Source: Reuters
By: Dan Whitcomb
(LOS ANGELES, CA) — There are a million stories in the naked city. But just one “interactive” adult film, courtesy of Playboy TV.
The pay-per-view television network run by Playboy Entertainment Group Saturday will air “Fast Lane to Malibu” – billed as the world’s first erotic feature that allows viewers to control the action.
Richard Rosetti, president of production for Playboy Entertainment Group, said “Fast Lane” will kick off a series of interactive films for the network.
“Its a first, I’ve never seen anything like this done before,” Rosetti said. “This is fully interactive.”
“Fast Lane” follows the adventures of two college roommates, Zack and Brian, who set out for Malibu after being invited to a party where the women are attractive and the men in surprisingly short supply.
Their journey is beset with distractions and unexpected turns – car trouble, unruly or curiously promiscuous locals – and with each plot twist audience members must advise the lusty but indecisive lads on the best course of action.
Also needing an occasional word of advice are Zack and Brian’s girlfriends, who follow the men to Malibu but who also find themselves sidetracked – and at one point must decide whether or not to participate in a “wet T-shirt” contest.
The film, which will be shown twice Saturday night in order to be live on each coast, stops at five points in the story as live Playboy hostesses invite viewers to vote – by phone, fax or via the network’s Web site (www.playboytv.com).
The plot line that wins the popular vote after about five minutes will determine what happens next, Rosetti said, and all of the choices have been prepared for broadcast.
“It was a unique experience to film the various options knowing that any of them could be included in the story,” he said. “And that the viewers on the east coast could choose an entirely different story from those on the west coast.”
A non-interactive version of the movie will later be sold in video stores. Rosetti said the film was produced “very tastefully” by Indigo Entertainment and are considered soft-core or “a little harder than an R-rated film you would see in a theater.” And indeed, ”Fast Lane” includes no shortage of sex scenes that would require an NC-17 rating in a theatrical release.
Playboy spokesman Frank Marchesini said the network is available by cable in 20 million households in the United States and Canada and nine million viewers via satellite dish.
