Friday, October 31, 2008

Not So Ugly Betty!

Last night, I had my writers lab meeting, and by the time I got home, I could only stay awake to watch one of my shows, "Ugly Betty." I couldn't help myself. I suspected that there might be more shirtlessness on GA, but the preview from last week with Mark and Mandy setting Lindsay Lohan up for a fall were just too juicy to resist. I don't know that I have ever written about how much I love Mark and Mandy on UG, but they just make me laugh like crazy. Sometimes laughing can be better than shirtlessness, and last night was one of those times. So who is the shirtless guy presented here? His name is Grant Bowler, an Austrailian actor joining the show. He was introduced to us last night as Connor Owens, new CFO of Meade and secret spy with Daniel, and I think he definitely needs to take his shirt off. I think he might get to take it off with Wilhemina which would be good since we all know how I feel about women of color enjoying good shirtlessness. He's supposed to be on at least three episodes, and I am crossing my fingers for the next two.

I didn't mention how much I enjoyed the Justin storyline last week. His "Billy Elliot" audition warmed my heart for a variety of reasons. Perhaps it was the picture that he let his mother take just before the audition even amidst his protests or meeting the class bully and discovering his secret love of ballet. It definitely could have been the boys' dance off in the holding room. But perhaps it was their expression of disbelief when they saw who finally got the part, an experience that I am not too big to say that I have had. Actually, I just love seeing the way that the whole family rallies around Justin and all of his idiosyncrasies, and it was so much fun to watch them all experience their first Broadway audition together.

Tonight, I think I'll be looking for some Halloween shirtlessness which in New York City is always very special. It's freezing cold here, but there is always someone crazy enough to take it off! Whoo hoo! The DH commercials suggest that there will be female shirtlessness on Sunday which leads me to believe that male shirtlessness is forthcoming. I'll catch up on GA and hopefully have some excellent new shirtlessness to report on Monday. Until then, I am...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Monday, October 27, 2008

Thank you, Justin

I'm happy to report that Dave Annable, aka Justin, took his shirt off last night on B&S which gave me enough hope to continue watching the show. Granted, it wasn't a lot of shirtlessness, but I was glad that they used a one to one ratio and made both Rebecca and Justin take off their shirts together. Besides their storyline which is amusing to me, I think that Kevin working for MacAllister could bring back the banter that has always been so much fun on this show. I was also grateful that Kitty and Robert kept the whining to a minimum on this show. Whoo hoo!

On other fronts, I think it is time to start getting organized for the opening of "Quantum of Solace" which will definitely be a big event in the male shirtlessness advocacy world. The film opens on November 14th and should bring happiness to many worldwide. I personally cannot wait. I'm also excted about the ambiguous ethnicity of the Bond girl. I can't be sure, but she does not appear to be white on the poster. While slightly outside the scope of IMS, I would like to say that I am also an advocate of women of color getting some good male shirtlessness, especially if that woman of color is me!

Anyway, "Ugly Betty" and GA look promising for Thursday, and last night's DH did not disappoint in terms of juiciness. I was glad to see the gay couple return to DH last night after a few weeks off. I think it would be nice if someone would let them speak in an episode or even let them have a storyline, instead of forcing them to tell gay jokes with Andrew. Just a thought. With that, I leave you as I am...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

PS. I'm not sure what is happening to my picture, but if you click on it, you will see a picture of Justin shirtless from last season.

Friday, October 24, 2008

Triumph on Thursday Night

At long last, ABC and the writers of "Grey's Anatomy" have realized that Eric Dane should always do what Eric Dane does best - take his shirt off. I can't tell you what an entire season of him in a zipped up leather jacket or worse, a turtleneck, has done to me, but last night, I was literally jumping up and down and clapping when McSteamy took off his shirt. Thank you! Granted it was no McSteamy coming out of the shower in a towel as pictured above (which BTW has been deemed one of the top three moments of shirtlessness by a control group of IMS members), but it gave me hope for this season. The return of Army guy renegade doctor at the end of the episode also signaled to me that GA is bringing shirtlessness back to Thursday night. Bring it!

So now, I feel satiated and can make it through Sunday night with no shirtlessness, provided that the DH storyline is good (which it should be) and Kitty and Robert don't whine (which is doubtful.) Until then, I am...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Monday, October 20, 2008

Lucky Me!

Instead of bemoaning the fact that there was no male shirtlessness on any of my shows last night, I've decided to accentuate the positive a la "The Secret" and revel in the fact that my friend sent this picture to me last night. It's good to know that even when the usual outlets of shirtlessness are disappointing, other outlets can totally surprise you. I am a lucky girl if I can get nice shirtless pictures in my inbox every once in a while! Also, it reminds me than when times are tough on the shirtless front, I should always check the D&G website. Good to know!

Okay, so while the shows had no new shirtlessness, I did find them pretty fun last night. DH has found a fun groove I think this season, and I am enjoying all the inner workings of the ladies. I wish we saw them together more. A friend of mine commented on how he doesn't really believe their friendships, and I would have to agree. I would love to see the girls together more often, if only to cast a shadow of goodness over the sinister David. What's his deal? I think he is out for Susan since she's the only person we haven't seen him interact with yet. And I am excited for next week's episode, the blast from the past. It looks juicy which is just what one needs on a Sunday evening at 9pm.

B & S is still limping along, and I was not pleased with the only attempt at shirtlessness being Tommy. His story is just so annoying that I don't want to see him shirtless. Thankfully he and Sarah seem to be patching things up, and the whining will stop. And if Justin and Rebecca have sex next week, we may even get some good shirtlessness. She takes hers off; it's only fair for Justin to have to take it off too. We at IMS are about equality and fairness. Also, I was happy to see a neighbor of ambiguous ethnicity named Dawn at the Walker garage sale. It's nice to think that perhaps everyone in the Southern Calfornia enclave that the Walkers inhabit is not either white or Danny Glover.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for more good shirtlessness this week. Until then, I am...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Friday, October 17, 2008

Shirtlessness + Pillow = Happy Nandita

At last, my shirtlessness quota was fulfilled last night by "Grey's Anatomy" with two happily shirtless scenes of my favorite, Patrick Dempsey. Not a minute too soon, either, since I haven't had any good shirtlessness since last Thursday's "Ugly Betty." I'm not going to say "you had me at hello" to GA, but I think it is definitely on its way back into my good graces, if for nothing more than McDreamy being shirtless behind a pink pillow and Dr. Bailey's fantastic stare down at Callie's confession. These two moments highlight why I liked the show in the first place: 1) McDreamy shirtless in his non-manscaped but oh so dreamy way, and 2) Female characters who are both tough and vulnerable and can be both of these qualities even if they are of color. Watching Bailey lead interns around the hospital while screaming about how she has perfected the "Don't talk to me about sex" look was hilarious, followed by an amazingly touching scene of her trying to talk to Callie about lesbian sex via the metaphor of international travel. This is the stuff of an enjoyable Thursday night.

Also, I have to give a shout out to GA for the hilarious portrait of dermatology last night in a turn that no hospital show has taken since I've been watching them. From the soft focus lens on the camera to the pastel scrubs, these scenes were so hilarious to me, mostly because when I was little, my mom used to tell me "Don't become a doctor, but if you do, become a dermatologist so that you can just prescribe cream to everyone." I don't think she was hoping that I would become into an actor instead of a physician. Oh well! Anyway, to be fair, I have enjoyed my few visits to the dermatologist, especially for the nice creams that he has given me and the very nice antibiotic pads that he gave my college roomate to eradicate her occasional pimples. Those pads were the gateway to clear skin for 4 years. Actually, maybe I should go back for more since apparently they now serve fruity water. For whatever reason, I have only seen male dermatologists even though almost all my other doctors are women. Hmmm...

Anyway, I'm hoping that someone besides Carlos takes off his shirt on Sunday's DH and that maybe Justin will throw me a bone and take his shirt off on B&S. Or at least there will be more interesting scenes between him and Rebecca and less dull scenes between Kitty and Robert whining at each other about their wonderful love. Until then, I am...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Monday, October 13, 2008

Someone Give Me Shirtlessness!

Yesterday, in an attempt to take my mind off the economic crisis and the election, I went to a singles event. It was a walking tour of New York City which seemed like a fun activity for a beautiful Sunday afternoon. I thought it was a brilliant idea to engage in some interesting activity with other single people in hopes of finding a common ground. And that is exactly what I did with a group of single women. Now I really like single women; I am one. It just seems to me that if single straight women would like to find love, they should talk to single straight men. To be fair, there were three men in the group of 15. But I felt a little bit like Goldilocks in the group because one was too young, one was too old, and the other one seemed not to go to my church. What is a single girl to do?

After all that, I'll tell you there was no sympathy shirtlessness to turn to last night on DH or B&S, unless you want to count the 30 seconds of Olympic diving that Kevin and Scotty watched on their abnormally small tv after a little tiff about Kevin being closeted at work. What is this? I need some shirtlessness, and I need it now. My only comfort is that McDreamy will definitely be shirtless on Thursday, and not a minute too soon. And since I couldn't find a trailer for it, I give you the McSwimmy trailer, which I personally find hilarious. I fantasize about a show in which all the male doctors are hot and shirtless while the female doctors are allowed to talk about anything they want while performing life-saving procedures. This show used to be called "Grey's Anatomy," but now it's just a fleeting dream since they gave Eric Dane that annoying leather jacket. I'm holding on till Thursday when perhaps the dream will come back to life. Until then, I am...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Friday, October 10, 2008

Shirtlessness in the Shower

While this picture is not from last night's episode of "Ugly Betty," it does feature an important element of great shirtlessness - a towel. Have not some of the best examples of televised shirtlessness involved a towel? (I am obviously referring to McSteamy's delicious entrance on GA two seasons ago!) I was thrilled to get an entire shower scene with Eddie Cibrian last night. I'm not going to lie - it made me happy to watch him soap up and then get discovered by Betty's dad. The scene combined two of my favorite elements of the show and maybe of life - shirtlessness and humor. In any case, one IMS member reported to me that Mr. Cibrian seems to have a shower scene in every show he does, and I applaud him for accentuating the positive and using his assets. While the Coach/Hilda storyline has the potential to bore me to tears ("He's going to leave his wife, Betty" cut to Betty handing her a copy of "Smart Women, Foolish Choices"), keeping the Coach shirtless will certainly prolong my tolerance for the marital infidelity storyline, although probably only for a week. Or two.

Other updates - I forced myself to watch "Private Practice" again and was rewarded for my patience with completely implausible storylines with a nice shot of Taye Diggs shirtless. He has a very nice torso and should show it on the show more often. That would certainly make it easier for me to believe that a shrink, an OB/GYN, and homeopath could set up an office together and actually make money by sharing patients. I realize that one should not turn to prime time television for a realistic depiction of medecine, but creating an even moderately plausible premise would be nice. This does not mean turning the surfing receptionist into a mid-wife.

Also, I watched "Lipstick Jungle" which sadly did not feature any male shirtlessness but did include a scene Lindsay Price sashaying about in her underwear. As she stalked up a ladder in her bra and tap pants, I had to ask myself "Does anyone at NBC think that straight men watch this show?" There was a brief hint of shirtlessness when the man she was prancing around for took off his shirt, but it was hardly long enough to count. NBC needs to rethink its stratgey on this one; a show about three female executives who are BFF's that share all their juicy romantic gossip needs male shirtlessness and lots of it, not a Pussycat Doll video.

I'm excited for DH this week and the cat fight between Susan and Gabby. I'm hoping the gay couple will be taking pictures of that with their cell phones as well. Until then, I am...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Monday, October 6, 2008

Paul Newman

I have been remiss in not mentioning legendary actor and philanthropist, Paul Newman, who passed away last weekend at the age of 83. There are lots of great shirtless pictures of Newman, but I choose to post a simple shot of him here in honor of a truly classy man. From his interviews, it seemed that he never wanted to be a beefcake-type of guy or a hunk but rather a person who worked on his craft and gave back to his community and to those less fortunate. I had the honor of meeting Mr. Newman and his fantastic wife, Joanne Woodward, about 12 years ago when I was at a gala fundraiser for a non-profit that I worked at as an assistant. Somehow I was selected as the lucky person who would give the power couple their tickets. My instructions were to find them in the lobby of the theater, give them their tickets, and then report back to the senior staff. I found them in the lobby right on time and handed Mr. Newman the tickets for which he politely thanked me and then went back to report to the senior staff which was comprised entirely of women of my mother's generation. This group of power women was instantly turned into teenagers as they all plied me with questions about how it went. I think someone wanted to know whether he had touched me. No, Paul Newman did not touch me, but wow, what a gentleman! So today IMS salutes a man who could do great shirtlessness along with a whole bunch of even better things. Paul Newman, we will miss far more than your bright blue eyes.

Yours in shirtlessness and many other wonderful qualities,
Nandita
President
IMS

Friday, October 3, 2008

Slow Sophomore Week

I'll freely admit that I'm sold on "Heroes." Perhaps it is my need for superheroes in these uncertain times, my happiness at seeing a multicultural cast on network television, or the rumor that Milo Ventimiglia appears shirtless in almost every episode that has made me tune in two weeks in a row. I still haven't seen it, but here's a little taste of what it's supposed to be like. I think it might worth risking becoming the cat lady if this were guaranteed every Monday night.

So far this second week of the season has been very disappointing. No shirtless Milo, Sendhil, or frankly anyone on Heroes; no shirtless Eddie on UB; no GA whatsoever - a poor showing for the second week after such a promising start. I even watched "Private Practice" in hopes of seeing Tim Daly shirtless, but nothing. I'm glad that there was no shirtlessness, male or female, during the vice presidential debate last night. I will say that I did for the first time I understand why women of my mother's generation seem to have crushes on Senator Biden; I like his twinkly blue eyes. When Governor Palin talked about "Joe Six-Pack," I must admit I wondered if she meant men who drink six-packs of beer or men who have six-pack abs. I'm guessing the former since men who have six-pack abs most likely go to the gym which has recently been exposed to me as an elitist activity. Call me elitist! I'm hoping that DH will bring me some elitist happiness on Sunday night to make up for this dreary week. B&S, you have two episodes to turn it around. I am counting. I'll even take witty banter in lieu of good male shirtlessness.

ABC is running an ad campaign for "Stay-At-Home Week" for the second week in a row, and I'm beginning to wonder if they shouldn't just face the music and call it "Stay-At-Home-Recession." At this point, all I have to buoy my spirit is a glass of wine on Thursday nights while I try to will Eric Dane to take of his shirt between 9 and 10pm. It's not a lot to live on. I'm hoping that someone, even a member of the cast of Heroes, will be able to rescue my life savings. Soon. Until then, I am...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS