Newseater - Adult Edition

In a story pubished after our Wet Spots deadline last Friday, porn-obsessed savvy New York Times examined the business end of the adult industry—which oddly enough, is discussed in the same bloodless prose you might find in a story about airline bankruptcies or the real estate market. As you know, adult entertainment is the largest industry in the universe and it’s in deep trouble these days … and the internet, which has been the biggest boon for porn since the VCR, is soon going to destroy it completely. The Times took a crack at solving that riddle, and while the piece is filled with a lot of the same tidbits we’ve been hearing for the last several months—DVD sales are down, too many titles being released, amateurs taking over, “low barriers to entry,” etc.—they at least take problem seriously and actually reached out to some of the players in the game to get their perspective. (Plus, they added this pretty graph.) Maybe we shouldn’t be surprised anymore that the country’s most influential paper can talk about porn like it’s any other business, but since a lot of outfits still panic at the mere suggestion of boobies, we still do a double take when it’s happens. That liberal media bias is finally doing something right.

· For Pornographers, Internet’s Virtues Turn to Vices (nytimes.com)

Previously: Leonard Nimoy’s Nude Mission, Deep Inside Kink Dot Com: Smut With A Smile, The New York Times’ New "Zoo" Review, NY Times: True.com’s False Advertising?, The Not-So-Pretty Side of Hi-Def Porn, Gray Ladies: The New York Times Does De’Bella

Original post by Fleshbot

Like the classic "Betty or Veronica" and "Ginger or Mary Ann" debates, how you answer the question "Kirk or Spock?" says a lot about you as a person. (Either way you’re a geek, but bear with us.) Even in retirement their alter-egos carry on the battle of "passion vs. logic," only now they do it in the final frontier of nude photography. While William Shatner chooses to get up close (and maybe a little too personal) with Playboy models, Leonard Nimoy has created a nice second career for himself shooting artistic portraits of women you generally won’t find in one of his movies.

We’ve mentioned his "Full Body Project" before, but (two years later) The New York Times has gotten on board with a thoughtful look at this ongoing work, which is currently featured in galleries across the country and will culminate in a book to be released later this year. Naturally, the discussion focuses on his fascination with large women and the paper discovers that for the most part, people don’t seem to mind that much. His message of body acceptance hasn’t exactly reached the pages of Vogue, but maybe the fact that people might actually want to see pictures of full-sized naked women isn’t so shocking these days, even if some of the kids can’t seem to wrap their heads around the idea. Enduring all the fat jokes with a Vulcan-like patience is no problem for Nimoy, who clearly sees his work as more than just a hobby (or a one-time lark, like the old captain.) He’s out to change minds, one planet at a time.

· "Girth and Nudity, a Pictorial Mission" (nytimes.com)
· Leonard Nimoy Photography (leonardnimoyphotography.com)

Previously: Nudes by Leonard Nimoy, Leonard Nimoy: Full Body Project, William Shatner Does Playboy

Original post by Fleshbot

If you’ve spent any time at all on the interweb over the past several months (especially on MySpace, or if you’re all caught up on our Wet Spots posts on the topic), it’s probably been hard to miss the provocative ads for online dating site True.com—and you’ve probably wondered along with the the author of an article in today’s New York Times what all those hot babes are doing in them since “(they) almost certainly do not need to look online for a date.” According to site founder Herb Vest, though, all that exposed cleavage and dodgy webcam come-ons are just a matter of proving that sex sells in the online dating industry as much as it does anywhere else. But please don’t call their tactics pornographic: “We are very conscious of our reputation … Pornography brings perverts, and we do not want perverts on our site. On the other hand, you can state from me in bold letters that True is in favor of sex.” Considering the fact that True.com bought ad space here on Fleshbot a few years ago, we guess that means that either some kinds of porn are OK as far as they’re concerned or that Fleshbot readers are a special brand of perverts. Still, we prefer to stick with the old-fashioned way of getting a date: by getting really drunk and foisting our cell phone numbers as many objects of our affection as we can before we throw up and/or pass out. It may not be the most effective way of finding romance, but at least we can put that $49.95 a month to a better use than dealing with the crushing disappointment that all those winks we’re getting aren’t the real deals after all.

· “Hot but Virtuous Is an Unlikely Match for an Online Dating Service” (NY Times)
· See also: “So feel free to wear your tightest short shorts, Ladies” and “The continuing chestification of True.com” (copyranter.blogspot.com)

Original post by Fleshbot

· How would you describe the taste of vagina? Do they make a chocolate chip cookie dough flavor? (metafilter.com, via Gawker)

· Meanwhile, the New York Times’ Frank Bruni discovers that the Penthouse Executive Club (yes, that Penthouse) serves up some of the best steaks in NYC … along with Buttery Nipples and a nice big helping of cheesecake on the side. (nytimes.com)

· Maybe this blogger is right and all British babe Nikkala Stott needs is a good sex scandal to grab some attention. Or she can just continue being this hot. (latenightpictures.com)

· Do you think Nikkala qualifies as a celebrity? Because she and any other mildly famous people could make a cool $5,000 just by selling their own sex tapes. It’s easier than hawking used furniture on eBay! (avn.com)

· Did you know there was such a thing as pornigami? (You would have if you’d been paying attention.) It sounds like a lot of fun, but that’s a nasty way to get a paper cut. (villagevoice.com)

· Speaking of sex scandals, you’d think a book called "Secrets of a Hollywood Super Madam", would bring down bigger names than Tommy Lasorda. As baseball fans we love the guy, but no one wants to think about him having sex. (latimes.com + sportsbybrooks.com)

· The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Party was a smashing success … except for the whole hepatitis A thing. That kinda takes away from all the hot models. (abcnews.go.com)

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Previously: Morning Wood Archives/Wet Spots Archives

Original post by Fleshbot