Suck on This Man-Candy

It’s summer.

It’s hot.

And this post is only going to make you hotter.

Man-candy. It’s what this website does best. Open up and say Ahh, because he’s another bit of super-hard sweetness to melt in your mouth. We’ve had some major man-candy here in the past, so here’s a look back at some of the favorites. Sticky and sweet, indeed.

Let’s begin with Tyson Beckford, who seems to getting more and more cheeky as his modeling career progresses. One of the OG male super models, he’s still defining what it means to be handsome and beautiful and stunning all at once.

Another classic, Ben Cohen, belongs in the man-candy hall of fame. He’s been missing-in-action these last few months, so let’s rectify that a bit right now.

The majority of man-candy here come in the form of male models, such as Filip Sjunnesson, Rick Fisher, and Americo Neto.

Some man-candy is appropriately named, like Rocco Hard.

Some man-candy can barely be contained in a single post.

And some cannot.

Man-candy might be red-hot.

Or Olympic gold.

But mostly you like it when it’s basic nude.

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The Happy-Sad Cry

Because the world has seemingly gone mad, and in all the wrong ways, let’s begin this Saturday with something bright and cheery, at least when it comes to restoring some faith in humanity. When the evils of the world threaten to bring us all down, I like to think of things like this (and realize that no matter what happens in this country, there’s always Canada).

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Thyme Out

The pale blooming of thyme demands an almost-microscopic view to be appreciated. Summer is sometimes like that, and when I’m outside away from the noise and the constant bombardment of social media and entertainment, my mind is able to calm itself, returning to the way everything was when I was a little kid. The scope of my view shifts then, and I shrink down and begin to notice all the tiny things that escape me in the usual hustle and bustle of this mad world.

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Hot & Wild Mid-July

The summer of ’16 is shaping up to be a rather alarming one. This is a scary time for many of us (and not just because the official Republican Platform includes gay conversion therapy – WAKE UP, PEOPLE) but I’m not indulging in scare tactics here.

Here, life is beautiful.

The guys are beautiful.

Even the orchestra is beautiful.

In mid-July, the garden exhibits its first hints of losing steam. I managed to capture these wild sweet pea shots before they started their decline, so they appear fresh and new, in the hottest shade of hot pink that the garden can muster. I’ll cut them back almost to the ground, as they are already going to seed, and one of these invasive monsters is more than enough.

For now, enjoy their strong color – the perfect reflection of this hot mid-July moment, when the world around us seems to be going up in flames, and the only thing we can do is recoil at the monstrosity and sad beauty of it all.

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Hallelujah

A moment of peace in the middle of the day.

We all need one.

A powerful performance of a powerful song.

I always a cry a little at something like this.

A cold and broken hallelujah…

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Tonight I Can Write…

Water lapped at my ears.

A breeze arrived, late after a very hot day.

I looked up, allowed my pupils to dilate, and my eyes to open to the dim early night.

A bank of puffy clouds rose like mountains to my left, their cottony mass illuminated in other-worldly light.

Seeking the source of such brilliance, my eyes traveled to the right, and there, hidden behind a towering pine tree, was a half-moon, glowing the palest shade of lemon.

It turned another group of clouds a soft wintergreen color, a gloriously strange cross between lime and mint green, something that could never be duplicated, that must be enjoyed and looked upon at this one and only moment.

This was a summer night, filled with half a moon, and haunted by a fluttering bat.

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A Tom Daley Treat

Get ready for Tom Daley to make a big splash in just a few weeks, as he squares off in the summer Olympics in Rio. As a Speedo-clad tease to that Brazilian treat, here’s a fun photo-shoot that Mr. Daley recently did. It shows off a cheeky, humorous side that more Olympians need. Mr. Daley is big enough to have his own Category here, just like David Beckham, Ben Cohen, Tom Ford, and Madonna. That’s elite.

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Welcome to the Jungle

It’s amazing how soon nature can reclaim a space, no matter how small or protected. Case in point is our small side yard. It’s outside of the pool fence, and as such it’s outside of my mind, which means it’s had a few years of uninterrupted growth, fallen leaves, and foraging birds and rodents to spread nasty seeds. When I looked out my window and saw a wall of green, I knew it was well past the time for action. We were seriously heading quickly into ‘Grey Gardens’ territory, and though I had the wardrobe and the eccentricities, I was not quite ready to throw in the house and surrounding landscape.

Doused in deet, clothed in long sleeves with pants tucked into my socks, and armed with rubber-coated gloves and pruning shears, I began hacking away at the wilderness. This was awful work. When a mixture of sweat and insect-repellent wasn’t pouring into my eyes, swarms of unaffected insects dove into my ears. Pesky bittersweet vines and Virginia creeper had overtaken much of the open space, while saplings of maple and oak had swelled into trees too big for one man to pull out with his own hands. Thorny things were hidden here too, ready to scrape and scratch and tear away at any exposed skin – and near the back of the property was a thorn-addled vine that was and remains the worst monster I’d ever encountered. There were thorns even on the tips and undersides of its leaves. Not many plants inspire fear in me – I find even the carnivorous ones rather charming – but this thorny terror was another story. I could easily see a nightmare inspired by such a devilish creature.

It took me three full days, thirty-seven large lawn bags, countless callouses, two cans of bug spray and two changes of clothing a day to wrangle the wilderness, but it is now done. I’ve got the war-wounds to prove it.

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Here Comes the Color of the Sun

Tricky color, yellow.

Doesn’t work on everyone.

In the 50’s and 60’s we all painted our kitchens in the shade of sunshine, certain it would lift our morning spirits.

Turns out that yellow, at least according to some inane psychological studies, actually irritates people more than making them happy.

Oopsie daisy.

Me, I have come around to it, especially in these, the sunny summer months.

And I’m not sure I buy the whole color-determines-mood bit either.

In this outfit, I felt happy as hell.

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Body Issue = Naked Issue

Here at ALANILAGAN.com, we love ESPN for one thing and one thing only: the Body Issue of their magazine. Artistically (and gratuitously) displaying athletes in naked poses, it’s probably the biggest issue of their year, and has enough cachet to have gotten the likes of Michael Phelps and Rob Gronkowski totally starkers. In this post, we see some shots of Hunk of the Day Conor McGregor in his altogether – further evidence of the power of the Body. He joins the nude ranks of Evan Lysacek, Giancarlo Stanton, Matt Harvey, Oguchi Onyewu, Greg LouganisBryce Harper, and Kevin Love. Welcome to the Celebrity Skin Jungle.

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Rose Flare

Though June is really the main month for roses, some spill over into July, especially as we had such a late start of spring. These pink beauties were peering over the wrought-iron fence of a typical Boston brownstone, nodding to themselves and to all passers-by in fine and fair fashion.

I was very happy to see them.

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Summer Monday Recap

Mid-July approaches – the height of summer and all its glory – and I’m going to indulge in the season, hence this lazy-ass Monday morning recap. (Though that’s every Monday I guess.) Here we go…

The Olympic Hunk brigade continued its stride toward Rio with Connor Jaeger and Matthew Josa.

This used to be my playground.

A pair of Hunks who brought the wood: Bryant Wood and Jordan Woods.

Adam Lambert got all shirtless & sexy.

Poetry & partial nudity.

A swimmer and a batter: Nathan Adrian and Jake Arietta.

Heaven in the pool.

A hollow bit of heaven.

One last stand

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Breaking the Fast at the Bristol

Lobster Eggs Benedict at the Four Seasons’ Bristol Lounge. And a glass of orange juice.

Across the street, the Boston Public Garden.

The best of all possible worlds.

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With the Spring, a Thaw, and Salvation

The Delusional Grandeur Tour is in travel status this weekend, and we are encroaching on the penultimate chapter in the Tour Book: Spring Thaw Salvation. In preparation and anticipation of that, here is a look back at how far we’ve come on this Last Stand of a Rock Star. In many ways, this tour was over before it even began, but that lesson is yet to come. For now, a glimpse of the spring amidst a glimpse at the past…

THE DELUSIONAL GRANDEUR TOUR: LAST STAND OF A ROCK STAR

01)  Intro/Curtain – Part One, Part Two, Part Three

02)  Sunset Pool – Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five

03)  On The Road Hotel – Part One, Part Two, Part Three

04)  Rock Star Addict – Part One, Part Two, Part Three

05)  Animal Demons – Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five

06)  Steam Punk Birdcage – Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four

07) Red Riding Wood - Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five

08) Winter Top Hat - Part One, Part Two

09) Warrior Retribution - Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven, Part Eight

10) Cologne Glamour Fashion - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

11) Samsara Healing Water – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

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A Haunting, Empty Vault

Maybe it was the fall of Day, or the ghostly-hollow aspect of the building, but the sight of this empty shell of a church was both disturbing and beautiful. I’m accustomed to seeing backless facades, but not the side-view too, which made it feel somehow even emptier. At the descent of dusk, it cast an eerie pallor to its surroundings.

Seeing the sky through the stone is a thrill. Places can haunt just as much as people. If you’ve ever gone back to your childhood home after it’s been changed and rearranged, you know the feeling. It’s unsettling and potentially upsetting. Not unlike an abandoned place of worship at night.

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