I’m Here, I’m Queer, And I’m Still Not Used To It

There aren’t many Tweets that stop me in my tracks these days, not given the current climate of utter insanity that rules the online world, but this one shook me to my core (and it’s affected others similarly), both for its startling accuracy and its beautiful, difficult, unwavering truth:

“Queer people don’t grow up as ourselves, we grow up playing a version of ourselves that sacrifices authenticity to minimize humiliation and prejudice. The massive task of our adult lives is to unpick which parts of ourselves are truly us and which parts we’ve created to protect us.” – Alexander Leon

After forty-four years on earth, I’ve only just begun to process the wreckage that this truth has uncovered. I mourn for the boy and the young man who felt so confused and hurt for such a long time. I mourn for how long I couldn’t see it, for how many sleepless nights and teary-eyed days I spent feeling that something was wrong with me, that things didn’t quite line up, that nothing made sense. Even when I came out and lived openly and honestly as a gay man, I still felt somehow displaced and out of sorts. Every time I felt I might somehow belong ended with a feeling that something still wasn’t quite right. This quote unlocks the survival technique of why so many of us continue to play our parts, while touching on the damage done in living any part of your life falsely.

The world was, and remains, a vicious place for those of us who are different.

Until such time that there is a dramatic and genuine shift in that, this sort of work will continue.

How sad that it should be so.

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The Sweet Sixteen of ALANILAGAN.com

This month marks the start of the 16thyear of existence for ALANILAGAN.com, which makes me feel like a grumpy old Dad spewing grumpy old Dad jokes as his kid peels out of the driveway while texting. Thankfully, this website behaves much better than any teenager ever could. It does exactly as I say, adhering to precisely what I program, and doesn’t give me any lip or sass aside from the occasional error that is more the provider’s fault than anyone else’s. Quite the opposite of any unruly offspring, this website has provided a steady anchor no matter what crazy fucking shit is going on in my personal/family life, offering a single sanctuary on which I can perpetually rely, unlike just about everything and everyone else. There’s something special in that, and I don’t take it lightly. Not after sixteen years. We’ve been through too much together.

Is it strange to anthropomorphize a website? Of course it is. Yet strange is what we do best here. There aren’t many personal blogs that have lasted this long, so I can basically do what I want. Though to be honest that freedom has been in place from the very beginning of our journey back in 2003. The world was very different then, but what has remained the same is the desire to express myself as creatively and crazily as I feel fit, without censorship or limits. That may result in a voice that will never be palatable for mainstream/mass consumption, but my words are basically harmless, and the nudity is never full-frontal. Anyone who claims this place is pornographic must cringe at all the porn on the average sitcom. They have no place here anyway, as we have an acceptance policy of all people, and they would not be comfortable with such a stance. They are always welcome to join us, I just doubt it would be their cup of tea. We get many passing visitors like that, and I’m always glad for the brief time they spend here. I’m more grateful for those who deign to return, no matter how few and far between they may be. This is my sweet thank you to those folks, the ones who come back on the regular, who put up with my trying posts some days, my nonsensical posts other days, and the general ridiculousness that populates all the rest of the remaining days.

Anyway, please come back to see how this sweet sixteen year unfurls. If it’s anything like a real-life sixteen-year-old, get ready for the drama. You know I will do my best to bring it.

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Soaking in the Beautiful Light

Continuing on their rather happy journey of body- and self-acceptance, Sam Smith posted these beautiful images of a recent vacation (lucky sun-drenched paradise-visitor) with the following sage advice: “Feels so good to have my top off on holiday. Spent all my life hiding my body from the sun. The last year my skin has been soaking in that LIGHT. Don’t let anyone or anything stop you from feeling that kiss from above you beautiful humans.”

What a lovely message they have for all of us, and how wonderful to see someone in full enjoyment of everything they are. How few of us live that way. I certainly don’t. I put up a good front, but behind this façade there are some big-ass cracks in the foundation. As Smith guides the way, I’m doing my best to make them better, and if not improve then accept them and be grateful for the fissures that made me who I am today.

{See also Sam Smith’s turn as Hunk of the Day, an honor they’re likely to repeat with the next flourish of vacation photos.}

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Sparkle, Gleam and Ooh La La…

DON’T WANT IT BAUDELAIRE, JUST GLITTER LUST

It seems incredulous based on history and previous traditions, but this site is in need of some sparkle and pizzazz. I’ve tended to traffic in such enchantments to an extent that when a period of serious posts and contemplative quietude occurs it gives off the notion that the blush is off the rose, that fun is off the table, and glamour is gone for good. Not so, not so, not so.

I can still shine.

I can still sparkle.

I can still put on the showiest of shows.

We may be battered and bruised, we may be downtrodden and blue, but the heart of a chameleon remains pure. A trickster has survival instincts that run deep. Those instincts are instrumental in making a new way for oneself when the old avenues are closed down and not navigable. A proper trickster will always find a way, in our mercurial magic and transformative nature. There’s nothing wrong with dressing up our journey with fancy finery in the process, or thrilling our companions with bejeweled glory. To catch the eye is an art form. It takes a certain kind of sorcery. Those who make the attempt to marvel do so at great risk. The rest of the world loves to see a misstep or a fall. There are those who will always revel in the misery of others. I don’t care to figure out why.

Let us instead do our best to shine.

Let us brush off our imaginations and return to the land of unabashed play, where fantasy and make-believe and magic prance like pink ponies, and flowers and feathers fall from branches cradling drops of sunshine. Where the sky is always blue, when it’s not eavesdropping and cloaked in black to better see the dancing moonbeams.

The best way I find to conjure such enchantment is in getting all gussied up and decoratively decked out. At its best, it’s life-affirming, at its worst it’s frivolous, and whether best or worst it’s entirely harmless and far better than any number of vices. From your head down to your toes, from your fascinator to your velvet shoes, and every shade of Tom Ford in between, you still have the power to enthrall.

The possession to fascinate.

The wherewithal to survive.

The frivolity to enchant.

The charm to sparkle.

Here, now, is a song to help you channel your own fabulousness. It’s like ooh la la la la…

I WANNA LOVE SOME MORE
I’LL NEVER BE THE SAME
A BROKEN HEEL LIKE A HEART
I’LL NEVER WALK AGAIN…

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Luke Evans Bulging in A Skimpy Speedo

No one fills a Speedo like Gaston, stuffs his shorts like Gaston, then bulges out of his banana-hammock like Gaston… ok maybe this isn’t how Disney intended that song to go, but for a beast like Luke Evans it’s deserved. My hat goes off to all the guys who bravely front a Speedo on the beach, and Americans should get out of their board shorts and into the spirit of true freedom, where the sun can reach the most remote parts of our bodies… but before we delve into taint tanning we’ll stop there. Evans has rocked out before with his bulge out in this Speedo post. He’s also shown off in his underwear and, even better for his fans, in even less. You may find that a naked Luke Evans is more your cup of tea. Sip carefully, it’s very hot. 

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I Will Share This Room With You

Certain songs are like elegies, for those moments when there’s nothing left to say. We listen to their sadness and try to make sense of the sorrow, but there is no answer or solution to loss and grief, only bottomless depths of more. Perhaps there is comfort in company; quite often there is not. That doesn’t mean the effort is in vain.

When the loss is not by death or force, when the loss of someone from your life is by choice, sometimes that’s even harder to take. And when you’re the one to go, sometimes another’s heart is harder to break.

IN EVERY HEART THERE IS A ROOM 
A SANCTUARY SAFE AND STRONG
TO HEAL THE WOUNDS FROM LOVERS PAST
UNTIL A NEW ONE COMES ALONG
I SPOKE TO YOU IN CAUTIOUS TONES
YOU ANSWERED ME WITH NO PRETENSE 
AND STILL I FEEL I SAID TOO MUCH 
MY SILENCE IS MY SELF DEFENSE
AND EVERY TIME I’VE HELD A ROSE
IT SEEMS I ONLY FELT THE THORNS
AND SO IT GOES, AND SO IT GOES
AND SO WILL YOU SOON I SUPPOSE

Once there was a girl who loved me very much. She loved me more than I could ever love her, maybe more than I could ever love anyone. Being loved like that is a luxury we should all be lucky enough to feel at one point. It scares most people, but we are better for it. Later on in life I would be the one to do the loving, or so I thought, though never quite as purely and unreservedly, never in such undiluted and untainted form.

Oh I thought I did. It felt like I loved more fiercely and carelessly than anyone could have ever loved someone, even those I barely knew, but it was fallacy and fabrication. To be loved by someone who knows you, and who has known you since you were a child, is how we complete our souls. Not all of us are lucky enough to have that.

BUT IF MY SILENCE MADE YOU LEAVE
THEN THAT WOULD BE MY WORST MISTAKE
SO I WILL SHARE THIS ROOM WITH YOU
AND YOU CAN HAVE THIS HEART TO BREAK
AND THIS IS WHY MY EYES ARE CLOSED
IT’S JUST AS WELL FOR ALL I’VE SEEN
AND SO IT GOES, AND SO IT GOES
AND YOU’RE THE ONLY ONE WHO KNOWS
SO I WOULD CHOOSE TO BE WITH YOU
THAT’S IF THE CHOICE WERE MINE TO MAKE
BUT YOU CAN MAKE DECISIONS TOO
AND YOU CAN HAVE THIS HEART TO BREAK

I probably didn’t deserve such a beautiful song. I’m not sure if I deserve it now, but maybe I’m a little closer. We approach grace in different ways. It takes a little longer for some, and most of us fall down along the way. We just need to find those who will help us get back up, who will sit with us in silence or just be there without fanfare or expectation.

AND SO IT GOES, AND SO IT GOES
AND YOU’RE THE ONLY ONE WHO KNOWS.

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Fiddle These Fishcakes

Despite their rather unimaginative yet perfectly succinct name, these ‘Quick Asian Fishcakes’ are brought to you by the original Naked Chef, Jamie Oliver. His ‘Quick & Easy Meals’ series offers simple but insanely good recipes that usually use five or less ingredients. In my limited cooking experience, the simple recipes are typically the best, as they tend to make the most of their ingredients, allowing the natural flavors to shine and work together in magical alchemy.

As someone who is a big fan of all sorts of cakes – chocolate, almond, crab, pound and otherwise – I’ve been largely reticent to try my hand at making a fishcake. I just assumed it would fall apart like most of most kitchen endeavors of late. (Stay tuned for a massive Jello fail tale right on the heels of this mixed rainbow success.)

As for these fishcakes, Mr. Oliver lays out a simple process with even simpler ingredients. A single stalk of lemon grass is “whacked” on the counter, the outer tough layers removed, then it is chopped into fine bits. A thick inch of ginger is chopped finely as well, as is a half cup of fresh cilantro. A piece of skinless salmon is placed on top of the mixed ingredients, half of which is chopped into half-inch cubes, the other half is basically pulverized with enough cuts of the knife to turn it into a mushy mash. Add some salt and pepper then mix all the salmon together and divide into however many fishcakes you want to make. (I opted for two larger ones.) I was skeptical about the lack of a binding agent, but the mashed half of the salmon acts as such, and the end result is proof of this. I used sesame oil to keep things true to the Asian flavors, and fried each about four minutes per side. They stayed intact, to my happy surprise, but even better was the flavor. Topped with some sweet red chili sauce, this is going to be my new staple. If you can chop, you can do this.

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January Noir

Captivated by the possibility of some killer sales, I often try to make it into Boston for some shopping at this time of the year. I try not to set any expectations up, but I will usually stumble upon something I don’t actually need, and then have it turn into some treasured object valued both for its beauty and its steal of a price point. Sometimes that turns out to be a cologne, and this is the story of one scent that took me a very long time to appreciate.

A number of years ago I was browsing the scents at the soon-to-be-departed Barney’s at Copley Place, trying to discern what the overriding fragrance from the Men’s Department on the second floor was. They only had the line of Frederic Malle but there were about ten bottles in total, which made it impossible to pin down the specific fragrance I was smelling. In truth, it was the amalgamation of all of them – an impossible-to-replicate hybrid – and when I asked the supremely-uninterested-in-helping salespeople upstairs to help me narrow it down, they were completely flabbergasted and had no idea which one it might be. One quick game of eeney-meeney-miney-homo later and I decided ‘Noir Epices’ was the one that came closest to what I wanted. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision that went against my usual favorite notes, more powdery and floral than I customarily preferred, but I was just beginning my fragrance journey, and this one caught my nose at that particular second.

As it settled around me, I went on my shopping way, finding a plaid Kate Spade messenger bag at a hugely discounted price in Lord & Taylor, and though a bag was the second-to-last thing I needed (cologne being the first) I was already on a roll and justified it by the reduced cost. Back on Boylston Street, a few holiday lights continued to burn. The night was cold and otherwise dark, but not unbearably so, and the shopping high left me giddy, seering a happy memory that coupled with the new cologne. There is no greater memory-signifier than scent. 

Even so, a week or so later I instantly regretted the fragrance purchase, as it was too much for my olfactory palate at the time. (I favored bright and easy citrus notes back then.) Away from a sparkling night in Boston and plopped down in an office space, the scent proved overpowering and almost obnoxious. ‘Noir Epices’ moved to the back of the cologne cabinet, but every January afterward I would bring it out, and every year it has grown on me more and more, so at this point it’s a favorite for this early part of winter. Tom Ford has his own take on this titled ‘Noir et Noir’ (and a few other connected scenes such as ‘Japon Noir‘ and ‘Noir Anthracite’) and it captures the same essence. I still don’t love it enough to splurge on Mr. Ford’s bottle, especially with the attached cost in Benjamins.  

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Future Projections

Last year at this time I was doing my best to get over the darkness of the ‘PVRTD’ project and delving into painting and florals and all the whimsical wantonness of ‘Once Upon A Watercolor’ which means that this year I’m feeling a little unmoored. That’s ok for the time being when the focus is on other issues, and I already have a pair of projects lined up. Since 2020 is a year of anniversaries, these are happy and nostalgic look-backs, something I don’t always enjoy, but will in these cases. More details to come in the next few months.

Now seems as good a time as any to revisit some former projects too, so be sure to visit The Projects page and see what came before. The winter is fertile creative time, mostly because there is so little else to do. This year that’s not necessarily true, so I’ll keep busy on all fronts.

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Car Radio Romance: Andy & Rockin’ Ray Reunite

Dr. Ray and Andy will be teaming up for another car-themed radio show ~ â€œDr. Ray’s Retro Roadtrip & Reunion!” ~ one that promises to run the gamut from cars to music and all sorts of related items in-between. They always have a wonderful rapport that is fun to hear, so tune in to WRPI.org and give them a listen this afternoon and night – they start at 4 PM and go until they can’t go anymore. (In the past that’s brought them into the wee small hours of the earliest morning.) They occasionally take requests (I’ve asked them to play ‘Body Shop’ and ‘Turn Up the Radio’ more than they likely cared to indulge) and they have been good sports about including some sort of Madonna in their show, so this time I’m turning the turn-tables on them and dedicating this one from my blog to their radio program. It’s a little ditty from Tiffany, that Queen of Malls from the apex of the ‘80s. While best known for her remake of ‘I Think We’re Alone Now’ and the heart-wrenching ballad ‘Could’ve Been’ she also put out this radio-friendly and radio-celebratory song entitled simply ‘Radio Romance.’

All that’s missing is a Radio Shack, and it could be 1988 all over again.

THE DJ KNOWS MY VOICE NOW
HE EVEN KNOWS MY CHOICE NOW
HE NEVER SAYS MY NAME
HE JUST SAYS “FROM THE ONE
WHO LOVES YOU BABY”

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No Photos, Please

With the advent of the ubiquitous camera phone, as perfectly-focused images become standard fodder, decent pictures are a dime a dozen. True there is a great deal to be said for composition and the skilled rendering of light, shadow, subject and movement, but these days it’s much easier to get a lovely image with the touch of a phone screen. Because of that, I haven’t been putting as much effort into presenting images as I once did, and it certainly shows.

I will still slow things down and go back to my trusted Canon for serious projects and photographs that mean a little bit more to me {see ‘PVRTD’ and ‘The Delusional Grandeur Tour’ for example} but for the purposes of this casual blog, I don’t really bother much with a real camera anymore. (Again, you’ve probably noticed.)

I guess this is my way of publicly working out the next steps for The Pictures page. Is it worth revamping? With the ease and instantaneous possibility of presentation provided by Instagram and other social media, what is the point of updating the photo pages at all? Part of me feels what’s there can remain as an archived bookmark to the past, and part of me feels I should do something with it, bring it into whatever modern version photographs are granted these days. I’m a dinosaur when it comes to such matters, and worse, a dinosaur that doesn’t give a fuck.

Maybe I need to talk this over with my webmaster.

Maybe I need to find the inspiration to dazzle again.

Maybe it’s time to let the old ways die.

(Most likely scenario: maybe I just leave it alone and pretend we never had this dilemma.)

PS – Follow me on Instagram just in case I migrate there for good. 

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We Need A Little Hunk Post

Actually, we need a Big Hunk Post right about now, as we slip into the January winter doldrums. To pump that post up, here’s a collection of hunks who have played a part in raising the heat of this blog on numerous occasions, and most continue to do so as evidenced by the pictures presented here. First up is Kevin Love, whose naked and formidable stature anchored his Hunk of the Day feature, further solidifying the glory that is the ESPN Body issue.

Next is Gus Kenworthy in a leopard Speedo, combining two of my favorite things in the world. Mr. Kenworthy has appeared totally naked here, and totally nude here, and a totally naked and nude Gus Kenworthy is a sight worth clicking.

Jake Quickenden gave his own cheeky turn to his Hunk of the Day post, while Steve Grand has made a big splash of late in his underwear, shelling for his own line of skivvies

Perennial ginger favorite Greg Rutherford is seen to best advantage in this epic pictorial

Lee Pace gives good face as seen here, and gave a little more in his Hunk of the Day post. Tom Hiddleston made a magical Loki for Marvel, and a hotter GIF here.

Bringing up the back-end of this post in beautiful and bodacious fashion, this is Jonathan Tucker’s fine bottom. See more of it here

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Take The Time, Do It Right

BABY WE CAN DO IT
TAKE THE TIME DO IT RIGHT
WE CAN DO IT BABY…

Does a weekend go by faster when you cram a ton of activities into it or when you sit around and literally do nothing for two days? For a while I though that the best way to slow down time was to do nothing. Waiting or simply existing seemed a proper stimulus for slowing things down. But when I think over weekends of lots of activity versus no activity, it’s actually the ones that are filled with things that seem to last the longest. Travel and exploration seem to expand the concept and feeling of time, while staying inside and not venturing anywhere actually speed it up. It’s something I’m still working out in my mind. And this is where I begin my mindful work-outs, right here in these words, right here on this blog. It is my laboratory, my playground, my greatest experiment, and my safety zone. In the stillness and quiet of a thoughtful morning, when the world is mostly still asleep, at least in this particular time zone, I begin to formulate such thoughts. Perhaps they will lead to action, perhaps they will lead to nothing.

Perhaps I just want that lead singer’s golden caftan dress.

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The First Weekly Recap of 2020 Sans Clothing

If Baby New Year can run around all naked and cherubic, then so the hell can I. Here’s to your own nude romps in the New Year. May your home be warm, and may your bits and bobs be forever swaddled. (Be wary of scratchy bows covered in glitter. They may not be your friend.) On with the first recap of the year, and me naked but for some glasses and tinsel and a big scratchy bow!

We cannot begin without first finishing up last year’s business, and what a bad bunch of business it was. If you think you can handle it again, here is the 2019 Year in Review: Part One, Part Two and Part Three. (I just thank sweet baby New Year and little baby Jesus that there was no Part Four.)

The only good thing about the way 2019 ended may have been this super-collection of Hunks

2020 begins in black and white, and hazy shades of gray. 

Letting the old shit go

The Waiting was over as the Madonna Timeline returned with this entry from the ‘Erotica’ era

Snoopy and Woodstock greet winter

My winter fragrance: Birch and Black Pepper by Jo Malone.

Winter songs for winter snow.

Ben Cohen bangs in the New Year in his underwear

Who wants to have fun with filters? Hint: not me. 

A Jello Renaissance: the craziest dessert I’ve ever made.

Even in plaid flannel, I will sparkle and shine

New hunks of the day included Benjamin Melzer, Matt Rogers, Mohamed Saleh, Omar Sharif Jr., and Lee Sun-Kyun.

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Live-Tweeting the Golden Globes 2019

A few people asked me if I would be live-tweeting the Golden Globes, and while I enjoyed the past season of film, I’m not sure I’ll last the whole night. I will do my best, but I find myself less interested and obsessed with these things when the world around us is burning down, in some places quite literally. But frivolity has its place, and its importance, perhaps especially in such a world, so let’s do our best. Before it even begins, I’ll let you know the three people to whom I am most looking forward to seeing: Billy Porter, Nicole Kidman and Cate Blanchett. I believe the first two are definitely going, and my fingers are crossed for the third. Keep checking back for updates as I add them.

Billy Porter is divinity and heaven in a standing white swan outfit.

Christina Applegate – love her, hate what her dress is doing for her.

Ben Platt – keeping it classy in a well-fitted tuxedo. Classy but boring. Save that kind of thing for the Oscars.

Margot Robbie – The dress has pockets, so I guess I’ll just pretend to be happy for her.

Ana de Armas – The danger of black sequins is the garbage-bag effect. Word is not yet out as to whether she steered clear of the danger.

Kit Harington – Decked out all in black – black on black on black – and I’m guessing everyone would rather see him in naked and nude.

Rami Malek in Yves St. Laurent is a perfectly-fitted vision.

For me, it’s all about Jennifer Aniston’s classic tousled-hair. 

Jodie Comer is giving the Green Monster a run for its money. 

Taron Egerton is in a back tuxedo. And bow tie. Calm down. 

Kerry Washington’s ensemble is why double-tape exists.

Kirsten Dunst – I don’t know… I want to like it. And I do love pink. I’m just not sure. Maybe it’s the neckline, or lack there-of. 

Jennifer Lopez – Oh no. No bow. No no no no no. 

Tiffany Haddish – One step short of a Grecian Goddess. But it’s a big step. 

Awkwafina – If we have to ask if that’s a chest hair situation, it’s not working. 

Gwyneth Paltrow – When tulle attacks. Brown tulle. Rhymes with ‘stool’. As in sample. 

Charlize Theron – Torn in the best possible way. I am loving and hating it equally, which means it will probably be my favorite of the evening. I still like a challenge. 

Daniel Craig – I miss the baby blue square-cut.

Nicole Kidman – Divine scarlet elegance, and structurally astounding. The epitome of how to skillfully architect a dress. 

Paul Rudd – He can wear anything and look cute. Even that boring tux. 

Nick Jonas – If International Male was still in business…

Keegan-Michael Key – That is one big-ass bow tie, and I dig it.

Ansel Elgort – Cleans up better shirtless

Renee Zellweger – Love the color, hate the cut. She’s gorgeous in it, just my personal preference craves something more.

Scarlett Johansson –  When your husband is prettier than your dress.

Glenn Close – Exquisite color, and mentioned solely for the link.

Chris Evans – Finally! A tux with a colorful twist! I like it so much I don’t even care he’s not naked (like he is here)

Annette Bening – So severe! 

Matt Bomer vs. Sofia Vergara – Best battle of the night! And it wasn’t even over Joe Manganiello

Beyonce – Did they have to sit you in a different section for those shoulder puffs? 

Taylor Swift – The requisite curtain-comment moment. Wasn’t sure we’d get one, so thanks Tay-Tay! 

Jason Momoa – Tank top. Naked. Whatever. You win. 

Cate Blanchett – Oh they are going to hate it, but I quite love it. Aside from the hair – why that hair? 

Let’s end this on a high note: Brad Pitt in a tuxedo, serving classic golden tresses and reminding us of who we used to be. (Oh, and Brad Pitt shirtless.)

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