methodwriter85

So how long have you been wearing yours? ;-) Kidding. I've always pictured you as a well-kept, well-groomed preppy dude, who looks like he stepped out of some J. Crew catalog and was president of his fraternity back in the 90's. Right down to blond hair with a perfect side part. I do think a minimum, Will would do the scruffy look. That seems very him. I don't think it would be sculpted crazy like some guys are doing, but I do see him rocking stubble like 70 percent of young guys I'm seeing right now. Not really because it's trendy, but because again, it'd be very him and I think as the result of it being trendy and acceptable he wouldn't be pressured to be clean-shaven, the way he would have been back in the early/mid-'00s at the height of the Metrosexual Craze. He'd probably also have a tattoo, but as Mark said, not somewhere easily visible. Probably somewhere on his pec. I'm actually surprised you even admitted that beards ARE trendy now. I thought you'd say, "I don't know about your neck of the woods in Delaware, but over here in California there is no beard craze." Then I'd say, "Well, that thread was started by a guy from San Diego", and you'd go, "Hun, San Diego doesn't count." Or something. Also, aren't most guys in their 20's total douchebags in one way or another? It's why I'm looking forward to 30-something...guys hopefully get less douchey at that age. Don't they?

Do I have to answer that?

That's basically my intention. I wish I could sit around a comedy club and have comedians read aloud passages from this horrible, horrible book. Which is funny, because she's the daughter of 80's sex symbols Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson. I think Dakota Johnson is interesting-looking, but in a relatable way, which probably helps with the character. Movies are $9.75 where you live? We gotta pay like $11.50.

So, yeah. Fifty Shades of Grey is being released this week in time for Valentine's Day. Fandango is reporting that its pre-sales are through the roof for an R-rated movie. Anyone planning on seeing the movie? Me, I absolutely loved reading the book for shits n giggles. Seriously, it was the most trainwreck-y "so bad it's good" read I've ever had. I would sit in the corner of Barnes and Noble, reading the book and laughing my ass off. I'm curious to see whether or not they were able to take such shitty source material and make it into a legitimate movie. Here's a clip: Yeah, they didn't remind me of Bella and Edward at ALL. LOL.

Early in his career, I remember Tatum gave an interview about his shaved head and how it allowed him to play ethnic parts. He tended towards playing urban hood-type characters- She's The Man was very different from his usual early roles. I mean, I've been crushing on the guy ever since his Mountain Dew commercial so eh.

There's a thread in the Lounge about the current beard craze. The whole thing is funny to me, because I grew up during the Metrosexual Era, so seeing once-preppy frat guys and such wearing beards and stubble is pretty funny. I do think it can be hot on the right guy, and in the right moderation. Who of our CAP characters can you see rocking the beard thing when it starts to come in during the late 2000's/early 2010's? I'd say Will, Matt, and Zach. If we see them again, Jeff, Ryan, and Tony would probably rock beards. Definitely "Scott Slater", if he's not wearing one already. John would try, but can't grow anything better than a patchy beard. Wade and JJ, absolutely not. JP, maybe. Stefan, probably not because the maintenance to die the beard to blond would be too much. I think Marcel and Lou would stick to the metrosexual thing. Not sure about Cody. The beard thing can pretty fucking hot on the right guy and in the right moderation. Exhibit A: Colin O'Donogue as Captain Hook: I think beards are best on guys with long faces and thin-upper lips.

I'm pretty accepting of gas prices as long as they're under $3.50. After they hit about $3.75, I get rageful.

Chapter 42 -When JJ throws yet another pity party for himself in the opening minutes of his 17th birthday. "At 17" by Janis Ian I had this song on a cd called "Billboard Top Hits of 1975" when I was 15, and I loved the tune. -When JJ has Alex make love to him. "Hero" by Enrique Iglesias His videos were so fucking ridiculous in the best way. LOL. -When Alex gives JJ an ancient amulet for his birthday. "Queen of My Heart" by Westlife Westlife was pretty good. Too bad they weren't big here in the U.S. Were you a big fan of them, West?

I think it's an interesting psychological hook here- JJ is reminiscing about turning 15, when we know that at this time, he was basically alienated from his entire family except for Robbie, and he was being molested. The kid is very, very good at compartmentalizing. I also think it's interesting that he doesn't really seem to think about his mother. I think he's still very, very angry at her. You would imagine though that before that big 15th birthday blowout, Jeanine probably was the only one that really made a big deal out of his birthdays, especially when he was little. Finally, JJ playing Alex like a fiddle was pretty hilarious. I think that was the best way to do it, rather than trying anything overt to get back at Mary Ellen.

They've said that the sequel is going to be more fun. Given that they ditched Alex Pettyfer and Cody Horn, it makes sense.

Mr. Sheffield from The Nanny as the Duke? He works well as the distinguished, elder gentlemen from Britain.

The sequel to Magic Mike just dropped its trailer... I will say this about Channing Tatum...boy knows how to move. Hot damn.

Yeah. I imagine the porn industry has taken a big hit from the availability of free internet porn and all the independent webcams that have been set up, as well as the collapse of video rental stores. Anyway, you make great points. The thing is that East Coast/Rustbelt cities made over industrial sites that were no longer in use, in industries that were dying off and/or being moved overseas. In this case, it's an industry that is very much in demand. From the same guy and on a related topic...check out this video exploring Los Angeles State Historic Park, which has been built on the site of the old railroad depot: It'll be interesting to see what the park looks like when it's re-opened and the trees are there. These are the plans of what they're supposed to look like.

Nah, he's totally cute. I'm pretty sure he's married, though. Note the ring.

I think that's the thing about post-World War II suburbs- they're all basically alike, save for variations in income level, topography, and weather. It's a weird thing to have grown up in the suburbs, but of course my experience was tempered by the fact that I went to an urban performing arts high school instead of some suburban school. Although in my state, most of the northern suburban high schools have gotten taken over by gangs and anyone who is at least solid middle class has their kid in private school or charters. Anyway, Blue...this one's for you. Should Piggyback Yard be turned into a park, or should it continue as it is? Or could there be some kind of compromise? Of course we gotta consider that the guy narrating this pretty much has an obvious slant towards it and he's making absolutely no bones about it. I love hipsters.

That's a great way to put it. This is hot: But when you go full-on Duck Dynasty...no.

Three brothers with an apparently great sense of humor (and parents who held on to A LOT from their childhood) decided to recreate their childhood photos, and this was the result. I figured anyone who's either had the experience of being a parent, or being someone who grew up with siblings and remembers their silly childhood photos, would appreciate this. The attention to detail was fantastic, and I loved that you can tell that these brothers are very close to each other. I also thought it was funny that the youngest brother basically grew up like a head taller than his other brothers. This has been done before, but I really liked how these particular set of siblings pulled it off with the facial expressions. Also I find the middle brother very cute in a former-funny-frat-boy way. LOL. I would so want to do this, but we moved around too much as kids, and there's very little left from our childhood. Also, my childhood was honestly pretty shitty and traumatizing. Still, it's cool to see people who obviously had very loving and nice childhoods deciding to celebrate their parents for giving that gift to them.

I studied that song in a class I took on the 1960's in college. Mainly about the conformity and status symbols of the suburbs. I didn't know that was specifically supposed to be about the Valley. Someone's making "Baby Boomer" tributes to the Valley... Has anyone ever seen the movie "Foxes"? It's kind of how I imagine what growing up in Late 1970's San Fernando Valley must have been like. It starred Jodie Foster as a teenaged girl with divorced parents who lives fast times with her friends. It's a great little gem that really feels like it's capturing a time and place.

I'm going to admit I have this weird fascination with The Valley. I think it's because it's kind of the ultimate, definitive suburb of the 20th century, and the bulk of my life has been spent in suburbia. Delaware is basically one big suburb for Philly and D.C./Baltimore, and New Jersey in the early 90's was pretty much the height of the suburban mall era. Plus, I love the 1980's, and the whole Valley Girl thing. I also think it's fascinating how distinct the dialect was, at least according to Moon Unit Zappa. I'm not sure I see any of these characters going to the Valley, though. Still, I wish I could've seen Sherman Oaks Galleria back in its glorious 80's hey-day.

These tunes are basically what I'd consider the core of my heart. They're tunes I can't ever get sick of. Check 'em out. "Heart Songs" 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. (1997 live version) 6. " 7. 8. 9. 10. The mass bulk of these songs are from the 1990's. Shocker. LOL I've never come across a song that depicts youth in it's pure, beautiful form better than "1979" does. God, I can't tell you how much I love that song.

I really think Mary Ellen imagines herself as Lady Granger, with a life of glamor and endless balls and parties and everyone swooning at her feet. I think she's in for a rude awakening when she learns what her place actually is, and it's some major schadenfreude coming her way. Mary Ellen is in for a pretty stifling and oppressive existence. We're already getting hints of it- who and what Mary Ellen is in no way impresses Alex or his crowd, and for someone who's considered the Republican equivalent of the Kennedy's, that's going to grate on her pretty badly. I really don't mind this storyline for those reasons. I'm also glad that the lovey-dovey threesome JJ imagined isn't happening. Thank god. He deserves better. I hope JJ eventually gets with classy Alexis Bledel and Nicholas Hoult types.

#BecauseIDied is trending on Twitter. The Dad is fucking hot.

The Dad in this commercial illustrates that "scruffy" look that is so popular right now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bd1qCi5nSKw

I've noticed the beard thing since about 2011, but it really kicked up over the last 2 years or so. It also has ranges. There's the Duck Dynasty look, but then there's also this: I've seen this one a lot. As well as that fucking haircut.