Favorite Characters on TV, or How this is why Lists were created!

Here goes, for no reason whatsoever and prompted by nothing but boredom and a will to procrastinate like it's nobody's business, I give you my favorite characters from TV from 2008. Yes, they are arbitrary, only include characters from shows I actually watch (so yeah... House, any of them Heroes, 90210ers and Gossipy boys, any procedurals or McDoctors will not be found here... for that you people got the Tv rags and them People's Choice whatevers). Here, strong women and gay men rule the world. Also being a bitch helps you out. A lot.

Top 10 Favorite TV Characters from 2008

Shoutouts to:

Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton (that laugh... so creepy, so funny!), the rest of the Desperate Housewives (yay Ensemble work!), Vanessa Williams' Wilhemina Slater (Ugly Betty) - she's scarier in HD!, Christina Applegate's Samantha (Samantha Who? - exactly!), Stephen Colbert (The Colbert Report) - cause it wouldn't be Indecision 2008 without good ol' Stephen, Jack Donaghy (30 Rock... actually that entire cast for being so hysterical!)... I could go on, but instead here's the actual list.

10. Holly

Amy Ryan (The Office)

Who knew Amy Ryan was so funny? And awkward? And Michael Scott's secret long-lost soulmate? She has been a breathe of fresh air (and a welcome one at that!) in The Office's newest season.

I was trying to adjust the lumbar support on Toby's chair and that made this up-down lever not work and I took the whole chair apart and that is the story of me on the floor. It's pretty good right? I'm gonna sell the movie rights.

9. _____

Kristen Wiig (SNL)

I had to include Kristen here, because well... she makes EVERY skit she's in AMAZING. 

Actually, there's a few ways -- just kidding, there's only one way -- just kidding, I don't know how many ways there are -- just kidding, I do, there's eight -- just kidding, there's eighteen, I counted them -- just kidding, my friend did and she never lies -- just kidding, she lied once, but I wasn't there -- just kidding, we're not really friends, we work together -- just kidding, I work by myself -- just kidding, I workout by myself -- just kidding, I don't work out, 'cause I kicked out of my gym -- just kidding, it closed -- just kidding! 

8. Jenna Maroney

Jane Krakowski (30 Rock)

Me want food... er me want Jenna! Jane sells every line she gets handed as if it was a comedic 

gem, and by the time you're done laughing you realize it is. Fat Jenna? Funny. Skinny bitchy Jenna? Hysterical. Porn video game voice actress Jenna? Priceless. I am very excited for what's in store for that Mystic Pizza the Musical actress/Muffin Top singer.

These things happen Liz. I had my "no sex with Asians" rule but then one day you walk into Sharper Image and there's Quan

7. Marc St James

Michael Urie (Ugly Betty)

Marc is the funniest half of the funniest Fag/Fag-Hag pair to grace Prime Time since a certain flat-chested red-headed Jewess was rooming with a sex-less suburban lawyer gay. Marc is deliciously bitchy albeit stereotypical, and that scene where he slapped fake Wilhemina was priceless (add to that his wardrobe) and you have numero siete on my list.

Sure, if by 'beer' you mean 'Appletini'

6. Bree Van de Camp... ahem Hodge

Marcia Cross (Desperate Housewives)

Everyone's favorite housewife is even more desperate this season what with no more baby, a failing marriage, a bickering partner and well... thankfully, a soaring business. Here's hoping for more Bree-bites this season.

Andrew, tell this gentleman that if he calls me 'sweetie' again I'm gonna grab his camera and take a picture of his colon!

5. Barney Stinson

Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother)

In one word Barney is "Awesome" ... or maybe just "Legen...wait for it... dary!" HIMYM is a show that shines when NPH gets great storylines and even better one-liners. I'm interested to see how the "falling in love" with Robin storyline will play out (Nothing's funnier than an anxiety-ridden Barney!) Bonus points: Dr Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.

What's that? Self-five? Nice, we out!

4. Six, Tricia Helfer 

(Battlestar Galactica)

Earlier seasons might have been all about President Roslin (Roslin'08!) and Starbuck, but Six dominated this past season - in all and every one of her incarnations. And much of that has come from the writer's willingness to explore the "humanity" in the cylons and of course the increasing talent of a certain Ms Helfer who's proven she's as talented as she is gorgeous.

God has a plan, Gaius. He has a plan for everything, and everyone

3. Tina Fey's Sarah Palin

Tina Fey (SNL)

What can I say about Tina's Palin that I haven't said before? Her Alaskan accent, her matching outfits, her crazy never-ending sentences... It has made for Must-Watch Saturday Night TV. And gosh-darnit, Tina made me be interested in your crazy US of A politics by following a certain moose-hunting, anti-women Alaskan right-wing nut. Here's hoping that this SNL exposure can make Tina's other doppelganger (Liz Lemon) gets some traction starting next week on NBC, making 30 Rock Must-Watch TV as well.

Senator McCain and I are not afraid to get Maverickey in there

2. Olive Snook

Kristin Chenoweth (Pushing Daisies)

Cheno is clearly a staple at this blog (click here for more) but really, a spunky romantic little blond waitress who sings? How could I resist? Also Season 2's story arc where she was a nun was hilarious but I'm also glad she's back in the Pie-Hole bickering and rooming with Lonely Tourist Charlotte Charles.

Our store is called The Pie Hole. As in shut your. Or in this case "Open your" because it's real good.

1. Joan Holloway

Christina Hendricks (Mad Men)

Joan is amazing. She is a bitch, she's gorgeous, she's curvy and sexy. And in Season 2 she's proven she's more than a cliché (See here for more on Joan) - how crushing was her rape scene this past Sunday? It's no wonder she made the banner for A Blog Next Door. Oh also: she's a Whedon Alum (if you don't know what Whedon show I mean you need to re-watch Firefly) and that just gives Christina Hendricks a boost of a gazillion points.

(Commenting about Paul to his new African-American girlfriend) 
"The last thing I would’ve taken him for was open-minded"

Who's Afraid of Michael? Or How That's What Survivor Milf's said

Reason # 14979 why we should all love NBC Thursdays. They are a lesson in Post-Modernism. Remember, in a post-MTV world, we don't call it copying it anymore...

We call it "Pastiche" when the original idea is elevated and evoked.
Or just simply "Parody" when the original idea is downgraded and mocked.

Ugly Rabies, or How Thursdays are Hot

Thursday

8:00 Ugly Betty (ABC)
Last year I came to watch Ugly Betty with a hesitation mainly cause I had seen the original Colombian incarnation "Yo Soy Betty la Fea" and while it ended up being too sappy for my taste, it was a breakthrough in terms of Colombian "telenovelas' (how many 'ugly' female protagonists do we get, really?) With that in mind, I think I saw what ABC had done with 'Betty' and it made me cringe: Back then I didn't know how well soap opera conventions would translate into an hour of US Primetime. But after an entire season I think Betty's antics are soapy enough (the season finale featured a gunshot, a car-crash, an enagagement, a prison break and an unexpected pregnancy!), funny enough (just pull up any Amanda/Marc quotes) and hip enough (Kristin Chenoweth as a dentist's assistant? Rebecca Romjin as a tranny? Salma Hayek reprising soap opera roles in the 'fictional tv telenovelas'?) The characters grew on me: I will laugh at anything Marc spits out at Betty, and Vanessa Williams (playing herself, in my eyes) is pitch-perfect as the Ice Queen of fashion (when is she not wearing white, honestly?)
The season premiere was good: the first segment (a 'Betty daydream' where she sees her life as a soap opera) was hilarious - mostly for the awesome spanish lines and set the tone for what promises to be a fun season - is (currently fat) Amanda Faye and Papa Mead's daughter? Will Henry and Betty have a 'happily ever after'? How will Judith Light steal Vanessa's thunder this time around?
All of this makes me sad of course - because come next week, my 8:30 slot will be taken by that Emmy nominated comedy starring the funny Tina Fey and the hilarious Alec Baldwin, but I guess I am hooked enough: I'll probably catch up downloading the episodes anyway! (As if I needed more procrastinating tools!)

Favourite part of the show: "I am never going to see Sound of Music the same ever again!"

9:00 The Office (NBC)
Continuing with shows that I don't normally watch but had to watch the premieres this week (marketing and advertising and EW are to blame for that!) I watched The Office this week. Having only watched one or two episodes before, I was laughing by the first scene (Steve Carrel running over one of his employees was probably the highlight of the episode). The rest of the hour-episode was what is surely common-ground for avid Office fans: Carrel's awkward 'like me, praise me' attitude towards his employees, Pam and Jim lovey-dovey scenes (finally! - or so I hear) and random, ridiculously funny sketches. I find the documentary style at once quite refreshing but also a bit choppy at times - maybe it gets some getting used to, I don't know. That said, I could watch paint-dry if it had John Krasinski who I had heard so much about from a certain someone *wink wink* and now I know why. All in all, a good two-part episode with some laugh-out loud moments.

Favourite of the part of the show: "Support the Rabid!"/ "You don't know me, you just saw my penis."