Music Crush

Like Allison, I had to wrack my brain over the celebrity crush thing. Maybe it's the fact that I don't have a TV anymore, or that I don't go to the movies because the flicker rate means a killer migraine. (In fact, my husband and I have a unique movie rating system - Is it worth a migraine to see it on the big screen, yes or no? FYI - the last movie that was a 'yes' was the first Sherlock Holmes movie. Ironman was, too. Hmm. Perhaps I should consider crushing on RDJr.)

Had you asked me about celebrity train wrecks, I'd have been all over that. There's something stupidly compelling about watching someone shoot themselves repeatedly in the feet. In public. It's a bit of 'how not to do it' education, right? BUT. That wasn't our topic.

So. No TV. Few movies. What do I crush on? Music. And I do mean the music - very rarely, since I aged out of my early twenties, do I develop crushes on actual people. It's the rhythm and a band's particular sound that I return to again and again like a junkie jonesing for a fix. Yeah, okay, so it doesn't hurt if the band members are cute. You already know about my Pendulum fixation. Well. There's a new kid in town.

Delhi 2 Dublin is a band out of Vancouver, BC. They are exactly what their name suggests - a mash up of Indian and Celtic music. They are an eclectic, international blend of musicians and their music brings instruments and sounds together that I never imagined could work out to so much fun. I won't link in any of the YouTube vids of these guys because every single one I've looked at has horrific sound quality. They have a couple of albums out. But this group is at it's best and most dynamic when they're playing live. They're playing relatively small venues right now, but that is going to change. My music crush on this band has reached the point that I've decided I need to make enough money writing that I can hire them to play an RT Readers party one year. But no pressure.

D2D's website: http://www.delhi2dublin.com

Crushing

by Allison Pang

I've been thinking on and off about this topic for the last few days and to be honest...I'm at a bit of a loss. I mean, it's not that I don't crush to celebrities - I do...but not as much as I used to. (Maybe I just don't have time.)

When I was younger, crushing was easy. All a young girl had to do was get the latest issue of Bop or Tiger Beat or whatever fluff piece of crap mag that was out. And it would be full of little pull outs and pin ups of hottie teenage superstars, along with cute little nuggets of information guaranteed to make our pre-teen hearts swoon.

"You mean Hottie McHotterson likes kittens and long walks on the beach too? OMG we're SOUL-MATES!"

And of course, this was all before Twitter and Facebook and all that fun social networking stuff that so many celebrities have embraced, so the most we could do is send off a letter to a fanclub address somewhere and be ecstatic when we got a signed print 6 months later.

And that was about it. You watched them in your favorite TV show or movie and dreamed your little dreams and off you went.

And maybe that's all it really should be about. Because these days it's all too easy to get more than a casual glimpse into a celebrity's life. And while we're usually only seeing one facet of their personality, sometimes that's more than enough to break the illusion of who we thought they were. (And it really can get depressing - drug use, explosive tempers, conflicting political views, whatever.)

At any rate, to stay on topic here, I don't know if I have any celebrity crushes at this point. And those of you who know me are going to wag your fingers and say "what about *that* guy?" And you'd be right...except I've met him a few times and the reality doesn't live up to the hype. One of the dangers of actually cutting through that fourth wall, I suppose. (And no, I'm not naming names.)

I'll admit to liking a fair number of the people listed by my fellow word-whores this week - Viggo, Hugh Jackman, Johnny Depp - but as I analyze who I find myself crushing on, it's pretty obvious to me that it's way more than just a pretty face. As has been pointed out earlier, for celebs, they all seem to have their heads on straight, with stable family lives...and who often march to the beat of their own drum.

And if I want to go super deep, I'll admit to myself that it's not even the celebrity I that I might be crushing on, but the character they play. Two totally different things (and a rather unfair comparison...because really, Hugh Jackman *isn't* Wolverine, no matter how much I might wish it. Although it does crack me up to learn that his wife made him keep his X-men costume for...personal use. And if it was me? I'd do it too.)

Crushing on the Character of Celebrities

by KAK 

Do you really want my crush, celebrities? Let me know. Cuz if you really want my fangrrldom, I suggest you learn to manage temptation. Ain't got no respect for silly games, it ain't even worth a Like on Facebook.

Okay, okay, okay, so I completely destroyed Salt-N-Peppa's masterpiece...

The point remains -- I have a thing for celebrities who have character. Not a persona. Not a scripted state of being. I mean moral fiber. The sort of personal attributes that should be celebrated. Respected. Emulated.

Yes, yes, I'm aware my perception of them is mostly controlled by what third parties choose to report. Yes, I take it all with a bucket of salt. Yes, having someone like Tuck tell me of the respect Nathan Fillion shows for his fans means a lot more than a report from E! News.

Now that you know my criteria, here are my top 3 Celebrities with Character crushes:

1.  Hugh Jackman -- He's a classic triple threat without being a Diva. He is a mighty fine piece of eye candy who doesn't take himself too seriously. More importantly, he's been married for 15 years, has two children, a dog, and respect for his family. You don't hear about him stepping out on his wife. You do see pics of him playing with his kids and the delight on their faces. His most recent charity effort is LaughingMan Coffee.

2. Trace Adkins -- I have a thing for dudes with deep voices and ponytails. He has a wicked sense of humor and is quick to call bullshit. Sure, he's tall, tall, glass of 100% hick. There is no denying the craycray that went along with his youth. What redeems him is he owns up to it. He stands accountable for his failures. He is devoted to his family and his country (I'm referring to the US Armed Forces). If you support our men and women on the front, even when you don't support the politics that sent them there, you have my respect.

3. Dolly Parton -- Oh yes. I have mad love for Dolly. It goes beyond her talents as a singer, songwriter, and actress. It's more than the fabulous wigs and devotion to rhinestones. I adore her self-deprecating humor. She can throw down a quip as easily as doll out a compliment -- and she's not stingy with either. She earned my undying devotion when she created steady employment for thousands of people in her community. She didn't just toss money at them and say "good luck with that." No, she's not out there locking down the roller coaster, but she still does shows there. She made a commitment to her community and she delivers.

So, my dear readers, which celebrity's personal character attracted you?

I AM A VERY SECURE MAN. (or in which James discusses his man-crushes which are not few in number)

Celebrity crushes. Well, pull up a chair kiddos and let's talk about my celebrity crushes. Being the only man 'round these here parts I bet you thought you were gonna pull up a bunch of pictures of pretty ladies. Well, you would be wrong. lol. Keeping in the spirit of my fellow word whores I am gonna share with you my man-crushes. Yep. I have man-crushes on some celebrities. Now let's preface this all with a brief aside and a bit of an explanation. I am not a pretty man. I know this. I have a lot of look going on with my size, the tattoos, the shaved head, the goatee. I look like a thug. I am just fine with this. The Missus likes it and I have no problem with my appearance. No low self-esteem at all. So while I am not actually attracted to other men I do have a measuring stick for if a man is attractive. I look and I say:" would I trade places with him in the looks department?" If the answer is yes, then he is attractive. If the answer is no, then he isn't. Some of this is based on the actor's appearance, some on their personality, and some, truthfully on the roles they play. So here is the list of the man-crushes currently going on, along with an explanation for each. 

 4) Timothy Olyphant This one is directly tied to his role as US Marshall Raylan Givens. If you aren't watching Justified then shame on you. This is a badass show and Olyphant is acting his ass off in it. Damn his character is cool. This is the level of quiet badassery that little boys strive for when they are trying to be cool. Like Gregory Peck in TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, Marshal Raylan Givens just shows up and does the work. 

 3) John Barrowman Not only is John Barrowman the "straight version of Tom Cruise" (Thank you Joan Rivers) he is one charming sonnuvabitch. He is funny, clever, and witty. Watch him host shows on the BBC, sing on stage in musicals, or kick alien ass as Captain Jack Harkness on Torchwood and he does it all with style. He still holds resentment for being turned down for the role of Will on Will and Grace for being too straight (John is openly gay and has been in a long term relationship with his partner Scott for EVER) and then having the role given to an actual straight actor. He has the movie star good looks and winning personality to make the list. Whenever I am famous and doing a UK book tour I want to meet him and Scott and then me and The Missus can go to their house for dinner. 

 2) Nathan Fillion The Missus and I had our picture taken with Nathan at Dragoncon. That is one charming bastard. Seriously. It's not so much the looks, but all that charm he oozes in Castle, that's the real deal. At the photo thing he was tired, bone tired, you could see the dark circles under his eyes and he had the world's biggest coffee, but he was still full of energy and cracking jokes. 

 And finally 1) Dwayne Johnson Okay, admit it. Dwayne Johnson is the pinnacle of male perfection. Seriously. He's not even a sexual object as much as what an artist would draw if told to design the ultimate male physique. The sonnuvabitch is carved from marble. Plus he is a pretty good actor and has more than his share of charm. He can swing from ass-kicking action to charming and tender-hearted, to downright damn funny. He's the person I had in mind to play Deacon Chalk if a movie is ever made. Ya hear that Dwayne? Do you smell what the Tuck is cookin'? An BTW, thank you all for all the books you have bought and all the reviews, posts, and comments you have made for my new book BLOOD AND BULLETS. I am truly grateful for just how supportive you have all been.

Crushing on Neil & Amanda

by Jeffe Kennedy

I'm not hugely into celebrity crushes. Some of the blogger gals do boyfriend of the week. Sister bordello-occupant Allison Pang has her Midnight Man Candy. There are actors I particularly like, but looking at the pretty pictures just doesn't do all that much for me.

I need a story.

I know, I know - I'm such a girl.

See, even this meme with Ryan Gosling doesn't really light me up. They are funny, with the "Hey Girl..." followed by some sort of impossible female fantasy. There's even one on Twitter now for the Gosling Literary Agency, with the profile tag line: Hey Girl, your manuscript made me cry. I can see how they're amusing, with lines like Hey Girl, gonna negotiate your contract now. No, no, you go get a coffee. I can't...I don't want you to hear me raise my voice.

But this is the one that grabs my little writer-girl heart:


I admit it: I have a total crush on Neil Gaiman. More, I have an uncharacteristically bi-crush on both him and his wife, Amanda Fucking Palmer. If you know nothing about her, watch this video at least. It's not entirely safe for work, though it's all suggestive with nothing really showing.



I love that these two very different, creative and off-beat artists found each other. I think that it's great that they managed to put together this marriage where they're both off intensely doing their own things.

I confess that I worry about them.

This is the true celebrity crush, I think, where I feel like I know these two. Like they're already my friends. And, like the worst of nosy friends, I worry about them. I want to ask if they spend enough time together. Are they happy? I want to invite them over for wine and dinner so we can all dish about our latest projects.

I read their blogs and mentally respond.

When they were in Santa Fe visiting George R.R. Martin and I didn't find out until afterwards, I felt irrationally hurt. I mean - they could have called!

Still and all, I don't think this kind of this is particularly unhealthy. It's good to have people who embody certain goals for us. In the past, it used to be the nobility, the kings and queens and descending royals who we admired and emulated. Or the church elders or great philosophers. Today the pundits snark that our new royalty are the Hollywood stars, implying that these are empty people to look to.

I'm not sure it's wrong. It's all part of the fantasy, crushing on the hot guy, fantasizing about being as beautiful as Keira Knightly, thinking that Johnny Depp would probably totally fall for me, if he only just took the time to get to know me. That Ryan Gosling would make the best literary agent ever.

And, you know, if Neil and Amanda had just called me, I would totally have had them over for dinner.

It would have been a wonderful evening, too.