Above:
Mickey by Shax Carter
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~Check out today's BIRTHDAYS HERE:~
Saturday, May 4, 2024
Kudos to Chippendales
I never thought I'd be applauding the current Chippendales show in Las Vegas. I love seeing classic Chippendale images and videos, which I've posted about HERE: and HERE: The present day incarnation however, seems more G-rated, for all those self-professed Christian gals on their bachelorette trips. Far from the boundary pushing performances from the 1980's that I've seen on video.
The Vegas show often brings in celebrities, but most don't show much. Unless I'm wrong, I don't believer Ian Ziering or Joey Lawrence hit the shower. The only celebrity brave enough to show a little butt was Tyson Beckford, who flashed a little ass during his stint with the show.
Like Beckford before him, dancer and performer Gleb Savchenko doesn't disappoint. Gleb shows his dancers bod and glistening, muscled glutes in the purple haze shower. The kudos may actually be more for the many audience members with camera phones who captured Gleb rinsing down. Usually people with cameras going during shows annoy the shit out of me, but for these beautiful views of Gleb, I'll let it pass.😀
Role Play:
'I'm a whore, all actors are whores. We sell our bodies to the highest bidder.'
William Holden
I'm not sure I totally agree with actor William Holden's assessment on actors, but I certainly get his point. Given that as well as their talent, an actor's face and actor's body are the tools of their trade, it's important audiences want to buy what they're selling.
Some of the shirtless hotties pictured here, I'm sure you know. William Holden is one of them. I'm sure some of you have already guessed, but for those who haven't, do you know what they all have in common? Holden, Brolin, Chandler, Harrison, Stan the others have all occupied the same role. Some played him on film and on television, some have embodied him on stage.
Casting Call:
Must be good looking, masculine, sexy, well-built vagabond. The character has led a rough life as a drifter. Can be a braggart, but is lonely and wants desperately to fit in somewhere, with someone.
Many of the pieces I do on FH are inspired by actors, but for today's theme, the inspiration was a character. I've previously enjoyed taking deep dives into specific fictional characters. I've featured many over the years, maybe most notably the male characters from West Side Story, (HERE:) and Sloan from Entertaining Mr. Sloan. (HERE:)
For those who haven't guessed yet, the role is Hal Carter, the lead male character in writer William Inge's Pulitzer Prize winning play Picnic. Picnic opened at The Music Box Theater on Broadway in 1953 and has continued to be regularly produced by theatres since. Picnic was also a hit 1955 film, and been adapted several times for television productions. It was even sent up on The Golden Girls, when actor Llyod Bochner played a Hal Carter type character in a local play the girls were all in.
This post is the entry way to the next three pages featuring heaps of hot, and always shirtless Hals. Some you'll recognize, some might surprise you. Many, are actors appearing in local and University productions. One originated the role on Broadway, one on film. Two others appeared in as Hal on television. Two were from Broadway revivals, two off-Broadway, and others, on stages all over the US. Check them all out on the next 3 pages, HERE: / HERE:/ and HERE:
A Jump Ahead: Mickey by Shax Carter
'Mickey was by far the most comfortable in the cabin/woods locations.'
Earlier this week, I featured photographer Shax Carter and his work with the carnally captivating Mickey. (Intimate Portraits) The first post, featured images of Mickey from Shax' first book, Mickey One, featuring his multiple shoots with Mickey. This piece, featured images from Mickey Two, the second, and more extensive collection of images of their creative collaboration.
If you liked the first book, you're going to really love the second. If the starter wet your appetite for more Mickey, the, the entrée will definitely leave you favorably full and satisfied. The second volume features over 200 pages and is available in both a hard cover version, and a PDF version you can download immedeately.
Mickey Two feature Mickey heading onto the back porch, and into the woods, for an erotic romp in the forest. I love seeing Shax's shots of Mickey relaxing on the porch, playing in the woods, climbing tree's and lathering up in mud. Mickeys is obviously excited to be naked and free in the forest, beautifully supported by the many erection shots included.
As delicious as Mickey's hot body is, his face and beautiful eyes are equally parts of the package. Some of the hottest shots, and some of my favorites, are Mickey in his plaid boxers and white Calvin briefs. Mickey also seems so natural playing in the woods. Seeing him running and playing only adds to the erotic enjoyment of the images. In the first post, I gave my commentary on the book, and Shax's work with Mickey. I also included a few of Mickey's quotes from the book. For this post, I asked Shax about their shoots, and what made working with Mickey so creatively satisfying.
How did you first find, and connect with Mickey?
Mickey reached out to me through my website, and asked about potentially becoming a model. He had seen some of my work and was interested in trying it out. I didn't find this out until later, after our first shoot, but he was inspired by some of the photos on my website, and wanted to try doing some similar work, mainly some of the cowboy photography I did with Jason. That also ended up being a springboard for creating more character situations, and taking some of the previous ideas done with other models even further.
Given he's new to modeling, what sort of discussions did you have before the shoot?
After filling out an application and some initial discussion, I explained to him that I like to do an introductory photo shoot with new models initially, and to gage their natural ability to model. He liked the idea, and we set a shoot up near where he lived.
When did nudity come up, from the beginning?
I don't feature any nudity on my website, and that was one of the questions he asked. It was something he was interested in trying.
Was he at all nervous when you began shooting nudes?
I think he was more ready to do that than anything else, as he was mentally prepared for it. We started our first shoot with some exteriors, walking around the city and getting various poses, which really relaxed him and it allowed us to build up a nice rapport, before switching to interiors and continuing our work there. Once we started shooting the nudes, we just eased into it. He was prepared mentally, and was almost a jump ahead of me
He seems so natural in front of the camera, was it natural or something you worked on?
At first, when we did our initial shoot there was some instruction. He had a bit of stiffness, as most new models do, that had to be overcome. I try to make the work as fun and enjoyable as possible, just to ease into everything and help them relax. With Mickey, it didn't take long for him to get the feel of the work and bring his natural personality to the forefront.
Was was your favorite part about working with Mickey?
By the time we started our second shoot together, Mickey was developing his own style of modeling and it was really exciting to see what he was going to bring to each setup. One of the things I enjoy the most is sitting back and letting the model bring their ideas to life. Mickey was able to do that, creating the characters himself, and taking the ideas we discussed and running with them. I was able to take his ideas and set the stage for them and just let him go, watching his various characters come to life.
Were there any themes that you shot that were challenging?
I would say the most challenging theme was the work we did involving paint and mud in a dense wooded setting. The logistics of that proved to be complicated and although the idea of it was great, I think the difficulty in executing it was pretty challenging, mostly for Mickey. Being nude in the woods in the afternoon heat, covered in paint and mud, along with the bugs and natural terrain of the environment was pretty stressful. However he was very determined, and I think he pulled his ideas in that situation off very well.
Do you plan 'story' and give direction, or just let the shoot flow?
I would say it was more of an emotional expression than a story. We discussed and agreed on the various characters and setups beforehand, and then just jumped into them one by one and let the creativity flow. I would let Mickey start out and show me the ideas he had, and we would just go from there.
Which location was Mickey the most comfortable?
Mickey was by far the most comfortable in the cabin/woods locations. With a model's first shoot, there is always some level of nervousness at least initially, that is going to add some stress to the situation, but he was easily able to overcome that within the first hour or so of exterior photography. By the time of our second shoot, he was very "gung ho" about jumping right into it and going from character to character.
If you enjoyed spending a few minutes with Mickey, and his work with Shax, be sure to preview and check out more of Book One and Book Two on Blurb HERE:
Friday, May 3, 2024
Picnic by William Inge
William Inge
Drama Group
Picnic was indeed a play about women, but critics disagree as to what writer William Inge was actually tying to say about them. Inge said he based the play on the women he'd known growing up. His mother owned a boarding house in Kansas, and Inge's house was often filled with single women, many living in the house were teachers and Ingle remembers how nice they were to him.
Marshall College
'I liked them. I saw their attempts, and, even as a child, I sensed every woman’s failure. I began to sense the sorrow and the emptiness in their lives, and it touched me '
Putnam County Playhouse
Other critics, especially those looking back on the play, saw women being portrayed as useless, unless of course they were young, pretty and not too smart. Roger Ebert, in a review in 1996 after the film was restored, says that in the time and place of Picnic, Inge's was actually commenting on the utter irrelevance of woman.
It was reported that Inge didn't handle critical feedback of his work well, interesting as he began his own career as a drama critic at the St. Louis Star-Times in 1943. It was with the encouragement of Tennessee Williams that Inge wrote his first play, Farther Off from Heaven in 1947.
Of course as many unique female characters occupy the neighborhood in Picnic, it's the men that stand out. Issues of sexual desire and Hal Carter's raw sexuality are also a main theme, and homoerotic themes are also explored with the relationship between Hal and Alan in many later productions.
'Hal Carter and Alan Seymour: Dueling images of burgeoning male sexuality. "Hal, I think, is what you hope for, and Alan is often what you wind up with. Hal is the dream fuck, the man who can take care of the car and the house and the lubricious needs of the lady of the house. However, the bills will never be paid on time and his eye will forever wander. Still, there are women always willing to enter this contract.
Alan is the man the mother wants you to marry: He comes from good people; the homes and the cars are impeccable and get attention; the children and the future will glisten. But, but...there is no sparkle, no click, no passion. Daughters will always go where their hearts--or some other organ--take them. Poems and lives are not crafted from common sense, in love or anything else.'
Elia Kazan
American Airlines Theatre
'Inge devotes the first act of Picnic to laying out his theme that raw male sexuality is not only taboo, but dangerous. The first scene appearance of the shirtless Hal injects that sexuality into the women's world, and by the end of the play it has ruined their lives. Inge shows that while the handsome, sexual male can be idolized for his physical prowess, he can never be fully accepted into society.'
Robert Woods
Writers Theatre
These issues are often attributed to Inge's own homosexuality, and years of struggling and remaining in the closet. Inge was often seen publicly with women, and seemed like when others thought the relationship was romantic. This was especially true with his longtime friend, actress Barbara Baxley.
Dallas Theatre
'Bill wanted love from a man but it had to be a gentleman. He wanted love from me but it had to be sweet affection not physical love. The times we tried physical love failed, so we were very happy with loving regard for one another. He used to sit… and hold me like a child. '
Barbara Baxley,
Haulston Mann
Privately, it was reported that Inge was miserable. His shame over his sexuality led to another long struggle with alcoholism. Even after decades of success, including acclaim for his writing, Ingle never seemed truly happy. In addition to Picnic, Ingle is know for writing Come Back Little Sheba, Bus Stop, Splendor in the Grass and Good Luck, Miss Wyckoff. (which I featured HERE:) \Sadly, Inge died of suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning on June 10, 1973, at the Hollywood home he shared with his sister, Helene. I hope at some point in his 60 spins around the sun, he had the opportunity to have physically had a Hal, even if just for awhile.
Picnic: The Shirtless Show
'My shirts awful dirty, ma'am....'
Hal Carter
I know there's more to William Inge's Picnic than just the shirtless Hal Cooper, but the role, and the torso, tends to get the most attention. That's why the cat of the Antaeus Theatre Company's production, used it front and center in the promotion of their staging of the play. The video does a great job of showing off the abs and attributes of the actors in the play, but is also really well done, and really funny.
'Poetic realism, wry humor and a surging erotic charge… intelligently gripping'
David Nichols, LA Times
https://www.instagram.com/antaeustheatre/
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