Best Of 2010 - Television

I normally do not watch a lot of TV, but things changed a tad in 2010. TV is now a great medium to get some original ideas and I started watching a few more shows since I got a DVR (if you do not know what that is, look it up and get one... now). So here is a list of my favorite shows from 2010, if you have some time check them out.(not listed in any order)


Lost (ABC) - Probably one my favorite shows of all time, Lost ended what was a great all around series. A lot of people I know who watched the show complained about how the ending did not answer all the small questions while others like me just enjoyed the show and all that it gave to the viewers. I can't say the show was ever predictable and the ending held true to the entire series while the finale left me with much sadness to see one of my favorite shows come to and end, I miss the characters and the island with all its mysterious. Goodbye Lost, you shall be missed.



How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - HIMYM continues to please the viewer with good running gags and some great comedy. This season did get a little off target with giving us the down-low on who the mother may be. They introduced a new character (a possible future love interest or just a new part of the gang?) who is a friend to the group. Overall the show continues to deliver to the 25-25 year old crowd and if you are in that age range this show is for you and you should be watching it.


The League (FX) - Quite possibly the best show about a fantasy football league ever! Okay possibly the ONLY show about fantasy football ever. Sometimes I feel this show is made for me. The humor can be crude yet also very well crafted. The cast continues to bring its A game. I hope this show can continue to build and last a few more seasons, I think its one of the best comedies out there today.


The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - I was not a huge fan of the show before this year, previously I had only seen a handful of episodes but this season really got to me. I like the jokes and the dynamic of the show. The writers really know how nerds think and they do their research when it comes to mentioning something small that only a few fanboys would know. I think acting is very well done and I am glad a show like this actually exists, who would of thought a show about nerds and outcasts would be a hit!



The Event (NBC) - A show that had some potential, I started to watch it in my post Lost haze, hoping that the show would have some mystery and intrigue. The Event started off well enough but towards the end it started to lose its luster. WARNING SPOILERS-- The show is about an alien race that crash landed in Alaska in the 30's and they are now trying to get back home-- END SPOILERS. The show sort of gave away too much to early and while I still enjoyed the episodes I am not sure if I will want to watch it unless it is able to step up in terms of story. As of now the show is on hiatus (never a good sign) for 9 months.


Pawn Stars (History Channel) & Hollywood Treasure (Syfy) - I group these reality shows together because they are somewhat related. Pawn Stars is about a pawn store in Las Vegas and all the dealing they do on a day to day basis. They show is great because they go into the history of the things people bring in and often time they show things you may never see. The personality of the 4 main people who run the shop is also very funny and entertaining.

Hollywood Treasure is similar reality show in which a group works for an auction house. The show is about making connections and finding old pieces of Hollywood memorabilia that they can auction off for a nice profit. I enjoy seeing the people on the show find these old film relics (like the golden ticket from Willy Wonka, Gremlins from the movie, and much more cool stuff) that interest a movie nerd like myself.


Saturday Night Live (NBC) - I still watch SNL but only because of the DVR, if it was not for that I would most likely skip the show. I often skip the musical acts (when I have no interest) and the show has a ton of commercials that I have no interest in waiting through. The show has some good cast members and will always delve into politics or current event. Of course it is very hit or miss and often the best parts of the show are the digital shorts and the weekend updates. I do enjoy seeing Bill Hader and a few other who always seem to do a good job.



The Walking Dead (AMC) - The Walking Dead is a new show which was based off a comic of the same name. I really loved this show, they have some great stories and the acting was really top notch. Of course the premise of the story is that zombies have taken over and only a handful of humans remain. We follow Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) as he searches for his family. I am not surprised the show became the hit series that it did and I like many other cannot wait to see what they do next, they only had a 6 episode first season and it will be interesting to see the stories they come up with next.


Well those or some of the best shows I saw in 2010, I hope you enjoyed the list and please feel free to comment below.

Childhood Favorites: A Second Look

I have been focusing a lot on sports in the blog but want to change things up. I recently viewed some movies that I always held in high praise because they were special to me when I was a child. Having not seen some of these movies for many years I felt like I was seeing them with new eyes and had some new feelings on these movies.




Major League (1989):
This was always a favorite of mine because it was a sports comedy. On my recent viewing I felt it held up very well. I enjoyed the swearing a tad more when I was a kid because saying fuck was hilarious, and I feel that why it was still funny it wasn't as hilarious as previously remembered. I think I did enjoy more of the scenes with Bob Uecker as the Indians play by play man Harry Doyle.

Now having more insight into baseball, as I watch in more now then I did when I was a kid. I can see the players the movie was making fun of like high priced free agents past there prime (Corbin Bernsen) like Mike Lowell of the Boston Red Sox, young speedsters (Wesley Snipes) like Michael Born of the Houston Astros, pitchers past there prime that rely on junk/craft rather then speed (Chelcie Ross) like Jamie Moyer of the Philadelphia Phillies, young pitchers who only rely on speed and can amass tons of strike outs (Charlie Sheen) like Stephen Strasburg of the Washington Nationals, old catchers that have bum legs but are great team players (Tom Berenger) like Jason Varitek of the Boston Red Sox, and guys who can hit for power but not else (Dennis Haysbert) like Adam Dunn of the Chicago White Sox.



No matter I still think the ending of the movie is great, it holds up really well. I like that the Indians only get into the playoffs with the win and its not the World Series ( I believe that was touched on more in the disappointing sequel). I was happy to learn that many actual major league players watch this movie in the club house and appreciate it. I still think after all these years the movie is hilarious and makes me long to watch a baseball game.

Grade: A-




Back to the Future (1985):
With the 20th anniversary of the movie Back to the Future was getting a lot of press lately. I know Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd appeared together at an award show, Yahoo had a front page story about how Eric Stolz was originally cast and replaced by Fox and that they just released the trilogy on Blu-Ray, I guess all the talk made me want to go back and re-visit the original film.

It has been a few years since I last visited the world of Hill Valley and I must say besides some dated special effects (the fire between Doc and Marty's legs looks pretty bad) the movie is still as awesome as ever. The story once seemed confusing me to as a kid but now I totally get it and all the little jokes.



I was also noticing they say the word shit in the movie more then a few times and I was wondering how much I understood about terrorists shooting Doc Brown and how that seems pretty adult in nature. But besides those few things i just totally enjoyed watching Michael J. Fox at the top of his game back in 1985. Crispin Glover, Lea Thompson, and Thomas F. Wilson give great supporting parts as high schooler and adults. I don't really need to go on, this one is a classic for a reason.

Grade: A


The Goonies (1985) :
Seems like 1985 was a great year for long lasting movies. The Goonies, Back to the Future, The Breakfast Club, and Weird Science were among the movies released that year that I consider to be true modern classic movies. The Goonies is a movie that everyone I know that is 25-35 years old seems to love. I decided it had been a long time since my last viewing so it was high time to watch this one again.

Another movie that I could see easily getting a PG-13 rating today, you have some great humor and I think most people (including myself) love that Goonies doesn't take itself too serious. It really has a child's outlook and I believe that is the reason of it success. You feel like a Goonie when you watch the movie, you just enjoy the adventure just as much as it looks like Mikey, Mouth, Data, Chunk and the rest of the kids do.




Grade: A-

Power Poll - Week14

1. (-) New England Patriots (11-2)
2. (-) Atlanta Falcons (11-2)
3. (-) Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3)
4. (5) Baltimore Ravens (9-4)
5. (4) New York Jets (9-4)
6. (9) Philadelphia Eagles (9-4)
7. (8) New Orleans Saints (10-3)
8. (10) New York Giants (9-4)
9. (6) Chicago Bears (9-4)
10. (7) Green Bay Packers (8-5)
11. (12) San Diego Chargers (7-6)
12. (13) Jacksonville Jaguars (8-5)
13. (11) Kansas City Chiefs (8-5)
14. (-) Indianapolis Colts (7-6)
15. (-) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-5)
16. (18) Miami Dolphins (7-6)
17. (16) Oakland Raiders (6-7)
18. (17) St Louis Rams (6-7)
19. (20) Houston Texans (5-8)
20. (23) Washington Redskins (5-8)
21. (19) Cleveland Browns (5-8)
22. (21) Seattle Seahawks (6-7)
23. (22) Dallas Cowboys (4-9)
24. (26) San Francisco 49ers (5-8)
25. (24) Minnesota Vikings (5-8)
26. (25) Tennessee Titans (5-8)
27. (29) Buffalo Bills (3-10)
28. (30) Detroit Lions (3-10)
29. (31) Arizona Cardinals (4-9)
30. (28) Cincinnati Bengals (2-11)
31. (27) Denver Broncos (3-10)
32. (-) Carolina Panthers (1-12)

Power Poll - Week 13

1. (-) New England Patriots (10-2)
2. (-) Atlanta Falcons (10-2)
3. (5) Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3)
4. (3) New York Jets (9-3)
5. (4) Baltimore Ravens (8-4)
6. (7) Chicago Bears (9-3)
7. (8) Green Bay Packers (8-4)
8. (9) New Orleans Saints (9-3)
9. (10) Philadelphia Eagles (8-4)
10. (12) New York Giants (8-4)
11. (13) Kansas City Chiefs (8-4)
12. (6) San Diego Chargers (6-6)
13. (16) Jacksonville Jaguars (7-5)
14. (11) Indianapolis Colts (6-6)
15. (14) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-5)
16. (20) Oakland Raiders (6-6)
17. (18) St Louis Rams (6-6)
18. (15) Miami Dolphins (6-6)
19. (21) Cleveland Browns (5-7)
20. (17) Houston Texans (5-7)
21. (23) Seattle Seahawks (6-6)
22. (25) Dallas Cowboys (4-8)
23. (19) Washington Redskins (5-7)
24. (-) Minnesota Vikings (5-7)
25. (22) Tennessee Titans (5-7)
26. (-) San Francisco 49ers (4-8)
27. (28) Denver Broncos (3-9)
28. (31) Cincinnati Bengals (2-10)
29. (27) Buffalo Bills (2-10)
30. (29) Detroit Lions (2-10)
31. (30) Arizona Cardinals (3-9)
32. (-) Carolina Panthers (1-11)

November Screening Log

A large dip in moving watching was made possible for many reasons, most of which included Thanksgiving holiday and going out of town for five days. I was happy I was able to get out to the movies more then a few times, including getting to see Harry Potter at a theater built in 1942.


14) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1/ Theater / B
13) Best Worst Movie/ DVD/ B+
12) Back to the Future/ DVD / A
11) Ken Burns: Baseball: The Tenth Inning/ DV-R / A-
10) Cobra/ Netflix Instant / B
9) Unstoppable/ Theater / B-
8) Lost Boys: The Thirst/ DVD/ C
7) Get Him to the Greek/ DVD/ B
6) I Am Sam/ Netflix Instant/ A-
5) Batman: Under the Red Hood/ Netflix Instant/ C
4) L.A. Story/ DVD/ A-
3) Major League/ DVD/ A-
2) Due Date/ Theater/ B-
1) I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell / DVD/ B-

Stand out movie of the month was a tie between Best Worst Movie, a great movie about how Troll 2 is such a bad movie that people love it and Cobra, a total 1980's film starring Sylvester Stallone as a one liner machine who happens to kick ass.

Power Poll - Week 12

1. (-) New England Patriots (9-2)- Patriots got to feast on Thanksgiving by playing the Lions. Still have some of the best throw back uniforms!

2. (3) Atlanta Falcons (9-2) - Beat the Packers to continue to show they are the best the NFC has to offer.

3. (2) New York Jets (9-2) - Stuffed the Bengals on Thanksgiving (how many more Thanksgiving related jokes can I write?)

4. (5) Baltimore Ravens (8-3) - Besides the Falcons they were the only team in the top 5 to play a good team (Buccaneers) and win.

5. (4) Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3) - I am sure most people thought the game against the Bills would be a blowout, they were a sure handed catch(that was dropped) away from defeat.

6. (12) San Diego Chargers (6-5) - They move up a lot because they are showing they belong in the top and all this with Mike Tolbert at RB.

7. (10) Chicago Bears (8-3) - After next weeks game against Detroit they play the Patriots, @Vikings, Jets, and @Packers check in after that to see if they are for real.

8. (6) Green Bay Packers (7-4) - Stayed close with Atlanta on the road and they still could push Chicago for the division.

9. (8) New Orleans Saints (8-3) - They have seemingly righted the ship and could be a team that flies under the radar come playoff time.

10. (7) Philadelphia Eagles (7-4) - Lost pretty bad in Chicago, Vick threw his first interception of the season.

11. (9) Indianapolis Colts (6-5) - They do not look like the Colts of old but they also have lost so many important guys to injury.

12. (13) New York Giants (7-4) - They managed to make a second half comeback and stay in the hunt.

13. (14) Kansas City Chiefs (7-4) - Dwayne Bowe put Tecmo Bowl like stats over the Seahawks (13 catches, 170 yards, 3 Td's).

14. (11) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-4) - They finally had a chance to beat a team over .500, and hung around with the Ravens until they lost 17-10.

15. (-) Miami Dolphins (6-5) - Ricky Williams rushed for 95 yards and Ronnie Brown had 85 yards as well in a 33-17 win over Oakland.

16. (-) Jacksonville Jaguars (6-5) - Yes this team has the division lead over the Colts.

17. (20) Houston Texans (5-6) - Andre Johnson's fight got all the headlines, no one noticed they beat the Titans 20-0.

18. (24) St Louis Rams (5-6) - Yes this team has the NFC West division lead!

19. (-) Washington Redskins (5-6) - They had the game won and then the refs called back the kick off return due to penalty, 8-8 looks doable.

20. (17) Oakland Raiders (5-6) - The Raiders fall continues, they had 16 net rushing yards against the Dolphins.

21. (22) Cleveland Browns (4-7) - This team loves to win close games! Peyton Hillis continues to be the feel good story of the year (3 more Td's on Sunday), could the white running back be back?

22. (18) Tennessee Titans (5-6) - I must insist they try someone else besides Rusty Smith at Qb. Chris Johnson had 7 carries for 5 yards?!

23. (21) Seattle Seahawks (5-6) - They have lost 5 of their last 6, luckily they have the Panthers and Niners up next.

24. (25) Minnesota Vikings (4-7) - Just when people stopped talking about Mr. Favre he had to win and get his name going again.

25. (23) Dallas Cowboys (3-8) - They had a chance to tie it up but Kicker David Buehler proved to be a turkey and missed the kick.

26. (27) San Francisco 49ers (4-7) - Somehow this team is only 1 game back, but bad news in losing Frank Gore for what appears to be the rest of the season.

27. (28) Buffalo Bills (2-9) - I feel bad for Steve Johnson, he had the game winning catch in his hands and it just slipped through. At least the Bills play close in most games.

28. (26) Denver Broncos (3-8) - They recorded a 49ers practice but that doesn't help your team from having no defense.

29. (-) Detroit Lions (2-9) - Stafford, Johnson, Best, and Pettigrew should give this team hope going forward

30. (-) Arizona Cardinals (3-7) - They looked terrible losing bad on Monday night, almost made me feel bad for them.

31. (-) Cincinnati Bengals (2-9) - I wish I had good news, but remaining games are against: Saints, Steelers, Browns, Chargers, and Ravens.

32. (-) Carolina Panthers (1-10) - In my fantasy league I meant to pick up Panthers RB Mike Goodson and accidentally picked up WR David Gettis, I feel this explains the Panthers season.

Power Poll - Week 11

1. (1) New England Patriots (8-2)- Beating the Steelers and Colts back to back means your the best.

2. (3) New York Jets (8-2)- Santonio Holmes saves the Jets two weeks in a row!

3. (2) Atlanta Falcons (8-2)- Still staying strong as the class of NFC

4. (-) Pittsburgh Steelers (7-3)- Big blowout win after home loss vs New England

5. (-) Baltimore Ravens (7-3)- Beat the Panthers so they cannot move up this week.

6. (-) Green Bay Packers (7-3) - Packers handled the Vikings in Minnesota with much ease.

7. (8) Philadelphia Eagles (7-3)- This team is stacked with young talent on offense: Vick, McCoy, Desean Jackson, and Macklin should be good for many years.

8. (9) New Orleans Saints (7-3)- Creamed the Seahawks and seem to be back to there scoring ways.

9. (7) Indianapolis Colts (6-4)- Another tough loss for this team, but as long as they have Manning they have a shot.

10. (15) Chicago Bears (7-3)- Bears are sticking around and showing they belong in the playoff talk.

11. (13) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-3)- Shut out the Niners in S.F. for the first time since 1977.

12. (16) San Diego Chargers (5-5)- Doing there usual second half surge and will soon be class of AFC West.

13. (11) New York Giants (6-4)- If only Eli knew how to slide properly...

14. (17) Kansas City Chiefs (6-4)- Interesting to see if they can keep this up and make a push for the playoffs.

15. (10) Miami Dolphins (5-5)- I still think this team is good but they have just been crushed by injures.

16. (18) Jacksonville Jaguars (6-4)- No miracle catch needed this week.

17. (14) Oakland Raiders (5-5)- I wonder what Big Ben said to Seymour?

18. (12) Tennessee Titans (5-5) - Who is Rusty Smith, and why was he playing quarterback for the Titans?

19. (22) Washington Redskins (5-5)- Another close win, another season heading towards 8-8!

20. (19) Houston Texans (4-6)- They have to be pissed after that close loss, do they have enough to make a push?

21. (-) Seattle Seahawks (5-5)- Hey at least your playing in the NFC West. 7-9 could win you the division.

22. (20) Cleveland Browns (3-7)- The good news is that this team seems like they can beat anyone. The bad news is that they can just as easily lose to anyone as well.

23. (27) Dallas Cowboys (3-7)- Cowboys move up because so many other teams just had to move down.

24. (-) St Louis Rams (4-6) - Rams still have hope in the NFC West.

25. (-) Minnesota Vikings (3-7)- I think this is Farve's last season.

26. (-) Denver Broncos (3-7)- Brandon Lloyd, really?

27. (23) San Francisco 49ers (3-7)- I hear rumors that they will be getting a new head coach next year, if only that was the only problem going on with this once proud organization.

28. (31) Buffalo Bills (2-8)- Fitzpatrick to Steve Johnson combined for 137 yards and 3 TD's, take that T.O. and Ochocinco!

29.(28) Detroit Lions (2-8)- They used to lose close, now they are just losing bad.

30. (-) Arizona Cardinals (3-7)- They can't go down because sadly there are worse teams.

31. (29) Cincinnati Bengals (2-8)- I am wondering how long before Marvin Lewis is fired.

32. (-) Carolina Panthers (1-9)- Andrew Luck looked good this Saturday, so you have that going for you!