eXXXotica 2014 Video Review

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKMApgvMnjg?rel=0]

The video posted above took a lot longer than expected. It took a couple of weeks to compile the footage for my eXXXotica review and edit it all up with the voice over and now it’s finally done. It felt like it took forever because I wound up sitting at my computer editing every night and dozing off! That’s what happens when you have to work a day job and wake up super early to begin the long commute. Things have been pretty busy around here and may only get busier in the next month or so, but I will always return and begin posting again. It may take me a few extra days to churn stuff like this out, but I’m usually always working on something for the site in one way or another. I hope you enjoy the video especially if you’ve never been to an eXXXotica expo, this will hopefully give you some insight to what it’s like to be at one. I appreciate you stopping by! Follow us on Twitter @sexyarmpit

eXXXotica eXpo 2014 Comes to Atlantic City April 11th – 13th!!!

If you’ve been coming to The Sexy Armpit for a while, you’ve probably seen my coverage of various comic and horror cons at one point or another, but I’ve also covered a “Love and Sex” Expo several times that caught on like wildfire called eXXXotica. If porn stars and sex toys are not your bag, then you probably won’t be heading to the event at the Taj Mahal April 11th – 13th, but I will be. Out of all the eXXXotica installments I’ve attended, this will mark the first time that I’ll be at the Atlantic City version of the expo and my excitement is growing
The eXXXotica Expo and New Jersey have been in a long, erratic love affair for years now. Early on, the promoters of eXXXotica experienced some push back from not only the people of Secaucus, but also the city of Edison. Eventually, the event soldiered on and it’s been going strong for several years. Not only do they host the event in Edison, but also right on the boardwalk in Atlantic City, which is an awesome backdrop. The upcoming expo marks their 2nd year at the Taj Mahal. We may not be as cool as the west coast, but it’s obvious that New Jersey has plenty of perfect locations for hosting such naughty spectacles.
What is eXXXotica all about? One of the main attractions that gets people to come…to the expo is the fact that you can meet and talk to your favorite porn stars. This really is the Monster Mania Convention of the porn industry. For many, getting to rub…elbows with their favorite adult film icons is a huge selling point, but there really is so much more to it.
In addition to the adult film stars (over 150 of them but Kristina Rose, Jynx Maze, and Alexis Texas to name a few), eXXXotica also offers competitions, awards, seminars, concerts, exhibitor tables with new products, live performances, giveaways and after parties.
Plus, if you’re not familiar with it, it’s not just for guys, in fact it’s tailored for men, women, and couples – but those straight laced couples are gonna need to loosen up a little first!
Ladies are FREE on Friday!!!

New Jersey’s Great Pop Culture Moments 76: Rules of Engagement in A.C

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Rules of Engagement
Jeff and his friends winning at a blackjack table 
while their friend Timmy is supposedly bringing them good luck.
I find it to be a challenge to keep up with sitcoms. Every Fall season I see one or two commercials for a new show that I get geared up for, and then, after I watch two episodes, my attraction for them usually fizzles out. Rarely, there’s one that I get really into. Rules of Engagement wasn’t one of them. That doesn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy the particular episode that we’ll be looking at in this post though. Actually, it was mildly amusing and moderately memorable. To be honest, I’d probably be writing that it was completely forgettable if the action of this specific episode didn’t happen in one of The Sexy Armpit’s favorite places, Atlantic City, NJ.

If you’ve never seen an episode of Rules of Engagement, here’s the quick IMDB synopsis:

“Two couples and their single friend, all at different stages in their relationships, deal with the complications of dating, commitment and marriage.”

The recently cancelled Rules centers around Jeff (Patrick Warburton) a financial manager who claims he buys socks in New Jersey to avoid paying additional tax on them, and his wife of several years, Audrey (Megyn Price), an editor at Indoor Living magazine.

The show is set in New York. Exactly what part of New York is beyond me. Jeff loves New York sports teams, so it seems like they probably live in a nondescript part of Manhattan, especially since his wife works for a magazine which is likely located in the city. In this episode, everyone wound up about 130 some odd miles away in A.C…at the Taj Mahal to be exact.

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In Season 4 episode 3, “Atlantic City,” Jeff is heading down to A.C for a bachelor party, but the plans get squashed after he finds out that the bride has decided to dump the groom at the last minute. Jeff and his friends soldier on because they want to party despite the wedding plans being cancelled. Jeff opts not to inform Audrey about the non-existent bachelor party, but she winds up finding out anyway when she sees the former groom at a local cafe and confronts him.

Rather than sit home and take care of her annoying Aunt Judy, Audrey coerces her friend Jennifer into heading down to Atlantic City along with her, using the enticing offer of a free spa weekend as bait. Her plan is to get Jeff back for lying to her.

Soon, Jeff finds out that Aunt Judy cancelled her visit with Audrey, so for the rest of the episode the two of them make phone calls to each other featuring Aunt Judy impressions, fake doctors, and anything else that would keep up each others lies. Neither of them give up the battle, which is how Miss Sexy Armpit and I would probably act in a situation like this.

This was a decent episode, and I checked out a few others to get a better feel for the show. It’s not a classic show, but it’s fun for what it is. I enjoyed Patrick Warburton’s dry delivery and his chemistry with Megyn Price. They’re certainly not written to be the typical TV couple because they share a more realistic, imperfect relationship.

Rules occasionally whips out some pretty snappy dialogue also:
Russell: “Look If I wanted sex with strings attached, I’d bang a marionette.”
Timmy: “Now there’s a puppet show you don’t want the kids to see.”

Presently, you can watch Rules of Engagement streaming on Netflix also starring David Spade, Oliver Hudson, and Bianca Kajlich.

New Jersey’s Great Pop Culture Moments 73: The Bounty Hunter

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What I loved about the movie Hitch was Kevin James’ dance practice sequence. Unfortunately none of Kevin James comic relief was present in director Andy Tenant’s 2010 feature, The Bounty Hunter. With the supporting cast including the likes of comic actors such as Jason Sudeikis, Jeff Garlin, and Christine Baranski, it didn’t really make me laugh much. But luckily, it wasn’t as bad as Tenant’s 2008 movie, Fool’s Gold. But, since today is her birthday, I figured I’d post about a film starring Jennifer Aniston…and New Jersey!!!

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Butler and Aniston in front of the Taj Mahal’s main escalators

There’s wacky hijinks galore as the former Friend plays Nicole Hurley, a reporter who is targeted by her ex-husband and bounty hunter Milo Boyd (Gerard Butler.) Hurley jumped bail and Milo is pursuing her in order to gain a big pay day. In the mean time we’re supposed to be on the edge of our seats to see if all this hot and heavy action will cause them to rekindle their romance.

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A vibrant shot of The Atlantic City Expressway

Considering the abundance of New Jersey appearances, I still couldn’t bring myself to love this film. I definitely didn’t hate it either. It had some real potential to be a fun time, but it’s ulterior motive to be a rom-com is what keeps it from getting to the next level. It’s no surprise that I dozed off toward the end of the film, but I saw enough of it to make the assessment that it was steaming with mediocrity.

Butler does shine as Milo though. His snarky attitude and arrogant overtones work as a scoundrel, a Han Solo-type of guy. Butler brought Milo to life in a realistic way, but all gets weird when we see his macho bravado is all a front and he’s still actually in love with his ex-wife played by Jennifer Aniston. As Hurley, Aniston seems like she’d rather be sunbathing on some exotic beach getting photographed by hidden TMZ photographers. Even with that said, it’s hard not to like her…or LOVE her. Especially when she’s handcuffed to the bed. YUUUUP! That’s in the movie!

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The film would like the viewer to believe that Monmouth Park Racetrack is in Atlantic City

If you’re familiar with Jersey and you’ve seen the film, you probably noticed that the horse racing scene took place at Monmouth Park. The sequence pulled me out of the film because it was made to seem as if the race track was actually in Atlantic City and a line in the film confirms it. It makes more sense to the viewer, after all, but the filmmakers probably assumed most viewers had no idea that the Monmouth Park race track is over 80 miles away from Atlantic City. That’s easily overlooked.

Making up for any of the negatives here are some gorgeous shots of A.C. In fact, The Bounty Hunter contains probably the best modern-day footage of the Atlantic City shoreline in movies. Most of the films I’ve covered here at The Sexy Armpit that have depicted A.C are much older and America’s playground was clearly nowhere near as impressive as it is now. If only Jersey had nicer weather year-round, A.C would be as big of a travel destination as Las Vegas. Look out for scenes in the Taj Mahal, the White House Sub Shop, the boardwalk, the A.C Expressway, and numerous mentions of The Borgata.

Blue Jersey and Boardwalk Ice Cream Sundaes

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From The Ice Cream Bar at the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City
The above sundaes are offered at the new Ice Cream Bar at Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. Blue Jersey is inspired by the fact that Jersey is known for its blueberries, but there’s just too damn many blueberry things involved in that sundae. You have to be an absolute blueberry freak to order that. The second one is The Boardwalk sundae which sounds way too sweet to me but would probably appeal to a tween who is obsessed with Katy Perry. Being that it’s inspired by the boardwalk they forgot to throw in muffin tops, fried Oreos, and drizzle on some Ron Ron juice. 
I’m not trying to say I’m Martha Stewart or Good Housekeeping or anything, but one of the most fun things as a kid was when my parents let us make our own sundaes at home. On rare occasions my parents set my sister and I up with all the toppings on the kitchen table and let us go to town making our own ice cream monstrosities. Mine was usually more gross and ridiculous than my sisters was, and I never wound up finishing it, but the fun was in the process. My sisters was always logical and neat while mine was just a mess of everything available and it looked like something Scooby and Shaggy would devour after they inadvertently solved a mystery. This makes me wonder, what would be your perfect custom made ice cream sundae?