Like Fine Wine: 11 Men Who Only Got Better With Age

I found this list of 11 actresses who got better with age and had to post my own male equivalent. Note, it's not really that they got sexier (I mean Rob Lowe...sexy from day one, literally), it's that they've literally aged (physically and mentally...at least as far as I can tell) well. There's just something about a man with eye-wrinkles and adult confidence that's just nice. These lovely gents are not in any order.

Shia LaBeouf: Curled-headed and adorable in Even Stevens, confident hotness for recent blockbusters, and, yes, I've seen him with the long hair. It's just another phase in Shia's movement to adulthood. Still maturing that one.

Will Smith: OK, so we all thought he was cute during Fresh Prince of Bel-Air...weren't those 90s colors wild?...but, as a father and husband he's just become 'swoon' worthy.

George Clooney: There really is no comparison. Loved him as Falconer in Sisters, but when I think of distinguished actors the likes of Cary Grant and Paul Newman I always think of Mr. Clooney. Verve.

Patrick Demsey: I watched Grey's Anatomy for two years because of this guy. I truly loved his scrawny nerdy self in Can't Buy Me Love and In the Mood, but I absolutely adore him as a father in Enchanted and in real life and, really, what nice eyes and hair and smile.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt: So, I remember one time he was on a late-night talk show barefoot, long faded jeans, v-necked t, cross-legged playing the guitar and I realized he was no longer cute little Tommy from 3rd Rock from the Sun...he was someone else all grown up and now that he's over 30...

Simon Baker: Pretty smile, lovely hair, Australian and manly eye-crinkles (you can read more about my love/admiration/swooning for him in this post)...nice to look at in his early years, but more than quite the dreamboat today, and there are some cute pictures online of he and his wife and sons that are just too sweet, and, then there's this interview...such manly and nice things to say.

Rob Lowe: Um, yeah...I love Rob Lowe...more now than I did in 1988, if that's at all possible (I did have about 5 posters of him on my wall, one was that iconic big one from St. Elmo's Fire). It might have something to do with Stories I Only Tell My Friends.

Mark-Paul Gosselaar: Remember Zach's rather large cell-phone? Well, I do, and I thought he was cool and hip. Gosselaar is still cool and hip, but without all that fidgety teen boy stuff. And, it's pretty cool that he can make fun of himself.

Jerry O'Connell: I didn't need to pick the pic of Jerry O'Connell from Stand By Me to show how much he's changed, from the mid 90s (think Sliders), there's even been a change in O'Connell's everything, although I think he may have always been this goofy and full of fun...which, frankly, is why I chose the 2nd picture...pumping gas in a Speedo...so funny, I almost didn't notice he was wearing...OK, I did. And, his kids are cute and his wedding pics are lovely and...

David Duchovny: I have spent the last 17 years loving myself some David Duchovny...in a speedo, wearing a tea-cup and only a tea-cup or being interviewed. He's so smart and pithy and...well, pretty. His lovely, sexy voice finally has a man face to go with it.

Robert Downey Jr.: I remember reading an interview with him in like some sort of teen magazine in the 80s, he seemed incredibly cocky...little did I know all the many reasons why. Look at this man now! And, boy can he sing!

Who do you think has improved with age?

I'm in grading pergatory...but there's no reason why you have to be there with me!

I'm reading Rob Lowe's autobiography (Hey, don't judge! It's friggin' awesome!). While I grade feel free to...

Look at this...

I don't feel comfortable telling you what my
12 year-old brain thought of this picture!

Or, read this...Chapter One can be found at Oprah and, my friend Amanda tells me that his family was on the show and the interview was fantastic! Darn you Oprah, darn you!!!

Or, listen to this...Vanity Fair has Mr. Lowe reading an excerpt from said book...here.

And, did you see this cover?...talk about aging well...

Well, off to grade some more...you ENJOY yourself!!!

Made in Australia, or Why I Get Weak in the Knees Everytime I Watch TV nowadays

So, I was watching The Glades over the weekend *strike that* So, I was watching the whole first season of The Glades over the weekend and I have decided I have my new crush/Fall distraction.

Two words: Matt Passmore

After about three episodes, I recognized his accent was a bit off...oh! not in a bad way...you know with words that have strong vowels like 'hour', 'anger' and 'shot'! I googled me some Mr. Passmore and found out that he hails from Australia. Now, here's the thing, Matt (I'm sure he won't mind if I call him Matt from now on) isn't my first TV crush from Australia...it would seem that many of the lead male roles that I've felt compelled to oogle happen to be from the land Down Under. I've compiled a list:

Julian McMahon
Where I've seen him in the US: Charmed, Nip/Tuck
Why you should stalk him on HULU or wherever you can find him: He has lovely teeth, a pretty smile and great hair. As Dr. Christian Troy, he was that bad boy you love; conflicted and honest (really), unlike his counterpart Shawn, and confident and strong...oh, and he has nice hands...you get to see them a lot (along with other parts of his anatomy) when watching Nip/Tuck. He's good at playing conflicted...remember demon/human Cole, anyone?

Alex O'Loughlin
Where I've seen him in the US: Moonlight, Hawaii 5-0, that horrible depressing show about organ donations called Three Rivers, The Shield
Why you should stalk him on HULU or wherever you can find him: What I like most about Mr. O'Loughlin (or is that O'Lachlan) is his eyes...yes, it's his eyes...If you haven't watched Moonlight might I suggest it, I mean who doesn't like a crime-fighting vampire? I'm sure I would have liked Three Rivers had its concept not been so darned depressing. I also really like him in the movie Oyster Farmer (accent intact) and, oh yeah, there's this little show called Hawaii 5-0 where he's shirtless a friggin' lot. If you're into that sort of thing...

Simon Baker
Where I've seen him in the US: The Guardian, a short lived show Smith, The Mentalist
Why you should stalk him on HULU or wherever you can find him: Curly, blonde hair and manly eye wrinkles. There for awhile I wasn't really sure that I was going to get to see him on television, his shows weren't making it and then The Mentalist happened. Simon Baker has an excellent laugh and he does it a lot in this show. This show is smart (even if you know the ending as the formula never changes...it's fun to see how they get to it) and funny and also quite serious and sometimes down-right bloody. There's also a lovely British man (Owain Yeoman) disguising himself as an All-American if you aren't into my Aussie friend. But, how could you not want to see Simon everyday?

Jesse Spencer
Where I've seen him in the US: House
Why you should stalk him on HULU or wherever you can find him: He's using his own accent playing sniveling little doctor Robert Chase on House. Although he is pretty, I'm not particularly interested in his character on House as he mostly mopes around and whines and has only just begun (feel free to sing) to work for and appreciate what he has. I do, however, like his character in Uptown Girls and I think that he sings for real...sigh... If you don' watch House for Mr. Spencer, you can always watch it for Hugh Laurie, Dr. House, himself.

and
Matt Passmore
Where I've seen him in the US: The Glades
Why you should stalk him on HULU or wherever you can find him: I enjoy a show that has some good sexual tension, just ask me how I feel about Mulder and Scully or Booth and Bones or Sam and Diane (yes, I started early!)...seriously, it's almost obsession. I liked this show from the start because of  the dynamic between the two main characters Jim Longworth and Callie (oh, and I also like the name Callie). I am also a sucker for clever, pithy dialogue. This show rocks. Don't believe me? At one time they were letting people download the Season 1 Episode 1 script for your e-reader. It's a good read, especially if you enjoy a good script, which I do!

And, if the above isn't enough...
Here's an interesting post talking about the Aussie Invasion from a lovely blog I stumbled upon called waxing lyrical and philosophic. It highlights both males and females and gives you a little background, something my little comments are lacking, well unless you're looking for eye-candy via the boob tube.