Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Who? What? Where? #38

Nick swooped in and ecstatically identified the person to the left as T.J. Miller playing Stainer in She's Out of My League.

With that, Nick moves ever so closer to the leaders - and Jess hangs on to her lead over Dylan for another week.

Good Luck!

The concept is simple: each week I will place a photograph of a character within a film. It is up to you (the participant in the game) to tell me the following:

1) The name of the actor (or what the actor goes by in his acting profession).

2) The name of the character in the movie.

3) And, the name of the movie.

Each correct answer gets you a point - so if you get all three correct on a given week, you can get three points. I will keep a running chart each and every week. As of now, this will be played for bragging rights only - but we shall see what the future holds.

So here is week #38:


Standings:
Jess - 29 points
Dylan - 28 points
Matt - 20 points
Mad Hatter - 17 points
Nick - 9 points
Stevee - 3 points

Guys of TV: Skarsgard vs. Morrison

Jeffrey Donovan completes the second round with his victory over Noah Wyle. Just five votes on a Tuesday? Come on people!

Round Two commences today. Enjoy!

(1) Alexander Skarsgard


Skarsgard knocked off Weeds heartthrob Hunter Parrish in round one. He is currently starring on True Blood as Eric Northman.

(4) Matthew Morrison


Morrison moved into round two with a victory over The Office's John Krasinski. He is currently playing Will Schuester on Glee.


Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Guys of TV: Donovan vs. Wyle

Wow, I was surprised at how little votes Michael C. Hall received. But, Mark Salling knocked off Mr. Dexter pretty easily to move into the second round.

Final first round matchup begins today. Enjoy!

(4) Jeffrey Donovan


Donovan has been on a few television shows in the past, including Touching Evil and Crossing Jordan. He also been in a few movies like Hitch and Bait. He currently stars as Michael Westen on USA's Burn Notice.

(5) Noah Wyle


We all know Noah Wyle from NBC's hit television series ER where he starred as Dr. John Carter. He has also been a few films like Donnie Darko, W and portrayed Steve Jobs in Pirates of Silicon Valley. Currently he stars as Tom Mason on TNT's Falling Skies.


Monday, August 29, 2011

TV Review: Sports Night

How can a guy that has a journalism degree, and is a former sports journalist, have never of watched Sports Night?

Well, for some reason I never came across it when it was on the air. The DVD box set was always a little out of my price range. And, it took forever to stream on Netflix.

Then, it finally did - and I pounced.

Sports Night comes from the mind of Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing) and is a show that is about a late night sports show - much like SportsCenter.

Sports is really one of the last things this show is actually about. It tackles the lives and relationships of the people on the show which is set in New York City and has the backdrop of a sports highlights show.

The anchors on the show are Dan Rydell (Josh Charles) and Casey McCall (Peter Krause). Dan is sort of second banana to Casey and, as we find out as the show moves forward, has a bit of a demon in his past that has messed up his life. Casey is fresh off of a divorce from his wife and has a young son. He is the main talent of the show, but he has stayed loyal to his friend Dan and formed a great tandem.

The show SportsNight is a nightly sports show on the network, CSC. They are currently third in the overall sports rankings behind ESPN and FOX.

Dana Whitaker (Felicity Huffman) is the producer of the show, and at the beginning of the show it is revealed that she has been friends with Casey for a long time - and has been harboring feelings for him since. She answers to Isaac Jaffe (Robert Guillaume), the managing editor of the office. During filming, Guillaume had a real-life stroke and it was written into the show upon his return.

Natalie Hurley (Sabrina Lloyd) is the senior associate producer, second fiddle to Dana. She hires and soon falls in love with Jeremy Goodwin (Josh Malina), who is an associate producer, but also a stats nut - and knows a lot of facts that not many people really care about.

Although loved by critics, the show really never found its mark with an audience on ABC, but found a new life on DVD. Sorkin apparently had the opportunity to move the show to another network (HBO, Showtime and USA), but he decided to pass and focus on The West Wing.

As a former sports journalist a few things both intrigued and confused me. The main thing that confused me was when they first came on on SportsNight one of the anchors would introduce themselves and then say, "Those stories plus". This really irritated me - what were the stories? Their names? Those aren't stories, so this made no sense - and it happened almost every show. The things that intrigued me were the setup and creation of a sports show - really interesting.

The show is pretty good. A great show for both sports fans and nonsports fans. You don't need to be a fan of sports to understand the show - and the show really has so much more going on for everyone to enjoy.

It was so interesting to see some of the actors that I have come to know on different shows in this one. Huffman, I obviously know from Desperate Housewives. Krause, I had never seen before Parenthood, and was wondering why he got top bill on that show - now I know.

I highly recommend checking it out. There are only two seasons and it goes pretty quickly. Plus, it's now streaming on Netflix.

Grade:

Guys of TV: Salling vs. Hall

After Saturday's amazing turnout, I guess I got my hopes up for Sunday as well. But, we hit another lull in voters.

With just five votes, Sendhil Ramamurthy inches past Andrew Lincoln for the victory. Hopefully, you all return today. Just two more days of the first round. Second round gets under way on Wednesday.

Enjoy!

(4) Mark Salling


Salling has really only been on why he lands on this list, FOX's Glee. He stars as Noah 'Puck" Puckerman.

(5) Michael C. Hall


Hall is relatively new to the acting world, but he already has two hits series under his belt. Not too shabby. He first starred in HBO's Six Feet Under as David Fisher before transitioning into his new and current role on Showtime's Dexter as Dexter Morgan.


Sunday, August 28, 2011

Guys of TV: Lincoln vs. Ramamurthy

Matthew Morrison knocks out John Krasinski to get the No. 4's off to a good start.

The first round begins to wrap up - keep voting. Enjoy!

(4) Andrew Lincoln

Lincoln's been acting since the early '90s in both film and television - a few series he has been attached to were Teachers, Afterlife and Strike Back. But, he lands on this list for his new role as Rick Grimes on AMC's The Walking Dead.

(5) Sendhil Ramamurthy


Ramamurthy burst on to the scene in NBC's hit television series Heroes as Mohinder Suresh. After Heroes faded out, Ramamurthy resurfaced on USA's hit show, Covert Affairs, as Jai Wilcox.


Saturday, August 27, 2011

Guys of TV: Morrison vs. Krasinski

Timothy Olyphant takes out Adrian Grenier to finish up the No. 3 seeds.

Today begins the revealing of the No. 4 seeds - I expect some minor upsets during these rounds, but we shall see. Still only one lower seed has moved on thus far.

Anyway, keep voting. Enjoy!

(4) Matthew Morrison


Morrison is another guy who spent a lot of time in the world of soap operas, starring as Adam Munson on As the World Turns. He can now be seen on FOX's hit show, Glee, as Will Schuester.

(5) John Krasinski


Krasinski's main claim to fame is the reason he exists on this list, portraying Jim Halpert on NBC's The Office. He has since branched out to film, starring in Leatherheads, Away We Go and Something Borrowed to name a few.



Friday, August 26, 2011

Quick Shots 12

Title: No Strings Attached

Starring: Ashton Kutcher, Natalie Portman, Kevin Kline, Lake Bell, Ludacris, Mindy Kaling, Cary Elwes.

Brief Synopsis: Adam (Kutcher) and Emma (Portman) seem to keep bumping into each other. They first met at summer camp as teenagers, then again at a party where Adam attended college. Finally they meet at a farmer's marker where they both now live, LA. Eventually they become really good friends - but Adam wants more. Emma, however, doesn't believe that two people are meant to be together forever - so she just wants casual sex. Nothing can go wrong with that, right?

Opinion: Pretty basic premise - almost the same sort of premise of Love and Other Drugs, where the female of the relationship wants to keep things casual, except the male wants more. I have to admit that I'd watch Portman read the phone book, but I can take or leave Kuthcher. This was a decent film, but nothing ground breaking.

Grade:

Title: Hall Pass

Starring: Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis, Jenna Fischer, Christina Applegate, Nicky Whelan, Alexandra Daddario, Joy Behar.

Brief Synopsis: Rick (Wilson) is married to Maggie (Fischer), who are also best friends with another couple, Fred (Sudeikis) and Grace (Applegate). Like most men, despite having a great wife, Rick and Fred both love to look at the ladies and fantasize that they are still great catches. After Rick and Fred embarrass their significant others with their potty mouths - Maggie gives Rick a hall pass (or a week off from marriage to do whatever he likes). After finding out, Fred encourages Grace into giving him one as well - and the two 'bachelors' now have a week to do anything and anyone that they want.

Opinion: I have to admit, I laughed pretty darn hard at a lot of this movie. The one-liners and some of the scenarios that the two of them get themselves into are pretty hilarious. Plus, for the most part, this is what guys do. They think they are still hot shit and look at all the pretty ladies around them - despite finally realizing they have a pretty amazing lady right by their side.

Grade:

Title: The Adjustment Bureau

Starring: Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Anthony Mackie, John Slattery, Terence Stamp.

Brief Synopsis: There is a company, known as the Adjustment Bureau, that keeps track of us and makes sure that we stay on the correct path. They do this by doing small things, like untying a shoe or spilling coffee, so we don't have chance meetings. What happens if an agent messes up? David Norris (Damon) is a politician, who is supposed to go onto great things - perhaps even being the president. The Bureau has entrusted Harry Mitchell (Mackie) to keep him on his path - but Mitchell makes a mistake and Norris gets on a bus with Elise (Blunt), a woman from his past that if the two are kept together will ruin Norris' and her path. So, the Bureau does everything in their power to split the pair up.

Opinion: I was pretty mesmerized by this film, honestly. They got some pretty top-notch actors to portray all of the main roles - and they did a great job. It was so interesting to see and to think that perhaps our lives are already mapped out for us - and all the random things that happen to us occur so we stay on our current path and not get sidetracked. But, we also could be missing out on a lot of great things.

Grade:

Guys of TV: Olyphant vs. Grenier

We have our first upset.

Jesse Williams narrowly defeated Zachary Levi as the first lower seed moves into the second round.

Will it be two in a row? Enjoy!

(3) Timothy Olyphant


Olyphant has been both a movie and television star. He was a star in Gone in 60 Seconds, Scream 2 and Live Free or Die Hard. Not to mention he starred in one of the best HBO series' Deadwood. He is now starring as Raylan Givens on FX's Justified.

(6) Adrian Grenier


Grenier has been in a handful of movies to start his career, including Drive Me Crazy, Hart's War and Celebrity. He is best known for, however, as Vincent Chase on HBO's hit series' Entourage.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Theater Review: Captain America: The First Avenger

Well, I got quite a surprise on Saturday night. My wife and I had our first night out in quite awhile, but I had no idea what we were doing.

To my surprise, after a nice dinner, she took me to see a movie. I had no idea what we could be seeing, but it turned out to be Captain America: The First Avenger. My wife isn't the biggest fan of the comic book movies, but she took one for me - and actually enjoyed it. Either way, I guess I am now on the hook for a chick flick in the future.

Was it worth it?

Chris Evans gets yet another chance to play a superhero. After his turn as Human Torch (who I actually enjoyed) in the much panned Fantastic Four films, Evans gets the chance to play America's superhero, Captain America. And he performed brilliantly.

I must admit, it must be tough for a tall, muscular, good looking guy to pull off a scrawny, down on his luck kid - but in the early stages of the film that is exactly what Evans had to do.

Steve Rogers (Evans) wants to be just like his friends, join the armed forces and kick some Nazi tail. After failing a handful of times to enlist because of his scrawny frame and many ailments, Rogers goes on a night on the town with his buddy Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), who is shipping out the next day.

During his night out he tries to enlist one more time, much to the chagrin of his friend. As they fight over whether it is worth it, Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci) overhears and bypasses the system to get Rogers into the army.

Erskine, unbeknownst to Rogers, has developed a formula that might be able to turn the scrawny Rogers into the world's best military soldier. Rogers' new boss, Colonel Chester Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones) would much rather have an already buff soldier take the formula - but Erskine is insistent and Rogers is selected.

During the war a sub group of the Nazi regime known as HYDRA, led by Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving) has discovered a powerful cube that gives him unimaginable power to create some of the most powerful weapons.

After Erskine is killed by a member of HYDRA, Phillips tries to send Rogers to a desk job and away from the war. Instead, he is enlisted to sell War Bonds and perform in cheesy films. It isn't until he performs for the army group and finds out he is hated - and that his best friend, Bucky is missing, that Rogers takes things into his own hands

Thus the true birth of Captain America.

Rogers, however, is up against a pretty powerful army - and a potent enemy in Schmidt, also known as Red Skull, who just so happens to have been the first guinea pig for Erskine's formula.

I found the film to be, well, amazing. Not sure if it outshines the original Iron Man, but it comes pretty darn close.

The action was pretty great once Captain America went out on his missions. Plus the additions of a few allies, Dum Dum Dugan (Neal McDonough), Gabe Jones (Derek Luke) and Jim Morita (Kenneth Choi), were outstanding.

Overall I liked pretty much everything about it. It looked amazing and the acting was superb. I did feel that the love story with Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) was a bit forced and a bit undeveloped - but sometimes I feel those sort of get in the way anyway. So, I was ok with it.

As far as the ending, I loved it - however, with the announcement of a sequel I am a bit perplexed how they are going to do it. It must obviously be set in present time then, I am guessing.

All I know is, once the film ended and I saw the trailer for The Avengers I got excited. I have to admit that I had been getting a it irritated that all of these movies were just pieces to gear up for that movie - which I think hurt Iron Man 2 but I hope gets resolved with Iron Man 3 - but, the last two films have sort of stood on their own. So, now I am a bit more excited to see The Avengers play out.

Grade:

Guys of TV: Levi vs. Williams

Well it took some coaxing, but we finally got our seventh vote and Simon Baker slips past Cory Montieth into the second round.

Keep up with the votes. Enjoy!

(3) Zachary Levi


Levi is none other than Flynn Rider himself from Disney's Tangled. He also happens to be the star of NBC's Chuck as Chuck Bartowski.

(6) Jesse Williams


Williams is pretty new to acting with his movie break coming in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2. He got his television debut on ABC Family's Greek as the Hotness Monster in a few episodes. He is now starring on ABC's Grey's Anatomy as Jackson Avery.


Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Who? What? Where? #37

She's alive!

After losing her first-place position for the first time in months, Jess storms back to take control of the game, knocking Dylan back to second place.

She correctly identified Garret Dillahunt as Sheriff Baskin from Winter's Bone.

So, congrats to Jess. And good luck to everyone this week.

The concept is simple: each week I will place a photograph of a character within a film. It is up to you (the participant in the game) to tell me the following:

1) The name of the actor (or what the actor goes by in his acting profession).

2) The name of the character in the movie.

3) And, the name of the movie.

Each correct answer gets you a point - so if you get all three correct on a given week, you can get three points. I will keep a running chart each and every week. As of now, this will be played for bragging rights only - but we shall see what the future holds.

So here is week #37:



Standings:
Jess - 29 points
Dylan - 28 points
Matt - 20 points
Mad Hatter - 17 points
Nick - 6 points
Mrs. Kano - 5 points
Stevee - 3 points

Guys of TV: Baker vs. Montieth

A few extra voters yesterday, still haven't reached our peak for this bracket - spread the word.

David Boreanaz continues the higher seed winning trend as he knocked off Chace Crawford to land in the second round.

First round continues. Enjoy!

(3) Simon Baker


Baker has been in a handful of movies, including The Devil Wears Prada and The Ring Two. He also starred in a pair of failed television series, The Guardian and Shark, before finally nailing it as Patrick Jane on CBS's The Mentalist.

(6) Cory Montieth


Montieth has acted in a few movies early in his career and was part of ABC Family's Kyle XY. He is also the first lucky member of the Glee cast to make it on the list. He stars as Finn Hudson.


Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Guys of TV: Boreanaz vs. Crawford

OK people, it appears that we need to have the word spread yet again. I was fine with losing voters over the weekend, but only five on a Monday can't happen. Especially when we started off so strong.

Anyway, Patrick Dempsey rolled into round two after knocking off Matthew Bomer. So, all No. 1 & No. 2 seeds have officially moved on.

The three seeds start to unveil today. Enjoy!

(3) David Boreanaz


Boreanaz, of course, if most notably known as Angel in both the Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel series. He currently stars as Seeley Both on FOX's Bones.

(6) Chace Crawford


Crawford hasn't been in a lot in his young career. He starred in a few movies, The Covenant and Twelve. But, it's his work as Nate Archibald on CW's Gossip Girl that lands him on the list.