'Loveline' show steams up campus

Penn students served up queries on sex and relationships to the hosts of the hit MTV advice show. It was no-holds-barred this weekend at the Zellerbach Theatre, when the co-hosts of MTV's hit show Loveline, Dr. Drew and Adam, provided approximately 970 eager audience members with an evening of sometimes informative but always hilarious antics Saturday night. "Now is no time for inhibitions," Connaissance Co-Director and College senior Dara Gruen said. And with that, Dr. Drew and Adam -- whose full names are Drew Pinsky and Adam Corolla -- appeared on the stage. "What time is it? I gotta pee already," said Corolla, opening the show with a laugh. What followed was 1 1/2 hours of candid questions from audience members, medical advice from Pinsky -- who completed his medical training at the University of Southern California School of Medicine -- and humorous off-the-cuff remarks and anecdotes from Corolla. A girl in a leopard-print shirt and black pants stood up to ask the first question. She sought advice on the implications of a "threesome" between her and her two roommates -- one male and one female -- saying the three of them had often "joked around" about a three-way sexual encounter. "The guy isn't [joking]," said Corolla, whose final analysis of the situation was "go for it." The opening question provided only a hint of things to come, as brave students stood up one at a time to share their romantic misadventures. "I was a little shocked by people's questions," confessed Gruen, who had initially worried that audience shyness would prevent the show from being a success. As the evening wore on, it quickly became obvious that an exuberant audience would dispel her fears. One young man in a striped sweater stood up to ask a question concerning "a friend" who was 19 years old and had only kissed a woman once, "and it cost him seven bucks." Corolla joked about the friend's embarrassing and uncertain situation, explaining that it's easier to deal with romantic encounters when they occur gradually throughout adolescence. "You start smooching at 13 or 14, you grab a boob at 15," he said, acknowledging the awkwardness involved in approaching women for a 19-year-old inexperienced guy. Corolla asked the concerned questioner point-blank, "Why don't you plunk down some bread and get him a hooker?" One slightly timid male student wearing wire-rimmed spectacles stood up to raise a question about female orgasms. He wondered why some women experience "orgasmic incontinence," a strong desire to urinate before and directly after orgasm. The student asked if it was normal and what he could do to prevent the problem. Pinsky assured him that such behavior was fairly frequent and that it might be remedied by a change in sexual position or a speedier approach to sex. "Double down," said Corolla, adding that the questioner should "pick up the pace." Corolla concluded the evening with two anecdotes about his sexual experiences in southern California, including a story about his friend's expulsion of water from his rear end. Showing off his stand-up comedy background -- which includes work with the Groundling and Acme improv groups in Los Angeles -- he brought roars of laughter from the audience. Gruen voiced her happiness over the event's success, saying that there were "no major glitches" organizationally. Connaissance co-sponsored the event as part of the larger "Lovefest '99" with a number of other student groups, including the Tangible Change Committee. Gruen was also extremely pleased with the positive student reaction to the show and praised those willing to ask questions in such a public forum. "I really think that the people who asked questions had a lot of guts," said Gruen. College freshman Heather Lochridge said she enjoyed seeing Pinsky and Corolla in person after watching the show on television and listening to it on the radio. "I was star-struck," she said, adding that she was impressed by how relaxed and "real" the two charismatic stars were. She echoed the sentiments of fellow College freshman Sara Murphy who felt that "the coolest part [of the show] was just to see Adam and Dr. Drew in person," reflecting that it was "something I wouldn't have been able to do back in high school." However, Murphy did comment that compared to the television show, where anonymity of the questioners is maintained, the University event was "a lot less open."

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