by Jillian Leigh, Ampersandology
Inside the Actor's Studio used to be my favourite guilty pleasure. It had actors! INSIDE THE STUDIO! Talking about their roles! CANDIDLY! I love candid. It's so real and stuff.
I particularly dug the singular approach of host James Lipton: the way his bottom lip quivers with excitement as he listens; the way his questions usually took longer than his subjects' answers; that beard. One word, ladies: endearing! Way back on the first episode, when my beloved Paul Newman was its first guest, you could tell he was a little intimidated by how much this man knew about him. That's Lipton's greatest strength: his overbearing research tic. He's like a stalker-- only hilarious and elderly! It was amazing, because Lipton's charming OCD researching skillz were not the pop culture legend they are, SO NO ONE WAS WARNED.
It didn't hurt that he's proven to have an amazing, bordering on Damon-esque sense of humour about his pompous rep. He was on Arrested Development! That's like solid GOLD for the cool kids table!
But then, as they always do, things got silly. The guests on this once beloved cultural touchstone began to get a little unorthodox (Billy Bob Thornton? Oh, okay, yeah, sure I guess...) to questionable (has Tim Allen ever actually acted? Since when does 'aping' count? Aw, did I miss the vote again?) to unfortunate (wait, wait, wait-- Jennifer WHO-pez?). Then the once veritable Studio, that had nurtured such talents as Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift and Sidney Poitier dove straight into implausible with just two words: Bon. Jovi.
Clearly, the Studio had cross-examined all the real actors and was busy chipping its way through anyone marginally eligible for the moniker of "thespian." It's more like "Inside the People Who Have Uttered Words in a Public Venue's Studio." And to be quite honest, it was embarassing to heard Lipton apply his special brand of hyperbole to the ouvre of Queen Latifah. Look, I sekritly like Last Holiday as much as the next guy, but come on. It's no Center Stage, people.
But losing streak be damned...this clip brought the magic back. Damn it Lipton; I just can't quit you.
Inside the Actor's Studio used to be my favourite guilty pleasure. It had actors! INSIDE THE STUDIO! Talking about their roles! CANDIDLY! I love candid. It's so real and stuff.
I particularly dug the singular approach of host James Lipton: the way his bottom lip quivers with excitement as he listens; the way his questions usually took longer than his subjects' answers; that beard. One word, ladies: endearing! Way back on the first episode, when my beloved Paul Newman was its first guest, you could tell he was a little intimidated by how much this man knew about him. That's Lipton's greatest strength: his overbearing research tic. He's like a stalker-- only hilarious and elderly! It was amazing, because Lipton's charming OCD researching skillz were not the pop culture legend they are, SO NO ONE WAS WARNED.
It didn't hurt that he's proven to have an amazing, bordering on Damon-esque sense of humour about his pompous rep. He was on Arrested Development! That's like solid GOLD for the cool kids table!
But then, as they always do, things got silly. The guests on this once beloved cultural touchstone began to get a little unorthodox (Billy Bob Thornton? Oh, okay, yeah, sure I guess...) to questionable (has Tim Allen ever actually acted? Since when does 'aping' count? Aw, did I miss the vote again?) to unfortunate (wait, wait, wait-- Jennifer WHO-pez?). Then the once veritable Studio, that had nurtured such talents as Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift and Sidney Poitier dove straight into implausible with just two words: Bon. Jovi.
Clearly, the Studio had cross-examined all the real actors and was busy chipping its way through anyone marginally eligible for the moniker of "thespian." It's more like "Inside the People Who Have Uttered Words in a Public Venue's Studio." And to be quite honest, it was embarassing to heard Lipton apply his special brand of hyperbole to the ouvre of Queen Latifah. Look, I sekritly like Last Holiday as much as the next guy, but come on. It's no Center Stage, people.
But losing streak be damned...this clip brought the magic back. Damn it Lipton; I just can't quit you.
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