From the Vault – The very best of 2011

We will be back later this week with brand new HoboTrashcan content. But in the meantime, as we all recover from our collective hangovers and attempt to figure out the best way to get all of the empty beer bottles and discarded party hats out of our apartments, we thought it might be fun to take a look back at some of the best content our humble little site had to offer last year …

One on One with Cassidy Freeman
It’s not easy filling Lex Luthor’s shoes, but that’s exactly what Cassidy Freeman was asked to do when she was cast as Tess Mercer on Smallville. While originally brought in to be the show’s antagonist, Tess evolved over the course of the series and eventually ended up teaming with Clark Kent and his pals, taking over Watchtower from Chloe Sullivan.

We talked to Freeman about the evolution of her character and the end of Smallville, which aired its final episode on May 13. We also discussed her big scene with Michael Rosenbaum, her plans for life after the show and the chances of a spin-off with Tess and Emil singing Elvis duets.

One on One with Jason Gann
In June, Americans got their first taste of Wilfred, the lovable anthropomorphic dog that smokes pot, uses foul language and offers questionable advice to the depressed, but lovable protagonist Ryan. While it’s safe to say people here have never seen a show quite like it, show creator Jason Gann has been entertaining Australian audiences with the character for a decade.

Gann and his friend Adam Zwar first brought the Wilfred character on-screen in a 2002 short film. That eventually lead to a TV series in Gann’s home country of Australia, which ran for two seasons. Wilfred made his American debut on FX, with Elijah Wood playing Wilfred’s human companion Ryan. We caught up with Gann to talk about adapting the show for an American audience, showing up to work in a dog suit every day and writing a unique comedy that is “ball-tearingly funny.”

One on One with Judy Reyes
Judy Reyes is a New York girl at heart, but her role as Carla Espinosa on the hit comedy Scrubs forced her to relocate from New York City to LA. Luckily, Espinosa was given a chance to reconnect with her Bronx roots while starring in the independent film Gun Hill Road, which competed at last year’s Sundance Film Festival. We caught up with Reyes as she prepared to head to Utah to talk Scrubs, Gun Hill Road and her dream of one day hosting her own cabaret.

[Editor’s Note – Or, if you prefer, you can listen to the audio highlights from the interview instead.]

Cooking with Camille Crimson
Adult star Camille Crimson is a girl of many talents. One of those talents is cooking. So she was nice enough to share her recipe for Rougail Saucisses, a dish she learned living in La Réunion, an island off the coast of Madagascar. She also shared a few photos too. So make sure you don’t miss this fun and unique feature.

Just Friends – Jane
Long ago, in the early days of HoboTrashcan, there was a monthly feature called Just Friends. Our editor-in-chief, Joel Murphy, heard the phrase “Let’s just be friends” so many times in his life that he decided to feature some of his gorgeous friends in a special monthly feature. However, a friend named Nicole set the bar so high that Just Friends sadly disappeared.

It would take a brave soul to attempt to resurrect this forgotten feature, which is why Joel called in the big guns and recruited a bona fide Internet celebrity. Jane, whose infamous site BathroomAdventures has earned her legions of adoring fans, was willing to take a few moments out of her rock star life to declare her everlasting platonic friendship for Joel.

Hanging Around … 79th Annual Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting Ceremony
The 74-foot tall Norwood Spruce that resided in Rockefeller Center this past Christmas was a behemoth that even Clark Griswold would be impressed by. With over 45,000 multi-colored LED lights and a nine-and-a-half feet, 550 pound crystal star perched on top of it, Rockefeller Center’s tree is a sight to behold. And we were there when they turned the lights on for the first time.

Murphy’s Law – In which I attack a nationally-syndicated movie critic
Joel Murphy reached out to a nationally-syndicated movie critic asking for some advice. The response he got back was an angry tirade. So Murphy decided to devote an entire column to tearing film critic Roger Moore apart. The column itself is great, as are the comments from readers, but the best part is that Moore himself was actually foolish enough to comment.

[Editor’s Note – There is also a happy ending to this story. Joel Murphy now attends weekly press screenings for new films. You can find his movie reviews here.]

Positive Cynicism – On Bruce Wayne’s boy collection
DC Comics “New 52” reboot caused a few bizarre plot holes in their comic universe, one of which being that a suddenly younger Bruce Wayne has somehow managed to have four different Robins in five years. Aaron R. Davis decided to have fun with that quirky fact, imagining a conversation between two Gotham City blue collar workers discussing Bruce Wayne’s “boy collection.”

Hobo Radio 196 – We cracked our wang
Back in August, the East Coast was rocked by an earthquake, which sent everyone in the region into a frenzy (and caused everyone on the West Coast to sigh and continue slowly sipping their lattes). Joel Murphy and Lars discussed the unexpected natural disaster, which cracked our nation’s wang – the Washington Monument. And while the show was important for that reason, it will also noteworthy for giving us the following image …