Hump Day Hottie

Michael Vartan is this week's HDH.



He is most famous for his role as Michael Vaughn on the tv show 'Alias' for five seasons.
And for dating co-star Jennifer Garner.



This fall he is set to star opposite Jada Pinkett-Smith in a tv show about a North Carolina hospital.
He recently starred in the Australian horror film 'Rogue' about a huge croc. It was actually a very good film, which I blogged about here.



He was born in a very good year - 1968!
Looks pretty good for 40.

Michael Vartan/Wikipedia

Lord Stanley awaits...

Congrats to the Penguins!

I'm not a big hockey fan or anything, but kudos to the Pittsburgh Penguins for making it to the Stanley Cup Finals for the second year in a row.
After disposing of the Carolina Hurricanes with a four-game win streak, they are advancing to play either the Detroit Red Wings (most likely) or the Chicago Blackhawks.

Being a big Steelers fan, I can completely understand the Penguins fans' fervor and excitement over the sweep of Carolina. We were actually still able to catch some of the first three games because we were on vacation in North Carolina last week so it was on local stations there. How ironic.

Best of luck in the Finals!
Bring the Cup home to the Burgh... it's been a banner year so far, let's keep it up.

Outer Banks Pics - Part 1

Here are a few pics of vacation so far.
I've taken more since these but haven't loaded them into the computer yet.
So here goes.

This is our cottage "Sea Beyond" - we rented from Outer Beaches Realty (who we usually use and like very much)... it sits one lot back from the Atlantic Ocean and has really good views.

When we got here it had been raining on us for ten hours straight (definately the worst trip down we've ever had) but when we got to Hatteras Island, miraculously it stopped raining.
Which was super, considering we had all our crap to unload.

After unpacking we walked down to the beach (a very short walk from our cottage) and checked out the views. The ocean was a noisy, scary sumbitch on sunday afternoon.

The Avon Pier (above)







Mom and I on the beach the first day.
Yes, it was that windy & chilly.


Todd checking out the beach.



Currituck Lighthouse in Corolla, NC. (1875)

Corolla is way up at the northern end of the Outer Banks. It is about 77 miles north of where we stay in Avon. Takes about an hour & 50 minutes to get there. We generally only go up that far once during the week, as you can imagine.



Currituck Light is all red-brick, not painted.
Quite striking, it stands 158 feet high.


Todd climbed the light (214 steps) and took this picture halfway up.
I've went up before, so I stayed down on the ground with Mom.

Some aerial views from the top of the lighthouse:








There is a really nice nature path that leads to the sound on the lighthouse grounds, and these flowers grow wild all over the path.




Here's the beautiful Bodie Island Lighthouse (1872) just south of Nags Head.
It stands 156 feet high and is the exact same design as the Currituck Light, except for its wide black and white stripes, of course.

You cannot climb Bodie right now, but there are plans in motion to restore it to make it stable enough for climbing. It would have really unbelieveable views, and I hope someday we're able to see them.

Ok, that's all for right now.
We've also been to Ocracoke since, and are hitting the Cape Hatteras Light (only a few miles down the road from here) tommorrow.
More pics to come....

Whoa! The Dark Horse prevails!

WOW!



Can I just say I was fairly shocked at Kris Allen's unexpected upset of Adam Lambert in the Season Finale of American Idol last night??

It's not that I don't like the end result, because I have actually thought for quite a few weeks that Kris Allen was certainly the most marketable of the Top 13 - but Adam was soooo much the favorite - especially of the judges - that it was hard to imagine things turning out this way.
I think if nothing else explains it (besides Kris's obvious talent and sweetness) - he no doubt picked up additional votes with the ousting of Danny Gokey last week...

I mean, it was a surprise enough that even Kris Allen couldn't believe it. First thing out of his mouth was something like 'no way, Adam deserves this'. But Adam was the most gracious loser I have ever witnessed on this show. These two guys seem to genuinely like and care for each other. They were apparently roommates since they moved into the Idol Mansion as part of the Top 13.



It matters not who won, obviously. I absolutely believe Adam will be a huge star, and maybe he didn't actually need to win as badly as Kris did... and seeing Kris hugging his wife and crying on her shoulder at the end of the broadcast was sweet. You just couldn't NOT like this guy, so I'm happy for him.



Kris has a really great and unique voice. It's all his own, verging on a mix of John Mayer and perhaps Rob Thomas.... a Snow Patrol/The Fray type of sound I think is radio ready and very current. His take on 'Ain't No Sunshine' on tuesday night's show just may have won the thing for him. It was exceptional.

All in all, I think it was one of the best Idol seasons yet. Alot of talent. I believe we shall see forthcoming music not only from the top two, but from #3 Danny Gokey and #4 Allison Iraheta as well. Perhaps others, who knows?

Like I said, it was a shocker to see Adam lose, but I just can't be sad about Kris winning.




Congrats!

Hump Day Hottie - One for the Canucks

Seeing as how I'm on vacation as you are reading this, it won't be full of information about today's hottie, Ryan Reynolds.

But looking at him, how much do you really need to say?

He has what I would say are the best abs in Hollywood.




Seriously.

Ryan Reynolds/Wikipedia

Season One...

Today.

Whoo-hoo!

Arrivederci...

Off to the beach.



We'll leave the light on for 'ya.

Rach beats the boys!

Chalk one up for the girls!!


photo credit: HorsePhotos/Deborah Kral

Well I guess jockey Calvin Borel had the right idea when he jumped off Kentucky Derby champ Mine That Bird to ride the Kentucky Oaks-winning filly in the Preakness Stakes.

Rachel Alexandra won the second jewel in the Triple Crown by a length over the Derby winner.
Recently purchased (after her amazing Oaks performance) by Jess Jackson (who owns and raced two time horse of the year Curlin) for more money than you or I can imagine, and now trained by the patient Steve Assmussen - I wonder what other feats Rachel may have up her sleeves... or should I say saddle cloth?
She has now won six straight races.

It is important to note, however, that Mine That Bird proved he was not a fluke - and came very close to Rachel near the end. If it would have been the Belmont mile and a half race, he might just have caught the tiring filly.

But kudos to her and her connections for running her against the boys - after all, it's a HORSE race, and I think if the filly is as spectacular as she most certainly is, then she deserves a shot at the big stuff. And mega-congrats to Borel, who has been having a banner spring - winning the Kentucky Oaks, the Kentucky Derby, and the Preakness Stakes on two different horses! He even went as far as to guarantee (on national television no less) a win today.

Now all that is left to do is wonder if either of the connections of the one-two finishers plan a show down at the Belmont Stakes on June 6th in New York. Guess we'll have to wait and see.
I love the way the race turned out. The top two horses in the field ended up one-two. Third place finisher Musket Man was also third in the Derby. Not too shabby.

On a sour note: My no-good, bug-eyed, low life, piece of crap, skunk sniffing, snake licking, worm headed, blood-sucking, lilly-lipped, fat bastard of a satellite went out five minutes before the start of the race. I'm not kidding. And NO, it didn't come back on till about ten minutes after the race was over. Just the local stations went out. Go figure! So I had to switch to TVG to find out the winner, then had to wait another fifteen minutes to see the race replay. Folks, I can't make this shit up.

I did not have a ticket on the winner. She was bet down to 2-1, and I'm not much for those kind of odds. I did, however actually play the winning combo of Rachel and Bird, just not for me. My friend Tammy picked the two in an exacta box. Not a whole lot to be made on a bet like that, but it's all in fun.

One thought left: If Rachel Alexandra hadn't raced today - we'd be looking at a Triple Crown possibility. That does make me pause wistfully and say, What If.......

Preakness: Battle of the Sexes!

Today's 134th Preakness pits The Kentucky Derby winner, Mine That Bird:




against the Kentucky Oaks superstar, Rachel Alexandra:



The jockey that rode them both to victory two weeks ago, Calvin Borel, has opted to ride Rachel in the Preakness, leaving seasoned jockey Mike Smith to ride Bird.

Should be a fantastic race, with the deepest Preakness field in many years.

Several Derby runners, including the second and third place finishers (Pioneerof The Nile and Musket Man, respectively) are tackling the race in Baltimore.

Can't wait to see who pulls this one off! Will it be another longshot?
I have my tickets.... but I'm not telling who I picked just yet.

Safe trips to all.

Waiting for new BLOOD...

Only one month to go...

Hump Day Hottie

Yum Yum.
Matthew McConaughey is today's choice hottie.



I don't have too much to say about him, except most of the photos I found of him were ones in which his shirt was off.
But this is a man who supposedly got in trouble with the law in his native Texas for playing bongos outside in his yard...buck naked. Not all that many years ago.
Okey doke.



He does look pretty good without a shirt, no doubt.
Apparently he is mega-athletic, as most times when he is photographed, he is participating in some kind of sport - such as surfing, biking, or just plain running on the beach with his dog.
This all does not bode well for the masses who surround him, because it is said that for some reason, he chooses not to wear deodorant. WTF?

He was People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive back in 2005.

He's best known, in my opinion, for romantic comedies.

You can find a list of his films here.

He and his Brazilian girlfriend (what else?) Camila Alves had a son together in July of 2008.

Wonder if the little one ever wears a shirt? Hopefully at least a onesie.

All very interesting stuff for someone who can count 'Dazed and Confused' and 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation' as his a few of his first films in show business...

Matthew McConaughey/Wikipedia

A new possibility...

For all you horse fans - and I don't necessarily mean racing - here is a video of a new foal that is a full brother to two time Horse of the Year Curlin (one of my favorite thoroughbreds!).. It's just so damn cute I had to share.




video courtesy of The Blood Horse

Here's hoping he has the same goods as his older bro!

Hump Day Hottie - True Blood Edition

Today it's time for a little True Blood lovefest.



First I should mention, I've never even seen one damn episode of the popular HBO show.
However, that will change on May 19th when the series comes out on DVD. My pre-order sits in wait at Amazon.com...

I don't have HBO, either.
But that also will change come June...
I am soooo subscribing for at least the three months that the new season of True Blood returns on June 16th.

I am a HUGE fan of the books (by author Charlaine Harris) that the tv series is based on.
It involves a waitress from northern Louisiana, Sookie Sackhouse (yep, that's really her name) who falls in love with the new guy in town. Who happens to be a vampire.
Oscar winner Anna Paquin plays Sookie, and from all the previews and clips I've seen of the show, I'm thinkin' she was brilliantly cast.

Better yet is the actor cast as Bill Compton ("Vampire Bill")... Stephen Moyer:




There's alot to like about Stephen.
He's tall, dark and handsome... and British. And I'm a total sucker for an accent.
Even if it's a fake Cajun accent coming out of an English actor's mouth...




Those blue eyes are...wow.
Might have made a fine looking James Bond, eh?



My favorite picture (above) - the brooding vampire look.
He's totally got it down. I'm a total sucker (no pun intended) for vampires.
And in this case, Robert Pattinson is a mere memory...
Edward who?





Almost looks like he'd be Colin Firth's younger brother here (above).




Not quite as pale as usual.

*Next up, Sam Trammel, who plays Sam Merlotte - the owner of the bar (Merlotte's, imagine that!) where Sookie works. He's got a thing for Sookie, and isn't crazy about her hanging around with a vampire.
But Sam has a few secrets of his own.




Sometimes you just wish Sookie would realize how Sam feels.

Not too shabby as far as competition goes.

*Sookie's brother Jason is played by Ryan Kwanten (below):

Jason is a complete and utter man-whore. No other way to say it.

I'm gonna guess Ryan isn't quite as notorious, but who knows?

Sookie's brother is always getting into trouble.

So would I if this guy was around all the time.

*And lastly, there's Eric Northman, played by Swedish actor Alexander Skarsgard.

Eric is also a vamp, and is Bill's boss, so to speak.

In the later Sookie novels, he and Sookie become quite...involved.

So I assume we'll be seeing alot more of Alexander in the future.

As Eric (above) and as himself (below):

True Blood, Season 2 - starts June 16th on HBO.

True Blood, Season 1 is out on DVD May 19th...

Get sucked in!

*A random bit of trivia: Lead actors Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer are a couple in real life as well, and have been since they met at the casting call for season one.

Ok, say it with me - love at first bite.

Yeah, you knew that was coming.

TRUE BLOOD OFFICIAL WEBSITE

True Blood/Wikipedia

Stephen Moyer/Wikipedia

Sam Trammel/Wikipedia

Ryan Kwanten/Wikipedia

Alexander Skarsgard/Wikipedia