The Center for Sex & Culture Hosts 2009's Live Masturbate-a-Thon On Saturday, May 2nd, Hosted by Nina Hartley, April Flores, Carol Queen and Sister Roma. The Center for Sex & Culture, originator of the live Masturbate-a-Thon, will hold its event showcasing solo sexuality on May 2, 2009.

Hosting the event and anchoring its live webcast will be CSC co-founder and executive director Carol Queen, Ph.D. She will be joined by celebrity hosts, including Kirk Read and two popular erotic performers: ''America's Porn Sweetheart'' Nina Hartley and plus- size favorite April Flores, a.k.a. Fatty Delicious.

Doors will open at 11 am for competitors seeking to best the current world time record (currently 9 hours and 33 minutes for males and 7 hours and 6 minutes for females), and the door time for non-competing masturbators is 2 PM. Paying voyeurs may begin arriving at 11 am for the first seating ($15/ticket, good for the first half of the event); the second seating is at 4 PM and the ticket price will be $25.

The event is expected to last until approximately 9 PM and will be webcast live --to over-18 viewers only-- from 4 to 9 PM. Masturbate-a-thon.com, the site devoted to the event, historically receives a significant spike of interest and web traffic just before and on the day of the Masturbate-a-Thon. In 2008 www.masturbate-a-thon.com rose to approximately number 35,000 out of six billion websites as word of the event spread and the curious visited the site for information; between 30,000-60,000 people watched the webcast for all or part of its duration. We have participated in movies and television programs all over the globe.

New this year: Competitive Public Team Challenges in which one organization or business fields a team to challenge another. First to step up to the plate is the worker-owned Lusty Lady Theatre, whose challenge to the performers at the Mitchell Brothers O'Farrell Theatre, was issued this week but not accepted. Hopefully another club or organization will participate and give the Lusties a run for their money!

Also new: Besides the many erotic, burlesque, and musical performers who volunteer their time at the Masturbate-a-Thon (this year including singer/songwriter Mark Growden and author/performance artist Kirk Read), Good Vibrations will show its Independent Erotic Film Festival selections for the enjoyment and erotic inspiration of the participants (www.gv-Ixff.org). The video program will show twice, one per voyeur seating; it is scheduled at 2:30 and 6 PM.

Businesses, organizations and other entities can also sponsor and/or send representatives to the Masturbate-a-Thon: CSC is in conversation with Derek & Romaine's LGBT show on Sirius XM satellite radio and hope to welcome a participant representing the show, whose listeners will then be able to pledge her and subsequently receive a first-hand report from the field.

Mechanical sex machines may also be featured; we are still working out details.

ainews.com