Former druggie Robert Downey Jr. looks hewn of iron himself in Italian Vanity Fair (7 Maggio 2008)...maybe it's the gaunt appearance caused by whatever he did to get into top shape for the box-office-topping superhero joint:
One more, squatting, after the jump...
Alain Delon (now 72) was one hot fucker (pardon my French!)...check out his nude run on the beach from the April 2008 Russian GQ...this is from the 1973 thriller (no kiddin'!) Traitement de choc, which somehow flopped. He was roughly my age in this image, which is...daunting:
All washed up on shore.
I used to be a sucker for the cute dude on Land Of The Lost...and his dad, too! I was obsessed with the show, but was so young I barely figured out what was going on. Good thing, since it made little sense. I just found the part where they went over the falls, the theme song (ending with the dino roar) and differently-browed Chaka endlessly fascinating.
The image above is from the upcoming movie adaptation, which is said to be comic. Check Towleroad for more info and a Q&A with the director.
French GQ (Avril 2008) has a too-cool spread called "Cinema" by Frederic Auerbach that has a New Wave vibe I like:
Photo © and courtesy of CASONE LLC.
I was lucky enough to attend the world premiere of I Am Because We Are, the film produced and written, at least in part, by Madonna, and directed by Nathan Rissman, her former gardener. I love that Madonna plucks people from obscurity to take them along on her ride. It’s not out of generosity or pity, it’s a recognition of talent that is amazingly democratic, that cuts through the usual way things are done.
Courtesy of Angel Love.
I liken it to how she has chosen some of her video directors and photographers, and particularly to how she saw a student film using her music and Kate Bush’s and hired its creator—Alek Keshishian—to direct what became at the time the #1 highest-grossing documentary, Truth Or Dare. (If you’re a cynic, you could also point to her relationship with former trainer Carlos Leon; this is unfair and demeans their genuine, loving connection, but viewed as fans view stars, it adds to the thrilling idea that one day, Madonna could pull you from the crowd and use her stardust to polish up your own potential in life.)
I had gotten tickets the day-of, thanks to a tip from my Madonna pal "Dave" (not his real name). I’d been hunting for them all week (they were only available as “RUSH”), but then batches opened up and I snagged some. Dave is one of my Madonna “top” friends. A Madonna top is a fan who is aggressive and wants to be sure he misses no opportunity in order to avoid stewing over it forever after. I’m also a Madonna top. I went with my sister and brother-in-law, and with one of my Madonna “bottom” friends, Jason. A Madonna bottom is just as big a fan as a Madonna top, but while he thrills at making it into exclusive events or finding out how to download forbidden cast-offs, his outlook is to be happy in the moment with whatever comes his way, and not waste time regretting any missed opportunities. They’re both great friends I’m happy to know, and I love both kinds of Madonna fan—maybe I’m more Madonna “versatile” than I know...
We were let in and had nice, central seats toward the back at the TriBeCa Performing Arts Center, but I went back out to inspect the red carpet. When Madonna came in—looking lovely in an Africanesque-print ‘70s garment, her white-blonde hair visible here and there as she traveled the press line like a British noblewoman navigating the Sahara on safari—the camera crews went mad. They crowded her every step of the way, but I got some clear footage at the end—she smiled radiantly and waved, relaxed and no doubt proud of the film we were about to see.
Courtesy of Angel Love.
(When she did some quick press at the very end of the line, behind gauzy curtains, minders peevishly pressed their fingers together over the seams so fans couldn’t peek in. Isn’t this film about being charitable?)
When seated, I saw Rosie O’Donnell arrive, looking like she did back on her own show. She sat a few rows ahead of us, along with Guy Oseary and the rest of Madonna’s crew.
Madonna was introduced and gave a very sweet, heartfelt speech:
Madonna was then seated in the Rosie row—this was the fourth closest I’ve ever been to Madonna (my friend John—a Madonna “top” if ever there was one—and I once walked past her red pigtails in front of Sound Factory in 1993 and I was in the front row for both Up For Grabs and The Confessions Tour), but I couldn’t see her due to the angle.
The film is a straightforward documentary that pulls no punches in painting Malawi as one of the most desperate places on earth. I found it moving, a tear-jerker in parts. The audience gasped when one boy’s horror-story of mutilation was revealed, and I felt the room was riveted by the information-heavy film. It was interesting seeing a project associated with Madonna that wasn’t so much about her (although she is seen with her adoptive son David, and her personal story of involvement with the country opens the film), and that wasn’t “edgy” or livened up with gimmicks. For example, Truth Or Dare was the original scripted/unscripted reality “show,” and the black-and-white vs. color segments was a stylistic flourish. Here, while Madonna is shown mainly (if not always?) in black-and-white, it didn’t seem so much a flourish as a necessity—her own story is not as compelling as the story of Malawi, as the story of our world.
Read on for more details plus two videos of her entire post-screening Q&A...
I don't know if he's God's gift in all arenas, but purely physically, he's not one you'd return to the store. Here's Matthew McConaughey on the cover of and inside the April 2008 Russian GQ:
Several more gifts after the jump...
In GQ (May 2008), meet new movie star Ben Barnes (the titular character of the upcoming Narnia blockbuster Prince Caspian), who's pushin' 30 but looks like he's waiting to get his driver's license in Nathaniel Goldberg's wistful Americana tribute:
"Get in the car."
Junk in the trunk.
Hopefully, you drive stick (look closely).
More Ben after the jump...
Nice cover on Men's Health En Español (April 2008)—guapo! Inside, there's a repeat of that Matt McConaughey spread that has appeared in the U.S. and U.K. editions, but it includes this shot, which I had not seen:
Also, I loved this illustration for an article on overachievers who don't sleep. (Note: I'm posting this around midnight on a Sunday.)
The U.S. edition of Men's Health (May 2008) features Lost star Matthew Fox:
After the jump, several Matt Fox shots, plus much more from this issue of Men's Health...
I can't explain why, but I read every word of Globe's account of Doris Day's sexual history (she tried to keep her fourth marriage going solely because her hubby was "well hung," she was rumored to be a lesbian), plastic surgery (she had a 1984 facelift—past 60—to help assuage her fears of public appearances to no avail) and various scandals. I like some of her movies and loved her TV show because I had no idea what was even going on back then, and it's never rerun so it's like a favorite dream by now. I think I like proof that perfection—especially America' puritanical perception of what constitutes perfection—doesn't exist.
I like picturing Doris meeting Mickey Mantle and deciding the two American archetypes should fuck just because why not?
The article is peppered with factoids and quotes from the books Doris Day: The Reluctant Star and Doris Day: The Untold Secrets Of The Girl Next Door (published by, I kid you not, Virgin Books).
Also in Globe is a scandalous (not) piece "revealing" that Big Brother's "Crazy James" did hardcore gay porn. This came out ages ago, plus he spoke very knowledgeably about anal sex with men during an unaired chat with Joshuah, so it's not as shocking as America's sweetheart was insatiable in the sack.
Big Brother's big slut? Big deal.
Entertainment Weekly (April 25—May 2, 2008) had this pic of Ben Barnes of soon-to-be Prince Caspian fame. I think he's cute as a button. He looks like the son of Chad Michael Murray and Jared Padalecki:
