Are These Men Hot Enough for You?
By Jane • Jul 6th, 2007 • Category: Letters of Opinion, Misc • •
There is an infamous vampire romance series called the Black Dagger Brotherhood penned by author, JR Ward. This series propelled Ward to top spots on the New York Times bestseller list. The series is about a race of vampires struggling for power against soulless “lessors”. It’s a full of ridiculous names: Phury, Thorment, Vishous. It has pseudo street language with enough “my brothers” and “yos” to fill up a barrel. Regardless, we readers have gobbled up the vampire romances like they were the last food we would eat in days. These urban vampires are not black, but white.
Sharon Cullars, author of Again and The Object of Love, repurposed the images of the Black Dagger Brotherhood and challenges readers whether these brothers could fit into their fantasies.
I’m not much for man titty, but I know a pretty face when I see it and these men can be the stars in my romance book any day.
Jane is a long time romance reader whose passion is, you guessed it, reading. Jane also does not like to talk about herself in the third person, but apparently this is the way that this biography thing works (although in a true biography, someone else would be writing this blurb). Anyway, currently Jane loves urban fantasy authors Patricia Briggs and Ilona Andrews. She's really excited about this year's crop of historicals including Joanna Bourne's The Spymaster's Lady and Sherry Thomas' Private Arrangements and the upcoming Loretta Chase Her Scandalous Ways.
She's looking for a good contemporary author. Email her with a recommendation!
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Oh, yeah. Which is why I linked to the same thing!
I hate to just settle. I mean I really, really think we need to do more research, come up with more offerings. Just to be fair. *G*
Seriously beautiful men! They can be my romance hero any time.
To quote my favorite librarian “Holy crap on a cracker!” That is some awesome casting and those are really great choices. Ms. Cullars can cast my romance books any day.
Sweet baby Jesus those are some beautiful men. Except for 50 Cent. I don’t find him sexy. But Gary Dourdan and Darren Sharper. Yumm-y. Sharon did a great job of casting.
But I would submit that it would work even better if the BDBs were a mix of races. Some white, some black, some hispanic, etc. Why make it an all white or all black series? That sounds like those gawd awful McDonalds ads back when they first started to integrate commercials- the entire cast was either all white or all black because someone decided that the two would never eat a Big Mac in the same place at the same time.
An added benefit of a multi-racial cast? Just think of all the fun we’d have finding pictures and arguing over which picture best illustrates which Brother! ;D
Gary Dourdan is one of the hottest men on the planet! If I ever sell the proposal I have for a free blacks in Revolutionary France book, you all will know who the hero is modeled on. *grin*
Mm hm. Gotta love Gary. That man is De-lish-ious (as he’s known in the Yum Yum Brotherhood)
:-)
This Wrath totally rocks, much better than the original Wrath, who didn’t do much for me. But Zsadist is not as I pictured. Tyrese (is that him?) is too obviously hot and not bony and tormented enough. :-)
50 Cent could totally be Rehvenge, Bella’s brother the dealer!
And how about Terrence Howard for Marisa’s brother the doctor?
A young LL Cool J would have made for a good John.
And please tell me there’s a character left for the gent from Amistad.
That’s what I enjoy L.A. Banks’ VHL series. Despite the heavy use of slang and Banks’ admitted purple prose, her cast reflects the world.
Lurve those pics. I have dug Blair Underwood since LA Law, and I even harbor a certain fondness for Fiddy. But I love that Gary Dourdan picture the most. I have a thing for dreadlocks.
Oh grrrrr
I’m thorry but whenthever I thread their namesh I hath to lipth.
hehehehehe
Wow! Was wondering why I was getting so many hits then checked my sitemeter. Glad to see everyone liked my selection (except for Fiddy, of course). But if you guys want a more multicultural selection, I offer the younger Russell Wong, whom I first noted in the movie New Jack City about fifteen years ago. I can see him as Tohrment:
Russell Wong
Okay. Finally wiped the drool off my keyboard.
And, oh, yeah, Gary Dourdan. If he were a real CSI, I might be tempted to commit a crime. Do you think I could get the cops to let Gary frisk me instead of one of them?
Gary Dourdan doesn’t do it for me on CSI, but that picture of him as Vishous is seriously drool worthy.
And Sherry, I think you’re referring to Dijmon Hounsou, who is OMG beyond sexy. He has that Laurence Fishburne in Othello quality — smoldering, intense, and sexy-scary.
Now see Wesley Snipes in Blade was hot and sexy.
But… Someone running around named Thorment, Vishous I’m seeing Peter Murphy or Robert Smith. You know goth singers with makeup. and Phury oh man, maybe some shaved twink porno star in a teddy bear outfit.
Shemar Moore for Rehvenge.
I love the idea of multicultural Brothers. That would be seriously intense.
… who was totally smokin’ as Danyael, the angel in Prophecy 2. Terrible movie, but he gets naked in it.
also, how about Oliver Martinez? Perhaps a little bit of Gael Garcia Bernal?
Oh, and Antonio Banderas circa Desperado and no later than that. ’cause then he just got skanky looking and permanently attached to melanie griffith.
I was drooling every time Russell Wong appeared on screen in Romeo Must Die (the first time I ever laid eyes on him.)
*snap!* How could we forget Shemar Moore? Dang.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson would work as Wrath for me more than Blair Underwood because I got the impression Wrath is physically a big guy.
Djimon Honsou is so beautiful. I think I have been half in love with him since I saw “Amistad.” Agree that Shemar Moore is gorgeous too, as are so many of the guys in these pics. But where is a young Denzel Washington? How could you leave him out? I think he’s possibly the most sexy man I’ve ever seen.
He never did it for me, even in that movie. Too…greasy.
Neither did Denzel Washington. He always struck me as too straight-laced.
But Russell Wong? Oh, yeah. I bought Romeo Must Die just because of him.
And I’ll offer someone else: Vin Diesel [covering my head because I'm sure someone's going to throw something at me].
But that body, that voice, that attitude. *sigh*
This is going to sound wrong, but… Russell Wong looked totally hot as the abusive husband in The Joy Luck Club.
There was a scene where he has sex with the virginal heroine against a wall in a darkened room and I was like, “daaaaaaaayum.”
For my money Antonio Banderas was at his hottest when he was still in Spain, making movies like “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown” and “Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down” with Pedro Almodovar.
Is anyone here old enough to remember a movie in 1993 called Map of the Human Heart? I totally fell in love with Jason Scott Lee in that movie.
Bam - Totally agree with you on the Russell Wong appearance in The Joy Luck Club.
::note to self:: Must rent The Joy Luck Club.
Vin crossed my mind too. But lately he’s been such a tool.
I’ve always found it weird that there’s not one black person in the brotherhood. There are so many beautiful men all over the world. I definitely think it would be more interesting if the series were multi-racial. I love the re-casting, though!
Love the casting but can’t get into these books and no this doesn’t tempt me to try them again.
Ditto on renting The Joy Luck Club.
Keishon - When you read JR Ward, you have to block out the “Yo, my brother!”, the totally outdated rap music, and the pimped out rides with–I’m almost 100% positive–spinning hubcaps.
Beyond all that, there’s thoughtful plotting, engaging writing, and scenes hot enough to make you crank up the A/C. I just wish she’d allowed Butch and V a little more hanky panky in the last book.
It’s authors like her that make me spend way too much time reading and not enough time writing.
Ohhh DWAYNE JOHNSON!! I have ALWAYS thought The Rock would be the absolute BEST Wrath!
I love that man. I understand he’s recently divorced, too! hmmm…
(as if :) )
No, Ann, what you have to block out is cultural appropriation the likes of which hasn’t been seen since Elvis put on his blue suede shoes. Sorry, my gag reflex is much too strong to swallow such, but, please do carry on.
*sigh* What a lovely collection of lovely men. I’ve had a monster crush on Blair Underwood ever since I saw him in Sex and the City.
I’m rather partial to Taye Diggs myself…partially because he reminds me of my boyfriend. (’cept my bf is cuter. ;))
Oh Robin, I hear you on Jason Scott Lee. Absolutely.
I’m going to start a Brotherhood series. Let’s see, Keith Hamilton Cobb when he had the dreads on Andromeda; Dean Cain from Lois and Clark; Michael Jai White from Spawn; Jet Li from Lethal Weapon 4; Dwayne (suddenly single) Johnson; Naveen Andews of Lost and Carter Osterhouse from Trading Spaces.
I love Sharon’s selections - especially her Rhage, that guy is ridiculously gorgeous.
I have to agree with Ann Bruce on Vin Diesel! Hot!
This is far too much stilmulation for a Monday morning in the office…
How about Oded Fehr from The Mummy movies: http://www.perfectpeople.net/celebrity-star/1236/oded-fehr.htm
Naveen Andrews, yum. Also agree about The Joy Luck Club. Keith Hamilton Cobb in his dreadlock days was good eye candy too.
How about Richard T. Jones in Judging Amy?
I forgot Oded Fehr. That scene in The Mummy when he first rides up on the horse…squee! And LL Cool J is just snackalicious!
I also forgot Karl Urban. He’s a chameleon but those intense eyes!
Yes, please!