10 TV characters I'm kind of in love with

So I've been watching a lot of TV lately (as faithful readers can probably tell), and I've been thinking about all the TV characters that I sorta have the hots for.
Without further ado, here's my top 10 TV folk that I have minor crushes on:

#10: Bret from Flight of the Conchords. All I have to say is, "Bret, you've got it going on."

#9: Lex Luthor from Smallville. Now, I haven't watched Smallville for a while, but I was always amazed at how much sexier Lex was than Clark. Regardless of the baldness!

#8: Jack Donaghy from 30 Rock. Yes, he's kind of old. But he's got style and class. Favorite quote, when asked why he's wearing a tux: "It's after 6, Lemon. What am I, a farmer?"

#7: Sayid Jarrah from Lost. Holy crap, Sayid is a babe. He's always torturing people and being a BAMF. I especially loved that episode where he's Ben's hit man. Before this season, I thought they couldn't make Sayid any cooler. Turns out I was wrong.

#6: Jim Halpert from The Office. What can you say about Jim? He's just so likable and charming. Also, I just read about how John Krasinski was going to be an English teacher if acting didn't pan out. Sexy.

#5: Daniel Desario from Freaks and Geeks. Oh man, James Franco is a good-looking guy. There's just something about the laid-back slacker coolness that is Daniel Desario that gets me every time. I'm upset that the show didn't keep going and maybe give Daniel and Lindsay a chance to hook it up.

#4: Michael Bluth from Arrested Development. I am quite a fan of Michael Bluth. He's such a good guy, and he's got that great hair. Also, he named his son George Michael, which is pretty sweet. He's sort of awkward and bumbling--like in that episode where he keeps accidentally spitting out his gum--but he does it with charm.

#3: Gaius Baltar from Battlestar Galactica. I know he's sort of a villain and he kind of caused the downfall of the human race, but he's just so... kickass! I love his character because he's not exactly evil, he's just incredibly cowardly. Also, with the shaggy hair, glasses, and accent, he's pretty frakkin' sexy.

#2: Malcolm Reynolds from Firefly. All my readers probably know that I have a great amount of Nathan Fillion love, so this one's probably not a surprise. Every time I watch Firefly, though, I am amazed at how awesome Mal Reynolds is. He's so funny and violent; it kills me every time.

#1: Special Agent Dale Cooper from Twin Peaks. Again, not a surprise, probably. He shares my love of pie, which I like (although I'm not a fan of a damn fine cup of coffee). It pains me that they brought in friggin Annie the nun instead of letting Audrey Horne and Dale Cooper hook it up. Ridiculous. I can't really explain my adoration, but if you've seen the show--and what awesome person hasn't?--then you understand that there is just no substitute for Special Agent Dale Cooper.

Dr. Pepper is awesome

So I just read a news story about how Dr. Pepper is campaigning for the release of Guns N' Roses' album "Chinese Democracy." As any loyal Axl fans know, this album has been delayed for a loooong time, but DP wants to change all that. They have promised a free can of Dr. Pepper to everyone in America if Axl Rose releases "Chinese Democracy" in 2008.

Check out this quote, which compares the creation of DP to the creation of the infamous "Chinese Democracy": "It took a little patience to perfect Dr Pepper's special mix of 23 ingredients, which our fans have come to know and love," said Jaxie Alt, director of marketing for Dr Pepper. "So we completely understand and empathize with Axl's quest for perfection — for something more than the average album."

They even made a blog to help them campaign. My favorite quote from the blog (which, by the way, is completely and totally true): "Axl Rose is the greatest rock n roll frontman ever...Anyone that disagrees is just lame and should look in the mirror and say, "I am lame."'

This means one day this year, we could get a new GNR album and a free can of Dr. Pepper. And THAT is why I love America.

Done!

So today was my for shiz very last day of student teaching duties. I turned in my key and my parking pass. Finally, it feels like I am done. And it feels good, lemme tell you. I can't believe I'm going to graduate! It's pretty much awesome.

Also awesome, new season on Battlestar Galactica starts April 4! I am so frakkin' excited for this season that I'm gonna let my nerd-flag fly for a minute. If you have not yet indulged in BSG, do it! If you are skeptical because it is on Sci-Fi, I understand. However, this is one of the best shows currently on the air right now. Period. It transcends its sucky genre. Michael Chabon said this about genre fiction, and I think it applies: "It's as much about structures created in the mind of the reader as in the structure or pattern of the text itself. Genre isn't just a box to be stuck in, it's also a window to look through." Go here and watch the video if you don't want to get caught up on all the episodes. But trust me, this show is boss. Also, if you love the show and haven't seen this Entertainment Weekly Season 4 thing, check it out and revel in your geekery.

One last thing: I dunno if anyone is familiar with the show Scare Tactics, but apparently it is a really mean prank show that involves putting people into horror movie-type situations that got cancelled from Sci-Fi. Well, I just read that they are bringing it back... and I think I'm going to watch it. Don't you judge me! Watch this hi-larious video...

Larry grew increasingly neurotic and obscene

So I've been loving this song by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. I've had it stuck in my head all day. Check it out:


Also someone pointed out to me that I never blog about student teaching. This is true, and I can't really explain why I don't... However, since I am now finished (except for grading a bazillion papers), I'll recap the experience. Yeah, you heard me right. I am done! And looking for a job. It's a good feeling.

Unlike many people who student teach, I really enjoyed my experience. I had all seniors, which was nice because they were very chill and calm, for the most part. We did two units, one on 1984, the other on argumentation, culminating with them writing an argumentative essay on a controversial issue of their choice. It is this essay that I should be grading right now, as I type. I didn't realize how difficult it would be to grade some of these papers, particularly on issues like the Iraq war. However, I am very objective; as long as they back up their opinions with research from credible sources, I'm fine with it.

All in all, it was just a lot of fun. I had a few minor problems, but nothing I couldn't come out of looking semi kickass. I was pretty stressed earlier this week. However, I hopped on my blog and read the comments on the last post, and that helped turn my worry into a bit of seething anger, which is more healthy and satisfying.

You know, I just figured out why I never blogged about student teaching. It's because it's boring. I'm bored, and I'm writing it. So here's Dave Foley in some hot pants to spice things up.



I've never heard of this band, I think their name is Hollerado? But holy crap, I forgot that Dave Foley is pretty damn funny.

WTF is the deal with Doomsday?

So on Friday, a few of us went to see Doomsday, the new movie from Neil Marshall, the man behind the fantastic horror extravaganza, The Descent. Needless to say, I was pretty excited to see it. The trailer was a crazy mix of several awesome movies (Escape from New York, 28 Days Later, maybe Mad Max) and The Descent, in my opinion, is a modern horror masterpiece. I mean, it just blew me away the first time I saw it. If you have yet to watch The Descent, you should really check it out. By far, one of my favorite horror movies of all time--which would be a good future blog post, but I digress.

Anyway, we went to see this movie... There aren't words to describe the craziness that is Doomsday. Its like they went through their video collection and took their favorite moments from about seven different movies. It starts out very 28 Days Later, with an infection breaking out in Ireland. Then, after they give the infected area 30 years to get all nice and post-apocalyptic, the movie takes a decidedly Escape from New York turn. I mean, this went beyond homage to blatant (albeit loving) rip-off. The main chick even wore boots and had an eye patch, for crying out loud! Anyway, it continues with that sort of vibe for a while, and at this point, the movie was kind of losing me. It was okay, but it was like a sub-par version of the aforementioned movies. And to be fair, Escape from New York isn't even that great of a movie, I just randomly love Snake Plissken.

So I'm getting sort of disinterested, then all of the sudden, the main characters go to the countryside! They go through a cave! They visit a medieval castle! The movie starts ripping off Lord of the Rings! Mindfudge! I was not expecting that at all. As if this movie could get more ridiculous, they add knights and castles.

But there were more surprises to come! So as they are traveling through this cave-thing, they stumble across a crate that has a brand-new car in it! And now the movie turns into a sweet-a car chase, where the crazy Mad Max folks are in hot pursuit of the group of good guys. Cue explosions!

Anyway, to wrap it up, this movie was completely nuts. About two -thirds of the way through, I started laughing and couldn't stop. It was that silly and ridiculous. It's got "cult" written all over it. So, if you're into that kind of thing, definitely check it out. It was pretty much awesome.

Bad music videos for your viewing pleasure

So lately I've been hearing the same few songs playing in the background when I'm shopping and the like. I decided that I would share their crap-tastic music videos here for your awkward pleasure. Psst: I secretly sort-of like both of these songs.

The first one makes me happy mainly because of that Arrested Development episode when Gob records this song for Michael.

---

Gob: I can’t. I already lost a brother today.
Michael: Franklin?
Gob: Well, I didn’t lose him, but he’s all puckered and white.
Michael: On the plus side, you can take him to lunch at the club now.
Gob: [sobbing] That’s the exact kind of joke he would have loved! (Singing) You know it's true. Everything I do...
Michael: Please don't do this.
Gob: ...I do it for you. [hugging michael tightly]

---

Priceless. So anyway, this is one of the worst videos ever. But, does it seem like all moms love this movie? This one and Legends of the Fall. I dunno. Maybe it's the Costner ass.



I've got no explanation for my love of the next one. What can I say? I've got two ears and a heart, don't I? Enjoy...

Throwdown!

So, in Entertainment Weekly this week they ran a story about pop culture throwdowns and fights and it got me thinking. Some of them are easy--Lost is scads better than The X-Files (even though they both owe Twin Peaks a helluva lot), Judd Apatow's movies aren't too long (even though I agree that comedies should run shorter, like Wedding Crashers and its sucky longness), the Beatles are better than the Stones, Star Wars is better than Star Trek, Rebecca is cooler than Diane--but others are harder to call.

For example, will Jim and Pam's love ruin The Office? I sure hope not, but it is a possibility. The Office is so good I don't think anything can ruin it, but the Jim/Pam thing might bring it down. On the other hand, it could be awesome. We'll have to wait and see.

One, however, is so one-sided it is ridiculous to even bring it up--Mean Girls vs. Heathers. First of all, Mean Girls wouldn't even be possible without the awesomeness that is Heathers. Secondly, while I was suprisingly pleased with Mean Girls, Heathers is monumentally good. Amazing. Friggin awesome. Etc.

I also struggled with Spider-Man vs. Superman. Personally, I am not a fan of either. However, I would probably give it to Superman, based primarily on the odd pleasure I get out of watching Smallville. Don't get me wrong, I realize it is a horrible show, but I looove it. I can't explain why. I watched the first five seasons in record time--probably about a month. From those first dulcet tones, I'm completely hooked. Don't you judge me!

Also, I just watched this old, old commercial featuring George Costanza rocking a rolled-up-sleeve blazer and it made me wish that we still had commercials like this. This commercial makes me want to eat this ridiculous burger, I tell you. Marketers, this would still work! Check it out...