Top 10 Best TV and Movie Cops

Every boy at some point in his childhood dreams of being a cop – chasing the baddies and bringing justice to the world. The desire to help others in such a manly way has led to a plethora of films and TV programs that feature the awesomest of awesome cops. This list looks at the ten best. As usual, be sure to tell us your favorites in the comments.

10

Eddie Valiant

Roger Rabbit

Valiant, played by Bob Hoskins, is a toon hating policeman charged with the investigation of a murder wrapped around a love triangle. This is a cartoon that is more geared for adults but still appropriate for children. Valiant plays the standard hard drinking, cursing, fighting cop of the mid. 20th century. Acting with co-stars that aren’t real certainly poses a challenge but Hoskins manages to turn in a good performance in spite of this difficulty.

9

Horatio Caine

CSI Miami

David Caruso plays the all-seeing, all-knowing cop in C.S.I.’s Miami rendition of the series that made police scientists cool. Caine is one of the more cheesy characters ever to hit the screen, movie or television. He can be expected to utter the most obvious, self-serving line to fit the situation. He is at his best/worst when dealing with children as he lays his bravado on thicker than usual. What would a cop list be without the best police officer ever to live in the entire world? Horatio Caine, an unintentionally hilarious character.

8

Inspector Jacques Clouseau

The Pink Panther

Peter Sellers does a masterful job of playing Inspector Clouseau in the 1963 edition of The Pink Panther. Sellers is one of the most dynamic actors ever, anyone who has seen Dr. Strangelove knows the dexterity of his skills as he plays 3 characters with entirely different mannerisms, even accents. Peter Sellers is one of my favorite actors to grace the silver screen.

7

Inspector Frederick Abberline

From Hell

The protagonist in the movie “From Hell” is played by Johnny Depp in this who-dun-it surrounding the Jack the Ripper killings of the mid. 19th century. Abberline is an opium addicted, yet extremely clever cop who remains a step behind Jack for the balance of the film, only to come to a surprising conclusion as to the identity of Jack the Ripper.

6

Captain Bezu Fache

The Da Vinci Code

The Da Vinci Code is a controversial book that spawned a movie based on the quest for the holy grail. Captain Bezu Fache, played by Jean Reno, plays a Parisian police officer who is a loyal member of the Roman Catholic order, Opus Dei. Fache’s motives become clear throughout the film as he acts not in the interest of the law but at the direction of a powerful bishop. But, like all good cops, Fache proves an able study as he unearths the truth behind this conflict of church vs. intellectuals. Despite the fact that the film is crap, like the book upon which it is based, the acting from Reno was definitely good enough for inclusion here.

5

Detective Andy Sipowicz

NYPD Blue

Sipowicz was the main character of the television series NYPD Blue which was played by Dennis Franz. Sipowicz is the stereotypical New York police officer, outspoken and not afraid to use physical force to convince suspects and witnesses to cooperate. This was an incredibly successful series spanning 12 years, Sipowicz was one of the main forces behind it’s success.

4

Bud White

LA Confidential

LA Confidential is a story of mid 19th century Los Angeles, White is a cop who develops quite an affinity for prostitute Lynn Bracken, played by Kim Basinger. White and his nemesis Ed Exley, an uber ambitious policeman with a sterling law force lineage, team up to solve the murders known as the “Night Owl Killings”. Along the way they uncover a prostitution ring where women are “cut” to look like movie stars and expose an internal affairs scandal that would threaten to tear down the structure of the L.A.P.D. Bud White has immense physical strength and an uncanny ability to sense and intervene in the abuse of women. He is a fanatic protecter of the fairer sex. Bud White is played by Russell Crowe.

3

Sheriff Ed Tom Bell

No Country For Old Men

Played by Tommy Lee Jones, Bell is a small town Texas sheriff caught up in a feud between Mexican drug lords, their American accomplices, a contract killer, and a small town boy named Llewelyn Moss who stumbled on a heroin deal gone wrong, making off with over 2 million dollars. Bell is the moral cop who tries, albeit unsuccessfully, to bring in Moss and protect him from the wrath of the Mexican cartels and the contract killer hired by the American importers. This is one of the Coen brother’s less than humorous films, adapted from the book of the same title written by Cormac McCarthy. The film is, of course, No Country For Old Men.

2

Detective Lt. William Somerset

Se7en

Morgan Freeman plays this cerebral cop who teams up with a young, less cerebral David Mills, played by Brad Pitt. Somerset is in the last stages of his career and has been largely marginalized by the rest of the New York police force. “Seven” is the story of a religiously fanatic serial killer who seeks to find an example of each of the seven deadly sins and murder the sinner in a symbolic way. Somerset and Mills are the detectives who nearly capture the killer, but fail, as he is able to finish his murderous spree. This movie is classified as a horror film but is just as appropriately called a suspense thriller. Kevin Spacey does a very good job playing the killer intoxicated by the Holy Ghost.

1

Police Chief Marge Gunderson

Fargo

In the brilliant film Fargo, Jerry hires two men to kidnap his wife so he can get his rich father in law to pay the ransom of $1 million. Once the ransom is paid the kidnappers will get $40,000 and Jerry gets the rest. That’s the plan, but what happens is something totally different. Blood is shed when a cop and two innocent people are killed. Marge Gunderson is the Chief who investigates the murders. While Marge investigates, Jerry gets involved in deeper problems, ranging from financial troubles, to threats from the kidnappers. Marge Gunderson is played by the indomitable Frances McDormand who is brilliant in every role she plays. She brings a wry wit, down-to-earth character, and humor to the character and creates the role of a cop that you can’t help but love.

Notable Omissions: Dignam from The Departed (played by Mark Wahlberg)

10 Iconic Movie And TV Restaurants That Are Actually Real

Fans love to visit locations that are seen in their favorite TV shows and movies, especially restaurants, where they can eat the same food as the characters. Some of the restaurants served as the actual filming locations, and some were just the inspiration for the fictional versions. Here is a list of some of the most popular fictional restaurants that are real and can be visited.

10Top Notch Hamburgers
Dazed And Confused

The film Dazed and Confused followed various groups of teenagers on their last day of school in the suburbs of Austin, Texas. The movie was filmed in various locations in and around Austin, but one of the more recognizable places was Top Notch Hamburgers.

Dazed and Confused was Matthew McConaughey’s first shot at an acting career. In his first scene of the movie, he pulls up in his Chevelle to Top Notch Hamburgers’s drive-in and starts talking to a redheaded girl. He then says one of his most famous lines that he still uses today: “Alright, alright, alright.” These were his first three words in a film.

The original Top Notch Hamburgers is located in Austin and still looks like it did in the movie. The restaurant is open seven days a week and serves burgers, fried chicken, fries, shakes, and more—alright, alright, alright![1]

9The Bluebird Cafe
Nashville

The Bluebird Cafe is a recurring location on the hit drama series Nashville. Some of the characters on the show work at the Bluebird, and it has also been the location for numerous performances by different cast members. The venue made its first appearance on the show in 2012. Ever since the cafe was introduced, millions of fans and aspiring artists have visited the restaurant, making it the top nightlife attraction in Nashville.[2]

The real Bluebird Cafe is located in a small strip mall outside of downtown Nashville. It is a small venue that seats less than 100 people and serves drinks, appetizers, salads, and sandwiches. The venue features up-and-coming artists and songwriters: Garth Brooks played at the Bluebird before his fame. The restaurant has been a Nashville staple for over 30 years, and more than 70,000 people visit it annually.

8Krusty Krab
SpongeBob SquarePants

Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? SpongeBob! SpongeBob SquarePants has proven itself to be one of the most popular cartoons on television, and it is about the adventures of SpongeBob and his friends, Patrick, Squidward, Gary, and Sandy, who live under the sea. He also works for Mr. Krabs at the Krusty Krab restaurant. A real-life version of the restaurant is now open in Moscow.

The restaurant features ship barrels for chairs as well as tables that resemble ship steering wheels that are seen in the show and even sells the famous Krabby Patty burgers. The walls are painted just like the restaurant in the cartoon, and there are also figures of SpongeBob, Patrick, and Squidward located around the establishment. The Krusty Krab Cafe has a huge menu, including pizza, burgers, pasta, soups, salads, desserts, and more. The dreams of chomping down on a Krabby Patty burger have now been made into a reality.[3]

7Los Pollos Hermanos
Breaking Bad

Fans of the hit TV show Breaking Bad will know Los Pollos Hermanos as a chicken fast-food establishment that is regularly visited by many characters on the show. The drug kingpin Gus Fring uses its locations as a front for his crystal meth empire. And the main character, Walter White, visited the restaurant many times.

Los Pollos Hermanos doesn’t actually exist, but the building that was used in the TV show is actually a burrito and burger restaurant named Twisters in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Besides the name, it looks exactly like Los Pollos Hermanos from the show. The manager of the Twisters location claims that profits have risen since the restaurant was featured on the show, and fans have come from as far as China to visit and take pictures.[4]

Twisters is a chain with more than 20 restaurants located in New Mexico and Colorado. The chain is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and serves omelettes, burgers, and burritos.

6Mystic Pizza
Mystic Pizza

In 1988, the movie Mystic Pizza was released. It was about the lives and loves of three teenage girls working at a pizza restaurant in Mystic, Connecticut. The film featured actresses Annabeth Gish, Julia Roberts, and Lili Taylor. The Mystic Pizza parlor featured in the film is a real pizza place located in downtown Mystic.

The movie was filmed on-location in Mystic and the neighboring towns. Fansof the movie once lined the streets to enter the building where the film was made, but they still come to the location to try “A Slice of Heaven.” Since the movie put the restaurant in such high demand, they opened a second location, and they also sell frozen pizzas in grocery stores. Merchandise for the restaurant and movie can also be purchased at the restaurant gift shop.[5]

5MacLaren’s
How I Met Your Mother

The hit TV series How I Met Your Mother aired on CBS from 2005 to 2014, and it was about a father who recounts to his children his journey with his four best friends leading up to how he met their mother. The show starred Josh Radnor, Neil Patrick Harris, Jason Segel, and others. The one place that could be described as the heart and soul of the show was MacLaren’s Pub. The bar is where they shared their fondest memories, including fighting for their favorite booth and bartending for the Arizona Tech marching band.

MacLaren’s pub is based on McGee’s, located on 55th street in Manhattan. The pub’s padded booths and muraled walls were the show’s focal point, and the fictional bar was named after the show’s production assistant, Carl MacLaren. McGee’s hosts a trivia night and offers cocktails inspired by the show, such as Slutty Pumpkin and Pineapple Incident.

McGee’s is located only a few blocks from Central Park, the Theater District, and Times Square. They offer a How I Met Your Mother Monday with a special menu dedicated to the show. The pub also works with a TV and movie tour company, allowing visitors to tour the pub. Members of the tour also receive a special 15-percent discount.[6] As Barney would say, whenever you’re sad, stop being sad and be awesome instead—and go visit McGee’s Pub!

4Double R Diner
Twin Peaks

Fans of the show Twin Peaks will recognize Twede’s Cafe in North Bend, Washington, as the home of pie and coffee—the Double R Diner. On the 1990s show, the Double R Diner was owned by Norma Jennings and located in the peculiar town of Twin Peaks. The diner was based on Twede’s Cafe, and the fictional restaurant closely resembled it as well.

The cafe once looked just like it was seen on the show, but a fire has since completely gutted the building. It was remodeled after the fire, leaving fans of the show disappointed when visiting. When it was announced that the show was returning, the cafe was completely restored to look original. Those looking for the famous Twin Peaks cherry pie or “A Damn Fine Cup O’ Coffee” can find it at Twede’s.[7]

3Katz’s Delicatessen
When Harry Met Sally

Katz’s Delicatessen has been serving pastrami to their customers since 1888, but a scene from When Harry Met Sally helped give the restaurant even more exposure. Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal can be seen having a meal at Katz’s Deli during the movie’s most iconic scene, and you can even take a picture or sit at the table from said scene.

The deli is located in Manhattan’s Lower East Side and serves more than 4,000 customers daily. The restaurant has looked the same for many years, and not much has changed on the menu, either. A Reuben sandwich was added to the menu 30 years ago, the cheesesteak was added ten years ago, and the cheesecakes were upgraded. The most popular dish is the pastrami sandwich, but Sally enjoyed the turkey sandwich in the movie. I’ll have what she’s having![8]

2Cheers
Cheers

You can go where everybody knows your name and experience the bar that inspired the hit comedy and drama TV show Cheers. The bar was originally named Bull & Finch Pub when the producers chose the location for theinspiration of the show. The TV series premiered on September 30, 1982, and in that same year, Boston magazine chose Bull & Finch Pub as the “Best Neighborhood Bar” in Boston.

The bar is now known as Cheers and is found in the Beacon Hill neighborhood, and there is also a second location at the Faneuil Hall Marketplace. The inside of the bar looks similar to what is seen on the show, and they have a large gift shop that sells Cheers merchandise. The draft beeris served in a classic souvenir mug, and food on the menu includes the Coach’s Club Sandwich, Frasier’s Chicken Panini, and the Giant Norm Burger. If you finish the Norm Burger, you will earn a spot on the wall for all to see![9]

1Monk’s Restaurant
Seinfeld

In the TV series Seinfeld, Jerry and his friends frequented Monk’s Restaurant and drank many cups of coffee while talking about their plans. It’s arguably the most recognizable New York City location on the TV show, and it was modeled after Tom’s Restaurant. Tom’s is located in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, but most of the filming of the restaurant was completed on a set in California.

There are many signed photographs as well as show memorabilia lining the walls of Tom’s. Fans of the show can even order a “big salad,” costing $17 after adding grilled chicken. The restaurant in the Morningside Heights neighborhood also serves burgers, sandwiches, soups, steaks, and all-day breakfast. Tom’s is just a couple of blocks away from Columbia University, and their affordable menu is a huge hit with students, especially since the restaurant is open 24 hours on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Tom’s claims the food is good for every order, because they “make it nice.”[10]

Top 10 Gruesome Fairy Tale Origins

Fairy tales of the past were often full of macabre and gruesome twists and endings. These days, companies like Disney have sanitized them for a modern audience that is clearly deemed unable to cope, and so we see happy endings everywhere.

This list looks at some of the common endings we are familiar with – and explains the original gruesome origins.

10

The Pied Piper

In the tale of the Pied Piper, we have a village overrun with rats. A man arrives dressed in clothes of pied (a patchwork of colors) and offers to rid the town of the vermin. The villagers agree to pay a vast sum of money if the piper can do it – and he does. He plays music on his pipe which draws all the rats out of the town. When he returns for payment – the villagers won’t cough up so the Pied Piper decides to rid the town of children too! In most modern variants, the piper draws the children to a cave out of the town and when the townsfolk finally agree to pay up, he sends them back. In the darker original, the piper leads the children to a river where they all drown (except a lame boy who couldn’t keep up). Some modern scholars say that there are connotations of pedophilia in this fairy tale.

9

Little Red Riding Hood

The version of this tale that most of us are familiar with ends with Riding Hood being saved by the woodsman who kills the wicked wolf. But in fact, the original French version (by Charles Perrault) of the tale was not quite so nice. In this version, the little girl is a well bred young lady who is given false instructions by the wolf when she asks the way to her grandmothers. Foolishly riding hood takes the advice of the wolf and ends up being eaten. And here the story ends. There is no woodsman – no grandmother – just a fat wolf and a dead Red Riding Hood. The moral to this story is to not take advice from strangers.

9

8

The Little Mermaid

The 1989 version of the Little Mermaid might be better known as “The big whopper!” In the Disney version, the film ends with Ariel the mermaid being changed into a human so she can marry Eric. They marry in a wonderful wedding attended by humans and merpeople. But, in the very first version by Hans Christian Andersen, the mermaid sees the Prince marry a princess and she despairs. She is offered a knife with which to stab the prince to death, but rather than do that she jumps into the sea and dies by turning to froth. Hans Christian Andersen modified the ending slightly to make it more pleasant. In his new ending, instead of dying when turned to froth, she becomes a “daughter of the air” waiting to go to heaven – so, frankly, she is still dead for all intents and purposes.

7

Snow White

In the tale of snow white that we are all familiar with, the Queen asks a huntsman to kill her and bring her heart back as proof. Instead, the huntsman can’t bring himself to do it and returns with the heart of a boar. Now, fortunately disney hasn’t done too much damage to this tale, but they did leave out one important original element: in the original tale, the Queen actually asks for Snow White’s liver and lungs – which are to be served for dinner that night! Also in the original, Snow White wakes up when she is jostled by the prince’s horse as he carries her back to his castle – not from a magical kiss. What the prince wanted to do with a dead girl’s body I will leave to your imagination. Oh – in the Grimm version, the tale ends with the Queen being forced to dance to death in red hot iron shoes!

6

Sleeping Beauty

In the original sleeping beauty, the lovely princess is put to sleep when she pricks her finger on a spindle. She sleeps for one hundred years when a prince finally arrives, kisses her, and awakens her. They fall in love, marry, and (surprise surprise) live happily ever after. But alas, the original tale is not so sweet (in fact, you have to read this to believe it.) In the original, the young woman is put to sleep because of a prophesy, rather than a curse. And it isn’t the kiss of a prince which wakes her up: the king seeing her asleep, and rather fancying having a bit, rapes her. After nine months she gives birth to two children (while she is still asleep). One of the children sucks her finger which removes the piece of flax which was keeping her asleep. She wakes up to find herslf raped and the mother of two kids

5

Rumpelstiltskin

This fair tale is a little different from the others because rather than sanitizing the original, it was modified by the original author to make it more gruesome. In the original tale, Rumpelstiltskin spins straw into gold for a young girl who faces death unless she is able to perform the feat. In return, he asks for her first born child. She agrees – but when the day comes to hand over the kid, she can’t do it. Rumpelstiltskin tells her that he will let her off the bargain if she can guess his name. She overhears him singing his name by a fire and so she guesses it correctly. Rumpelstiltskin, furious, runs away, never to be seen again. But in the updated version, things are a little messier. Rumpelstiltskin is so angry that he drives his right foot deep into the ground. He then grabs his left leg and rips himself in half. Needless to say this kills him.

4

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

In this heart warming tale, we hear of pretty little goldilocks who finds the house of the three bears. She sneaks inside and eats their food, sits in their chairs, and finally falls asleep on the bed of the littlest bear. When the bears return home they find her asleep – she awakens and escapes out the window in terror. The original tale (which actually only dates to 1837) has two possible variations. In the first, the bears find Goldilocks and rip her apart and eat her. In the second, Goldilocks is actually an old hag who (like the sanitized version) jumps out of a window when the bears wake her up. The story ends by telling us that she either broke her neck in the fall, or was arrested for vagrancy and sent to the “House of Correction”.

3

Hansel and Gretel

In the widely known version of Hansel and Gretel, we hear of two little children who become lost in the forest, eventually finding their way to a gingerbread house which belongs to a wicked witch. The children end up enslaved for a time as the witch prepares them for eating. They figure their way out and throw the witch in a fire and escape. In an earlier French version of this tale (called The Lost Children), instead of a witch we have a devil. Now the wicked old devil is tricked by the children (in much the same way as Hansel and Gretel) but he works it out and puts together a sawhorse to put one of the children on to bleed (that isn’t an error – he really does). The children pretend not to know how to get on the sawhorse so the devil’s wife demonstrates. While she is lying down the kids slash her throat and escape.

2

The Girl Without Hands

Frankly, the revised version of this fairy tale is not a great deal better than the original, but there are sufficient differences to include it here. In the new version, a poor man is offered wealth by the devil if he gives him whatever is standing behind his mill. The poor man thinks it is an apple tree and agrees – but it is actually his daughter. The devil tries to take the daughter but can’t – because she is pure, so he threatens to take the father unless the daughter allows her father to chop off her hands. She agrees and the father does the deed. Now – that is not particularly nice, but it is slightly worse in some of the earlier variants in which the young girl chops off her own arms in order to make herself ugly to her brother who is trying to rape her. In another variant, the father chops off the daughter’s hands because she refuses to let him have sex with her.

1

Cinderella

In the modern Cinderella fairy tale we have the beautiful Cinderella swept off her feet by the prince and her wicked step sisters marrying two lords – with everyone living happily ever after. The fairy tale has its origins way back in the 1st century BC where Strabo’s heroine was actually called Rhodopis, not Cinderella. The story was very similar to the modern one with the exception of the glass slippers and pumpkin coach. But, lurking behind the pretty tale is a more sinister variation by the Grimm brothers: in this version, the nasty step-sisters cut off parts of their own feet in order to fit them into the glass slipper – hoping to fool the prince. The prince is alerted to the trickery by two pigeons who peck out the step sister’s eyes. They end up spending the rest of their lives as blind beggars while Cinderella gets to lounge about in luxury at the prince’s cast