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 so stranger to playing the breakfast for dinner card. If you're not in the mood to actually cook something (or gonna be late for school), cereal is always a great option. Below is a list of my Top 11 favorite breakfast cereals of all time (most of which harbor little to no nutritional value but, whatever, I've got two plus meals to make up for it. Vegetables are dinners problem). 1. Frosted Flakes https://www.frostedflakes.com/en_US/home.html, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Let's be honest. Tony the Tiger wouldn't lie to you. When he says they're great, he ain't lion (get it. 'cause he's a tiger). I absolutely love Frosted Flakes. It has been my favorite cereal of all time since before I could spell my own name (which, again, is two letters long). A perfect crunch, sweet without overwhelming your taste buds, and when you empty the bag at the end of the box: Glorious! A pile of sugar! 2. Honey Bunches of Oats The texture of the cereal in this one is a lot of fun. There are several things going on. The corn flakes have a good crunch and then, when you get to the titular oat bunch, it's a wonderful delight in your face. I like the mix of different things in this one. It's like when you mix two cereals together. You ever do that as a kid? (Or, like, this morning)? Yeah, me neither. 3. Reese's Puffs Confession Time: I'm not a huge Reese's guy. I often find that the peanut butter, which doesn't operate like normal peanut butter, is too overwhelming in the ratio to the chocolate. The only ones in which I feel like they got the ratio right are the little ones that you unwrap from foil and then take out of the wax paper. However, this cereal? Well, now that is a perfect ratio. The combination of chocolate and peanut butter is the foundation of happy places around the globe and this cereal is its pièce de résistance. 4. Cap'n Crunch Salute to this cereal. Whether you prefer the Crunch Berries variety, the Peanut Butter version, or this one, the O.G., you trust that captain at the helm. I love this cereal even though it was once the cause of a braces mishap on my tooth. While the phrase "happy accident" is perhaps overused, it is undeniable that one of the greatest happy accidents in this great nation's storied history occurred in 1997 when the dear sweet people of the Quaker Oats company "accidentally" forgot to add the corn squares and created "Oops! All Berries." 5. Frosted Mini-Wheats I'm no stranger to eating cereal dry. While it is preferred that it be consumed from a bowl with a spoon, doused in an outrageous dose of milk (or a non-dairy alternative of your choosing), in an effort to eat it as a snack on the go, I'll pour it down my gullet from a cup. That is not an option with the Frosted Mini-Wheats. One simply must coat each and every biscuit in its entirety and then, like waiting on the conditioner in the shower, let it sit a minute or two before digging in. Worth it! They are so good and, as luck would have it, an excellent source of fiber. Hooray to being regular! 6. Lucky Charms I love me some lucky charms. You ever feel like eating the regular bits of the cereal is like eating your vegetables to earn the marshmallows? Just me? Cool. Cool, cool, cool. They need to offer up an Oops! All Berries version of this cereal (a cursory glance through the internet reveals I missed out on a contest in 2017 wherein they did indeed award 10,000 such boxes. If you are one of the lucky souls that got your hands on one of those bad boys, well, God hath smiled upon you, child.) 7. Waffle Crisp Part waffle, part cereal. Sometimes you have to wonder if science has come too far. Like, what did we do to deserve something this awesome? Seriously, every bite, you can taste the maple syrup (do you pronounce it SIR-up or SEAR-up? I'm a SIR-up guy, myself but also pronounce Syracuse as SEAR-a-cuse so I wonder if I need to pick a lane). It is a fun waffle shape with a great crunch. In 2018, they discontinued it and the world grew a little darker. In fact, after the pandemic, Post realized their mistake and brought back this glue of the universe in 2021. 8. Cinnamon Toast Crunch In the movie "This is the End," they refer to this cereal as C.T. Crunch. Since I first saw that movie, I've struggled to call it anything else. However, that modified moniker does mute its dominant trait: the cinnamon. Oh ho, man, that cinnamon! By the end of a bowl (or three) your milk is a cinnamon-swirl wonderland. The French Toast Crunch alternative is also aces. 9. Honey Nut Chex Regular Chex are boring and for old people. Life is too short to wade into the waters of just eating a bowl of Corn Chex or Rice Chex (or [clutches pearls] the Wheat Chex). Have some self-respect. Don't forget that life is for the living and enjoy the sweet things in life like Honey Nut Chex. Just the right amount of sweet with a crunch you can you hear from the next room, respectfully. 10. Cocoa Pebbles Do not settle for imitators. Cocoa Pebbles are superior to Cocoa Krispies (okay, technically Cocoa Krispies were released 13 years before Cocoa Pebbles, making the Pebbles the imitators but, as Barney Stinson famously says, "new is always better"). The magic of the Cocoa Pebbles is that you eat the cereal and then you're left with chocolate milk. It's like second drink. As an aside, how instrumental has Flintstones been to childhood? Between cereals and vitamins, kids have been starting their day with the help of Barney Rubble and the gang for well over half a century. 11. Life Mikey is not the only one that likes it. Life is just so great (two meanings!). It is one of the few cereals that I enjoy just as much when they are a soggy mush as I do when they are crunchy. While the phrase "choose life" is most often associated with religion, politics, and the band Wham!, I'd encourage its use in the grocery store. Here endeth the lesson. Final Thoughts The cereal aisle in the grocery store is famously not a spartan locale. There are an awful lot to choose from. While I may be partial to the ones that actually taste good, there are plenty of other options out there for individuals of all walks of life. If there is a variety that I left off my list that you can't go a day without harboring in your pantry, please let me know in the comments section. Thanks!

By CJ Tiernan The Coen Brothers, comprised of actual brothers Joel and Ethan, have created an untouchably eclectic oeuvre. They can go broad and slapstick or dark and understated. They have a very unique sense of humor that helps to cut their often violent films' tension to pieces with a wood chipper. They can just as easily pull the rug out from under you as they can leave rolling on said rug, laughing your head off. Apart from recurring cast members, you never really know what you're in for when you plop down on the sofa to watch one of this teams' works of art. Below is a list of my 11 very favorite movies created by Joel and Ethan Coen. I have had the pleasure of watching every single movie they've done together and 10 of them fall in my Top 500 movies of all time. These guys know what they're about and they deliver time and again. 1. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) The main trio of George Clooney, John Turturro, and Tim Blake Nelson are a non-stop riot. This movie is a loose adaptation of the Odyssey. The Coen brothers transport the tale to the southern U.S. in the 1930s, and manage to add musical numbers and a menagerie of scene-stealing character actors. Come for the music (the soundtrack won album of the year at '02 Grammys), stay for the beautiful cinematography courtesy of Roger Deakins (16-time Academy Award Nominee, won for 1917 and Blade Runner 2049). 2. Fargo (1996) William H. Macy gives one of my favorite performances ever in this movie. The story is so delicious. His character attempts to ransom his own wife for money from his boss, who is also his father-in-law. As has been known to happen in a Coen Brothers movie, things go sideways. The Minnesotan accent takes the steering wheel and veers toward the pancakes house in this delightful flick. Oh, and Frances McDormand won an Oscar for her portrayal of pregnant police chief Marge Gunderson. She is an all-timer! 3. The Ladykillers (2004) This is probably my most controversial pick on this list (having The Big Lebowski as low as I do is probably the only other legitimate candidate). The Coen Brothers go broad in this one. Really broad. But I need you to understand that I absolutely love that. Tom Hanks and J.K. Simmons are so much fun in this movie. A caper that goes awry. Check. A movie star with a delightfully ridiculous accent. Check. If you want to write a book report: go watch Tenet. If you want to laugh: watch this movie. 4. No Country for Old Men (2007) "Aw, hells bells. They even shot the dog." This quote provides insight into one of the greatest villains in film history: Anton Chigurh. Javier Bardem rightfully won an Academy Award for his portrayal, but the Coen Brothers brought this monster to life in such sinister detail. The opening murder scenes give way effortlessly to the coin toss scene, which is so deliciously Coen Brothers it belongs in a museum. The way the sprawling Texas landscape lends to the isolated feeling that there is nowhere to hide from this evil man is good to last drop. 5. Raising Arizona (1987) This movie features Nic Cage and Holly Hunter as a young married couple comprised of a cop and a robber. That is actually about the least weird thing in the movie. They can't conceive, so they attempt to steal a baby from a wealthy couple with what they deem is a surplus of babies. And off to the Coen Brothers-flavored races we go! Alright you hayseeds: do yourself a favor and allot 94 minutes of your life to watching this movie. 6. Burn After Reading (2008) Brad Pitt, John Malkovich, Frances McDormand, J.K. Simmons, and George Clooney. If my goal here is to list reasons to see this movie, I just gave you five. The Coen Brothers take a misunderstanding and turn it up to 11. Pitt and McDormand serve as 2 air-headed gym employees who happen upon what they believe to be a disc containing government secrets and attempt to spin it for profit. Hijinx ensue. 7. The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) The Coen Brothers co-wrote this movie with Sam Raimi, he of Evil Dead and Tobey Maguire Spider-Man fame. As such, we are treated to the presence of Bruce Campbell as a minor character. Yay! In this film, Tim Robbins (who released The Shawshank Redemption the same year) plays an effervescent, if dimwitted, mailroom clerk that is elevated to company big-wig in a crooked stock price scheme. He cheerfully brandishes a hand-drawn circle to anyone who will listen and utters simply, "you know: for kids." His wholesomeness juxtaposed against the greed of the capitalistic and opportunistic board is very satisfying. 8. Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) Hand up. This was my introduction to Adam Driver. I could not get enough of him in this movie. The scene where they're recording "Please, Mr. Kennedy" is a real treat. If you enjoy his comedic chops, be sure to do yourself a favor and watch "Logan Lucky." The music in this film is so beautiful, and the melancholy of the main character, played to arresting perfection by Oscar Issac, haunts every track. Justin Timberlake and Carey Mulligan are also great. The story of a man, whom you follow for 2 hours only to end up right back where he started, is devastating but poetic. 9. The Big Lebowski (1998) When I was in high school, I watched this movie for the first time. It opened up my eyes to an endless stream of quotes that my friends had been hurtling at one another that, before then, kept whipping over my head. It's possibly one of the most quotable movies in history. I could start listing a bunch of them but I gotta shout out John Goodman. I've gotten this far on a Coen Brothers list and haven't given a shout out to the man featured in like half-a-dozen of their movies (second only to Frances McDormand, who is married to Joel, in number of collaborations with the Brothers Coen). His turn in this one, as a Vietnam War veteran named Walter Sobchak, steals the show. At least, that's just, like, my opinion, man. 10. Intolerable Cruelty (2003) A third Clooney joint! George Clooney never has crazier eyes than when he stars in a Coen Brothers movie. This is a pretty true-to-form Rom Com. Clooney plays a lawyer who specializes in ironclad prenups. Catherine Zeta-Jones stars as a gold-digger. Sparks fly between them. Worth the watch for their performances, plus those of Geoffrey Rush, Edward Herrmann (the dad in Richie Rich), and Billy Bob Thornton. Also, spoiler alert: there are twists along the way.. 11. Hail, Caesar! (2016) Channing Tatum is a scene-stealer in this one. He gets to flex is dance skills (as showcased in the Step Up and Magic Mike movies) and his comedy chops (as showcased in 21/22 Jump Street). The movie takes place during the heyday of Hollywood in the '50s, and follows a fixer (Josh Brolin) who attempts to keep stories about his studios' stars various indiscretions hush-hush. The movie also features Jonah Hill, George Clooney (again!), Tilda Swinton, and introduces us to Alden Ehrenreich (Han Solo in Solo: A Star Wars Story). As usual, the Coen Brothers masterfully balance high stakes with hijinx. Georges Biard, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Final Thoughts The Coen Brothers are adept at tapping into seemingly any genre and extracting a unique perspective on humanity and 2 heaping scoops of humor. I love the weirdness of their movies because they showcase the reason movies are great: they entertain us while allowing us to see something new in something old. If you've never dipped your toes into the Co-Bro waters, I highly recommend it. If you have, hopefully I've suggested something new for you. As I said at the top, I've seen all of their movies, so I will leave my ranking of their remaining movies below. Please feel free to share your own rankings in the comments. Thanks! True Grit (2010) The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018) A Serious Man (2009) Barton Fink (1991) The Man Who Wasn't There (2001) Blood Simple (1984) Miller's Crossing (1990)

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 11 favorite State Nicknames in the union. 1. The Land of Enchantment – New Mexico DodgeCaravan17, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Enchantment is such a sick word. It conjures a sense of wonder and magic. New Mexico has some fascinating topography and is home to the much-ballyhooed Area 51 (release the tapes!). The nickname is not only awesome but perfectly befitting. Plus, look at the color on that license plate. She's a thing of beauty. New Mexico is also in possession of the titular city in my favorite Weird Al song of all time: Albuquerque. 2. The Empire State – New York Lieutenant Ramathorn, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons When I think of New York state, I think of New York City. C'mon, I can't be the only one who thinks that. I mean, it's the city so nice they named it twice after all (Manhattan is the other name). It's the titan of the industrial revolution. The nucleus of Nasdaq. The home of all things happening. It is because of New York's history as both an economic powerhouse and cultural influencer that George Washington (of George Washington Bridge fame) declared New York the "seat of the empire" way back in 1795. He would know; he famously fought empires for a living before taking the first official seat on the American throne. 3. The Sunshine State – Florida Dickelbers, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Sunshine = happiness. This equation is essential not only to Florida's tourism industry but also the foundation upon which our subconscious emotional states are derived. If it's overcast, you're a Gloomy Gus. If it's all sunshine and rainbows, then it's suns out, guns out, baby! It doesn't hurt that the sun looks like an orange, which Florida is the number 2 producer of in the country (and used to be number one, but mother nature had to go and invent diseases for plants and stuff). 4. The Land of 10,000 Lakes – Minnesota State of Minnesota., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Do you think they had one guy count all 10,000 lakes himself, or did they have like a team? Maybe 10,000 is just an estimate (upon doing a very minimal amount of research, it appears that Minnesota has over 11,000 lakes and that the DNR is responsible for making that number official). The lakes have to be more than 10 acres to count as lakes, which is cool because I never really considered what it took to turn a pond into a lake. Now we know. Tell your friends. 5. Big Sky Country – Montana Jaycarlcooper, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons I've been to Montana 3 times, which isn't enough to speak on behalf of Montana, but it feels like quite a few times for someone from Iowa with no official business in Montana. In my limited experience, the name seems apt. Coupled with the backdrop of mountains, the Bob Ross-ian snapshot of earth and sky feels magnitudinous. The landscape is beautiful and the humidity is low. It is definitely a worthwhile locale for those seeking adventure. 6. The Last Frontier – Alaska Zcarstvnz, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Alaska was the 50th and final (to date) state added to the union in the wee hours of 1959. The United States purchased Alaska from Russia (and they bought Louisiana at some point too). It's crazy to think of such large swaths of land changing hands from one country to another without war and death. I always kinda picture land as being won (or... just straight-up stolen) so it's weird to envision big chunks of the map changing hands with a handshake and a smile. But whatever, frontier is a dope word. By square miles, Jacksonville is the largest city in the continuous 48. But, when you include Alaska, it drops to fifth, as the 4 largest cities in the US by geographical footprint are in Alaska (Sitka, Juneau, Wrangell, and Anchorage, from largest to smallest). 7. The Birthplace of Aviation – Ohio The Wright Brothers, Orville and Wilbur (alas, neither of which are names we're churning out anymore), are generally credited as being "first in flight." They created a system of controlling an airplane in 3-dimensions, a system that at least served as a backbone for all fixed wing aircraft manufactured even to this day. While their famous flight attempts transpired in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina (at the awesome locale name of "Kill Devil Hills"), Orville was both born in, and died at, Dayton, Ohio. His bro was born in Indiana but also died in Dayton (should it be called "The Deathplace of Aviation?"), so the younger Orville is doing the heavy lifting in the genesis of this nickname. 8. The First State – Delaware Awmcphee, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons "If you ain't first, you're last" was probably their state motto, until Talladega Nights stole it and the people of Delaware changed it to something in latin, probably. I think the most perfect encapsulation of ones presence in Delaware was created by Wayne and Garth in Wayne's World when they were magically whisked away to the first state and they said, and I'm quoting here, "Hi, I'm in Delaware." First is kinda all they have, and they cling to it like Saran Wrap clings to itself when you need it to adhere to the bowl or plate you're trying to cover instead. Still, in 1787, it was probably a gutsy move to ratify the new constitution before anyone else so, for stepping up and being first, we salute you (TYFYS - Thank You For Your Service, Delaware). 9. Old Dominion – Virginia Old Dominion is a name that holds gravitas. While calling something old can be offensive, this was meant as a compliment. However, the nickname was bestowed upon Virginia by the King of England in the mid-1600s to thank them for their loyalty so, they're kinda guilty of fraternizing with the enemy. Nevertheless, with a handful of centuries to cool off, I think we can agree this nickname is worth its weight in crown jewels. 10. The Show Me State – Missouri Awmcphee, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons Missouri is in possession of the Arch, the Gateway to the West. That is something worth visiting. It also has Blaine, which according to the movie "Waiting for Guffman," is the stool capital of the world (it is, however, a fictional city). It also has Branson, which is a delightful little tourist trap of a city. It gives off major Wisconsin Dells vibes. I highly recommend it. The state was so named after a speech from a Missouri Congressman, who would not settle for empty promises and demanded action. I think we can all agree it's a more flattering way to get a nickname than the reason Chicago became the Windy City six years earlier, in 1893. 11. The North Star State – Minnesota The North Star State nickname derives its origins from the state motto "L'Étoile du Nord," which is French for "Star of the North." That's pretty sick. Polaris and them Big Dipper boys in the sky getting a shout out (Polaris and Them Bigger Dipper Boys - dibs on that as my band name). While most of these nicknames are derived from what is in the state, this one reflects its status as the northernmost state (of the contiguous 48) and thus, where it lies in relation to the other states. Leave it to the hat of Mr. Mimal to have an inferiority complex requiring it to be taller than all the other states. Final Thoughts Alias 0591 from the Netherlands, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons There were 50 states to choose from and most states have multiple nicknames, so I'm sure that I missed one or two of your faves. Please let me know in the comments which are your favorite. Thinking about states, and how they got their statehood and nicknames was a fun endeavor. I hope you enjoyed it as well. Thanks for reading and have a great day!

By CJ Tiernan The 90s were a decade full of sweeping change and living life on the go. We coated the world in denim and flannel and dared our neighbor to look more disheveled than us. Our heads were protected from the sun in full, 360º fashion, courtesy of bucket hats. Between Doc Martens and Timberland boots, our feet were ready for combat. Businesses still broke bread and spilled tea at the watercooler. It was, with the benefit of hindsight, a simpler time. This is my list of songs that embody the very essence of what it was to live, laugh, and grunge in the 90s. Here is my list of the Top 11 90s-est 90s Songs I’ve Ever Heard. Enjoy! 1. MMMbop - Hanson The boy band was an unavoidable part of the latter half of the decade. The big three were Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, and 98 Degrees. However, this three-man band of brothers managed to churn out a song that not only became the song of the summer in 1997, but continues to ring in summer vibes to this day. I was in fourth grade at the time, and all the girls in my class either wanted to marry a Hanson or be a Spice Girl (or maybe both). I was content to MMMBop my head to the beat and await summer vacation. 2. Mr. Jones - Counting Crows I’ve heard this song probably 100 times. Like, honestly, actually, at least a hundred times. I have no idea what it’s about. As is the case with the lyrics of a Red Hot Chili Peppers song, that does NOT stop me from belting them out. It is a wistful song, harboring an innocence of a simpler time and a longing for fame amid rampant insecurities. Wait… do I know what it’s about? Classic 90s and its rampant insecurities. I wouldn’t know anything about that either… 3. Ironic - Alanis Morissette Lunchbox LP, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Irony is a literary device used to create drama and tension. It is also a way of creating a juxtaposition between one’s words and reality. Irony is a comedic weapon. However, it’s also often used interchangeably with coincidence. While there is some debate over whether the failure to use irony in a song called “Ironic” can, indeed, be considered ironic, there is no debating the angst with which Alanis Morissette sings this song (or, indeed, any of the songs off the Jagged Little Pill album). 4. Counting Blue Cars - Dishwalla One essential element of the 90s (and, truthfully, any decade) is the one-hit wonder. The flash in the pan, here today, gone tomorrow artist with a banger. Such is the case with Counting Blue Cars. I really like this song. It reminds me of a less technologically-dependent society when one might sit on the side of the road next to a friend or loved one and just count cars (like the end of the movie Up). Plus, with the strained vocals of the singer, how can you not absolutely join in and shout-sing along with this one in the car? To complete your 90s bingo card, God is a woman in this song. I feel like God went through a real "she/her pronouns" phase in the 90s. 5. Wonderwall - Oasis This band is another family affair. They were together from ’91 to ’99 (they really were a ‘90s band). I have heard that they broke up, and the brothers Gallagher and their sibling rivalry is the reason why. I’m in possession of several brothers myself and I actually quite like them (love them, some might say) and can’t imagine such a split (although I did have a brother throw a vacuum cleaner at my head once but, who hasn’t been there). What’s even more disappointing is that the brothers make up only 40% of the band, but they get all the headlines. Did you know they have a member named Bonehead?! How dare society shelter me from such a glorious reality for so long. 6. Two Princes - Spin Doctors You may be one of those Anglophiles that cannot get enough of her majesty the queen and her merry band of progeny. If so, you may be inclined to believe this song is about the two children of Princess Diana (who famously had her own ups and downs in the 90s, but stayed out of the spotlight 🤪). Whelp, it’s not. It’s a classic prince and the pauper, “marry him or marry me” tale, complete with love triangle (castle sold separately). 7. Tubthumping - Chumbawamba A lot of the fun and glory associated with songs of the ‘90s was the sort of playful element of rebellion. This song actually has a slight case of punk-rock. There is a high-energy vibe and some scream-singing, but no sense of malice. You can dance to this one. I am not ashamed to say this is one of the many songs over the years that I sing along to without knowing the words. “He drinks a whisky drink, he drinks a vodka drink, he drinks a lager drink, he drinks a…” and then I’m lost in the inebriation sauce. “Side of drink?” Is that the type of thing they drink in Britian (or whatever land tub thumps)? 8. Hey Leonardo (She Likes Me for Me) - Blessid Union Of Souls Here is a time-capsule song if ever there was one. Namechecking 90s figures like Jim Carrey, Steve Buscemi, Cindy Crawford, and Leonardo DiCaprio is a great way to make your song representative of the era. Making it a love song, makes it timeless. Man, Blessid Union of Souls really had some great hits. “Light in Your Eyes,” “I Wanna Be There,” and “I Believe.” Too bad they hadn’t invented spellcheck yet (Blessid?). 9. Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm - Crash Test Dummies Combining two disparate concepts often creates a deliciously comedic moment. The caveman with a vlog. The septuagenarian with a fauxhawk. The Canadian with angst. This last pairing led to a one-hit wonder we all hold near and dear to our maple-syrup-loving hearts. The singer, Brad Roberts (with a voice deep enough that he’d fit right in with The National), bowls you over with the first note (“Once”) of the monotonal song and never lets up. It, like so many 90s songs, delves into the concept of isolation and feeling less-than. Represent the little guy, Canada! Fun fact: Canada isn’t actually the little guy. By area, it is the second largest country in the world (just behind Russia and just ahead of us in the US). 10. Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana If you want to rep the ‘90s, you can’t ignore grunge. While I mostly heard pop songs and alternative rock on the radio in the ‘90s, nobody was able to avoid this behemoth. It is the song that begat a thousand songs. It is the grunge anthem (did I just invent an oxymoron?). Along with fellow Seattle bands Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, and Soundgarden, Nirvana helped to usher in grunge and a pervasive sound of the ‘90s. This isn’t just one of the greatest songs of the ‘90s, it’s one of the greatest songs of all time. And to think, it all started with a stick of deodorant... 11. Macarena - Los Del Rio You knew it had to be on here. It’s a song that came with its own dance. Here’s what I want to know: how did we learn it? Back in the ‘90s, we couldn’t go to YouTube and watch a video. We didn’t see it on TikTok or Twitter. Where did it come from? I remember learning it in gym class of all places, but why? (To be fair, that’s also where I learned to juggle, so it's actually ground zero for a large percentage of my life skills). Oh, wait, I got it: MTV! Before they highlighted the idyllic, beachfront property of New Jersey or followed Ashton Kutcher with a camera as he played pranks on fellow celebrities, MTV aired music! TRL was a ‘90s staple and this dance was so pervasive we learned it in third grade even though the dance was kinda…saucy. Final Thoughts Listen, the ‘90s is kind of a long time. It’s like 10 whole years (plus two leap days). There was a lot of music. I tried to capture the essence of the decade in both the tone of the content of the song, and the music itself. I liked a certain kind of music and that certainly influenced my choices for which songs I thought best represented the era. If you feel I missed any important ones, please let me know in the comments. As always, I left some that just missed my list down below. Thanks! Have a great day! Baby Got Back - Sir Mix-a-Lot The Way - Fastball One Headlight - The Wallflowers All Star - Smash Mouth Semi-Charmed Life - Third Eye Blind Inside Out - Eve 6 Meet Virginia - Train One Week - Barenaked Ladies What's My Age Again - Blink-182 Poison - Bell Biv DeVoe Don't Speak - No Doubt She's so High - Tal Bachman Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life) - Green Day Livin’ La Vida Loca - Ricky Martin Breakfast at Tiffany's - Deep Blue Something Better Days (And the Bottom Drops Out) - Citizen King Save Tonight - Eagle-Eye Cherry Peaches - The Presidents of the United States of America No Diggity - Blackstreet Under the Bridge - Red Hot Chili Peppers Barbie Girl - Aqua Losing My Religion - R.E.M. Blue (Da Ba Dee) - Eiffel 65

By CJ Tiernan Every now and then, a character will become synonymous with an article of clothing. They wear it so well, or it’s so interwoven with the plot, the two become inextricably linked. Mario and overalls. Cinderella and clear shoes. Batman and eyeliner. I’m not a big “remember what people look like” guy myself. If asked to close my eyes and reveal the hair color of friends and family I’ve held dear for decades, I’m not likely to surpass (in a statistically significant way) a monkey at a typewriter. Sorry, it’s just not my strong suit. It is, therefore, of some note that I recall these particular outfits with clarity. Whether because they ooze coolness, are endlessly practical, or are so laughably impractical that one cannot help but love them, the following are extremely memorable. Without further ado, I present my list of my Top 11 Favorite Movie Vests I’ve ever seen. Enjoy! Heads Up: I don't have the rights to any of the pictures that would help present my case, so you can click on the character names and it will take you to a Google Image result (in the unlikely event that you don't remember the vest in quesiton with the same level of clarity that I do). 1. Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) - Back to the Future While repeated mistaken for a life preserver when he travels back in time, our boy Marty is rocking a vest designed for warmth. You know how, when you get cold, it’s only ever your torso, and never your fingers, toes, and nose, that gets cold? That’s why they invented vests! Marty is traveling from October 1985 to November 1955, so the practicality of a warm torso is unmistakable (at least from my midwestern perspective. He’s in California, so who knows what it’s like there in late fall). I like how, in Back to the Future 2, he puts on the futuristic jacket that shrinks to his size, and the color scheme perfectly matches him in the vest. As though, if they didn’t do that, we’d lose track of who Michael J. Fox is supposed to be (although he does play multiple characters in the second one, so maybe it's helpful). 2. Bane (Tom Hardy) - The Dark Knight Rises Why do they make a bulletproof vest and not a bulletproof everything? Cost control, mostly, although one does famously harbor nearly every vital organ between the belly button and the neck (*looks to the heavens and brandishes a fist* Damn you, Brain!). What makes the Bane vest seem so sinister? Well, Bane mostly. That mask is as menacing as they come. But the willingness to be rocking a vest in among the Gotham rabble is brazen like a raisin. Also, his wool-lined leather overcoat is sick! 3. Ken (Ryan Gosling) - Barbie Ken actually rocks a large number of vests throughout the film, so I won’t step on your Barbie-loving toes by choosing just one favorite. He’s got the black, Mojo Dojo Casa House vest complete with tassels and a wool coat. He’s got the jean jacket vest, where the sleeves appear to be torn off (or just popped off because, I mean, did you see Ryan Gosling’s arms?). He’s got the 80s, dayglow vest coupled with matching visor and fanny pack. I feel like I could just go on and on about all these vests but at some point, enough is Kenough. 4. Aladdin (Scott Weinger) - Aladdin When we meet Aladdin, we not only find out he is a thief, but we're actually watching him actively steal at the time. He and his pet monkey are perusing the market, engaging in shenanigans, ultimately all for an apple (which, I did check and while they aren’t native to the region, can be grown there). I believe that we are supposed to sympathize and respect this choice. He’s not stealing out of greed, but stealing out of need. The vest further emphasizes this point. He’s not stealing sleeves; he has just enough shirt to prevent sunburn on his nipples and that’s it. I personally have no respect for anyone who steals anything for any reason, but it’s tough to get too worked up about a cartoon character in a work of fiction. I’ll reserve my ire for the sultans of the real world. 5. Woody (Tom Hanks) - Toy Story How does one convey that a character is a cowboy, if we never see them wrangle any cows? (or whatever a cowboy does). Such is the question foisted upon the animation team at Pixar, who were also trying to invent a whole new way of animating at the same time. A cowboy hat? Sure. Cowboy boots? Obviously. Jeans with a big belt buckle? It goes without saying. How about a cow-hide vest? Now that’s an innovation. While the vest may barely be big enough to pin a Sherrif’s badge on to, it clearly sends the message that he’s in charge (until that space ranger shows up and ruins the proverbial apple cart). 6. Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) - Superbad This guy is great for several reasons. One, he’s a 25-year-old organ donor from Hawaii. That one is obvious and unimpeachable (I’m McLovin it!) But two, he is so earnest and wears a drab, brown vest that wouldn’t have been out of place in the 70s. What’s the story there? It’s not a period piece. I don’t think I ever knew anyone who wore a vest to school, except for one of my high school teachers. Said teacher would consume exactly 22 red, seedless grapes every day, hoarded pennies in his basement for the day they would be discontinued (nailed it!), and any time the weather dipped south of 72 degrees, he could be spotted sporting a sweater vest. Salute to you, Mr. Schroeder. The weirdest dude I ever met (and boy did he love himself some FRANKLIN! DELANO! ROOSEVELT!). 7. Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) - Ferris Bueller's Day Off Another high school kid with a vest? What?! Man, did I just not GET high school? To be fair, no one has ever gotten high school better than Ferris Bueller. You know those days when you wake up and you’re just not feeling it? Well, this guy did something about it. When your parents name you after a carnival attraction, you know that you’re bound for big things. Ferris (Wheel) Bueller did not disappoint. That scene where he’s lip syncing to Twist and Shout in the middle of a parade: chef’s kiss. Pure perfection (as is the vest). 8. The Joker (Heath Ledger) - The Dark Knight The Joker has a set color scheme. He is, in almost every iteration, clad in green and purple. It is a fantastic mix. In the Heath Ledger version, he rocks this wonderful purple suit with a green vest. While the vest is hiding for a lot of the movie, the jacket has been discarded for the interrogation room scene, allowing the vest some screentime to flourish. The vest is both simple and iconic (and green is my favorite color so, c’mon, it had to make the list). 9. Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) - Black Widow This vest is tactical and practical. It’s got a surplus of pockets and straps (what more could you ask for?). Florence Pugh looks perfect in it, like she’s absolutely well-equipped to take on the world in hand-to-hand combat. It is also a point of pride. She relishes the compliment on it from Black Widow with a “I knew it! I knew you did. It’s so cool, right?” She also delights in the admission that it’s the “first piece of clothing I’ve ever bought for myself.” The Black Widow movie has probably the most dialogue ever allocated to talking about a vest, although the corset in Pirates of the Caribbean would like a word (wait, is a corset a vest? Does Elizabeth Swan need to be on this list?). 10. Walter Sobchak (John Goodman) - The Big Lebowski John Goodman is a delightfully intimidating presence in this movie. You step one toe over the line and he’s coming for you (and that’s not just, like, my opinion, man). If you’re The Dude, you have to love a friend like that. Other than his unavailability to roll on the Shabbos, he is down for whatever. If someone comes into your home and pees on your rug, you want a guy like Walter in your corner. Heads are gonna roll and he’s got room for them in his vest pockets. 11. Stan (Paul Wilson) - Office Space Remember the guy with all the pieces of flair at Chotchkie's? The guy that chastises Jennifer Aniston for only having 15 pieces of flair (the minimum acceptable threshold) while he’s out here rocking 37. Now that’s a vest! I’m sure most of us have a had a job or two that required some level of wardrobe commitment we wouldn’t have engaged in while on our own dime. Now personally, (*whispers*) I actually kind of like the look of the flair and would totally be open to it, but I’m willing to admit it’s not for everyone. Fun fact: 37 is considered to be objectively the funniest number. Click here for the deets from Vulture. Final Thoughts There are countless characters that have worn a vest throughout the history of movie-dom. Some are for style and some are practical, but all are memorable in their own way. I will leave a list down below of the ones that just missed my Top 11. Please let me know in the comments section if I’ve omitted any of your faves. Thanks! Have a great day! Picture of me at a wedding, September 2020 Ash Ketchum (Veronica Taylor - English) - Pokémon Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) - The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Flynn Rider (Zachary Levi) - Tangled Han Solo (Harrison Ford) - Star Wars Gene Kranz (Ed Harris) - Apollo 13 Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) - Guardians of the Galaxy

By CJ Tiernan Shakespeare once wrote something about names and roses (c’mon, you know the one). Anyway, he was wrong. A name can make or break the essence of a character. Han Solo tells us he’s a lone wolf. Ted Lasso tells us he’s in charge of corralling a group of individuals. Mickey Mouse tells us he’s a mouse. Sometimes, the writer just goes wild with it. Princess Consuela Banana Hammock is a name a character (who already has a name) makes up for themselves. Inigo Montoya is a fluid name, uttered poetically over and over again. The list of character names truly feels endless. And yet, I have compiled a list of my Top 11 Favorite Character Names of all time, including movies, TV, the internet, and other reading material. Enjoy! 1. Yukon Cornelius - Movie - Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer This intrepid explorer, on the hunt for a rich vein of peppermint, drops in on our protagonist and becomes an unexpected ally. What’s the first thing you think of when you hear “Yukon”? An area of Canada? The river that flows through said area? How about the GMC SUV? Whatever it is, it is a rugged association that meshes perfectly with a bearded dude, armed solely with a pickaxe, wandering the frozen tundra and avoiding the Abominable Snow Monster. 2. Caractacus Potts - Movie - Chitty Chitty Bang Bang The first time we meet this character, we actually meet his kitchen as well. He has a crazy contraption seemingly designed to make breakfast more complicated. We are introduced to the fanciful, larger-than-life nature of the story and his handiness with building odd machines. How did the sculptor of this wonderful name also generate names like Jeremy and Grandpa? It feels like a choke job, or it would, if said writer didn’t also have names in his bag like Willy Wonka, Miss Trunchbull, and The BFG. 3. Ebenezer Scrooge - Book - A Christmas Carol John Leech (29 August 1817 – 29 October 1864 in London), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons I didn’t read the book and yet I’ve seen an iteration of this story a hundred times. It is the backbone of a Christmas movie. Someone is grumpy and angry at the world or their life or something and then get set straight through a series of interactions. Usually, that character is named Ebenezer Scrooge. Fun fact: the Disney character Belle is simply named for the word “beautiful” in French (Fake out! J.K. That wasn’t the fact. It’s that Scrooge McDuck was named after Ebenezer). 4. Albus Dumbledore - Book - Harry Potter His full name is Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. When you have three kids, you have an oldest, a youngest, and a middle child. Names usually follow this same pattern, dropping oldest and youngest for first and last. When you have three middle names, do those names have sub-names? I don’t believe they do. If you, like the late Charles Duell of 1899 Patent Office fame, believe that “everything that can be invented has been invented,” then you can break that curse by trying your hand at giving a name to the subset of middle names. I, for one, submit using The Brady Bunch progeny as nomenclature delineation for multiple middle names. Percival would be the Greg Middle Name, Wulfric would be the Marcia Middle Name, and Brian would be the Peter Middle Name. If you have more than six middle names then, well, I don't know but your initials must look like an eye test. 5. Dr. Heinz Doofenschmirtz - TV Show - Phineas and Ferb Heinz is a Drusselsteinian villain often mistaken for a pharmacist. He is solely focused on taking over the entire tri-state area and his efforts (and Inators) are inevitably foiled by Perry the Platypus (another great name). I love the brazen nature of creating a corporation with both his name on it and the word “Evil.” There is no subtlety and yet he is never harassed by the proper authorities (unless you count his brother Roger: the mayor of Danville. That dude lives rent-free in his head). 6. Trogdor the Burninator - Web Series - Homestar Runner I appreciate a name that tells you right in the name what the character does. He, to quote the song, spends his time “burninating the countryside” and “burninating all the people in the thatched-roof cottages.” He’s a dragon man (or maybe he was just a dragon) that comes to life courtesy of Strong Bad’s sketch work. You have to look him up to check out all his majesty. This hails from a simpler time when the internet was used for good instead of evil. 7. Zaphod Beeblebrox - Book - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy The idea that an individual would be classified as an ex-President of the Galaxy is delightful. Zaphod has two heads, three arms, and no sense of decorum. His surname would be an excellent choice for a one-word tongue-twister. If you manage to squeeze both an ‘X’ and a ‘Z’ into a name, you’ve either completely lost the plot on how English works, or you’ve created a sweet name. 8a. Kingsley Shacklebolt - Book - Harry Potter This guy has the job that Harry Potter hopes to get when he graduates Hogwarts (if he manages to survive his annual life-and-death entanglement). He’s an auror at the Ministry of Magic. The job is to essentially track down and capture bad guys and send them to jail (which in Harry Potter land, is the ominous sounding Azkaban). The dude is literally out here shackling and bolting baddies. A tip of the Kufi (his hat style) to you, Mr. Shacklebolt. 8b. Bellatrix Lestrange - Book - Harry Potter I double-dipped with Harry Potter characters (triple-dipped, actually, because I already mentioned Dumbledore) so, don’t worry, I’ve added a twelfth name to the list. This far into the list, it’s become clear that an ‘X’ a ‘Z’ or a ‘K’ is nearly essential for a great name. Only a few on the list lack all three. Bellatrix is an evil woman, fueled by a warped sense of genetic superiority and a fanatical devotion to the big bad. She is, apart from the magical abilities, a spot-on impression of the high-ranking officers of the Nazis. J.K. Rowling has confirmed that is not an accident. Some may question putting the word “strange” in the name of a crazy woman, but I think it works (plus, with the French pronunciation, it’s hidden-ish). 9. Snake Plissken - Movie - Escape from New York What’s cooler than a dude with an eye-patch? A dude named Snake. This guy has both and, just to drive the point home, he smokes. In fact, if we continue the cool list, we can add in that he has a tattoo of a snake, rocks monochromatic camo pants (oxymoron?), and has big guns (and we’re not just talking the ones sticking out either side of his tank top). While I could take or leave the movie, the man is the definition of cool on every level. 10. Lex Luther - Comic Book - Superman If you’re gonna build a bad guy from scratch, what do you start with? I feel like "rich owner of a large corporation with your name on it" is a start. Maybe sprinkle in genius scientist and bald head and you’re getting really close. Finely dressed in a suit and surrounded by henchmen and you’ve got it. Add in the ‘X’ and the alliteration in the name and you’ve got one of the greatest villains ever. Fun fact: the comic book artist initially intended for him to have red hair and simply left him bald by accident. Neglect: classic villain origin story. 11. Maximus Decimus Meridius - Movie - Gladiator This is not a name you give to an accountant. The individual who rides beneath this flag, rides toward greatness (no offense to accountants but, you get it). It sounds like it could be vaguely, historically Roman, although no such figure actually existed. I think it’s a perfect name with which to enter the Colosseum because it’s so long that it provides time to stall whilst they announce your entrance. When you’re up against corrupt Emperors, desperate criminals, and oversized animals, every little bit helps. Final Thoughts Names can be such an important piece of one’s identity. When they are a fictional character with a backstory that is less fleshed-out than that of yours or mine, it is often an essential shortcut. Manners may maketh man, but a name maketh their identity known. There were obviously a ton of different names I considered when making this and I left a bushel off the list. I will leave a few of those that just missed down below. Please let me know if I missed any of your favorites. Thanks! Have a great day! Mike Pancake - Movie - Unfinished Business Buzz Lightyear - Movie - Toy Story Sterling Archer - TV Show - Archer Artemis Fowl - Book - Artemis Fowl Johnny Bravo - TV Show - Johnny Bravo Ace Ventura - Movie - Ace Ventura: Pet Detective Major Major Major Major - Book - Catch 22 Cruella De Vil - Movie - One Hundred and One Dalmatians

By CJ Tiernan Fun fact: You can actually do a countdown from 11 to 1 using movie titles as the numbers (you can actually go all the way through number 146, but I won't waste your time). Please enjoy as I demonstrate: Ocean’s Eleven (2001) 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) District 9 (2009) 8 Mile (2002) Seven (1995) Six Degrees of Separation (1993) Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023) Fantastic Four (2005) ¡Three Amigos! (1986) Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) Ah, now wasn’t that satisfying? The point is, there are a lot of movies that feature a numeral in the title. I have crafted a list of my Top 11 Favorite Movies I’ve ever seen with a Number in the Title. As a note, I did not include any sequel or prequel movies that feature a number as a representation of their standing in the series. 1. Super 8 (2011) If you’re like me than, not only do you have facial hair, but you also partnered with your friends in your youth to film little movies. There are few things more exhilarating that being able to edit a movie such that two non-consecutive moments sit end to end, thus creating an entirely new reality. The characters in this movie are varying levels of determined to finish their movie when they are rudely interrupted by a train crash, a government coverup, and being told no by their parents. Is that not how all home videos end? 2. Ocean's Eleven (2001) To have George Clooney, Don Cheadle, and Brad Pitt all in the same movie, is to produce something so utterly steeped in charisma it can charm the pants off a lawn gnome. While the sequels were fine, this is the crown jewel of the collection (although they don’t steal an actual jewel, just lots of cash). If you’re a heist movie type of person, this is the movie for you. 3. Seven (1995) David Fincher is one of the most prolific directors of our time. He is famously meticulous in his efforts, often squeezing incredibly large numbers of takes out of his actors. The framing and the blocking have to be just perfect. While I can sympathize with those who would find that hard to work with, the results speak for themselves. This is my second favorite Fincher Flick (behind Zodiac), and is an incredible ride from start to finish. There is a sensory level in this movie that doesn’t exist in most, as though he managed to squeeze a 4D experience out of a 2D film. I’m now realizing that either Fincher leans hard into murder in his movies or my two favorite Flincher Flicks (patent pending) are about investigating murders and following serial killers. I’m sure if Freud were still alive, he’d have no comment on the matter. 4. District 9 (2009) It surprises me to note that this is not the only movie I’ve seen that takes place in South Africa. The country (which boasts the most on-the-nose naming convention since Iceland) was also the setting for a scene in Avengers: Age of Ultron, basically the entirety of Invictus, and for a few other movies like Safe House and The Gods Must Be Crazy. However, District 9 is the best of the bunch. It features some racial commentary that probably feels familiar to those denizens who survived the reign of Apartheid. It also features some aliens that may look familiar if you work at Area 51 (let me know in the comments if you work at Area 51. I gots ta know). 5. The Whole Nine Yards (2000) Bruce Willis, Matthew Perry, and Amanda Peet are an unexpectedly charming three-headed monster in this one. Featuring mobsters, mistaken identities, marital swaps, and money problems, this movie is well worth your time. And, in case you are feeling trepidatious or confused, it’s not a golf movie, just a reference to the classic idiom. 6. 21 Jump Street (2012) Jon Lebkowsky, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons I’ve never seen the ‘80s TV show upon which this movie is based. Irrelevant! It’s a great movie. What do you get when you throw Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Dave Franco, and Brie Larson in a glass and add Ice Cube(s)? A delicious cocktail of irreverent comedy. For the record, I one-strapped my way through High School, but I’m two-strapping my way through life now. 7. 12 Monkeys (1995) Dude! Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt both make another appearance on the list. One could argue their days are numbered (rim shot). This movie is a mind-bending thriller involving time travel and a post-apocalyptic existence. It is the most unhinged Brad Pitt you will ever see (he earned his first of four acting Academy Award nominations for the role) and it’s directed by Terry Gilliam. For the uninitiated, Gilliam is the American representative of the hallowed comedy sextet Monty Python. Now stop monkeying around and go watch this movie (I’m not embarrassed. You're embarrassed). 8. The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005) Fun fact: this is the only movie on the list in which the number in the title denotes a person’s age (am I using the word “fun” correctly? Maybe I should have just gone with “Observation:”). This is the first in an incredible run of movies produced and/or directed by Judd Apatow. The run also included Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006), Knocked Up (2007), Superbad (2007), Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007), Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008), Step Brothers (2008), Pineapple Express (2008), Funny People (2009), Get Him to the Greek (2010), and Bridesmaids (2011). It was an unbelievable run that led to a swath of actors being branded members of the “Frat Pack,” which followed the “Brat Pack” of the ‘80s and the “Rat Pack” of the ‘60s. By my math, it’s the 2020s and we’re due for another “(word that rhymes with rat) Pack.” Some nominees: a bunch of overweight movie stars (the “Fat Pack”), a bunch of nerdy movie stars (the “Stat Pack”), a bunch of texting movie stars (the “Chat Pack”), or a bunch of guys named Matt get famous at the same time (hey, we did it with the name Chris). 9. Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes (2020) A Japanese time-travel movie in which there is a constantly flowing time loop two minutes into the future? Yes, please. It is unique and clever and endlessly entertaining. Plus, if you’re someone who is constantly raging against the ever-inflated runtime of modern cinema, I present to you a skimpy 70 minutes worth of this movie. 10. 12 Angry Men (1957) It’s old and it’s in black and white. Now that we’ve got the negatives out of the way, let’s dig in to the good stuff. A jury that is very loosely comprised of a young man’s peers (12 old white dudes) spends the whole movie deliberating in a room on his innocence (or lack thereof). Why are they angry? Because it’s apparently a billion degrees in the jury room and they want to leave but there is one lone holdout unconvinced of the young man’s guilt. I wonder how many wrongful imprisonments are due to the uncomfortable conditions of a jury room (*crosses fingers and hopes it's zero-ish*). 11. Apollo 13 (1995) What a year for Tom Hanks. Not only did he get close enough to the moon to wave to the Martians as he slingshot (slingshotted? Slingshate?) around it but he also voiced a child’s cowboy plaything in Toy Story. While “Houston, we have a problem” is the most enduring of the Apollo 13 quotes, I feel the gut punch of his “we just lost the moon” realization hits even harder. In fact, “Lost Moon” is the title of the book the real human upon which his character is based, Jim Lovell, wrote, describing the story in a first-hand account. Also, the movie has Clint Howard in it, so you know it was directed by Ron Howard. Final Thoughts Since the Sumerians first developed a numbering system over 5000 years ago (using base 60! Wrap your mind around that!), we have had numbers in our movie titles (citation needed). There are tons to choose from. Again, I did not include any of the movies that used their numbers to signal their status as a sequel. As such, I’m sure your list differs from mine. Please let me know what you think in the comments. Thanks! Have a great day! 300 (2007) 1917 (2009) Five Nights at Freddy's (2023) 3 Ninjas (1992) The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) 10 Things I Hate about You (1999) The Man with One Red Shoe (1985) United '93 (2006) 1776 (1972) Juror #2 (2024) Big Hero 6 (2014) The Edge of Seventeen (2016) 50 First Dates (2004)

By CJ Tiernan Between approximately 252 million and 66 million years ago, dinosaurs roamed the earth (they may have also RULED the earth but, to date, no dinosaur crowns have been located in the fossil records). Freaking dinosaurs, man! They are just a breathtakingly awesome concept. Creatures as large as 120 or 130 feet long that weighed 100 tons or more is just insane. Plus, with the curious manner of their sudden demise, the true-crime crowd should be champing at the bit to make it a murder-mystery podcast. Their extinction is an unsolved mystery that still burns bright (though the general consensus is that an asteroid was the guilty party). Below I've listed my 11 favorite dinosaurs I've ever encountered in my studies (in books and stuff, not physically. Again, they're extinct). 1. Archaeopteryx NobuTamura http://paleoexhibit.blogspot.com/ http://spinops.blogspot.com/, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons The Archaeopteryx is one of the dinosaurs that looks like a bird. In fact, this dino was considered a "missing link" of sorts upon its discovery in the 1800s. The delightful little bugger would been about the size and color of a raven. It is, at least in most depictions, rather hideous. I love its misfit vibe for the same reason the platypus is my favorite animal. They just feel like outcasts with hybrid features. Fall with style you beautiful beast! 2. Velociraptor Fred Wierum, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons It can be hard to separate our conception of dinosaurs courtesy of kids books and Jurassic Park movies but, the reality is, there were a lot of feathers back then (seriously, powwow levels of feathers). While this dino is not a complete departure from the "clever girl" you know and love, there are certainly some differences, thanks to scientific discoveries that have taken place since I was a kid. Actually, most of what we know of the Velociraptor from Jurassic Park is actually a closely-related dinosaur called the Deinonychus. Michael Crichton (author of the book upon which the movies were based) used the Deinonychus as his basis for the dinosaur almost entirely and just thought the name velociraptor sounded cooler. No arguments here. 3. Tyrannosaurus Rex Durbed, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Here it is. The king of the jungle. The top of the food chain. The power house of the cell (wait, that's mitochondria). The mighty dino with the vestigial arms, T-Rex could've been over 40 feet long and more than 13 feet tall. Yikes! I could see that chasing down a jeep. This thing operated like a lever, with its legs functioning as the fulcrum. It required the long tail to counterbalance the weight of its patented big head. Other than maybe Chuck Norris, this was the coolest apex predator ever. 4. Gallimimus I, Steveoc 86, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons If what I learned about this guy as a kid is still true, the Gallimimus is a pack dinosaur that goes around and steals the eggs of other dinosaurs (like to eat, not to foster as their own like in a "Raising Arizona" or "Jungle Book" situation). They could be up to 20 feet long and over 6 feet tall. This illustration expertly showcases the speed they would have had to use to escape the scene of the crime (as they were operating eons before the advent of the getaway driver). 5. Ankylosaurus TotalDino, CC BY 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Going clubbing had a totally different connotation when this guy strolled into town. This dinosaur was armored up to the (metaphorical) gills and had a club on the end of its tail. The armor was made of plates of bone embedded into the skin. That's like some Darth Maul-level malevolence, right there. While a full skeleton of one these irascible little devils has never been found, forcing paleontologists to theorize on the subjects of feet and pelvis, I think we can rest assured that this animal, which could be over 20 feet long, would not have flown under the radar. If you accidentally strode through his azaleas, your last thought might be "thank God he's an herbivore" before that tail club broadsided you into the next life. 6. Stegosaurus Fred Wierum, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Okay, clearly I have a type. I'm back for more bony plates sticking out of the skin. Dinosaurs are serving as a Freudian Rorschach Test. Here's the thing, these guys are awesome. When you're not an apex predator, you need a defense system. Armor and weapons, much like in the Crusades, is how you survive. The plates also operated as thermoregulators, which is pretty cool. Stegosauri could be up to 25 feet long. I don't really have anything else to say about them, I just wanted to use the word Stegosauri (which is, indeed, a legitimate English plural of Stegosaurus). 7a. Mosasaurus Creator: Dmitry Bogdanov, CC BY 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Welp, I've gone and cheated. Technically the Mosasaurus is not a dinosaur. It is an entirely sea-dwelling reptile that lived during the time of the dinosaurs (and apparently part of the definition of a dinosaur indicates they are terrestrial reptiles). I see it as a water dinosaur, but I seem to have left my PhD in Paleontology in my other pair of khakis. Whatevs. My list, my rules. This thing is awesome. It could be over 50 feet long and, like someone with F-you money, fed on whatever it saw. It ate sharks, man. Sharks! Plus look at those paddle fins. The Mosasaurus was like the T-Rex of the seas: an apex predator. 7b. Elasmosaurus Dmitry Bogdanov, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons As long as I'm in the business of fudging with my own lists, I may as well push all the chips to the middle of the table. This is another marine reptile that, while it lived in the Late Cretaceous Period, does not meet the stodgy qualifications of a being a dinosaur. I mean, c'mon, look at this thing. Do you want to be the one to tell it that it doesn't get to be a dinosaur? It is described as having a short tale and "paddle-like limbs." It also sports a delightfully long neck. This thing is about 40% neck, like Takeo Spikes or Mike Glennon. Just the neck could be over 23 feet long. Elasmosaurus was one of many that fall under the classification of "long-necked plesiosaurs." Personally, I categorize them as "voted most likely to have secretly survived mass extinction and built a summer home in a lake in the Scottish Highlands." 8. Iguanodon Sauroarchive, CC BY 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Sharp thumbs. The first thing you think about with these dinosaurs (yes, we're back to dinosaurs that dinosaur people call dinosaurs) is a sharp thumb. Iguanodons could be over 35 feet long and, like the T-Rex, used the tail to balance its gait on its hind legs. But seriously, those sharp thumbs. If you're at a sleep over with an Iguanodon and do the whole "tickle their face with a feather to make them slap shaving cream on themselves" bit, you may end up causing an involuntary, self-inflicted thumb through the eye (Hilarious!). 9. Triceratops Nobu Tamura (http://spinops.blogspot.com), CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Did you know these quadrupeds could be up to 30 feet long? They are one of the most recognizable dinosaurs out there (well, not "out there, out there" as they all died a crazy long time ago, but you know what I mean) because of their 3 horns. Tri means 3 (except in rugby, where it is a score worth either 4 or 5 points depending on the league and rules. Or, if you're hanging with Yoda: "exist, it does not"). If you ever wondered what the plate along the back of the head (called a "frill") was for, well, so did the science dudes. While many different theories have been posed through the years, the two that hold the most water at this time are that 1) they were used for courtship and 2) they were used defensively. They are ornate and all the different species of Triceratops had different patterns and styles so it is believed they may have operated similarly to the peacock's feathers. However, because Triceratops were alive at the same time as the T-Rex, it is thought the robust bone structure may have operated as a defense mechanism. They had skin on the frill and many little veins ran through it, so it would been like defending yourself from a bear by shielding your face with your forearm (a.k.a. ouch!). 10. Spinosaurus User:Mariolanzas, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons These beasts were some of the largest carnivores that roamed the earth. While the T-Rex is famously the big cheese, this guy was no untouched slice of Swiss on the charcuterie board and may have actually been longer than the T-Rex. The Spinosaurus could grow to over 45 feet long. It is believed these things could use the spiny tail and paddle feet in water and operate as a semi-aquatic creature, aiding in its acquisition of food. With a head like a crocodile, it could hunt its prey on land or in water (like an outdoorsman who both hunts and fishes). Next time your back hurts, just think "it could be worse. I could have a giant 7-foot sail sticking out the back of it." I think it might help. 11. Diplodocus Creator:Dmitry Bogdanov, CC BY 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons The Diplodocus could grow up to 100 feet long. That is a big dino. They had small brains, ate plants, and possessed a whip-like tail. They are famous for their delightfully long necks but their body length was actually over 50% tail (they got it the natural way, not via a Brazilian Butt Lift). I like this dinosaur because it gives off some lazy vibes. It is so long it can just graze from a large number of plants without having to lift its pivot foot. It is so long, it just exists near everything it needs. That sounds nice. However, the spikes along its spine are believed to be for defense, or at least as a deterrent, so probably best not to spike the ball just yet. Final Thoughts In the history of time, dinosaurs are some of the coolest things that ever lived (though Morpheus in "The Matrix" might still be number one). It is fascinating to see how they all evolved for their environments (and to survive their enemies). From little tiny, bird-sized ones, to the dinosaurs that would outsize even the largest of quarry vehicles, they spanned every imaginable shape and size. And there were so many. I'm sure you have your favorites (or at least did when you were a kid), so let me know in the comments if I missed any of your faves. Thanks! Zachi Evenor, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

By CJ Tiernan The music in a movie often lurks in the shadows, providing an imperceptible emotional backbone to a scene. Other times, however, the character or characters are just straight-up singing or dancing to a song that is part of the world of the film. When the song is part of that world, it creates an opportunity to get a sense of the characters' thoughts, feelings, or behavior. Then again, sometimes it's just cool. The following is a list of my 11 favorite moments I've ever seen in a movie where music plays a big part of the scene. 1. Whiplash (2018) - Ending "Whiplash" is one of the best movies I've ever seen. Miles Teller plays Andrew Neiman, a college student in relentless pursuit of jazz-drumming greatness. With the help of one of the best teachers/worst people, Terrence Fletcher (JK Simmons, in an Oscar-winning performance) helps push him to his limits. By the end of the film (this goes without saying, but, Spoiler Alert!), Fletcher has lost his job at the school and is aware that Neiman was, at least in part, responsible for his dismissal. In a new role, he leads Neiman in to a sabotage-esque event where Neiman is left on stage not knowing the song they are playing. Neiman leaves the stage, only to come back on and play a song ("Caravan" by Juan Tizol and Duke Ellington) to impress Fletcher and showcase his skills. During the scene, Fletcher goes from gloating over the sabotage, to angry that Neiman is taking over the performance, to impressed by his skills and rooting him on and supporting it (all while saying barely a word). It is one of the most impressive performances I've ever seen and also one of the greatest finishes to a movie. It was written and directed by Damien Chazelle, who would go to do "La La Land" and "First Man." 2. Back to the Future (1985) - Enchantment Under the Sea Dance Selfie of me next to a DeLorean at Universal Studios Florida in 2017 This scene has everything. The Chuck Berry song "Johnny B Goode," the disappearing photo of Marty McFly and his siblings, Marty trying to get his parents to kiss to restore his very existence, and the song "Earth Angel." There is tension and drama, but also sci-fi and comedy. It is a perfect blend of so many different elements and a culmination of the movie. It is the perfect climax. Also, the cost of admission to the dance was $1. When's the last time a dollar got you anything? The only thing I've ever gotten for a dollar is 4 quarters. 3. It's Kind of a Funny Story (2010) - Under Pressure This movie is kind of a depressing story. It follows a teenager who admits himself into the psych ward because the stress he feels at school nearly drove him to suicide. He feels a great deal of pressure from his family and friends to be great and do great things. It weighs on him. In this scene, he is pressured to sing the song crafted by the great David Bowie and Queen. While the song title may feel a little on the nose, the scene is perfect. It gets very surreal and quickly shifts from the meeting room on the psych ward to a stage with everyone dressed in rock-star gear. When the song ends, it fades back in and the teenager has won over the room with his performance. He gains both a sense of belonging and the adoration of his peers (who are basically all adults because the adolescent portion of the psych department is temporarily closed). It is a beautiful scene and a bit of a turning point in the middle of the film. The film features great performances all around but this scene is my favorite. Viola Davis, Zach Galifianakis, Emma Roberts, and Zoë Kravitz are in this thing so check it out. 4. The Lego Movie (2014) - Everything is Awesome The song "Everything is Awesome" more or less starts the movie (it is the second scene behind putting in place the villain and the lore). It is a fantastic way of setting up the tone of the movie and its main character (and Taco Tuesday). The world in which the film takes place is established to delicious effect, incorporating both the Lego elements and the comedy of the film. The song itself is an unforgettable ear worm, but the scene as whole sets the whole thing into motion. 5. Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) - Twist and Shout "Twist and Shout" is a banger. It is sung (or lip-synched to a rendition by The Beatles) by the title character during a parade through Chicago (the name of the parade is the Von Steuben Day parade, which is apparently a real thing). While the carefree energy (that runs counter to Cameron's energy) of Ferris has been well established at this point in the film, I still love this scene. It is classic John Hughes (a pillar of the millennial childhood everywhere). While the vest may have aged poorly (or not. See my list of Top 11 movie vests for clarification), the movie and the scene haven't. I love the people dancing on the steps. This scene just makes you feel so alive! Save Ferris! 6. Step Brothers (2008) - Por Ti Volare (Catalina Wine Mixer) This is the makeup scene at the very end of the movie. People have drifted apart and this one, tear-jerking song seemingly reunites the world. I don't believe I've ever heard this song outside of this movie. It is, after all, written in Spanish (as Baxter knows, I don't speak Spanish). Will Ferrell actually sang his part (and John C. Reilly actually played the drums) and the earnestness with which he sings it make the comedy. It creates a comically magical ending to a very funny movie. Say it with me now: "the f***ing Catalina Wine Mixer!" 7. Tangled (2010) - I See the Light The second animated movie on my list, "Tangled" is a retelling of the classic Brothers' Grimm fairy tale "Rapunzel." In a nearly infinite list of fantastic Disney songs, this one is one of my all-time favorites. It features the main character (played to perfection by Mandy Moore) experiencing freedom for the first time and watching her favorite thing in the whole world: an epic release of paper lanterns that occurs annually on her birthday (unaware that it is happening because of her). Zachary Levi (of "Chuck" fame) is also great in this. It is a beautiful moment in a great movie. 8. Pitch Perfect (2012) - Barden Bellas Finals "Pitch Perfect" is a really fun movie. It's a musical and a rom com. With great energy and great music, it is a great way to spend two hours. The part at the end where the Barden Bellas perform their new routine in the finals is my favorite part. As a way of an apology, Anna Kendrick's character incorporates an inside joke into their routine by including the Simple Minds song "Don't You (Forget About Me)" from the movie "The Breakfast Club." As the camera cuts between the performance and Skylar Astin's character, we feel the connection between the characters and the metaphorical bridge being repaired. It makes my heart sing! 9. Thor: Ragnarok (2017) - Bifrost Bridge Speaking of singing: that Led Zeppelin band was pretty good, eh? That Robert Plant fella had some wicked good pipes, eh? Speaking of metaphorical bridges: I give you a literal bridge. The climactic final battle sequence that takes place on the Bifrost is so epic. Thor, returning with a sick new weapon, down an eye, and seemingly a whole brand spanking new skillset, gets played in with "The Immigrant Song." It is a superhero entrance for all time. The entrance, splayed out initially from the side, looks like some sort of epic painting the way the tableau is set up. It is deliciously perfect. 10. Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) - Live Aid Ending I am not someone who gets mad at a biopic for leaving out relevant details of a persons life. Ultimately, the goal of a movie is to entertain, not to educate. For that reason, I have no objection to way they chose to portray Freddie Mercury and Queen in "Bohemian Rhapsody" (that being said, I wish I lived in the alternate universe where Sasha Baron Cohen was permitted to portray Mercury in a warts and all flick). Indisputably, the best scene in the movie is the final one. It is a largely shot-for-shot recreation of Queen's performance at Live Aid in 1985 (shout out to the performance of Rami Malek). While the film ratchets up the tension by fudging with the timeline and cutting to Freddie's family, this scene is so powerful and so epic. It is an unbelievable sendoff to both the movie and a rock legend. Damn you, AIDS! 11. Baby Driver (2017) - Opening Car Chase Aw man, this car chase. I love me some Edgar Wright and his ability to craft unique shots and powerful music moments. He set out to just create something that looks really cool. Spencer Blues Explosion's “Bellbottoms” blasts through the main characters ear buds while he waits to be the getaway driver of a heist and subsequently executes the aforementioned getting away. Everything during the pursuit is so fun and cool and the action is perfectly synched up to the music, including perfectly timed door slams. There is tension, action, and misdirection right out the gates. Love it! Final Thoughts Music can add to a scene in so many ways. It can bring characters together in meaningful and impactful ways. It can also just be totally dope. I'm not above something just looking and feeling really cool. I'll leave a list of a few of the music moments that just missed my list down below. As always, please let me know in the comments if I left one of your favorites off the list. Thanks! Dark Knight (2008) - Opening Beetlejuice (1988) - Day-O Recess: School's Out (2001) - Green Tambourine Free Willy (1993) - Wall Jump The Suicide Squad (2021) - Harley Quinn Escape/Rampage Wayne's World (1992) - Bohemian Rhapsody

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 in movies, books, or TV that has some wisdom to impart to another character in the story, a wisdom that feels as though they are talking directly to me. In those instances, I often jot them down in the Notes App of my phone (hooray for smartphones!). Below is a list of the Top 11 Pieces of Advice I have ever noted from a Fictional Character (though I may have failed to actually heed their advice). 1. "Be Excellent to Each Other" - William S. Preston Esq. a.k.a. Bill Movie: Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) I consider this 5-word phrase (my spelling is terrible, so for years I referred to this as a 4-word phrase because I thought "each other" was one word) to be my life mantra. My true north. My guiding light. As human beings in this world, all we have is our fellow man. People are what make our lives worth living. People are the first thing you think about when your doctor diagnoses you with a day or a month or a year to live. They are precious and irreplaceable. Be kind to your fellow man. Treat them better than you feel you deserve to be treated. Spread love, not hate. Be the change you want to see in the world. 2. "Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary" - John Keating Movie: Dead Poets Society (1989) When you're in High School, you hit this certain point where you've learned enough stuff that you feel like you understand the world. You have knowledge, but you don't yet know all the things you don't know. In that, there are two divergent paths. One, you can take life for granted and live recklessly. Two, you wait. You see that there is time and you operate with patience, waiting for a path to choose you. I love the urgency in this quote. Robin Williams' character implores his students to grab the bull by the horns and take what it is they want from life. To choose their path and chase their dreams. Regardless of age, tomorrow isn't guaranteed. Go for the things you want most in life. 3. "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it" - Ferris Bueller Movie: Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) André Koehne, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Ferris is encouraging us all to "shake it up, baby, now!" with this message. He breaks the 4th wall and talks directly to us. He wants us to live life. Few characters have ever lived it up to the extent that Ferris does in this movie (over the course of just a single school day), but we can probably all stand to ratchet up our efforts a little. Live life to the fullest. Don't allow yourself to fall so deeply in a routine that you fail to mix it up and do something fun, something different, something unexpected, something exciting. Be you, not what others want you to be. 4. "It's in the past, it doesn't matter" - Rafiki Movie: The Lion King (1994) This line has stayed with me since I saw this movie in theaters as a child. Unless you are friends with Bill & Ted or Doc Brown, you cannot change the past. No matter how badly you wish you could or how, with your current knowledge, you would be able to change your actions for the better. You simply can't. Lingering on the past doesn't help the future. I am a sentimental person and I like to collect souvenirs from places I go, but I know that every action I have ever taken is unchangeable. All I can do with that knowledge is mend fences and bridges for mistakes I've made, and endeavor to learn from those mistakes to make my next action better than my last. Time doesn't heal all wounds, it gives us a chance to heal them ourselves. 5. "It does not do well to dwell on dreams and forget to live" - Albus Dumbledore Book: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (1997) We can get caught up in an image or a path for our lives (The famous line by Allen Saunders: "life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans" springs to mind). If we start to stray, we may effort so hard to get back to that path, not realizing a new one has emerged beneath our feet. The important message here is, much like the message of Rafiki, we cannot change the past and yearning do so is a waste of our precious time. Move on, push forward, and make the next action the best action with the data set you have available. You can cling to your dreams, but if they impede your ability to see what's in front of you, they may be doing more harm than good. Live in the moment! 6. "Believe in yourselves. Dream. Try. Do good. - Mr. Feeny TV Show: Boy Meets World (1993-2000) Ahh, Mr. Feeny. There is an entire generation of people that grew up absorbing the sage advice of neighbors like dear Mr. Feeny and Wilson from "Home Improvement." In this poignant moment he is talking to his classroom full of the bright-eyed, bushy-tailed kids. The same kids he had been educating throughout the entire series. He offers this advice in the series finale. So much of everything we accomplish in our lives comes from inside. Sure, when you're a kid this no shortage of external cajoling but ultimately, it's on us to try. It's on us to believe in ourselves. A perfect message to end the show and to send a group of human beings out into the real world. 7. "To be a good friend, you have to risk losing a good friend" - Uncle Phil TV Show: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990-1996) The intimidating presence of the 6'5" actor James Avery created an intense dynamic whenever Uncle Phil had to have a serious discussion with Will. In this particular moment, he was seated, having a thoughtful discussion with the titular Fresh Prince. The sentiment is clear: sometimes people NEED to hear something, even if they don't WANT to hear something. Do you want to be a "yes man," or truly champion your friend to take the best course of action for them? It can be difficult to make that call. It reminds be of the end of "The Dark Knight": "...He's the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now..." Also the quote from "Rounders" comes to mind: "You can't lose what you don't put in the middle, but you can't win much either." Friendship requires roots in honesty to stand the test of time. 8. "Don't let anyone, ever, make you feel like you don't deserve what you want. Go for it" - Patrick Movie: 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) How about this. I'm quoting a movie based on Shakespeare and I'm not pulling Shakespeare's dialogue. "To thine own self be true" (There, we got one from the bard with ruff collar in here). This movie is great and the part that is most quoted is obviously the moving portion at the very end wherein Julia Stiles relays through tears the titular reasons of hatred (Spoiler Alert: the hate melts to love by the end). However, this particular quote is delivered from Heath Ledger to Joseph Gordon-Levitt. It is a wonderful moment. It is encouragement to chase your dreams. Being given the okay to go after something or someone you want is a beautiful gesture of friendship. 9. "It is our choices... that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities" - Albus Dumbledore Book: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (1998) Actions speak louder than words. Doing what you believe to be right, especially in the face adversity, is such an obvious thing as a 3rd party observer and so much more difficult in the moment. Whether you were born on 3rd base with a silver spoon betwixt your incisors or came from nothing, how you play the hand you're dealt dictates how your legacy will be written. Do good. Be good. Choose good. When I was a kid, I had a teacher tell me, "no one can make you do anything you don't want to do." My parents disproved that every Sunday when I had to go to church, but there is some truth there. "Make every decision like your parents will read about it in the paper the next morning" was another one I heard in school (man, that's an old reference. How do we update that for the digital world? Text? Facebook?). Anyway, make good choices. 10. "Never give up, and good luck will find you" - Falkor Movie: The Neverending Story (1984) As Dwight said in the office, "I make my own luck. - Billy Zane, Titanic." This is another way to give agency to luck. Luck is, by definition, random... but not exclusively so. Those who make an effort, have a leg up on those that don't. Adopting a marathon mentality, or the idea of mind over matter, can help you achieve more. This quote runs counter to Yoda's famous line: "do or do not. There is no try." Trying is the first step to success. If you never try, you will never make it. "You miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take." - Wayne Gretzky - Michael Scott. 11. "In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun" - Mary Poppins Mary Poppins I believe it was the great philosophers Blink-182 that once sang, "work sucks, I know." Nobody wants to do work that is hard or menial. It is varying degrees of grinding, exhausting, or soul-crushing. Your job is to find the fun. Turn cleaning into a game or a competition. Flip your attitude from concentrating on the part that grinds your proverbial gears and focus instead on the joy you gain from working with others. If you have a job that helps people, focus on their smile and their gratitude. If you have a job with flexible hours, focus on how your job allows you to be there for the friends and family in your life. Work will never be all fun, even people who play games as their profession have trials and tribulations. The expectation is that you find the part that keeps you coming back and wear it as a badge. Flourish it. Trust Mary Poppins, she knows what she's talking about. She is, after all, practically perfect in every way. Final Thoughts There are a near-infinite number of quotes, delivered by fictional characters, that originate from multimedia and literature sources. It was impossible for me to sift through and absorb it all, so I may have left one of your favorites off my list. These are quotes that drive me and inform my personality. I can't wait to see yours in the comments. Thanks and Be Excellent to Each Other!

By CJ Tiernan The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) has been playing games since 1997. It currently has 13 teams and is working on getting up to 18 teams by 2030. A lot of the teams exist in the same cities as NBA teams. I have always enjoyed the uniqueness of team names in sports. The WNBA has several names that you don't see anywhere else and a lot really fit the city they're in. Below is a list of my 11 favorite WNBA team names. Note: I didn't include previous team names and I didn't include the team names that are coming in the near future for teams that have yet to play a game. 1. New York Liberty John Mac, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons The New York Liberty have the Statue of Liberty as their logo (technically it is now just the torch being held by "Lady Liberty"). That's right. The logo for the team named Liberty, is also the symbol the country recognizes as a (or the) symbol for liberty. It is a beautiful use of a unique name. And, as a bonus, they also use the color of the Statue of Liberty (that green, oxidized copper color) in their logo and uniforms. They even make the court that color. Awesome! 2. Washington Mystics The reason I love this name so much is the synergy with the NBA team in town: The Washington Wizards. The Wizards and The Mystics is such a cool combination and they're both such unique names. They just seem so much more fun than naming your team after a cat or a bird, as so many other teams do. It's magical! 😜 3. Las Vegas Aces The Las Vegas Aces is another team name that perfectly fits the locale. What's Vegas most famous for? Gambling. What's the best card in the deck? An Ace. Las Vegas clearly has an Ace up their sleeve: Head coach Becky Hammon. She has coached the Aces since 2022 and they've won the title 3 of the 4 years she's been there. I can't wait until she gets a chance to be a head coach in the NBA, a role she has long threatened to break the glass ceiling on. 4. Seattle Storm Seattle Storm is cool name for several reasons. The obvious one is that Seattle is famous for its many days of precipitation. They get rain on 150 to 165 days a year. Interestingly, the volume of rainfall is actually less than the national average. The other cool tie-in is that they play in Climate Pledge Arena. The naming rights were bought by Amazon to promote their goal of being carbon-neutral by 2040. Storm coupled with climate feels right. Storm also works as a great sports name because, when used as a verb, it conjures synonyms like charge, rush, and attack. It also invokes thunder, but that creates a "too soon" vibe, as the Seattleites (I looked it up, that's really what you call people from Seattle) lost their pro team to Oklahoma City (The one in Oklahoma State), where the name was changed from The Supersonics to the Thunder. 5. Phoenix Mercury Phoenix is hot. Famously hot. Really, really hot. It is therefore fitting to use Mercury as the team name. Mercury is famously used in thermometers, or was before health and safety were, at least partly, prioritized by the government. You know how doctors used to prescribe cigarettes and kids were allowed to be free-range children? Good times. Anyway, Mercury is also the name of the closest planet to the sun. You know the one that's just a large rock because it's so hot nothing has even considered growing there. The planet is named for the Roman god of the same name, who was famous for speed and agility. It's an all-around apt name. 6. Golden State Valkyries Norse mythology alert! Valkyries are female warriors. They are usually depicted as beautiful women on horseback, fierce in battle and decked out in sick armor. The women's basketball team is named for lady warriors in the city where the men's team is named the Golden State Warriors. Yep, I'd say they nailed that name. Hey hammer, may I introduce you to the head of this nail? 7. Minnesota Lynx Alright, I know I was ragging on naming a sports team after a big cat earlier, but in Minnesota's defense, they found one that wasn't taken yet. Lynxes are just bobcats with a great PR agent, but it works for two reasons. One, let's be honest: words with an 'X' in them are just cooler. I don't make the rules, that's just the way it is. Two, Minnesota's NBA team is named The Timberwolves so it's really just a fancy name for a dog and a fancy name for a cat. Good spin, Minnesota! Good spin. 8. Los Angeles Sparks The Sparks have the same color scheme as the Los Angeles Lakers and play in the same arena. Synergy, baby! I like the name because a spark is the genesis of a fire. When used as a verb, it literally means ignite. It sounds like getting in on the ground floor of something great and powerful. Burn, baby, burn! 9. Chicago Sky The Chicago Sky works as a name for several reasons. First off, it conjures the image of the Chicago skyline, one of the most famous skylines in the US. The logo even incorporates the tallest building in the skyline: the artist formerly known as The Sears Tower. Sky also works as a great basketball verb, as achieving tremendous elevation is a real asset in the sport. Finally, one of the most famous sights in Chicago is "The Bean" in Millennium Park. The actual name, "Cloud Gate" more accurately encapsulates it's reflective ability to showcase the sky and the skyline. 10. Atlanta Dream The Atlanta Dream is named after the famous "I have a dream" speech from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It was a speech delivered during the March on Washington in 1963, calling for an end to legalized racism and championing equal rights. The color scheme for the team is a very patriotic red, white and blue (Hmm. Should I have made this number one on my list?). 11. Connecticut Sun The Connecticut Sun have an interesting history. The team is the first professional sports team ever owned by an American Indian Tribe. The team was relocated to the Mohegan Indian Reservation in 2003, after being purchased by the Mohegan Sun. According to Wikipedia, The Mohegan Sun is a casino and entertainment complex spanning 240 acres in Uncasville, Connecticut. If you buy a team, you have every right to name it after you. I'm surprised more billionaires don't do it. Such restraint! Final Thoughts To be honest, I only recently started watching or following WNBA games. I'm not a big fan of the NBA, so I wasn't drawn into another professional basketball league (or Association). I only really follow my alma mater: The University of Iowa. We had a player a few years ago, Caitlin Clark, who kinda took the sport by storm and made it must-watch TV. It is because of her that I started watching the league. If they stop the violence that repeatedly gets her injured, I may continue to watch. As of now, only 2 teams that have played a game in the WNBA didn't make list: The Indiana Fever and The Dallas Wings. They are both unique names that you don't see in other leagues or in college, but didn't crack my Top 11. If you have a different order that you'd put these teams in, please let me know in the comments. Thanks!

By CJ Tiernan Will Ferrell burst on the comedy scene in the mid-'90s as a cast member 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 Top 11 favorite Movies containing Will Ferrell that I've ever seen. 1. The Lego Movie (2014) The Lego Movie is one of the greatest movies of all time. It contains a childlike sense of joy and wonder and perfectly encapsulates the magic of the toy on which it is based. When you have a box of legos, you can make anything. It is a wonderful and beautiful story and Will Ferrell, in addition to playing the animated villain, also plays a live-action role that helps embody the heart of the movie. I don't know that I've seen 5 movies in the theater that made me laugh harder than this one, but it also reaches a delightful and satisfying conclusion. The Lego Movie is a non-stop potpourri of visual stimuli that may take many viewings to fully appreciate, but I'm game to watch this movie over and over again. 2. Elf (2003) A human who thinks he's an elf is a great conceit that Will Ferrell and John Favreau (the director of the movie) execute to perfection. Elf has become a holiday staple that simply must be watched annually. Will's performance, again featuring an unwavering commitment to the bit, is the star of the show. He has such a childlike innocence and is a sweet and endearing character. As a fun (or embarrassing) fact: There is a narwal that breaches the surface as Buddy the Elf departs the North Pole and says "Bye Buddy, hope you find your dad." I was under the impression that narwals were fictional beasts like unicorns and Bigfoot (is it Bigfeet when it's plural? Or Bigfoots?). I was about 30 years old when I discovered the narwal is a real, actual living animal. 🤯 3. Wedding Crashers (2005) This is the 51st list that I'm posting on my site and, in the event that you're reading them order, you may have noticed I don't really do much in the vulgar and profane category. I am very much of the belief that in almost every instance that one drops an F-bomb, it is a lazy execution and a different word or phrase would be a more funny option. However, in Wedding Crashers, Will Ferrell uses my favorite F-bomb I've ever seen in a movie. "Mom, the meatloaf! Fuck!" is just so excessive, unnecessary, and jarring that I couldn't stop laughing when I saw it. I love it. I love this movie as a whole, but his role as the irredeemable Chazz, who shifts from hitting on women at weddings to hitting on them at funerals is an all-time cameo worthy of mention. 4. Stranger Than Fiction (2006) Stranger Than Fiction was a departure for Ferrell. He shifted away from his standard fare of loud characters and R-rated comedies. In this movie, he plays a fictional character that is actually alive and discovers that he is a character in a story because he can hear the narration. He plays an office drone with a specific routine and his world is shattered with the presence of the narrator. Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson are great and Maggie Gyllenhaal (don't think for one second that I didn't have to Google the spelling of that name) rounds out the rom com element. It is a funny and beautiful story highly worthy of your time. 5. The Producers (2005) This was a Mel Brooks remake of a Mel Brooks movie. Classic Mel Brooks. The parody king parodied himself. I never saw the original production, which starred Gene Wilder (one of my all-time faves) and Zero Mostel and boldly featured a song called "Springtime for Hitler" less than 25 years after the end of World War II. It feels edgy now, and we're creeping up on 100 years since Adolf Hitler rose to power. Anyway, the remake changed the story into a musical (which was first a stage production before it became a movie). The whole idea in the movie is the accountant (Matthew Broderick) tells the producer (Nathan Lane) offhandedly that you could make more money from a flop than a hit. The titular producers then set out to create the worst musical of all time. The Producers is absolutely a hit. The first time I ever saw this, it was actually a stage adaptation in '06 in London at the Drury Lane Theatre (there is zero reason to contextually include this info. It is purely a brag. Sorry, not sorry). 6. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006) Before Baker Mayfield was baking up wins in Tampa, Florida, Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly were Shakin' 'N Bakin' in Talladega (did you know that Talladega Speedway is in Lincoln, Alabama? Neither did I). This movie is a pure comedy. It has endlessly quotable lines like "If you ain't first, you're last" and "Help me, Jesus! Help me, Jewish God! Help me, Allah! Help me, Tom Cruise!” You've also got great supporting roles by Gary Cole and Sacha Baron Cohen. It was written and directed by Adam McKay, a frequent Ferrell collaborator, who also wrote and directed Anchorman, Step Brothers, and the Other Guys before going on to do critically acclaimed fare like Vice, Don't Look Up, and The Big Short. 7. Step Brothers (2008) This is the ultimate man-child role. Two adults (like, 40-year-old adults) become step brothers when their parents marry. The titular characters are then forced to live together and they absolutely behave like bratty little children (again, they're supposed to be 39 and 40 years old). It is the type of idea that wouldn't work without the fantastic and earnest performances of Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly (It has a 54% on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of this writing so, perhaps it still didn't work in the eyes of some). At the end of the movie, we get the untouchable Catalina Wine Mixer Scene. It is comedy gold. Will Ferrell actually sings the song (Por Ti Volaré) and John C. Reilly actually plays the drums. That scene is one of the most enduring parts of the film, along with the classic cover art that features the two characters posed together in sweaters. 8a. Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) Will Ferrell plays a henchmen to the "big bad," Dr. Evil. He plays a character called Mustafa whose achilles heal is that he is irritated by being asked the same question 3 times and thus spills each and every secret he has about where Dr. Evil is, just by being asked 3 times. It is a delightfully silly gimmick, but I mean, c'mon baby, have you seen these movies? That's kinda their style. "I fear it might be gangrenous. The wound is beginning to smell a little bit like almonds." That is part of the delightful off-screen shout of Mustafa after falling to what appears initially to be certain death. It is a callback to the first film. Will Ferrell always has the best lines in his movies. 8b. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) I grouped these two together because they are part of the same trilogy and I didn't want to cheat you. Plus, they are more like cameos than full-blown roles so it only feels fair. He is once again sent to his death and experiences what initially seems to be immediate demise, only for him to receive a delightful off-screen pain session. "I'm still alive only, I'm very badly burned." It is an interruption to a meeting he was just removed from. It is indicative of the comedy of the film but also of Will Ferrell's style. It's perfect. 9. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) Mega Hits, CC BY 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons This may very well be Will Ferrell's most iconic film character. The debate is probably down to either this one or Buddy the Elf. Ferrell plays a news broadcaster in the mid-'70s and displays all the sexism and bravado associated with the time. The movie is a non-stop comedy riot. It is also crammed full of celebrity cameos. He managed to parlay the role into several delightful appearances on the Entertainment Sports Programming Network (ESPN). I would argue this is the most quoted movie in his extensive oeuvre. 10. Barbie (2023) Barbie is a very pink movie that is less than subtle with its pro-feminist, anti-patriarchy views. It is also a fantastic film. Ferrell plays the head of Mattel and his character is very out of touch with the present times. His role in the real world is comedic and he comes with a legion of corporate suits making it a fun contrast to the characters in Barbieland. His role helps lampoon consumerism and highlight one of the many subjects of satire in the movie. His ability to once again appear earnest and sincere even when unlikeable makes the character work. This Will Ferrell guy: he's good. 11a. Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020) This movie is deliciously weird. It follows Will Ferrell as an Icelandic man whose only dream his entire life was to play the Eurovision Song Contest (which is apparently a very real thing. It's like an American Idol for basically all of Europe). He has a two-man band with Rachel McAdams and they back their way into the contest. There are weird characters and crazy events and a couple of genuinely great original songs. I can't fully explain this movie, but I do highly recommend it. Spoiler Alert: Pierce Brosnan is in it too. 11b. The Internship (2013) This movie is very similar to Wedding Crashers. It is an Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn movie, and Will Ferrell has a bit part that is comedically perfect and helps to juxtapose the two worlds that Owen Wilson's character is caught between. The movie itself is a great one that follows two people at Google who have aged out of feeling like they belong there, but try and intern there anyway. Will Ferrell cameos as a mattress salesman that is crude and rude and bad at business in a delightfully humorous way. This is a movie that snuck up on me how good it was. Final Thoughts Will Ferrell is a comedy legend and has created characters that stand the test of time. I greatly enjoyed all the movies on this list (they're all in my Top 350 movies of all time) and Will Ferrell was unquestionably a big factor as to why. He also helped to co-write many of the movies he was in (Fun Fact: he was also the one who wrote the "More Cowbell" sketch on SNL, which may be the greatest SNL sketch of all time). These are my favorite movies that Will Ferrell was in that I've ever seen. I'm sure your list differs from mine. I'll leave a small list of the rest of the Will Ferrell movies I've seen down below. Please let me know in the comments if I missed any of your faves. Thanks! Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) Zoolander (2001) The Other Guys (2010) Spirited (2022) Quiz Lady (2023) Megamind (2010) Starsky & Hutch (2004) The House (2017) Everything Must Go (2010) Downhill (2020)