Take Two for Denzel

I don't know what happened to my last picture of Denzel Washington, and so I am trying again. I realize he is not shirtless here, but as I mentioned before, he is a difficult one to find shirtless. So we'll just have to settle for a nice picture of his arm which is indeed quite nice. I have always had a crush on Denzel for his incredibly sexy energy. There is no way to codify what he is giving which is why I don't have a blog called "Indians for Sexy Energy." But for what it is worth, I am most certainly for sexy energy.

Thanks to Bones and Kevin for commenting. The life of a blogger can sometimes get lonely, and witty comments can perk me right up. For the record, though, IMS is not a stalker organization and so I will not be hanging out in anyone's bushes. And gay or straight, picking the girl with the biggest breasts is not acceptable. Women should not be judged for their breast size; we are not chickens. While I enjoy good shirtlessness, I would never select a partner based on it.

I am not much of a football fan, although being from Buffalo requires me to keep track of the Bills. They are not in the Superbowl, and so this Sunday is a total wash for me. Perhaps I will find a fun movie with good shirtlessness on TBS to take the place of DH. Or I'll finish reading Teri Hatcher's "Burnt Toast" which I bought on sale at Barnes & Noble. I couldn't help myself when I saw it, being the "Susan" of my DH group here. The book makes me laugh and reminds me not to take myself so seriously. So with that in mind, I hope you will all find some good shirtlessness this weekend of your own liking. Until then, I am...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Shirtlessness at Any Age

At a graduation party of a dear friend this weekend, a possible convert to the blog asked about the age of my shirtless posts, and I had to admit that most people I post are between 30 and 45. I think this mostly has to do with the fact that I reside comfortably in that age range and tend to interact with people in that age range as well. So I took a poll at the party about whom I should post in an older age range, and the results were overwhelmingly in favor of Jack LaLanne. Obviously, this picture is from days past when I suspect that he was between the ages of 30 and 45. I couldn't find a recent shirtless picture of him, and given that he is 95 years old, I'm not sure that is a bad thing. But I think he can serve as an example of how fitness can be achieved at any age. He did have some cute pictures wearing a tight cap-sleeved t-shirt which showed his undying dedication to fitness. I personally think that the above picture is a bit much, but to each his own standard of good shirtlessness.

In other news, I read in AM New York (which is the free newspaper handed out in the subways here) that a person mentioned in a past column for his excellent shirtlessness, Broadway dancer Nick Adams, was heckled at a classy party to take his shirt off. While "Take Your Shirt Off" is the rallying cry of IMS, may I suggest that we all use it in good taste? A formal party is not the place for shirtlessness, and sometimes ripped underwear models like to wear well tailored suits - all of them. Let's practice some restraint, shall we?

This week is nothing but re-runs, and I am informed by my sources that if I want to see any shirtlessness, I am going to have to watch "The Bachelor." This is something that I cannot persuade myself to do. I watched the first season in hopes of learning how to date and found myself inconsolably depressed after the Harvard- and Stanford-educated Bachelor picked the woman with the largest breasts to be his fiancee. I'm only now coming out of the haze myself. I guess that means I will have to look for good shirtlessness in other places. Until then, I am...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Umberto, Take Your Shirt Off!

Because I have excellent people working with me (and by working with me, I mean sending me sexy shirtless pictures!) I can post the above picture to support the claim that Umberto, Edie's gay ex-husband as portrayed by actor Matt Cedeno, should have been shirtless in the 100th episode of DH. Why would you ever wear a shirt at all if you had abs like this, especially on prime-time network television? I am confused. But alas, these types of choices only highlight the need for advocacy groups like IMS.

I only saw GA last night because of my writers' lab and am pleased to announce that they are bringing shirtlessness back. Thank goodness! Having multiple shirtless scenes of McSteamy along with some new shirtlessness made me remember what I so loved about the show in the first place. That coupled with some excellent boyfriend behavior from McDreamy brings me back to the happy place with GA. I don't think I mentioned how much I enjoyed the Derek-Meredith dance scene from two weeks ago, not because of the great moves demonstrated but because of the goofy sweetness of a guy trying to cheer his girlfriend up with a dance. I know I may seem like a hardened shirtlessness advocate, but deep down I am a puddle of sentimentality who enjoys the occassional sappy dance with an untucked button-down. I also think that they have gotten rid of dead Denny which makes me and the entire cyber-community relieved. Only time will tell...

This weekend I am presenting a new monologue at the Lunar New Year celebration at the Asian American Writers' Workshop. If you want to support some Asian American writers beside this one, consider checking it out. Until then, I am...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Martin Luther King Day Shirtlessness

In honor of Martin Luther King Day and the tremendous historical moment that we are on the cusp of, I wanted to post a picture of an African American person, but I would be disingenuous if I said that Denzel Washington is one of my favorite African American actors. He is simply one of my favorite actors. He hasn't made it on the blog because he hasn't been in the news recently and it is rather difficult to find a shirtless picture of him. But I post him here today in the hope that the day when we recognize people for the merit of their work rather than the color of their skin is close upon us. Certainly after tomorrow, I think that day may be close indeed.

Before I wax too philosophical, however, I have to say how much I enjoyed last night's 100th episode of DH. For this exciting episode, the vice president of IMS came over to share in Thai food, and we found ourselves alternately laughing hysterically and coming close to tears. Somehow these flashback episodes always make me happy. My only complaint was that Edie's gay husband from the past, Umberto, could have definitely had his shirt off in his one and only scene. But there were so many other fun things happening last night, like Mary Alice getting to have scenes instead of voice overs, that I will excuse it.

So now I am off to clean the apartment in preparation for a new world order. Wherever you are, I hope you will get a chance to watch some of it. It will be one of the few times that I will watch television without a shirtlessness agenda, and I feel pretty good about that. Tomorrow, my agenda will be hope.

Yours in hopefulness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Getting Back to Shirtlessness

I realize that I had declared GA dead after the terrible episode about interns operating on themsleves, and I stand by my assessment of the situation. But I can't help but be lulled back into the GA fold after last night's episode which started with a shirtless McSteamy scene. All episodes of GA should start with a shirtless McSteamy scene. I also enjoy when the patients are interesting, like Eric Stoltz' serial killer. A guest spot for a fantastic actress like Tyne Daly is also not a bad idea. Finally, giving Bailey something smart and sassy to do is also helpful. I can't say that all is forgiven because Denny is still inexplicably on the show, but I did honestly enjoy the show last night. Thanks, GA, for renewing my hopes in Thursday night. Certainly finding UB replaced by George W. Bush did not.

It is freezing cold here in New York City, and good male shirtlessness on television becomes even more important in the winter months when there is no hope for it in real life. In this cold, even real male shirtlessness loses its lustre since no one has seen the sun in a good long time. But doesn't the winter make the spring so much more miraculous?

With that in mind, I'm off to appreciate all the other good things that life offers us in small doses. I am...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

A Shout Out for Indians!

Okay, I know that this picture features no shirtlessness (just like my Sunday night television viewing experience), but I just had to post a shout out to the film sensation, "Slumdog Millionaire" for winning 4 Golden Globe Awards tonight including one for Best Film. I saw the film when it was just starting to garner some buzz and fell in love with it then. So I thought I would focus on the "Indians" in IMS for once and say "Hey!" to my peeps. I'll overlook the fact that the Golden Globes did not notice that there was an Indian female co-director on the film when handing Danny Boyle a statue for Best Director for now. I don't actually recall any shirtlessness in this film except some bicep action during a torture scene which is certainly not the type of shirtlessness IMS promotes, but continuing on the content over shirtlessness theme from last week, I have to recommend this film highly to everyone.

As for tonight, I can only say that I enjoyed DH even if there was not a scrap of shirtlessness at all. I enjoy watching all the characters act like themselves and especially enjoyed the moment of honesty Bree shared with her son-in-law to be. I only wish the gay couple had made an appearance. They are so much fun!

Also, I have not totally caught up on GA from last week but did notice some shirtlessness on guest star, Eric Stoltz, at the top of the show. He does appear to be a murderer strapped to a gurney without a shirt one which again falls somewhat outside the purview of IMS, but honestly I'm beginning to think we should just take what we can get with that show. Honestly, how is Ghost Denny still on the show?

I guess I'll have to ponder these and other questions for the next week. Until then, I am...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

From LA with Shirtlessness

I had to default to my all-time favorite, gorgeous George, since I have been working in LA on a press tour for PBS all week and have not been able to watch any of my shows. Sadly I was inside the Universal Hilton the whole time, and no one took their shirt off, not even my two friends who took me out to dinner on Thursday night, although one of them had to beg off because he did not uphold the two point standard. I thought LA was supposed to be filled with beautiful, tan, shirtless people. If it is, perhaps they steer clear of the Universal Hilton.

I will say that working on the press conferences for PBS made me a fan of the station. I highly recommend checking out their programming for those moments when you need substance more than shirtlessness. Here at IMS, we promote a balance between content and shirtlessness. This is why George is such a favorite - he provides an excellent balance between excellent content and great eye candy. Also, when looking for content, may I suggest checking out the NYC PBS affiliate, WNET, for some really great programs.

If only I could make a shirtlessnes documentary and air it on PBS...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Top Box Office Shirtlessness

Sometimes when I have to be up early on a Sunday morning, I like to watch "Sunday Morning" on CBS because it has such interesting segments. Yesterday in addition to a fascinating segment on the position of the "Lame Duck" President, there was a small item on the top box office draws of 2008. Will Smith topped the list pulling in more money with his two blockbusters this year than anyone else, becoming the first African American man since Sidney Poitier to fill that spot. So in honor of a man of color being the top box office draw, I give you this production still of Will Smith from his latest movie, "Seven Pounds." He was followed by Robert Downey, Jr., Christian Bale, Shia LaBoeuf, and Harrison Ford. I guess no woman can out do the sheer star power combination of Shia LaBoeuf and Harrison Ford in the last Indiana Jones movie. We ladies seem not be a draw. Of course, I'm certain that all of these movies have female co-stars, but the powers that be decided that it was Will Smith and not Rosario Dawson who brought in the big bucks this Christmas. Hmmmm...maybe 2009 will be the year of the Female Box Office Draw?

In other news, new episodes were back last night but without any shirtlessness except for a brief moment of heterosexual shirtlessness for Kevin on B&S which wasn't very exciting. In spite of no shirtlessness, I did enjoy my Housewives last night. Finally someone listened to me and allowed the gay couple to have real interactions with other people on Wisteria Lane. I was grateful to see them have multiple scenes and dialogue. Thank you ABC!

I'm off to LA for a few days and excited for the real good shirtlessness I will see there. 71 degrees promises a higher level of seeing the sun than anyone has here in New York. Until then, I am...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Happy New Year!

I am a glutton for shirtless Daniel Craig pictures, and let's face it, everyone wants to start the New Year out right. So from "ShirtlessMaleCelebs," a YouTube artiste that has captured the heart of IMS, I present a Daniel Craig montage to inspire us to continue with the good work. 2008 was an amazing year for IMS, marking the launch of the bog after being a strictly email club for over a year and of course, our victories in encouraging good shirtlessness in the Olympics, People magazine, and even Presidential politics. I wonder what we can accomplish in 2009!

Seriously, I have two friends who are working towards being on the blog themselves, and others who are currently preparing themselves for a shirtless dinner with me in LA. The life of a shirtlessness activist is not an easy one, but I believe that it does have its own special rewards. I wish you all more good male shirtlessness in the coming year and ask that you continue with me in fighting the good fight for more good male shirtlessness for all!

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS