Number One!

My list has come to an end:

To jog your memory:
10. Chiwitel Ejiofor
9. James McAvoy
8. Jemaine Clement
7. Aidan Gillen
6. Raul Esparza
5. Mark Rylance
4. Roger Federer
3. David Morrissey
2. Emile Hirsch


And...



#1--Mathieu Almaric

A couple of years back, Hubs and I Netflixed one of those obscure foreign films he likes so much, an acclaimed French film called Kings and Queen. I had never seen Mathieu Almaric before that time, but his performance is one of my favorites from any male actor this decade. Soon thereafter, he was cast in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, and after that, a little indie called Quantum of Solace. (He's this Bond flick's antagonist.)
I normally don't go for Gallic types, but there's something strangely attractive about Almaric, and I look forward to his tete-a-tete with my guy, Daniel Craig.

Speaking of Mr. Craig...when I saw this week's Entertainment Weekly cover, I got all girly....OMG!!!1111!!!! He's so dreamy! Really great picture, much better than Zac Efron, eh?

One more six degrees of separation note between Craig and Almaric: They both appeared in Munich, the movie in which you will find quite possibly the most ridiculous sex scene ever put on film. I want to chuckle just thinking about it. I bet Steven Spielberg regrets that scene more than he does taking his name off of Three O'Clock High's producers credits.

And one more note about sex: There is a film on Almaric's filmography called, L'Histoire of Richard O, which is described as such on Wikipedia's "List of mainstream films with unsimulated sex":
"Contains several sex scenes between actor Mathieu Amalric and various actress, although no penetration is shown (lighting during sex scenes is generally dark, and camera angles are chosen to obscure what may or may not actually be happening). Erections are shown."

Uh...okay. I don't think I could handle all that.

Thanks for reading. I like lists, and I was glad I could actually finish this one. :)

YouTubes of the week:

The Afghan Whigs, "Blame, Etc."


The Whigs are one of those bands whose music is inextricably linked with a time of my life I'd rather forget. Still, Gentlemen is one of the best albums of the last twenty years, and I shouldn't let stupidity in my younger days cloud that fact (or informed opinion :)) Here's one of their better post-Gentlemen songs, Blame, Etc.
I regret not seeing Dulli and Co. open up for Aerosmith in 1999. (Strangest opening act/headliner combo I think I've heard of--I probably would have not stayed for those bombastic old fogeys.)

One more:
Bruce Cockburn, "Call It Democracy"


When I was going through some old Night Flight tapes, I came across this song. For whatever reason, I don't recall ever hearing it before--and this particular tape got a lot of airtime chez Karim Amir. I probably couldn't wrap my 13-year-old brain around the complex sociopolitic/socioeconomic arguments in the song (International Monetary Fund?). So many years later, I have revisited it...and it is quite freaking good.