This is a collection of quotes online that have irked me lately, and it's a small but biased defense of James. Because I'm in that mood.
To each his own, but this tweet bugs:
Wondering why the last of BSG had to include James Callis. Had enough of him long before that.
You do realize that he played one of the main characters from the very start? And had fifth billing in the credits throughout the show? And played the best, most complex character with the best arc? Well, I guess that last one is debatable. But still. (How can you have enough of James Callis?!)
A Youtube commenter in the James Callis 2007 interview:
hehe weird, he's had some "sniff" before he went on this. I never thought he'd be into drugs, but he's definitely got a powdered nose here. Dissapointing.
Wow. I'll admit that he seems a bit high-wound in this video, but considering his love of nicotine, caffeine, and sugar, he's probably just high on some or all of them (and possibly drunk, since it's at a con). I could be wrong, but this is one of those things where you want to know for sure, especially if you're going to disapprove. If he does recreational drugs, and you know this because he told you, fair enough. But if you don't know, don't get publicly indignant and disappointed just yet. Also, since he has to go through customs at various airports all the time, it might be a problem if he had drugs with him, right? So - pretty unlikely. Thanks for commenting though.
More pet peeves! Why is this header in a LJ that doesn't even seem to mention James?
"I cannot see that James Callis is straight."
I suggest you get new glasses then. I'm really tired of hearing this kind of thing. It's like, "Hey, James Callis is married and has never been with a man, but he must be gay because just look at the evidence! He's thin! He's emotional! He played a gay man once! He sometimes has long hair!"
I hate it when people use "gay" as an insult that basically means "not masculine enough". It's irritating and offensive. Not to mention unoriginal and unfunny.
It's a question of identity. James identifies as straight, and he has a right to do so. I'm always incredibly annoyed when people tell me that I should just "find the right man" and my feelings for women would stop. It's like strangers think they know better than me what my sexual feelings are (or would be, if only I left my loving girlfriend of three years). This whole "Sure you're straight James, nudge nudge, wink wink" thing is just the other side of the coin. Society determines your place on the masculine-feminine axis and/or your true, acceptable sexual identity. If you don't conform to that, you're cheating yourself. Annoying.
May I suggest that it's a little offensive in the same way when people complain about James' weight (or lack thereof)? There are so many links - which I won't link to here - saying he needs to eat a sandwich (and the same to Tricia), he's puny, etc. In light of the donut quote, it amuses me slightly, and while I don't want to draw too much attention to this, I do notice his various weight fluctuations. I'll accept that said fluctuations are slight and therefore not visible to everyone. He's probably still thinner than the average man, even in his heaviest times.
But is it OK to go around saying he's too thin? Isn't that another insult to his masculinity? Isn't it disrespectful of body type variety? Obviously he does eat, and he can't help being a naturally delicate guy. Some of us find that intensely attractive. Does everyone have to do bodybuilding? There can be more than one kind of masculinity, right?
For me, part of James' attraction is that you can see him as simultaneously thin and chubby, and both turn me on. Sometimes he's lighter, sometimes heavier. He'll have a slightly chubby belly, yet you can still see his bones; he'll be baby-faced, yet hollow-cheeked. It's delicate like the wing flaps of a butterfly. I realize I might sound silly now, but attraction is a funny thing.
How did I get into this topic again? Oy vey. Yes, I am still horny. I'm sure it'll cool off after a while and I'll be able to focus on something else. Or maybe I'll spend the rest of my life with a vaguely donut-related James obsession. At the moment, it doesn't sound like such a dreary prospect.
End of line.
5 comments:
Ridiculous, he looks completely normal and un-drugged in that video! Or maybe I just don't recognize the symptoms.
About weight: I was pleased to notice Tricia's slightly meatier on Season 4. She looked awfully skinny in S03 at times. Yes, I watched the first two episodes! In a row, and that happens, like, never!! I need some time to think about what happened at the end of S03 and now in S04... But it looks like my good old Galactica hype and thralldom is back. I laughed so hard at the Gaius parts, with him "praying" and getting laid with everyone onboard again.
James has such a cool body. He's basically in good shape, some muscles but not too big, slender legs yet he's got an endearing little tummy bump. So sexy. And a little weird. :D
Btw, one gay guy said to me that even he uses the word gay all the time when he means that something is really stupid or annoying. That word has come a long way as regards its meaning...
This hetero-homo axis is kind of stupid. I consider myself completely straight, but I often get turned on by women. I'm attracted by women in every possible way, but I wouldn't want to marry one or have a romantic relationship. I think there are more variations to sexuality than just the traditional two.
I think he seems a bit hyper there, but then he often does. Not drugged hyper, just possibly caffeine/sugar high. :D But I thought the same - maybe I don't recognize it, and maybe he does do drugs, how would I know? Still, I think it's childish to go around saying how disappointed you are with him without even knowing if he really does drugs or not. All around stupid comment.
Re: Tricia: is she? I always thought she was not so much skinny as muscular - extremely lean. She does a lot of different sports. I didn't notice that about season 4, maybe I should rewatch.
Tummy bump. (L)!!! I wonder about his arms bc they seem quite muscular - maybe he lifts weights a little, or just lifts his sons so much that they developed some muscle. :D
What I love about his tummy is that it's like a tiny isle of fat in an otherwise slim body. It's like the chest hair - he's not very hairy otherwise, but there's this tiny unruly tuft of hair living on his chest. It's irresistable!
I don't like to use "gay" for something stupid or annoying, but people have different levels of offense in these things. I think the most annoying use of "gay" is definitely "unmasculine", like how people use it for James.
I guess I'm attracted to men in the same way you're attracted to women. I can find men intensely sexy (i.e. James), but I can't really imagine having sex with someone with a penis. I've never been with a man, even for a one-night stand. It's interesting, because my girlfriend is not attracted to men at ALL, and finds most men pretty repulsive. So maybe I'm bi and she's a lesbian. But these classifications aren't necessarily important anyway.
Btw, I tried to comment at your blog about season 4, but I think it was lost? Either way, I think season 4 sadly got worse as it went along. I really liked the first 2-3 eps, then was disappointed in some others. (It's a matter of taste though.) But The Hub is a great, James-centric episode, and you can see some awesome acting from both James and Mary McDonnell there.
Well, I don't have any restrictions on comments so it may be your internet connection to blame. Mine is a Mokkula, which I affectionately call a snail. It's always a gamble to comment on blogs. :p
I'm not too worried about the quality. When I'm really, really into some show, I don't even notice if it's going downhill, I just enjoy it for its own sake. The characters have always been brilliantly and convincingly written (except Kara who's a little OC now...). I like the ponderings on morality and the contemporary themes in general. Besides, I just need to know what will happen!
Mary is amazing. Those pencil skirts, so sexy. :D If only I would be that attractive at her age.
I have a pretty fast ADSL connection, but my computer is the slow one, and Firefox 3 hasn't been treating me as well as I'd like.
I didn't really like most of what they did with Gaius in season 4. The cult was good at first, but didn't really go anywhere. I felt like they never really developed it past the initial setting. That was one of my biggest disappointments, but the finale was great Baltar-wise. He really got a good send-off.
Mary looks unbelievably good. I can't believe she's my Mom's age!
Post a Comment