Andrew Sullivan to charge $19.99/month for his Dish
WHAT A CONCEPT! Writers to be paid for work.
Brave LGBTI Ugandans pose for awareness-raising portraits.
I'm officially worried about Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Log Cabin being "used by the neocons" in Hagel attacks.
KAKE: Katie (the new Liza) & Jake a new...cough...romantic item?
1st elected out PA legislator sworn in.
Neighbor Bob vs. the Pope—Bob wins.
Matt Schiermeier is the hunk of the day year.
Madonna's best mag covers of 2012.
Parents completely verklempt over Les Misérables:
Above, a bonus gallery of some of these 50 guys—shirtless!
My list of History's Hottest TV Actors went over really well...and also provoked some heated debates whose opening salvos invariably began with, "Where's ...?"
Now, I'm happy (and exhausted) to present the first of three posts detailing my personal selects for History's Hottest Movie Actors. This first post will cover #100—#51 in ascending order, the second will cover #50—#26 and the final post will be my Top 25.
I look forward to your comments, whether they are to lump praise or heap scorn, though I hope you will take all of this in the spirit it's intended—as my own choices and nothing more...
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Back when he still had some of the right moves
#100 Tom Cruise (1962—) It's something of a statement to put one of the biggest movie stars of all time, and a good-looking one at that, way down at #100. While I haven't found him remotely appealing in years, there's no way I could overlook how scorching-hot he was in his early years on the screen, when he seemed far more connected and natural. With Risky Business, he did for briefs what Clark Gable had done for undershirts—except in reverse.
Sexy Sampler: Endless Love (1981), Taps (1981), The Outsiders (1983), Losin' It (1983), Risky Business (1983), All the Right Moves (1983), Legend (1985), Top Gun (1986), Cocktail (1988)
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#99 Michael Biehn (1956—) Cute when he was chicken—even when playing an obsessed fan of Lauren Bacall's—Biehn's doe-eyed looks quickly hardened, making him equally handsome as the more world-weary authoritarian or bad-guy types with which he'd become more identified. Could even rock a mustache without losing pretty points, as in Tombstone.
Sexy Sampler: Coach (1978), Hog Wild (1980), The Fan (1981), The Lords of Discipline (1983), The Terminator (1984), Aliens (1986), Rampage (1987), The Seventh Sign (1988), The Abyss (1989), Navy Seals (1990) Timebomb (1991), K2 (1991), Deadfall (1993), Tombstone (1993), Jade (1995)
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#98 Joel McCrea (1905—1990) This iconic western actor got craggy later on, but was a beautiful piece of work early in his career, before the ten-gallon hat got stapled to his wavy blond hair.
Sexy Sampler: Dynamite (1929), The Silver Horde (1930), Lightnin' (1930), Once a Sinner (1931), Kept Husbands (1931), Born to Love (1931), The Common Law (1931), Girls About Town (1931), Business and Pleasure (1932), The Lost Squadron (1932), Bird of Paradise (1932), The Most Dangerous Game (1932), The Sport Parade (1932), Rockabye (1932), The Silver Cord (1933), Chance at Heaven (1933), Gambling Lady (1934), Barbary Coast (1935), Splendor (1935), Adventure in Manhattan (1936), Woman Chases Man (1937), Wells Fargo (1937), Union Pacific (1939), Sullivan's Travels (1941)
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Mild to Wilde
#97 Cornel Wilde (1912—1989) A Hungarian fencer who abandoned a shot at the Olympics in order to act, this Wilde man was more than just a cut-rate Errol Flynn—after early acclaim followed by a long run in B-movies, he reinvented himself as a director and had some success in that area. Virile and handsome, he had a build like a fitness buff you'd find bumming around Venice Beach, which might explain why he was in so many mainstream movies that feel like semi-legit upgrades of things that came out of Athletic Model Guild.
Sexy Sampler: High Sierra (1941), Knockout (1941), A Song to Remember (1945), A Thousand and One Nights (1945), Leave Her to Heaven (1945), The Bandit of Sherwood Forest (1946), The Homestretch (1947), The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), At Sword's Point (1952), California Conquest (1952), Treasure of the Golden Condor (1953), The Naked Prey (1966)
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Oh, Henry!
#96 Mike Henry (1936—) Every big-screen "Tarzan" was hot, but how many were hairy? Just Mike Henry, who only played the role in three movies. His other film work was pretty unspectacular, but considering he'd begun his career as a pro football player, it's not like he had pretensions to win an Oscar. Square-jawed? Squared.
Sexy Sampler: "Tarzan" movies (1966—1968), The Green Berets (1968), More Dead Than Alive (1969), Number One (1969), Rio Lobo (1970)
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Blue movie star
#95 Christopher Atkins (1961—) With the ultimate innocent look, this boyish blond became an international sex symbol with his naked role in the softcore classic The Blue Lagoon. He only had a few memorable screen appearances, but conquered the teen-mag world handily.
Sexy Sampler: The Blue Lagoon (1980), The Pirate Movie (1982), A Night in Heaven (1983)
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I flipped for this Berger
#94 Helmut Berger (1944—) Forever memorable from his work in his partner Luchino Visconti's '60s and '70s films, in which he appeared as an impossibly beautiful and impossibly European object of desire. Don't Google him to see how he looks now.
Sexy Sampler: The Damned (1969), Dorian Gray (1970), The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (1970), Love Me Strangely (1971), The Bloodstained Butterly (1971), Ludwig (1972), Conversation Piece (1974), Salon Kitty (1976)
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Almodovar's male muse
#93 Antonio Banderas (1960—) Who can forget discovering this mouth-watering screen presence via Almodovar's films, in which he looked like a Spanish David while committing crimes against
nature? Then he popped up in Madonna's Truth or Dare, where the icon threw herself at him in vain. A man who could resist 1990-era Madonna? Once he was brought to the U.S. for films, Banderas's sexiness felt a little more canned, a little more stereotypically that of the "Latin lover." But he's certainly had his moments.
Sexy Sampler: Labyrinth of Passion (1982), Matador (1986), Law of Desire (1987), Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988), Tie Me Up! Time Me Down! (1990), Truth or Dare (1990), The Mambo Kings (1992), Philadelphia (1993), Interview with the Vampire (1994), Miami Rhapsody (1995), Evita (1996), The Mask of Zorro (1998), Original Sin (2001), Take the Lead (2006)
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All work and no Plato makes Jack a dull boy
#92 Sal Mineo (1939—1976) Not high on many other "hottest movie guy" lists you'll find, Sal ranks on mine for his interesting mixture of innocence (especially early in his career) and edge (especially off screen). Who would've guessed that the lonely kid from Rebel Without a Cause would be a late-blooming gay man with a strong fetish for defiling all-American boys (Bobby Sherman and Don Johnson, reportedly) and for tightie whities? Read my pal's bio to get the full scoop on Mineo, who was a complex and driven artist and man. Or just watch him on the big screen in the admittedly laughable Who Killed Teddy Bear? and then challenge me for including him here.
A cuddly teddy bear that would look great on your bed
Sexy Sampler: Rebel Without a Cause (1955), Crime in the Streets (1956), Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956), Giant (1956), Rock, Pretty Baby (1956), Dino (1957), The Young Don't Cry (1957), A Private's Affair (1959), The Gene Krupa Story (1959), Exodus (1960), The Longest Day (1962), Cheyenne Autumn (1964), Who Killed Teddy Bear? (1965)
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The eyebrows have it
#91 Colin Farrell (1976—) This bad news bear cub has been setting hearts aflutter (against brains' better judgments) ever since appearing in Joel Schumacher's beef-fest Tigerland. He reeks mischief both on and off the screen, lost his looks for a bit when the partying got out of hand, but has bounced back admirably to continue as a reliably good-looking lead.
Sexy Sampler: Tigerland (2000), American Outlaws (2001), Hart's War (2002), Minority Report (2002), Phone Booth (2002), The Recruit (2003), Daredevil (2003), Veronica Guerin (2003), S.W.A.T. (2003), Intermission (2003), A Home at the End of the World (2004), Alexander 92004), Miami Vice (2006), In Bruges (2008), Fright Night (2011)
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Hard to "Get Over" him
#90 Nick Scotti (1966—) This tragically underused multi-hyphenate was sweetly funny in Kiss Me, Guido, a gay comedy that received a major release at a time when LGBT movies were making in the millions instead of the tens of thousands at the box office. As appealing as he was, he barely got a chance to make another impact in the movies, instead falling back on his modeling, his Madonna-approved singing career and a short-lived reality series that capitalized on his New Yawk roots. Movie experience aside, we're talkin' about hotness here, and he's always had that to burn.
Sexy Sampler: Kiss Me, Guido (1997); Detroit Rock City (1999)
Via I Believe in Advertising: These Australian ads for movies, themed to the Olympics, are pretty ingenious. Gotta love that they spoofed Brokeback Mountain without being offensive. Keep reading for all the best ones...
National Examiner (August 6, 2012...A.D.?) is on the case of Anderson Cooper's semi-recent coming out and asks: "Who's next?" Of course they just mean who will come out as gay next, but I like to read it as if it's a virus that's catching. If it were, I think a couple of the people on that cover have yet to be exposed to it. And then there's Matt Bomer, who's already out. Though he's identified as gay inside. Actually, it's said as such:
"White Collar star Matt Bomer also runs with the boys."
This is an event held near Pamplona and the rivalry is bitter.
The story says "New Stars Come Out!" and claims Jake Gyllenhaal, Ryan Seacrest, Mariska Hargitay ("the gay grapevine in New York City hangs heavy with rumors about the star"), Zac Efron and Alex Trebek might be gay.
The Golden Globes were, as usual, far more entertaining than the Oscars. I also had no idea they are a humanitarian org. I thought they were just starfuckers (with accents) like me!
It's hard to take the likes of Kelly Osbourne seriously in the realm of fashion of beauty, but Madonna looked amazing—loved the dress and the looser hair. Her shots with Ryan Seacrest were a bit puffier than lately but nonetheless, she remains relaxed and seems genuinely thrilled to be promoting her movie.
Why did fucking Nicole Richie name-check her hairstylist? Can't we leave anything to the imagination?
When the show began, I had to gasp at seeing Madonna and Meryl Streep at the same table. It makes perfect (Weinstein) sense, yet seeing the two living legends (and former feuders) seated together was a big thrill.
Ricky Gervais—who I love—was very funny in his intro. Even funnier was watching the petrified audience cautiously waiting for the blade to drop. The joke about Jodie Foster's Beaver, which he'd never seen and which "a lot of others had never seen," was daring; they cut away rather than linger on Jodie's reaction. She was a great sport.
Poor Gerald Butler...shaking with nerves and as off with his timing as he was on with his beauty. Kudos for rewarding Christopher Plummer for supporting actor! Beginners is a terrific movie and he deserves it for his performance as well as for his career.
Laura Dern is not funnier or better than Amy Poehler, let alone the others in the category of actress in a comedy. They, like the Emmys, always go with people known for their movies in TV categories. Cool seeing Laura brought her mommy Dianne Ladd, who looks the same after all these years.
Rob Lowe's hair is like Priscilla Presley's face: It was perfect for an unnaturally long time, then it just WENT. He and the always gorgeous Julianne Moore handed the trophy to Downton Abbey, which I promise to watch. Poor Elizabeth McGovern taking a spill.
Kate Winslet certainly deserved to win for Mildred Pierce, which I feel was not appreciated as much as it should have been. It's hard remaking perfection, but I think they succeeded by rethinking it from the ground up. She looked spectacular.
Prove it!
As of midnight last night, it was exactly six years since my first post. It's been a tough thing to keep up with a dayjob and outside activities, and just when I think I might walk away, a valuable connection or interesting opportunity or a kind word comes my way. Thank you all for reading me.
Of whom are you more jealous?
Here are my favorite 100+ posts out of nearly 11,000. Please take some time to read (or re-read!) a couple and tweet or Facebook any you like.
xoxo Matt
The pocket pool championships were intense this year
BOY CULTURE
FROM BOY TO MAN: BC B.C. (2007): The entire history of my novell and novel Boy Culture as well as the movie version; might be my ultimate post.
Jonathon Trent & Derek Magyar make an Allan Brocka sandwich
BOY ON FILM (2006): An account of the NYC launch party for Boy Culture as it played the TriBeCa Film Fest.
I was left "Reeling" by the experience
FRIENDS AND "FAMILY" (2006): The movie version of Boy Culture hits Chicago.
No one would've mistaken me for Taylor Lautner
RAPT PUPIL (2006): The final night of Outfest with Boy Culture; I was fat but on the other hand got to meet Bryan Singer.
MY ART
Construction worker (shot this week) vs. James Dean
GUYDAR (since at least January 17, 2008) & ENDS OF THE WORLD (since at least January 13, 2008): Attractive men of the world—I got your backs. Your fronts, too.
Unaltered iPhone image that still blows me away
"Your pictures suck" (2008): An art critic attacks me, but not without sustaining some hits in return.
DRAWN TOGETHER (2008): How my desire to draw related to my secret desire. One of my absolute favorite posts.
The shirtless one
LOST ANGELES (2009): My favorite photographic travelogue of L.A.
Even then, New Yorkers feared 9/11 was the beginning of the end
ART IMITATES LIFE (2006): My 9/11 and my distaste for grief tourism.
ME
Death of the party—Jeff in high school, already halfway through his life
BURNING MAN (2007): Tribute to my late high school friend and first romance.
Signed, sealed (eventually) delivered
LOST BOY FOUND (2011): There is a book in here somewhere.
Be Italian
CIAO HOUNDS: OUR TRIP TO ITALY (2011): Finally got José to Europe.
ILLINOIS DEATH TRIP (2007): Ruminations on death while revisiting a past home, and the past.
Life is short...and meaningful
PASSING BY (2008): Mourning the loss of a person I only met once.
Lots more...
Above, Jake Gyllenhaal, Joey Lawrence and Johnny Depp are stripped to their swim trunks in Star (October 24, 2011). Below, the same feature offers Derek Hough, Seal, Hugh Jackman, Kris Humphries and Paul Krepelka:
More after the jump...
