Bracketology

Time to bring back the brackets! Time to spice this blog up again. I have to say that most of my best work on this blog has been my Star Wars/Lord of the Rings bracket. Lots of work and comedy went into that one.
This time I'll be doing it a bit differently. I will not have polls and voting, I'll just make up the results by myself. That way we don't have 5 days for 4 people to vote and it will still be funny and creative.

Our first bracket. Tom Hanks Movie Characters

1. Forrest Gump (Forrest Gump) vs. Professor G.H Dorr (Ladykillers)
Professor Door won the play-in game with Viktor Navorski from Terminal, winning the title of most ridiculous Tom Hanks movie character.
Winner: Forrest Gump

8. Chuck Noland (Cast Away) vs. Jimmy Dugan (A League of Their Own)
Match: A nice 8/9 match-up here. Jimmy Dugan shows up drunk for the match due to his depression after years of watching women's softball. He immediately pisses on Wilson for 3 minutes, causing Chuck Noland to go crazy and attempt to use his hand woven rope to lasso Dugan. Dugan grabs the rope, pulls Noland over and and beats his skinny, skinny body to a pulp.
Winner: Jimmy Dugan

5. Josh Baskin (Big) vs. 12. Charlie Wilson (Charlie Wilson's War)
Match: Josh Baskin, still acclimating to his new body starts slow. Charlie Wilson attempts to bring in some Mujaheddin, but they get distracted by the giant floor piano. For some reason they decided to determine the winner by having a trampoline contest. Wilson decided he would rather engage in some drinking and women and leave the trampoline to Josh.
Winner: Josh

4. Andrew Beckett (Philadelphia vs. 13. Sam Baldwin (Sleepless in Seattle)
Match: Andrew Beckett's AIDS ravaged body passes out when just looking at the dreamy Sam Baldwin. Sorry fans, no courtroom drama here.
Winner: Sam Baldwin

3. Woody (Toy Story) vs. 14. Carl Hanratty (Catch Me If You Can)
Match: Though Woody is animated, he had little trouble defeating Hanratty.

6. Paul Edgecomb (The Green Mile) vs. 13. Michael Sullivan (Road to Perdition)
Well I haven't actually scene either of these movies, so I'll give the win to
Winner: Paul Edgecomb

7. James Lovell (Apollo 13) vs. 10. Robert Langdon (The da Vinci Code)
Match: Big battle here. One historical figure. One great book character. But, good books to not translate to movies. Lovell wins be stating Langdon has a bad movie and a worse haircut. No arguing there.
Winner: James Lovell

2. Captain John Miller (Saving Private Ryan) vs. 15. Joe Banks (Joe versus the Volcano)
Match: This is a case of the 15 seed just being happy to be in the Big Dance, especially after upsetting Det. Scott Turner (Turner and Hooch) in the conference tournament to get the automatic bid. Captain Miller doesn't even play this round and has Vin Diesel take his place.
Winner: John Miller

Round 2

1. Forrest Gump vs. Jimmy Dugan
Match: Jimmy Dugan once again shows up drunk and in bad shape after waking up next to Rosie O'donnell. Gump goes on to beat him in a footrace, in ping-pong, in a Dr. Pepper drinking contest, in shrimp catching, and in beard growing in contests obviously tilted in the favorite's favor.
Winner: Gump

13. Sam Baldwin vs. 5. Josh Baskin
Match: Sam's dreaminess doesn't work on Josh who doesn't even like girls yet, much less grown men. Neither of these guys are fighters and Sam gives Josh the victory in exchange for toys for his son.
Winner: Josh Baskin

3. Woody vs. 6. Paul Edgecomb
Match: A good battle here. Woody calls in his reserves of Buzz Lightyear, Rex, Mr. Potato Head and the Slinky-Dog to face off against Edgecomb and Michael Clarke Duncan. The Toy Story Gang uses their great team work skills to topple Duncan and once again execute him, bringing Edgecomb to tears and the victory to
Winner: Woody

2. Captain Miller vs. 7. James Lovell
Match: Another big battle here. James Lovell retells his account of his scariest moment as a pilot in WWII. Miller just laughs at this and plays back the brain and intestine filled storming of Normandy scene, and although Lovell brought back Bill Paxton and Kevin Bacon safely, it pales in comparison to bring back Matt Damon.
Winner: Captain Sullivan

Final Four

1. Forrest Gump vs. 4 Josh Baskin
Match: These two actually get along very well. They drink soda, the play ping-pong, the make new toys. In the moment of truth bike race, Josh transforms back to his 12 year old self and is drown by his suit, leaving Gump to ride away to victory.
Winner: Gump

3. Woody vs. 2. Captain Miller
Match: Woody again comes forth with his pals, but gets in a scuffle with Buzz, and Captain Miller does the same, making this one a surprisingly easy victory for
Winner: Captain Miller

Final

1. Forrest Gump vs. 2. Captain Miller


Match: Both the favorites make it to the final. Vietnam War vs. WWII. Captain Miller vs. Private Gump. Miller tries to get Jeremy Davies to translate for him, but that doesn't help at all. Miller uses his wits to tire Gump out, but gets the shakes when he is about to finish off Gump. In a huge surprise, Gump's son comes out and tells him he sees dead people. Gump gets inspired by Bubba, his Mama, and the dead legs of Lt. Dan, pulls out his Medal of Honor and shoots Miller in the butt giving him the victory.
Winner: Forrest Gump

Wow, quite a battle. Let me know if you think it would've went differently.

Late Night College B-Ball

Short work week, not too much to do. Why not stay up late and watch the Wisconsin-Arizona basketball game? Tip off was 11:00 central time and despite the Wisconsin win, I wish I would have just went to bed. The was a foul fest, ending 65-61 in s hours and 30 minutes. Due to all the fouls you really couldn't learn anything about Wisconsin. I was hoping to come here and write about their prospects of making the Big Dance for 12 straight seasons, but it's hard to say. Maybe tonight vs Gonzaga will show us something.
A few notes:
- Wisconsin has a couple more big white guys (surprise)in the ilk of Joe Krabbenhoft
- Redshirt Freshman Ryan Evans has a stellar flat-top and is pretty athletic.
- nobody but Hughes can create their own shot, so a lot of our position at the end of the season will be determined by him
- Jason Bohannan pretty much can't do anything but shoot.
- I think Jordan Taylor will be better than Hughes

In the end, I believe Wisconsin will make the NCAA tournament again this year for two reasons.
1. Bo Ryan
2. The Big Ten is strong this year 6 teams in the top 25. This will give Wisconsin plenty of opportunities for a "signature" victory, plus the play Gonzaga and Cincinnati/Maryland in Hawaii and Duke and Marquette at home.


Update - A few more observations after last night's loss to Gonzaga. The Zags won handily.
- I was being to nice to Jason Bohannan yesterday. He just isn't good enough.
- Tim Jarmusz is not good enough to be a starter on this average team. I would go three guards- Hughes, Bohannan, Taylor - with Nankivil and Leuer.
- I said Taylor will be better than Hughes, I forgot to proceed it with "This Year"

Project Runway vs. Top Chef

Two of the shows currently in my viewing rotation are Project Runway and Top Chef. I enjoy both of them. Bravo knows how to make a good reality show. They are pretty much the same format. Project Runway came first followed by Top Chef. I know a Top Design followed and a Top Haircut or something like that, but those were just not as cool as the first two.
Pretty much they are cooking competition and fashion designing competition where unknowns try to make their name only to be brutally cut down by industry experts.
Here I will put the two shows head to head, dissecting them and coming up with one winner.

Project Runway
I saw this show on one day during a marathon of the second season and I could not stop watching it, even though I have not the slightest interest in fashion. The characters were compelling and I like pretty much any reality show where you have competitions, challenges, immunity, and people getting cut. I don't think there was anything super innovative about the show, they just put a good product together. There is a good balance between character development, creation of the clothes, and competition.
Pros:
-Heidi Klum
-hot (usually) models
-gay people are funny
-lots of crying
-cool looking clothes - it's a visual medium
-great, quirky characters
-a look at an industry I know nothing about
-judges that aren't scared to straight up tear someone apart
-cool challenges - I remember one making entire outfits out of newspaper, one making a dress out of coffee filters, making clothes for other contestants mothers, making costumes for movie genres
-team challenges are always good too - forcing people to work together that pretty much despise each other
-some cool celebrity judges
Cons:
-I don't know much about making clothes
-pretty subjective
-it seems that in fashion it is necessary to take risks and make stuff that doesn't always work, but that trial and error doesn't work in this set up
-lots of crying
-lots of times stuff I think looks good ends up losing
-often time designers are felling like the did a very bad job, and just put something together at the last second and still end up in the top 3
-not sure how realistic it is to only have 5 hours or whatever to make a red-carpet dress
-on Lifetime

Top Chef
So Top Chef came a year or so after Runway, using pretty much an identical format. Top Chef added a "quickfire challenge" at the beginning of the show where one contestant can get immunity for the larger end challenge. It seems overall the show is based more on the challenges and the cooking than the cooks, whereas Runway is just as much about the designers as the design. Judges are super brutal at the judges table and say some pretty outlandish things if they don't like the food.
Pros:
-I know a little bit about cooking
-fast-paced challenges seem like something cooks would have to do in real life
-cool quick-fire challenges - junk food, tv dinners, vegetarian
new styles of cooking
-the kitchen environment is a place where is is seemingly ok to curse someone out
stress of the challenges leads to contestants genuinely disliking each other
-judges do not front if they don't like something - you could come up with some pretty degrading critiques
-I like the head judge Tom Colicchio and the host Padma Lakshmi
-Visual presentation is often time amazing
-I can sometime image if something would be really good
-cooks are more likely to lash out at judges criticism
-Restaurant Wars
-Team challenges
-some cool characters - but usually focus is on the food
-I might actually use something I see
-if you make a mistake, you pretty much go home
Cons:
-Food is based on taste, and you can only see this stuff an imagine how it tastes
-some people are good at cooking, but are pretty boring
-lots of technical cooking terms I don't have the slightest idea of what they mean
-often times inferior chefs stay around too long by playing it safe
-lack of attractive women
-sometimes having only 10 hours to create a wedding banquet seems unfair
-quickfires that don't involve cooking
-lots of challenges are the same every season
-long commercial breaks before choosing who goes home
-having the show in a different city every season
-no Heidi Klum
-too many French judges


Verdict:
A couple things determine the winner here. First, like I mentioned above, often times designers in Project Runway scrape their ideas halfway through and put something together at the last minute, or designers feel they are going to go home, but they end up being in the top 3 or even winning. In Top Chef, if you mess up, there is really no turning back. If you mess up you are doomed. If you think you are doing bad, you are usually in the bottom 3. I think that gives Top Chef more credibility. Food is more objective I think than fashion.
Two, I don't know a lick about fashion, but I know a thing or two about cooking.
Project Runway wins in the area of being a visual medium and it has much better characters and characterization. But, in the end, it might not be a surprise.
Verdict: Top Chef is better!
but both shows are great.

Survivor - Russell

I know I've been ribbed in the past for writing about a single TV episode, but last night's Survivor was too good to pass up. I think it's the most fulfilled I've ever been at a tribal council vote. There have been lots of blind sides over the years, but usually they vote off someone I like.
Russell was originally billed as as this Season's villain- he burned socks!, but now that he is the underdog, an able underdog, so now I like him. I've been liking him slowly more and more each episode. I liked Kelly, she was hot, possibly top 10 Survivor material, but it was tight to see her go, and tighter to see her teammates react. This definitely makes the rest of the season much more interesting. I'd say it was one of my favorite moments since the Cook Islands season where people were allowed to change tribes, and then the people that changed tribes lost. Good stuff.


Also, the Office was pretty damn funny last night. It reminded me obviously of season three when the thought the branch was closing, but I think it was the best episode in a few seasons.
And I know I'm a dork for saying this, but I'm rooting for the Nard Dog getting together with Erin.
Yes, I am a dork.

Underrated Actresses

Ok, today's topic is underrated actresses. Am I talking about acting ability? Nope. We are going for attractiveness here. Who is really hot but never gets any cred for it? Who is really hot, but for some reason just dropped off the radar? I'm looking for women who are not on FHM and Maxim's Hot 100 lists.
Here are a few that I came up with. Nobody here is too much of a sleeper. That might be another post, but here are some actresses that should get more love in the sexy category. Sorry in advance to all my female readers, ha if there are any.

Bryce Dallas Howard -Maybe an odd way to start the list, but sometimes I got a thing for the Gingers. And this is the daughter of Ron Howard. This could be proof that anyone can look good with stylists and makeup and a good photographer, but I liked it. I also liked The Village, so maybe I am weird, but unlike some movies she is in, the pale skin isn't too much here.


Claire Danes - Keeping with the Ginger theme here. I saw Shopgirl the other day, liked what I saw, not really the movie, but Claire Danes was nice. I think maybe we remember her as the gawky teenager in My So Called Life, but she has grown up since then.
Hilary Swank - I'm beginning to think this list might just be "Girls I am oddly attracted too" instead of underrated, showing my interesting attraction to some people. I hope not. Anyway, the pictures are nice. Could just be Esquire making her look hot, but there is something about her I like. Also, I think she loses attractiveness just because she is such a good actress. Just like our next person...























Cate Blanchett- Her most famous roles are an elf, the Queen of England, and a strange Russian archaeologist, but she has a nice beauty to her. I remember her in the Talented Mr. Ripley and thought Ripley should go for her instead of Gweneth Paltrow. Right, but it turns out he was actually after Jude Law. Ha. Anyways, another great actress who is also hot. She does have kind of a weird mouth thing going on though.

Madeline Stowe - This is the one that gave me the idea for this post. Madeline Stowe in The Last of the Mohicans is HOT! Beautiful too- an almost regal beauty, but I was surprised by how sexy she was. I really haven't seen if this holds up in other movies, and I'm pretty sure right now she is getting old, but Madeline Stowe, thanks for the inspiration for the Underrated (hot) actresses post. Watch the Last of the Mohicans and you will not disagree.

Eva Green - This is the one that I am least sure of, not if she is underrated, but if she is hot. The picture is like Damn! and in Casino Royale, Damn!, but I'm still unsure if it isn't just Hollywood making her hot. It might just be that I like her because Casino Royale was great and I saw her naked and deflowered in that other movie. Either way, she made the list.

Jennifer Garner - I like the simplicity and niceness of this picture. I think of her mostly as the Alias character that could kick my ass. That is kinda hot. And she had a lot of sexy outfits in that show. Better than Daredevil.


Ok, one up and coming underrated star - Blake Lively. She isn't totally underrated, but she is definitely one to watch to make some top 10 lists pretty some in the future. Hot! I remember seeing Accepted and instantly getting on the Internet to see who she was. Holla!

And a couple that have fallen off the radar lately, which doesn't mean that they are not still banging hot - Sarah Michelle Geller and Elisha Cuthbert. They really haven't done anything good in the last few years, so people are forgetting about them, but here at Big Dunc Sarah Michelle Geller and Elisha Cuthbert are still getting mad props. I purposefully choose a bad picture for Elisha, bad being a relative term, first because there are a lot of pictures of her which are just too sexy, don't want to get too excited, and second, look how hot she is in that horrible outfit. We could have a months worth of post on her alone. If you don't believe me, check out The Girl Next Door again.



There you go. Lots of nice pics. Let me know your underrated actresses.

Congratulations CC

Congratulations CC Sabathia.....
For Helping the Brewers Reach the Playoffs for the first time in 26 years!

















And For Winning the World Series with the Yankees

Packers Thoughts

Well it's about the halfway point of the season and after the Packers defense really wet the bed against Favre and the Vikings, it's already time to evaluate our playoff changes.
I think the Packers will be a Wild Card team. Would I put money down in Vegas on that? No, not really. We got a tough schedule ahead of us.

Away: Tampa, Detroit (Thanksgiving), Chicago, Pittsburgh, Arizona
Home: Dallas, San Francisco, Baltimore, Seattle

Yep, not easy. Playing last years Superbowl teams the last two away games. Why can't we get Arizona here in January? I'm thinking we'll know our fate by then. The two games I have circled at the Cowboys and Bears. If we can win these two games we will make the playoffs. But, currently we have the potential of being and 8-8 team. Really. I'm getting less confident as I write this, ha.

Our defense needs to gets some sacks! Hawk needs to play like a top 5 draft pick. Our O-line needs to block, and Rodgers needs to get rid of the ball. Both are causes of our sack problem. Grant needs to be reliable. Finley and Nelson need to come back strong.
Woodson and Harris are sick. Rodgers is almost the man. The second half against the Vikes was the first time I really saw him clicking. Our receivers are the best unit in league. Penalties. Damn.
Ok, I really told you nothing in this post.
Dallas and Chicago, big games, bigger than Favre. I hope we get to play him in the playoffs!

Youtube

I've come across some good youtube finds at work this week. Now don't worry, I'm not just watching youtube videos all day, I'm mainly using it to listen to music when I get sick of what I got on my MP3 player. I have a pretty nice playlist of songs I don't have so I listen to them at work mostly ever day. Here is my favorite song/video at the moment.




Yep, some Karate Kid Action with Young Hearts by Commuter. Nice 80's song. Unfortunately, I can find very little on Commuter on wikipedia or the internet. Damn commuter trains ans commuter systems. Found this video from the Best Around youtube video which I listen to/ watch at least once a day. Never know when you need to get fired up at work. But, yes, I enjoy the arcade scene, and that is quite a hug at the end. And damn, Elizabeth Shue was hot!

Then this video led to this video, which is unfortunately not a video, but just a good song.



Yep, the Karate Kid is great. Love it. I found the soundtrack on ebay for 1 cent and only three dollars shipping, but for some reason did not pull the trigger. Man.
I've also been watching a lot of LOST Daniel/Charlotte videos and Jack/Kate/Sawyer videos, but that would probably be too gay to post up here.
I did come across some nice youtube comments, one from Nina Simone's I ain't got/I got where she mentions all the things she doesn't have and then all the things she has, like her smile, her brain, her mouth, her speech, her toes. And here is the comment that made me laugh.

"This is not a song for Stephen Hawkings."

Also funny cuz the poster spelled this name wrong.

And this one when listening to Hallelujah videos

"I agree with the statement below. I haven't had a girlfriend in 685 days"

goldenxspirit

"Love is not a victory march,
it's a cold and broken
hallelujah..."
More than I thought I would, could, everknow."


Haha, losers.

Update: Damn, the sound doesn't work on these videos. I am an asshole.
Here are the links. Shit.
#1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImLxzWhg_tk
#2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XNp_8YRcgE&feature=related
Shee-it

Monsters of the Gridiron

Well, my guess the Packer post didn't go too well. We got one guess of George Koonce and that was it. The secret answer was ............ Sean Jones!
Exciting, I know.
But, that was meant to be a segue into my Halloween post.
Sean Jones - the Ghost
Anyone remember the Monsters of the Gridiron campaign back in 1994? Pretty much Coca-Cola dressed one NFL star (average player) from each team in a ridiculous Halloween Costume. I don't really know the reasoning behind it, but as a 10 year old, it was pretty cool.
Here is Sean Jones - Ghost

I remember being disappointed that the Packer's choice was kind of unexciting/average, especially when you look at all the other crazy players, but in retrospect it is one of the cooler ones, holding up over the years.
Definitely take the time to check out the larger versions of theses pictures. We got some real winners here. Tom Rathman is just called "Psycho". Neil O'Donnell is the "Night Raider" even though he players for the Steelers. Lame. Jumbo Elliot is just "Jumbo" and Ronnie Lott is some kind of snake. Randell Cunningham is pretty cool.
We got a lot of real winners here. Gotta start with the Panther and Jaguar. Very nice, oddly anthropomorphic, but not really. Derrick Thomas as Attack Cat makes me not like him as much. Man. Pat Swilling "Chillin" is pretty nice, especially for 1994. Marshall Faulk is tight too. Shane Conlon and Eric Swann (whoever that is) pretty much don't deserve comments. Dan Wilkinson as "Big Daddy", wow, just wow. Jesse Tuggle and Ray Childress pretty nice too.

There you go. Have a nice Halloween. Enjoy eating candy. If you want some scary stuff, checking out my other tagged Halloween posts

Playoffs

Playoffs?....Playoffs?!!
Yep it's time to talk about the playoffs. Obviously the MLB playoffs are not as exciting this year without the Brewers, but most of the games I've seen have been pretty entertaining. Watching the Phillies definitely reminds me of being on the PVS bus a year ago. Ah, good times, back when I was on the cutting edge of news (sort of) or at least had something exciting to blog about.
But yes, walk off hits are always fun.
The main thrust of my post, though, will be the playoffs for the remaining World Cup Spots. Unless noted, playoffs are home and away aggregate.
Here's what we got.
New Zealand vs. Bahrain
New Zealand was the Oceania winner thanks to Australia going to Asia. Bahrain actually already won a playoff against Saudi Arabia to get to this point. They scored a last second goal to tie the score and went through on away goals. The 1st leg was 0-0. The second leg is at New Zealand. I see it 1-0 to Bahrain or possible a scoring tie which would also send them through. New Zealand just doesn't have enough fire power. Perhaps next year, I mine next Cup. (Hope you like the picture Junkie)


Uruguay vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica had at least one foot in the World Cup door, until the US scored a late equalizer to send Honduras through instead. Now they have to play perennial play-off participant Uruguay. If Uruguay doesn't win I will be very surprised.

Ireland vs. France
OK, in Europe the 8 second place teams in the groups go through to a playoff. Anytime they used this format before the second place teams would all be redrawn. This year, they decided, about three weeks before last group games took place, that they would reseed the 2nd place finishers into 2 pools, the top four in one and the bottom four in another so the top teams cannot be drawn together, even though the groups are seeded to begin with, thus all second place teams are there on equal merit. People are saying that they are reseeding the teams to unsure the favorites - France and Portugal - make the World Cup. This is total BS. It would be like reseeding the teams after each round of the NCAA tourney.
Anyway, it sucks for Ireland because they were pretty much the 5th best team and now have to play the best. Not fair. I hope it is competitive.

Greece vs. Ukraine
I see this one pretty much as a toss up. There will be some crazy fans for both teams, but expect a boring display.

Portugal vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina
Things were looking bleak for Portugal for a while, but Fifa has to be happy that C. Ronaldo should make his way to South Africa. I could not tell you a single player on Bosnia.

Russia vs. Slovenia
Slovakia made the World Cup already, so why not Slovenia? Well, Russia is better. They will be one of those team European power-houses will not want to see in their group come next year.

Also Africa was it's final round of games. Egypt needs to beat Algeria by two goals. Nigeria needs to beat Kenya and have Tunisia tie or lose to Mozambique. Gabon must better the result of Cameroon.

Lots up in the air. These games take place November 14th and 18th. Stay tuned!

Name that Packer

Haven't posted in a while, so I decided to do an easy one where I make you do the work.
Basically 20 question format. List questions in the comment section and I will respond with a yes or no answer. I am thinking of a Green Bay Packer past or present. Who is he?

Brett Favre Sporcle

Check out the great Sporcle quiz I made - Brett Favre Touchdown Passes
You need to name every player that caught a Favre TD pass for the Packers, because we all know his Jets and Vikings ones don't really count.
There are some obviously ones and some pretty, pretty obscure.
Have fun, let me know how you did.

Lost Thoughts

The new TV season has begun, so I thought I'd give you a little Lost post, as it won't be back until January. Boo.
Um, Lost and lists, two of my favorite things. I will put them together. Here is my list of top 5 Lost Characters
Top 5 Lost Character (Pre-Season 5)

1. Desmond - Desmond is the man. No doubt. He was present for all the great episodes -the premiere and finale of season two, and for most of the best he was the main character - "Flashes Before Your Eyes, Catch-22, and when I hadn't yet seen season 4, I remember everyone telling me I needed to see "The Constant" and it didn't disappoint.
He is a cool, serious guy. He can get drunk with you or talk philosophically. I think he brings important balance, someone outside of the Oceanic 815 survivors and the Others. I even downloaded Mama Cass's "Make Your Own Kind of Music" due in large part to Desmond.
2. Daniel - Great addition to the show. I was skeptical with the addition of more new characters in season 4, but I enjoy Daniel, Charlotte, Frank, and Miles. Daniel is obviously the best of them. He has humanity and a bit of compassion. Every time he is on screen, you want to know more about him, you want to see more of him. Skinny tie. Super genius who can't remember anything. Present in "The Constant" and you just root for this guy.
3. Bernard - Just a minor character, but I really like Bernard. He only had one flash-back episode, but he is just a normal guy. Him and Rose are great. I really liked when he kicked butt in the finale of Season 3 and when he was talking to Jin about relationships.
4. Mr. Eko - Eko was a favorite for a while, then he died. I think he had less than a season on the show, but he was a great character. He pretty much dominated everyone that came against him. His beat stick was great. He was a priest (sort of) and his whole redemption story line was great. Someone I would want on my side. Then the Smoke Monster got him. Shoot
5. Sayid- Yeah, don't really need to say much about this guy. Awesome. Smart. Killer. I liked the whole working with Ben thing in Season 4. Interesting twist.



Top 5 Lost Characters (Post Season 5)

1. Daniel - Yep, after season 5, Daniel has taken over the top spot. He was really a main character during the entire season. Pretty much everyone looked to him to solve their problems. His loss of Charlotte was pretty sad stuff. He took on Alpert and the old others. We learned a bit more about his past, then he got killed. Damn. I hope he is back.
2. Desmond - Yep, dropped down to number 2. He just wasn't in the show enough. He did try to help, but was more concerned about his family. Boo.
3. Richard Alpert - A new addition to the list. Alpert is much like Daniel - everytime he is on screen you want more of him. There is still a large mystery to the character, which leaves you wanting more. Why doesn't he age? Why is he on the island? Why does he wear eyeliner? Why the name? I also like the fact that he seems to be neither a good guy or a bad guy.
There is much more to be revealed about Richard. And I'm ready to see it.
4. Mr. Eko - Still strong after being dead for 3 seasons.
5. Miles - I wasn't sure about Miles at first. I thought he could be a much better character, and he still can, but season 5 gave us a bit more about him. Lots of potential. The whole him being the son of Dr. Candle was kind of weird. His powers are cool, but again, like always for Lost, you want to know more about him.

A few other things. I used to really like Jack, but he has gone down steadily since the end of season two. Sawyer is now honorable mention. Unlike Jack, he has been moving up steadily over the years, especially season 5 when he was the leader of his little band, and away from Jack and Kate.

Let me know who you like best.

If you got 10 minutes

This made me laugh out load at work. I was a bit too young for Mystery Science Theater 3000, but now I can appreciate it.
Enjoy!

The Stand - Casting Call

One of the favorite books that I have read over the past few years is Stephen King's The Stand. It's pretty epic. Lots of great characters and long enough for character development.
It was made into a 1994 TV mini-series supervised pretty closely by King. It was good I guess as most parts made it into the book. But some of the casting decisions are head scratchers to say the least. Check out how I woulda done it.

Tony Brown's Casting Call for The Stand:

Larry Underwood
TV Version - Adam Storke - pretty much the biggest thing this guy ever did, definitely not a launching off point for him
My Pick - Casey Affleck
Why? Larry is by far the best character in the book. He is real. He experiences growth. These amazing circumstances he has change him. This makes him more identifiable. You see a real journey. I would go with Affleck because he fits the character description well. He could be a blossoming rock star, he could be that age, he could abandon a woman and come back for her. I also like it that Affleck isn't super known, but in the Assassination of Jesse James movie, he really showed his dramatic ability. I think Affleck could pull off the internal journey of Larry Underwood.

Stu Redmond
TV Version - Gary Sinise - nothing wrong with this pick
My version - Matt Damon
Why? - Stu is kind of the backbone of the novel, pretty much in it from start to finish. He is the All-American, everyman kind of guy, not the most complex or exciting, but a hero nevertheless. I think Damon would be perfect for this.

Nadine
TV Version - Laura San Giacoma - Yes, the girl from Just Shoot Me with the big Quinn Buckner gap in her teeth. Worst choice ever.
My Pick - Rachel Weisz
Why? This may be the most perfect fit. Nadine is alluring and innocent, a bit older, virginal and capable of carrying a demon child. I originally thought of Kate Beckinsale, but she is too pretty and one-dimensional I think Weisz could pull of this dichotomy very well as evidenced by her variety of roles. .You could easily see why Larry and Flagg want her and why kids are drawn to her. Hers is the opposite journey as Larry's.

Fran
TV Version - Molly Ringwald - fits the role pretty well
My Pick - Liv Tyler
Why? Frannie is, well, kind of annoying. Molly Ringwald is that, as is Liv Tyler, but I think you would like Tyler a bit more. I thought of Evan Rachel Wood for this role, but I think she might be too good for it. Liv Tyler is a natural fit - womanly, young, strong at times, annoying at times, not too lovable.

Glen Bateman
TV Version - Ray Walston - this guy has done everything from My favorite Martian to Picket Fences. You might best recognize him as Mr. Hand in Fast Times At Ridgemont High
My Pick - Gene Hackman

Why? You really can't go wrong with Gene Hackman. Glen was an interesting character, a bit too all knowing at preachy at times. I think Hackman could bring both the intelligentsia and humanity to create a great Glen.

Nick
TV Version - Rob Lowe
My Pick - Don Cheadle or Djimon Hounsou or David Wenham
Why? I couldn't really pin this one down. Wenham is Faramir in Lord of the Rings and the narrator in 300. I love Hounsou in his dramatic roles. I think all three could really convey emotion, strength, and vulnerability without speaking. Complex, even tormented character, all three have shown they are up to that job.

Tom
TV Version - Bill Fagerbakke - big dude from Coach
My Version - ???
I really don't have anyone better for this role. Any suggestions?

Rita
TV Version - not in it
My Pick - Talia Shire - Rocky's Lady
Why? - This goes to my Larry Underwood preference. Rita is an integral part of his story, maybe not to The Stand as a whole, but big in Larry's journey. I couldn't leave her out.
I originally thought of Susan Sarandon for this one, the cougar of choice these days, but I think she is too attractive. I thought of Sharon Stone, but ended with Talia Shire because of her age, her acting ability, her hint of attractiveness, and I think she would be a great Rita for Larry.

Randall Flagg
TV Version - Jamey Sheridan - might recognize him from Law and Order: Criminal Intent
My Pick - Daniel Day Lewis or John Malcovich.
Why? These might be cliche picks, but I know both could kill the role. I might lean towards Day-Lewis due to his ability to be physically imposing. Think Gangs of New York. In Flagg you need someone scary, powerful, but also charismatic and alluring, so you can identify with the people on his side.

Trashcan Man
TV Version - Matt Frewer - Most Recently seen as Moloch in Watchmen
My pick - Gary Oldman
Why? I don't really recall an age for Trashy, just that he was F-ing crazy. Oldman could do this. I thought of Philip Seymour Hoffman as well and Ben from Lost. All might be too good for this role, but it is essential.

Ralph Brentner
TV Version - Peter Van Norden - Who?
My Pick - Brian Dennehy
Why? Another all American character. I just think Dennehy would be a perfect farmer. Maybe a bit too old. Considered James Gandolfini and Tommy Lee Jones, but Gandolfini will never be anything but Tony Soprano.

Harold
TV - Corin Nemec - aka Parker Lewis Can't Lose
My Pick - Emil Hirsch
Why? Another great character journey here. His is set in motion early, but you never really think he's going to go fully to the dark side. I don't really like Emil Hirsch, but he is a great actor. He has that depth to be the slimy Harold, to front for a long time, and have something hiding under the surface, and he seems to be alright with weight fluctuation as seen in Into the Wild, so adding some pounds wouldn't be a problem.

There you go. A much better version than the original. I should be a casting director! Let me know what you think, and where I went right/wrong.