An Ode to Rachel

I feel I haven't given enough praise and proper credit to my podcasting partner-in-crime, Rachel from Rachel's Reel Reviews.  She does all of the technical things required to produce our podcast, and has done them every week for a year, without complaint (at least to me).  I love what she does with our show and I know I couldn't maintain the level of quality she achieves every week (yes, I listen to my own show most weeks).  So in her honor I thought I would give you the Top 10 Rachels of the world.  Some are real and some are fictional, but all do a good job of honoring the name, in my opinion.   (PS - Rachel's the hot one on the left in this photo!)

1. Rachel Thuro - Rachel's Reel Reviews - She's been blogging for over four years now, and has been the shepherdess of the LAMB for more than 6 months already and doing a terrific job.  At every turn she ups her influence and creativity through her blog.  Oh, and she makes me look like a valley girl/hyena every week with terrific editing of Reel Insight.

2. Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston) - "Friends" - Probably the only one on this list to inspire a country to cut its hair in a ridiculously difficult style to manage if you don't have full-time help, Rachel Green launched Jennifer Aniston's dubious career (or convinced the world they wanted to see more of Aniston, but little did they know she wasn't Rachel).

3. Rachel Berry (Lea Michelle) - "Glee" - The self-professed diva who intends to make it as a triple threat someday, Rachel Berry has two dads, a heck of a singing talent, and if we believe the hype, the intention to head to Broadway after high school.  She's developed a bit as a character over two seasons, but it's still hard to like her every week.

4. Rachel Ray - "30 Minute Meals", "The Rachel Ray Show" - I love her because she really taught me to cook.  I'm pretty bad-ass, I won't lie.  And it's all because Rachel Ray taught me to do it in 30 minutes, and I figured out that it's only a starting place.  She doesn't take herself too seriously so she's fun to watch - though I know a ton of people hate her or her voice, I'm not one of them.

5. Rachel McAdams - Sherlock Holmes, The Notebook, The Family Stone - She's already a huge star, but usually keeps her private life pretty private.  She didn't end up in rehab after The Notebook and she keeps getting the chance to work with huge actors (Russell Crowe, RDJ, etc.) and I love seeing her on screen.

6. Rachel Maddow - "The Rachel Maddow Show" - I don't watch this show every day (The Daily Show gives me most of my news) but I think Rachel Maddow is freakin' amazing.  She's one of the only news people on TV who seems genuine and authentic talking about almost any topic.  She rocks the glasses that probably wouldn't work on the hottest man on TV, but somehow she can pull off.

7. Rachel Weisz - The Constant Gardiner, About a Boy, The Mummy -  The former Ms. Aranofsky and current Mrs. Daniel Craig, Weisz makes strange choices in her movies, but she's captivating on screen or on the red carpet.  Oscar-winner for The Constant Gardiner while playing a total bad-ass who breaks the hearts of those around her while trying to fight for justice and equality.  But sadly, I still prefer her nerdy Egyptologist in The Mummy.

8. Rachel (Rosemarie DeWitt) - Rachel Getting Married - This movie still haunts me and really makes me want to see more of Rosemarie DeWitt.  She's a kooky character having a very strange wedding, and a lesser character would have been completely upstaged by her recovering sister (Anne Hathaway) attending the wedding, but Rachel manages to stand out and hold her own (plus she rocks a sari).

9. Rachel Dratch - "Saturday Night Live" - She plays some intensely annoying characters, but she's also gotten really good at being a stock character in any movie also starring a SNL alum.

10. Rachel Marron (Whitney Houston) - The Bodyguard - I think this might have been a stretch, but since I harbor a secret love of The Bodyguard I couldn't really leave out the Queen of the Night.