Gushing About Shows You Like (Sugar Wiki)/Real Life/People

Gush about People here.


 * Ian MacKaye, for daring to take a stand against drugs, alcohol, and promiscuous sex in a hardcore punk scene that was positively rife with it. When I started going to college, I was pretty much the only person I went to class with who wasn't going to parties and constantly getting drunk (I have nothing against people who do that stuff, it's just not for me). Having lived a pretty sheltered life up until that point, I was unprepared for the culture shock. I felt extremely alone because I couldn't relate to anyone. The music of Minor Threat taught me that it was ok to be yourself, even if no one else thinks so. I have no idea what kind of destructive turn my life would have taken without that message. Ian, you are my hero.
 * JK Rowling. After going through a horrible time, where she was broke, and her mother had died, and her husband had left her, she wrote a wonderful series that united people all over the world, regardless of gender, age, race or nationality, helped people out of depression, giving away all the profits of three books to charity, creating organizations to help the unfortunate. I applaud you Rowling.
 * As someone who spent much of his young life alone and unloved, I am not ashamed to say that the first time I read a Harry Potter book in the sixth grade, it made me happy for the first time in a long time. I am eternally grateful, Jo.
 * Tom Kenny. Aside from being the best darn voice actor ever, he's also one of the funniest, most creative guys in the world. Some of the gags he comes up with for the shows he voices on are the best. And what about all that range in his voice? Could you tell, upon first listening, that Spongey and Eduardo are voiced by the same guy?
 * You can quite easily tell that Spongebob and Starscream are voiced by the same guy, but that actually makes it all the more awesome, because Optimus Prime is being beaten up by evil robot Spongebob. Tom Kenny is a pile of win.
 * On the same note, Tara Strong is definitely the lady version of Tom Kenny. Bubbles, Raven, Ben 10, Kylie Griffin, Truffles... the list goes on.
 * Mel Blanc. Need I say more?
 * Don't forget Steven Jay Blum!
 * General Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. This troper was extremely frustrated with the fact that it seems that notable American Black male role-models are limited to either rappers, actors, comedians, athletes, or Civil Rights leaders. And then he discovered Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. The leader of the Tuskegee Airmen. The man who became the first Black general in the Air Force. Forget f--in Tom Cruise, this man was the REAL Top Gun! This troper is furious that so few people actually know who he is, which is why when he becomes a film director he's going to make a movie about him and make sure he gets his proper fame.
 * There's a reason Roger Ebert is one of the top critics. He's freaking hilarious. He was doing the Caustic Critic thing way before any of the internet reviewers came along, and with his incredibly witty, perceptive, Genre Savvy, or even simple, but well-timed remark stabs at bad movies, it's no wonder he won the Pulitzer Prize. Even if Your Mileage May Vary on his actual reviewing ability, he's certainly much smarter than a lot of the stuff he reviews.
 * In a World of awesome trailers, one man and his sexy, sexy voice left this planet too soon. This Troper and all of his fans presents... Don LaFontaine: Rest In Peace.
 * Jim Henson. Who could have thought someone could give so much life to bags of felt and ping-pong balls? You don't see too many puppets with their own star on the walk of fame.
 * My 6th grade teacher, Mrs. Perry. I can only hope you all have had at least one teacher comprable to her, though I would doubt it as I have to believe she is one in a million.
 * My 3rd grade teacher, Mrs. Van Covern is made of win and cows, but mostly win.
 * Mrs. Schroeder (3rd grade), Mr. Macedonia (4th), Mrs. Murphy (5th), Mr. Gallagher (6th), Mrs. Milton (9th & 10th): you all shaped my, Eric Geores, life more than I can ever thank you.
 * Mrs. Schwartz. I miss you so much. If you're randomly surfing TV tropes one day and you find this, I'd love to say this to you one last time: TIM CURRY! -<3, Katie.
 * Heck, thank God for good teachers wherever they be. Teaching is one of the most exhausting and frequently thankless jobs in the world, and it's also the most important (aside from parenting). Bless the good teachers, those who care about their students and their material, and give their best. Every. Single. Day.
 * Robin Williams. I know he's been Entry Pimped to the point of annoying some people, but it's never really been said here why he is so loved. I initially had a whole paragraph planned about him, but I think it's best I keep it short and sweet: He is smart, he is kind, he is talented, and he is indeed very funny. And also, I think he's pretty cute... but Your Mileage May Vary there. What else can I say? I just adore this man. He's my ideal man... hell, my ideal person, full stop.
 * Meryl Streep is made of enough win to explode the universe, if win can do such a thing. She's the best damned actress the world has ever seen, and yet her head is not up her ass. She gives the best awards speeches in the known universe, is always shocked when she wins despite having been nominated half a billion times, and is one of the funniest people ever in Real Life. And she can do anything... and I do mean anything. She can dance, she can sing, she can make me laugh, she can make me cry, she can do action, comedy, romance, and drama... I LOVE YOU MERYL!!!!!
 * Hayao Miyazaki. Has any other director ever brought so much happiness to so many people?
 * What about this guy?
 * Pfft.
 * Joss Whedon. Enough said.
 * Steve Irwin. That man IS Australia.
 * Jackie Robinson. Bob Costas put it the best when speaking about him, "Are there better baseball players? Sure. Is there a more important baseball player? Who??? Damn right!
 * Kristin Chenoweth! What's not to love about her? She's cute, she's a wonderful singer, she's funny and sweet and kind... it's impossible to watch her for more than five minutes and not feel a lot happier.
 * Second!
 * I do believe I have been changed for the better! Because I heard her, I have been changed for good
 * Everyone in my family has a crush on her.
 * Oh, and her performance in The West Wing... Made the show, in my opinion.
 * Ditto Idina Menzel.
 * Seconded so hard.
 * Thurl Ravenscroft had not one of, but THE greatest voice of all time. Both women AND men have orgasmed at the mere sound of his richly deep yet playful bass voice. Hell, even his NAME is kickass!
 * Mister Rogers. This especially impressed me.
 * DeForest Kelley, most famous for his portrayal of Leonard McCoy. Sure, he was in some truly ridiculous movies, but he was a kind, sensitive, gentlemanly kind of guy who loved his wife and his fans. How many people grew up to be doctors, nurses and social workers because of him? Not to mention his contribution to charity -- especially animal funds -- and to friends and fans themselves. Plus he passed up the chance to be the subject of an experimental medical treatment because he feared he was being given priority as a celebrity and thus taking away some poor person's chance to live a longer life.
 * Skip Hinnant of Fritz the Cat and The Electric Company fame. Yes, he is well known for both a ground-breaking children's show and the first X-rated theatrical cartoon. And even though that's more or less all he's known for, that does not diminish his awesomeness. The few things he did, he did well. He helped bring Fritz The Cat to life, and on The Electric Company, he played Fargo North, Decoder with the gusto that character needed. He also played Pogo in Pogo For President, which is really cool. On top of that, he's a very sweet and amicable man. And hey, name one other heterosexual man who prefers to be called "Skip". He actually attended the school where Dead Poets Society was filmed.
 * Weird Al Yankovic, for making parody an art form, while still being awesome enough to have his original works be super awesome.
 * Ummm... Walt Disney!!!
 * What can this troper say about Walt Disney? Besides that he pretty much set the standard for traditional animation and made animated films not just a bunch of flat, mindless people doing stupid things onscreen, but realistic, loveable characters that had minds, emotions and souls. When the audience first cried during Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs, it changed the way we looked at cartoons forever. This troper salutes you, Walt.
 * Seconded.
 * Madeline L'Engle. Her stories are a little confusing, but there's just something to her books that gives it an underlying sense and she has some of the most profound quotes besides Cs Lewis. She's definitely not as appreciated as she should be.
 * She wrote an actual harlequin novel which was very much in her style . "Their love will determine the course of the world" or words to this effect. It's a real tribute to her talent as a writer that even a smutty book can, well, not sound smutty at all.
 * Imagine, if you will, an actor who starred in a 1950s radio show that helped redefine British humor and inspired both The Beatles and Monty Python (not to mention he worked with members of both); who worked with Stanley Kubrick twice; who originated perhaps cinema's most famous Breakout Character; who survived what is generally reported as an octuple heart attack and lived another 15 years afterward; who helped save Mel Brooks' fledgling directorial career by supporting his first film when the studio wouldn't; who perfected the art of Loads and Loads of Roles; whose penultimate film/dream project emerged as the success so many actors only wish their dream projects were; whom Robin Williams once called "the master"; and without whose inspiration Austin Powers and Borat might never have existed. You don't have to imagine it, of course, because Peter Sellers did exist.
 * Mohandas. K. Gandhi. Finally got the Indian independence movement really rolling, took no crap from Britain or anyone else, and did so with a serene smile on his face. He also had the balls to write a letter to Hitler asking him politely to quit the whole 'fascist' thing.
 * Everything about that man is awesome incarnate. Best person of the last 100 years? Undoubtedly. Even reading quotes by Gandhi is enough to bring tears to this troper's eyes.
 * How can you forget Martin Luther King, Jr.? Not only was he one of the major driving forces behind the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950's and 1960's, but his "I Have A Dream" speech was nothing but a pure Moment of Awesome.
 * + 1
 * + 2
 * Nelson Mandela, to complete the trifecta.
 * Adam Baldwin. Nuff said.
 * I'll be in my bunk.
 * Laura Bailey is the absolute best voice actress in the industry. There's no argument.
 * Not just The Lord of the Rings as a book, but JRR Tolkien as a person. Honestly, yeah, he expressed some views on race and class that I personally consider unconscionable, but the man was a genius with words and language whose lifelong experiment in world-building has inspired me deeply. Thank goodness we had you, Professor.
 * It's worth noting that though some of Tolkien's views were an unfortunate "product of his time", he was also one of the exceptional few cases who genuinely tried to grow beyond his prejudices, and many of his later additions to his legendarium were attempts to circumvent some of the unfortunate implications that were present in some of his writings. Also, the man was a God's honest war hero.
 * YES. J.R.R. Tolkien has been this troper's hero since she was a little girl. He's sorta who she wants to be when she grows up.
 * Quoting the caption from his page, "He's a smiling Oxford don with a pipe. How can you not like and trust him?" I agree completely on the fact that Tolkien was truly talented. His impact on the Fantasy genre is phenomenal, and ever again will someone make an impact on Fantasy as big as he did.
 * Imagine a man whose most known role is an intergalactic sociopath, and many of his other roles are those of murderers, rapists, or just morally-ambiguous sleazebags. What would you imagine that man to be like in real life? Would you imagine he was a kind gentleman with a good sense of humor (and just a little bit of a Chivalrous Pervert) who loved to play cricket? Well, you don't have to imagine, because that man was real. He was Anthony Ainley, most known as being The Master in The Eighties, but he played many other roles before that. His father, Henry Ainley was a Shakespearean actor, and his brother, Richard was a star of stage and screen. As noted before, Anthony played a lot of very evil characters, but was very sweet in real life. Sadly, he passed away in May of 2004, but not before he started a friendship with this troper and let her know that someone cared about her.
 * Steven Moffat, the Scottish god of Nightmare Fuel. He now scares millions of people, not a few of them jaded grown-ups, twelve weeks a year (not counting DVDs) through what is usually described as a children's show, and that, ladies and gentlemen, is awesome.
 * Not to mention his work on Coupling, in which he produced some of the most hilarious Cloudcuckoolanders this universe shall ever see.
 * Black people.
 * White People
 * One people
 * Two people
 * Red People, Yellow People, Brown People, Blue People.
 * Blue People? We need to draw the line somewhere.
 * The Blue Man Group
 * I dunno...are they natural blues?
 * On the subject of blue people, how about Skeeter Valentine?
 * Green people are clearly the best of all. They're able to photosynthasise with their skin after all.
 * Roger Klotz and Connie Benge salute you
 * Purple people! Count von Count, Beebe Bluff, Mr. Dink, the one-eyed one-horned flying purple people eater, yeah!
 * Gay, lesbian, bisexual, love is love. And I'm loving it.
 * Straight people, Asexual people, Transgendered people.
 * Just... people.
 * Awwwwwww!
 * CRAB PEOPLE! CRAB PEOPLE! TASTE LIKE CRAB, TALK LIKE PEOPLE!!!!
 * God.
 * Rick Moranis. He's funny, versatile, and kind of cute. The lot of us still gush over him even after his retirement.
 * Heinz Erhardt. Most people here won't know him, but he's the best (German) comedian of all times.
 * Sir Terry Pratchett. I'm amazed he wasn't mentioned yet. When he passes, hopefully many centuries from now, I have every confidence that he'll ascend to the heavens as the God of Modern Literature, and spend the rest of eternity surrounded by stuffier but similiarly British literary deities.
 * The man managed to parody something nearly a decade before its release. If that doesn't deserve knighthood, what does?
 * All you have to do to understand Sir Pratchett's wisdom, intelligence, humor, clear-eyed understanding of humanity's foibles, and undeterred compassion towards the world, pick up one of his books.
 * Erik Wolpaw is one of the funniest people in the entire world. The list also includes Chet Falisczeck (sp?), David Wong, James Lileks and Seanbaby. I have never in my life laughed harder than when reading what these guys write. They can make the written word positively burst.
 * Christopher Lee. We hold very different political beliefs, but otherwise he's kind of who I want to be when I grow up. A Cool Old Guy extraordinaire, he is posessed of one of the coolest voices EVER. A classically trained actor/singer who's made a career of showing up and being awesome with minimum of ego. Speaks five languages including English, and dabbles in another three. Has played Dracula, a Mummy, Frankenstein's monster, Holmes, A Bond villain, and a Sith. His friend are just as cool as he is; he hung out with Vincent Price, and was close with Peter Cushing for decades. Listens to heavy metal music. Is very likely One of Us, as he had some very strong opinions about things that had been rearranged or cut from The Lord of the Rings and The Last Unicorn. Oh, and he hasn't slowed down AT ALL with age; at eighty-seven, he's got six movies coming out in the next year.
 * You forgot to mention that he was a cousin of Ian Fleming.
 * I don't think you people understand just how utterly badass this man is. During the filming of The Lord of the Rings, when he was stabbed in the back by Grima Wormtongue, he was stopped by Peter Jackson, who said that he was doing it wrong and that he should do a different noise. Lee turned around and said that he knew what he was doing because HE'D DONE THAT TO PEOPLE IN THE PAST WHILE SERVING AS A WWII COMMANDO.
 * Ian McDiarmid is just so marvellously kick-ass, and not above indulging in a little Ham and Cheese.
 * Shigeru Miyamoto. He did so much for videogames and he still fun games to this day. And they're nice creative games that anyone can play, without having to rely on crazy violence.
 * Hear, hear!
 * His work is the one reason why I got so involved with video games. He's my hero for showing the world that adults should be able to have fun too!
 * Stephen Jay Gould was a force of awesome during his time on earth, with writing that makes me happy about everything except for the fact that I will never get to meet the man. Plus, he used his science skills to fight against institutionalized racism and prejudice (see The Mismeasure of Man), which is all kinds of nifty.
 * Rachel Carson. The most awesomest scientist and environmentalist who's never talked about in school.
 * This troper remembers reading about her in elementary school.
 * And on that note, the founder of Earth Day (and a native to my hometown/city), Gaylord Nelson.
 * Tim Curry is perhaps one of the best actors in the world today. He's got a wide range of media to work with, and has one of the most distinctive voices in animation. Plus, people who have met him say that he's one of the nicest guys on earth and that he truly appreciates his fans. Oh, and he's best known for playing Dr. Frank N Furter. You can't get more awesome than that!
 * If you think that's awesome, the late Princess Diana actually told Tim Curry that she was a big fan of Rocky Horror and told him, "Thank you for completing my education.".
 * He's also living proof that you don't have to be a scrawny metrosexual or a big muscle-man to be considered sexy by tons of fans. Yes, you can be pudgy and still be considered attractive. Thanks, Tim, thanks a lot.
 * Nathan Fillion is an underrated actor and a very nice guy in Real Life. Not only does he give Shout Outs to fans of his previous work (especially Firefly) but he's also willing to do charity auctions (like lunch with a fan and signing items) and he was a founder of Kids Need To Read. Basically I would like to be best friends with him.
 * Eddie Izzard is the openly Transvestite, who sometimes has to remind people he's straight as if they're mutually exclusive. A Brittish comedian who often does gigs featuring history and religion in a very conversational style who is greately loved by most Brits and many abroad.
 * In 2009, he also ran 43 marathons in 51 days for charity. That's more than 1100 miles in seven weeks and he raised £200 000 for Sport Relief in the process. He wasn't even in an amazing athletic form to start with. My hat to you, sir.
 * This troper cannot hear "Star Wars" without thinking "This is Jeff Vader, from catering." And it is still awesome to this day.
 * Bill Bailey is a popular musical comedian in Britain from England's West Country and a bit of a geek to go with it too. Often launches into non-sequiters with amusing little voices using the ideas of goblins, faries and trolls as common themes within his act.
 * Summer Glau is just too adorable for words, I'm not even sure she's human.
 * On the subject of inhumanly adorable Firefly actresses, Jewel Staite. While her non-Firefly roles are generally not quite as awesome as Summer's, her sheer untapped comedy genius more than makes up for it.
 * Carl Sagan. This man made modern science accessible to the public. He explained the most sophisticated scientific ideas of the day in the simplest terms he could and esposed a philosophy of universal wonderment, curiousity and appreciation. He fostered a generation of interest in space travel and understanding the exquisite complexity of the world around us. He helped me to Love the Universe. Sagan is a hero.
 * Sienna Guillory. She is the only person who was spot-on in her character's interpretation in Resident Evil: Apocalypse and showed her work for playing Jill Valentine. I would personally like to thank her for it, even though her work was overshadowed by Milla's character, Alice, taking over the script.
 * Tim Burton. Someone who didn't lose his imagination when he grew up. Plus, he's shown that you don't have to be ridiculously handsome to find true love with an insanely beautiful woman.
 * John and Hank Green are two of the nicest, most inherently funny guys ever, they redefined the word "awesome" for millions of Peeps (nerd jokes!) and their love for Nerdfighteria is so passionate. Nerdfighters themselves (this troper being one) are all about gushing, and their noble goal is to purge the world of all suck. How can you not love this group?
 * Akira Toriyama, Manga artist extraordinaire. Screw all the people who hate his art style, this man's influence on Manga is phenomenal and he well deserves all the success he made from his work. From Dr. Slump to Dragon Ball, and Dragon Quest to Chrono Trigger and Blue Dragon, all earned their success with some of his input. Is there any other Mangaka who could put as much consistent quality he put in his work despite all the Executive Meddling he had?
 * Russell Howard. A fantastic comedian. There isn't much more to say. Words fail me.
 * Felicia Day is my own personal hero. She created, writes and acts in one of the web's tentpole series which she built from the ground up, is the patron saint of geek girls, refuses to compromise her principles to make an easy buck, and even Joss Whedon was inspired by her. Oh, and she's beautiful in a very unconventional way.
 * Neil Patrick Harris. He's an awesome actor, has an amazing voice, is openly gay, and all around awesome.
 * Nevermind that he seems like the nicest guy on the planet. Not sure why! He's just very loveable.
 * George Lucas. Yes people love to bash him nowadays. But you know what? He started out with THX 1138 and American Graffiti. But most importantly he made Star Wars. While some might disagree what he has done to it, he still made it. He was a man with a vision that he fought to get made, which it not only did, but it became a phenomenon. Not only that, but he has made some major contributions to special effects and video games. A true visionary and a milestone in filmmaking. He's the reason this troper got into it in the first place.
 * Your mother. And my mother. And everybody's mother. Mothers, as a general rule of thumb, are awesome.
 * Fathers are pretty great too.
 * Sisters are among the most awesome things on the planet.
 * Likewise for brothers.
 * Douglas Adams. For his brilliant wit, and bringing not only one of the greatest comedy series ever, but for his clever writing from Dirk Gently to 'Last Chance To See', and writing for one of the funniest Old School Who episodes. Rest in peace!
 * Osamu Tezuka. I mean, come on people, he's the freakin' God of Manga. The medium wouldn't be what it is today without him. Not to mention he could write anything, shonen, shojo, action, drama, comedy, scifi, horror, kid stuff, adult stuff, etc. This man had no limit and he more than deserved his title. RIP.
 * Tommy Douglas. Not only did he bring Medicare to Canada, but he was also a huge proponent for social justice and all-around nice guy. Greatest Canadian indeed!
 * Bono. Yeah, there's the on-stage preaching and the tax avoidance. Doesn't change the fact that the man is the closest a musician gets to a superhero. He's a poet, a bookworm, a global crusader for justice. He never takes his audience for granted, and often goes out of his way to show this, the Live Aid leap being just one of many examples. While you'll have to go a long way before you'll find anyone describing him as modest, he's also known for humility, and will very happily engage in self-deprecating humor. He's an incredibly creative musician, and has inspired so many people to simply think beyond themselves and go outside their comfort zones to help others. And last but not in any way least, he's simply a fantastic vocalist. Paul David Hewson is, without argument, the epitome of awesomeness.
 * Bill Nye the Science Guy.
 * Emma Thompson. Oscar winning screenwriter, Oscar winning actress. Intelligent, funny, charming, down to Earth. How can you not love her in everything she does?
 * Kenneth Branagh. An amazing actor and an equally amazing director, who's not afraid to take 400 year old plays in a new direction, even at the cost of his street cred. Seriously, the guy does a fantastic Henry V, a beautiful Much Ado About Nothing, one of the few film adaptations of Hamlet that uses the entire text, and then he turns Love's Labours Lost into a fun 1930's-style musical! Plus, he does a mean Gilderoy Lockhart.
 * How about, Craig McCracken and Lauren Faust? They are both producers of some of the more popular cartoons in this modern time. My Little Pony Friendship is Magic is the most popular meme right now, and is currently a subculture according to Know Your Meme.com. Not bad for a show meant to be merchandising bait aimed at girls.
 * Aaron Sorkin. Extremely talented film and television writer (seriously, if you don't know his work, educate yourself), who's also happy to poke fun at himself.
 * Romeo Dallaire: Force Commander for the UN intervention in the Rwandan Genocide, his decisions are credited with directly saving about 32000 lives. He advocates for human rights and argued for UN intervention in Darfur; he also suffers PTSD and is an outspoken advocate for Veterans mental health, and trust me when I say that advocating for mental health issues is hard at the best of times.
 * Darren Criss is not only a wonderful actor and musician, but a truly beautiful person as well. He exudes enthusiasm and passion in every single thing that he does. He has a deep and unconditional love for his fans, and will go entirely out of his way for them. He pours his heart and soul into his performances, his relationships, his work, his everything. And thanks to his role as a gay teen on Glee, he has become a role model for thousands of kids struggling with their sexuality. My favorite quote of his? "There's nothing more badass than being who you are."
 * Jesus. He was really, really nice.
 * Lewis Carroll wrote two wonderful childrens' books, and his love of children and incredible imagination make him a truly excellent person.
 * Benedict Cumberbatch has got to be one of the best actors in years. He's so passionate about his work and always offers deep insightful comments about his characters during interviews. Besides his incredible talent, he's an extremely polite, down-to-earth and intelligent person. Everybody that he has worked with seems to agree with this. Some people may disagree about his new status as "Sexiest Man", but you can't deny that there is something absolutely mesmerizing about him. He just oozes charisma! There is no doubt that he will win an Oscar somewhere down the road.
 * CM Punk. He truly is the Best in The World.
 * There's a reason why Abraham Lincoln is considered one of the best US presidents ever; While he was president, the USA was splitting up, and he tried his best (and succeeded) to get the country back together. It's a shame that he was shot.
 * Victor Hugo. He's and incredible inspiration to authors such as myself, a true genius. His brilliant works shall not soon be forgotten.
 * Jennifer Lawrence. She's just awesome in every way imaginable.