Above:
Josh by MaleVisionS Photography
-See More Below-
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
DukeS with and S
This post confirms that I have been watching far too much election coverage.... Although I have written a couple of political posts in the past, and cannot for the life of me understand why anyone would support Trump.... I have decided, especially with the current contentious atmosphere, to leave politics (for the most part) off the site. But... I was racking my brain on Sunday about why I felt a connection to all the talk about David Duke. I have NO connection, nor really much knowledge, about any racist organizations, yet there was something familiar, even positive about hearing the name. Turns out, an 's', can make all the difference in the world.
Dawson's Creek
A little googling reminded me of why I knew the name. There is another David, David Dukes, an actor I was introduced to during his time playing Jack's dad, Joseph McPhee, on Dawson's Creek. The character was only in a handful of episodes, but Jack's coming out scene with his dad, was pretty powerful, and one of the first coming out scenes I believe that I ever saw on television.
All in the Family (1977)
Dukes was a regular on television for much of the 70's, 80's and 90's and I was surprised to learn he played the man who attempted to rape Edith on another powerful television moment on All in the Family. Dukes, who died suddenly of a heart attack at just 55, was most well known for his roles on stage, including runs in Bent with Richard Gere, Dracula, Amedeus and M. Butterfly. Dukes was nominated for 3 Drama Desk awards and also Tony nominated for his role in Bent.
On Broadway with Richard Gere in Bent
The closest to a nude scene Dukes ever had was a 'blink or you'll miss it' shower scene in a 1994 episode of The Hitchiker. The caps below are the best I could do.
The Hitchhiker: Remembering Melody (1984)
Nudity Clause
I Take It Off,
I Take It Off!
So many things struck me about this years Oscar's, some positive, some not so much... I loved Chris Rock's opening monologue, hard hitting, awkward, truthful. I thought the impact he made however was diminished by his continuing the theme throughout the entire show. It wasn't that his bits were bad, many, like the Jack Black joke, were quite funny. There was just no letting up. Whenever you're making a point, especially one some don't like to hear, you need to let people come up for air to digest, and I don't think Rock really allowed his audience to do that.
Eating Out 2 (1999)
The other thing that struck me wasn't during the show, but on Sunday while I was putting together my tribute to the nominee's. I have been doing this for years, and usually, there are a handful of nominee's which have never done a nude scene. Although there have always been a few big name actors who have done nude scenes, I am not sure there has ever been a time when it has become almost mandatory to take your clothes off if you're an actor.
Often nude scenes, especially with full frontals, have been done by women. If done by a man, they have been frequently done by B actors, extras's and new actors, like Marco Dapper, trying to establish, and get an acting career off the ground.
This year is the first year I have done my list where every single actor had done nudity, a lot of nudity in fact. All 10 actors nominated have done rear nudity and an astonding 8 out of the 10 (all but Matt Damon and Bryan Cranston) have also done frontal. Yes, some of those frontals were quick, flashes really, but frontals they were. Best actor nominee's Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael Fassbender and Eddie Redmayne in this years The Danish Girl. Supporting actors Sylvester Stallone, Mark Rylance, Tom Hardy and Mark Ruffalo shown here in caps from In The Cut. Not sure if the trend is going to continue, but for the sake of FH, I certainly hope so!
Even this year's Oscar host had a bit of butt baring. Chris Rock had one brief nude scene in the 1999 Kevin Smith film Dogma. There's a wee bit of irony that Rock's beautiful butt was bared in Kevin Smith movie, but we'll let that slide.
Dogma (1999)
Towel Rack by MaleVisionS Photography
'If you throw in your towel, someone may pick it up and use it better than you.'
Matshona Dhliwayo
We take towels for granted. They, even if old with holes, have always been there to dry, wipe and cover our bodies. We hang them on hooks, doors and shower curtain rods. We fold them and place them on shelves and in closets. We throw them on the bed, the chair, the floor. We pick them up, finally, and do it all over again.
Towels also have an sexual element, intrinsic in our history's with them, and in their use. I think this is something Arizona photographer Dan Nelson (MaleVisionS) tapped into in his use of towels within his work. When I was looking back on some of the pieces I had previous done featuring Dan's work, Teak, Cody and Tyler were all shot holding, or wrapping themselves in a long white bath towel.
The main purpose of a bath towel is to dry our wet naked bodies. Every day, they cover, caress and and massage every inch of our bodies. Our towels are the only wardrobe piece that we wear only briefly, for just a few minutes usually, as we shave, dry off our walk from the bathroom to the bedroom.
Bath towels have also played a role in many of our early sexual and sexual identity experiences. Many of us have used a towel to cover just before or after sex. Many of us salivated over another draped only in a towel in a locker room or at a pool. Even earlier, towels were the vehicle many of us used in the discovery of who we are, who we love, and who we lust after.
Towels have acted as a safe, but secret, substitute for skirts and dresses and long flowing hair. Behind that bathroom door, towels have allowed us to play, experiment and figure out important pieces of our lives. Maybe most of us don't think about towels with much passion on a day to day basis, but I have kept some of my favorite towels long beyond their still being able to dry or cover. Frayed, with holes...almost see through.
The plain white towel perfectly balances every body it is covering, or uncovering. I love that Dan used a similar looking white towel in so many images, and with so many models, in so many beautiful ways. Acting as both a prop, and a piece of fashion, there seems no end to how it can be held, wrapped or used to create a different visual each time. You can check out more of Dan's work, including his many images of models with and without a towel on his website HERE: Also check out his print page which includes some of my favorite images HERE:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)