A Brief History of Mime

Today's topic is:



(Click to embiggen.)

This blog sorta-kinda relates (a little bit) to yesterday's topic. Oh, I know you don't expect me to maintain any sort of coherence from one day to the next, but sometimes that's just the way the brainwaves wash ashore. This does not represent a trend or anything...

As I mentioned, I was educated to be a filmmaker. (Yes, it's true that Lawrence, KS is not exactly an artistic hub in the cinematic industry...nor is it located anywhere Hollywood -- but even a blind squirrel finds acorns sometimes. I learned a few of the basics.) During my years at KU, I also watched a LOT of television and movies, and learned to appreciate fine audio-visual entertainment.

What I did NOT learn was how to be a snooty and sophisticated drama snob. Which is another way of saying that I almost always disagree with the "Best Pictures" choices made by the Academy.

Yes, the Oscars. (By the way, the folks in the photo above are Oscar the Grouch, Oscar Madison, Oscar Pistorius, Oscar Mayer, Oscar Goldman, and Oscar de la Hoya. I could've also included Walter Matthau and Matthew Perry, who also played the role of Oscar Madison, but thought that would be a bit much. For those of you who are too young to remember "The Six Million Dollar Man," Oscar Goldman was Steve Austin's spy-agency handler buddy...ably played by the prolific actor Richard Anderson. NOTE: He is not to be confused with Ricky Dean Anderson, who played MacGyver and Col. O'Neill on Stargate. And yes, I would like to someday ride in the Wienermobile.)

Anyway, I understand that the movie "Birdman" was the big winner. I had not even heard of it until yesterday, which means that it must've been aimed at a different target audience than the one to which I belong. The TV channels I watch feature ads for "Hot Tub Time Machine," "Paddington," and "The SpongeBob Movie," but NOT anything that was nominated for Best Picture. Hmmm.

At some point, I may have time to post my list of the movies that should have won the Oscar, but for now I'll just mention the biggest mistake of all time -- when "Back to the Future" wasn't even nominated in 1985. "Out of Africa" won that year, which is one of the two movies I have walked out of because they sucked so badly.

[Disclaimer: I know that chicks dig "OOA" for some reason, but that is precisely why the babes shouldn't be allowed to vote. Sheesh! They also gave us Jimmy Carter. Thanks a lot, Susan B. Anthony.]

By the way, "Kramer vs. Kramer" won while "Alien" (pictured above) wasn't even nominated. Seriously. Have I made my point?

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that I saw "The Theory of Everything" over the weekend. It's a movie about a genius scientist who ponders the glories of the cosmos, so I was expecting to explore the process of discovery and gain some insight into brilliance. Instead, the film focused on the challenges in being married to a dude with health issues. It should have been about the wonders of the Universe and solving the mysteries of the beginning of creation. But no. It's a relationship movie! Gack.

The good news is that I saw the previews for "Ant Man," a new Marvel superhero flick. Now that is a concept I can get excited about. Paul Rudd is an odd choice for a superhero, but I said the same thing about Michael Keaton being cast as Batman, and that worked out OK. (Obviously, Jack Nicholson stinks to high heaven, but that's a topic for my further discussion about the Academy's shortcomings.)

OK, OK; I will concede that not everyone is required to have the same tastes as me. If you want to spend your entertainment dollars to wallow in the emotional turmoil and mental angst of debating who left the toilet seat up or forgot a birthday, then knock yourself out. I do understand that some people actually prefer Meryl Streep to Moe Howard and Monty Python. Those people are idiots, but even idiots are entitled to their own opinions. Of course, I would prefer that they didn't vote in Presidential elections, but what're ya gonna do?

Anyway, all of this discussion was merely to lead us to today's puzzle challenge. It should be an easy one, especially with the clue from a couple of paragraphs above. What do these five guys have in common?



Answers tomorrow. In the meantime, may all your entertainment needs be fully met by whatever choices you make. Have a great day!