Fictional Characters I Would Date: Part Seven

I thought now would be a nice and timely opportunity to post this next entry considering all of the hullabaloo surrounding the coming “Breaking Dawn” release:

Jacob Black from the Twilight series

Now I know that 95% of Twilight fans are firmly planted on the Team Edward side of the forest.  I know that most fans even go far enough to compliment their love for Edward with an absolute loathing of Jacob.  I know this because many of my friends and even my sister adhere to that way of thinking.  I completely understand why everyone goes gaga over Edward, but I guess I just don’t get the hatred of Jacob.  I am not trying to convince anyone to switch teams, because I would fail before I even started, I just want to explain some of the reasons why I would choose to date Jacob over Edward.

1.  I would feel so much more comfortable around Jacob.  I get really intimidated around good looking guys and Edward’s picture should be in the dictionary next to good looking.  Bella always goes on and on about how she feels so uncomfortable around him and all of his perfection.  Jacob is not perfect and that is what makes him awesome.  He might not be human, but he makes mistakes just like I do and I know he could laugh right along with me when I get food all over myself or wake up with a huge pimple.  If any of that stuff happened around Edward, I would just be mortified.

2.  If I am going to snuggle up to something, I would rather it be warm and furry than cold and granite-like.  Enough said.

3.  Jacob would be fun to hang around with.  Now I am not saying that Edward doesn’t do fun stuff, but Jacob is just as fun.  We could go on lots of adventures together and he could help me conquer my fear of water, heights, and motorcycles.  He could also fix my car when it breaks down.

4.  I would feel much safer among the werewolves than the vampires.  Apparently hanging out with vampires is not a very safe thing to do.  Bella has already had so many vampires try to kill her or plan to kill her that if I were her, I would run right back to the werewolves.  They seem to keep to themselves more and not get involved in all this international intrigue stuff.  And as for the whole, “what if he gets all mad and rips half your face off?”  Well, I would say you aren’t risking much more than if you were dating a vampire.

5.  He isn’t controlling and I wouldn’t have to change for him.  Two very big problems I have with the Twilight series are Edward’s control issues and the fact that Bella will eventually have to change who she is just to be with him.  These are not good things in any relationship, no matter what reasons and excuses lay behind them.  In Eclipse Edward tries to control who Bella sees and where she goes.  Even though it is for “her own safety” it still really rubs me the wrong way every time I think about it.  If my real boyfriend did that, I would kick him to the curb so fast…

6.  Not much competition.  Eventually, when literary characters come to life and join us in the real world, I will not have to fight the huge screaming mob of 10-70 year old women fighting to be with Edward, I will casually join the queue next to Jacob and only have to worry about sharing him with a few other people.

Now I am not saying that Bella and Jacob should end up together (I would actually never say that because I think Bella is incredibly annoying and whiny and Edward and Jacob both deserve better) because we all know she is destined to be with Edward.  I just wanted to promote Team Jacob one last time before I settle down with “Breaking Dawn.”

I’ll leave you with a picture of my Jacob, Steven Straight:

Jen

Sometimes on gloomy, rainy days….

I just have to watch a little “Everwood” to make myself feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

If I have not already mentioned it, Everwood is the greatest show in the history of television.  You might think that is an exaggeration, but it totally is not.  It is the only tv show that can make me consistently laugh out loud (not little giggles, but actually laughs) and cry at least once during every single episode.  The plot revolved around a brain surgeon from New York who packs up his son and daughter and moves to Everwood, Colorado after his wife dies, but of course it is so much more than that.  The show is kind of like Gilmore Girls (with lots of quick fire pop culture filled dialgue) except that father and son hate each other instead of being best friends.

Everwood is populated with so many phenomenal characters that it would be impossible to list them all, but of course  I will try: Dr. Brown, Ephram, Edna, Irv, Bright, Dr. Abbott, Rose, Amy, Hannah, Nina.  Aaahh, it makes me happy just to list their names.

Unfortunately I came late to the Everwood party.  I saw the last ten minutes of the last episode that ever aired.  I thought it was wonderful, but they never even showed reruns after it was canceled.  Then I found the first season DVD at Wal-Mart for $16 and bought it.  I would advise everyone to go out and buy it right now because it is totally worth whatever it costs.  None of the other seasons have been released (some lame excuse about music rights) but I was really bad and managed to get some bootleg copies.  They are some of my most prized possessions.  I know that is totally wrong, but if evil corporate empires are denying fans the episodes, I feel it is our right to get them by whatever means necessary.

Anyways, now I am just rambling, but I wanted to share my favorite scene that involves a fictional character that I would definitely date, Mr. Bright Abbott.  He starts out in the first season as a typical mean jock, but over the course of the series he screws up, grows up, and turns into a pretty fantastic guy.  Most people get all excited about Amy and Ephram, but I get all gooey over Bright and Hannah because it’s always nice when the popular jocks go out of their comfort zones and fall for the nerdy, plain girl (yes, Hannah is supposed to be unattractive even though she is gorgeous).

Anyway, here is the scene where they first kiss:

Jen

Fictional Characters I Would Date: Part Six

This next entry is from another of my favorite movies and it is a definite no-brainer:

Ben Calder from “Chasing Liberty”

Ben Calder (played by the dashing Matthew Goode) is one of those characters that is so perfect you just know that he could never exist in real life (there is the slight matter of him lying to Anna the whole time, but please……..I am not the president’s daughter so he wouldn’t have to lie to me).  First of all he is from Wales, which means he has a wonderful accent, but not only that, his voice in general is one of the most remarkable things I have ever heard.  My knees turn to jelly every time he says words like “adore,” “gesture,” and “un-bloody-hinged.”  He also is not bad to look at and does a great ‘brooding/smoldering look.’  And he looks smoking hot in a suit as well as unwashed jeans and a t-shirt.

He is the perfect gentleman who will rescue me when I start to fall off rooftops or when I am harassed by angry mobs.   He  is also an avid photographer who could take great pictures of my cats.  He manages to resist the advances of a very beautiful Mandy Moore because he knows it would be wrong to take advantage of her (until later in the movie of course).  He could also take me bungee jumping since he is experienced in that area as well.  There are many other qualities that I can’t quite seem to remember at this moment in time because I am too distracted by his killer smile.

I found this great video on YouTube that is totally devoted to the splendiferousness that is his voice, so enjoy!

Jen

Fictional Characters I Would Date: Part Five

Now I have been holding back on this one for a while in an attempt to conceal my nerdiness and hopelessly weird taste in guys, if I had the chance I would definitely date……………….drum roll…………..

Riley Poole from “National Treasure”

I must admit that I truly love “National Treasure.”  It is one of my favorite movies of all time………I don’t know if it is the big history nerd in me or what, but it probably has a lot to do with the fabulously dreamy character of Riley Poole.

He completely and totally embodies my “type” of guy.  If I had to describe him in one word, I would say that he is adorkable.  He is supposed to be a big dork, but he comes off as cute, charming, brave, and hilarious.  Although it is difficult to tear your eyes away from Nicolas Cage’s creepily crafted hairline, just take a moment to get lost in Riley’s baby blues.

He also has slightly wavy hair, which given the right opportunity could probably make the leap up to curly.  He can also pull off sexy librarian glasses and a baby goatee without breaking a sweat.  And the fact that he knows his way around computers is also helpful since mine is constantly hovering on life support.  He would also come in handy if I locked myself out of my car/apartment because he could break in in no time at all.  Not only is he all of these things, but he also jumps in front of a semi-truck to save the life of the girl who ends up with his best friend.  Now that’s brave (and sad at the same time).  And of course, he thinks the Preservation Room at the National Archives is a place for “delicious jams and jellies.”  Awwwww.

I tried to find a good video clip to include, but so many of the ones on YouTube were BAAAAD.  I finally settled on this one, which is weird but it does have the scene where he saves Abigail from the semi, in which he looks SUPER hotttt.

Jen

Fictional Characters I Would Date: Part Four

Partially inspired by the fact that this movie was on tv yesterday:

Lenny from “That Thing You Do”

Now the other boys in the band might be cuter in the traditional sense of the word, but Lenny has always been my favorite.  I totally think he would make the perfect boyfriend.  He is in a band (duh!), plays a mean guitar, can sing lead as well as harmony (see “Dance With Me Tonight“).  He also manages to look adorable with his blond hair all formed into a helmet.  He wouldn’t take things too seriously, and he would be so happy to have a girl actually pay attention to him that he would treat me like a queen.  Plus, I adore Steve Zahn and everything that he is.

But the best thing about Lenny is that everytime he opens his mouth he says something funny.  Sometimes he doesn’t even have to say anything, his mere presence makes me laugh out loud.  Some of his more memorable moments are playing Go Fish with some old guys, pretending to play the saxophone in a major motion picture, and “it’s the O-Nedders.”

No matter who your favorite is, (Guy, Jimmy, Lenny, or ‘the bass player) I highly recommend that everyone re-visit this movie.  I always forget how awesome it is until I see it again and then it makes me all happy and giddy.  Here is my favorite part of the whole movie (and one of my favorite Lenny bits), when they first hear their song on the radio.  The quality isn’t the best, but the point comes across.

Also, if you are interested in this type of thing, I found this website that has a very fun looking “game” to play whilst watching the movie.

Jen

Fictional Characters I Would Date: Part Three

To get back to much happier topics, here is the next entry in my series of posts:

David from “All American Girl” and “Ready or Not”

“All American Girl” is a fabulous book by our favorite author here at NerdGirlBlogging, Meg Cabot, and “Ready or Not” is its sequel.  It is about an ordinary girl who just happens to save the life of the President of the United States.  David is the son of the president, and boy is he dreamy.  He is tall, with green eyes and dark curly hair (I will always be a sucker for curly hair).  He is the kind of guy who looks great in a suit, but prefers to wear t-shirts and combat boots.

Even though his dad is the president, he has a mind of his own and isn’t afraid to disagree with his parents.  He also likes to sneak away from a formal state dinner to eat hamburgers with you (mine could be a tofu burger).  Oh yeah, and he’s an artist as well.  And when he asks you to come over for the weekend to “play Parcheesi,” he actually means play Parcheesi.

These books are super cute and I recommend that everyone go out and read them.  They make me laugh and whenever David gives one of his secret smiles to Samantha my heart goes a little bit gooey.

Fictional Characters I Would Date: Part Two

I have decided to go for a more obscure character this time around:

Mr. Palmer from Sense and Sensibility

Now I must admit that I have not read the actual book yet (I know, I know, for shame), so this is Mr. Palmer from the 1995 movie version who is played by the incomparable Hugh Laurie.

He isn’t in the movie for all that many scenes, but he manages to be hilarious every single second he is on screen.  He is married to Charlotte (Mrs. Jenning’s daughter) who is the most talkative, shrill, annoying woman on the planet (played brillinatly by Professor Umbridge herself, Imelda Staunton).  Every single word Mr. Palmer utters is dripping with sarcasm and his facial expressions are absolutely priceless.  Poor Mr. Palmer married Charlotte for her money and now he is paying for it dearly.

Now if he were married to me, he could roll his eyes all he wanted as long as he spoke in that amazing voice and sat there and looked pretty.  And look pretty he does with those piercing baby blues and soft brown curls…………oh swoon!  I partially chose him because he is a man of few words who could make me laugh even if it was at myself.  But at the end of the movie, when Marianne’s life is in danger, he is kind to Elinor and genuinely concerned.  So underneath his gruff demeanor beats a little heart of gold.

Sense and Sensibility is one of my all-time favorite movies and he is by far the best thing about it.  And we also have something in common…………………I too, look like this when I am holding a baby:

I tried to find a good video clip, but alas, came up short.  You will have to settle for this teeny tiny nugget of sexiness that only touches on the subtlety and grace that is Mr. Palmer.

Jen

Fictional Characters I Would Date: Part One

So I was perusing the internet today and found this feature on Entertainment Weekly where people talked about the fictional characters they would like to date……….and seeing as I have no actual prospects here on the outskirts of the Windy City I thought I might post my own thoughts on the matter. I was going to do a top five list, then it expanded to a top ten, but then I decided the best idea would be to make it a series of posts so that when I have nothing exciting to talk about (in other words most of the time) I can ramble on about how fictional guys are much more wonderful than actual ones (no offense meant to any real guys).

My first choice is pretty obvious to anyone that knows me………………..Drumroll please……….

Mr. Jim Halpert/Mr. Tim Canterbury from the U.S. and British versions of “The Office”

There really isn’t much explanation needed here for anyone who has ever seen either version of “The Office.” Jim Halpert just seems like the kind of guy who would make the perfect boyfriend. He’s laidback, charming, funny, sweet, knows his Harry Potter, has great hair, and the best facial expressions in the world………..and we found out in the deleted scenes from season two that he’s man enough to play with dolls while babysitting Toby’s daughter. The only bad thing about Mr. Halpert is that he can be downright cruel to women who aren’t named Pam Beesley. Oh well, if he wasn’t such a sucker for Pam he just wouldn’t be the same.

Now I watched the British Office after I was a huge fan of the Scranton gang, but I must say that I think I prefer Mr. Tim Canterbury to good ol’ Jim………..Tim does have quite a few things going for him………he’s got that amazing accent, he’s more of a teddy bear, and he’s a little bit more pathetic………now I don’t mean that in a bad way…………it’s just that with Jim, you can tell that he was the cool kid in school and he doesn’t really have trouble getting girls to like him (hello Katy the purse girl!), he just can’t get the girl he wants. Tim on the other hand always kind of looks like he needs a hug and he has to put up with a boss that is way worse than Michael Scott, but he manages to make it through each day by torturing Gareth and laughing with Dawn. But in the end, I think it is really the accent that pushes him over the edge. And also the fact that the last ten minutes of the UK Office Christmas Special are the most romantically heart-wrenching moments I have ever seen on film. Yes, I may be exagerating a wee bit, but every time I watch it, or even hear the song for that matter, I become like a leaky faucet. I would post that scene here, but it just doesn’t seem right to see it out of context, so I will leave you with this very adorable Tim nugget………..(did I mention that he’s cutely pathetic?)

Jen