Technical Difficulties

Sorry true IMS members. I am having difficulty finding a picture for today due to the change in format of Google image searches. I hope to figure out the issue by Monday so that I can post as usual. In the meantime, go out and enjoy some live male shirtlessness instead of reading about it on my blog!

Yours always in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Vacation Shirtlessness

After closing my show last weekend, I fled to sunny California where I discovered that I did not have access to a computer and couldn't post. Sorry for the delay. Will this delightful picture of Kellan Lutz make up for it? Everywhere I go, I am confronted by a shirtless Mr. Lutz on billboards, and I have to say they make me happy. I can't figure out how I haven't gone to a single Twilight movie given this level of shirtlessness, but alas, I haven't. I'll have to fix that immediately. In the meantime, I'm grateful for Calvin Klein and his dedication to good male shirtlessness in all of his ad campaigns. As a thank you, I went out and bought a few of his bras to support the cause as well as my own shirtlessness.

In any case, I'm off to do a million things before returning to Ithaca and the land of college age shirtlessness. I hope the summer heat continues to inspire good male shirtlessness on all fronts. Until then, I am...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Old Spicy Shirtlessness

I can't help myself, but these ads make me laugh. I've never actually seen one on tv, but they are quite the internet sensation. I say, Old Spice, keep them coming. These commercials prey on my weakness for good shirtlessness and my classic female fantasy of wanting a man who can speak in full sentences and bake a cake. I realize that I have essentially described half of my gays friends, but alas, even this gay icon is looking for something else, and apparently that is the Old Spice Man.

I'm in my final weekend of performances here at the Hangar Theatre in Ithaca, NY, and feeling a little bit sad about closing a show that I could easily run for longer. It has been such a lovely summer in upstate New York, unbearable heat wave aside. The show ends with the cast singing "Impossible Dream" which one of my cast mates has described as the "Actor's Anthem," and I find it impossible not to cry when singing it. For those of us who have taken the road less traveled, sometimes reflecting on that journey can be bittersweet. So I head into my last three shows with a lot of gratitude for my time on the stage and a deep longing for more.

That attitude transfers somewhat to IMS, where the search for great shirtlessness is never over. Keep dreaming the Impossible Dream, brave members, and one day we might surprise ourselves with the new world that we create. Until then, I am...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Viva Espana!

In honor of Spain winning the World Cup for the first time, I had to post a picture of Spanish goalie, Iker Casillas. Apparently goaltenders don't rip off their shirts quite as much as offensive players, and so I had to settle for this photo in which Mr. Casillas has not seen the sun quite to the degree that I would prefer. I do what I can. Hurrah for new teams winning, and for players of all nationalities ripping off their shirts spontaneously more than once every four years!

In other spontaneous shirtlessness news, I went to a house party last night with a few castmates after my show and danced like crazy with a shirtless straight man. I'll say that I normally associate shirtless dancing with gay clubs, and it was a very pleasant experience to have my realm of experience widened. Also, I forget how much dancing like crazy can elevate the heart. I've been dancing every day in my show and in rehearsal, but there is something uniquely liberating about getting on the floor and shaking it with a bunch of other people. I'll admit to coming home and dancing around my living room to Michael Jackson and Britney Spears on a regular basis. Having that kind of fun with others makes it even more spectacular. I've definitely got a little extra bounce in my step today!

So with that bounce, I say go out and fight the good fight for male shirtlessness. In this blustering heat the only real solution is good male shirtlessness. If you're not part of the solution, you are definitely part of the problem, which is incidentally how I feel about most of the world's ills. Let's make this world a better place, one sculpted male torso at a time. Until then, I am...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Alumni Shirtlessness

Sorry for the late post. Being on show schedule and living in unrelenting heat has confused my sense of time, and I didn't realize until now that it was Friday and time to post. Since I am working at the Hangar Theatre this summer, I thought I would post an alum, Jimmy Smits. Strangely enough, Mr. Smits has no suitable shirtless photos on the internet, in spite of spending quite a bit of time shirtless on NYPD Blue. I don't know what to make of it, but this was the best that I could do. I will say that the photos that are available online are mostly of him in well tailored jackets, and I do have to admit my weakness for a man in a suit. But I digress. In any case, Mr. Smits is a veteran of the stage and screen. I saw him on Broadway in "Anna in the Tropics" several years ago and loved him. I am always happy to see a star come back to his theatrical roots which is different from tv stars who do Broadway having never set foot in a theater before their debut on the Great White Way.

In any case, speaking of the theater, I seem to be in a hit. Ithaca is eating up our production of "Man of La Mancha." I personally seem to be a hit among the over 60 crowd, but I guess that's what happens when you dress up as a gypsies and scream like a banshee in the middle of a prison drama. Doing the show has been an emotional experience as it seems to be catching me at a time of questioning the impossible dream. I think all artists question their art, especially those of us who find ourselves struggling over time, and the play's central theme of fighting the good fight no matter whether you win or lose seems to cut to the heart of the matter. I love what I do, and yet sometimes it seems completely futile. I am coming down on the side of Don Quixote on this one, but only by a very narrow margin at the moment.

It is unbearably hot in upstate New York. I shudder to think what it is like in New York City. It's so hot that male shirtlessness barely raises an eyebrow. I know this is part of the dream, but I assure you that relentless heat was never part of the cause. Like Don Quixote, though, I urge you all to continue supporting the cause and stay cool. Until the heat breaks, I am...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Independence Shirtlessness

In honor of the 4th of July, I thought I would post Will Smith since any time anyone says Independence Day to me, that is who I think of. I guess I could have gone with Tom Cruise and the whole "Born on the 4th of July" motto, but alas, Mr. Cruise kind of bugs me these days. In any case, Mr. Smith is always good for some excellent shirtlessness, and I applaud him.

In news of my own shirtlessness, I spent 2 hours by the pool yesterday before my show and had the most unfortunate experience of getting burned. I'm a naturally brown person, and generally, due to this, I tan well. I usually don't wear sunscreen on the first day that I go out in the sun just so that I can get a base tan and then wear sunscreen after since I literally do not tan at all if I wear any sunscreen of any number at all. Sadly, yesterday I came home to discover that my body was many different colors. Strangely, my decollete was a different color than my stomach, possibly due to the fact that I was reading a book for a while. This all would have been fine if I didn't have a show at night in which I bare both my decollete and stomach at the same time and my tan lines from my bikini did not match my top. I wound up putting brown make-up all over in an attempt to mask it, and wound up looking a like a girl with a bad tan line who was really dirty. This incident reminded me again of how difficult it is to achieve good shirtlessness and how we should give kind encouragement to those who get it right.

In any case, my burn has turned into a tan this morning and does look a little bit more like the rest of my body. Phew! And with that I leave you on this holiday weekend...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Diverse Shirtlessness

Today, I am reposting a photo from earlier this spring to reveal the identity of the man with the fierce back tats - Louis Changchien. I await his publicist to send me some photos from the front, but I am assured that the shirtlessness is good in 360. Knowing Louis also helps. I tried to convince him to take off his shirt in his last play, Michael Golamco's "Year Zero" at Second Stage Theater this spring, but alas, the director did not agree with my suggestion. In any case, Louis continues to exhibit both good shirtlessness and its ultimate accessory, an amazing and kind heart. After all the shirtlessness is only the wrapping of the real thing.

Apparently, Louis should also be very happy that he was cast in an Asian role instead of having his part played by a Caucasian actor in yellowface. My facebook page was alight this morning with outrage over the new M. Night Shyamalan movie, "The Last Airbender," in which all the heroic characters with Asian names are played by white actors, and the evil characters with Asian names are played by Asian actors. I continue to be amazed by how slowly time moves with these issues. In 2010, it is still acceptable for Caucasian actors to impersonate other races, and yet, ethnic actors are not allowed to play outside the very narrow stereotypes of their own societally-imposed racial identities. I am aghast.

Luckily for me, my show is opening tonight, and I feel very blessed that a brown woman like myself has the opportunity to play a brown woman in a musical. I also feel very lucky that I get to work with a wonderful cast and an amazing creative team. I'll keep hoping for small miracles! Until then, I am...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS