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By CJ Tiernan I love a good game night. Just hanging out at home, gaming with the fam, is one of my very favorite things in the world. I accumulated a list of my 11 favorite games I've ever played. As a disclaimer, the term "board game" is used a little loosely as several of the games on the list do not have "boards." This term is used in part to distinguish them from games that just use a deck of cards, video games, and the games the Backstreet Boys sang about in the song "Quit Playing Games (with My Heart)." So whether you play with family, friends, or people you found on Craigslist, get on out there and plays these games! 1. The Crew 3-5 Players My family and I have gotten pretty addicted to this game. We have sacrificed multiple weekends to playing this one dawn to dusk. I love this game because it is collaborative and everyone is on the same team. This game is trick-taking card-game missions meets outer space. There is also a deep-sea version that functions better for 3 player games. Playing this one takes a little time to get a feel for the strategies but once you get it, it's tough to walk away. 2. Catchphrase 2 Teams This is a team game. It combines hot-potato with clue-giving (verbal or physical) for a random word or phrase. It is plenty of fun to play as is, especially in larger groups. However, my siblings and I have spent countless hours playing it as more of a travel game, ignoring the hot-potato aspect and the team elements and just trying to get as many answers as possible before the timer runs out. We've played it in a car and on a plane and played many versions including the O.G., the Music Edition, and our favorite: Catchphrase Decades. 3. Uno Attack 2-10 Players Pictured: Me and two of my brothers playing Uno Attack. Not Pictured: The rage-fueled table flip to come Uno Attack is the best way I've ever found of turning friends into enemies, short of inflicting a physical wound. I love it. It takes the standard version of Uno you know and hold dear and adds several elements of chaos: a random number of cards when you have to draw, dumping all of a single color from your hand at once, and the ability to switch hands with someone. Oh man, when you have a bunch of cards and take someone's hand when they only have a couple cards, you can smile as you break their soul. The "Attack" is more than apt, but in Germany they call it "Uno Extreme," which is also spot on. 4. The Settlers of Catan 3-4 Players (Can Expand up to 6) When I first played "Settlers," it was a lot to think about. There were a lot of different strategies and ways to go with it and it was tough to decipher which would be the best. Now, I'm a Development Cards guy (when possible). One of the fun and unique things about this game is that the board is different every time. It is comprised of a slew of small hexagons that create the large hexagonal board. It combines dice rolls with strategy and resource spending in a real fun way. There are also a ton of fun variations and expansions. 5. Outburst 2 Teams As you may have guessed by the name, in "Outburst" you simply attempt to shout out answers to a trivia prompt. Sometimes, they are really specific names like "US Airports" and other times they are a lot more broad like "What Kids Want to be When They Grow Up." Every time, there are 10 answers on the card. Your answers have to match the card to a get a point. Aw man, is there some heartbreak in this one. You get about a minute to just shout out as many possible answers as you can, but sometimes it can get really quiet. As it says in the instructions, " This Game Is Unfair... MAYBE YOU'VE GOT A GREAT ANSWER... BUT IF IT'S NOT ON THE CARD, DEMS DA BERRIES! " 6. Codenames 2 Teams "Codenames" is a fun and unique game. You create a grid of 25 randomly drawn word tiles (or pictures, depending on the version you're playing) and each team has one person designated as the "spymaster" who has access to which of the tiles each team claims as their own. The "spymaster" has to provide single-word clues in an attempt to get their team to correctly guess the correct tiles and avoid the opposing team tiles (and the insta-loss tile known as "The Assassin"). It can be a little intense trying to think of the perfect word to get your team to guess the largest number of tiles, but if you think of a good one, it's really gratifying. 7. Apples to Apples 4-10 Players The stakes are a lot lower in this game. This is what games should be, first and foremost: fun! This is a silly card game where a judge (rotates around the table every round) has to decide which red card best fits the adjective or adverb on the green card. It is a real treat when you get to use cards like "festering wounds" or "picking your nose." This is also another game with several variations (and the genesis for the adult version: Cards Against Humanity). 8. Monopoly 2-6/8 Players Of all the games that have ever been made, this one may be the most iconic. It also may be the one with the greatest number of different versions (I happen to own over 30 versions myself). I remember playing it against my grandfather when I was young. It is a really fun game with a good amount of strategy mixed with a fair dose of luck. It is also a time investment. I recommend the speed dice they use in competitive tournaments to pare-down the time it takes to play (unless you love losing your whole weekend on a single round of a game like when playing "Risk"). My favorite version I've ever played was the 2000 Millennium Edition. It was so futuristic-looking. Of the O.G. pieces, my go to was always the Top Hat. 9. Clue 3-6 Players I love the game "Clue!" It is a great murder mystery for kids. There just aren't enough murder mysteries for kids. You get to choose a character in the beginning (my go to was always Mr. Green. Favorite Color Alert!) and then work your way room to room taking a stab at trying to deduce the murder weapon, the murderer, and the room in which the murder took place. Fun fact: when playing the Harry Potter version with my siblings, I once guessed the exact correct combination on my very first guess. My siblings hated it and we never played again. 10. The Game of Life 2-6 Players "Get lucky...in The Game of Life" was the jingle I remember hearing in ads as a kid. In my experience, that is unlikely. I was never very good at this game, probably because I always went to College and started in debt (that's not gonna hit too close to home in the real game of life for anyone is it?). Nevertheless, this is a fun game and the wheel that you spin in the middle of the board is one of the most satisfying physical parts of any game I've played (unless you spin a 10 when someone is the cop). 11. Trivial Pursuit 2-6 Players I'm a sucker for some general knowledge trivia. "Trivial Pursuit" is the O.G. Plus, it's a lot of fun to collect those colorful wedges. I may have had this game ranked higher on my list, but I usually only had access to games that were made before I was born, so I felt a bit disadvantaged against the adults I usually played with. The requirement to be able to succeed in a range of different topics was a big draw for me. Recommended for any and all fans of trivia and general knowledge. "Moops!" Final Thoughts Game night is dope. Do you play weekly with friends? Every now and then with the fam? My grandma used to just play solitaire all the time with an actual deck of cards before Microsoft invented the digital version (she wore the deck of cards down from the standard rectangular shape to more of an hourglass shape. She also referred to a couch as a davenport, which isn't relevant, but is interesting). I would say these days, I mostly play games when my family gets together around holidays and stuff, but I love to play games. I love so many more games than I was able to squeeze on to this list. A couple variations on Pictionary called Pictionary Man and Telestrations are the ones that just missed my list. I'm sure I left some of your favorites off my list. Please set me straight in the comments section below. Thanks! Happy gaming!

By CJ Tiernan I'm writing this one on Halloween so, 'tis the season. The horror movie genre definitely isn't as inextricably linked to the calendar as Christmas movies, but they certainly get a bump this time of year. I know that some people aren't huge fans of the horror genre and I don't blame them. I go to a movie to be entertained but often it's more than just that. In a comedy, you want to be friends with the funny people. In an adventure, you want to be on that adventure with the characters. In a love story, you want to be swept off your feet too. You want to be in the movie, experiencing the same thing as the characters. That is not the case for a horror movie. You, instead, thank your lucky stars you're not there. It is a different version of fantasy and wish fulfillment and I respect that. But I like a movie that moves me to feel something. Horror movies are definitely capable of conjuring a litany of emotions and I love that. Below is a list of my 11 favorite movies I've ever seen that can fall, at least in part, under the horror genre. 1. Shaun of the Dead (2004) Studio Canal, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons The first genre that "Shaun of the Dead" falls under is probably either comedy or parody. But there are zombies and brutal deaths so it still counts. This is my favorite horror movie and one of my favorite movies of all time. Edgar Wright brings British dry wit to a genre that often lacked much of a pulse. I love the quick cuts of otherwise mundane actions to ratchet up the tension, as well the oblivious nature of the main character to realize he's in a zombie movie. 2. The Cabin in the Woods (2011) This might be the greatest send up of the horror genre of all time. Not only does it adhere to certain genre troupes, it also effortlessly snaps them over its knee whenever it pleases. It also showcases a great number of other horror figures from a heap of other flicks in the horror sphere. This is the movie I would recommend as a horror gateway for people who don't think they are a fan of horror. The comedy throughout helps to soften the terror and cutting back and forth between locations helps alleviate some of the tension. 3. Late Night with the Devil (2023) "Late Night with the Devil" is my favorite "found footage" movie of all time. The idea that some unspeakable horror or tragedy played out and eliminated all the players so that all that remains is a recording of the events is always a fascinating conceit. This movie takes place in the late '70s and puts a twist on the genre. It is a Halloween episode of a late-night show. I don't want to spoil anymore if you haven't seen it because it is so delicious. 4. Cloverfield (2008) The first "found footage" movie I ever saw was "Cloverfield." It changed the game. I loved it so much. I love the idea of the camera being held by one of the characters. It just feels so much like you are there and a part of the action. It raises the stakes. "The Blair Witch Project" was the first time I'd ever heard of the "found footage" genre (or perhaps sub-genre), but I don't recommend it. It is a very slow burn. The good stuff is reserved for like the last 10 seconds of the movie. But this one? Good from the first drop to the last drop. 5. Zombieland (2009) I love this movie for a ton of reasons. The concept is great. The cast is great. My favorite part was the fourth-wall breaking, how-to guide-esque rules for surviving in "Zombieland." It is a wonderful strategy for staying alive and a wonderful strategy for making a horror movie funny. 6. Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (2010) Speaking of funny movies, "Tucker & Dale vs. Evil" has entered the chat. This movie stars Tyler Labine and Alan Tudyk as two hillbillies who are mistaken for killers. Alan Tudyk is criminally underrated. Some of his best roles are as voice-over and motion-capture characters and some of his stuff is just under seen, but still: the world should know his name. Tyler Labine has also been in several great things like "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" and the one-and-done season of "Sons of Tucson." This movie is a comedy horror movie born of a misunderstanding and things go off the rails from there. Highly worthy of your time. 7. Fall (2022) This one got me. This was a white-knuckle thrill ride all the way through. A young woman, climbing with her friend and her husband, watches as he slips and falls to his death. She becomes broken and gives up climbing. Her friend, in an effort to pull her out of her rut and get her out of the house, suggests they do another climb about a year later. Reluctantly, she comes along and the two scale an abandoned radio tower in the desert. Then they struggle to get back down. I highly recommend this one if you haven't seen it. 8. Army of the Dead (2021) "Army of the Dead" is a zombie heist movie. A zombie heist movie! To be clear, there are humans attempting a casino heist in post-apocalyptic Las Vegas while trying to avoid zombies, not an attempt to steal zombies. Well, actually... ah, just watch the movie. It's done by Zack Snyder so you know the action is dope. Also, Tig Notaro is a scene stealer, which is quite a feat considering the scenes she is in were originally filmed without her . 9. The Silence of the Lambs (1991) "The Silence of the Lambs" won the Academy Award for best picture. To date, it is the only horror film to ever pull that off. As such, it is the most critically recognized film on my list. That is for a very good reason. The acting is incredible. Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins both won the respective Academy Award for best acting. The movie also won best adapted screenplay and best director (Jonathan Demme, who also won Tom Hanks and Bruce Springsteen an Oscar a couple years later for "Philadelphia"). The story and the Hopkins performance bore their talons into you and cling on well after the movie's over. 10. The Conjuring (2013) "The Conjuring" might be the most straightforward horror movie on this list. Well, no, there are supernatural elements to this one, so I take it back. But to be honest, this is one of the creepiest movies I've ever seen. Yes, there are jump scares, which often feels like a cheap trick (but also, you're there to be scared, so if it scares you then it worked, right?). There is a level of tension that gets established early on and never really subsides. It is a tense movie. It is also really well done. It takes place in the '70s and features a real-life paranormal-investigator couple (Although, I believe a few liberties were taken). Even though it only came out a dozen years ago, it's spawned a crazy number of sequels and spinoffs so clearly it was it hit. 11. Saw (2004) Last but not least, we have "Saw." I don't know if you ever saw "Saw," but it's intense. It is a gripping thriller that also launched a crap-ton of sequels and prequels. The director James Wan, who also directed The Conjuring, must be rolling in the dough as the pioneer of multiple horror franchises. I only saw (sorry, last time) the first two "Saw" movies and they were both intense, but I think they start to get a bit too over the top after this first one. "Saw" is very intimate and harrowing. Plus, you can never see Cary Elwes on screen enough. Fun fact: His given name is Ivan Simon Cary Elwes. Final Thoughts If terror and fear be not what you seek, your knowledge of this list may be feeble and weak. However, I have very few movies on this list that fall exclusively under the horror genre. As such, if you are more of a purist, your list may look dramatically different. Please let me know in the comments if I missed any of your favorites. I have included a small list of some of the movies that just fell short of making my own list. Thanks! Arachnophobia (1990) Five Nights at Freddy's (2023) The Devil's Rejects (2005) It (2017) Escape Room (2018) Alien (1979) Aliens (1986) Cube (1997) Army of Darkness (1992)

By CJ Tiernan When you first learn to read as a child, it opens up world of possibilities. You can pick up a book and read it all on your own (Awesome!). You can explore a world or learn and grow. It creates your first real moment of autonomy as a human being. Below is a list of my 11 favorite books that I read as a child. I read these over and over and over again. 1. Harold and the Purple Crayon Written and Illustrated by Crockett Johnson Published in 1955 This book, about a young boy with the power to shape his world by drawing anything with just a purple crayon, was my favorite book growing up. It displayed a malleable world with infinite possibilities. Starting around the age of 8 or 9, every time I made a wish by blowing out the candles on a birthday cake or tossing a coin in a fountain, I wished for the same thing: car keys (I know, I know. Now that I told you, it won't come true). Not a full-on car, or the ability to drive a car, I just wanted keys. I saw holding keys as the gateway to go anywhere I wanted and thus do anything I wanted. That was Harold and his purple crayon. He could travel anywhere because he could draw anything and a path to it. Granted, he's a young kid, so he accidentally draws his nightmares, bringing to life his fears and wishing desperately that he was back home in bed, but who hasn't been there. 2. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Written by Judi Barrett Illustrated by Ronald Barrett Published in 1978 In our world, barring the occasional emergency supply drop, food does not fall from the sky. I like reading about a world where that is possible. While the weather does escalate to the point that the townspeople are forced to abandon the city of Chewandswallow, it is a fun and whimsical story. It's also a story within a story, as the grandfather is telling the tale to his grandkids, not unlike the format of "The Princess Bride." There's something that makes you warm and fuzzy inside about hearing a story from a grandpa. 3. The Big Orange Splot Written and Illustrated by Daniel Manus Pinkwater Published in 1977 "My house is me, and I am it. My house is where I want to be and it looks like all my dreams." That is the life mantra of Mr. Plumbean, the persecuted protagonist who butts up against the local HOA by shaping his home in his image. It creates a wave of individualism that spreads throughout the neighborhood. A magically beautiful tale of being yourself and following your dreams. It helpfully inspired my current wardrobe choices. 4. The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales Written by Jon Scieszka Illustrated by Lane Smith Published in 1992 A fairy tale book that says it's okay to break the rules. It takes existing fairy tales and puts a fun spin on the them. It was the first book that told kids nothing is too sacred. "The Princess and the Pea" became "The Princess and the Bowling Ball." It also may have been one of the first places where I experienced meta humor. Chicken Licken was crying that the sky was falling and wanted to contact the president, but everyone was crushed by the table of contents instead. Fairy tales made silly. Perfect! 5. Big Pumpkin Written by Erica Silverman Illustrated by S.D. Schindler Published in 1992 This is a tale of teamwork between Halloween mainstays like a witch, a mummy, a vampire, and a ghost. I remember my dad reading this book to me as a kid and doing the voice of the vampire as a Dracula impression [insert heart emoji here]. It starts with a selfish witch who wants her pumpkin and one by one has more and more people help to pull it off the vine (Then they head to the Winchester for a bite of Pumpkin Pie and wait for all this to blow over, or something like that). 6. The Cat in the Hat Written and Illustrated by Dr. Seuss Published in 1957 Can you imagine if you were just hanging around the house while your mother is out and suddenly an anthropomorphic cat bursts in like he owns the place, as though you all had made plans and you just forgot. The beauty of Dr. Seuss is the imagination. He builds a world, devoid of straight lines, where a cat can wear a hat and a fox can have socks anything you can imagine goes. Spoiler Alert: this will not be the last D-Seuss book on the list. 7. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie Written by Laura Joffe Numeroff Illustrated by Felicia Bond Published in 1985 Felicia Bond, Illustrator, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Most children's books have a theme designed to teach you something about how to exist as a member of society. Be yourself. Work as a team. Always wear clean underwear. You know, basic Emily Post stuff. This book, along with its more than a dozen sequels, educates kids on the domino effect. It teaches you there are consequences for your actions or, at the very least, sharing is a slippery slope. 8. Wacky Wednesday Written by Dr. Seuss (as Theo LeSieg) Illustrated by George Booth Published in 1974 "Wacky Wednesday" was a great book to read as a child for two reasons. The first and obvious reason: It helps you learn how to spell Wednesday. Wednesday is unquestionably the most difficult day of the week to learn how to spell as a kid. It's tricky, like February. Secondly, it's weird. I like weird. There are progressively more things wrong with the world, but no one else can see them except the narrator (and the reader). It's like a seek and find puzzle. 9. If I Ran the Zoo Written and Illustrated by Dr. Seuss Published in 1950 This is another book that allows the imagination to run wild. It follows a kid thinking up increasingly exotic animals to put in the zoo instead of the existing and mundane animals in your standard zoo. "If I Ran the Zoo" harbors a sense of adventure and an unwillingness to settle for reality as it is, but rather shape it in your image. 10. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day Written by Judith Viorst Illustrated by Ray Cruz Published in 1972 Sometimes, it's just not your day. It's not the most eloquent of messages to offer a child, but it is a lesson we all have to learn. At some point in our lives, we learn that we live in a heliocentric world, and the world doesn't revolve around us. It hurts. I remember on my seventh birthday, I had to wait to do something and I was so mad. It was my birthday. If I can't get my way on my birthday, what power do I really have? I remember I was fuming and walked out of my house and just walked up and down my street, silently venting my frustration and wrapping my mind around the idea that I am one of many. It hurts when you find that out. It was much tougher for Alexander, who wanted so badly to get away to Australia while suffering through the most radical representation of the idiom "when it rains, it pours" that we've ever seen outside of the book of Job. 11. The Very Hungry Caterpillar Written and Illustrated by Eric Carle Published in 1969 Who doesn't love the artwork of Eric Carle? It is so iconic and an absolute pillar of childhood. It carries us through the idea of growth and development and transformation. We also get treated to simple learning elements like counting and days of the week. So much of the beauty of a kids book is the fun pictures, and few are more lovely than an Eric Carle joint. Final Thoughts There is a magic to children's books. Whether you're reading them to yourself as a child, or your kin as an adult, they crack open the imagination and childlike sense of wonder. To be honest, I kinda miss it. As you can tell by the dates these books have been published, I have been out of the game for a while. I don't have a single book on my list that was written after I turned 5. That means I may very well have missed some great ones in the intervening 30 years. If I did, please let me know in the comments below. Thanks!

By CJ Tiernan When watching a movie, in pursuit of entertainment I often try to get lost in the world of the film. Sometimes the acting is so compelling it's almost hard to fathom. An opinions gets lost in the character and absorbed by the plot and it's tough to decipher where the actor ends and the character begins. If that happens, you can feel it while watching the movie and it's incredible. Below is a list of the 11 acting performances that were so captivating and unexpected they stopped me in my tracks and were difficult to shake well after the credits rolled. 1. Brie Larson - Room (2015) Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Brie Larson plays a kidnapping victim who has been held captive in a single room for seven years and has a 5-year-old son living in the room with her. She runs the gamut of emotional range in this one in such a powerful way. The performances are impressive all around (including a 7-year-old Jacob Tremblay), but Brie stole the show. Academy Award? - Yes, Best Actress 2. Christoph Waltz - Inglorious Basterds (2009) Philipp von Ostau, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons The opening scene of this movie is the first time I ever saw Christoph Waltz. The beginning of the movie was haunting and enduring and his performance was a big reason why. Playing "The Jew Hunter," Hans Landa, he was able to utilize his multilingual skills to steal the show. Writer/Director Quentin Tarantino worried that he had written a "part that was un-playable" until Christoph Waltz entered the chat. His performance was unforgettable. Academy Award? - Yes, Best Supporting Actor 3. Dev Patel - Lion (2016) Ariela Ortiz Barrantes, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Lion is a harrowing and heartbreaking story. It follows a young boy in India who is accidentally separated from his family. Dev plays the adult version of this boy, and doesn't show up on screen until about an hour in. His performance was so impressive I couldn't look away. The movie was based on a true story and it's an incredible tale. Academy Award? - No, but Nominated for Best Supporting Actor 4. Heath Ledger - Dark Knight (2008) Howie, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Other than maybe "10 Things I Hate About You," I don't believe I had ever seen a Health Ledger performance before his untimely demise. He seemed like an odd choice for the role, until, of course, we saw him in action. You couldn't take eyes off of him. He transformed so completely from the Rom-Com pretty-boy that he was darn-right unrecognizable. His performance is so rewatchable and so intense. I really wish he hadn't died because after this performance, the world was gonna be his oyster. Academy Award? - Yes, Best Supporting Actor 5. Elle Fanning - Super 8 (2011) Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Elle is the youngest person on my list. She was only 12 when she started filming this movie. Obviously she came from child acting royalty, as she is the younger sister of Dakota Fanning. In a movie that mostly follows a group of kids, her performance stood out heads and tails above the rest of them. Her performance in the film within the film is so impressive and nuanced. Academy Award? - No, Not Nominated 6. Taraji P. Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) Genevieve, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons This was the first time I ever saw Taraji P. Henson on screen. She played a mother of sorts to the elderly infant that ages backwards. Her charisma and layered performance really ground the movie which has a crazy premise and some distracting CGI. The type of performance that makes you whisper "wow" whilst among strangers in a theater. Academy Award? - No, but Nominated for Best Supporting Actress 7. Mahershala Ali - Moonlight (2016) Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons The movie "Moonlight" is very cleanly broken into three acts. Act I is my favorite and Mahershala Ali is the reason why. He plays a drug dealer and, in my mind, that means he's supposed to be a bad guy. But not only is he drenched in charisma throughout, but he serves as a mentor to the main character. He brings such a humanity to an otherwise marginalized role in society you can't take your eyes off him. Academy Award? - Yes, Best Supporting Actor 8. Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men (2007) Carlos Delgado, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Javier Bardem burst on the scene in a Beatles wig as a psychopathic killer. His actions are so understated in this movie, not over the top and zany like Christian "Batman" Bale in "American Psycho," that you're drawn in. The tension that he wrings out of the coin flip scene is borderline untouchable. "I'm not putting it any way." It's a great movie and he's the best part of it. Academy Award? - Yes, Best Supporting Actor 9. Casey Affleck - Manchester by the Sea (2016) Bex Walton from London, England, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons This movie is emotionally devastating. Having seen Casey Affleck play a goofball in "Tower Heist," I don't think I was ready for how great he was in this movie. He is a broken human being who suffered an unimaginable grief and you believe it all. He and Michelle Williams are both so great in this movie. It's the type of movie that clings to you after it's over and you just keep thinking back to it. It's unshakeable. Academy Award? - Yes, Best Actor 10. Lady Gaga - A Star is Born (2018) John Bauld from Toronto, Canada, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons This was the fourth time that "A Star is Born" has made, dating all the way back to 1937. If you're gonna remake a movie that has already been remade twice, you need an ace up your sleeve. Lady Gaga is that ace. The "Poker Face" singer absolutely steals the show. It's a musical, and the music is incredible, but the music isn't the only stunning part of her performance. Her work is breathtaking in this movie from beginning to end. Academy Award? - No, but Nominated for Best Actress 11. Janelle Monáe - Hidden Figures (2016) Myles Kalus Anak Jihem, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons I was under the impression that Janelle was more of a musical artist than an actor. Then I saw Hidden Figures. She exhibits such an intensity and a humanity that I couldn't look away. The movie as whole is beautiful story highlighting a slew of unsung heroes. Octavia Spencer was deservingly nominated for this movie, but it was Janelle Monáe that stopped me in my tracks. Academy Award? - No, Not Nominated Final Thoughts My dad always says the casting director is the unsung hero of a great movie. These 11 performances are absolutely proof-positive for that sentiment. In many cases, they wouldn't have been the most obvious or heralded of choices, but in each and every case they stole the show. I'm sure your list would look a lot different than mine, as preconceived expectations are a factor in making the list. How fun is it that? We're different and bring our own opinions to this discussion. Please include your favorites in the comments below. Thanks!

By CJ Tiernan The song that kicks off an animated show is often the baited hook that brings you into the episode. Back in the day of live television, a show would attempt to ensnare you (or in this case: an unsuspecting child) immediately after whatever previous show you just watched so you didn't change the channel. They come on loud and strong and typically offer an extremely abbreviated sense of the plot and/or characters. I love the energy of a TV show theme song. Below is a list of my 11 favorite TV show theme songs for animated shows that I've ever heard. 1. Phineas and Ferb (2007-2015, 2025-?) " Today is Gonna Be a Great Day " by Bowling for Soup is the theme song for Phineas and Ferb. It not only perfectly encapsulates the joy of summer vacation and months without school, it also maintains the comedy of the show. The title sequence ends with Candice shouting "Mom! Phineas and Ferb are making a title sequence!" which establishes the meta vibe of the show at the top of every half hour. 2. SpongeBob SquarePants (1999-?) This theme song conjures the quality of a sea shanty, utilizing call and response. It perfectly warns the audience of the oddities ahead. The animation styling choice of starting with an animated photo of a pirate with live-action lips is disturbing and delightful and advertises the choppy seas ahead. 3. DuckTales (1987-1990) Rosnicka132, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons This theme song again paints the scene for possible plot points. The 2 big takeaways are 1: I, too, would like a vault of gold coins so that I may put on my old-timey bathing suit and dive into money. And 2: the "Woo-oo" is so catchy. Go on, try it. I'll wait. "Woo-oo!" 4. Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers (1989-1990) The " Rescue Rangers Theme " is so great I can't believe it didn't find a home on the pop charts in the late 1980s. "Ch-ch-ch-Chip 'n Dale, Rescue Rangers!" is eminently re-singable. The verses help paint the picture of both Chip and Dale as members of a detective agency, but I just want to sing along and get up and boogie. 5. Doug (1991-1999) The Doug theme song ! Just those words conjure up the little ditty in your head. Cmon, you know the one even before clicking on the link. There are not really any real words, it's just a real catchy tune you can't shake. The opening also showcases the main characters and the imagination of Doug Funnie by turning a single line into a litany of different things. 6. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987-1996) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is such a rocking theme song. In addition to awesome lines like "heroes in a half shell, turtle power" it actually straight-up gives the personality of each ninja turtle in the tightest of blurbs. "Leonardo leads, Donatello does machines (That's a fact, jack!), Raphael is cool but rude, Michelangelo is a party dude!" A neat little summation of their vibe (I was a Leonardo guy as kid, by the way). 7. Inspector Gadget (1982-1986) The Inspector Gadget Theme is one of the most iconic theme songs ever. Each and every time a glockenspiel makes an appearance in a theme song, you can't help but stand up and take notice. The opening sequence helps paint the picture of Inspector Gadget as a bit of bumbling detective with a bunch of, you know, gadgets. However, the music tells you that even if the main character isn't cool, the show is. When I was a kid, I used to wake up before everyone else in my house and watch reruns of this show. It's so great. 8. Pinky and the Brain (1995-1998) "Gee, Brain, what do you wanna do tonight?" asks Pinky. Brain responds ominously, "The same thing we do every night, Pinky. Try to take over the world!" Following two lab mice as they take over the world has never been so fun. The theme song walks you through their personalities (as if their names didn't hint at that for you). I love the ending. "They're Pinky, they're Pinky and the Brain, Brain, Brain, Brain...Narf!" 9. Dilbert (1999-2000) The theme song for Dilbert, " The Dilbert Zone ," is a weird song for a weird show. The instrument that plays at the beginning sounds like if you rubbed the straw back and forth again and again inside a fast food cup. It was created by Danny Elfman, as many good (and weird) things are. The show was based on the comic strip and had some fun voice talents like Daniel Stern, Larry Miller, and Chris Elliott. 10. Animaniacs (1993-1998) Of all the loud and in your face songs to kick off a cartoon episode, this might be the loudest and brashest. The Animaniacs theme song features the main characters, The Warner Siblings (Yakko, Wakko, Dot), singing about themselves and the show. They helpfully reveal, among other things, that they are "zany to the max." Also, Bill Clinton plays the sax so you know you're in for '90s celebrity caricatures. 11. Rocko's Modern Life (1993-1996) This theme song is a hoot! After season 1, the song was performed by The B-52s (of "Rock Lobster" fame). The opening gives you a great sense of the animation and the weird vibes associated with this show. It was another show whose reruns I would enjoy early in the morning before shipping off to Elementary School. I highly recommend a dose of weirdness in the morning ("we're all mad down here"). Final Thoughts As someone born in the late '80s, you can see my sensibilities for animated shows largely linger in the era in which I was a child. I will not apologize for that. There are so many great animated show theme songs that I left off my list. The Simpsons is a classic. So is Scooby-Doo Where Are You! These are the ones that just missed my list. If I missed one of your faves, please let me know in the comments below. Thanks!

By CJ Tiernan How fun is it to watch sports? Whether you're rooting for your favorite team or athlete, or you just love the sport and want to see a good game, sports are a great form of entertainment. I'm often tickled when the announcer calls out the name of an athlete with a delightful name. Below, I have a list of my Top 11 Athletes with names that most-perfectly fit their sport. 1. Chuck Long - Football QB A quarterback in football throws the ball. Some of the best plays a quarterback can have is the deep ball. Chuck = throw, Long = far. This name is so perfect for a thrower of the football. He played for the University of Iowa (my alma mater) in the '80s before having a subpar pro career, mostly with the Detroit Lions (where careers have gone to die for almost my entire life). He did win an XFL championship in 2023 as an offensive coordinator, though, so, hat-tip! 2. Chris Moneymaker - Poker Player Moneymaker is his actual last name. Crazy! In a sport where you more literally make money than any other, he burst on the scene winning the World Series of Poker in 2003. He created a phenomena known as the "Moneymaker Effect," as he was the first to earn his seat at the table through online poker. If you question whether someone who plays poker can be considered an athlete, that's fair. Anything broadcast on ESPN, for me, hurdles the (admittedly low) bar for sports status. 3. Usain Bolt - Sprinter J. Brichto, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons I'm an American. Usain Bolt is one of the few times, if not the only time, I can ever remember rooting for the athlete of another country in the Olympics. From his superhuman speed, to his ostentatious demeanor, Bolt was great (and he knew it). For a man whose memoir is titled The Fastest Man Alive , having the surname Bolt (as in bolt of lightning or move quickly) is perfect. 4. Tiger Woods - Golfer Tiger Woods was good at golf. Really, really good. One of the best ever. While his real first name is Eldrick, his real last name is indeed Woods. Woods, as in, the clubs you use for hitting the ball really far, which is something he was also great at. And while woods are now made of, and occasionally referred to as, metal, he has been playing since he was 3 years old, back when they were at least predominantly wood, it still counts. 5. Prince Fielder - Baseball Player Prince Fielder, as was his dad Cecil, was a first baseman and designated hitter. He was an infielder who could mash. While he was more known for his hitting prowess than his ability to play the field, the name is still quite apt. 6. Tim Duncan - Basketball PF/C Tim "The Big Fundamental" Duncan was a post presence. As such, he had a lot of opportunities to finish at the rim. His last name, when said aloud, sounds a lot like the coffee and donut shop that America runs on (Dunkin'). Basketball is a sport filled with high flying dunks, so Duncan is an apt name for the sport, even though Tim was known to finish a variety of different ways at the cup. 7. Homer Bailey - Baseball Pitcher Now "Homer" isn't his birth name, instead it was a nickname bestowed upon him to distinguish him from his father, who was also named David. However, it was a name borrowed from his great-grandfather (not The Simpsons) and one he went by basically his whole life. As a pitcher, a homer was not exactly something he was anxious to see so while it fits the sport, it's not perfectly apt for him. Homer also failed to homer in his 373 career at bats. 8. Clete Blakeman - Football Referee Clete, short for Cletus, has been a referee in the NFL since 2008. While technically not a professional athlete, he is undoubtably a sports figure in America's biggest sport and thus gets to make the list. It's my list. If you don't like it, make your own. Clete, as you know, is a reference to footwear, as the shoes that football players wear (and referees) are referred to as spikes or cleats. 9. Takeo Spikes - Football LB Spikes is another name for NFL footwear. It also works as a celebration move with the football (If you're looking to learn how to spike a football, simply hurl it at the ground directly in front of you as hard as possible). As a hard-hitting linebacker, Takeo was no stranger to spiking humans into the ground as well. 10. LaMelo Ball - Basketball PG A guy with the last name ball plays basketball. How fun is that?! It gets better: he has two brothers Lonzo and LiAngelo that play/played professionally. I put LaMelo up top because he has played the best of the three (though some consider Lonzo to still be the best when it's all said and done due to superior defense), but the truth is they all had to overcome the obstacle of massive hype due, in no small part, to their father LaVar Ball being, shall we say, boisterous on national TV. 11. Margaret Court - Tennis Player I've never seen Margaret play tennis. She retired 13 years before I was born. However, she is still the Grand Slams Singles record holder with 24 wins, one ahead of Serena Williams. Her name is the playing surface upon which one plays a game of tennis. How delightful is that?! Final Thoughts I hope you enjoyed my quirky list. I find it so fun that several athletes had names that so perfectly fit the sport they played. Just to be clear, I ranked them based on how apt I felt the name was and not at how great an athlete they were, which you could probably tell by my having Chuck Long ahead of the likes of Tiger Woods and Usain Bolt. Kenneth Gainwell (Football Running Back) and Ryan Longwell (Football Kicker) are the two players that just missed my list. If I missed any of your favorites, please let me know in the comments below. Thanks!

By CJ Tiernan Saturday Night Live (SNL) has just entered its 51st season. That is an impressive run in a genre that is ever-evolving: comedy. It is a show that has been on for so long, it has touched and shaped the comedic sensibilities of generations. I've seen clips of some of the shows that came out before I as born, but with one or two exceptions, my list is comprised of people that were on the show when I was old enough to watch. Below is a list of my 11 favorite comedians that have ever graced the stage of Studio 8H at 30 Rock as cast members of Saturday Night Live. 1. Kate McKinnon (2012-2022) ColliderVideo, CC BY 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons The Performer - Kate was able to inhabit a character like few others. She was fully committed to the bit. She was able to be weird or play it straight. Well, mostly she was weird, but in the best and most complimentary way. 2. Darrell Hammond (1995-2009) The Chameleon - Darrell was a great impressionist. He played countless politicians and news broadcasters. He wasn't bigger than the character, he let the idiosyncrasies of the person speak for themselves. Except for his Sean Connery impression. That one on Celebrity Jeopardy was delightfully over the top. 3. Dana Carvey (1986-1993) The Impressionist - Dana was one of the best imitators I've ever seen. He is great with accents and dialectics but never loses sight of the fact the impression was a conduit to laughter. 4. Chris Parnell (1998-2006) The Stoic - Chris was often foisted into the straight-man role. At the spelling bee, he is the guy reading the words. His earnest delivery made him the perfect pitchman in a fake ad or a newscaster in a breaking news report. He had such an established type that, whenever he'd get a chance to play against it, he always killed. 5. Kristen Wiig (2005-2012) The Goofball - Kristen may have had some of the zaniest characters in the history of the show. The Target Lady (pronounced TIR-git) was loud and effervescent but she was great even as a side character with her ridiculous accents and willingness to improvise. That character with the small hands lives rent-free in my nightmares. 6. Bill Hader (2005-2013) The Character - Bill had some wild characters. Stefon, obviously, was untethered. He had great chemistry with Kristen and Fred Armisen in "The Californians." I kinda just liked when he was a weirdo, like the old interviewer, Herb, that shoved microphones in people's faces or that time he played Alan, the future of entertainment. He was also a great impressionist (His Alan Alda in the Jurassic Park auditions is too good). 7. Phil Hartman (1986-1994) The Charmer - Whether he played the guy you root for, or the guy you root against, you rooted for Phil Hartman. He oozed charisma. He was so great at playing the comedy right at the audience (or to the audience? With the audience?). 8. Will Ferrell (1995-2002) The Energy - Will was the ultimate "commit to the bit" performer. He brought everything he had to the role. He could ham it up and milk every ounce of laughter out of his character. It's a talent he brought with him to Hollywood. 9. Kenan Thompson (2003-?) The Glue - Kenan's longevity is second to none. He's just seven seasons away from having been on the show for half of it's entire run. He brings an unbridled charisma to the show. He will often play the straight man that just turns to the audience as if to say "I agree, this guy is crazy." He is so much fun and can so effortlessly turn a bomb into a classic. 10. Andy Samberg (2005-2012) The Game-Changer - Andy, in partnership with his fellow "The Lonely Island" collaborators Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer, helped usher in a new wave of Saturday Night Live. They brought non-live sketches to air in the form of "Digital Shorts." Consistently, Andy delivered funny sketches, bringing them to life in a new format (and made some absolute musical bangers along the way). 11. Chris Farley (1990-1995) The Presence - Chris Farley was special in his run on SNL. He brought an energy and physical comedy to his performances that really hasn't been matched since. His ability to shout comedically was unparalleled, and he could also steal the show with his soft spoken, timid characters. Steven Dahlman, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Final Thoughts For a show to last 50 years, it has to catch a few breaks. This show has found some really talented comedians over the years, and while they may feel that SNL was their big break, it was a bit of a break for the show to have all this talent. There are countless greats that I left off my list. From Eddie Murphy and John Belushi, to Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, there are too many to list all of the wonderful people that have made SNL the enduring legacy it is today. Please let me know which of your favorites I left off my list in the comments below. Thanks!

By CJ Tiernan Phineas and Ferb is one of my very favorite shows of all time. If you've ever watched the show, you know that there is a small list of boxes that get checked every single episode. The boys are going to invent something great, Dr. Doofenshmirtz is going to invent something that is thwarted by Perry the Platypus, Candice is going to fail to bust Phineas and Ferb, and there is going to be a musical number. I have created a list of my 11 favorite songs from the show, and it includes both the recurring songs and the songs that are one-offs for a given episode. I only included the music from the original run (2007-2015) as I have not yet seen the reboot season in 2025. 1. Today is Gonna Be a Great Day (Theme Song) This, as you could probably tell from the title, is the theme song. See, right there in parentheses, it says "Theme Song." That's because this is the song that starts every episode. It was also performed by Bowling for Soup of " 1985 " fame. 2. E.V.I.L. B.O.Y.S. This is a song that Candace sings while she is vocally compromised. She is allergic to wild parsnips and her voice sounds more like Harvey Fierstein than Ashley Tisdale (the voice actress for the character). She sings this song to her mom, venting frustration on all the things Phineas and Ferb get away with. 3. Gitchee Gitchee Goo This is a love song by Phineas and the Ferb-Tones. After learning about the concept of a "one-hit wonder" and their mother's past as pop-star Lindana, Phineas and Ferb set out to create a "one-hit wonder" of their own. They succeed in writing a hit, and it became a hit for the show as this was the first song written for an episode of Phineas and Ferb and caused the Disney Brass to insist on more! Good call, suits! 4. S.I.M.P. (Squirrels in my Pants) An impromptu rap performance by "2 Guyz N the Parque" is launched because Candice accidentally gets squirrels in her pants. Well, accidentally to her, as she has been sabotaged on a babysitting adventure. The performance is delightful, as Candice shouting about squirrels in her pants is used like a hip-hop sample. Look out world, it's the dance craze just waiting to sweep the nation. 5. Quirky Worky Song This song is a recurring song. It is the fun name given to song they use during a montage, usually of the boys building their contraption of the day. It is a delightful ear worm without the use of any real words. 6. Ain't Got Rhythm The episode "Dude, We're Getting the Band Back Together," begins in a world where the '80s rock band " Love Händel" has broken up due to infighting and a dwindling fan base. But that won't do for Phineas and Ferb, who attempt to get the band back together for their parents, as it was their favorite band in their youth (and Lawrence forgot Linda and his anniversary). This song plays out in a Public Library as Phineas and Ferb win over Sherman (also known as "Swampy", an obvious hat-tip to show co-creator Jeff "Swampy" Marsh), the drummer. 7. Izzy's Got the Frizzies Due to the humidity, the character Izzy, a.k.a Isabella Garcia-Shapiro (whose signature move is to drop in on the boys at work and ask "whatcha doin'?"), has developed frizzy hair. She's says she is going to leave to wash it when an impromptu, soulful performance breaks out. This song is the only time she is ever referred to as Izzy in the show. 8. Perry the Platypus Theme Song Secret Agent/Pet Platypus Perry is the hero that always thwarts the efforts of Dr. Doofenshmirtz to take over the entire Tri-State area. Naturally, he is provided with a theme song. This one conjures up the old tune "Secret Agent Man" by Johnny Rivers. 9. My Undead Mummy " All the kids at school are gonna have a conniption, when they get a load of my funky Egyptian MC..." is an absolutely delicious line. The boys watch an old mummy movie with their dad and then launch into a quest for their own. They get there after this fun daydream of a song in bubblegum pop style. 10. Fabulous "Fabulous" comes from the same episode as "Ain't Got Rhythm." This time, the boys are recruiting the bass player. It takes place in a hair salon and Candice goes against her usual M.O. by hiding what her brothers are doing so that the reunion concert featuring " Love Händel" can be a surprise. 11. Paul Bunyan's Pancake Haus Theme This is more of a jingle than a song, but it is a delightful, recurring jingle. Every time there is a chase scene that drives by The Paul Bunyan's Pancake Haus, the theme plays. I couldn't not include this quirky little ditty on my list. Joe Meno from Raleigh, NC, USA, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Final Thoughts From the "Where's Perry?" line, to Ferb's only line, to the "aren't you boys a little young..." line, there are countless running gags in the show. That is part of the charm. I'd argue there is no bigger charm than the music. The show, co-created by Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh, has music in its DNA, as both men have musical backgrounds. The story goes, they would entertainingly sing the songs into the answering machine of musical composer Danny Jacob, who would return with it fully formed a few days later. Charming, simple, yet extremely successful, these songs live on years after the show. There were so many different songs throughout the shows run, so I'm sure your list differs from mine. Please, let me know in the comments which ones I left off that you find unforgivable. Thanks!

By CJ Tiernan Whether written for adults or kids, there are certain movies and stories that follow groups of children. It can be a difficult task for a film production for several reasons. One is simply that there are child labor laws that limit how much a child actor can work in a day, limiting your window to film a scene. Another reason is that it is hard to find a great child actor. They lack the experience to draw on to always be able to create and embody a character. However, when you do hit on a child actor, it really elevates the movie, even more so when you hit multiple times. Below is a list of my 11 favorite acting ensembles by children in movies that I've ever seen. 1. Super 8 (2011) This movie was created by J.J. Abrams as an homage to the Sci-Fi of his childhood and to filmmaker extraordinaire Steven Spielberg (who did actually produce the movie). It felt very much like a throw-back to the '80s with one notable exception. The kid actors were remarkable. Elle Fanning steals the show as Alice, but fellow child actors Zach Mills, Riley Griffiths, and Ryan Lee are also great. I'm also a sucker for the "film within a film" troupe, and watching the kids filming a story completely independent of adults is very fun. 2. Moonrise Kingdom (2012) Raffi Asdourian, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Written and Directed by Wes Anderson, you know this movie is going to be weird and visually stunning. It is further elevated by the performances of the two main characters, played by Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward. They are 12-year-olds at a summer camp on an island that run away to spend time with one another. It is a beautiful story and you get completely lost in their performances. It's also worth watching for the delightful adult performances by Wes Anderson mainstays: Jason Schwartzman, Edward Norton, and Bill Murrary, plus newcomers Bruce Willis and Frances McDormand. 3. The Kings of Summer (2013) This is a lovely story of 3 childhood friends hanging out in the woods all summer. Pushed to their limit by suffocating (read loving) parents, they run away from home and are trying to build a house and live off the land. It is a fun story that has heart and comedy. Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso, and Moises Arias are the main kids with Erin Moriarty (of The Boys ) also in the film. This is a coming-of-age story with all the delightful twists and turns of childhood. 4. It (2017) A horror movie is not an abnormal place to find a great performance by a child actor. Going all the way back to "The Omen" and "The Exorcist" back in the '70s, you find great performances by child actors in horror movies. This one, however, has my favorite ensemble. There are a lot of kids in "It" with tremendous performances. It also takes place in the '80s, so I seem to be a sucker for a throwback. Watching kids get bullied, whether in movies or TV shows, is really hard for me. I'm empathetic enough to want to jump in and stop it. But to watch the bullied kids rise up to try and defeat a supernatural clown is quite satisfying. 5. Hugo (2011) Asa Butterfield and Chloë Grace Moretz not only steal the show in this movie, they are the show. The movie is based on the children's book The Invention of Hugo Cabret and directed by Martin Scorsese so what more could you want? How about a mystery, a robot-thing called an automaton, and Sasha Baron Cohen playing a French cop. The movie is visually stunning and the performances will blow you away. 6. Signs (2002) This is my favorite M. Night Shyamalan film. It's a lot funnier than "The Sixth Sense" while also being a more compelling story than "The Lady in the Water." The performances of Rory Culkin and Abigail Breslin are fantastic in this movie. Along with Joaquin Phoenix, they steal the show (especially once the tin-foil hats show up). It's a story of love and loss intermingled with an alien invasion. I highly recommend it. 7. School of Rock (2003) Obviously Jack Black as the fake Ned Schneebly and real Dewey Finn is the bee's knees in this one, but the ensemble of a classroom full of kids more than hold their own. This is the first of back-to-back Richard Linklater films on this list and they have very different vibes. This one is a comedy and musical following a guy who was kicked out of his band, pretends to be a substitute teacher (his roommate), and molds his Elementary School class into a rock band (while hiding it from the principal). This movie will give you a serious case of "Stick-it-to-da-man-neosis." 8. Boyhood (2014) This movie almost, sorta doesn't belong on the list. The child (the "boy" in "Boyhood") actor in this one is mainly one person, but his performance is so good it bears mentioning and there are certainly other children in this one. If you're unaware of the concept, this movie follows a child from Elementary School to the start of College. It was shot over the course of just over a decade, so the same actor(s) could be used for the character(s) throughout. Revolutionary! The actor in question is Ellar Coltrane. Elijah Smith and Richard Linklater's own daughter, Lorelei, round out the list of child actors. Awesome performances all around. Oh, also: Patricia Arquette won an Oscar for her performance so she wasn't too shabby either. 9. Little Giants (1994) I grew up on this movie. The underdog sports movie is always a heartening genre. This one follows a group of kids who are great at football against a group of kids who are wearing football uniforms. The kid performances are terrific and comedic, as are the two adult leads: Rick Moranis and Ed O'Neill. Plus the movie brought us a new name for the fumblerooski: The Annexation of Puerto Rico. 10. Holes (2003) A Disney movie makes an appearance! I loved the book (also called Holes ) when I was a kid so when I found out they were making a movie, I was excited. It did not disappoint. Shia LaBeouf plays the main character, Stanley Yelnats, but the cast is littered with fun performances of characters like Armpit, Squid, X-Ray, Zig-Zag, Twitch, Magnet, Barfbag, and Zero. The adult cast is robust, consisting of Jon Voight, Tim Blake Nelson, Henry "The Fonz" Winkler, Patricia Arquette, Dulé Hill , and Sigourney Weaver. Good family flick! 11. Harry Potter Series (2001-2011) What? You were worried I was gonna leave Harry Potter off the list? Pish posh! This film series spanning 11 years and 8 movies, is absolutely full of child actors. And while the holy trinity of Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint run the show, the movies are absolutely littered with talented actors, old and young. These movies are magical and eminently rewatchable and I highly recommend the lot. Final Thoughts Movies featuring a group of child actors has a certain level of charm and magic. The performances, when done well, can really be quite arresting. I'm sure I left some of your favorites off my list, so please let me know in the comments where I failed you. The '90s movie "Heavyweights" is the one I just left off my list, but there are so many other great ones. Thanks!

By CJ Tiernan Characters are such an important part of a TV Show. Because the story unfurls over such a long period of time, you get to spend so much more time with a character. If you can't stand a character, or don't understand where they're coming from, you might just jump ship on the show altogether. When you get two characters, who are either friends or partners, that can play off one another, especially for comedic effect, it's the best. I highly enjoy watching characters that like each other and can rely on one another for anything. Below is a list of my 11 favorite duos I've ever seen on TV. 1. Shawn and Gus - Psych Sue Lukenbaugh from Sacramento, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Shawn Spencer and Burton "Gus" Guster are the best of friends. However, they have disparate personalities. Shawn has reckless confidence and routinely charges into situations headlong without a plan and just wings it. Gus has a much more conservative approach, working a reliable 9-5 and operating in many instances as some version of the voice of reason or the scaredy cat. Over 9 seasons, we see all of the strains on their friendship and business partnership, yet they always stay strong together. 2. J.D. and Turk - Scrubs John "J.D." Dorian and Christopher Turk are best friends that start the show as medical students at a teaching hospital. The show balances comical, over-the-top surreal moments, courtesy of J.D.'s wild brain, with genuine heartfelt and moving moments. The balance of comedy and drama is awesome in this show, and the backbone of the heart is the dynamic between these to friends/coworkers. 3. Phil and Lem - Better Off Ted Phil Mymen and Lem Hewitt are brilliant lab partners. They are also comically averse to any levels of conflict. They aren't the main characters of the show, which is different from most of the other duos on this list, but they bring more humor than any other characters. They work for a company that puts the bottom line above the idea "just because we can, doesn't mean we should" to spectacular effect. Phil and Lem are essentially inventing fantastical creations that sometimes backfire. The way they talk to each other is funny, but they play off each other really well. 4. Scooby-Doo and Shaggy - Scooby-Doo This is the first of three animated duos on the list. Scooby-Doo and Norville "Shaggy" Rogers are friends and coworkers, working with their fellow friends solving mysteries for the aptly named Mystery Inc. aboard the aptly named Mystery Machine. This duo is fun because Scooby-Doo is a dog that talks while Shaggy is a human. They are very similar because they always get scared and they're always hungry. Their ability to eat in the face of danger is downright inspirational. #SquadGoals 5. Troy and Abed - Community Troy Barnes and Abed Nadir are best friends who both attend the same community college. They are part of the same Spanish study group, but will often hang out with each other separate from the rest of the group. They have impossibly vivid imaginations and tend to do really elaborate things that are typical of much younger kids, like pillow forts and imaginary morning shows. They are aspirational for their ability to entertain themselves without any level of fear from outside opinions on what they're doing. 6. Phineas and Ferb - Phineas and Ferb Phineas Flynn and Ferb Fletcher are stepbrothers that, during their summer vacation respite from school, attempt to make every day fun by creating various and impossibly elaborate inventions and contraptions. They bring in the other kids their age to also have fun with them. They are inclusive and always striving to maximize the fun. They are positive and oblivious to the obstacles in their path or the reason as to why their inventions always disappear and they have to start anew the next episode. It's an all-time great animated show and they are great brothers. Stick around for the end of the episode, where Ferb tends to utter his one and only line to maximum effect. 7. Cory and Shawn - Boy Meets World When I was growing up, Boy Meets World was part of ABC's TGIF lineup, in addition to being available on TV as reruns on Disney. Cory Matthews and Shawn Hunter are best friends and the show lasted long enough that we got to follow them from Middle School all the way to College. Shawn was the cool kid who gets into trouble and Cory was the more buttoned-up, conservative kid. They are fiercely loyal friends and it was really nice to see Middle School, High School, and College stories play out as a kid. These two were the quintessential TV friends of my youth. 8. Steve and Dustin - Stranger Things Steve Harrington and Dustin Henderson are friends with an age gap, pushed together through impossible and life-threatening circumstances. Steve is older and the cool kid and starts the show as a bully. Dustin is younger and nerdy. They quickly develop a brotherly dynamic. Throughout the seasons of the show, various members of the "Scoops Troop" pair up, but none are as fun as the friendship between these two. 9. Mulder and Scully - X-Files Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully work for the FBI and are sent on cases that tend to feature possible paranormal phenomena. Scully is the skeptic and Mulder is the one who "wants to believe." Scully, a medical doctor, was initially brought in to try and quell Mulder's openness to the paranormal. They begin as partners that develop into friends that develops into a tricky romantic relationship. The show is long, spanning 11 seasons and 2 movies, which gives you an opportunity to really get to know the characters and their back stories. 10. Chuck and Morgan - Chuck Chuck Bartowski and Morgan Grimes are lifelong best friends that are always together and there for one another. Then Chuck accidentally becomes a secret government asset, as he has classified information downloaded into his brain. It puts their friendship under pressure as Chuck has to start lying to Morgan. Morgan always remains loyal and is the ultimate best friend. The show is great and so is the friendship. 11. Stewie and Brian - Family Guy Another man and his best friend, only the man is a baby, and the dog is a highly sophisticated talking dog. Stewie Griffin and the family dog, Brian Griffin, go on all sorts of adventures, including traversing time, and their dynamic is a lot of fun. They are both so much more than the rest of the family gives them credit for so when they team up, they get to realize their potential. It is always a treat to get to a Stewie-and-Brian-centric episode. Final Thoughts Friendships are so much fun to see play out on TV. In many instances, they are aspirational for their loyalty or the degree to which they spend time with one another. The duos listed above are my favorites, but I'm sure I missed some of yours. Please let me know which ones I left off in the comments below. The one that just missed my list was Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic of Mike and Mike in the Morning, a long-running radio show on ESPN that was simulcast on TV. Thanks!

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

By CJ Tiernan Before the ubiquity of the smartphone, Sportscenter was the one. It was THE way to get your sports highlights. You'd also watch the bottom line to find scores and other important tidbits. When I was in High School, Sportscenter anchors were deified and revered. Sportscenter has lost a bit of its charm in the intervening decades, but it never gets old to go back and watch the old "This is Sportscenter" commercials. They would very humorously place athletes and anchors in an office setting on the ESPN campus in Bristol, CT, as though that was where they spent all of their time. Thank you to the ad agency "Wieden+Kennedy" for creating such a beautiful and comical swath of commercials from 1995 to 2017. Below is a list of my 11 favorites I've ever seen (and in many cases, seen over and over again). Tommy Gilligan/Pointer View, uploaded to Flickr by West Point Public Affairs, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons 1. Jimmy Rollins/SVP - "It's Not Good" This is my favorite one of all time. Not only does it feature Scott Van Pelt, my favorite anchor of all time, but it has such a fun twist on the broadcast dynamic. SVP is breaking down tape of his Sportscenter telecast with Philadelphia Phillies MVP Jimmy Rollins. The way they are breaking down film (like a baseball player does) to improve is hilarious enough, but it is coupled with the fact that SVP is doing terribly on the tape they are breaking down. 2. John Clayton - "Mom I'm Done with my Segment" This one is so wonderful because it plays on expectations. It stars John Clayton, who is always so buttoned up on his ESPN hits, as a Slayer fan who lives with his mom. The framing, the surprise ponytail, and the signature line "hey mom, I'm done with my segment" all play to perfect effect in this one. I'm also a sucker for a tear-away suit. 3. Jay Harris/New Jersey Devil - "Going Up?" In this one, Jay Harris is waiting for an elevator. When the elevator opens, the mascot for the New Jersey Devils NHL team is waiting. He looks like the devil. Jay asks "going up?" and the mascot just slowly, dare I say ominously, shakes its head no. Jay quickly jumps out of the elevator. Hilarious every time. 4. Usain Bolt/John Andersen/Jay Harris - "Man I'd Kill for that Schedule" Olympic champion Usain Bolt using a time clock. What's not to like about this one? He punches in while John Andersen and Jay Harris just engage in inane water-cooler talk. Bolt comes rushing back to clock out and the camera pans up to showcase his world-record time. Everything in this tableau is just perfect. 5. LeBron/SVP - "Good Luck Finding your Chair LeBron" This is another play on interoffice dynamics. The old chair switcheroo. Only in a typical office setting, all the chairs look more or less the same. Not so much in this one. 6. Andrew McCutchen - "Plunder the Lox" There are kinda a lot of teams that use pirates as mascots. 4 of them burst into a meeting and steal a whole bunch of supplies while the people in the meeting just sit there stoically and take it, almost like it happens all the time. Then Andrew McCutchen, longtime Pittsburgh Pirate, bursts in and says "The lox. Plunder the lox." It is a delightful moment. 7. Arnold Palmer - Makes Arnold Palmer in the Cafeteria The cafeteria is another great setting for these commercials. Stuart Scott and Scott Van Pelt stare on in awe as golfer Arnold Palmer, with his caddy in tow, makes the drink that is named after him. Perfection. 8. Peyton/Eli Manning - Tour The Manning family is on a tour of the ESPN campus, and Peyton and Eli (2 NFL quarterbacks at the time, Hall of Fame quarterbacks when it's all said and done) are behaving like children. They are messing with each other just like siblings/kids. Also there is a Cooper Manning sighting! 9. Clayton Kershaw/Jay Harris - "What's Taupe now?" Clayton Kershaw, future Hall of Famer for the LA Dodgers, is on the phone in the office. He is idly flipping pencils at the ceiling. But he is an MLB pitcher, so he is whipping them right through the ceiling, repeatedly just missing a terrified Jay Harris. Man, Jay Harris is in a ton of these. He's awesome! 10. Roger Federer/Neil Everett - "I'm in the top 10, Roger" Tennis player Roger Federer hanging around the office with Sportscenter anchor Neil Everett. Neil mentions how he appreciates always knowing where you stand as a tennis player because of the rankings. He challenges Roger to give him a rating of Sportscenter anchors and gets a disappointing and dismissive answer from Roger. 11. Albert Pujols/Steve Levy/John Anderson - "I'm not a machine, okay. I'm just Albert" This one plays on a nickname that a player has. It is another recurring trope in the "This is Sportscenter" commercials. He was named "The Machine" because of his consistency at the plate early on in his career. Here, thanks to some POV shots, we see he is actually a machine. "Why didn't you eliminate them, Albert?" is such a funny way to close the commercial out. Final Thoughts These commercials were on over and over again when I was younger. When looking back on them, I miss them. That is high praise, because it doesn't happen very often. That's never happened to me with a political ad or a toothpaste commercial. These short commercials were so much fun and there were countless great ones. There are a few that just missed the list: Chargers RB Ladianian Tomlinson is in the mailroom , but he wears a dark visor so he can't read any of the names, Vikings running back Adrian Peterson has a secretary that is actually a viking, the cafeteria has the Swedish Chef Muppet (famously unintelligible) being translated by hockey player Henrik Lundqvist, and Jay Harris comes into the break room to play on the "days since last injury" trope by changing "years since last Cubs' World Series" from 108 to 0, only to be followed immediately by the UConn Huskies mascot wearing a cone on his head changing the "days since last injury" sign to 0 as well. There are countless great ones. Please let me know in the comments if I missed one of your favorites. Thanks!