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CNN Live At Daybreak

New Museum Arousing Curiosity in Hollywood

Aired January 26, 2004 - 05:20   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, it's all about sex. A new museum is arousing curiosity in Hollywood.
And our Miguel Marquez takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In a world where Madonna and Britney lock lips on national television; in a world where the Internet can pipe in porn whenever, wherever; in a world where sex itself can seem over exposed; is there any point to a museum devoted to eroticism?

ERIC SINGLEY, CURATOR, THE EROTIC MUSEUM: We kind of have a different goal in mind. Of course, it's a private enterprise but, you know, I get off on bringing ides to people and not just sort of hearing the register ring.

MARQUEZ: One of L.A.'s newest enterprises, an erotic museum right on Hollywood Boulevard.

TARA SALINAS, MUSEUM VISITOR: We're from Arizona so we don't have things like this in Arizona, so, you know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

MARQUEZ: Toto, we're not in Phoenix anymore.

The museum restores a little glamour to the once main street for the film industry. It follows after New York's Museum of Sex, or Mosex, and it treats sex as more than a one night stand.

SINGLEY: Here you find other sides of the topic discussed, the history, the ins and outs, the sort of psychological side, the commercial side.

MARQUEZ: There is, of course, the Kama Sutra, the ancient South Asian writings about the ways to have sex. The museum chronicles sex through the ages, even bringing us up to date on the advances technology has brought to sex.

MELISSA BLACKMORE, MUSEUM VISITOR: I think the history of it was pretty interesting, you know, to see that there were films and pictures from, you know, early 1900s. That was pretty interesting.

MARQUEZ: But it gets a little more interesting. There are hands on displays, art that evokes then maybe provokes. ERIC USTATION, MUSEUM VISITOR: Well, there was a couple of things upstairs that were a little like whoa.

BLACKMORE: Yes.

MARQUEZ: There's even a gift shop where you can pick up a corkscrew.

SINGLEY: As a museum, it's sort of our job to kind of enlighten people on our subject, but at the same time I didn't want to be stodgy, you know?

MARQUEZ (on camera): Some see museums like this as nothing more than a thin cover for porn. Others will see it as art and history. It seems beholders will have to get their eyes on it to decide for themselves.

Miguel Marquez, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired January 26, 2004 - 05:20   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, it's all about sex. A new museum is arousing curiosity in Hollywood.
And our Miguel Marquez takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In a world where Madonna and Britney lock lips on national television; in a world where the Internet can pipe in porn whenever, wherever; in a world where sex itself can seem over exposed; is there any point to a museum devoted to eroticism?

ERIC SINGLEY, CURATOR, THE EROTIC MUSEUM: We kind of have a different goal in mind. Of course, it's a private enterprise but, you know, I get off on bringing ides to people and not just sort of hearing the register ring.

MARQUEZ: One of L.A.'s newest enterprises, an erotic museum right on Hollywood Boulevard.

TARA SALINAS, MUSEUM VISITOR: We're from Arizona so we don't have things like this in Arizona, so, you know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

MARQUEZ: Toto, we're not in Phoenix anymore.

The museum restores a little glamour to the once main street for the film industry. It follows after New York's Museum of Sex, or Mosex, and it treats sex as more than a one night stand.

SINGLEY: Here you find other sides of the topic discussed, the history, the ins and outs, the sort of psychological side, the commercial side.

MARQUEZ: There is, of course, the Kama Sutra, the ancient South Asian writings about the ways to have sex. The museum chronicles sex through the ages, even bringing us up to date on the advances technology has brought to sex.

MELISSA BLACKMORE, MUSEUM VISITOR: I think the history of it was pretty interesting, you know, to see that there were films and pictures from, you know, early 1900s. That was pretty interesting.

MARQUEZ: But it gets a little more interesting. There are hands on displays, art that evokes then maybe provokes. ERIC USTATION, MUSEUM VISITOR: Well, there was a couple of things upstairs that were a little like whoa.

BLACKMORE: Yes.

MARQUEZ: There's even a gift shop where you can pick up a corkscrew.

SINGLEY: As a museum, it's sort of our job to kind of enlighten people on our subject, but at the same time I didn't want to be stodgy, you know?

MARQUEZ (on camera): Some see museums like this as nothing more than a thin cover for porn. Others will see it as art and history. It seems beholders will have to get their eyes on it to decide for themselves.

Miguel Marquez, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com