Why I Think Franklin and Bash and Suits Are In An Elite Group.

Movies and TV shows have long taken advantage of the drama that inherently consumes the court room. With drama already inserted into many diverse cases, it only makes sense that there would be some great TV Lawyer/Courtroom shows over the years. In my opinion, a Lawyer show needs two things to be greatly successful. The first being awesome courtroom work. Whether it be drama or watching a genius lawyer figure out a last minute argument, no Laywer show can be considered great without some great moments of the stars in their element. The second is a great, interesting, and relatable staff. You see, if I cant relate to the lawyers on a personal level, I at least want to be amazing at their genius. Two of my favorite Lawyer shows of all time are currently on TV this summer. Franklin and Bash as well as Suits are two awesome shows with a pair of lawyers you will come to love. F&B is a little more on the playful side but each show will have you begging for more of these characters. Casting props should go out to both of these shows. Here are some of the best lawyer shows of all time.

L.A. LAW (1986-1994)

This was the first lawyer show I had ever heard of when I was little. The show depicted a law firm in LA made up smart, drive and of course sexy lawyers. Many say this show was the ground breaker which many of today’s shows are based on.

LAW & ORDER (1990- )

The record breaking show has spawned off some of the most consistent and successful shows ever. Producer Dick Wolf is said to have conceived the show’s format—first half, investigation and arrest; second, trial and verdict—after watching tapes of a British show while working as a writer on the 1980s hit Miami Vice. The show is legendary for its twisted takes on real-life legal issues,  and has won over millions of fans across the county.

 THE PRACTICE (1997-2004)

This was the first lawyer show I can remember people falling in love with. Bobby Donnell was a handsome, driven defense attorney who surrounded himself at the self-named firm of Robert Donnell & Associates with talented lawyers who lacked the pedigree necessary to cut it in BigLaw. They made up the difference with street smarts and sheer tenacity.  Fans fell in love with both courtroom and law office drama.

ALLY McBEAL (1997-2002)

This show was quite successful but not for its court room prowess. Ally McBeal was more like Felicity if Felicity worked in a law office. Regardless, the show was a hit while it aired and always had a big following.

BOSTON LEGAL (2004-2008)

James Spader played Alan Shore, a politically incorrect jerk (deep down he has a good heart) who lands a job with his friend and mentor Denny Crane (William Shatner), a cranky conservative who seems to have lost any semblance of a social filter. The show was a break-off of The Practice but definitely had its own feel to it. The shows quick and witty bantor is some of the best ever seen on TV. This show completely revitalized William Shatner’s career.

 DAMAGES (2007- )

A personal favorite of mine, Damages is now in its 5^th season. The show follows NY’s most ruthless and feared lawyer, Patty Hewes  (Award Winning Glenn Close) as she takes down the biggest corporations. Ellen Parsons is a brilliant law school grad who goes to work for and gets a little too close to Patty. The show takes real life cases and turns them into entire seasons of beautifully crafted drama. First few seasons are among the best ever on TV.

FRANKLIN AND BASH (2011- )

F&B starts its second season this summer. The show follows the conquests of two best friends as they make the move from private to corporate lawyers while maintain the unorthodox methods that got them to where they were. The show stars Breckin Meyer and Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Zack Morris). They are quite funny characters and with their crack team find amazing ways to win cases.

SUITS (2011- )

This awesome lawyer drama follows big hotshot Harvey Spector and his sidekick Mike Ross. The nitch of the show is that Ross, who is one of those cure cancer brilliant minds, is not actually a lawyer but this secret is kept between Harvey and Mike. The show has its humor but amazingly nails a dramatic note as well. A very good supporting cast helps the duo as well. 

Why Tiger Woods May be the Greatest Athlete in My Lifetime. (Part II)

3^rd Runner Up- Tom Brady

The 3 time Super Bowl champ has been to 5 Super Bowls in only 10 years. That means he has made the Super Bowl in half the seasons he has played. That is an insane percentage. One of the clutchest QBs of all time, Brady also holds the record for single season TD totals and has a shocking career record.

Why Not:

With his last two Super Bowls ending with a loss to the Giants, his mysticism has definitely dropped. He does play for a team sport and has drawn too many comparisons with Manning and Farve to be considered the greatest athlete of my lifetime.

2^nd Runner Up- Michael Phelps

With 14 Gold Medals, an almost perfect Olympic record, Phelps has dominant a mostly individual event. The greatest Olympian is quite a title but one that Phelps has earned. Watching the man-fish in the pool is thrilling and like Tiger, you almost expect and demand he win.

Why Not:

In my opinion Phelps doesn’t compete enough to be considered the best athlete in my generation. His Olympic races are really numbered and a few of them are out of his hands.

1^st Runner Up: Michael Jordan

MJ dominated his sport and then transcended it. With 6 titles, 5 MVP, 6 finals MVPs, a numerous scoring champ and all defensive player, MJ has the stats to be the best. But his drive, feel for the dramatic moments, and desire to win make him the greatest NBA player ever. He also brought basketball to heights it could never imagine. Michael Jordan is probably the most popular and well known Athlete of all time.

Why Not:

Though amazing, it did take MJ a few years to achieve his greatness. While the centerpiece, he did have plenty of help with some amazing teams along the way. Also holding against him, Jordan dominated for 7 years, a relatively short time for someone considered the best athlete of my 25 years.

The Greatest Athlete of My Lifetime: Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods is the greatest athlete of my generation. First the stats; Tiger has 11 majors, the second most all time. Most players dream of winning one. He has 72 wins, tied with Jack Nicholas for all time. He has been the #1 player in the world for years at a time. Tiger Woods is without a doubt the best golfer of all time. With the level of competition he has faced and the target on his back, the fact that he just keeps on winning and winning is amazing. He has brought golf, a very white collar, “not for the masses” sport to the forefront of the nation. But what is perhaps most amazing is the expectation and demand for excellent every time he is on the course.  Tiger is expected to win every single tournament he plays and quite often he comes through. The fact that in his worst years he gets 2-3 victories is stunning. Most golfers hope to win 2-3 tournaments in their lives. In the 18 years he has been a professional, Tiger has dominated the sport. Winning a major in his second year, after becoming the highest endorsed golfer and SI Athlete of the Year as a Rookie, Tiger never slowed down. I play golf and the insane pressure on every shot in a sport where it is all on you to be great just seems daunting. Watching that unbelievable chip in on the 16th hole of Memorial was just a reminder how I have the pleasure and honor to watch the greatest athlete of the last 25 years on a daily basis. Tiger; thank you!!

Why Tiger Woods May be the Greatest Athlete in My Lifetime. (Part I)

In the 25.5 years I have been alive, there have been some amazing athletes. In an analysis of the best athletes of my lifetime, I came across some amazing athletes.

Honorable Mention:

Roger Federer

Pro- With the all-record of grand slams, consecutive wins, consecutive weeks as #1 and all-time grand slam matches won, Federer has quite the resume.

Con- He was unable to defeat and was perhaps surpassed by both Nadal and Djokovich. Though considered the best ever by some, RF is sometimes not even considered the best player of his generation.

Patrick Roy

Pro- Roy is the best goalie of my lifetime, Roy ended his career with the 3 cups and he just dominated the NHL setting basically every goalie record that counted.

Con- Martin Broeduer.

Lionel Messi

Pro- I have never seen someone more dynamic or magical on the pitch. Breaking records daily, the Barcelona star produces magic every game.

Con- Messi has not won a world cup or Olympic gold for the always favored Argentina. His lifespan as the best player in the world, like most soccer players, will be short.

Finalists:

Michael Jordan

Michael Phelps

Tiger Woods

Tom Brady

Part two to arrive soon.

Why I Love An Awesome Marriage Proposal.

I would like to officially announce my engagement to the beautiful and amazing Zahava Goldofsky. After repeating the story of how I proposed 100 times, it had me thinking, what are the best documented marriage proposals of all time. Enjoy!!!!

·         Movie Theater Surprise

In this amazing and all-time great proposal, a unassuming bride to be is at the movies and watching a trailer, a trailer about her boyfriend proposing to her.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnVAE91E7kM

·         Old Spice Man

If you would want your girl to cheat on you with anyone, it would have to be the awesomely manly Old Spice Commercial Man. So why not have him propose for you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-fLV28SkZ8&feature=player_embedded

·         Muppet Proposal

Every girl at some point had a doll or stuffed animal. Tapping into that with an all Muppet proposal? Genius.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoRsqEi47Ic&feature=player_embedded#!

·         Movie Trailer #2 (or for those who know me #3)

What if you saw a beautifully done movie trailer but realized all the actors were actually your family members? Take a look.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Adh4hmpBxlw&feature=player_embedded

·         Lip Dub Special

In one of the most amazing and beautifully choreographed dance proposal ever, this guy had his girl listen to a song with headphones as every person she had ever met performed a lip dub routine.     

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=5_v7QrIW0zY

·         Fiancé Dies

In the most amazing wedding proposal I have ever seen, you witness a girl hearing will you marry me right before her fiancé dies (or does he). CHECK THIS OUT!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hya9xxn7CA0

·         Josh Turner Special

A friend of mine proposed to his wife surprising her outside her apartment while singing her favorite song. This is a personal favorite.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWfyY8T7OtQ

·         A Disney Musical

In this awesome proposal, a singing groom surprises his girl with a musical number among a crowd of strangers at Disney World.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpojZ0COU3Y

Why I Love A Good Movie Trailer (Part II).

Here is part two of this amazing segment. I apologizing for including #15 last time so here are the top #14 movie trailers.

14. Paranormal Activity 2 2010

Some of the scariest scenes ever come from these films. The trailers captured it all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07XbSk7Rjt4

13. District 9 2009

Awesome movie, awesome trailer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyLUwOcR5pk

12. Casino Royale 2006

In his first stint as Bond, Daniel Craig, gave every a sigh of relief as he kicked butt in this trailer, reassuring everyone that the franchise was going to be just fine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fl5WHj0bZ2Q

11. The Departed 2006

Answer me this, how good can a movie starring Leonardo Dicaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Alec Baldwin, and Jack Nicholson really be?  According to the trailer…pretty DAMN good!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUQu6GAW01M

10. Transformers 2007  

This childhood love of mine came to life in 2007. The trailers not only had me excited but they had me pumped up like crazy. Michael Bay is the king of Awesomeness and this trailer fell in line.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAjgXlvVexI

9. Matrix Reloaded 2003

The second installment of the Matrix franchise was an underrated film and I felt the trailer was quite awesome. Considering the hype this movie had after The Matrix became such a cult hit, the trailer surely didn’t disappoint.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVrGMnk5E_M&feature=related

8. Terminator Salvation 2009

Though this movie fell short in theaters, the long awaited return of the Terminator franchise was hyped up to wazoo. Of course it didn’t hurt having Christian Bale star as the human savior John Conner. Bad movie, very good trailer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owrEMGg4x3M

7. Sin City

This piece of art got pretty good reviews overall. Based on the famous graphic novel, Sin City was the first of a slew of films all of graphic novels. There is no doubt the trailer had us all dying for more.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKFLrTYKIXk

6. X-men First Class 2011

I loved this film. I thought it was done beautifully and did an amazing job of tying in all of the history related to the X-Men. The first trailer for the film was beautiful as it introduced us to the characters who who make up the beloved X-Men.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8ccSiH4olo

5. 300 2006

With Nine Inch Nails in the background, the most epic movie of all time was amazing epic. Cmon, a little battled kid about to fight a beast. Thank you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDiUG52ZyHQ

4. Battle: Los Angeles 2011

While the film fell a little flat, this trailer is awesome. The music is riveting and there are some very iconic images.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Pd-uuDi28U

3. The Dark Knight 2010

The greatest villain ever, deserves the one of the best trailers, and he got it. Nolan is a master at marketing campaigns and his trailer was awesome, featuring the amazing Joker.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDiUG52ZyHQ

2. Inception 2009

From the music to the screen shots, Christopher Nolan nailed it  with this trailer of his international phenomenon. You cannot watch this and feel a need to see the film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSyQ3K0xnYg

1.       Alien 1979

In my opinion there is no greater trailer ever than the horrifying Ridley Scott film. Just remember, “In Space, No One Can Hear You Scream.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxCIEUWaRrs&feature=player_embedded