Sweet Charity

Chris Doi is my hero. He combined two of my favorite things - male shirtlessness and theater - for good times on a Saturday morning with all the proceeds going to Leviathan Lab. So Leviathan Lab is literally benefiting from Chris' good shirtlessness. As I reported on Friday, Leviathan participated in the 10K Scotland Run over the weekend to raise money for the year's programming which will include a new works festival in the fall for their Asian American Women Writers' Workshop (otherwise known as AAWWW!), their Film Lab which will produce three short films this summer, and another as yet unannounced initiative. As I entreated the male teams to consider running shirtless, Chris Doi took my suggestion and added a twist - selling space on his body to advertisers. As you can see, people are willing to pay top dollar to advertise their love, their mastery over another person, or their identity on Chris's torso. Kudos to Mr. Doi for using his shirtlessness for good and helping Leviathan make their goal of $12,000.

Also, I must point out that three runners told me they would run shirtless, but only Chris Doi did it. One of the others tried to take off his shirt as he was running past my cheering station, but taking off one's shirt while running is a very difficult proposition. The other non-shirtless runner was too busy making the best time in the group even to care about his shirtless status. Mr. Doi not only ran shirtless for the entire 10K in 40 degree weather, but he upheld the two point standard of Fitness and Seeing the Sun. So thank you, Chris for bringing live shirtlessness back - just in time for spring!

If only all fundraisers could involve male shirtlessness. Hmmmm....

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Nothing Comes Between Me and My Calvins

One sign of spring has been the proliferation of men's underwear ads on buses and telephone kiosks. Suddenly, everywhere I walk, there are shirtless men smiling at me. Obviously, this makes me really happy. The Calvin Klein underwear campaign has been particularly delightful this spring, featuring newcomer Matthew Terry. Apparently, he is 20 years old which makes me feel a little bit embarrassed about posting him, but of course, a little embarrassment never stopped me ! So happy Spring! Let the shirts come off!

Also, tomorrow my friends in the Leviathan Lab will be running the Scotland Run 10K. Several of them will be running shirtless at my urging. I'm very happy that two of my favorite things, male shirtlessness and theater, will be combined in one event. If you would like to support opportunities for Asian actors, please go to
http://www.leviathanlab.com/
to make a tax-deductible donation. Run Leviathan Run!

I'm off to do some standardized patient work at a local medical school. I'll be looking for shirtless male models to smile at me as I walk down the street. Until then, I am...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Nice Work If You Can Get It

Okay, there is no shirtlessness in the above video, but I'm posting it because we all know that William Levy gives good shirtlessness and now we can see him dance. He's no Gilles Marini in the dance department, but his cute little dimples have won me over. Even my mom is routing for him. I hope he takes off his shirt in the next round!

So there have been a lot of obstacles to my posting lately. I lost my phone the night before I traveled to Buffalo, and so there was a huge technical situation on my hands that almost sent me over the brink. While I still hold to the maxim that the best accessory to shirtlessness is kindness, I think a close second would be technical knowledge of the many gadgets that now rule our lives. I would have been much happier updating my new phone if a nice shirtless technical support man had been helping me. But alas, that was not the case.

My days have been crazy of late, and I'm not sure of what to do about it. Basically, I'm just holding out until my trip to Italy in late June when I will be offline and phone-free for two glorious weeks. If things work out, I will be surrounded by handsome, shirtless Italian men as well. But until then, I continue to be...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Mid-week Shirtlessness

Gentle IMS members, once again I find myself having apologize for not sticking to my posting schedule due to illness. Actually on Friday I was working as a standardized patient at a New York medical school which was a very long day, and by Monday, I had succumbed to yet another cold, and this on the eve of the first day of spring. I can't believe how sick I have been this winter. While I am queen of the nervous tummy, I generally do not get colds. During this, the second mildest winter recorded, I seem to have gotten three. I hate being sick as it dampens my enthusiasm for almost everything, even shirtlessness. So to cheer myself and you up, I give you David Gandy, my former show boyfriend. Recently he has been seen wearing shirts in the Banana Republic ad campaign, but a vast majority of his work is shirtless. No need to ask why.

Looking over his body of work online, I have to wonder what it must be like to be known mainly for one's shirtlessness. Even Gilles Marini who was once known simply as "the naked guy from Sex and the City" has had the chance to speak and charm us with his accent and his politesse. But Mr. Gandy simply appears as a beautiful torso, over and over again. I feel a little bit sad for him. But only a little bit. If he wanted to speak, no doubt someone would listen which is more than I can say for most people. In any case, examining his work reminded me that while shirtlessness is a wonderful state of being that we should strive for, it is not the only state. In my cold-headed delirium I fantasize about a world where men are shirtless and kind. Until then, I am...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

One Sport, No Shirt

IMS Alert! The Vice President of IMS alerted me last night of this ad campaign and the fact that it is playing on an extra large screen at Macy's above the Men's Store on 7th Avenue and 34th Street. The face and torso of Dolce & Gabbana's fragrance, One Sport, Adam Senn, demonstrates his sporty moves in this video, and I for one applaud him for his excellent shirtlessness. I like the Roman-esque feel of this video, possibly because I just purchased my airline ticket to Rome this week after many harrowing days on hold with United Airlines. I can say that I never want to hear Rhapsody in Blue ever again. But after all is said and done, I'm grateful to have a ticket for a fabulous trip to Italy where I hope to see lots of male shirtlessness.

I also have high hopes to see some good male shirtlessness here in New York on April 7th. A theater company that I work with called Leviathan Lab is participating in a 10K run to raise funds for our upcoming projects. I'm not a runner myself, but I'm trying to encourage all the men to run shirtless. Given the success of another fundraiser that I participated in where many of the plays featured male shirtlessness, I'd say shirtless running is the way to go. So far we have one confirmed shirtless runner, and several others toying with the idea. If you would like to read more about Leviathan, or better yet, make a donation please click here. On a personal note, I'd like to say that Leviathan has been very supportive of me as a writer and as an actor, and it has been a privilege to be a part of such a wonderful community. I will be there with bells on on April 7th and hope to see lots of charitable shirtlessness! Until then, I am...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

More Athletic Shirtlessness

I recently recruited some new members to IMS through a theatrical outlet, and one of the new recruits alerted me to Will Demps, formerly of the New York Giants, who clearly gives great shirtlessness. She was interviewing him for an organization that they both belong to, and she told me what a nice guy Mr. Demps was. In fact, this week after his interview, he went to her children's school to talk to a class of 4 and 5 year olds. How cute is that? I continue to promote kindness as the single best accessory to shirtlessness, even edging out water, and Mr. Demps is clearly very well accessorized.

I'm really excited to be expanding the IMS membership. I'm always appreciative of those members who help expand my search for good shirtlessness into other arenas like sports. Welcome! Now that the Oscars are over, I feel that Hollywood is rather lacking on the shirtless front and will have little to offer until the summer. So I am open to any new places that might reveal some excellent male shirtlessness. IMS members, go forth and find it! Until then, I continue to be...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Cleanliness is next to Shirtessness

An IMS member sent this ad to me, and I thought I should post it as an example of how good male shirtlessness can make the world a better place. This company is leveraging good shirtlessness to create a cleaner, fresher, better smelling world. I think it is an excellent use of shirtlessness that makes me feel proud of the cause. Bravo!

Apologies for the completely off-kilter posting situation. I found myself unexpectedly overrun with work on Friday and Monday which did not allow me to post on my usual schedule. I know I need to make more time for shirtlessness, but alas in these cold winter months, I am often more motivated by the need to make money to buy a shirt that to promote the lack of one. In the wily world of theater, I do my best to adhere to a strict shirtless schedule, but alas, my best is not always good enough.

That said, I do have some leads on some new shirtlessness and some new IMS members who may take my posts to unexpected places. Until then, I continue to be...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS