Hot with a Chance of Sexy: Peter Dinklage

You say you wouldn't, but we all know that you would. I know I would.

In case you don't watch award shows or spend your valuable time wasting away on celebrity web and blog sites like I do, you might not know the name of the gentleman to the left. Yeah, you know you saw him in Elf, the Station Agent, and on television shows like Entourage or 30 Rock- but you can't remember his name: It's Peter Dinklage.

This sexy-ass 2011 Emmy award winning actor (Outstanding Supporting actor in a Drama Series for his brilliant portrayal of Tyrion Lannister on HBO's Game of Thrones series), was born on June 11, 1969 in Morrison, New Jersey. Peter's parents and older brother are all of average height, but he was born with Achondroplasia, which is a disorder of bone growth that causes dwarfism.

Peter Dinklage, with his dark broodingly sexy looks is of German and Irish descent (what the hell is up with me and Irish boys?). He has been married to his theatre director wife, Erica Schmidt, since 2005. They are expecting their first child later this year.




I still love this scene from Elf, so I thought I would share it as well:

Erotica vs Porn

A few weeks ago there was an erotic film festival here in town. I looked over the flyer and decided to check out one night of films that included the billing, "Sensual film lovers rejoice!" and that there would be "artistic erotic shorts portraying authentic female pleasure in a variety of sexy scenarios."

Because it was advertised in that way, I decided to check it out. While some of the shorts were indeed enjoyable, for the most part, I felt like I was just watching porn. Not that there's anything wrong with "just watching porn", I think that I let my own interpretations, expectations, and my own bias (female director) get the best of me. And it made me stop and think afterward: What is the difference between erotica and porn?

Of course the differences are completely subjective. One person's exciting erotic art is another person's visual Nyquil and it will quickly knock out your yes-yes area and put your ass to sleep.

One popular quip is that the difference between porn and erotica is the lighting. I personally like to think that the difference, in its broadest, most base heterosexual sense is that erotica is what straight men see and say, "No dude would ever do that." Porn is what straight women see and say, "No woman would ever do that."

Obviously the differences run much deeper. Violet Blue, an author and a sex columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, says it pretty well (to me):

Porn is something that is a graphic sexual image that conjures up an animalistic reaction in you. You like it or you don't. Erotica also is graphic sexual imagery, but it has an extra component or several extra components that resonate with the viewer- be it artistic, be it passionate, be it something the emotionally engages you, be it something that parlays into a fantasy that you have about sexuality or the way that you relate to the people on the screen.

That relating "to people on the screen" is a huge thing for me. I can remember back in the day watching porn with a churning stomach seeing men who were just genetic disasters except for their large penises, and thinking that it was impossible to be turned on watching these wildebeests rut. The very idea of porn became a turn-off for me because of that and the non-existent story lines. At some point I, like many other women, discovered gay porn. Although the story lines weren't much better, at least the "actors" were hot.

These days, according to Steve Hirsch, the CEO of Vivid Entertainment- the world's largest adult film studio- 30 to 40 percent of the porn market is female; and Vivid and other studios are trying to make (heterosexual) porn more appealing to women. And although he didn't mention better looking males, he did say that there's more foreplay and tease involved, as well as story lines.

So I put it you, dear readers, what do you think the difference is between porn and erotica- and more importantly, do you even care?

K-Y Intense Heats Up the Airwaves

I was in my chambers yesterday doing my favorite thing- well, 2nd favorite thing: lying in bed watching TV. Too lazy to change the station during a break in Real Bitches of Beverly Hills, I sat through a barrage of commercials not particularly paying attention until one with 2 women sitting on a bed. Wait- what? Turns out, K-Y is going a little GLBT- at least the "L".

While the commercial was incredibly tame and not provocative, I think it was appropriate in that it seemed to mirror other het versions of commercials for this product. I also think that it's really cool that not only did K-Y reach out to an obvious and very real target market, but that no one made a huge deal out of the fact the commercial was coming out (no pun intended).

For those of you who don't know what the K-Y Intense is exactly, here's what they say on their site about the product:

K-Y® Brand INTENSE® is uniquely formulated arousal gel that has women saying "it makes sex more satisfying." INTENSE® is not a lubricant, but a gel to be massaged on the clitoris to increase sensitivity, heightening the feeling of pleasure during climax. 75% of women in consumer use studies who used K-Y® Brand INTENSE® experienced heightened arousal, sexual pleasure, and sensitivity where it counts most. Our science + your art = intense satisfaction™ …for both of you.

Arousal is at your fingertips - or his. During foreplay, gently massage a drop (2-4 pumps) onto your clitoris. Most women in consumer studies experienced heightened sensitivity, increased pleasure, and a more intense climax. Re-apply as desired. Use externally. Hormone and paraben free. Approximately 20 applications.

Great explanation, but given their new commercial, they should change "Arousal is at your fingertips- or his" to "Arousal is at your fingertips- his or hers."

On a side note, I should also mention that many of my greeting cards not only celebrate femininity with natural imagery, the passages could come from either genders. Check them out at www.zazzle.com/chocolateandpearls.