Shirtlessness in the Sun

The other day, I was feeling a bit down because of an unsavory task that I had to complete, and the Vice President of IMS suggested that I watch the first 5 minutes of last week's "Hawaii 5-0" episode to pick me up out of my doldrums. Doldrums eradicated! I stopped watching H5-0 a while ago due to the lack of interesting dialogue, plotlines, and a disproportionately low number of lines for the Asian characters along with the fact that Monday night was my night off, and I tended to go out then. Not to mention that Alex O'Loughlin did not take his shirt off nearly enough. This episode, however, put first things first and started off with a shirtless scene which then went into a flashback. I think this is very clever storytelling on the part of CBS. I wish they would start every episode with a shirtless scene followed by the story of how Mr. O'Loughlin came to take his shirt off. This would undoubtedly boost ratings.

Happy Halloween! Unfortunately a crazy snowstorm blew into town over the weekend, dashing my hopes for a lot of shirtless costumes today. I'm going to a Halloween party tonight benefiting the theater company of a dear friend and dressing as the Black Swan. I'm hoping someone might fill the role of shirtless dance partner, but in freezing weather, I have my doubts. At least, I know my White Swan will be there!

The cold will make opportunities for shirtlessness more scarce but perhaps all the sweeter? Until then, I am...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

For Matt with love

The stage manager of the touring show that I directed this fall recently sent me some photos of Joey Lawrence shirtless for the blog, and to reward this recent IMS member for his dedication, I thought I would post Mr. Lawrence in a sort of artsy balck and white shot. Mr. Lawrence has clearly come a long way since his "Blossom" days. I wonder if he now goes by "Joe" instead of "Joey" to complete his transformation like another young heartthrob of my time, Rick Schroeder. Whatever he wants to be called, I will give him a strong IMS salute. Thank you, Mr. Lawrence, for taking the transition to adult television star seriously.

In other news, I went to see a play last night in which one actor wore a moderately tight t-shirt. For most of the play, I wondered when he would take his t-shirt off since he was the object of desire, but alas he never did. On the ride home, the Vice President of IMS and I had discussed at length why his character should have taken his shirt off to further the plot and raise the stakes of the story. And while I realize that this sounds absurd, I realized that sometimes shirtlessness can really be used for art. Seriously folks, good shirtlessness is not just eye candy - it can mean something!

With that in mind, I leave you...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Trouty Mouth Goes Shirtless

An IMS member recently emailed this photo for the blog, demonstrating his commitment and dedication to the cause. I'll admit that I have not been keeping up with Glee this season, partially because I have acting class on Tuesday nights and have yet to add dvr to my cable features. I am loathe to pay Time Warner Cable any more than I already do. But I was sad that Mr. Overstreet's contract was not renewed this season, primarily because he always seemed prepped for shirtlessness. I also was sad because I thought it was a brilliant storyline to have him and Mercedes date and was quite disappointed that the plotline would not go forward this season. Now it seems his contract has been re-negotiated, and he will return in December. I hope said contract includes a significant number of shirtless scenes!

The weather in New York has turned definitively to fall, and I am resigning myself to little or no shirtlessness in the coming months. The only thing that is buoying my spirits now is the recent onslaught of emails from IMS members with pictures and links for posting. I wonder what I would do without IMS - possibly wallow in my apartment eating ice cream and watching "Pride & Prejudice" over and over again without any hope of new shirtlessness in my world. Thank goodness for the cause and all the good work being done on its behalf!

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Another Important PSA

In the spirit of bringing you important news in a shirtless package, I offer this PSA from the CW addressing climate change. While of course, it is a shameless plug for its own programming, I must say that increasing good male shirtlessness to combat global warming is change that I can get behind! So next time an IMS member feels like yelling "Take your shirt off," said member can also follow it up with "It's for a good cause!" I like it.

Is this perhaps the next wonderful trend in PSAs? All messages delivered shirtless? I feel that we might solve our problems more quickly if the solutions were presented in such a manner. Cap and trade? Sure if that shirtless guy is doing it! Americans after all are all about the packaging. Sad but true. So let's hear it for more shirtless PSAs! Hurrah!

On a side note, I was so happy to see Gilles Marini back on prime time in this week's episode of "Modern Family." Sadly, he did not take his shirt off which seems like a waste of perfectly good shirtlessness to me. But honestly, he could keep his shirt on and just speak in that sexy accent to make me happy. I'm really not that hard to please. Sigh... Until he takes his shirt off on another show, I am...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

In Person Shirtlessness

For today's post, I give you Adrien Brody in all his "Predators" glory, inspired by none other than Mr. Brody himself. On Saturday night, I went to see "The Dumb Waiter," presented by NAATCO (National Asian American Theatre Company) at the Duo Theater in the East Village, which starred IMS poster boy and supporter, Louis Ozawa Changchien. Unfortunately, Mr. Changchien did not remove his shirt in this production (nor has he removed it in any of his last three productions, but who's counting?) but he did deliver an amazing performance as I have come to expect whenever he hits the stage. Some of you may remember Mr. Changchien's tattooed torso from "Predators" which appeared here last summer. Those of you who don't should most certainly consider brushing up. As it turned out, not only did I decide to support Louis on Saturday night but so did his "Predators" co-star, Mr. Brody. After the show, a few friends had drinks with MM Changchien and Brody where Louis brought up the topic of Indians for Male Shirtlessness and the good work that we do. I have to say that it was quite enjoyable to discuss the blog with two experts on being shirtless, and when I suggested that I would post Mr. Brody and asked for his preference of film for the shot, he wholeheartedly endorsed "Predators." One can see why. My research reveals that Mr. Brody gained 25 pounds of muscle for the role, and I hope he knows that IMS fully supports his efforts. Thank you, Adrien Brody, for taking your shirtlessness as seriously as you take your acting. Although, there is no Oscar for Good Shirtlessness (yet), IMS honors you for adhering to the 2 Point Standard.

I'm hoping that this begins a trend of discussing our cause with more film actors as I continue to do my work in the theater. A two-pronged approach seems entirely sensible. Until then, I am...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Breast Cancer Awareness

There are many reasons that I love this PSA, but the main one, of course, is the use of shirtlessness for good. At last a ray of hope in the clouds of bleakness that have been blanketing this blog of late! October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and I think this PSA is a great way both to spread the word and to remind women to do their self-exams every month. You know, I will be downloading that app immediately. 1 in 8 women is diagnosed with breast cancer, and as is the case with many cancers, early detection can offer a wide range of treatments. So ladies, please allow this app to help you remember to do your breast exam every month!

I like this app particularly because it allows you to choose which man you would like to receive a reminder from - a nod to the fact that different people respond to different types of shirtlessness. Watch all the way until the end to see all of your choices! So even though it is rainy and glum today and the world is much as it was yesterday, I feel some hope. Thankfully, I am...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

A Return to Shirtlessness

I can't claim any real sadness to the loss of "Brothers & Sisters" other than the fact that I know there is no way I will see sweet Gilles Marini shirtless on a Sunday night again. My fingers are crossed that he might find his way onto "PanAm," but given that show's preposterous storylines, I'm not really sure that I even want that to happen. After a Sunday night of no shirtlessness, I'm feeling rather sad and dejected. Hence the photo of Mr. Good Shirtlessness himself to make me feel better about a bleak world.

I know that my posts have been rather dejected lately from a lack of hope. When surrounded by people who believe in neither climate change nor good shirtlessness, I am left with a sense of wonder as to what tomorrow might possibly hold for me. At the moment, it seems only bad hair and a room full of hirsute, unfit men in button-downs. What is a girl to do? I'm almost as depressed as when all of my friends sent me the link to the Maureen Dowd column in the New York Times with the same title. It basically made the case that smart women had no chance of meeting Mr. Right. While I know plenty of smart women who are married to Mr. Pretty Rights, the column still made me sad. I really just want a man to take off his shirt and speak in full sentences. Is that so wrong?

I hope not. Until then, we have Mr. Marini and me...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

The Ides of Shirtlessness

Okay, I know no one is shirtless in this picture, but I have to post it because I'm so excited that Ryan Gosling and George Clooney have made a film together. I'm also excited that Mr. Clooney directed it and adapted the screenplay from a stage play, "Farragut North" by Beau Willimon. I hope beyond hope that each of these fine actors finds a way to take his shirt off during the course of the film. I have a feeling that I will be disappointed on this count and then hopelessly depressed about the political process, but I'm going to go anyway. I love them.

At least in the movie, there will be some nice eye candy accompanying the sad political commentary as opposed to the state of actual politics today which is depressing and without any eye candy at all. The only candidate who could possibly take off his shirt is the President, and he has forbidden the press from taking shirtless pictures. This IMS President is feeling bleak. All I have to look forward to is Op-Ed pieces by Gail Collins who finds more and more clever ways to work the fact that Mitt Romney drove to Canada with the family dog strapped to the roof of his car into each column. If there can be no good shirtlessness, let us have good humor!

My bleakness has spilled over into my television habits. I have not been able to watch GA at all because I simply cannot endure another Meredith-McDreamy break-up. There are some things that all the good shirtlessness in the world cannot fix, and repeated romantic trauma is one of them. Perhaps the global economy is another, but no one has ever tried. I will carry on somehow, as I am...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS