Yes, you found him charming opposite Sandra Bullock in The Proposal. You laughed emphatically after he sported full Michael Bolton garb in Just Friends. And, of course, you swooned after he graced the cover of Entertainment Weekly sporting water wings and a water gun. But, do you truly know the pop culture history of Ryan Reynolds? Well, if not you’ve come to the right blog post. From Two Guys, a Girl and Pizza Place to Obama Campaign volunteer, here is the essential Ryan Reynolds pop culture guide:

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Dino Rossi in Pasco, Wash. Photo by Matt McGee via Flickr

From the Republican Senatorial Committee, to the Seattle Times, to MSNBC and Fox News, Republican businessman and Seattle University alumus Dino Rossi has been fielding calls inquiring whether or not he will run for the Washington Senate seat currently held by Senator Patty Murray. This recent political salivation all began when a Portland based polling firm took up the task of gauging the current political atmosphere within Washington state, and came up with a surprising result; Rossi leads in a statistical dead heat.

In a poll of 500 registered voters within Washington state, 45 percent supported Rossi, 43 percent supported Sen. Murray, with 9 percent remaining undecided. This came as a shock to the media and political junkies alike, especially being that Sen. Murray is currently running for her fourth term, and Rossi has lost two straight gubernatorial races (both against current Gov. Chris Gregoire).

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Director Lee Daniels (Precious) is not the first African-American to gain an Oscar nomination; that honor goes to John Singleton (Boys in the Hood). He’s also not the first gay director to grasp the honor either; in fact, Gus van Sant has been nominated twice (Good Will Hunting, Milk). And even though Daniels’ achievement will no doubt be overshadowed by the divorcees (James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow), the Academy’s nomination of the first gay African-American is both significant and well deserved.

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“You will hear it loud and clear: ‘this is the people’s seat’” Republican Senator-elect Scott Brown of Massachusetts declared at his victory party January 19, after a decisive victory against Democratic opponent Martha Coakley

Tuesday’s special election to fill the seat of the late Senator Edward Kennedy pulled in a high turnout, with the state department declaring 55% participation by Massachusetts residents; Brown received 52% of the vote compared to Coakley’s 47%, with 89% of the precincts reporting.

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Imagine if you will this hypothetical scenario. At 12:05 a.m. PST on January 12, 2011, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake has hit the Puget Sound region. The effects of the earthquake have affected the entire Olympic Peninsula and has stretched as far as Vancouver, BC. However the brunt of the earthquake has devastated the Northwest’s most populous city Seattle, WA. Hours after the disaster, Mayor Mike McGinn in Spokane, who was flying into Seattle at the time and had his flight diverted, says that initial reports are accurate and that the city of Seattle is completely non-recognizable. “Downtown Seattle is nothing but rubble, if not underwater” he says to the dismay of the world. There will be no estimate on casualties until the morning.

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Hurt Locker Poster courtesy of Summit Entertainment

Lost in Translation Poster courtesy of Focus Features

The 21st Century began with a transformative decade in film. From films that captured the chaos and insecurity of a post 9/11 terror-centric world to comic depictions of post-modern family values; this decade’s host of films sought to depict a rapidly changing world with ingenuity and creativity. Directors challenged everyone from the food industry (Food Inc) to President Bush (Fahrenheit 9/11), and handled subjects ranging from dysfunctional families (Little Miss Sunshine, Juno) to a zombie infested apocalypse (28 Days Later, Shaun of the Dead, Zombieland) to historic civil rights leaders (Milk, Bobby). This list of the 25 best films of the decade (spanning from 2000 to 2009), not only represent the best in filmmaking but also encapsulate the decade known as the naughts.

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Ugandan protest in D.C. courtesy of bandofthebes.typepad.com

Tensions between the Obama White House and top gay rights leaders intensified this week, as the East African nation of Uganda seems set to pass a bill that would enforce the death penalty on the nation’s gay community. The legislation, drafted by Ugandan Parliament, states: 1) those found guilty of homosexual activity will be sentenced to a minimum of life in prison, 2) homosexuals that are HIV positive will automatically be sentenced to death as well as those who commit homosexual acts more than once and/or with minors, 3) the “promotion of homosexuality” through leaflets or otherwise will be outlawed, and 4) anyone who refuses to report homosexual activity will receive a 3 year prison sentence.

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