SIPOWICZ WAS ROBBED: The writers and editors of Entertainment Weekly claim to have "carefully curated"
a list of the 100 greatest characters in pop culture over the last 20 years, but since it doesn't have room for MSCL's Angela Chase or a single character from the SorkinVerse -- well, if you think they're wrong and you won't speak up because you can't be bothered, then God, Jed, I don't even want to know you.
The best thing about this list is that it isn't a 100 page slide show!
ReplyDeleteCan't believe that of all the Friends, they picked Rachel Green. And then they put her at 6! I will never understand the continuing fascination with Jennifer Aniston.
ReplyDeleteIt's a strange list. I do appreciate that one of the characters is "Stephen Colbert" (in quotes) of the Colbert Report.
ReplyDeleteGOB is a much better character than Felicity or Ally McBeal.
ReplyDeleteAs for Rachel, I agree that it's odd she's ranked so high but which Friend would you choose in place of her? I feel like they were such an ensemble that picking one defeats the purpose. And they, as an ensemble even, shouldn't be 6.
Lists: because pageviews taste better than quality content feels.
ReplyDeleteIt's a pretty awful list. Pearl the Landlord?
ReplyDeleteAlso missing: Ricky Roma, Shelly The Machine Levine, and Blake - GGR, Bill the Butcher - Gangs of New York, Malcolm Tucker - In the Loop, Nick Naylor - Thank You for Smoking, Amelie, Grandpa Edwin - Little Miss Sunshine, Nikolai Luzhin - Eastern Promises, Malcolm Reynolds - Firefly/Serenity, Marty Rossen - State & Main. No one from Twin Peaks or Freaks and Geeks, either.
And where's Swearengen?
ReplyDeleteJosh Lyman, Ben Linus, Sheldon Cooper, Tracy Turnblad, Capt Mal Reynolds.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand the rankings more than some of the inclusions. Edward Scissorhands (which I love) higher than Jack Sparrow? Felicity higher (or on here at all really) than Sydney Bristow?
And the lack of Sorkin characters is just wrong.
Ben Linus, for sure.
ReplyDeleteAnd i love, love, LOVE Pretty Woman, but strongly disagree with placing Vivian Ward on this list.
The inclusion of Felicity on this list at all kind of invalidates it for me, and I loved that show. John Locke should be way higher on the list, and Ben Linus should've been in there too.
ReplyDeleteNo Dwight Schrute? The only rep from SNL is "Mary Catherine Gallagher?" No Charlie from "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia?"
ReplyDeleteI believe SC uses those quotes in that way too. (A year or so ago, I heard Slate's David Plotz talking about when he was on the show to talk about his book "Good Book," which recounts his reactions upon reading the Bible straight through. Plotz said that before the show, SC came in to talk to him about how it would go. Colbert began by saying something like, "The thing you have to keep in mind is that on my show, I play a complete moron.")
ReplyDeleteI stopped watching long ago, but Bobby Hill has to be a better character than many on this list. And while I'm glad to see Omar, how does Stringer Bell not make the list? Carmella Soprano?
ReplyDeleteHow does Omar Little not crack the Top 10?
ReplyDeleteAt least some effort went into this one.
ReplyDelete(Or did it...)
Actually I liked that they included Pearl the Landlord.
ReplyDeleteI would have gone with either CJ or Leo from The West Wing. That's a huge omission. And if their excuse is that you can't choose a greatest character out of such an ensemble show, then there's really no excuse for Rachel Green being in there.
And while Ben's a good idea, and I probably would have wanted Hurley, it's hard to argue with John Locke as the LOST representative, other than it being rather expected.
The interview they had with Ricky Gervais was interesting. He talked about how they asked him if he wanted to play the lead in the American version and he said he wanted it to be totally American. But now that it's so established, he could make an appearance and it would be OK. That took my mind to the crazy idea that maybe Ricky Gervais himself could take the place of Steve Carrell if he leaves to the show. Of course, if it were actually Ricky Gervais as David Brent, that would produce some continuity issues, such as how to explain that this office has similar characters with similar names that similar things happened to.
Well, they couldn't include those others because they had to include Harold and Kumar. On a list of the 100 Greatest Characters. Harold and Kumar. Good God. What???
ReplyDeleteI don't know. Phoebe was a more interesting character, but I do have to give Jennifer Aniston credit. Rachel was a pretty well-developed character, especially a few seasons in. I don't think that Rachel is the #6 character in pop culture, but I don't think that I have a real issue with her being in the top 100.
ReplyDeleteNow, you put Hector Elizondo's Barney on there, and you've got me sold. (I'll also take Laura San Giocomo's Kit DeLuca.)
ReplyDeleteI feel like if you have to specify the character (XX from "XX"), perhaps that character is not significant enough for the list. That said, I cringe a little whenever EW list issues appear in my mailbox.
ReplyDelete