Above:
A Marmot Moment by Lights On Studio
-See More Below-
Wednesday, February 2, 2022
Lights On Studio: Animal Instincts
Michael
Tony
Hansel
'No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.'
Hal Borland
Regular FH readers know how much I love celebrating holidays, especially with images featuring the male form. I've been honoring the holidays on the site for many years. It began with Christmas and Halloween with other holidays slowly being added over the years. Groundhog Day wasn't really on my radar until a few years ago when photographer Tom Nakielski (Lights On Studio) had a fun idea.
BenjaminWe were talking about featuring model Michael Moody (first two images above) in a possible Valentine shoot. Now, I'm not sure who brought up Groundhog Day first, Tom or myself but it began innocently enough, with a few possible shots, maybe featuring Michael seeing his shadow on the studio wall. The next thing I know, Tom e-mails me that he's put out a call on Facebook looking for a groundhog to use in the shoot.
I shouldn't have really been surprised, Tom's animal instincts are keen and various critters have been included in several of his shoots. Tom's included bunnies and baby chicks at Easter, and even picked up a live turkey from a farm for a Thanksgiving shoot. Now... I have to own the turkey idea, but looking for a live, (or taxidermy) groundhog all stemmed from Tom's uniquely fun, festive and creative conscious.
So in 2019 our randy rodent made his first appearance, using his teeth to tear the tux off of our hot toastmaster Michael. (HERE:) Unlike that poor turkey, and our Easter bunny and chicks, Randy, couldn't be returned to the farm. Randy, now belongs to Tom, and has made his home in Tom's Michigan studio.
For most of the year, Tom reports Randy's a pretty good studio mascot, and fairly easy to take care. He's usually sitting or laying quietly at the back of the studio, coming out for the occasional treat and bit of attention. As groundhog day approaches however, the rodent gets.... increasingly more randy... The male models who work with Tom in late January are all told the risks, and even sign a rodent waiver ensuring law suits will not be filed.
Around Groundhog day, our rodent gets raunchy, insisting on interacting with all of the models shooting in the studio. Now Randy's not really aggressive, he's more insistent. He's like that dog or cat who demands their owners attention, insisting on belly rubs even when their owner is busy or not giving their pet their full attention.
Randy is actually quite easily satisfied. Usually, it only takes calling him a 'good boy' and then a few neck and back scratches. The only hitch though, is that Randy is only fully satisfied with his scratches, when the male models giving the scratches have their pants off. Given Randy lives in Tom's studio however, this thankfully isn't usually an issue.
12 Days: Stephen Tobolowsky in Groundhog Day
Ned
Although actor Stephen Tobolowsky may not make People's most beautiful men issue, the magazine doesn't always make the carnal connection between attraction and talent. With over 200 movies under his belt, countless television guest and regular roles, not to mention acting and directing in theatre productions on both coasts, Tobolowsky is one of Hollywood's busiest, and most talented actors.
I've featured many Groundhog Day themed films, from Marlen Wayons in Naked, Andy Samberg in Palm Springs and Charles Aitken in Happy Death Day. When it comes to movies celebrating the holiday however, there is no equal to the 1993 original Bill Murray film. With the exception of Murry's Phil, I think one of the most recognizable faces from the flick is Tobolowsky in his role of Ned Ryerson.
This year, I had a short list of films I was going to feature, but kept going back to Ned and the 1993 film. I've been following Tobolowsky's career for years and especially enjoyed his role as handsy Sandy Ryerson in the first season of Glee and his recent turn on the re-make of One Day At A Time.
'This picture was taken before I knew I was going to be a character actor. Every disaster, at one point, looked like a success. Unfortunately, every success also can look like disaster. That’s why there are so many bars in New York.'
Tobolowsky's talent and unique on-screen presence has had him work steadily over the last five decades. In the 80's you may have caught the actor on shows including; Alice, 227, Falcon Crest and Cagney & Lacey. In the 90's, he appeared on Seinfeld, Picket Fences and Chicago Hope. In the 2000's some of his many television appearances included roles on; The Closer, That 70's Show, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Malcolm in the Middle, Will & Grace and Heroes.
More recently, Stephen Tobolowsky has appeared on: Justified, The Mindy Project, Silicon Valley, Californication, and The Goldbergs Some of his many film appearances included turn in Sneakers, Single White Female, Failure to Launch, Miss Congeniality 2: Armed & Fabulous and Thelma and Louise. I've not watched Californication, but I did know that many of the male cast had nude scenes, including several from Tobolowsky.
Tobolowsky's most notable nude scene is his long nude scene in 2016's Welcome to the Men's Club. The film got all of it's male cast members nude, including Timothy Bottoms and little Andy (Mackenzie Astin) from The Facts of Life. It's Tobolowsky as Carl however, who gets it all started with his naked dance, run and chase in the film. You can check out a short clip below.
https://mobile.twitter.com/tobolowsky
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)