Totty of the Season - with undergrowth!

Tyrone Power (5th May 1914 – 15th November 1958)

Channing Tatum (born 26th April 1980)

Ricky Nelson (8th May 1040 - 31st December 1985)

George Clooney (who was 60 on 6th May)

Gary Cooper (7th May 1901 – 13th May 1961)

David Beckham (born 2nd May 1975)

Bobby Vee (30th April 1943 – 24th October 2016)

...and, finally...

David Frederick Attenborough (born 8th May 1926)

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Yes, indeed, Sir David Attenborough, veteran of myriad brilliant nature programes, erstwhile Director of BBC 2 and national treasure (and cute as fuck when he was young) celebrates his 95th birthday today!

All Hail.

Here are a few of my favourite clips from a variety of his programmes over the decades. Fuck knows what we'll do when he's gone...

David Attenborough's Life in the Undergrowth - Silk Thread Trap

Jungle plants compete (David Attenborough's Private Life of Plants)

David Attenborough's Life of Birds - The Lyre Bird

The day I met David Attenborough - Gorillas

Fab.

More suspect meat than a late-night kebab

It is rare these days that I actually laugh out loud at a theatrical review in a newspaper - but the piece by Sharon Lougher in today's Metro was a good 'un:

‘ARE YOU ready to get more suspect meat than a late-night kebab?’ is the clarion call that comes (sorry) at the start of Magic Mike Live.

‘Whoooooooo!’ came (again, sorry) the inevitable response from a tanked-up, oestrogen-rich Tuesday night crowd, who were about to witness a Loose Woman’s wet dream.

Theatre, this ain’t. Neither is it, in terms of plot, the live version of Magic Mike the film, starring Channing Tatum, who produces and directs here.

Instead, Magic Mike Live, which sold out its first dates in double-quick time, is unapologetically just a strip show. But it is one that comes (oh I give up) with high production values. In a specially converted space inside the Hippodrome, men with five-star abs (they’re rock-solid, which I know, because I touched them - it’s allowed) and six-star eye contact (aaargh) dance, grind, play instruments and do aerial acrobatics either above you, around you, on stage or in your face.

If you’re not tactile and really don’t want a stranger thrusting his crotch at you on a school night there is a safe word: unicorn. A more useful instruction for such people might be ‘try Antony & Cleopatra at the National’.

Ha!

And, loathe as I am to feature gratuitous objectification of male flesh...

Magic Mike Live(BGT final 2018)

Cover me in honey, and just throw me in!

Liberace, Matt'n'Mike and male strippers

Michael Douglas as Liberace
How Michael Douglas might look as Liberace

Two bits of cinematic campness are coming up this year - from one man!

Steven Soderbergh - who has been described as "a stylistic chameleon" by reviewers for his willingness to tackle big-budget blockbusters such as Erin Brokovich, Traffic and the Ocean's Eleven remakes, as well as "art-house" movies like Sex, Lies and Videotape and Che - is currently filming a movie version of the stormy relationship between Liberace and his lover Scott Thorson, starring (remarkably!) Michael Douglas and Matt Damon!

Stephen Soderburgh on Liberace

This could be a fascinating movie, indeed. Mr Douglas (not renowned for his camp sensibilities, nor in fact his brilliant acting skills in my opinion) playing the "deadly, winking, sniggering, snuggling, chromium-plated, scent-impregnated, luminous, quivering, giggling, fruit-flavoured, mincing, ice-covered heap of mother love" that was Liberace? Mr Damon (an eternally cute yet somewhat dull actor) playing his gay lover? I can't wait!



Now, reports Variety, Mr Soderbergh will also direct the former model-turned-cinematic-eye-candy (I hesitate to use the word "actor") Channing Tatum in a movie about male strippers. [Yes, please!]



In Magic Mike, Mr Tatum will star as the title character, a veteran performer who takes a young dancer under his wing and guides him through the shadowy world of the stripper biz. It's apparently inspired by Tatum's real life experiences as a stripper when he was 19. I am getting to like Mr Soderbergh...

Read more about "Magic Mike" Stephen Soderberg on IMDB

Oh, joy

It's the weekend, we're off to sunny Dorking to celebrate our friend Lou's first anniversary of opening her wine bar, and former Abercrombie & Fitch model-turned-actor Channing Tatum's clothes just fell off... All is right with the world!

Lethal weapon

Two blog posts in one day! I figured that this one was too good not to share. The gorgeous Abercrombie & Fitch model-turned-"actor" Channing Tatum has landed the part of G.I. Joe in the forthcoming film/toy promotion, and judging by this photo is suitably loaded for the part... Woof!