Manly Monday: Commie, Homo-Loving Sons of Guns

 Culture  9 Responses »
Feb 232009
 

OMG! How much do I love Sean Penn?!?! I got so excited as I typed today’s Manly Monday entry — weekly celebrations of M-E-N — because I was 100% all about awarding it to Spicoli. (The Fast Times at Ridgemont High reference isn’t a backhanded compliment, by the way; I geniunely think it’s a testament to Penn’s talent as an actor that he’s grown to do flicks like At Close Range, Mystic River, I Am Sam and Milk.) Nevertheless, instead of only giving Sean Penn (ahem, ahem) the Manly Monday love, I decided to pick out a few male attendees, presenters, nominees and absentees of the 81st Annual Academy Awards who are equally deserving.

  • The Rebels. Johnny Depp. Mickey Rourke. And, of course, Sean Penn. Over the past few years, it’s been fun to see The Academy finally dole out nominations and awards to independently-minded men who take daring, unconventional roles and turn them into something special as only they can. How can you not love a guy who starts his acceptance speech: “You commie, homo-loving sons of guns [...]“???
  • The Winner. Will Smith. No, he didn’t win anything last night. But, according to Forbes, Smith commands higher box office and bigger “blockbuster paychecks” than any other actor in tinsel town. Folks, we have a winner!
  • The lover. I got really choked up when I heard Dustin Lance Black‘s tender, honest and heart-felt speech. As sex & relationships writer who happens to be a spiritual person, I kind of think got what he was trying to do. (But, I could be wrong.) I get the impression he was really trying to drive home the point that the word “CHRISTIAN” and the phrase “HOMOPHOBIC, SEX-NEGATIVE, RACIST, RIGHT-WING NUTJOB”  aren’t always symonymous. I don’t know; form your own opinion about his speech. You can read the transcript on GlAAD’s blog, but it’s worth it to watch the video instead.
  • The Guy Who Should’ve Been There. Benicio del Toro. Am I missing something or was someone missing from last night’s show?

Okay. So, I’m curious to hear what you all thought of last night’s show. Did you love or hate the Broadway musical inspired influence? Was it too long? Too boring? What would it take to make the Oscars more interesting? Pssst … If you liked Sean Penn’s portayal of Milk, you can watch a feature-length documentary about the real Harvey Milk free at Hulu.

Manly Monday: GQ’s 2008 Men of the Year

 Manly Mondays  12 Responses »
Nov 242008
 

Hmmm, a little birdie told me the newest GQ is the 2008 “Men of the Year” issue. It doesn’t hit newsstands until tomorrow but, because it’s Manly Monday and mama loves ya, I nabbed pretty little advanced copies of the four covers for you. Obama’s face doesn’t quite look like him and Jon Hamm looks like he’s wearing a toupee, no?

Nitpicky stuff aside (…What the fuck do I know about cover art? I’m neither a photographer nor designer…), I really gotta hand it to GQ for their awesome list of men. Phelps CERTAINLY looks hotter draped on their cover than he did on that goofy Sports Illustrated thing and Leo‘s lookin’ sexier than usual in the image above. If you wanna drool over more pics, watch a slideshow of the rest of the honorees online. Here’s the list:

  • The Boston Celtics – Champions of the Year
  • Thom Browne – Designer of the Year
  • Chicago – City of the Year
  • Aaron Eckhart – Villain of the Year
  • Brandon Flowers – “Killer” Year
  • Shephard Fairey – Artist of the Year
  • Megan Fox – Obsession of the Year
  • James Franco – Screen Idol of the Year
  • Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers – Comeback Kid of the Year
  • Senator Ted Kennedy – Legend of the Year
  • Seth MacFarlane – “Mogul” of the Year
  • John Malkovich – Mad Genius of the Year
  • Danny McBride – Funny Man of the Year
  • MGMT and M.I.A. – Radio Gods of the Year
  • Rafael Nadal – Court King of the Year
  • Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets – Breakout Athlete of the Year
  • Sean Penn – “Drama Queen” of the Year
  • General David Petraeus – Leader of the Year
  • Gordon Ramsay – “Prick” of the Year
  • Alain Robert – Daredevil of the Year
  • Philip Roth – Icon of the Year
  • Jason Statham – Action Hero of the Year
  • The Men Behind The Wire – Tough Guys of the Year
  • Neil Willenson – Local Hero of the Year
  • Mark Zuckerberg – Boy Genius of the Year

I’m not gonna comment on every guy; I hate long blog post. But, I wanna mention a few quick things. HIGH FIVE to the magazine for naming my hometown “City of the Year.” I live in New York City, but I’ll always be an Illinoisan at heart. My eyeballs can’t ever get enough of Rafael Nadal’s body, so I’m thankful they included him in the group. (SIDENOTE: Hat tip to New York magazine for their delicious Nadal cover earlier this year. Total deliciousness.) And, finally, aren’t we glad Sean Penn is getting the accolades / big ups he deserves? I can’t wait to see him in Milk. Hmmm … as the year winds down, more “Men of the Year” lists will probably pop up. How do we feel about GQ’s list? Diverse enough? Are the guys hot enough? Did GQ leave anyone out? Feel free to size up their goods then share your thoughts in the comments section using the link below. Who’s the REAL man of the year?

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