Simon Says by Ashley Ladd

Without doubt this short story winks at the tv fiction Charlie's Angels. As in the fiction, an unknown man who speaks only through a phone, Simon, owns a P.I. agency lead by three different "angels", three gay men: Cary, the it nerd, Marco, the macho ex-cop, and Rafe, the former actor and make up artist.

Marco and Rafe had something in the past, but after a police case ended very badly, Marco ditched the job and the lover. Rafe has never had a real reason for Marco's betrayal, and probably he is still in love with the man. And so when years later, the agency asked him to work with Marco and Cary, I believe that Rafe accepted to have the chance to be again near Marco. In the agency the role are quite clear: Cary is the brain, Marco is the muscle and Rafe is the pretty; and so when a killer starts to target en-travesti man, it's quite obvious that Rafe will take part to a transvestite beauty pageant as bait... what it's not so obvious is that also macho man Marco will have to dress as a beauty contestant.

From that moment on, the mood of the short story is light and most of the time funny; Rafe is all coquettish on Marco, Marco has not the will to resist to his ex-lover, and he more than once surrenders to temptation. Rafe adopts the tactics to put out everything and always, to let Marco know what he is missing. And never once replies to Marco's late rebuttal with anger or offence: Rafe knows that he is in love with Marco and that he is the only man he wants, and so he doesn't see reason to hide it.

Even if there is a killer on the loose, and some casualty on the course, the mood of the short story is always light; I think the author is not taking very seriously the mystery plot, she is more interested in the love story between Marco and Rafe. And then, all the PI agency and mystery subplot is more tv fiction "fake" than realistic, wireless boobs transceiver and unbodied voices directly on the ears.

http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=&P_ID=496

Amazon Kindle: Simon Says
Publisher: Total-E-Bound Publishing (June 29, 2009)

Reading List:

http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle

Simon Says by Ashley Ladd

Without doubt this short story winks at the tv fiction Charlie's Angels. As in the fiction, an unknown man who speaks only through a phone, Simon, owns a P.I. agency lead by three different "angels", three gay men: Cary, the it nerd, Marco, the macho ex-cop, and Rafe, the former actor and make up artist.

Marco and Rafe had something in the past, but after a police case ended very badly, Marco ditched the job and the lover. Rafe has never had a real reason for Marco's betrayal, and probably he is still in love with the man. And so when years later, the agency asked him to work with Marco and Cary, I believe that Rafe accepted to have the chance to be again near Marco. In the agency the role are quite clear: Cary is the brain, Marco is the muscle and Rafe is the pretty; and so when a killer starts to target en-travesti man, it's quite obvious that Rafe will take part to a transvestite beauty pageant as bait... what it's not so obvious is that also macho man Marco will have to dress as a beauty contestant.

From that moment on, the mood of the short story is light and most of the time funny; Rafe is all coquettish on Marco, Marco has not the will to resist to his ex-lover, and he more than once surrenders to temptation. Rafe adopts the tactics to put out everything and always, to let Marco know what he is missing. And never once replies to Marco's late rebuttal with anger or offence: Rafe knows that he is in love with Marco and that he is the only man he wants, and so he doesn't see reason to hide it.

Even if there is a killer on the loose, and some casualty on the course, the mood of the short story is always light; I think the author is not taking very seriously the mystery plot, she is more interested in the love story between Marco and Rafe. And then, all the PI agency and mystery subplot is more tv fiction "fake" than realistic, wireless boobs transceiver and unbodied voices directly on the ears.

http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=&P_ID=496

Amazon Kindle: Simon Says
Publisher: Total-E-Bound Publishing (June 29, 2009)

Reading List:

http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle

Man Candy Day: Aaron Renfree & Tommy Panto

This week my Man Candy Day post will be devoted to the young and talented ;-) And to Adam Bouska. I like this photographer, I like his use of lines, that sometime distorts the figure, but that exalts the merit of the subject. And I like that he shots very famous, almost famous and pretty unknown men. This week I chose Aaron Renfree, a former boys band member, who has done the good choice to go back to his study to better himself, and a boy of promise for the classic ballet, Tommy Panto, that gives us a nice insight in that world.

Aaron Renfree was the oldest member of S Club 8.They achieved 6 top ten hit singles and 2 top ten albums and were the first group ever in the UK to have three consecutive no.2 hit singles. They were winners of the Disney Channel Awards for Best Newcomers and nominated for Record of the Year 2002 for 'One Step Closer'. In 2003 they embarked on their own sell-out tour S Club United performing in front of a total of 150,000 people. After they split in 2004, Aaron went back to college to take performing more seriously. Last year he graduated from Laine Theatre Arts, where he trained for a Diploma in Musical Theatre. Aaron is now performing in Flashdance the musical which is touring the UK till june 2009.



( Aaron Renfree by Adam Bouska )

Aaron Paul Renfree (born 19 December 1987) starred in I Dream but did not appear in every episode due to studying for his GCSEs at the time of filming. After S Club 8 split in 2004, he joined dancing company TK Spin, who work at Pineapple Dance Studios in London. He left the company a year later. Since 2007, Renfree has been a member of dance group Jongleurs, created by Aaron and Courtney McGrath. All members of the group have had professional training at Surrey-based dance college Laine Theatre Arts, where Renfree studied. He recently played the part of Dandini in Cinderella, Assembly Halls Theatre, Tunbridge Wells. Renfree appeared in Flashdance the musical from July 2008.

Tommy has been dancing since the age of 10 and has danced in such companies as the New York City Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, American Ballet Theater, and New Mexico Ballet. He started his dancing with the New Mexico Ballet Company under the direction of Patricia Dickinson. After two years he was moved to soloist and at the age of 14 he was accepted into the School of American Ballet. He spent the next four years training with SAB, and dancing with New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theater. After his graduation from SAB Tommy attended college and recently received his degree in Business of Finance and Merchandise Marketing. During that time he met Marat Dukayev, the prestigious Russian Kirov principal dancer, in Los Angeles and over the last year has become his protege.



( Tommy Panto by Adam Bouska )

In 2006 Tommy Panto danced with The Ballet Collective / LA in the 2 act story-ballet Sweet Revenge (DIE FLEDERMAUS) as Eisenstein by artistic director John Castagna: two years in the making, this contemporary retelling of the Strauss comic operetta was presented at Barnsdall Gallery Theatre on September 29 & 30, 2006. In 2006 and 2007 Tommy Panto danced in the Nutcracker with Lake Arrowhead Classic Ballet Company and the Metropolitan Ballet Theatre at Blessed Trinity in Roswell. Tommy Panto was one of the male dancers at the Metropolitan Ballet Theatre school and had several parts, including the Snow King and the Arabian Prince. He took most classes with the ladies, but there was also a special male class. The school had five male dancers, ranging in age from 12 to 21: boys in ballet “bond in high school and with online groups,” Tommy said.

In the upcoming year he has numerous competitions and performances all over the US, and is auditioning for the Royal Ballet of London, La Scala, Dutch National, and New York City Ballet for soloist contracts. His current repertoire includes: The Nutcracker (Snow King, Flowers Cavalier, Sugar Plum Cavalier, Nutcracker Prince), Balanchine's Serenade (male soloist), Balanchine's Tchaikovsky Pas De Deux, Swan Lake (Pas de Trois, Prince Siegfreid), and La Bayadere (Solor).

@Aaron Renfree
@Adam Bouska - Aaron
@Adam Bouska - Tommy

Man Candy Day: Aaron Renfree & Tommy Panto

This week my Man Candy Day post will be devoted to the young and talented ;-) And to Adam Bouska. I like this photographer, I like his use of lines, that sometime distorts the figure, but that exalts the merit of the subject. And I like that he shots very famous, almost famous and pretty unknown men. This week I chose Aaron Renfree, a former boys band member, who has done the good choice to go back to his study to better himself, and a boy of promise for the classic ballet, Tommy Panto, that gives us a nice insight in that world.

Aaron Renfree was the oldest member of S Club 8.They achieved 6 top ten hit singles and 2 top ten albums and were the first group ever in the UK to have three consecutive no.2 hit singles. They were winners of the Disney Channel Awards for Best Newcomers and nominated for Record of the Year 2002 for 'One Step Closer'. In 2003 they embarked on their own sell-out tour S Club United performing in front of a total of 150,000 people. After they split in 2004, Aaron went back to college to take performing more seriously. Last year he graduated from Laine Theatre Arts, where he trained for a Diploma in Musical Theatre. Aaron is now performing in Flashdance the musical which is touring the UK till june 2009.



( Aaron Renfree by Adam Bouska )

Aaron Paul Renfree (born 19 December 1987) starred in I Dream but did not appear in every episode due to studying for his GCSEs at the time of filming. After S Club 8 split in 2004, he joined dancing company TK Spin, who work at Pineapple Dance Studios in London. He left the company a year later. Since 2007, Renfree has been a member of dance group Jongleurs, created by Aaron and Courtney McGrath. All members of the group have had professional training at Surrey-based dance college Laine Theatre Arts, where Renfree studied. He recently played the part of Dandini in Cinderella, Assembly Halls Theatre, Tunbridge Wells. Renfree appeared in Flashdance the musical from July 2008.

Tommy has been dancing since the age of 10 and has danced in such companies as the New York City Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, American Ballet Theater, and New Mexico Ballet. He started his dancing with the New Mexico Ballet Company under the direction of Patricia Dickinson. After two years he was moved to soloist and at the age of 14 he was accepted into the School of American Ballet. He spent the next four years training with SAB, and dancing with New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theater. After his graduation from SAB Tommy attended college and recently received his degree in Business of Finance and Merchandise Marketing. During that time he met Marat Dukayev, the prestigious Russian Kirov principal dancer, in Los Angeles and over the last year has become his protege.



( Tommy Panto by Adam Bouska )

In 2006 Tommy Panto danced with The Ballet Collective / LA in the 2 act story-ballet Sweet Revenge (DIE FLEDERMAUS) as Eisenstein by artistic director John Castagna: two years in the making, this contemporary retelling of the Strauss comic operetta was presented at Barnsdall Gallery Theatre on September 29 & 30, 2006. In 2006 and 2007 Tommy Panto danced in the Nutcracker with Lake Arrowhead Classic Ballet Company and the Metropolitan Ballet Theatre at Blessed Trinity in Roswell. Tommy Panto was one of the male dancers at the Metropolitan Ballet Theatre school and had several parts, including the Snow King and the Arabian Prince. He took most classes with the ladies, but there was also a special male class. The school had five male dancers, ranging in age from 12 to 21: boys in ballet “bond in high school and with online groups,” Tommy said.

In the upcoming year he has numerous competitions and performances all over the US, and is auditioning for the Royal Ballet of London, La Scala, Dutch National, and New York City Ballet for soloist contracts. His current repertoire includes: The Nutcracker (Snow King, Flowers Cavalier, Sugar Plum Cavalier, Nutcracker Prince), Balanchine's Serenade (male soloist), Balanchine's Tchaikovsky Pas De Deux, Swan Lake (Pas de Trois, Prince Siegfreid), and La Bayadere (Solor).

@Aaron Renfree
@Adam Bouska - Aaron
@Adam Bouska - Tommy