I Quit Smoking 18 Years Ago Today

I thought it was funny when the conversation about smoking cigarettes being "cool" again reared its head last week, as I was prepping for this annual post I've been doing for eighteen years now -- if you look it up this conversation pops up about every two years and everyone acts all outraged again. And as I say every year -- smoking is bad for you! I am glad I quit eighteen years ago today! And yet I also think that it's undeniable that it just looks cool -- it's erotic, it's cinematic, it's literally "bad for you" as I just said and I'm of the mind that we'll stop being human beings when we stop romanticizing nihilism. We're always gonna be attracted to the "bad boy" archetype, even when it's Gina Gershon in Bound. (Hell especially when it's Gina Gershon in Bound.) 

Anyway I make some form of that argument every single year so's I can justify this post. Eighteen years of them now! That's wild. And no I don't miss smoking in the slightest, even if I one thousand percent understand the sould-crush that the kids are feeling so they're picking up the cancer-sticks again. I'm not judging anybody -- I get it y'all. The world's on fire -- you might as well lean in and light some drugs up off of it. With that said over the past twelve months I've gathered a ridiculous amount of pictures and gifs for y'all (over 150) so let's get to those. Hit the jump and inhale...

All of Them Staches

Years and Years luvvahs Russell Tovey and Dinoe Fetscher were reunited (both be-stached!!) at the Olivier Awards in the U.K. this past Sunday night -- Dino posted this picture on Instagram alongside several more pictures of himself looking studly in formalwear natch). I always want to re-watch Years and Years when I see these two reunited but then I remember how goddamned sad and scary that series is and my brain moves right along... one day it'll hopefully make for an easier re-watch! But that day is not today!

Good Morning, World

Russell Tovey should feel flattered this morning... I mean he probably should feel flattered every morning because a lot of gay men just spent their night having dirty dreams about him. But specifically he should feel flattered this morning because last night I posted a couple of these photos from Behind the Blinds magazine on Bluesky convinced they were leftovers from his 2022 photoshoot for BTB mag (posted here). But they're not! They are brand new! In other words I apparently think he hasn't aged a day in four years. 

That's nothing to spit at, Russ! I think I've aged about fifty years in the past four but I'm not holding it against me -- it's the goddamned world. It's a conspiracy! Anyway so yeah they are indeed new photos (via),  and this being Behind the Blinds magazine there will surely be dozens more to drop before we're done. But today, this Friday, this morning, we're posting what we have. Hit the jump for that...

Cruise This Movie

We're coming up on a year since I reviewed the movie out of Sundance -- read that review right here -- and director Carmen Emmi's wonderful and moving gay drama Plainclothes is hitting blu-ray today. Pick up your copy right here. Russell Tovey plays a cruising dude who cruises into undercover cop Tom Blyth's bathroom stall, catching his eye and all his other body parts, in 1990s Syracuse. And as I say in my review -- it sure is weird to see a period piece made about a time and a place you were a part of! Not that I was picking up Russell Toveys in the mall bathroom... unfortunately. Life would've been way easier had I been! 

Good Morning, World

Are they gonna get me to watch a Dr. Who thing? I think they might get me to watch a Dr. Who thing. Well we'll wait and see if any more moments like this of Russell Tovey come out of The War Between the Land and the Sea before we decide, I guess. As I mentioned the last time we posted some slutty Russell photos I, like many ignorant Americans, don't even know what you call fans of the decades-long running British franchise. But Russ in thiose little trunks is conving me to trying upping my nerd cred. But per usual I worry -- my main worry regarding a franchise that's been going for literal decades -- that I will have absolute no idea whatsoever what is happening, jumping in now. To any fans out there -- how dumb an idea is this? Should I just be thankful for these gifs and move it along?

Russell Tovey Ten Times

Any Dr. Who people in the house? What do Dr. Who fans call themselves anyway? Are they Whovians? That seems very close to the people of Whoville in Dr. Suess to me but hey go off. Anyway obviously I don't know my Whos from my elbow or a hole in the ground so needless tp say no, I did not watch the new spin-off starring he of the golden ears, Russell Tovey. But perhaps one of you fine people would like to fill me in on it. I promise to listen politely, and then probably forget it all. But hey we got this new ICON El Pais magazine photoshoot (via) out of it! Some of the clothes and the styling is hella goofy, but for every ounce of goofiness there's an equal dose of skin and/or sluttiness, so we'll take it. Hit the jump for the full shoot...

Tom Blyth Eight Times

Just a quick heads-up before I run out the door for that Pillion screening I mentioned this morning that what's probably my second favorite gay movie of 2025, the 90s set drama Plainclothes starring Tom Blyth and Russell Tovey, has gotten a blu-ray drop date! It's hitting physical media on January 6th and you can pre-order it right at this link. And if you need me to make my case on why it's so good that it's worth buying read my review at Pajiba from when it screened at Sundance forever ago. And bonus, this gives me a good excuse to post this photoshoot of the beautifully pillow-lipped Mr. Blyth for Sharp magazine (via) that I missed several weeks back -- everybody wins. Hit the jump for them all...

Do Dump or Marry: Three Hot Gays

In honor of Russell Tovey's birthday today we will toss him into a heap with two of the internet's favorite homosexuals and force them to wrestle it out for our enjoyment. Our gay gladiators! He and Andrew Scott and Sexiest Man Alive Jonathan Bailey were all photographed at... oh I don't care, some party this week. I can't be bothered to look up what it was. But it seems the right moment to "Do Dump or Marry" the three of them. Do do that in the comments and also wish a Happy birthday to Mr. Tovey! From you and from me and more importantly (like way more importantly) from these two:

Russell Tovey Six Times

If a few of these photos of Russell Tovey look a bit odd to your eye you're not growing cataracts -- these are apparently 3D scans that've been manipulated by the artist Alex Margo Arden for King Kong magazine, although the info included on the Instagram post where they come from isn't too in-depth on the process and I'm not waiting to buy the magazine, get the magazine, and read the article to figure all of those details out. I'm sure you'll hear all about it if you listen to Tovey's art podcast. For our purposes we're just focusing on the fuckability quotient, and that remains typically high for our favorite pair of ears attached to a slamming bod and horned-up demeanor. Hit the jump for them all...

Tom Blyth & Russell Tovey Eighteen Times

Somebody at Man About Town magazine must've been a really big fan of the movie Plainclothes -- as was I! -- because not only did they gift us with that sexy photoshoot of Russell Tovey that I shared back at the start of October but then they went and dropped a shoot of Russell with his on-screen gay lover Tom Blyth together, and then today an entire shoot of Tom all by himself! We truly admire their obsession. Anyway with all I had going on this month I shamefully hadn't posted the duo shoot yet so now that we have this opportunity we're snatching it -- hit the jump for them all...

Russell Tovey Eight Times

I'd just like to start this out by saying that the above photo of Russell Tovey in plaid pants is a lot for me, personally -- thankfully I had all weekend to really sit with it since this new photoshoot for Man About Town magazine dropped on Friday  -- we needed it. Also adding to the heap -- the fact that the interview therein is a chat between Russ and his "bromance" buddy Pedro Pascal. I did not use that word. The magazine used that word. I would have used other words but whatever! The two talk about (no really) queer cinema and being in the closet and being "vers" -- Pedro... I don't even know what to say about Pedro anymore. So let's not. Let's just say this is one of Tovey's sexiest photoshoots and hit the jump for the photos before I get myself in trouble...

Plainclothes and Pretty Boys

Gay movie alert! Plainclothes, the movie where Tom Blyth plays an undercover cop who falls for suburban daddy Russell Tovey in 1990s Syracuse, is out in theaters today -- I reviewed this awhile back, read my thoughts here. Big fan. Oh and if you wanna find a theater near you where it's playing this link should help. 

Yessir Mister Plainclothes

Sure enough as mentioned in our last post the trailer for Plainclothes has also arrived today -- the closeted cop drama starring Tom Blyth and Russell Tovey is hitting theaters on September 19th and you can watch the trailer down below. Here is my Sundance review of the movie, which hit me with a whallop given it's set in Syracuse New York in the 1990s aka where and when I grew up and got good and gay. A really special movie, and Tom Blyth and Maria Dizzia as his mom in particular give wonderful performances. Watch it!

Okay here's one more gif, just cuz:

Good Morning, World

(via) Russell Tovey wearing Luke Evans' speedo?
These bros out here trying to straight up murder us.

Pic of the Day

Just a little something to cheer us up.

To make us gay(er)! The Bette shirt, I mean.

Russell Tovey One Time

I admit I woofed. (via) 

Tom Blyth Two Times

Speaking of more cinematic excellence getting slotted into the fall movie season, we've now got official word on Plainclothes, the 90s-set gay drama starring Tom Blyth as a closeted cop hunting gays in mall restrooms and Russell Tovey as the hot one he catches and immediately starts humping -- it's hitting theaters on September 19th. I reviewed the movie during Sundance -- read that right here. It hit home since it's literally set where and when I grew up, as I get into in that review, but Blyth in particular is excellent and has probably forever won my heart thanks to his charming and conflicted performance. Also proper love must be given to the great and always underappreciated Maria Dizzia who plays his mom. This movie is definitely far too small to eke out big awards attention I think, and that's a shame -- both of their performances will very much be amongst the best of the year according to me. Anyway we don't have a trailer for this yet but I expect we will soon enough so stay tuned.

They Tried To Make Us See

I will admit that this is a dark way to follow my earlier post saying that we should look for light in dark days, but this one demands our attention -- on the same morning that there's a really fucking upsetting article in the NYT about how our not-esteemed President's healthcare cuts are mucking up the imminent cure for HIV I stumbled upon this video of Russell Tovey doing a reading of a famous letter by John Waters' star and downtown goddess Cookie Mueller. In it she talks about the devastation of AIDS, which would later claim her life as well. If you need a more succinct rundown on the background of Cookie than the many I've given over the years, read this wonderful piece. I think this is really the only note we can end Pride on in 2025. Be furious. We need to be furious. We need to summon the rage of those we lost, and those we will lose. They're coming for every one of us and throwing trans people under the bus isn't going to stop them from shipping a white homosexual like me to a gulag. We're in this together y'all. Make art, make violence, just scream. Scream in the motherfuckers face. Make them uncomfortable. Fucking fight y'all. Things are not okay. So dark days, yes, but we can be the light. Bright violent light if need be -- the sort of light that snuffs out the darkness in a explosion of itself. 

Today's Fanboy Delusion

Today I'd rather be...

... appreciating art with Russell Tovey.

Makin' Like Tovey...

... and peacin' the fuck out.

Bye til tomorrow...