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By CJ Tiernan Since the beginning of time, bags of chips have served humanity as loyal side dishes. They've walked hand in hand with a cold sandwich inside a lunch box, presented a splash of color at picnics and barbecues, and waded through the cartoon-fueled waters of after-school snacks. They are crunchy and delightful and always welcome (except for maybe inside a library. Shhhh!). While it can be difficult to select a bag of chips in the grocery aisle due to sheer volume, have no fear! CJ is here! Below is a list of my Top 11 favorite Chips of all time. 1. Sun Chips (Garden Salsa) Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Overall, I'm not a Sun Chips guy. Or at least, I wasn't when I was a kid (I haven't dared to try them lately). Who has the unmitigated gull to go and bring whole wheat to the chip bowl? (Hello! I'm trying to eat here). However, they simply found perfection with the Garden Salsa. Unless forced to share, I've yet to pop open a bag and not down its contents in their entirety. Garden Salsa Sun Chips are simply too good. The 11 herbs and spices or whatever that they sprinkle on those things are magical. They've made Cheeto dust and Cinnamon Toast Crunch cinnamon sugar commercially available outside of their original product. The Garden Salsa seasoning must be next. In the immortal words of Michael Scott "you have one day" (They always give an ultimatum). 2. Doritos (Cool Ranch) There is famously a debate betwixt Cool Ranch and Nacho Cheese (or Cooler Ranch and Nacho Cheesier as I grew up knowing them). Pish posh, I say. They're both great. Enjoy whichever you please. But just understand, I favor the Cool Ranch. CJ = C = Cool = Cool Ranch. Nacho Cheese = N = Not Cool. The Math doesn't lie. I double-checked it like a list in the North Pole. 3. Cheetos (Crunchy) Jeff Eaton, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons The downside to Cheetos is the orange fingers. A residue develops that stains anything you touch and leaves evidence that you just wolfed down a bag of Cheetos (unless you deploy the veteran move of pouring them straight down the gullet like a cartoon bird). The upside, is everything else. Cheetos are a delicious splash of cheese in crunchy form. Please enjoy away from your keyboard for maximum efficiency. 4. Lays/Ruffles/Pringles (Barbecue) Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons I'm not a stickler for the brand here. Lays are the O.G., Ruffles have ridges, and with Pringles, we all know that once you pop, the fun don't stop. A mustachioed disembodied head on the side of a tube would never steer you wrong. Barbecue is my go to. It is very flavorful and works well alongside other barbecue fare or flying solo. 5. Doritos (Spicy Sweet Chili) These are the real Johnny-Come-Lately on my list, at least relatively speaking, but aw man did they make an entrance. I like a little kick with my food and this one provides just the right amount of kick to allow you to enjoy the flavor without having to go one-for-one on chips and sips (of water). Plus, it's in a purple bag. What a fun wrinkle (and not at all a move to subconsciously compare it to Takis)! 6. Lays/Ruffles/Pringles (Sour Cream and Onion) Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Again, the brand (and they hate when you say this) is irrelevant. The important thing is that you hit that sweet balance between the smoothness of the sour cream and the karate chop of the onion. Magical flavor crystals traverse the seven seas of your taste buds and lap upon the shores of your olfactory system. I can't describe it any better than to say it's wonderful. 7. Fritos Mx. Granger, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons Trusty, delicious Fritos have been around forever. They've accompanied variety packs since the advent of the variety pack and were invented way back in 1932. We had Fritos longer than McDonald's or Ferrari or late night television. The secret? It's only 3 ingredients. That's right, Fritos are simply made with corn, vegetable oil, and salt. That's it. Those are basically the same ingredients in corn on the cob. Did we just discover that Fritos are a vegetable? 8. Cheetos (Puffy) Mike Mozart from Funny YouTube, USA, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons I know, I know. I'm stepping on another landmine here. Crunchy Cheetos vs. Puffy Cheetos. While I placed the crown upon the metaphorical head of Crunchy Cheetos, the Puffy ones deserve a place on the podium. I like to use my teeth to saw them down in middle almost all the way through and make it look like a tree that a beaver is about to fell. Or perhaps, an hourglass holding time hostage while I play with my food. A delicious, cheesy mess (which happens to be a great way to describe both me and the Cheetos). 9. Doritos (Nacho Cheese) Jeangagnon, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons I promised they were on the list and here they are. While not the best Doritos variety (is a Dorito the singular of Doritos?), I do quite enjoy these. They stain your fingers more than the Cool Ranch (and less than Cheetos) and the flavor is a little more muted, but altogether it's a great chip. In fact, I highly recommend using them as your chip-base when making nachos. It will up your game (you're welcome!). 10a. Tostitos (Bite Size Rounds) Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons I'm not gonna sit here and pretend to know why, but of all the tortilla chip varieties at the grocery store, this one is my fave. It's a flawless salt ratio, an exquisite crunch, and the whole thing fits cleanly in your mouth in one bite. There is no need to turn it blue, add a dash of lime, or shape it into a triangle. These actions will only mess with perfection. 10b. Tostitos (Other Varieties) Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons At the end of the day, a tortilla chip is a tortilla chip. While I sang the praises of the best variety above, they're all wonderful and more than deserving of being plunged into the icy depths of salsa or trudging through some guacamole. Heck, I'm no stranger to throwing some on a plate, burying them in cheese, and then nuking it in the microwave for insta-nachos. 11. Lays/Ruffles/Pringles (Cheddar and Sour Cream) Cheddar and Sour Cream chips are great, but you have to be in the mood. You can't force them upon someone, they've got to come to you. They can be a little heavy-handed with the flavor and you've got to get the seat in the full and upright position before making the descent. However, when you're game, it hits. Aw man, what a delight. Be careful not to fall asleep on the couch right after, though, without brushing your teeth. While not as bad as the time I had Au Gratin potato chips and took a nap, it can leave your breath with the power to ward off vampires and friends alike. Final Thoughts I thought about throwing "poker chips" in there somewhere as a curveball answer, but that would have been disrespectful to you. You came here to know which chips are the best and we all knew what I meant. Plus, chips are facsimile for money, not the real thing, and I usually lose them at the table anyway so it's a bit of a love-hate relationship there. Anyway, chips are delicious. Eat chips (do they have a breakfast chip option, I wonder? Nope, wait, I take it back. That's dumb. It's just cereal before you put the milk in. Withdrawn... Please stop looking a me). These are my favorites that I've ever tried but there are so many different flavors I'm sure your list differs from my own. Please let me know in the comments where I dropped the ball. Thanks!

By CJ Tiernan The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) was one of the largest undertakings a studio has ever taken. At the time of my publishing this list, there are 37 movies that have been released so far, earning more than 32 billion dollars at the box office (Achoo! Sorry, that number is nothing to sneeze at). It is kind of big deal. This particular list is focused on the beginning stages of the MCU (Phases 1 through 3), ranging from the first movie (Iron Man) to the epic conclusion in Avengers: Endgame and the aftermath in Spider-Man: Far From Home. Kevin Feige and his legion of superhero manufacturers have been busy in creating a series of movies that intertwine with one another while also letting specific heroes get their shine. Needless to say, I love these movies. Below is a list of my Top 11 favorite MCU Movies in the first three phases. This should go without saying but, Spoilers Ahead! 1. Thor: Ragnarok (2017) This is one of the greatest superhero movies of all time. It is also the funniest. Chris Hemsworth as Thor flexes comedic chops that we hadn't gotten to see previously. The visuals are incredible in this movie but it's the way that characters interact with each other throughout the movie that makes it. From sibling rivalry moments between Thor and Loki, to his the battle(s) with Hulk, to the creation of Korg. Aw man, do I love me some Korg. This rock man is a soft spoken leader of a rebellion. He is comedy gold (voiced by director Taika Waititi). This is also the movie where Thor loses his eye and gets an Odin-esque eye patch. It's a sick (albeit shortlived) look. 2. Iron Man (2008) This movie set the tone for the entire MCU. Director (and man who portrays Happy) John Favreau crafted a fun, stand-alone story that created a monster. Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man is simply one of the greatest casting choices in the history of cinema. His improv at the end wherein he reveals "I am Iron Man" shows such a perfect handle on the character and informs the person Tony Stark is and has become at every turn. Rich guys with an ego can be really one-dimensional in movies and TV shows but Downey Jr. plays it out in three dimensions with aplomb. It's also fascinating that Paul Bettany was cast way back in this movie and he becomes a person (living entity?) later on in the movies and even stars in the TV spinoff WandaVision. 3. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) Thor and Thor: The Dark World had some scenes that took place away from Earth, but this movie was the first one to more or less depart the planet completely. It was a bit of a gamble and a tonal shift but writer/director James Gunn nailed it. So too, did the individual(s) responsible for casting. We already knew Chris Pratt was funny (Parks and Rec) and Zoe Saldaña was a great actress capable of creating an impact in a Sci-Fi epic (Avatar), but Dave Bautista was a revelation. He was a comedic surprise in the best possible way, being I only knew he was a former wrestler (he must have smelled what The Rock was cooking and came on over to movies). Throw in voices from Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel and you've got a recipe for success. This movie was awesome and came with an attitude that was a fun and unique entry in the MCU. 4. Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) Speaking of casting, Spider-Man has never been as great as Tom Holland. While my favorite Spider-Man movie is Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (alas, not party to the MCU), his casting is perfection. Andrew Garfield and Toby Maguire were great, but they lacked the believability as high-schoolers. They seemed much more like college students. Holland was believable as a struggling High School student with super powers (as much as one buys into super powers). This movie, and the one that proceeded it, are flip-a-coin levels of close, but I give the edge to this one because of the villain. Jake Gyllenhaal is awesome as a bad guy who can warp reality. The stakes seem higher and I like that more of the people around Peter find out his true identity. 5. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) In addition to Peter Parker, the casting of the rest of the ensemble is fantastic. Zendaya is delightful as a sardonic MJ and Jacob Batalon as Ned is a scene-stealer. While Spider-Man is introduced to the MCU in Captain America: Civil War, this was the first one to really introduce us to Peter Parker ("Underoos!"). I think it was a fun change of pace that we don't see the origin story of Peter Parker as Spider-Man because it is something the audience has seen so many times that it would have felt unnecessary. Which origin story have we seen more: his or Batman's (talk amongst yourselves)? 6. The Avengers (2012) Joss Whedon enters the chat. While there has always been some level of comedy in the MCU, Whedon upped the ante. He (of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly fame) came in like a wrecking ball and made the MCU genuine action-comedies, laying the groundwork for auteurs like James Gunn and Taika Waititi after him. This was our first taste of the crossover between a lot of the different movies. I think they handle the tone shift well, maintaining the uniqueness of the characters and still giving all of them their space. Plus, Loki as the big bad before we get to Thanos is a delight. Tom Hiddleston as Loki is one of the more underrated aspects of the MCU. 7. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) More Guardians! This movie pretty much starts with one of the funniest fight sequences ever. Baby Groot dances in the foreground while an epic battle rages almost indecipherably in the background. All this, whilst we blast some ELO. I like the idea that nothing is sacred. The Ego stuff in the final act drops this movie below the first entry for me, but we do get to meet Mantis. Also, we get a Sly Stallone cameo in this one. Classic! 8. Ant-Man (2015) Paul Rudd is great in everything. You know who else is great in everything? Michael Peña (and Randall Park, but he doesn't show up until the sequel) is great in everything. Ant-Man is a fun twist on the standard hero because he starts as a bad guy (while an argument can be made he only stole from people who deserve it, stealing is wrong regardless of context and I reject any justification toward the contrary). He is a thief who has this superhero opportunity foisted upon him after accidentally trying to rob the wrong guy. He grows to be a better man. I like that, in addition to the young guns the MCU brings in to play the heroes, they also include established actors like Michael Douglas here, the aforementioned Sylvester Stallone, plus Academy Award winners like Anthony Hopkins, Marisa Tomei, Ben Kingsley, Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, Benicio del Toro, Robert Redford, and Lupita Nyong'o. There are actually even a lot more than that, I just didn't want to waste your time by listing them all. Also, I'm bummed that there was an issue that led to Edgar Wright having to step away from helming this movie. He was slated to direct the movie and is still credited as a writer. Somewhere, there is an alternate world which harbors both the Edgar Wright Ant-Man and Phil Lord and Christopher Miller's Solo: A Star Wars Story. Do you think that universe has discovered world peace? 9. Avengers: Infinity War (2018) I think that there has been some serious debate as to which movie was better: Infinity War or Endgame. It is not unlike the debate between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. As was the case then, it is basically a 50-50 in which you can't be wrong because they're both great choices. I give the edge to the surprise of a lack of resolution and the bad guy winning at the end of this one. It is emotionally heavy and no ending has ever left you wanting the next movie more badly than this one. So many characters we'd become accustomed to just turn to dust and are gone. At the time, we were pretty sure it wasn't forever, but we didn't know for certain. It was a well-executed rug-pull by the Russo Brothers. 10. Avengers: Endgame (2019) Time travel, baby! Nothing is ever as cool as time travel. It is the leather jacket of the post-Back to the Future society. The unceremonious demise of Thanos at the beginning of the movie was little unfulfilling, but that battle at the end. Whoa, baby, that fight at the end! It is an all-timer that may never be topped. So many characters from the proceeding movies show up in a winner-take-all battle through time and space. And then that ending. [insert crying emoji here - the one that isn't also laughing]. Tony Stark goes out with a snap and a bang. It is beautiful. Perfect symmetry to have the character who brought the MCU into our world be the one that goes out on his terms with the victory and the one-line. When he looks at Dr. Strange (I almost wrote Dr. Strangelove there. He's a very different character) and he holds up that single finger. Uff da, that tears me up (and apparently to such an extent it brings out my Scandinavian roots). 11. Thor (2011) The first entry in the Thor series rounds out my Top 11. The scene where Thor throws down the mug and shouts "another!" gets me every time. Natalie Portman and Stellan Skarsgård are fantastic but Kat Dennings as the comic relief is the scene-stealer extraordinaire. Kenneth Branagh directs this one in a manner that doesn't feel completely separate from some of his Shakespearian works, which I think aides the mythos and the world-building. I like that this movie walks down the path of a nearly indestructible super hero having an ego. It seems to me it would be near-inescapable to let fame and glory go to your head. It does for Thor and nearly costs him everything, but his selfless act returns his ability to wield Mjölnir. I love all of it. Final Thoughts Superhero movies, man. Just magisterial in their scope and breadth. I love 'em all. If you do too, you've probably seen most or all of the MCU movies as well. I ranked them all, so I'll include the rest of phases 1-3 down below. Please let me know in the comments if I missed any of your favorites. Thanks! Captain America: Civil War (2016) Doctor Strange (2016) Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) Captain Marvel (2019) Black Panther (2018) Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) Thor: The Dark World (2013) Iron Man 2 (2010) Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) Iron Man 3 (2013) The Incredible Hulk (2008)

By CJ Tiernan First off, I want to clarify that this list covers movies that contain extra-terrestrial beings, whether in space or on Earth. It is not limited exclusively to the Xenomorph-littered series that began with Ridley Scott and Sigourney Weaver back in the '70s. Both Alien and Aliens are in my Top 400 Movies of all time (but unfortunately don't make the cut for this list), but I haven't seen all of the Alien movies and I'm not even sure there are 11 to create an entire list. This list is about movies with aliens. We love alien movies. They can be scary or funny, but they challenge our reality in a really fundamental way. Whether they have come to meet our leader or just want to hang out, their very existence shatters the world as it was before. I love that as a theme. I also enjoy watching humanity rally as an entire species to take on an impossible threat. Below is a list of my Top 11 favorite Alien Movies of all time that I've ever seen. Joe Wos, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons 1. Super 8 (2011) This movie is a J.J Abrams homage to Steven Spielberg. Apart from the lens flares, it is designed to conjure the vibe of '80s movies. Spielberg created a couple of very famous alien movies in Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T. He actually produced this movie. Super 8 is story of a group of kids hanging out and filming their own movie (on a Super 8 film camera, if you can believe it. I mean what are the odds?) at a train station when they see a car driving the wrong way on the tracks and collide with the train, derailing it. They then watch as something escapes from one of the train cars. The military (always a classic bad guy in these types of movies) descends upon the town. The kids aren't believed by the adults (another classic trope) and are forced to solve this pesky alien problem all on their own. All in all, a great movie. 2. Men in Black (1997) Men in Black is awesome. Will Smith is fantastic as the "new hotness" and Tommy Lee Jones plays the jaded straight-man to perfection. Rip Torn, Tony Shalhoub, and Vincent D'Onofrio are also fantastic. I love action movies with comedy. This movie oozes cool while being very funny. The test-taking scene where everyone is quiet while Will Smith can't get comfortable in his chair and then loudly scoots the table across the room to help him is hysterical and lives rent-free in my head. Also, the "aliens among us" vibe and the "neuralyzer" (the mind-wiping gadget that we've all prayed was real a time or two in our lives whilst our mouth was full of toes) have gone on to be lasting elements and references in society. If you can believe it, Spielberg was a producer on this one too. 3. Galaxy Quest (1999) Galaxy Quest is my kind of movie. Actors who played roles on a TV Show that was very Star Trekian are abducted by actual aliens in an attempt to save their people from a more sinister alien race. It taps into all sorts of various emotions and is just a really fun, really cool flick. It stars Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tony Shalhoub, and Sam Rockwell in delightful roles. It is one of Tim Allen's very best acting performances. And while Galaxy Quest wasn't produced by Steven Spielberg, it was released by Dreamworks, which is the company he created. He did visit the set and allegedly suggested a romantic sub-plot. This guy is everywhere. 4. Independence Day (1996) The speech given by the president (Bill Pullman, in his best role since Spaceballs) is one of the greatest moments in movie history. I listen to it every Fourth of July. It is one of those beautiful, humanity-over-everything moments that also feels wildly patriotic. The movie, which again stars Will Smith, is a classic alien invasion movie. Some of the effects are really cool and, because they were done practically, hold up really well. The fire crawling sideways along the city is such a cool visual. Spoiler Alert: Will Smith saves the day and pops a cigar in his mouth (he just bites it, it's for the look, he doesn't light it), Randy Quaid dies a hero, and Judd Hirsch and Jeff Goldblum trojan-horse their way to victory. Human life, uh, finds a way. 5a. Toy Story (1995) Yep, I cheated again. Well, kinda. This is not an alien movie in typical fashion. The aliens in this movie are toy aliens inside of a claw machine. "The claw, it moves. It chooses who will stay and who will go." I love this movie and the aliens in it do talk and move so, you know, it counts I think. The Aliens aren't totally central to the plot of the movie (though they have their moment in the sun, I mean at Pizza Planet) so I included an extra film on the list to sate your hunger for alien movies. Seriously though, Toy Story is a fantastic movie and reigns as my top Pixar movie of all time. 5b. Edge of Tomorrow (2014) Tom Cruise dipped his toes into the Sci-Fi waters on several occasions. Vanilla Sky, Oblivion, and War of the Worlds were all solid movies. Some may argue that Minority Report was Tom Cruise's best Sci-Fi flick, but (even though I love that one) I believe it was Edge of Tomorrow (or "Live, Die, Repeat" as it is sometimes called, as that was the tag line of the movie). It is both an alien movie and a time-loop movie, as Tom Cruise dies on the battlefield after accidentally absorbing an alien power. He is forced to continually live out (and thus die) the same battle until he can progress far enough to save humanity from aliens. It is an awesome action movie and Emily Blunt's performance is also outstanding. 6. District 9 (2009) This one is an alien movie that makes several satisfying and unique changes to the typical format. For one, it's largely shot in mocumentary format. That alone presents its own unique style. Secondly, the alien invasion is seemingly less successful than most in other movies. The aliens are kept in cages, in a concentration camp-esque manner. They are treated poorly. Lastly, the story takes place in South Africa, as opposed to setting it in the U.S. like most other stories (although Edge of Tomorrow was in Europe). Themes of segregation (especially relevant to South Africa) and xenophobia are prevalent. Sharlito Copley's performance as the main character, Wikus (pronounced Vickis), is marvelous. This might be the movie that creates the most sympathy for aliens, which is hard to do when they don't look very human. 7. Thor: Ragnarok (2017) A superhero movie! Thor is from another planet and so is almost every single character in this movie, so I believe the alien movie concept is apt. In this movie, Thor is forced to fight "a friend from work" in an arena battle after being captured by the Grandmaster (another Jeff Goldblum sighting! That guy sometimes seems part alien himself, doesn't he?). This is one of the funniest and most fun superhero movies of all time. In addition to Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Tessa Thompson, Tom Hiddleston, Mark Ruffalo, Cate Blanchett, and Idris Elba are all excellent. This is the third (and best) Thor movie. 8. Signs (2002) Signs is my favorite M. Night Shyamalan movie (man, that plural makes the verb tense feel off). I know most people will pick The Sixth Sense, but I don't think I properly appreciated that one when I first saw it. I was like 12. The idea of a twist wasn't really in my consciousness so it didn't blow my mind the way it did some others. And now the twist has become the most ubiquitous twist in film history, so it wouldn't hit the same on a repeat viewing. Anyway, Signs is awesome. A pastor who has quit pasting (or whatever a pastor does) after his wife dies lives with his two kids and his younger brother. Joaquin Phoenix as the younger brother is my favorite part, although the two young kids (played by Rory Culkin and Abigail Breslin to perfection) are phenomenal. They live on a farm and notice a crop circle and then follow along on the news as more and more show up across the world. When they finally encounter an alien, they vanquish it with the power of (Spoiler Alert!) water. It is such a fun ride. I highly recommend it. 9. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005) In my travels, I've come to find that not very many people liked the movie more than the book. I saw the movie years before I ever read the book so maybe my issue is in the order-of-operations ilk, but I truly love this movie. It is weird. I'm big on weird. From Sam Rockwell as a character with two heads to Alan Rickman playing the voice of a depressed robot (hey, how about that! A Galaxy Quest mini-reunion in a movie with "galaxy" in the title), this movie just oozes weird. Including a narrator (Stephen Fry, who also did the reading for the audiobooks in the series) was a great source of comedy that helped to keep some semblance of the tone of the book. Martin Freeman, Mos Def, Bill Nighy, and John Malkovich are also a joy in this. 10. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) This is the other superhero movie on this list. Everyone but the main character, Peter Quill, is an alien (that's not, like, the plot, just an observation). In the movie, a group of misfits band together to steal an object (that turns out to be an infinity stone). It is funny (as most James Gunn vehicles are) and full of action and needle drops (as most James Gunn vehicles are). It is my third favorite movie in the MCU and is a smackerel of visual delight (Smackerel of Visual Delight - dibs on that as my band name). 11. Cloverfield (2008) This was the first found footage movie I ever saw. It was a real treat. At a going away party in New York, a group of friends hang out until the city is attacked by a giant monster. Although the mythos behind the monster is basically not revealed at all, we do see what we are led to believe is the alien crashing into the ocean at the start of the movie. Because of the origin as an extra-terrestrial, this is an alien movie. T.J. Miller, Odette Yustman, and Lizzy Caplan are the stand-outs in this cast. This is my second favorite found footage movie of all time (behind Late Night with the Devil) and a real stand-out in the alien/monster/horror genre all together. No idea how the name ties in, though. Final Thoughts Alien movies are so engaging. They force us to put ourselves in that "what-if" mindset. They play with our emotions and our expectations. I have loved so many different ones it was hard to pare-down this list. I will leave a small list of movies that just missed the cut down below. Please let me know in the comments if I missed any of your favorite alien movies. Thanks! Transformers (2007) Evolution (2001) The Iron Giant (1999) Bumblebee (2018) Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) Spaceballs (1987) The Avengers (2012) Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) Space Jam (1996) Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 (2017) Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candice Against the Universe (2020) Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2001) Avatar (2009)

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. It 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 someone had to go 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 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 generating any more), 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 they 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 Branson, which according to the movie "Waiting for Guffman," is the stool capital of the world. I didn't see any stools when I was there, but it 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 nickname was a fun endeavor. I hope you enjoyed it as well. Thanks for reading and have a great day!

By CJ Tiernan When you watch the Pilot episode of a TV Show, you get to see the foundation. You are given some sense of who the players are and where the story is headed. However, many shows have their characters evolve and grow as the show goes on. This leads to the need for new characters. Anytime a TV Show can introduce a new member into the established cast in a manner that is additive is impressive. It requires great writing to establish a need for the character and great casting to bring in someone who can mesh with the preexisting cast and crew. Below is my Top 11 List for the best characters that I've ever seen added to a TV Show after season 1 that either become series regulars are at least get a character arc that lasts more than 1 season. 1. Parks and Recreation - Ben Wyatt & Chris Traeger (Adam Scott & Rob Lowe) First Appearance: S2E23 - The Master Plan This is easily my favorite add to the series regulars of any TV Show. Not only do they bring in both the love interest for Leslie Knope and Anne Perkins (you have to say it how Rob Lowe says it in the show. I don't make the rules, you just have to), but you also get addition by subtraction by removing the aggressively milquetoast Mark Brendanawicz. Endless comedy is milked from the addition of these two characters and they help the existing characters grow and develop further. It is a win-win of the highest magnitude. 2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Spike (James Marsters) First Appearance: S2E3 - School Hard "Buffy" ran for 7 seasons, surviving the switch from The WB (remember the frog in the top hat?) to UPN and spawning a spin-off that ran for 5 seasons of its own (Angel). From jump street, this show was awesome and codified elements of the American vernacular still used today. Adding Spike (a Billy Idol look-alike who canonically claimed that Billy stole his look) lead to not only some great Slayer v. Vampire showdowns, but also created one of the most complex characters ever. He operates as a tortured soul regardless of whether or not he actually has one. Spike also has my favorite song in the musical episode "Once More with Feeling." 3. Supernatural - Castiel (Misha Collins) First Appearance: S4E1 - Lazarus Rising Now, Supernatural ran for 15 seasons so they probably were going to have to add a character or two along the way to continue soldiering on (although they did establish a routine pretty early on of killing and then bringing back characters with regularity). "Cass" was my favorite addition. For those not in the know, Castiel is an angel. He brought Dean back from Hell and then kinda becomes friends with Sam and Dean Winchester. The character helps bring some levity and humor to the show because he isn't an all-knowing being and doesn't handle his existence on Earth with maximum proficiency. Misha's portrayal is top-notch. 4. Bones - Lance Sweets (John Francis Daley) First Appearance: S3E4 - The Secret in the Soil Dr. Sweets is a shrink that shows up to observe the relationship of Booth and Bones. Neither initially hold him in high esteem, perceiving him as too young and disrespecting his profession, respectively. However, they grow to become something of a dysfunctional family. Sweets appearance lends itself to a great deal of humor and, over time, also draws out more personality from other members at the Jeffersonian. Spoiler Alert: When they killed him off at the beginning of season 10, it was a shocking and jarring moment that I wasn't expecting. Plus, we all love John Francis Daley. He burst on the scene as a kid in "Freaks and Geeks" and has since gone on to co-write and direct several great movies (like Game Night and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves). 5. Psych - Woody (Kurt Fuller) First Appearance: S4E7 - High Top Fade Out Woody is the coroner and, as the show goes on, he becomes not only a friend/acquaintance of the main cast but also a crazy person. His eccentricities perfectly match the humor of the show and of the main character Shawn. "The Woodman" is also a member of the crew during the best episode of the entire series, the Hangover-esque "Last Night Gus." Psych is my favorite show of all time. You tend to be precious of a show when you love it this much and so it can be difficult to add a character for more than a small arc. However, they essentially added a second Shawn, an absolute wild-card. Kurt Fuller is fantastic in the role and was justifiably included in the movies as well (as of now, they've had 3 movies since the show ended). 6. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - Frank Reynolds (Danny DeVito) First Appearance: S2E1 - Charlie Gets Crippled A rich man who willfully abandons the spoils of high-society in favor of debauchery and squalor is a unique take on a character. Rather than the more standard rags to riches story, we see a man who is riches to rags. On purpose! I love it. Danny DeVito fell in love with the show after the first season and wanted in. The cast (who also created the show and write the episodes) said heck yeah when given the option to bring him on and the rest, as they say, is history. Watching the relationship between Charlie and Frank, which seems so much more wholesome than the one he has with his kids, Dennis and Dee, is wonderful. 7. Breaking Bad - Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk) First Appearance: S2E8 - Better Call Saul Obviously this was a pretty good add to the old rolodex. Not only was this character a ton of fun, he earned a critically-acclaimed spin-off that ran for 6 seasons. If we've learned anything from movies and TV, it's that bad guys need lawyers. Saul Goodman doesn't always seem to have all the answers, but he seems to have contacts to be able to pull off all sorts of different criminal-underground shenanigans. Bob Odenkirk's work on both shows is phenomenal and worthy of praise, especially for a guy who started in sketch comedy. 8. Stranger Things - Robin Buckley (Maya Hawke) First Appearance: S3E1 - Suzie, Do You Copy? One member of the Scoops Ahoy gang, Robin is instantly endearing. Someone who can mess with Steve is worth the price of admission. While it can be difficult to add characters to a show that already has so much going on with its different characters, this add was a blast. Stranger Things is one of the greatest TV Shows I've ever seen. It is so fun and immersive and the setting in the '80s bears endless fruit. Adding Robin, and an entire mall, to the equation in season 3 elevated the show. 9. Veep - Richard Splett (Sam Richardson) First Appearance: S3E1 - Some New Beginnings Saraa.kom, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Richard Splett is one of the weirdest and funniest TV Show characters of all time. Sam Richardson offers such a straight-faced, understated approach to ridiculous line after ridiculous line. Oh man, to be someone on set that got to watch that would have been fun. He must have been cracking up the cast non-stop. He plays a volunteer during the titular character's campaign for presidency. Here is a link to a supercut of just his great moments in the show. Please enjoy when you need a moment of sanity. 10. Breaking Bad - Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito) First Appearance: S2E11 This is the second of 3 characters added in 3 different episodes of season 2 of Breaking Bad on my list. Good show. Giancarlo Esposito plays this role with such delightful restraint. His character is just really cautious in his endeavor to be a criminal and watching his strategy juxtaposed against Walter White's approach is fascinating. It becomes clear early on that their partnership is going to end in a blaze of glory. I love how every character that is added to the show has the potential to both help and hurt Walt. He needs them and doesn't want to need them and that Catch-22 drives him nuts and frustrates his sense of control. It is a perfect character add. 11. Breaking Bad - Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks) First Appearance: S2E13 - ABQ Jonathan Banks has the perfect face. He has kind of Droopy Dog-esque jowls that showcase so much wear and experience right on his face. He can convey a message without saying a word. It is such a delightful and underrated performance. From his beginning to his end, he is captivating. He also taught me the concept of half-measure and full measure. This is a character that feels essential to your criminal enterprise and yet he also feels so real. This addition was a wonderful accent to one of the most perfect shows of all time (salute to show creator Vince Gilligan). Final Thoughts TV Shows are living things. As the seasons go on, the world of the show and the characters within it evolve and grow and learn. It leads to the need for new characters. Some of these new characters can become some of our favorite characters in the show. When that happens, you just have to show some respect to the runners of the show that they were wiling to take a risk and shake up what's working to help the show grow and evolve. I've seen a lot of shows over the years and these are my faves in the ones that I've seen. If you have a favorite character that was added late to a show that I didn't include, please let me know in the comments. Thanks!

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 a 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 look like birds. In fact, this dino was considered a missing link 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 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 cool. 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 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 raise 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 all dinosaurs 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 "l ong-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. 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 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 I am writing this on Thanksgiving, so I figure it is an appropriate topic. We all have traditions we keep on Thanksgiving and different dishes we serve. While the world seems to be a more global society every single day, it is still fun to look back at the foods that someone first whipped up within the confines of the contiguous 48. Plus, your boy is into dessert. Like, big time into dessert. Much like the black box, I wonder why we don't make the whole meal out of dessert. They didn't ask me. In fact, the mnemonic I use to remember the difference in spelling between desert and dessert is simply that dessert is better and should last longer so it gets the second 's'. How fun is that? That one's free. After that freebie, I present to you my Top 11 most delicious desserts born in the USA. 1. Pecan Pie Kimberly Vardeman, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Run your fork through a slice of this sweet treat and cram it in your pie hole. It's like your tastebuds are dancing in brown-sugar sunshine. Such a wonderful moment in time when the Pecan Pie makes an appearance. I feel like the Pecan Pie should be indoctrinated into the same ubiquity that Apple Pie enjoys. If you mack on some Apple Pie at any time of year, no one bats an eye, but somehow the Pecan Pie became a fall food. Shameful. And in case you were wondering, the phrase "as American as Apple Pie" is not conveying the message people think it is. It is an English (UK not the language) concoction. Using that phrase is akin to when people say "I could care less" when they mean "I couldn't care less." 2. Chocolate Chip Cookies Warm chocolate chip cookies. Think about it. Picture it. Ooey gooey chocolate chip cookies. Aw man, that's America. Get yourself some milk (or a non-dairy facsimile for those of us lactose hosers) and dip and dunk to your heart's delight. The bummer about a plate of chocolate chip cookies is that somewhere along the line it became socially unacceptable to eat the whole thing in one sitting. Alas, we wouldn't need dreaming if the world was already perfect. 3. Key Lime Pie Key Lime Pie is named for the type of lime that is used: the Key Lime. The Key Lime is named for the region where it's grown: The Florida Keys. This dish may be the official dessert of Florida, but it is the unofficial dessert of my dad. He invented the dessert strategy to end all dessert strategies: the sliver. To avoid overindulgence, you don't have a full piece, just a real whisper of a slice a.k.a. a sliver. You then proceed to engage in sliver after sliver until the job is done. It's downright heroic. Additionally, August 31st was recently christened by him as National Key Lime Pie Day, in honor of my late cousin Siobhan. Please enjoy a slice in her honor annually and keep love in your heart. 4. Brownie Chocolate was a great invention, huh? Can you believe there are places where this thing is just growing out of the ground? What a world we live in. I tried cocoa powder straight up as a child and I still have regrets so, you know, some assembly required. Whatever the ingredients may be that turn chocolate into this glorious invention, we can thank the good ol' US of A. 5. Cupcakes I am a sucker for just whipping up a grocery store box of cake mix and turning it into cupcakes. What's more American than that? I am well aware there are entire buildings erected just to sell cupcakes. When the tired, poor, huddled masses blitzed our shores en masse, that was the dream. A cupcakery. They usually have a wonderful mix of flavors that are, obviously, all delicious. I'm partial to just a plain old vanilla. I'm no stranger to even lightening the load of the frosting or disposing of it all together. I know, I'm irredeemable. 6. Doughnut Wait, you say. This is not a dessert! This is breakfast. Pish posh, old man, I do what I want. It is a sweet confection and just like I can eat breakfast for dinner (brinner), I can eat breakfast for dessert. Maple Glaze is my favorite variety but, c'mon, it's a doughnut (or donut), it's gonna be delicious. Like cupcakes, there are entire shops dedicated exclusively to spreading this joy across the land like Johnny Appleseed (who was a real person named John Chapman and not just an American folk tale like Paul Bunyan). 7. Ice Cream/Milkshake/Sundae We all scream for Ice Cream! Whether you prefer it in beverage form, with toppings, or straight from the trough, it is glorious. Is there any more holy being than the cow? From its mere existence, we are able to conjure cheese, ice cream, and cheeseburgers. Step aside Rush, there's a new holy trinity. Grand is the plan that includes ice cream. You ever partake in a Sundae bar? It's like looking into the eyes of Miss America: breathtaking. Watch out for the brain freeze, though. We have yet to evolve that out of the gene pool. 8. Cobbler It's like pie but without all the fuss. Pie is for company but Cobbler is for family. I am a sucker for Peach Cobbler, but you can cobbler-ize any fruit of your choice. When you are the baker, your only limits are the contents of your refrigerator. I am also down to clown with some Blueberry Cobbler. Just saying. 9. Oreo Poor Hydrox. The National Biscuit Company (now known as Nabisco) invented the chocolate sandwich cookie in 1912... by copying Hydrox, which had invented it already in 1908. The thing is, selling cookies is a real estate business. Oreo has ownership over a good chunk of the snack aisle in every grocery store and Hydrox, well, I had one once in a class in College. Location, Location, Location. Spoiler Alert: if you are looking for the location of the nearest Oreo, it's usually in my belly! 10. Pumpkin Pie This is another seasonal pie that I'd be willing to finesse into my diet on a year-round basis. Seasoned with a magical combination of spices referred to as "Pumpkin Pie Spice," the Pumpkin Pie is an absolute sensory delight. And add Cool Whip. You've got to have Cool Whip. Don't worry, Cool Whip is also an American product so you can serve a slice of pure Americana with whip. While I don't understand the craze that involves flavoring everything in the fall with pumpkin spice, I do support it when it comes to pie. 11. Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Alright, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. The reason this dish is served upside-down: gravity. When you throw this bad boy together, the pineapple rings are placed in the bottom because they would sink there anyway. You then put the cake batter on top of the sweet mixture with the pineapple (yep, brown sugar says "sup" again) and bake. Once you let it cool, then you can flip it over and voilà (sorry, that's a french word, how about tah dah), the pineapple is on top. The Pineapple Upside-Down Cake is such a moist cake. It is melt-in-your-mouth delish! Final Thoughts Dessert is great. I may not have mentioned this yet but I'm a big fan of sweets. How glorious is it that so many of our favorite desserts are homegrown. All this and I haven't even tried everything America has to offer. Both beignets and Boston Cream Pie are sweets invented in the US that I've not yet dipped my face into. If there is another American dessert that you simply cannot live without, please let me know in the comments. Thanks! I'll leave a list of a few more that just missed my list. S'mores Jell-O Twinkie Red Velvet Cake

By CJ Tiernan In honor of Thanksgiving this week, I have decided to create a list of my favorite American foods. These are foods that were invented here in the United States, as opposed to imported or transplanted. Some of these are next door neighbors to foods from other countries, but that's what makes America great. We are one big melting pot for global cultures. Nevertheless, it is fun to think there are some traditions that are inherent to this land (America. It's beautiful man). Please enjoy this list of my Top 11 favorite American Foods that are not dessert. 1. Barbecue - Brisket/Pulled Pork/Ribs Salt Lick BBQ in Dripping Springs, Texas In 2018, I visited my sister in Texas, as she was living in the Austin area at the time. I had the opportunity to indulge in Texas BBQ. My brain chemistry was forever altered ( picture this ) and all other foods have been, with all due respect, ruined for me. BBQ straight from the source is so transcendent. The meat melts in your mouth! It's magical. If you have the means, I highly recommend a pilgrimage. It is so choice (nay, Prime). 2. Cheeseburgers When I think about biting into a cheeseburger, my drool begins to emulate the grease and meat juice that leaks out from the bite mark. It's a glorious experience (the bite not the drool). If you are one of the humans that has opted for anemia instead of eating meat, you are truly missing out. If you want, you could go without the cheese and enjoy a hamburger. Also, as a note, while any cheese is fine on a cheeseburger (it's your food, man, dress it how you like), I do envision the one on this list with American cheese. It just feels like it fits the theme (even if processed cheese was originally invented in Switzerland, we did the American thing and stole it and patented it here). 3. Deep-Dish Pizza Pizza is Italian. I'm willing to accept that pizza was not born from American loins. However, Deep-Dish Pizza was born and raised in Chicago, baby! They went full America and said "make it bigger! More! More! More!" I'm obviously left to speculate there but you know what I'm not guessing at? How delish this 'za is. The sauce is the perfect mix of sweet and savory (and they put it on top!) and the crust operates as a cheese vessel. There can never be too many cheese vessels in this world. 4. Fried Chicken/Fried Chicken and Waffles Be honest. The second you first encountered this invention on a menu, you knew this was American. Much like Dark Helmet knew that only Lone Starr would use raspberry to jam the radar, only America would load this many calories onto a single plate. It's majestic. I included regular fried chicken in with the Chicken and Waffles because without one, the other couldn't be included. Plus, waffles didn't start here. I assume they were wrought in Belgium, if my waffle maker is to believed. But America did its mad scientist thing, like Doc Brown turning a DeLorean into a time machine and here we have: The Chicken and Waffles. 5. Pot Roast This is the Sunday dish to end all Sunday dishes. A real set it and forget it meal. You just cook it on slow and low forever and Salt Bae some veggies in there and you have a wonderful meal. Pot Roast is so moist and tender. It begins as a solid blob but, when done right, has no ability to maintain shape. Every attempt to corral a bite is like cutting off the head of a hydra, it just results in more. It is the Russian Nesting Doll of meats (actually, I take that back. That's the Turducken, which is also American). 6. Cornbread This belongs on the ballot for the side-dish Hall of Fame. Cornbread: part corn, part bread, entirely delicious. It is crumbly, which is word we don't get to use enough. It is also sweet. There is usually some honey at play. It is the perfect side to a BBQ meal. I'm no stranger to dipping my BBQ sauce in cornbread. Scratch that, reverse it. 7. Hot Dogs I am aware that there is a debate that rages on the internet as to whether or not a hot dog is a sandwich. I will confess the debate means so little to me that I will not be allocating the time to choose a side (who would waste their time doing something so fruitless. It's not nearly as life affirming as creating Top 11 lists on widely varied eclectic topics). It is not pertinent to whether or not it's delish. The Hot Dog is very American. It feels closely tied to the ballpark experience of watching sports live and in person. I will say I prefer a beef hot dog to a regular hot dog, but I've consumed more than my fair share of both (though nowhere near as many as Joey Chestnut). 8. Buffalo Wings Here we've arrived at another hot-button topic with arguments on both sides. I am not often called lazy, but anytime someone has called me lazy, I correct them and state that I am simply efficient. It is in this mindset that, when given the choice, I will always go for boneless wings. Not only do you get more bang for your buck, you don't have to work for it. You just grab it (or stab it with a fork if in mixed company) and use it as a bleu cheese vessel (hooray! We found another cheese vessel). Again, you are entitled to your opinion. I respect that. I don't like when the people who like to eat bones and gristle like to sit upon their high horse and judge those of us who like the boneless. Show some respect, sir. We are living in a society. 9. Peanut Butter and Jelly Here's the thing: I LOVE a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich. It is great as a snack to go or as the backbone of a lunch. You can use basically any kind of bread under the sun (I have used hamburger and hot dog buns to assemble this confection over the years in addition to more standard breads like white, wheat, and sourdough). It is infinitely customizable. In addition to choosing smooth or crunchy peanut butter, you get to utilize your own jelly flavor (I'm a sucker for Smucker's Raspberry Preserves). Some people will even pile additional ingredients in there like potato chips or bananas (am the only one that spells out "bananas" by singing Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl" in my head? B-A-N-A-N-A-S). It's your sandwich, man. Go wild! 10. BLT What is more American than not even bothering to say the whole name of the sandwich? We don't have time to spell out Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato. That's totes a prob. However, bacon is never a problem. You mack on one of these sandwiches and you can pretend you've indulged in a salad, as the staples are all accounted for. But there's a reason they list the B first (and don't say alphabetical. I swear, if you say the ingredients are just listed alphabetically...), it's the star of the show. If bacon were a broadway show, it would be sold out nightly. There, I said it. Bacon: The Musical! I'd attend that myself, actually. 11. Chili I'm not a big soup guy. I don't particularly enjoy consuming warm beverages, so I assume this is related. A lot of soups are thin and brothy and kinda hover in a land between food and drink. Not so for the Chili Con Carne. This bad boy has meat and beans and a little spice. It is more stew than soup. I like the idea that you consume Hot Chocolate when you're cold but you also eat Chili when you're chilly to warm up. I'm just entertaining myself here. Last time I saw my pulmonologist, she recommended that I steer clear of tomato-based foods (heartburn). Here's the thing: tomato based foods are the best ones. In addition to Chili, we're talking about salsa, barbecue sauce, ketchup, and pizza. Yeah, I don't think so, kid. Stay in your lane (and give me medicine for heartburn, please). Final Thoughts American foods span a wide swath of territory. You've got some southern staples on this list, some Texas BBQ, and some absolute midwest bangers. I hope you've had the honor of trying all of these items on my list, but if not, step up your game and stretch your palate (with things like hot dogs). I'm sure you have other American foods you love that didn't make my list. I'll give you a small list of the ones that just missed my list below, but please make sure to include any omissions in the comments section. Thanks! Club Sandwich Grilled Cheese Egg Salad Sandwich Tomato Ketchup Barbecue Sauce Breakfast Burrito Bleu Cheese Dressing Eggs Benedict Biscuit String Cheese

By CJ Tiernan By en:User:Daderot., CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons You remember that food pyramid thing? It had the 7-11 servings of grains at the bottom and then worked its way up to all the good stuff you were only supposed to indulge in with extreme moderation. Feh! What did they know? Well, the fruit was near the bottom, just above the grain and it is actually delicious (unlike its next-door neighbor: vegetables). Below is a list of my Top 11 fruits I've ever tried. 1. Strawberry While a strawberry is not technically a berry (what are you doing science? Get your house in order!), it is delicious. The strawberry is my favorite fruit but it does harbor the elusive pursuit of a good one. It can be tough to tell from the outside whether or not it is good and red all the way through. It also works great as a flavor in so many drinks, candies, and desserts. 2. Banana The utility of a banana is hard to replicate. It can stand alone as a snack, work great as an oatmeal additive, and even operate as a sandwich ingredient (you ever eat a peanut butter and banana sandwich? It is da bomb dot com). They are a more calorie-dense food than many of the other fruits on this list, but that's because they're so good. As my diabetic friends will tell you, a banana is two choices. Also, you ever see a video of a monkey eating a banana? They peel it from the bottom! What a game-changer. 3. Pineapple Do I like it as a key ingredient in Pineapple Upside-Down cake? Why yes. Yes, I do. But, it is also a delightful stand-alone option. You can get it fresh or canned. I like how many different ways you can have it sliced when you buy it canned. It comes in chunks, rings, tidbits, or crushed. They're all pineapple, so they're all worth it. Allegedly, you can look at an unpeeled pineapple in the grocery store and tell whether or not it's ripe. Me and my hawaiian-shirt wearing brain are incapable of picking up on the subtlety at play. By the way, shout-out to Psych (my favorite TV show of all time) for throwing a pineapple in every episode. 4. Apple How many varieties of apples are there in the world? In the US, there are more than 2500 and in the world, that number triples. That's a lot of apple varieties I haven't' tried. Maybe that means it's too low on my list and I haven't yet had the pleasure of trying the best one. I'm forced to settle for the dregs that "Big Apple" pushes to grocery stores. Then again, that honeycrisp. Aw man, that honeycrisp! It really hits. The Granny Smith is no slouch either. I thank her for her service every time I enjoy an apple pie on Thanksgiving. 5. Mango When you get a good mango, oh my word it melts in your mouth. It is a tactile euphoria. It is the newest addition to my fruit list and, while it can sometimes be difficult to track down a good one, when you find it, your efforts are rewarded. Also, what a fun seed. Those long slender seeds look like you received an oversized almond as the prize in your mango-flavored Cracker Jack. 6. Orange I once peeled an orange in such a manner that the entire peel came off as one piece. Looking back on it, that is less a badge of honor and more a waste of time. But, I quite like oranges and felt compelled to handle with care. It is a citrus fruit that just conjures up energetic feelings of happiness and sunshine. Is that why they call Florida the sunshine state? It also makes a mighty fine juice. I'm a pulp man (leave your thoughts on the subject in the comments). When I worked at Target, I once had a guest ask my peer and I for some "clean orange juice." After some brief bewilderment, we realized she was asking for OJ without pulp. It's funny how the old melon works sometimes. 7. Grapefruit Going back to back, Jack, with citrus fruits! I love a grapefruit more than most, I think. I like its tangy, sour slaps to the oral cavity. And, it's pink! How fun is that? It is also good for you. (Uh oh! Weird Al reference incoming) In fact, Weird Al wrote a song about the fad of eating mostly or exclusively grapefruit (aptly titled "Grapefruit Diet"). It was to the tune of "Zoot Suit Riot" by the Cherry Poppin' Daddies. What a banger! 8. Peach I believe it was the young namesakes of The Allman Brothers Band that once encouraged America to eat a peach. They were on to something. When you bite into one of these fuzzy little doodads, the juices run down your beard (or chin, should you lack sufficient growth) in a messy delight. While I'm a sucker for stone fruit such as the apricot and the nectarine, this one takes the cake. 9. Lime / Lemon I mashed these two together because while their services are not to be ignored, they aren't the type to be eaten straight up (although I do love me a lime wedge). They are a big deal in a lot of stuff, but you wouldn't go right for it, like an apple. Plus, they make great ades. Lemonade and Limeade are an absolute delight. They help with just a spritz or a zest in so many recipes they simply had to make the list. 10. Blueberry I throw these bad boys in my oatmeal. Big fan. Fun fact: there are no foods that naturally occur as blue. Blueberries are, in fact, purple. Seriously, the people in charge of naming berries really need to tighten up. The blueberry is also a fetching ingredient in muffins, scones, and pies. 11. Grape This is a throwing food. My brother and I were no stranger to throwing these across the kitchen and attempting to catch them in our mouths growing up. While our parents appreciated the attempt at a hobby and the dedication to our hand-eye coordination skills, they were less than enthused with the mess. So, we got good and stopped making a mess (except for that time we had that epic Rolo battle. We found Rolos for years and years after that). The alternative was to stop eating grapes. It was a no brainer. Also, as much as I enjoy eating grapes and drinking white grape juice, any and all grape-flavored products are repulsive to me. A cough syrup incident when I was about 5 years old permanently removed the flavor from the menu for me. Final Thoughts Fruit is sugar that naturally occurs in the wild (after consulting the internet, it appears sugar also naturally occurs in the wild as... sugar. How fascinating!). It comes in many varieties (seriously, so many apple options) and can be used in so many things. I am not a melons guy. You may have noticed a complete and utter lack of melons on my list. Sorry, not sorry. If you are a melons guy, please let me know in the comments section below, in addition to any other great fruit options I may have left off the list. Thanks!

By CJ Tiernan Why do we love game shows? We all do. Whether we have a certain one or two that we try to catch every week or we just throw on Game Show Network and let the fates decide, we've all sat down and watched a game show on TV. In fact, now that we've reached the zenith of on-demand entertainment, we can pick and choose which ones we watch and conjure them at the snap of a finger. I believe that we love them for two main reasons. First, we like to play along. If it is a trivia game, we are shouting out answers from the comfort of our own living room with complete and total disregard for the stakes attached to getting the answer wrong. Second, we like to imagine winning. The prize at the end of the game show-flavored rainbow is sometimes a good chunk of dough. A handsome bit of Simoleons. A sweet stack of cash. We like to imagine playing, and winning, without having to bother with pesky affairs like applying to play or putting on pants. I am in complete agreement. Below, are my Top 11 favorite Game Shows I've ever seen. 1. The Mole The Mole was awesome. It ran in the early 2000s (the so-called "aughts") and featured contestants working as a team to add as much money as possible to a collective pot by engaging in various games and activities. However, one member of the team was secretly working for the producers to sabotage the success of the mission. This individual was known as "The Mole." At the end of every episode, each contestant had to take a written test on the identity of the "The Mole." The most clueless contestant on each and every test was eliminated until it was down to one person and "The Mole." It was a delightful mix of reality show and game show (generally speaking, I don't believe in reality shows, but this one worked for me). They also had a celebrity version that was the bee's knees. 2. Who Wants to be a Millionaire? Game shows aren't generally appointment television. Obviously, there are people who refuse to miss an episode of Jeopardy! or Wheel of Fortune (here in America, we call those people "retired") but, for the most part, they are viewed non-linearly. One doesn't need to have seen the previous episode to handle what is going on. Plus, any and all relevant information is usually relayed to the contestants (and thus the audience) at the top of each episode. When "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" burst on the scene, that was not the case. This thing was in Prime Time, baby, and hosted by Regis Philbin. You couldn't take your eyes off of it. You'd play along. When the contestant polled the audience you'd shout the answer at your television and call them names (or turn to the person next to you, shrug, and say "I got nothing"). It was a real treat and crafted the catchphrase "final answer?" which has entered the vernacular. I'll never forget watching the first guy win the million dollars and call his dad and say "I don't really need your help. I just wanted to call and let you know I'm gonna win the million dollars." It was such a baller move. I remember his name was John Carpenter. How many other contestants do you remember a quarter century later? 3. Figure it Out Nickelodeon actually housed a decent swath of game shows for kids. "Double Dare," "Guts," and "Legends of the Hidden Temple" were all great offerings back in the '90s. My favorite was "Figure it Out." Someone would come on and a small panel of kids would have to ask yes-no questions to determine their skill, talent, or achievement. It was hosted by Olympian Summer Sanders. I firmly remember frequent panel members Lori Beth Denberg and Danny Tamberelli. And again, it was on Nickelodeon, so there would be a secret action that, when a panelist committed the cardinal sin of doing whatever that action was that episode, they got slimed. Aww man. Classic! 4. The Chase This is a show I never saw in the wild. I've only exclusively encountered this one on the Game Show Network (GSN) in the break room at work. I'm unclear if it even exists outside of break rooms across America. In "The Chase," a group of 4 go head-to-head against a brilliant guy that just sits there and knows everything. He is aptly known as "The Beast" (as he's a bit of a hefty fella). He is British and wisened. Contestants decided how big of a buffer they want from "The Beast," which means how many more questions he will have to answer than them to catch up before reaching a certain threshold. The smaller the gap, the larger the prize money. It is exciting because not only does this guy seem to know everything, but he's really cocky about it. When players play timid he laughs in their collective faces. It's the tops. 5. 1 vs 100 The late, great Bob Saget hosted this one. "Do you want the money or the mob?" was always the dilemma after each correct response. As the name would have you believe, a single contestant would stand on stage and a legion of humans (100, to be exact) would digitally respond to each question from their own stadium-seated perches. The more of "the mob" you'd eliminate, the higher the prize money would grow. But, if you got an answer wrong, you left with nothing. It was a real intimidating atmosphere having to stare at the 100 members of the mob and it seemed like people crumbled pretty quickly. All the questions were multiple choice and only had 3 options. The mob was incentivized because if the contestant lost, the surviving members of the mob split the pot. 6. Cash Cab "Cash Cab" was such a unique premise. It was a sneak-attack game show. Comedian Ben Bailey would drive around New York City in an unassuming minivan taxi and, when someone or a group of someones got in, he'd flash the lights on the ceiling and welcome them to a game show. They'd have to answer questions on the way to their desired destination. If they got three answers wrong, they'd be thrown (metaphorically) to the curb and wouldn't get any prize money. It was a simple and fun premise. It had fun wrinkles like a "Red Light Challenge" and going double-or-nothing at their destination on a video bonus question. My favorite was they got a couple of "lifelines" and could pull over, shout at a random stranger, and attempt to get a helpful answer. People on the street in NYC were seemingly the least helpful group of souls around. It was entertainment gold, though. 7. Family Feud "Good answer! Good answer!" People on the show shouted that a lot to their teammates. [Grits teeth] They weren't all good answers. Thankfully, the highly emotive Steve Harvey (or Richard Karn or Louie Anderson or John O'Hurley or whoever your favorite host was) would let you know with a Jim Halpert-esque glance what he thought of the answer. The game show has a very simple premise. "We surveyed 100..." whatever group of people and the top however many answers are on the board. You just have to get them all before getting 3 strikes (man, 3 strikes again. Is baseball the foundation of game shows?). If you didn't, the other group, usually a family (hence the name) would get a chance to steal if they got any of the remaining answers on their only guess. My favorite part was the time-crunched final portion (aptly titled "Fast Money"), wherein they'd have to respond to 5 rapid-fire queries and try to get as many points as possible between two members of the family. Sometimes they, uh, didn't hold up well to the pressure. Also, former *NSYNC member Joey Fatone was the announcer of the show for years. Weird. 8. Beast Games This is the newest game show on my list. Season 1 just came out about a year ago and season 2 gets released at the beginning of 2026 on Amazon Prime. It is highly worth your time. Hosted by Mr. Beast, (whom I'm aware is internet famous but I've never seen any of his YouTube videos) this show starts with 1000 people and, over the course of 10 episodes, whittles it down to 1 winner. A winner, who gets to win 5 million dollars. That's a hefty sum. It is an insane series of games and activities where people have to sabotage and betray alliances and friendships. It definitely has elements of reality TV, which I don't need in my life, but the games are so insane it is completely worth your time. There are also side quests that can earn people prizes. 9. Whose Line is it Anyway? "Whose Line is it Anyway?" "The show where the game's made up and the points don't matter." This is a departure from the standard game show. This one doesn't have contestants in a standard way. Instead, they have 4 comedians and improv comics competing against each other and working together. The whole point is to the make the audience laugh. It was hosted by Drew Carey and later Aisha Tyler and 3 of the 4 contestants are usually Ryan Stiles, Colin Mochrie, and Wayne Brady. They play with props, serve as each other's motor functions, and serenade audience members, among a bunch of other games. It is silly and extremely not self-serious. I appreciate that. 10. Jeopardy! SPC Richard F. Cancellieri, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons This is a game show staple. When you hear the words "game show," this may very well be your first thought. I quite like this game. The conceit is that the questions are phrased as answers to questions, thus forcing you to answer in the form of a question. While I consider that to be a fun wrinkle, they can be a little precious about it. It's a little uppity. I'd say the main reason that I don't this one higher is because it is too hard. So many questions have to do with history and literature and boring stuff of that ilk that I forgot to absorb in 10th Grade AP World History (Sorry. Speaking of "uppity," the inclusion of "AP" there feels gratuitous. Don't worry, if I also included my grade you'd be thoroughly unimpressed... like my parents were). There is, however, a lot of fun strategy that accompanies the quest for right answers (nay, questions) like hunting for "Daily Doubles" and wagering in "Final Jeopardy." The game show was also included (complete with the late, mustachioed Alex Trebek) as a pre-ride element in the now-extinct EPCOT ride "Universe of Energy" so it will always hold a spot in my heart much larger than my love for "18th Century British Literature." "It's in the past. It doesn't matter." - Rafiki - CJ Tiernan 11. Win Ben Stein's Money "You just might win Ben Stein's Money" echos the booming disembodied voice encouraging the audience to join the challenge for a future episode. In the show, the titular Ben Stein attempts to defend his money by playing as a contestant on his own show. Mr. Stein, famous for being the blandest soul alive, made buttered noodles look like rainbow sherbet. He was the one in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" that said, and I'm quoting here "Bueller... Bueller." Anyway, he was a bright fella and would strive to keeps others' hands off his moolah by playing in this trivia game show. He was kinda like a final boss for the other contestants. He started each episode as the host, and then when he shifted to contestant-mode, Jimmy Kimmel would take over and be the host of the show. It was a fun wrinkle. At the end, he goes head-to-head with the last remaining contestant (they start with 3 non-Ben Steins) by each sitting in an "isolation booth" and answering the same 10 questions. If the contestant bests Ben Stein, he wins, well, you know, Ben Stein's money (like, some of it. He didn't just wire over his entire bank account via Western Union or something). Final Thoughts There are so many game shows. Like a crazy large number. Very few give away large sums of money like "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" and "Beast Games." Most are rather modest sums, making them a profitable venture for networks and producers. I really quite enjoy playing along from home. I don't harbor a particularly deep knowledge set on many subjects so general knowledge and trivia is my sweet spot. There are so many different formats that enable shows to ply you with questions, I reckon they'll never end. I'm sure I missed some of your favorites. Please let me know in the comments which game show it is completely unacceptable that I left off my list. Thanks!

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 for something you have to make (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 go two more 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 that I feel like they got the ratio right in, 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 across 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 dislodged brace 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 order 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 he 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. 11. Life Mikey is not the only one that likes it. Life is just so great. It is one of the few cereals that I enjoy just as much when they are 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 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 like they are talking directly to me. In that instance, I will often jot them down in the Notes App in 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 maybe I have failed to 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 I originally 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 much you feel 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 for that is a waste of our 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 he had been educating through 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 of the guy 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 from fictional characters 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!