Firewalker, with Chuck Norris and Lou Gossett, is one of my favorite films. It is so over the top, and it's great to see both Norris and Gossett Jr., known for serious/intense rolls, to have fun. Melody Thomas and John Rhys Davies are also in this.

The story? Norris and Gossett are adventurers always looking to make a buck. They are hired by Thomas to help find Aztec treasure, cross paths with an evil Aztec shaman, and manage to survive the whole escapade. The script is full of colorful characters, witty lines, and plenty of kick-boxing action.

It's pure action-adventure with no pretensions.

I mentioned John Berryman in class today. He is one of my favorite poets, so I thought I would share one of my favorite sonnets from his DREAM SONGS.

Dream Song 14

Life, friends, is boring. We must not say so.
After all, the sky flashes, the great sea yearns,
we ourselves flash and yearn,
and moreover my mother told me as a boy
(repeatingly) "Ever to confess you're bored
means you have no

Inner Resources." I conclude now I have no
inner resources, because I am heavy bored.
Peoples bore me,
literature bores me, especially great literature,
Henry bores me, with his plights & gripes
as bad as Achilles,
who loves people and valiant art, which bores me.
And the tranquil hills, & gin, look like a drag
and somehow a dog
has taken itself & its tail considerably away
into the mountains or sea or sky, leaving
behind: me, wag.

The Dream Songs by John Berryman
1969; New York, NY; Noonday Press


The DREAM SONGS are a complex maze of poems about a man's inner and outer demons, the refraction of his personality into different characters, the reaction of his father's suicide and the depression that grips him. They are part social commentary, often times using references and language that mean little to contemporary readers unfamiliar with the times. But the 300+ sonnets are worth getting through and then reading again.

Tip: to maximize your understanding, learn something about the minstral show tradition and Berryman's personal history. These both play important parts in the telling of Henry's story.

These are not in any order. They simply form a body of work that I enjoy for the lowest of reasons.

My first choice: SAHARA with Brooke Shields, Lambert Wilson, and John Rhys-Davies.

Talk about a stinker. Horrible script full of cliches and melodrama. Terrible acting by Shields - in fact, I'm not sure you can even call it acting at all, it's so bad.

So why do I like it? Well, Lambert Wilson is sexy in this movie - though he doesn't have enough screen time, IMHO. I admit, I certainly would not want to live in a tent in the Sahara, and I would assuredly find the culture stiffling; however the idea of so entrancing and bewitching a man that he is willing to kidnap me, and even defy his people for me, and then let me go to pursue my dream....well, that's the stuff of fantasy.

John Rhys-Davies probably does not include this on his acting resume. Even John Mills, Cliff Robertson, and Horst Bucholtz are in this awful film. The pay must have been pretty good.

The story: Dale (Shields) is the daughter of a auto designer in the early part of the 20th C. He dies testing a new car that he wants to enter in the Sahara race - a gruelling, men only test of machine and survival. To save her father's dream and the plant, she disguises herself as a boy and with the help of her father's friends, enters the race. Bon-bon, as the men call her, is a great driver, so she has a good chance of winning. After she crosses the start line and is out of reach, she tears off her wig and mustache, revealing her true sex.

Unfortunately, there is a tribal war going on in the desert. To take the known shortcut means traveling close to the conflict, but she's willing to do it to save her father's dream. So is Horst Bucholtz's character - an unscrupulous man who is suppling weapons to the evil leader of one of the tribes. The other leader, the youthful Jaffar (Wilson), has seen Dale and wants her for his own. But before he gets her, his uncle (Davies) comes across Dale and her crew and her car and takes them hostage. She is sent to his tent where she will become his woman. But Jaffar intercedes and saves Dale by claiming her as his bride.

Dale marries him, has sex, and then escapes the next morning in her car to finish the race. But alas, she is caught by the evil leader. A stow-a-way gypsy manages to run back and tell Jaffar what happens, and he rallies his men to finally defeat the evil leader. He rescues Dale from a pit of leopards, and in an act of selfless love, allows her the freedom to continue her race - believing that she will never return.

Well, Bon-bon wins the race, and as she is celebrating, she sees Jaffar's riderless stallion on the near dune. She says goodbye to her friends, mounts the horse, and rides back to Jaffar. He rushes out to meet her, mounts the horse, and they ride off into the sunset after a really awkward kiss.

This could have been a fun movie, but the script (a Golan-Globus production) is so bad and Shields is so bad, that the whole thing becomes pure melodrama. But it's still fun. And if you love romance, like I love romance, it's a great film to watch with your best friends.

I have to admit that these days, I find Battlestar Galactica more riveting than I do my beloved SG-1. This weekend I figured out in part why: no Jack O'Neill. And not just because I think he's a smorgasboard of sexy hunkdom.

I miss his commanding presence. See, Jack never sucked up to the rest of the team. With Daniel, he could be brutally honest because they were both driven to rid the universe of the Go-oulds, and Daniel was only on the team because of Jack, in the beginning. Jack was definitely the leader. He and Daniel were kind of ying-yang on the show: Daniel was intellectual, curious, and could put himself in other people's shoes (which meant that he often times would rather risk death and destruction in order to learn more about a culture, etc). Jack, though, was action-oriented, determined to fulfill the mission and keep his team alive. He usually didn't care for ancient cultural integrity, especially if it meant a danger to Earth. That doesn't mean he was insensitive or lacked intelligence, it just meant that his priorities were different than Daniel's. And Jack rarely whined (except about politicians and fools - and even then, it was more of that satirical word punching than a nagging complaint). Daniel, though, often whines, IMHO.

With Sam, Jack is also a superior, so she does what he tells her to, though she will present her opinion and argue. But he still doesn't have to worry about pissing her off.

With Teal'c, Jack was a peer when it came to being a warrior, but Teal'c still respected O'Neill as the leader. And he felt grateful because O'Neill saved him from Apophis and gave him the opportunity to free the Jaffa.

Currently, we have an imbalance of power on SG-1 because the leader, Cam Mitchell, has had to woo the other three members back to the team. He has not been able to be an aggressive, bottom line leader. Thus, Daniel has been the main decision maker. We also now have a much more active General in Landry, whereas Hammond trusted Jack's judgment and rarely stepped in to interfere.

So until Cam feels like the rest of the team is so committed to defeating the Ori that he can make decisions that they won't like but they wills till follow because he's the leader, we will have a power imbalance. I hope after last Friday's episode, Cam will stop acting like a supplicant and start behaving like a colonel.

I thought I would start posting the lyrics to some of my favorite songs.

This first song, "I Won't Send Roses," was written by Jerry Herman. My favorite cover of it is by Michael Feinstein (he integrates it with another song, "Time Heals Everything").

I won't send roses or hold the door.
I won't remember which dress you wore.
My heart is too much in control.
The lack of romance in my soul will turn you gray kid, so stay
away kid.
Forget my shoulder when you're in need.
Forgetting birthdays is guaranteed.
And should I love you, you would be the last to know.
I won't send roses, and roses suit you so.

My pace is frantic. My temper's cross.
With words romantic, I'm at a loss.
I'd be the first one to agree that I'm preoccupied with me.
And it's inbred kid, so keep your head kid.
In me you'll find things likes guts and nerve, but not the kind
things that you deserve.
And so while there's a fighting chance just turn and go.
I won't send roses, and roses suit you so.

I think that is so romantic and sad. A man who loves the woman so much that he's warning her off. The musical arrangement is beautiful - at times brusque and quick, and at times mournful and solemn.

From previous posts, you might think I'm getting ready to talk about S&M. Sorry, but no. I'm actually going to refer you to my friend, and fabulous author, Amanda McCabe. She posted about the issue of branding yourself as an author - fans associate you with a certain style, message, etc.

Read her post and then think about what are the brands that appeal to you. I know when doing my hunky TV guy list, I discovered the brand of hero that appeals to me.

Now that I've finished with sexiest men, I want to countdown what my favorite guilty pleasure movies are. These are films that for a variety of reasons are bad, and yet I love to watch them.

What are your favorite bad films?

Richard Dean Anderson!! aka MacGyver and Col. Jack O'Neill (Stargate SG-1). I know, for some this will be a letdown, but I think he is delicious.

As MacGyver, he established that the mullett can be sexy. His daredevil attitude mixed with a strong message of brains over brawn made Mac a wonderful character and postive role model. But he still fits many of my criteria. He definitely had loss and pain in his past - one of the reasons Mac is against guns is because of an incident in his childhood that cost a friend his life. He also lost his parents as a young boy and then his grandfather dies during the show. His continuing fight with Murdock made great TV, and his relationships with Pete and Jack Dawson rounded out the show.

MacGyver is definitely the ultimate problem-solver. He appeared in flight suit in at least one episode.

As Jack O'Neill in Stargate SG-1, Anderson brought a wonderful wit and irony to a character that in the movie (played by Kurt Russell) was very stoic. From the beginning, I loved how he added swagger (that he could back up), humor, and a strong sense of loyalty to this character. Who wouldn't love a man who never leaves a team member behind? And though he often has no clue what the scientists are telling him, Jack O'Neill is no dummy.

O'Neill uses humor to distance himself because of the pain of his son's death and the break-up of his marriage afterward. He doesn't, though, try to hide his disdain and impatience with fools and pompous politicians, or anyone he feels is wasting his time and endangering his life (or the life of his team). He obviously loves Samantha Carter, but their position in the military prevents them from having a relationship other than friend and professional.


He's tall, with eyes so dark they appear to be solid black at times, and his tawny mane of hair has beautifully silvered, enhancing the golden cast of his skin. Though he's 55 now, he doesn't look it. Anderson is one actor that has improved with age. Those cheekbones make me melt!

Basically, if you don't see it, then I'm sure this is a poor choice for you. But I adore RDA, and I really miss Jack from Stargate SG-1. I miss his physical presence, his wit, and his dedication to the quest: save Earth, defeat the bad guys, and get back home to fish in his pond (which has no fish). O'Neill, lilke MacGyver, was a complex man, always surprising us with a new facet or a revelation from their pasts. It made watching the shows exciting and fun.

So as MacGyver or as Jack O'Neill, Richard Dean Anderson is a sexy beast and my #1 sexy TV star. Anyone that can be this gorgeous for 20 years of TV stardom deserves a place on the list. How TV Land missed this one, I don't know.

I was saving this one. Many people wonder what happened to Brad Pitt - where did it all go wrong? Well, I think it happened at this moment, when he asked Gena to teach him how to dance.

And don't you think he looks like a gay Benicio Torres?

With Gena's permission, I'll upload the Jill Monroe, Kelly Garrett (aka Gena Showalter) and Brad Pitt saga that I created.

Sorry that I didn't load the Browder pics. Someone came into my office and started talking to me, so I had to hurry up and finish my post.

Since he is my #2 choice, I've included a few extra shots. Unfortunately, none of them show off his dazzling blue eyes, but you can catch a hint of that dimple in his cheek.

Well, my #2 sexiest man on TV is Ben Browder. And have you noticed how many men on this list are from Sci-Fi/Fantasy shows? Another trend I did not intend but simply happened. Probably because the characteristics I find appealing are so prevalent in sci-fi/fantasy stories. So, let's run them down for Ben as John Crichton:

--Han Solo-ish wardrobe - lots of leather and Wynona, his gun, at his hip (early in the show, he usually wore his space flight suit, so I got both styles)
--Guilt and loss in his past: separated from Earth and his family/friends because of a close encounter with a wormhole. Upon exiting wormhole, he causes the death of a stranger by accident.
--Quest: to find a way home and to defeat Scorpius
--Smart with problem-solving skills: you don't get to be an astronaut on good looks. He's smart and he's got a lot of street smarts.
--Wise-cracks and humor: you betcha. Part of the fun of Farscape was listening to his Earth humor and watching the aliens around him trying to figure out what the heck he was talking about.
--Mystery: definitely an alpha male who hides many facets of himself. Crichton was not exactly an enigma, but there were many shows where we discovered hidden depths in him. I really loved the episode where he and Aeryn were trapped on that planet and lived out their lives there - we saw them both aging. The episode showed off both Ben and Claudia Black's acting abilities, and it revealed some wonderful parts of them both.

As Colonel Cameron Mitchell on SG-1, Ben hasn't had enough time to really inhabit the character, and IMHO, the writers haven't given him enough stuff to do. He and Daniel Jackson seem to be sharing the leadership role, but I hope Mitchell takes over like Jack O'Neill did. Mitchell's character is intelligent, intuitive, tough, witty/sarcastic, and at this point still mysterious because we don't really know what drives him.

Physically, Ben has incredible blue eyes, and though I've heard he is on the short side, he is perfectly proportioned. I think I love his accent the most, though. I wonderful Southern touch to his voice that is charming and disarming. When matched with his razor-like wit, it is a wonderful contradiction: the soft tones of a Southern gentleman with piercing humor. And that drawl just pours out of him like warm honey. It is so sexy.

How anyone can pass up Ben Browder on a list of sexy TV guys is beyond my comprehension. He's tops.

The other person tied for this spot is Kevin Smith, the actor who played Ares on Hercules and Xena.

Ares was the dark to Hercules' light. Definitely, he is a bad boy, full of vengence, spite, pettiness, and surliness. Yet with Kevin Smith's talent and some incredible writing, Ares was also charming and hotter than an Oklahoma sidewalk in July.

With long, curly hair or a much short cut, with a great beard and mustached trimmed in very angular, aggressive styles, Ares was pure Alpha Male. Wearing leather and studs that looked only steps removed from Klingon Haute Couture, Ares strutted his stuff with confidence, always sure that he was superior and should be ruling on high. What I loved were the moments when he would try charm and seducation rather than force to get a woman to do his bidding. And there were the many comical shows where Ares would be a bit ridiculous, but still, he rarely lost his swaggar.

I guess that's why I love this character. He has all the attributes of a Pirate King - a ruthless adventurer who still had charisma and charm.

Sadly, Kevin Smith died in a freak accident several years ago. He had a wonderful talent, and I certainly was hoping to see him in more shows. His Ares is definitely one of the hottest of the hotties, and it should be on the top ten list.

The next two entries are a tie. Both from the Hercules/Xena franchises, Kevin Sorbo and Kevin Smith played characters that formed a binary: light and dark. But both were very sexy.

First, Kevin Sorbo as Hercules. Physically, Sorbo is beautiful but all man. Tall and muscular, but lithe and lean. His tawny mane of hair and tanned skin set off his luminous blue eyes to perfection. And though he never wore a pilot's jumpsuit, his braided leather pants were quite okay as a substitute.

But all the hunkiness in the world cannot overcome a bad character. The mythological Hercules is hardly my idea of a sexy man. He's more of a hulking brute, selfish, sulky, vain, and more brawn than brains. He was eager to fight, and didn't seem all too concerned about helping others. However, Sorbo's Hercules is a hero. With a staff of clever, fantastic writers, and an actor that showcased a variety of emotions and moods, this Hercules was fun, sexy, endearing, and a peace lover. He used his strength to help people, and often his most important feats were accomplished by changing someone's attitude, not by beating them into a pulp.

His past and present were full of anguish as he lost family and friends because of his dedication to freeing people from domination by the gods. His quest was to make life better, and though it brought him much bitterness and loss, he remained true to this quest, with only a few detours.

At its peak, Hercules the show was the #1 syndicated show on TV. I cannot believe Kevin Sorbo did not make the top ten list, especially since he's still on TV in Andromeda (great space pilot warddrobe, but Dylan Hunt isn't as sexy as Hercules).

I would gladly have paid to be the skin oiler on the set - surely there was someone in charge of oiling up all those muscles!

Lately, I've been receiving SPAM comments that I have to manually delete from the blog. To cut down on this, I've enabled the word verification setting on the blog. That means before you can post, you must type in the random set of letters that appear on the post page before your post will upload. I know it's a small hassle, but it prevents automated SPAM systems from posting ads to their sites.

It really ticks me off that we have so little protection from this type of intrusion. Don't I pay the government enough in taxes to protect MY rights? Yet, so often, private citizens are given the legal shaft.

Here's a perfect example. Recently, I discovered a term paper mill was selling 8 of my graduate research papers on its site. Though I had clearly marked these as copyright protected and asked people to email me for permission before using in any way, someone still lifted them. When I sought legal advice, I was told that I had a clear cut case of intellectual property theft. However, since I hadn't paid to have copyright protection, I was limited in what I could do. We're told that we have automatic protection for our work. Well, that protection gets us squat.

Before I can even sue these people, I have to pay to have all these works copyrighted. That's $30 a piece - $240. Then, I can only sue them for what they have earned on them, and I cannot include legal fees as part of what I'm asking. So, I have to shell out cash, I have no idea what this company has made on my essays (if anything), and then I also have to pay court and legal fees for trying to get this company to stop profiting on my work!

How is this in ANY way fair? Talk about a messed up system. I can't tell you how angry I am. Not only does this offend me as a citizen, but it offends my professional ethics. As a teacher, I constantly fight the battle against plagiarism, yet our government has enabled these vultures a fair amount of legal protection from individuals who don't have the money to shell out 30 bucks for every essay they've written. I once posted my work on my site so my students would be able to see me as a working writer. They'd be able to see what I like in an essay. Now, I have all of that, including my poems, off the site. Isn't that a shame that we cannot share our work with others without the fear of unscrupulous leeches stealing our ideas and creations?

I so lusted after Fox Mulder that at one time I belonged to an email group that had a cyber mansion and all we did was plan orgies involving David. ;-)

He's not traditionally handsome, sure, but you put it all together and add intelligence and humor, and yummy.

He meets most of my reqs: anguished past he needs to absolve; quest (for the Truth); emotions held tight; keen problem solving; use of humor and sarcasm; mysterious (or "Spooky' as he was dubbed on the show).

For me, the X-Files was a must see. I did not plan anything on nights that a first run episode was showing. And when Duchovny left, all the magic seemed to leave as well. Though I love Gillian Anderson, it wasn't right without Fox.

I also love it that David is an English major with advanced degree work. He even taught college for a while. And he played basketball. Brains and athleticism. Pinch me, I'm dreaming!

No dumb hunk here. And I loved his cameo in ZOOLANDER. David always seems to have fun mocking his own celebrity.

He's gotta be on the list.

Well, I'm half way to the end of my sexiest men on TV list. Though this bottom half is in no real order of best to better, the top slots are leading up to my #1 sexiest man. Can those of you who know me guess who it is?

No, it's not Tom Brokaw - only actors playing fictional characters are eligible. ;-)

Don't worry, Rinda, I've not forgotten B.B. (not King), and there are some men of mythic stature still to come.

How's your list coming?

The first episode of the Pretender that I saw involved Jarod impersonating a pilot. One look at that tall, intense man in a flight suit and I was hooked. Okay, that and the fact that the show was so much fun. The love/hate relationship between Jarod and Ms. Parker, the quest to find his family, his need to absolve himself of the evil deeds he unknowingly did by working for the Center, and the mixture of this dark, vengeful side with a childlike wonder at things as ordinary as an ice cream cone...add in action and humor and you've got a great show. Michael T. Weiss was sexy and charming as Jarod, and I really hate how the network dropped the ball on this show, and then TNT never finished the made-for-TV movies it supposedly was going to film.

Jarod deserves to be on the list of sexiest male TV stars. Some may even want to include his stint as Dr. Mike on Days of Our Lives. I did watch DOOL when Michael was a regular, but his character was more goofy than sexy, and I admit to being obsessed with Drake Hogestyn (aka John Black, aka Roman Brady, aka John Black again). I only had eyes for John Black (with occasional peeps at Robert Kelker Kelley as Bo Brady).

I will also recommend you rent the movie JEFFREY, starring Michael with Steven Weber and Patrick Stewart. This is a movie about gay men dealing with celibacy, love, and AIDS. It is a fantastic film, and though Michael plays a gay man, he is still hot. There is one scene where he dances and you see all the passion and pain this character is experiencing. Michael can really shake his groove thing.

Long before he was making hearts throb on the big screen, Pierce Brosnan was heating up Tuesday nights as Remington Steele, a mystery man pretending to be a private detective. This character had all the polish and grit of James Bond but was much more sexier because he was trying to be a monogamous lover to Laura Holt, the real detective behind the facade of Remington Steele.

Whenever he would kiss her hand then look up with those blue eyes, I would think - she is nuts to not jump his bones! He was and still is hot. Of course, I am also enthralled by a delicious British accent.

I do remember at the time that I had opera rehearsals every Tuesday night in season, and I would miss all first run episodes. This was before VCRs were so cheap that you could own three. So I would have to wait until the summer reruns to see the show. It killed me!

How Remington Steele did not make this list is beyond me. Not only did he bring a Cary Grant-like charm and magnetism to television, but he also had wit and mystery. He meets my criteria: on a quest (win Laura and find out who he really is); he has a past that he feels he must absolve in order to be worthy of Laura; he is witty and intelligent, vulnerable so he keeps his emotions hidden, and I do believe I've seen him in a flight suit. Broad-shoulders, long legs - his body is built for that suit and a tuxedo. He's a bit of alright.

I couldn't help myself. I wondered what Gena and Brad's kids would look like. Here are some composites to give us an idea. Forgive the crudeness of the skin tone blending.

David Boreanaz as the brooding vampire, Angel, kicked "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" up several notches. Whether he wore black leather or burgandy velvet, Angel was smokin'. How sexy can you get: vampire with tormented soul seeking absolution falls in love with THE vampire slayer. Conflict, passion, romance, heartbreak. Ah, the good old days when every week promised a delightful trip to Sunnydale.

Angel was a wonderful blend of power and sensitivity, or cynicism and hope. He was private, and obviously the Scooby gang often bewildered him with their antics, but he could throw a quip with the best of them, and being several hundreds of years old made him quite good in the problem solving area.

So Angel makes my list of sexy TV men.

How could any sexiest TV men list be without Adrian Paul? Look at those eyes, that strong jaw and powerful neck, and the way he handled his katana (that's his SWORD, Rinda)...well, it's sexy.

He meets most of my criteria: mysterious, anguished past, quest ("there can be only one"), smart and witty. I don't remember seeing him in a flight suit, but I only have one word in response: KILT!

As the sensitive, romantic, but tough and sensual Duncan, Adrian Paul is definitely one of the sexiest men on TV.

Sheesh. Isn't this one a no-brainer?

After I made my list and had posted Apollo and Hawk, I really took a good look at my list and was surprised at some of the similarities between these characters.

Look at the list below and then see how these characteristics tend to pop up in the rest of my nominees.

1. Has worn a flight suit as one TV character. I am including 2 types of suits - the Top Gun, military pilot's all-in-one suit and the Han Solo tight pants and jacket/vest combo (usually with gun attached at thigh). Hawk and Apollo: check.

2. Guilt in past that must be absolved. Many of these men's characters have been formed in part by a painful experience in the past that they feel they must pay for or that they regret. Hawk: his brother Sinjin is missing and his girlfriend died (though we find out in eventually that she is still alive and not a good person). Apollo: feels responsible for his brother's death in battle.

3. On a quest: sometimes as part of the absolution and sometimes just because it's part of their job, these men are on a life quest. Hawk: to find his brother. Apollo: to free his people from Cylon tyranny.

4. Problem-solving abilities: though most of these men play intelligent characters, they aren't just book smart. They can get out of difficult situations. Hawk and Apollo: check.

5. The use of humor and sarcasm: sometimes it's just because of a quirky sense of humor, but often it's a defense mechanism to hide their feelings. Hawk: definitely had a dry sense of humor and an irreverence for authority that often translated into sarcasm. Apollo: though he had a sense of humor, Apollo does not truly fit this category.

6. Control of emotions: though they usually don't show their emotions, you can tell that a great deal of passion seethes beneath that poker face. Hawk and Apollo: check.

7. Air of mystery: because these are usually wounded alpha males, they don't give away much information. You never can guess, then, what they might do or what talent or interest will be uncovered. Hawk: he collected fine art. Apollo: not really.

You will also notice that the men on this list generally have brown/dark hair and are 6" tall or more. They also have very chiseled features - Lord, but I love a great set of cheekbones and a well-defined jaw. That isn't a surprise to me: I love the tall, dark, and handsome stereotype.

One final qualification: I think there is a difference between a sexy character and a romantic character. There are several hunky guys I left off my list because I felt they were more romantic than sexy. The difference? Well, as best I can describe, a romantic man will make love to you and afterwards you'll feel like cuddling. A sexy man will screw you so thoroughly that even breathing is uncertain afterwards - total hormonal and emotional satiation. That doesn't mean that a sexy man can't be romantic and sensitive or that a romantic man isn't sexy, but it's an explanation of why guys like Dean Cain are not on this list.

Okay, I know JMV has had a lot of trouble off-screen, but I'm only judging him by how sexy he was on TV. And he was hot. In AIR WOLF, He played Stringfellow Hawk, a helicopter pilot. He was funny, smart, artistic, and mysterious. Oh yeah, he could also kick butt.

Maybe it was watching him use that throttle, but he certainly had me and my sister tuning in each week.

His husky voice, intense eyes, and incredible smile all made for a sexy package.

He was so hot as Apollo on Battlestar Galactica. I especially loved the episodes where he and Starbuck would play tripod, the intergalatic version of basketball and soccer. I really loved the uniforms - basically a speedo and shoulderpads. Man, was Richard Hatch cut.

His intensity and ethics made his character heroic, and he was smart. Plus, he kept his deep feelings to himself, so you always knew there was much more seething beneath the surface than he usually let on. That's so sexy - knowing that all that alphaness is storing up and can explode at any minute in anger or passion. Whew!

He still looks good today.

I have all 24 episodes of the original BG on tape, and I admit to occasionally watching all my fav scenes of Apollo - I just fast forward through the rest. ;-)

I watched TV Land's list of the top 10 sexiest male stars on TV last night. I guess this list was generated in part by people voting online. TV Land presented people with a list of 18 names and people could vote, even sending in a name not on the list. Interestingly enough, no name not on the list made it. So the final list, from #1-#10 (though I may have some of the middle names out of order) is:

1. George Clooney - I've never seen what has women so ga-ga about this guy. He's handsome, if you overlook the fact that one eye is lower than the other. But he has never made me swoon or fantasize.

2. Matt LeBlanc - What's so sexy about dumb and good looking? Matthew Perry was sexier because he had such a great, biting wit.

3. John Stamos - Certainly today, John Stamos is hot, but in the 80s and 90s, he had that stupid feathered mullett, and his character on FULL HOUSE was so smarmy and cliched that I'd hardly call him sexy.

4. Ted Danson - another one that I've never really understood the attraction. Again, dumb and handsome does not = sexy to me.

5. Ashton Kutcher - cute, sure, but sexy? I don't think so. Another dumb + handsome pick.

6. Jimmy Smits - I agree that Jimmy is steamy. He's unconventionally handsome, and I was so gladf when Grace hooked up with him in LA Law. I also love him on the WEST WING.

7. Don Johnson - I agree with this pick as well. DJ is steamy and handsome. If you've never seen the TV miniseries, LONG HOT SUMMER, with him in it, you've missed one of the hottest performances. Lord, you need an ice pack.

8. David Cassidy - nostalgia forces me to say yes on this one as well. I adored Keith Partridge. However, reality forces me to admit that I wouldn't find him sexy today except when he's singing, "I think I love you." Still gets me.

9. Taye Diggs - he's okay, but I don't know enough about him to judge one way or the other.

10. Scott Baio - when I was in 8th grade, yes: Scott Baio was hot. But as an adult, I think there are plenty of other men on TV that he can't hold a candle to. Even in his interview for this show, he admitted he didn't know why anyone still knows his name. Ouch!

Overall, then, I think this list sucks. There are so many hot guys that aren't on here, nor did they even make the list of 18 names. So I've decided to do my own list of the sexiest men on TV. I'll try to post at least one a day, keeping my #1 choice for last. Let me know what you think of this list above and my choices.

The recent events at the RWA Conference award ceremony have lots of people talking. Today, a woman I respect greatly posted on a private loop that we should keep perspective. Think of all the horrible things happening in the world: children molested, wives beaten, soldiers killed, etc.

I agree with her. Withso many tragedies in the world, anything that happens in my life is not going to compare with someone fighting a deadly disease or starving to death. That means when my students cheat and turn in plagiarized papers, why should I get up in arms. There's a lot worse out in the world. When the government appoints someone to a major position that I think is unsuitable, why should I make that much of a fuss. After all, people are being tortured somewhere. When my family is blackballed by people in our hometown because we don't share the same political views or belong to the Masons or go to the 1st Baptist Church, why get my panties in a twist. Remember, there are people living on the street with no shelter in the cold or heat.

I say this in all seriousness. This is all true. When compared to events around the world and in our own country, many of the things that upset me and get me riled up are fairly insignificant to the grand world scheme. However, I cannot control the world. I cannot prevent flood, famine, or death. I can only make the best of my life and the things and people I care about. So at times, I'm going to be concerned when an organization I am proud to belong to takes an inappropriate step (or steps, recently). If this group, to which I pay significant dues each year, begins moving in a direction I don't like because I think it will damage our professional credibility and status (not because I dislike it personally), then I have the right to speak out and demand we make changes. We might not be able to fix what has happened, but we can investigate what went wrong and make sure it doesn't happen again.

Some people are saying that it is a minority of people who are upset at the presentation. However, I think the number is greater. These are people with a variety of political beliefs, so their concern isn't about which president got more pics or who was degraded. Their concerns are about the negative nature of the presentation on a night that is supposed to be a celebration. Because there IS so much tragedy in the world, it is nice to have an evening that celebrates the good things. Do we think that having a montage of tragic events set to upbeat pop music will make us more aware or concerned about the plights of other? I think it belittles them.

As has been said so often: this was to have been a night of celebration for RWA's silver anniversary and an evening to honor writers in our organization. How would you like the images displayed just before you were announced as a winner to have been the death of Princess Di? The scandal of Clinton and Lewinsky? OJ Simpson?

This is something to take action on. And it isn't the regular complaints about how long and boring the ceremony was. Yes, people are going to disagree about things. But how can anyone honestly say that playing "Don't Worry, Be Happy" as tanks roll into Tiannamen square (and over many student protestors) be anything but a disaster? It only underscores the stereotype of romance novels as being pure escapist fiction with nothing substantial behind them.

That's not the image I pay RWA to promote. That's not the kind of books I like to read.

And I think it is much ado about something.

It seems that several people thought PC Cast should be the third member of the Angel's trio, so here's the pic.

Here's my friend Rinda, who I finally convinced to send me a picture so I can do a little fembot surgery. She's a little intense in this pic - totally into the fembot groove.

Some things are just too hard to accept, and Gena with ginormous bubblies is one of them.

Well, Gena begged for her own fembot shot, so I have provided the complete fembot picture, including (starting in upper left and moving clockwise): PC Cast, yours truly, Jill Monroe, and Gena Showalter.

Of course, not all was sordid in Reno. My good friend, Amanda McCabe, seemed to have a great time with a certain gentleman that she seems to think is her own personal property now. Sigh, I find it hard to argue with her when he shows up as Mr. Darcy to her Elizabeth.

He must have been a good luck charm because Mandy finally brought home the National Readers' Choice Award for Best Regency in 2004 for THE STAR OF INDIA.

I'm not sure what Jill and Gena are up to with Cheryl Ladd. Maybe CHARLIE'S ANGELS: OKC? Hey, if CSI can do it, then why not Charlie?

My friends Jill Monroe and Gena Showalter are revealing shocking goings-on during their recent trip to the RWA National Conference in Reno. I felt I had to dig deeper, and what I've uncovered is...well, you provide your own adjective. I would just caution the two that though what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, RENO AIN'T VEGAS. So prepare yourself for some revealing pics of Ms. Monroe and the men she chose to hang with.

Jill and Dom Deluise

Jill and Verne (aka Mini Me)

And my personal favorite: Jill as a Fembot fondling Austin Powers