30 Day Challenge - TV Shows

Favourite Female Actor.


So here we go again, asking me to choose a favourite. And, like yesterday I will be unable to do so.


Over the years there have been a number of female actors that have left an impression. These were not the ones from Channel 5's Red Shoe Diaries either!


I was; and too a degree still am, a huge Buffy The Vampire Slayer fan. Sarah Michelle Gellar was great as Buffy, tough, sassy and good looking. She beat up demons and vampires with style and wit, whilst also showing she could act every emotion as the rollercoaster of her life, love life, family and friends thundered through the Hell Mouth.


In most of the TV series I watch there are female characters which are instantly great. Stella (Melina Kanakaredes), Lindsay (Anna Belknap) & Jo (Sela Ward) from C.S.I. New York are great actors.


I love Lisa Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein) in House. Everything she has to endure and deal with is perfectly acted and portrayed. She manages to ensure that you as the audience are always with her, even in her most difficult situations. The is for this reason probably one of my favourite TV female actors.


Whilst on the subject of enduring desperate situations. "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" is one of the most harrowing and gripping ongoing TV dramas there is. Dealing almost every episode with the most depraved and despicable crimes it is hard to imagine how the actors feel when shooting some of the scenes and episodes.


To the great credit of TV actors the main characters are superb and in particular I have always felt that Detective Benson (Mariska Hargitay) is one of the top TV actors there is. The tragic and hard situations they deal with on the show are so well acted and portrayed. Every emotion comes off the screen and hits the audience member like a perfectly filmed 3D experience.


So my two choices for today are Lisa & Mariska.


Couldn't resist this one - http://youtu.be/JDFNQBIxlrM


http://www.nbc.com/law-and-order-special-victims-unit/

30 Day Challenge - TV Shows

Favourite Actor.


I always get stuck when being asked to single out any particular individual in any given field.


Let us take for example your favourite action movie star - would you choose Sly, Bruce or Arnie. The evidence itself is hardly helpful either.


Sly starred in (and yes I know he wrote & directed etc... what a clever boy!) Rocky (all of them) which were give or take a few marvellous films, he also starred in Rambo (all of them) which again were the epitome of action films. Don't get me wrong, he also had Throw Mama of a Train or something like that so it's not all great.


Bruce starred in Die Hard (all of them) which took the action movie into new vest wearing heights. He strung together hits like The Last Boy Scout and Striking Distance (Hmmm) but yet again there are worrying moments like Colour of the Night.


Arnie is the Terminator - 'nuff said. But he did do Last Action Hero.


So could you choose?


Then there are singers, who has the best voice in the world of Heavy Metal? Actually that one is easy it's Corey Taylor from Stone Sour & the mighty Slipknot - why? Because he can scream and sing with equal awesomeness (all hail to Tenacious-D).


Here are two examples showing the skill in both for those who have never heard a Slipknot song;


http://youtu.be/ZPUZwriSX4M & http://youtu.be/LXEKuttVRIo


So when it comes to TV actors I'm not sure if I can choose a favourite. I like William Peterson a.k.a. Gil Grissom and I like Gary Sinise a.k.a. Mckenna Boyd Taylor II (no I didn't know that what was Mac was short for either!).


I like Ross, Chandler and Joey (although Joey edged it for me until the solo series).


I like Homer and Bart.


So if I had to choose then I would go for two actors who are both British and have made a huge impact on America. One has the edge no doubt, but in their own ways they are equally brilliant.


Of course their unhinged aspect is in both characters, slightly mad, definitely with screws loose and yet equally outstanding in their fields.


Neither is particularly likeable and yet we go with them, root for them and follow them down their dark roads without question.


They are genius actors;


http://youtu.be/4AG5uJlzKZ8


http://youtu.be/LH5Ih4T0QGE

30 Day Challenge - TV Shows

Sunshine, sunshine everywhere - damn it's hot!

So what TV show can I quote the best, that is todays challenge question.

Tough one this as I don't spend a lot of my time quoting TV. Movies? Well that's another story. I mean who hasn't spent a large proportion of their time quoting Star Wars, or Lock Stock & Snatch.

These films have great dialogue, like Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction they are designed to quoted.

My parents once said to me (I'm sure it is a staple parent phrase - like if I have to tell you to clean up your room one more time - you know the ones!); "If you could remember your maths as well as your films".

I think I probably chose films in the end.

So are there TV shows that I quote. "I love it when a plan comes together"; "I pity the fool" - these are more like catchphrases and so beg to be quoted. Jean-Luc would always say "Make it so", there is the famous "Book 'em Danno". And let's not forget "I'll be back" - oh wait I'm back to films again - doh!

"Doh!" - another famous catchphrase.

I know what I am a fan of and that's C.S.I. Over the years it has delivered some killer one liners related to the crimes they discover but one man has taken these to another level.

Detective Horatio Caine - the king of cheesy one liners. The ace of sunglasses. The Miami Detective who is basically the right hand of God and could contact the President to catch a bad guy.

It is by far the cheesiest of the C.S.I. franchise and yet is the most successful spawning C.S.I. New York and entering it's 10th Season.

If you have no idea what I am referring to or simply wish to revel in the draw dropping one liners, enjoy this:

http://youtu.be/_sarYH0z948

&

http://youtu.be/glvGfQnx3DI - quality :-)

30 Day Challenge - TV Shows

Today's blog has been delayed due to rain - well if it's good enough for Wimbledon!

Back soon with the following topic;

A TV show which reminds you of your past.

Prepare for much rambling about Knight Rider, The A-Team, Airwolf, The Fall Guy and Street Hawk. Not forgetting ChiPs - I was definitely Erik Estrada!

http://youtu.be/VYKdayl7BHM

30 Day Challenge - TV Shows

Something to watch to feel down.

This has to be the worst titled challenge ever. Who honestly watches a TV programme to actually make themselves feel down!?

Ok, so I know my good friend @_Lalabum (follow her on Twitter) gets really high sometimes, and before you ask or jump to conclusions this is from sugar rushes. It's all legal, mostly produced by ice cream, often produced by Twizzlers, Krispy Kremes and at least once a year by giant liquorice. So I guess at some stage a TV programme might help her come down ;-)

There of course our wonderful soap operas (I promise I'll stop bashing them after this post), I'm guessing they would make an audience feel down. For me; when I am unfortunate to see part of an episode, I feel elated that my life is soooo much better than the characters - maybe that's why people watch them- actually to feel good about life.

I did watch Ross Kemp's Extreme Worlds and like many of his documentaries there were some shocking and terrible scenes but nothing had prepared me for his documentary on the Congo. It made me feel sick and saddened that the world turns a blind eye to this terrible terrible brutality because; and this is just one opinion, there is nothing commercial to be gained by helping.

If you didn't see this (and can stomach it) then I found an online version here - there a a few popups to open and ignore before you can watch it http://documentaryheaven.com/ross-kemp-extreme-world-congo-ep2/

I remember when I first watched Band of Brothers, which for me is still one of the greatest mini-series ever made for television. Whilst I thoroughly enjoyed the series, once again as an audience member and to the great credit of the actors and makers you cannot help but feel moved by the series. Knowing what these people endured alongside thousands of others is moving and emotional, but should make us very proud of each and every one of them. I remember a specific episode where they find the concentration camp and to this day it stays with me.

Like many of my favourite things, TV, Movies, Music, they all have one thing in common and that is the power to evoke all emotions.

I don't watch TV, listen to music or go and see a movie to experience a down feeling but nevertheless they can sometimes surprise you and achieve that goal before you know it.

On that note let's cheer ourselves up

http://youtu.be/_pj2Nutu5v8 - parental advisory lyrics!

30 Day Challenge - TV Shows

Something to watch to feel good.

I'm not sure that anyone watches TV to feel depressed, unless you like soap operas (see previous blog post).

In fact the next challenge is exactly that but that's for another day. Today we are focussing on feeling good. I'm thinking comedy, the cornerstone of feeling good.

They say that laughter is the best medicine and the show I have chosen delivers plenty of laughter. It is created by the genius behind one TV's other great comedy shows, Scrubs.

Like Scrubs, and in many ways the daddy of comedy shows, Friends, the show deals with life. Cougar Town, as if you hadn't guessed, handles all aspects of life brilliantly.

Ok, so the characters still lead a very 'Hollywood' lifestyle and naturally they are all good looking, toned and tanned, but so were Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Monica and Joey and they survived for years. The trick is to be drawn in by the characters, the situations and of course deliver the laughs to keep you coming back for more.

Cougar Town handles relationships perfectly, dealing with everyone from the single friends to the married friends highlighting funny and realistic situations the audience can relate too (give or take Courtney Cox's body!).

It deals with loss and sadness in way that keeps the spirits up whilst helping the audience emphasise with the people.

It has created a cult following for 'Penny Can' - possibly the simplest game created but with hours of fun available http://abc.go.com/shows/cougar-town/penny-can

We have comedy coffee orders which so highlights the ridiculous stage we have reached when ordering a coffee;

http://youtu.be/z52qie5goqQ - brilliant!!!

All in all - Cougar Town is excellent - one of the funniest shows on TV right now. - Oh and it has the greatest wine glasses ever!

http://youtu.be/o-RNOIJ5JBg

30 Day Challenge - TV Shows

Least Favourite show.

It's only natural that we would go immediately from Favourite to least favourite in the turn of a blog.

It's fairly easy for me to choose a show or in this case shows that I dislike. The whole industry of these shows is something that I just don't get. They dominate TV schedules throughout the week, only to then dominate in massive blocks at the weekend. A total waste of licence fee payers money to have these shows repeated so often.

Christmas can be ruined by these shows who have somehow managed to become the event of the year for some people who wait with baited breath to see what depressing tragedy can befall a character. (Oh and now to top off my rant and annoy me even more Radio 2 in its wisdom is playing Mariah Carey's Hero - arrrrggghhh!)

I am of course talking about Britain's beloved Soap Opera (I think they have a posh title now at the award ceremonies).

I have just never understood the passion for these shows. It's all so depressing. OK they highlight some important issues in the world and this in turn probably helps millions of people - but isn't that just summing up the problem - help has to come from the TV and not from the real world. That is something that makes me feel sad about the state of the country (and that's another blog entirely).

I am lucky in my home that Mrs. Nik also doesn't watch the soaps, I fear that the Sky+ box would be permanently full with the omnibus show plus the daily shows. I mean how would we find time to watch these plus all the American Dramas we watch (which are probably just glorified and glossy soaps really!).

Actually that's given me a great idea - we'll send Dexter to Albert Square, he'll realise that they should all end up in the water and then the CSI teams, no Horatio though - not enough sun in London for those sunglasses, can come in a clean up the mess - brilliant.

CSI EastDexter - I can hear CBS calling now...

30 Day Challenge - TV Shows

So here we go again, 30 days (probably not one after the other) of ramblings about TV shows.

As with many of these challenges it starts with one of the harder subjects; Your favourite TV show.

Now, like many things, favourites change with age and time. When I was younger my favourite TV shows would have been very different to today, they probably have one thing in common, they'll be American rather than British - sorry Blighty but we just don't don't do things as well as our cousins across the pond.

I think my first real favourite was Angel - http://youtu.be/rwgxne3tzZw. It was a spin off from Buffy The Vampire Slayer which too was a regular watch. Angel though took this up a notch, it was darker, slightly more edgy and had a lot of action. The twists and turns in the plot were great and the interplay between the Angel & Buffy world added that extra depth and excitement. The kind of excitement you get when a character from CSI turns up in another CSI.

I bought the box sets on VHS for the series, and then another series and so on. Mrs. Nik and I would watch the series religiously.

As the TV world changed I found myself gripped by many series, X-Files, CSI (all of them), Law & Order:SVU, The Mentalist, Hawaii Five-0, Cougar Town - the list goes on.

So what's my favourite today, Dexter perhaps (it's awesome), Made In Chelsea (!!!!), Game of Thrones (Epic), Blue Bloods (Brilliant), The Chicago Code - ooo wait a minute that is probably one of my favourite shows at the moment. It's edgy, funny, written extremely well and captivates from the first watch.

But no, I'm going to follow the rule I thought up when I began writing and it relates the purchasing of TV series.

The only one I have purchased in recent years and I still find totally mental and brilliant at the same time has to be http://youtu.be/hE8wwYzKJOs

And no it's not just because of Anna Paquin!

So I'm looking forward to the challenge and rambling about likes and dislikes of the TV world - feel free to interact :-)

New Challenge - Coming Soon

So after a while away and a few people asking when the next blog is due, my return to the blog is nigh.

I have finally decided on my next subject and challenge to rant about, write about, bore you with and start discussions with - Television.

It is fair to say that before the invention of Cable & Sky, and to a degree Channel 5 I watched very little television. As a child I always managed to watch those fabulous Saturday afternoon obligatory shows such as The A-Team, Knight Rider, The Fall Guy, Airwolf and earlier than this I remember catching black & white shows such as Batman and Flash Gordon.

In fact as I type other shows are popping into my head like Buck Rogers and the original Battlestar. After my younger years though and certainly during college and beyond my TV enjoyment waned. I have never liked Soap Operas, was not an avid Doctor Who fan, avoided Agatha Christie and have never really enjoyed the TV game show.

So for a while my love of TV was, well, gone.

As I got my own place and was introduced to Cable TV things began to change, new shows found there way into my brain, shows that I have stuck with for some time, some have gone forever (L!ve TV).

So the next challenge will open the lid on my likes and dislikes of the TV world. No doubt some opinions will divide and hopefully some will bring up memories of great shows. Perhaps other posts will encourage people to try a show.

So off for a commercial break - see you in a few...

To Review or Not to Review?

So how often do people review their insurance?

For most of us life moves pretty fast. Our day-to-day existence contains all those items designed to take up time. Without even realising it, a week can go by and the weekend is here and just as fast it is another week’s gone. Rinse and repeat.

In this hectic life, how often does anyone think about insurance?

Once, maybe twice a year?

For most people the thought of insurance raises various reactions, too many to investigate!  For the vast majority insurance is a necessary evil, which attaches itself to a mode of transport and is frantically reviewed each year to get the best deal.

Now for motor insurance, people shop for two things, price and quality. Understandably these factors drive their choice and for many, “looking at what is covered” pushes them towards the right deal, rather than the cheapest.

A friend of mine recently said that there is a big difference between “Cheapest & value for money”.

In addition to our car or motorcycle insurance many of us have our home insurance. Again, once a year we travel the lengths of the Internet, canvass our friends and colleagues for advice and recommendations and sometimes we get some help from an insurance advisor.

Your home is your biggest and most important possession, whether you rent or you own your home, what you put inside and what surrounds you is invaluable. You might be a keen cook who likes the best kitchen equipment or a keen music & film fan with an extensive array of films and equipment to play them on. Or you might simply just want to protect your flooring and what you sit on.

Over the years we live in our properties we amass a large quantity of items – replacing these in the event of a flood, a fire or a theft can and will be distressing and costly.

Make sure you have adequate cover. If in doubt, ask for help. Asking for help rarely costs money so it pays to seek out good advice.

So twice a year (perhaps once a year) people review their insurance. But there is one area of insurance that is rarely reviewed – Life Insurance.
As I mentioned, we are all very busy people. We don’t have time to consider the “What if?” scenarios.

You look each year to find for your motor and home insurance the best or the most competitive, perhaps even the insurance that gives you the cover you need, but rarely do we do this comparative work for our own personal insurance.

Ok, so when we have a big change in circumstances, a house move, a new baby, a remortgage or heaven forbid an illness or unemployment we then turn to our personal insurance.

Am I covered? What have I got covered already? Did I renew or alter my insurance to meet my change in circumstances. When did I last review things? Does my company really cover me for what I think they do? What would the Government give me?

If you have asked yourself any of these questions then you are a step ahead of many. To be ahead of the pack you will also need to have take advice to ensure you have the answers to these questions.

If however, you have not asked any of these questions, then please do so.

You can find help in many ways and it maybe, that by making the time to do just one more review of insurance, could be the most important review you carry out this year.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me on nik@facetofaceadvice.com.

THE COMMENTS ON THIS BLOG ARE FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND ARE THE PERSONAL OPINION OF NIK PRIESTLEY AND DO NOT CONSTITUTE AS FINANCIAL ADVICE.