Teen Heart ThrobI could never get behind the Blue Lagoon perm, but this shirtless, short short, tennis shoe wearing, smiling, prepster Christopher Atkins in the boat? Now, that’s a teen heart throb I can get behind.
Besides, what young girl/gay boy didn’t dream that their future days of romance would include such a vista as this photo shoot?
He, TarzanJohnny Weissmuller is probably the most recognizable Tarzan and definitely the hunkiest. One of the world’s best swimmers, he won many Olympic medals and set world records in the sport before he went Hollywood.
Mr. TemptationDavid Ruffin lent his scruffy yet smooth voice to some of The Temptations best loved hits like My Girl and Ain’t Too Proud To Beg. His solo career was less commercially successful but still yielded some top ten hits like My Whole World Ended.
With a megawatt smile, kind eyes, heavy black spectacles and nerdy good looks he was uniquely, stylishly handsome and stunningly modern (doesn’t the third photo below look like a brand new album?).
But as we learn about so many famous people we admire, the facade hid a much darker reality. He was plagued by drug addiction which eventually took his life and a huge ego that ended his relationship with The Temptations on a sour note.
Click here for the rest of David Ruffin
Doors KeyboardistJim Morrison may have brought the poetry, the leather pants, the pouty lips and the raw sexuality, but Ray Manzarek brought the mutton chops, the cleft chin, the psychedelia thanks to his keyboard and a more refined sex appeal behind those wire frame glasses.
Now sporting a handsome aged rocker meets Sydney Pollack look, Manzarek continues to make music. It’s in his hey day, however when he made buttoned up pinstripes seem so rock and roll.
Japanese ActorRecent movie pick Yojimbo introduced me to the charming good looks of Tatsuya Nakadai. Actually I’d seen him in the epic Ran, but he’s well hidden under white hair and ghost like makeup.
Discovered by director Masaki Kobayashi, he quickly became one of Japan’s most universally recognized leading men. Last summer, Film Forum and the excellent Japan Society Nakadai film festival featuring both his best and lesser known films. I’m sad I missed it.
Rebel HeartthrobI’ve got no problem with the way pop heartthrobs have gone in the past couple decades. It’s OK for innocent youngins to be in love with innocent youngins. Sure, the music’s mostly bad (though, as you know I have a soft spot for some Hanson B sides) but if girls want to scream for Bieber and The Jonas Brothers, that’s awesome.
But isn’t it odd that there’s no modern equivalent to the snarling, punk rock (like for real punk rock – he used to be in Siouxie Sioux’s band before hitting it big on Mtv), bad boy that was hey day Billy Idol? (Then again, maybe it’s better there are no double bj photos floating around of Aaron Carter?)
Not only was the music good (just try to skip Eyes Without a Face when it pops up in your ipod) the look was perfect: like teenage rebellion and prettied up danger. (You can capture it with this insane Halloween costume)
And to his credit, at least at the writing of this entry, he’s yet to have starred in a reality TV show.
Click here for the rest of Billy Idol
Stellar ActorI heart Max Von Sydow. I was recently reminded of this while looking at photos of him for a rock poster I was working on. He’s dignified, wise, but has a humorous glint in his eye.
His career, which began with the fruitful partnership with Ingmar Bergman, is wildly varied and extremely interesting.
On my personal list of Von Sydow viewing if you’re planning a marathon?:
Wild Strawberries, Through A Glass Darkly, The Exorcist, Three Days of the Condor, Death Watch (actually I have never seen this but am interested to learn it’s a sci-fi film by Bertrand Tavernier and it’s not readily available – making it even more intreguing), Flash Gordon, Conan the Barbarian, Strange Brew, Dreamscape, Dune, Hannah and Her Sisters, and Intacto.
Phew, what an awesome man!
Brilliant Graphic NovelistIt seems almost cosmically unfair that Daniel Clowes should not only be prolifically genius as the author and illustrator of such mind blowing, earth shaking, genre bending masterworks as Ghost World, David Boring and Like a Velvet Glove Cast in Iron (we’ll forgive the recent dud, Wilson) but also be a gauntly handsome man with eyes to pierce the indie comic reading girl’s soul.
Somewhere there is a poor schmuck without talent or good looks to fill the void. Ironically, he’s probably a huge Clowes fan.
I met him briefly at a book signing in Austin (hello early 2000’s!) and he seemed to be a very nice fellow too. We asked if he understood Crispin Glover’s intro to Pussey! He did not.
Swiss ArtistI was very taken with the nudes of Felix Edouard Vallotton when I came across them the other day. The Swiss painter was also well known as an important artist in the medium of woodcutting.
After doing a little more research I was pleased to find that on top of his artists merits, he boasts the looks of the kind of weirdly handsome smart ass art student with a thing for big butts that I just can’t resist (just ask my husband).
Korean SuperstarIt takes one pretty face to jump out of all the ninjas, cowboys, and clowns in the Warrior’s Way trailer – and it’s not boring Kate Bosworth’s that stands out, but Korean superstar Jang Dong-gun. The film is meant to be his international, particularly American breakthrough debut. Sadly, I’ve read that it’s terrible. But he sure is a cutie.
