A TV Meme

What is a lady to do when she's knee deep in another task and is trying desperately to hold onto her title as Biggest Procrastinator EVER?

Why, a Meme, of course.

(Although, I suppose I should also be supervising my kid who is simultaneously banging on the piano while trying to give the dog a pedicure with the emery board she stole from me. But why interrupt her obviously amazing multi-tasking skills?And it's been a couple of weeks since I trimmed the dog's nails, so why stop her now?)

Kristi from Texas over at Here In Idaho (you can go ask her yourself why she named her blog that) tagged me to list my 10 Favorite TV Characters of All Time. Holy Bejeebus, do you have any idea what this did to me? I've spent the past day and a half stressing over this damn list. Why? Because it's television, people, and I am a tv-aholic.

After badgering my husband and my sister about who they would pick I think the three of us came up with a good comprehensive list. It took the three of us to come up with it because, apparently, we share the same brain. And we were drinking copious amounts of wine. Anyhooo...

My list of my top 10 television characters (in no particular order):

1. Niles Crane "Frasier" - Was there a more perfect choice than David Hyde Pierce to play Dr. Niles Crane? Seriously, were there any other actors up for the role? It's as if the writers of the show wrote this character with DHP in mind. He embodied the uptight, social climbing, lovable sad sack. All those Emmy nominations and awards can't be wrong.

2. Jim Halpert "The Office" - I love the whole ensemble of The Office but Jim, for me, is the standout. If that character were a real person I would leave my husband for him. Enough said.

Okay, one more thing, John Krasinski is a Massachusetts boy. If I can blur the line between fiction and reality I think that makes me love him even more. So what if he's seven (cough) years (cough cough) younger than me (cough cough choke)?

3. Amanda "Happy Hour" - I know, the show is still new and the jury is still out on whether or not this show is going to hang in there long term, but Beth Lacke's character "Amanda" had me laughing out loud. Truthfully, I was laughing so hard I snorted. To me that is the mark of a good character. She's funny, raunchy (as raunchy as Fox will let her be) and she's not a skinny little toothpick. I like that in a woman.

4. Reverend Jim Ignatowski "Taxi" - Yes, there were many good characters employed by Sunshine Cab but Jim was my hands down favorite. To this day whenever I see Christopher Lloyd on television I have a hard time not seeing Reverend Jim in him. Thank the lord for those "funny brownies" because otherwise we might never have had someone to love like Jim Ignatowski.

5. Lenny Briscoe "Law and Order" - Lenny, how I miss you. I miss your sarcastic wit and your catchy one-liners that started every show. When Jerry Orbach died the world lost a beloved actor and a great character.

6. The cast of the West Wing - I'd like to pick just one but I can't. Individually almost every one of them is great but together they were spectacular. Screw it, it's my list and I'm lumping them all together. However, if you held a gun to my head I'd probably say Josh Lyman. On a related note is anyone else looking forward to Bradley Whitford's new show "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" as much as I am? It's on tonight! I'm so excited!

7. Alf - You think I'm kidding? I loved that show and I loved that character. So it was about an alien named Gordon Shumway played by a puppet with a nose that looked like a penis, if you could look past that it was actually very smart at times. The relationship between Willie and Alf was hilarious. I still remember this give and take between the two of them: (paraphrased because my memory isn't that good)

Willie (on the phone with Alf) - What are you doing?
Alf - I'm standing here in a blue dress.
Willie - Well, don't go anywhere.
Alf - I wouldn't, I don't have the shoes.

Ha!

8. Archie Bunker "All in the Family" - Show me another character that got away with as much as Archie did and yet still continue to be lovable. Can't do it, can you?

9. Bo Duke "Dukes of Hazzard" - Don't get me wrong, it was a really poor show and some really horrible acting came out of it. But Bo Duke was the definitive character of my fifth grade year. I had a DofH lunchbox, plates, t-shirts, posters, fan magazines, you name it. What? I was 10 years old.

10. Jamie Buchman "Mad About You" - I'll admit it, I loved Mad About You and I loved Jamie. I wanted to be Jamie. She was flawed and smart and pretty... and she had a great relationship with her husband. And then they went through that split thing where they brokeup/didn't break up. I felt betrayed. I lost a lot of love for that show after that. I want my characters flawed but I still like happy endings. I suppose the show did end happily but I was still disappointed. I guess I got off topic, huh?


That's the list. I suppose I can't cop out and not tag anyone so I'll drop this one on Chicken and Cheese, Tony, and because three is a magic number Mother Bumper.