So I thought we'd try to do something different in tandem with our "best and worst" of lists. One of the things I've always liked about the mostly worthless Entertainment Weekly is that in their end of the year issue, they give special note to performances that they felt particularly stood out over the past year, whether it's in TV, music, theatre, or film. I thought we could do the same thing here.
It's important, though, that we not just list our favorite performances--that we actually state why. Although, given the "worst of thread", I don't see that being a problem.
And as a special added bonus, if you want to throw in a couple of selections from stuff NOT from 2006 that you saw/heard from the first time this year, that's cool.
I'm sure I'll have more, but here are a couple to start out with:
Aaron Eckhart, 'Thank You For Smoking'--It seems odd that one of the year's most likable protagonists is a man who sells bullshit for a living. But there tobacco lobbyist Nick Naylor is, shilling for the tobacco industry, bedding Katie Holmes, hanging out with fellow Merchants of Death, and possibly corrupting his son. Could it have worked without Eckhart's sympathetic performance and hilarious narration? Maybe. Would it have worked as well? I don't think so.
John C. McGinley, 'Scrubs'--In the annals of 'Scrubs' lore, the 2006-2006 season will go down as "the one where they pulled out all the stops and Emmy voters still didn't care." Dr. Cox's mid-season breakdown, decline, and return is, as Richard Dickson said on these boards, some of the best medical drama on tv, and when he wasn't doing all that, McGinley continued to knock it out of the park week after week after week after week after week on what is network TV's most underappreciated show. For those of you who haven't yet decided that yes, McGinley is indeed better than Gary Cole, I have three words for you: "Payback's a bitch."
Jeffery Dean Morgan, 'Grey's Anatomy' and 'Supernatural'--Holy shit, where did this guy come from? When he wasn't being a badass father and ultra-rogue demon hunter on the soon-to-be-if-it-isn't-already cult classic 'Supernatural' (the best monster of the week show since 'X-Files' and 'Buffy' left the air), he was breaking hearts and managing to charm even my cold self on the love/hate 'Grey's' as heart patient Denny Duquette. I mean, come on, the guy makes week-old stubble look good. Now, if TV can manage to keep from killing him off, I'll keep watching if they keep making him cool.
Mark Walhberg, The Departed--Even though I loved him in 'Boogie Nights', 'Three Kings,' and 'I Heart Huckabees,' someone hit it dead on when they said the foul-mouthed Dignam is the performance of his career. To paraphrase one of co-star Alec Baldwin's other films, "Do you know what it takes to steal a movie from Jack Nicholson, Martin Sheen, Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, and me? It takes brass balls to steal a movie from us."
Steven Weber, 'Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip'--Being great on a shitty show is usually not a hard task (see: Chandra Wilson). But right around we were learning about a certain brother 'STANDING IN THE MIDDLE OF AFGHANISTAN' on Aaron Sorkin's much-anticipated backstage drama, the wheels started to come off the wagon. It would have been easy to stop watching if this had been any other show--and if Weber hadn't been on it. But in that same infamous episode, Weber delivered a rant on a pseudo-West Wing about the United Nations that almost made that episode worth it. And that rant, and many other moments in Weber's layered, sarcastic, funny performance as network head Jack Rudolph, were what kept me watching 'Studio 60', hoping Sorkin would write a show as good as Weber deserved. He's getting there, but not yet. As long as Weber's around, I'll wait and see.
It's important, though, that we not just list our favorite performances--that we actually state why. Although, given the "worst of thread", I don't see that being a problem.
And as a special added bonus, if you want to throw in a couple of selections from stuff NOT from 2006 that you saw/heard from the first time this year, that's cool.
I'm sure I'll have more, but here are a couple to start out with:
Aaron Eckhart, 'Thank You For Smoking'--It seems odd that one of the year's most likable protagonists is a man who sells bullshit for a living. But there tobacco lobbyist Nick Naylor is, shilling for the tobacco industry, bedding Katie Holmes, hanging out with fellow Merchants of Death, and possibly corrupting his son. Could it have worked without Eckhart's sympathetic performance and hilarious narration? Maybe. Would it have worked as well? I don't think so.
John C. McGinley, 'Scrubs'--In the annals of 'Scrubs' lore, the 2006-2006 season will go down as "the one where they pulled out all the stops and Emmy voters still didn't care." Dr. Cox's mid-season breakdown, decline, and return is, as Richard Dickson said on these boards, some of the best medical drama on tv, and when he wasn't doing all that, McGinley continued to knock it out of the park week after week after week after week after week on what is network TV's most underappreciated show. For those of you who haven't yet decided that yes, McGinley is indeed better than Gary Cole, I have three words for you: "Payback's a bitch."
Jeffery Dean Morgan, 'Grey's Anatomy' and 'Supernatural'--Holy shit, where did this guy come from? When he wasn't being a badass father and ultra-rogue demon hunter on the soon-to-be-if-it-isn't-already cult classic 'Supernatural' (the best monster of the week show since 'X-Files' and 'Buffy' left the air), he was breaking hearts and managing to charm even my cold self on the love/hate 'Grey's' as heart patient Denny Duquette. I mean, come on, the guy makes week-old stubble look good. Now, if TV can manage to keep from killing him off, I'll keep watching if they keep making him cool.
Mark Walhberg, The Departed--Even though I loved him in 'Boogie Nights', 'Three Kings,' and 'I Heart Huckabees,' someone hit it dead on when they said the foul-mouthed Dignam is the performance of his career. To paraphrase one of co-star Alec Baldwin's other films, "Do you know what it takes to steal a movie from Jack Nicholson, Martin Sheen, Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, and me? It takes brass balls to steal a movie from us."
Steven Weber, 'Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip'--Being great on a shitty show is usually not a hard task (see: Chandra Wilson). But right around we were learning about a certain brother 'STANDING IN THE MIDDLE OF AFGHANISTAN' on Aaron Sorkin's much-anticipated backstage drama, the wheels started to come off the wagon. It would have been easy to stop watching if this had been any other show--and if Weber hadn't been on it. But in that same infamous episode, Weber delivered a rant on a pseudo-West Wing about the United Nations that almost made that episode worth it. And that rant, and many other moments in Weber's layered, sarcastic, funny performance as network head Jack Rudolph, were what kept me watching 'Studio 60', hoping Sorkin would write a show as good as Weber deserved. He's getting there, but not yet. As long as Weber's around, I'll wait and see.
