Eight pairings that just have to be together

This is a new list I’m compiling that I’ve had my eye on for awhile, but never actually created. It’s a listing of my favorite couples or pairings in “life,” whether that’s television, theater, movies, food, people, places, or even random items. Pretty much anything goes as long as it’s a legitimate coupling of two things. I didn’t create any criteria for this listing, but one inherent criterion that exists is that together the pairing creates synergy but alone, they’re not nearly as good. Pretty much, I’m saying these pairings are like proving 2+2=5. Together, so much more is possible. And of course, these are not ranked, just a listing.

Jerry and George: Who remembers this famous duo from possibly the best sitcom of all time? Alone they were good, but together well, damn they were great. Together they were better quips, dialogue, expressions, and better material to bounce off the characters. They were best friends from high school and we fell in love with these goofballs simply because they seemed ordinary just like us, but so much more.

Man and dog: Sometimes clichés just make the best couples? Man and dog have been around a long time… and I mean, a long time. It’s no surprise that there’s a high level of enjoyment and serenity that occurs between man and his trusty companion, whether you’re seven or seventy-eight.

Glinda and Elphaba: These two Wicked roommates were nothing without each other, but together they lit up the theater and could have been a successful duo running the Emerald City. Both quirky in their own right, but perfectly balanced when on the stage together. Opposites never looked so good. I’m even a little green with envy….

Wine and cheese: Some parties have good appetizers. Some don’t. It’s rare to find good appetizers that exclude some luxurious cheeses and some wine imports. They are perfect combo for the palate and just complement the flavorings of each other so well. Red or white, brie or gorgonzola, the pairings are endless and just “pop” in your mouth with every surprise combination.

Simon and Garfunkel: They had hits as solo artists but bigger and more commercial hits together (Mrs. Robinson, Bridge Over Troubled Water, America, The Sound of Silence). Both Paul Simon (50 Ways to Leave your Lover) and Art Garfunkel (All I Know) were prolific, talented men, but together they gave so much more to the music community.

Steven Spielberg and George Lucas: Powerful man meet even more powerful man. Both are legendary director-writer-producer execs and are prolific, innovative, creative, and ambitious on their own, but together even better. Together, they have created the Indiana Jones franchise keeping the story, characters, and movies fresh with every installment. If only they did more collaborations….. what could the world be?

Aladdin and Jasmine: The movie Aladdin came out when I was very young, but there was no doubt that Aladdin and Jasmine were one hot couple for their time and would be an even hotter couple if this was a live action film (on a side note, my guess is that a Kardashian would be playing Jasmine). Hot Disney character sex never looked so imminent.

Gin and Tonic: I haven’t drank as much as most people my age but I must say these two are a match made in heaven. It’s a simple, old-fashioned drink with so much taste. The simplicity of the drink is what makes it work and taste so good.

Couplings that didn’t make the cut for somewhat obvious reasons were Bert and Ernie, Joey and Chandler, Lady and the Tramp, Dolce and Gabbana, coffee and cigarettes, Regis and Kelly, The Coen brothers, Pam and Jim, Romy and Michelle, Frasier and Niles Crane, PB and J, milk and cookies, coffee and biscotti, hat and gloves, north and south carolina and almost all presidential candidates and celebrity power couples.

The Summer of Death

With the beginning of fall and the exit of summer, this Labor Day week brings to mind two things: 1.) How quickly summer and specifically, this summer has went, and 2.) How many well known people died this summer. I felt like each week this summer someone “great” has died. It’s not as if actors’ deaths are tragic necessarily, but with so many deaths and at such young ages, it causes me to be somewhat saddened. Below I take a look back at this summer and some of our favorites who have died (and maybe some you didn’t even know who had passed).

Sydney Pollack (July 1, 1934 – May 26, 2008): Sydney Pollack is a prolific, talented man who has graced our television and film screens for over 40 years. Recently, I saw Tootsie and Michael Clayton and I was impressed by his acting. I knew I had seen him previously, but I couldn’t place him well enough. Pollack was simply not just an actor, director, or producer, but all three. Pollack directed and produced Out of Africa and won 7 Oscars. He was Will’s flawed father on Will & Grace. He helped produce Cold Mountain, The Talented Mr. Ripley, and Michael Clayton. Pollack was simply a man with significant accomplishments and an understated ego. He will be sorely missed by friends, family, and millions of viewers just like you and me.

Harvey Korman (February 15, 1927 – May 29, 2008): Korman was an entertainer from a different generation and a star of the beloved The Carol Burnett Show. Korman won four Emmy Awards for that show and went on to become even more famous. Although today’s media doesn’t give this actor his due, those old enough to remember know what the world is missing.

Yves Saint Laurent (August 1, 1936 – June 1, 2008): This French fashion designer was well known for co-founding the Yves Saint Laurent Couture House, and of course, setting trends across the globe. There’s not much more to tell except that he became reclusive as he aged and that one of his muses when he worked was well known French actress, Catherine Deneuve.

Bo Diddley (December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008): I have to be honest: I don’t know “diddley” about this guy. I know he was an influential American Rock & Roll musician in the 50’s and 60’s. He was a music legend and that’s good enough for me to put him on this list.

Jim McKay (September 24, 1921 – June 7, 2008): Many don’t know who this great man was, but McKay was the host of ABC’s influential Wide World of Sports for more than 40 years. He had covered over 12 Olympics and was there to report the Munich incident when Israeli hostages were taken and eventually executed. He has had a long and formative career shaping the sports world we live in.

Tim Russert (May 7, 1950—June 13, 2008): I’m somewhat of a political junkie and it killed me to find out that Tim Russert had passed away. He was such a great person and political reporter. A genuinely nice guy, loved by his colleagues, his family, and the NBC community. This political cycle will not be the same without him hosting Meet the Press and interrogating candidates until he was satisfied with their answer, like he had done in the past.

George Carlin (May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008): I never really appreciated this man’s humor or presence on stage so I can’t really recount any great moments or appreciation of his work. But I know he made a lot of people laugh in his in time and that’s good enough for me.

Tony Snow (June 1, 1955 – July 12, 2008): During the primaries this year I caught the moment that CNN landed Snow as their newest commentator and I was glad to see him on the cable news circuit. You may not agree with his politics or where he worked (Bush administration– yikes!) but he was a well liked, friendly guy, who ended up battling cancer once and succumbing to it once again. Much love goes out to his family because he was a decent, fair man, with much more to give.

Estelle Getty (July 25, 1923 – July 22, 2008): I really never watched The Golden Girls, but this show was one that showed the world that older women can pull off entertaining comedy and hold a steady audience from week-to-week on broadcast television. Getty will be missed, but this show will live on for years to come thanks to her.

Randy Pausch (October 23, 1960 – July 25, 2008): As a Carnegie Mellon alum, a person who had met Randy, a reader of his Last Lecture, and as a student listening as he spoke at my graduation, I have really gained personally by what Randy shared in writing with the world and what he has said in interviews and well, lectures. He had a great spirit and love of life way before he was diagnosed with cancer and I am glad he was able to leave his leagcy like he wanted for his family and specifically, his children. I just hope the emotions, wisdom, and life he gave to the world these past few months won’t fade away as time goes on. They need to last to ensure we all live well.

Bernie “Mac” McCullough (October 5, 1957 – August 9, 2008): My prior post about Bernie Mac reflects my sadness to hear of his passing. I have loved his energy, his acting, his humor, and the projects he had worked on. The world will definitely miss this guy.

Isaac Hayes (August 20, 1942 – August 10, 2008): I never listened to this musician’s music, but he was very well known, specifically for the Shaft theme song.

Ruth Cohen (1930 – August 23, 2008): This woman was the cashier who worked in Monk’s on the Seinfeld set and held the record of being the extra who appeared in the most episodes, with the obvious exceptions of the main four cast members. Not a huge loss like others, but hey, I knew who they were talking about when I found out.

10 Best Ensemble TV Shows

When Lost, Desperate Housewives, and Grey’s Anatomy debuted in 2004/2005 on ABC and hit big it seemed like powerful television was entering it’s newest phase and that was inclusive of large ensemble casts. This probably was perpetuated by TV execs who wanted to create lower actor’s fees after several expensive casts blossomed on the TV landscape in prior years (Friends, Seinfeld). Take for example Katherine Heigl on Grey’s Anatomy. The show would still survive if her ego exploded and she demanded more money and the network eventually dropped her. When it comes down to financial sense, one cannot deny that large ensemble casts are a cost-effective and longevity producing tool for television shows. Take even ER for example. Since it was and is a large cast and the limelight is spread out to many individuals instead of a select few, a show can last significantly longer and still be financially viable. With that said, I’d like to list for you the best ensemble casts from 1986 to 2008. Why that time period? Well, I just turned 22 and I thought listing the top 10 in my life span would be comprehensive and interesting enough. And frankly, it’s my birthday and well, this is sort of a gift to myself since I do enjoy making these type of lists.

First off, my criteria for choosing the top is as follows:

1. Strong Individual Characters: Characters are well developed. You have a good pulse on their persona well enough that you could predict their behavior or possible viewpoints. We knew early on that selfish George Costanza would be the type to want to be able to enjoy a sub, sex, and sports all at the same time.

2. Lasting Historic Impact: Do we still remember the moments like they were yesterday? On December 23rd, do we still wish people Happy Festivus? Do we still chuckle when people say “Book’em Dano?” The shows have to have made an impression upon the culture because they were transformative or made viewers and critics look at the television landscape in a different light of what’s possible.

3. Actors have sustaining power: Basically, this show wasn’t the first or last thing they did in their career. They moved on to bigger and possibly better roles or they came into the show with a string of hit shows. This criteria is insurance that their acting wasn’t a fluke.

4. At least five characters in the ensemble: I hate this criteria but ensembles have to be large. Ensembles in my opinion really have to be larger, but I’m making the cut at five people just because six seems too large of a number to be an expectation. Two obvious omissions will be Will & Grace and Seinfeld because of this rule.

And here’s the list in no particular ranking order…

Freaks and Geeks: This show is a gem. Starring Linda Cardellini, Seth Rogen, John Francis Daley, Busy Phillips, Jason Segel and James Franco. With Cardellini and Phillips going on to do ER, Franco going on to do Spiderman, and Rogen just getting his start in comedy blockbusters, F&G is one of the top 10 because the actors arrived, created a quality show, and emerged to become mega TV and movie star power. Director and exec producer Paul Feig created a realistic high school world with strongly identifiable characters in a believable environment. A lasting impression may be diluted, but hey, they only got 17 or so episodes. The fact that their DVD box set is cult hit is impression enough.

Friends: Friends makes this list because it’s Friends. Six unique comedic actors who rose during and after their TV tenure to movie and more TV stardom. I can’t put into words how well this show fits this list. This show only worked because there were a diverse set of six of them. Any more or less characters and the show would have struggled to find a balance between cast members. And yes, this makes the list despite Perry’s year at Studio 60.

Ally McBeal: I never watched Ally McBeal but take a look at the cast list: Flockhart, Germann, Krakowski, MacNicol, Thorne-Smith, and Portia de Rossi. Almost all of them have went on and achieved individual kudos for their next achievement, including Flockhart in Brothers and Sisters, Krakowski in 30 Rock, Thorne-Smith in According to Jim, and Rossi in Arrested Development and Nip/Tuck. Ally McBeal had the following of a less sexier Sex and the City, but it’s creation caused dynamic characters to come, conquer, and go on to rule other television kingdoms.

LOST: I think Lost deserves to be on this list but still hasn’t fully proven itself in all four categories. It is undeniably one of the best ensemble dramas on television currently and how it got to that position is directly related to it’s ensemble format. The show needs dozens of strong characters to be able to tell so many stories in really such a small time frame. With that said, many of the actors really are unknowns and it’s not clear individually if they will have lasting star power, but as a whole, the show will, because it redefined the TV landscape showing what’s possible on the small screen and what networks can potentially expect from such devoted fans.

Arrested Development: This show really gave birth to the single-camera ensemble quirky comedy. Many producers have tried to mimic the formula in a more commercial way but none have succeeded and besides that, none have really succeeded in terms of creating another brand of quirky humor either. But the Bluth characters seem to be ever lasting. AR undeniably is one with unique and well identified characters from an inept magician to a shy mother-loving handless 30 year-old son. With a rumored movie possibly on the way, never-nudes, cornballers, blue man groups, banana stands, and building homes illegally in Iraq seem to be coming back in fashion. Michael Cera, Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, Portia de Rossi, Jeffrey Tambor, Jessica Walter, and Tony Hale all have went on to do other shows and movies with Cera probably being the most fortunate to land so many popular hit comedies on the big screen.

Saturday Night Live: A classic show that’s been on the air for over 30 years and has produced a list of stars including Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Eddie Murphy, Dana Carvey, David Spade, Mike Myers, Bill Murray, Chris Rock, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Like any long running show it has had its ups and downs creatively, but overall, it has managed to produce well crafted and spirited comedy spreads each season. This show is the epitome of what an ensemble is and how individual actors must rely on each other to succeed in the format.

Party of Five: This show is a unique pick for two reasons: 1.) The show wasn’t that great and 2.) The writing wasn’t that great. The reason this show makes the list is because of it’s star power and where they went ever since. Neve Campbell launched the Scream franchise, Matthew Fox launched Lost, Jennifer Love Hewitt hit it big with I Know What You Did Last Summer and her CBS drama The Ghost Whisperer. Wolf and Chabert have had their ups and downs on the big and small screens but nonetheless have went on to do other substantive projects. POF was a huge platform for these stars and virtually all of them hit it big after their show won a Best Drama Golden Globe and eventually got canceled.

Newsradio: This older show makes the list because the show was creatively bright and used it’s quirky characters to create consistent comedy. With headliners like Dave Foley, Stephen Root (Office Space), Maura Tierney (ER, Liar Liar), Andy Dick (Less than Perfect, a handful of movies), Joe Rogan (Fear Factor), Khandi Alexander (CSI: Miami) and the late Phil Hartman the show exceled again as a launching pad to further roles, but what really makes the show a top ten is the perceived chemistry between the cast’s playful interactions.

Boston Legal: Despite the fact that BL is helmed by a cast knee-deep in AARP memberships, at the end of the day the Emmy award-winning acting achieved through Shatner, Spader, Bergen, Auberjonois, and Larroquette is guaranteed to be of quality when you put their 600 years of work experience together. The show is one of deserved merit in this category, even more than the show’s original hit, The Practice, because the headliners are ones with unquestionable talent that made us laugh 20 years ago and will continue to do so probably for another 10 years. Maybe 20 more if Shatner loses a few pounds.

The West Wing: This Aaron Sorkin presidential juggernaut earned it’s spot on this list because the actors were well cast, functioned like a well-oiled machine together on screen, and because the intertwining of characters and storylines were so well defined, intricate, and fresh. The younger Schiff, Janney, and Whitford played well against a backdrop of seasoned pros including Spencer, Sheen, Lowe, and Channing. The show gained tremendously because each character owned their individual presidential responsibility and hence, developed their own characters well while “on-the-job”.

Shows that fell close to making the list were Desperate Housewives, Frasier, Full House, Spin City, ER, and The Practice. These shows are all solid contenders but clearly not consistently strong in all categories. DH was the hardest omission but I think in time after it finishes and the actors move on to meatier roles, the show will blossom into one of the best ensembles in TV history. Another reference about lists of historic television shows is Time Magazine’s recent listing of the 100 best television shows of all time. Take a look here. It’s definitely worth a look-see.