Zap2it's Greatest TV Characters Poll Picks Week 3

Week 3

It's that time of the week again! This week's categories from the Greatest TV Characters Poll include all the rough around the edges type. Here are my picks:

Best Rebel: James 'Sawyer' Ford from "Lost"

Some of my favorite quotes from Lost are Sawyer lines (including "Guess what? I JUST SHOT A BEAR!" and "Thank you, boar expert!"). It's hard not to love this guy. He's the best kind of rebel because he flips back and forth between only looking out for himself and occasionally showing he has a heart. He softened up a lot recently as he became the leader of those left on the island, but I'm hoping we will see him get back to his endearing jackass personality again soon. Plus I wouldn't mind seeing him shirtless again. Those Dharma Initiative suits are not very sexy. My close second in this category was Hyde from That 7o's Show, but he's mostly just talk. At least Sawyer did some bad things.

Currently Leading in the Polls: Mal Reynolds from Firefly with 23.1% of the votes

Best Spy/Secret Agent: Chuck Bartowski from "Chuck"

I just started watching Chuck this summer and I immediately loved the main character. Chuck is a great spy/secret agent because he truly embodies the "average joe" title as the lead Nerd Herder at Buy More. Despite having a normal (yet quirky) life, he easily steps up to being an asset to both the NSA and the CIA. He lands a helicopter, fights of bad guys while still tied to a chair (although Casey is there to help), and saves his handlers on multiple occasions using quick thinking and dumb luck. He may not have years of training under his belt, but I would definitely like to have this guy on my side if I found myself in a tough situation.

Currently Leading in the Polls: Sydney Bristow from Alias with 26.6% of the votes

Best Antihero: ?

Can you believe that out of 14 nominees, I've never seen any of the shows they are from? I think I may have seen one episode of "House," but I don't think it is enough to really vote for him. I guess I'm not into Antihero shows.

Currently Leading in the Polls: Greg House from House with 24.7% of the votes

Best Tough Girl: Buffy Summers from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"

I have to vote for Buffy in this category since she is my favorite TV character of all time. I think "Tough Girl," though, implies more of a rebel and not necessarily a hero. I would have expected to see Faith from Buffy the Vampire Slayer in this category instead. Oh well. Buffy is awesome. She has survived death twice, won the hearts of the only two living vampires with souls, killed a bajillion vampires, thwarted a dozen apocalypses- all while graduating high school, attending college, and serving as the school guidance counselor. She truly is one of a kind. Or I guess, she was, until the season finale in which every girl who could be a slayer became one at the same time....

Currently Leading in the Polls: Sarah Walker from Chuck with 61.6% of the votes

Best Boozer: Karen Walker from "Will and Grace"

I haven't seen a lot of Will and Grace episodes, but I've seen enough to know Karen deserves Best Boozer over the other nominees in this category. Between constantly giving Grace bad advice, playfully insulting Will, being BFF's with Jack, and abusing Rosario, Karen does it all with a drink in one hand and a token laugh that most of the world would recognize by now. I'm pretty sure she would be really fun to go bar hopping with...or bring to a family get-together to make things more interesting.

Currently Leading in the Polls: Karen Walker from Will and Grace with 29.3%

Zap2it's Greatest TV Characters Poll Picks Week 2

Week 2

This Monday, five new categories were released in Zap2it's Greatest TV Characters Poll. The majority have to do with school characters, but they threw in a few random ones, too. As promised, here are my picks.

Best Educator: Dr. Miranda Bailey from "Grey's Anatomy"

Bailey is one of my favorite characters on Grey's Anatomy, and I think she definitely prevails in this category. She is both harsh and fair as the leading resident to her interns as she guides them through their first few years at Seattle Grace. She takes full responsibility for her charges, and even goes as far as taking the blame for Izzie's misconduct regarding Denny's heart transplant. She feels it is her fault that it happened in the first place. Bailey also advises her fellow colleagues and even her superiors, often being a go to person for the Chief when he needs to make a decision. While balancing everyone else, Bailey also makes some tough decisions in her own life. She even gives up her relationship when she realizes her husband is preventing her from achieving her own goals. Now that is a strong woman we all can look up to.

Currently Leading in the Polls: Rupert Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer with 32.8% of the votes

Best College Student: Rusty Cartwright from "Greek"

Finally! Some "Greek" representation. I was sad to see neither Casey nor Rusty were in the Best Brother/Sister categories since they have a good relationship, but oh well. At least Zap2it didn't ignore the show completely. Rusty is a great college student because he does everything. He is a Polymer Science major (don't ask me what that is) AND he is a member of Kappa Tau, the campus' slacker fraternity. He is always trying to maintain a balance between his social and academic life, and while partying usually comes first, he manages to keep his grades up. Besides this balancing act, he manages to be a sweet boyfriend, supportive brother, and loyal friend. Did I mention I love Rusty? He's so cute in his own dorky kind of way.

Currently Leading in the Polls: Rory Gilmore from Gilmore Girls with 31.4% of the votes

Best High-School Student: Kim Possible from "Kim Possible"

I know, I know. I shouldn't like a kid's cartoon show. But seriously, Kim Possible is awesome. She is the captain of the cheer leading squad, a straight A student, and she fights crime as an extracurricular. Plus, she has friends everywhere around the world. How else do you think she gets rides to exotic locations to get the bad guys? She has an endless supply of sidekick gadgets, a brain surgeon and rocket scientist as parents, a best friend that's a computer genius, and a dedicated boyfriend who not only helps her on her missions, but also provides sarcastic commentary. I think her high school days were more exciting than the rest of the nominees' combined.

Currently Leading in the Polls: Veronica Mars from Veronica Mars with 50.8% of the votes

Best President: George W. Bush from "Saturday Night Live"

One word: Strategery. I loved Will Ferrell's impressions on SNL, and was sad when other cast members had to take over when he left the show. SNL is known for doing great political sketches that become viral videos online, and George W. Bush was no exception. Besides Sarah Palin, I feel George W. Bush was the easiest and best politician the show ever made fun of. Obama was nominated in this category for "various" shows, but I thought that wasn't fair. He's not a TV character. Even my pick for this category is a stretch.

Currently Leading in the Polls: David Palmer from 24 with 25.2% of the votes

Best Voiceover: The Narrator from "Pushing Daisies"

Who doesn't love Jim Dale's voice? It only took me an episode or two to figure out the narrator from Pushing Daisies is the same guy who does the audio books for Harry Potter. This man's voice is so soothing to me, with the British accent and soft tones...he was made for narrating. The voiceovers in Pushing Daisies are used just enough so that they add to the show instead of taking away from it. They are not just used at the beginning and end, but are sprinkled throughout the episodes to move the story along at a good pace. They honestly couldn't have chosen a better person for this. The category for Best Voiceover did have a lot of good choices with Gossip Girl, Mary Alice Young, and Meredith Grey, but I'd have Jim Dale read me to sleep any day over the rest of the nominees.

Currently Leading in the Polls: Michael Westen from Burn Notice with 17.2% of the votes

Zap2it's Greatest TV Character Poll Picks

My sister recently pointed out that Zap2it, a site devoted to TV listings and news, is having a poll on the best TV characters from the decade. Every Monday the site will release new categories of characters for people to vote on. This week's list consists mostly of family member and workplace roles, but the categories seem to get more random as the weeks go on. Throughout the poll duration, I will post weekly on my picks for the categories and why I feel they are the best of the bunch. Keep in mind the site has already selected characters to vote on, and that the characters included are only from shows that have solely or mostly aired in the 2000's. Feel free to leave comments about your picks. I'd love to hear your opinions!

Best Mom: Lorelai Gilmore from "Gilmore Girls"

To me, this was no contest. Everyone wants to have a mom like Lorelai. In Gilmore Girls, Lorelai and Rory are only 16 years apart since Lorelai got pregnant as a teenager. The relationship between the girls is more friendly than mother/daughter, but Lorelai steps up to fulfill her mom duties when needed. Her biggest accomplishment? Being a great role model for her daughter. She turned her life around at a young age and ended up with a great kid and a well-deserved career as the co-owner of her own inn.

Currently Leading in the Polls: Lorelai Gilmore from Gilmore Girls with 22.1% of the votes

Best Dad: Sandy Cohen from "The O.C."

You can't go wrong with Sandy Cohen. This guy's moral compass hardly ever deviates from doing the right thing. As a lawyer, he always fights for the underdog kid or political issue, and as a dad, he never gives up on his kids. He only offers support when Ryan deals with a pregnant girlfriend, he high-fives Seth when he finally gets the girl, and he helps out Marissa, Theresa, Luke, and a slew of other friends of his sons when they need his advice and guidance. He also is able to hold the family together when Kirsten goes into rehab for her drinking problem. Seriously, this guy can handle anything.

Currently Leading in the Polls: Keith Mars from Veronica Mars with 17.8% of the votes

Best Son/Daughter: Rory Gilmore from "Gilmore Girls"

I was somewhat torn on this category between Rory and Seth from The O.C., but overall, I think Rory is a better choice. She has her share of failures (sleeping with a married ex, dropping out of Yale for a semester, etc.), but is overall very successful. She takes care of her mom equally if not more than her mom takes care of her, and she excels in school every year. She goes from valedictorian of her private high school to the editor and chief at the Yale Daily News, and even gets her dream job as a reporter when she is called upon to follow the Obama campaign trail. I also have to give this girl props for getting Dean, Jess, and Logan as boyfriends. They were all very cute and charming in their own ways. She is a great support for her mom on many occasions, including one of my favorite signs of loyalty- freezing out her grandmother after she breaks up Luke and Lorelai. I give her an A+ for that effort.

Currently Leading in the Polls: Rory Gilmore from Gilmore Girls with 23.2% of the votes

Best Couple: Jim and Pam from "The Office"

These two are so normal and yet ridiculously cute together. In the first couple seasons of the show, we saw how much chemistry they had together, and I think the entire audience was rooting for Jim to win her over. When they finally got together in season 4, I was ecstatic. It was a big "Finally!" moment. They are now engaged and probably expecting a baby (though that isn't confirmed yet) after this last season finale, and it's pretty safe to assume there won't be any breaking up in their future. I should also note that it's refreshing to see a less soap opera-like romance on TV for once.

Currently Leading in the Polls: Jim and Pam from The Office with 18.7% of the votes

Best Brother(s): The Winchesters from "Supernatural"

I've always said I love how Sam and Dean play off each other in Supernatural. It really is the best quality of the show, and I think the characteristic that is keeping it on the air. With Sam being sensitive and tortured, and Dean being the tough endearing ass, you can't help but love how they balance each other out. They are constantly trying to save each other, with Dean giving up his own soul to bring Sam back from the dead, and Sam trying to thwart the apocalypse to prevent Dean from having to fight Lucifer. It's a lot of self-sacrifice, but a lot of times the episodes have moments that break away from the drama with sarcastic dialogue between the brothers. It's pure comedy in the middle of a scary story. PS- I'd definitely love to date both of them ;)

Currently Leading in the Polls: Sam and Dean from Supernatural with 27.4% of the votes

Best Sister(s): The Halliwells from "Charmed"

The Halliwells are so close that when one of them dies, another one appears out of no where to fill the void. These three (four if you include both Prue and Paige) are pretty great together as they battle evil and their own personal dramas. I was really sad when Prue died, but it was interesting to see how the roles of all the sister's changed. Piper became the responsible one, Pheoebe became the peace keeper, and Paige became the new trouble maker. If the demon plot lines didn't hold, the sisters' relationship kept up the heart of the show which I felt made it last seven seasons. The show ended well and made sure to emphasize how that close bond remained throughout their lives.

Currently Leading in the Polls: Ellie Bartowski from Chuck with 20.1% of the votes

Best Boss: Sam Merlotte from "True Blood"

This category had a lot of good nominees. While Michael Scott was the obvious choice, I wouldn't really want to have him as a boss because he is annoying as hell sometimes. I would, however, love to work for Sam. He is probably the most understanding guy on the planet. A bunch of his waitresses randomly don't show up to work, but he never really makes a fuss about it. He also hires Tara out of the goodness of his heart in the pilot, even though she doesn't have the best attitude. Oh, and did I mention he is a shape shifter and hero protector? Sam's awesome.

Currently Leading in the Polls: Michael Scott from The Office with 18.4% of the votes

Best Co-Worker: Sookie St. James from "Gilmore Girls"

Another category with some great choices! I had to go with Sookie because she is GREAT at her job. She can cook anything with hardly any notice, and even goes above and beyond and caters for Lorelai when she needs some extra help. Despite a rough start, Sookie doesn't give up on Lorelai as they strive to open their own inn. The Dragonfly turns out to be pretty amazing, and we all know this wouldn't have happened without Sookie's fabulous cooking talents as the inn's personal chef. Sookie is also a loving mom, devoted wife, supportive best friend, and enthusiastic towns person. I think Gilmore Girls has some really great characters. I'm glad to see them well-represented in these polls.

Currently Leading in the Polls: Jim Halpert from The Office with 26.9% of the votes

Best Underling: Dorota from "Gossip Girl"

I would vote for Betty Suarez, but I don't consider her an underling. An underling to me is a side character in a show that finds a way to stand out. Betty is a star in her own way, and doesn't need to be in this category. Anyway, Dorota is fabulous in Gossip Girl as Blair's maid and personal assistant. At first it was funny to see Blair make ridiculous requests, but Dorota really began to shine as she became more of a friend to Blair by helping guide her through her high school issues. I think she is just as conniving as Blair, but only shows her skills every once in awhile when her charge really needs help. I'm glad she is featured more and more as the show goes on.

Currently Leading in the Polls: Kenneth Parcell from 30 Rock with 18.1% of the votes

Best Reality Personality: Tim Gunn from "Project Runway"

I love Tim Gunn. He is so supportive to all the contestants. Even when he is criticizing, he does it in a way that makes the designers feel like he really believes in them and wants them to succeed. After all his experience, I would trust this man's opinion completely, but the designers sometimes are too stubborn and stick to their own beliefs. Too bad they always get attacked on the runway for the one thing Tim Gunn said to avoid. You would think they would learn to listen to him by now...

Currently Leading in the Polls: Simon Cowell from American Idol with 21.7% of the votes