Jesse Palmer

Before I get started, let's just make one thing clear. If you think that I mean Jesse Palmer was underappreciated for his awesomeness as an NFL quarterback for the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers, I can assure you that's not the case. Truth be told, he was your average NFL backup quarterback. In fact, you can even make the argument he was a below average backup quarterback. In his career, he threw three touchdowns, four interceptions and had a quarterback rating of 59.8. I don't think you need to be a sports fan to realize that's not very good. However, his sports career managed to lead Jesse to his true calling. You see, Jesse happens to be a good looking guy and is a natural in front of a camera, so his awesomeness must have told him that he can rely on those two traits to get involved in television. Therefore, once his football career was over it didn't mean he was going to fade into obscurity. In fact, Jesse was smart enough to get a jump start on getting involved in television when he was still playing football when he decided to be the hunk 25 women purse on the reality show The Bachelor. This brings me to the Jesse Palmer who is underappreciated for his awesomeness; the actor, tv football analyst, and sex symbol.

Jesse Palmer, an actor? You're telling me you didn't see the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit 2005 episode titled "Design" where Jesse played third baseman Don Lacey? You are missing quite the awesome performance then. Even if the underappreciated awesome Nicolas Cage would be proud of Jesse's awesomeness, especially because it's almost like Cage tutored Jesse on how to act. In the episode, a women claims to have been raped and impregnated by a wealthy scientist. However as the episode progresses, we learn that she in fact druged and raped several rich, famous, and good-looking men to try and get her pregnant so she can extort them. Jesse was one of these men who was taken advantage of. The four scenes he was in were brief; he was probably in the episode for less than three minutes. However, during this time he seemed comfortable and confident. I'm not saying he is going to be the next Deniro or Nicholson, but for a professional athlete he was pretty awesome. There are a lot of professional athletes who try their hand at acting and are just terrible. There are also a lot of professional actors who are just terrible as well. All I'm saying is that based on his role appearance on Law & Order, he did a great job, a lot better than one would expect, and he should definitely consider some more acting in his future. After all, it's pretty clear after seeing him on a hit television show that his potential for awesomeness in the acting field is very high.

Jesse needs a coach for football, but not for being awesome.

Palmer currently works for ESPN as a studio analyst on College Football Live and other various ESPN2 telecasts. He is also a game analyst and commentator on ESPN Thursday Night College Football .In the November 23, 2009 issue of The Sporting News, the writers of this prestigious sports magazine teamed up with writers from SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily to write a feature article ranking the top 25 football announcers in the business. It didn't matter if the announcer commentated on professional or college games. For some odd-known reason, Jesse was not ranked. Talking about being underappreciated for your awesomeness! How often does an analyst/commentator host the two biggest shows of the week on one of the biggest networks not get recognized for his awesomeness? Almost never. This is almost a crime against humanity in my opinion. Even if he doesn't get the recognition in print he deserves, at least he gets it from his employer. After all, ABC has scheduled Jesse to be the studio analyst for their broadcast of the 2010 BCS National Championship Game. Now don't you think for the National Championship game they would hire one of the best in the business? Of course they would, and ABC did, even if The Sporting News chooses to underappreciate Jesse and his awesomeness.

You just know he is in the middle of making an awesome point.

Here's something else to consider when Jesse's awesome analyst skills are discussed. Most analysts are either former all-time great players (i.e. Dan Marino, Terry Bradshaw, Troy Aikman etc.,) or journalism majors (i.e. Curt Menafee, James Brown, Al Michaels etc.,). Jesse was neither. Yet, he has managed to transcend himself into one of the best analysts without the usual required credentials. Why? Cause he's awesome! He knows the game, can relate to the modern-day athlete, understands what the pressure is like playing at a big school, and states his points eloquently and concisely so everyone watching the game can understand what he is trying to say. It's almost like this is what he was born to do considering the fact he is the only below average pro and college athlete to become a successful commentator/analyst. Even guys like Chris Collinsworth and Brian Griese made Pro-Bowls and accomplished more on the field than Jesse ever did. Jesse has such natural talent in front of the camera that he's not just limited to covering sports. He is also the New York correspondent for CTV's entertainment news program, eTalk, covering both sports and entertainment events, including the Super Bowl and the 79th and 80th Academy Awards. Seriously, do I even have to ask how awesome he is? Yes someone like Joe Buck and Jim Nantz may commentate for multiple sports, but how many analysts cover sports and entertainment? I can't name one. Oh wait, yes I can. His name is Jesse Palmer.

If you couldn't tell by any of the pictures displayed in this post, or by anytime you've seen him on television or magazines, Jesse Palmer is a really good-looking guy. He has all of the features that women look for in a man. He's tall, tan, and handsome. He has a great smile, perfect teeth, amazing hair, and bone structure to die for. The last time someone had such great hair, John Stamos was showing it off on Full House. Also, even though he is retired you can tell me from his tightly fitted suits and shirts he wears that he still keeps himself in great shape. He's not just looks either. Since he's been on ESPN he frequently quotes great literary figures showing off his intelligence, and he says such witty jokes, you'd think he could be a stand up comedian. (Side note: We all know Jesse would make an awesome stand up comedian and would put Chris Rock to shame.) His personality literally radiates off from the screen. So it seemed like a perfect match when he was cast as the star of The Bachelor in 2004.

The Hair? The Smile? The Rose? What isn't awesome here?

Mike Fleiss, the executive product of The Bachelor recognized Jesse's stud status when he said, "If you lined up all the greatest bachelors who have ever applied to be on the show, Jesse would definitely be our number one draft pick." He wasn't the only one who was impressed. When Jesse accidentally called the wrong girl's name to keep her on the show, he did the right thing and told her he didn't mean to pick her. However, she was so enamored with Jesse that she decided to stay on the show anyway to see if things could work out between the two of them. If that's not enough, another woman who Jesse voted off, came back to the show a couple of episodes later to get him back and try to make him change his mind! You don't do that for a guy, unless you realize he is one awesome catch. Yet, for some reason he is never mentioned on any list of hottest male celebrities and is constantly off the radar. People Magazine has yet to include him in their annual Sexiest Man Alive issue, and was not named on E!'s Top 50 Hunks show. E! and People's credibility is totally damaged for not giving Jesse Palmer the beefcake status he deserves. I mean look at the guy! This alone might be the most insulting underappreciation of awesomeness ever.

As stated previously, Palmer was not a great quarterback. But he was named The Canadian Player of the Year in 1996 and was the second Canadian (behind Mark Rypien of the Washington Redskins) to start at the quarterback position in the NFL. How awesome is that?!?!? Jesse is also a part of two NFL records. In 2003, Jesse combined with Kerry Collins to throw 616 passes, a franchise single-season record. He also was the recipient of a Bruce Smith sack that made Smith the all-time career NFL sack leader. Those both make great trivia questions for your friends, and it doesn't get much more awesome than being the answer to trivia questions that stump your friends. You maybe wondering why would such questions stump your friends? Because Jesse is awesome, and they probably don't appreciate his awesomeness, like most people in this world. However, a true Jesse Palmer fan, who recognizes the awesome powers he possesses does. The facts don't lie, Jesse Palmer is so awesome that even though he was a below average quarterback he still made NFL history and won an award for the being athlete to represent his country. Jesse accepted those accomplishments with great pride, and we can only assume he accepts the award of being in The Underappreciated Awesome Celebrity Blog the same way. What gives us that assumption? Obviously because he's that mad awesome and can finally feel appreciated for it.

Nicolas Cage

Yes, Nicolas Cage is a world famous actor, but is he appreciated for awesomeness? I really don't think so. Cage gets unfairly panned for making what critics call "bad movies." Yes, I have yet to see such movies as Next, Ghost Rider, or Bangkok Dangerous, but as far as I'm concerned, Nicolas Cage is underrated because he fails to be mentioned as a quality actor and for making several mad awesome movies. His three best Con Air, The Rock, and The Family Man, even though he has many more classics under his belt. Also remember, even if a movie is bad, that doesn't necessarily seem that the actor in them is bad as well. In Cage's case, this is certainly true. So even if Knowing got bad reviews, I legitimately think Nic Cage's awesomeness will be dripping from the screen because of what he has shown the world with those three underrated hits.

As far as I'm concerned, Con Air is not only one of the best action movies of the 1990's, but it is so over-the-top unrealistic and ridiculous, that makes me watch it every single time I see it on tv....and I own it on DVD. Besides it's intense action scenes, this film rates very highly on the unintentional comedy scale. Seriously, who thought of the idea, "Let's take the worst, most dangerous criminals in America and put them on a plane together. I really don't think anything wrong will or can happen. There is no way, they will come up with a plan to try and overtake the plane with only three guards on board." Keep in mind that if this concept doesn't seem unrealistic enough for you, this is before John Malkovich builds a bomb....in prison. As well as before they land a plan in the middle of the Las Vegas strip that kills and injuries the prisoners only, and no civilians to speak of. I mean, come on! I can't imagine a scenario like this ever happening in real life. Nicolas Cage (awesome hair and all), saves America from these criminals and their ludicrous plans. Why? Cause he's awesome, that's why. I mean the man can do hand stand push-ups for crying out loud!

Nic Cage has the look of an awesome action hero.

Sure people laughed when they heard Cage might play Superman, but this movie portrays Cage as a great lead for an action movie box office smash. Keep in mind, this was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and it did gross over $100 million in the United States alone. For those who say that this was a fluke, well it was not the only awesome action movie Nic Cage was in, it wasn't even his first mega action hit.

If you think of the wrestler when you hear someone say "The Rock," you seriously need to bone up own on your action flicks from 1996. To summarize, Alcatraz has been taken hostage by a group of Marines who have access to a lethal chemical weapon. Cage plays FBI chemical weapons expert Stanley Goodspeed who has to infiltrate Alcatraz with a Navy SEAL team and the only person to ever escape from Alcartraz (played by Sean Connery). Cage portrays the nerdy and dorky Goodspeed perfectly, yet as dorky as he is, its not that out of reach to assume someone has hot as Vanessa Marcil (who plays his girlfriend Carla, a former prom queen) would date his character. You never say to yourself, "Why would she date him?" Serious awesome points go to Cage due to that fact alone. It not only takes great acting ability to pull that off, but general awesomeness as well. Anyway, as the movie progresses, Cage starts to beat some people up, even though he plays a scientist, and not a field agent. Sure he gets his butt kicked at some parts, but that's expected as well. Again, this doesn't seem so out of reach because Cage manages to pull it off so easily. Heroically, Cage saves the day at the end of the film, albeit with a little help from Connery. The Rock made over $130 million in the box office in the United States alone and was the seventh highest grossing film of 1996 in the US, and the fourth highest worldwide. Does Cage get the credit he deserves for this? Nope, personally I think this is a very underrated movie, and people don't realize how successful The Rock really was. It also did wonders for Cage's career, as it brought him into the discussion of mainstream actors. Unfortunately for him though, it left him vulnerable for criticism and did not praise him for his deserved awesomeness.

Nic Cage is here to save the day! Awesome!

After the previewing of Cage's film Knowing, Entertainment Weekly critic Owen Gleiberman wrote an article in March 2009, accusing Cage of "selling out." In the article, titled "Nicolas Cage: Artist or hack? The choice is his", Gleiberman states that Cage should return to dramas as opposed to only making high-paying blockbusters. I know I'm tempted to ask Glieberman if he has even seen The Rock before if he is going to pose such a question because there is no way you can say that about Cage unless you have not seen this film. Unless Cage doesn't get the props he deserves, which certainly seems to be the case. One can even make the argument that The Rock jump started the Bay-Bruckheimer production of mega action hits from the 1990s - present day. Whether you view that as a good thing or a bad thing is a matter of opinion, but one thing that can't be argued is that it takes someone truly awesome to start such a trend.

The Family Man is a great movie, and shows how awesome Nic Cage is in a different light other than action superstar. For those who missed out on it, Nicolas Cage plays a Wall Street playboy who wakes up in an alternate life where he married his college sweetheart (Tea Leoni). It's like a cousin to It's A Wonderful Life. Predictably, when he is about to go back to his original life, he realizes that he belongs with Leoni. Once he goes back to his old life he chases after her character, and stops her at the airport right before she is about to board her plane. To win her heart, he says one of my favorite monologues in movie history:

"We have a house in Jersey. We have two kids, Annie and Josh. Annie's not much of a violin player, but she tries real hard. She's a little precocious, but that's only because she says what's on her mind. And when she smiles... And Josh, he has your eyes. He doesn't say much, but we know he's smart. He's always got his eyes open, he's always watching us. Sometimes you can look at him and you just know he's learning something new. It's like witnessing a miracle. The house is a mess but it's ours. After 122 more payments, it's going to be ours. And you, you're a non-profit lawyer. That's right, you're completely non-profit, but that doesn't seem to bother you. And we're in love. After 13 years of marriage we're still unbelievably in love. You won't even let me touch you until I've said it. I sing to you. Not all the time, but definitely on special occasions. We've dealt with our share of surprises and made a lot of sacrifices but we've stayed together. You see, you're a better person than I am. And it made me a better person to be around you. I don't know, maybe it was just all a dream. Maybe I went to bed one lonely night in December and I imagined it all. But I swear, nothing has ever felt more real. And if you get on that plane right now, it'll disappear forever. I know we could both go on with our lives and we'd both be fine, but I've seen what we could be like together. And I choose us."

The Family Man or The Awesome Man?

I think that if anyone else chased down Tea Leoni at an airport down and uttered this speech, she would say thanks, and then proceed to board to her plane. But it's not just anyone who chases her down. It's the underrated Nic Cage...and he is awesome, which she realizes, so she decided to chose him too. My friend and I quote this speech to each other on a frequent basis because it is so awesome. I don't know about you, but I know every time I go to the airport I'm always hoping someone pulls a Nic Cage and does that to me. (Note: You know someone is truly awesome, when you can say pulls a _____ referring to an individual.) But does Nic Cage get the respect for being awesome that he deserves? From a general consensus, I think not. But he definitely should.

Think about this though, Nicolas Cage is so awesome, that I didn't even mention that he did win an Oscar for Leaving Las Vegas, and was nominated for another in Adaptation. (Side note: Great movie if you're interested in seeing how scripts for movies are written). I also didn't discuss how The Weather Man is one of the funniest movies no one has seen, and he has made another over-the-top unrealistic and ridiculous action movie in Face-Off. Nicolas Cage, you maybe an underappreciated awesome celebrity by the world, but not by us. Congrats on being the first member of this club and website.