Take a Memo

We love the geek-chic school-inspired serve ware accessories from the Memo Collection at www.fishseddy.com. Make tax-time a little less taxing this year by dishing out a few snacks on the graph paper tray or a couple of dagwoods on the lined note paper trays – you can school all your buddies with your kitchen skills and mad style. Don’t forget to whet your whistle with a man-tastic composition cup.  Having a big shindig? Grab your nearest grease pencil and claim your cup with your very own name – it’ll wash off, we swear!

Top 10 Dudes Who’d Look Weird Without The Beard

While we at Foreman cannot say that a full, unkempt beard is the height of men’s grooming and sophistication, we’ll begrudgingly admit that there are a few hyper-coiffed dudes out there that we just don’t think will look right all spruced up and clean-shaven. So in honor of the latest Hollywood trend of shaving aid-neglect, here is our top 10 list of Dudes who’d look weird without the beard:

10. Garden Gnomes. It would be kind of hard to get a close shave on these guys.

9. Grizzly Adams. For you kids raised in the 70’s, you’ll remember Dan Haggerty in “The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams” and his famous bear named Ben (special props to his bearded sidekick Mad Jack, played by Denver Pyle, probably better-know as Uncle Jesse on The Dukes of Hazzard.  Any guy named Mad Jack is alright with us.)

8. Fred Sanford. Redd Foxx’s sometimes beard, sometimes goatee gave “You big dummy!” an element of surprise.  Just ask Lamont.

7. Barry Gibb. Barry’s beard is slightly more like overgrown mutton-chops but the chicks dig him, man.

6. ZZ Top. This one’s a two-fer, two totally rocking flavor-savers…and that other guy.

5. Abe Lincoln. Our 16th president; an American legend, a real trailblazer. Sure there were other full-bearded presidents (5 including Lincoln) but Honest Abe was the first and wore his without the ‘stache. (Bonus trivia: the Republican Party is historically more hirsute than their counterparts.  Double bonus if you don’t have to google “hirsute”.)

4. Wizards. I challenge you to find a wizard without the flowing facial mane. Ask any basement-dweller. Professor Dumbledore, Gandalf the Grey and Merlin to name just a few.

3. Chuck Norris. He would round-house kick us for dropping him to #3 but we’ve got standards.

2. Papa Smurf. Part wizard, part Santa Claus, and 3 apples high, he has the smurfiest beard in Smurf Village. We hope he never smurfs it off.

1. Santa Claus. The original flowy white whiskers adored the world over. Santa’s an International Man of Style, setting the grooming bar pretty darn high and the only guy who can get away with “go ahead and tug on it, it’s real.”

*If all this talk about beards has you itching for a smooth start, we recommend you enter our giveaway for The Art of Shaving Full Size Lemon Shaving Kit (hurry up, contest ends on January 12th). Not into citrus? That’s cool, we sell all the other shaving gear you need right here.

A List of 25 Great Self-Made Men

Where they find the time we haven’t a clue, but The Art of Manliness has done it again. They have just posted an excellent article entitled 25 of the Greatest Self-Made Men in American History. Now, we have long been avid readers and supporters of The Art of Manliness because they continue to produce some of the best mancentric content around. But, this particular article really pulled at our heart strings because it is at this time of year that we all begin reflecting on what we have accomplished throughout the current year and begin contemplating what we will strive for in the next. This article does a great service to us by providing 25 examples of men who created their own legacy through hard work, diligence, and vision.

Some men are born into greatness by the actions of their forefathers and some men create their own greatness despite the adverse conditions that surround them. It is these men and their stories that truly inspire us to reach for our own greatness.

These stories prove that it doesn’t matter who your parents are, where you’re born, or how much education you acquire; the difference is in your character and willingness to do whatever it takes to be the best and achieve your dreams. As we honor these self-made men, we hope to inspire you to join their ranks.

We also appreciate that the author points out the fact that many of these men were in no way perfect.

All had flaws and made mistakes.

But, it is up to us to sift through the good and the bad to find the takeaways we will strive to implore in our own lives.

Take a read through the list of these self-made men and think about what you would like to apply in 2009. What steps will you take to improve upon your own manhood?

We were surprised not to see three of the greatest philanthropists of our time on the list:

Warren Buffett

Truett Cathy

Ted Turner

If you enjoy this article we would recommend checking out the book They Made America. It goes into great detail about the lives of some great American inventors and visioneers… a few of which made this list.

Thanks Art of Manliness for all the inspiration and virtuous words of wisdom you provide us with on a consistent basis!

Hairs to Friendship

Weekend before last I went to a small fundraiser for the John Smoltz Foundation with a couple friends. It was hosted by none other than John Smoltz himself along with Jeff Foxworthy and Ernie Johnson. The evening was a lot of fun and for a great cause, but it was just a little on the chilly side (they must have gotten a deal on the place because why else would you have a fundraiser at an outdoor venue in Nov?). Smoltzie came walking out on stage sporting a visor and a new crop of hair… that turned out to be a Flair Hair Visor. I’m not sure if it was just for comic affect or warmth? But, I got a kick out of it.

The visor was a good symbol of the spirit of the evening. It was all about having a good time in support of a great cause. The highlight for me was seeing how great a friendship Smoltz and Foxworthy have and what great things they are able to accomplish through it. The have been friends for years and have managed to do some pretty cool things along the way (although I think Jeff’s been doing the exact same comedy routine the entire time). It got me thinking about who I surround myself with and whether or not I am creating great friendships that can be used to accomplish great things? Are you? All men should be so lucky to develop such great friendships with like-minded guys that allow them both to become better men.

“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: “What! You too? I thought I was the only one.” — C.S. Lewis

Seek great friendships.

The Foreman Facebook Inner Circle

Everyone likes having fans of the things they do. Well, we are no exception to that rule. If you’re a member of Facebook swing by and join our little inner circle. We just recently set it up, but we’ll be sure to add some more to it. Who knows there may even be a special surprise in store for Foreman Facebook Fans!

Guy Gear – FuBar Utility Bar

It’s a hammer… no wait it’s a crow bar… NO it’s a FuBar, Stanley’s xtreme utility bar. Voted “Best of What’s New” by Popular Mechanics, the Stanley FuBar is the ultimate manly construction and demolition multi-tool. Here are some of it’s features:

• 4-in-1 tool for prying, splitting, board bending and striking jobs
• One piece forged steel bar for increased durability
• Two-tiered jaws for grabbing common dimensional lumber & decking
• Beveled nail slot for pulling & prying nails
• Textured grip for excellent comfort & control, even when wet
• Tempered steel that prevents chipping

But that’s not all! As you can see on their fun, interactive website, it is also a great toilet, sink and piano buster-upper. Oh, and don’t mind the taunting construction guys… they’re all talk

Art 4 Dudes: Michael Godard

Although the themes vary, Michael Godard’s art changes the face of even the most traditional subjects, creating mood and mystery on canvas, that at times are painted so realistic you feel as though the subjects will reach out and touch you. Godard finds a unique way of unfolding this delicate balance of texture, color, humor and imagination to evoke drama and emotion of all kinds.

No matter what the subject, from lizzards lounging around to olives jumping in martinis to grapes chasing corks, one thing gallery owners and the public agrees on, “Michael Godard’s paintings are incredible!”

Foreman Favorites: We Love All the Michael Godard Stuff… He Has Some Really Cool Pieces.

Buy artwork by Michael Godard at Art.com

Father’s Day Roundup

A Brief History of Father’s Day [The Art of Manliness]

Just don’t get me a tie! My Father’s Day gift idea [Manscaping101]

Mug Shots of The Week, Father’s Day Edition [The Smoking Gun]

Father’s Day Feeding Frenzy [Startcooking]

Last-Minute Father’s Day Gift Items [geeksugar]

Father’s Day: A Man’s Mini Makeover [Hair and There]

Studio Stories: Dads Who Rock [Pandora Blog]

Father’s Day Video [The Evolution of Dad]

Thanks Dad for loving, protecting and teaching. Happy Father’s Day.

The Manival #7

This week’s Manival is hosted by The Simple Marriage Project. As usual it has some great articles and tips just for guys.

A couple of our favorites include:

• You Don’t Mess With Dad
• Making a Long Distance Relationship Work
• ‘Do It’ Like a Dude
• 7 Vital Characteristics of a Man

There’s even one submitted by your’s truly titled Men In Pink.
Stop by and give it a read and a digg.

The Manival is an ongoing blog carnival updated every Tuesday. Past posts and future hosts can be found at the blog carnival index page.

11 Undervalued Hollywood Hotties

There are definitely a lot of actors and actresses in Hollywood that are waaaayyyy overrated. They demand big bucks for so-so performances. We like to see a little more bang for our buck, so we tried to take a look at some of the under valued stocks in Hollywood that might save a couple million over a Demi Moore or a Julia Roberts.

These 11 young ladies have certainly proven they have what it takes for Hollywood. Just making it to Hollywood is an accomplishment in and of itself. But, by our standards they have not yet reached their full asking price. Yeah, you’ve probably seen them around here and there, but wouldn’t you like to see them around a little more!

Megan Fox

Where you’ve seen her: Playing around under the hood of a Camero in the 2007 Transformers blockbuster

Recent Performance: Just voted the sexiest woman in the world by FHM Magazine

Analyst Rating: Strong Buy

Bridget Moynahan

Where you’ve seen her: Saving the world from an android takeover in I, Robot

Recent Performance: Gave birth to Tom Brady’s love child

Analyst Rating: Hold

Kristen Bell

Where you’ve seen her: Walking around bikini clad in Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Recent Performance: Playing with electricity as Elle Bishop on Heroes

Analyst Rating: Buy

Thandie Newton

Where you’ve seen her: Performing thievery in Mission Impossible II

Recent Performance: Playing Condoleezza Rice in an upcoming movie about W.

Analyst Rating: Hold

Kate Bosworth

Where you’ve seen her: Hangin’ with Supey as Lois Lane in Superman Returns

Recent Performance: Gambling her nights away in 21

Analyst Rating: Strong Buy

Paz Vega

Where you’ve seen her: Cleaning up Adam Sandler’s messes in Spanglish

Recent Performance: Filming with Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson on the upcoming Spirit movie

Analyst Rating: Buy


Kate Beckensale

Where you’ve seen her: Strutting around in her Pocahontas outfit for Adam Sandler in Click

Recent Performance: Surviving a shooting at an LA diner in the upcoming movie Winged Creatures

Analyst Rating: Hold


Blake Lively

Where you’ve seen her: Attending a faux university in Accepted

Recent Performance: Talking it up with co-lister Kristen Bell on the hit CW show Gossip Girl

Analyst Rating: Strong Buy


Anna Faris

Where you’ve seen her: As a brunette with blonde intelligence, Cindy Campbell, in the Scary Movie films

Recent Performance: Playing herself (not with) on the wildly popular HBO series Entourage

Analyst Rating: Hold


Brooke Burns

Where you’ve seen her: Bouncing around the Baywatch beaches and putting contestants through the ringer on Dog Eat Dog

Recent Performance: Working on the Ashton Kutcher produced series Miss Guided

Analyst Rating: Hold


Michelle Monaghan

Where you’ve seen her: Yuckin’ it up with Ben Stiller in The Heartbreak Kid

Recent Performance: Starring in the romantic comedy (aka chick flick) Made of Honor

Analyst Rating: Strong Buy

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