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Frisky Frolic: Hands On!
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Six: Claudiu by Chris Teel
Readers of FH are beautifully familiar with Claudiu, as well as the work of photographer Chris Teel. It was the Toronto models work with Chris that I first used to in my first feature on his work back in 2012. I recently had the pleasure of viewing their recent work together, their sixth shoot in fact since they first collaborated back in 2009.
To celebrate their sixth shoot together, I chose six of my favorite images to share today. Don't worry though, I have tucked away many more great shots for sharing later! If you can't wait though, head on over to Claudiu's facebook page HERE: Claudiu welcomes you to contact him to see more, much more, and find out which shots from his vast collection are available as prints!
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Naked News!
Fat finger' blamed for Harvard man sending naked photo to girl instead of wife...
A single digit could wind up costing a Harvard man.
;The defense attorney said his client intended to send picture messages of his genitals to his wife’s cellphone, but was one number off. He is one fat finger away from having dialed it correctly,” defense attorney said. “He was one digit off. It was a silly thing. He made a silly mistake, but it doesn’t rise to wanton or willful disregard.'
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Happy Birthday today June 5th
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Favorite Pic of the Day for June 5th
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A Picture Perfect Day: Roy by Fit Aussie Guys
Have You Got What It Takes?
'After just coming out of the ocean I mentioned to Roy that he should do what he needed to do, to make himself look bigger, but not hard. He thought trying 'the helicopter' was a most amusing idea and naturally obliged with a smile.'
Working on FH, some of my favorite artists, models and images to feature have come from Australia. Part of the appeal is my love of travel, even if the trip is a virtual visual one. Another part, is my love of geography, and my desire to see new locations and breathtaking settings surrounding the male beauty featured. Although my focus may be the male form, I have loved my visual journeys to swamps and ammo factories with Robert J. Guttke, the Utah Mountains with Gordon Nebeker and Prisons and Banks with Robert Colgan. These images have taken me places I not would never have gone to, but most importantly, never have imagined.
This visual journey, to the Western Coast of Australia, began as most of my journey's do, with my seeing one image. The photo, forth from the bottom, was of a beautiful and naked man, lying within the sand dunes, beach vegetation and marram beach grass, I knew I wanted to see more. The image, so beautifully framed and sunlight, had my senses reminded of the feeling of lying on the beach. You could almost feel the heat of the sun above and also the heat of sand below. I was also reminded of the dry, brittle, even cutting nature of the beach grass, so beautiful to see, but not as beautiful to touch.
The naked man within the dunes I found out, was Roy. The man behind the camera, responsible for the image, was James from Fit Aussie Guys. Based in Melbourne, the aim of Fit Aussie Guys is to show of Aussie guys at their physical peak; linking their athletic bodies to the sport and fitness that shaped them. Few of the men photographed have modeled before, so most of them are unknowns and not seen anywhere else on the web! Through naturalistic lighting, or the blazing sun shining down on the incredible Australian beaches, the focus is to spotlight and exaggerate body definition and celebrate the physical accomplishments of the men in front of their lens.
With the title, Fit Aussie Guys, you can expect to see fit guys with incredible bodies. But by also including Aussie in the title, you're also promised a bit of the country, as not only a location, but as well it's culture and lifestyle. Fit Aussie Guys has been showcased in national and international magazines including DNA, tMf Magazine, Monster Children, and banQuet Pres.
James discovered Roy through a blind casting call he had put up looking for models. A tradesmen working in the mines in Western Australia, Roy had never modeled before. James shares that Roy had one of those "I'll give anything a go!" attitudes and they immediately got along, being around the same age and sharing a mutual love of Australian sport. James chose the secluded Leighton Beach, just outside of a town called Fremantle as their location. The beach, along a wide stretch of the Australian coast, had only an old swim club with an abandoned, but still functioning kiosk, and shower block which had it's roof ripped off by a cyclone in 2002.
'We began with a few surf shots and running along the water shots. There were only a few other kite-surfers on the beach that day. He seemed very much at ease and enjoying the experience on what was a picture perfect day. I moved up to the sand dunes which was full of a variety of vegetation good for the images I wanted and started to shoot. A few shots in boardshorts and first and then down to his underwear. Roy knew that there were going to be some nudity required for this photo shoot and didn't flinch when I asked him to take of his jocks. He was very comfortable!'
'The last part of the shoot was at the old shower block which although abandoned still had running water. We used this for a few more boardshorts shots before dropping them in the shower for some final images. Roy was a top bloke and easy guy to work with and I wouldn't hesitate getting him in front of the camera again next time I'm on the west coast. He said afterwards that he really enjoyed the shoot and hanging out and was really surprised at how well the photos turned out. The feeling was mutual.'
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The Casting of a Modern Boyfriend...
Though “Modern Family” has certainly had its share of big names drop by, Emmy-winning casting director Jeff Greenberg says they’ve since become more selective. “Early days in the series, we had a lot of names on, and there was kind of a backlash, like, oh, is this turning into ‘Will and Grace?’“ he admits. “The show didn’t need to rely on guest stars, and we really want to choose the right person for the part.”
The quote above from Modern Family casting director Jeff Greenberg annoyed me a little. First off, I thought Will & Grace had incredible casting. Yes, they made a few eye rolling bits with big names like Cher and Madonna, but they made up for it with many of their exceptional casting calls. Blythe Danner and Debbie Reynolds were great as the moms and I still love watching Edie Falco and Chloe Sevigny in the episode East Side Story.
The second reason the quote annoyed me is I had been planning a Kudos post Greenberg for his casting, especially his casting of Haley's boyfriends. Nolan Gould and Rico Rodriguez are awfully cute, and immensely talented, but still a little young to wear the hunk title on the show. The sit-com has mostly relied on Haley's men to fill that role, most notably, actor Reid Ewing. Ewing was adorably dim, not to mention sexy as hell as Dylan, and until this season I had hoped for a return and a reconciliation.
The show kept Haley pretty much single this season, although on the show's jaunt to Australia she did run into the ultra hot Australian model Jye Williams!
As the season progressed however, sparks began to fly between Haley and Jay and Gloria's manny Andy. Andy, as played by actor and writer Adam DeVine has made Dylan a distant memory to me. DeVine has been on the show for awhile but only recently began sharing screen time with Sarah Hyland's Haley.
The show has been careful to bring the two together slowly with some great moments between the two during the shows last two episodes. Haley has never been my favorite member of the cast, but Andy, and Adam bring out another side of her I am enjoying watching. I hope the show brings back the talented, lovable and hot, Adam DeVine for season 6!
Adam in Workaholics
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The Bottom Line... Prom Night
I say dressing casual for a hot June evening is wise.
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Happy Birthday today June 7th
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Favorite Pic of the Day for June 7th
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Figs & Newton
It may have been partly due to his resemblance to a certain movie star, but when I was a teenager, Joey Newton was one of my all time favorite men of Playgirl. His body is delicious yes, but that smile, that jaw, that wavy dark hair, incredible!
I did a FH poll back in 2009 and Joey topped my list, might be time for poll to see who you all would love to see in future Playgirl posts! Joey Newton was my first Classic Playgirl post back in 2007, but I only used a few images. I thought it was a good time to again, join Joey by the pool.
Joey Newton
Playgirl, May 1994
Photography by David Hinds
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Playing with the Boys
Top Gun was the first Tom Cruise movie I saw at the theatres. It was also arguably the gayest. Between longing glances in the locke room to serious moments with a daddy figure wearing your tighty whites, Top Gun brought the shirtless eye candy ten fold!
The homo eroticism was never as clear or blatant as it was in The Vollyball Scene. Lets start with Kenny Loggins Playing With The Boys song blasting in the background. I remember even at 11, even before I really knew I was gay, feeling that scene doing a little something something with my nether regions while I watched. Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Rick Rossovich and Anthony Edwards. I also had me a wee crush on Barry Tubb.
1.) Make sure 75 percent of the guys on the court are wearing jeans and/or cropped sweatpants with no shirt.
2.) The other 25 percent must wear a colorful pair of swim trunks with a sleeveless shirt.
3.) Tape your hands up as if you’re about to do some intense Muay Thai training.
4.) Aviator sunglasses are a must.
5.) Get sweaty well before the game starts.
6.) A well-choreographed high five is highly encouraged.
7.) Casually flex your muscles and pose whenever you get the chance.
8.) Dog tags or any necklace adds some sparkle.
9.) As mentioned, any Kenny Loggins song will make for a great soundtrack for this gentleman’s game.
10.) Above all, make sure that you are doing all this in front of an audience of males
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Blockbuster
The best laid plans. My Friday night plan was to be the third wheel. A role I am quite familiar with, having played it on and off at different times and with different people. The people I was joining this time were one of my best friends and his wife to go to the movies. The movie was supposed to be Godzilla. Despite it's fairly poor ratings, I, like my friend, are suckers for a monster movie, even a not so great one. I so love a good, or not so good, monster flick, I even enjoyed the 1998 version with Matthew Broderick. As we pulled up to the theatre, a quick scan of theatre's listing told me I would not be chomping on popcorn watching Godzilla chomping on New Yorkers. It's run had ended the previous night and before I could get 'How about The Grand Seduction?' from my lips, one half of the couple announced we were seeing Edge Of Tomorrow.
I had zero interest in Edge Of Tomorrow, I have had little to no interest in fact, in any Tom Cruise movie really since The War Of The Worlds. I don't think I have actively boycotted his blockbusters, it is more that I seem sort of naturally repelled by them. Summer blockbusters are meant to take us away, relax and escape from our everyday problems. Between the Scientology, the relationships, and his penchant for odd behaviour, it became more and more difficult to achieve that escape, and to separate character from actor while watching his movies. Edge Of Tomorrow was not a bad film really, it went by quickly and I was never bored. Seeing Cruise on screen however, filled me with a strange sense of melancholy, even sadness. The feeling sort of hung there and stuck for the rest of the evening.
I was 10 or 11 when I saw Top Gun, and went 3 times to see it that summer. Over the next ten years or so, during my formative years moving through puberty to adulthood, I spent many summer nights, in a dark theatre with Tom Cruise. The Color Of Money, The Firm, Cocktail, Days Of Thunder, Rainman and A Few Good Men. When not enjoying Cruise on the big screen, I wore out my VHS copy of All The Right Moves trying to freeze frame is very brief frontal. I am thinking, that between 14 and 19, Cruise was probably the actor who took the starring role in my fantasy's, dreams and masturbatory stimulants. Most often, I imagined Cruise as he appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone in 1990. Coming from ocean, soaking wet, jeans and white shirt clinging to his body. During a few brief seconds, for just a moment while watching Edge Of Tomorrow, I was reminded of those early memories of Cruise. The superstar with the huge smile that I lusted after so. The melancholy feeling rose when remembering what was and again realizing that early love, so sweet and innocent, has been gone for a long long time.
All The Right Moves (1983)
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Ball caps, Blue Jeans and Bikini Briefs: Zack Abraham by Carl Proctor
It is clear to regular FH readers that showcasing the work Carl Proctor is one of my favorite things to do. In the last four years I featured his work and images as often as I can. The Atlanta photographer not only produces incredible imagery, he is generous, supportive and continues to remain excited about his work and the process of putting together a great theme or shoot.
Carl's enthusiasm has led to his creating images and themes that have been some of my favorites to present on the blog. It has also led to my introduction to models whom I may not have given attention to, except for Carl's images. Carl has an eye for not only spotting, but capturing models in a way that makes them stand out. He always manages to capture that one moment or that second of a killer smile, or that perfect pose. That hard to define essence that creates that stand out image, the essence you may not have noticed, if Carl's camera had not zoomed directly to it.
When I saw the image of model Zack Abraham, the image I used for pic of the day, I knew it was one of those shots. There was something about the pose and Zack with a baseball and glove and the ball cap with briefs that I so loved. Zack was also wearing sandals, footwear Carl obviously loves to shoot his models in. Like or dislike the image, it is unique and stops you in your tracks. Carl often throws in pieces of fashion and props that on the surface, you might question how would blend together. Carl, with the right model, finds a way to make them work.
Carl certainly made it work with Zack. Carl says the shoot ended up being much shorter than he had planned, but they still ended up with some amazing images! Zack, who is represented by Crew Models International is an auto mechanic by trade but loves the arts and says he applies this creativity and artistry to all aspects of his life, including his auto work. I love Zack's outlook. Many of us would never assume, when we see our mechanic, no matter how hot, in overalls and full of grease as being artistic. I think we could all benefit if there were more artistically driven people tinkering under our hoods.
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Favorite Pic of the Day for June 8th
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So Last Year... Max Papendieck by Joseph Lally
I had stuck away an image from Joseph Lally last year, one of his many of the ultra hot Max Papendieck. Although Joseph released this series in early 2013, I just uncovered the image in my 'idea' folder. If you have not seen the series, or even if you have, nothing wrong with spending a bit more time with Joesph's images of Max! Better late than never!
You can see more on Joseph's site HERE: You can also check out Max starring in episode 2 of Joseph's SOAP OPERA series on YouTube HERE:
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Flipped: Jake by Diver Photography
I know that most people would assume those of us who have a passion for images of the male form have a preoccupation with the penis. I have no doubt this is true for some, but for me, there has to be so much more. First off, I am much more interested in a great rear shot than a frontal, but secondly, I am not usually interested in any body part that doesn't have a great face attached. The artists that most love to feature, focus on people, not just their bodies.
The body of course is important, but for me, it is not the most important. This is my third feature on the work of Mark from Little Rock's Diver Photography. When I first contacted Mark, it was not about a penis, or butt or even a body. I contacted Mark about a smile. The smile, belonged to Will, who I featured in our second post last January entitled Grin And Bare It. Will has an amazing body, but it was that smile that had Mark's images stand out, and it was that smile, that motivated my wanting to contact him.
Jake has incredible body as well, especially as shot in the lush green Arkansas woods, beautifully flanked with tree's and foliage. Jake also has a great face, with an engaging ear to ear goofy grin that lights up each of Mark's captures. Jake also has bright and soulful eyes act as an emotional lever, able to switch the emotional reaction one has to each image. Mark really enjoyed his time with Jake and would recommend his work, and his professionalism to other artists.
'Working with Jake was a pleasure! Jake felt very comfortable in front of the camera and was assertive with his poses, yet very flexible to work with. Jake was not bashful at all and was willing to do a multitude of poses, nude, implied and clothing shots to diversify our shoot together.'
Oddly, what struck me most in Mark's images of Jake was how different the images looked, and how different the images felt, depending on his hair. In a few of the shots, (including the ones above and below this text) Jake's hair was combed down, flat on his head. In most of the other images, the product came out and James hair was hair, bangs flipped up and back. A small change maybe, but with his hair flicked up, there was a change in his look, he looked a little older, a little more current and his great facial structure seemed more evident and defined.
Although I like his hair combed down, the images have beautiful, quiet quality. When his hair was combed up and back, the difference in appearance brought out a distinct increase in energy and perceived burst in confidence. This of course might be all in my mind, but then again when viewing an image, the reaction of the viewer is really what it is all about.
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Award Show Fatigue?
There was a time watching The Tony's was one of the highlights of my year. Although I love the stage, I especially love great musical theatre and was myself apart of many great musicals through High School, University and beyond. This year, the show held little interest to me. It might be a bit of award show fatigue, or it might be that the show has been on a repeat cycle the last few year. Neil Patrick Harris and Hugh Jackman have been rotating as host for the last while and although Hugh is a GOD, I am not sure he can ever do better than the year he both hosted, and won for his role in The Boy From Oz. To me, in many ways that was the last year I really enjoyed the Tony's, and they were not trying to be something they are not.
The Tony's have always had television and movie stars, but it seems to becoming more an more a focus. Not only as presenters, but for shows. Great Broadway musicals were often turned into movies. Now.. so so movies are turned into so so stage shows. I am also one of the few gay men in America who is not in love with Neil Patrick Harris. This makes it difficult, as he is always featured heavily. I know Harris is insanely talented, and a great entertainer. That, I do not argue. I have never been able to shake my feeling he can also be a smug douche. Some of this is based on things I have heard, some it, based on what I have seen. I fight hard to like him, I actively try. I listened to his recent interview with Howard Stern, but only left with my previous instinct about him confirmed multiple times. Although I hoped for a win for Bryce Pinkham in A Gentlemen's Guide To Love & Murder, Harris richly deserved his win. He put his heart, sweat and tears into each performance of Hedwig.
Favorite moments of the night; Carole King and Jessie Mueller, Jackman introducing the lead actress in a musical nominee's and the emotional win for Audra McDonald (although I was hoping for a Tyne). I also enjoyed the performance from Bullets Over Broadway, it was not great, but love the choreography in that number. My favorite performance was from Gentlemen, with Bryce and co-stars Lisa O'Hare and Lauren Worsham. If you did not see it, check it out below!
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Happy Birthday today June 10th
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Favorite Pic of the Day for June 10th
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