They Say It's My Birthday

Today is my 28th birthday, so to celebrate here are a few of my favorites. Thanks for visiting my blogs and continuing to support them, and I hope you continue to enjoy!

Sunday Switcheroos

Hey there, loyal visitors and first-time guests! On this lovely Sunday, I thought I'd do a little cross-promotion for the various blog wonders offered as the Adonis Complex blogs, in hopes that some of you who might not know of some of them will be thereby edified.

On Adonis Complex I routinely feature five (or so) gorgeous guys, usually wearing less clothing than you might see at, say, church, or a croquet game. In that vein, I will highlight the five Adonis Complex genre blogs with a typical sample of each type and a bit of a blurb on what to expect. Links to these blogs abound in this lovely post, so go nuts!

Athletic Supporter

First up we have the eldest of the five genre blogs, the cunningly named Athletic Supporter (and look, the Adonis Complex favorite Michael Radon!) is where the sports - or sportsman - lover can get his or her fill of jocks of all types, from basketball and baseball to bobsleds and billiards! There's never a dull moment and everyone is eligible to play in this game!

Visit Athletic Supporter Now

Uniform Follows Function

At Uniform Follows Function, everything is as proper and high-class as the high-cult title (if you don't get it, look up Louis Sullivan or any book on Modernist architecture). But don't get the wrong idea; just because these guys aren't dressed to the nines doesn't mean they don't show as much of the good stuff as the men of Adonis Complex! So whether your taste is for firemen or farmers, cops or cowboys, you'll find a new man in uniform just about every day at Uniform Follows Function.

Visit Uniform Follows Function Now

MANochrome

You know, there are a lot of series in which I find the third installment to be particularly pleasing to me (the Harry Potter books and films, Will & Grace, acts of Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?), and although I love all my blogs as equally as Kate Gosselin loves her eight bazillion kids, ever since its inception MANochrome has held a special place in my heart of hearts. It must be something special for Adonis Complex readers too, because the theme won out in a visitor poll prior to the third genre blog's inception. Upon first visit one might wonder if his computer screen had traveled back to the 1950s, but I assure you, all the photos are supposed to be in black and white (or, more properly, grayscale). And all of the color-free shots at MANochrome are untouched by your trusty blogger: no de-coloring of favorite color shots here, so all are artistic choices made by those who produced the visual delights. At MANochrome there are even gimmicks in the posting calendar: one, two, three and four shots go up on Mono Mondays, Two's Days, Three-fer Thursdays, and Four on Fridays, respectively, although the occasional weekend special does pop up from time to time. So come on down, for after all, it doesn't matter if you're black AND white!

Visit MANochrome Now!

Blonde Moment

In coming up with the theme for the latest Adonis Complex blog I decided to indulge one of my two life-long aesthetic weaknesses (the other, if you must know, is pectoral muscle), and thus Blonde Moment came to be (and look, it's another Adonis Complex favorite, James Ellis!). While it's just beginning to get marketed to any extent, it is something of a pet project, only better because anyone can enjoy it! Although unlike at some of my other blogs you'll find no clever headlines here (posts are labeled in numerical order), I have made a concentrated attempt at more detailed tagging, something I plan on doing retroactively at Adonis Complex in the near future for those who like things a lot more particular like I do, on occasion. As for real vs. fake blondeness, frankly my dear I don't give a damn. If you don't either, stop by Blonde Moment and show the new kid on the block some love!

Visit Blonde Moment Now

Songs and Studs

Okay, not all of the titular hunks at Songs and Studs are as perfectly suited as this one to the unique crossover between the Adonis Complex blogs and my other major blogging effort, the pop music blog Vertigo Shtick. At Songs and Studs, you get a healthy dose of each course of the meal, with each song post (including a song from my extensive pop music vault, also usually featured at Vertigo Shtick, as well as some history, trivia, analysis, criticism, or just gossipy stories) typically bookended by two pictures of hot Adonis Complex-style studs from my extensive hot pictures vault. It's a great stop for music lovers who also like a bit of man candy on the side, or man candy lovers who feel like browsing a bit of music or reading some text along with their hunky entree, or just from anyone who appreciates the occasional something different in the world of man-candy blogs.

Visit Songs and Studs Now

And though it's not quite as full of abs and pecs and other such visual delights, if you'll indulge me to promote the aforementioned pop music blog, I promise I'll make it fit this post to the letter. You will? Excellent; here you go.

Vertigo Shtick

I know, I know, that Rolling Stone photo from ancient times has been used through, but day-um...if only he'd brought THAT back! Anyway, Vertigo Shtick, as I mentioned, is a pop music blog I launched in December. It operates on a philosophy that while most music journalism and criticism considers mainstream pop music to be low-cult, or at least unworthy of any kind of serious or analytical consideration, I disagree: at Vertigo Shtick, pop music gets the full critical treatment, because within the genre of pop music I believe there are A-students, average joes, and those who simply flunk out - just as in all music, or any art form for that matter. Call it, if you will, a sort of upstart version of Pitchfork, applying the admirable critical ear and writing style of the brilliant indie music hub to a kind of music the site generally ignores. At Vertigo Shtick you'll find track reviews and commentary on songs of today, yesterday and last week; (usually) weekly playlists with fun themes like songs with proper names in the title, or songs from 1999 (this week, we try to count to twelve with song titles, and almost get there too!); track, video, album and artist reviews; new videos or songs posted for free viewing and/or listening; and other various samplings of thoughts on the pop music scene, all with my special mix of wit and wisdom. Come by and check it out, and tell your friends, because without six-packs and rippling biceps it's harder to launch new blogs these days!

Visit Vertigo Shtick Now

So here's a review, with the fabulous banner ads I've created over the past year or so for these fun and fabulous blogs (for those of you with blogs, if to use these as banner links on yours I'd be more than happy to reciprocate!). Flip through them all; if you like, bookmark them and come back whenever you want! And most of all, have fun! Until next time, happy hunting!

Adonis Complex

Athletic Supporter

 Uniform Follows Function

 MANochrome

Blonde Moment

 Songs and Studs

 Vertigo Shtick

Holy Jessie Pavelka Batman!

Readers of Adonis Complex (or astute newcomers) have either seen me admit my lack of knowledge of particular models or have noticed it; indeed, the Adonis Complex blogs don't seek to promote or endorse anyone in particular, or usually even to be aware of that stuff - I'm just sharing the pretty pictures I've collected with what has grown to be quite a number of fellow aestheticians on the web. I actually have a terrible time with names in general; I can barely remember everyone's name at work, much less the men in these pictures whom I've never met and never will. And even if I was the Ken Jennings of names, I think I'm probably still just secretly jealous enough inside that promoting or idolizing those in the industry of physical perfection every day would make me feel very unpretty indeed. It's hard enough writing a blog about pop music when you still hide a faint desire to win American Idol.


So naturally a guy would have to be quite something for me to break all those habits and rules. In fact, I've only done it twice before on Adonis Complex, with James Ellis and Michael Radon: two incredible studs and incredible models I very gladly go publicly gaga over. And today I'm adding another to the list: the fantastic Jessie Pavelka.


If that name is sounding kind of familiar to you and you're not sure why, it's probably because his cousin Jake Pavelka is the titular rose doler-outer of the current season of The Bachelor. But even if you haven't heard his name as much, you've probably seen Jessie before somewhere (I know I'd seen him for a long time and when I heard a J. Pavelka I assumed, considering my ability with names, that the new Bachelor was to be this hunk (which is perhaps the only way Jake could end up seeming less than gorgeous himself: when someone who gets Jake was expecting Jessie). No, Jessie is actually the trainer on Lifetime's weight loss reality show DietTribe, now in its second season, and he's recently launched his own website, www.jessiepavelka.com, although if you're looking for more modeling shots you'll need to seek elsewhere, as his site wisely devotes itself mainly to the nutritional, fitness and weight loss efforts and communities (far more loyal than modeling fans could ever be, and a hell of a lot nicer too, so I don't blame him!).

One of the reasons I don't focus on the models on this blog or elsewhere is that in my experience, they tend to be, well, big ol' jerks, or at the very least, self-absorbed to a patronizing extent. Of course, when you're beautiful you don't need to be nice, and nowadays I kind of dismiss that as the nature of the breed. However, on the rare occasions that I come across a model who a. interests me enough to learn anything about him at all, much less get an idea of personality, and b. still appears to be a stand-up, decent guy with a genuinely good heart, the way Jessie Pavelka does (and I suspect five or ten minutes poking around the internet about him would likely give anyone the same impression). Plus, of course, he's hot as hell.






Jessie's Official site; Myspace; Facebook Fan page.

(I'd Be a) Ho Ho Ho for James Ellis

When you're a gay mid-20s enthusiast of the male physique who runs a set of photoblogs on said topic and has always had a particular weakness for blondes, then James Ellis is someone with whom you're rather familiar. Seeing as blondes are a dying breed (especially in the modelling world, which currently prefers the dark, glam Mediterranean look for men), and also just how fantastic he looks regardless, I likely have collected more shots of Ellis over the years than any other single person with the possible exception of Michael Phelps, and even then it would be close.


So imagine my excitement to hear that Ellis would be taking on the position of "Hunky Santa" at the Beverly Center in Los Angeles, a tradition now in its ninth year. Advocate.com did a nice short piece on his apparent welcoming of whomever wanted the standard photo offering involving sitting on the knee a very different kind of Santa, whether said sitter be male, female, young, old, or whatnot (he is, of course, straight) - apparently a bit of a break from the earlier years of the program, which catered mainly to women. Well, it is West Hollywood, after all, so I'd think that would be a wise attitude to take in a business such as his...but all that aside, how much did I want to go out there and get a snapshot of myself on the lap of easily one of my favorite models? Here's a hint: enough to be pretty bummed that it's Christmas Eve and I am not the owner of such a fantastic photograph. Oh well...maybe someday.


I mean, look!
He's just such a ridiculous winner in the genetic lottery to begin with, not to mention the eons beyond intense fitness regimen he follows - in essence, he's much like the best performing artists, who while they may have been blessed with exceptional natural qualities to begin with also put in as much or more work and effort in as anyone, rather than resting lazily on their inherited talents. And you'll see if you ever scan around some of the other sites like mine online, or modeling agency portfolios that Ellis is in fact one of the more active, well-known and successful fitness models in the business. And now Hunky Santa! To him I raise a glass and give a hearty "ho ho ho" of affection. To you I give the joy of a little more James Ellis gorgeousness.

I remember one site felt the need to write that Ellis is originally from the Midwest, which I felt was kind of like including an explanation of the Pope being a devout Catholic. Duh, look at him! Where else would he be from?

He even outshines Jessie Pavelka (left)!

See tons more at his Myspace page. And I hate Myspace and never link there, so that should show you how much I approve of this exceptional model.

Happy Britney Day!

December 2 is easily one of my favorite holidays of the year. I mean, it's easily the most important birthday to grace the month of December, right? That's right, it's Britney Day, bitch - the princess of pop today begins her 28th fabulous year, and it's a little "Crazy" to realize that it's been well over a decade since the squeaky-voiced former Mouseketeer smashed onto the scene and begged us to hit her one more time. And she's both given and taken more than her share of hits ever since; three #1 singles and several more top ten smashes, six albums, a library of erotic, exciting, bizarre and sometimes disturbing (in good and bad ways) videos, two marriages, two kids, two involuntary psychiatric hospitalizations, four and a half world tours, and billions of dollars of tabloid income later, and it appears we're still completely fascinated.

Brandon Stoughton, "Womanizer"

My love for the white trash Louisiana girl-turned-worldwide postergirl for turn-of-the-21st century pop culture is no secret...and, after all, this is a blog about hot guys, not sequin-covered blonde bombshells, so I won't spew all my considerable Britney loving here. But since it's such a special day, I still found a way to fit her into Adonis Complex without betraying the M.O. of this particular diversion. I rounded up a few of the hunks from some of Britney's music videos over her illustrious career...proving she does at times have good taste in men, if perhaps not in her matrimonial choices.

Chad Cole, "Sometimes"

Tyson Beckford, "Toxic"

And finally, it's worth noting who it was that was getting jiggy with Justin Timberlake back when he looked like this:

You go, girl. I'm a slave 4 u.

World AIDS Day

Today, December 1, is World AIDS Day, a global day set aside to raise awareness and support the 33 million people living with HIV/AIDS. I don't need to emphasize all the ways HIV has changed over the past forty years or so since it came on the scene, nor the importance of awareness and, even more importantly, understanding of this often misunderstood disease (at least, I hope I don't). This is a cause that should belong not just to beneficent celebrities, gay icons, and liberal politicians; this is a cause that should belong to every single person on this planet.

This is a cause that means a great deal to me as well. As a gay male, I have a powerful understanding of the deadly ravages the disease did to the gay community in its early years, as well as how it continues to be one of the most important elements affecting the community in so many ways. But also as a human being, I share a stake in trying to defeat HIV/AIDS, and feel strongly that to do so requires not only prevention efforts (which make up the majority of high profile contributions to the fight, at least in the United States), but also efforts on behalf of the 33 million people worldwide who live with HIV/AIDS.


By "efforts" I mean medical (continuing search for a cure but especially the development of effective and affordable treatment options); political (repealing discriminatory policies and practices in immigration, health insurance, employment, legal rights, and so forth); and, equally if not more importantly, social and personal. This last, I believe, should include abandoning prejudicial, discriminatory and judgmental attitudes toward HIV+ persons, as well as the recognition of a third status label for those who are HIV+ but have undetectable viral loads and normal T-cell counts, who merit and require different considerations in many ways than those in whom the disease plays a more active role. That is not to suggest the former should be considered favorably over the latter, I should emphasize; however, the significant disparities that studies and science have revealed in very recent times as medication has allowed many people to thankfully occupy the former category that exist in matters of treatment, health, and transmission concerns.


But beyond any specifics, it is so important to have a day devoted to HIV/AIDS awareness. As you enjoy this red color-themed selection of pictures in honor of the color of World AIDS Day 2009, I hope you will also visit one or more of the websites listed at this link to find ways that you can learn, act, and give for this cause so important to the Adonis Complex blogs, to me, and to the world. Thank you.