Monday, July 13, 2009

Eye-Opener

It's been about a month since I provided any sort of eye candy here on W&C, so what better than a little eye-opener for this Monday!

May I present Fernando Verdasco during a Davis Cup changeover this past weekend!

After the French Open/Wimbledon one-two punch, I tend to not pay much attention to tennis until the US Open warm-up tournaments begin... so just kind of skimmed over this week's minor tourneys and Davis Cup action... but this picture certainly caught my eye (thanks good for female and/or gay photographers who keep their cameras ready during breaks in the on-court play!).

I do know the US suffered a somewhat embarrassing lost to Croatia sans Roddick... who bowed out citing a hip injury, though I think even Roddick would admit it was more of mental beating after that epic Wimbledon final... and not that you could fault him for it.  But given the in-decline James Blake and the clay surface that did no favors to fill-in Mardy Fish (despite two tight 5-set opening matches)... but with that US line-up....

I would have preferred if The Tennis Channel aired the Spain-Germany tie, at least that would have been something prettier to look at... especially the doubles when Verdasco teamed up with the similarly ridiculously hot Feliciano Lopez (and we'll just conveniently ignore rumors that they have egos to match their good looks).  Verdasco lost a tough 8-6 fifth set opening match, but won his other two to advance Spain to semifinals where they should be heavy favorites against Israel, even if Rafa is still not back in action and/or limiting his play.

If you want to see more Shirtless Fernando Verdasco, be sure to browse my special category for him... believe me, it's all pictures all the time!

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Shaving Private Ryan

Ok, when exactly is my Entertainment Weekly arriving in the mail?!?!?

Ryan Reynolds is certainly looking good on this week's EW cover...

However, he joins the list of hotties (i.e. someone the gay cyberland seems perpetually drooly about) that I am more familiar with his body, than his body of work.  Chris Evans, Eddie Cibrian... Ryan... I can't say that I have seen anything that they've done acting-wise... but who cares.  Though I do know that Ryan recently married Scarlett Johansson not too terribly long after a lengthy relationship (and broken engagement) to Alanis Morissette.

If there is any movie I would see Ryan in, there is a good chance that it would be The Proposal.  I will whole-heartedly admit a crush on Sandra Bullock.  Sandra is one of those rare folk who can be a saving grace in a so-so movie, and she's certainly made some clunkers... and while this movie looks like your standard romantic-comedy fare where all the best parts have been given away in the trailer, it still looks like a lot of fun... and them, ummm... there's Ryan on top of Sandra... and literally if you've seen the trailer! 

But anyhow, I have a a feeling this week's cover will be face down as it might prove to be too distracting otherwise.

My post title is a spoof of a spoof... there is a porn called Shaving Ryan's Privates (I think, perhaps it's just myth... as I think it is just a joke about what a funny porn title would be... hmmm!?)... but of course, it's a take-off on Speilberg's Saving Private Ryan... but anyhow, I thought it was an appropriate title as Ryan's chest hair seems to come and go...

And just to be a search hit whore:
Ryan Reynolds Entertaintment Weekly cover
Ryan Reynolds EW cover
Ryan Reynolds shirtless

Monday, June 08, 2009

Triomphe!

My non-tennis blog readers are likely rejoicing that much of my tennis-related chatter is now elsewhere, but nothing like the good 'ole blog to babble on for a bit and share some pictures. 

But it was a very good day yesterday as Roger Federer won the French Open for the 1st time - completing a career Grand Slam... only the 6th man to do so... and only the second after Andre Agassi in the modern/Open era... given the different surfaces each Slam is now played on, I arguably think it is a much more difficult than the other legends of yore (but that's another debate for another blog post).

Give the triumphant nature of Roger's win, I predicted his next day photo shoot would be here: 

But given the historic nature of the win (Roger also tied Pete Sampras' all-time Grand Slam record of 14), Roger also got to saunter down to the Trocadero for some pix in front of Tour de Eiffel.

Now while I think Roger is an overly snappy dresser most of the time (his BFF Vogue editor Anna Wintour was in his box during the French), it is always nice to see him in more casual attire... but c'mon Roger, you couldn't find a better pair of jeans to put on for the big photo shoot!?  But what do I know, those jeans probably cost more $$ than I make in a month!

I think Roger got the extra photo location too because who knows if he'll ever win the French again... but who knows... despite his impressive bod and physicality, I always have feared that Rafa Nadal's body would betray him and that he would not have the longest of careers... and now there are whispers that he won't be able to defend his Wimbledon title in a few weeks due to knee problems... so again, who knows!

After his win, Fed noted that this elusive win "It takes away so much pressure. Now, I can play in peace for the rest of my career"... I am sure the rest of the players on the tour loved hearing that!   Given his domination of the men's tennis in the past 5 years, it is a little scary to think that pressure was holding him back in some way... ha! 

Should also give a quick note to the women's champ... Svetlana Kuznetsova ... or Sveta or Kuzzie... who now has a second Slam on her resume... this one slightly less, but still surprising as her US Open a few years back.  Sveta is one of those players who seems so talented and has underachieved thanks to being a bit of a head case. Good for her, she was playing an even bigger head case in Dinara Safina at this year's Roland Garros championship.  With Safina double-faulting on match point, it was almost like Kuznetsova couldn't believe that she had won and that it had been so easy... with Safina really crushed by the pressure of being the favorite and #1 ranked player in the world and the somewhat valid criticism of how one can be #1 and never have won a Major.  But then again, the women's game is a bit in disarray... and I personally don't have many quibbles with the ranking system, the numbers don't lie... but it does seem as if no one is really earning it ... or should I say being consistent enough to be considered THE top player. 

Sveta only got the Trocadero photo shoot... and I have to say it is sooooo much better watching the French Open having now been to Paris.  This is my 2nd post-Paris visit French Open... but we pretty much just arrived home when it was on last year (though it really seems like eons and eons ago), so I appreciated it much more this year. 

For you Paris virgins (go! go!), I highly encourage you to make the Trocadero vista the very first place you see the Eiffel Tower.  Granted it is pretty much impossible to not catch a view of the Tower wherever you are in the city, but this is very much the "Voila!" view... and it still gives me goose-bumps thinking about. After I soaked it in for a few seconds, this was my very first picture from the spot... and even though I know it's a shot that has been taken hundreds of thousands of times... it remains one of my favorites from Paris... just because I remember being uncontrollably happy at this very moment! :-) 

Bonjour Eiffel

And finally (!!), usually at some point during a Slam I do some sort of hunky/beefcake picture review... and given that Rafa was knocked out halfway through (and his countryman and object of W&C drooling Fernando Verdasco not too far behind.... the tournament was somewhat lacking in eye candy. 

But you do know that I love Roger... and he was one a big search engine driver this weekend to W&C, so why not this one of a (Google! Google!) Shirtless Roger Federer that I stumbled onto at some point during the French. 

I am not sure where this one came from... as it seems a bit more "up close and personal" than the usual shirt change on a change-over type of shots that occasionally land on the sports sites, but heck no complaints.  In this era where a lot of 20-somethings are plucked and tweezed and shaved, it is nice to see a bit of hair... though I have no doubt that Rog engages in some manscaping.  

Here is a link to: all my Roger posts... and those who just want to skip ahead to more of the shirtless variety, the weekend search engine hits seemed to heading to this post in particular

Friday, April 24, 2009

Act Your Age, Not Your...

As I mentioned, yesterday I took my MINI Cooper up for its annual maintenance check... and one thing that makes its bearable is that I don't have to sit around the dealership and wait for it... as one of my good friends from my old workplace lives close by (one of the bad things about a Cooper is dealerships are few and far between, so I have to drive nearly 30 miles to get it serviced - which I know is probably a lot shorter distance than a lot of other folks).

So while we should do a  lunch/catch-up session more than once a year... we all know how time seems to fly by and it just does not seem to happen.  But we were very good buddies, killing way too much gossiping each morning, but always with some paperwork close at hand for cover.  I'll definitely date myself by telling you our morning after Melrose Place "can you believe it?!!" chats were... wait for it... legendary!  (Funny enough, we both watch and love Brothers & Sisters now... and she kinda resembles Calista Flockhart)

She also made me feel slightly old by mentioning that her eldest daughter was turning 11 this weekend and reminding me that we had lunch together the very same day she went into labor!

Anyhow, the conversation got around to American Idol (shocking I know!) and going over our favorites... we're liking the same folks Kris, Adam, and Allison... but then she totally cracked me up, saying her 11 year old daughter turned to her the other night after Kris performed and said...

"I like his face. I like his hair. I like the way he sings. I like everything about him."

To which I replied that we pretty much have the same conversation each week at our house!

Guess it's time to start to act my age, not my shoe size... or not.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

I Love The Smell Of Rafa In the Morning

If I keep on posting pictures like this one and the one from yesterday, you may never want me to come back with a "real" blog entry.  Though that will very likely happen tomorrow as I can't imagine my obsession with IDOL would wane enough to not want me to rip into some musical performances.  So that means basically a picture!

Now this one I did "borrow" from the website that rhymes with RowleToad... it's not like I have any real issue with that blog, but pretty much once it's on there EVERYONE knows about... so it becomes a big 'ole case of "why bother!?"  But by "everyone," I mean gay men... so while the Bamber PETA pic was uber-predictable in becoming a raging wildfire in the gay blogosphere, I still felt the need to share this one here, since it involves the unofficial W&C mascot, Rafa Nadal!

So it looks like the fairly new-ish #1 tennis player in the world is finally getting some good endorsement action outside of tennis equipment and clothing... and now the  face of a fragrance. 

Me?  I just would have called the fragrance "Rafa" (make sure to roll your R) ... and could have still gone with this ad which is pretty much ready-to-go as a cover a Harlequin romance novel! 

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Jamie Bamber Shirtless for PETA

Gotta keep it shameless those search hits up... and you don't have to be a frackin' fan of 'Battlestar Galactica" to appreciate Jamie Bamber's bare skin in this UK ad for PETA.

Now only to figure out how to get rid of that texty/word/ad stuff that's in the way!

Here Google, Google:  jamie bamber shirtless peta

UPDATE:  No surprise that this pic is popping up everywhere this morning (Wednesday, Feb 25th).  I first found out about the pic/ad via the TV Guide that arrived in yesterday's mail (though their version didn't quite go down as low!)... and then I had to track it down somewhere before posting it here... so it was on W&C before it was on the site that rhymes with Bowltoad... and when it hits that one, it's pretty much spreads like wildfire!  

Friday, January 30, 2009

Fernando Verdasco Shirtless

Ok, thanks the Aussie Open semifinal tennis match that I wrote about early today, I am getting a whole slew of search hits for:

fernando verdasco shirtless

And every so often, I very innocently check in to see where W&C places among a particular (and popular) search.  On this one, I was #2 ... pretty darn good and again thanks to that photo of  Verdasco's comfort in getting nekkid for a good cause.  But my eyes bugged out (likely with the accompanying booooi-ng cartoon character sound effects) when I looked at the other image results on the page of some recent (this new-ish pompadour-y hairstyle was mostly the give-away) photo shoot of the Spaniard... in the immortal words of the Food Network's Paula Deen...

GREAT. TIME. OF. DAY.

It's almost enough for me to say... Rafa who?!   Almost.

Hee hee! Anyhow, I've decide to throw in the towel (and given Fernando's apparent lack of modesty, I think he'd be more than happy to do that... literally!!) and created a Fernando Verdasco category for everyone's viewing pleasure... along with my words of wisdom, of course!

The Thrill Of Victory

WARNING:  SPOILER ALERT of Nadal/Verdasco Aussie Open Semifinal Match

(Ok, that takes care of possibly the 2 or 3 people that may care/be potentially affected)

I was (and well, wasn't surprised) to see that the Aussie Open semifinal match between Spaniards Rafael Nadal and Fernando Verdasco was still going on when I checked into the home office this morning.  It was on serve in the 4th set, so while I sometimes go back to bed (particularly this time of the year when it's still not light out) if this is no urgent work (like today), I decided to stay awake and watch the rest of the match... and I am certainly glad I did!

It was a high-quality match to the end... and the longest ever Australian Open match, 5 hours and 14 minutes with #1 ranked Rafa advancing to the final by a score of 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 6-7, 6-4!

Thanks to this "bringing sexy back" match-up between the two Spaniards, I am getting a ton of search hits thanks to my long-term obsession admiration of Rafa and my more recent stalking appreciation of Fernando.  I had over 400+ hits before 7am, which is what I usually what I pull in on a typical day!

Of course, most folks are looking for them naked (which surprisingly enough I kinda sorta have for both Rafa and Fernando) and shirtless, which I have plenty for Rafa (I point folks to peruse my Rafa category)... but I still be nice and post each player here during a changeover during this match:

I can't really explain the expression on Verdasco's face other than I'm guessing a lot of us have funny expressions when we are pulling a shirt over our head.

When Rafa reached triple-match point (and it would take 3 of them), I awaited his "I gutted it out" post-match celebration.  Rafa is definitely Obsessive Compulsive a creature of habit, so I suspected he would exuberantly tumble onto the court, and he didn't disappoint me... and kudos to the photographers from catching the moment from every conceivable angle!

After sorting through these pictures, I think the only thing that was missing was one from Rafa's perspective!

But as often the case in sports, "the thrill of victory" that I mention in the title is coupled with "the agony of defeat"... and likewise, a commentator will more often than not utter the obvious "it's a shame there has to be a loser."   And while the crowd roared over Rafa's win and celebration, I think this picture of Verdasco captures the solitude, despair, exhaustion on the other side of the net:

Monday, January 26, 2009

Can You Hear The Drums Fernando?

Or is it just the beating of my heart!  

Last night when I was watching Australian Open coverage there was a brief split screen of both Rafael Nadal and Fernando Verdasco playing their Round of 16 matches in Melbourne... the good news/bad news scenario was they weren't playing against each other, so I only got to see one of them... that being Rafa, so no complaints!

The Aussie Open is the toughest Slam for me to keep tabs thanks to the time difference, matches start here in the early evening (which is the morning the next day Down Under), with actual coverage often starting a tad later... so I only catch a bit before reading/bed time... and then it's the decision/attempt to avoid/not avoid seeing scores during my morning Internets rounds.  Usually I don't do a good job of avoiding 'em.

But as usual I am scouring the photo galleries for good pics.  I don't know if I am still a bit miffed that Rafa has gone with sleeves this year... and I already spend plenty of W&C airspace on him... but I seem to have an increasing fascination with his countryman Verdasco.  The Spaniards always catch my eye, but again it was very likely Fernando's decision to drop trou (and shirt and sock and shoe!) for a good cause that got me on his bandwagon. 

And I am not alone in my admiration, I had to laugh when I caught this picture from a Verdasco match earlier this week:

... and I am pretty sure it was directed at Spaniard and not his Czech opponent.

So here is another little Fernando collage (if the one from last week wasn't enough) of some recent Fernando pix from the past few days.  If he couldn't get any more adorable, in the lower right hand one he had to go to the Melbourne Aquarium to play with penguins! 

Again, I'm thinking I need to postpone any plans to go to Spain until I am able to convince myself that I wouldn't be constantly walking into light poles.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Something To Warm You Up

Since it is unbelievably, extremely, shockingly cold in some areas of the country, I figured today I'd provide a little warm-up... and I'll be the first to admit that things haven't been terribly cheery and/or motivated here at W&C lately... so there's nothing better to cure that than with an infusion of "Fine Wine'.

The good news is that it's the middle of summer Down Under (I will refrain from any mention that the expected high here in Phoenix today is 73 degrees and that's just the start of a warming trend thru the weekend) and that is certainly better news when it comes to what tennis players are not wearing during practice sessions for the Australian Open (starting here in the States, this Sunday evening)

Now these three players aren't really my favorites (some anything but, bunch of cry babies!), but I have to admit that they are all looking good.  From left to right... never got the Andy Roddick thing, but his "core" is certainly looking solid... Andy Murray is looking like he may have negative %s of body fat... and this may be one of the few times you see the enigmatic and fiery Russian Marat Safin in a good mood these days.

Unfortunately, this ends the shirtless portion of this post.

I am guessing you can believe that our city is just orgasmic over the Cardinals being in the NFC Championship this coming weekend.  I find it all quite amusing.  A couple of years ago, it would often be the case that at Cardinals games there would be more "fans" cheering the opponents than the hometown team... but these days everyone is marching around in Cardinal red and their bandwagon likely resembles a clown car at the circus.

I have to admit I have watched the last couple of games... and while the Matt Leinart was all the buzz when he was acquired by the Cardinals a few years back, it has been vet quarterback Kurt Warner that has excelled and brought the team to the brink of the Super Bowl (ok, I've officially put the jinx on now!).  Much like Roddick, I didn't quite sign on to the whole drooling over Leinart thing... just too much flash, bravado, pretty boy thing for my taste... and really there is not much to quibble with this...

Kurt has certainly made it easier to to watch Cardinals game!  If the Cards do make it to the Super Bowl, let's just say for me personally "Go Daddy" will have more to do with Mr. Warner than any provocative commercials for an Internet web hosting company.

But back to the tennis world, if Kurt did have a younger, hotter, Spanish cousin... who doesn't mind taking off his clothes for a good cause... I think Fernando Verdasco fits more than the bill

... and at least in tennis, there is no such thing as a penalty for "excessive celebration"

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