Being as I am a happily married woman approaching 30, I suppose it's a good thing that I'm not as boy crazy as I once was. But it sure can make choosing a Man of the Month difficult. My thoughts as I browsed through our DVDs this week in search of the perfect fit for April's honoree went something like this:
Jon Hamm. Done.
Taye Diggs. Done.
Paul Rudd. Hahaha. Done.
David Boreanaz. Done.
Eric Chandler. I miss 'Friday Night Lights.' Done.
Taye Diggs. Still done.
Have I done Jake Gyllenhaal? Regardless, I'm not sure I can support his hair in 'Prince of Persia.'
Peter Krause. Done. (Is it just me or is 'Parenthood' kind of boring?)
Do I even like Owen Wilson that much anymore?
But then I came upon two of the most controversial movies in our collection. And no, I don't mean 'Buffalo 66' or 'Mulholland Drive; I speak, of course, of 'Bridget Jones's Diary' and 'Love Actually.' (These are controversial only in the the-participants-in-my-marriage-don't-agree-on-their-hilarity-and-cultural-relevance sense.)
Has there ever been a more natural Man of the Month than Colin Firth? No matter how many times 'Pride and Prejudice' is inevitably done, Colin Firth will forever be the quintessential Mr. Darcy, thereby making him romantic hero #1 among most women between the ages of 14 and 60. And then he was Mark Darcy, possibly an even more romantic hero, because he eats blue soup, and falls in love with the essentially-unstandable Renee Zelweger. This is a man that does uptight yet sensitive man at his best. I mean, he's in 'Mamma Mia' for Pete's sake. In fact, I'd venture to say that Colin Firth's only Man of the Month demerit (aside from his decision to co-star in a movie with Amanda Bynes): His name's similarity to the totally not-MotM-worth Colin Farrell.
For most of us, there are certain things we consider "given" in our lives - traits that have been the same for so long, that we don't even think about them anymore. Like, I hate bananas. This is just a fact in my life. But then, you meet someone new who becomes important to you - maybe you start a new job or join a new club/community - and all of a sudden you have to establish those facts about you to someone.
What am I talking about and what on earth does it have to do with Man of the Month? Well, the other day, I had to tell someone how much I love Denzel Washington. This has been a fact in my life for so long, I could hardly come up with articulate reasons for it. I mean, Denzel papered my locker, alongside Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Jonathan Brandis, all through junior high. He is just my go-to Hollywood guy. He's never been Man of the Month before because when Jessica, my old roomate/best friend soul mate, started doing Man of the Month as a college tradition, we had two rules - it had to be someone we could both agree on, and someone who wasn't a given. That meant no Matt Damon (hers) and no Denzel Washington (mine). (It also meant no Seth Green - also mine - but that's neither here nor there).
So, while I don't particularly intend to see his latest, 'Book of Eli,' I do feel like it's only fair to honor Denzel Washington as Man of the Month this February. If you need some articulate reasons, chew on these:
1) He's just plain handsome. There's no other word for it.
2) He met his wife - who he's been married to for 27 years - on the set of his first movie. His children have been drafted by the NFL and attended Ivy League universities.
3) The Oscar he won for 'Training Day' was a make-up for the others that he should have - especially for 'Hurricane.' When you've already won one, should have won a couple more, and then take home a second, that's a sign you're pretty damn talented.
4) Have you seen those Boys & Girls Clubs ads? I mean, come on.
We'd only seen 2 movies between September and December (Living 40 miles from the nearest movie theater makes film-going a little more difficult than when there was one half of a mile away.), so, over Christmas, we took advantage of a three week break and civilization to see several movies. 5 in fact. And the two best - 'Up in the Air' & 'Fantastic Mr. Fox' - both starred George Clooney. That made the Man of the Month decision pretty easy.
More than just his relevance this month, I'm realizing that I actually like George Clooney quite a bit. I like how at-ease he always seems, how he embraces his bachelor life and how smart his movie choices have been over the last 10 years. Finally, I love that he survived this:
And became this:
Let's hear it for bad glasses wearers everywhere, and raise our champagne flutes to 2010's inaugural Man of the Month, Mr. George Clooney.
(Oh, and yes: Official reviews of all 5 movies coming soon to a computer screen near you.)
I actually chose a new Man of the Month at the beginning of December, but never finished a proper blog entry about him. So, let's just cut to the chase: This month's MotM is Peter Krause (apparently pronounced Kraus-eh).
Now, he might not play too many likable characters (I chose him as Man of the Month while watching an episode of 'Six Feet Under' where he did nothing but scream the F word and trip on drugs), but if you've ever seen 'Sports Night' - the pre-'West Wing' totally underrated Aaron Sorkin half-hour no laugh track dramedy that launched Felicity Huffman - you'll understand why he deserves this honor. And if you haven't, you're missing out.
In addition to learning how to bake really soft cookies, one of my initiatives for this year at camp is to watch all 7 seasons of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' on DVD. In case I haven't mentioned it before, 'Buffy' is definitely my favorite television show ever to air, but when you call something your favorite for long enough, it can become habit instead of fact. I wanted to make sure that this wasn't the case with this, so I have started from the beginning.
And it's working. I'm just about halfway through the first season, but it's even smarter & funnier than I remember. Now that I'm not jealous of my high school crush's crush on Sarah Michelle Gellar, I'm finding her oddly charming, and the supporting cast is practically perfect. And David Boreanaz, as the title character's first love and eventual spin-off lead, is every bit the kind of sulking (I'm sorry, but there's no word for it) dreamboat that deserves to be Man of the Month.
Sure, he's achieved way more mainstream success with 'Bones', but, I think I'll always prefer to Google Image search for '1999 David Boreanaz'.
Kyle Chandler sure was a deserving Man of the Month, eh? Now that we’ve all had a chance to appreciate him (and now that I’ve settled in at camp), it’s time to tear the well-earned honor from his hands and bestow it on another gent. This month’s honoree: Jon Hamm.
I spent a lot of time resisting the urge (and Trevor’s repeated suggestion) to make Jon Hamm Man of the Month. He’s had a pretty big year, headlining television’s most critically acclaimed show, watching it shoot up in the ratings, hosting Saturday Night Live, guest starring on 30 Rock (which, despite my somewhat loyal viewership of, I still always want to call Third Rock from the Sun), winning a Golden Globe and generally becoming Hollywood’s new favorite It Actor. (Was he People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive? It seems like he would have been.)
I thought that Man of the Month would get lost amongst all the hoopla. But then Season 3 started. And he’s all supportive father, barely philandering husband (Hey, it’s an improvement), gay secret keeper, anti-bureaucracy suave, and I just can’t help it.
Plus, he’s really funny. Did you see him on ‘30 Rock’? The bit about Eric from ‘The Little Mermaid being based on him was priceless. Then there was his Lex Luthor video on Funny or Die and almost every skit he did as a host on Saturday Night Live (There are not many hosts you can even say “almost” about).
It’s official – even if just for one month this time around, Jon Hamm is a totally deserving Man of the Month titleholder.
You know how famous people are always talking about how hard their lives are with all this fame and fortune? (And doesn't it seem like it's the famous people most desperate for the spotlight who complain the loudest? And they're often the ones with the least reason to be famous). Boo freaking hoo, right?
But do you know when I do feel sorry for celebrities? When they do genuinely amazing work, with little or no recognition for it. This is the syndrome that cancels the My So-Called Lives, Freaks & Geeks and Arrested Developments of the world after 1 or 2 seasons, while keeping 'According to Jim' on the air for 8 years (I wish I was kidding.). This is the affliction that leaves Lauren Graham, she of the brilliant Lorelai Gilmore creation, Emmy and Golden Globe free, while Jeremy Piven of the funny but mostly one-dimensional Ari Gold, makes his way to the podium – again. And this is why, this month, we are celebrating Kyle Chandler as Man of the Month.
Kyle Chandler plays Coach Eric Taylor, the heart and soul of one of the three best television shows on today, 'Friday Night Lights' (The other two being 'The Office' and 'Mad Men' – 'Lost' is too hot and cold) – a show that the Emmys somehow thought it sensical to nominate for “Outstanding Casting,” one of those prizes they don't even announce on the telecast, without recognizing a single member of that outstanding cast in the acting categories. Brilliant.
I've babbled on about 'Friday Night Lights' before – about how tragic it is that it's not more watched and about the reasons for this (People think it's about high school kids; people think it's about football; people think it's about high school kids playing football; all of these people are wrong; etc.). For today's purposes, that's neither here nor there (But those people are wrong.). And while I might love Tammie, played by the brilliant, subtle, smart, sassy, classy Connie Britton, even more than Eric, this is Man of the Month, not Celebrity of the Month. So, this August, we salute you, Kyle Chandler, for being a wonderful television dad, a brilliant deliverer of the well-meaning evil eye, and most of all, for making a football obsessed, middle-aged Texan sexy to a liberal, 20-something, baseball fan of an urbanite. Clear eyes, full hearts indeed.
From 8th-12th grades, I had a video tape that I used to keep snippets of important television happenings (So, yes: I've always been this pop culture obsessed.). It was labeled “Melrose Place Tape #5” from a project I had undertaken of recording an entire season’s worth of 'Melrose Place' on VHS to send to my friend Ayesha who was spending 6 months of our 8th grade year with her grandparents in Pakistan. Upon her (and the tapes’) return, 'Melrose Place' quickly got replaced. Aside from 'General Hospital' which I’d record every day, and shows like 'Party of 5,' 'Buffy' and 'Felicity' which I recorded weekly, I kept careful track of when my many celebrity boyfriends would be on various talk shows so that I could tape them all. Then, I’d transfer scenes that I liked or interviews I wanted to keep onto this video tape. Man, I really knew my way around a VCR. Life skills, you know.
With ‘Brothers Bloom’ recent release (from the director of 'Brick'), all the film festival/indie rock love hoopla around the upcoming '500 Days of Summer' and the premiere of a TV version of one of my favorite 1990s movies, '10 Things I Hate About You,' I’ve been thinking about Joseph Gordon-Levitt quite a bit these days. And when I think of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, I think about an interview I kept of him on this tape – it was with Jay Leno during the time that he was on '3rd Rock From the Sun,' but towards the end, because he had short '10 Things I Hate About You' hair, not the bob.
In this interview, he talks about having a hyphenated name, and how it really is both of his parents’ last names joined, and about how they used to be hippies but now they drive BMWs. As a member of the hyphenated last-name club, I actually think about this quite a bit. But, I feel like I’ve already told that story on this blog, so I have come up with some new reasons to like this seemingly well-adjusted, smart guy who likes what he does and just happens to be our latest Man of the Month:
This trailer:
This interview (From Entertainment Weekly, 4/24/2009):
EW: How would you describe your character in '(500) Days of Summer?' JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT: He's a bit of a hopeless romantic who has taken perhaps a little bit too seriously pop songs and love stories. He has to figure some s--- out and man up a little bit.
EW: You've never made a movie as outright romantic as (500) Days. Are you a fan of the standard romantic comedy? JGL: Well, who is a fan of the standard romantic comedy? The vast majority of Hollywood love stories — let's be honest, they're full of s---. Love is not about winning and losing. Love is not about happy endings or good guys and bad guys. [At] most movie studios, the big decisions get made by accountants and lawyers. They don't get made by artists.
EW: Is that why you've done so many independent dramas since 1999's '10 Things I Hate About You?' JGL: I'll stand up for '10 Things I Hate About You.' I think that was a good movie. [Laughs] The A-R-T word is a complicated one. I shouldn't have brought it up because you can sound pretentious calling things art. But when I make a movie, it's because it inspires me. People always smirk when I say this, but when I saw the designs for the character that I play in 'G.I. Joe,' it was like, ''Wow! How'd I get to be that guy?'' That's exciting to me.
EW: 'G.I. Joe,' in which you play Cobra Commander, opens three weeks after '(500) Days of Summer.' Are you prepared for the amount of fame that could bring? JGL: I don't know. When I was younger, I used to hate that kind of recognition. I still kind of have a problem with the intersection of this word called ''celebrity'' and acting. What makes it worth it for me is that people that saw '(500) Days of Summer' at Sundance have been coming up and saying, ''Wow, that really meant something to me.'' So if you're asking, ''Are you prepared for so many more people to connect with you in that way?'' I want that connection. That's a dream come true.
Conan O'Brien is June's Man of the Month and he sure has earned it . He will make the Tonight Show watchable again and he's proven that you don't have to be a grump or a total buffoon in order to be successful in late night. You're welcome Craig Ferguson.
And now I have something controversial to say: I'm also appreciative of Conan for leaving his former slot open for Jimmy Fallon to fill. Let's be honest - with the exception of 'Fever Pitch,' which most people hate anyway (Not me. I don't buy that they cheapened the Curse-is-Broken Red Sox World Series celebration. Jessica and I went to the premiere at Fenway Park and I've loved its blessed little Boston blood beating heart ever since.), movie stardom wasn't kind to Jimmy Fallon. Getting him back on a stage in a live, joke and gag-based formula is a smart move for him - and we're all going to benefit.
And to the naysayers who just want him to fail, I say: Have you ever seen Conan's early shows? They redefined awkward. Right, back to Conan, our actual Man of the Month. He's smart, incredibly personable, and has an entire brand centered around his ridiculous hair. You can't go wrong. Congrats Conan!
Who doesn’t love Neil Patrick Harris? We’ve known him since childhood, he’s the best part of the all-around awesome ‘How I Met Your Mother,’ and he’s apparently really into circus/performing art. These are all great things. Rather than wax on about how likable he is, how much I appreciate his willingness to make fun of himself, and how much he’s doing for gay rights just by being himself, I will let the following clips testify to why NPH is May’s Man of the Month. (Be warned, the clip from ‘Harold and Kumar’ is very NSFW.)
Can you believe it’s already April? Winter’s almost gone, and so is the NBA season. It’s the latter that inspired the selection of Derek Fisher as April’s Man of the Month.
Don’t let the Boston residency fool you – I’m a Lakers fan through and through (as reaffirmed last year during the NBA Finals) – and Derek Fisher is a huge reason for that. It’s not just the .4 shot. Though, just for the sake of it, let’s revisit:
Yeah, that never gets old. Wait, what was I saying? Right, it’s not just that – there are many things to love about Derek Fisher. He actually spent 4 years in college and graduated with a degree. He does color commentary for LA’s WNBA team. He campaigned for Obama. He undertook a major career risk to move his ill daughter to a city that could treat her. He’s President of the Players Association and is, by all accounts, one of the nicest guys in the league.
Essentially, Derek Fisher represents what professional athletes can be like – all the talent, without the ego, arrest record, illegitimate children and salary disputes that have become commonplace. With those credentials, he certainly deserves the Man of the Month title, right?
Ever since Ashton Kutcher came on the scene (and I was annoyed because I thought he looked too much like Josh Hartnett and I didn’t see the point), our “relationship” has been a series of Hm-That’s-Unexpected moments that all add up to – that’s right! – Man of the Month. To be honest, I didn’t see this one coming. Special credit to Trevor for pointing out the crush that was right there staring me in the face.
See, I started following Mr. Demi Moore on Twitter last week (@aplusk), and, well, I’m kind of addicted – Could it be love? (He posted throughout the Oscars, including at the party that his wife threw, where he got his hands on Penelope Cruz's Oscar. I find something strangely adorable about this.)
He's earned this title. A rundown of the other unexpecteds that got us here:
During the heyday of ‘That 70s Show,’ I read that he had been, like, a biochemistry major at the University of Iowa before becoming an actor. I love crap like that. Like how Lisa Kudrow went to Vassar – would you ever expect that?
Wilmer Valderamma, Ashton Kutcher and Danny Masterson (who, sure, is a Scientologist, but the non-threatening, Beck kind) own a restaurant together. Aw. Furthermore, ‘That 70s Show’ was on for 8 years, with an ensemble cast of largely 20-somethings, none of whom protested their salary, got arrested, or was reported as being in some feud or another with a fellow cast member. I find this completely refreshing.
‘Punk’d’ was a brilliant idea, and is kind of to thank for my love of Justin Timberlake. I never gave JT the time of day until his guitar got broken – and he was so upset he called his mom – on the prank-celebrities show.
He’s an assistant football coach at some LA high school, solely because he likes the sport and always wanted to coach. He interviewed for the job, attended football practice five times a week and everything.
He married Demi Moore. Let’s be honest – no one saw that coming.
Coming up with Man of the Month this time around was harder than usual (Or maybe it’s just the fact I’m not sure anyone should have to live up to a title previously held by Obama – but good luck with that Patrick Quinn). To get around the brain block, I've decided to break out of the mold a bit and honor the pop culture entity taking up the most of my time over the last month. I speak, of course, of 'Lost' (And by of course, I mean: Trevor and I spent one rapid fire week watching all of Season 4 on DVD before the new premiere two weeks ago. I’ve blogged twice about it already - and just imagine all the questions I left out of those blogs - and I’ve read more theories and missives over the last two weeks than during the previous 4 years combined.)
How convenient that this obsession comes fully equipped with totally qualified Man of the Month material! Some short love letters to the Men of Lost (And, yes, these are in order of Love - and, though they are wrapped in sarcasm, please be warned that SPOILERS may be contained):
Sayid – You kick so much ass, I have forgiven you for sleeping with Shannon during Season 2. I also loved you in ‘Bride and Prejudice.’
Sawyer – I'm still not entirely sure why you insisted you wanted to stay on the Island, then got on the helicopter to leave, then had the Most Dramatic Exit Ever...but you can call me Freckles anytime. Please don’t hook up with Juliette.
Jack – If you would just get over yourself, everything would be just fine. But you perfected screwed up leader so well in your 'Party of Five' years, and I love you for it.
Charlie – I’m sorry you had to leave us. Thank heavens you’re kind of a ghost now. I’d miss your hoodie, accent and short man overcompensation.
Desmond – Oh, Desmond. You have a chance for happiness. Why must you screw it up by reaching out to Widmore?
Jin – What progress you made as a character. I haven’t given up hope on you yet.
Daniel Faraday – I don’t know how I feel about you yet, but you are kind of adorable when you get all jittery. I hated that part last week though when you confessed your love for Charlotte though. Let’s consider you half-Man of the Month.
Yes, this is a Man of the Month first - not only recognizing multiple people at a time, but also doing so with characters. Back to real life next month y'all.
I’m clearly more of a pop person than a politics one, but the relevance of what’s about to go down in Washington cannot be ignored. Barack Obama is January’s Man of the Month.
As President, the demands will be huge: Fix the economy and end the war. As Man of the Month, I have just one demand: Do your best. As President, he will rub elbows with the leaders of the free world. As Man of the Month, he joins the illustrious company of previous title-holders, including Paul Rudd, Joshua Jackson and Taye Diggs. As President, he will be ridiculed mercilessly by late night talk show hosts, looking for errors in every action. As Man of the Month, I will choose flattering photos to pepper the blog with, and, just as I did with James Franco, overlook any missteps in my (one-month long) blind devotion.
There you have it: If he’s going to be president, he can probably live up to the title of Man of the Month as well.
On a more serious note, to say that I’m excited about the dawn of the Obama era would be a little bit of an understatement. It’s not just that he can put a sentence together. It’s not just that he stands more to the left than most mainstream politicians. And it’s not just that his beliefs happen to coincide (for the most part) with my own. It’s the fact that he’s committed to bringing this country together, regardless of political leanings, religious credo and personal convictions, to be a productive member of the global village we all now live in. And that I believe he can actually do it.
I have this wonderfully hopeful feeling about the United States under such a president – and it’s more powerful than any giggly butterflies previous Men of the Month have given me (no offense, guys).
I was always a little creeped out by the quasi-incestuous romantic conclusion to ‘Clueless.’ In this day and age, where blood relations don’t define family, I have a hard time getting behind the idea that just because you are no longer “related” to your brother, that it’s okay to date him. It also says a lot about Me As A 13 Year Old that I was much more into Travis Birkenstock than Josh.
But that is neither here nor there. December’s Man of the Month is Paul Rudd.
I appreciate the arc of Paul Rudd’s career – he became a household face by starring in one of the bigger movies of the mid-90s, took a kind of failed detour into leading man territory, rebounded through indies and has really hit his stride with scene-stealing straight man roles in the Judd Apatow factory. And let's not forget his role as Phoebe's True Love, Mike on 'Friends.' Considering how much I’ve seen him in, I realized how just little attention I’ve paid to him in November. I was pleasantly surprised and entertained by him over the last month. In fact, seeing him host Saturday Night Live prompted Trevor & I to spend money to see Role Models – and I don’t even regret it.
In real life, he’s self-effacing, relatable, and he can really pull off that half-bearded look. So, ladies and gentleman, please welcome to our illustrious club – Mr. Paul Rudd!
This is a lot of pressure for Mr. Franco, being as it’s my birthday month and the start of the holiday season, my favorite time of the year.
But, I’m confident he can handle the pressure – he has, after all, been Deputy of the Shows that Never Should Have Been Cancelled Parade, starred in my favorite big budget superhero movie (Uttered such classic, awesome lines as: “How’s your friend the bug, Pete?”) and made my insides seriously hurt from laughing so hard. And, man oh man, can that guy ever wear a leather jacket.
So, James, welcome to the club – I think you’ll be very happy here!
PS: Oh, and also – he has a younger brother who’s just breaking into the business – starting with ‘Privileged’. Nice move!
Ed Westwick. Oh Charles Trout. How can I not admire your penchant for ascots and shorts? But it’s really the fact that you’re actually British and were totally in the 'Son of Rambow' that has you in contention here.
But, I’m just not sure it’s enough – your eyebrows are out of control, and your storyline on Monday was lame-O.
In my attempt to think about a non-TV contender for MotM, I ran through my less-than-stellar recent movie viewing record and remembered the theater-wide swoon that came out when this came onto the screen during 'The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2.'Seriously. Wow. But, dagnammit, he has been on 'Greek' this season, and can never really overtake Cappy in my heart.
So instead of awarding any of the above (All of whom have something to prove over the next month – they don’t need the extra pressure), I would like to acknowledge someone who’s really been there for me over the years.
This one’s for you, Taye Diggs – Because ‘Rent’ is closing on Broadway, because this was amazing...
I am writing to inform you that you have been selected as the inaugural Man of the Month for “Man of the Month – Online Edition.” Man of the Month is a historic and respected tradition, dating back to a Boston University dorm room in 2002. Previous honorees include Mos Def, Diego Luna and Luke Wilson. It is with great excitement that I welcome you to this illustrious club.
As a longtime fan of yours, who may or may not have counted down the days to the theatrical release of "D3" in her drama textbook, I was thrilled to see that you would be making your television comeback with “Fringe” (JJ Abrams has a way with characters previously or currently named Charlie.). And though you were equipped with clunkers of lines like, “A cow. He wants a cow,” I see you haven’t lost your touch. No one can quite do bewildered sarcasm like you. In fact, I hope it is not out of line for me to posit that your deepened brow crease is from all the hard work your eyebrows have done over the years.
In conclusion, I sincerely welcome you as Man of the Month, and will be keeping my fingers crossed for better scripts for you in the near future.
Love, Ashley
PS: And, by the way, congratulations on getting Joey in the end. It takes some balls to wind up with the title character’s girl. Emilio would be proud. He, however, will not be eligible for Man of the Month until he apologizes for ‘Bobby.’
.jpg)
