In Memoriam

J. Bryan Hayes

I haven't yet blogged about anything for Buffalo/WNY Theatre and it's unfortunate that this tragedy has to be the first for that subject. Actor J. Bryan Hayes, who worked extensively in the WNY area before re-locating, passed away recently. He worked for most of the area's theatres/companies at some point or other. Personally, I only worked with him once - in a production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at Upstage NY back in the very early 90s.



A memorial service will be held at 10am on Sunday, December 9th at the Kavinoky Theatre for any wishing to attend.

(photo by Beverly Broucous)

The Men of Wisteria Lane

OK, we all know the show is called Desperate Housewives. And we all know the women are fierce in their own ways. But I want to write about the men who are currently on the show. Some of them I like, some of them I love, some of them I couldn't give a rat's ass about one way or another. So, in no particular order...

Doug Savant (Tom Scavo) I must admit, I love him the most. Not because he played gay on Melrose Place. Not because his name is "Doug," like me. (FYI - "Douglas" is a Scottish name that translates to "dweller of the dark brook." Mysterious, huh?) As far as I'm concerned, he's the unsung strongest male actor on the show. He's not only completely and utterly believable, but he's strong enough to go head-to-head with Felicity Huffman in a majority of his scenes. I think he plays his character exactly right - flawed and real...exactly what every man really is.
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Ricardo Chavira (Carlos Solis) I love him second most. I love Latin men. He's tall, dark and swarthy. He's also a man's man. Oh, and a good actor. My only complaint? Wait, I have none.
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Shawn Pyfrom (Andrew Van De Camp) Don't argue with me. He's not one of the kids anymore. He's a young man. And a fine actor. I wished the writers hadn't watered him down so much since his bad-boy days. And give the character a boyfriend, please! He's been single and celibate for too long. Someone that good-looking and in the prime of his life should be gettin' some on a regular basis. Shawn has come a long way since his guest starring days on Still Standing and Reba. Hell, sometimes you can catch him on both shows, back-to-back on Lifetime.

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Kyle MacLachlan (Orson Hodge) Kyle's been around for years. And I still don't buy a majority of what he says/does on screen. It's not that I think he's a bad actor. He's OK. But, there's something so "plastic" and "facade-like" about him, that I've always wondered if the real Kyle MacLachlan was buried somewhere in the sands of Dune, while what we see is some sort of robot David Lynch created to take his place. He's so wax-like, I half-expect him to melt in daylight scenes.

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James Denton (Mike Delfino) Sleepwalking. That's what he's doing. Sleepwalking.

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Kevin Rahm (Lee McDermott) One half of the gay couple on Wisteria Lane. I like him. He's appropriately snarky (and you know I love snarky!). His face has character and there's something very appealing about him. I'm intrigued enough that I'll bet they kill off his partner at some point and give him more to do...

like maybe become Andrew's bf.

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Tuc Watkins (Bob Hunter) The other half of the gay couple on Wisteria Lane. The cardboard half.

Film Review

30 Days of Night

You're not gonna believe this...I freakin' loved this movie! It's not gonna win any awards or anything, but it's so damn stylized and crafted that ya can't help but be impressed.

The story is this...

The town of Barrow is far enough north that it's one of the locations in Alaska that ends up with 30 straight days without sunlight. A majority of the town leaves for elsewhere during this time because most of the locals can't deal with darkness for that long. Maybe 75-100 folks stay for the duration. And only a handful survive...because freaky-deaky vampires some to play! What better place for vampires to visit? No pesky sunlight to drive them into slumber. Just constant darkness. They don't feel cold - only hunger. So it's terror for the residents because they've got, basically, no chance.

The cinematography is very cool. Very unique. There's one overhead crane shot of the overall massacre of the town that is striking. Blood on snow. Makes a fantastic impression.

The tension builds throughout the film - basically along the lines of "who's gonna get bitten/savaged/axed/beheaded next?" I had a number of "jump out of my seat" moments.

It stars Josh Hartnett and Melissa George. Now, I usually hate Josh Hartnett. I think he's pretty much the blandest "actor" ever to appear on screen. Thank the heavens he doesn't have much to do here but look stressed, run around, and yell a lot, so he's tolerable. Oh, and he grows a beard over the course of the film. And the beard looks, appropriately for baby-faced Joshy, like that of a 12 year old boy.

Melissa George - dunno who the hell she is. Very Olivia D'Abo..though I don't know if that's necessarily a good thing.

I would say the best part of the movie is the fact that, while there are "special effects," it's mostly of the good, old fashioned splatter-fest makeup effects kind. There's barely any green-screening. Just lots of fake blood, fake snow, and real terror.

Go see it - you'll be pleasantly surprised.

10 of My Favorite Actresses Currently Appearing on TV

Obviously, this list is subjective. But, I love every one of these women. I think they're talented, beautiful and some of the best actresses working today. They're in my order of preference...

(1) Felicity Huffman - The true anchor of Desperate Housewives. The other women are all very good, but Huffman is a true goddess. She's brilliant and needs to make more feature films, like Transamerica... not like Georgia Rule. I have nothing snarky to say about her.

(2) Jean Smart - Currently appearing on Samantha Who? The former Designing Women star is a formidable actress. She's appeared on almost every quality sitcom (both she and Felicity Huffman were Frasier Crane's girlfriends at one time or another on Frasier), and her Emmy nominated work on 24 was amazing. Someone get this woman into more films. A hidden gem of hers: playing the Bradys' next door-neighbor, Mrs. Ditmeyer in The Brady Bunch Movie. (Feeling drunk, horny and standing between Greg and Peter: "I'm in a Brady sandwich.")

(3) Sally Field - OK, she's amazing. Nobody can work a camera or an audience better than she on Brothers & Sisters. She's consistently ballsy. And consistently good. And the Boniva spokeswoman.

(4) Chandra Wilson - I LOVE Wilson as Dr. Miranda Bailey on Grey's Anatomy. She makes the "Nazi" (their term, not mine) on the show a strong leader, yet a sensitive woman. Can't wait to see what the future holds for her. And, Chandra, I don't care what you say - I love your nose.

(5) Becki Newton - As Amanda on Ugly Betty, she manages to do the unthinkable...steal almost every scene she's in. Brilliant at both comedy and dramatic work, great at slapstick comedy and fantastic at portraying multiple roles, she's someone to watch. And she's hot! Don't forget hot. Every homo's dream hag.

(6) Rachel Griffiths - Was brilliant on Six Feet Under, is brilliant on Brothers & Sisters. I'm a sucker for an Aussie.

(7) America Ferrera - The only actress on my list named after a country/continent. Ugly Betty herself conveys every emotion flawlessly, while holding the center of the show. I wonder if her boyfriend sings "I like to be in America..." when they have sex?

(8) Kristin Chenoweth - The Pushing Daisies star is adorable, yet formidable. She's been popping up everywhere (Ugly Betty, The West Wing) since she left Broadway's Wicked. And, don't forget she was the basis for Sarah Paulson's born-again character on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Kristin's got Jesus on her side.

(9) Kate Walsh - She's the perfect actress to spin off from Grey's Anatomy, to Private Practice. I idolize her. I wish I was her. Then, I'd get to meet TR Knight.

(10) Sandra Oh - I feel bad putting her at #10. She is a genius. Fantastic on Grey's Anatomy. Was great in Sideways. But she was stupid for ever agreeing to do Under the Tuscan Sun.