A Bunch of Lists

I love a good list!  I like to keep it positive ( but I’m open to suggestions every now and then for a good “Worst” list that zings certain subjects that deserve it)

Please feel free to suggest lists of mine you would like to see using “comments.” In the meantime, enjoy a few very trivial lists of mine.

15 Things I Would Rather Do Than Watch “The Tony Awards”

  1. Try and get into a fight with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
  2. Challenge Ice Cube to a wrap off
  3. Run all over the country for a couple years like Forrest Gump
  4. Join the Army during the Trump administration
  5. Attend the Country Music Awards
  6. Have dinner with Mike Pence and his wife
  7. Bet my life savings on the green “zero” on the Roulette Wheel
  8. Give Scientology a try
  9. Enter a life of organized crime
  10. Go to medical school to become a coroner
  11. Work for Jane Harman
  12. Dress like Johnny Depp for a month
  13. Force myself to become a “lefty”
  14. Live in Florida
  15. Serve on a really long jury trial
  16. … what would readers add?

Best Season Ones — Among Shows I Actually Watched on TV

  • Alias*
  • Felicity*
  • Lost*
  • Dexter
  • Ray Donovan
  • The Killing
  • Revenge
  • Orphan Black
  • Robot
  • The West Wing
  • Twin Peaks
  • Family Guy
  • Always Sunny in Philadelphia
  • Happy Endings

*J.J. clearly gets you a great season 1… he just doesn’t “finish strong.”

Please use “Comments” to react or tell us your best Season Ones that I may not have listed!

It’s a “Rapid-Fire Favorites List!”

  • Favorite Junk Cereal: Gold: Lucky Charms Silver: Crunch Berries Bronze: Frosted Flakes
  • Snap, Crackle, or Pop?: Let’s face it – Pop has always been the “cool one.” I hear he even makes his own bacon from scratch. And I could never pal around with Snap… he knows what he did.
  • Favorite TV Drama that was cancelled too quickly: Firefly (that one was too easy)
  • Favorite TV Sitcom that was cancelled too quickly: The McCarthys
  • Favorite “Danette” (that I THINK I should say): Seton
  • Favorite (Actual) “Danette”: Fritzy (despite him being a Broncos fan).
  • Favorite Baseball Movie (Drama): The Natural
  • Favorite Baseball Movie (Comedy): Major League
  • Favorite OVERALL Sports Movie: Hoosiers (and yes, I know it’s “more than a sports movie.”)
  • Favorite College Mascot OTHER THAN The Richmond Spiders: The Southern Illinois Salukis!
  • Favorite snack: Chips and salsa’
  • Favorite “Guilty Pleasure” fast food: Jack in the Box tacos
  • Favorite Freeway Exit in San Diego: Sassafras (duh)
  • Favorite Street Name: Threechopt Rd. (Richmond, VA)
  • Favorite Smart-ass Millennial: Miles Teller (it’s not even close, Dave Franco!)

Todd’s Favorite Movies. I use bullets instead of numbers as occasionally rankings fluctuate, return, fluctuate again.

  • The Right Stuff
  • Chariots of Fire
  • A River Runs Through It
  • “Shawshank”
  • Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
  • Casablanca
  • Star Wars (full saga… yes, even them!)
  • Wedding Crashers
  • Marvel Comics films (Disney — Iron Man series, Thor Series, Capt. America Series, Avengers series, Guardians of the Galaxy Series)
  • Lord of the Rings Trilogy
  • Marvel Comics films (20th Century Fox — X-Men series)
  • Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
  • Fletch
  • Daniel Craig Bond films
  • Billy Crystal trio of Running Scared, Harry Met Sally, and City Slickers
  • Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Todd’s Favorite Sports Teams

  • National Football League — Kansas City Chiefs (2nd Up: I will now root for the LOS ANGELES Rams in the NFC)
  • Major League Baseball — Angels, Dodgers (when they play each other … I root for the Angels)
  • National Basketball Association — Clippers
  • National Hockey League — Go, Kings, Go!
  • NASCAR Driver — Carl Edwards (retired… so alas, no on as of 9/1/2019)
  • Major League Soccer — LAFC!
  • English Premier League Soccer:
    • “Small Market Favorite” — Southampton
    • “Big Market Favorite” — Tottenham Hotspur
  • Amature Sports
    • Richmond Spiders (Alma Mater)
    • UCLA
    • U.S. Women’s National Team (Soccer)
    • U.S. Olympic Swim Team

Todd’s Favorite (Individual Year) Sports Teams

  • 2015 U.S. Women’s World Cup Team (pretty much every U.S. Women’s World Cup Team)
  • 1986 California Angels
  • 2002 Anaheim Angels
  • 2014 Los Angeles Kings
  • 2012 Los Angeles Kings
  • 2015 Los Angeles Clippers
  • 2019 and 2015 US Women’s National Teams
  • 2015 “Never Say Die” Kansas City Chiefs (after starting 1-5, finished regular season with 10 straight wins)
  • 2015-1016 Southampton Saints FC (New record 63 points, finished 6th and qualified for Europa League)
  • 1981 Los Angeles Dodgers
  • 2014-2015 Southampton Saints FC (First Saints team to finish with 60 points. Finished 7th out of 20 and qualified for Europa League)
  • 2014 U.S. Men’s World Cup Team

Todd’s Sports Championships Priority List — What I hope for Most, In Order, Every Year (* Or 4 years)

  1. U.S. Men’s World Cup Championship*
  2. Angels World Series
  3. Chiefs Super Bowl
  4. Kings Stanley Cup
  5. U.S. Women’s World Cup Championship*
  6. University of Richmond Final 4
  7. Dodgers World Series
  8. LAFC MLS Championship
  9. Tottenham EPL Championship
  10. Southamption FC Top 4-6 Finish
  11. U.S. Swimming dominance at Olympics*
  12. U.S. Hockey Gold
  13. UCLA national championship in football, basketball, or baseball
  14. Tottenham Champions League Cup

Todd’s Favorite Episodes of “Castle” (ABC. 2009-2016)

  • Season 1
    • Flowers for Your Grave (Pilot)
    • Ghosts (body found in motor oil, victim was involved in an act of enviro terrorism 20 years earlier)
  • Season 2
    • The Double Down (Castle bets Ryan and Espo that he and Beckett can solve their case before the guys solve theirs… they of course end up being related!)
    • Fool me Once… (con-man arctic explorer. Classic.)
    • Vampire Weekend (kid living a vampire society-life stabbed in the heart with a stake, we find out it’s his step mom)
    • The 5th Bullet (Marc Blucas [Necessary Roughness] plays a man with amnesia who is the only witness to a killing)
    • Tick, tick, tick… AND Boom! (two-part episode where Dana Delaney guests as an FBI agent who helps them track a serial killer obsessed with Beckett, who he only refers to as “Nikki Heat.)
    • A Deadly Game (murder inside a simulated spy game. X-Files’ Mitch Pileggi guests)
  • Season 3
    • Anatomy of a Murder (Michael Cassidy [The OC, Men at Work] guests, going undercover as a Nurse in a hospital looking for ways he can prove his fiance’s innocence in another crime)
    • 3XK (the episode where famous serial killer and #Caskett foil 3XK is first introduced!)
    • Murder Most Fowl (while investigating the murder of a subway worker, the team discovers he was killed because he was witness to a kidnapping. They then work to find and rescue the boy with the help of the boys father, for whose building the kidnappers wanted access)
    • Last Call (The discovery of the last 100 bottles of a very valuable scotch are discovered [Castle loves this scotch!])
    • Nikki Heat (Laura Prepon [70’s Show, OITNB] guests as the actress cast to play Nikki Heat [based on Beckett], who comes to the precinct to get all “methody” and in character. Hysterical)
    • Poof, You’re Dead (the investigation of a murdered magician leads to uncovering the faked death of questionable billionaire. Lanie and Espo hook up!)
    • To Love and Die in L.A. (Castle and Beckett travel to L.A. against orders to solve the murder of Beckett’s training officer)
    • Knockout (In the season finale, the truth comes out about Capt. Montgomery’s past. He’s killed trying to save Beckett, and then she is shot at his funeral)
  • Season 4
    • Heroes and Villans (a costumed vigilante is part of the case in this murder)
    • Eye of the Beholder (an insurance investigator who Castle finds attractive helps them uncover the theft of a valuable sculpture thought stolen during the murder of the curator)
    • An Embarrasment of Bitches (investigation into a famous dog trainer leads to a social media star as a suspect [One Tree Hill’s Hilarie Burton!]. Castle and Beckett share custody of the dog trainers own dog overnight)
    • The Blue Butterfly (one of everyone’s favorites — Castle comes into possession of an old P.I.’s diary from the 1940s, and does “40’s talk” narration of the throwback scenes as they try to solve the crime. The Castle actors all play parts in the throwback scenes…Castle is of course the P.I.)
    • Linchpin AND Pandora (great two-parter that reunites Castle with a former muse for his books, played by Jennifer Beals, who is a CIA Agent who they help track down the key to an international conspiracy to bring about financial collapse and war)
    • 47 Seconds (bombing at an Occupy Wall St.-style protest)
    • Headhunters (Castle teams with old “Firefly” co-star Adam Baldwin, who plays surley, rule-breaking gang task force detective Ethan Slaughter)
    • Always (In the season finale, tension between Castle and Beckett is on overdrive, as he tries to protect her from the men who want her dead for investigating her mother’s murder…but in the last minutes of the episode, they finally hook up!)
  • Season 5
    • After the Storm (Season opens the morning after #Caskett sleep together, with cute sneaking around from Castle’s family. But Beckett and Castle are soon linking Senator William Bracken to the murder of Beckett’s mom)
    • Secrets Safe with Me (a mysterious message scrolled in blood lead Castle and Beckett to a storage locker which seems to be drawing a crowd at auction)
    • Murder, He Wrote (Castle and Beckett sneak away for a weekend in the Hamptons, where they are immediately confronted with… muuuuurder!)
    • The Final Frontier (in an ode to Nathan Fillion’s short-lived “Firefly,” the team investigates a murder at a comic-con style exhibit where the fan of a short lived but beloved sci-fi series is muuuuuurdered)
    • After Hours (this one had some good laughs. A priest is murdered. The suspect is his best friend from childhood — a leading mob boss. Hijinks ensues)
    • Scared to Death (this one features a “Ring” style video that warns its viewers their time is coming!)
    • The Wild Rover (in this episode, Ryan is the main feature as he has to assume an old undercover identity to help bring down an Irish mobster)
    • The Lives of Others (100th episode. An ode to “Rear Window” as Castle is laid up with a skiing injury but thinks he’s spotted a crime in his neighboring building from his living room window)
  • Season 6
    • Valkyrie (season premier. Beckett working for the A.G.’s task force in D.C. But it’s really a favorite because it guest stars my real life friend Andrea Robinson Strand!)
    • Time will Tell (one of my probably top 10 favorites. The initial suspect in a murder claims to be from the future and is there to prevent the “energy wars” of the future. While Castle totally believes him and of course Beckett does not, the team does eventually help find the real killer and prevent his next murder, that of a young student who the guy from the future claims helps save humanity in the ensuing decades. He also makes some predictions about Castle and Beckett’s life together, including 3 kids — which is shown to come true in the final scene of the Series Finale)
    • Disciple (and absolute classic. The team uncovers the murder of a woman who looks exactly like Medical Examiner Lannie Parrish, and later a murdered corpse of an identical twin to Det. Esposito. The team soon finds out that 3XK is involved with the help of his twisted lover, a top plastic surgeon)
    • The Good, the Bad, and the Baby (The 12th Precinct, and later Castle and Beckett at home, foster a baby who was brought into a church by a dying man. A larger conspiracy is discovered)
    • Room 147 (3 different people come forward to confess to committing the same crime, the same way, in “Room 147” of a hotel)
    • The Way of the Ninja (The team can’t tell if a Ninja is there to help or hinder when s/he appears following the murder of a Japanese immigrant)
    • That ’70s Show (The team has to work with a reclusive ex-mobster to solve a cold case. The mobster is convinced it’s still the ’70s, and the entire precinct has to play along, including costumes and rotary phones)
    • Veritas (Beckett pushes a case to dangerous heights, but finally takes down Sen. Bracken during a live TV broadcast)
  • Season 7
    • Child’s Play (Castle has to go undercover as a teacher’s aid to a 2nd grade class to help catch a killer)
    • Once Upon a Time in the West (Castle and Beckett must travel to an old-west themed resort in AZ to solve a murder)
    • Castle, P.I. (Having worked with a crime lord to solve another case, Castle is forced out of consulting the NYPD. So he gets his P.I. license and begins to compete with the team on a case)
    • “Resurrection” and “Reckoning” (In this 2-parter, the team has their final confrontation with 3XK and his crew)
    • Hong Kong Hustle (the team work with a visiting Chinese Detective who is every bit as beautiful and accomplished as Beckett)
    • In Plane Sight (Castle and Alexis [his daughter] must solve the murder of an air-marshall while in flight to London)
  • Season 8 (Final Season)
    • XY (On Beckett’s first day as Captain of the precinct, she gets a mysterious phone call explaining that her old colleagues from the A.G.’s office have been killed and disappears for the day. The team looks for her with the help of a British P.I., introducing “Hayley” to the team for the final season)
    • Cool Boys (renegade Detective Slaughter [Adam Baldwin] returns seeking Castles help and stirring up more trouble!)
    • Mr. and Mrs. Castle (muuuuuurder on a cruise ship!)
    • Dead Red (a Russian diplomat is murdered, and Castle must chaperone a jolly but tough embassy investigator sent over to help the NYPD investigate. He happens to be a fan of Castle’s novels)
    • And Justice for All (Castle goes undercover as a French Canadian student in an ESL class to solve the murder of one of its students)
    • Hell to Pay (Castle seems determined that he’s ‘marked for death’ when a seemingly dead axe-wielding madman shows up at the P.I. office)

Todd’s Favorite Episodes of “Psych.”

  • Gotcha!  EVERY EPISODE of “Psych” is a favorite episode!

Todd’s (very organic) Bucket List

  • See Africa and its native animals in their natural habitat
  • Return to Ireland at least twice (first and only visit: 2006)
  • Play ping pong with Clayton Kershaw
  • Throw out the first pitch at a baseball game
  • Win a walk-on speaking part on a favorite TV show
  • Deliver a really solid news broadcast (my inner Burgundy speaks!)
  • Drive NASCAR on a longer track (So far, only a 1/2 mile track, it was all turns)
  • Be interviewed by Jimminy Glick
  • Hang out with the Obamas (and if I had to choose only 1 … I maaay go with Michelle!)
  • Hang out with and watch a Chiefs game with Eric Stonestreet and/or Rob Riggle and/or David Koechner
  • Enjoy a nice cup of coffee and conversation with Kyle MacLachlan

Time Out for A “Rapid-Fire Favorites List!” 

  • Favorite classic car: ’56 T-Bird Hardtop (with oval side windows)
  • Favorite superhero: Green Lantern
    • … but favorite superhero movie (so far): Captain America (3): Civil War
  • Favorite Star Wars character: Chewbacca
    • … but surging on my list: Rey
  • Favorite Chicago deep-dish: Lou Malnati’s
  • Favorite States outside of California: Colorado, New Mexico, North Carolina, Virginia
  • Favorite candy: Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (usually the holiday shapes – ’cause more peanut butter)
  • Favorite Game of Thrones Characters: Jorah Mormont, Samwell Tarly (and yes, I also think it strange that I chose 2 loyal servant/2nd in command types)
    • … but surging on my list: Lyanna Mormont (on just about everyone’s list, #amIright?)
  • Favorite Lord of the Rings Film: The Two Towers
  • Favorite Rock Bands at this particular moment in time: (July, 2016) Imagine Dragons, Twenty One Pilots
  • Band I “Admire” the Most: The Dixie Chicks (you’re damn right it’s because of politics, and the guts they’ve shown. “Shut Up and Sing” is a must see documentary. MUST…SEE)

Todd’s Favorite Bands/Musicians

Like with movies, I won’t number them or claim “this is the order,” as some come from very different points in time. Consider this a lifetime list of favorites, in a “whatever order.”

  • The Smiths
  • Weezer
  • The Cult
  • Bon Jovi
  • AC/DC
  • Scorpions
  • Oingo Boingo
  • John Denver
  • The Killers
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers
  • U2
  • R.E.M.
  • No Doubt (Ska version, NOT Funky)
  • Social Distortion
  • The Offspring
  • Bad Religion
  • John Mellencamp
  • Journey
  • The Doors
  • Credence Clearwater Revival
  • 10,000 Maniacs / Natalie Merchant
  • Oasis
  • Keane