The Dishmaster

I loved him just as much as anyone else, but it’s time to close the book on the endless Michael Jackson coverage.  I found myself home on a Friday night channel surfing, and I came across another one of those Michael Jackson specials, where everyone who’s “close” to him, discusses who he really was.  Here’s the rundown: Neverland was a way for him to get the childhood that he never had; the molestation lawsuit changed him forever; and he was just so talented.  Apparently there are 5 million ways to say those three things.  It’s clear that no one being interviewed actually knew the guy, which means it’s just a bunch of speculation that I don’t need to see on every channel of my television.  So until his three children are old enough to do an interview, I’d like to declare a moratorium on this coverage.  If you miss him, just go rent ‘This is It.’  You’ll get to see his behind-the-scenes creative process, and feel free to loop it a gazillion times – that should do it.

You might remember Nicholas Hoult from the 2002 film, ‘About a Boy.’  Hoult played a bit of an outcast, and received a lot of praise for his performance.  At the time, Roger Ebert said that he liked that Holt isn’t “conventionally cute,” and every moment he has on screen is authentic.  Eight years later, I think it’s safe to say that Nicholas Hoult is now “conventionally cute.”   Since ‘About a Boy’, Hoult’s most known role is in the UK television show, ‘Skins’.  The main reason I chose him for this week’s post though, is because of his very touching performance in the 2005 film, ‘Wah-Wah.’  The film was written and directed by British actor Richard E. Grant, and it is loosely based on his own childhood in Swaziland, during the last days of the British Empire in Africa in the 1960’s.  The story is secondary to the characters, so keeping the audience engaged was a formidable task that Hoult easily lived up to.  I’m surprised that it didn’t garner more attention, but perhaps the limited release had something to do with it.  I realize he’s only 20, so it’s slightly odd to call him “underrated” at such a young age.  But with those great credits on his resume so far, I think it’s fitting.

Jason Segel joins the long line of actors that like to bite the hand that feeds them.  In an interview with GQ, Segel (best known as that guy with the big schlong from ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’) expressed his frustration with being tied to ‘How I Met Your Mother’ for eight seasons, saying that “playing one character for eight years isn’t what [he’s] trying to do.”  He also said that the cheesy writing doesn’t help.  I’m not sure why television actors have such disdain for the projects that make them famous.  Furthermore, actors don’t sign eight year contracts when they join a show.  That means that Segel re-signed his contract at some point in the game, and though he might regret it, he has only himself to blame.  But shouldn’t he be happy that he has a consistent, high-paying gig?  Wait till the offers dry up.