Tag: The Truman Show

When the Funny Get Serious: Gigs You Wouldn’t Expect From Comedy’s Best

In 2011, Stephen Colbert made his New York Philharmonic debut as Harry in Company opposite fellow fun-man Neil Patrick Harris. Who knew that one of America’s most popular fake news anchors could sing? Well, he can. And he did. But production used the best of comedy chops. He did a guest spot on Law & Order: Criminal Intent  in season 3 episode 16 entitled “The Saint” and he was serious. He plays a document authenticator who will do anything to keep his mom (played by industry vet Lois Smith) happy.

Funnyman, Jim Gaffigan, has appeared on Law & Order: Criminal Intent as well as Law & Order twice each and an episode of Law & Order: SVU. I guess he can do drama really well too.

Fellow Bostonian, and someone whom I worked with on Rescue Me, Denis Leary, actually has a long list of credits that highlight his serious side. Most recently, he starred alongside Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone in The Amazing Spiderman playing Stone’s father, Captain Stacy.

We all know that Adam Sandler can be funny. But who knew he could be serious at the same time. If you haven’t seen Punch Drunk Love, watch it. It’s probably Sandler’s best performance.

Jim Carrey won a Golden Globe for showing his serious side in The Truman Show. But you may not be familiar with The Majestic. Check out this scene:

This just goes to show you that actors are actors. They can be funny, they can be serious. They can just, be. Don’t under-estimate comedians. Oftentimes, they are some seriously serious people in real life and they can bring that to the stage or screen just as effortlessly as they do comedy.

by Categories: Acting, Acting With An Accent, Breakout Role, EntertainmentTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

#BostonStrong: Why This New York Transplant Will Always Be a Boston Gal

Hollywood loves Boston. 2007’s Best Picture winner was The Departed, after all. The cops were tough and didn’t take any crap from anybody.  During this past week, I have been visiting my parents in the Boston in suburb which I grew up. Never in a million years would I have thought that two bombings, 4 deaths, nearly 200 injuries, and massive manhunt would happen over the course of the week. It’s only a matter of time before Person of Interest, CSI, or even Boston native, Ben Affleck, condense these events into some sort of Hollywood epic.

However, there is a time and a place for everything. Honestly, it’s going to take time for healing to happen; both for the victims who lost their limbs and those who witnessed the horrific events. Even when we were stuck in our homes yesterday, with our eyes glued to various local news stations, it seemed like an out-of-body experience. It was as if we were watching something unfold as part of movies like this year’s Argo, or Ben Affleck’s other directorial effort, The Town. In fact, having SWAT teams and police officers go door to door in Watertown seemed as if it could have only been written by someone in Hollywood. It was as if Ed Harris’ character from The Truman Show were real and someone behind the scenes was calling the shots.

As we digest the past few days, and go forward into the next few weeks and months, we have to remember that this was in fact, real. Real lives were lost, real people became heroes. That’s one thing that Hollywood can’t duplicate. They will never be able to recreate the spirit of Boston residents, the sheer panic that we felt when it was happening, or the relief that we felt when it was all over . Some situations are best left alone and not tampered with by Hollywood. Allow us time to heal, grieve and yes, even be wicked pissed off that these horrific events have happened on our home turf. I may have moved to New York City six years ago, but my heart and my family are all in Boston. I will ALWAYS be a Boston gal. ALWAYS.  BOSTON STRONG FOREVER.

by Categories: Boston, RantsTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment