2009: the year of the robot that mimics the love stylings of your favorite pornstars, a tiny little toy jampacked with ten eager tongues, and a wireless vibe that syncs with your iPod. So many innovations…but which were the best?

As the year draws to a close, we’ve reviewed our reviews from 2009, and scientifically determined just which toys were the best of the best this year. Below, our picks for the tops in toys.

10) The Real Touch: With a few rare exceptions, high end (and high tech) sex toys are almost exclusively targeted at women. The Real Touch is looking to change that. A high tech masturbator that syncs with POV porn, the Real Touch may just change the face of toys for boys. True, it has its problems (most notably, the fact that it won’t work if you’re not paying per minute for AEBN’s porn)—but it’s promising enough to give us hope for the future.

9) OhMiBod Freestyle: After years on the scene, the OhMiBod has finally reached its full potential. With the Freestyle’s wireless connection, you can finally rock out to your tunes without being tied down to them.

8 ) Tenth Anniversary Tristan Butt Plug: The Tenth Anniversary Tristan Plug takes a good thing and makes it better (or at least bigger). A beefed up version of the original Tristan plug, the 10th anniversary edition is a must have for any butt aficionado in need of an upgrade.

7) Bolero Straitjacket **BEST LUXURY TOY**: This delightful bondage device combines the efficient immobilization of the straitjacket with the delicious eroticism of being nearly naked. True, it’s not cheap—but if you’re willing and able to invest in your BDSM toy chest, it’s an excellent addition.

6) Imperial: With 11 inches of aircraft quality spun aluminum, the Imperial is bound to please any and all size queens—especially the ones who enjoy toys with the ability to pleasure and violently disfigure.

5) Bloomy: A wonderful dildo for the girls, and a p-spot stimulating butt plug for the boys—Bloomy’s a toy that everyone can enjoy! (Just, uh, remember to sterilize it before sharing.)

4) Finger Tingles **BEST BUY**: Since the day we first discovered sex, we’ve wondered whether there could ever be away to improve on the erotic abilities of the simple little finger. The answer, friends, is yes: with the help of the Finger Tingles, your mild-mannered digit becomes a super finger.

3) Contour Q **BEST DISCREET TOY**: Don’t be fooled by Contour Q’s innocent appearance: these bumpy little massage stones know their way around a woman’s body. And we do mean all parts of the body.

2) Sqweel: With the Sqweel, Love Honey set out to create a toy that replicates the sensation of oral sex. While they may not have quite achieved that goal, they did create a wholly unique toy that stimulates in a very unusual (and very pleasing) way.

1) Form 2: Small, sleek, and super-powered: the rabbit-inspired Form 2 has two silicone ears that are all revved up and ready to rock. And just like a real rabbit, this thing won’t quit until long after you’re satisifed.

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Here is an excerpt from an interview with butch/genderqueer performer Jiz Lee.

Jiz Lee exudes three things not frequently associated in tandem — sex appeal, brains, and sweetness — and copiously at that. High of cheekbone and strong of jaw, with a slinky frame and a startling, beautiful ethnic ambiguity, Jiz Lee has a face and name you don’t forget upon encountering. She walks the line between coquettish charm and full-on bravado, and in this she succeeds, exhibited tellingly by the opening line of the biography portion of her personal website: “With an ejaculation scene that knocked the concept of the facial cumshot on its ass, Jiz Lee unloaded into the revolutionary world of queer porn cinema.”

With degrees in dance and theater arts, Jiz Lee’s performance career began well before she started removing her garments on camera. Happily for her fans, she began to perform in queer porn while still remaining active in the local dance community, and she’s capably straddled both worlds ever since. I ran into Jiz in excess of five times before gathering my wits about to coherently request an interview, but I finally managed it. We emailed back and forth a few weeks ago and discussed her work as an adult performer, an artist, and a sex-positive activist.

SFBG: So, Jiz, what’s your back-story? What brought you to San Francisco and what led you to start performing in queer porn?

JL: I moved to the SF Bay Area from Hawai`i in 1999 to attend Mills College. My interests for a major were between experimental music (I was 1st chair French Horn throughout school and was part of the Select Band which toured the state. Band Geek!), in high school I had also performed in dramatic plays, and I was also in the Ensemble, the top level of dance which gave concerts regularly and through which I was able to take masterclass with well-known choreographers. (My background in dance began with Hula Auana and some Hula Kahiko and Tahitian which I performed with a Hula Halau and then in high school studied Limón modern dance technique and musical theater. I ended up finishing college with a B.A. in Dance and a minor in Theater Arts, along with a well-rounded liberal arts education that included Women/Gender Studies, and Queer Studies.

After graduation and working with several dance companies and non-profits, I began to feel the burn out. One of the festivals I produced lead me to meet Shawn, who now goes by Syd Blakovich. Syd told me about Shine Louise Houston’s new queer porn company Pink & White Productions, and asked if I were interested in shooting. I had become very comfortable with my naked body, particularly after touring with a modern dance troupe in a naked performance. I was also comfortable with my sexuality. I had seen “Please Dont Stop” “Hard Love & How to Fuck in High Heels” and Sex, Flesh in Blood”, however at the time there weren’t any porn opportunities available to me that I knew about until I met Shine, who’s first film was “The Crash Pad” and it’s all history from there.

I’ve since appeared in all of Shine’s feature films as well as her website, each of which has been awarded a Feminist Porn Award (in Toronto), the most recent being Champion which won Movie of the Year. I have also performed for Madison Young, and for Courtney Trouble who has run her queer company No Fauxxx for several years. Most recently I had the chance to work with Belladonna, a performer who was an inspiration to me when I first saw her work — she was the only pornstar I had seen with a shaved head. She’s athletic and a great performer and she’s very queer to me. “Strapped Dykes” releases soon and I was both honored to be a part of it, and thrilled about the rise of butch/genderqueer visibility in porn with casting of performers like myself.

Click here to read the full interview.

This is a public service announcement. I know I’m usually all about the boobage, but this was too important not to pass along to you!

From the Boston Globe:

GENEVA – In its first study of women’s health, the World Health Organization said yesterday that the AIDS virus is the leading cause of death and disease among women between the ages of 15 and 44.

Unsafe sex is the leading risk factor in developing countries for these women of childbearing age, with others including lack of access to contraceptives and iron deficiency, the WHO said. Throughout the world, one in five deaths among women in this age group is linked to unsafe sex, according to the agency.

“Women who do not know how to protect themselves from such infections or who are unable to do so face increased risks of death or illness,’’ WHO said in a 91-page report. “So do those who cannot protect themselves from unwanted pregnancy or control their fertility because of lack of access to contraception.’’

The data were included in a report on the unequal health treatment faced by girls and women.

Dr. Margaret Chan, the WHO chief, said women enjoy a biological advantage because they tend to live six to eight years longer than men. But in many parts of the world, they suffer serious disadvantages because of poverty, poorer access to health care, and cultural norms that put a priority on the well-being of men, she said.

Chan called it a “preventable tragedy’’ that nearly 15 percent of deaths in adult women occur in maternity, according to statistics from 2004.

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Please join Joanna and the BurningAngel girls as they support a very dear friend, Suzanne Hendricks Guerra at the Black and Blue benefit. Come hang out with The BurningAngel Girls, The Girls of Varla Magazine, The Angel City Derby Girls, DJs Danny Diablo, Chuck “Mean Hands” Prada and Paulie Gumballs. There will be plenty of giveaways and auctioned off merchandise including items from Madball, BurningAngel, Danny Diablo, Hatebreed, H2O, Pitchfork Clothing and much more.

WHEN: Saturday, November 14th 2009, starting at 3pm going all day long

WHERE: Third Rail Warehouse, 1947 South Santa Fe Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90021; $5 – admission and free beer!

WHY: Bad behavior for a great event with all proceeds going directly to aid and benefit with the medical expenses for Suzanne Hendricks Guerra – a member of the Madball family who is fighting a serious illness

In addition to the benefit on Saturday, November 14th, another benefit will take place on Saturday, November 21st at Vince’s Open Bar Ranch (733 Lillian Way – Hollywood, CA 90038). Same details as above.

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Candida Royalle, known for her internationally acclaimed line of woman-friendly erotic films, returned triumphant from her trip to Berlin where she was honored for her pioneering work in paving the way for women to create female-centered adult films at the first ever ‘PorYes’Feminist Porn Awards.

Also honored at PorYes was European director, Petra Joy, whose newest feature, “Feeling It!”, is being released by Candida Royalle under her Femme Productions label.

Royalle also presented an overview of her Femme line of films at the fourth annual PornFilmFestBerlin, an international gathering of filmmakers showing and viewing erotic-themed media from cutting edge experimental to documentary to explicit features.

Royalle introduced a series of clips to show the evolution of her film line that includes 18 features in 25 years. Inspired by the enthusiastic response, she is working on a compilation of scenes from her body of work that will include an option to hear her talk about each scene, including interesting behind the scenes anecdotes and why she chose to include each particular scene.

Royalle kicked off her stay in Berlin at the International Venus Erotic Fair where her celebrated line of Natural Contours designer vibes was on display. With her at their elegant booth were her Dutch designer and representatives of the Natural Contours sales team.

Royalle, a sought after speaker on women’s sexuality and free speech, is a member of the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT), author of “How to Tell a Naked Man What to Do: Sex Advice from a Woman who Knows”(Simon & Schuster), and a founding board member of Feminists for Free Expression (FFE).

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Maddy’s note: Also make sure you don’t miss Candida’s work as a performer!

October 13, 2009 by Christina

Tampa, FL – Adam & Eve Pictures’ biggest movie of all time, The 8th Day, won the coveted Nightmoves Award for 2010 Best Choice (which is shared this year with a Wicked Pictures release, 2040). Bree Olson, exclusive to Adam & Eve received the award for Female Perfomer: Fan’s Choice. Finally, new company SkinworXXX, Sun Goddess: Malibu, which is distributed by Adam & Eve and stars Bree Olson, received the Best All-Girl Sex Release: Fan’s Choice award.

The 8th Day stars Kayden Kross, Bree Olson, and Amber Rayne, and has already received a lot of critical praise and award buzz. The movie is Adam & Eve Pictures’ biggest production to date and is already topping sales charts in the adult industry!

After winning the majority of new starlet awards in 2008, it is no surprise that Bree Olson is still a fan favorite. It is obvious why in Sun Goddess: Malibu, in which Bree gives a stellar performance.

“It is an honor to receive these awards. Nightmoves continues to raise the bar on east coast adult events and we are so happy to be recognized,” says Katy Zvolerin, Adam & Eve Director of Public Relations. “We hope this will start a trend with this year’s awards season for The 8th Day and our girls!”

The awards ceremony was held at the close of the Nightmoves annual convention in Tampa, Fl on Monday, October 12th. Bree Olson, Kayden Kross, and newest contract star, Alexis Ford, were there all weekend signing autographs for fans and representing Adam & Eve.

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Jezebel is one of my favourite blogs about sexuality that’s written from a female perspective. Today I found an article about British porn regulations that prohibit depictions of squirting on film. Whether you believe all of those female performers can really squirt or not, the point of the article is that these regulations reflect a lack of understanding of (or even an unwillingness to understand) female sexuality. This is what stood out for me the most in the article:

The reason we still know so little about female ejaculation, and the reason the BBFCC bans depictions of it, may be one and the same. As long as real female sexuality remains shrouded in mystery, unknowable, Freud’s “dark continent,” then pornography can continue to depict a male-friendly version in which women love nothing more than multiple penetration and come easily with no clitoral stimulation. Even outside porn, the idea that women’s sexuality will never really be understood may seem both safe and attractive to male consumers — safe because it releases men from the responsibility of actually understanding what women want, and attractive because it puts real, messy female desire behind a gossamer curtain of confusion. It’s worth noting that squirting is far from absent from non-British porn, but the real issue here isn’t whether or not female ejaculation is depicted on film. The issue is whether those in charge of producing, distributing, and regulating film care about how female pleasure actually works, or if they have a vested interest in keeping audiences ignorant on this topic. In the case of the BBFCC, the answer still seems to be the latter.

Click here to read the full article.

CHARLOTTE, NC—SocialKink.com, the social networking site for the fetish community, is livening up the month of October with two giveaways of high-quality fetish merchandise.

The first contest has the networking site teamed up with RubberDoll, latex fetish model and force behind RubberDoll.net and ShinySluts.com. SocialKink has recently published an interview with the popular performer; everyone who leaves a comment on the article, which is featured on the site’s front page, will be entered into a drawing—the winner of which will receive an autographed collection of RubberDoll DVDs, seven in total.

The second giveaway relies on Twitter, the micro-blogging platform. Users who retweet a phrase and include the hash tag “#socialkink” will be part of a drawing to win a coffin-shaped red-and-black paddle, courtesy of Stockroom.com.

“I’m very excited, both to be the new admin for SocialKink, and to work with RubberDoll on this great contest,” says Daphne Reeder, who recently joined the SocialKink team. “We can’t thank RubberDoll enough for her generosity in providing one of the prizes, and I’m definitely looking forward to more great contests like this one!”

The contests both run through the month of October, with winners scheduled to be announced on October 30, 2009.

For more information, visit SocialKink.com.

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LOS ANGELES — Adult studio Pink Visual today announced that Brand Product Manager Kim Kysar will participate in the Lesbian X Rated panel discussion to be held Tuesday at the USC.

Presented by the USC College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, the Lesbian X Rated panel will include Kysar, documentary filmmaker Michelle Johnson and Roxxie from CyberDyke.net.

Organizers describe the event as an “academic discussion about the gender complexities and sexual eroticism of females in pornography.” It will focus on the difference between lesbian pornography intended for a lesbian audience, and that created primarily for a straight male audience. Video reels depicting the different forms of lesbian pornography also will be screened.

“I’m really looking forward to taking part in this discussion and screening, meeting my esteemed fellow panelists, and interacting with what I’m sure will be a very engaged, enthusiastic audience,” Kysar said. “I’m sure there will be a bit of controversy along the way, as whenever you discuss pornography.

“Even in an open-minded, academic way, there’s bound to be some strong and contrasting opinions expressed. I’m anticipating a lively, substantive discussion, for sure.”

To commemorate the event, PinkVisual.com is offering a half-price discount on all its DVD titles through the end of October.

“The half-price promo gives those not able to attend the event an opportunity to see the lesbian porn we produce first-hand, and stimulate their own discussions … or stimulate something, at any rate,” Kysar said.

The Lesbian X Rated discussion will take place from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday in room 101 of the Seeley G. Mudd building on the USC campus. Attendees must be 18 years or older to enter. The event is free to attend, and seating is offered on a first-come, first-serve basis.

“Down for the Count”…HAHA I get it!!

Why is Dracula smiling? The Halloween costume titled “Down for the Count” rattled a North County mom so much she demanded it be removed from a local store along with several other adult costumes.

Like almost every mall at this time of year, Plaza Camino Real in Carlsbad has a temporary Halloween costume store. The shop called Halloween Adventure is set up near the mall’s kiddie carrousel.

Among the costumes offered in the store were a Dracula costume complete with inflatable doll attached to his crotch and the retired Hooters girls.

The costumes were being sold not far from aisles that carried a large selection of regular costumes for children and adults, according to the North County Times.

When a 9-year old Oceanside girl went into the store with her grandfather and asked him to explain why the vampire was so happy, the girl’s mother complained to store management right away.

“I don’t care what they want to carry or who their customers are, but you can’t even put that kind of stuff on TV,” Alyssa Schrom told the paper. ”I just thought they shouldn’t have put them right at eye level where the kids can see them.”

The company reacted immediately and removed the costumes, telling the paper that they never want to offend a customer. They explained however that they had tried to put a sign in the window of the store warning that children should be accompanied by an adult but that mall officials wouldn’t permit it.

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