Friday, June 18, 2010

Your Turn

This week someone asked me about a movie and then we got to talking about some books and characters and it got me to thinking about who my favorite fictional character is. To me it seems to change from year to year or even from book to book. Right now in books, I would have to say it is Jack Reacher in the series by Lee Child. Oh, Lucas Davenport is good too in the Prey books. Movies and television is harder for me, because it seems to change after I have watched a great movie. I love Hugh Grant's character in Love, Actually. I love Uncle Buck and I also love William Miller in Almost Famous. Who are your favorite fictional characters?


96 comments:

  1. Scarlett O'Hara.

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  2. GOB Bluth from Arrested Development. Any of the Bluths, really.

    ANYONE on Friday Night Lights, especially Connie Britton's character, Tami Taylor.

    Loved Henry in The Time Traveler's Wife -- total sexy badass. Was SO mad the film people turned that incredible book into generic Nicholas Sparks crap!

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  3. Captain Jack Sparrow is another. ;-)

    Did you know that Entertainment Weekly recently did a piece on the best characters from the past 20 years?

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  4. Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy~Pride and Predjudice

    Scarlett and Rhett-Gone with the Wind

    Jack, Kate, Hurley and Sawyer on Lost

    Magnum and Higgins on Magnum, PI

    Bugs Bunny and Marvin the Martian

    Mrs. Miniver

    Those are just a few that I can think of, there are so many

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  5. oooohhh, great question. Jack Reacher is on my "list". Harry Potter, Jay and Slient Bob, Martin Blank, Anne Shirley, Little Bear, Sookie(from the books)and Chandler Bing.

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  6. Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch.
    Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow

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  7. Hey Adventurous Kate, I'm reading that book right now!

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  8. Scarlett O'Hara
    Elizabeth Bennett
    Severus Snape :-D

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  9. Michael "Mouse" Tolliver from Tales of the City series.

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  10. Does Jo March count as a fictional character? She's up there very high for me.

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  11. @Jeannies Bottle

    I hope you enjoy it!! It's my #2 book of all time (#1 is The Sun Also Rises). Such a good, good, good book, and Henry and Clare are amazing, brilliant, multifaceted characters.

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  12. Storm from the X-men
    Lucky Santangelo
    Hannibal Lechter

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  13. Aunt Beast from A Wrinkle in Time.

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  14. The Dude: Big Lebowski
    Eleanor Dashwood: Sense and Sensibility
    John Locke: Lost
    Fox Mulder: X-Files
    Mike Wazowski: Monsters, Inc.
    Ferris Bueller
    Truvy: Steel Magnolias (or Weezer)
    Liz Lemon: 30 Rock
    Doc Holiday: Tombstone
    Ash: Army of Darkness
    Wesley: Princess Bride

    Way too many characters in books that I loved...too hard to pick. Classics that everyone love and then just the secondary characters with all the great one-liners.

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  15. Pippi Longstocking
    Willow Rosenberg
    Jerri Blank
    Kilgore Trout
    Gobo Fraggle
    Jughead
    She-Hulk
    Buster Bluth

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  16. oooo and Jo from Little Women

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  17. I love Lucas Davenport. Living in Wisconsin, I've met John Sandford several times at book signings (he's from Minnesota). Cool guy. His books are my favorite mystery books - reading Storm Prey. Along those lines, I really like these fictional characters: Harry Bosch, Joe Pike, Elvis Cole (I've met Robert Crais, too, and he is hot), Kathleen Mallory, and Joe Pitt.

    I love Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy in literature and in the movies.

    Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) in North by Northwest is dreamy.

    I really dig Sunny and Don Corleone from The Godfather, parts I and II.

    I have a fond affection for James Bond (only when played by DANIEL CRAIG).

    I also have affection for Sandy Lyle (played by Philip Seymour Hoffman) in Along Came Polly.

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  18. -Books: Severus Snape (Harry Potter child over here!)
    -Movies: The Dude! - Big Lebowski
    -Tv:...too hard I would have to come up with a list and it might be annoying, lol

    Great topic.

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  19. Ugh! I forgot Severus Snape! Good pick Lisa! That also brings me to Alan Rickman as Colonial Brandon! Swoon!!!

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  20. blanche dubois, george and martha, gustav von aschenbach, randal p. mcmurphy, and count dracula

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  21. Anne Shirley is a good one. Love her.

    Heidi

    Heathcliff and Claire Huxtable

    Olivia Benson (L%O)

    Columbo

    Matlock

    Opie

    Scooby Doo

    Sonny Corinthos

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  22. Ooh - in reading some of the other comments, I've forgotten a few...

    Doc Holliday (I'm your huckleberry)
    Ferris Bueller (thanks Carissa)
    Bugs Bunny (peeping through the knothole in Grandpa's wooden leg, why'd they build the shore so close to the ocean?)

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  23. Snape's a good one, too!

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  24. Dr. FrankenFurter- The Rocky Horror Picture show
    Wesley- The Princess Bride
    Ferris Bueller- Ferris Buellers' day off
    Anita Blake- Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series by Laurell K Hamilton
    Heaven- VC Andrews

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  25. oh man this is hard,i'm such a bookie.

    Ramona Quimby
    Harry Potter
    Rachel from Rachel's Holiday by Marian Keyes
    Bridget Jones

    Jeff Spicolli
    Rob Gordon- High Fidelity
    William Thacker- Notting Hill

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  26. Dang, this is my last post. Promise. But when you mentioned Uncle Buck, it really makes me think of Del Griffith (John Candy) in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.

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  27. Ohh TV-Ok
    Wonder Woman
    Alexis Carrington
    Jamie Sommers
    Maya from Space 1999

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  28. Easy - Shirley Valentine from the movie of the same name. Hands down.

    on TV - atm it's Dr. Cal Lightman from "Lie to Me" god I love that man - strong, snarky, brilliant which sorta makes him sexy.

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  29. Quagmire. GIGGITY GIGGITY!

    Severus Snape. And the guy Alan Rickman played in Sense and Sensibility.

    Jack from Sideways.

    I LOVE the creepy characters Robin Williams has played in recent years, especially in Insomnia. Plus MRS. DOUBTFIRE!

    Iago from Aladdin. :-)

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  30. This is cool - I get ideas for books to read..

    My favorite character ( don't laugh) is Sarah Connor from Terminator II. She was a strong, bad ass female, but what she really was was a mother protecting her child. Linda Hamilton was perfect in that role.

    Love Hermione in the Harry Potter books. Actually loved all three of them.

    And finally, Maria Von Trapp!!!! (the Hiiillls are alive, with the sound of muuuusic..)

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  31. Lazarus Long
    Scarlett O'Hara Hamilton Kennedy Butler
    Lucas Davenport
    Weather Davenport
    Anita Blake (don't hate me...the series is just that addictive)
    Harry Dresden
    Alex Cross
    Comte Ferenc Ragoskcy De Sanct Germaine
    Roger
    Madelaine d' Montalia
    Olivia

    And there are honestly a thousand others - I read too much.

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  32. Dina Lohan, hands down.

    Surely someone asstastically cunty can't exist in real life, right? She has to be fictional.

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  33. I would also agree with Jack Reacher. Read all the books. My mom and I keep thinking how to cast him in a movies. Along with him Joe Pike and Elvis Cole from the Robert Crais books. Twilly Spree and Skink from the Hiaasen novels.Rip Cantrell from Saucer by Stephen Coonts.
    In movies Dracula played by Gary Oldman, Ash from the Evil Dead, The Dude, Dexter, Buckarroo Banzai, Perfect Tommy, Scarlett O'Hara...

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  34. The Doctor...from Doctor Who. Doesn't matter which actor...I just love that character so much. I've watched the show since I was very small and just always loved him so much! :)

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  35. Hands down Myron Bolitar in the Harlan Coben books

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  36. Abaddon - I had forgotten about Elvis Cole and Joe Pike!

    Myron Bolitar - Harlan Coben
    Lucas Davenport - John Sandford
    Joe Pike and Elvis Cole - Robert Crais

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  37. Jack Lost
    Rose & Blanche Golden Girls
    Ginger & Sam from Casino
    Miranda on Grey's
    Joan Cusack in 9 months
    the mom in the Transformers movies

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  38. Rocky Sullivan
    Omar Little
    Scarlett O'Hara
    Jane Craig

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  39. I love this question! 2 days ago I finally saw Sunset Blvd w/Bill Holden & Gloria Swanson...love, love, love, loved it! I can't believe I never saw it before. Norma Desmond is by far my favorite movie fictional character. Fantastic movie!! If any of have never seen it YOU MUST! Timeless......

    TV - Lucy Ricardo.... simply the best!

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  40. Lucivar Yaslana from the Black Jewels Trilogy

    Phedre no Delaunay and Josselin Verreuil from the Kushiel series

    Talia and Vanyel from the Valdemar series

    Parker and Eliot from Leverage

    Cristina Yang and Dr. Bailey from Grey's Anatomy

    Lafayette Reynolds from True Blood

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  41. Anonymous1:11 PM

    I like Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis in Jonathan Kellerman's books. Any character Jennifer Crusie invents. Mikhail Blomqvist and Lisbeth Sandovar. Temperance Brennan (book version only) and Kay Scarpetta. Ten million others.

    For movies, it's usually the last one I saw, which would be Crazy Heart, so Bad Blake gets my vote this week.

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  42. Oooh, so many great ones on here!!! I am still sticking with just Jo March as my #1 favorite, though. :)

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  43. Oh, love this one! I'll try to get em all on one post, but I know I'll foret some :P

    Marge & Homer Simpson
    The whole cast of Futurama

    Atticus Finch
    Scout Finch

    Garp

    Duckie - Pretty in Pink

    Jeff Spicoli - Good one Jax!

    Sookie Stackhouse
    Eric

    Jacob Jankowski - Water for Elephants

    Annie

    Astrid - White Oleander (book)

    Pippy

    William Miller - Almost Famous

    Olivia Benson - SVU

    Antoine Batiste - Treme

    Nathan & David Fisher

    Dexter

    Gosh, so many, and I know I'm foregetting a bunch..

    Happy Weekend Everyone!

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  44. Eleanore Ann Arroway

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  45. Jim Rockford

    Omar from the Wire

    Greg House

    Dexter

    Barbara Havers - from the Inspector Lynley books from Elizabeth George

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  46. Awesome question!

    Xander Harris - Buffy
    Chandler Bing
    Fletch (from the movie; I've never read the books)
    Luna Lovegood
    Anne Shirley
    Kara "Starbuck" Thrace
    Jo March (Little Women) and Jo Polniaczek (Facts of Life) - when we played house I always wanted to be called Jo, after both of them
    Slater - Dazed and Confused
    Loralai Gilmore
    Fox Mulder

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  47. have to add to the list:

    Bridget Jones

    Ben Hur played by Charlton Heston

    The charactors Natalie Wood and Robert Redford played in "this Property is Condemned"~great movie, check it out!

    Every charactor in "it'a a wonderful life", especially George and Mary Bailey and Uncle Billy

    McGarrett,Danno, Chin Ho and Kono on Hawaii 5-0

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  48. Lucas Davenport lives just a couple of miles away from me.

    TV: Agent Cooper, Napoleon Solo, Rupert Giles.
    Movies: Lane Meyer, Jay & Silent Bob, pretty much any character Cary Grant played.
    Books: Merlin, Dumbledore, Ender, Dirk Gently, Thursday Next, Alex Delaware, James Bond, Aloysius Pendergast.

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  49. Oops, forgot Doctor Who!!!

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  50. Any character in Sense and Sensibility.

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  51. Belgarion from the Belgariad
    Captn Jack Sparrow
    Frodo Baggins -LOTR books
    Pippin Took - LOTR books
    Severus Snape - HP books
    Lucy - Narnia books
    Jo - Little Women
    Tom Sawyer - Tom Sawyer!
    Jax - Pern
    Spock - Star Trek
    Bones - Star Trek
    Anne Shirley - Green Gables series
    The guy Alan Rickman played in Galaxy Quest, I can never remember his name!

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  52. Anonymous1:40 PM

    Speaking of Alan Rickman, I loved him in Die Hard. I know he was the bad guy, but he was so sexy about it.

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  53. Batman, far and away. Oh, and let's not forget Jules Kirby.

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  54. @Mooshki-
    Lucas Davenport is a near-neighbor? Is Virgil F'ing Flowers ever nearby? LOVE John Sandford. Enty- you would probably also like Vince Flynn's Mitch Rapp, and Randy Wayne White's Doc Ford. I am an avid (or is it rabid?) reader and see many of my favorites on these lists. Great question.

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  55. Books -
    Owen Meany
    Alex Delaware
    Garp
    Sookie
    Stephanie Plumm

    TV-
    House
    Dexter (the books pale)
    Archie Bunker
    Pee Wee Herman

    Film -
    Carla - The Other Sister
    Russell - Up
    Corky - Guffman
    Rambo - (only the first two movies)
    Miss Weeza - Steel Magnolias

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  56. So many!!
    For TV:

    Punky Brewster

    Rudy Huxtable

    Mark Green on ER

    Ross and Chandler on Friends

    Wakko (from Animaniacs)

    Stabler (but that could be my love for Chris Meloni coming through)

    Currently, the blonde cheerleader (Brittany) on Glee...she cracks me up!

    Movies:

    Will Hunting

    Cat (Annabeth Gish) in Mystic Pizza

    The Little Mermaid (don't laugh!)

    Lloyd Dobler (Say Anything)

    I'm sure I'll think of more! :)

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  57. I'm gonna stick with books or my list would be way too long

    Amelia Peabody and family - Crocodile on the Sandbank
    Dumbledore - HP Books
    Fred/George - HP Books
    Inigo Montoya - Princess Bride
    Mommy Bunny - Runaway Bunny
    Pan - Jitterbug Perfume
    Biff - The Lamb ( the Gospel According to Biff)
    Max - Where the Wild Things Are

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  58. Anonymous2:08 PM

    Oh gosh, I forgot Amelia Peabody! I love her and have read the entire series. I also like Sara Linton in Karin Slaughter's series and Phillippa in "In This House of Brede" by Rumer Godden.

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  59. Vikingwench, his house is on the river in St. Paul, so I just live across from him. ;) Mitch Rapp is the book version of Jack Bauer. They're almost identical.

    Green Wave Gal, you reminded me, I also forgot Kermit!!!

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  60. Green Wave Gal, I love that you mentioned Wakko and Cat! I didn't think of Cat, but I LOOOOVE Mystic Pizza, and that character in particular. And I considered mentioning Wakko, but I wasn't brave enough.

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  61. Enty, you should do a post on #booksthatchangedmylife

    It's my favorite thing about Twitter.

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  62. Sorry, #booksthatchangedmyworld

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  63. Francis Crawford of Lymond, from the Lymond Chronicles, by Dorothy Dunnett. (6 book series) Best character ever! I think I'll reread those books this summer, and oh that reminds me, I need to buy a hammock.

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  64. Although I'm a fan of all the characters, Al Giardello is my favourite from Homicide.

    Also, David Fisher from Six Feet Under. He had an amazing arc in the series.

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  65. Stephanie Plum, Grandma and Lulu
    Jack Reacher

    Rizzo from Grease
    Charly Baltimore (the Geena Davis character from the Long Kiss Goodnight)

    Xena and Gabrielle

    Marlene Ciampi (the wife in the Butch Karp series of books - damn she kicks ass).

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  66. Sally Albright from When Harry Met Sally
    Stephanie Plum.

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  67. Roland Deschain from the Dark Tower novel series and of course Lucas Jackson from Cool Hand Luke with an honourable mention for Tony Montana from Scarface!

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  68. Shit - I gotta add Omar Little (The Wire) and Al Swearengen (Deadwood)

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  69. Jack Sparrow
    Scarlett O'Hara
    Wendy Kroy/Bridget Gregory
    Addie Loggins(Paper Moon)
    Clark Griswold and Eddie
    Omar(The Wire)

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  70. Archie and Edith Bunker, the best

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  71. @ Leia - Aunt Beast is amazing!

    Would Enty be considered a fictional character? If so, he's #1. Otherwise, my favorite has to be Auntie Mame as played by Rosalind Russell.

    Other favorites include:
    Ainsley Hayes (West Wing)
    Adelia Aguilar & Rowley (books by Ariana Franklin)
    Sid Halley (books by Dick Francis)
    Olympia (Fortune's Rocks by Anita Shreve)
    Dirk Pitt (books by Clive Cussler)
    Lucas Davenport (Prey books) - good call, Enty!

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  72. Father Chuck O'Malley/Going My Way, the Bells of St. Mary's

    Ralph Walker/Saint Ralph

    Chris Walker/Five in a Tent

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  73. @Nicole: I'm so glad I'm not the only one (re: Wakko and Cat)! I could so relate to Cat. I've crushed on older men (teachers/professors) but never actually got with them. I love that she's smart and naive at the same time! One of my all-time fave movies! Wakko and the songs especially...the Planets when he says "You forgot Uranus...". Gets me EVERY time. We used to watch Animaniacs in college. :) Good memories!

    Ooh...Lorelai Gilmore is a good one too! Nicole, I think we could be BFFs! :)

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  74. Oh snap @Majik trying to *start something*. ;P

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  75. Elizabeth Bennett
    Jo March
    Scarlett O'Hara
    Heathcliff
    Jane Eyre
    Jay Gatsby
    Holly Golightly
    Auntie Mame
    Margo Channing
    Charlotte Vale -- Now, Voyager
    Kitty Foyle
    Nick & Nora Charles
    Remington Steele
    Molly Dodd
    Rose Nylund
    Maude Findlay
    Harris K. Telemacher -- L.A. Story

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  76. Books:
    -Stuttering Bill (It)
    -Glen Bateman (The Stand)
    -Sam Gamgee (LOTR)

    Movies:
    -obviously, The Dude
    -Inigo Montoya (best revenge scene ever)
    -Harmonica (Once Upon a Time in the West)
    -the entire cast from LOTR
    -John Cleese's Lancelot in Monty Python & the Holy Grail
    -Otto (Kevin Kline in A Fish Called Wanda)

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  77. Books:
    Mr Darcy ~ Pride and Prejudice
    Marius ~ The Vampire Chronicles
    Eric Northman ~ Southern Vampire Mysteries
    Ben ~ The Mercy Thompson books
    Severus Snape ~ Harry Potter

    Movies:
    GoGo Yubari ~ Kill Bill vol. 1
    Jareth ~ Labyrinth
    Archibald Cunningham ~ Rob Roy
    Bridget ~ Ginger Snaps

    TV:
    Lafayette ~ True Blood
    Six ~ Battlestar Galactica (reimagined)
    River Tam ~ Firefly
    Birkhoff ~ La Femme Nikita
    Oz ~ Buffy
    Alpha ~ Dollhouse

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  78. OK, I'll fess up. I've had a long-simmering crush on Huckleberry Finn!!!! ;-)

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  79. Aunt Beast is the best!

    BlackCat14, I like Dirk Pitt, but I like Juan Cabrillo even more. I'm glad Cussler is (co)writing so many Oregon Files books.

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  80. Mooshki, you are so right! I love Juan Cabrillo as well. Just had to fall back on Dirk Pitt since he was the character who got me hooked on Clive Cussler. Does it annoy you as much as it annoys me when Cussler puts himself in the book?

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  81. Off the top of my head:

    Lincoln Rhyme - Jeffery Deaver thrillers (awesome!)

    Sirius Black - Harry Potter

    Gregory House
    Elliot Stabler/Olivia Benson

    Jack Skellington
    Thelma and Louise

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  82. Books - Marjorie Morningstar! The most romantic book ever. EVER.
    And Richard from "The Secret History." I wish I had a bad cold so I could stay in bed and re-read it again...highly recommended!

    TV? No-brainer -Lucille Bluth, Rhoda, or Maryanne from Cybill come to mind.
    Freaks and Geeks was the best TV show, Picket Fences was damn good.

    CDAN reader have great taste - will add to my list of things to read this summer - thanks!

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  83. Long time lurker first time poster

    Atticus Finch
    Alex Cross
    Jane Eyre
    Melanie Wilkes
    Scarlett O'hara
    Eric Northman
    Lafayette
    Hollywood (mannequin)
    Maria von trapp

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  84. Harry Dresden (The Dresden Files books)

    Anita Blake (in the AB Series by LK Hamilton's early books when the character was less succubus and more monster killer)

    SPIKE aka William the Bloody - Buffy tVS

    Dr. Spencer Reid - Criminal Minds

    Patrick Jane - The Mentalist

    DAMIEN Salvator - Vampire Diaries

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  85. oh and I agree...

    Eric, Lafayette from True Blood

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  86. BlackCat14 I always laugh when he shows up in his books - it's so damned cheesy!

    For the 'Mystic Pizza' fans, a friend and I run a fansite for Billy Moses. He's so dreamy in that movie, even though he's a bit of an ass. :)

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  87. OMGosh...so many!!

    Scarlett o'Hara
    Rhett Butler
    Alex Cross
    Severus Snape
    Captain Jack Sparrow
    Captain Barbosa too
    Jack Reacher

    just to name a few!!

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  88. O.J. Simpson "If I Did It..."

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  89. Jack Ryan
    Dirk Pitt

    Lucky Santangelo
    Cassie Logan

    Bobby Goren/Alex Eames

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  90. I'm reading Time Travelers Wife now too! & @Polly The Secret History is one of my favorites.
    most of mine are repeats of what u guys have said!
    Books:
    Bridget Jones
    Hermione Granger

    TV
    GOB from Arrested Development
    Kenneth the Page - 30 Rock
    Lorelai Gilmore
    Carrie Bradshaw

    Movies:
    Clark Griswold
    George Bailey
    Willy Wonka


    Movies:
    Scarlett O'Hara

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  91. Rupert Giles
    Buffy Summers
    Willow Rosenberg
    Xander Harris
    (all from Buffy)

    Satine from Moulin Rouge

    Shaun from Shaun of the Dead
    Ed from Shaun of the Dead

    Forrest Gump


    Hermione Granger
    Albus Dumbledore
    Harry Potter
    Neville Longbottom

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  92. Louis from the Interview from the Vampire series. His character really resonated with me.

    Pretty much anyone from Rocky Horror. Except Dr. Scott, he was a funbreaker.

    TV ... Okay, I'll be roundly criticized for this but the first character to pop into my head is Gaby from Desperate Housewives. She knows she does things the wrong way, but at least she's determined to get what she wants out of life no matter what.

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  93. What happened to my post? :(

    Jesus Christ - Although he didn't have much of a speaking part, what he did say packed a punch.

    Lazarus Long and Jubal Harshaw - Undisputed Heinlein heavyweights

    Holden Caulfield - My heart breaks for that boy. I always want to give him a hug.

    Rincewind - Terry Pratchett is the shit

    Ren and Stimpy

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