Strikingly Similar

When it comes to technological advances I'm a bit of a laggard. I had a flip phone all throughout college. In fact, I didn't enter the world of smartphones until December of 2010. I got my first iphone within the past 12 months. I staunchly refused to join Twitter, thinking it was trivial, for years before realizing that if you're not on Twitter you're falling behind. I have only recently joined Instagram and Snap Chat. I adamantly refuse to buy a nook/kindle. I enjoy the experience of going to a bookstore and browsing for new titles. In most instances I know deep down that I'll eventually cave, but I don't think that's the case with reading off of a screen. I like holding the book and feeling how pages I've read and need to read to finish each passing novel.

I tell you this because a thought dawned on me as I was recently reading one of the three magazines that I subscribe to (New York magazine in this case. The other two are Rolling Stone and Maxim). I was reading an article about the new Leonardo DiCaprio/Martin Scorsese movie The Wolf of Wall Street and it dawned on me that two of my favorite celebrities, DiCaprio and Kobe Bryant, have had strikingly similar careers.

DiCaprio is arguably the best actor of his generation. He took the torch from Tom Hanks/Tom Cruise in the mid to late 90s and has been a critically acclaimed box office draw ever since. There have been other elite actors in that time frame (notably Sean Penn, Denzel Washington, Matt Damon, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, and George Clooney), but no one has clearly risen above Leo. You could make the case that some have had better careers, but there is no consensus.

Kobe Bryant is the 2nd best shooting guard in NBA history and I don't think there's much debate about that. Bryant idolized Michael Jordan growing up and was eager to follow in his footsteps. It didn't happen over night, but Kobe has been the best NBA player in the post-Jordan era. Sure there were other great players (Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson, Shaquille O'Neal, Kevin Garnett, Steve Nash, and Jason Kidd), but Bryant's accolades are far superior to most others. It should be noted, however, that LeBron James has usurped Kobe's title as the greatest basketball player on the planet.

The two megastars (they have world wide recognition) are both in their mid to late 30s (Leo is 38, Kobe is 35), but we knew them as teens. DiCaprio was a child actor (appeared in Growing Pains) who got his big break on the silverscreen at age 19 in 1993's What's Eating Gilbert Grape. He earned a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his portrayal of a teenager with a mental disease. He then burst onto the scene as the male lead in James Cameron's 1997 epic Titanic. Kobe was not the first highschool basketball player to jump straight to the NBA, but he was one the most well known and covered at the time of his ascent. Case in point, we all know that Kobe took Brandy to his prom. Less than a year later Kobe was a high flying rookie who won the 1997 Slam Dunk contest.

Leo's individual career is, admittedly, not as impressive as his reputation would suggest. He has not yet won Best Actor in a Leading Role Oscar, the ultimate honor in acting. In fact, he's only been nominated for it twice (The Aviator in 2004 and Blood Diamond 2006). I would argue that he should have at least garnered a nomination for The Departed (2006), but the studio (Warner Bros.) instead pushed for his role in Blood Diamond to be rewarded. He also should have received Best Supporting Actor nominations for his work in Gangs of New York (2002) and Django Unchained (2012). I do think that he'll eventually win the Best Actor Oscar as almost a career achievement sort of way. Similar to how Kate Winslet won Best Actrees in 2009 for her role in The Reader, which was probably her 4th or 5th best performance all time.

Similar to how Leo has been snubbed by the Academy, Kobe was snubbed for years when it came to the MVP award. He's finished in the Top 5 ten times, but only once (2008) did he come away as the winner. For example, Steve Nash won in 2006 by averaging nearly 19 points and more than 10 assists per game. Kobe led the league in scoring (35.4), hauled in more than 5 boards a game, and dished out 4.5 assists to the likes of Smush Parker, Kwame Brown, and Chris Mihm.

While Kobe only has one MVP award, he does have five championships. The acting equivalent would be being cast in a film that wins Best Picture at the Academy Awards. DiCaprio has been a part of two Best Picture wins (Titanic, The Departed) and has "been to the finals" (been in a movie that was nominated for the grand prize) four other times (Gangs of New York, The Aviator, Inception, Django Unchained).

What this tells us is that Leo and Kobe are great individual talents that have been a part of some really good teams. In fact, it's clear to see that they're both at their best when they're surrounded by other elite players/actors. Kobe was at his best playing with Shaq and has won two titles with Pau Gasol as the Robin to his Batman. DiCaprio has thrived alongside Kate Winslet (Titanic), Daniel Day-Lewis (Gangs of New York), Tom Hanks (Catch Me If You Can), Matt Damon/Jack Nicholson (The Departed), and Jaime Foxx/Christolph Walz (Django Unchained).

Not only have they had great teammates, they've also had great coaches. For Kobe it was Phil Jackson. He of the 11 championship rings and unquestionable pedigree. For Leo it was (and continues to be) Martin Scorsese. The two have now teamed up for five successful films (Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Departed, Shutter Island, and The Wolf of Wall Street).



It's no secret that DiCaprio and Bryant are among the best of all time in their respective fields. It's just striking how similar their career paths have been. Bryant is well ahead in terms of cementing his legacy, but DiCaprio has 30-40 more years to add to his acting career if he so chooses. We don't see such sustained success in sports or acting anymore these days. The two elite performers, who both have LA ties (DiCaprio was borned/raised there, Kobe plays there) are truly titans of their industries.

Film's Finest

Why do you go to the movies? I think most people would say to be entertained (I would say to watch the trailers). That makes sense, but I think there’s more to it than going to see a comedy because we want to laugh or going to see an action movie because we want to see chase scenes, shootouts, and limited dialogue. To me, movies are an escape. For two hours (or three if you consider some of the Best Picture nominees this year) we’re totally removed from our daily lives. When we’re at the theater we don’t fret about work/relationships. Our worries are temporarily put on hold because our mind is focused on the screen in front of us.

It seems trivial, but think about it. We don’t check Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram for roughly two hours. In today’s day and age that’s incredible. The only other time I’m free of social media for that long is when I’m asleep.

When we go to the movies we willingly allow ourselves to be taken to a different world. Sometimes it’s not much different from the world we occupy on a daily basis. Other times it’s a world our ancestors experienced or someone’s projection of the world that our descendants will live in. For a few hours we’re totally immersed in that other world and once we’re snapped back to reality we’re left feeling different (in some way) than when we entered.

This Sunday marks the 85th presentation of the Academy Awards, so let’s celebrate the year’s best in film the only way I know how: with fairly obvious predictions. This year I enter Oscars Week having seen 6 of the 9 films nominated for Best Picture. That gives me a pretty solid foundation from which to make my predictions. For those keeping track at home I’m 19 of 22 in my picks over the last four years (6 for 6 last year).

Best Picture

Amour



It’s a French film about old people. No thanks.


Argo



Six U.S. delegates are hiding out in the Canadian ambassador’s house during the Iran hostage crisis in 1979 and a C.I.A. operative (Ben Affleck) hatches a scheme involving a fake movie to get them out of the country. I’m a sucker for politics and all things Ben Affleck, so this movie is right in my wheelhouse. Initially it did not appear to be on the right trajectory to win the Oscar, but it’s gained an avalanche of support during awards season (it won the Golden Globe and SAG) and now looks like the front runner.


Beasts of the Southern Wild



I saw this movie last week and I think it went over my head. A five-year-old girl, your protagonist, lives on the wrong side of a levee on the Mississippi river with her father, who’s ingrained in her a sense of pride for where she comes from. Eventually their environment floods and her father gets sick and dies. Roll credits.


Django Unchained



I’m not a big Tarantino guy, but Django was highly entertaining. A bounty hunter employs a former slave and the two try to free the former slave’s wife from a corrupt Southern gentleman played by Leonardo DiCaprio. The movie is chock full of killing, blatant racism, and terrific acting performances. Django has virtually no chance to win the Oscar, but Christoph Waltz should win Best Supporting Actor (even though he was essentially the main character).


Les Miserables



I have not seen this film, but we were forced to watch a previous version in religion class back in high school. All I remember is that a poor man, named Jean Valjean, steals a loaf of bread and a guard goes out of his way to arrest him for it.


Life of Pi



From what I can tell this movie is like the Jungle Book/Tarzan on steroids. Evidently a boy survives a shipwreck and becomes best friends with a tiger on a remote island. It doesn’t seem like my kind of movie, but one of my friends raves about it.


Lincoln



This Spielberg production focuses on the passing of the 13th amendment to the U.S. Constitution (you know, the one that abolished slavery). It’s highly dramatized, long (it doesn’t drag, though), and has quite a few one liners. I’m glad I saw it, but it has zero re-watchability. I will never see it again or as much as watch on scene on HBO, Showtime, Starz, etc. It was thought to be the favorite to win Best Picture, but there’s been little to no buzz about the film in the past few months.


Silver Linings Playbook



A bi-polar adult (Bradley Cooper) leaves a psychiatric center to move back in with his parents and as he struggles to get back on his feet and adjust to reality he befriends a female (Jennifer Lawrence) who’s going through her own emotional problems. They cope with their respective illnesses together and eventually fall in love. I like Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence a lot, so I had high expectations for this movie, which is never a good thing. Low and behold my expectations were met. Cooper is phenomenal during the first half of it and then Lawrence steals the show.


Zero Dark Thirty



This film is essentially an acted out documentary of the hunt and capture of Osama Bin Laden. I’m into the behind the scenes political stuff, so I was interested all the way through, but plenty of people have knocked the film for its lack of character and plot development. I’m sure there was a little jingoism behind the nomination, but I contend that the movie is truly deserving of one of the nine spots this year. By the way, I still have no idea what the title of the movie means.


Which movie would I vote for? Argo

Which movie will win? Argo


Best Actor

Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook- It’s the best performance on Cooper’s sneaky good resume. Actually, no it’s not. His best performance is, and always will be, Sack in Wedding Crashers.

Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln- He’s so convincing as Lincoln that you completely forget that it’s Daniel Day-Lewis portraying our 16th president. This is his award to lose.

Hugh Jackman in Les Miserables- Apparently he sings a lot, so if you’re in to that, then check it out. I don’t mean to disparage Jackman because he seems like an awesome guy based on the interviews that I’ve seen him in, but I tend to stay away from musicals if I can help it.

Joaquin Phoenix in The Master- So much for retiring from acting, right? This is the one film that I have not seen, but wish I had before the writing of this post. I’ve heard that Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman are amazing and I don’t doubt it for a second. I also heard that the movie makes you think long after you see it, which should be the goal of every filmmaker.

Denzel Washington in Flight- Denzel’s outstanding as an airline pilot who somehow crash landed a plane while he was hammered, but the film falls a little short.



Which of the five is the most likely to get me to see a movie? Denzel Washington

Who’s going to win? Daniel Day-Lewis and if he does he’ll become the first to win for a third time (8 others have won twice).


Best Actress

Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty- She’s definitely an up an coming actress, but this role didn’t really show off her full range or ability. She was good, but her character was simply one note.

Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook- She makes this challenging role look easy. It’s not forced or over rehearsed. It’s subtle, but very impactful. She delivers on all of the biggest moments, as well as the smallest ones. I hope she’s got a speech planned for Sunday.

Emmanuelle Riva in Amour- All I can tell you is that at 85 she’s the oldest actress to ever be nominated for Best Actress.

Quvenzhane Wallis in Beasts of the Southern Wild- Conversely Wallis, at 9 years old, is the youngest to ever be nominated for Best Actress.

Naomi Watts in The Impossible- Watts plays a mother who’s on vacation in Thailand with her family when a tsunami hits. It’s based on a true story. I haven’t seen it, but I’m sure she’s fantastic.



Who should win? Jennifer Lawrence

Who’s going to win? Jennifer Lawrence


Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Alan Arkin in Argo- Arkin plays the producer of the fake movie, which serves as the cover to getting the U.S. delegates out of Iran. He’s not on the screen very much and when he is he’s good, but not Oscar good.

Robert De Niro in Silver Linings Playbook- De Niro plays Bradley Cooper’s gambling addict of a father and he’s really not that great. I think this was just a legacy nomination (like Derek Jeter winning a Gold Glove).

Philip Seymour Hoffman in The Master- I assume he’s unbelievably good as the founder of Scientology.

Tommy Lee Jones in Lincoln- He’s very good as the influential Congressman Thaddeus Stevens and would be the odds on favorite to take home the hardware if not for the gentlemen listed below him.

Christoph Waltz in Django Unchained- Waltz, who won this award in 2009 for his role in a different Tarantino film (Inglourious Bastards), is great in Django, but he’s basically the main character. I think Leonardo DiCaprio should have been nominated in this category instead.



Who would win if DiCaprio were nominated instead of Waltz? Tommy Lee Jones

Who’s going to win? Christoph Waltz


Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Amy Adams in The Master- It seems like she gets nominated every year for something, but never wins. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.

Sally Field in Lincoln- Mary Todd Lincoln was bat shit crazy and Mrs. Field does a good job of demonstrating that. She probably has the second best odds to win, but you’d be crazy to take them.

Anne Hathaway in Les Miserables- I’d be completely stunned if she didn’t win. I’m talking like Oscar Pistorious when he realized that he killed his girlfriend level stunned.

Helent Hunt in The Sessions- Good to see that Helen Hunt is still getting some work. She was one of the top three actresses going in the late ‘90s.

Jacki Weaver in Silver Linings Playbook- She played Bradley Cooper’s mother and while she was solid she wasn’t anything spectacular.



Which of the five would I most like to sleep with in their prime? Helen Hunt, but it’s close. PS- If you don't think I Googled pictures of a young Jacki Weaver you're crazy.

Who’s going to win? Anne Hathaway


Best Director

Michael Haneke for Amour- He has virtually no chance. The foreign thing was cool a year ago.

Ang Lee for Life of Pi- Most likely in the #2 spot right now and making a charge, but I don’t think it’ll be enough.

David O. Russell for Silver Linings Playbook- Unfortunately I think the actors (Cooper and Lawrence) are getting all of the credit for this film.

Steven Spielberg for Lincoln- I think he’s the favorite because all of the Best Picture buzz dissipated, so voters may have compensated in this category. He’s lucky Affleck got snubbed 9 ways to Sunday.

Benh Zeitlin for Beasts of the Southern Wild- Let’s just put him in the “happy to be nominated” department.



Who should win? Ang Lee

Who’s going to win? Steven Spielberg

Hollywood Bracket

I'm just realizing now that 1.) March is almost over (2012 is flying by) and 2.) I have yet to supply you with a bracket. Clearly I was a little too caught up in the actual bracket with Syracuse being a pre-tournament favorite. Now that Syracuse has lost, let's get to a bracket.

As some of you may know, I was essentially the committee chairman of this bracket. What you probably don't know is that because of my lunch routine I was a member of the committee for this bracket. It's the second bracket that I'd like to focus on. For those of you that are too lazy to click on my links it's a bracket of actors. The goal of this so-called "Hollywood Bracket" is to find out who the best actor is. The criteria is a bit hazy because it's not the best actor of all time. And it's not the best actor of this very moment. For my purposes, I will make it the best living actor. I've re-seeded the bracket, adjusted the name of one of the regions, and here's what I've come up with.


Marlon Brando Region

1- Jack Nicholson
16- Scarlet Johansson

8- Robin Williams
9- Warren Beatty

5- Sean Penn
12- Angelina Jolie

4- Johnny Depp
13- Jeff Bridges

6- Glenn Close
11- Edward Norton

3- George Clooney
14- Michael Caine

7- Tim Robbins
10- Mark Wahlberg

2- Morgan Freeman
15- Reese Witherspoon


The Humphrey Bogart Region

1- Meryl Streep
16- Kevin Costner

8- Philip Seymour Hoffman
9- Colin Firth

5- Will Smith
12- Ryan Gosling

4- Kevin Spacey
13- Jamie Foxx

6- Gene Hackman
11- Julianne Moore

3- Al Pacino
14- Judi Dench

7- Michael Douglas
10- Russell Crowe

2- Leonardo DiCaprio
15- Natalie Portman


The John Wayne Region

1- Denzel Washington
16- Kevin Bacon

8- Javier Bardem
9- Halle Berry

5- Julia Roberts
12- Paul Giamatti

4- Brad Pitt
13- Hilary Swank

6- Anthony Hopkins
11- Tommy Lee Jones

3- Matt Damon
14- Ben Affleck

7- Harrison Ford
10- Christian Bale

2- Clint Eastwood
15- Michelle Williams


The Jimmy Stewart Region

1- Tom Hanks
16- Anne Hathaway

8- Samuel L. Jackson
9- Bruce Willis

5- Daniel Day-Lewis
12- Daniel Craig

4- Tom Cruise
13- Nicole Kidman

6- Robert Redford
11- John Malkovich

3- Kate Winslet
14- Liam Neeson

7- Dustin Hoffman
10- Penelope Cruz

2- Robert Deniro
15- Benicio Del Toro

I'm sure there were plenty of snubs (some were probably egregious). Feel free to let me know who I unintentionally slighted. I skew young and towards actors instead of actresses. Deal with it. Either way, it's now time for my picks. In some matchups I attempted to briefly explain why one actor/actress should advance. In others I simply used a famous movie quote from either participant. Hopefully you'll be able to follow along.


Marlon Brando Region



First Round

1- Jack Nicholson over 16- Scarlet Johansson- Jack’s taking ScarJo down to Chinatown (1975)

8- Robin Williams over 9- Warren Beatty- Williams’ non comedy acting career is wildly underrated (4 Oscar noms, 1 win).

5- Sean Penn over 12- Angelina Jolie- Jolie might outdo him when it comes to humanitarian efforts (although then again she might not) and media fanfare, but Penn has a lot more range and more accolades. Speaking of humanitarian efforts, if they made a movie about U2 Penn would be a lock to play Bono, right?

4- Johnny Depp over 13- Jeff Bridges- Bridges has been better of late (back to back Best Actor noms in 2010-11), but Depp will Blow (2001) by him.

11- Edward Norton over 6- Glenn Close- They both have outstanding performances, but I like Norton’s (Primal Fear (1996)) more than Close’s (Fatal Attraction (1987).

3- George Clooney over 14- Michael Caine- Caine has the edge in credentials, experience, and longevity, but Clooney has the star power that Caine’s never possessed.

7- Tim Robbins over 10- Mark Wahlberg- Wahlberg is a very successful producer as well as a respected actor, but at his core he’s a wanna be rapper from Boston. Guess what Tim Robbins was doing when he was young? Acting.

2- Morgan Freeman over 15- Reese Witherspoon- Witherspoon has one great performance (Walk the Line), but Freeman has more depth and experience.

Second Round

1- Jack Nicholson over 8- Robin Williams- Closer match up than you’d think, but, “Heeeeerrrrre’s Johnny!” is a little more iconic than, “Gooooooooood Morninggg Vietnam!”

5- Sean Penn over 4- Johnny Depp- Since 1995 Sean Penn is the only man to win Best Actor twice (Mystic River, Milk) and he leads all actors with 5 nominations.

3- George Clooney over 11- Edward Norton- I love me some Ed Norton, but Clooney was outstanding in The Descendants, Up in the Air, and Michael Clayton. How he didn’t win Best Actor for any of those roles just baffles me.

2- Morgan Freeman over 7- Tim Robbins- I have to give Freeman the edge in the Shawshank showdown because not only was he the one nominated for Best Actor, but I think it also launched his voice-over career.

Regional Semi-Finals

1- Jack Nicholson over 5- Sean Penn- Penn is outstanding, but Nicholson is a legend and he delivered one of my favorite lines in the history of cinema. In As Good as it Gets (1997) Nicholson plays a writer suffering from a severe case of OCD. He’s asked how he writes women so well and he says, “I think of a man and I take away reason and accountability.”

3- George Clooney over 2- Morgan Freeman- You could argue that Freeman has been the better actor (I’d still lean toward Clooney), but Clooney gets the edge because of how well he’s taken to writing/directing. Need evidence? Good Night, and Good Luck (2005) and The Ides of March (2011) both garnered Oscar recognition.

Regional Finals

1- Jack Nicholson over 3- George Clooney- You’re God damn right he ordered the Code Red!


The Humphrey Bogart Region



First Round

1- Meryl Streep over 16- Kevin Costner- She has the most Academy Award nominations of all time. Plain and simple.

8- Philip Seymour Hoffman over 9- Colin Firth- They both have Best Actors Oscars, but Hoffman steals the show in just about everything else that he’s in.

12- Ryan Gosling over 5- Will Smith- Will Smith is definitely a more talented entertainer, but Gosling is clearly the better actor.

4- Kevin Spacey over 13- Jamie Foxx- Spacey was the suave badass in LA Confidential (1997) long before Jamie Foxx came around.

6- Gene Hackman over 11- Julianne Moore- Julianne Moore doesn’t get the credit she deserves, but there’s no way that she’s knocking out Norman Dale.

3- Al Pacino over 14- Judi Dench- Dench actually has a great resume, but I know her best as M in James Bond films. Pacino is best known as Michael Corleone and Tony Montana. Simple as that.

7- Michael Douglas over 10- Russell Crowe- “The point is ladies and gentlemen, that greed, for the lack of a better word, is good,” against, “What we do in life echoes in eternity,” and “Are you not entertained?” Close, but I have to go with Douglas.

2- Leonardo DiCaprio over 15- Natalie Portman- Portman is an Israeli minx with a Best Actress Oscar on her resume, but I like Leo in a rout. Do you concur?

Second Round

1- Meryl Streep over 8- Philip Seymour Hoffman- I was rooting for the upset here, but I just couldn’t pull the trigger on it. I hate Streep (she’s very pretentious) and love Hoffman, but it’s really not even close.

4- Kevin Spacey over 12- Ryan Gosling- “What sick ridiculous puppets we are / and what gross little stage we dance on / What fun we have dancing and fucking / Not a care in the world / Not knowing that we are nothing / We are not what was intended”

3- Al Pacino over 6- Gene Hackman- “Hooah!”

2- Leonardo DiCaprio over 7- Michael Douglas- “When you kill a king, you don't stab him in the dark. You kill him where the entire court can watch him die.”

Regional Semi-Finals

4- Kevin Spacey over 1- Meryl Streep- Sorry Meryl, but Keyser Soze isn’t going down to a female.

2- Leonardo DiCaprio over 3- Al Pacino- I’m obviously biased because I’m only 26 and didn’t get to enjoy Pacino in his prime, but Leo’s performance as Billy Costigan in The Departed (2005) is legendary.

Regional Finals

2- Leonardo DiCaprio over 4- Kevin Spacey- “Well dreams, they feel real while we're in them, right? It's only when we wake up that we realize how things are actually strange. Let me ask you a question, you, you never really remember the beginning of a dream do you? You always wind up right in the middle of what's going on.”


The John Wayne Region



First Round

1- Denzel Washington over 16- Kevin Bacon- “King Kong ain’t got shit on me!”

9- Halle Berry over 8- Javier Bardem- All she wants is someone that can “make me feel good.”

5- Julia Roberts over 12- Paul Giamatti- Paul Giamatti is brilliant, but he can’t hang with this Pretty Woman.

4- Brad Pitt over 13- Hilary Swank- “Fight Club was the beginning, now it's moved out of the basement, it's called Project Mayhem.”

6- Anthony Hopkins over 11- Tommy Lee Jones- Hopkins polishes him off with “some fava beans and a nice chianti.”

3- Matt Damon over 14- Ben Affleck- Just like in Good Will Hunting (1997), Damon is the one with all the talent.

10- Christian Bale over 7- Harrison Ford- I'm already bracing myself for some venom coming from my friend Frank, but let me attempt to explain. This is clearly an upset. If logic prevailed Ford would advance in a heartbeat. Here's the thing though, logic doesn't always prevail in the NCAA Tournament. That's why they play the games. Harrison Ford has had a much better career (I mean, he’s Indiana Jones and Han Solo), but he’s never had a performance like Bale’s in The Fighter (2010).

2- Clint Eastwood over 15- Michelle Williams- “Get off my lawn.”

Second Round

1- Denzel Washington over 9- Halle Berry- The first African-American male to win Best Actor against the first African-American female to win Best Actress? I gotta go with “My man.”

4- Brad Pitt over 5- Julia Roberts- She was good in Ocean’s 11, but he was better. “You look down, they know you're lying and up, they know you don't know the truth. Don't use seven words when four will do. Don't shift your weight, look always at your mark but don't stare, be specific but not memorable, be funny but don't make him laugh. He's got to like you then forget you the moment you've left his side.”

3- Matt Damon over 6- Anthony Hopkins- “You’re right Teddy. The ace didn’t help. I flopped the nut straight.”

2- Clint Eastwood over 10- Christian Bale- “You’ve got to ask yourself one question. “Do I feel lucky?” Well, do ya, punk?”

Regional Semi-Finals

1- Denzel Washington over 4- Brad Pitt- “We the only two people up. Me, you and Michael Jordan. That's the only people. Everybody else in the world is asleep.”

2- Clint Eastwood over 3- Matt Damon- “Go ahead. Make my day.”

Regional Finals

1- Denzel Washington over 2- Clint Eastwood




The Jimmy Stewart Region



First Round

1- Tom Hanks over 16- Anne Hathaway- “Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.” Well, in this matchup Hanks got a cupcake.

9- Bruce Willis over 8- Samuel L. Jackson- Who’s the one that figured out the water puzzle in DieHard with a Vengeance? That’s right, John McClain.

5- Daniel Day-Lewis over 12- Daniel Craig- Day-Lewis’ (My) Left Foot (1989) is a better actor than the current version of everyone’s favorite British agent.

4- Tom Cruise over 13- Nicole Kidman- Ah, the battle of the exes. Kidman is taller and more talented, but Cruise has a better track record and puts the fannies in the seats.

6- Robert Redford over 11- John Malkovich- Hard to compete with Redford who played the Sundance Kid, started the Sundance Film Festival, and starred in two of my favorite movies of the 2000s (Spy Game (2001), The Last Castle (2001).

3- Kate Winslet over 14- Liam Neeson- Liam Neeson plays the same character in every movie that he’s in. Sure he’s a bad ass, but Winslet is extraordinarily gifted.

10- Penelope Cruz over 7- Dustin Hoffman- Hoffman’s most famous role is in The Graduate (1967) where he has an affair with his neighbor and then falls in love with her daughter. The notion that a girl would run off with a guy that had an affair with her mother is so incomprehensible to me that I’m giving the nod to Cruz.

2- Robert De Niro over 15- Benicio Del Toro- In case you were wondering, De Niro improvised one of his most famous lines (from Taxi Driver (1976), "You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? Then who the hell else are you talkin' to? You talkin' to me? Well I'm the only one here. Who the fuck do you think you're talking to?"

Second Round

1- Tom Hanks over 9- Bruce Willis- Hanks knows the tournament motto. Survive and advance, “I had to keep breathing. Even though there was no reason to hope. And all my logic said that I would never see this place again. So that’s what I did. I stayed alive. I kept breathing.”

5- Daniel Day-Lewis over 4- Tom Cruise- You “want the truth”? There Will Be Blood (2007) in this one because Day-Lewis slaughters Cruise in a Best Actor competition.

3- Kate Winslet over 6- Robert Redford- “Too many guys think I'm a concept, or I complete them, or I'm gonna make them alive. But I'm just a fucked-up girl who's lookin' for my own peace of mind; don't assign me yours.”

2- Robert De Niro over 10- Penelope Cruz- “Never rat on your friends and always keep your mouth shut.”

Regional Semi-Finals

5- Daniel Day-Lewis over 1- Tom Hanks- “Houston, we have a problem.” They don’t call him “The Butcher” (Gangs of New York) for nothing.

2- Robert De Niro over 3- Kate Winslet- If you mess with the (Raging) Bull (1980) you get the horns.

Regional Finals

2- Robert De Niro over 5- Daniel Day-Lewis- They are both supremely gifted actors, but Day-Lewis can’t touch De Niro’s portrayal of a young Vito Corleone in The Godfather II.


Final Four

2- Leonardo DiCaprio over 1- Jack Nicholson- I've said it before and I'll say it again. I don't think I've seen a better acted scene than this one. I'm not sure how much credit goes to Leo and Vera Farmiga, how much credit goes to Scorsese, and how much credit goes to whoever chose the absolute perfect song to complement it all, but it's outstanding.



2- Robert De Niro over 1- Denzel Washington- They've both played a boxer (Raging Bull/The Hurricane), a gangster (Good Fellas (to pick one)/American Gangster), a concerned father (A Bronx Tale/John Q), and a neurotic, self-possesed man who thinks he's invincible (Taxi Driver/Training Day). De Niro was better in all of them.


Finals

2- Robert De Niro over 2- Leonardo DiCaprio- "Every man... every man has to go through hell to reach paradise." De Niro's just been through the wars and Leo hasn't. Guess how many Oscars Leo's has? Zero. De Niro has endured the snubs by the academy (Taxi Driver being the most notable) and has persevered. We're still waiting for Leo to completely break through.

Top 25- Actors

I always used to say that Denzel Washington and Leonardo DiCaprio were 1 and 1A when it comes to male actors. I still think the world of them both, but I don’t think it’s accurate to put them on that kind of pedestal. Case in point, Denzel hasn’t been in a good movie since Dejavu (2007) and that’s a stretch and DiCaprio has never, I repeat never, won an Academy Award. That said, I think it’s time that I accurately rank the best actors in Hollywood much like I’ve ranked the best actresses twice.

Here are the criteria that I will use:

-Talent- How good of an actor are you? Can you play multiple roles? Have you been typecast? Do your performances stand out and have a lasting impact?
-Prestige- Is your name big enough to sell a movie? Does your acting resume stack up? Have you been nominated for, or won, big time awards?
-Exposure- Do I know who your wife/girlfriend is? If so, how hot is she? Are you all over the tabloid magazines? How much are you in the public eye?
-Wealth- What kind of price tag do you have on you? What do you make per movie?
-Recent Activity- What have you done for me lately? When I hear your name can I easily recall the most recent movie that you've been in? If so, was that movie successful?

Top 25

1.) George Clooney- I think you’d be hard pressed to find someone that doesn’t like Clooney. He’s as big of a big wig as there is in Hollywood. He’s all over the news whenever it comes to actors contributing to disaster relief efforts. It’s almost unfathomable because he’s been around for so long, but I would argue that Clooney is still in his prime. His acting resume just keeps getting better. He’s been nominated for Best Actor twice (Michael Clayton (2008), Up in the Air (2010) and should garner another nom for The Descendants (2011), he’s won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor (Syriana (2005)), and he’s directed some quality films in Good Night, and Good Luck (2005) and this year’s political thriller The Ides of March (2011).

Clooney also deserves a lot of credit for his dating resume. He wisely dates attractive women that are only tangibly famous. He’s always the more famous one in the relationship, so when he runs through girlfriend after girlfriend there is no sob story from the ex because people only her as the girl that dated Clooney.



The perfect illustration of Clooney’s power and fame involves his new girlfriend and former WWE Diva Stacy Keibler. Kebiler, who I want to say was also on Dancing With The Stars, has an appearance fee of $10,000 (absurd, I know). Basically she gets paid 10 large to show up to events and be hot (she has legs for days). Since she started dating Clooney her attendance fee has increased to $25,000. That means that Stacy Keibler became 150% more famous only because Clooney’s taking her to Pound Town.

2.) Leonardo DiCaprio- Not exactly a huge drop from 1 or 1A, but as I noted earlier, Leo’s biggest weakness is that he’s never taken home the hardware at The Oscars. He’s been nominated twice for Best Actor and once for Best Supporting Actor, but has never really been in the discussion to win. It’s almost hard to believe because DiCaprio rarely swings and misses. He once ran off the following stretch in consecutive order.

Gangs of New York (2002)- nominated for Best Picture
Catch Me If You Can (2002)
The Aviator (2004)- Best Actor nomination
The Departed (2006)- won Best Picture
Blood Diamond (2006)- Best Actor nomination

His only real flop was Revolutionary Road (2008) in which he starred alongside Kate Winslet, and I actually thought it was a pretty good movie. He should garner another Best Actor nom for his portrayal of the first director of the FBI in the biopic J. Edgar (2011), but I don’t think that he’ll win. Leo is like the Indianapolis Colts from 1999-2006. They were always good, sometimes dominant, but they could never win the big one.

While Leo has never won the big one for his work on the silver screen he’s more than made up for it with his work off of the screen. He dated various models and actresses in the 90’s, but what he’s done in the past 10 years is virtually unprecedented. He dated supermodel and current Mrs. Tom Brady Giselle Bundchen from 2001-2005 when she was probably the most attractive woman in the world, then moved on to the woman that took her place in supermodel Bar Refaeli and dated her from 2005 until May of this year.



Since May Leo reportedly dated up and coming smokeshow actress Blake Lively.

3.) Brad Pitt- First and foremost, he was married to the woman that’s #2 on my list of actresses, but he upgraded and he’s now married to the woman that’s #1. Pitt has mellowed in the past few years, but he’s often thought of as one of the rock star actors. His celebrity has been off the charts for years. What gets lost in the shuffle of Pitt’s good looks and female conquests is that he’s actually a pretty good actor. He’s not great or transcendent by any means, but he’s certainly above average. He’s been nominated for two Oscars, most recently for Best Actor for his role in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), and he’ll most likely be nominated for Best Actor for his portrayal of Billy Beane in Moneyball (2011).

4.) Sean Penn- Penn is a polished actor who’s seemingly done it all over the course of his career. From comedy (Fast Times at Ridgemont High) to mentally challenged (I Am Sam) to high drama (Mystic River) his range is just incredible. He’s the only man to win Best Actor more than once since Tom Hanks in the mid 90’s.

He’s also been married to Madonna and Robin Wright (Jenny in Forrest Gump), he’s dated Jewel, and he’s been spotted with Scarlett Johanssen. On top of all of that Penn is like the Bono of actors when it comes to political and social causes.

5.) Matt Damon- Damon is just incredibly likeable. He was the bad guy in The Departed (2006) and the first time I saw the movie I found myself rooting for him. He’s perhaps best known for his breakout performance in Good Will Hunting (1998) and The Bourne trilogy, but he’s been in plenty of other quality films. For example, Ocean’s Eleven (2001) Syriana (2005), True Grit (2010), and I really liked his performance in The Adjustment Bureau (2011).

6.) Colin Firth- His name doesn’t carry a lot of cachet, but the good natured Brit has been nominated for Best Actor in back to back years including a win for his role in The King’s Speech last year.

7.) Denzel Washington- My man. Denzel, where have you been lately? His work in Training Day (2001) and Man on Fire (2004) is iconic, but the best African American actor of all time will continue to slide down these ranking unless he gets it going again.

8.) Ryan Gosling- He’s come a long way since The Notebook (2004). You know that Gosling’s acting ability is legitimate because he’s gotten recognition for his work in indie films. He’s never really had a huge production firm totting his work. He was nominated for Best Actor in 2007 for playing a high school teacher who smokes pot in Half Nelson and he was one of the biggest Oscar snubs last year for playing a deadbeat husband opposite Michelle Williams in Blue Valentine (2010). He’s also having a great 2011 starring in the critically acclaimed action film Drive as well as playing the lead in George Clooney’s political thriller The Ides of March.



To top it all off he's reportedly been dating the sultry Eva Mendes.

9.) Javier Bardem- Bardem seemingly came out of nowhere, but it doesn’t look like he’s going away anytime soon.



He fathered a child this year with his smoking hot wife Penelope Cruz, he won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 2008 (No Country for Old Men), and he was nominated for Best Actor for his work in a film that not many people, including me, have seen (Biutiful).

10.) Johnny Depp- People love Johnny Depp. I am not one of them. Either way he gets paid a boatload of money for every movie he stars in and the public remains fascinated with him regardless of the quality of his work. He is unquestionably one of the most elite actors in Hollywood.

11.) Christian Bale- He can be the lead in a movie (American Pscyho), he can serve his purpose in a movie (The Dark Knight), and he can steal a movie with one of the best performances that I’ve ever seen (The Fighter). He’s also a hot head that I often forget is from across the pond.

12.) Jeff Bridges- What a resurgence for the dude. Bridges won Best Actor in 2010 for his role in Crazy Heart and followed it up with another Oscar nomination for Best Actor this year for his role in True Grit.

13.) Philip Seymour Hoffman- He’s won an Oscar for Best Actor (Capote), but he’s at his best in a supporting role. He was hysterical in Along Came Polly (2004), great in Oscar nominated roles in Charlie Wilson’s War (2007) and Doubt (2008), and I expect him to be fantastic in Moneyball (2011) and The Ides of March (2011).

14.) Joseph Gordon-Levitt- I hatttted him when he was on 3rd Rock From the Sun. In fact, I hated 3rd Rock From the Sun. Gordon-Levitt has come a long way since then, though. He was outstanding in (500) Days of Summer and Inception and I’ve heard nothing but positives from 50/50.

15.) Jeremy Renner- I can’t say that I’m a big fan of Renner. It’s not that I don’t like him, but the Academy seems to love him and I can’t figure it out. He was nominated for Best Actor for his role in The Hurt Locker (2009) and nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Town (2010).

16.) Robert Downey, Jr.- The only member of the Brat Pack that’s still relevant. Downey, Jr. partied hard through the 80’s, got hooked on drugs in the 90’s, and now he’s back and better than ever.

17.) Mark Wahlberg- I still can’t get over the fact that he originally broke onto the scene as a rapper, but Wahlberg has worked tirelessly to reinvent himself on multiple occasions.

18.) Ben Affleck- Don’t ask me why, but I’ve always been a huge fan of Affleck. He also gets bonus points for being married to Jennifer Garner.

19.) Viggo Mortensen- Easily the most underrated actor in Hollywood. He was awesome as Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, amazing in A History of Violence (2005), and electric in his Oscar nominated role in Eastern Promises (2008).

20.) James Franco- Franco has some serious talent and he’s driven to excel across multiple platforms. He was horrendous as a co-host of The Oscars, but his future is still bright.

21.) Liam Neeson- He’s 59 years old and I think it’s safe to say that he’s the best action star going right now.

22.) Bradley Cooper- He’s been everywhere since his breakout performance as Sack in Wedding Crashers (2005).

23.) Jamie Foxx- No, there isn’t a quota that requires me to include more than one African American on this list. Foxx is a badass. Not only is he cool, but he’s won an Oscar and he has a rap career.

24.) Ryan Reynolds- He’s funny, attractive (don’t judge me), and he’s all over People magazine and US Weekly. Reynolds makes these rankings based solely on his history with other actresses. He married Scarlet Johannssen and has been linked to Sandra Bullock and Blake Lively.

25.) Daniel Craig- This list wouldn't be complete without James Bond. That role has enough cachet to almost guarantee cultural relevance.
Others receiving votes: Clive Owen, Paul Giamatti, Josh Brolin, Andrew Garfield, Jake Gyllenahll, Will Smith, James McAvoy, Jude Law, Gerard Butler, Matthew McConaughey, Jason Bateman, Edward Norton, Shia LeBouf, Daniel Dey-Lewis, Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, Russell Crowe

Brackets, Brackets, Brackets

Well after only one day my NCAA bracket is completely ruined (and prominently featured on ESPNRadio.com), so I figured that I'd post another bracket to take my mind off of it. As I mentioned a few weeks back brackets of all kinds, shapes, and sizes are out there now that March Madness is upon us. One bracket that I was particularly intrigued by was Esquire's Sexiest Woman Alive bracket. Their criteria is very simple. Who is sexier? Obviously this is very subjective, but I figured that I'd give it a shot. The four regions that they chose to organize the top 64 women were Fashion (i.e. models), Music & Sports (musicians, athletes, and sideline reporters), Movies (movie actresses), and Television (television actresses). Before we get to the brackets I have a few complaints.

1.) Where is Marisa Miller? I have little doubt that if she was involved she would have won my tournament.

2.) Where is Scarlett Johansson? Jessica Biel?

3.) Why is Gwyneth Paltrow included twice? Once in Music & Sports and once in Movies.

4.) Who thought it would be funny to include a male (Russell Brand) as a 16 seed?

Some of the seeding is all out of whack too, but I just dealt with what they gave me.

Here are the brackets.

Fashion

(1) Brooklyn Decker
(16) Kate Middleton

(8) Bar Rafaeli
(9) Ana Beatriz Barros

(5) Candice Swanepoel
(12) Gisele Bundchen

(4)Irina Shayk
(13) Kate Upton

(6) Izabel Goulart
(11) Jessica White

(3) Selita Banks
(14) Amber Rose

(7) Adriana Lima
(10) Daisy Lowe

(2) Miranda Kerr
(15) Joan Smalls


Music & Sports

(1) Katy Perry
(16) Elin Nordegren

(8) Maria Sharapova
(9) Caroline Wozniacki

(5) Taylor Swift
(12) Cheryl Cole

(4) Erin Andrews
(13) Jenn Brown

(6) Stacy Kiebler
(11) Arianny Celeste

(3) Beyonce
(14 Gwyneth Paltrow

(7) Nicki Minaj
(10) Ines Sainz

(2) Rihanna
(15) Gretchen Bleiler


Movies

(1) Mila Kunis
(16) Russell Brand

(8) Jessica Alba
(9) Kristen Bell

(5) Natalie Portman
(12) Jennifer Lawrence

(4) Ashley Greene
(13) Zoe Saldana

(6) Gwyneth Paltrow
(11) Anne Hathaway

(3) Penelope Cruz
(14) Amanda Seyfried

(7) Rosie Huntington-Whiteley
(10) Megan Fox

(2) Olivia Wilde
(15) Amber Heard


Television

(1) Sofia Vergara
(16) Hoda & Kathie Lee

(8) Those girls on Glee
(9) Grace Park

(5) Jennifer Lopez
(12) Sarah Shahi

(4) January Jones
(13) Jessica Pare

(6) Emmy Rossum
(11) Kendra Wilkinson

(3) Christina Hendricks
(14) Lana from Archer

(7) Padma Lakshmi
(10) Katrina Bowden

(2) Kim Kardashian
(15) Bristol Palin


Alright now it's time for my picks.

Fashion (top left)

First Round

(1) Brooklyn Decker over (16) Kate Middleton- Middleton is a babe and she’s going to be the Queen, which is sexy in its own right, but it’s hard to argue with this.

(8) Bar Rafaeli over 9) Ana Beatriz Barros- Worst seeding ever?

(12) Gisele Bundchen over (5) Candice Swanepoel- Actually this might be worse.

(4)Irina Shayk over (13) Kate Upton- A tough first round matchup between the 2011 Sports Illustrated Cover Girl and the potential breakout star from the 2011 Swimsuit Issue, but I gotta go chalk.

(6) Izabel Goulart over (11) Jessica White (not white)- I didn’t know who either was before I put this together, but Goulart is an absolute smokeshow and Jessica White gives credence to one of my long standing theories. People with the last name White are usually black and people with the last name Black are usually white.

(3) Selita Ebanks over (14) Amber Rose (Kanye’s ex girlfriend with the shaved head)- Two good looking black girls and I have to go with the one with hair.

(7) Adriana Lima over (10) Daisy Lowe- Lima used to date Derek Jeter and is now married to former NBA player Marko Jaric.

(2) Miranda Kerr over (15) Joan Smalls- Miranda Kerr is apparently one of the hot names in fashion because her name sounds vaguely familiar to me. Oh, and she’s hot.



Second Round

(8) Bar Rafaeli over (1) Brooklyn Decker- My cousin who will not be named is a big seller on Brooklyn Decker. Mainly for this picture. I’m not, but I’m a big buyer on Bar Rafaeli. If she’s good enough for Leonardo DiCaprio she’s good enough for me.

(4) Irina Shayk over (12) Gisele Bundchen- 1.) Fuck Tom Brady. And 2.) I saw Shayk on Letterman and not only was she absurdly hot she was also pretty funny.

(6) Izabel Goulart over (3) Selita Banks- She’s Brazilian, but could easily pass for an American. I dig that about her.

(7) Adriana Lima over (2) Miranda Kerr- Kerr is sexy, but I just don’t think she’s on Lima’s level just yet.



Regional Semi-Finals

(4) Irina Shayk over (8) Bar Rafaeli- As much as I love Leo, Shayk dates superstar soccer player Christiano Ronaldo, who’s arguably the most wanted man in the world.

(6) Izabel Goulart over (7) Adriana Lima- She’s one of Conan’s favorite guests and she’s also appeared on both Two And A Half Men and Entourage.

Regional Finals

(6) Izabel Goulart over (4) Irina Shayk- She has the sexiest eyes in the field…and I’m an eyes guy. Oh and Shayk doesn’t shave her legs.


Music & Sports (bottom right)

First Round

(1) Katy Perry over (16) Elin Nordegren- I don’t think Katy Perry is worthy of a #1 seed, but she’s sexier than Tiger’s ex-wife, who we haven’t seen for over a year.

(9) Caroline Wozniacki over (8) Maria Sharapova- One of my favorite first round matchups. I’ll take Wozniacki because she’s the better tennis player, she’s not taller than me (Sharapova is 6’2), and she’s not married to Sasha Vujacic.

(12) Cheryl Cole over (5) Taylor Swift- Taylor is unquestionably more talented and becoming sexier by the day (seemingly out of nowhere), but Cheryl Cole is hot.



(4) Erin Andrews over(13) Jenn Brown- You don’t even know hard this one is for me. Ask anyone that I work with and they’ll tell you that Jenn Brown is my girl, but she just can’t hang with EA.

(6) Stacy Kiebler over (11) Arianny Celeste- Kiebler has legs for days and WWE experience. Better luck next year Arianny.

(3) Beyonce over (14) Gwyneth Paltrow- This is the biggest rout in the entire tournament.

(7) Nicki Minaj over (10) Ines Sainz- Sainz wore a wedding dress to media day at the Superbowl and asked Tom Brady to marry and also complained that the Jets objectified her in the locker room. Bottom line- She’s annoying. Nicki Minaj, on the other hand, is hot and you get the sense that she doesn’t even care.

(2) Rihanna over (15) Gretchen Bleiler- Rihanna’s performance at the NBA All-Star game this year speaks for itself.

Second Round

(1) Katy Perry over (9) Caroline Wozniacki- Wozniacki is more pretty and innocent than sexy. Katy Perry has fireworks coming out of her breasts.

(4) Erin Andrews over (12) Cheryl Cole- Peephole video, anyone?

(3) Beyonce over (6) Stacy Kiebler- Beyonce is so out of control sexy that she made this Vizio commercial hot .



(2) Rihanna over (7) Nicki Minaj- Believe it or not I actually had this debate with 3-4 friends one day in January. The vote was pretty split, but I went with Rihanna.

Regional Semi-Finals

(4) Erin Andrews over (1) Katy Perry- Katy Perry tries to hard to be sexy. EA is sexy just by being herself. The whole working in sports thing helps her out quite a bit.

(3) Beyonce over (2) Rihanna- Speaking of sexy commercials. This one was banned in England.



Regional Finals

(3) Beyonce over Erin Andrews- What’s weird about Beyonce is that it’s almost like she’s getting hotter by the day. For example, I think her career low in sexiness was when she was in Austin Powers: Goldmember. Now she just exudes sex wherever she goes. Ever since the peephole thing and dating her Dancing With The Stars partner Erin Andrews has sort of had to scale it back a bit to maintain what’s left of her wholesome image.


Movies (Top Right)

First Round

(1) Mila Kunis over (16) Russell Brand- Did anyone laugh when they saw that Russell Brand made the tournament? Me either.

(9) Kristen Bell over (8) Jessica Alba- Jessica Alba probably would have won this tournament if it was held back in 2003, but she’s a mother now and she just looks more mature and reserved. I also want to give Kristen Bell some love for her role on one of the funniest and least known shows on TV Party Down, which is on Starz.

(12) Jennifer Lawrence over (5) Natalie Portman- Unfortunate timing for Portman. If this tournament was held 5 months ago I think she would have won. Now though, I just can’t find it within me to send a pregnant woman into the second round.

(13) Zoe Saldana over (4) Ashley Greene- Ashley Greene is very pretty, but Zoe Saldana made a big, blue avatar sexy.

(11) Anne Hathaway over (6) Gwyneth Paltrow- I still haven’t seen Love and Other Drugs, but apparently Anne Hathaway is naked for essentially the entire movie. I also don’t find Gwyneth Paltrow sexy in any way.

(3) Penelope Cruz over (14) Amanda Seyfried- Amanda Seyfried is a whacko with bug eyes and Penelope Cruz is a spicy latina.

(10) Megan Fox over (7) Rosie Huntington-Whiteley- You don’t know who Rosie Huntington-Whitely is? Yeah, I didn’t either. Apparently Esquire was getting cute because she’s taking over Megan Fox’s role in the Transformers saga.

(2) Olivia Wilde over (15) Amber Heard- Olivia Wilde is all the buzz right now, but I honestly couldn’t tell you where she’s from or what she’s on. All I know is that after looking through her pictures she’s one of a very small group of women that can pull of any color hair and still be absolutely gorgeous.

Second Round

(1) Mila Kunis over (9) Kristen Bell- She was by far the sexier of the two in Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

(12) Jennifer Lawrence over (13) Zoe Saldana- Umm did you see her at the Oscars?



(3)Penelope Cruz over (11) Anne Hathaway- She had a mental breakdown a few years back which just tells you that she’s absolutely wild in bed.

(10) Megan Fox over (2) Olivia Wilde- As overrated as she’s probably become, she’s still really hot.



Regional Semi-Finals

(1) Mila Kunis over (12) Jennifer Lawrence- She finally broke up with Macaulay Culkin which was the only thing holding her back.

(3) Penelope Cruz over (10) Megan Fox- Just look how great Penelope Cruz looked roughly one month after giving birth.



Regional Finals

(1) Mila Kunis over (3) Penelope Cruz- There’s just a mystique around Mila right now that’s hard to describe. Her sex scene with Natalie Portman in Black Swan certainly helps her case as well.


Television (Bottom Right)

(1) Sofia Vergara over (16) Hoda & Kathie Lee- Should I know who Hoda is?

(8) Those girls on Glee over (9) Grace Park- The girls from Glee are really hot. This team can do some serious damage.

(12) Sarah Shahi over (5) Jennifer Lopez- It’s not 1999 anymore J Lo.

(4) January Jones over (13) Jessica Pare- Betty Draper you little minx, you.

(6) Emmy Rossum over (11) Kendra Wilkinson- If you don’t watch the show Shameless on Showtime you are borderline missing out. Emmy Rossum wears zero makeup and is unbelievably attractive.

(14) Lana from Archer over (3) Christina Hendricks- Christina Hendricks has nice curves. I wont dispute that. She is, however, vastly overrated. She’s pale and deceptively old (turns 36 in May). Lana from Archer is actually the very good looking black girl who used to host Talk Soup on E!. Her real name is Aisha Tyler.



(7) Padma Lakshmi over (10) Katrina Bowden- Padmi is a bona fide sex symbol. I’ve never heard of this Katrina Bowden chick.

(2) Kim Kardashian over (15) Bristol Palin- Seriously?

Second Round

(8) Those girls on Glee over (1) Sofia Vergara- Don’t get me wrong I love Gloria on Modern Family, but the quantity of high quality hot chicks on Glee is tough for one woman to compete with.





(4) January Jones over (12) Sarah Shahi- She’s the best part of the month.



(6) Emmy Rossum over (14) Lana from Archer- Did I mention that she gets naked on Shameless roughly every other episode?

(7) Padma Lakshmi over (2) Kim Kardashian- Classy versus trashy.

Regional Semi-finals

(8) Those girls from Glee over (4) January Jones- January Jones is almost hot enough to take down 4 hot girls, but I can’t stand her character on Mad Men.

(7) Padma Lakshmi over (6) Emmy Rossum- Padma was rocking a bikini on last night’s episode of Top Chef and she looked unreal.

Regional Finals

(7) Padma Lakshmi over (8) Those girls from Glee- She might be the sexiest 40 year old on the planet.


Final Four

(6) Izabel Goulart over (3) Beyonce- Probably the top 2, but I’ll take the former Victoria’s Secret Angel who's also 3 years younger.



(7) Padma Lakshmi over (1) Mila Kunis- Not only is she a former model, but she’s also an amazing cook.

Finals
(6) Izabel Goulart over (7) Padma Lakshmi- I admittedly hardly knew who she was until a few minutes ago, but to me she’s the sexiest woman of them all.

Best of the Year

On one of the blogs I read/browse almost daily, Pop Candy, USA Today's Whitney Matheson writes a post every Friday where she recaps her favorite items of popular culture from that particular week. Her favorite tv show, movie, book, song/album, etc. It's almost like a serious version of VH1's Best Week Ever (is that show still on the air?). I could probably pull off writing a similar post every Friday, but I don't think I'd be able to include the favorite book portion because sometimes it takes me over a month to read a book and sometimes I am not reading a book at all. Obviously she can, though, because it's her job. I get that.

On a related note, I don't know how many of you watch The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, but you should. Either way, he has 4 guests on his show each week (M-Th) and more often than not they are promoting a book. I don't know how, but I'm pretty sure that he reads all of them before the authors appear on his show. I'm half baffled half amazed at how he pulls this off. Back in my hey day (2nd grade) I could read faster than just about everyone in my grade, but now I'm starting to think that I'm a slow reader.

Well if I can't pull off this post on a weekly basis I sure as hell can make it work for the year. The only difference that I foresee in utilizing this concept for the year is that Whitney gets to comment on specific tv episodes whereas I think I have to consider entire series'.

And now without further ado...

Favorite movie that I saw- Inception



Now granted I have yet to see Black Swan, The King's Speech, and The Fighter, but Inception was one of the few, if not the only, "drop what you're doing right now and head to the closest movie theater" movies of the year. Director Christopher Nolan is quickly becoming a rockstar in the movie industry because of his ability to churn out action/adventure films that have ridiculous special effects as well as highly developed characters. Now as great as the special effects in Inception were, and they were great, it was the plot that really drove the movie. The story was constantly intriguing, even months after you left the theater (did the top stop spinning? was it all just a dream?), and the storyline (excuse the pun) had so many layers. The best part about this was that even if you were confused about how some of the things in the film transpired you could still follow the general story arc. In that aspect this film was truly remarkable. It was accessible and easy to understand while at the same time multi-dimensional and unclear.

I can't believe I've gone this far and haven't mentioned the amazing cast. You all know that I have a man crush on Leonardo DiCaprio (and really, who doesn't?), but this film also showcased two up and coming stars in the film industry. Both Josh Gordon-Levitt and Ellen Page have really come into their own as actors that can handle mutliple roles and this film was further evidence of that. Last, and certainly not least, Inception lived up to the hype. I didn't see it until about a month and a half after it was released and in that time I heard nothing but rave reviews. My friends told me that it was a must see, that it was Oscar worthy, etc., etc. Needless to say by the time I entered the theater I had high hopes for this film. Normally when I have these sort of lofty expectations the film in question doesn't come close to meeting them, but Inception certainly did.

I also enjoyed- The Town, The Social Network, and Hot Tub Time Machine


Favorite song that I heard- As mentioned in my previous post, I've sort of fallen out of touch with the music industry. I rarely listen to the radio (outside of sports talk), haven't been to a concert in years, and only bought 2-3 CDs in the past calendar year. Due to my sudden lack of knowledge in this area, here are two different top 10 lists of the year that will serve as my guide as I make my decision.

Billboard Top 10 of 2010

1.) Ke$ha- Tik ToK
2.) Lady Antebellum- Need You Now
3.) Train- Hey, Soul Sister
4.) Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg- California Gurls
5.) Usher featuring will.i.am- OMG
6.) B.o.B. featuring Hayley Williams- Airplanes
7.) Eminem featuring Rihanna- Love The Way You Lie
8.) Lady Gaga- Bad Romance
9.) Taio Cruz- Dynamite
10.) Taio Cruz featuring Ludacris- Break Your Heart

I've actually heard all of these, which I guess means that I'm not totally out of touch. FYI- Bad Romance was released in 2009, but it remained on the Billboard charts well into 2010.

Rolling Stone's Top 10 Singles of the Year

1.) Kanye West featuring Pusha T- Runaway
2.) Cee Lo Green- Fuck You
3.) Sade- Soldier of Love
4.) Katy Perry- Teenage Dream
5.) Arcade Fire- We Used to Wait
6.) Mavis Staples- You Are Not Alone
7.) Vampire Weekend- White Sky
8.) Janelle Monae featuring Big Boi- Tightrope
9.) Broken Bells- The Ghost Inside
10.) Kanye West featuring Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj, and Bon Iver- Monster

I've now heard all of these songs, but I had only heard four of them beforehand. This list is obviously much different than the Billboard list because the Billboard list was strictly based on popularity whereas this list had a multitude of factors.

For my song of the year I'm going to go with Arcade Fire's "We Used to Wait"
I also enjoyed- Eminem featuring Rihanna- Love The Way You Lie, Sugarland- Stuck Like Glue (my favorite country song of the year), Usher featuring Pitbull- DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love, Vampire Weekend- Giving Up The Gun, Selena Gomez and The Scene- Naturally, and not that I'm a huge fan, but I feel like it needs to be mentioned- Cali Swag District- Teach Me How to Dougie.


Favorite book that I read- The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin



I wrote about this book back in March and for the sake of being lazy and for not including a link that none of you will click on (I'm new to the smartphone game and I now totally understand why links don't get clicked on) I will just copy and paste my words right here.

From my March 29th post titled, "Enter Sandman":

"As I've mentioned time and time again on various platforms, it was the first time since August of 2000 that I had read a book written by a female author ("Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"). I'm a little disappointed that I didn't make it a full decade, but "The Happiness Project" was well worth the read. The novel falls into the recently dubbed genre of stunt non-fiction. Stunt non-fiction is when the author does something for an extended period of time (usually a year) with the intention of writing a book about the experience. In the case of "The Happiness Project", Rubin dedicated a year to becoming a happier person. She called it, "My year-long quest to be happier by changing my life-without changing my life."

In the book Rubin highlighted specific areas of her life that she wanted to improve. Each month she attempted a handful of stategies in the hopes of improving her happiness with regards to one of these areas (her energy, marriage, work, parenthood, friendships, etc.). Naturally some of these strategies worked and some of them completely backfired. For example, in her attempt to boost her energy she decided to go to sleep earlier, excercise better, remove the clutter from her life, write and complete an extensive to do list including all of the nagging tasks that people consistently put off, and simply to act more energetic. Overall the book provides the reader with ample suggestions on how to become a happier person even if they already consider themselves to be happy."

If you feel like you've fallen into a routine and you don't necessarily have any major problems with it, but you want to feel that renewed sense of life again, read this book.

I also enjoyed- Eating A Dinosaur by Chuck Klosterman, How Soccer Explains the World by Franklin Foer, and A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity by Bill O'Reilly. Also, I feel like I need to mention The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini even though I read it in 2009 because I don't write about books too ofent. This is an amazing story about friendship, loyaltly, and redemption and just as a warning, it's a tear jerker.


My favorite tv show that I watched- I usually don't like going with the clear cut favorite, but how can I not pick Mad Men? When a show's dialogue prompts me to stop my DVR player to write down a handful of lines throughout the season you know the show is fantastic. Just like I've previously written about my favorite book I've also written about my favorite tv show.

From my October 21st post titled, "All Aboard":

"Let me be blunt. If you don't watch Mad Men, you're crazy. It's without a doubt the best drama on television (back to back Emmy wins). The Season 4 finale aired this past Sunday and although there was no "they tied up all the loose ends" closure-like feel or textbook cliffhanger going into next year's Season 5, I am more than satisfied. It was a very complete season. Perhaps the show's best since Season 1.

Here's a few reasons why you should Netflix (has Blockbuster gone bankrupt yet?) Seasons 1-3 and anxiously await Season 4's release.

1.) In case you're not aware (and it's almost impossible for you not to be), Mad Men is set in New York in the 1960's. The name of the show is a reference to the occupation of the characters. They work in the golden age of advertising on Madison avenue. Now this is all fine, but why should you care? Well, because the historical context of the show gives us twentysomethings a look at the world that our parents grew up in. The stories and situations offer a fleeting glance as to how they were raised, shaped, and molded. If you aren't at least mildly intrigued in discovering clues at to why your parents and grandparents are the way that they are then maybe Mad Men isn't for you.

2.) Men and women alike can enjoy the show because they will no doubt be able to resonate with one of the characters.

For men- Don Draper, the show's protaganist, is an alpha male. Women want him and men want to be him. He drinks all day (literally), sleeps with whoever he wants, and still crushes it in the boardroom. He is a creative genius who understands people better than they understand themselves. For his many strong, useful attributes, he is also very flawed. The drinking is just the half of it. He also has a dark past that haunts him constantly.

For women- There is a strong female character in secretary turned copywriter Peggy Olsen. She is a young, motivated woman trying to make it in a man's world. Her struggle for acceptance in the world of advertising is symbolic of the women's rights movement. You know, Rosie the Riveter, Betty Friedan, and all that mumbo jumbo.

In fact, Don and Peggy have the best male/female (platonic) relationship on television. It's part father/daughter, part creative counsel, part genuine friends, part reflection of self, and part teacher/pupil.

3.) Granted I'm probably more of a deep thinker than most, but this is the only show that has made me actually pick up a pen and paper to write down some of the dialogue (this started during Season 4). Some lines are just that well put and thought provoking.

"Is that what you want? or is that what people expect of you?"

"Since when is forgiveness a better quality than loyalty?"

"People tell you who they are, but we ignore it because we want them to be who we want them to be."

"When a man walks into a room he brings his whole life with him."

"You always say, "If you don't like what they're saying about you change the conversation."

"What are you going to do?"
"I don't know. That's the best part, right? I've got the rest of my life ahead of me. And so do you."

"There is no fresh start. Lives carry on."

I also enjoyed: Modern Family, 30 Rock, The Bachelorette, The Bachelor Pad, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Colbert Report, The Challenge: Cut Throat, and I'm currently loving Top Chef: All-Stars.

Leading Role: Leonardo DiCaprio

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