Happy New Year!

I kind of love New Year's, not for the parties since one has to find a mode of transportation to attend them which is always a nightmare, but for the feelings of hope it inspires even in the dead of winter.  It is a moment when most people take stock of what has happened in the past and try to resolve it with what they wish for in the future.  I like the process myself, and appreciate that almost everyone else is taking a moment to assess along with me.  While I have experienced a wide variety of events on New Year's Eve in the past, I almost always spend New Year's Day in my pajamas, cleaning, cooking, and relaxing.  And most importantly, I spend the day wishing for what I really want in the coming year.

More good shirtlessness is always on the list of wishes, and I feel that over the past 5 years, we at IMS have had an impact on the amount of good shirtlessness on stage and screen.  I'm proud of what has occurred and hopeful for what can still be.  Over the past year in particular, I have also found myself discussing diversity both personally and professionally more and more, and so my hope for the New Year is that IMS can itself be a more diverse platform.  More diversity in shirtlessness can only help the cause.  That is my true resolution to you, dear IMS members.

So on a note of hopefulness, I'll share a tidbit from a friend who told me that Idris Elba is rumored to be in line as the next James Bond.  After a little bit of Internet research, I discovered these rumors had some basis in fact, and that he had given an interview on the topic.  In the interview, Mr. Elba remarked that he did not want to be the "black" James Bond any more than Sean Connery is the Scottish Bond.  And so my hope is that by the time Daniel Craig finishes out his contract, we won't need to identify people by their skin color.  See what I mean about hopefulness?!  I continue to be...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Happy Holidays!

I am not a regular viewer of "New Girl" but every time I catch the show, this man manages to take his shirt off during the episode.  I caught the Christmas episode on the plane ride home, and Max Greenfield appeared as a shirtless Santa (the very best kind!)  While this is not the best photo of Mr. Greenfield, I believe it captures the spirit of what makes his shirtlessness so charming - a sense of humor.  Some might call it a touch of whimsy.  Whatever it is, I suspect that I may have to tune into the show more often in 2013 since my once guaranteed sources of shirtlessness (DH & GA) have dried up.  I think I'll tell Sexy Santa that!  I like funny shirtlessness; humor ranks up there with kindness and water as wonderful accessories to good shirtlessness.

As we head into 2013, I ask all of you gentle readers to look into yourselves and choose your resolutions wisely.  While we all could spend more time on the cause, I do feel that this past year has offered no shortage of areas that we would all focus on to make the world a better place.  Sometimes, I can't believe how crazy the world is.  Perhaps this is how people in the Middle Ages would have felt had they any idea what was happening beyond the areas reachable by foot, but I take little comfort in thinking that we have returned to the Middle Ages.  More on resolutions on Monday, but I thought I should give you all the weekend to contemplate.  In the meantime, I hope your New Year's plans will include shirtlessness, either public or private, and that this final weekend of 2012 is filled with good cheer.  I continue to be...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Holiday Cheer!

The holidays are in full swing, and I have given up posting on a regular basis due to the craziness.  But I will leave you this holiday season with a little commercial shirtlessness from the Armani Exchange which never seems to disappoint by using shirtlessness to sell fashion.  I love seeing ads for A/X at any time of year.  While not as reliable as Abercrombie & Fitch, the models always look like they are well into their 20s which makes me a little bit less embarrassed about enjoying them so completely.  Also, many of the ads as the one above, feature fully dressed women hanging around with shirtless men which is, in my humble opinion, how it should be.

In any case, this December has been a wild ride of ups and downs.  I wish you all a very happy holiday.  I will be taking Christmas Eve off, but will be back next Friday to post some wishes for the New Year.  Until then, I remain...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

More Modern Shirtlessness

I had planned to post on Friday afternoon after a gig in the morning, but the events of the day made it seem ridiculous to post about shirtlessness.  There are some things that good male shirtlessness cannot fix, and senseless tragedy is one of them.  My weekend was spent alternating between obsessively watching the news and rehearsing for a show that my writers' lab produced on Sunday.  On Friday night, I felt foolish for rehearsing when something so terrible had happened in the world, but then I thought it would be more foolish not to rehearse.  Because terrible things happen in the world all the time, and the role of the artist in society is to carry on and hold up the mirror.  This doesn't mean that I shall be writing a play about gun control anytime soon, but it does mean that I can't stop doing what I'm doing and trying to make a difference in the way that I can.

Our show was a response to injustice of another sort.  The past year has offered many challenges to the Asian theater community as multiple theaters have been presenting Asian stories on their stages cast with white actors.  While there have been many forums for speaking out against this blatant racism, until Sunday night, no new work had been created from it.  The Ma-Yi Writers' Lab decided to do an evening of short plays which reappropriated Western fairy tales cast with Asian stories mixed with even shorter plays about the variety of reasons that actors of color do not get cast.  The evening was a wild success, and true to form, I managed to convince the directors to make one actor take his shirt off.  Since all the actors were on stage for the entire show, the moment he took off his shirt turned into a meta-theatrical moment when everyone watched him take off his shirt and then turned to me to see my reaction (which was clapping and cheering).  Said actor was Caucasian, and his dedication inspired me. Even people who are not directly effected by the issue can take action - white actors can speak out against casting inequity for Asian actors.  And so I walked away from the theater that night hoping that even people who were not personally effected by Friday's tragic events can still take action to make the world a better or at least safer place.

Today's picture was inspired by last week's post.  Modern dance has always done shirtlessness well, and I think that sometimes it is the wordless arts that can speak most clearly.  So here's to hoping that we can continue to create beauty from the world around us.

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Modern Shirtlessness

It's that time again, when the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater takes over New York's City Center and a lot of shirtlessness ensues.  I'm scrambling myself to figure out when I can go to see the company and get an extra dose of excellent male shirtlessness along with some fierce dancing by all.  Mr. Ailey was doing shirtlessness before I was born, and I am so grateful that his legacy has been carried on in so many ways.  I'm always inspired by the Ailey company to work harder and be better as an artist, and it is always a wonderful thing to see them at the end of each year as a springboard into the next.  So enjoy some good male shirtlessness, and may it inspire all of you to push yourself more towards your dreams in 2013!

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

Making a Shirtless Indie Movie

A few weeks ago, I went to see a movie called "Gayby" with one of my dearest friends.  It was an independent movie made in New York about a straight woman and her gay best friend having a child together.  The gay best friend took off hist shirt a lot.  This movie seemed like exactly my cup of tea.  But besides the heartwarming gay-straight friendship storyline and the frequent shirtlessness, I was really impressed that this movie was made almost entirely through the fundraising efforts of the creative team through Fractured Atlas and Kickstarter.  In a world where everything seems to get done only by large corporations including art and entertainment, the fact that I could see a movie in a commercial movie theater (albeit an art house) that was truly made by the blood, sweat, and tears of artists inspired me.  So to Matthew Wilkas and the cast of "Gayby,"  I offer you a true IMS salute!  Thank you for producing good shirtlessness the old-fashioned way!

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS

More Marines Maybe

The internet is back in my building!  It came back over the weekend, but sadly a horrible stomach virus incapacitated me for my Monday post.  I am better now, due to copious amounts of ginger ale.  And to celebrate the happiness of both the return of the internet and my appetite (almost) I give you some US Marines, once again dancing to the IMS song of the year "Call Me Maybe."  I thought this video was cute when I first saw it, but then I compared it to the video that it parodies created by the Miami Dolphin Cheerleaders and found it hilarious.  Full disclosure - being from Buffalo makes me automatically hate the Miami Dolphins, and so while I'm sure the Marines who made this video compiled it in homage to them, I just found it to be a hilarious send up of all of their moves.  There is lots of shirtlessness to be had, although not all of it is good.  But kudos to the US Marines for taking the time to make a fun video while fighting a war and incorporating shirtlessness for good.

The only thing positive that I can say about my stomach virus is that my abs have never been flatter.  Other than that, the whole episode was horrible and hopefully not to be repeated.  It will take a lot of shirtlessness to get over the ordeal.  Shirtless get well telegrams are welcome since I am...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS