I've had enough of these jackass Conservatives.
We had to sit through 8 years of Bush. Now it's our turn. Sit back and shut up.
---------------------
(CNN) -- The White House found itself on the defensive Friday over what would ordinarily be considered the most uncontroversial of events: a back-to-school speech to the nation's children.
The White House said the address, set for Tuesday, and accompanying suggested lesson plans are simply meant to encourage students to study hard and stay in school.
Many conservative parents aren't buying it. They're convinced the president is going to use the opportunity to press a partisan political agenda on impressionable young minds.
"Thinking about my kids in school having to listen to that just really upsets me," suburban Colorado mother Shanneen Barron told CNN Denver affiliate KMGH. "I'm an American. They are Americans, and I don't feel that's OK. I feel very scared to be in this country with our leadership right now."
Read the entire story here.
--------------
Or go here to read NPR's version of the story. There is both a text and an audio version.
Friday, September 04, 2009
Paolo Nutini
What I said about Paolo Nutini to my friends when I discovered him around March 2008:
I wanted to share with y'all my new discovery - still up and coming artist Paolo Nutini.
He's cute - and at times he sounds (a bit) like Jeff Buckley, though he doesn't have the upper range.
He's had two US hits so far:
Last Request
New Shoes
I think he's much better live.
Here's a live version of his song Million Faces.
Here's his live version of Amy Winehouse's song Rehab.
Here's his live version of the song Cry Me A River.
Here's his Wikipedia page.
-------------------------
I still like his music, but here is what I said at the Ticketmaster website, which emailed me this morning to get my opinion of last night's concert that Jason, Carlos and I went to at the House of Blues:
1 star (out of 5)
Paolo Nutini went on at 9:15 and finished his show - including one encore - by 10:15. Not once did he even look at the audience or try to engage us. I was really hoping he would play some cover songs, as I have heard via bootleg recordings, but he didn't play any. He has two full length CD's and at least one live one. He could have played much longer than an hour. I hyped this show to my friends all week, but was very disappointed. Maybe he had an off night. Maybe he really is this bad live.
Opening Act: Anya Marina - Maybe better than Paolo Nutini. Definitely engaged the audience much better.
----------------
Or maybe he was drunk, as Carlos suspected.
I'll keep buying and listening to his music, but I think I'll skip his live shows in the future.
I wanted to share with y'all my new discovery - still up and coming artist Paolo Nutini.
He's cute - and at times he sounds (a bit) like Jeff Buckley, though he doesn't have the upper range.
He's had two US hits so far:
Last Request
New Shoes
I think he's much better live.
Here's a live version of his song Million Faces.
Here's his live version of Amy Winehouse's song Rehab.
Here's his live version of the song Cry Me A River.
Here's his Wikipedia page.
-------------------------
I still like his music, but here is what I said at the Ticketmaster website, which emailed me this morning to get my opinion of last night's concert that Jason, Carlos and I went to at the House of Blues:
1 star (out of 5)
Paolo Nutini went on at 9:15 and finished his show - including one encore - by 10:15. Not once did he even look at the audience or try to engage us. I was really hoping he would play some cover songs, as I have heard via bootleg recordings, but he didn't play any. He has two full length CD's and at least one live one. He could have played much longer than an hour. I hyped this show to my friends all week, but was very disappointed. Maybe he had an off night. Maybe he really is this bad live.
Opening Act: Anya Marina - Maybe better than Paolo Nutini. Definitely engaged the audience much better.
----------------
Or maybe he was drunk, as Carlos suspected.
I'll keep buying and listening to his music, but I think I'll skip his live shows in the future.
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Quotes from the Family
My younger sister Claudia (who lives in Atlanta with her husband and three kids) emailed me this today:
(Claudia's husband) Jeff is holding Bennett [the four-year-old kid] as he is getting communion...
Bennett: "Dad, when I get big, I can get one of those Body of Christs, right?"
Ahhh. Growing up Catholic.
(Claudia's husband) Jeff is holding Bennett [the four-year-old kid] as he is getting communion...
Bennett: "Dad, when I get big, I can get one of those Body of Christs, right?"
Ahhh. Growing up Catholic.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Stories From My Youth II
(For the first Stories From My Youth entry, click here.)
When I tell Carlos stories from when I was a young kid, he gets the mistaken idea that I grew up poor.
It’s not true, but seems that way because my parents didn’t believe in giving us toys. From the age of six, their way of keeping us active was, “Go outside and play. Don’t come home until the street lights come on.”
I grew up in Uptown New Orleans, on one of the many streets with a neutral ground. (Outside of New Orleans, you’d call it a median.) Within five blocks of my house, there were approximately 15 other kids my age, including my sister Christine who is 13 months younger than I am. (Her nickname is “Can’t Get Pregnant While You’re Breastfeeding” because that’s what one of my mom’s well-meaning friends told her – and how Christine came about.)
Thanks to Google maps, here is a picture of the actual area I’m describing.
Today, I thought I’d discuss some of the games we played…
Capture The Flag
Capture The Flag was always my favorite game. Growing up, my parents said that I had to stay in the neighborhood, meaning that I couldn’t cross any “big” streets. For those familiar with New Orleans, I grew up 2 blocks from Napoleon Avenue, 5 blocks from S. Claiborne Avenue, 5 blocks from Jefferson Avenue, and 6 blocks from Fontainebleau Avenue. The big streets. That 11 x 7 block grid (do the math) was my playground from the age of 6.
Ahhhh. The joys of growing up in the inner city.
We used the front of my house as one team’s home base and a local church’s yard (on the corner of S. Claiborne and Jefferson Avenues, about nine blocks away) as the other home base.
The entire game consisted of running around a 77-block area. Toward the enemy flag. Toward your flag to release prisoners. Toward your opponents. Repeat.
City
This is a game that we made up and that evolved over time.
One day, I remember a friend of ours opened a General Store in her driveway, selling stuff she had “procured” from her parent’s cupboard. All of us being 8 years old didn’t find this odd. We just started shopping there.
A few days later, a Post Office, selling hand created stamps, appeared in another kid’s driveway. Then later a Mayor’s Office. Then a Driver’s License bureau (to “license” all our bikes). Then a Barber Shop.
I don’t remember how long our City lasted. I think it was a few months every day after school, but I do remember at its peak, we had at least 10 different City components. I’m sure the end came when one day we all came out to play and someone said, “Let’s play _______________” and City was gone.
Plays
Doris (I think that was her name) was an “older” girl, maybe by two years – but two years is big when you’re eight. She gathered us all together one day and said that we were going to put on a play. Being eight and fearless, we all agreed. My memories of eight are a bit hazy, but I do remember that this was a play that Doris had written.
After months of rehearsals after school, plus all of us designing, creating, and constructing the stage and the sets in Doris’s backyard, we presented our play (whose title has been lost in history) to all the adults in our neighborhood. I remember that there were three rows of folding chairs, all full. There were maybe 40 people there.
Doris produced and directed a second play the next year. Then all us kids moved on to other things. I wonder whatever happened to her. She would be about 44 now.
Kick The Can
For those who have never played, here is how to play:
Start by choosing one person to be It. To start the game, this player gets to kick the can as far as he's able. The players scatter to find hiding places as the can rolls. It then chases after the can and brings it back to home base. Once he brings the can home, It counts to 50 (or 100) with his eyes closed. When he opens them, he starts searching and the fun begins.
When It finds a hider, he calls out this player's name. If the hider can kick over the can before It does, he's safe. If It makes it to the can first, the player whose name he calls out is captured and must wait in the jail (next to the can). The players in jail are not hopeless. A brave soul can risk capture to save them. If this person can kick over the can and call out "Home free" without getting captured by It, the jailbirds are free to run and hide from It again.
The game continues until all the jailbirds have been captured. The first person caught becomes It in the next game. If jailbreaks keep the game going on too long, the first person who is caught three times becomes It and a new game begins.
I can still picture all of us - a bunch of barefoot kids, all under 10 - huddled around a can, waiting for the It person to start counting. We would play from the time everyone got home from school until it was time to go home, every day, for months.
I was that “brave soul” many times. I was a really fast runner when I was a kid.
As we got older, we used that corner to play kick ball and baseball. The drainage covers made perfect bases. See the picture to your right for the actual spot I’m describing.
Those later games didn’t last long. By 13 years old, our neighborhood group was breaking up. Everyone was starting to become friends with kids from school. At the end of my 8th grade year in May, I remember telling my school friends that I’d see them in August. That’s what I had always done: I had school friends and neighborhood friends. That year, however, was different. My school friends and I stuck together through the summer. By 15 years old, I rarely saw the other kids in the neighborhood any more.
It was the beginning of a new era.
I still do miss that time growing up.
----------------
One day, I’ll tell you about the time we put on a circus for the neighborhood parents.
When I tell Carlos stories from when I was a young kid, he gets the mistaken idea that I grew up poor.
It’s not true, but seems that way because my parents didn’t believe in giving us toys. From the age of six, their way of keeping us active was, “Go outside and play. Don’t come home until the street lights come on.”
I grew up in Uptown New Orleans, on one of the many streets with a neutral ground. (Outside of New Orleans, you’d call it a median.) Within five blocks of my house, there were approximately 15 other kids my age, including my sister Christine who is 13 months younger than I am. (Her nickname is “Can’t Get Pregnant While You’re Breastfeeding” because that’s what one of my mom’s well-meaning friends told her – and how Christine came about.)
Thanks to Google maps, here is a picture of the actual area I’m describing.
Today, I thought I’d discuss some of the games we played…
Capture The Flag
Capture The Flag was always my favorite game. Growing up, my parents said that I had to stay in the neighborhood, meaning that I couldn’t cross any “big” streets. For those familiar with New Orleans, I grew up 2 blocks from Napoleon Avenue, 5 blocks from S. Claiborne Avenue, 5 blocks from Jefferson Avenue, and 6 blocks from Fontainebleau Avenue. The big streets. That 11 x 7 block grid (do the math) was my playground from the age of 6.
Ahhhh. The joys of growing up in the inner city.
We used the front of my house as one team’s home base and a local church’s yard (on the corner of S. Claiborne and Jefferson Avenues, about nine blocks away) as the other home base.
The entire game consisted of running around a 77-block area. Toward the enemy flag. Toward your flag to release prisoners. Toward your opponents. Repeat.
City
This is a game that we made up and that evolved over time.
One day, I remember a friend of ours opened a General Store in her driveway, selling stuff she had “procured” from her parent’s cupboard. All of us being 8 years old didn’t find this odd. We just started shopping there.
A few days later, a Post Office, selling hand created stamps, appeared in another kid’s driveway. Then later a Mayor’s Office. Then a Driver’s License bureau (to “license” all our bikes). Then a Barber Shop.
I don’t remember how long our City lasted. I think it was a few months every day after school, but I do remember at its peak, we had at least 10 different City components. I’m sure the end came when one day we all came out to play and someone said, “Let’s play _______________” and City was gone.
Plays
Doris (I think that was her name) was an “older” girl, maybe by two years – but two years is big when you’re eight. She gathered us all together one day and said that we were going to put on a play. Being eight and fearless, we all agreed. My memories of eight are a bit hazy, but I do remember that this was a play that Doris had written.
After months of rehearsals after school, plus all of us designing, creating, and constructing the stage and the sets in Doris’s backyard, we presented our play (whose title has been lost in history) to all the adults in our neighborhood. I remember that there were three rows of folding chairs, all full. There were maybe 40 people there.
Doris produced and directed a second play the next year. Then all us kids moved on to other things. I wonder whatever happened to her. She would be about 44 now.
Kick The Can
For those who have never played, here is how to play:
Start by choosing one person to be It. To start the game, this player gets to kick the can as far as he's able. The players scatter to find hiding places as the can rolls. It then chases after the can and brings it back to home base. Once he brings the can home, It counts to 50 (or 100) with his eyes closed. When he opens them, he starts searching and the fun begins.
When It finds a hider, he calls out this player's name. If the hider can kick over the can before It does, he's safe. If It makes it to the can first, the player whose name he calls out is captured and must wait in the jail (next to the can). The players in jail are not hopeless. A brave soul can risk capture to save them. If this person can kick over the can and call out "Home free" without getting captured by It, the jailbirds are free to run and hide from It again.
The game continues until all the jailbirds have been captured. The first person caught becomes It in the next game. If jailbreaks keep the game going on too long, the first person who is caught three times becomes It and a new game begins.
I can still picture all of us - a bunch of barefoot kids, all under 10 - huddled around a can, waiting for the It person to start counting. We would play from the time everyone got home from school until it was time to go home, every day, for months.
I was that “brave soul” many times. I was a really fast runner when I was a kid.
As we got older, we used that corner to play kick ball and baseball. The drainage covers made perfect bases. See the picture to your right for the actual spot I’m describing.
Those later games didn’t last long. By 13 years old, our neighborhood group was breaking up. Everyone was starting to become friends with kids from school. At the end of my 8th grade year in May, I remember telling my school friends that I’d see them in August. That’s what I had always done: I had school friends and neighborhood friends. That year, however, was different. My school friends and I stuck together through the summer. By 15 years old, I rarely saw the other kids in the neighborhood any more.
It was the beginning of a new era.
I still do miss that time growing up.
----------------
One day, I’ll tell you about the time we put on a circus for the neighborhood parents.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Cooking Challenge - Week Four
This past Wednesday was Week Four of my Cooking Challenge. I decided that a Tapas menu was too much of an undertaking for me – for now.
Carlos and I were in Lafayette a couple of years back for some festival. During our trip, I bought a cookbook called Cajun Men Cook: Recipes, Stories & Food Experiences from Louisiana Cajun Country - and had it signed by six member of the Beaver Club of Lafayette, the authors of the book.
Again this week, page 67 had an appetizer, whereas I was looking for a main dish. Page 167 yielded Beef Stroganoff. I’ve been meaning to cook that for years. After a bit of research, I found a version of the recipe by Paula Deen that I liked a bit better.
The same crew from last week came this week, bringing wine and watermelon for dessert. We’re really getting to know each other after four weeks of this. (Or maybe that’s re-know since most of these people are family.)
Carlos brought the salad – and describes it in detail on his blog.
Week Five is Italian (like Week Three), but this time from Rocco Dispirito’s cookbook Rocco’s Italian American: More Than 150 Recipes from Rocco and Mama. Page 67 has a picture of Rocco at a dinner table; page 167 a recipe for “Veal Parmigiana”. I’m not ready for veal yet, so I am cheating a bit: I found a wonderful recipe for “Farfalle [bow tie pasta] with Grilled Sausage, Fennel, and Baby Artichokes” that I will use as a base and adapt a bit, adding three different colored bell peppers and sun dried tomatoes. I’ll post my recipe next week.
As our appetizer, I found a recipe for “Oven-Roasted Tomatoes Stuffed with Goat Cheese” from the August 2009 issue of Food & Wine magazine. Here’s a link to the recipe on the Food & Wine magazine web site.
I used to subscribe to Bon Appetite magazine, but since I started watching the TV show Top Chef, with one of the judges the editor of the former magazine, I let my subscription lapse to Bon Appetite. I was thinking about getting both magazines, but that just seems a little obsessive.
Oven-Roasted Tomatoes Stuffed with Goat Cheese
12 servings
12 medium tomatoes
1 2/3 pounds fresh goat cheese
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons finely chopped basil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 Preheat the oven to 425°. Slice off the top 1/2 inch of each tomato and reserve the tops. Scoop out the tomato cores and seeds. Cut a very thin sliver off of the bottom of each tomato to help them stand up straight. Arrange the tomatoes in a 9-by-13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish.
2. In a bowl, combine the goat cheese with the egg, garlic, basil, salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Spoon the goat cheese mixture into the tomatoes, mounding the filling 1/2 inch above the rim. Cover with the tomato tops and drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
3. Bake the tomatoes for 35 minutes, until tender and browned in spots and the cheese is hot. Let stand for 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
The meal will be a bit calmer. The crowd from the first four weeks is “rotating out” and my parents are joining Carlos and me for dinner.
We’re doing a batch of the appetizer tonight to test out the recipe. Carlos just called. He found a basil plant. We’re going to use it for tonight – and start growing our own basil for future meals. I was going to use dried basil (at least for tonight’s test run). Carlos was appalled and went off to the store to find fresh. I really have him sucked into this Cooking Challenge.
After this meal, I am going to take a couple of weeks off, and then invite over some friends for dinner.
Bon Appétit!
Carlos and I were in Lafayette a couple of years back for some festival. During our trip, I bought a cookbook called Cajun Men Cook: Recipes, Stories & Food Experiences from Louisiana Cajun Country - and had it signed by six member of the Beaver Club of Lafayette, the authors of the book.
Again this week, page 67 had an appetizer, whereas I was looking for a main dish. Page 167 yielded Beef Stroganoff. I’ve been meaning to cook that for years. After a bit of research, I found a version of the recipe by Paula Deen that I liked a bit better.
The same crew from last week came this week, bringing wine and watermelon for dessert. We’re really getting to know each other after four weeks of this. (Or maybe that’s re-know since most of these people are family.)
Carlos brought the salad – and describes it in detail on his blog.
Week Five is Italian (like Week Three), but this time from Rocco Dispirito’s cookbook Rocco’s Italian American: More Than 150 Recipes from Rocco and Mama. Page 67 has a picture of Rocco at a dinner table; page 167 a recipe for “Veal Parmigiana”. I’m not ready for veal yet, so I am cheating a bit: I found a wonderful recipe for “Farfalle [bow tie pasta] with Grilled Sausage, Fennel, and Baby Artichokes” that I will use as a base and adapt a bit, adding three different colored bell peppers and sun dried tomatoes. I’ll post my recipe next week.
As our appetizer, I found a recipe for “Oven-Roasted Tomatoes Stuffed with Goat Cheese” from the August 2009 issue of Food & Wine magazine. Here’s a link to the recipe on the Food & Wine magazine web site.
I used to subscribe to Bon Appetite magazine, but since I started watching the TV show Top Chef, with one of the judges the editor of the former magazine, I let my subscription lapse to Bon Appetite. I was thinking about getting both magazines, but that just seems a little obsessive.
Oven-Roasted Tomatoes Stuffed with Goat Cheese
12 servings
12 medium tomatoes
1 2/3 pounds fresh goat cheese
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons finely chopped basil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 Preheat the oven to 425°. Slice off the top 1/2 inch of each tomato and reserve the tops. Scoop out the tomato cores and seeds. Cut a very thin sliver off of the bottom of each tomato to help them stand up straight. Arrange the tomatoes in a 9-by-13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish.
2. In a bowl, combine the goat cheese with the egg, garlic, basil, salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Spoon the goat cheese mixture into the tomatoes, mounding the filling 1/2 inch above the rim. Cover with the tomato tops and drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
3. Bake the tomatoes for 35 minutes, until tender and browned in spots and the cheese is hot. Let stand for 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
The meal will be a bit calmer. The crowd from the first four weeks is “rotating out” and my parents are joining Carlos and me for dinner.
We’re doing a batch of the appetizer tonight to test out the recipe. Carlos just called. He found a basil plant. We’re going to use it for tonight – and start growing our own basil for future meals. I was going to use dried basil (at least for tonight’s test run). Carlos was appalled and went off to the store to find fresh. I really have him sucked into this Cooking Challenge.
After this meal, I am going to take a couple of weeks off, and then invite over some friends for dinner.
Bon Appétit!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Lou Dobbs: Tobias Wolff and Maggie Gallagher Discuss Gay Marriage
Lou Dobbs hosted law professor Tobias Wolff and the National Organization for Marriage's Maggie Gallagher discussing the Obama administration's recent brief that said it is obligated to defend the Defense of Marriage Act, but believes that it is discriminatory and should be repealed.
Lou Dobbs does ask Gallagher over and over how same-sex marriage somehow threaten heterosexual marriages. She never did give a straight (huh huh huh, he said "straight") answer.
The clip:
Note: I shamelessly stole this story from Towleroad.
I wonder if that's this Tobias Wolff?
Lou Dobbs does ask Gallagher over and over how same-sex marriage somehow threaten heterosexual marriages. She never did give a straight (huh huh huh, he said "straight") answer.
The clip:
Note: I shamelessly stole this story from Towleroad.
I wonder if that's this Tobias Wolff?
Friday, August 21, 2009
Wil Wheaton & Stand By Me
Wil Wheaton's blog is one of the handful I eagerly await a new entry from. Yes, the actor - and now writer. I recommend his 2004 book Just a Geek.
Here's an excerpt from his most recent entry, along with the picture he is referring to.
This photo captures our personalities perfectly: River and Corey are focused and serious (Corey is even wearing a tie and drinking coffee!) I am listening to the same person they are, but I'm not even trying to contain how excited I am to be going on a television show that I had been watching with my Aunt Val since I could remember, in front of the whole country, no less.
My favorite part of this picture, though, is Jerry. It's almost like he caught my mom or dad taking this picture of us, and decided to strike a pose, just to be silly. I just love that he isn't taking the thing too seriously, and that he's just having fun and enjoying the whole thing. As I got older and began to feel like the teen magazine publicity stuff was taking over my life, it stopped being fun, and it started to feel like a chore. I always envied that Jerry seemed to take it all in stride, keep it in perspective, and just have fun with it. I heard him on the Adam Carolla podcast about a week or so ago, and he hadn't changed a bit: still silly, still cracking me up, still keeping everything in perspective.
I've always said that Stand By Me was so successful because Rob cast four young actors who were so much like their characters, but I think it's spooky how the four of us ended up being so much like our characters: River died too young, Corey struggled like crazy to get his personal demons under control, Jerry found success and happiness, and I'm a writer.
You can read his entire blog entry here. It's much longer than what I posted.
Here's a link to the ending of the movie. Scroll over to around the 6:45 minute mark. From there until the end makes me tear up every time.
Here's an excerpt from his most recent entry, along with the picture he is referring to.
This photo captures our personalities perfectly: River and Corey are focused and serious (Corey is even wearing a tie and drinking coffee!) I am listening to the same person they are, but I'm not even trying to contain how excited I am to be going on a television show that I had been watching with my Aunt Val since I could remember, in front of the whole country, no less.
My favorite part of this picture, though, is Jerry. It's almost like he caught my mom or dad taking this picture of us, and decided to strike a pose, just to be silly. I just love that he isn't taking the thing too seriously, and that he's just having fun and enjoying the whole thing. As I got older and began to feel like the teen magazine publicity stuff was taking over my life, it stopped being fun, and it started to feel like a chore. I always envied that Jerry seemed to take it all in stride, keep it in perspective, and just have fun with it. I heard him on the Adam Carolla podcast about a week or so ago, and he hadn't changed a bit: still silly, still cracking me up, still keeping everything in perspective.
I've always said that Stand By Me was so successful because Rob cast four young actors who were so much like their characters, but I think it's spooky how the four of us ended up being so much like our characters: River died too young, Corey struggled like crazy to get his personal demons under control, Jerry found success and happiness, and I'm a writer.
You can read his entire blog entry here. It's much longer than what I posted.
Here's a link to the ending of the movie. Scroll over to around the 6:45 minute mark. From there until the end makes me tear up every time.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Top Male Stars of All Time - Part II
I have that neat little device called FEEDJIT Live Traffic Feed that lists which web site each hit comes from, which site the person leaves to, and which specific blog page the person initially enters.
My friend Debbie obsesses about that information.
My friend Jason mentioned it in one of his entries, but I can’t find the specific entry right now. (Jason – Link please?)
Invariably, the specific page that draws my visitors (right now, 6 of the current 10 listings) is Top Ten Favorite Male Stars of All Time, usually from a Google image search.
Since that page is so popular, I thought I would revisit it. Then round out my Top Twenty.
Recap of the Top Ten:
1. James Duval
2. Stephane Rideau
3. Ryan Phillippe
4. Tommy Kirk
5. River Phoenix
6. William McNamara
7. Kevin Zegers
8. Ethan Embry
9. Steve Antin
10. Peter Facinelli
The Top Ten List has remained constant over the years. The rest of the list, leading to #20, does change.
Here is my current list, with pictures (click them to see larger) and some information on each person.
#11
Name: James Marsden
Current Age: 35
Where You Probably Know Him From: Cyclops in the X-Men movies
Where I Discovered Him: The 1996-1997 TV show Second Noah
Best Place To See His Body: He has long shirtless scenes in the movies Heights and Sugar & Spice, and the TV show Second Noah. He has never done frontal or rear nudity.
Has He Ever Played Gay?: In the movie The 24th Day and at least one other. (I don’t want to reveal the other movie. I consider it a SPOILER.)
Sexual Orientation: Straight.
Did You Know?: He isn’t known for his singing, but sings (well) in the TV series Ally McBeal, and the movies Hairspray and Enchanted. Although not related to actor Jason Marsden, they are actually good friends and their respective wives have been friends since they were six.
#12
Name: Jim Verraros
Current Age: 26
Where You Probably Know Him From: Season one of American Idol
Where I Discovered Him: American Idol
Best Place To See His Body: Google search (for magazine photo shoots)
Has He Ever Played Gay?: In the movies Eating Out and Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds. He doesn’t show any skin in either one.
Sexual Orientation: Gay. Came out in The Advocate in 2002.
Did You Know?: Both his parents are deaf.
#13
Name: Kal Penn
Current Age: 32
Where You Probably Know Him From: “Kumar” from the three Harold & Kumar movies.
Where I Discovered Him: The movie Van Wilder
Best Place To See His Body: The movies Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle (rear nude) and The Namesake (shirtless)
Has He Ever Played Gay?: Not that I can find
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Did You Know?: His real name is Kalpen Modi.
#14
Name: Sal Mineo
Current Age: Killed by a mugger in 1976, age 37.
Where You Probably Know Him From: “Plato” in Rebel Without A Cause
Where I Discovered Him: Krakatoa: East of Java – late night TV when I was a kid
Best Place To See His Body: The movie The Gene Krupa Story (shirtless) and the Harold Stevenson's painting The New Adam (full frontal nude)
Has He Ever Played Gay?: He was smitten with Jim Stark (James Dean) in Rebel. He played opposite Don Johnson in the 1971 gay-themed play Fortune and Men’s Eyes.
Sexual Orientation: Came out in the early 1970’s.
Did You Know?: In 1957, he had a #9 single called “Start Movin’ (In My Direction)”
#15
Name: Ian Somerhalder
Current Age: 30
Where You Probably Know Him From: “Boone” in the TV show Lost
Where I Discovered Him: The very short-lived TV show (8 episodes in 2000) Young Americans – written by my #9 favorite Steve Antin.
Best Place To See His Body: The movies The Rules of Attraction, In Enemy Hands, and Marco Polo (shirtless), and the TV show Tell Me You Love Me (obscured frontal view)
Has He Ever Played Gay?: Yes, in The Rules of Attraction
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Did You Know?: He’s from Covington, LA – right over the Causeway Bridge from my house. No, you probably didn’t – or cared.
#16
Name: Danny Nucci
Current Age: 40
Where You Probably Know Him From: Leonardo Dicaprio’s doomed friend from the movie Titanic
Where I Discovered Him: A 1986 episode of the TV show Growing Pains.
Best Place To See His Body: The movies Sublet (shirtless), Shark In A Bottle (rear nude), and the TV show Some of My Best Friends (shirtless)
Has He Ever Played Gay?: The movie The Unknown Cyclist and maybe other times
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Did You Know?: He was born in Austria, was raised in Italy, and moved to America in 1976.
#17
Name: Rafael Nadal
Current Age: 23
Where You Probably Know Him From: Watching tennis
Where I Discovered Him: The same
Best Place To See His Body: The cover of a magazine, a Google search, or The Tennis Channel
Has He Ever Played Gay?: N/A
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Did You Know?: He is the only male player to have won French Open, Wimbledon, and Olympic gold medal in the same year (2008).
#18
Name: Logan Marshall-Green
Current Age: 32
Where You Probably Know Him From: Played “Trey Atwood” on the TV show The O.C.
Where I Discovered Him: Played “Tyler Fogg” on the short-lived 2007 TV series Traveler
Best Place To See His Body: Short shirtless scene in a movie/TV show that I cannot yet identify
Has He Ever Played Gay?: Not that I know of, though he does more theatre work than movies/TV
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Did You Know?: He has a twin brother named Taylor Marshall-Green.
#19
Name: Andy Roddick
Current Age: 26
Where You Probably Know Him From: Tennis on TV
Where I Discovered Him: A tennis tournament that I was watching in 2000 that he won the day he turned 18. I don’t remember the name of it. I just remember never hearing of him before watching that.
Best Place To See His Body: a Google search
Has He Ever Played Gay?: N/A
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Did You Know?: Roddick hosted Saturday Night Live on November 8, 2003, becoming the second professional tennis player to host (Chris Evert being the first).
#20
Name: Jesse Spencer
Current Age: 30
Where You Probably Know Him From: Plays “Dr. Robert Chase” on the TV show House, though he hasn’t gotten much screen time in the last couple of years.
Where I Discovered Him: In the 2003 movie Swimming Upstream
Best Place To See His Body: That movie – he’s in a Speedo for most of the time.
Has He Ever Played Gay?: No
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Did You Know?: He is fluent in French.
As I mentioned in the original entry, if you enjoy male stars, you really should join my Yahoo group MaleStarsShirtless. And be sure to check out my other blog of the same name.
My friend Debbie obsesses about that information.
My friend Jason mentioned it in one of his entries, but I can’t find the specific entry right now. (Jason – Link please?)
Invariably, the specific page that draws my visitors (right now, 6 of the current 10 listings) is Top Ten Favorite Male Stars of All Time, usually from a Google image search.
Since that page is so popular, I thought I would revisit it. Then round out my Top Twenty.
Recap of the Top Ten:
1. James Duval
2. Stephane Rideau
3. Ryan Phillippe
4. Tommy Kirk
5. River Phoenix
6. William McNamara
7. Kevin Zegers
8. Ethan Embry
9. Steve Antin
10. Peter Facinelli
The Top Ten List has remained constant over the years. The rest of the list, leading to #20, does change.
Here is my current list, with pictures (click them to see larger) and some information on each person.
#11
Name: James Marsden
Current Age: 35
Where You Probably Know Him From: Cyclops in the X-Men movies
Where I Discovered Him: The 1996-1997 TV show Second Noah
Best Place To See His Body: He has long shirtless scenes in the movies Heights and Sugar & Spice, and the TV show Second Noah. He has never done frontal or rear nudity.
Has He Ever Played Gay?: In the movie The 24th Day and at least one other. (I don’t want to reveal the other movie. I consider it a SPOILER.)
Sexual Orientation: Straight.
Did You Know?: He isn’t known for his singing, but sings (well) in the TV series Ally McBeal, and the movies Hairspray and Enchanted. Although not related to actor Jason Marsden, they are actually good friends and their respective wives have been friends since they were six.
#12
Name: Jim Verraros
Current Age: 26
Where You Probably Know Him From: Season one of American Idol
Where I Discovered Him: American Idol
Best Place To See His Body: Google search (for magazine photo shoots)
Has He Ever Played Gay?: In the movies Eating Out and Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds. He doesn’t show any skin in either one.
Sexual Orientation: Gay. Came out in The Advocate in 2002.
Did You Know?: Both his parents are deaf.
#13
Name: Kal Penn
Current Age: 32
Where You Probably Know Him From: “Kumar” from the three Harold & Kumar movies.
Where I Discovered Him: The movie Van Wilder
Best Place To See His Body: The movies Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle (rear nude) and The Namesake (shirtless)
Has He Ever Played Gay?: Not that I can find
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Did You Know?: His real name is Kalpen Modi.
#14
Name: Sal Mineo
Current Age: Killed by a mugger in 1976, age 37.
Where You Probably Know Him From: “Plato” in Rebel Without A Cause
Where I Discovered Him: Krakatoa: East of Java – late night TV when I was a kid
Best Place To See His Body: The movie The Gene Krupa Story (shirtless) and the Harold Stevenson's painting The New Adam (full frontal nude)
Has He Ever Played Gay?: He was smitten with Jim Stark (James Dean) in Rebel. He played opposite Don Johnson in the 1971 gay-themed play Fortune and Men’s Eyes.
Sexual Orientation: Came out in the early 1970’s.
Did You Know?: In 1957, he had a #9 single called “Start Movin’ (In My Direction)”
#15
Name: Ian Somerhalder
Current Age: 30
Where You Probably Know Him From: “Boone” in the TV show Lost
Where I Discovered Him: The very short-lived TV show (8 episodes in 2000) Young Americans – written by my #9 favorite Steve Antin.
Best Place To See His Body: The movies The Rules of Attraction, In Enemy Hands, and Marco Polo (shirtless), and the TV show Tell Me You Love Me (obscured frontal view)
Has He Ever Played Gay?: Yes, in The Rules of Attraction
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Did You Know?: He’s from Covington, LA – right over the Causeway Bridge from my house. No, you probably didn’t – or cared.
#16
Name: Danny Nucci
Current Age: 40
Where You Probably Know Him From: Leonardo Dicaprio’s doomed friend from the movie Titanic
Where I Discovered Him: A 1986 episode of the TV show Growing Pains.
Best Place To See His Body: The movies Sublet (shirtless), Shark In A Bottle (rear nude), and the TV show Some of My Best Friends (shirtless)
Has He Ever Played Gay?: The movie The Unknown Cyclist and maybe other times
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Did You Know?: He was born in Austria, was raised in Italy, and moved to America in 1976.
#17
Name: Rafael Nadal
Current Age: 23
Where You Probably Know Him From: Watching tennis
Where I Discovered Him: The same
Best Place To See His Body: The cover of a magazine, a Google search, or The Tennis Channel
Has He Ever Played Gay?: N/A
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Did You Know?: He is the only male player to have won French Open, Wimbledon, and Olympic gold medal in the same year (2008).
#18
Name: Logan Marshall-Green
Current Age: 32
Where You Probably Know Him From: Played “Trey Atwood” on the TV show The O.C.
Where I Discovered Him: Played “Tyler Fogg” on the short-lived 2007 TV series Traveler
Best Place To See His Body: Short shirtless scene in a movie/TV show that I cannot yet identify
Has He Ever Played Gay?: Not that I know of, though he does more theatre work than movies/TV
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Did You Know?: He has a twin brother named Taylor Marshall-Green.
#19
Name: Andy Roddick
Current Age: 26
Where You Probably Know Him From: Tennis on TV
Where I Discovered Him: A tennis tournament that I was watching in 2000 that he won the day he turned 18. I don’t remember the name of it. I just remember never hearing of him before watching that.
Best Place To See His Body: a Google search
Has He Ever Played Gay?: N/A
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Did You Know?: Roddick hosted Saturday Night Live on November 8, 2003, becoming the second professional tennis player to host (Chris Evert being the first).
#20
Name: Jesse Spencer
Current Age: 30
Where You Probably Know Him From: Plays “Dr. Robert Chase” on the TV show House, though he hasn’t gotten much screen time in the last couple of years.
Where I Discovered Him: In the 2003 movie Swimming Upstream
Best Place To See His Body: That movie – he’s in a Speedo for most of the time.
Has He Ever Played Gay?: No
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Did You Know?: He is fluent in French.
As I mentioned in the original entry, if you enjoy male stars, you really should join my Yahoo group MaleStarsShirtless. And be sure to check out my other blog of the same name.
Cooking Challenge - Week Three
We have now made it through Week Three of my Cooking Challenge.
Last night, I cooked from page 67 of Jamie’s Italy by Jamie Oliver.
The recipe was Minestrone D’inizio Autunno (Early Autumn Minestrone). Click the link to see the recipe.
I think I am getting better at this cooking thing: The recipe was a bit complicated – and took almost three hours to accomplish – but for once, my finished product looked like the picture in the book.
Here is the picture from the book.
We had seven for dinner – Carlos, Christine, Karlie, Pam, Curt, little Karley, and me – so I decided to make an additional dish from that same cook book. Our main dish was Spaghetti con Gamberetti e Rucola (Spaghetti with Shrimp and Arugula).
I ended up cooking the Minestrone on Tuesday night and the main dish Wednesday night. Then slowly warming up the Minestrone on Wednesday evening. I followed the main dish recipe very closely, only substituting fettuccini for the spaghetti.
I didn’t find the recipe online so I have retyped it below, with the small changes I made.
Spaghetti con Gamberetti e Rucola (Spaghetti with Shrimp and Arugula)
This dish was on the menu in a little restaurant called La Gondola in one of the roughest parts of Palermo. I thought the combination of flavors was great, and very accessible to us back home in Britain. You can buy very high-quality frozen shrimp in supermarkets these days, so it’s a win-win situation, but if you can get hold of some super-fresh ones and peel them yourself, this can all of a sudden become very luxurious in flavor. A real crowd-pleaser. Finish off with good-quality olive oil and wild Arugula full of flavor and you’ll be laughing. PS, if using frozen shrimp, make sure they’re thawed out.
1 lb. dried fettuccini
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1-2 dried red chilies, crumbled
1 lb. peeled raw large shrimp
1 small wineglass of white wine
2 heaping tablespoons sun-dried tomato purée, or 6 sun-dried tomatoes blitzed in a blender
zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 handfuls of Arugula, roughly chopped
Cook your fettuccini in a large pot of salted boiling water according to the package instructions. Meanwhile, heat 3 good gulgs of extra virgin olive oil in a large frying pan and toss in the garlic and chili. As the garlic begins to color, add the shrimp and sauté them for a minute. Add the white wine and the tomato purée and simmer for a couple of minutes. When the pasta is ready, drain it in a colander, reserving a little of the cooking water. Toss the fettuccini with the sauce, squeeze in the lemon juice, and add half the chopped Arugula, using a little of the reserved cooking water if you want to loosen the sauce a bit, and correct the seasoning. Divide between four plates and sprinkle with the grated lemon zest and the rest of the Arugula leaves.
The pasta dish was really good, but the minestrone was definitely better – and a huge hit. Carlos said I should have led with the pasta dish and finished with the minestrone, but I went the traditional soup, then main course way.
I also set up a Parmesan cheese taste test station. Without marking any of the selections, I put out small bowls of:
1) Kraft 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese (from the familiar green/clear cylindrical bottle) - $.69/ounce,
2) pre-shredded Boar’s Head Parmesan Cheese - $1.16 per ounce, and
3) a block of top quality Parmesan Cheese ($1.96 per ounce) that I shredded directly before the taste test.
Predictably, the top quality Parmesan Cheese was the clear favorite. The #1 and #2 choices, however, were virtually indistinguishable. Our Top Panel of Taste Testers determined that the Kraft was fine for blending with dishes and with most other applications, and to use the block for special occasions. There was no need to spend the extra money for the Boar’s Head.
In keeping with our Italian theme, Karlie brought a beautiful and tasty appetizer: a small green item (olives), white item (I don’t remember), and red item (small tomatoes) – skewered on a toothpick. This was placed around a bowl of (I think) melted chocolate. I was rushing around cooking and really should have paid more attention to the details of her dish. It was delicious!
Pam came through this week with the dessert, bringing Italian gelato, sherbet and two kinds of ice cream. Yum!
We also drank at least three bottles of wine, but we may have had four. Everything was a bit hazy by the end of the night.
We discussed “rotating out” this crowd next week and expanding the Challenge to include first my parents and then my friends in the coming weeks, but decided that, since we had such fun last night, we should burn it out and keep the same crowd one more week.
Week Four of Cooking Challenge will be the most challenging yet: I am going to attempt a Tapas menu – 5 or 6 appetizer-sized Spanish dishes, both hot and cold, served in succession.
After next week, I may take a break. We’ll see.
Until then, Bon Appétit!
Last night, I cooked from page 67 of Jamie’s Italy by Jamie Oliver.
The recipe was Minestrone D’inizio Autunno (Early Autumn Minestrone). Click the link to see the recipe.
I think I am getting better at this cooking thing: The recipe was a bit complicated – and took almost three hours to accomplish – but for once, my finished product looked like the picture in the book.
Here is the picture from the book.
We had seven for dinner – Carlos, Christine, Karlie, Pam, Curt, little Karley, and me – so I decided to make an additional dish from that same cook book. Our main dish was Spaghetti con Gamberetti e Rucola (Spaghetti with Shrimp and Arugula).
I ended up cooking the Minestrone on Tuesday night and the main dish Wednesday night. Then slowly warming up the Minestrone on Wednesday evening. I followed the main dish recipe very closely, only substituting fettuccini for the spaghetti.
I didn’t find the recipe online so I have retyped it below, with the small changes I made.
Spaghetti con Gamberetti e Rucola (Spaghetti with Shrimp and Arugula)
This dish was on the menu in a little restaurant called La Gondola in one of the roughest parts of Palermo. I thought the combination of flavors was great, and very accessible to us back home in Britain. You can buy very high-quality frozen shrimp in supermarkets these days, so it’s a win-win situation, but if you can get hold of some super-fresh ones and peel them yourself, this can all of a sudden become very luxurious in flavor. A real crowd-pleaser. Finish off with good-quality olive oil and wild Arugula full of flavor and you’ll be laughing. PS, if using frozen shrimp, make sure they’re thawed out.
1 lb. dried fettuccini
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1-2 dried red chilies, crumbled
1 lb. peeled raw large shrimp
1 small wineglass of white wine
2 heaping tablespoons sun-dried tomato purée, or 6 sun-dried tomatoes blitzed in a blender
zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 handfuls of Arugula, roughly chopped
Cook your fettuccini in a large pot of salted boiling water according to the package instructions. Meanwhile, heat 3 good gulgs of extra virgin olive oil in a large frying pan and toss in the garlic and chili. As the garlic begins to color, add the shrimp and sauté them for a minute. Add the white wine and the tomato purée and simmer for a couple of minutes. When the pasta is ready, drain it in a colander, reserving a little of the cooking water. Toss the fettuccini with the sauce, squeeze in the lemon juice, and add half the chopped Arugula, using a little of the reserved cooking water if you want to loosen the sauce a bit, and correct the seasoning. Divide between four plates and sprinkle with the grated lemon zest and the rest of the Arugula leaves.
The pasta dish was really good, but the minestrone was definitely better – and a huge hit. Carlos said I should have led with the pasta dish and finished with the minestrone, but I went the traditional soup, then main course way.
I also set up a Parmesan cheese taste test station. Without marking any of the selections, I put out small bowls of:
1) Kraft 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese (from the familiar green/clear cylindrical bottle) - $.69/ounce,
2) pre-shredded Boar’s Head Parmesan Cheese - $1.16 per ounce, and
3) a block of top quality Parmesan Cheese ($1.96 per ounce) that I shredded directly before the taste test.
Predictably, the top quality Parmesan Cheese was the clear favorite. The #1 and #2 choices, however, were virtually indistinguishable. Our Top Panel of Taste Testers determined that the Kraft was fine for blending with dishes and with most other applications, and to use the block for special occasions. There was no need to spend the extra money for the Boar’s Head.
In keeping with our Italian theme, Karlie brought a beautiful and tasty appetizer: a small green item (olives), white item (I don’t remember), and red item (small tomatoes) – skewered on a toothpick. This was placed around a bowl of (I think) melted chocolate. I was rushing around cooking and really should have paid more attention to the details of her dish. It was delicious!
Pam came through this week with the dessert, bringing Italian gelato, sherbet and two kinds of ice cream. Yum!
We also drank at least three bottles of wine, but we may have had four. Everything was a bit hazy by the end of the night.
We discussed “rotating out” this crowd next week and expanding the Challenge to include first my parents and then my friends in the coming weeks, but decided that, since we had such fun last night, we should burn it out and keep the same crowd one more week.
Week Four of Cooking Challenge will be the most challenging yet: I am going to attempt a Tapas menu – 5 or 6 appetizer-sized Spanish dishes, both hot and cold, served in succession.
After next week, I may take a break. We’ll see.
Until then, Bon Appétit!
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