The 'Crazy' James Zinkand Award (2009)

The 'Crazy' James Zinkand Award for the
Contestant You Love To Hate in a Reality Competition

Rank. Character (Show)- Total Points...(My Rank)
10th. Tina (The Amazing Race)- 2 points

9th. Michelle Costa (Big Brother)- 3 points

8th. Ace Gordon (Survivor)- 4 points

7th. Lil Rounds (American Idol)- 4 points

6th. April Dowling (Big Brother)- 4 points

5th. Terrence (The Amazing Race)- 6 points...(5th)

4th. Jerry MacDonald (Big Brother)- 14 points...(2nd)

3rd. Allison Iraheta (American Idol)- 15 points...(3rd)

Runner-Up
2nd. Scott MacIntyre (American Idol)- 16 points...(4th)

The Poolie Goes To
1st. Margie and Luke (The Amazing Race)- 17 points...(1st)
And and with no guest spot, you are once again stuck with me...

Although Luke and Margie won this award and Scott MacIntyre took second, I'd like to start off by saying The Quiet Pool Perspective and its voters have nothing against handicapped people. The thing is these ones were just awful. There wasn't one moment of Luke's airtime on The Amazing Race that I didn't want to to slap him in the face.

I fee like it is very easy to hate contestants on The Amazing Race. The stressful atmosphere they are engaged in at all times creates situations that illuminate their bad sides. Unlike Survivor or Big Brother, where there is a lot of down time on camera, Amazing Race is on the go at all times. That being said, of all the people I've hated on this show, Luke takes the cake. The kid needs an attitude adjustment and I don't think his mother would ever give it to him. She babies him like there is no tomorrow. Let the dude live his life as normally as he can and stop making excuses for him when he clotheslines the other contestants.

The Lily Finnerty Award (2009)

The Lily Finnerty Award for the
Character You Love To Hate in a Comedy Series

Rank. Character (Show)- Total Points...(My Rank)
10th. Evan Chambers (Greek)- 0 points

9th. Timmy (Rules of Engagement)- 0 points

8th. Pam Beesly (The Office)- 3 points

7th. Toofer Spurlock (30 Rock)- 8 points

6th. Kath Day (Kath and Kim)- 8 points...(4th)

5th. Mel (Flight of the Conchords)- 9 points...(3rd)

4th. Rusty Cartwright (Greek)- 10 points...(1st)

3rd. Glen Quagmire (Family Guy)- 16 points...(5th)

Runner-Up
2nd. Charles Miner (The Office)- 18 points

The Poolie Goes To
1st. Toby Flenderson (The Office)- 24 points...(2nd)

And now with some words on Toby Flenderson here is T-time of Solomons Lines...

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Taking their cues from Michael Scott, tv viewers have united in their hatred for Toby Flenderson. The Office's resident wet blanket constantly puts a stop to Michael's ideas, much to his and apparently America's aggravation. A large portion of the appeal in hating Toby has to come from how much Michael visibly hates him. Michael's continuous dismissal of Toby brings a lot to the show. Whereas Toby may not be the most obnoxious character on television, he is the guy that viewers love to hate.

NBC Upfronts- Gut Reactions

Well the best news coming from the NBC upfronts was that Chuck WILL be returning next season. It will be cut down in episodes and air in the spring at it's regular 8:00 timeslot on Mondays. Heroes moves to 8 in the fall and will also be a shortened season.

What's Gone
Life, Medium, My Name Is Earl, Kath & Kim, Kings, Knight Rider

--I'm sad to see Earl and Kath & Kim go, but only because they're much better than Parks & Recreation and SNL Thursday Update (which will be on Thursdays this fall)
--Everything else I'm glad to see is gone.

What's Back
Heroes, Chuck, Biggest Loser, SVU, SNL Update, Park & Recreation, Office, 30 Rock, Law & Order, Southland, Celebrity Apprentice, Friday Night Lights

--Pumped that Chuck is back and hope Heroes can try to turn something around. I was hoping L & O had kicked the bucket and do we really need two hours of Biggest Loser? Of course the classic comedy hour of Office and 30 Rock are back in action. With Friday Night Lights airing in the summer, I'll probably download them while they air on DirectTV this fall.

What's New
Trauma, Parenthood, Community, Day One, 100 Questions, Mercy, Marriage Ref

--I will pass on your regular old hospital shows, Trauma and Mercy, and I will definitely not catch 100 Questions with how bad the preview looks. You should check out Parenthood, Community and Day One.

--Parenthood looks like a dramedy about families taken from the first tv series and movie before it. It has Peter Krause (Dirty Sexy Money, Sports Night) and Craig T. Nelson (Coach, Blades of Glory) so sign me up.

--Community is a comedy about life at a community college and it stars Joel McHale (E's The Soup) and Chevy Chase (Vacation, Caddyshack) so I am obviously game.

--Now I feel Day One could be hit or miss. A global event devastates the world and Day One tells the story of those survivors that try to rebuild society and figure out why the event occurred.

The Teri Bauer Award (2009)

The Teri Bauer Award for the
Character You Love To Hate in an Action Series

Rank. Character (Show)- Total Points...(My Rank)
10th. Catherine Weaver (Terminator: TSCC)- 0 points

9th. Jack Shephard (Lost)- 3 points

8th. Olivia Dunham (Fringe)- 3 points...(3rd)

7th. Riley Dawson (Terminator: TSCC)- 4 points

6th. Kate Austen (Lost)- 5 points

5th. Larry Moss (24)- 8 points...(5th)

4th. Bill Compton (True Blood)- 10 points...(2nd)

3rd. Matt Parkman (Heroes)- 13 points

Runner-Up
2nd. Allison Taylor (24)- 16 points...(1st)

The Poolie Goes To
1st. Olivia Taylor (24)- 17 points...(4th)
And with no guest spot, you are stuck with me on this one...

24 has always been a hotbed for hated characters. Whether it was Teri Bauer, Ryan Chappelle, Sherry Palmer, Audrey Raines or the one and only Behroooooz, I have found myself screaming at the tv throughout the show's seven season run. After a yearlong break, due to the writers' strike, 24 has come back with a vengence and given us three, and maybe more, very hateable characters. Larry Moss found himself in fifth for the award, but the mother/daughter combo of President Allison Taylor and Olivia took gold and silver of this awful character olympics.

After the first gentleman has been severly wounded by a terrorist, the President reaches out to her estranged daughter and brings Olivia to the White House. She immediately becomes a nuisance, quarreling with her mother about the past and just being in the way when terrorist Juma comes to take over the White House. After most of the people being held hostage in the White House (RIP Bill Buchanan) end up alright, Olivia goes behind her mother's back to get Chief of Staff/Shawshank Warden Ethan to resign. Interestingly enough President Taylor appoints Olivia to fill in for Ethan while this tragic day continues. She makes dumb move after dumb move concluding with putting a hit on Jon Voight 'the actor's character Jonas Hodges. While not as terrible as past 24 hall of famers, Olivia definitely delivered moments of rage during this year's 24.

The Dr. Doug Ross Award (2009)

The Dr. Doug Ross Award for
Best Lead Character in a Drama Series

Rank. Character (Show)- Total Points...(My Rank)
10th. Derek Shephard (Grey's Anatomy)- 0 points

9th. Walter White (Breaking Bad)- 4 points

8th. Nathan Scott (One Tree Hill)- 5 points...(2nd)

7th. Vincent Chase (Entourage)- 7 points

6th. Don Draper (Mad Men)- 7 points...(5th)

5th. Eric Taylor (Friday Night Lights)- 9 points

4th. Chuck Bass (Gossip Girl)- 10 points

3rd. Matt Saracen (Friday Night Lights)- 11 points...(1st)

Runner-Up
2nd. Greg House (House, MD)- 20 points...(4th)

The Poolie Goes To
1st. Tim Riggins (Friday Night Lights)- 23 points...(3rd)
And now with some words on Tim Riggins here is Mags...

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Tom Brady. Think about this guy. He is the best player on one of the most successful American pro sports franchises in the past decade. Brady’s got millions of dollars from football alone, not to mention the money he must be making from those sick Stetson cologne advertisements. Let’s just say he is easily a billionaire. He also dates one of the hottest chicks on the planet. Now what does this have to do with (the most prestigious television awards ever) The Poolies? Well, your winner for Best Lead Character in a Drama goes to Friday Night Lights’ own Tim Riggins.

Now you see it. The best player on the sweetest high school football team in Texas. Riggins might not be a billionaire yet, but he’s got everything else Tom Brady has, and more. Aside from being a damn good looking dude, Riggins has charm for days. All the shorties at Dillon High School are actually in love with him. Despite showing up to practice drunk or hung over the majority of the time, Riggins has managed to be a damn good running back. After a state championship win and the graduation of their offensive star, Smash Williams, Riggins became a workhorse for the Panthers, as well as for Friday Night Lights. He currently dates the hottest chick on the show, Lyla Garrity, and is about to head to college on a football scholarship. While juggling all that, he still manages to find the time to regularly pull off really bone-headed moves with his brother. Riggins carries FNL at times and it’s easy to see why the fans voted for him here. Congratulations, Riggins.

Cue The Idol Finale

I've said it before and I'll say it again...there will never be an American Idol finale that comes close to how good Ruben vs. Clay was. That was a heavyweight bout with both dudes going blow for blow. They had the gigantic choir come in for the final song. And neither of them had to sing a silly song written especially for them, which is always bad.

I don't know how America voted last night, because you never can really tell how people are thinking, but Adam wiped the floor with Kris last night. They sang three songs; one was a favorite that they've already done, one was a pick from Idol creator Simon Fuller, and one was the single co-written by Kara DioGuardi.

Round One
For round one Adam chose Mad World, and he sang it the same as last time. What made it a bit better was that he entered the stage from below and rose up through the floor. I would have preferred Adam to go with Black or White because it had been so long since we had heard it and I think it was his best of the season.

Kris did Ain't No Sunshine, which was a great choice. This was easily his best of the season, and unlike Adam, he could've picked a real stinker and completely screwed himself. He performed it just like he did last time and it was good.

Grades: Adam- A, Kris- A-

Round Two
In round two Fuller chose Sam Cooke's A Change Is Gonna Come for Ms. Lambert. He did a heck of a lot with a song that is terrible for Idol. There is no melody, bad chorus, but he killed it with his range and power.

The man upstairs was in an old-school r&b mood I guess, because he picked What's Goin' On by Marvin Gaye for Kris. I thought this was a very boring and bland performance. When he got to the long falsetto part that Marvin breaks out, Kris just sat there doing regular stuff because he would've embarrassed himself if he tried it.

So back during Motown Week Adam went unplugged with just him, a guitar and bongos for Tracks of Our Tears and he killed it. Since then Kris has copied this idea to the t like three times, and it really got old by the time he pulled it out for What's Goin On.

Grades: Adam- A-, Kris- B-

Round Three
Now this was just hilarious. I mean the song was all well and good, but the difference between the two performances was laughable. Adam goes first and does what I thought was an above average job. The song wasn't great but his talent shined through it. Kris then gets up and does it and I literally was laughing out loud. When they're doing different songs you can get away from comparing their talents for what they actually are. After listening to Kris's performance I thought, 'wow either Adam's was unbelievable or Kris's was absolutely horrid.'

Grades: Adam- A-, Kris C-

The Samantha Marquez Award (2009)

The Samantha Marquez Award for
Best Female Character in an Action Series

Rank. Character (Show)- Total Points...(My Rank)
10th. Claire Bennett (Heroes)- 0 points

9th. Trish Wellington (Harper's Island)- 2 points

8th. Sookie Stackhouse (True Blood)- 3 points

7th. Grace Van Pelt (The Mentalist)- 4 points

6th. Renee Walker (24)- 5 points

5th. Ellie Bartowski (Chuck)- 10 points...(5th)

4th. Cameron Phillips (Terminator: TSCC)- 10 points...(1st)

3rd. Chloe O'Brian (24)- 11 points...(4th)

Runner-Up
2nd. Juliet Burke (Lost)- 16 points...(3rd)

The Poolie Goes To
1st. Sarah Walker (Chuck)- 19 points...(2nd)
And with no one to speak on Sarah's behalf, this is what you get...

With it now being official that Chuck will have a third season, it is time to celebrate the announcement of Sarah Walker winning the inaugural Samantha Marquez Award. As the main heroin of the action comedy, Sarah has it all going for her. She's brilliant, rather attractive, and can protect you from bad guys. What's makes Sarah the best female character in an action series for 2009 is that not only is she all bad ass as a CIA agent protecting Chuck, but she always finds a way to get you all emotional from her heartfelt moments with the computer geek turned operative.

Sarah's Season Two Highlights
-Sarah's teenage insecurities come out when we meet her high school nemesis, played by Nicole Richie, in the reunion episode with Casey as the DJ.
-Sarah uses her CIA magic to get Chuck his well-deserved Stanford degree.
-We get to meet Sarah's father, who is none other that the great Gary Cole.
-Sarah makes dinner for Chuck as the play house on a mission in the suburbs.
-Torn between Chuck and that stud MI6, we witness Sarah coming to her sense and choosing the nerdherder.
-After being dismissed from her position, Sarah goes out of her way to come back and save Chuck off duty.
-Sarah takes Chuck out to the desert to see his estranged father, Orion.
-When it is called in for Chuck to be locked up in Washington, Sarah makes her move and take Chuck on the run.

The Marissa Cooper Award (2009)

The Marissa Cooper Award for the
Character You Love To Hate in a Drama Series

Rank. Character (Show)- Total Points...(My Rank)
10th. Marvin McFadden (One Tree Hill)- 0 points

9th. Ryan Lafferty (Brothers and Sisters)- 1 point

8th. Lisa George (Dirty, Sexy, Money)- 7 points

7th. Meredith Grey (Grey's Anatomy)- 7 points...(2nd)

6th. Peyton Sawyer (One Tree Hill)- 9 points...(1st)

5th. Erin Silver (90210)- 11 points

4th. Eric Foreman (House, MD)- 11 points

3rd. Eric Murphy (Entourage)- 11 points...(5th)

Runner-Up
2nd. Serena Van Der Woodson (Gossip Girl)- 13 points...(4th)

The Poolie Goes To
1st. Jason Street
(Friday Night Lights)- 26 points...(3rd)
And now with some words on Jason Street here is Lar...

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QB1 was the ten pound tumor for the most underrated show of the season. He brought nothing to the table and took everything off. Normally a fringe character’s likability goes through a series of peaks and valleys, but this guy has been in Death Valley since day one. Every time he stepped on camera he was either complaining about something or bringing everyone down with his depressing mood. So you had a near fatal injury on the field that ruined your chance at a professional football career and you want to be all emotional and sad? Come talk to me after you sit in a cubicle for 70 hours a week. You’ll find out what real pain is. However, towards the end of the season he turns his life around by getting a job in NYC, which allows him to be close to the girl he knocked up. Things finally seem to be working out for him, and you know what? I’m happy, but not because things are looking better for him. It means he has essentially been written out of the show. Good luck Street, nobody cares.