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Ladies, gentlemen, boys and girls; I’m looking for some audience participation on this one.

The topic at hand is inanimate objects in movies that were given human names.

I’ve seen a couple of examples in some movies I’ve watched recently and it got me thinking about others, but it was fairly tasking – it’s not a subject I’m overly familiar with (is anyone?). I tried to avoid things like plants (Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors, since plants grow and that plant in particular came fully alive) and things like the Transformers and Herbie which, whilst they are vehicles, also have a life of their own. I’ve also opted not to included toys who are named characters, such as Woody and Buzz Lightyear etc.

I also considered items like Hellboy’s guns which, in his movies, were called ‘The Good Samaritan’ and ‘Big Baby’. They are human-esq names,...

In 2007, porn star Sasha Grey went on The Tyra Banks Show as part of her transition into acting that doesn’t require penetration (although she probably hasn’t ruled out working with Lars von Trier just yet). Her blunt defense of the industry as she had navigated started a new conversation about pornography which yielded a lot of discussion and hand-wringing but very little internal change. Still, it would be disingenuous to claim porn doesn’t have a firm place in our culture; it’s an industry that pulls in billions of dollars of proof that it caters to a specific need that’s in high demand. The new documentary After Porn Ends has taken a look into that fascinating industry from the other side of it. What happens when a porn star wants to quit? By interviewing and examining the experiences of stars like Asia Carrera, Houston, Randy West and others, the...

When you stop to think about it, porn is a fascinating subject. Even going back thousands of years, we can see pornographic images on ancient artifacts. Of course, then you have to stop and ponder if people were jerking off to porn pottery. But it’s always to serve a practical purpose. Trying to review it as cinema reminds me of Kevin Nealon’s bit about “Interesting…more interesting…really interesting…completely captivating…not so interesting.” So does this make the performers nothing more than subjects?

That’s why I first found the idea of the documentary Exxxit: Life After Porn a cool approach to the subject. There’s a line Ron Silver said in a canceled Fox TV series that no one remembers called Skin: Porn is a like a tattoo and there’s no way to get rid of it. That’s true, but porn stars are...

Ron Jeremy has been the hardest working man in Hollywood for over three decades, but he’s putting some distance between himself and the world of porn these days as he contemplates retirement and moves more and more into mainstream film. In his latest outing, the multi-faceted actor/writer/producer/director turns in a highly entertaining cameo in Julie Davis’ cutting edge romantic comedy, Finding Bliss.

Jeremy talked to us about how his new movie compared to Zack and Miri Make a Porno, what he sees as the uncertain future of the adult entertainment industry, and why he absolutely despises the internet. He also discussed his involvement in The Great Porn Debates and updated us on his latest work including an appearance on the Travel Channel, a hilarious documentary entitled Midgets Vs. Mascots, and a starring role opposite Billy Zane in Guido, a dramatic feature film which has just begun shooting in Los Angeles.

While no one was looking, Fairfield, Iowa has become a mecca for musicians and artists. Every variation of music and art that one can imagine is prospering in this growing township, and that includes musical theater. And of all the productions that have opened and closed in this creative community for as far back as anyone can remember, none has affected its population nor its neighboring cities as intensely as this new exploration of Hair. Over the years, Randy West--a Stephen Sondheim protégé and executive and artistic director of Way Off Broadway--has overseen a series of successful productions by Iowa's only professional musical theater group. Currently, his take on the always controversial Hair--that includes nudity, an irreverent revue of socially-charged topics, and, of course, a strong anti-war voice--has opened to rave reviews, is being heralded as a Midwestern phenomenon, and is...