Friday, October 29, 2021

FH Costume Parade:

 


As is tradition here at FH, this past Saturday, we had our annual Halloween gala and costume contest.  With Covid still a risk, vaccinations were mandatory for all participants.  Masks were also required,  except for when official portraits were taken for the contest. Social distancing was encouraged, but with a room filled of hot, mostly naked men, we quickly gave up trying to enforce it. We did reduce the numbers, and sadly, spectators were not allowed at this years bash, but thanks to FH, some of the best and most creative non-costumes are featured here.   

Except for his helmet, this sexy gladiator didn't wear much.  He did get bonus points however, pushing him into the finals for arriving straddling a horse. 

We get a lot of hot cops each year, but this is our first London Bobby.  This contestant earned the judges respect for bobbing the most apples with the use of his night stick.


If you missed on our previous costume Parades check them out here:



The two guys above didn't know each other before meeting at the Halloween bash.  Neither one could really identify the meaning behind coming in just a red cape and mask.  It didn't really matter, though they didn't arrive together, they were spotted sneaking out together right after the trophies were handed out.


We've gotten many versions of Little Red Riding Hood over the years. This particular red impressed the judges by acting out the stories iconic 'better to eat you with' line.


Body painting is always a popular choice, this year more than ever.  There were dozens of hot men painted as superheroes, cartoon characters and classic Halloween characters.  These four made the finals.




The contestant below with the smiley face emoji ended up winning the body painting portion of the contest.  It was close, but I think the fact he kept sticking out his tongue, pushed him over the edge. 


Below let me present our first runner-up.  I think the image of our hot GI below tells you everything you need to know about why.  


And the winner is....  

With an unprecedented unanimous vote from the judge, this contestant, calling his costume, 'Businessman on the subway' was this year's clear winner.


Group Winners:

It was close, but the cheerleaders took the lead over the babies by just 3 points.  Some say it was because the cheerleaders didn't wear underwear while doing air tosses and cart-wheels, but I think the babies lost more than the cheerleaders won.  In an attempt for realism, the babies diaper changing demonstration proved a little too realistic for some in the crowd. 


The party wasn't without it's controversies. The team below mounted a formal protest after they were disqualified from the competition for being over dressed.  The rules are clear boys!


Results of the pumpkin carving contest. 

Thursday, October 28, 2021

Favorite Pic of the Day for October 29th

Above:
-See More Below-

🎈 -Check out today's BIRTHDAYS HERE:-🎈

Cary

Artwork by badsign769

With HALLOWEEN just a few days away, I thought it was time to celebrate the undisputed King of Horror, writer Stephen King.  Thanks to the original work, like the art from Roy from badsign659 above, we celebrate the talented author as only FH can do!  Less blood and more skin of course!  

The King & I


'We make up horrors to help us cope with the real ones.'
Stephen King

Artwork by Michael Parsons

Whenever I'm asked who my favorite author is, I always answer Stephen King.  It's not that King's the best writer out there, or that I've enjoyed all of his books, I haven't.  But King's work became an important part in my life back when I was in Jr. High.  After being terrified after seeing the 1990 mini-series adaptation of IT, mostly thanks to actor Tim Curry, I was hooked on the author's storytelling. 


From then on, it seems I always have a King novel or short story on the go.  This past year along, I've read Later, 1992 and If It Bleeds.  This past summer, I loved and devoured the close to 600 pages of The Institute.  I just started Billy Summers and have a brand new copy of Joyland on my shelves to read next.  I haven't read all of King's books, some of his biggest sellers, like The Dark Tower and The Stand, I have yet to read.  I own them both, and started them both years ago, but they just didn't draw me in.  I know however, I will at some point pick them up and finish them.


I've not loved all of King's books, some I really struggled to finish.  Although I love King's straight horror tales, I tend to be drawn more to the stories focused on human frailties and the sometimes horrific dynamics of human relationships.  I think my favorite King novels have been; Misery, IT, Pet Sematary, Thinner, Rose Madder, Needful Things and The Green Mile.  I was University, and read the Green Novel in sections as it was first released slowly in six separate volumes..


For the most part, I haven't had the same passion for most of the on-screen adaptations of King's work. Most, have been rather disappointing.  I loved the book Thinner, but hated the movie. I also loved the book Needful Things, but barely got through a Blockbuster rental of the film.  In many cases, it's because King's stories are so immense, the time limits of feature films just don't work.  For example, some of my favorite characters and stories in Needful Things were chopped for the big screen version.


Television seems to be a better place for King. As stated, I loved the 1990 mini-series adaptation of  IT.   As far as the big screen goes, I did love Misery, Stand By Me and The Shawshank Redemption.  I also loved the original Carrie, a movie I saw on TV before going back to read the book.  With Carrie, I actually preferred Brian De Palma's 1976 film version better with the book.


When it comes to my favorite King novel and book, I believe the answer is the same.  I don't know exactly why, but I truly loved both the novel, and the film version of King's Dolores Claiborne. I read the novel first, and loved everything about the story including the tone King set in the first few pages.  Unlike some other adaptations, I felt the Taylor Hackford directed film mirrored the novel's feel and tone from the film's get go.  I also loved the dynamic between mother and daughter played so brilliantly on-screen by Kathy Bates and Jennifer Jason Leigh. 

Maine Men:


'A man’s mouth gets him in more trouble than his pecker ever could, most of the time.'
Stephen King

Daniel Hugh Kelly (Cujo)

So, what's the connection between FH and the work of Stephen King? Well, on the surface not much. There aren't a lot hunky men living in towns of Castle Rock, Derry and Chester's Mill. Not a lot of gay characters, not a lot of sex or skin.  There's a bit, but it's usually connected to something more evil than erotic.  Even the heroes in King's books are flawed. Damaged men, often grizzled and worn, anti-social, alcoholic, and often criminals.

IT (1990)

I guess in some ways that's the point.  Heroes don't often actually come in the form of a Disney Princess or a Tom Cruise character. They're real men and women, often pushed to their heroic acts not by choice, but by circumstance.  Unlike the heroes flying around in the Marvel universe, most people don't fly around looking to save the world.  Most of us in fact, work to avoid it.  But the outsiders in King's novels often speak to me on a level I instinctively connect with.  Their fears are relatable.  They're the fears that stalked us all at one point or another in our lives.


When I started looking back on the site, I was shocked at how many posts were connected to King and his projects. If not directly, they were inspired by seeing an actor or character in a King movie. They were more from moments rather than scenes. King doesn't really write a lot of erotic scenes, he seems to actively avoid it.  He also doesn't often include nudity, unless it's to embarrass or humiliate.

King's real heroes are often the children he creates and writes.  He zeroes in on their innocence, and often the traumas that occur that lead to it's loss.  In The Institute, the King novel I read this past summer, there were many scenes of with the teen hero Luke Ellis and his young friends being stripped, humiliated and probed for their captors science experiments.

James Naughton (Cat's Eye)

Given my comments above, you won't be surprised that there are not many nude scenes in the film adaptations of King's stories.   Most of them actually, have been the television productions produced in the last few years.  I think there has been more King inspired nudity on cable television than on film. I did find a few hunky men in my Journey through King's world, and some I first discovered due to their work in his films.  I knew who James Caan was, but really began following his career after Misery.  

I hadn't heard of James Naughton, John Stockwell or Daniel Hugh Kelly, until seeing them in King films.  I had to google and post about them after seeing some of them in Cat's Eye, (Naughton) Christine, and Cujo. (Kelly)  Below are a list of the King inspired posts on FH plus a few new ones created for today's tribute to King.

John Stockwell (Christine)


David Strathairn (Dolores Claiborne)

In addition to the pieces above, I also created several new pieces celebrating some of my favorite of King's Main Men:  Check out: 

David Strathairn, Actors & Skin (HERE: & HERE:)