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Friday, December 8, 2023
12 Days: Jesse Moss in A Gift of Miracles
'Darcy finds a list of belongings her mother had intended to give to close friends and family, and sets out to fulfill those wishes.'
Ok, I'm not sure A Gift of Miracles is actually a Christmas movie, but the title does contain the word gift, and it also featured the more than gifted Rita Moreno. The 2015 Hallmark movie did air late the other night in-between holiday movies on the Hallmark channel. It also featured actor Jesse Moss who has appeared in several Hallmark holiday films.
I think I first noticed the handsome Canadian hunk of moss since his days on the drama series Whistler. Moss has worked consistently on television and in films since he was just a kid working on kids TV in the early 1990's. In addition to his Hallmark movies, you may recognize his handsome face from his turns in projects including; Ginger Snaps, Final Destination 3, Mary-Kate and Ashley in Action, Cedar Cove and Supergirl.
If there's one thing better than a hot Canadian hunk, it's a hot Canadian hunk who often finds himself tied up wearing little to no clothes. Moss always seems to be in the cross hairs, whether it's a Hallmark honey, a group of guys during a prank on Whistler, or the serial killer John Wayne Gacy. There's also that time he was captured, stripped an probed by an extraterrestrial...
Extraterrestrial (2014)
So, that extraterrestrial.... In the 2014 horror film Extraterrestrial, Seth (Moss) is with group of friends on a weekend trip to a cabin in the woods, when they find themselves terrorized by alien visitors. Be warned if you watch the video clip, there is nothing at all Christmassy about the scene. You've been warned!
Beyond Tiger Beat
When I was a kid growing up the 80's and 90's, most of the visuals I saw of the male form came from teen star magazines. This was before I actually saw an issue of Playgirl or an image of a nude male, other than possible in an Anatomy book or a National Geographic. I also was naive enough to think buying an issue of Tiger or Teen Beat magazine was something all 12 year old hetro boys did.
I 'pretended' it was for images of Alyssa Milano, but looking back, I don't think I was fooling anyone. Although Alyssa may have been on my walls, it was the shirtless shots of Richard Grieco, River Phoenix, Kirk Cameron and the guys from 90210 that motivated my tiger beating. I never would have thought that 10, 20 and even 30 years later, I'd be seeing so many of the teen idols I crushed over, naked in nude scenes.
It's really not that surprising though. So many actors, especially those typecast as teen heartthrobs, tried breaking from the brat, or teen idol pack, but doing edgier roles when they got older. Many of those roles included a little nudity. If you check out the cast of The Outsiders, all of the main male cast members went on to appear nude on screen with the lone exception being Ralph Macchio.
One of the cutest Outsiders, and most adorable faces in Tiger Beat, was actor C. Thomas Howell who played Ponyboy in the film. Howell actually didn't wait to long to appear nude on-screen, and had his first nude scene when he was 21, about four years after making The Outsiders. The film was 1987's A Tiger's Tale in which Howell hits the hay with actress Ann-Margret.
To Protect and Serve (1992)
The nudity was quick and flashed by in a second, but I believe he even had a split second frontal after removing his tighty whities and getting into bed. I recently re-watched the scene and was going to cap it, but I think the movie only had a VHS release and the quality wasn't great. Howell did have a few other butt scenes in the 80's and 90's, my favorite being in 1992's To Protect and Serve. I loved watching, rewinding, and rewatching, Howell's perfect butt as he got out bed and walked across the room.
Obliterated (2023)
Of course this brings us to the scene I know many of you have already seen. I had not heard of the new Netflix series Obliterated until seeing Howell's frontal on another site. Sometimes you have to be patient, and it really was worth the decades long wait. Howell, now in his fifties, actually looks older than his age with the gray hair, but his body looks as trim and hot as ever. I haven't watched the show, but given Howell's nude scene, and his hot co-stars, including actor Nick Zano, I'm going to give it a shot.
Atmospheric Phenomena: Matthew Dunston by takeapic4u
'It is really awesome to feel that crisp air all over my body.'
Given how odd the weather is getting, it's harder to rely on dates and season to predict what will be happening in the sky. Although the winter solstice is not until December 21st, meteorological winter began on December 1st. That's not to say you ever predict snow, or any other atmospheric phenomena. I've experienced it in October, and even into late May. Usually however, the first substantive snow, one that stays on the ground, and lasts awhile is still for me, a major event.
I'm a little like Lorelai Gilmore when the first snow arrives. I run excitedly from one window to another excited about the magic that falling snow can conjure and evoke. Although my enthusiasm wanes when I have to drive any distance and when January arrives, but that first snow day is a highlight of the season. We had our first major snow storm earlier this week, and it's still on the ground. It will disappear with high temperatures and rain next week, but until then, it's a winter wonderland.
Given FH follows the seasons, there have been several visual representatives and mascots for each season and holiday. I have a coven of hot witches, a ghost, several Santa's, and even a Thanksgiving turkey. If I were to choose a FH snowman, I think it would be the meltingly hot Matthew Dunston. I first featured Matthew's snow shoot with photographer Dave Larson from takeapic4u back in 2018. (HERE:) I've since posted more images from the shoot, as well as Matthew's frigid snow shoot with Hardcastle Media. (HERE:)
I love Dave's summer shoots, and featured some of my favorite shots in a recent post. (Forest of Flesh) I have to say however, there's something about shoots in the cold, in the Autumn, and especially the winter, that I'm particularly drawn to. To celebrate the season's first snow, I decided to ask Dave if he had additional edits from the winter shoot with Matthew that I hadn't featured before. I also asked both artist and model to share their thoughts on their shoot in the snow.
Whose idea was it to shoot on a cold, snowy day?
Dave:
My brain would like to think it was too cold for me to want to drag someone out naked in the snow. I blame him for the idea and the wardrobe...that fur hat is to die for!
Matthew:
Back then I left all the creative side of photoshoots up to the photographer themselves. I was very new to the modeling field, but it was fast becoming a hobby for me. I believe that Dave always wanted to find someone brave (or stupid) enough to take it all off on a cold, snowy day. Luckily, I have what I would call a winter fetish. While some don't like being cold, I do enjoy the thrill of the cold air on my skin, all over my body. Also, the sun on a winter day can feel great too, so why not get naked?
What additional factors went into deciding to do a winter shoot?
Dave:
Well, less hiking to get to the location for sure. And it is not quite as easy to go unnoticed without vegetation and leaves on the trees. We had to be creative to get the right spot. I think we did though and the sky and sun/lighting was amazing that day.
Matthew:
I think safety as far as hypothermia and frost bite would be factors that I considered before the snow shoot that I didn't consider before other shoots. Luckily we had a good amount of sun that day, and it never felt as cold as it was.
How cold was it?
Dave:
It was cold enough for snow, but not super cold. I would love to say it was -30 and the wind was howling and Matt is THE MAN...but it was close to freezing and the sun helped a lot. There was pretty much no wind and conditions were just right. Matt is a tuff model. He can smile and get through anything. I did ok, but of course, I was pretty bundled up, even on that relatively nice/sunny day.
Matthew:
If I remember, it was somewhere in the high 20s (Fahrenheit) but luckily we found areas that weren't as windy. Wind would make nude snow modeling very difficult. I was thrilled to be out there. Like I said, I have a winter fetish, and I found being nude in the snow very freeing. It is really awesome to feel that crisp air all over my body.
Any favorite memories, or anything that stands out from the day?
Dave:
Honestly, I just really enjoyed working with Matthew and photographing him. He's game for about anything at anytime. And for this shoot...ha...no one can knock that hat...no one. I dare them to even try! Without it, the look would have dramatically different.
Matthew:
Believe it or not, the thing that stands out the most from that day had nothing to do with the cold. What stands out most is how exposed we were to anyone that passed by the woods we were in. It was winter, so no leaves were on the trees or shrubs. This added a level of vulnerability to the shoot that we enjoyed to play around with. I don't believe anyone saw us, but its hard to say.
You've worked together multiple times, what do you like most about collaborating with each other?
Dave:
Matthew has since moved to another part of the country, and I miss having him on speed dial to pose when I get some crazy notion for a shoot, or to get a text from him, saying, "hey, wanna try this...". It was always fun to shoot with him.
Matthew:
There are so many things I like about working with Dave. He always comes prepared with ideas for the shoot, is open and honest with the models he works with, is super professional, and shares the results of the shoot right away (usually that day) so that we can get our "first reactions" to each photo while we are in the moment.
Any future winter shoots planned?
Dave:
I have been discussing it with a few models. This winter seems pretty hit and miss so far, and we have only had a hint of snow this winter so far. Iowa can be a bitter mistress in winter. It is complicated to plan things for outside without an indoor back up, especially if models are traveling, but I am always open to discuss more.
Matthew:
Gosh, I hope so. I am in talks with a photographer now, so I hope we will be able to get some winter photos done soon. Like I said before, I love winter shoots, and I am always game for more modeling (as long as I can find the time for them).
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