Best Fictional Female Detectives, part 2

Television–

Veronica Mars of Neptune - the mash-up of teen angst and Film Noir was pitch perfect when Kristen Bell (whom I adore) took the lead.

Jessica Fletcher in Murder She Wrote.  Mysteries don’t get much cozier than the ones of Cabot Cove.  Angela Lansbury gave her  warmth and smarts.

Brenda Johnson in The Closer.  The brilliant but troubled deputy chief who always gets the confession.  Eight seasons in, she’s less eccentric but not by much.

Daphne and Velma of Scooby-Doo – the fashionable Daphne and the clever Velma solve wacky mysteries with Fred, Shaggy and Scooby. People have their favorite but the two women make a good pair.

Beckett in Castle – Her character has certainly grown from the gruff detective to the warmer but  still level-headed partner.  Stana Katic makes her a delight to watch.

Honorable Mentions –

Tuppence of Tommy & Tuppence.  A kind U.K. version of Nick and Nora Charles.

Dr. Temperance Brennan on Bones.  I don’t watch this show much but the show’s fans love her.

L.  Anita Van Buren of Law & Order.  I’m very fond of this actress and she always lends her charm to any role she takes.

Another List–

Wikipedia

TV Meme

List your five favourite TV shows and answer the questions below.

Five favourite TV shows in no particular order:

1. Pushing Daisies
2. Coupling
3. Veronica Mars
4. Firefly
5. Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Who is your favourite character in #1?
Emerson Cod – Chi McBride

Who is your least favourite character in #2?
Sarah Harper – Kate Isitt

What is your favourite episode of #4?
Out of Gas

What is you favourite season of #5?
Season 3

How long have you watched #1?
completed both seasons

How did you become interested in #3?
Became a fan of Kristen Bell in Reefer Madness the Musical

Who is your favourite actor in #4?
Adam Baldwin as Jayne

Which show do you prefer out of 1, 2, or 5?
Buffy the Vampire Slayer

How would you kill off your favourite character in #2?
Somehow Jeff would be suffocated by a pair of guest breasts.

Which show have you seen more episodes of? #1 or #3?
Pushing Daisies

If you could be anyone from #4, who would you be?
YoSafBridge

Give a random quote from #1:
Please don’t attack the window treatments

Would a #3 and #4 crossover work?
No, but I would have loved to have seen an attempt

Pair two characters in #1 that would make an unlikely, but strangely okay couple.
Olive Snook and Emerson Cod

Overall, which show has a better cast, #3 or #5?
Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Which has better theme music? #2 or #4?
Firefly

When in Rome (2010)

Image via Wikipedia

I had some hope for this romantic comedy about a woman named Beth (Kristen Bell) who takes coins from a magical fountain of love in Rome. She is soon pursued by the men who threw them in the fountain.  This is inconvenient and fairly humorous because four unsuitable men become besotted with her.  The real problem is that she took a coin that belonged to a man she’s beginning to fall for.

Kristen Bell stars and was endearing in Reefer Madness the musical and the Veronica Mars TV series.  But, somehow, she’s not particularly endearing here.  I don’t think it’s her.  I blame the director and the dreadful script.

Part of  the problem is the unfunny pairing of physical comedy and loopy love story.  That pairing can work, see:  Bringing Up Baby (1938).  It’s ill-matched here, though.

Bell and Joshua Duhamel (Nick) have as much chemistry as two pleasant people who happen to be standing in the same line at the bank.  It made me miss Logan from Veronica Mars.

Like most romantic comedies these days, the only real entertainment is in the supporting cast.  Bobby Moynihan as Puck is truly funny, and Puck and Nick have the most real relationship in the film. Jon Heder as the wacky magician was funny but not a creeper like the other swains.  It was nice to see Pedro (Efren Ramirez) again too.

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