Holiday Cheer: K-Mart's Ball BELL-ringing Joe Boxer Ad

Very cute. A little racy. Sure to tick someone off. Therefore, I love it!

 

Blast from the Past: TV Shows That Nobody Remembers

This week's Blast from the Past is a personal favorite topic. It's kind of the basis for columns like this: nostalgia, and forgotten pop culture nuggets. Sometimes "forgotten" just means you haven't seen it in a while, and it slipped your memory. But this list is more like, I'm the only one who remembers. Now, I will cop to being a little too absorbed by pop culture my whole life, and to having an unusually sticky brain that remembers useless details. So sometimes, I'll remember a show that may have been on only a couple of seasons, maybe wasn't really all that highly rated, but I just love it. Then it is cancelled, and never gets rerun anywhere, so the world forgets.

Not me. I remember them all. And this list is an unearthing of the corpses of several of my favorites.



1. Throb (1986) - This was a show about a working single mom (Diana Canova of Soap), raising a cute kid (Paul Walker of The Fast and the Furious), who takes a job at a fledgling record studio, working with the flighty Blue (Jane Leeves of Fraiser) and diminutive-but-adorable boss Zach (Jonathan Prince). At home, she had best friend Meredith (Maryedith Burrell of Fridays). It was syndicated, and only lasted three years, but I loved it.

2. Tucker's Witch (1982) - This one is probably forgotten because it only lasted 12 episodes, though they were spread out over an entire season. It starred Catherine Hicks (7th Heaven) and an in-his-prime, frequently shirtless Tim Matheson (Animal House) as a husband-and-wife sleuthing team with a twist: she was a witch. It was like Bewitched crossed with Hart to Hart, only with younger, hotter actors. Particularly memorable were Barbara Barrie as Hicks' mom, and Dickens the Himalayan cat.

 

3. Stingray (1986) - Nick Mancuso was a mysterious man (identity unknown!) who drove around in a black vintage Corvette Stingray (naturally), and looked cool doing it. Notable mostly for its Mike Post theme song, and a vibe that pegs it as sooo 80s, right in the heart of the Hunter and Silk Stalkings milieu.

4. The Phoenix (1982) - Judson Scott (Ricardo Montalban's number one in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn) stared as a frequently shirtless alien/superhero. The show was unremarkable. But you might be catching a theme of some of these "favorites."




5. The Powers of Matthew Star (1982) - Peter Barton starred as another alien/superhero, who wasn't as frequently shirtless, possibly because he suffered some pretty bad burns as a result of shooting the show. But again, you see where my memories tend to congeal.

6. Automan (1983) - I know it seems that I had a one-track mind when it comes to these things, and I guess I kind of did! But I disguised that aspect of my personality in those days, which wasn't hard to do because I also loved superheroes. Automan starred the amazing looking Chuck Wagner as a holographic hero drawn by a cursor into the real world. He was programmed by the still cute Desi Arnaz Jr., and together they fought crime. Really ahead of its time, and probably should be rebooted!




 7. Sledge Hammer! (1986) - Getting away from the studly heroes (but not too far) comes this over-macho, crime fighting farce, starring David Rasche as Hammer, who talked to his gun as if it were a woman. It was very much in the spirit of Police Squad! but lasted a bit longer.

8. Cover Up (1984) - And we're back to the often-shirtless crime fighter. Starring Jennifer O'Neil and the impossibly good looking Jon-Erik Hexum as undercover CIA agents. Their cover was photographer and model. Sadly, Hexum shot himself with a prop gun and died, and was replaced by Antony Hamilton (also quite the looker), who died only years later, an early casualty of the AIDS crisis. Very oddly, O'Neil had accidentally shot herself a couple of years before.

And on that very strange note (but no stranger than both Robert Wagner and Stephanie Powers of Hart to Hart losing their spouse/partners to unusual deaths two weeks apart), we leave the trip through my memories, and face a new week. Happy Monday everybody!

How Schocking! Rep. Aaron Schock Bares His Abs for Men's Health

Nice shirt. What else is in the closet?
Image from HuffPo

Many months ago, I posted a clip from The Colbert Report, in which Stephen Colbert interviewed Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL). Schock has had a few infamous beefcake photos circulating, and in that post, I posted one. Little did I know, it would provide a constant stream of visitors to my blog. Most days, it actually leads the pack in "most read" pages besides the front page. Whenever I get a spike in visits, it's usually because Schock has been in the news for something. For some reason, Google Images lists me high in the list whenever someone is looking for that beefcake!

So when I got a spike of several hundred visits on Monday, I pretty much knew Schock was up to something. Sure enough, he's posed shirtless again, this time for Men's Health magazine. And while Colbert only hinted at possible skeletons in Schock's closet, the Twitters are abuzz with innuendo today. It will be interesting to see if this is a first step in a much different story. Time will tell.

[Excerpt]

Aaron Schock Shows Off Six Pack On Men's Health Cover

HuffPost's original "Hottest Freshman" Aaron Schock went unbuttoned for the most recent issue of Men's Health to promote his "Fit for Summer, Fit for Life Challenge." The ripped republican representative showed off his six-pack abs in order to encourage readers to drop weight -- and their risks of heart disease, diabetes and strokes. . .

Read more (with video!) at: Huffington Post
(And I'll cop to a shameful amount of innuendo here. I don't know anything, you understand. I'm just telling you what somebody told me. . .)

Maddow: Media Love Affair with Paul Ryan Obscures His Radical Budget Plan

One thing good about The Rachel Maddow Show is that no matter how depressing and jaw-dropping the news is, she manages to at least put some gallows humor into telling you about it. And occasionally, she manages to take a wrong-headed media meme and help change its direction. Yes, Paul Ryan is kind of cute, and possibly buff. But his budget plan is not just extreme, but based on faulty numbers. Let me check out his ass, beltway media! You do your jobs!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Product Placement! Easter Beefcake, a Religious Experience!

This unaltered display is from a Target store here in Las Vegas. While I know that Paganism is a religion, and that decorated eggs are a Pagan fertility symbol, I'm not sure that's the religion they're going for here. Also, a studly naked man can be a religious experience for many of us. Still, I'm thinking a naked dude with an Easter egg would not be considered to be a very churchy holiday card for your grandmother. . .

Aaron Schock Responds to "Way Gay" Outfit

Image from source, Mediaite

I didn't post this when it happened, because it seemed so silly. Can someone "dress too gay?"  Well, obviously yeah, but does a checkered shirt, white pants and a looped teal belt count as too gay?  It's a tricky question, chiefly because I'm gay, and dress pretty much conservatively.  But when you put fancy, form-fitting clothes on a politician--Aaron Schock--who is very fit and attractve, is single, and has had gay rumors swirling around him for a while. . .I guess it's still not newsworthy. Then again, if that same politician has regularly voted against gay rights issues?  Okay, yes that's newsworthy. Or at least entertaining.  And dammit, kinda cute.

[Excerpt]

Rep. Aaron Schock Fesses Up to Fey Fashion Faux-Pas That Went Viral

Congressman Aaron Schock (R-Ill.) has acknowledged that his turquoise–or was it teal–web belt may have been too much after a picture of him attending a summer party went viral.



The Republican Congressman tweeted “Never thought a pic of me w/ my shirt on would go viral. Learned my lesson and burned the belt” after a weekend of tittering tweets about the sexy Congressman who looked like he was headed to Fire Island instead of his hometown, Peoria, Ill. . .

Read more at: Mediaite

The Meet the Press Duel Between Schock & Maddow

Image from source, SFGate

Confession time: I'm running this bit because a) I am a well-known Rachel Maddow fan, and b) the picture included in this excerpt of Aaron Schock is probably the only known beefcake shot of a U.S. Congressman. Because Scott Brown is a Senator. Still, it's a short list either way.

Now, it should be pointed out that Maddow kicked a little patootie in this bit. But it should also be noted that the right-wing blogosphere sees the clip in a 180-degree light, thinking Aaron Schock won. As Rachel is wont to say, bull pucky.

[Excerpt]

Rachel Maddow embarrassed Rep. Aaron Schock on Meet The Press

The Internet is abuzz with accounts of MSNBC's Rachel Maddow's confrontation of Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill) on NBC News' Meet The Press (MTP), Sunday.

Rachel Maddow, in pointing out that Rep. Aaron Schock criticized Democrats for economic stimulus spending programs, then shows up for ribbon cuttings of facilities funded by those same programs, embarrassed the neophyte GOP congressman from Illinois. . .

Read more at: SF Gate

"Survivor Man" GOP Rep. Jeff Flake Goes all He-Man

Image from source, Washington Post

Are we sure this isn't some early spin to get in front of a more salacious story? Something like the Appalachian Trail, perhaps? Or maybe the GOP realized how old and pasty they are, and decided to get a buff, young studly dude front and center? Either way, he's making a splash!

[Excerpt]

Roughing It

Seven days alone on an island was enough for him. On the final day of his trip, Flake catalogued a few things he missed while away from home. Atop that list was his wife, Cheryl, their children and human companionship. . .

Read more at: Washington Post

Bizarre Eye Candy: Old Spice's "Two Things"

Image from source, Old Spice

Have you seen those Old Spice commercials with the centaur? Other than the fact that the actor is good lookin', the first thing most people notice (dirty minds think alike) is that Mr. Centaur is a mare. For some reason, I got curious about the genesis of this ad, and I stumbled upon Old Spice's actual site. And that's where it gets really weird.

They have an interactive section, where you can turn Centaur dude into other combinations of "two things." And it is clear that the ad guys were up into the wee hours, with many beers, Funyons, and a possible illegal substance or two. The octopus/man? Sure, I get that, it has a sci-fi vibe, and is an interesting visual. But the half man/half mozzarella stick? You lost me there guys. But the cannon and the tank? Well, I'm frankly surprised you got away with those!

Source: Old Spice