My Top 25 TV Shows

Inspired by yesterday's posting about Once and Again, I decided to create a list of my top 25 TV shows ever. There's a bunch of shows considered great which don't appear on my list, since either they were before my time and didn't appear on Nick-at-Night (I'm only 25), or I just never watched them.

1. Gilmore Girls
2. The Simpsons
3. Once and Again
4. Mary Tyler Moore Show
5. Roseanne
6. The Dick van Dyke Show
7. I Love Lucy
8. Sex and the City
9. Lost
10. The X-Files
11. Cheers
12. Battlestar Galactica
13. Mad Men
14. Taxi
15. My So-Called Life
16. The Wire
17. Six Feet Under
18. Late Show with David Letterman
19. Arrested Development
20. The Twilight Zone
21. Seinfeld
22. The Bob Newhart Show
23. Friends
24. Ally McBeal
25. Rocky and Bullwinkle

Once and Again - Where Are They Now?

While watching TV over the weeked, I saw previews for a B-level horror film entitled The Haunting of Molly Hartley, and among the myriad images of unknown actresses featured in the film was Marin Hinkle. Upon seeing her, I thought to myself, "Why, Marin, are you in such crap? You're a gifted actress and should be given better roles." This thought brought back memories of the series Once and Again, which featured Marin, and starred Sela Ward and Billy Campbell as two forysomething divorcees who start a relationship with each other. I'm not exagerrating when I state that the series was one of the greatest television shows ever. It was sad when the series eventually got cancelled, after only three seasons, in 2002, and it's sad to see the talent of the series' cast members be squandered in crap films and television. This post is dedicated to the actors from the show and the work they have done since the shows cancellation - a sort of where are they now?

Sela Ward (Lily Manning) - Had a recurring role on House as Dr. House's ex-girlfriend, or ex-wife, or something like that - I don't know. Also appeared in crap movies like Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights and The Day After Tomorrow. Sigh, where are you Sela Ward?

Billy Campbell (Rick Sammler) - Beat up J.Lo in Enough, and had recurring roles on TV series The 4400, The O.C. and Shark. In none of those appearances did he show his ass, like on Once and Again. I miss rear male nudity on network TV. Remember the days of seeing attractive butts on NYPD Blue - it's time to bring them back.

Marin Hinkle (Judy Brooks - Lily's younger sister) - Currently sluming it on the craptacular Two and a Half Men and bad horror films The Haunting of Molly Hartley and Quarantine. Last season she was to have a three episode guest appearance on ABC's current family drama Brothers & Sisters, as Rob Lowe's ex-wife, but because of the strike-shortened season only made a brief appearance in one episode.

Susanna Thompson (Karen Sammler - Rick's ex-wife) - Was on the very short-lived TV series The Book of Daniel. Damn you NBC for canceling that so quickle. Apparently has a recurring role on CBS's NCSI: Without a Case Unit - it's all the same show. A better drama series should really cast her, since she play's the cold brittleness so well.

Jeffrey Nordling (Jake Manning - Lily's ex-husband) - Was a regular on Courtney Cox's ridiculous series Dirt, which was cancelled after two seasons and is set to co-star in the new season of 24, which is completely past it's prime.

Evan Rachel Wood (Jessie Sammler - Rick's daughter) - Has become sort of a movie star. Should have been nominated for an Oscar for thirteen, after receiving Golden Globe and SAG nomination for the performance. (I blame it all on Keisha Castle Hughes) Hasn't really given a great performance since then. She displayed she had a decent singin voice in last year's Across the Universe, though the movie was total dreck. Currently is dating Marilyn Manson, which I still don't know what to say about it.

Shane West (Eli Sammler - Rick's son) - Did a couple of teen movies and then became a cast member of ER. Um that's about it, though apparently he also has a band, so there's that.

Todd Field (David Cassilli - Rick's adorable business partner) - Has become an admirable writer-director, nominated three times ofr an Oscar - twice for Adapted Screenplay (In the Bedroom and Little Children) and once for Best Picture, as a producer of In the Bedroom. Is currently working on adapting Cormac McCarthy's novel Blood Meridian into a film.

Julia Whelan and Meredith Deane (Grace and Zoe Manning - Lily's daughters) Have no idea what happened to them, if they're still into acting or if they decided to focus on school instead, but they were good child actors. It was refreshing to see roles written for kids that didn't portray them as too cutesy or too wise for their age.

Sunday Blessings - Hugh Jackman

So today I decided to thank Jesus for Hugh Jackman, star of the upcoming Baz Luhrmann film Australia, which opens next month. Oh, I can't wait! I can't wait! Nicole Kidman and Baz Luhrmann reteaming, along with sexpot Hugh, in an epic love story with fancy sets and costumes. Imay just have an orgasm thinking about it. Back to Mr. Jackman - Have you seen any of the recent photos of him at the beach. Holy crap! Now Hugh Jackman has alway been sexy - he's easily among the top 5 sexiest men alive - but with all the training he did for the new Wolverine movie, his body is just damn fine. Anytime I look at a picture of him I lose my train of thought. The facial hair is an added bonus for me, as there's something animalistic about it. When Australia opens next month, hopefully Mr. Jackman will receive the credit he deserves as a film actor. Of course he's regarded as a sex symbol, but I don't think he's as respected of an actor as he should be. He gained some respect with his Broadway turn in The Boy from Oz, and parlayed that into interesting film roles in The Fountain, Scoop, and The Prestige, but film critics and awards group didn't really take notice. Seriously, how did anyone not recognize the great performace he gave in The Fountain. But alas, isn't that almost always the case with attractive actors. Brad Pitt didn't get any recognition as a good actor until he played off-the-walls in 12 Monkeys. So......um, where was I - I got distracted again, looking at a shirtless picture of Mr. Jackman. Seriously, damn! Australia opens next month. See it! Hopefully it's good, or at least very, very pretty. And now let's give thanks, once again, to Jesus for another hot piece of man. Praise Jesus!

The Week in Review

It's been a busy week for me, and as a result I've only done one post since Sunday. It's tough finding time to get around to writing these things. Well, that and the fact I have commitment problems, as anyone who knows me can vouch for. So here's a quick run through of what things happened this week, which I actually care to comment on. Not really gonna mention the fact that the stock market and the economy are tanking, leading to a rough future where I'll probably have to work until my 70s before I can retire. Let's just not talk about that.

MONDAY - Box Office numbers came in for the weekend, and Beverly Hills Chihuahua was number one with 29 million. Eww. What's actually even sadder is I know people who paid to see it. Trying to find the bright side of this - um, congratulations to Jamie Lee Curtis and maybe she'll get some better work.

TUESDAY - Presidential Debate #2 - Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Yawn. In a grimace inducing moment, McCain refered to Obama as "that one." Ok, I don't want to sound really mean, but there were times McCain came off as some creepy old guy shuffling about and getting ready to attack the audience. There came a point where he stood on the side of one of the bleachers with his arm reaching toward the audience, and all I imagined was him saying, "I'm gonna getcha'! I'm gonna getcha'." HA!

WEDNESDAY - Pushing Daisies was great adorable, but tanked in the ratings. Please ABC don't cancel it! Try it out on another night, like Sunday's at eight, before doing anything rash. Also Jerrell got kicked off Project Runway. Awww. Damn you Kenley for making a cute wedding dress, even though it's completely derivative of Alexander McQueen and last season's winner Christian. Damn you! Korto or Leanne better win this.

THURSDAY - Umm? Life on Mars premiered. It was good. Hopefully it will last. Jason O'Mara is hot. That is all.

Loving Classics - Children of Paradise

This past week I watched the 1945 Marcel Carne film Children of Paradise for the time, in my ongoing attempt at seeing as many film classics as possible. Part of my interest in watching classics arises from my obsessive list making (Yay OCD!) - I want to create a respectable top 100 movies list of my own, as well as a top 10 list for every year going as far back as possible -but my main interest is in trying to have an understanding of film history, which requires viewing a broad list of films and performances. Almost two years ago, I came up with a list of 500 films which I thought were important to see (ok, yes, OCD list making again, I get it). The list combined films that either were universally considered great, represented a particular genre, contained a noteworthy performance, or were representative of a certain director. Since creating the list I've seen less than two fifths of the movie. At this rate, it will probably take me another three years before I get through the list. Anyway, in the course of making my way through the list of films, I've come across a number of "great" films which I highly admire and understand why they're considered great, but I don't necessarily love. 2001: A Space Odyssey, Rashomon, and Smiles of a Summer Night are all great films, but I don't have an emotional bond to them. I didn't fall in love with the films, but that doesn't mean I don't recognize their greatness or their importance, and it also doesn't mean that I couldn't fall in love with one of them on a second viewing. It wasn't until my third viewing that I fell in love with Citizen Kane. The point I'm trying to get to, after after having explained all this, is that there is a particular enjoyment about watching a classic film and falling in love with it on your first viewing, and that's the experience I had while watching Children of Paradise. The film tells the story of four different men - a mime, an actor, a thief and an aristocrat - who are all in love with the same woman, Garance. She is unattainable and flees when any of them attempt to restrain her into the confines of a relationship. The tale is bittersweet, as the suitor who has the most pure form of love for Garance and doesn't try to confine her, the mime Baptiste, suffers the most in his quest for her love. At the end of the film, he is literally swept away from Garance by a Carnival crowd and there is no happy ending for the couple. The film is filled with great performances but the stand out is Jean-Louis Barrault as the mime Baptiste, whose face expresses more than his words could ever do. It's almost a silent film performance reminiscent of Chaplin and Keaton, and it's a beauty to behold. Well that's all I have to say for now.

Sunday Blessings - Robert Downey Jr.

For today's installment of Sunday Blessings, I decided to devote the post to actor Robert Downey Jr. I opened this post with a picture of his backside rather than a facial, but it's a cute backside so it was worth taking notice. The DVD of Iron Man came out last week, which means I finally got around to seeing it. While the movie was in theatres, I kept saying to myself, "I'll see it next week," but then next thing you know it's two months later and the movie isn't in theatres anymore. Overall the movie was alright; not as great as everyone had made it out to be. It was nice to see Gwyneth Paltrow in a fun, light role, after having gone through her depressed film characters period of The Royal Tenenbaums, Sylvia, and Proof. She's so good at the light comedy, after all it's what made her famous in Emma and Shakespeare in Love. Anyway, going back to RDJ, he was completely entertaining and believable as Tony Stark. He commanded that role - the sarcasm, the arrogance, the bravado, and it was interesting seeing him in the lead of a big budget blockbuster. It was kind of like when Johnny Depp did Pirates of the Caribbean. I always liked RDJ, first taking notice of him in Hearts and Souls and Home for the Holidays, a film I love despite its flaws and watch every Thanksgiving. He was completely adorable in his films and TV appearances. After going through the drug problems, and rehab, and more drug problems, and then more rehab, he started making a comeback the last couple of years in smaller films like Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, and Good Night and Good Luck. It's nice to see him given the opportunity to play the lead in a action picture - a great casting decision by the director and producers. Now can we talk about the body? The man is damn fine in the movie, all buffed out, and I even think the cheesy mustache and goatee are hot on him. In recent publicity photos RDj's been looking really good, as well, with a scruffy beard and short cropped salt-and-pepper hair, which totally works for him. So there it is. He was adorable in the 90s and completely hot now. Let's thanks Jesus for a man that has aged quite nicely. Praise Jesus.

V.P. Debate

I watched the vice-presidential debate last night, as did a good portion of the country, according to the ratings, and I made the mistake, again, of watching it on CNN. For some reason, they decided to put a graph at the bottom of the screen tracking an audience's approval or diapproval of the nominee's answers. During the first presidential debate last week, the audience was a collection of Democratics, Republicans, and Independents, with each group having an individual line representing it, which would go up or down. Last night the audience was composed of Ohio independents, divided into men and woman, with each gender having there own line. The graphs are incredibly distracting, as they affect your perception of the debate. I got so invested in watching the line and hoping that Biden would cause it to go up with each of his answers, and then I'd worry if started to drop and I'd just be thinking, "Joe come on say say something better." Any time Palin said something that caused a jump in the approval I'd just think, "No, no you can't believe her." As a result of all this I missed the overall view of the debate. It would be fine if CNN tracked an audience's approval of the debate without a live graph of it, and then discussed the results after the precedings were over. But, anyway, who do I think won the debate - um, I don't know. Personally I much preferred Biden. The whole "aww shucks" approach of Palin is just downright annoying, and she didn't really answer a good chunk of the questions. The polls taken after the debate show a larger group of people believe Biden won the debate over Palin, so at least there's that. I think the main importance of last night was that no one did any harm to their campaigns. Palin didn't stand their drooling, looking like a deer in head lights, and Biden didn't go after her, which the media and McCain campaign would have said was horribly sexist and offensive. I still wish the moderator, Gwen Ifill, had brought up issues like Roe v. Wade and the role of the Supreme Court and evolution. The belief in evolution, I think, is an important reflection of a person's decision making skills. On one hand you have the work of many scientists over the last three decades, fossil records, genetic research and other hard evidence that organisms evolved from other organisms over the course of millions of years, and then on the other hand, you have a book written a couple of thousand years ago, and no certainty of whether it was meant as the literal truth, a metaphor, or a moral tale. To shape your understanding of the world around a single tale, rather than a bunch of hard evidence, is a sign of poor judgment. That's why the current president believed we could invade Iraq, have everyone love us and quickly set up a prospering democracy, despite all the past history of fighting between different Muslim sects and Arab countries not wanting to have intervention by Western nations. You can't shape your view of the world just on faith.