Top TV Shows of 2008

Ok, we watch to much TV...I'm not including reality type shows because they are idiotic (Top Model/Survivor, etc)...

1. Lost- Pretty awesome season with some crazy twists! If you haven't seen this show I highly suggest you buy season 1 or get it on netflix...Do not start watching 4 seasons in.

2. The Big Bang Theory- Nerds are totally in right now! A show about two incredibly smart scientists (all scientists are smart, got it) who try and survive in a world where The Hills and Paris Hilton are popular (I know, freaking crazy). Starring Jim Parson's as Sheldon (The funniest character on TV), John Galecki as Leonard (Roseanne) and Kaley Cuoco as Penny. Definitely check this show out, hilarious!

3. How I Met Your Mother- I think I like this show because the cast has no weak characters. Barney, played by Neil Patrick Harris (freakin Doggie Howser), is hysterical with this random "Bro codes," and "Awesome" lines. I'd say Jason Segal needs more screen time, he's great in all his movies and definitely steals scenes here. Seems the show has really stepped up this year, hopefully people will notice.

4. Dexter- A show about a serial killer that only kills those who break his code of ethics. Oh, and he works for the Miami Metro Police. The strongest writing on television, unfortunately it's on Showtime, so not many can watch it (find it online or on DVD). Michael C. Hall is amazing and should pick up an Academy Award as the title character.

5. Chuck- Another Nerd! Actually, he works for the Nerd Herd (spoof of the Geek Squad at Best Buy) but he's also a living computer. Ok, basically he has a ton of government secrets in his head and he's being protected by the CIA/FBI. It's a "dramedy" and definitely worth checking out. Two highlights, Adam Baldwin as Casey and Ryan McPartlin as Devon "Captain Awesome" Woodcomb...Awesome!

6. Supernatural- Two brothers who hunt down spirits, ghosts, demons etc. It's a pretty fun show and they touch on every supernatural thing you've probably heard of. A good mix of humor and horror and the most bad ass car on the road (a 67 Chevy Impala)! Definitely pick this one up from the beginning as there are ongoing plot lines.

7. The Office- Still a pretty funny show and I might be one of the only people who didn't enjoy the Holly character. I was a big fan of Tobey and was glad to see him return to his HR desk! Hopefully they spend a little less time on office romances and get back to pranks/jokes. Andy is starting to become the best thing about the show as well!

8. Reaper- Sam lives at home, works at a Home Depotesque store and discovers his parents have sold his soul to the Devil...hilarity ensues! The show is funny because Sam (Bret Harrison) has to capture escaped souls from hell for the Devil. The Devil, played by Ray Wise, is actually hilarious, providing Sam with objects like a dirt devil and toaster. Sam's sidekicks Sock (Tyler Labine) and Ben (Rick Gonzalez) are some of the best comedy characters on TV right now.

9. Prison Break- 1 hour of mindless entertainment that is pretty ridiculous when you think about it. How these guys continue to break out of places is beyond me...This is probably the last season unless something dramatic happens...it usually does. Either way, the characters are pretty likable, especially the evil Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell...one of those bad guys you can't help but root for.

10. Greek- The first time I saw this show I thought I was reliving my time as a Kappa Alpha at Elon College. For a show on ABC Family they certainly push the envelope on what can be shown on there. Basically, the show follows Casey and Rusty Cartwright at school both of which belong to a Greek Organization. Rusty and his fellow Kappa Tau Gamma brothers have issues with another Fraternity, while Casey has issues with her fellow Zeta Beta sisters. It's a pretty accurate show on how life was, at least for me and my brothers, in college.

Hope everyone checks these shows out!

My Top Films of '08

Here is a brief list of my favorite movies from 2008...plus 2 that really didn't live up to the hype for me!

1. The Dark Knight- What an awesome movie, with an outstanding cast, a great score and brilliant special effects. Oh, and Heath Ledger was amazing! When this movie re releases in theaters in a few weeks I suggest you all see it again! Please make this the top movie of all time instead of some sunk boat!

2. Iron Man- Robert Downey Jr. is a stud! Iron Man was always a boring Marvel character in my opinion but Downey Jr. made him/Tony Stark a total badass! John Favreau really stepped up as the director, this guy has come a long way since playing Gutter in "PCU." I'm hoping the 2nd film will be even better!

3. In Bruges- I'd heard a lot about this through various movie sites (Comingsoon.net and aicn.com) so I gave it a shot one afternoon...I laughed, a lot! There were moments when I had to pause the movie because I was about to hyperventilate. Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson play hitmen stuck in the city of Bruges. The movie is a little dark so be prepared.

4. Forgetting Sarah Marshall- Another comedy with quite a few laugh out loud moments. Jason Segal hilariously tries to get over his ex-girlfriend played by Kristin Bell, all while falling in love with Mila Kunis. A lot of great scenery (in Hawaii), funny performances by Jonah Hill/Russell Brand and a Meat Loaf type love song about Dracula. A pretty profane movie and the occasional nude lead star might be a put off for some.

5. Step Brothers- I remember reading about this movie about a year and a half ago, thinking it sounded brilliant and the casting was spot on. Will Farrell and John C. Reilly have such amazing chemistry together! Again, pretty profane and some male nudity but pretty hilarious. The rap video is similar to videos Hank, Jerry, Roman and I made! Drum sets and Karaoke are two of my favorite things too.

6. Transporter 3- My man crush on Jason Statham continues, this guy is awesome, although he pretty much plays the same character in every movie. The plot is pretty simple, Statham's character Frank Martin must transport a passenger while the bad guys do other things. There are reasons he must agree to do this but you'll have to watch to see. The action scenes both in the Audi W12 and on land (this man fights 10 dudes at once) is top notch and much better than another British Action Star...

7. Pineapple Express- A movie about a couple of stoners who witness a murder and go on the run. The movie stars Seth Rogen and James Franco who work well together, plus a ton of other comedy players...including the always hilarious Gary Cole. The scene where Franco is driving the cop car is hysterical, especially when he puts his foot through the windshield. Pretty profane again but it has it's moments!

8. Hellboy II- Yeah, another comic book movie! Guillermo del Toro is an amazing director, with an amazing eye for set design, costumes and makeup. Check out Pan's Labryinth to see more of what I'm talking about. Ron Perlman is handles the role of Hellboy perfectly with a strong voice and comedic style. Doug Jones is amazing in three different roles, this is the guy who played Gollum from the Lord of the Rings movies! A great scene between Hellboy and Abe (Jones) listening to Barry Manilow was one of the highlights of the flick.

9. The Incredible Hulk- The big green guy is back, kinda. There have been several Hulk films, including a reboot a few years ago that didn't go over to well. This version was pretty good but had its flaws. Edward Norton, in my opinion, is one of the top 5 actors in Hollyweird! He does a great job as Bruce Banner, running and hiding from the military. The Hulk portion of the movie was pretty good and he didn't look as fake as the previous movie or the Lou Ferrigno painted version. I enjoyed the subtle references to the comic and TV show, which I won't spoil!

10. Eagle Eye and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull- I enjoyed both and I'm putting them as one because Shia LaBeouf stars in both.

Eagle Eye has some great chase scenes and good ole dramatic tension. Plus Shia, the kid is a star, just check out Holes, Disturbia, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (also with Downey Jr.).

Indiana Jones has some great action scenes, some subtle nods to the previous movies and who doesn't like seeing Harrison Ford in his fedora anymore? I recommend renting both and enjoying for the mindless action they offer!

The two movies I was a little disappointed in were:

Tropic Thunder- Besides Tom Cruise being hilarious and a few other random things, I wasn't blown away by this movie. There were a few pretty funny scenes, especially the last 30 mins or so of the movie...plus anytime Matthew McConaughey was on screen. But I thought I'd laugh a little harder throughout the movie. Definitely worth a rent though, Robert Downey Jr. is brilliant, again.

The Quantum of Solace- It's a good movie, especially if you've just watched Casino Royale (The previous flick starring Daniel Craig as Bond). The plot line jumps back to Casino to much & they never really establish the main villain and other characters. The action scenes are good, especially the opening car chase. I'm hoping the next Bond film brings back a little more suave to the character and gives us another memorable villain.

There you have it! Those were the films I enjoyed the most from 2008. I've probably forgotten some and there are a few I wish I could forget (The Happening & The Love Guru)!!

Kate aka Fantasy Football Master

Congrats to Kate and I Heart Iron Man for her second consequtive championship title! Kate easily defeated Kirsten 149-89 and celebrated by falling asleep on the couch! Kate collected the entire pot of money this season as well! Congrats! Thanks to everyone in the league as well! See ya next year...

Picture of Kate passed out on the couch

*not a recent shot

Fantasy Football Championship

Just a quick update, Kate has advanced to face Kirsten Wyatt in the finals of the "I'd Rather Have A Beer" fantasy football league. It was a household battle in the two semi-final matchups, here are the final scores.

Kate defeated me (boo)- 112-93
Kirsten defeated her husband, Kent- 104-69

Kate has already won $100 dollars due to her finishing number 1 in the regular season standings. She'll now have an opportunity to win another $100 dollars and be the champ for a second straight season!!

Good Luck to both!

Calender of Events (You all know you want to know)

Thankfully we don't have a lot going on the next few weeks...I feel like we haven't had many weekends home consecutively in a while...I refuse to list anything after 12/31!

December 23rd- Derek & Melissa's Christmas Party...Kate and I had a blast last year and can't wait to go again! I believe we ended up having a dance party until the wee (Tom) hours of the morning.

December 25th- Christmas...also everyone will be treated to the Celtics vs. Lakers...C's by 12.

December 26th- Kate's parents arrive

December 27th- The Meinke Tire Bowl (or some other ridiculously named Bowl game). This actually might be a sellout since North Carolina's is playing in it. We will attempt to scalp tickets. This will oddly be my second bowl game in a row watching West Virginia play...

This is also Kate's birthday, I'm sure we'll have something exciting planned...She'll probably want to go sky diving or bungee jumping

December 3oth- The Avett Brothers in concert...This will be the third time we've seen them this year. I don't know if I've ever seen a band three times in general...

December 31st- NYE...it won't top Mexico with Kent/Kirsten Wyatt but I'm sure it'll be a good time!

Carry On Wayward Son

Chad was so excited about getting his Roy Williams jersey back that he fired up the Playstation 2 and broke out Guitar Hero.

Here is Chad playing Carry On Wayward Son by Kansas!

Great Article

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Insurance/InsureYourCar/left-lane-slowpokes-drive-you-crazy.aspx

The Journey Of Roy

After months of living with the White's, Roy has finally made his way home to the Alexander household. Just a little background, Chad left his Dallas Cowboys Roy Williams jersey at my house last April. The jersey somehow ended up under the cushions of my couch where I found it in mid July. Since then, he has traveled pretty much everywhere Kate and I have gone.

I decided to surprise Chad with a movie version of all the pictures we've taken of Roy in our various travel locations. I then recorded the movie onto a DVD for Chad and screened the movie at his house last weekend. Chad had no idea I had the jersey and was quite shocked. I have some reaction video I taped that I'll try and get up in a few days.

It was a fun traveling with Roy, he became Kate and my little mesh friend!

Anyways, here is the video, enjoy!(By the way, youtube has horrible video coverage, the video is much clearer than this).

Thanksgiving Trip to West Virginia

Kate and I traveled to Charleston, West Virginia (yes, there is another Charleston) for Thanksgiving with her family. The trip started off a bit rough when we immediately hit traffic outside of Lake Norman...I guess people decided to check out all the boaters (it was 40 outside). I can never figure out why there is always traffic in this location, in the summer I'd understand but not late November.

After that I assumed we'd have smooth sailing, remember what they say, "Assuming makes an ass of out u," and we hit traffic shortly after we entered Virginia (the state I loath the most). Kate documented a few pictures of the highway and some reaction shots of myself. I won't transcribe the language used during the 45 mins to 1 hour we waited. Thankfully I had food and Guns n' Roses to keep me calm. I should point out this is the exact spot we sat in traffic two years earlier on our way to Charleston...I'm not sure but there must be some sort of Car Ghost that attacks people here and causes accidents or merging problems...

We arrived in Charleston and were greeted with some more traffic...this we got through quickly, only to have me get us lost the last 2.5 miles of the trip. According to Google Maps there is a mysterious road that no longer exists, had that road been there we would have arrived without any mistakes. After getting directions we arrived at Kate's Uncle's home!

The rest of the days there we spent eating entirely to much food, watching horrible football games, playing cornhole, beer pong (Meg & I are the Undefeated Champs!) and some shopping. The shopping for myself, Meg and Martin consisted of 4 stores and 2 purchases...we were home in an hour. I think Kate and the rest of the ladies are still at Marshall's...

The ride home was ok, until we hit Mooresville, NC where we encountered yet another accident. At that point I was done with holiday traffic, I feel bad for those who waited until Sunday to drive/fly home! As always, here are some pictures!

Me describing how I feel about traffic and the state of Virginia!



Barely moving!


Martin and Meg preparing the turkey


Dave and Erin playing cornhole!


Tyler and I showing everyone how its done...


The final product (smoked turkey)


The Bricker Ladies


Martin and I