All Hail King Henry

So I have resisted the urge to subscribe to Showtime but after watching the 2nd Season of The Tudors there is no way that I can resist much longer. I cannot wait for the iTunes release of Season 3 because I am so hooked. I love the story, I love the scandal, and truthfully...I love the men. What I can say? This show is a wonderfully delicious guilty pleasure of mine.

Let's start with Henry Cavill. I was fond of him when he played Albert Mondego in the 2002 Count of Monte Cristo and remember thinking that there is a touch of magic in his smile. It is the type of smile that is dangerous to women. So he has been perfectly cast as the notorious player Charles Brandon. What woman would be able to resist a smile like his? It almost outshines his beautiful eyes. Add his sexy accent to those features and it is almost too much to take.

Jeremy Northam is brilliant in his portrayal of Thomas More. He doesn't ooze the sex appeal that some of his co-stars do but and yet I find myself drawn to him. Perhaps it is his confident, uncocky demeanor or it is perhaps his determination not to loyal to the King while not betraying his soul. I don't know...but I was drawn to him and found myself crying when he lost his head.

But lets face it...there really is one reason to watch the show...and that is for Jonathan Rhys Meyers who is the absolutely perfect King Henry VIII. He just seems to be growing more and more sexy as the show progresses. Even his once buggy blue eyes that freaked me out in the first season are sexy. His accent is irresistible and then the lines that he says...well lets just say that it is once again almost more than I can stand.

Meyers is in a unique position as an actor. He is portraying a character who would be easy to hate....and yet he is playing it so well that you cannot help but love him. Sure he banishes his best friend from court, threatens to behead him, beheads his long time mentor, is a male whore, who creates mass chaos to get his way...none of that matters because of how well Meyers is able to do with it such emotion and visible conflict that you cannot help but love him. There are two scenes in particular that especially melt my heart. Oddly, they are in the same episode.

The first one is when King Henry finally goes to Queen Anne after her miscarriage and finds her in tears. In a rare display of vulnerability the Queen asks if he stills cares for her. In the sweetest voice he comforts his queen, assuring her that he does still love her. At this point we all know that he has been unfaithful and that he has begun to doubt her but you wouldn't have guessed it from the way that the comforts her. I know that it is TV show but I couldn't help being a little bit envious of the tenderness that he showed her and of his efforts to assure that everything would be alright.

The second scene was when they finally beheaded Sir Thomas More. Now from the moment that he is addressing the crowd, I had tears in my eyes. As he laid his head down on the block, the tears threatened to fall but I was still okay. And then....just at the moment when the axe drops it cuts to King Henry who lets out a passion-infused, heart stopping scream that absolutely broke my heart. I began to shed a waterfall of tears, not just at the death of the good man but also at the obvious pain that it caused King Henry. Sure he was the one who ordered the beheading (though he did save his mentor from being tortured as originally sentenced) but how could anyone resent him for it after that scene?

Jonathan Rhys Meyers has once again been nominated for a Golden Globe for his role in this series. He probably won't win because I want him to and as it was so kindly pointed out in last nights post...I am doomed to bet on the losing horse. Regardless....I am so in love with this show and he is the main reason why.

For those of you non-iTunes people out there...season 2 comes out on Tuesday.

In Peyton I Trust

So here we are...just over an hour before the Colts take the field against the Chargers to see if they will continue on their quest to bring home the Superbowl Trophy. If I were a member of the Colts, I would be feeling good...especially now that everyone knows that they are being led by the greatest player in the league.

LETS HEAR IT FOR PEYTON MANNING WINNING HIS 3RD....(yes his THIRD) NFL MVP AWARD!

Not only did he win it...he crushed the other contenders by securing 32 of the 50 votes. This proves what I have been saying all along...and that is that no one in the league is even close to being the player that Peyton is.

Now one might say that I am a bit biased...being a loyal Peyton fan so let's talk facts and numbers.

Let's start with the fact that he started the season less a 100% due to his preseason knee surgery. Then you have the fact that at one point this season his team was under .500. I think that by week 6 everyone had counted the Colts out. Everyone but Peyton that is. Peyton forced himself to pull everything together. He found his groove on the field, got back on track and brought the entire team along for the ride. Once the Colts got moving...they began to look like a Superbowl Contention team...and Peyton looked like the all star that we know and love. By the end of the regular season he had his 9th 4000 yard plus season, a most impressive 66.8 completion rate, and most importantly...a spot in the playoffs. Best of all...he was rewarded for his hard work with his 3rd MVP award.

You can't argue with facts folks. There is no other player in the league who deserves the honor more. The fact that he managed to do all of these amazing things on the field with his usual class and good ole boy charm is what makes him more than just a great athlete...it is what makes him a legend.

While I believe that the Colts destroy the Chargers tonight I felt it was important to make it known how freakin' awesome it is that Peyton earned this award.

There were some who lost faith in him after his rocky start but not this Peyton fan!

Best Moments of 2008

Alright folks...I hear you loud and clear. I will admit that I did half-ass the Worst of post. There were a lot more shitty moments during the year. But as I said...it is hard to think of bad things when you are thinking pleasant thoughts. So get over it! Focus on the positive Man!

So lets do just that...here are my picks for the best of 2008.

Let's start with my list of the best songs of 2008:
- Shake It by Metro Station: As previously stated...this is the most creatively written dance song of the year. Everything about this song works and it is freakin' awesome!
- Pork & Beans by Weezer: This has got to the best anti-conformity song of the year. It is guaranteed to make you feel better if sung loud and proud on a bad day.
-Rehab by Rihanna: Incredibly sexy and sad at the same time...Rehab perfectly captures the bittersweet feeling of loving someone that much. I can't say enough of how much I like this song.
-Womanizer by Britney Spears: Great because let's face it...you can't help but sing along with this catchy tune.
- If I Were A Boy by Beyonce: Normally I not a big fan of Beyonce but I have to give her credit on this one. The video is entertaining, lyrically it is slam dunk, and you would have to have a heart of stone not to get the chills from the emotion that she sings it with.
- Rock & Roll by Eric Hutchinson: This the feel good song of the year. I found myself getting pointed and laughed at for singing it at Target the other day. It has a great beat, great lyrics, and has the ability to get stuck in your heads and yet not annoy you for it. The #2 song of the year without a doubt.
-Human by The Killers: So I think that I have said all that needs to be said about this one. Without a doubt...best song of the year!

Now lets talk about the best movies of 2008:
- The Dark Knight: You've got Christian Bale looking sexy as hell and Heath acting creepy as hell. Together it makes for a highly entertaining movie that sticks with you long after the end credits roll.
- Role Models: Granted it was over marketed before it was even released, I still enjoyed this movie. It was funny and once again I left the theater crushing on Paul Rudd. He is one of the most lovable and under appreciated actors currently making movies.
- Horton Hears A Who: This is another movie that made me laugh and cry...all four times that I saw it. It is a great movie for the kid in all of us.
- W: I know that I am probably going to get a lot shit for this one but I loved this movie. Who didn't see it and want to give W a hug afterwards?
- Forgetting Sarah Marshall: Any movie that makes someone laugh as much as this one did deserves to be named one of the best of the year.
- Kung Fu Panda: How could you not love this movie? Once again it made me a laugh and cry and even made me want to learn kung fu. Credit Dustin Hoffman for his unrated performance as Master Shifu because I really think that he was what held the characters together.
- The Strangers: This is my pick for the scariest movie of the year. It scared the hell out of me for days! As I stated in my previous post about the movie...the movie was awesomely scary because the threat is real. I was excited when I bought the DVD and got a free T-shirt with it but can't wear it because it freaks me out when I stand in front of mirror.
- Pineapple Express: This is my pick for the best movie of the year. It was funny, action-packed and heart-warming from start to finish. Seth Rogan proved that he is more than just your average funny man and James Franco showed that there isn't a role written that he can't rock.

And here is the stuff that doesn't really fit into a category but managed to be awesome!


Manning Madness - The year started off well for the Manning family...with both of them making it to the playoffs. Sure it sucked when Peyton could not carry his entire past the 1st round but that's okay. Eli picked up the slack and carried his team the whole way. Then Eli got married...which is cool for him. Then Peyton fought off criticism over his secret surgery (it was nobody's business anyway! It was in the off season damn it!). Both Mannings produced quality commercials throughout the year. Oh and both of them ended their 2008 by securing playoff positions for their teams. I love the Mannings!

Britney Spears' Comeback - I'm not afraid to admit it. I like Britney. I am just glad that it is once again cool to like her. Say what you will about her but she has had one hell of a year and for her to still be standing is commendable. So what if she has to have her dad taking care of her. What girl can honestly say that her life wasn't less chaotic when her dad was involved? Circus is an awesome album so 3 Cheers for Brit! You go girl!

The Eagles tie against the Bengals. Even if the damn Eagles do go on to win the Super Bowl (I perish the thought!), no one will ever forget that they couldn't beat the Bengals nor the fact that McNabb is such an idiot when it comes to rules of the sport.

Shane Victorino. OK so I am happy for the entire Phillies team but I have to say that I found myself crushing on Shane a little bit during the playoffs. He was classy when he was thrown at that I couldn't help but crush on him! He came across as a good guy...and one cannot help but pull for the good guy!

The Breast Cancer Show Ever on South Park: If there was a better moment on TV this year...I didn't see it. God help me but I loved this episode so much that I refuse to delete it from my DVR and I have it on my iPod.

The Return of Super Grover - Ok so this one will no doubt make no sense to most of you but stick with me on this one. In the past year Super Grover has become by favorite animated character. I see him and I smile. So much in fact that I have expanded my Super Grover collection beyond a simple green Super Grover shirt to coffee mugs, a small glass figurine by my bed, and a screen saver just so that I can smile often. How can you look at Grover and not smile?

Derek Jeter Commercial madness. OK so let me start by saying that we all know that Peyton is the sports KING of TV commercials. My point is the Derek Jeter is definitely a close contender for the throne. OK he is no Peyton Manning but lets face it....Derek looks better than Peyton which makes his commercials almost as good as Peyton's. Derek started the year off with the incredibly sexy G2 Commercial, then followed up with his Tri-State Ford commercials (in which he looks super sexy with his Edge), and then launched his Gillette commercials. The one for the razor was funny and cute but the one for the deodorant was sheer commercial greatness! Whoever came up with the idea of Derek walking out of Fenway, getting booed and looking sexier than ever is a genius! Seriously...Derek rocked the commercial world this year which is awesome. Based on the new G commercial that aired during the 2009 Rose Bowl...he is well on his way to doing the same in 2009.

The Final Game At Yankee Stadium: Even if you are a moron who hates the Yankees...you still have to appreciate what an amazing moment in sports this was. The history that came with it, the incredible baseball that was played that night, the waterfall of tears that Derek Jeter provoked from fans in his final pitch...it had everything that a fan could ask for from such a momentous night. I would have to say that this was probably one of the best nights of the entire year for me. The only thing that could have made it a little better would have been some Ben & Jerry's ice cream but overall it was an amazing night that will live on in my memory for years to come.

So far my 2009 has not been off to a good start but I am hopeful that it will only get better.

WORST MOMENT OF 2008

Sadly I will be delaying my best of 2008 post one more evening.

Little did I know that when I posted the worst moments of 2008 on the 30th of December that I would be living the WORST moment of 2008 the very next day. Fucking snow.

I seriously got my ass kicked by the snow and duty yesterday and I am feeling it today. I am hurting in places that I didn't even know that I had muscle. If my doc finds out that I was shoveling snow a few weeks out from my surgery she is probably going to slap me upside the head and would be justified in doing so.

Today has been spent in bed or in the bath tub trying to soothe my aching body. Therefore...no more blogging this evening. Sorry folks. Blame that asshole old man winter.