Top 5 HBO Bad Asses

Mark Antony – “Rome”

One of the greatest warriors in history, Antony not only was general of the Roman army but also had Cleopatra as his lover, not a bad combo.


Furio Giunta – “The Sopranos”

Tony’s imported hit-man from Italy did what he was paid to, kill. Other than a misplaced love interest in Carmela, Furio did what he wanted when he wanted and somehow made the ponytail intimidating.


The Stanfield Crew – “The Wire”

The young, brash leader of a drug empire, Marlo, along with Chris and Scoop quickly ruled over the streets of Baltimore by taking out anyone in their way. Murder is the only way to get what they want and they had no qualms about.


Al Swearengen – “Deadwood”

From the Wild West comes one of the most ruthless characters on HBO. Throughout the 3 seasons on Deadwood we saw Swearengen involved with, among other things, murder, prostitution, drug trafficking, and extortion. But what can you expect in the era of lawlessness.



Verne Schillinger – “Oz”

Here’s a quick rundown of crimes the white supremacist was involved in while IN prison: murder, sodomy, rape, kidnapping, extortion, bribery, blackmail, conspiracy, aggravated assault. This guy is pure evil. Welcome to Oz, bitch.



All photos courtesy of Home Box Office Entertainment

MacGruber!!

Some fun television/film related news, the Saturday Night Live “MacGruber” skit which portrays Will Forte as a bumbling, conflicted caricature of Richard Dean Anderson’s MacGyver, will be getting the feature film treatment. According to Variety.com:

Will Forte's bumbling spy MacGruber is headed for the bigscreen as the latest in a long line of "Saturday Night Live" characters to make that transition.

Although the success rate for SNL skits made into to a motion picture are way below the Mendoza line, I am excited for this one. There's already talk about Val Kilmer and Ryan Phillippe to co-star and looks like one of the Lonely Island boys (Jorma Taccone) will be working on the script, which is a plus. I think Will Forte is one of the top 3 talents on the show and this will be his opportunity to shine. If you haven’t seen the MacGruber skit yet, here’s a peek:

It's Always Sunny

For those of you who like seeing the antics of those idiotic bar owners from the city of Brotherly Love, Variety.com says:

The fifth season of edgy laffer "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" returns to Thursdays at 10 p.m. starting Sept. 17 -- the same night NBC rolls out its 8-10 p.m. comedy lineup. "Sunny's" fifth season will consist of 12 episodes, part of the whopping 39-episode order FX made last year for the comedy.

We all knew that "Sunny" would be back for the fall, just didn't know when. This is one of the funniest, edgiest, craziest shows on television. If you aren't watching, then what are you doing? Here's a clip from last season to get your juices flowing.

MJ Tribute via Chicken Fried Comedy

Here's a clip from the Chicken Fried Comedy troupe with a fitting tribute to the King of Pop.

A Modern Day Nurse

“Nurse Jackie”
Showtime
Created by Liz Brixius, Evan Dunsky & Linda Wallem
Starring Edie Falco
Current Season: 1
Number of Episodes to date: 4
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Nurse Jackie is Showtime’s newest original series which premiered on June 8th. One of the best female actors out there, Edie Falco, stars in the title role. I’m glad to see her back on television since the Sopranos ended in June of 2007. Her ability to depict strong-willed, powerful women is seemingly her go-to role, but this character is more real and troubled than most. Through the first 2 episodes we see that Jackie typically needs prescription meds to get through her day (Adderol, Percocet, etc.) and lives two separate lives (one at the hospital and one at home with her family). The battle ensues between Jackie’s desire to help others, while she simultaneously destroys herself with drug abuse and extra martial affairs. Aside from Falco, the performance of Merritt Wever playing the new nurse Zoey stands out for me. There is just something about the way she portrays the young nurse who wants to impress and feel welcomed. I think we have a future award winner on our hands. Still, the show doesn’t stand out for me as something exceptionally different. While I love the performances of Falco and Wever, the overall cast is mediocre at best and the conflicts on the show, so far, are pretty mundane. I hope the writers pick up the pace as the season goes on.

My New Guilty Pleasure

Several months ago I stumbled across a wonderfully addicting show on the Food Network and have recently added it to my DVR rotation. I feel I need to spread the word on this fun, quaint program. “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” airs several times during the week and explores a seemingly endless number of small restaurants scattered throughout America. The show is hosted by Guy Fieri, a previous winner of the Food Network’s equally addicting show “The Next Food Network Star.” You may recognize Fieri more from his semi-annoying T.G.I. Friday’s commercials, but he comes across more personable in this show. In each episode, Guy will visit between 2 or 3 different restaurants in various cities in America each with similar food themes. The main goal of the show is finding equally unique and delectable menu items at these establishments. Fieri will stand with the chef or proprietor as they explain the preparation for the entrée and will sample the finished product. The Food Network airs the show in high definition which only amps up the level of hunger when viewing the delicious creations. The beauty of the show is its simplicity as well as the connection it creates to everyday, hard-working Americans creating wonderful foods all over the country. Give the show a try, it won’t disappoint.

The Beginning of the Tonight Show

Last Monday night marked the debut of The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien. I have been a huge fan of Conan on his Late Night show since around 1998-1999. His combination of self deprecating humor and outrageous, risqué skits have been a welcomed change to the late night television scene. I have high hopes that Conan can continue with great success at his new, earlier time slot. The first week of shows displayed his preparedness for the spotlight in Los Angeles. The monologue throughout the week had some hits and misses, but what I was most glad to see was that several bits from Late Night have carried over including “Celebrity Survey” and an updated version of “In The Year 2000” (3000 now). But where Conan shines brightest are the remote pieces where his ability to improv creates for hilarious situations. Undoubtedly, it will take Conan some time to get comfortable in his new gig, but I am certain he is up to the task. The writing staff Conan has surrounded himself with will find a way to keep the younger audience connected while attempting to bring in new viewers. Johnny Carson hosted the show for 30 years, Leno for 17 years; the ever changing media landscape will likely prevent Conan from ever coming close to Carson, but I think ten years from now you’ll still be watching Mr. O’Brien in the Cone-Zone.