This past weekend I decided to venture out to one of the ‘Scotiabank Contact Photography Festival’s’ open exhibits in Toronto. I hadn’t really been paying that much attention to the press releases that had been coming my way but one of them caught my interest because the exhibit called was entitled ‘Porn Candids: Between the Shots.’

Now, I’ve never in my life been a fan of pornography or pornographic imagery – I always think it’s so contrived and fake. Not to mention the fact that I’d rather be participating in what’s going on rather than just playing ‘jack the willy’ as some perverted voyeur.

So why did I decide to go? The exhibit was entirely comprised of photographs taken of people working in the pornography industry, but after the director (or pornographer) yells ‘cut,’ – making the images totally non-composed and natural.

Being a candid photographer myself I was instantly intrigued, and after viewing the rest of the event information on Contact’s website I made up my mind to go to the opening.

Arriving at the exhibit’s venue – I was warmly greeted by Anna, who is partnered to George, and together they own Northbound Leather, one of the most respected leather garment and consensual play businesses in the country.

After quick introductions Anna left me to talk to the exhibit’s photographer- Morpheous.

Morpheous has a very engaging personality and is very pleasant to speak with. He starts taking me around on a personally guided tour of his exhibit and as we continue moving through Northbound Leather’s store I can’t help but notice that more and more of the exhibit’s attendees are starting to follow us around the store to hear the rather unusual stories of how some of the portraits came to be.

Now, I’m not going to sit here and tell you about every photograph in the exhibit because of two reasons:

1. I’d be here forever, and
2. The whole reason I’m writing this is to get you to go out and enjoy this spectacular exhibit.

What I do want to do though is share the stories behind two of the photos that I found particularly interesting both visually, and from how Morpheous described how they went down.

This particular photo I I really liked because everyone in it is really enjoying themselves and having a great time – you just really want to know what the story is.

Morpheous explained to me that the photo was shot here in Toronto during the video shoot for ‘Desperate Housewives in Bondage,’ which was nominated for an AVN Award this year. Morpheous goes on to explain that it was shot in Velvet Sky’s home (the lady with the towel) and just prior she had been tied to the post behind her and stretched across the counter while “Maxine X used the Hitachi Magic Wand Vibrator on her until she squirted ALL over her kitchen countertop. She was used to squirting but not as much as she did and it shot about 6′ away from her…” Subsequently a towel was tossed to Velvet Sky and she started cleaning up her counter and howling with laughter manages to announce “I guess this is cleanup on aisle #4.” Which inspired it’s name – ‘CleanUp on Aisle No. 4.’

The other photo I wanted to share from Morpheous` exhibit (my personal favorite) was entitled ‘Metal Fingers’ and is a pretty graphic depiction of one of the more popular name’s at the moment in the porn industry – Sam Swift, getting pegged by a chick with a strap-on.

The set-up for this image, shot during filming for a step by step instructional called ‘How to Peg Boys for Girls’ involves Archean, the woman with the punk-esque expression, volunteering to be the ‘table’ that Sam Swift bends over to get pegged by the other woman.

Morpheous explained to me later re-passing by this photo that the woman doing the pegging was a strap-on virgin and didn’t know that you couldn’t just jam it inside a dude – Sam was unpleasantly surprised, snapped back and up – proceeding to yelp - Who doesn’t love the idea of doing Sam Swift though?

All in all, I’d say that this particular exhibit was definitely worth the time, especially with such comical stories attached to the images – every one of them also for sale in museum archival quality print.

Morpheous` exhibit  for the Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival will be on display until May 31st at Northbound Leather at 9 St. Nicholas St. in Toronto – highly recommended.

SERIAL SEAN
xo

On a recent excursion to Woody’s, a popular bar in Toronto’s Church Wellesley Village, a few of my comrades and I witnessed a particular drag show that made us parody the hugely popular Who Da Funk track – Shiny Disco Balls.

Without further ado or comments – please enjoy our inspired retake.

___

_________________________________________________

SHINY DISCO GUNT

(Who Da Funk Parody)

Drugs, Rock and Roll
Bad Ass, Woody’s Hoes
Late Nights, Booty Calls
Shiny Disco Gunt (x8)

Drugs (echo)
Rock and Roll (echo)
Bad Ass (echo)
Woody’s Hoes (echo)
Shiny Disco Gunt (echo)

Drugs, Rock and Roll
Bad Ass, Woody’s Hoes
Late Nights, Booty Calls
Shiny Disco Disco Disco Disco Disco Disco Disco Disco Disco Disco
Shiny Disco Gunt

Disco (x19)

Drugs, Rock and Roll
Bad Ass, Woody’s Hoes
Late Nights, Booty Calls
Shiny Disco Gunt (x2)

Shiny Disco Gunt
____________________________________________________

SERIAL SEAN
xo

PS: An audio version may be available soon : p

I realize that people somewhat cringe at the idea of venturing outside of the ‘oh so comfortable boundaries of Toronto’s Church Wellesley District’ for some fun and entertainment, but I recently (and frequently) do so to discover new areas of the city and new opportunities for personal indulgence.

My good friend Patrick, General Manager at The Annex Wreckroom, had been trying to get me to come out to this specific event for some time so I decided to give ‘YES, YES, YA’LL’ (a GLBT hip hop event) a whirl that night.

Off to Bathurst & Bloor I went.

Now, Most people will remember The Annex Wreckrom as the birthing grounds for DJ Shane Percy’s Grapefruit which has now grown into a larger capacity event and moved on and into Fly Nightclub to be able to house it’s partygoers – good on Shane for his achievements but even better that another GLBT monthly event grabbed the space.

As I stepped outside of Bathurst Station and looked down towards Bloor I could see a considerable lineup outside waiting to get in (The Annex Wreckroom is conveniently situated just barely down the street across from the subway), but the people lined up were all smiling and security was doing an excellent job of efficiently checking ID’s and ushering people inside.

After checking in with Patrick and having a quick beer (yes, I love the stuff, carbs or not) I was off into the fray of beats and bumpin` bodies – and man there were some hot bodies I’d like to have bumped into that night!

What was really amazing about jumping into the midst of everything was that Mark Atkinson, the owner/operator of The Annex Wreckroom, was right there in the middle of everything enjoying a drink and a conversation with some of the regular patrons of the bar and that specific event. I really enjoy seeing this kind of interaction from establishment owners and upper management – it really shows an appreciation of the people who come to spend their hard earned dollars!

Coming back for a refill of my drink, two of my favorite bartenders are both on deck smiling their pretty little heads off. Char & Lindsay, two of the most babe-illicious knockouts with attitude you’ll ever meet. Exchanging quick hellos and pleasantries because of how busy the bar was (it was a capacity event) I turned around and saw another good friend of mine – Diane, who is also the table/VIP server for the night.

After some dirty-dancing with Diane (girl knows how to dirty dance, trust), I decided that it was time for me to catch a cab out of there and back home.

On the way back, in the solidarity of the cab, I had a thought that often enters my head wondering why it’s so hard for some of the GLBT crowd to go out and try something new or explore the greatness that the city has to offer outside of the Church Wellesley District?

With a packed venue of GLBT partygoers and their friends, great music (especially if you like Hip Hip & RnB), a pool table, great friendly staff, accessibility right out front of the subway, and even a stripper pole! (Awesomesauce) – there is no reason.

But, I have yet to resolve this personal query so I’m going to ask my readers for plausible explanations on this.

Do you venture outside of Toronto’s Church Street neighborhood for new sources of entertainment? Make sure to let me know why you do or don’t.

SERIAL SEAN
xo

Photo: SERIAL SEAN

Ok,
so did anyone else notice Elevate on their opening night (2010.03.24)? Nobody could say that promoters Joseph Patrick & Sofonda didn’t do their jobs that night. Anyone and everyone was either inside or lining up down the sidewalk (read: down the entire block) in hopes of getting into the place to be witness to their huge Pride Toronto announcement and to see the event headliners, Girlicious, perform.

Luckily, I was inside well ahead of time – in the afternoon – talking to both Sofonda and Elevate’s security to ensure my admittance that evening to snag an exclusive set of photographs for my ‘Unhinged & Raw’ readers here on GGT 2.0.

Personally, I’m not even really a fan of Girlicious, but I am a huge supporter of the business community here in the Church/Wellesley Business District & of Pride Toronto, so my attendance was warranted – plus I am now able to add another ‘celebrity’ name to my photography call card. These were all more than enough reasons to make me attend a performance that I wouldn’t normally enjoy.

Before Girlicious` performance of way too much hair-flipping and I-want-to-ride-you-like-a-stripper-pole booty shaking for a crowd comprised of gay men, Sofonda & Joseph Patrick announced their 2010 Pride events of which they’ve dubbed ‘Epic Weekend.’

Photo: SERIAL SEAN

Saturday July 3^rd sees The Beach Ball on Toronto Island’s Hanlan’s Point, which is famously known as Toronto’s hottest nude cruising ground. Headlining this event will be Girlicious who reportedly will be bringing their full production set-up (which wasn’t present at Elevate’s opening) with the supporting DJ line-up to still be announced. With hot weather, hot bodies, and a specially licensed event on a nude beach you can be sure this is going to be a sizzling event.

The following day will be The Splash Bash in Toronto’s Dundas Square – an outdoor water and foam party in the centre of the city with music by DJ Brett Henrichsen and The Freemasons with supporting performances by Sofonda and a ‘surprise superstar performer.’ Also a licensed event, this will be sure to cool down all those hot sweaty bodies on Pride Sunday.

Photo: SERIAL SEAN

After Girlicious` performance the girls were quickly whisked to Elevate’s upstairs where they continued to interact with their fans and event attendees in very friendly fashion. Definitely a good public relations move for their upcoming Toronto Pride performance.

The question that still remains to be answered is if Elevate’s grand opening turnout will continue to come back in support of the establishment.

So let’s get our readers involved – being the newest dance bar to hit the village in a long time, do you think that Elevate has staying power or do you think that it will close it’s doors like other establishment’s before it?

SERIAL SEAN
xo

SERIAL SEAN is a Toronto based entertainment entrepreneur that specializes in publicity, event planning, public relations, journalism, photography/videography and is the creative director behind his Performance DJ shows. Contact him through his website http://serialsean.com.

We’ve all been the victim of back stabbing at some point in our lives. Some for being successful, some for being popular, and others for just being happy in life. We’re all to familiar with the common number one underlying reason for it all – Jealousy.

Jealousy is the driving force behind back stabbing behaviour. The weirdest occurrence of this behaviour is when someone who has called you a friend and claims that they think the world of you takes advantage of your trust and thrusts that cold sharp dagger in your back themselves.

I recently was the victim of this type of behaviour, and along with me – a few other close friends of whom had also done nothing to deserve it.

Read the full story

A neighbourhood resident is interviewed by the media after a differently-abled resident at 13 Homewood Avenue murders their Salvation Army assisted living worker. Photo Credit: SERIAL SEAN

Just after 11:00 this morning a fatal stabbing occurred at 13 Homewood Avenue in Toronto, just a few blocks east of the Church/Wellesley Neighbourhood.

Homewood Avenue has a history of street crime that includes drugs, prostitution, and physical violence. With this type of street crime occurring on an almost daily basis it comes as no surprise that this particular strip of Homewood is littered with rooming houses and low-income housing projects.

Unbeknownst to me until this violent homicide took place was that 13 Homewood Avenue is actually a Salvation Army assisted living house for the differently-abled – a supervised independent living address for those requiring just minimal assistance in their day to day living.

The victim of the stabbing is alleged to have been a woman in her 50′s and was the attending Salvation Army supervisor/superintendent. The accused is alleged to be one of the home residents, a 47 year old man.

At the time of this report no motive for the attack could be identified and the names of the attacker and victim were not being released by Toronto Police, most likely due to the nature of the attacker being differently-abled – complicating the case.

A number of reporters on the scene raised the question on if these kinds of living homes are such a great idea if the residents can act out at any given time for apparently no reason at all.

As a resident of a neighbouring building, I’ve always had an eye open for potentially dangerous situations when going out and living my day to day life – crimes of this nature can happen at any time and for any (and sometimes no) reason,  but with such a violent crime occurring so close to home I wonder if I have to start worrying about random unprovoked attacks like this in my neighbourhood in the future.

No official statement has been given by Toronto Police on what charges will be laid following the murder.

SERIAL SEAN

I’ve had such luck recently when trying to time things out.  When you’re an entrepreneur in the creative entertainment field with photography and publicity as extra offerings, you sometimes wear yourself a little thin.  It took many years for me to be able to regulate myself to the point where everything was balanced.

This can sometimes be the case with the holidays.  Invitations to social, work, family, and special events on all days of the week can leave you with precious little time after you’ve already gone to work and taken care of your own personal errands – starting to see where I’m coming from with this?

In today’s society, it’s considered more polite (and classy) to attend a few events a week and not make it a point to make sure you are at everything that is going on.  As much as people love seeing your smiling face, it can also turn on you in a heartbeat if you’ve over-extended yourself and appear tired and worn out.

So lucky you, I’ve put together a few helpful hints to get you through your holiday season.

Plan it out.
Get a calendar and mark down all of the events you have been invited to.  Decide which ones are most important to you to attend and ensure that you are prepared with holiday cards and appropriate cheer.  Make sure that the events you won’t be attending receive cards as well wishing that you could have made it (and make it a point next year that their event is to be attended).

Get Some Rest.
Being a good guest is just as important as being a good host.  Make sure that you are properly rested, prepared, and lightly fed, before heading out to a holiday event.  This will make sure that you are alert, smiling, and a pleasure to be around (plus having a snack beforehand will prevent you from gorging yourself at the snack table or cheating on that new diet).

Drink Responsibly.
While the holiday season does bring people together, it can also bring a lot of glasses together in celebration of said holidays.  As much as the host of an event is responsible for you, it would be so much easier on them if their guests were respectful enough to make sure they were responsible for themselves.  Monitor your alcohol intake and keep an eye out for others – not everyone had as great a year as you did.

Enjoy yourself.
Nothing says ‘happy holidays’ more than a genuine warm smile and a hug when you see someone you know.  The holidays are supposed to be a time of people coming together and celebrating their year.  I’ve noticed recently that people have become more hands off in their greetings.  While certain flu strains are keeping people from being friendly, there is no harm or foul in a good old fashioned holiday hug.  Just make sure it’s someone you know, or if truly in the spirit of the holidays – hug someone new.

Take Some Time.
Nothing is more important during the holidays then remembering that you do need time for yourself with all the saintly goodness you’ve done to everyone else.  To avoid burnout and irritability, make sure that you do have time set aside to do some things that you want to do this holiday season – you’ll be jollier all through winter if you do.

In closing, everyone is in a rush during the holiday season, be kind to each other and forgive the little mishaps that might happen along the way – nothing destroys the holidays like a grouchy Grinch.

SERIAL SEAN
xo

PS:  Recovering from surgery is coming along faster then expected.  I’m up and around the city again so keep an eye out for a maniacal holiday smile and a slight limp.  Special thanks to those readers who took the time to send me ‘get well soon’ emails : )

This entry is being written from my bed.

I was in for surgery Thursday morning and am quietly recovering at home receiving the occasional visitor with care package in hand – aren’t friends lovely?

Since I have yet to add to this column anything really personal about myself, I decided that this entry would centre around my surgery and how wonderful our Canadian Health Care System is.

But before we dive into what happened yesterday, let’s go back to about April or March when this all first started. Read the full story

MLT Victory Ball, Primrose Hotel, Toronto Canada

True, each pageant’s winner must selflessly give of themselves for a year after being awarded the title, MLT differs in the respect that personal core values must be aligned with that of the Leather Community – a community that does astounding charity work and raises funds for many non-profit and charity organizations. Being a charity fundraiser himself, SERIAL SEAN definitely gives two very big thumbs up!!

This year’s winner was David Ivey, Mister Leatherman Woody’s/Priape, and will continue to represent Toronto in the Mister Leatherman International Competition.

A new restaurant is opening!

Pizziolo, a North American known pizza establishment, will be opening it’s doors very soon on Church Street – just a few doors south of Woody’s.  The gourmet pizza restaurant will be licensed (that’s right, pizza AND beer) and I’ve confirmed that they will be doing community and charity work as well!  What a great way to start the new year!

In Other news, Dance Camp also occurred over the MLT weekend which included a performance by local performer Gia. ‘Camp’ was definitely a word to be used as the young performer did a saucy rendition of ‘Candyman,’ from the Scandinavian band Aqua – most noted for their single ‘Barbie Girl’ in the late 90′s.

With many other events occurring around the city in a less than lip-synced fashion, I think that Toronto is headed straight into a renaissance period of artistic re-creation.

What are your thoughts?

SERIAL SEAN
xo

This past weekend had a few memorable events occur. First, on Saturday night, Tel Aviv DJ/Producer, Tommer, landed at Toronto’s Fly Nightclub. Once local DJ Jamal warmed up the crowd, the alcohol started flowing, the water bottles were held high, and the evening was full of shiny sweat-streaked faces all through the night. What will probably be a blur to many people present that evening will undoubtedly be a returning event in the future.

Second, Sunday night featured the finale showcase (and added date because of the show’s demand) of local darling Nina Arsenault’s ‘The Silicone Diaries,’ which was a sold out show all week – leaving many people without even standing space at Toronto’s Buddies In Bad Times Theatre.

‘The Silicone Diaries’ has been in the media all week, with rave reviews from all of the local theatre critics and papers – 4 out of 4 stars, spectacular indeed. If you missed Nina Arsenault in action this time around, you’d better make sure you buy your tickets in advance for her next awe-inspiring performance.

Last, our very own GayGuideToronto.Com founder, and Toronto’s 103.9 Proud FM media star, Shaun Proulx, returned from Los Angeles after interviewing Buck Angel and gets ready to host the upcoming Mister Leatherman Toronto Competition. The competition weekend kicks off tomorrow with a tribute dinner for the 2009 titleholders and runs through until Sunday with the 2010 competition & Victory Ball.

Make sure that you check out the complete run of events and after parties on the MLT website – I’ll be attending most of these events as a media correspondent and photographer so make sure to say hi and enjoy yourselves responsibly!

SERIAL SEAN
xo