TVSquad

I look forward to PopCandy every day, and not just because Whitney is so darned adorable sitting there in her Chuck Taylor's. While that is certainly a better way to start your day than getting a gander at my ugly bearded mugg, she also has some cool content. Like this interview she did with Rainn Wilson from The Office, for example.

Wilson made Whitney's top 100 list again this year, coming in at #17. A deserved ranking I think. The Office hasn't managed to find those glory days Must See TV ratings numbers yet, but it's a great show getting all kinds of good press, largely in part to Wilson's Dwight. They talk about this week's big Christmas episode, the Dwight and Angela relationship (I really want to see the two of them outside the office), and his upcoming projects, among other things. It's a fun read for fans of The Office, or Wilson.

Words cannot express how much I enjoy George Takei. He's just so... out there, in both an ironic and unironic way, that you can't help but appreciate the career he's carved out for himself. From his deep, back-of -the-throat voice with the slight aristocratic Asian affect -- I can't go a day without saying his signature line, "Oh, my." -- to his halting, gasping laugh, Takei (pronounced ta-KAY, because, as he says, "the other way, ta-KEYE, means 'expensive'".) is equally a character and a caricature. To top everything off, he has no problem laughing at himself, which probably comes from the stress of growing up in an internment camp, coming out of the closet, and working closely with Bill Shatner. He just simply amuses the shit out of me.

Whitney Matheson over at the Pop Candy blog on USA Today has an interview with Joss Whedon, who ranks No. 13 on her list of Top 100 Entertainers of 2005. Personally, I'd put Whedon at #2 (I'm still a bit peeved about a certain character who was killed off in Serenity) and I'd put Steve Carell at #1. But, I digress. The interview clears up the Entertainment Weekly article that mis-represented Whedon's feelings about Serenity and Firefly. He doesn't directly reference the EW story, possibly because he did the Pop Candy interview before the article printed, but he does say that he'd love to do more with the crew of the Firefly and, he says, huge DVD sales may help him get two more movies made. I know I did my part for him this Christmas. He also talks about what he'll be doing in 2006: writing Wonder Woman, creating a new Buffy comic, and pushing very hard for that Spike film we've all been hearing so much about. It's a good interview that didn't really tell me a whole lot that I didn't already know, but it's nice to hear from him.

My big year for Paula Deen was 2001, when I lived in Savannah, GA and discovered the Lady and Sons buffet on Congress Street complete with fried chicken, mashed potatoes, hoe cakes, cheesy biscuits, and banana pudding. During one trip up to the buffet, I actually spotted Paula Deen at a table and I went right up to her and told her how much I loved her food. She said she loved it too and that she could never seem to order off the menu because the buffet was so darn good. I loved her for talking to me with her sweet Southern drawl and I loved her for teaching me how to make mashed potatoes that my husband once proclaimed were better than his mother's! I think that sweet personality is what is so appealing to all the Americans who tune into her show and specials on Food Network. Sure, the food she cooks is shockingly fattening, but it's the company we seek, isn't it? Although, I did laugh when another blogger launched the Paula Deen Coronary Watch. Still, there's no doubt that 2005 was Paula Deen's year. Not only did Paula's Home Cooking get very popular, she also got a supporting role in a Cameron Crowe movie, Elizabethtown, starring Orlando Bloom!

Paula is rightfully listed on Pop Candy's list of Top 100 Entertainers of 2005, and there's even an interview with her over on the site. She, of course, is very grateful for her success and hints that she plans to launch a line of kitchen tools or dishes or something in 2006.

I just finished reading a short interview with Bo Bice on the Pop Candy section of the USA Today website, and it reminded me why I like that guy so much. He's just so real, isn't he? Unlike any of the other American Idol contestants, he seems more like an artist than a singer. If he drank White Russians, he would totally be "The Dude" from The Big Lebowski. He still remains totally cool, even though he's had a huge year, including a runner-up slot on American Idol, an album, a concert tour, a wedding, a baby, and major surgery. That's like a lifetime wrapped into one little year!

The interview was done just before he was rushed to the hospital recently for complications from intestinal surgery, so it's a little bit out-of-date. In it, Bo tells Whitney Matheson (Pop Candy) that he's feeling fine, but is exhausted and hasn't had time to heal properly from the surgery. He also says that he's had a lot of star struck moments this year when he met people like Snoop Dogg, or band members from Audioslave and Nickelback. Bo still has a good head on his shoulders, saying that his latest album isn't going to make or break his career. He says he wants to create a respectable legacy, both in music and in his family. I just adore that man!