First Loves in Polaroids on ourfirstloves.com

The site ourfirstloves.com has collected many such stories, from falling in love with spaghetti to memories of first pets. They’re funny, heart-warming, and sure to make you laugh. There’s also someone who shares my first love. His name is Frank and he is 80 years old, but I think I have to visit him someday because he has what I want: an own library.

By Jessica Binsch

Feininger had been a student at Bauhaus and never meant to become a photographer. Initially he was trained to be a cabinetmaker and then later worked as an architect with Le Corbusier. At some point he gave up on architecture itself and focused on its photography, which led him to become a key photographer at Life magazine for over 20 years.

When he immigrated to New York in 1939 he found his urban utopia, a place even more bursting with life than Paris and Stockholm, where he had lived before. Besides his work as an alround photographer capturing everything from fashion events to car accidents, he found time to walk the streets of New York and portrait it in all its facettes. But unlike Henri Cartier-Bresson or Robert Capa he never waited to capture the one decisive moment. He rather tried to built the perfect impression by craftfully staging the picture he had in his mind.

As one of a few photographers of his time he was capable of successfully mastering craft and techiques with art and design. He considered craftsmanship to be the basic tool for his artistic expression—he saw the camera as the photographer’s typewriter. And this, in the end, made him an expert among experts. He wrote a number of standard references to photography, one of which you will probably know if you ever got serious with this artform: The Complete Photographer from 1978.

His work continues to define the image we have of New York until today. This probably explains the nostalgic feeling of ours when we saw the exhibition. If you have ever been there or not – Feininger’s pictures still feel strangely familiar.

Andreas Feininger
New York in the Forties
18.02.09 – 18.05.09

Bauhaus-Archiv
Museum für Gestaltung
Klingelhöferstraße 14
10785 Berlin

[Show as slideshow]

This was the perfect occasion for LA’s hipster crowd to sport their “unique” vintage style, look pretentious, and to– needless to say – network. Thus, Gondry’s devotees lined up in hundreds to worship the #68 of Stuff White People Like and killed time sipping Fair Trade latte-to-go and trying to reach a FOAF on their iPhones to get into the museum without waiting in the line. Actually, if you wanted to see Gondry himself in person, you should have arrived at least three hours before; otherwise you had to be content to seat yourself in the telecast room (like me). At least you could feel a little cooler for arriving nonchalantly in the early evening… or not.

Gondry turned out to be a pretty entertaining interlocutor, unlike his awful interviewer who, by the way, worked for USA Today (sic!). He seemed to have attended a workshop called “How to interview an artsy French guy”, according to his terribly unfunny remarks. For instance, after showing the extraordinarily beautiful music video of Mad World by Michael Andrews and Gary Jules, apparently shot in wintry Brooklyn, he asked Gondry: “So, tell me about this shoot. I bet it was cold, huh?” being the only one laughing about this, err… joke. Overall, the USA Today contributor was dreadfully stiff and inflexible, and he couldn’t keep up with Gondry’s quick wit and charming quirkiness. However, Mr. USA Today had his funny moment when he couldn’t stop coughing after choking on his water, even when the next video had started, and it didn’t cross his mind to remove the microphone.

Explaining his work on Be Kind Rewind, the French director and screenwriter mentioned his tendency to “induce chaos” and create “those Ed Wood situations” in order to “make things smooth”. He explained how he would deliberately do unpredictable things on set to unsettle the actors and to make them less focused on their own performance. Gondry criticized American actors, interestingly enough, especially the male ones, for paying so much attention to their appearance on screen. A little imperfection doesn’t hurt. Yet, “as a director, you have to constantly pretend to know what you’re doing”, he added.

Since an estimated 90 percent of the audience were likely to be Björk-lovers, they showed the music video of Declare Independence and Gondry talked about his collaboration with the, let’s say, headstrong Icelandic artist. Though the musician is infamous for her resoluteness and considerable intransigence, Gondry assured that he enjoyed working with Björk and that he admires how “hardcore” she is. Moreover, they share a contempt for potheads: “Björk and I, we hate pot smokers.” He further complained about his weed-smoking friends who want to convince him of their habit : “I don’t wanna do it and then I get upset!” It would have been interesting to know how many in the audience agreed with him in that respect. Contrary to many people’s belief that his work is heavily influenced by substantial drug use, Gondry also added that he couldn’t have shot that video in two days if he had been on drugs.

Despite their slight irritation concerning the filmmaker’s disdain for drugs (we’re still in California), the crowd was predictably pleased with Gondry’s criticism of American corporate capitalism. He uttered his doubts concerning working with film distributors or publishers as they always try to imitate his style in terms of the production of album art, posters, and other pop culture items. When asked about the White Stripes’ appearance on The Simpsons – where Bart ‘battles’ Meg and Jack White in a scene referencing Gondry’s The Hardest Button to Button video – the director said he was flattered and tried to use that footage for his DVD, but they wouldn’t let him. With a lot of French drama, he exclaimed: “Tell me, how fair is that?”

The last question was asked by a guy in the audience who had attentively noted that Gondry’s work was influenced by dreams and who wanted to know whether the artist ever has lucid dreams. Gondry’s priceless answer: “Yeah… but I have to admit, it’s always about disgusting sex.”

By Melanie A. Wolske

Since some might not consider a sewage plant the appropriate public service institution to be named after a former president of the United States, here comes another idea: The George W. Bush Library.

Its focus, of course, will be an educational one (which is why no books about sex are allowed). But what will you find there? See for yourself after the jump.

The library dedicated to “Dubjah” will include:

The Weapons of Mass Destruction Room, which no one has yet been able to find.

The Hurricane Katrina Room, which is still under construction.

The Alberto Gonzales Room, where you won’t be able to remember anything.

The Texas Air National Guard Room, where you don’t even have to show up.

The Walter Reed Hospital Room, where they don’t let you in.

The Guantanamo Bay Room, where they don’t let you out.

The National Debt Room, which is huge and has no ceiling.

The Tax Cut Room with entry restricted only to the wealthy.

The Airport Men’s Room, where you can meet some of your favorite Republican Senators.

The Economy Room, which is in the toilet.

The Iraq War Room. After you complete your first tour, they make you to go back for a second, third, Fourth, and sometimes fifth tour.

The Dick Cheney Room, in the famous undisclosed location, complete with shotgun gallery.

The Environmental Conservation Room, still empty, but getting very warm.

The Supreme Court Gift Shop, where you can buy an election.

The Decider Room complete with dart board, magic 8-ball, Ouija board, dice, coins, and straws.

Additionally, the museum will have an electron microscope to help you locate the President’s Accomplishments.

Admission: Republicans – free; Democrats – $1000 or 3 Euros

Twinity, which was released online at the beginning of September, provides a close-to-life animated version of Berlin. By logging in and creating an avatar, or virtual self, visitors can walk around the city. Every house is placed exactly where it is in real life, say the developers, company Metaversum.

Of course, the goal is to make money, so if you want to live in virtual Berlin, or shop, or advertise, you have to pay in a fantasy currency, which resembles real dollars and euros.

Now who is to say Berlin isn’t a place for innovation.

The animation is very life-like – except for the street style, which has been upgraded to chic business looks for the web version from the usual funky Berlin mix. I guess you might have to come here in person to fully experience this city after all.

My personal highlight comes with the quote of the day:
“Our computers are like SUVs – most of the energy they consume is used to propel themselves. Like the cars are so heavy they need all the energy to move themselves – not you!” so said Yves Béhar.

Yves Béhar is the founder of fuseproject and the dude who designed the Jawbone (a bluetooth headset that eliminates surrounding sounds while you speak) and the new NYC Condom dispenser:

With this quite plausible comparison (PCs = SUVs) he was referring to the One Laptop Per Child project started by Nicholas Negroponte. See this Video from the Design Miami 07 for a short wrap-up of the design side of the XO Laptop:

Yves Béhar is actually also one of the designers that contributed to the botanist series by orange22 that I stumbled upon later at ICFF. Orange22 claim that the pieces are sustainable and eco-friendly. I’m not too sure about that because the base material is aluminum. It is correct that aluminum can be recycled. But the amount of energy that is needed for the process is unreasonably high. No wonder the German green party has factually banned cans from the domestic beverage market. But anyway – I guess there are different shades of green, right? At least the look and feel makes me wanna have one (and you don’t throw benches away that often):

This one was designed by Yves Béhar but speaking of natural products you may also check out that one:

In fact they are all quite sleek.

Probably the complete opposite of it may be the chairs and benches that sixinch from Belgium put on display. They have really nice pieces in general. What they showed on ICFF was “classical” chairs covered with foam. Sorry, but that was just cheesy:

Again: check out their website as they have other stuff that I actually like.

Next thing that I want to point out is the Geneva Sound System. It has an iPod dock, radio and CD player while you can also close the top flap to make it look like a simple cubic speaker on a stand. This is (for me) one of the most advanced iPod based products that I have seen yet. As in the U.S. virtually everyone has one – why not?

If I will ever live and work in a loft, I’m sure I’ll go to M2L on 215 E 58th St in New York first thing in the morning to get one of these babies:

What you can’t really see on the picture is that you can flip the plate on the hemisphere in the front, which will serve as a table. It’s a great workspace when you just need a laptop and a phone to start working. And the look is so 60ies futuristic, it’s just beautiful.

M2L is represented as part of a Dutch collective at ICFF. Check this PDF out if you’re interested in more design from the Netherlands.

Other designers that I liked (but weren’t on the designboom market) where Takumi Shimamura and Isaac Arms(although his website sucks).

Last thing for today’s post is designboom.com which is a website/blog that covers art, design and architecture. They also organize design competitions, online classes, a web shop and so called ‘designboom marts‘ one of which is currently taking place at ICFF. The concept is to put 40 young professional designers in a flea market setting with products in a range of 10 – 100$. The designboom mart is really worth seeing and very different from the rest of the booths. What I really liked was the Milk Gone Bad lamps by Anatomic Factory:

Also quite nice the Block Night Light by 25togo:

They actually didn’t have that with them but sold their My Document laptop sleeves instead. But I like the lamps better.

These were my personal highlights of the ICFF 2008 in New York. I have to go…Good night!

By Semir (double post)

Following Will.I.Am’s wildly popular “Yes We Can,” featuring soul saint John Legend, basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and the angelic Scarlett Johansson (just to name a few), TI$A (from the superior, but much overlooked, hip-hop/r’n'b producer/writer/super group Sa-Ra Creative Partners) drops another MTV/Hollywood gem to keep the election spectacle vibrant.

This time around, Obama is backed by R&B young ‘un Chris Brown, and hip-hop icons Jay-Z and Kanye West (really, just to name a few!).

In what is likely to go down in Election-’08-history as probably the most neo-artsy-add’o'lescent-chic contribution (don’t fret if you don’t know the word, I just made it up!), probably one thing stands out more than the neon-rocking dancers: the demographics! Predominantly African-American, young and “hip” (I struggle to not add the “hop”) voters.

Admitted, I can picture 55-year-old Sam from Bucks County, PA, driving home from the daily treadmill singing his heart out to the tunes of “Hot 4 Hill,” but I just can’t see him do the bump ‘n grind with the missus, or hanging out with his buddies on the front porch, to the sounds of “We hood, we votin’, and throwing it uuup!” (as much as MTV would like us to think that the elderly actually do that).

In effect, this could become indicative of the challenges facing the future Democratic presidential candidate. If Obama is elected, will Hillary’s “Sams” look to the Republicans for an encore (I propose: “Insane 4 McCain”)? If Hillary is elected, will Obama’s “TI$As” choose to dance it out in the streets rather than duke it out in the voting booths? Basically, will either candidate be able to beat their (wanted or unwanted) demographic pigeonholing as the clock winds down on the Dems?

While I can already see the Berlin club kids dying to jump on this bandwagon, I’m looking long and hard for the Hillary voters “up in this…”

By Peter Dahl

There is something close to biblical about rain, when the skies give way to an almost cathartic downpour, draining off the drudge, sins and conversation-residuals clogging the streets. In any Hollywood movie (especially considering the writers’ strike) it could have been a Second Coming scenario, yet it was an unassuming Monday with weather more befitting of an unassuming British city pronounced Gloomster (but probably spelled Gleucmcester) in the midst of Berlin. The prophesized savior of American politics, Barack Obama, drew close to a 100 people, who sought shelter in the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung on this rainy, borderline-suicidal Monday evening, to learn about the self-professed harbinger of a new era – in a country so far from theirs.

Needless to add, Obama himself was not there. Instead we were served a German debate between Christoph von Marschall and Anjana Shrivastava. Marschall is a Tagesspiegel editor and US correspondent since 2005, whose book “Obama – the Black Kennedy” appeared short before Christmas. Anjana Shrivastava, American, a Harvard-graduate and former Wall Street Journal Europe essayist turned Berlin-based writer, currently writing a weekly colum, “Winning the White House,” for Welt Online. Barack hardly needs any introduction: upbringing in Hawaii and Indonesia, white Kansas mother and Muslim, black Kenyan father, his work as a community organizer on the Southside of Chicago, his self-confessed “blow”-record, his being the first black president of the Harvard Law Review, his election to the U.S. Senate in 2004, and his catapulting onto the world stage as the most colorful candidate (no pun intended) of the 2008 US presidential election. Still, the quest for “the true identity of Obama” seems never-ending. Is he black or white? Does he have any connection to Osama? Too green, or just what the doctor prescribed? Political pragmatic or polemic stunt? “Hopemonger” or a new Messiah?

Christoph von Marschall, the designated “BaraXpert,” having personally followed Obama on his campaign trail, offered an introduction and projection of his very own “Black Kennedy.” First the standards: Upbringing in Hawaii and Indonesia, white mother, black father – you know where I’m going. Then came the interesting and (sometimes unintended, I reckon) controversial part…

Black Hole or Full Circle?

Be it his autobiographic narrations of his substance abuse to help him through college, or his wife, Michelle’s, (half-joking) accounts of Barack’s smoking habits, the Obamas have done little to seal off the fact that he is human. A gift and a curse, Marschall proposed. “His life story is his political programmatic. Obama has become a parable of the American Dream. His rallies are reminiscent of religious events, and at times a simple sign reading ‘Hope’ or ‘Change We Can Believe In’ – not even mentioning his name – is enough to cause hysteria,” the Tagesspiegel correspondent observed. Ever since his now famous 2004 keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in Boston, MA, Obama has become something like a “’projection screen’ for hopes and dreams not even an Übermensch could fulfill,” Marschall continued.

The symbolic of Obama and his 2004 keynote address was not lost on the analyst, either. The Illinois Congress member won wide popularity with his glorious eloquence, as did another Illinois Congress member, Abraham Lincoln, who won his presidential endorsement at the 1860 Illinois Republican State Convention, and went on to become one of the single most popular presidents in the history of the United States. Should Obama go on to become the 44th US president, this would, according to Mr. Marschall, mean history coming full circle: beginning with Lincoln, hailed as the abolisher of slavery, and ending with Obama, the first African American president in US history. To draw attention to Lincoln’s debatable opportunist use of abolitionist rhetoric to favor the Union would have been futile. To remark that Lincoln self-admittedly would have sustained the peculiar institution to save the Union, and if so would have transformed the “full circle” into a ring of fire, would have spoiled the mood. And, arguably, Lincoln’s early stance on slavery should stand in the shadow of his contribution to its eventual abolishment. Yet, good as Mr. Marschall’s intentions were, and they really were, they somehow seemed symptomatic of a campaign in which gender and race seem to have taken up as much energy and media coverage, if not more, as Iraq, the economy and health care combined. When Marschall mentions something as bluntly stereotypical as Barack and Michelle’s “two cute black girls” as trump cards in the candidate’s campaign-image – as opposed to Hillary’s “old” looks, Bill, or, if Bill’s busy, Chelsea – people can question Obama’s shade of “blackness” till kingdom come. The reasoning seems to question whether Obama would even be where he is now, had he been a mid-40s white Illinois representative named Gill.

“Der Präsident ist sehr viel learning on the job”

Around this point Anjana Shrivastava joined the debate, and suddenly it became oddly emblematic of the real (U.S.) debate. Before us a middle-class woman, weighing Obama’s lack of experience against Hillary’s, and a white middle-class man, who was coming around to this Obama-spectacle.

What ensued was a long round of pro-Obama/pro-Hillary jabs – because, frankly, no other candidate than “HillaBama” was mentioned, as seems to be the trend as of “late” – and a more-than-occasional collision of misunderstandings.

Principle of Reality Control

Cristoph von Marschall offered that 40% of American voters say they would never vote for Hillary, because of her “polarizing nature,” and therein lies Obama’s strength – in his ability to unite people and work across party lines. Indeed, Obama has proven himself a “complex uniter” – as someone who is not afraid to go bipartisan to seal legislation – a feature not lost on voters disillusioned with the current state of Washington. His tireless rants against the lobbies on K Street have had people rally around his flag, who see the pie getting bigger, but their piece smaller. To gain so much popularity off of going against forces that can usually make or break a candidate (and without being mistaken for Ralf Nader, at that) is nothing short of audacious. More importantly, his ability to mobilize youth is spectacular, considering past records among young (potential) voters. According to CIRCLE estimates, in Iowa alone, the turnout rate amongst youth aged 17-29 increased from 4% in 2004 to 11% in 2008, while the number of youth who caucused almost quadrupled from 14,940 (or 3%) in 2000 to 56,875 this year. Also, bouncing back from initial doubts in both black and white camps as to the “racial identity” and “electability” of Obama, his win in Iowa suggests him gaining a feasible majority of the “black votes.” It is said that the one who wins the “black vote” wins the election. CNN exit polls predicted that Obama would have won 73% of the “black votes” in Michigan had he run – an estimated 22% would have voted for Clinton. This situation has only become more desperate for Hillary, in the wake of her and her husband’s recent rhetorical missteps. That being noted, however, there is nothing new about working across party lines, as such.

The notion of party loyalty in the US, as we know it from Europe, is a common misconception. Surely, since the Democrats won both the Senate and the House in November 2006, the drawing of party lines has become sharper. But in a two-party system, where not even the party of the President can turn a blind eye on the “goings-down” of things, there is a good chance you will find a New York Republican having more in common with a Texas Democrat politically, than with a Utah Republican. The skill to create coalitions and work across party lines is, in many ways, a prerequisite if you want to prove to the voters, who got you into Congress in the first place, that you can bring home the bacon. This explains the 2006-voters’ frustration and disillusion with the Democrats, spearheaded by Miss Pelosi, who have acted as the blueprint of how sticking within party lines can get you close to nowhere. Indeed, the future president will have to balance a double-edged sword: on the one side, the need to prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that he or she can single-handedly make tough decisions; on the other, the need to unite, to cooperate and communicate, to move the country in the right direction – even if it takes donkeys and elephants to get there. The latter is where the Bush Administration has failed miserably, and cut itself fatally.

Obama is a political prototype of a “uniter,” which unquestionably worked in his favor in the early stages of the campaign, where he created a warm contrast to the, sometimes, cool machinery of Senator Clinton’s. But both camps have had to realize the complexity a potential president’s character must contain in 2008, neutralizing their weaknesses by borrowing the other’s strengths. What has followed has been a brouhaha of WWF-style “Mr.&Mrs.”-tag-team attacks and misty-eyed masterpieces. Whoever can keep up the act the longest is likely to win the Democratic nomination.

Principle of Experience

Back to Berlin where Shrivastava played the “inexperience” card: Against Clinton, Obama was too young and green (and we’re not talking hybrids here) to get the nation back on the right path. “If Daimler Chrysler were to propose a 21-year-old to get them out of a crisis, people might be skeptic, too. I am not willing to experiment!“ she reasoned. People got it. “Der Präsident ist sehr viel learning on the job,” Marschall responded. People got that, too. In the meantime, Shrivastava reloaded, took aim, and fired…hitting nothing but air. “International experience.” “Foreign policy experience.” “Obama’s been to London once, on a lay-over.” In her defense, this was in part brought on by the audience, who had inquired about a future president’s (read: HillaBama) interest in Europe.

Nonetheless, claiming “international experience” as a disqualifier for the presidency is a clear stab in the dark for two reasons:

1. For one, a considerable portion of the United States’ citizens has never traveled outside US borders, let alone to Europe. In 2005, the Economist reported that only 34% of Americans over the age of 18 have passports. Admittedly, that does not add up to not caring about international affairs; by all means, Americans have experienced first-hand the effects a bad image can have on a nation. Yet, the Bush Administration’s fatal ventures into distant plains (Iraq) coupled with domestic catastrophes (Katrina), a near-recession national economy and growing social differences, has created an urgency among the public for the next president to direct his or her focus inwards, and “stop playing cowboys” for the taxpayers’ money.

2. Most senators, who make up a significant part of presidential candidates, have little to no international experience. Their main concern is to represent the voters of their State and maybe an occasional business trip – something that requires a thorough national and regional knowledge, but does not necessitate a half-full “Where I’ve Been”-map. That happens when an Administration is appointed. Undoubtedly, Hillary has the advantage of having spent 8 years in the White House, “but during those two terms in the White House, Mrs. Clinton did not hold a security clearance. She did not attend National Security Council meetings. She was not given a copy of the president’s daily intelligence briefing. She did not assert herself on the crises in Somalia, Haiti and Rwanda,” NY Times revealed on Dec. 26, 2007. The “third” contestant for the Democratic nomination, John Edwards, spent 2001-2004 organizing “tutorials, roundtable discussions with foreign policy analysts at his Georgetown home, trips to hot spots abroad and meetings with foreign leaders to prepare for his presidential campaign,” according to a 2004 Washington Post article.

If we move to the Republicans, usually “international credentials” have consisted in serving in the military, possibly in Vietnam. But even here, Senator McCain is the only candidate left, who can claim that title. Giuliani was reclassified from a 1-A (available for military service) to a 2-A (civilian occupation deferment) in 1969 – having been rejected once in 1968, Giuliani was not granted deferment until his employer, Judge MacMahon of NY, “took care of things”; Huckabee was too young to be drafted for Vietnam; and the only “service” Romney has done is mission service. Matter of fact, only 5 of 15 presidential candidates served in the military: Ron Paul (R), John McCain (R), Duncan Hunter (R), Mike Gravel (D), and Chris Dodd (D). But, let’s be frank, we are not looking at no “Minister to France”-Thomas Jeffersons here.

Even so, Marschall pointed to two experiences that only Obama can boast: intercultural (USA and Indonesia) and interconfessional (Christian mother and Muslim father). And though the “Muslim-side” of Obama has received mixed reviews in the public debate, these qualities just might prove more decisive for the future of the United States than his cross-party line qualities, should he become elected. But there is a long and bumpy road ahead, with roadside bombs sure to be planted by both Republicans and Democrats. Whether Obama is truly experienced enough will depend on his ability to keep cool and steer clear. Then he might just navigate his way to the White House.

Who was Obama?

Outside the rain had subsided, the streets bathed in the golden light from the lampposts. Two hours past, and the notion of who Barack Obama really is seemed no clearer than the Berlin sky. Colorful politician or unelectable man of color? Political prophet or America’s next president? As Marschall said, “Obama’s political program is his life story – a parable of the American Dream.” But there is a long way from Lincoln’s one-room log cabin childhood in Hardin County, Kentucky, to Obama’s childhood in Honolulu, Hawaii. Dare the Americans keep the Dream alive – full circle?

By Peter Dahl

Yes, lumping together a whole birth cohort in a single catch phrase is bound to fail. In the end, I don’t feel part of generation X, Y or Z. While I sense a trace of unity when meeting people with whom I share the birth year, I doubt that this connection transcends watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on TV at the same age.

What makes me a part of generation Y then (I am slightly too old for the instant accessers)? Other people define me as. Why do they do that? Because they want to express their alienation with people of my age through a concept that allows them to point their finger at exactly what it is that they just can’t understand about my generation.

So everytime a new generation term pops up, this might be a sign that society needs to categorize a group of people. In the US, all these instant messaging, virtual socializing, mobile web-browsing teenagers just begged for an evaluation of their generation. In comes director and photographer Michael Franzini and his project “One Hundred Young Americans.” Out comes: “Generation Instant Access.”

The project paints the portrait of a connected generation. Book and website provide photos, videos and texts of those young persons on the edge to adulthood who can’t remember what it was like before music was digital and everybody possessed a mobile phone. Michael Franzini selected the 100 adolescents on the basis of US census data; they represent the US society in it’s composition. Despite all the postmodern fragmentation and the post 9/11 bewilderment, one significant difference that marks this generation aroses:

Cell phones, the Internet, and instant messaging give these teenagers a brand-new level of freedom. Their social networks literally span the globe. (Franzini)

Maybe that is what leaves so many people bedazzled and baffled at the same time – the impatient notion of accessing everything anywhere anytime, hence the categorization as generation instant access.

Enjoy some impressions from the project!

A brief interview with Michael Franzini can be found here.

[Show as slideshow]

Same goes for the TV station’s shows, where participants habitually get down and dirty in hot tubs, and stage dramatic cat fights which end up in some nice girl-girl cuddling (just watch The Real World!). Therefore, it was just a matter of time until porn would start looking like music television. Well, that time has come, and it ain’t as spicy as you expected.

AfroDite Superstar had its official European premiere at the Second Pornfilmfestival Berlin yesterday. It tells the story of two girl friends, who are trying to break into the rap world. One of them, Afrodite, is discovered by talent scout CEO and put into the spotlight, while the other one, Iris (notice the inventive names!), is the real talent who writes the songs Afrodite shines with. This is a blow to their friendship and Iris falls for the female stylist, who is really the big boss, but has to stay in the background because she isn’t accepted as a woman in the rap world. Another rapper and a dialect coach who teaches the girls some street cred are also involved. So far, so soap opera.

Various members of the cast get together in occasional sex scenes – and I do mean occasional, given that this is a porn movie the ratio between sex and talking is just depressing. Also, the scenes don’t spare a certain unintended comic, which the audience realized as well. Some of the highlights that caused outright laughter were a very sexy pair of underwear from one of the actors as well as the lines “I cannot do this. Your father – he is like a father figure to me!” followed by the almost untakeably corny line “Meet me in my room- in five minutes.”

What makes one wonder is that this movie is part of the festival’s female film section, where movies are shown that take on a woman’s point of view. Is that what female porn looks like?

A story that would fit The Bold and the Beautiful, hardly any getting-it-on, and no truly explicit action? This movie represented all the clichés about women and porn – that women need an extensive storyline, that they need a friendship part and lots of dialogues. Well, that has proven wrong here. The movie is a mix of Britney Spears’ Crossroads and quite a bit of your daily soap opera, while it tries to imitate MTV with confessional- type talking to the camera by Afrodite and a show that looks like TRL. Maybe this was intended to be a striking parody on today’s music television and the quest for street credibility, but it ends up being more corny than classy.

AfroDite Superstar oscillates between fun and funny, but a little more spice wouldn’t have hurt this one.

By Jessica Binsch

You can watch the trailer here.