Crushworthy Men of TV

Runner-up:   

Mark Brendanawicz (Paul Schneider).
From: Parks and Recreation (2009-).
Find it in the catalog!
 
Mark isn't the most interesting character on the show, but he's the dreamiest.  He's got a good job (city planner) and he's played by one of the handsomest (in my opinion) actors around.

10). Henry Pollard (Adam Scott).
From: Party Down (2009-2010).
Find it in the catalog!  
Seasons: One and Two.

Henry is mid-thirties, works as a caterer and occasionally toys with the idea of moving back in with his parents.  Yeah, doesn't say much for my taste in men, does it?  Or maybe it just speaks to the power of his witty banter on the show.

9).   Mark McKinney, various characters.
From: Kids in the Hall (1988-1995).
Find it in the catalog!
Seasons: One, Two, Three, Four, and Five.

Just being a part of the hilarious Canadian comedy troupe is enough to make you crush-able in my book.  But McKinney is the only one who doesn't look better as a woman. 

8). Nick Andopolis (Jason Segel).
From: Freaks and Geeks (1999-2000). 
Find it in the catalog!

Tall and friendly, Nick is probably the kindest of the freaks.  I thought he was super cute up until the point he started to smother Lindsay with affection. 

7).  Eric Gotts (Tyron Leitso).

From: Wonderfalls (2004).   

Find it in the catalog!

Sweet, charming, and oh-so-cute, Eric is every girl's dream bartender.

6). Eric Northman (Alexander Skarsgård).
From: True Blood (2008-).  
Find it in the catalog!
Seasons: One, Two.

Eric is pretty much the tall, Swedish vampire version of Logan from Veronica Mars.  And what's not to like about that? 

Emmy nominations: Did your favorites make the cut?

This morning the nominations were announced for the 2010 Emmys, which will air August 29th. Visit the official Emmy website to view all the nominations. I'm most happy to see Outstanding Actress/Actor nominations for Connie Britton and Kyle Chandler of Friday Night Lights. Unfortunately, the Popeater.com Facebook campaign to get Zach Gilford an Outstanding Guest Actor-Drama nomination for his work in the powerful episode "The Son" was not successful; at least "The Son" was nominated for its writing. FNL also was nominated for Outstanding Casting. I've shared my love for this show before in a DVD review, and I'll repeat myself here: if you are looking for a show that realistically portrays marriage, friendship, difficulties teenagers face today as they grow up, and teamwork, then watch Friday Night Lights. This is a show that captures human moments from its actors and is definitely one of the best hours of TV you can find today. Season 4 currently airs Friday nights at 7 PM on NBC. Lost received 13 nominations, including Outstanding Drama, Actor-Drama (Matthew Fox), Supporting Actor-Drama (Michael Emerson and Terry O'Quinn), Guest Actress-Drama (Elizabeth Mitchell), and Art Direction. The series finale, "The End," received nominations for Directing, Writing, Editing, Music Composition, Sound Editing, and Sound Mixing. Confused about what's happening on the Island? Not surprisingly, Mad Men received 17 nominations in total. The show received recognition for Jon Hamm (Actor-Drama), January Jones (Actress-Drama), John Slattery (Supporting Actor-Drama), Elisabeth Moss (Supporting Actress-Drama), and Robert Morse (Guest Actor-Drama), in addition to nominations for Writing, Directing, Casting, Cinematography, Costumes, Editing, Hairstyling, and Makeup.  True Blood, nominated for Outstanding Drama, didn't receive any acting nominations but did receive nods for Casting, Art Direction, Prosthetic Makeup, and Sound Editing.

Comedy categories and more snubs after the jump:

What's on TV this summer

Back in the days of yore all we got on TV during the summer was rerun after rerun. Although we do still find reruns for many network shows, many channels show original programming during the summer. I'm most looking forward to season three of True Blood, Top Chef in Washington D.C., the fourth season of Mad Men, and the so-crazy-it's-hilarious Man v. Food. I've already gotten back into Friday Night Lights, where Coach Taylor is now at East Dillon High coaching the Lions, and So You Think You Can Dance, which is changing its format this year by having a Top 10 instead of a Top 20, and pairing the newcomers with all-stars from previous seasons. Since I tried to be as inclusive as possible with the shows airing original programming, my TV schedule chart is quite long, which means you'll have to click below to see the list. If there isn't a date listed next to the show title then it is already airing new episodes. And, of course, dates may change.

New and returning TV shows in the spring

The arrival of spring doesn't only mean warm weather; it also means the arrival of new shows and the return of old ones:

Wednesday, March 10: America's Next Top Model (new season on The CW at 7 PM)

Sunday, March 14: Celebrity Apprentice (new season on NBC at 8 PM), The Pacific (new show on HBO at 8 PM), Sons of Tucson (new show on FOX at 8:30 PM)

Monday, March 15: The Price of Beauty (new show on VH1 at 9 PM)

Wednesday, March 17: Destination Truth (new season on Syfy at 9 PM)

Thursday, March 18: FlashForward (second half of season begins on ABC at 7 PM)

Sunday, March 21: Breaking Bad (new season on AMC at 9 PM), Life (new show on Discovery at 7 PM)

Monday, March 22: Dancing with the Stars (new season on ABC at 7 PM), Nurse Jackie (new season on Showtime at 9 PM), United States of Tara (new season on Showtime at 9:30 PM)

Monday, March 29: 10 Things I Hate About You (second half of season begins on ABC Family at 7 PM)

Tuesday, March 30: V (second half of season begins on ABC at 9 PM)

Friday, April 2: Miami Medical (new show on CBS at 9 PM)

Wednesday, April 7: Top Chef Masters (new season on Bravo at 10 PM)

Sunday, April 11: Army Wives (new season on Lifetime at 9 PM), The Tudors (new season on Showtime at 8 PM)

Tuesday, April 13: Glee (second half of season begins on FOX at 8 PM), Tiny & Toya (new season on BET)

April 28: Happy Town (new show on ABC at 9 PM)

April 30: Friday Night Lights (new season on NBC at 7 PM)

I have been dying to watch the new season of Friday Night Lights. I also look forward to the new seasons of Top Chef Masters, Dancing with the Stars (Olympic gold medalist Evan Lysacek, from Naperville, is one of the celebrities competing this season), and The Tudors. New shows that look interesting are Sons of Tucson and The Pacific. In Sons of Tucson three boys, whose father is in jail, hire slacker Ron Snuffkin (played by Tyler Labine) to pose as their dad so they are not sent to foster care. I think Tyler Labine is a talented comedic actor; he previously was on the CW show Reaper. The Pacific is a miniseries that follows three Marines during World War II.

Which shows are you happy to see return? Are there any new shows you are considering checking out?

Hut, hut, hike!: Football on DVD

Need something to cure your football fix when there aren't any pro or college games on TV? Here is a list of DVDs owned by the library you might want to check out.

Air Bud: Golden Receiver
J-DVD FICTION AIR
Find it in the catalog!

Brian's Song
DVD FICTION BRIAN'S
Find it in the catalog!

The Comebacks
DVD COMEDY COMEBACKS
Find it in the catalog!

The Express: The Ernie Davis Story
DVD FICTION EXPRESS
Find it in the catalog!

Facing the Giants
DVD FICTION FACING
Find it in the catalog!

Friday Night Lights
DVD FICTION FRIDAY
Find it in the catalog!

Friday Night Lights (TV show)
DVD TELEVISION FRIDAY

Season 1
Find it in the catalog!

Season 2
Find it in the catalog!

Season 3
Find it in the catalog!

The Game Plan
DVD FAMILY GAME
J-DVD FICTION GAME
Find it in the catalog!

Gridiron Gang
DVD FICTION GRIDIRON
Find it in the catalog!

Invincible
DVD FICTION INVINCIBLE
Find it in the catalog!

Leatherheads
DVD COMEDY LEATHERHEADS
Find it in the catalog!

The Longest Yard (1974)
DVD COMEDY LONGEST
Find it in the catalog!

The Longest Yard (2005)
DVD COMEDY LONGEST
Find it in the catalog!

The Longshots
DVD FAMILY LONGSHOTS
Find it in the catalog!

Payton (Book includes a DVD featuring "Pure Payton" and "Up Close: Walter Payton with Roy Firestone")
BIOGRAPHY PAYTON
Find it in the catalog!

Remember the Titans
DVD FICTION REMEMBER
Find it in the catalog!

Rudy
DVD FICTION RUDY
Find it in the catalog!

Two for the Money
DVD FICTION TWO
Find it in the catalog!

We are Marshall
DVD FICTION WE
Find it in the catalog!

Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose: Friday Night Lights on DVD

Friday Night Lights (2006-)
Season Three (13 episodes)
Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton, Zach Gilford, Taylor Kitsch, Adrianne Palicki, Minka Kelly, Jesse Plemons, Aimee Teegarden

Recently released on DVD, season three of this critically acclaimed TV show returns for another strong season. More than simply a show about high school football, Friday Night Lights is about friendships, family, love, loss, and growing up. Tami (Connie Britton) is the new principal at Dillon High, where her husband Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler) is head coach of the football team, the Dillon Panthers. Britton and Chandler's chemistry is wonderful to watch. For me, Tami and Eric Taylor sit alongside Pam and Jim from The Office and Lily and Marshall from How I Met Your Mother as the best couples on TV.

Some of the other storylines from this season:
Matt's (Zach Gilford) position as starting quarterback seems to be threatened when a new quarterback, freshman J.D. McCoy (Jeremy Sumpter), joins the team. Tyra (Adrianne Palicki) applies to college and falls for a rodeo cowboy. Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch) also makes the effort to apply to college with some support from his girlfriend Lila Garrity (Minka Kelly). Landry (Jesse Plemons) appears to be looking for love in all the wrong places. Landry has evolved since season one of this show, and this change is most evident in season three. Quite possibly the nicest guy ever, he is at once hilarious and charming. Plus, he's in a pretty rockin' band.

During the course of the season we say goodbye to graduated players Smash Williams (Gaius Charles) and Jason Street (Scott Porter). I think the moments between Coach Taylor and Smash in the episodes "How the Other Half Live" and "Hello, Goodbye" are some of the most powerful of the season. If you can watch this show without crying just a little you are way stronger than I am.

The end of the season provides plenty of emotional moments (in addition to football action), as Tyra's sister Mindy marries Billy Riggins, Tyra awaits her college acceptance letters, and Matt's grandma and Julie (Aimee Teegarden) prepare for him to leave for college in Chicago. Without giving anything away, the end of season three leaves several characters contemplating some big changes in their lives. Season four, like this season, will first air on DirecTV in the fall and then air on NBC during the winter. If you have not given this show a chance, take advantage of the library's collection and check out this show starting with season one, because Friday Night Lights was recently renewed for another two seasons!

Friday Night Lights (season three): Find it in the catalog!
Friday Night Lights (season two): Find it in the catalog!
Friday Night Lights (season one): Find it in the catalog!