What's cool?

You stole my pick.

I nominate John Krasinski, of "The Office." He's one of those actors playing one of those characters who both men and women love -- Jim Halpert is a "good guy" who's not a total pussy, who's prone to bouts of immaturity without falling into the "fratboy manchild" cliche of recent years. And with a film career about to take off, Krasinski has the potential to be the next John Cusack. John Krasinski, you are cool.

The class of filmmakers that make self-indulgence look like a vlessing. Guys like Tarantino, Rodriguez, Wright. Guys who seem to make movies that they really want to see as a tribute to the films they loved. Why are they cool? Because their self-indulgence=really entertaining nights out.

My avatar has said his piece.

I'll go with another TV star and nominate Mr. Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Although the guy got a rep as being the "red shirt" of the 2005-2006 television season -- dying on "Weeds," "Grey's Anatomy," and "Supernatural" -- he was great on all of them. While most people may know him as Denny Duquette from "Grey's," I much prefer his performance as bad-ass demon hunter John Winchester on "Supernatural." Morgan is one of those blue-collar, gravelly-voiced, do-not-fuck-with-us types that are far too rare in this world of sensitive male movie stars. He's just a guy who, no matter what character he plays, part of you secretly goes, "I want to be like that," whether it's shooting vampires in the head with a Colt revolver or putting the moves on Katherine Heigl. Like Krasinski, the guy's got a series of movies coming up, but they're all romantic comedies -- get this guy into an action flick, stat. (Ideally with Kyle Chandler, who he played wonderfully off of on his last "Grey's" appearance.)

(Oh, and it doesn't hurt that Morgan is dating one of the hottest women on the planet, Mary-Louise Parker.)

he gets alot of love around these parts but here come some more

Michael Mann - The last true perfectionist of a nearly dead kind of way to tell story with film. Speech is all but absent from his work which almost always splits his audience. A visual style that is truly unique, but also never tires. Gets career best roles from alot of his actors. Those that can handle his boot camp genrally want to come back and when they do the role is diffrent from the last but uses the previous to elevae the next ie Pacino Heat/Insider, Foxx Ali/Collateral? Miami Vice. His film are also the most rewatchable, morse so than Disney classics it seems.

The list seems to be a little film-centric at the moment, so I'm gonna nominate Banksy the masked english street-artist. the guy's not only talented, but also imbues his work with a unique ethical and political stance. He's the forefather of today's spate of anonymous street artists, most of whom are just flash in the pan wannabes. If you haven't seen his work, I suggest you google it.

Ryan Reynolds because he is the man in no matter how awful the film.

and non-film pick, Diva for helping more adolescent chewers find naked celebs. haha

I nominate CORMAC McCARTHY because he's a unique voice and a damn solid storyteller. And because only three books have ever made me cry, and THE ROAD is one of them.

This may result in me being labelled a pussy, but I think NORAH JONES is kinda cool. Her music isn't everyone's bag, I know, but I like that she's found her groove and working within it. She seems like a nice person as well, which I'm all for. Plus: cute.

Tell you what else is cool: felafel. I'm gonna get one right now!

ETA: I know part of what makes it so funny is that no one was mentioning it, but I'm loving how Linda Blair keep getting left off the list. Although that's probably gonna happen with Norah Jones, so I guess the joke's on me now. Great, guys. That's just great.

Paul Verhoeven
John Krasinski
Good self-indulgent filmmakers
Steven Van Zandt
Catherine Keener
Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Michael Mann
Banksy
Sealand
Ryan Reynolds
Diva
Cormac McCarthy
Norah Jones
Falafel

I nominate Jerry Bruckheimer, for giving the world Pirates of the Carribean, Con Air, and having the brilliant idea to end a movie with a 30 minute sequence where the SWAT team of the Miami-Dade Police Department launches a full scale tactical operation of a foriegn nation with no other help than "my cousin in the Cuban underground" and Joey Pants's "buddies at the CIA." It, like most of Jerry's productions, made no sense, but man, was it ever fucking fun. A true auteur -- and one of the rare producers you can say that about. David O. Selznick burned Atlanta to the ground, but he never invaded Cuba. As Chud's own Michael Bay says, "You don't fuck with Bruck." Indeed.

Shepard Fairey and others may really, really disagree with darling of the ultrarich Banksy being all that much of an originator.

Just so you know, the felafel was delicious.

I think PETER WEIR is cool. The guy's got a way diverse body of work, but pretty much everything he's made has been quality. Anyone who can make GREEN CARD, GALLIPOLI, THE MOSQUITO COAST, MASTER AND COMMANDER and the truly magnificent FEARLESS is one cool customer, if you ask me.

I have never, ever seen it spelled like "felafel." It's freaking me out.

And no love for THE TRUMAN SHOW? Fer shame!

That's how cool Weir is, Rath - I can leave out TRUMAN, WITNESS, PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK, THE LAST WAVE and DEAD POETS SOCIETY and he's still got a kickass CV.

And sorry to mess with your mind re. felafel. My Lebanese in-laws regularly remind me about the correct pronounciation, and I guess it's trickled down into my spelling of the word.

Fearless is great, it doesn't get nearly enough love.

Paul Verhoeven
John Krasinski
Good self-indulgent filmmakers
Steven Van Zandt
Catherine Keener
Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Michael Mann
Banksy
Sealand
Ryan Reynolds
Diva
Cormac McCarthy
Norah Jones
Falafel
Jerry Bruckheimer
Peter Weir

I'm going to go ahead and nominate Michael Chabon as well, because his next full-length novel, "The Yiddish Policeman's Union" is finally coming out on May 1st. And while "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay" may linger in development hell, it's still probably the only book by a Pulitzer Prize-winner that most comic nerds have read. Even though he didn't come up as a comic writer, Chabon has done a lot in the past few years to make comics respectable, and even written a few himself. There's also "Wonder Boys" which was a great book turned into a great film, and "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh," which I haven't read. Still, I'm completely amped for "Yiddish Policeman's Union" -- but let's not wait another six years in-between novels, okay, Michael? Appreciated.

In a very meta move, I'm nominated Rath's choice of Michael Chabon as something that's cool.

Seriously, though, that's a good call. And get around to reading THE MYSTERIES OF PITTSBURGH. You won't regret it.

I don't wanna hog this thread too much, but I do think Radiohead's 'Everything In Its Right Place' is supercool, especially when it's judiciously used by smart filmmakers. It worked like gangbusters for the opening of VANILLA SKY, and I found it just sublime when I recently heard it at the end of a BROTHERHOOD episode.

Alec Baldwin is cool. Don't even think about disagreeing with this, because you don't want to go up against the top dog in the family that dominates Hollywood's A-D lists. At best, he'll blow you and your argument offf with hilarious effortlessness (see 30 Rock). If you're unlucky, he'll get agitated, tear you a new one and break your jaw (see the Departed). And if you're really unlucky, he'll take a brief break from his day to verbally castrate you (see Glengarry Glen Ross). The man is, on all levels, unfuckwitable.

Honestly, I think VH1 needs to take all the money they've been spending on giving Flavor Flav, Kiefer Sutherland's band, Peter Brady, and Danny Bonaduce their own shows, and use that combined cash to get the rights to film "A Baldwin Family Christmas." With Alec enjoying the most success he's had in years, William and Daniel M.I.A and Stephen the "Unusual Suspect" of the religious right, I'd kill to be a fly on that wall.

Oh, and the list so far, because that's how I roll:

Paul Verhoeven
John Krasinski
Good self-indulgent filmmakers
Steven Van Zandt
Catherine Keener
Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Michael Mann
Banksy
Sealand
Ryan Reynolds
Diva
Cormac McCarthy
Norah Jones
Falafel
Jerry Bruckheimer
Peter Weir
Michael Chabon
Joe R. Lansdale
'Everything in its Right Place' by Radiohead
Alec Baldwin

Chabon is damn good.

I'll also nominate Hellboy - the character himself, because he is the one superhero I'd buy a beer for at a bar. If he was real that is. haha

a) "today's spate..."
b) are you saying that Fairey's art hasn't made him ultrarich?

I'd say that Fairey doesn't appeal to the posh classes like Banksy does.

Bruce Campbell. Frealz.

Edgar Wright is cool. And if I have to explain why, I should probably smack you around a bit.

Brian K. Vaughan is cool. Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina, Pride of Baghdad, and Runaways pretty much cement the guy's coolness.

Supernatural: The stealthy televised cool. Two brothers cruising the backwaters of America and putting the screws to this country's folklore and urban legends. And the soundtrack? Big, meaty, ballsy. It's AC/DC, Led Zepelin and the like all slamming out of a big ole' Impala's stereo. What's not to like? (And if you don't, I feel sorry for your pansy ass).

The still televised cool after all these years (and screw the retarded naysayers with their continuous naysaying)? Lost. I would make sweet love to this show if I could.

I'll say Joe Casey. A writer so good his style is practically invisible, he took Wildcats, a series solely famous for its art, and gave it humanity and depth and a means to challenge the status quo. It's not often you can say you are the best writer ever on a title when others on the list include Mr. Alan Moore. He had the balls to kneecap comicdom's other gun freak, Grifter, only a few issues into his Wildcats 3.0 run and still still made him more explosive and dangerous than he's ever been. He owns up to his mistakes; he's also done kick-ass work on Elephantmen, Richard Starkings' sublime futuristic fable, Automatic Kafka, and the current Godland. He wrote a critically acclaimed series, The Intimates, in answer to The Ultimates.

And he had Ladytron in a cut-off t-shirt declaring "Fuck Shit Up" shove her robotic tongue down Zealot's throat.

Do the dead count, because if so I'll nominate Bill Hicks for telling it like it is without ever selling out, and being fucking hysterical while doing so.

Also, Henry Rollins. If for nothing else, for his letter to Ann Coulter. Doesn't get much cooler than that.

"...But mostly, you will just shut the fuck up." Great.

Paul Verhoeven
John Krasinski
Quentin Tarantino
Robert Rodriguez
Steven Van Zandt
Catherine Keener
Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Michael Mann
Banksy
Sealand
Ryan Reynolds
Diva
Cormac McCarthy
Norah Jones
Falafel
Jerry Bruckheimer
Peter Weir
Michael Chabon
Joe R. Lansdale
'Everything in its Right Place' by Radiohead
Alec Baldwin
Hellboy
Shepard Fairey
Bruce Campbell
Edgar Wright
Brian K. Vaughan
Kathryn Bigelow
Supernatural
Lost
Joe Casey
Bill Hicks
Henry Rollins

George Carlin. I don't know how many comedians have managed to gradually change their image from being silly to angry and do it seamlessly - being hilarious and original every step of the way, but he did it and he did it spectacularly.

While it would be sensible to acknowledge the Ramones, a band who, despite being aped and ripped off for the last twenty years, remains supremely cool in their simplicity, in their three-chords-now-go-start-a-band philosophy that sums up the American ethic of rock and fucking rolling with your buddies in your garage on the weekends, I would like to nominate my favorite Ramones song of all time, "My Brain is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes To Bitburg)." Some fans of the Ramones feel this song is overproduced and inferior to their early tracks, and I can see how that argument can be made. I disagree -- it's driving, hummable, and works on every level, including the three elements necessary for melt-your-face-off rock: driving drums, soaring guitars, and slightly off-key vocals. All that, and socio-political commentary, too.

Are we allowed to do more than one a day? If so, I nominate Tom Waits. The gravelly voice, the lyrics that evoke images of a world-weary guy sitting at a piano in a smoke-filled bar, the wild musical experimentation, the hat...the guy just screams cool.

If we're not allowed to do one a day, please disregard the date on this post and pretend I put it up tomorrow. Thanks.

And Anjin, great call on Bill Hicks. I was going to nominate him as well; scathingly funny, intelligent, truthful, and he never starred in a shitty sitcom...that guy was the real deal.

My next choice is Asian Cinema. It is a bit of an all-around nom (not to mention that there is a lot of shit coming out of Asia too), but I'd have a serious problem if I were forced to pick only one movie or director. Fact is that for every great American movie I see, I catch about 5 great Asian ones. And if we're talking "cool", well, there's simply no better place to find it.

And great choices of Bill Hicks and Brian K. Vaughn

I think we're pretty much freestyling this one -- I'm trying to pick no more than three a day, myself.

Thanks. I didn't want to overstep my bounds or anything.

I submit that Frank Miller is fucking cool. Whether or not you like his style, you must admit he's got it out the ass. 300 and Sin City, two of the coolest looking movies I've ever seen, wouldn't be without the fascist doodler.

I submit that Kapable is 14 years old.

One more from me for today; Guillermo del Toro. Barring Mimic, the guy's filmography is pretty damn great, and it's so diverse. He can deliver comic book-style thrills (Blade II, Hellboy) and then immediately deliver deep and thoughtful films that are explore the human condition against the backdrop of the fantastic (Cronos, The Devil's Backbone, Pan's Labyrinth). He's also a master at creating an unsettling atmosphere (see the Pale Man sequence in Pan's for proof), and can bring on the gore like nobody's business.

Plus, he's the cuddliest damn Mexican ever.

So the list so far:

Paul Verhoeven
John Krasinski
Quentin Tarantino
Robert Rodriguez
Steven Van Zandt
Catherine Keener
Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Michael Mann
Banksy
Sealand
Ryan Reynolds
Diva
Cormac McCarthy
Norah Jones
Falafel
Jerry Bruckheimer
Peter Weir
Michael Chabon
Joe R. Lansdale
'Everything in its Right Place' by Radiohead
Alec Baldwin
Hellboy
Shepard Fairey
Bruce Campbell
Edgar Wright
Brian K. Vaughan
Kathryn Bigelow
Supernatural
Lost
Joe Casey
Bill Hicks
Henry Rollins
George Carlin
"My Brain is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes To Bitburg)" by The Ramones
Tom Waits
Asian Cinema
Frank Miller (are we keeping this one? I'm adding just to be on the safe side)
ETA: Guillermo del Toro

Not that I want to overdo it, but I could also submit both Johnny Cash and Leonard Cohen. Both managed to transcend their generations and genres, and while neither ever tried to be "hip" with the kids, both managed to be just that. If you need any proof, fire up Cash's Man in Black or Cohen's Everybody Knows.

Ok, four is enough for one day!

I submit that fucking an attractive person is much cooler than anything else on that list.

Ron Perlman
Shane Black
Takashi Miike
Woody Allen
The Rock
Aaron Eckhart
Tom Waits
Robert Downey Jr.
Gore Verbinski
Werner Herzog
Judd Apatow
Joel Schumacher (that's fucking right)
Anna Faris
Charlie Murphy
Darron Aronofsky
Alfonso Cuaron
and last but not least, the sexiest man alive...
GAEL GARCIA BERNAL



I could make love to his name-tag.

Christina Ricci-This girl went from playing cute, non-threatening smatasses in Disney films to a cold hearted con artist in The Opposite of Sex. She continues to take big chances with the roles she takes, and although she has more misses than hits(for every good movie she's in there are about five bad ones) she always manages to suprise me.

Sorry Schwartz. I forgot those movies both looked like garbage.

It's not an accident we forgot her the last 45 times.

Also, in interest of saving space, I think we should just list all of Ripoll's bad-ass choices as <Patrick's List>