Happy Birthday, Lenny!

Gentle readers, many a moon have passed since I last posted.  Since I work as an event planner to support my theater habit, the last six weeks have been crazy with gala fundraisers every Monday night.  Lest you think that I'm standing around looking fabulous and drinking cocktails, my job usually involves me checking people in and telling them where to sit, where the bathroom is, and where to get another drink while wearing black and remaining sober.  I do look fabulous, of course, but in an understated "May I help you?" kind of way.  And sadly, none of my events this season have involved any shirtlessness.  So I'm very happy to report that this Monday,  I have had the day off and just found out that today is Lenny Kravitz's 50th birthday.  I can't think of two better reasons to post!

It is unclear when this photo was taken, but I don't think it was that long ago.  He certainly makes the late 40s look damn sexy as well as that ceramic mug.  Thank you, Lenny, for the inspiration and the continued shirtlessness.  You give this Indian hope that there is still the possibility of good, live, age-appropriate shirtlessness out there.

It is finally summer here in New York after an interminable winter and one week of spring.  I think this means that the shirtlessness will be dicey for a few weeks but then amazing.  I'll keep an eye out for some good New York shirtlessness.  Until then, I remain...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Awarding Shirtlessness

Take heart, gentle readers, because our work is apparently having a farther reaching effect than even I could have imagined!  I found out yesterday that MTV has a "Best Shirtless Performance" category in its famed Movie Awards, and last night, Zac Efron accepted his award shirtless - very appropriate!  I find this clip amusing because the host keeps playing the shirtless moment over and over.  Enjoy the above clip as I did.  Even though I still feel a touch icky about enjoying the shirtlessness of someone so young, I can't deny that his abs are rock hard and ready for many shirtless scenes to come.  I'm pleased to report that the nominees were four men and one woman, a sign that the shirtless tables have indeed turned.  Thank you for all the hard work you have done, IMS members.  Savor the sweet shirtless victory!


Yours in triumphant shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Remembering the Greats

I got some very sad news of the passing of an old friend this morning and am still trying to make sense of it.  The last time I saw this friend, he picked me up and carried me into the theater we were attending, and so it seems impossible to imagine that today he's no longer here.  On Facebook today, I saw the above image and remembered how this friend introduced me to Gregory Hines.  Actually, it was less of an introduction than a work assignment to take care of Mr. Hines while he attended our event, but still.  When I was accompanying Mr. Hines and his wife into the theater, he insisted on taking the stairs while his wife and I took the escalator.  He told me that Mary Tyler Moore told him the secret to aging well was taking the stairs whenever possible.  And to this day, I still do, even though Mr. Hines left this earth far too early as well.  Remembering them both, I can't help but think that all the stair-taking and superfood-eating cannot stop the inevitability of death.  They were both men who seemed to take great pleasure in life.  And that is perhaps all there is.

Yours in shirtlessness and friendship and love and life,
Nandita
President
IMS

Stage Shirtlessness

So yesterday I went to see Sarah Ruhl's new play, "Stage Kiss" at Playwrights' Horizons, and in addition to being to treated to a female protagonist, some hilarious jokes about a life in the theater, and several very touching moments not to mention a whole lot of stage kissing, I was delighted to see some live male shirtlessness exhibited by the leading man, Dominic Fumusa.  I had the pleasure of seeing Mr. Fumusa in Sarah Ruhl's "Passion Play" a few years ago, and thought he was an amazing actor who was able to bring great humanity to the three roles he played in that production.  Shirtlessness aside, I think I enjoyed Mr. Fumusa's performance in "Stage Kiss" most of all, a vulnerable portrait of a flawed man who is as good as he is bad for his leading lady.  When he appears shirtless in the second act, he seems most vulnerable, most open, and most real.  Strangely, I thought his sexiest shirtless moment, was as he put his clothes back on.  And unlike, most of the shirtlessness seen on stage and screen today, Mr. Fumusa looks like a real man as opposed to one who has been plucked and preened and worked out to a very specific image.  Not to say that I don't like all those muscle-y guys taking off their shirts (Gilles Marini, please don't change a thing!), but there was something wonderful about seeing a man whose body had not been waxed and oiled on stage.  I also do not want to imply that Mr. Fumusa is not in shape or does not look good; he is and he does!  His shirtlessness was just of a less self-congratulatory nature than the prevailing norm, and I liked it.

In other stage shirtlessness news, EST currently has a show running called "Fast Company" written by my friend and colleague Carla Ching which also features some brief but delightful and totally sensible shirtlessness.  The play runs for another week, and if you would like to see it, use the code MAYI for 25% off tickets.  Carla's fast and funny play follows a con by a family of grifters who also happen to be Asian.  Unlike a lot of ethnic dramas that get produced, the play is not about ethnicity or anyone's sadness about being Asian but rather a tale of family dysfunction and love all wrapped up in game theory.

So there are two places you can go to see some good shirtlessness along with your entertainment this week.  Get going!  Until then, I am...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President

I Love You, J Lo!

I was delighted to receive this video from an IMS member - J Lo's response to the objectification of women in music videos is to shoot a video featuring lots of scantily clad men in exotic locations like mansions and yachts.  While the IMS member who sent it was less enamored of the song than the video, I think that it speaks to the reasons the blog was started in the first place.  The assumption of the heterosexual male gaze in so much of modern media is taken for granted, and blogs like this one and videos like Ms. Lopez's both seek to create space for the gaze of others.  So gaze away and enjoy the above video.  I know I did!

To be fair, this is not the first video in which Ms. Lopez creates eye candy for straight women and gay men.  Anyone remember "I'm Into You?"  I'll never forget shirtless William Levy running on that beach.  And in both of these videos, she does not look too bad herself.  She is definitely inviting a male gaze while offering something for the ladies.  But I have to give it to her.  Jennifer Lopez, you are my hero.

Until her next video, I continue to be...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Shirtless Towel Dancing

A friend recently sent me this clip as an example of funny shirtlessness, and I have to agree.  These boys have a very fun take on shirtlessness, and I support it.  Shirtlessness does not always have to be sexy and sultry; it can also be playful and joyous.  So in celebration of spring, I give you the Naked Towel Dance.  Enjoy!

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

One for the VP

I missed posting yesterday due to a crazy schedule, but I've been wanting to post this picture of the delightful Theo James ever since I saw the trailer for "Divergent" a few weeks ago.  Some of you may remember Mr. James from his brief shirtless appearance on Downton Abbey as the doomed Mr. Pamouk.  I hope he lives through this film.  I know a certain Vice President of IMS will be in a hurry to see this film, and so for him, I post the back tats of the gorgeous Mr. James.

Part of the craziness of Monday was due to the craziness of Oscar night on Sunday when I stayed at a party till the bitter end of the telecast.  Actually, I enjoyed the Oscars more than other years because the awards seemed to be more spread out than the sweeps for Oscars past.  It also helped that Lupita Nyong'o gave one of the best acceptance speeches ever.  And that I was watching at a home where the hostess kept pouring everyone mulled wine in seemingly endless quantities.  Getting home late and having a packed day led to me passing out last night before I could post.  Hopefully this back will make up for it.  Until next Monday, I continue to be...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS