I'm generally not deep into Hollywood and keeping up with its celebrities, but with the current controversy over this year's Oscars nominations list, I figure now is as good a time as ever to discuss actors and actresses. My favorite movies go hand-in-hand with the people on this list, naturally. As you'll discover, I'm a fan of the comedy genre best, but I enjoy just about any film with a decent storyline. 

I hardly know any of the newer movie stars, so you'll find that this list is primarily composed of individuals who reigned supreme a good ten years ago, or so. When I read entertainment news or try to watch something like TMZ, I'm googling people left and right. It's especially bad when not only do I not recognize the individual, but also the alleged blockbuster from which they're known. You shouldn't have to worry about that with My Top Ten: Actors! Grab some popcorn, a soft drink, and a box of candy, and let's get into them. 

10. Brad Pitt

9. Emma Stone

8. Will Smith

7. Johnny Depp

6. Micheal Cera

5. Mark Wahlberg

4. Jennifer Anniston

3. Adam Sandler

2. Jack Black

1. Will Ferrell

I wanted to include Paul Walker from The Fast and The Furious on here, but I'm not sure he's on the same level as these others, especially in terms of his catalog. He's definitely one of my favorites, but all things considered, I'm content with the stars included in this list, though my order may fluctuate. 

So, what about you? Who are your favorite actors and actresses? Also, how do you feel about the whole Barbie situation with the Oscar nominations announcement? I never saw the movie, but it would seem as though the director Greta Gerwig most certainly deserves some recognition. Barbie is nominated for best picture. Leading actress Margot Robbie was also snubbed, according to fans, and I can't say that's inaccurate. 

Thanks for checking out this blog and for keeping it tuned to 94.9 WQMX! 

For this week's Top Ten list, I'm keeping it simple. I typically gravitate towards ranking different types of food or media for these blogs, but everything and anything is a potential topic, so I'm excited to get into this one about colors! 

Naturally, it often depends on the context when we decide what colors we like best. Maybe you'd want a birthday cake with teal icing but would never paint your bedroom walls in that hue, for example. With that in mind, here's my top ten favorite colors, generally. 

10. Pink

9. Grey

8. Orange

7. Brown

6. Green

5. Blue

4. Black

3. White

2. Yellow

1. Purple

I like a nice dark purple most of the time, but you got to love the Mopar Plum Crazy paint. I also adore my go kart's Candy Grape Krylon spray coat. The kart I had before was an attractive yellow, the buggy I'm spraying now will be white, and my most recent color change was turning the minibike from orange to light blue. I'm indifferent about the El Camino's paint colors but I'm over the moon that my Blazer happens to be white. I would have never owned a bright red Camaro if color were a factor in my car buying, but it's nice that it worked out to be one of my favorites this time for my new ride. Uniquely, my first car was brown! One day, I hope to have a factory yellow car too. 

What about you, though? Does your favorite color change based on the context or are you consistent across the board? And, how has your number one changed through the years? 

Thanks for reading this, and be sure to have a colorful day now! 

Potatoes are a buried treasure of the food world and the single best thing that grows underground, in my opinion. Not only are they delicious, but they are so versatile. From vodka to hashbrowns, these spuds are a staple of American cuisine, and you'd be hard pressed to find any traditional restaurant without them in some shape or form. There's the petite red and yellow varieties, those robust standard Idaho potatoes, sweet potatoes, and a wide variety of others to savor! Off the top of my head, potato salad is probably the only potato food I dislike. 

So... here's my top ten potato foods! 

10. Potato Bread

9. Cheesy Potatoes

8. Potato Chips

7. Mini Tator Tots

6. Hash Browns

5. Twice-Baked Potato

4. Mashed Potatoes

3. Smiley-Face Potatoes

2. Loaded Potato Soup

1. French Fries

To rank my order of fries real quick, it goes as follows.

8. Steak Fries

7. Curly Fries

6. Crinkle-Cut Fries

5. Normal French Fries

4. Waffle Fries

3. Nacho Fries

2. Fair Fries

1. Shoestring Fries

As always, thank you for reading this and for tuning into 94.9 WQMX! 

On Wednesday morning, Scott and Sarah revealed their Top 5 Songs for 2023, and they've got some awesome picks that you can check out here! Afterwards, Ben McKee joined in the fun with some of his picks in various categories. There were a ton of cool new songs we spun on WQMX throughout the year, and they made some great choices with their favorites. Here I am now following suit, with my Top Ten Songs of 2023!

10. Cowboys and Plowboys -Jon Pardi with Luke Bryan

9. On the Boat Again -Jake Owen

8. I'm In Love -Hailey Whitters

7. IF YOU GO DOWN (I'M GOING DOWN TOO) -Kelsea Ballerini 

6. TRUCK BED -Hardy

5. Watermelon Moonshine -Lainey Wilson

4. I Remember Everything -Zach Bryan featuring Kacey Musgraves

3. Wildflowers and Wild Horses -Lainey Wilson

2. Thought You Should Know -Morgan Wallen

1. I'm Not Pretty -Megan Moroney

Evidently, we're huge fans of Lainey Wilson around these parts, and we are so stoked to bring her to Clay's Resort Jellystone Park in June for The Country Fest 2024! Personally, my top artist remains Megan Moroney throughout 2023, though there are plenty of strong contenders otherwise. We played so many great new songs here on WQMX within this past year, and I know I'm excited to see what releases 2024 has in store for us. 

As you can tell by my list, I generally prefer more fun and upbeat songs over deeper more emotional ones, and I'm hoping we get a good mix of all the styles as we truck into the new year. I enjoy where we're at in terms of popular country music, and the direction we're heading as a genre seems bright, if you ask me. We've seen some really cool new artists pop up, and it should be interesting to see which become the next superstars and which are just flashes in the pan. 

I've seen some outstanding contributions in response to Scott and Sarah's Top 5 Picks, and if you'd like to get in on the fun, just drop a comment under WQMX's post on Facebook. While you're there, if you haven't already, consider giving us a follow to always be in the know of what's going on with Your Country, 94.9 WQMX! 

Of all the Thursday Top Ten lists I've done, this one here may have been the toughest to settle upon thus far.  There are SO MANY great Christmas songs, from new originals to timeless classics covered by numerous artists through the decades. These songs are the sounds of the season, and Christmas wouldn't be the same at all without them. No other holiday even comes close to the library of music dedicated to Christmas, and everyone holds their own favorites. 

I'm personally not the type to blast Mariah Carey the day after Thanksgiving, but when the time is right, nothing sounds better than a nice Yuletide anthem. With fluffy snow on the ground, pretty lights everywhere, and Christmas favorites on the radio; there's a magical feeling for which we yearn year-long outside of December. I'm excited to share these with you, so here they are. It's my Top Ten favorite Christmas songs! 

10. Chipmunk Christmas Song (Christmas Don't Be Late) 

9. I'm Mr. White Christmas 

8. Feliz Navidad

7. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

6. Christmas Canon

5. We Need a Little Christmas

4. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)

3. Snoopy's Christmas

2. Baby Its Cold Outside

1. Blue Christmas

Well! What do you think about my list? Which songs would you keep and what did I miss? WQMX has 48 Hours of Continuous Christmas Music from your favorite country artists starting at midnight on Christmas Eve, and you can tune in for all the fun on your radio 94.9 FM or online right here! 

I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 

It's what some call thirsty Thursday, so what better time than the present to rank my top ten beers! 

When people ask me what type of beer I like, "cheap" is the best word I can answer with. I'm a simple guy who prefers longnecks over cans, and drafts best of all. I'm not into IPA's, stouts, porters, or any of that fancier or more mature stuff. I generally like an easy-drinking, lower percentage beer over a bolder one with a strong flavor; if you get what I'm saying here. 

So, let's get into this list! I'd really love to hear how you feel about my choices and how they compare to yours. 

10. Coors Light

9. Michelob Ultra

8. Dortmunder Gold

7. Miller Lite

6. Shock Top

5. Busch 

4. Busch Light

3. Coors Banquet 

2. Miller High Life

1. Corona Extra

As always, thank you so much for reading this and for listening to 94.9 WQMX! 

Turkey Day is just one week away, and I am so ready to smash on some food and to visit with the family. Between my fiancée and I, we typically have no less than two places to be on Thanksgiving, making appearances at as many gatherings as we can. It's cool to see how different cooks take on the challenge of Thanksgiving dinner, and my favorite food absolutely depends on who prepared it. For this blog, we'll talk general, traditional Thanksgiving foods. 

It's time to let that belt buckle out a couple notches and go back for seconds, this is My Top Ten Thanksgiving foods! 

10. Cranberry Sauce

9. Stuffing

8. Sweet Potatoes/Yams

7. Dinner Rolls

6. Green Beans with Bacon

5. Mac and Cheese

4. Apple Pie

3. Mashed Potatoes

2. Turkey

1. Gravy

I'm a dark meat kind of guy when it comes to Turkey. A few pieces of that, some mashed potatoes, a buttery roll, green beans, and a borderline criminally insane amount of gravy is all I want on my plate. Honestly, just give me the boat! Pair that with a Mountain Dew or two for some balance, then top it all off with a warm slice of apple pie and its nap time on the couch for me. 

Here at the station, around this time of the year and always, we are so grateful for our wonderful listeners. You're truly the best. From the WQMX family to yours, I hope you have a happy Thanksgiving! 

Bonus: Check this out! →

Birds are cool! We are fortunate to get to see and hear a wide variety of them here in Northeast Ohio, from the seasonal migrators to our local avians. Aside from geese, there's hardly a bird I dislike, and there's a few I'm particularly fond of that I'm excited to share with you here. I simply love sitting on my back porch by the birdfeeder watching them flutter in and out; it's so peaceful. 

With Thanksgiving just two weeks away, I've now got turkey on the brain, so here's my top ten favorite birds! 

10 Wild Turkey

9 Ruby-Throated Hummingbird

8 Mallard Duck

7 Great Horned Owl

6 Great Blue Herron

5 Downy Woodpecker

4 Peregrine Falcon

3 Northern Cardinal 

2 Raven

1 Bald Eagle

(Honorable mention goes to a Mr. Larry Bird, the biggest bird!) 

You'd think that by now, after several iterations of my top ten list, I'd be prepared for the difficulty involved in picking and ordering just ten items. It's harder than it seems, and no matter how much thought I put into these, I'm never fully satisfied. I can all but guarantee I'll slap my head on my drive home from work thinking about a favorite birdy I neglected to include. 

I'm no serious birdwatcher, but I have a deep appreciation for nature and our local wilderness. Maybe I'll get more into it in 2024 and see how many I can sight through the year; it actually sounds like a lot of fun! I have this awesome old book full of pictures and descriptions to use as a guide, and I'd happily leave my phone at home when pursuing new birds to check off the list. Birds are so easy to overlook with the hustle and bustle of everyday life, but when you stop to take a moment to enjoy the little things, it truly is refreshing!

Anyways, what do you think? How does my list of favorite fowl compare to yours? Do you also dislike geese? And what does a fellow need to do to see an owl? As always, thanks for reading! 

We are just past that wonderful yet brief point in the year when professional Baseball, Football, and Basketball are all going on at the same time. The World Series wrapped up with Texas besting Arizona 4-1, and the NBA season is just getting started. We're also about halfway through the NFL season. (Go fins!) With this in mind, I figured it would be a good time to list my top ten favorite sports!

This list is a combination of sports I like to participate in mixed with sports I enjoy watching, from the Olympics to backyard play. My favorite event to watch is easily the X-Games. Action sports are just super cool and impressive to me; I like the thrill! Organized sports I've played in my life include, in chronological order: baseball, disc golf, basketball, track, skateboarding, tennis, and indoor soccer. I'm not great at any of them, but I sure had fun!

I begged and pleaded to be allowed to sign up for football, but never was. I can understand why and I'm past being bitter about it, though it took some time. I ended up joining the marching band instead, and in retrospect it was for the best for me. I gained friends, practiced discipline, stayed active, and kept out of trouble. Whatever you consider Marching Band to be, that's what sports are really all about for most kids and adults alike. My two cents: if bowling is a sport then marching band certainly is! 

Here's the list:

10. Hockey

9. Volleyball

8. Tennis

7. Baseball

6. BMX

5. Snowboarding

4. Basketball

3. Football

2. Disc Golf

1. Skateboarding

Well, what do you think? How does my list compare to your top ten sports? Is your favorite sport to watch different than your favorite to play? 

If you're into American Football, WQMX alongside Duma Meats Hartville Market has something really cool going on right now. We're sending a lucky listener up to Clevelend for a game with the WQMX Tailgate! Get all the info on that here and thanks for reading!