By CJ Tiernan This will be a list of Christmas Songs that skew more toward the secular side of Christmas or don't qualify as Christmas Carols. I also tried to choose only songs by the original artist, as there have been countless covers of the best Christmas songs over the years. I have a separate list for Christmas Carols, which you can view by clicking here . There was also an effort made to reduce the number of repeat artists, as my taste in Christmas music is relegated la

By CJ Tiernan The delineation I am making here between a Christmas song and a Christmas carol is the content of the song. Carols are religious and often based around the birth of Jesus while Christmas songs are the secular side of the equation and don't carry the religious weight of a carol. I am ranking both and you can read my Top 11 Christmas Songs List here . Without further ado, I present my Top 11 favorite Christmas Carols that I've ever heard. Me, Dressed as a Sheppard

By CJ Tiernan Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. If you're in the midwest like me, you experience cold, snowy days imploring you to while away your hours indoors by the fire with a mug of cocoa in hand watching Christmas movies. Nearly every Christmas movie has its foundation built from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol . One of the main characters has a change of heart at the end and discovers the true meaning of Christmas and basic human decency. My dad like

By CJ Tiernan Formed in Chicago in the early '70s, Styx is an American rock band with maximum style. They deliver positive vibes and hope through the power of sound. Comprised of original members Dennis DeYoung, James "J.Y." Young (no relation), John "J.C." Curulewski, Chuck Panozzo, and John Panozzo (brothers), these guys rocked through the '70s and '80s with long hair and musical attitude (Tommy Shaw would go on to shred in place of J.C. by 1976). I love Styx. They are my g

By CJ Tiernan Magic Kingdom is known as "The Happiest Place on Earth" (step aside DMV). It is a magical wonderland full of child-like awe and impossible thrills. You get to enter a piece of history and nostalgia, a world from various Disney properties, and have an uncompromising blast with friends and family. I have everlasting memories of spending time in Disney World, as I was fortunate enough to return over and over again as a kid. The rides on this list are steeped in the

By CJ Tiernan Normally, I try to create lists to spread positivity in the world. "So shines a good deed in a weary world," if you will. I'm gonna level with you. You probably shouldn't read this list. If you haven't seen these movies, then there are spoilers ahead but, much more pressingly, these are moments in movies that live rent-free in my head. I have essentially compiled a list of things you shouldn't watch if you haven't already seen them. They are gross, graphic, and

By CJ Tiernan We've all had a moment when watching a movie where we saw something that doesn't exist in our world and thought "aw man, I wish that was real." Whether it is a place, a person, or a thing, we've all had that desire. For me, it is often the mode of transportation the characters use. I just want for there to be flying cars already. C'mon, people. Let's make flying cars a thing. In lieu of that reality, we can simply appreciate all the cool stuff we see on screen (

By CJ Tiernan The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) was one of the largest undertakings a studio has ever taken. At the time of my publishing this list, there are 37 movies that have been released so far, earning more than 32 billion dollars at the box office (Achoo! Sorry, that number is nothing to sneeze at). It is kind of big deal. This particular list is focused on the beginning stages of the MCU (Phases 1 through 3), ranging from the first movie (Iron Man) to the epic conc

By CJ Tiernan First off, I want to clarify that this list covers movies that contain extra-terrestrial beings, whether in space or on Earth. It is not limited exclusively to the Xenomorph-littered series that began with Ridley Scott and Sigourney Weaver back in the '70s. Both Alien and Aliens are in my Top 400 Movies of all time (but unfortunately don't make the cut for this list), but I haven't seen all of the Alien movies and I'm not even sure there are 11 to create an enti

By CJ Tiernan The United States is comprised of 50 states. Each and every one of these states has its own unique qualities, people, and landmarks. It is so cool how singular these states can be. From the physical characteristics like climate and terrain, to the cultural qualities and traditions, each state has a special charm and one-of-a-kind vibe. As such, each of these states harbor their own nickname(s) which help encapsulate their originality. Below is a list of my Top 1

By CJ Tiernan Laughter is famously the very best medicine. It adds some levity and perspective to life. Life is too short to push through day in and day out without stopping to laugh at the absurd things all around us. In my opinion, stand-up comedy is best when the comedian taps into something we all see and experience and subverts it or looks at in a way that none of us have thought about. It is a satisfying thing to hear because not only are we Rolling On The Floor Laughin

By CJ Tiernan When you watch the Pilot episode of a TV Show, you get to see the foundation. You are given some sense of who the players are and where the story is headed. However, many shows have their characters evolve and grow as the show goes on. This leads to the need for new characters. Anytime a TV Show can introduce a new member into the established cast in a manner that is additive is impressive. It requires great writing to establish a need for the character and grea

By CJ Tiernan Will Ferrell burst on the comedy scene in the mid-'90s on Saturday Night Live. He was fearless in his commitment to the bit. It seemed as though he was willing to push the audio/visual medium as far as possible for a laugh. He quickly became the star there. He walked away in '02 to pursue a film career full time. I reckon I'm not the only one to feel this was a good decision. He was an absolute staple in comedy movies throughout the 2000s. Below is a list of my

By CJ Tiernan By en:User:Daderot., CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons You remember that food pyramid thing? It had the 7-11 servings of grains at the bottom and then worked its way up to all the good stuff you were only supposed to indulge in with extreme moderation. Feh! What did they know? Well, the fruit was near the bottom, just above the grain and it is actually delicious (unlike its next-door neighbor: vegetables). Below

By CJ Tiernan It has been said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. The proverbial foundation upon which the rest of the day is built. For some, that foundation is simply a cup of coffee (or one of those things you buy at a coffee store that has coffee in it but the dominant ingredient is like sugar or whipped cream or something). For others, it may be a smörgåsbord of proteins like eggs, bacon, and sausage. I love all sorts of breakfast options. In fact, I'm

By CJ Tiernan Adages, Idioms, Axioms and Proverbs. These are phrases that we use, some almost daily, to convey our thoughts and our meanings. They're often things we've heard from others over and over again and they serve as a shortcut (our brain is always down to clown with a shortcut) to deliver our message or an opportunity to avoid answering the truly daunting questions like "How are you" and "How have you been?" I am always positively smitten when I encounter a character

By CJ Tiernan Flying. There are few super powers quite as fantastic as flying. Humans have yet to achieve this power outside of a flying machine. When will The Jetsons become a reality? I want my future with a side of being able to fold up my space ship and carry it as a briefcase. Or, you know, just magic. Can we invent magic and fly that way? That'd be sick. Anyway, I compiled a list of my favorite characters that take flight in movies and these are my Top 11 Flying movie c

By CJ Tiernan Celebrating a Holiday with family and friends is one of the best things you get to do all year. We all bring our own traditions and practices to a Holiday celebration. It can be fun to watch someone else celebrate a holiday, especially when they bring something different to the table. We've all seen the Christmas episode with someone who is a little too into their traditions or the Halloween episode where a character has a singular focus on scaring someone else

By CJ Tiernan I haven't seen a lot of movies from this range of time. I was born in 1988, so movies from 1969 on back weren't regularly ones I would stumble upon. In fact, a majority of the movies on this list were ones I did see as a kid as five of them are animated. I'd say they're all rated G or PG but some of them came out so long ago they predate the MPAA. That may not be true, but the rating system back in the day was crazy. Have you seen "Splash"? That movie is rated P

By CJ Tiernan Every now and again you hear a song in a movie and it sticks with you. It becomes an ear worm you want to hear again, well after the movie is over. While a lot of the most memorable music in a film is either a pre-existing song or it is part of a musical, sometimes there is a song that is written for a movie that stands all on its own. Below is a list of my Top 11 songs that were written for a movie that wasn't a musical. 1. Ghostbusters by Ray Parker Jr. - Gho