First Things Bleeping Last

     "A blog topic about show business?  Really?  I didn't know you could talk about that sort of thing on the internet." 
     Yes it's unnecessary and cliche but those adjectives can be used to describe a lot of the things I do.  I am however (baring any especially newsworthy occurrences) restricting my entertainment industry blogging to one day a week.  We'll see how well that works. 
     Today let's travel back in time to address one of the many horrible omissions and oversights by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.  This particular catastrophe concerns the 1992 nominees for best supporting actor, and more specifically, the fact that Chris Penn for his role as Nice Guy Eddie in Reservoir Dogs was not on the list.  Here's who was.  
     - Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men.  Obviously.  Classic role, classic movie.  Almost twenty years later I still haven't gone a week without hearing someone, somewhere throw out a "You can't handle the truth."
     -Al Pacino in Glengarry Glen Ross.  Again, fine.  Some of the best on-screen dialogue ever written, delivered to perfection by a ridiculously talented cast, of which Pacino's star burned the brightest.
     -Gene Hackman for Unforgiven.  The winner.  An iconic performance in my number one favorite movie of all time.
     Now things get a little silly.
     -David Paymer for Mr. Saturday Night.  Talented character actor.  Loved him in Mel Gibson's Payback.  He showed a great sense of humor poking a little bit of fun at himself in a recent cell phone commercial.  But while he gave a solid performance it wasn't remarkable.  The film was the creative baby of Billy Crystal, who Hollywood loves, and for good reason.  Unfortunately Mr. Saturday Night wasn't loved by critics or movie goers.  Paymer's nomination was a consolatory gift to Billy Crystal.
     Now things get preposterous. 
     Jaye Davidson.  Who?  The cross dresser from A Crying Game.  A Crying Game?  What the hell is that?  It's an alright movie, but more importantly, a case study in the free media hype male full frontal nudity was able to get you back then.  Nominated for having a male sexual organ, nothing more.
     Chris Penn on the other hand gave a powerhouse performance in Reservoir Dogs.  Like Pacino in Glengarry, Penn was surrounded by amazing actors, and he towered above them all.  He was a physical embodiment of the film's dark humor and raw, bad guy machismo.  Penn portrayed a career criminal straddling the line of requisite professionalism and the churning sea of anti-social rage simmering just below his surface to perfection.  Brilliant, brilliant stuff.  Unfortunately Hollywood was still trying to figure out Quentin Tarantino back then.  While they were scratching their heads, they let an amazing performance escape the attention it was due.
     Sadly Chris Penn passed away in 2006.  His legacy lives on however, every time myself and the millions of other nerd-ish Tarantino fans watch Reservoir Dogs and recite each line verbatim.  Nice Guy Eddie's are my favorite.  I'm not the only one who feels that way.  Thank you for that Mr. Penn.  We really appreciate it.