Happy New Year, everyone! Fittingly for this blog, my most-visited posts of 2015 all feature Beautiful Men. Or Beautiful Males, at any rate.
Number Five in the list is Sex Appeal and Phallic Follies in Jane Austen’s Persuasion, an essay about how a book with no actual sex in it can be an erotic masterpiece (it’s all about the tension). Of course I couldn’t help discussing the 1995 adaptation…
“More air than one often sees in Bath. Irish, I dare say.”
Number Four is Separated at Birth? Ciarán Hinds “Lookalikes”, in which I ponder the mystery of how anyone could ever, EVER mistake Mr. H. for the lovely Stephen Fry, or (heavens to Murgatroyd) Oliver Platt. This post turned out to be such a favorite that I am saving up examples for a sequel.
Darling Stephen.
Number Three was Nature Boy: “Hamlet” at the Barbican, for anyone who bemoaned the media’s meager coverage of that event and its unknown lead actor.
A Very Strange Enchanted Boy…
The Second Most Popular Post of 2015 was Frank Gehry’s House For Jerome, which documents a little known work by the celebrated architect. I never knew there were so many Gehry fans on the web, but every day people google him.
Next, I. M. Pei will design Jerome’s vacation home using Lego blocks and Saran wrap.
And the Number One post of 2015? It’s by far my most popular post of All Time and it addresses the perennial mystery of whether Julius Caesar went commando beneath his toga. Yes, it’s What the Well-Dressed Roman General Is Wearing! (Personally I believe that were Caesar alive today, he would opt for silk boxers, but that’s just my opinion.)
A very special green tunic (not toga) for Caesar in HBO’s “Rome.” Thanks to Bettina for this screen cap.
Linnet Moss 
Happy New Year, Linnet!
Thanks, hope your 2016 is wonderful 🙂
Cumberbatch still freaks me out – but who doesn’t love Stephen Fry?! Happy new year! 🙂
Haha! You don’t like Hamlock? I think he’s great 🙂 Happy 2016!!
Same to you – and 2016 won’t change that 😉
What’cha got lined up for us this year, Linnet?? 🙂
Unfortunately I have already had to go on a diet, but maybe I can get by for a while with photos of my holiday bacchanalia! Happy New Year 🙂
Don’t mention the “D” word… urgh. I’m still in Germany, so no point tackling that now, but when I get back home to Spain… sigh.
Visit Germany, the land where diets are out of the question! I like it 🙂
Excellent line up! Looking forward to 2016!
Thanks Nancy! I thought of you on my juice fast today 🙂 Trying to undo the massive carbo pack that happened over the last two weeks…
No explosive episodes for you, I hope!
No, I stick with low-acid OJ, my life-giving elixir 🙂
Nice!
Obviously sexy sells (see numbers 5 and 1 on your list). 🙂 I had never read your Persuasion one but will do so now as I adore Persuasion as well!
Happy New Year, Linnet!
Yes, sexy men and cats, LOL. Mainstays of the web 🙂 Happy 2016!
Happy 2016!!!!!
Have a wonderful New Year, Herba!