baron Cohen spilling the Bisquick ashes of Kim Jong Il all over “Bryan” Seacrest’s $1000 suit on the red carpet, and when the most scandalous moment of the night revolves around determining whether J. Lo is accidentally (or purposely?) showing areola or not, then you know you’ve got to make things a little more interesting. Here’s how: imagine what movies would have won if the Academy wasn’t so afraid of sex:

Crowdsourced funding for a sex toy? Meet the Duet

Article: Crowdsourced funding for a sex toy? Meet the Duet

Posted February 24th, 2012, 1:02 PM by

There’s a new kid in the luxury vibrator town: The Duet by Crave, a clitoral stimulator created by an industrial designer and an engineer. They submitted the Duet for pre-release funding on the international design funding platform CKIE in August 2011, where they raised $104,000 from over 950 backers – 694% of the original target. And now this discreet and design-y vibe is finally being sold by two of our favorite online retailers, Babeland.com and GoodVibes.com. We must say it looks pretty cool:

What The Economist doesn't get about online dating

Article: What The Economist doesn't get about online dating

Posted February 23rd, 2012, 1:02 PM by

A recent article in The Economist magazine examines a bunch of scientific papers about online dating in an attempt to figure out if any of those fancy matching algorithms are better than old-fashioned matchmakers like your grandmother. Or even if simply all that choice — and all those checkboxes! — improves your odds of finding love. Turns out there’s very little data to support either theory — and what data there is (hi, Malcolm Gladwell) suggests that too much choice means people (a) make bad decisions and (b) feel less satisfied with their ultimate choice. Oh, yeah, and related research shows that, yes, people with similar personalities tend to have happier relationships — but by the not-exactly-earthshaking margin of 0.5%. In other words, if you want to have a 0.5% better shot at happiness, make sure you go online to find someone who checks all the same boxes as you.

We can resist anything except temptation – and Twitter

Article: We can resist anything except temptation – and Twitter

Posted February 22nd, 2012, 1:02 PM by

Researchers out of Chicago University’s Booth Business School recently conducted a study on people’s ability to resist their desires. It turns out that people can resist cigarettes, they can resist alcohol, they can resist sex, and they can resist the urge to spend money… but what they really really can’t resist is the urge to engage in social and other types of media. In other words, checking email, browsing Facebook, posting to Twitter, etc.

Naked News: the women's (dwindling) reproductive rights edition

Article: Naked News: the women's (dwindling) reproductive rights edition

Posted February 21st, 2012, 1:02 PM by

SNL has an actually funny and actually informative round-up of all the bullshit last week.
This is a great cartoon from Jim Morin in the Miami Herald that pretty much sums up last week’s “religious freedom” debate around birth control coverage.

Given a free pass for a fling, women would call an old flame

Article: Given a free pass for a fling, women would call an old flame

Posted February 17th, 2012, 1:02 PM by

We’ve long known that The One Who Got Away makes for great late-night Google fantasies. And that makes sense: you rifle through your memory bank after another bad breakup — or after another inane argument with your spouse — and wonder how life would have been different if you’d stayed with X. Because through your rose-tinted glasses, you forget about how your ex chewed with their mouth open and only remember the grand romantic gestures.

Naked News: Unmarried voters could decide the next election

Article: Naked News: Unmarried voters could decide the next election

Posted February 14th, 2012, 1:02 PM by

Swing-state singles: Unmarried voters could decide the next election. (Hey, that’s one reason to celebrate being single on V-Day!)
Harvard psychologist claims the data is in, and the world would be a more peaceful place if women were in charge.

Occupy Valentine's Day

Article: Occupy Valentine's Day

Posted February 13th, 2012, 1:02 PM by

Hate Valentine’s Day and its corporate overlords? Have we got a site for you: Occupy Valentine’s Day (“Down with Couple-talism!” Get it?). The tumblr was created by Samhita Mukhopadhyay, author of Outdated: Why Dating is Ruining Your Love Life and Executive Editor of Feministing.com. Here’s its raison d’etre:

Our friend's great new sex manual, "Great in Bed" – FRI FEB 10TH 1PM

Article: Our friend's great new sex manual, "Great in Bed" – FRI FEB 10TH 1PM

Posted February 10th, 2012, 1:02 PM by

The other night, we went to the book launch party for the new sex manual, “Great in Bed,” at the SoHo Babeland in NYC. It had been years since we’d seen our old friend and former coworker, Grant Stoddard, but he was his typical funny, charming self as he and his co-author — Kinsey sex researcher Debby Herbenick, PhD — answered questions from the anonymous drop-box…for an hour and a half. Fortunately, there was champagne:

The pocket rocket… literally

Article: The pocket rocket… literally

Posted February 09th, 2012, 1:02 PM by

Pocket rocket vibrators have been around forever — since before sex toys got all fancy and high tech and, you know, effective. But there’s a reason the pocket rocket-style vibe has stood the test of time — it’s small and unassuming, but not so small that you wonder why you bothered. It fits easily in your nightstand or, yes, your pocketbook, and it’s not likely to give any guy a complex.

Naked news: prosthetic testes that actually work are in the works

Article: Naked news: prosthetic testes that actually work are in the works

Posted February 07th, 2012, 1:02 PM by

In sci-fi news, scientists are working on a prosthetic testicle that creates and ejects human sperm for men missing one or both testicles who want to procreate. Yale Sex Week, once banned, is in full swing right now. Ron Paul says abortion is okay only when it’s an “honest rape,” you know, as opposed to all…

A comedian that will melt your liberal bleeding heart

Article: A comedian that will melt your liberal bleeding heart

Posted February 06th, 2012, 1:02 PM by

We both enjoy playing Texas Hold ‘Em, but of the two of us, I (Lo) enjoy it a little too much. So much so that when I just need a night away from it all, I go to Foxwoods to play the low limit table with a bunch of 65 year old men, half of whom have a drinking problem, the other half of whom have a gambling problem. It’s not as sinful or sexy as Vegas, naturally, but it does the trick.

It's you, perfected!

Article: It's you, perfected!

Posted February 02nd, 2012, 1:02 PM by

There are many reasons not to read women’s magazines. One of the biggies? All the retouched photos. The genetic mutants we call models and celebrities can beat the shit out your average Jane’s self image, but Photoshop can chop it up with chainsaw. This before and after cover of Red Book from a few years ago thanks to Jezebel.com says it all. In fact, Jezebel has made one of their crusades exposing the evils of Photoshop (here’s their most recent “unveiling”). One of the funniest commentaries on how fucked up Photoshop is when it comes to setting impossible beauty standards is this recent parody of a beauty product commercial by Jesse Rosten on Vimeo: “Just one application of Fotoshop can give you results so dramatic, they’re almost unreal…istic.”

High heels are the devil

Article: High heels are the devil

Posted January 30th, 2012, 1:01 PM by

High heels are an essential part of our fashion-glam culture. Finding a pair of flats at last night’s SAG Awards was like trying to find a vegan quinoa recipe in a Paula Deen cookbook. More common was the doughnut burger of the shoe world: the 29-inch stiletto like Emma Stone wore. What women will suffer for fashion! Personally, the two of us fall into the more utilitarian camp: while Em has been known to rock a sparkly pump at a party, you’ll find her more often than not in the day-to-day dressing up a flow-y, flowery dress with a pair of Converse. And Lo? Nothing comes between her and her Danskos. It may not be pretty, but nothing’s more ugly than her mood after 20 minutes in a pair of uncomfortable pumps (are they even called that anymore?). Which is why we always feel high and mighty in our low flats when a new study about the horrors of high heels comes out.

The classy way to give a dirty gift on Valentine's Day

Article: The classy way to give a dirty gift on Valentine's Day

Posted January 30th, 2012, 1:01 PM by

What’s a recession-friendly Valentine’s Day gift that will always be received gladly? Unilateral oral sex is a pretty good bet. Or perhaps a half-hour massage with no pressure to reciprocate. Or maybe dressing up as a cowboy and doing your best BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN impression. But how do you make such generous sexual offers feel like an actual gift that you planned in advance — as opposed to a last-minute, oh-shit-I-didn’t-make-it-to-the-mall-in-time present? A hand-written promise to talk dirty, unabated, for 20 minutes is kind of sweet (at least, it is if that’s your partner’s bag), but it can come across as a little half-hearted. A little unofficial, if you will. No witnesses, no signatures in blood, etc.

Want to go to Palm Springs?

Article: Want to go to Palm Springs?

Posted January 27th, 2012, 1:01 PM by

One of our favorite toy creators, Jimmyjane, has just teamed up with Ace Hotels (in their NYC and Palm Springs locations) to offer guests a room upgrade that includes a Jimmyjane-curated selection of sexy goods, which can be purchased online, at check-in or from Ace’s late-night room service menu. No travel plans to NYC or Palm Springs? Jimmyjane.com is offering several packages that allow you to bring the Ace experience home with you (for example, the $89 “Voyeur” package includes TCHO Drinking Chocolate, a blindfold and cuffs, the French softcore Emmanuelle Collection, a bullet vibe, a feather tickler, Sir Richards condoms, and Good Clean Love lubricant — kind of an awesome Valentine’s Gift, hotel stay or not).