Regina King, the UberMonarch of Acting

We'e you stunned by that one performance in RAY, and couldn't you not take your eyes of the actor, and didn't you think it deserved an Oscar? Me, too! And you know we're talking about Regina King, the Queen King of acting, the woman so versatile she needs a Bo Knows Acting campaign of her own.

Every time Ms King was on-screen in that movie, I couldn't take my eyes off her. That's what people mean when they talk about an actor bringing "energy" to a scene -- it doesn't mean shouting or running around or making those Jim Carrey faces (which, when he Eternally Sunshines or Man on the Moons, he's so good that he should only do projects with heavenly bodies in the title, but everything else gets into Fire Marshall Bill territory) -- it means being so alive that you light up the whole scene.

I just saw Year of the Dog, written and directed by Mike White, one of my favorite writers working today, and he might have performed a thought-experiment on me while casting, because he managed to fill his movie up with many of my favorites. Not least was King, but also there was my old Second City teacher Craig Cackowski! And Susan Mackin, who acted in a table read for one of my scripts! And Dr Steve Brule!

But back to business -- Regina King has that screen charisma that you can't buy or develop or fake. You either have it or you don't. Hollywood, wake up! King FTW!

p.s. How great is it that she was the kid in 227? God, could we use a dose of Marla Gibbs sass in this frozen-doll world of Hollywood women we've got going now. There are no women on TV giving us the business like Ms Gibbs did when I was growing up, and somehow I think that explains why we as a nation have become as arrogant and self-absorbed as Mr Jefferson and Jackee combined. Hey, you kids! Get off of my apartment stoop!

Ed Begley Jr. Spans Time

If you watch Battlestar Galactica Classic on Hulu right this minute, you will see Ed Begley Jr. flying a raptor or some such, and then you will see him thirty years later during the commercial breaks, starring in a DirecTv commercial.

That's a pretty neat FTL jump of your own there, Ed!

My Loves (of the big and small screens)

I can't explain it. These people show up in a guest spot or a movie trailer and I sit up and go "Hey! I've got to see that! I love you, Ian McShane!"

1. SuperDave Osborne, aka Bob Einstein.
Ok, his real name is Bob Einstein, so that's cause for love right there. He played Officer Judy on the Smothers Brothers show, and though that was before my time and I've only seen clips, the very name Officer Judy makes me laugh every time. I mostly know him as SuperDave, the parody of the Evel Knievel-style stunt performer, and I've mostly only seen SuperDave on Letterman's show. So when I think about it, I've barely ever seen this guy, yet every time is a treat. Thanks to Curb Your Enthusiasm (and a few Arrested Developments), he's around more than ever before. His starkly deadpan delivery and distinctive husky voice make him instantly recognizable. His no-bullshit demeanor in the midst of playing the most bullshitting of characters is utterly delightful. He doesn't beg you to laugh because he knows you will. Love!

2. William Daniels
That's Dr. Craig to me, of my beloved St. Elsewhere. Another one with a highly distinctive voice (maybe that's the secret to my heart) -- a short guy with a powerful presence, perfectly cast as John Adams in the movie musical 1776 (he sings, too!). He's a perfectionist and an autocrat doomed by his own pride (just like me!). In real life, he's been married to his actress wife Bonnie Bartlett (Mrs. Craig, natch) for one million years. He was the voice of KITT the car. When he took the part of Mr. Feeny in Boy Meets World, I despaired that he was sinking into the sitcom mire, but he's smarter than I am and picked a good show. He's 80 now, so my longtime dream of acting with him is increasingly imperiled, but I'll always have him yelling at Erlich. Get younger, Mr. Daniels!

3. Gary Cole
You find me another guy who can perfectly embody murderer Jeffrey MacDonald, superfather Mr. Brady-via-Robert-Reed, and the boss man in Office Space. Oh, you can't? Of course not -- no one else is as perfect as Cole. He brings class and gravity to everything he does, while being one of the funniest guys around. Try that for your next party trick. Hint: you can't do it!

4. Robin Weigert
If I get started on the Deadwood cast, I'll never stop, so let's just mention the amazing Jane Canary. I've only ever seen her in one other thing, a bizarre bit in Angels in America where she plays a Mormon diorama thing come to life. She just has one of those faces -- kind and compelling, a face that really seems to see the people she's looking at, which brings every scene she plays to crackling life. Hey -- IMDB just told me she's on the new show Life! Now I have to watch that.

Robert Sean Leonard on "House"

I made the mistake of seeing "Dead Poets Society" twice; the first time you notice its earnest sincerity, the second time you notice its exasperating sentimentality. The worst part was watching Robert Sean Leonard mope around with his big cow eyes, dripping his sensitivity all over the place. I swore off the RSL right then and there.

This particular boycott was very easy to keep up because he never seemed to be in anything I wanted to watch. Since 1989, RSL has apparently been winning Tonys or some "I'm so special and New Yorkie!" crap like that, so, fine, I was happily RSL-free.

Then "House" came on the T.V. and I had many layers of prejudice against it: 1) Hugh Laurie is funny and British, not dour and American; 2) I was worn out by medical shows -- I did a long, dedicated residency with "ER" that ended when the show got too soapy, I'd had plenty of "Trapper John, MD" growing up, along with vague memories of "Quincy", and nothing could ever match the genuis of "St. Elsewhere" anyway, so why bother?; 3) the character was inspired by Sherlock Holmes, so he's called House, GET IT?; 4) he's a cranky, non-PC, man-you-love-to-hate, Becker of a guy, and I didn't watch "Becker" for good reason; and 5) RSL. Case closed. I'm not watching "House".

But it kept sticking around, and one day I was so bored I decided to increase my knowledge of current shows by watching a season three episode and getting it over with. Well, sew my buttons, this show is fantastic! I instantly became addicted.

It gives you to mystery of the diagnosis without fetishizing it like procedurals do with crime, and it gives you the character's personalities without lapsing into distracting melodrama. The best of both worlds, and perfectly cast to boot.

And wouldn't you know, my old nemesis Leonard is stellar in the part of Wilson, House's best (and only) friend. He's witty and noble, kind and depressed and sarcastic. He's got that look in his eyes, that awful vulnerability and hurt that even the best actor can't fake. It's the same look that Ed Flanders had as kind, tough but tortured Dr. Westphall on"St. Elsewhere". It's the look that brought that tremendous dark depth to Montgomery Clift's characters. (Incidentally, neither of those actors had happy personal stories, so here's hoping that RSL really is a great enough actor to fake it.)

Curses, RSL! You've defeated me by being a great actor and stealing my TV heart!

Mark McKinney, actor & Kid in the Hall

(R.I.P. Glenn Ford; you already know how much I love him from an earlier entry about "Gilda".)

Why single out Mark McKinney when you are an enthusiastic fan of all the work of the Kids in the Hall? Maybe because of guilt -- when their show was originally running on TV, I loved the show but overlooked McKinney. Kevin McDonald once did a monologue sketch about being "the Kid in the Hall you don't like", but for me, Mark was that Kid. I kind of loved Da-RREL, especially when he painted tumors into his mountain scene painting, but I hated the Chicken Lady, was indifferent to the Cops, and couldn't pinpoint what else he did. Oh, and he crushed heads. Everyone else had a distinct personality and voice, and Mark was just...everyone.

Exactly. It took all these years, and many reruns and concert movie viewings for me to realize that he is a fantastic actor. He blends into his characters so perfectly and fits into a scene so seamlessly that I never gave him enough credit for what he was doing. On watching the shows now, I am amazed by his deft characterizations and perfect timing. He must be a dream of a scene partner, and he's the kind of sketch performer I strive to be.

He also brings that Ugly Comedy asthetic that I appreciate so much, those characters (like the Chicken Lady and the Headcrusher) that make you cringe with pity and disgust. It's a kind of intellectual comedy that acknowledges that life isn't pretty but it sure is funny, and that is the comedy I've grown to love.

Plus, he does commentary on the DVD of "Same Guys, Different Dresses" (I think it's that one) with Scott Thompson, and they are absolutely hilarious together. Mark's muttered disgust with how fat he'd gotten, coupled with his sarcastic contempt for Scott's (self-admitted) vanity and self-absorbtion, is gut-bustingly funny. Again, not pretty sometimes, but very, very funny. He won me over forever when there was a backstage shot of him running in his dress and huge blonde wig, and he self-deprecatingly said on the commentary track, "Look, there goes the Russian skating judge!"

Mark McKinney, the Stealth KITH.