Jean-Claude Van Damme has maintained his flexibility and perhaps gotten even stronger in mid-life.
He’s a super hero of male vanity. I bow down in admiration.
back
Carpet treatment for queen with shovel
Now that’s how you plant a tree! Thanks, Matt, for the red carpet photo.
QEII, please be careful with your back.
After a whole lot of ugly, here comes a parade of nearly naked fat men
Seeing the sumo wrestlers parading into the ring is a happy sight, capable of erasing many uglee images of American politicians and their poetic fans. Nothing brings a bigger smile to my face than seeing all these men lined up belly to back wearing fancy aprons and little else. I cannot recommend highly enough the opportunity to see the tournament in person.
Yet another back tattoo on the beach
Given how punitive most of Japan is about tattoos (out-lawed at most sports clubs, public gyms, sentos, and onsen), it’s great to see so many at the beach! Rock on!
Soccer star’s big hair exceeds back story
Lee Tadanari (李 忠成) is super-famous now in Japan, as one of the top scorers in Japan’s recent Asia Cup soccer tournament championship. I first noticed him on TV last nite in the return-home footage on the news. Despite the flight from wherever, Lee-san’s orange hair stood proudly high as his country (and a few foreign perverts) welcomed his return.
Apparently, Lee is 4th generation “zainichi,” or Korean-Japanese. I love his extreme vanity, and daring with hair color on and off the playing field.
Handsome uniform
I love the small details on this handsome conductor uniform: the matching orange band on the cap, the letters on the upper arm, and the stitching around the back pants pockets. I wish I had such a simple yet elegant uniform to wear.
Hakuho has won 46 consecutive sumo matches
Sexy, adorable Mongolian sumo wrestler Hakuho has now extended his consecutive wins to 46, placing him 3rd in the ranks of all-time greatest sumo wrestlers. Since Asashoryu’s expulsion, Hakuho is the only yokozuna, or top-ranked player now. He is guaranteed to win the Nagoya championship that ends today. I was glad to see that despite the recent yakuza gambling scandal, the Nagoya stadium was full for this big match.
Watching on television allowed me to also focus on the opening ritual, in which Hakuho squats, lifts one leg to the side, drops his weight with a thud, thrusts his pelvis, and gives an impish stare. All while wearing not only the normal jockstrap-like costume, but also Shinto paper decorations and an elaborate rope sculpture on his back. A perfect mix of spirituality and raw physicality.
Sho: Front or back?
My reader poll: Do you prefer Sho from the front or from the back? Comments appreciated!
Pee Wee Herman is Back
I just read that Pee Wee Herman is back, appearing this week on Jay Leno’s show. For all my young blog readers, I am including two awesome Pee Wee Herman clips. Above he talks with Joan Rivers in 1986. Below is a clip from a scene where Pee Wee walks into a biker bar.
Tokyo Moe 