at · heart, · a · gentleman

Bromance, the upcoming MTV reality show, where participants compete to become a member of Brody Jenner's entourage. Further, "contestants will be whittled down via 'Hot Tub Elimination Ceremonies' after which rejected 'bros' will be asked to leave the bachelor pad dripping wet in a swimsuit, luggage in hand."

I foresee this as the highest and lowest moment for the man-word (one can hope).

Bush Flatters Sarkozy as French Elvis

By REUTERS
Published: April 3, 2008

BUCHAREST (Reuters) - It's "Love me tender" between the United States and France after President George W. Bush compared French President Nicolas Sarkozy with rock'n'roll singer Elvis Presley.

Bush told NATO leaders at a Bucharest summit on Thursday that when Sarkozy visited the United States recently, he was seen as "the latest incarnation of Elvis."

Such an example of "Burning love" marks a sea change from the "Suspicious minds" that clouded Franco-American relations under Sarkozy's predecessor, Jacques Chirac, who often seemed to see Washington as "The devil in disguise."

Bush has made clear the diminutive French leader, who recently married another singer, Carla Bruni, is now his "Good luck charm" and "My little friend."

Sarkozy has shown he is "All shook up" by heaping praise on Bush as the first U.S. leader to understand the need for a strong European defense.

Is Torchwood still awful in the second season? Ugh, I need to accept that it is and move on.

• the Boyzilian, or "the complete or near-complete removal of hair in intimate areas using wax" [added 28 January 08]

Except for style hounds like Rufus Wainwright and Amy Winehouse, most musicians these days dress for the stage in more or less the same crumpled Levi’s corduroy jeans they wear to compose their songs, sitting in a bedroom at a computer screen.

I do like her current look, except the bananas are supposed to go on her head if she wants to be Carmen Miranda. The current placement of the fruit seems sort of hostile.

1) In "Girl Overboard", I heard "no doubt about it" in the intro bit as "no more power ballads". My mishearing is better because this album has no power ballads, and it acts as both a commentary on the album/song, the band themselves, and in the song.

2) In "Control of the Knife", the chorus "sweet asshole, sweet talking me" is really (apparently) "sweet hassle, sweet talking me." I am not convinced that an "asshole" is not sneaking in there. Cheeky girls.

3) Special mention for the hummed verse in "Crocodile Tears". Did they get bored of writing (or free associating) words? Is it a fill in the blank for at home singers? They'll never tell. But they may hum an answer.

No more power ballads, indeed.

On the other hand, the article does properly identify lolcat, or "an odd or funny picture of a cat given a humorous and intentionally ungrammatical caption in large block letters", as a word of the year. I agree with that assessment because how can one argue with this:

• bromance, or a "close but nonsexual relationship between two men"; see also man-dates [thanks, bunkadoo; added 9 November 2007]

Two recent books I read did not end with death but with ugly, and I think that might be worse. Conquering Gotham: A Gilded Age Epic: The Construction of Penn Station and Its Tunnels tells the tale of the Pennsylvania Railroad's construction of tunnels under the Hudson River and the original Penn Station. I don't know about you, but I think about--and curse--the current Penn Station quite often. And that saga continues.

Penguin by Design: A Cover Story 1935-2005 recounts, in nearly excessive detail, the history of Penguin book covers, from font choice to frontispiece. Sure, the book designs today might still have a penguin on the book spine, but it is just not the same. And it's certainly not Honor Blackman's Book of Self-Defense.

• mancake, or foundation worn by guys (see Zac Efron) [added 2 November 07]
  

My moment was just seeing Swoosie Kurtz wearing an eye-patch. That simple.

Also, Lee Pace as Ned seems to be wearing laceless Chuck Taylors. According to the recent article on quirk in The Atlantic, this is "a kind of psychographic marker ... a self-satisfied pose that stands for nothing and doesn’t require you to take creative responsibility." I am not sure what that means, except that it accurately reflects my footwear and I am rarely self-satisfied.

• guyliner, or eyeliner worn by guys (see Brandon Flowers of the Killers; see also fennec foxes) [thanks bunkadoo, added 20 October 2007]
  

Consider the biography of Rasputin's daughter:

[Maria Rasputin] co-authored a cookbook, which includes recipes for jellied fish heads and her father's favorite, cod soup. She also worked as a cabaret dancer in Bucharest, Romania and then found work as a circus performer for Ringling Brothers Circus. During the 1930s she toured Europe and America as a lion tamer, billing herself as "the daughter of the famous mad monk whose feats in Russia astonished the world." She was mauled by a bear in Peru, Indiana, but stayed with the circus until it reached Miami, Florida, where she quit and began work as a riveter in a defense shipyard during World War II. (Internal citations omitted; emphasis added.)

•  he-vage, or male cleavage (query: "how much of his chest ... should a man reveal when he's wearing a shirt?") [thanks, bunkadoo; added 7 October 2007]

A benefit to the drink is that I can now say, if the occasion should so arise, say if circumstances cause me to become a femme fatale at a smokey piano bar or cabaret (think Marlene Dietrich in The Blue Angel) that I like my drink like I like my men, i.e., dark and stormy. Until then, I'll save that line in my back pocket.

According to the New York Times article, at a recent editorial meeting:

A visit by the indie rock band Arcade Fire was also mentioned.

(The truth is that this accurately reflects my searching habits.)