Male nudity, gay romance, and queer codes in movies and television, especially "The Righteous Gemstones"
Gemstones Episode 2.3, Continued: The darkness of roller coasters, hookups, club bulges, and apples. With lots of n*de musclemen
"This F*king Town": This f*king gay-free Hollywood. But I included some celebs that I hooked up with...I mean met.
Whilc looking at Tony Cavalero's work on the IMDB, I found This Fucking Town, a TV short about "actors looking for love and work in L.A." When I lived in West Hollywood, about half my friends were "actors looking for love and work" so I tried to check it out. But it didn't seem to exist. Tubi and Roku advertised it, but "content isn't available." A rave revew made it sound like an entire web series, not just a short, but the links provided led to "content unavailable."
Finally I found it as a movie on Amazon Prime, and rented it out of sheer frustration.
It starts out ok, with Mark (Michael Mark Friedman) flexing and Jeremy (Gregory Hoyt, left) dancing in his underwear, displaying a sizeable bulge. They meet up.
Heading to a party, Jeremy is worried meeting someone new: they always dump him the moment they discover that he has a huge penis. Really?
At the party, Jeremy runs into his ex, Caitlin, who thinks all actors are pathetic losers. She took a witchcraft class and put a spell on him, to ensure that he will never find work (conicidentally, Tony Cavalero's wife Annie is a magic practitioner).
Jeremy sneers that her new guy, Brett (Tony Cavalero), is an actor, too, but Caitlin counters that he's a personal trainer. "So you hold people's feet while they do sit-ups!". Brett stomps off.
That's all for Tony: one word.
Then the movie turns into a soap opera about heterosexual relationships, with six lengthy kissing scenes amid discussions of auditions and roles. No more beefcake, and no LGBT people exist. Ugh!
Believe me, life in West Hollywood was a lot more fun than this short/ web series/ movie suggests. Gay men definitely existed. And celebrities. Ten days after I arrived, I was having lunch with Michael J. Fox.
Julian Lerner: Six-pack abs, some costars' bulges and dicks, and a lot of premiere parties for movies he wasn't in.
I stumbled upon Julian Lerner while researching someone else. I don't know who he is, but anyone with abs like that deserves a profile.
But I don't profile singers. Let's see some acting roles.
It also stars:
1. Joshua Colley., left, as Captain Hook's son. I thought Captain Hook was gay. Ki must be adopted.
2. Peder Lindell as Morgana Le Fay's son.
3. Paolo Montalban, bulging left, as King Charming -- Prince Charming after he inherited the throne, get it? I always thought that was a description, not his actual name.
4. Levin Valyali as the middle-aged Aladdin.
5. Kabir Bery as the teen Aladdin
6. Leonardo Nam as the Mad Hatter's son. Come on, that guy was too looney to establish a permanent romantic relationship.
7. Anthony Pyatt as the teenage Hades.
Wait, Julian Lerner isn't in this. Why is he getting photographed on the red carpet?
He wasn't in in Percy Jackson and Olympians, either, regardless of what Getty Images says.
More after the break
Hank Strong: Bodybuilder, firefighter, enforcer, leatherman, gay daddy
The Brooklyn-born Hank Strong (Henry Akinsaya) graduated from Xaverian Brothers High School in Westfield, Massachustts in 1998, then studied pre-law at NYU.
He competed in some amateur bodybuilding competitions, worked as a bodyguard, and did some modeling where he had to show his abs.
He appeared in two episodes of Godfather of Harlem as Big Dick Buster. Crime lord Bumpy Johnson, a real figure from the 1960s, keeps "Big Dick" on retainer to rape men who rape black women.
As a firefighter in The King of Staten Island, he takes his clothes off, of course, to bond with Pete Davidson.
In 2020, Hank played Jericho, a member of Kelvin's God Squad in Righteous Gemstones Season 2. When they threaten Keefe, he defends himself by swatting Jericho's nipple. (Actually a courageous act, since Jericho is nearly a foot taller and 100 pounds heavier than Keefe).
More Hank after the break
Aaron Goldenberg: Former fundamentalist, Cousin Karl's boyfriend, Mean Gay. With some underwear bulges.
Aaron Goldenberg is an Atlanta based comedian with 41.000 followers on Facebook, 294,000, on Instagram, and 1.2 million on Tiktok.
He is best known for his series of "Mean Gays" videos with Jake Jonez: they make snarky comments at your wedding, your baby shower, by the pool, at your dinner party. The "hookup" video, where the Mean Gays invite you over for "some fun" and discover that you're a little older and huskier than your profile photo, has gone viral, with over 4 million views on Twitter and Tiktok.
Aaron also riffs, or rather comments, on his fundamentalist childhood -- hiding in plain sight, parents in denial, friends saying "Hate the sin but love the sinner," coming out to his pastor. It did not go well.
Aaron has 21 acting and 9 writing credits on the IMBD, beginning in his fundamentalist days with the short "Witnesscylin," about a drug that can help you win souls. He has played Confused Bellhop in Burn Notice, Emaciated Vampire in So Dark, and the Host of Rap Shit.
He has a scene in Season 3 of The Righteous Gemstones, as Percy the Interior Designer, who is working on the siblings' new executive board room. Kelvin is nice to him,so I interpreted this as an attempt to form social connections with other LGBT people.
Skyler's Hot/Hung, Photos, Part 3: Basketball, beach boys, wrestling, giving a guy his leg
3. Why not? Is the dude homophobic, or does he want you to lie on your back so he can see your abs?
4. Obviously they've been wrestling. I have absolutely no idea what else they could be doing that leaves them on the floor, out of breath.
5. But we're not playing shirts vs. skins, buddy.
6. I dig the lesbian haircut, Sky Baby, but your sweater shrank in the wash.
Arthur Napiontek: Comedian, model, geographer, heterosexist man-candy
In Pineapple Express (2008), mild-mannered process server Dale (Seth Rogen), his dealer (James Franco), and their supplier (Danny McBride) must flee from thugs trying to kill them. At one point Dale goes to the high school to tell his underage girlfriend that he won't be able to have dinner her parents, because of that fleeing thing.
But then a hot guy named Clark (Arthur Napiontek) approaches. She praises his performance in drama class. He returns the gym shorts that she left in his car when they worked out last week, assures Dale that he will protect her in college next year, and heads out to home economics class: "It's time to suck today's dick!" Obviously gay, but Dale is still jealous and agrees to go to the dinner after all.
I'm not sure if the phrase "It's time to suck today's dick" is gay-positive or homophobic.
This was Art Napiontek's first major movie role. Although the 21 year old was cast for his comedic talent, not his physique, he took his clothes off in The Brotherhood V (2009), one of those David DeCouteau movies where straight guys bond in their underwear.
Oddly, most of his later movie and tv roles do not involve flexing. He did manage to take his clothes off for a gig on Conan (the talk show, not the Barbarian), but otherwise he has played a series of fully-clothed frat boys and hot guys, usually in comedies.
In real life, Art has a wife and child and posts about how much he likes vaginas, so I'll assume that he's heterosexual. This photo spread in OK Magazine assumes that only ladies are interested in "Man Candy."
Agent Elvis: McConaughey as the King, Cavalero as a drug dealer with a bulge, and Gary Coleman as a dick with a dick
Agent Elvis (2023) features Elvis Presley (Matthew McConaughey) interacting with some of the real people and events of the 1960s, like Timothy Leary, Howard Hughes, and the Rolling Stones concert at Altamont, but as a secret agent, working for the mysterious Commander (Don Cheadle). Episode 1.3 has a Tony Cavalero sighting.
While filming A Change of Habit (1969), Elvis hears about the Moon Landing, and, upset that he's not going, decides to take out his frustration on some drug dealers. His assistant Bobby Ray (Johnny Knoxville) tells him that Flyboy (Tony Cavalero), who hangs out in the studio parking lot, selling maps to movie stars' homes, actually sells cocaine. His handler tells him that they still have scenes to shoot, but he rushes down to the parking lot.
Why is Flyboy dressed as a pimp to sell cocaine? He explains that drug dealing and pimping have an intersecting clientele.
Who is his cocaine supplier? Flyboy doesn't want to say, because "snitches get stitches," so Elvis steals his clothes, ties him up in the back seat of his car, and sics his ape companion, Scatter, on him. Faced with having his head bit off, Flyboy tells him.
With Flyboy trapped in the trunk, Elvis enters a sleazy apartment building. His handler appears again, ordering him to get back to the studio to film the remaining scenes. Besides, taking down drug dealers won't get him on the Moon Mission: "No matter what you do, it's not going to turn you into an astronaut."
Peter Kaasa: The hottest man in professional wrestling. With bonus nude wrestlers
The Greco-Roman wrestling of American high schools and colleges, the masked lucha libre of Latin American countries, and performance-art professional wrestling have one thing in common:
Those blatant bulges in the wrestling singlets.
Peter Kaasa has been wrestling -- and bulging -- since high school.
He was born in James Island, a suburb of Charleston, South Carolina, and received a degree in Exercise Science from the College of Charleston in 2008. Along the way, he excelled not only in wrestling, but in gymnastics, surfing, and Brazilian jiu-gitsu. Finally he decided to train at the prestigious Funking Wrestling Academy in Ocala, Florida.
In 2012, Peter began pro wrestling as a heel character, Peter Kaasanova (soon changed back to Kaasa). Less than a year later, he won the TSW Heavyweight Championship.
He was named the "The Hottest Man in Professional Wrestling" and "The Most Liked Man in Professional Wrestling"
More Peter and some penises after the break
James Dumont's teen idol career, with Tim Matheson, Rob Lowe, and Andrew McCarthy
If you know James Dumont as a middle aged bear, you may be surprised to find that he began his acting career in 1980, at the age of fifteen.
He got his first headshot courtesy of his uncle that year, and used it to get an uncredited role as "Kid Dancing in the Street" in The Blues Brothers.
Here's another 1980 shot. Definite Tiger Beat fave rave vibe. He might have been another Shaun Cassidy (top photo: Shaun for comparison).
In 1982, James got some more head and body shots for his acting/modeling career. I'm thinking the rural craze, someone who belongs on The Waltons or Little House on the Prairie.
Instead he got two more uncredited roles: In Listen to Your Heart (1983), a romcom starring Tim Matheson, left, and Kate Jackson.
Adam Devine's House Party, Episode 2.9: Adam's orgasm, Nick Rutherford's bulge, and guys sucking....
Adam Devine's House Party (2013-14, 2016) is a Comedy Central series where Adam hosts a party in a gigantic mansion to showcase three up-and-coming comedians, with a brief story in between the sets. I reviewed Episode 2.9, "Flip Top Twins." because it features a lesbian comedian.
Scene 1: The gang is set up for the world's biggest flip-top contest (where you drain your cup and then flip it over). Adam offers to order a pizza (for 500 people?).
Scene 2: The three comedians are hanging out when Adam appears, pretending to be his identical twin Jerome, from Germany. He comes on to Sabrina Jalees, who is offended by his obnoxiousness, and complains about sexual harassment.
He leaves, and returns as Adam, with his shirt off: "That's my thing. I have the right combination of muscle and fat." No argument there, Dude. Adam explains that his twin is a sexual deviant who will try to mount Jalees, but she should give it a try because he is good at sex.
Scene 3: Sabrina's set. She saw a boy on the subway complainng because Vanessa wouldn't talk to him, and wanted to console him: "You have nothing to worry about. You're 100% gay." She wished she knew at age 12: sleepovers would have involved titties. She had a hard time coming out to her Dad because he's Muslim,and wants her to have 10 wives (that sounds Islamophobic). Her wife's family are southern Republicans, but they love her.
Scene 4: Adam explains that he has another identical twin, but they're not triplets, they're two sets of twins. This bit is confusing, not funny.
Nick Rutherford's Mom (not played by his actual mother) is a big fan, and wants a photo with Adam. While they are hugging, Adam has an orgasm. Mom loves it. He explains that he has a psychic connection with his twins, so when one has an orgasm, they all do.
Scene 5; Nick riffs on why women don't slap dudes in the face anymore, and Skype sex with his girlfriend. She looked like an angel, but he looked like an ape. Right, women's bodies are beautiful, men's bodies are ugly, got it.
Left: Nick's bulge in Balls Out (2014)
Scene 6: The comedians ask Adam to stop the twin bit, but he insists that it's not a bit, so they decide to slap him in the face.
Scene 7: Pizza update: "We do not have it yet, but it is coming soon, just like the women in the audience, when they hear the voice of Jesus Trejo." That's way heteronormative, Adam: all women in the audience are straight? You know that lesbians exist, right?
Trejo tries to slap Adam in the face, then riffs on being weird and being a Mexican only child (hey, that's racist!). Even as an only child, he still got hand-me-downs. "It's hard to pick up girls in your mom's blouses." I fast-forwarded through this part.
Scene 8: Sabrina succeeds at slapping Adam in the face, but he refuses to drop the bit, claiming to be Jerome. They finish the flip cup game, the third twin brings in the pizza, and everybody hugs. The end.
My Grade: Adam is abrasive, obnoxious, and not funny. The fact that nobody likes him actually makes it worse. But at least he takes his shirt off and has a (pretend) orgasm. C+
A guy sucking...after the break