Kung Fu; No Shirts

Last week, I had the chance to see a preview performance of David Henry Hwang's new play at the Signature Theater, "Kung Fu."  One of the publicity shots from the show is featured above, and so all of you can tell that I was very excited about the show.  Guaranteed shirtlessness!  Also, a multi-racial cast dramatizing the life story of one of the first Asian stars in America, Bruce Lee.  This show was clearly up my alley!  I'm sorry to say that I did not know a lot about Mr. Lee, although through the play, I now realize that I owe a lot to him for my career in the theater.  Mr. Lee broke through many  barriers to allow Asian-Americans to have a presence in the American cultural mainstream.  Now some, including me, would say that many of these barriers still exist, but they are not as strong as they once were, thanks to Mr. Lee's brave kicks to the system.  I came away from the show educated and inspired.

But of course, you, gentle readers, want to know about the shirtlessness, and I will say that it does not disappoint.  I won't say when Cole Horibe, who plays Mr. Lee, takes off his shirt, but I will share that when he does, it is good.  Very, very good.  And his shirtlessness exists to make a point about one of the barriers that Mr. Lee was fighting, the de-sexualization of Asian men.  Even on this blog, I have bemoaned the lack of Asian-American shirtlessness in the media and theater.  So thank you to Mr. Horibe and Mr. Hwang and the director, Leigh Silverman, for creating an opportunity in the New York theater for an Asian man to be sexy and to flaunt and use his sexuality in ways that men of other races do not even think twice about.

And for the record, I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Horibe after the show and found that he possesses one of my favorite accessories to shirtlessness, kindness.  Honestly, it would be hard to find a nicer guy.  He sweetly posed for pictures with strangers after the show, talked to the friends of all of his castmates (myself included), and generally carried himself with self-effacing grace.  I am a fan of his and of "Kung Fu" and hope you all run out to see it!  Until then, I continue to be...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Ask and You Shall Receive!

So I've been bemoaning the lack of live shirtlessness in my life on this blog recently.  I'm not too proud to admit that my activism has, for the most part, benefited others much more than myself.  No man has taken off his shirt in my presence in quite some time.  BUT, the Universe works in wondrous ways, and today I had a glorious chance to witness some good male shirtlessness firsthand.

I went to an afternoon yoga class today to mix up my schedule after an audition was cancelled.  As I walked in, I noticed a man setting up his mat at the back of the room, wearing sweats and a hat.  When he took off his hat, I thought that he looked very much like Colin Farrell.  But of course, it couldn't be Colin Farrell because what would a movie star be doing in my yoga class on a Monday afternoon in a pretty boring neighborhood of New York?  So I laid my mat down and began the class.  And somewhere along the way, this man who looked like Colin Farrell took his shirt off.  It was like the heavens released some angels to put a fit shirtless, good-looking man in my yoga class right behind me so that every time I was in downward dog, I could gaze upon his very nice shirtless back.  It made me so happy!  Now I can't say whether it was or it wasn't Colin Farrell since I was very busy being a cool New Yorker who does not get excited by celebrity sightings or alternatively a woman who is not a stalker staring down some poor guy in her yoga class, but I can say definitively that the shirtlessness was real and it was good.  So in honor of my new yoga buddy, I give you Mr. Farrell shirtless, making his first appearance on my blog.  Thanks for making my day and possibly my year brighter with your live shirtlessness.

I wonder if this blog has magical properties that allow the things I write about to manifest in reality?  What should I write about next?  How I'm really bummed that George Clooney hasn't paid me a visit?  So much to consider!  Until then, I remain...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Superbowl Shirtlessness

While I did not actually watch the SuperBowl last night (Instead I went to a show with a sold out run that had a few cancellations), I did check out the Halftime Show after I got home and was delighted to see the combination of showmanship and shirtlessness showcased this year.  I understand the actual game was terribly boring, but the Halftime show was anything but!  Now I have been accused of being age-ist with my shirtlessness, but the truth is that most men stop taking off their shirts after a certain age.  Apparently not the Red Hot Chili Peppers.  Anthony Kiedis is 51 years old and still rocking a six-pack.  And sweet young Bruno Mars wowed us with his dancing while fully dressed.  I liked it!

I also went to see "The Wong Kids in the Secret of the Space Chupacabra" this weekend at Ma-Yi Theater and had a fantastic time.  You should go!  When I wrote to the writer and director to congratulate them on a job well done, I mentioned that I was unable to promote the show on the blog because there wasn't any shirtlessness.  (Mind you, I was not complaining since it is a children's show that has lots of great jokes for parents.)  The director wrote back to point out that one of the space monsters was shirtless, and that the original design had included a shirt but that he had requested it to be taken off after reflecting upon my aesthetic.  I can't say that it is good shirtlessness, exactly, since it is on a space monster, but I have to feel pleased that I am spreading shirtlessness intergalactically at this point.

It's this kind of comment that gives me a small bit of hope even as I continue to have difficulty posting in the face of a shirtful existence.  It's hard to keep encouraging good male shirtlessness for others when there is so little for me.  But then I find out that my message is having an impact, and who am I to deny shirtlessness to others?  So gentle readers, I will continue to advocate for good male shirtlessness in hopes that someday maybe some might even come my way.  Until then, I continue to be...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

A New Year

Gentle readers, it has been a month since I last posted.  I would like to say that the hiatus was caused by the evil Time Warner Cable or my hectic holiday travel schedule or some fabulous job that swept me away.  Sadly it is none of these things.  Rather it is a malaise that has settled upon my posting for the past year as I realize that however much I post about male shirtlessness in the media, there continues to be no actual shirtlessness in my life.  I started the blog half as a joke and half as a clever way to discuss the female gaze and the lack of its acknowledgement in the media.  I still believe that women are largely ignored in the creation of media content (Why are female newscasters so much more made up and attractive than their male counterparts?) and think that following the shirtlessness often results in finding places where the heterosexual female gaze is acknowledged.  Often implicit in this acknowledgement are gay men who are also largely ignored in the mainstream media.  And let's face it, it has been fun to post about good male shirtlessness over the past 7 years!  But sometimes a girl wants her own actual gaze to be acknowledged, and that hasn't happened for quite some time.

This is in no way a farewell post.  I will continue to write about the instances of good male shirtlessness that I witness as I always do.  But I am going to slow my posting schedule to once a week on Mondays.  Maybe that will leave space for live shirtlessness to come into my world.

In the meantime, I do have to post my yearly tribute to the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.  The program I saw last weekend blew me away, in particular a piece choreographed by Aszure Barton called "Lift" which is pictured above.  In once section two dancers perform an entire duet with the woman's face attached to the man's chest as you see here.  It was one of the most intimate moments I have ever witnessed in dance.  This duet was so riveting that I did not even care about the shirtlessness.  I felt as if the entire audience was holding its breath.  So here's to a new year in which perhaps shirtlessness can be overshadowed by artistry.  Until next week, I am...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Inside Shirtlessness

Yesterday morning, I had a moment while listening to the Golden Globe nominations because I thought that the diversity of this season's films had been overlooked.  But then I realized that the nominations come in two categories, and all was right with the world again.  One of the diverse male actors nominated is the above pictured, Oscar Isaac who is getting amazing buzz for his role in the Coen Brothers' movie, "Inside Llewyn Davis."  I have yet to see the film, but I am looking forward to it based solely on the interview I saw him give Matt and Savanah on the Today show.  Perhaps it is sad just how much a man who speaks in full sentences can impress me, but there you have it.  He is cute, speaks articulately, and sings all his own songs in the movie.  And he has taken off his shirt in a film before.  So hurrah Oscar Isaac, and congratulations to all the nominees!

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Things I'm Thankful For...

Thanksgiving is around the corner, and I for one am very grateful for many things.  I'm grateful for a holiday that is about family and food and that said holiday has remained about those things unlike other holidays surrounding it.  I'm grateful for the fact that I have had so much work lately that I haven't had time to post.  A non-destitute President is a happy President!  And I am grateful that People's Sexiest Man Alive issue has come out just in time for my plane ride home for the holidays.

Now I have seen some hating on Facebook about why Adam Levine was named this year's Sexiest Man Alive, but I'm going to say that Mr. Levine is pretty sexy.  I'm glad People is mixing it up a little from its usual brand of white movie star.  This year it is a white rock star.  Baby steps, People, baby steps.  In any case, I am going to curl up with my issue and feel thankful that this year's choice insures a lot of shirtless pictures within the issue.  Until next week, have a happy Thanksgiving as I continue to be...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Mean Boy?

Gentle IMS members, while it is true that I have been traveling a lot lately, the truth is that my lack of posts has been more a product of lost inspiration than of not having time.  While I am always advocating for more male shirtlessness, I'm afraid that lately I have been feeling rather alone and ineffective with the cause.  Readership has gone down while shirtlessness has not gone up, and I wonder if it is still worth keeping the cause alive.  After all, there has been a huge shift in theater and television towards shirtlessness since this humble blog began in 2007.  Is there really that much more to do?  And does anyone still care?  And finally, will this ever translate into actual live shirtlessness at any point?  I don't have the answers, my friends.  But I have decided that it is worth trying to figure them out, at least for another day.

A friend recently posted this picture on my Facebook wall and made me think that perhaps the cause is still relevant.  Above is Rajiv Surendra,  a South Asian-Canadian actor, who you probably will not recognize from "Mean Girls" because he has undergone such a major transformation.  Mr. Surendra played Kevin Gnapoor (while my brother's name is Kevin, I am dubious about a South Asian last name spelled with a G and an N together), the Indian nerdy kid in that film.  I actually saw this movie with my brother who was terrorized by teenage girls while trying to buy us popcorn.  He was very pleased, however, to see an Indian character with the name Kevin since actual Indian people never believe him when he says his name is Kevin.  Anyway, Mr. Surendra definitely did not take off his shirt in the movie, but I will say that I am certainly looking forward to the movie when he does!  And if this South Asian kid can transform himself for the cause, well then I can too.  Until Friday, I continue to be...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS