Monday, June 14, 2010

TV Meme, Day 14: Favourite Male Characters

Sometimes I just get lazy and I can’t choose just one, hence for a few of the days to come I’ll be singling out a bloc of favourites eventually reaching the #1. Really, the question of asking for a favourite male character in all of TV is a difficult one – and it can’t be taken lightly. Let’s look at my top 5.
           
#5: Elmo (the Monster)
Show: Sesame Street
Actor: Kevin Clash
Trade Marks: Irrepressible glee and laughter, reworking of the “Jingle Bells” melody at his whim, devotion to Dorothy – his fish, learning through fun, cutness
Turn Offs: Dullness and silence
Why I Love Him: No character on Sesame Street is as iconic as Elmo. He’s red, he sings, he dances and he’s easily the most fun part of the show. I remember looking forward to his few minutes on the show… (…yesterday). Moreover, the celebrity guests really seem to love him and he’s just so personable.
       
#4: Robert Goren
Show: Law & Order: CI
Actor: Vincent D’Onfornio
Trade Marks: Making weird facial expressions, creepy voices, general freakishness, finding the murderer, sticking by his partner
Turn Offs: Murderers, deadbeat dads, doing things the usual way
Why I Love Him: Because he’s only the most badass detective in the entire Law & Order series. No one can stand up to his unorthodox investigating style, and his chemistry with Kathryn Erbe (who’s no slouch, herself) is just excellent. He’s always adding a little more to the character, sometimes hamming it but every now and then a nice serving of ham works.
                
#3: Spike
Show: Buffy, the Vampire Slayer
Actor: James Marsters
Trade Marks: Using sarcasm, rocking a leather jacket like nobody’s business, excellent fighting skills, calmness in the face of danger, constant badassery
Turn Offs: Angel, Slayers (save for Buffy), memories of his human form William
Why I Love Him: Spike easily wins for favourite Buffy character. Even after he gets back his soul and the First takes him over he still manages to display a level of coolness that is unparalleled. And then he even saves the world while still maintaining that coolness. What more could we ask for?
                  
#2: Adrian Monk
Show: Monk
Actor: Tony Shaloub
Trade Marks: A predilection for Kleenex wipies, Sharona (or that hack Natalie in later seasons), getting to the bottom of crimes, devotion to his dead wife – Trudy and her murderer
Turn Offs: Dirt, killers, physical contact
Why I Love Him: Because Tony Shaloub is excellent, and even though he held a monopoly on the Emmy race for a number of years – it was well deserved, he was always good. He remains as one of those rare freaky comedic characters that don’t get on your nerves and time after time after time he managed to find the hilarity and the smartness in one of USA’s greatest creations (the network, not the...country).
               
#1:Chandler Bing
Show: Friends
Actor: Matthew Perry
Trade Marks: Use of sarcasm and (often bad) jokes, a certain gay “quality”
Turn Offs: Cross-dressing fathers and lascivious mothers, women with a braying laugh
Why I Love Him: Chandler Bing is Friends. Perry’s ability to make Chandler’s annoying tics interesting and genial is something I’ll always admire him for. As Luke pointed out, kudos to the writers and the actors for making a marriage on network TV last and that has a lot to do with Perry’s ability to be humorous while doing the most rote things. Could he *be* any funnier? 
            

This is part of the month long devotion to TV.
         
What are your thoughts on my choices...any other ideas...?

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