WARNING: This is Spoiler City. Includes deaths, key character moments, and plot twists.
Gladiator - Go to them
Open Range - Porch farewell (There's no clip of just this scene. Skip to the scene in the full movie by clicking Here)
Jaws - The Indianapolis speech
Contact - First contact
The Horse Whisperer - Trust me just one more time.
Braveheart - Wallace's betrayal by Robert the Bruce
Field of Dreams - Doc Graham saves Karin
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington - The Filibuster
Interstellar - No. It's necessary.
Sunday, January 17, 2016
Saturday, January 16, 2016
My 25 Greatest Celebrity Crushes of All Time
Virtually everyone has a list like this. And that's okay. Some dismiss the notion as a sop to our celebrity-worshipping culture. But it's really less a reflection of the merits of the objects of our distant affection than it is a mirror of ourselves and the things we are attuned to in the opposite sex, people in general, and to beauty and charisma as concepts unto themselves. Trust me – when people ask you about your list, they're asking about you.
While physical beauty is certainly a significant factor in the appeal of the ladies on my list (everyone on this list is generally considered pretty at a bare minimum and most have been called gorgeous), the attractiveness of personality, humor, intelligence, character, talent, and depth of feeling all figure into it as well.
Home State: Tennessee
The other thing about Amy is that I am simply more familiar with her and more invested in her as a person. I've "known" her for 34 years. It's a chicken-and-egg thing. That familiarity informs the physical attractiveness and she's probably more beautiful to me than to because I have more affection for her as a person. Sure, she's had a little Botox done the past several years and she could do without it. But she's a real 55-year-old woman in the public eye, known at least partially for her looks. I can't begin to put myself in her place.
Born July 11, 1956
Home State: Mississippi
As her co-star, Billy Campbell, once said: "You'd have to be a fence post not to have chemistry with Sela."
Honored by her home state for her hands-on leadership in developing shelters for abused children, her guidance of the restoration of historic buildings, fundraising for Katrina victims, and countless other civic projects, Sela is considered a pillar of her hometown, Meridian, Mississippi. A major street in the city was even named Sela Ward Parkway.
In a different town, rife with prima donnas and backstabbers, Sela is routinely called "one of the good guys" by her Hollywood peers.
Here's the best video I can find to show why I like Sela - a 1999 clip that exemplifies her greatest role, Lily Manning, on her greatest show, Once and Again, during her greatest season of beauty, in her 40s. Not only is she is so Sela here but she won an Emmy for Best Actress for her performance in this episode. Powerful stuff.
It's not enough that Ashley is talented, beautiful, articulate, philosophical, and has a terrific body. She also had three minors at the University of Kentucky and speaks three languages. She's a special envoy to Africa for AIDS education and relief, hung out with Nelson Mandela, and can drive a formula car. And Ashley is, incidentally, one of the best actresses I've seen.
While I disagree with her on abortion (and she often childishly refuses to be in the same room with people who do), I respect her passionate, hands-on determination to make a difference in the world.
I can't top this description by her most famous costar: "She is completely devoid of nonsense," says Morgan Freeman. "She is pure actor, top to bottom, dedicated to her craft; the repository of an intimidating intellect; and all this housed in the body of Aphrodite." Amen.
Born June 21, 1978
Home Province: Alberta
The hate comes from two things: First, Erica's Lois Lane was plunked down into the series after three seasons of Clark Kent dating his high school sweetheart, Lana Lang. Many fans of the couple hated this jolting reminder that Clark would inevitably end up with Lois, even if it was still years in the future.
And second, Erica was a textbook tanned and taut TV hottie, complete with breast implants and a nose job. Some complained that her acting was sub-par but that's not true. She was as good as the rest of the cast, who - let's face it - were never going to win any Oscars. Erica's performance was different in tone than the others because Lois was a lively, fun, adventurous character who injected some much-needed humor into a show bogged down with angsty melodramatic pining and speechifiying.
Erica caught hell for being the vessel for those changes. But she did a good job, steadily improved, and helped save the show from itself. I find Erica's charming smile, bright eyes, and earthy demeanor extremely appealing.
Ironically, although Lois is known for ribbing the rest of the characters for living in a small town and is especially tough on Clark for being a farmboy, Erica was the only member of the Smallville cast who actually grew up on a farm. Watch this funny interview for tales from her turkey farming days.
Here's a great fan-made video summing up the Lois and Clark duo that also captures Erica's charm.
Born October 26, 1945
Home State: Texas
Born October 17, 1918
Died May 14, 1987
Home State: New York
Born March 8, 1922
Died June 17, 2008
Home State: Texas
Born March 16, 1967
Home State: Virginia
Born April 17, 1972
Home State: West Virginia
Since she's the Ultimate Girl Next Door, you can't help but like Jennifer Garner. Generous, intense, tenderhearted, and explosively athletic, she is much more than the sum of her parts. Jennifer won a Golden Globe for Alias and it was well-deserved. She is one of only a handful of actresses who can go from klutzy, jug-eared goofball to knee-buckling, will-killing sex goddess in the same hour and make you believe both are the same person. And her physical commitment to her stunt and fight work was the talk of the TV world.
And she is just so darn sweet! Alias creator J. J. Abrams once wrote, "Chances are Jennifer Garner is nicer than you." The Anti-Diva, she religiously learned every crewmember's name (and their children's), included them in functions, and bought them all lunch routinely. One of their favorite stories: On an especially hot shoot in L.A., with temperatures north of 100, Jennifer inquired as to the well-being of the electricians who handle heavy cabling. The director told her, "Jen! You are suspended upside down in the back of a black van on its side on the pavement. The temperature in there is 130 degrees. Stop worrying about everyone else. They're worried about you!"
To this day, they will fight you if you say an ill word about Jennifer Garner.
She's as pretty as they come but it's the sweetheart factor than wins the day.
Born January 2, 1965
Home State: New York
Born May 18, 1970
Home State: Pennsylvania
Born November 12, 1982
Home State: New York
Born January 9, 1982
Home County: Berkshire
Born March 13, 1956
Home State: New York
Born August 22, 1965
Home Province: Ontario
Born May 9, 1946
Home State: California
Born March 6, 1967
Home State: Massachusetts
Born June 29, 1967
Home State: Texas
Born April 15, 1959
Home County: London
Born August 20, 1974
Home State: Colorado
Born March 2, 1949
Home State: Ohio
Actress - Sisters, The Fugitive, Once and Again, House MD, Gone Girl
Born June 26, 1984
Home State: Delaware
Born October 29, 1972
Home State: Nebraska
Born February 5, 1971
Home State: Missouri
Born November 14, 1982
Home State: California
Bonus video: See how ridiculously cute Joy is here.
And for those who were keeping count (most women do), that's 17 brunettes, 4 blondes, and 4 redheads. I am heavily biased toward beautiful brunettes with big, gorgeous eyes and long, flowing hair. Which makes sense: I've been married to one for many years now.
While physical beauty is certainly a significant factor in the appeal of the ladies on my list (everyone on this list is generally considered pretty at a bare minimum and most have been called gorgeous), the attractiveness of personality, humor, intelligence, character, talent, and depth of feeling all figure into it as well.
Amy Grant
Born November 25, 1960Home State: Tennessee
My number one is an almagam of all those factors. While Amy Grant was once named to People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in the World list, hers is a very relatable and gentle beauty - the two qualities most associated with her personality and which shine through in her appearance. She is like the ideal neighbor you'd want to have over to share a coffee with and just talk about life and other mysteries. Honestly, I value her interviews and stories as much as or more than her music sometimes.
The other thing about Amy is that I am simply more familiar with her and more invested in her as a person. I've "known" her for 34 years. It's a chicken-and-egg thing. That familiarity informs the physical attractiveness and she's probably more beautiful to me than to because I have more affection for her as a person. Sure, she's had a little Botox done the past several years and she could do without it. But she's a real 55-year-old woman in the public eye, known at least partially for her looks. I can't begin to put myself in her place.
Sela Ward
Actress - Sisters, The Fugitive, Once and Again, House MD, Gone GirlBorn July 11, 1956
Home State: Mississippi
This lady had more sensuality in one eyebrow than Kim Kardashian has in her entire body. A symphony of jaw-dropping beauty, grace, talent, craftsmanship, and intellect, Sela was the epitome of luxurious, earthy femininity. Fantastically real, I call it. I met her once and and she looked exactly the same in person!
And that voice. Wow. Her House co-star Hugh Laurie once said, "She is smart, sexy, funny, and her voice is like the very best back-rub you ever had."
Sela turns 60 soon. Sixty! She's had some heavy duty 'work' done in the past ten years which has seriously immobilized her once highly-expressive face. Sadly, she can't move those famous eyebrows at all anymore. But she can still bare that incandescent smile.
As her co-star, Billy Campbell, once said: "You'd have to be a fence post not to have chemistry with Sela."
Honored by her home state for her hands-on leadership in developing shelters for abused children, her guidance of the restoration of historic buildings, fundraising for Katrina victims, and countless other civic projects, Sela is considered a pillar of her hometown, Meridian, Mississippi. A major street in the city was even named Sela Ward Parkway.
In a different town, rife with prima donnas and backstabbers, Sela is routinely called "one of the good guys" by her Hollywood peers.
Here's the best video I can find to show why I like Sela - a 1999 clip that exemplifies her greatest role, Lily Manning, on her greatest show, Once and Again, during her greatest season of beauty, in her 40s. Not only is she is so Sela here but she won an Emmy for Best Actress for her performance in this episode. Powerful stuff.
Ashley Judd
Actress - Kiss the Girls, Double Jeopardy, Where the Heart Is
Born April 19, 1968
Home State: Kentucky
While I disagree with her on abortion (and she often childishly refuses to be in the same room with people who do), I respect her passionate, hands-on determination to make a difference in the world.
I can't top this description by her most famous costar: "She is completely devoid of nonsense," says Morgan Freeman. "She is pure actor, top to bottom, dedicated to her craft; the repository of an intimidating intellect; and all this housed in the body of Aphrodite." Amen.
Erica Durance
Actress - Smallville, Saving Hope, InterviewBorn June 21, 1978
Home Province: Alberta
Smallville fans are divided into two camps. Those who hate Erica Durance (pronounced Dur-ANTZ, btw) and those who love her. Obviously, I love her.
The hate comes from two things: First, Erica's Lois Lane was plunked down into the series after three seasons of Clark Kent dating his high school sweetheart, Lana Lang. Many fans of the couple hated this jolting reminder that Clark would inevitably end up with Lois, even if it was still years in the future.
And second, Erica was a textbook tanned and taut TV hottie, complete with breast implants and a nose job. Some complained that her acting was sub-par but that's not true. She was as good as the rest of the cast, who - let's face it - were never going to win any Oscars. Erica's performance was different in tone than the others because Lois was a lively, fun, adventurous character who injected some much-needed humor into a show bogged down with angsty melodramatic pining and speechifiying.
Erica caught hell for being the vessel for those changes. But she did a good job, steadily improved, and helped save the show from itself. I find Erica's charming smile, bright eyes, and earthy demeanor extremely appealing.
Ironically, although Lois is known for ribbing the rest of the characters for living in a small town and is especially tough on Clark for being a farmboy, Erica was the only member of the Smallville cast who actually grew up on a farm. Watch this funny interview for tales from her turkey farming days.
Here's a great fan-made video summing up the Lois and Clark duo that also captures Erica's charm.
Jaclyn Smith
Actress - Charlie's AngelsBorn October 26, 1945
Home State: Texas
No explanation. No justification. Jaclyn was one of the most beautiful women of the 20th century. She became famous at exactly the same time I hit puberty. Not rocket science.
Rita Hayworth
Dancer/Actress - You Were Never Lovelier, Cover Girl, GildaBorn October 17, 1918
Died May 14, 1987
Home State: New York
Cyd Charissse
Dancer - Singin' in the Rain, The Bandwagon, BrigadoonBorn March 8, 1922
Died June 17, 2008
Home State: Texas
Lauren Graham
Actress - Gilmore Girls, ParenthoodBorn March 16, 1967
Home State: Virginia
Jennifer Garner
Actress - Alias, 13 Going on 30, Juno, Reading Go the F*ck to SleepBorn April 17, 1972
Home State: West Virginia
And she is just so darn sweet! Alias creator J. J. Abrams once wrote, "Chances are Jennifer Garner is nicer than you." The Anti-Diva, she religiously learned every crewmember's name (and their children's), included them in functions, and bought them all lunch routinely. One of their favorite stories: On an especially hot shoot in L.A., with temperatures north of 100, Jennifer inquired as to the well-being of the electricians who handle heavy cabling. The director told her, "Jen! You are suspended upside down in the back of a black van on its side on the pavement. The temperature in there is 130 degrees. Stop worrying about everyone else. They're worried about you!"
To this day, they will fight you if you say an ill word about Jennifer Garner.
She's as pretty as they come but it's the sweetheart factor than wins the day.
Diane Lane
Actress - Lonesome Dove, Under the Tuscan Sun, Unfaithful, Man of SteelBorn January 2, 1965
Home State: New York
Diane and I grew up together. Well, what I mean is that we're the same age and she became famous when we were teenagers. So I feel like I've known her most of my life. Interestingly enough, I wasn't head over heels for her initially. It's only when we hit our thirties that she really caught my attention. Maturity really sharpened her talents and her appeal.
Tina Fey
Writer/Actress - Saturday Night Live, 30 RockBorn May 18, 1970
Home State: Pennsylvania
Anne Hathaway
Actress - Princess Diaries, The Dark Knight Rises, Les MiserablesBorn November 12, 1982
Home State: New York
Catherine Duchess of Cambridge (aka Kate Middleton)
RoyalBorn January 9, 1982
Home County: Berkshire
Dana Delany
Actress - China Beach, Tombstone, Desperate HousewivesBorn March 13, 1956
Home State: New York
Shania Twain
Singer/SongwriterBorn August 22, 1965
Home Province: Ontario
Candice Bergen
Actress - Rich and Famous, Murphy Brown, InterviewBorn May 9, 1946
Home State: California
Connie Britton
Actress - Spin City, Friday Night Lights, NashvilleBorn March 6, 1967
Home State: Massachusetts
Melora Hardin
Actress - The Office, 27 Dresses, 17 AgainBorn June 29, 1967
Home State: Texas
Emma Thompson
Actress - Howard's End, Sense and Sensibility, WitBorn April 15, 1959
Home County: London
Amy Adams
Actress - Junebug, Enchanted, Doubt, Julie & JuliaBorn August 20, 1974
Home State: Colorado
Did you realize this? Since 2005, only Meryl Streep has been nominated for as many Oscars as Amy Adams (Five times, btw). Let that sink in. In her relatively brief time in the spotlight, Amy Adams has become - in sheer numbers, at least - on a par with the greatest actress in the world. But know one seems to know it. Amy is well-liked by nearly everyone and plays in some big-name films, yet she flies just a little below the pop culture radar.
Gates McFadden
Actress - Star Trek: The Next GenerationBorn March 2, 1949
Home State: Ohio
Aubrey Plaza
Actress - Sisters, The Fugitive, Once and Again, House MD, Gone GirlBorn June 26, 1984
Home State: Delaware
Gabrielle Union
Actress - Bring It On, Deliver Us from Eva, Being Mary JaneBorn October 29, 1972
Home State: Nebraska
Sara Evans
SingerBorn February 5, 1971
Home State: Missouri
Joy Williams
SingerBorn November 14, 1982
Home State: California
Joy is both cute and smoldering, an old soul in a perpetually lanky body.
Towering over that whole package is an astonishing voice. Her voice cuts right through you like a scythe.
Her 'Barton Hollow Dance' is divisive. It's awkwardly caucasian to some. Sexy as hell to others. You know what team I'm on. Make up your own mind by watching the video below. But - first and foremost - listen to it.
And for those who were keeping count (most women do), that's 17 brunettes, 4 blondes, and 4 redheads. I am heavily biased toward beautiful brunettes with big, gorgeous eyes and long, flowing hair. Which makes sense: I've been married to one for many years now.
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