I'd pay to see him/her read the phone book

[Dani257]

Which actors/ actresses do you think are brilliant and would watch almost anything with them in it?

For the me, the greatest actor of all time was Cary Grant. I love that man. (He wasn't hard on the eyes, either)

For women, I'm kind of torn between Katharine Hepburn and Bette Davis. I think Bette had more range.

There aren't too many living actresses that I think are totally brilliant. I do love Kellie Martin, but mainly because everytime I see her, I see Becca from Life Goes On, who was totally me. Even down to the glasses. I do think she's a good actress.

I used to say Anthony Hopkins was the greatest actor living, but I think I have to bump him in favor of Kevin Spacey. The man is amazing. Just the very ending of The Usual Suspects shows how great he is. And, I watched American Beauty, which isn't even my type of film to see him. As usual, he did a fantastic job. The last film I saw him in was Pay It Forward. Sappy to the extreme (not that I mind a little sap in my day) but I just keep watching it over and over. (My dad taped it for me) Especially the part where he says how he got his burns.

Edited to say I even watched him in this tv movie starring Fred Savage (who I hate with the passion of 1000 suns, don't ask me why)

[pluckyduck]

Before I even read the meat of your post, Angela, I knew my answer. Kevin Spacey. Kevin Spacey. Kevin Spacey.

After Spacey comes a venerable crew - Hopkins, Duvall, and Costner.











(Ha! Just kidding about Costner! )

Andrea
who has better taste than that, silly!

[Dani257]

Originally posted by pluckyduck



(Ha! Just kidding about Costner! )

Andrea
who has better taste than that, silly!

Don't DO that!

[Grouch]

For the A-K section of the phone book: Cary Grant (you have such impeccably good taste, Angela!)
For the L-Z section: Gary Cooper.

Females? Meryl Streep (circa 1982, when she was at her peak). She could take the A-G section; Paulette Godard would read H-M; Veronica Lake, M-Q; then the two Jeans (Harlow and Arthur) would duet on R-Y. I'd end it all with lovely Winona Ryder breezing through the Zs.

[erik_kosberg]

For a serious reading of the phone book, Alec Guinness. For a funny reading, Danny Kaye.

[sylvanb]

Lawrence Olivier. Dressed as Hamlet.

Alas, poor Bell Telephone. I knew it well, Horatio

John Cleese. The Rome phone book. The Moscow phone book. Naked. With Jamie Curtis as audience.

:happy:

[quasar]

Gotta agree on Cary Grant. I think I'd also like Howard Keel to sing me part of it. Zero Mostel and Phil Silvers would fight over the final section just because.

And the finale....Tom Lehrer (even though he isn't an actor) reading the old Vladivostok telephone directory

Janice

PS If I went with Olivier I'd want Darcy not Hamlet

[MrsNormanMaine[$]]

Judi Dench and Emma Thompson for the white pages.

Kevin Kline, Jude Law, and John Cleese for the yellow pages.

Miss Piggy and Kermit for the blue pages.

MNM

[frazzledspice]

I am a huge Kevin Kline fan, too. Fell in love with him when I first saw him as The Pirate King in Pirates of Penzance at Joe Papp's Shakespeare Festival in Central Park.

But when you talk about getting paid to read the phone book, I just think about the voice. And sometimes I think about audio books I've listened to.

Best audio book reader I ever heard was Frances Sternhagen reading "Dolores Claiborne" by Stephen King. She was mesmerizing, much more mesmerizing than a cell phone conversation ever could be on the road.

Kathleen Turner--what a great, low, sexy voice. She almost convinced me that I should practice speaking with erasers in my mouth, too.

Roma Downey--go ahead, laugh--but her voice can transport me into a world of total serenity. I have a CD of poetry and meditations she reads (called "Healing Angel") and it's the perfect antidote to stress.

Pierce Brosnan, although audio alone doesn't do him justice.

Taye Diggs. With that Jamaican accent in "When Stella Got Her Groove Back." He'd say, "Stellahhhhhhhhhhh" and I would just think "ahhhhhhhh" and absolutely melt. When he came on "Ally McBeal" and talked like an American, he was still cute, but he wasn't devastatingly, breathtakingly charismatic anymore.

[Redlass]

Richard Redman--you heard it here first.

[jnbmoore]

Originally posted by Redlass
Richard Redman--you heard it here first.

all together now....

Aaaahhhhh THAT'S CUTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It really is.....

I'm sure you could arrange a private command performance

Bridgette

[frazzledspice]

Ah, that must be your "equal half", Bridgette.

Especially now that you will be sharing the spotlight as you take the stage in the fall.

[kuuleimomi]

Ryan Phillippe, oh boy, he has the sexiest voice in the whole darn universe! Seriously, I would pay... all 5some bucks I have right now

Finn

[Redlass]

by jnbmoore
I'm sure you could arrange a private command performance

Yeah, I guess I could, have, do, at that.

But I'm sure ya'll will eventually get a chance to fall for him too. I mean, he has this great, deep voice (I've gotten to watch as women unknown to us have come up to him and gushed, "Oh, I could just put my head against your chest and listen to you talk for hours!"), a highly expressive face, wonderfully gentle eyes, and a commanding stage presence.

But yeah, I'd watch him in anything and everything (indeed, there was one awful production that I think he still owes me money for sitting through--his acting was fine, but ugh! the script and directing were terrible).

Just wait five to ten years and ya'll will have heard of him/seen him by then.

by frazzledspice
Especially now that you will be sharing the spotlight as you take the stage in the fall.

Yeah, but he acts for real, I just play at it. I'm a hobbyist who does it for kicks. He's the one with the real talent. And while I may lack objectivity (er, OK, I definitely lack objectivity), he really can do amazing things on stage.

[pageclot[$]]

You know, I'd pay to see William Shatner read the phone book in Captain Kirk style, a la:

"Mister.....Jason Bradley , at ...Forty-Four Peartree Lane."

I would also pay to see Christopher Plummer do a duet with Christopher Walken, to see who could sound the creepiest.

And I'd like to see Sean Connery stumble his way through the ethnic sections.

And, finally, I'd like to punish Pauly Shore by making him read the Smith section from the Metropolitan New York City phone book.

p

[conradd]

Originally posted by Redlass
Just wait five to ten years and ya'll will have heard of him/seen him by then.

Having seen the man in action , I do agree with Bridgette's assessment. I can't wait until he reaches the Oregon Shakespearean Festival. I'm dragging all my friends down there to see him.

Deb

[soxfan[$]]

And I'd love for Bridgette's hubby to make it out east sometime. I was much more impressed by him than most of the actors I saw at auditions this week.

I'd also pay to hear Patrick Stewart and James Earl Jones read the phone book.

Ailsa

Edit: I'd pay double for Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall to take turns with the yellow pages.