Thu - May 1, 2008
GRIPES & PREJUDICE
protests and a-muse-ments.
Now that we've dispensed with race and politics and the still
happily contentious Democratic Primary process, let's move on to address this
week's far more controversial pronouncement: the choice of Keira
Knightley as this year's Official Muse of
TWM.
I have, in the now almost four-year history of this blog, taken some inflammatory stands and advanced some unpopular opinions. I've gone against the grain, across the grain, and sometimes obliterated the grain altogether. And yet every year, without fail, my choice of a muse -- which started out as a joke and a bit of a lark but soon became a much-anticipated tradition -- generates as much email, as much controversy, as much dissension and dissatisfaction as anything else I write.
Oh, sure, I always hear from people who approve of the choice; just about every male, heterosexual reader I had in my first year approved of Carolyn Murphy, and readers of both genders signed off on Naomi Watts and Kate Beckinsale. But the most rapid and rabid responses, rolling in for days and sometimes weeks after the announcement, are the complaints. The outrages. The questions and the criticisms.
I suppose, in some ways, this is progress. In the beginning, people would email to protest the very concept; now, they're emailing just to protest the choice. The Official Muse has become an essential part of the TWM fabric -- a silly little part of this humble little site that, in the end, holds your attention and gets at least some of you fired up. I like that. Enough that I look forward to the reaction. And enough that, this year at least, I feel compelled to respond to at least some of the major gripes and prejudices:
She's too young...
Ms. Knightley is 23. A bit young, perhaps, for a 39-year-old writer, but, um, it's not as if we're actually dating. Or... uh... uh... what was I saying again? I seem to have gotten a bit distracted.
Anyway -- since my last three muses were 33, 39, and 35, it's not exactly like I'm making a habit of it.
...too thin...
Would that we all had that problem.
Now. That said -- I am drawn first to eyes and smiles and brains and talent, none of which has much to do with meat or flesh or waist size. And, while I agree that Ms. Knightley could (and probably should) add a few pounds to her frame, it's worth noting that most of this year's finalists (Jenna Fischer, Shonna Tucker, Margo Timmins) and one of my other perennial finalists (Rachel Weisz) are all far from waifish.
...not a good role model for young girls...
Apparently because she's too thin. Or famous. Or something. But, even if we ignore that my purpose here is not to pick the Role Model Citizen for America's Impressionable Girls, I'd say that someone who's young, incredibly talented, successful on her own terms, smart, funny, by all accounts fiercely independent, already an Oscar nominee, and, so far at least, free from any hint of scandal or embarrassing behavior is, whether or not she could stand to add a few extra pounds, a pretty damned good role model for young women.
...another blonde...
She's a brunette.
...another foreigner...
Who are you, Lou Dobbs?
Yeah, okay. Guilty. I've now chosen three consecutive Muses who hail from outside the United States. I also do not wear a flag lapel pin. And I hate NASCAR. So just deport me now. Or don't vote for me for president. And, in the meantime, I'll promise to bring it back home and Buy American next year.
...the star of a chick flick like Pride & Prejudice...
Which happens to be a brilliant and beautiful film. Please don't blame Keira if your wives and girlfriends force a little bit of culture and refinement upon you whenever this film plays on cable or satellite. (Which, to be fair, was just about every night for many long months.)
...the star of a chick flick like Bend it Like Beckham...
Which happens to be a hilarious and beautiful film. Which happens to feature Keira in soccer shorts and sports bra (a lot). And which also happens to star another incredibly beautiful and talented young woman (Parminder Nagra). Time to pay more attention to these flicks, gents.
Ms. Knightley has also, just for the record, been the star of some decidedly non-chick flicks like King Arthur and The Jacket and Domino. And those three little movies about the pirates.
...only a mediocre actress...
I, her peers, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, and a whole host of critics would beg to differ. As would this amazing scene...
...among many, many others.
As more complaints and criticisms email in, I'll be sure to note them. When the compliments finally arrive, I'll be sure to note them too. In the meantime, thanks for engaging so fully and fiercely in TWM's annual spring rite of nomination and inspiration. And don't be surprised if, sometime soon, I get enough protests and hear enough outcries that I feel compelled to head to Philadelphia, call together all my critics and detractors, and deliver a little defense of a speech I'll call A More Perfect Muse.
I'm thinking maybe Keira would come if I promised not to disown her a month later.
I have, in the now almost four-year history of this blog, taken some inflammatory stands and advanced some unpopular opinions. I've gone against the grain, across the grain, and sometimes obliterated the grain altogether. And yet every year, without fail, my choice of a muse -- which started out as a joke and a bit of a lark but soon became a much-anticipated tradition -- generates as much email, as much controversy, as much dissension and dissatisfaction as anything else I write.
Oh, sure, I always hear from people who approve of the choice; just about every male, heterosexual reader I had in my first year approved of Carolyn Murphy, and readers of both genders signed off on Naomi Watts and Kate Beckinsale. But the most rapid and rabid responses, rolling in for days and sometimes weeks after the announcement, are the complaints. The outrages. The questions and the criticisms.
I suppose, in some ways, this is progress. In the beginning, people would email to protest the very concept; now, they're emailing just to protest the choice. The Official Muse has become an essential part of the TWM fabric -- a silly little part of this humble little site that, in the end, holds your attention and gets at least some of you fired up. I like that. Enough that I look forward to the reaction. And enough that, this year at least, I feel compelled to respond to at least some of the major gripes and prejudices:
She's too young...
Ms. Knightley is 23. A bit young, perhaps, for a 39-year-old writer, but, um, it's not as if we're actually dating. Or... uh... uh... what was I saying again? I seem to have gotten a bit distracted.
Anyway -- since my last three muses were 33, 39, and 35, it's not exactly like I'm making a habit of it.
...too thin...
Would that we all had that problem.
Now. That said -- I am drawn first to eyes and smiles and brains and talent, none of which has much to do with meat or flesh or waist size. And, while I agree that Ms. Knightley could (and probably should) add a few pounds to her frame, it's worth noting that most of this year's finalists (Jenna Fischer, Shonna Tucker, Margo Timmins) and one of my other perennial finalists (Rachel Weisz) are all far from waifish.
...not a good role model for young girls...
Apparently because she's too thin. Or famous. Or something. But, even if we ignore that my purpose here is not to pick the Role Model Citizen for America's Impressionable Girls, I'd say that someone who's young, incredibly talented, successful on her own terms, smart, funny, by all accounts fiercely independent, already an Oscar nominee, and, so far at least, free from any hint of scandal or embarrassing behavior is, whether or not she could stand to add a few extra pounds, a pretty damned good role model for young women.
...another blonde...
She's a brunette.
...another foreigner...
Who are you, Lou Dobbs?
Yeah, okay. Guilty. I've now chosen three consecutive Muses who hail from outside the United States. I also do not wear a flag lapel pin. And I hate NASCAR. So just deport me now. Or don't vote for me for president. And, in the meantime, I'll promise to bring it back home and Buy American next year.
...the star of a chick flick like Pride & Prejudice...
Which happens to be a brilliant and beautiful film. Please don't blame Keira if your wives and girlfriends force a little bit of culture and refinement upon you whenever this film plays on cable or satellite. (Which, to be fair, was just about every night for many long months.)
...the star of a chick flick like Bend it Like Beckham...
Which happens to be a hilarious and beautiful film. Which happens to feature Keira in soccer shorts and sports bra (a lot). And which also happens to star another incredibly beautiful and talented young woman (Parminder Nagra). Time to pay more attention to these flicks, gents.
Ms. Knightley has also, just for the record, been the star of some decidedly non-chick flicks like King Arthur and The Jacket and Domino. And those three little movies about the pirates.
...only a mediocre actress...
I, her peers, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, and a whole host of critics would beg to differ. As would this amazing scene...
...among many, many others.
As more complaints and criticisms email in, I'll be sure to note them. When the compliments finally arrive, I'll be sure to note them too. In the meantime, thanks for engaging so fully and fiercely in TWM's annual spring rite of nomination and inspiration. And don't be surprised if, sometime soon, I get enough protests and hear enough outcries that I feel compelled to head to Philadelphia, call together all my critics and detractors, and deliver a little defense of a speech I'll call A More Perfect Muse.
I'm thinking maybe Keira would come if I promised not to disown her a month later.
Posted at 10:35 AM
Sat - April 26, 2008
KNIGHT FALLS
twm muses.
First came Carolyn
Murphy. Then Naomi
Watts. Then Kate Beckinsale. And
now...
...after many nominations, much consideration, and one last, determined day of deliberation...
(...and, judging from a bevy of impatient emails and at least one impertinent Twittering, not a moment too soon...)
...comes the most clear and simple of choices. She's been a frontrunner each of the past three years, a heart-fluttering TWM-favorite for all of the last seven years, and a woman whose every appearance on screen (or in print) commands my most rapt and ravenous attention. Claiming a title that has, at least in part, belonged to her all along -- and edging out a crowded field of finalists that included Rachel Weisz, Evangeline Lilly, Margo Timmins, Shonna Tucker, and Jenna Fischer, this year's Official Muse of TWM is...
...the lovely and alluring Ms. Keira Knightley.
Smart. Sexy. Funny. Immensely talented. A knockout in indie comedies and blockbuster swashbucklers, in Tony Scott exploitation flicks and Oscar-nominated literary adaptations. As ravishing in soccer shorts as in evening gowns. As compelling to listen to -- always, but especially in Pride and Prejudice -- as to look at.
She's the total, tantalizing package.
And for the next twelve months, she'll be the gift that keeps on giving. Right here at TWM.
...after many nominations, much consideration, and one last, determined day of deliberation...
(...and, judging from a bevy of impatient emails and at least one impertinent Twittering, not a moment too soon...)
...comes the most clear and simple of choices. She's been a frontrunner each of the past three years, a heart-fluttering TWM-favorite for all of the last seven years, and a woman whose every appearance on screen (or in print) commands my most rapt and ravenous attention. Claiming a title that has, at least in part, belonged to her all along -- and edging out a crowded field of finalists that included Rachel Weisz, Evangeline Lilly, Margo Timmins, Shonna Tucker, and Jenna Fischer, this year's Official Muse of TWM is...
...the lovely and alluring Ms. Keira Knightley.
Smart. Sexy. Funny. Immensely talented. A knockout in indie comedies and blockbuster swashbucklers, in Tony Scott exploitation flicks and Oscar-nominated literary adaptations. As ravishing in soccer shorts as in evening gowns. As compelling to listen to -- always, but especially in Pride and Prejudice -- as to look at.
She's the total, tantalizing package.
And for the next twelve months, she'll be the gift that keeps on giving. Right here at TWM.
Posted at 02:29 PM
Mon - March 3, 2008
IN MY EMAIL SOFT & LOVELY
a conservative muse-ment.
To hell with Texas and Ohio. The really important
primary voting has just begun here at
TWM.
Last night, I threw open the nomination process for this year's Official Muse, and I've already received my first few suggestions. Top of the list so far:
Caliope (and her sisters).
Classic. Conservative. Unconventional. Kind of like John McCain, but with softer skin.
It's a wide open race, folks -- no media bias here, I promise -- so keep those ballots coming...
Last night, I threw open the nomination process for this year's Official Muse, and I've already received my first few suggestions. Top of the list so far:
Caliope (and her sisters).
Classic. Conservative. Unconventional. Kind of like John McCain, but with softer skin.
It's a wide open race, folks -- no media bias here, I promise -- so keep those ballots coming...
Posted at 07:37 AM
Sun - March 2, 2008
AT HER WINDOW SOFT & LONELY
one last a-muse-ment.
Long day, long weekend, long week. And almost the
end of another long year of TWM's Official A-Muse-ment. The lovely and talented
Kate Beckinsale has served us well, and so tonight, on the cusp of another long
week, and a couple of projects for which there is no such thing as too much
inspiration, this seems like a fine time for one last appearance from this
year's fabulous muse.
I'll announce a new Muse next month -- thoughts? suggestions? let me know -- but until then, and especially right now, it's still a great time for Kate.
I'll announce a new Muse next month -- thoughts? suggestions? let me know -- but until then, and especially right now, it's still a great time for Kate.
Posted at 11:03 PM
Wed - January 16, 2008
ONE SHEET TO THE ROAD
and back.
Inspired by a series of posts -- two of which, I
admit, I made -- at the brand-new Pittsburgh
Men's Blogging Society yesterday, and in the aftermath of a quick,
two-joke post I made here on Saturday, I
realized that it's been far too long since the last appearance of TWM's Official
Muse, the impossibly lovely and abundantly talented Ms. Kate Beckinsale. And so
I remedy that here...
...and then, in the interests of equity and fairness, in honor of one of my favorite actors -- who, it should be noted, is on his way to Pittsburgh to star in a film adaptation of the best novel of the last decade -- and as a kind concession to my favorite regular reader of this blog, someone very much hoping that, somewhere along The Road in the Burgh, she will run into this guy, I give you the Unofficial Muse of Mrs. TWM, the impossibly handsome and abundnantly talented Mr. Viggo Mortensen...
...and then end this post, if only to give us all, men and women, heterosexuals and homosexuals, fans of cheesecake and beefcake alike, a chance to catch our no-doubt fluttering breaths.
...and then, in the interests of equity and fairness, in honor of one of my favorite actors -- who, it should be noted, is on his way to Pittsburgh to star in a film adaptation of the best novel of the last decade -- and as a kind concession to my favorite regular reader of this blog, someone very much hoping that, somewhere along The Road in the Burgh, she will run into this guy, I give you the Unofficial Muse of Mrs. TWM, the impossibly handsome and abundnantly talented Mr. Viggo Mortensen...
...and then end this post, if only to give us all, men and women, heterosexuals and homosexuals, fans of cheesecake and beefcake alike, a chance to catch our no-doubt fluttering breaths.
Posted at 04:19 PM
Sat - January 12, 2008
TALK ABOUT A DOUBLE FEATURE...
finally, a reason to look forward to valentine's
day.
Posted at 10:03 AM
Sat - July 28, 2007
MUSE, NEWS, MUSE
to brighten a gray and dreary
saturday.
It's been rumored, confirmed, denied, and reconfirmed in the last few days, so I have no
idea whether it's true, about-to-be-true, or just truly wishful thinking. But
until I actually see someone else on screen in the role, I'm going to assume
that it is true and simply revel in the thought of an official TWM Muse Emerita joining the cast of the last two
Harry Potter
films. Because even as Narcissa Malfoy, Naomi
Watts will be more than magic enough for
me.
As is, of course, this year's official muse, who's just about due for another lovely apparition on these pages. So, to lighten a long week and brighten an otherwise gray and dreary Saturday, here's another photo -- one that looks, in fact, like it could have come straight from Hogwarts -- of the always enchanting Ms. Kate Beckinsale...
...to bewitch and bedazzle and otherwise happily confound us as we try to enjoy this last weekend of July.
As is, of course, this year's official muse, who's just about due for another lovely apparition on these pages. So, to lighten a long week and brighten an otherwise gray and dreary Saturday, here's another photo -- one that looks, in fact, like it could have come straight from Hogwarts -- of the always enchanting Ms. Kate Beckinsale...
...to bewitch and bedazzle and otherwise happily confound us as we try to enjoy this last weekend of July.
Posted at 01:04 PM
Sat - June 9, 2007
MY MUSE'S EYES ARE SOMETHING LIKE THE SUN...
...on a beautiful saturday in
june.
How gorgeous was the weather here in Pittsburgh
today? Had it taken human form, it might have looked something like
this...
Posted at 11:03 PM
Sat - April 28, 2007
KATE BECKONS
and twm muses.
First it was Carolyn Murphy . Then it was Naomi Watts. And
now...
...riding a late surge of momentum -- including a great Glamour magazine profile -- and cementing several years' worth of heart-fluttering celebrity-crush status, just edging out a crowded field of front-runners that included Rachel Weisz (first runner-up for the second straight year), Rachel McAdams, Keira Knightley, Evangeline Lilly, and Jenna Fischer, this year's Official Muse of TWM is...
...the lovely and alluring Ms. Kate Beckinsale.
Smart. Beautiful. Talented. At home in horror movies and period pieces, in Scorsesean dramas and Shakespearean comedies. Sexy wife and mother. Looks great in black leather.
Yeah. She's got it all.
And for the next year, TWM's got her for its own occasional, and always delightful, inspiration.
...riding a late surge of momentum -- including a great Glamour magazine profile -- and cementing several years' worth of heart-fluttering celebrity-crush status, just edging out a crowded field of front-runners that included Rachel Weisz (first runner-up for the second straight year), Rachel McAdams, Keira Knightley, Evangeline Lilly, and Jenna Fischer, this year's Official Muse of TWM is...
...the lovely and alluring Ms. Kate Beckinsale.
Smart. Beautiful. Talented. At home in horror movies and period pieces, in Scorsesean dramas and Shakespearean comedies. Sexy wife and mother. Looks great in black leather.
Yeah. She's got it all.
And for the next year, TWM's got her for its own occasional, and always delightful, inspiration.
Posted at 06:51 PM
Thu - March 22, 2007
A LITTLE AMUSEMENT
on a thursday night.
Because I have come to another Thursday night with
many things to say but neither the time nor energy to say them, because this has
been a particularly long and disjointed and occasionally frustrating week, and
because her year of lovely service and inspiration is about to come to an end,
this feels like a fine time, at least to tide us over until tomorrow's Notes,
for a little bit of TWM Official
A-Muse-ment.
I feel better already. I can almost feel the warmth of spring. And for some reason, all that rain we've gotten this week doesn't seem so bad after all.
I feel better already. I can almost feel the warmth of spring. And for some reason, all that rain we've gotten this week doesn't seem so bad after all.
Posted at 10:53 PM
Thu - January 4, 2007
TRYING TO MAKE THE FUN LAST A LITTLE LONGER...
...we deploy magazine cover
countermeasures.
When I first
saw Jeff Garcia on the cover of this week's
Sports
Illustrated, I resigned myself to the effects of
the inevitable cover jinx, and I figured there was nothing I could possibly do
to prevent it or even to minimize it. But then I remembered another
magazine cover I saw this week, and I realized that it must be fate,
karma, kismet -- the blessings of the football gods and the TWM muses and the
delicious possibility that a second post, a bona fide cover-curse counter-curse,
might be just the thing that Jeff and I and the Eagles need to overcome this
latest setback. And so I offer here the bountiful cover blessings of the
January issue of
Allure,
featuring the Official Muse of TWM, the lovely and always alluring Ms. Naomi
Watts...
This may not be enough to overcome the dreaded SI cover jinx, but somehow I feel better already.
This may not be enough to overcome the dreaded SI cover jinx, but somehow I feel better already.
Posted at 02:11 PM
Sat - October 14, 2006
SETTING THE TABLE
and the mood.
Tonight, at the end of a long day at the end of a
long week, when it's turned suddenly cold outside and unfortunately cold inside,
seems like the ideal time for a visit from TWM's offical and wonderful and
always inspirational
muse.
Ah, Naomi. The night feels warmer and better already.
Ah, Naomi. The night feels warmer and better already.
Posted at 10:53 PM
Tue - August 1, 2006
MUSINGS AFTER THE MIDDLE EAST
it's three for one for
tuesday.
Because it's been a while, because I'm doing some
work and won't get a chance to post anything of substance until late tonight,
and because yesterday's Middle East apology post included a photo (and links to
several others) of the terrible opposites of life and warmth and beauty, this
afternoon feels like a great time for a visitation, an elevation, an inspiration
from TWM's U.N.-affiliated Muse.
So here's one of each...
...just for good measure. And much better gazing.
So here's one of each...
...just for good measure. And much better gazing.
Posted at 01:30 PM
Sat - July 22, 2006
READY TO MAKE NICE
they fought with strangers and met
themselves.
Naomi Watts' status as this year's Official Muse of
TWM is still safe, but for today, for tonight, and for a wonderful weekend of
taking the long way around, I need to name a trio of special guest
muses...
...Natalie Maines. Martie Maguire. Emily Robison.
Because talent is cool. Because free speech is sexy. And because Chicks Rule.
...Natalie Maines. Martie Maguire. Emily Robison.
Because talent is cool. Because free speech is sexy. And because Chicks Rule.
Posted at 03:38 PM
Mon - May 15, 2006
4 FOR EVERYONE
one for me.
Oscar-nominated actress. TWM-annointed blog muse.
And now,
U.N.-appointed special envoy on HIV and
AIDS.
So add volunteerism and humanitarianism to the long list of reasons why Naomi Watts just keeps getting better and better. And better.
So add volunteerism and humanitarianism to the long list of reasons why Naomi Watts just keeps getting better and better. And better.
Posted at 10:48 PM
Thu - April 27, 2006
THIS IS THE BEGINNING
watts on.
I promised
that I would not make this decision lightly. And I have not. But in the end, I
made it pretty easily.
For her winsome combination of brains and beauty, for the tremendous range of her prodigious talent, and for being both delightful and delicious enough to make me wish I were either Adrien Brody or a lonely, twenty-five-foot-tall gorilla...
... Naomi Watts edges out Rachel Weisz and becomes the new official muse, the divine Dionysian inspiration, for all things TWM. I know her presence will help take this site to new and dazzling and often dizzying heights. If we can just avoid those damned biplanes...
For her winsome combination of brains and beauty, for the tremendous range of her prodigious talent, and for being both delightful and delicious enough to make me wish I were either Adrien Brody or a lonely, twenty-five-foot-tall gorilla...
... Naomi Watts edges out Rachel Weisz and becomes the new official muse, the divine Dionysian inspiration, for all things TWM. I know her presence will help take this site to new and dazzling and often dizzying heights. If we can just avoid those damned biplanes...
Posted at 11:14 PM
Wed - April 19, 2006
THIS IS THE END
thanks for the memories (and the web
traffic), carolyn.
It was fun
and funny
and lovely
while it lasted, but I'm afraid that this
officially marks the end of the Carolyn Murphy Era here at TWM -- not because it
exists, or because she couldn't prevent it from being released, but because it's
just so dull and dismal and depressing.
Posted at 02:20 PM
Tue - February 14, 2006
ONCE MORE UNTO THE BEACH
or, valentine's day suddenly looks a
whole lot better.
In what is either a happy accident of magazine
publishing or a brilliant bit of Valentine's Day counter-programming, the good
(if slightly misguided) folks at Sports
Illustrated today
released their 2006 Swimsuit Issue. Since last year's issue caused
something of a soul-searching
stir, brought great legions of new
readers to this site, and launched a TWM supermodel
folk legend, this occasion should hardly go unheralded. All the more
so because, for the second eye-popping, heart-stopping year, that very same TWM
supermodel folk legend, the smart and cool and delightfully delicious Carolyn
Murphy, graces the cover.
Though she shares this year's glossy, glamorous honor with seven other former
swimsuit cover models -- who are, it should be noted, barely wearing one
swimsuit's worth of fabric between them -- the Divine Ms. M., for reasons as
much beneath
the surface as upon it, is still the one who demands and commands my
attention.
Though I've not yet received a copy in print, the SI online subscriber index assures me that Carolyn Murphy will be well represented in those pages. And it provides for me, as I now provide for you, a lovely little preview.
And so, for this year at least, as we come full circle if not quite full frontal, I think I've found a whole new appreciation for Valentine's Day.
Though I've not yet received a copy in print, the SI online subscriber index assures me that Carolyn Murphy will be well represented in those pages. And it provides for me, as I now provide for you, a lovely little preview.
And so, for this year at least, as we come full circle if not quite full frontal, I think I've found a whole new appreciation for Valentine's Day.
Posted at 07:41 PM
Wed - November 23, 2005
A SECOND OPINION
and a bird-babe-blog
rebuttal
Faithful reader, fearless writer, peerless
reporter, wicked wordsmith, and unsung early-21st-Century Irish poet Dennis
Roddy, whose columns and
correspondence provide a steady, heady supply of inspiration for all things TWM,
writes to offer a modest opposal, a humble contraindication, a sure and simple
second opinion he hopes will cure my ongoing affliction with the Carolyn Flu.
When Dennis writes -- this is a man who, long before our first correspondence,
appeared so often in the reading assignments of my writing classes that students
thought I must be on the Post-Gazette
payroll -- I think. When he writes (and advises)
in verse, I act.
(Untitled Blog Rebuttal)
by Dennis Roddy
Murphy is beauty
That glistens like jail chains
On wrists of your words.
Some graces abide.
But times washes faces
Till all look alike.
Forget Murphy, Chad.
Abandon this cyber lust.
Embrace words alone.
You're right, Dennis. But it will be a long, slow recovery.
(Untitled Blog Rebuttal)
by Dennis Roddy
Murphy is beauty
That glistens like jail chains
On wrists of your words.
Some graces abide.
But times washes faces
Till all look alike.
Forget Murphy, Chad.
Abandon this cyber lust.
Embrace words alone.
You're right, Dennis. But it will be a long, slow recovery.
Posted at 02:34 PM
Tue - November 22, 2005
JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED
babes, not birds.
Faithful reader, good friend, former student,
sports-talk guru, and all-around cool dude Carey Lefkowitz, whose own blog is
sorely overdue and still greatly anticipated, writes today to offer a modest
proposal, a humble suggestion, a simple prescription he hopes will cure my
ongoing battle with the avian flu. When Carey speaks -- this is a man who, on
the first day of the 1998 baseball season, predicted that Mark McGwire would hit
70 home runs -- I listen. When he writes in verse, I
learn.
Blog Suggestion
by Carey Lefkowitz
When all is bird flu
Better things to say and do
Carolyn Murphy.
You're right, Carey. I feel better already.
Blog Suggestion
by Carey Lefkowitz
When all is bird flu
Better things to say and do
Carolyn Murphy.
You're right, Carey. I feel better already.
Posted at 04:24 PM
Sat - September 24, 2005
ANOTHER (AND NOW WHOLLY JUSTIFIED) CAROLYN MURPHY POST WITH A CAROLYN MURPHY PHOTO
did i mention carolyn
murphy?
Carolyn Murphy Weekend continues here at TWM, with
another naked (half-naked?), blatant (but beautiful), shameless (but sensuous)
attempt to increase readership and escalate site traffic and just generally
infiltrate the minds and keyboards of the great, Googling hordes. Consider it
the blogging equivalent of a PBS Pledge Drive; I'm still pandering to the
data and the demographics, but instead of Three Tenors and a
complimentary tote
bag...
...you get One Supermodel and a fantastic swimsuit photo. Which -- with all apologies to lovers of the opera and large men in tuxedos -- seems like a pretty good trade. And it's just one more example of the high-quality, reader-supported, premium blogging content we provide here at...
TEACHER. WORDSMITH. MADMAN.: The Carolyn Murphy of Pittsburgh-Based Blogs.
...you get One Supermodel and a fantastic swimsuit photo. Which -- with all apologies to lovers of the opera and large men in tuxedos -- seems like a pretty good trade. And it's just one more example of the high-quality, reader-supported, premium blogging content we provide here at...
TEACHER. WORDSMITH. MADMAN.: The Carolyn Murphy of Pittsburgh-Based Blogs.
Posted at 01:11 PM
Fri - July 8, 2005
NO VIOLATION HERE
but we do have issues.
All that thinking and writing about the beach and
the ocean and the white-capped waves, and then that note about being comfortable
with your body and appropriate in (or out of) your swimsuit, reminded me that
TWM was due for another totally unnecessary, utterly intoxicating Carolyn Murphy
post.
It has, after all, been almost three months since the last one. And that's just way too long to go without a visit from the Divine Ms. M. So, as always, to the two groups of readers still divided over the merits of these occasional (male) feminist flips and flaps, I say:
I'm sorry.
And:
You're welcome.
It has, after all, been almost three months since the last one. And that's just way too long to go without a visit from the Divine Ms. M. So, as always, to the two groups of readers still divided over the merits of these occasional (male) feminist flips and flaps, I say:
I'm sorry.
And:
You're welcome.
Posted at 09:14 PM
Sat - April 23, 2005
THE NEXT BOND GIRL?
she's not, but she should
be.
This morning, like a bolt from the blue, with the
inspiration of great
communication, I had a cinematic
revelation:
Carolyn Murphy should be the next Bond girl.
I have no idea if she can act, and frankly I don't care; the history of Bond Girls reads -- or is that looks? -- like a history of women who couldn't act. Worse still, some of them couldn't even keep up their end of the chemistry and charisma bargain. Sure, they were eye candy, but they lacked the spark, the fire, the whole flaming inferno of allure and mystery and smart, smoldering sensuality they needed to match the suave, sophisticated super spy.
Smart, smoldering, sensual super model Carolyn Murphy -- whose praises I've already greatly sung on this site -- has all that and a whole lot more.
Tell me this image, from the 2004 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, doesn't look like the perfect, Ursula-Andress-style first appearance on screen. Dr. No? Dr. Yes!
(Thanks to writersbloc gal, brilliant blogger and fierce defender of James Bondian honor, for her kind words in today's post, for her observation to trigger my inspiration, and for providing the perfect excuse to post yet another photo of the Divine Ms. M.)
Carolyn Murphy should be the next Bond girl.
I have no idea if she can act, and frankly I don't care; the history of Bond Girls reads -- or is that looks? -- like a history of women who couldn't act. Worse still, some of them couldn't even keep up their end of the chemistry and charisma bargain. Sure, they were eye candy, but they lacked the spark, the fire, the whole flaming inferno of allure and mystery and smart, smoldering sensuality they needed to match the suave, sophisticated super spy.
Smart, smoldering, sensual super model Carolyn Murphy -- whose praises I've already greatly sung on this site -- has all that and a whole lot more.
Tell me this image, from the 2004 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, doesn't look like the perfect, Ursula-Andress-style first appearance on screen. Dr. No? Dr. Yes!
(Thanks to writersbloc gal, brilliant blogger and fierce defender of James Bondian honor, for her kind words in today's post, for her observation to trigger my inspiration, and for providing the perfect excuse to post yet another photo of the Divine Ms. M.)
Posted at 10:02 AM
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Published On: May 01, 2008 12:38 PM
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