Tuesday, November 17, 2009

You want some mystery with your logo?

Ever since I unveiled the blog logo (designed, again, by blog reader/commenter David Loehr), I frequently get questions from people (either on the blog or on Twitter) asking me to either explain the theme, or to identify one or more of the four people (the worst was when a bunch of you didn't recognize Mickey from "Rocky" and I briefly felt older than Methuselah), or about where you can look back at the old ones.

This week's theme was, I thought, fairly self-explanatory (see the photo accompanying this post), but some people didn't recognize one or more of the "Sex and the City" actresses sporting their atypical looks. (If you're curious, here are some brief YouTube clips of Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte rocking said looks.)

After the jump, I have a question about the logos, as well as links and a key to all the logos I've used so far.

So here's what I'm curious about: when, if at all, do you want me to explain who and what each logo is about? Right away, with a post you can click on as soon as you get frustrated? Wait a few days? Right when I'm about to shift over to the next one? Or would you prefer I keep it mysterious for a while, and then occasionally do a post like this one?

Talk amongst yourselves, and here are all the oldies (in most cases, I'm referring to character names, rather than actors):

The original logo (three summer rewinds, plus Tony) - Dick Winters (Band of Brothers), Ziggy Sobotka (The Wire), Dana Whitaker (Sports Night), Tony Soprano reading The Star-Ledger

Badass men - Al Swearengen (Deadwood), Sayid Jarrah (Lost), Michael Westen (Burn Notice), Omar Little (The Wire)

"Mad Men" - Pete, Betty, Don, Joan

Badass women - Sarah Walker (Chuck), Sydney Bristow (Alias), Emma Peel (The Avengers), Zoe Washburne (Firefly)

Bald cops - Theo Kojak (Kojak), Andy Sipowicz (NYPD Blue), Frank Pembleton (Homicide), Vic Mackey (The Shield)

Eccentric rich dudes - Jimmy James (NewsRadio), Bruce Wayne (Batman), Charlie Crews (Life), Montgomery Burns (The Simpsons)

NERDS! - Doogie Howser, Sam Weir (Freaks and Geeks), Chloe O'Brian (24), Chuck Bartowski (Chuck)

"EZ Streets" - Jimmy Murtha, Theresa Conners, Cameron Quinn, Danny Rooney

TCA Award winners John Carter (ER), Saul Mother-Frakking Tigh (Battlestar Galactica), Sheldon Cooper (Big Bang Theory), Betty Draper (Mad Men)

"Mad Men," take two (complete with "Mad Men" font) - Roger, Peggy, Don, Joan

Classic sitcom straight men (and woman) - Mary Richards (The Mary Tyler Moore Show), Michael Bluth (Arrested Development), Alex Rieger (Taxi), Dave Nelson (NewsRadio)

Gender benders Max Q. Klinger (MASH), Jacqueline "Jake" Pratt (Young Americans), Kip "Buffy" Wilson (Bosom Buddies), Tara "Buck" Gregson (United States of Tara)

Four faces of Ted Danson - Cheers, Becker, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Damages

Police those moostashes! - Peter Benton (ER), Norman Buntz (Hill Street Blues), Thomas Magnum (Magnum, PI), Sarah Silverman (2009 Emmys)

Great coaches - Eric Taylor (Friday Night Lights), Mickey (Rocky), Herb Brooks (Miracle), Norman Dale (Hoosiers)

Mad scientists - Professor Frink (Simpsons), Walter Bishop (Fringe), Dr. Bunsen Honeydew (The Muppet Show), Walter White (Breaking Bad)

Grown-up girls of "Freaks and Geeks" - Busy Philipps (Cougar Town), Joanna Garcia (Privileged), Lizzy Caplan (Party Down), Linda Cardellini (ER)

Movie-to-TV adaptations that didn't suck - Oscar Madison (The Odd Couple), Buffy Summers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Tim Riggins (Friday Night Lights), Karen Sisco (Karen Sisco)

Canadians - Doug McKenzie (SCTV), young Alanis Morissette (You Can't Do That On Television), Constable Benton Fraser (Due South), Robin Scherbatzky (How I Met Your Mother)

Aliens - Mr. Spock (Star Trek), Mork from Ork (Mork and Mindy), George Francisco (Alien Nation), Anna (V)

Military heroes - Carwood "Lip" Lipton (Band of Brothers), Jonas "Snake Doctor" Blane (The Unit), Brad "Iceman" Colbert (Generation Kill), Kara "Starbuck" Thrace (Battlestar Galactica)

Bizarro "Sex and the City" Sarah Jessica Parker as a nerd (Square Pegs), Kim Cattrall as a Vulcan (Star Trek VI), Cynthia Nixon as Eleanor Roosevelt (Warm Springs), Kristin Davis as Charlotte as a dude (the episode "Boy, Girl, Boy, Girl")