The 8 Hotties of Hanukkah: Adam Brody

How appropriate that one of my first major crushes was also Jewish. It's like I was born to love Jewish men.

Hope you had a wonderful Hanukkah!

100 Hot Men and a Dame: #88 Cam Gigandet

 

88. Cam Gigandet

Occupation: Actor

Nationality: American

Age: 29

Best Known For: Terrorizing Benjamin McKenzie on The O.C. and getting naked with a box of cookies alongside Cher and Floptina in Burlesque.

...And the hot men train keeps on rolling with the help of my friend Mike (follow him on Twitter or read his blog) as we discuss the first O.C. alum on the list.

Dame James: When did you first encounter Cam and, if it wasn't love at first sight, when did you fall in love with him?

Mike: The first time I saw Cam is probably the same for everyone, when he appeared on The O.C. as Kevin Volchok to fulfill the "Marissa's new dark and broody boyfriend" role, because Ryan was too busy sleeping with his adoptive mother's sister or whoever he was putting it in that season.

I don't think I paid too much attention to him at first, I was too busy planning my wedding to "perfect husband material" Seth/Adam Brody, but Cam did spend 90% of the time on The O.C. shirtless so I was definitely aware of how ridiculously attractive he was.

He was a complete dick on the show but he could make trailer sex with a talking twig look hot and his fight scenes with Benjamin McKenzie rivaled Brokeback Mountain for its latent gay tendencies.

Then after his role on The O.C. came to an end, it all went a bit quiet on the Cam-front until the equally homoerotic Never Back Down...

DJ: I pretty much have to agree on everything you said here. I was too busy focusing on Seth Cohen as well to notice Cam's Volchok on the first go-around. No doubt he was attractive but he was such a complete asshole to Ryan, whom I also loved. I was torn.

I don't think it was until Never Back Down that I really fell in love with Cam. He was also an asshole in that movie, but since I didn't care about any of the other characters, I relished him. He was charming and sweet, except for that scene where he beats up Sean Faris' scrawny friend. The best thing about that movie, though: his chest. And it makes quite a few appearances, thank the Lord Jesus.

You mentioned the homoeroticism that runs throughout his roles in The O.C. and Never Back Down and I think that's an interesting point to make. When you also think about his Burlesque performance (Floptina thinks he's gay for the longest time and the film is generally gay) and even Twilight, homoeroticism runs throughout his filmography. Why do you think that is, especially for someone who is such a commercial actor? Also, what do you think about him in Burlesque?

M: I hadn't actually thought about the fact that 90% of his roles have "the gay connection", maybe Cam is in fact *insert libellous claim here* a gay. Plus, he was in Easy A which will inevitably become the next Mean Girls in terms of quotability among the gays, and The Roommate, which I haven't had the pleasure of watching yet but looks ridiculously camp. I eventually will because of Leighton "Amazing" Meester but I wouldn't be too surprised if there was a homoerotic scene in The Roommate with Cam and Matt Lanter.

I thought Burlesque was amazing as a whole and will one day be recognised as the defining musical of the 21st Century. Cam was adequate enough in it, I don't think he's ever really considered for a film on the basis of his acting talents. The cookie box scene should have been enough to warrant an Oscar nomination though really.

DJ: I don't mean to imply that Cam's gay--the fact that he has a long-term girlfriend and a kid already implies otherwise usually--but I always find it interesting when younger actors tackle those kinds of movies and roles. He's clearly not in the same gay role league with Nicholas Hoult, who macked on dudes in TV, the stage and the movies (almost) just a couple years into his adult career., yet Cam's filmography is clearly veering towards the homoerotic. And if you're expecting The Roommate to be a campy gay classic, you'll be sadly disappointed. Leighton's amazingness is suppressed and Cam and Matt Lanter don't even share a scene together.

I hated Burlesque with every fiber of my being, but it was the first movie, I think, that showed off Cam's personality. He's always been a pretty face with impeccable abs but the acting has never matched. Then, suddenly, in Burlesque he was funny, charming, warm and interesting, words I had never used to describe him before. The cookie box scene was a delicious moment that cemented my love for him. It showed off all his best assets: his playfulness, his charm and, most of all, his abs. An Oscar nom may be a little much, but I'll be damned if I won't defend him every chance I can.

Any final thoughts on Cam?

M: Oh, I don't for one second think Cam is actually gay, it was just lots of wishful thinking/dreaming on my part. Speaking of his other half, how cute are all the photos of him and his daughter? Cam Gigandet, what a DILF.

Slightly upset that The Roommate isn't the campy gay classic it clearly started off as, and Cam and Matt aren't in a scene together (shirts optional) means it probably does deserve every piece of vitriol it got.

I think with all his backlog of homoerotic roles it'd be good to see Cam actually play gay for real this time. And have you seen the header photo from this website before? I think I have a new screensaver.

 

Hot damn, now that is a gorgeous header! What a way to make a first impression. Wouldn't you visit a site (repeatedly) that featured that image?

The Ultimate Teen Drama

Ryan Atwood as the main heartthrob- a rough-around-the-edges everyman with a sensitive soft side.

Season 2 Blair Waldorf and Series 1 Tony Stonem as the manipulative, eternally scheming antagonists we're supposed to hate but end up loving more than the protagonists.


Seth Cohen as the dorky sidekick who is actually more adorable and lovable than the main character.


Sandy and Kirsten Cohen as the cool parents every teen wishes was their own.


Julie Cooper-Nichols as the bitchy parent no teen wishes was their own.



Season 1, "I killed a man" Serena van der Woodsen and Season 2 and beyond Summer Roberts as the eternally loyal (and gorgeous!) female sidekicks who, in the right moment, can be counted on for a good punchline.


Chris Miles as the slacker sidekick always making the wrong decisions but never less than hilarious making them.


Jal Fazer as the badass conscience of the group who can always be trusted to lend an ear and give great advice.


Mackenzie as the rich snob trying to protect his turf from the invading poor heartthrob.

My (Vaguely Distracted) Thoughts on Never Back Down

Never Back Down is basically a modern update of The Karate Kid....

Wait, what is Volchock doing here? And, more importantly, when did he get so hot?

Oops, sorry for that diversion. Just had to get that off my chest. Let me start again:

Never Back Down is basically a modern...

But, damn, he is really hot in this movie. I'm not much of a ogler by nature, but I just can't help it.

Oh shit. Sorry guys. I know you're just dying to hear my thoughts so lets try again.

Never Back Down is basically a modern update...

Awww, look how sweet Volchock (aka Cam Gigandet) is when he smiles. It's so strange-- he was such a prick on The O.C. (and he excelled at that, I must say) and he's supposed to be the antagonist here, but I actually find him quite nice (except for when he's beating the shit out of the comic relief friend, that was kinda douchey).

Fuck, why can't I stay focused on Never Back Down? Cam isn't supposed to be the whole damn show. Sean Faris, looking like he wants to become the next Tom Cruise, and inexplicable two-time Academy Award nominee Djimon Hounsou are both in this movie for probably far longer than he is and are infinitely more integral to the plot.

But Cam is just so pretty.

Focus, James, focus!

Must....stay....strong....

I'm in love.

For all intensive purposes, Never Back Down is really nothing more than your average Karate Kid (which I didn't even like in the first place) ripoff with more teenage angst and violence than you can shake a stick it, middling to average acting and characters that you really can't root for. Somehow, though, I stayed involved with the movie and I only audibly groaned once or twice, if that. Never Back Down somehow turns all of its cliches into a film that passes for above-average teenage entertainment. Who knew? C

"Gossip Girl": The New (and Best) Successor to "The O.C."

The new Fall Season has barely started and I am already in love with a new show. Wednesday night was the premiere of the new teenage soap opera Gossip Girl (based on the hit books by Cecily von Ziegesar) and from the first ten minutes, I was hooked. The show isn't as smartly written as The O.C. was in its prime, but it's delightfully trashy and so over-the-top it makes shows like Laguna Beach and The Hills look almost like documentaries in comparison.

The show revolves around the students of an elite private school in New York City: There's Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively), a former wild child who has come back from a semester at boarding school a whole new person. Blair, her former best friend, has turned into a cold bitch with her departure. Nate, Blair's boyfriend, cheated on Blair with Serena before she left and is really in love with her. Chuck, Nate's best friend, is a druggie prick who hits on naive freshman. And, finally, there are the newcomers to this world: Jenny Humphrey, a freshman trying to fit in with all the right girls and her brother...


Dan (played by Penn Badgley), the loveable outcast of the school who is hopelessly in love with Serena. All I have to say about Dan are two things:

1) Awwwwwww!
2) We finally have a new Seth Cohen!

He was so sweet, whether it was when he was helping his sister pick out a dress for the big party or punching Chuck out after he tries to seduce/rape his sister, that my friend Shannon and I went "Awwww" practically every time he came on screen. And I was so happy when he, through a coincidence, got a date with Serena. They didn't get much of a chance to be together (they had to stop what they were doing and rescue his sister in the middle) but they have amazing chemistry. Plus, that final shot of them in the taxi cab together was so amazing, I'm still thinking about it for some reason. I know this relationship is way too easy for a show of this nature, and there are bound to be major ups and downs, but it will be nice while everything is happy.