Alexander Skarsgard

I'm inspired friends! True Blood is returning soon and while I am thrilled at the prospect of hearing Sookie profess her love to "Bee-ill" and seeing Jason walk around with his shirt off, I am even MORE thrilled at the prospect of more Alexander Skarsgard aka Eric Northman aka the Hottest Blondie Vampire ever. Yeah, Spike - you heard!

I must admit to not being particularly swoonful over Eric when I first saw him but like just about everybody else I have fallen for his Swedish-talkin' charms.

Interestingly enough I thought that Alexander Skarsgard was the son of Stellan Skarsgard - which he is. I also thought that he was the brother of Peter Sarsgaard, which he isn't! Because, hey - they don't even have the same name! Silly me.

Josh Lawson

Josh Lawson is a bit of a 'hey, it's that guy'. Except in his case it's 'hey, it's that funny guy that looks better with a beard.' I couldn't find any pics of Josh with the lush full beard he was sporting on last night's 'Good News Week'. But if you look at his furrier face above and squint so that the picture is really, really fuzzy...then well, you might come close. Or you could go to this website and have a look at the video yourself. I would suggest that you do that because it really is a good beard. I'll wait...

http://ten.com.au/good-news-week.htm

Amiright or amiright?

Another good thing about Josh Lawson growing a beard is that he also seems to grow his eyebrows back. Cool!

Off the Wall

This is a little late in coming but I just had to indulge (BWAB is after all one of my greatest indulgences). A quick RIP to Michael Jackson. Obviously, he went properly crazy in the last 10 years and that was sad. But those silver disco ball Rock with You boots will be forever in my memory as one of the coolest things ever.

Thanks for those slammin' tunes, MJ. Damn, you was cute.

Bradley Cooper

Bradley Cooper is on the edge of being really, really famous. I can feel it in my fame-o-meter and I think we all know why (hint – it’s the beard).

He’s seems to be all over the place at the moment. I see recently that he is even being touted as “Jen’s new Brad”. Which is a bit sad for him – though I guess there are worse ways to pass time than schtooping Jennifer Aniston.

I do have to admit that I had to look up Bradley Cooper on IMDB to find out whether I have actually seen him act. It turns out that I have. In quite a few things – which leads me to think that they were all pre-beard because I have absolutely no recollection of him. However, I will rectify that by paying rather close attention to what he does from now on. Particularly as he has been cast as “Face” in the upcoming A-team movie. Exciting!

James Blake

Due to the fact that Wimbledon starts on Monday, I have decided to BWAB another tennis player. Which I have discovered is actually my third. I guess beards and tennis have been going hand in hand for a while now and who am I to scoff at tradition?

So here we have James Blake. While he certainly is slammin, he has never won a Grand Slam - which is a shame. I think that he can get close this year; he has overcome a fair bit to continue his tennis career. Did you know that a few years ago he slid into the net post and broke his neck! After that I would think overcoming the Teacher’s Aide (Roger Federer) would be dead easy.

Plus he looks very good when smiling and holding up trophies. Reason enough to let the man win Wimbledon!

Go James and mind the net post!

Oh James, even after being BWAB-ed you couldn't come up with the goods. At least you bought good beard, I guess.

Brandon Flowers

Brandon Flowers I love the way you sing. To me. I know that mostly you are just singing to me. Why else would you have a song that says "He doesn't look a thing like Jesus"? Who else would care that their man doesn't look like Jesus apart from me? Exactly!

I do wish that you had carried over with the guy-liner and manscara to your beardy pic. It's hot. You're quite fashion forward aren't you? What next. A cape? Anyway, keep up the good work and try not to look so worried. You can totally carry off the ribbon tie.

Just as an aside I have figured out why Brandon looks so worried as a beardy. The man is scared of himself! Surely that can't be good.

http://www.myparkmag.co.uk/articles/brandon-flowers-beard-fear.html

I'm Ron Burgundy?

As a birthday present to myself I thought that I would BWAB Ron Burgundy and let me tell you by the beard of Zeus was it fun!
Basically this BWAB meant looking at pictures of Ron Burgundy, looking at You Tube clips of Ron Burgundy and reading Ron Burgundy quotes.
I was feeling a bit blue about sitting around in an office by myself all day but Ron has cheered me up no end.
The reason that I think Ron is BWAB (not that he doesn’t have a mighty fine moustache) is that he managed to grow this beard in THREE days. He was going through a very hard time, he had lost his job and his beloved Baxter had been punted into the river - “Baxter... is that you? Baxter! Bark twice if you’re in Milwaukee” – but through adversity he grew a mighty beard and decided that, in fact, milk was a bad choice.

I think that there is a lesson in that for all of us.
You stay classy, Ron Burgundy.

Benecio Del Toro

Non BWAB Beni: “Hmmm…I’m pretty sure I am smokin and I have great hair. But there is something missing…”
BWAB Beni: “A beard! The people need beards! Viva la beard revolution!”

Aye comrade!

Not only is Benicio Del Toro BWAB but he is also BACG (Better as Che Guevara). Doesn’t he look amazing? I am very much looking forward to seeing this film even though it is apparently a million hours long.

Joaquin Phoenix

Ok – so perhaps I have been a little bias in the pictures I have chosen for my ‘with’ and ‘without’ beard pictures. I will concede this – but as in any form of research or documentary aren’t you going to go with the information that bests support your point of view?
But in the name of balance I will present an exhibit of a man who, dare I say it, is not better with a beard. Whooo, that hurt.

Oh, Joaquin. We are waiting for the all mighty reveal. You know, when you say to us “Gotcha! Haven’t really gone insane. Was just all a big joke”. And we can breathe a sigh of relief because “Hehe…we knew all along that you were joking but there was just that teeny bit doubt in our minds when we thought that maybe you were crazy for reals. That was a good one, Joe”
But maybe the reveal isn’t coming? Maybe, Joaquin, you are going to be doing this for your whole life:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jI6Qtb6Tn4Q

rather than being the sad-eyed-kind-of-weird-looking-yet-hot guy that we had grown to love?

Maybe if you just, oh I don’t know, brushed your hair and had a shower you might look better with a beard. But most certainly not that one. I would suggest something that makes you look a little less....homeless. Please?

Eric Bana

Poida, your beard is noice!

I have seen Eric Bana in real life with my own eyes twice. The first time was when he was a stand up comedian. He was supporting Jimeoin about 100 years ago. The other time was a couple of years ago and he was having a coffee at a pretty average café in Melbourne. There I was getting my morning caffeine fix and who should be there but The Incredible Hunk himself! That was exciting.

He is kind of a big deal these days and I think “Good on you, Eric” and then I think “Wow, your name is Eric. Eric. Eric. Just doesn’t seem to strike as the name of a big time movie star” and then I go on to think that it’s amazing that Bob Marley’s name is Bob and Bob Hawke’s name is Bob and isn’t weird that two men who are so different have the same first name? And then that’s me gone for the day, usually.

Javier Bardem

I do believe that we have a very fine example of SSH (Smouldering Spanish Handsomeness) right here with Javier Bardem. He's properly handsome, isn't he? Like man-handsome. Big hands man-handsome. I wonder if that's his nickname?

"Hey, isn't that Big Hands Man-Handsome! Duuuude!"

Seems a little clunky for a nickname I guess.

I was very tempted to compare the man-handsome bearded Javier with this one:

MY EYES!

But I didn't want to compromise my research by cheating.

Paul Rudd

Paul Rudd, I have to ask. Are you the perfect man?
You have been involved in so many movies that have given me a comedy heart-attacks. You know when you clutch your chest and your eyes water and you can't breathe because you are laughing so hard? Yeah? Well that's a comedy heart-attack.
Anyway, Paul Rudd (don't tell Johnny Depp) but I think I may be in love with you. You sure are funny and you seem clever in interviews and there is no doubt that you give good beard. So how about it? Maybe just leave the Sex Panther at home.

Martin Henderson

Martin Henderson is a slow burn.
He’s one of those guys that you can’t really say where you know him from. Could it be from one of the great Aussie dramas of our time “Echo Point”? Could it be from the other great Aussie drama of our time “Big Sky”? Maybe.
Or perhaps it’s from that awesome motorbike movie “Torque” or from his awesome motorbike riding in Britney’s “Toxic” video.
Maybe you recognise him from “The Ring”? But please don’t make me talk about that movie because otherwise I will have bad dreams.
What I will talk about is how I saw him earlier this year playing Brick Pollitt in “Cat on a hot tin roof”. And how I was in the front row. And how for the first 30 or so minutes of the play he was only wearing a towel. Yes. Better dreams now.

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Ewan McGregor

I like this Ewan McGregor person. He's a good one isn't he? He's done so many interesting things.

He has sung Elton John to the Devil's Eyebrow (aka Nicole Kidman), dropped his pants, made some TV shows about riding around the place on a motorbike with his friend Charlie, has been Obi-Wan and he has dropped his pants.
I had to say that twice because he has dropped his pants rather a lot.

He also has that lovely ginger-ish tinge that the fair-heads get when they grow a beard which I find quite amusing. I also enjoy watching him being interviewed when he's beardy because he does that "stroking-of-beard-when-thinking" so well.

Nice work, Ewan. It's been a pleasure Bwab-ing you.

Robert Downey Jnr

Robert Downey Jnr was a suggestion from Camilla, I believe. Thank you Camilla, I enjoyed this one immensely.

I forgot how much I actually fancied RDJ. Then a painful memory that I had suppressed resurfaced - watching "Less than Zero" as a young girl on VHS with my mum. I was quite a naive child. I didn't exactly know what RJD was doing to that man at that party so I asked. Uncomfortable much!?

Anyhoo RJD is handsome and seems insane. Two of my favourite attributes! Didn't someone find him in their house when he was on drugs? That would be quite a find!

I think RDJ is better with a beard, I particularly like the grey bits. You might be looking at the 3rd pic and be thinking wha? I just had to put Jeffrey Dean Morgan side by side with Bob just to show how similar they are. Aren't they? They even have three bits to their names. And also he's hot. It is a bit ridiculous that he is supposed to be old enough to have fathered BWAB no. 12 in Supernatural - that's JDM not RDJ.

But anyway this is "Better with a Beard" not "Actors who look like other actors".

Pat Rafter

Pat Rafter seems like a nice guy doesn’t he? So much better than that Lady Hewitt. Not even a beard can save that boy! But we are not here to talk about him. Not ever. You hear me!

Sorry. Back to Pat.

I always think that Pat Rafter and Sarah Murdoch are married. I don’t know why I think that. Maybe it’s because they wear the same undies? And sometimes when people talk about Pat Rafter I think of Pat Cash and think ‘Pat Cash started a charity for kids? Wow”.

It’s confusing having two tennis players called Pat! Especially when you consider that Pat is hardly anyone’s name. I feel I'm not giving Pat the respect he deserves. He was good at tennis and has a lovely beard and according to the internets his nickname is “Skunky”.

So from now on I’m going to try very hard to remember things about Pat Cash and not get him confused with anyone else.

What's that? Oh.

Gael Garcia Bernal

Researching for BWAB can sometimes be a tricky task.

When looking through pictures on the internets for beardies sometimes I get stumped. There are some men that are obviously better with a beard (see, BBWAB 20. No really, go and have another a look. It’s extraordinary. I’ll wait….. I know, right?) then there are the few that are inconclusive.

Sometimes it’s inconclusive because I think “Hmmm…I like the beard but I don’t know if I like the beard on him” and other times it’s inconclusive because I think “That man is just so incredibly good look that I want to get down on my knees and thank Christ Bale for giving me eyes that work”.

Gael Garcia Bernal is an example of the latter.

I can’t decide. So I will leave it up you to tell me what you think.

Just a tip – make sure that you really examine both photos very carefully. Take an extra long look at the eyes, the line of the nose, the lips and the jaw line. Really take it all in.

You’re welcome.

Liev Schreiber

Is Liev Schreiber good looking? I think he is when he has a beard. But then again, you may have picked up on the fact that I am just a tad partial to one of those.
Liev has certainly come a long way in recent times ie since Wolverine was released. Who would have thought that Cotton Weary from Scream would have been the grrrr-tastic Sabretooth? Not me. He was good though. Very good. Even if the writers did make up a whole lot of stuff about Wolverine’s back story. Before you say anything , I do understand that in fact everything about Wolverine is made up because he is not a real person. But there is still some history there that needs to be respected.
I shall not dwell. Back to Liev.

I think he looks like a perfectly nice man. He is being rained on in his non-beardy pic and he still manages to give us a bit of a grin. But happier is Liev with a beard. Sure it could be that he is warm and inside and has a nice scarf. But for the purposes of the study let's just say its the beard.

Props to Matt Stevo for the Liev suggestion! We were SO on the same page.