My All-Time Favorite Characters (1 of 2)

Yep, decided to jump on the bandwagon and list my favorite characters. This list is sort of in order, but to be honest I could change the order easily.

Oh, and I tried; I really did, to keep it under ten choices and only one article. That didn’t work out, instead its 20 choices and two articles. So let's not waste any more time, let's get right into it.

#20.Linkara (AT4W)

Yeah this one may seem odd and I know he isn’t a TV or movie character. But I had to include him, let me try to explain why I like this character enough to put him on here. When I was a kid I loved to make up stories, and even act them out. So when I see Linkara in his story lines it brings back memories of those days. But more than that, Linkara is a very human character.It would be easy for Lewis Lovhaug to make Linkara a tyrant who always wins. But we see plenty of humanity in him. He has been beaten, depressed, and even emotional before fighting the entity. His latest story line was all about how he was starting to lose that very important part of his personality, and thathe needs to be careful not to be get carried away. Simply put, I really relate to that character and enjoy watching him on AT4W.

#19.Walter (The Muppets)

Yeah I know I had one or two issues with this movie, but I was really invested in this character. I give this movie all the credit in the world for what they did with him. There was just something about him I really related to, and I love the message about finding who you really are. He was so well performed, so enthusiastic and willing to please. I love that he found where he belonged at the end!    This one is high because he’s only been in one movie and it was released a couple years ago.

#18. Stitch (Lilo & Stitch)

I really like this alien, and if you haven’t seen Lilo &Stitch I recommend it. While the real drive of the story is Lilo and dealing with her parents not being around, it’s Stitch that I really like. He is programmed to destroy, but through Lilo discovers his heart. My favorite scene is when, despite not being able to swim in water, he accompanies Lilo surfing because he likes her so much and wants to be with her. Lilo is sort of an anti-Disney hero because he’s not supposed to likeable at all. He is angry,destructive, and even kind of disgusting. But somehow his charm still shines through and I enjoyed the movie and the animated series which ran on the Disney channel.

#17.Ferris Bueller (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off)

Matthew Broderick is not my favorite actor either, but he nailed this role. Is this guy a good role model? I mean he does whatever he wants even if it means lying and stealing. He has no regard for authority including his own parents. Yeah on the surface it’s easy to wonder why anyone would like him. But beneath that charming smile is a real person, which does come out in various scenes in the movie. Take that scene where he is talking to the audience about what will happen the next year when he goes to college and Sloan will still be in high school. Or when he offers to take the heat for Cameron after he trashes the car. And more than that, the guy has such a love for life! He gets it, you got to enjoy every moment because life is short and goes by so fast. That’s what he’s trying to show Cameron in the movie. Yeah Ferris may not be the most ethical person, but he is a fun character and everytime I watch this movie I wish I knew what did happen to the guy after that crazy day off.

#16.Darth Vadar (from the original Star Wars trilogy!)

Of all the Star Wars characters I pick Vadar? Truth is this is a very complex character. I mean there is a reason why so many people were eager to see the prequels. They wanted to know just what would drive someone who was supposed to be such an honorable person to be this evil person. In the first movie he is just evil, with so much power at his disposal. When we were told he is Luke's father that was the first glimpse there may be an actual person in there. Then in Jedi we saw the torment he was going through as he watched his son suffer. The moment when he turns on the emperor to save Luke was a great one! Yes they ruined all of this with the prequels, but before they came along Darth Vadar was one complex bad ass!  All other characters are, well, flat. Luke isthe hero, Han is the swashbuckler, Lea the damsel in distress, C3PO and R2D2 the comic relief. Don't get me wrong I love Star Wars but Vadar is the only one that really stands out as more than just a stock character.

#15. Belle (Beauty and the Beast)

What can I possibly say about her that has not been said? She changed the way Disney princesses are portrayed. She is introduced as someone who likes to read and keep to herself, and the fact that everyone thought that she was odd didn’t bother her in the slightest!  The thing about her that I love is the way she stands up for herself. First to the jerk Gaston (I always love how he just decides she will be his wife, I hated him!) and later to the Beast. She takes no crap from him, and that is probably what makes him fall in love with her. I mean, how could he not? Not much else to say, just a well written character.

#14.George Bailey (It’s a Wonderful Life)

This is kind of a corny one maybe, but what Jimmy Stewart did with this character is fantastic. I thought this movie dull as a kid, but as an adult I fell in love with the character of George Bailey. Even in the first half he is interesting, we know he wants to get out to travel the world and we can feel his pain when circumstances prevent that from happening. The scene where he falls in love with Mary is totally convincing. But where the character really shines is the second half. When the money is lost and he goes through what a lot of us probably would. He is depressed and taking out his anger on the wrong people. The scene where he prays at the bar is flat out chilling. The best part of course is after he sees what a difference he’s made, and that ending where is just so happy his wife and kids are ok. George Bailey literally makes this movie; he is a strong character that we care so much about that we watch this again and again every Christmas.

#13. Elizabeth Corday (ER)

This may seem like an odd choice. Why her, of all the people on ER which was filled with strong characters? I mean Doug Ross was complex, Dr Green was very troubled. What is it that makes her stand out? I think for me,she just felt the most real. Alex Kingston is an underrated actress (something which I hope fans of Dr.Who agree with) and she can express so much by doing so little. Elizabeth can be convincingly fun, playful. romantic, passionate, jealous, insecure, prone to mistakes, and very professional to the point of being dead serious. She even earned Dr.Romano’s respect because she was never afraid to talk back to him a bit. My favorite scene of ER is when Elizabeth and Mark have their first kiss. Elizabeth talks about how she knows she has feelings for him, but is nervous due to past mistakes. It is a perfect scene, you can see that anxiety in her face and then watch it fade as Mark assures her he isn’t sure what’s going on but he wants to explore things more. They kiss, I loved it. And then watching her deal with Mark’s later illness was very well done. I just enjoyed every time she was on screen, and when she left the show I stopped watching.

#12. Seven of Nine (Star Trek Voyager)

Yeah she is hot, but that isn’t what makes her one of my favorite characters. It’s the way she was played. She was brought to Voyager to shake it up, and she really did. Suddenly we had a deep and complex character that we were really interested in. We wanted to see her journey from being a Borg to human again and see her become more vulnerable. And we admired how smart she was, even if she was a little obnoxious about it. And the fact she could kick ass didn’t hurt either. Seven of Nine was at her best when she let her vulnerability come through, and we were reminded that there really was a real person underneath all those implants. We have seen many stories of people who went through extreme situations (hostages, kidnapped, etc) and had great trouble readjusting to normal life. That is what Seven of Nine captures in her struggles to become human again, and Jeri Ryan did a fantastic job of keeping her from being more than just a pretty face.

#11. KERMIT THE FROG (The Muppet Show)

Kermit is a sweet guy (er, frog) who loves to entertain and make people happy. He is a little shy when subjects like romance comes up, but he loves what he does, works hard, and is determined to see his dreams come true. Why is he on this list? Because of how humble he is. His friends don't have to hang with him or follow him. They choose to because Kermit's passion is so strong that it's flat out contagious. This is shown in The Muppet Movie when everyone follows him for no real reason and in A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie when we see how his friends would have turned out without him. Kermit is baffled, he is just one frog how could he make such a difference? It's because he is a positive person who does what he does because he loves it and wants to please others. Not for money or fame, and I love that. The Rainbow Connection kind of sums up everything about Kermit, and I absolutely love that song!!! (it’s on my ipod!)

That’s all for today, tomorrow my ten absolute favorite characters!