Taps and the City

So I turned on "TAPS" on FMC because I wanted to catch the scene that is used in the Scene It board game. What I found out while watching was that--brace yourself--Harry Goldenblatt once had hair! I know! Oh, and that was also 28 years ago. Quite the career, I'd say, Mr. Handler.

For the uninitiated, Harry Goldenblatt is Charlotte's husband, in "Sex and the City."

I'm still working on a screenshot of him in "TAPS," but I'll get it posted once I get one.

Actor: Evan Handler
Previous work: "Sex and the City" and "Californication"
Fun(ny) fact: He used to have hair. Who knew?

Most Annoying Sound in the World: Oh!

Somebody says yous need protection. Dat true?

No, no. Well, kind of... I'm confused. So, you are a hitman, but you are offering protection to me while I stock this convenience store fridge with Miller lite?

Still confused. Oh, well. You wanna hear the most annoying sound in the world? And follow that up with some hot peppers?



Actor: Mike Starr
Commercial(s): Miller Lite Taste Protector Cap thingy
Previous work: "Dumb & Dumber" and "Life on Mars"
Fun(ny) fact: I once saw him and his lady friend (wife, maybe?) coming out of the spa area in the Nordstrom building on Michigan Avenue in Chicago

There's Only One October Gonzo...?

The newest MLB Playoffs commercials are here, and thankfully, there is no Dane Cook this time. Instead, we get October Gonzo, so he is called on the MLBlogs.com site. He's much cooler than Cook, and by far less annoying and spastic.

Actor: Rick Gonzalez
Commercial(s): MLB Playoffs "There's only one October" and Sprite
Previous work: "Old School" and "Reaper"
Bonus material: About October Gonzo

Wireless Fiber

Good gravy, this actor has been in so many commercials I don't know where to begin. He usually plays that "every guy" or a dad. Either way, he's racked up quite a commercial-acting career for himself.



Actor: Bob Stephenson
Commercial(s): Fiber One (above) and Verizon Wireless saying "Whatev" when his daughter talks for hours
Previous work: "Transformers" and "Zodiac"

P.S. For the other two actors in this commercial, check this out.

There's Something About Mr. & Mrs. Smith

He has played several different roles, from funny man to evil, exploitative drug dealer, and has a distinctive voice, which he has lent to several cartoon shows and video games. He's also a hard worker; he's got 17 roles coming this year alone. My favorite line of his (from "There's Something About Mary"): "How'd you get the beans above the frank?"

Actor: Keith David
Commercial(s): U.S. Navy (voiceover)
Previous work: "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" and "Crash"

Aidan Likes 'Apps'

Anyone who knows me knows I dislike abbreviating words, especially those that only cut out one syllable or letter. For instance: situation becomes "sitch"; all things text messaging; appetizers becomes "apps." That's where this entry comes in. It's for Applebee's Ulitmate Trios/"three killer apps." That voiceover you hear is Aidan Shaw from "Sex and the City," the TV version.

Actor: John Corbett
Commercial(s): Applebee's (Ultimate Trios voiceover)
Previous work: "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and "Northern Exposure"
Bonus material: Video (opens in a new window)

'Ees tha Go-leee!'

I can finally use that headline. Remember the entry for Shane West, the goalie for the Iceland team in "D2: The Mighty Ducks"? Well, this guy is the Ducks' goalie! Goldberg!



Actor: Shaun Weiss
Commercial(s): Captain Morgan ("Maxie Mixers are going fast"); Castrol GTX (engine sludge, extra napkins); V-Cast from Verizon (watching the Arizona-Colorado game from the ambulance)
Previous work: All "The Mighty Duck" films and "Heavy Weights"

Campbell Soup Ads

Any objectivity will be lost if I write more, so this entry will be short. This actor is the dude who loves Campbell Soup handhelds far, far, far too much.

Actor: Ryan Gaul
Previous work: "10 Items or Less"

Hannibal Loves Frankie

There are four films* in which Hannibal Lecter appears. However, only one actor has been cast in all of them: Frankie Faison. He played Barney Matthews in "The Silence of the Lambs," "Hannibal" and "Red Dragon." But in "Manhunter," he played Lt. Fisk. We won't hold that against him, though, considering that Hannibal Lecter was played by Brian Cox in that installment.

In his other roles, he generally plays a teddy-bear father figure or some variation on a police officer.

Actor: Frankie Faison
Previous work: "Coming to America" and "Do the Right Thing"

*Technically, there are five films. However, we won't count "Hannibal Rising" because it was set when Hannibal was a child. Frankie's characters wouldn't have been born yet.

10 Ficuses or Less

Is that the plural of ficus? I'm getting the little red squiggly line under it. Either way, this guy is the operator that denies a car insurance claim because only ficuses are part of the guy's policy.

And he forgot how to drink coffee. Poor, unfortunate soul.



Actor: Bob Clendenin
Monk episode: "Mr. Monk and the Captain's Marriage"
Commercial(s): Nationwide ("Was it a ficus?"); Become an Ex (re-learning to drink coffee)
Previous work: "Scrubs" and "10 Items or Less"

Subaru Rufus

Lots of "ooo" sounds; it's kind of soothing (oh--and the ooo's just keep coming, people!). Anyway, the guy that played Rufus (the home theater guy) on "Entourage" also is in a Subaru commercial, where he and his kid keep finding awards all over the place.

Actor: Marlon Young
Commercial(s): Subaru Forester (awards in the floorboards)
Previous work: "War of the Worlds" and "The District"

I, Pirate

He was the redheaded pirate in "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story." He was also in "I, Robot," although you never actually saw him; he was the motion-capture actor who served as the body for the robot Sonny. And I'm pretty sure he is a master at voice work. I've always been convinced that he is from England (consider his accents in "A Knight’s Tale" and "Death at a Funeral"), but I was wrong. He's from El Paso, Texas. England, El Paso--at least they both start with the same letter.

Actor: Alan Tudyk
Previous work: "Arrested Development" and "Knocked Up"

The Green Inmate

This actor played a former inmate from the Stamford branch of Dunder-Mifflin, and at times he appears in Toyota commercials. Oh, and puts a lot of old greedy (sometimes naked) white men in their place. That's him leading the show, as well.



Actor: Wayne Wilderson
Commercial(s): Chevy green vehicles (he explains green to children while walking around the vehicle); Washington Mutual (all the WaMu vs. all the old white guys); Fruit of the Loom (the grapes)
Previous work: "Evan Almighty" and "The Office"

Both Sides of the Law

He now has a big bushy moustache and generally plays cops or military men. In fact, he is SFPD Captain Leland Stottlemeyer on "Monk." However, many people probably know him better in a completely different role. Maybe it would help if he lost some weight, shaved, wore make-up (among other things), tucked "it" in and "put the f---ing lotion in the basket."

Actor: Ted Levine
Monk episode: All (as far as I can tell)
Previous work: "The Silence of the Lambs" and "Joy Ride" (voice)
Image source: http://www.usanetwork.com/series/monk/

Big Fish in the Office

He played Roy, Pam's boyfriend/fiancé who wanted to kill Jim, as well as a deaf football player and a gay bartender. That's quite the spectrum of roles, wouldn't you say?

Actor: David Denman
Previous work: "Big Fish" and "Out Cold"

Now, Milton, Switch to Comcast

The actor who played Milton in "Office Space" recently has been seen in a Comcast commercial, where he reads a fairy tale about low introductory rates. He gets a little testy while reading, but he doesn't burn anything down. And we appreciate that.

Actor: Stephen Root
Commercial(s): Comcast (the one where they tell fairy tales about sheep and low introductory rates)
Previous work: "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story" and both "Ice Age" films

Best Chappelle's Show Ever

Chad: "You stabbed my dad!"
Tron: "I mean, really, Chad, we could just f--k you up."
He's also a mainstay on most of the VH1 shows where people say funny things about stuff that happened this week or in the '80s or '90s.



Actor: Christian Finnegan
Previous work: "Comedy Central Presents" and "Chappelle's Show"

Un-pimped Out Auto

They're the commercials where the "German" guy and the hot assistant (still working on who she is) smash a ridiculously pimped-out car. You probably know him better as the rarely clean-shaven, hobo-looking Russian bad guy. But in actuality, the actor is Swedish.

Actor: Peter Stormare
Commercial(s): VW Mark 5
Monk episode: "Mr. Monk Paints His Masterpiece"
Previous work: "Fargo" and "Prison Break"