Max Thieriot: The Gay Villains of Yesteryear

You probably remember Max Thieriot from Catch that Kid (2004), a teen heist movie in which a  girl and two boys (Max, Corbin Bleu of the High School Movie franchise) break into a bank vault).  It was more about "young love," hetero-romance, than buddy-bonding, but both of the boys received some teen idol treatment.

Next came some father-son or father-surrogate son roles, with Max as a teenager who doesn't express any romantic interest: The Pacifier (2005), with Vin Diesel; The Astronaut- Farmer (2005), with Billy Bob Thornton.  Plus the boyfriend of perennial girl sleuth Nancy Drew (2007) and a few other teens who find "young love."

My Soul to Take (2010) had a gay subtext, at least.  Max starred as Bug, a teenager who tries to save his friends from the dead serial killer who is stalking them, along with bromantic partner Alex (John Magaro).  But there's also the implication that the serial killer was a gay pedophile.  I know -- how about we have a horror movie sometime where the killer is not gay or transgender?

Recently Max has played a lot of damaged or evil teens, often gay-vague or gender-transgressive: an online hustler in Disconnect (2012), a killer in House at the End of the Street (2012), Norman Bates' even quirkier brother in the tv series The Bates Motel (2012-), a prequel to Psycho.  

Sort of a throwback to the gay villains of yesteryear, like Norman Bates himself.

Philips Andover Aquatics: Beefcake since 1912

Phillips Andover Academy, an elite private school in Andover, Massachusetts, has trained hundreds of notable people, including Edgar Rice Burroughs (creator of Tarzan), Presidents Bush Junior and Senior, gay writer Paul Monette, and my friend, crazy-as- loon Matt.

It has had an aquatics team since 1912, with team photographs from each year posted on its website.

Notice the chest-covering swimsuits in the early years

In 1938 a few brave souls pose bare-chested for the camera; it was still considered a bit indecent, illegal in many cities.

By 1945, they're all bare-chested.  They play the Olneyville Boy's Club, the Boston Boys' Club, Harvard Freshmen, and Gardner High.  The captain has the odd name of Chips Lazo (real name Mario; his father designed airports).

In 1963 we see the first nonwhite athletes.  They also start looking younger.  I've noticed that in a lot of old photos: before the 1960s, teenagers looked like men in their 30s today.

Through the 1970s they're all photographed wearing white jerseys.  Got to cover up those chests.

In 1986 we see the first Asian boys.

More after the break

Even More Nolan Gould

Modern Family, the oddly popular sitcom about an extended family of annoyingly privileged people in contemporary Los Angeles, began in 2009, with eleven-year old Nolan Gould as the youngest kid in the nuclear-family Pritchetts.  With a very large cast, there wasn't much for him to do, so he was a stereotypic kid for a few seasons, then a stereotyped dull-witted girl-crazy teenager.

And he started to beef up.

You could see the transformation, season by season, sometimes month by month.  The guy is now nineteen years old, and knows his way around a gym.

I haven't watched Modern Family for a while, but I was wondering if Nolan Gould has been showing us any beefcake since I checked last year.

As it turns out, not much.  Just a few pics here and there.

He's got a little chest hair now, compared to last year, a glory trail, and a little pudginess around the abs.

Not that I mind.

A selfie at the gym.  Who hasn't taken one of those?

No fair turning around to flex.

This is an old one, but I love the pale hard chest, like a marble statue. Also the guy he's with is hot.

His old hairstyle.  It's more dorky now.

Way dorky.

But look where he started out.

See also: My 10 Favorite Pictures of Nolan Gould; The Beefcake Explosion of Nolan Gould