2012 Maxim Hot 100 List

Maxim released its annual "Hot 100" list this afternoon. If it usually filled with the usual suspects (Scarlett Johansson, Megan Fox, etc), but they have been known to add in a few up & coming starlets.

Maxim decided to play around with the list this year. They included a man, a cartoon female, and even an accused murderer. I know that this list isn't exactly the BCS standings, but I found very weird.

See who made the list this year and who didn't. A few ladies from Mad Men didn't make the cut and a certain lady who's currently shacking up with Kanye West. I can't believe that a publication put out a list with 100 females and didn't include one Kardashian. I finally have hope in humanity!

I viewed over this list and I felt old. I actually had to do an internet search for Victoria Justice. I didn't even know that a show called "Victorious" even existed. I'm not a big fan of Taylor Swift, Vanessa Hudgens, or Selena Gomez. I think it's the fact that I'm 30 and I want to tell them to put on more clothes.

I don't get the allure of Olivia Munn. I find her annoying in everything she is in. I could rant a few hundred words about her, but I will leave that for another post.

The glaring omissions from this list are: Alison Brie, Emmanuelle Chriqui, January Jones, Marisa Miller, Amber Rose, and Kerry Washington.

It is about time to retire a few of these ladies off of the list. The inclusion of Jessica Alba and Charlize Theron feels a bit year 2000ish.

*click on name for a picture from Maxim*

1. Bar Refaeli - model
2. Olivia Munn - actress (former G4 Attack of the Show co-host)
3. Mila Kunis - actress (That 70's Show & Forgetting Sarah Marshall)
4. Katy Perry - singer/songwriter
5. Olivia Wilde - actress (House)
6. Jennifer Lawrence - actress (Hunger Games& The Winter's Bone)
7. Emma Stone - actress (Easy A & Crazy, Stupid, Love)
8. Megan Fox - actress (Transformers & Jennifer's Body)
9. Malin Akerman - actress/model (Watchmen & Rock of Ages)
10. Adrianne Palicki - actress (Friday Night Lights & G.I. Joe)
11. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley - actress/model (Transformers: Dark of the Moon)
12. Kate Beckinsale - actress (Underworld series & Serendipity)

13. Blake Lively - actress (Gossip Girl & Green Lantern)
14. Lea Michele - actress/singer (Glee & Dorothy of Oz)
15. Kristen Stewart - actress (Twilight series & Adventureland)
16. Charlize Theron - actress (Young Adult & Snow White and the Huntsman)
17. Scarlett Johansson - actress/singer (The Avengers & Lost In Translation)
18. Katrina Bowden - actress (30 Rock & American Reunion)
19. Victoria Justice - actress/singer (Victorious)
20. Jennifer Love Hewitt - actress/singer (The Client List & Party of Five)
21. Emma Watson - actress (Harry Potter series)
22. Kaley Cuoco - actress (The Big Bang Theory)
23. Anne Hathaway - actress (The Dark Knight Rises & Love and Other Drugs)
24. Selena Gomez - actress/singer (Wizards of Waverly Place)

25. Jessica Gomes - model
26. Taylor Swift - singer/songwriter
27. Naya Rivera - actress/singer (Glee)
28. Jessica Biel - actress (7th Heaven & The A-Team)
29. Eva Mendes - actress (The Other Guys & Training Day)
30. Berenice Marlohe - actress (future Bond girl)
31. Candice Swanepoel - model
32. Rihanna - actress/singer (Battleship)
33. Jessica Alba - actress (Good Luck Chuck & Meet the Fockers)
34. Elisha Cuthbert - actress (24 & The Girl Next Door)
35. Yvonne Strahovski - actress (Chuck)
36. Sarah Shahi - actress/model (The L Word & Fairly Legal)
37. Jennifer Lopez - actress/singer (American Idol & Anaconda)
38. Kelly Kelly - professional WWE wrestler
39. Kate Upton - model
40. Miranda Kerr - model
41. Zooey Deschanel - actress/singer (New Girl & 500 Days of Summer)
42. Brooklyn Decker - actress/model (Just Go With It & Battleship)
43. Ashley Greene - actress/model (Twilight & Americana)
44. Lake Bell - actress/model (No Strings Attached & A Good Old Fashioned Orgy)
45. Zoe Saldana - actress (Star Trek & Avatar)
46. Adriana Lima - model
47. Julianne Hough - actress/dancer (Dancing With the Stars & Footloose)

48. Brittany Snow - actress (Harry's Law & Would You Rather)
49. Emmy Rossum - actress (Shameless)
50. Sarah Hyland - actress (Modern Family)
51. Stacy Keibler - actress/former WWE wrestler
52. Jordana Brewster - actress (Fast & Furious series & Dallas)
53. Amber Heard - actress (The Playboy Club & The Rum Diary)
54. Katharine Mcphee - actress/singer (Smash & American Idol)
55. Emma Roberts - actress (Scream 4 & It's Kind of a Funny Story)
56. Lilly Collins -  actress (The Blind Side & Writers)
57. Lee Newton - actress/host (SourceFed)
58. Arianny Celeste - UFC ring girl/model
59. Amanda Bynes - actress/singer (Easy A & She's The Man)
60. Shakira - singer
61. Kristen Bell - actress (House of Lies & Heroes)

62. Vanessa Hudgens - actress/singer (High School Musical)
63. Dawn Olivieri - actress (The Vampire Diaries & House of Lies)
64. Maria Menounos - actress/host (Today & Access Hollywood)
65. Cobie Smulders - actress (How I Met Your Mother)
66. Alex Morgan - U.S. soccer player
67. Rebecca Mader - actress (Lost & Fringe)
68. Miley Cyrus - actress/singer (Hannah Montana & The Last Song)
69. Stephen Colbert - actor/host (The Colbert Report)
70. Michelle Dockery - actress (Downton Abbey)
71. Sofia Vergara - actress/model (Modern Family)
72. Kellie Pickler - singer (American Idol)
73. Abby Elliott - actress (Saturday Night Live)
74. JWOWW - actress (Jersey Shore)
75. Jessica Rafalowski - model

76. Teresa Palmer - actress (Take Me Home Tonight & I Am Number Four)
77. Christina Hendricks - actress (Mad Men & Drive)
78. Kirby Bliss Blanton - actress (Project X)
79. Nicki Minaj - singer
80. Stana Katic - actress (Castle)
81. Pippa Middleton - almost royalty
82. April Rose - model
83. Dania Ramirez - actress (Heroes & American Reunion)
84. Nina Dobrev - actress (The Vampire Diaries)
85. Lois Griffin - cartoon character (Family Guy)
86. Caroline Wozniaki - professional tennis player
87. Paulina Gretzky - model
88. Jacqueline Macinnes Wood - actress (Final Destination 5)
89. Dalena Henriques -  model
90. Bria Murphy - actress/model
91. Claire Coffee - actress (Grimm & General Hospital)
92. Amanda Knox - accused murderer (alleged...but this is kind of messed up)
93. La La Anthony - actress/host (La La's Full Court)
94. Alexandra Breckinridge - actress (American Horror Story & True Blood)
95. Layla El - professional WWE wrestler
96. Nadia G. - TV host/chef
97. Kat Dennings - actress (2 Broke Girls & Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist)
98. Anahi - singer/songwriter
99. Poppy Montgomery - actress (Unforgettable & Without A Trace)
100. Dominique Storelli - model


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NBC Renews 'Community'...Sort of?!

NBC was very busy yesterday. They decided the fate of most of their Thursday night lineup. 'The Office','30 Rock', 'Parks and Recreation', & 'Community' all were renewed, in the way Republican candidates endorse Mitt Romney...because they have to. NBC does not have much of a choice. Their network went from first in the ratings to fourth place, which is last among the big networks. They don't have any shows to replace them right now and hope a few new shows emerge next season as Thursday night candidates.

Will 'Community' survive the overhaul that NBC plans to do in the 2012-13 television season? How will I get my Alison Brie fix, since I recently quit watching 'Mad Men'?

I'm a huge fan of 'Community' since the middle of their first season. I didn't know that the show was so good until a I went over to a friend's house and he was watching it. The first episode I watched was their Christmas episode that was an homage to 'Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer'. 90% of the episode was in claymation. It was a breath of fresh air in a television landscape that just recycles stale ideas.

The news slowly leaked out about NBC's future plans. 'Community' will be renewed for thirteen episodes, with the rest of their season being left in limbo. The network ordered the same amount for '30 Rock' & 'Parks and Recreation', but but NBC announced that '30 Rock' will end the series after their thirteen episode order. The fate of 'Parks and Recreation' isn't as gloomy, but it looks like that series will end as well. NBC did order full seasons of 'The Office' and 'Parenthood'.It is likely that NBC could order nine more episodes of 'Community' to make a full fourth season. We can cross our fingers that the Peacock network will keep the critically-acclaimed show on for the fifth season.

If the show ends after its fourth season, it would make the show more realistic. Four years is the ideal amount of years that a student goes to college, but a fifth is plausible. This show was destined to last this length, because they would not want the show to end up like '90210' or 'Saved By The Bell'. The students on those shows must have flunked a year, since they lasted longer than four seasons.

A few reports have come out that Chevy Chase could be written out of the show. He is difficult to work with and has bashed the show publicly. He claims that the show is "not funny," but he could just be jealous that he is not the show's focus. He has a reputation of being difficult since he appeared on 'Saturday Night Live' in the 1970s.

NBC looks to keep 'Parenthood' on the air, but plans to cancel 'Community'? What night of the week is that even on NBC? I know that it is another show that has low ratings and is beloved by critics. It has to cost more to produce than 'Community', but I could be wrong...since I've never watched an episode of 'Parenthood.

I hope that Subway can save 'Community' like it extended the life of 'Chuck', another NBC show that I also enjoyed. You will still be able to see most of the cast in other projects on television and/or in concert. Donald Glover has a budding music career as Childish Gambino, Joel McHale has 'The Soup', and Brie has a recurring role on AMC's 'Mad Men' as Pete Campbell's wife.

Let's hope that 'Community' will increase their ratings in the fall and forces NBC to keep the show on the air...#sixseasonsandamovie.

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Eddie Murphy & Batman

The First season's Christmas episode

How 'Mad Men' Made Me Hate January Jones

I have been wanting to write this post for a long time. I thought about it a few weeks ago, but I needed a kick in the pants to write this article. I needed to contribute to a site that I'm writing for, ProjectShanks.com, and thought that this would be the perfect way to start. A person's first post on a new website should have pretty girls in it, right?

I feel like I'm getting ready to break up with a girlfriend who banged all of my friends, recorded it, and made me watch it. How do you get everything off of your chest at once? By the way, I think I dated a girl that would do that. She was pretty evil, but we'll save that for another fun post.

This post is about the AMC show, 'Mad Men.' Is it bad that I let a television show annoy me this much?

I had never watched a single episode of the show until this winter. A lot of my friends were really into the show and I avoided listening to them talking about it. A handful of my friends even dressed up in fancy clothes to watch each episode that a local theater. I swear that my friends aren't as douchey as I make them out to be.

 My interest began to grow when I watched Jon Hamm host 'Saturday Night Live' and appear in 'Bridesmaids.' He seemed like a funny guy and I caved in and asked a friend to borrow his 'Mad Men' DVDs. This was a big move for me, because I rarely give into 'hype.'

 I have only caved once and it was because of a girl. I refused to watch the 'Lord Of The Rings' movies, but the girl that I was dating was a big fan. She wanted me to watch them and I tried. My old roommate owned the entire trilogy and I took them into my room, opened a beer, and put in the first movie. After 15 minutes, I needed a new beer (I should add that it was about noon). I went downstairs, grabbed a beer, and was about to go back to Middle Earth, but I had an amazing idea. I grabbed all of the blankets that I owned and I talked my roommate into making our living room into a huge blanket fort. Four hours and many beers later, I remembered that I never went into my room to finish it. I ended up drinking beers with the neighbors in our new blanket fort.

 I watched the first season of 'Mad Men' and I was numb. I didn't hate it, but I didn't like it either. I let it slide, since the first season of a show isn't usually its best. The second and third seasons were finished over the next few weeks. A feeling of anger and regret started to sink in, but I was still trying to hold onto hope. It was taking me longer and longer to finish each season. The fourth season was done after a month and I was left with a month until the premiere of season five.

 I added up the amount of time that I wasted on watching all four of the seasons of 'Mad Men.' Each episode is roughly 45 minutes long with each season having thirteen episodes. I will never get those 39 hours back.

Season five started in March and I was still stuck on stage 2 (Anger) of the Kübler-Ross model, commonly referred to as the "Five Stages Of Grief." I wasted all of that time, so I might as well waste a few more hours and keep watching. It's not too late, watching January Jones will make it all worth it. Maybe the lovely actress will show some side-boob (it's on AMC, that is the best you are going to get on regular cable). The first two episodes aired with no signs of Betty Draper, aka Miss Jones, and in the third episode, she's wearing a fat suit (#facepalm).

 I am officially declaring that as of today, I will no longer watch 'Mad Men.' I have finally made up my mind. Even if Betty's body bounces back from her thyroid problem, it won't change my decision. I'll just keep looking at the January Jones photo that I posted at the bottom of this post.

 Here are five reasons why I have grown to hate 'Mad Men':

1. Every character hates their life. Most of them have great careers and make a very comfortable living, but they are never satisfied. You could say that they all sabotage their lives, which is an accurate statement. This could be the reason that they are always drinking.
2. The show attempts to frame the late-50's and 60's as the coolest era. Everyone smokes and drinks during the day, men always wear suits, and 80% of the women are beautiful. All of these things are exaggerated and fans of the show always list the show's authenticity as a reason they watch it. If I drank as much as the guys at Sterling Cooper Draper Price, I'd be passed out by lunch. I want to add that most of the show's fans were not born to live in that era. The show barely touches on the rampant racism and the constant threat of a nuclear attack by the Russians.
3. 'Mad Men' is the New England Patriots of television. In the eyes of critics and fans, the show can do no wrong. Matthew Weiner is Bill Belichick, a man who drafts no-name players and ESPN does nothing but praise him. In hindsight, the last quality player who Belichick drafted was Jerod Mayo...in 2008. 'The Sopranos' and 'The Wire' are off the air and critics needed a new show to praise. The last two seasons of 'Mad Men' were worse than the first three.
4. The show's storylines move at a snail's pace. Critics panned 'Boardwalk Empire' for its slow pace, yet they never mention this show's speed. The normal arc of a television show season is that they have a few storylines that end at the end of each episode or in a period of episodes. They also have a few that drag throughout the season, yet a lot happens in these storylines, because they are complex. The season-long themes in each season of 'Mad Men' are not complex and could be told in half of the time. They often step away from the main storyline for entire episodes and still inch towards its ending.
5. They made me hate January Jones and Christina Hendricks. Seriously, how did Matthew Weiner do this to me? Betty Draper and Joan Harris (Hendricks) are two of the easiest to hate characters. Betty has some weird sexual tension with a young boy and Joan hates anyone who is happy. Even the characters that they want you to like, Don Draper and Peggy Olson (Elizabeth Moss), are often sad sacks that go through episodes moping around. In closing, a lot of shirtless and/or partial nude men have been seen lately...this is only strengthening my argument against Mr. Weiner. 

I am better off freeing up the hour each week that I waste on 'Mad Men.' I can finally start watching either 'Justified' or 'Friday Night Lights.' I've heard amazing things about both of the shows and I can't wait to start them.

After reading this post, I hope at least one person makes a blanket fort.



For other posts about pop culture, check out ProjectShanks.com. A friend of mine recently started the site with some great guys. I'm contributing some posts over there and expect great stuff very soon.