What Is It About A Man With a Mustache

Are you a fan of mustaches/moustaches (both are correct spellings)? I hear a lot of mixed reaction from both men and women on this. Some love them, while others don't. Growing up I always considered mustaches something very manly. When you were able to grow facial hair, it was something you did. It was a sign of being a man. Not every man in my family had facial hair, but many of them did. I would see a lot of men with either just a mustache or they would pair it with a beard or a goatee.

Then it was like one day a man was not suppose to have any hair on his face. His skin was to be as smooth as a baby's bottom. I knew guys who revolted against this and kept their facial hair. I've noticed over the last few years that facial hair is making a comeback. Maybe it's not everywhere, but it sure has around these parts. Plus there are many male Hollywood celebs who are ditching the razor and showing off what God gave them.

I'll admit that I haven't always had facial hair. I shaved for years. I do have it now. I'll change it up depending on my mood and the season. I'm not saying every man should have it. It doesn't make you any less of a man not to have a mustache or something else. It hasn't always been culturally acceptable around the world throughout the ages. Some religions approve of it, while there are others that want you clean shaven. Some women love a man with facial hair, while there are other women who can't stand it. Plus depending on your job, it isn't always allowed. I'm pretty much a live and let live guy about it. I do know that personally I love it.

So what are your thoughts on facial hair on a man? Do you like it? If you're a man, do you have any sort of facial hair? How does your significant other react to it? If you're a woman, do you have an opinion on it or not? Let me know what you think. I wanted to share a few of my favorite men who have had a mustache.

Ernest Hemingway:



Burt Reynolds:



Charles Bronson:



Teddy Roosevelt:



Sean Connery:



Tom Selleck & Sam Elliot:



Billy Dee Williams:

John F. Kennedy: Presidential Style

With the election of John F. Kennedy as the 35th President of the United States, the golden era of Camelot began. John and Jackie, along with their two young children, revolutionized what the First Family could be during their short time in office. They were a great looking and very stylish couple. Whether you agreed with them politically or not, there was no denying that at all. JFK is one of my favorite style icons. He looked amazing whether he was in a suit (doing his job as leader of the free world) or dressed more casual (as he relaxed with his family). It's such a tragedy that his term and life were cut so short.

Sammy Davis Jr. Goes To Washington

Here's a picture of Sammy Davis Jr. at a party in Washington, D.C. in 1964. Sammy was very involved in politics, fighting for civil rights for all Americans. He also was a supporter of other causes as well. I wish I could have been at this party. He definitely had to be a star attraction there.

Frank Sinatra Receives Presidential Medal Of Freedom

Frank Sinatra was awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Ronald Reagan on May 23, 1985 in Washington, D.C. Former United Nations ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick applauds behind them.



You can visit the Frank Sinatra page at the Presidential Medal of Freedom website. It includes some biographical information about the Chairman of the Board himself. I really love this picture. Besides being an entertainment legend and icon, Sinatra was a wonderful humanitarian. He truly deserved this award. I'm glad he received it.

Beyoncé Knowles Sings The Etta James Classic "At Last"

One of my favorite songs of all time is At Last by Etta James. Recently there was a film called Cadillac Records about Chess Records and its co-founder Leonard Chess. Etta James is played in the film by Beyoncé Knowles. The films also stars Adrien Brody and Jeffrey Wright. I never got a chance to see this film at the theater, but I do plan to see it when it hits DVD. I've posted the movie poster from the film. I'm also posting two video clips. The first one is the the video for Beyoncé's version of At Last. The second video is her performing the song at for the first dance between President Obama and the First Lady at the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball. I hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think.

Sammy Davis Jr. & Richard Nixon

Sammy Davis Jr. had always voted Democratic until he felt snubbed by JFK. His recent interracial marriage (he married May Britt on November 13, 1960) was quite controversial, so he was taken off the bill for an inauguration party thrown for Kennedy. Sammy did not forget this at all. He went on to become a big supporter of Republican Richard Nixon, even hugging President Nixon on television. Sammy even spent the night in the Queen's Bedroom of the White House. The picture I've posted here is from a meeting between Sammy and Nixon on March 4, 1973. The relationship between these two caused a huge uproar in the entertainment industry and the black community. It didn't really matter to Sammy though.

Ronald Reagan Roasts Frank Sinatra

Following is a clip from one of The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts. The year is 1977. It features Ronald Reagan, the former Governor of California who had recently sought the Republican nomination for the Presidency. He lost the nomination, however, to President Gerald Ford. Ford would go on to lose the election to Jimmy Carter.

Here Reagan is roasting Frank Sinatra. Part of Reagan's jokes are about if Sinatra was President of the United States. Of course, a few years later Reagan himself would actually be elected the 40th President. Dean Martin introduces Reagan. Plus you can see quite a few other celebrities sitting on the panel and laughing at Reagan's jokes about Ol' Blue Eyes. I hope you enjoy it.



P.S. Besides hearing Dean Martin music at my grandmother's house when I was growing up, these roasts were my first real introduction to Dino.

Dean Martin For Governor & Much More!

My pallie Dino Martin Peters had posted this video clip over at his wonderful Dino blog. I really like this clip, plus it's appropriate since we are in an election season, so I thought I would post it here on my blog as well.

Man, I would love to be electing Dino as governor of my state of North Carolina. I say after he's elected governor then let's send him on to the White House. That's the kind of real change we need in Washington. Those politicians there wouldn't know what to make of Dino. Dean Martin in 2008! Go Dino Go!

Jesse Jackson Took Sammy Davis Jr. For A Financial Ride

I try not to get political here. I will only post things that feature political figures if it has something to do with the Rat Pack. That's why I'm posting this. I just couldn't stay away from this story. All I've got to say is that Jesse Jackson should be ashamed of himself.

From Cinema Retro:

This won't come as a shock to anyone who has followed the career of Jesse Jackson, a man who has used his self-appointed status as a civil rights leader to create a financial cottage industry for himself and his sons. Jackson's tactics of threatening racially-driven protests against any corporation that doesn't "co-operate" with his shadowy Rainbow PUSH Coalition have been documented over the decades, but what not been put in the spotlight as frequently is his insistence upon benefiting even when doing a good deed for an African American icon. Take the case of Sammy Davis Jr. The beloved entertainer died penniless in 1989, having spent recklessly and lived a life style that was far beyond even his means. Still, Davis was an indisputed seminal figure in the Civil Rights movement, having been one of the first African Americans to gain wide acceptance with maintstream audiences. In doing so, he broke down barriers and helped advance racial equality. Thus, when, in 1985, Davis asked Jackson to deliver the eulogy for his good friend and conductor George Rhodes, the Rev was all too happy to comply - in return for a fee of $5,000, four first-class plane tickets and two suites at a Four Seasons Hotel. The fact that Davis was broke at the time didn't persuade the good "reverand" from sticking to his guns, so Davis had the tab financed on a colleague's credit card. The revelation is but one from author Matt Birkbeck's forthcoming book Deconstructing Sammy which delves into Davis' rags-to-riches-to-rags life and career.

Obama & McCain Both Dig Sinatra

It seems we've finally found something that both Senator Barack Obama and Senator John McCain agree on. Both men running for the opportunity to call the White House their pad for the next four years are fans of Frank Sinatra. I guess I at least now say they've got good taste in tunes if nothing else. :-)

From BBC News:

Frank Sinatra is the only artist to feature among the top 10 favourite songs of both US presidential candidates, it has been revealed.

Democrat Barack Obama included You'd Be So Easy To Love and John McCain I've Got You Under My Skin in the lists compiled by US magazine Blender.