#Sadsadconversation – Who are these people?

Before we address the question of who these people are, maybe I should back up and ask, “What the hell is the sad, sad conversation?” I first heard about it the other day on Twitter, when I was stalking reading Martha Plimpton’s feed. She mentioned that she had been invited to join, on YouTube, a sad conversation between actors Joshua Malina and Michael Ian Black. The conversation has grown in a few short days to include: Steven Weber, Steve Agee, Josh F. (apologies — unsure on the spelling of your last name), Phil Le Mar, Jane Wiedlin, Samm Levine, Rob Delaney, Sarah Thyer, and Jim Gaffigan. This list will be outdated by the time this post is published, because it keeps getting outdated while it is being written. (I was watching the Samm Levine video when it got yanked, because it stopped suddenly, and now it “has been removed by the user.”)

To the best of my understanding, these videos started with Joshua Malina one evening while he was bored in his Albuquerque hotel room.  He decided to make a video to share with his friend, comedian Michael Ian Black (whom I have been fortunate enough to see live). He knew Michael was feeling a little depressed, but he noted that a phone call between them would be awkward, because they don’t really know each other well [Author’s note: Don’t know if this is true; don’t care. If these guys had really planned to make something out of this from the start, though, they’d probably have more viewers and a sponsor by now. It hasn’t gone viral. Yet.] Michael responded with a sad conversation about his career ups and downs, reservations about turning 40, finances, etc. The two continued to make videos and post them to each other, slowly inviting more and more people to join the conversation.

So, who the fuck are these people, and why am I writing about this on a TV blog, let alone watching it? These people are vastly under-rated, highly talented television actors, writers, and comedians. (Samm Levine calls them “cusp” people).  And the fact that people reading this post might NOT know who these people are (OK, I don’t know who ALL of them are), is sad … and kind of the point of their conversation.

Please allow me to introduce the motley crue comprising this funny/sad/awkward conversation, improvising with cell phone videos while they are driving, or having Ambien-fueled middle-of-the-night recordings from their beds (literally, from their beds).

Josh Malina: Our fearless leader, and the wildly talented actor from Sports Night, Numb3rs, The West Wing, and currently appearing as the impossibly-hot-Brandi’s fiance Peter Alpert on In Plain Sight (with Steven Weber, though I don’t think they shared any scenes). IPS is filmed in Albuquerque, so hopefully Malina was in a hotel there because he was shooting the new season! I’ve been a fan of Malina since I first saw him on The West Wing. He replaced Rob Lowe as a new speech writer, Will Bailey, and I was impressed. I’ve since enjoyed him in everything I’ve seen him in (which sadly doesn’t include his appearance on iCarly). Learn his name. You’re going to kick yourself if you don’t. (And please stop type-casting him as a somewhat nerdy guy who has to wear glasses. Clearly the man can rock a tux.)

Michael Ian Black: You know him from Wet, Hot, American Summer with Bradley Cooper and Paul Rudd. Or, maybe you know him as Kevin the sex offender from Reno 911. Or maybe you’ve seen him on VH1. But that’s not all he can do. He just co-wrote a book with John McCain’s REPUBLICAN daughter. He’s a very funny guy, and I loved seeing him live. And he’s almost 40. Say Happy Birthday.

Steven Weber: Another great, underrated actor. Please bring him back to In Plain Sight, or give him his own show. I miss Wings. And for God’s sake stop type-casting him as a somewhat smarmy ladies’ man (I’m looking at YOU, Brothers and Sisters!) (though, the man does know how to wear a suit).

Martha Plimpton: She’s been around since she was a kid, and I’ve loved her from the moment I first saw her onscreen in Running on Empty.  She has had a great recurring role on The Good Wife as a poisonous opposing attorney, but she really shines on Raising Hope as the dim, big-hearted Virginia Chance. Woman has range. She has remarked in interviews that she is best known for being in Goonies, and that’s just sad. People need to get out more. I would gush, but then I’d be embarrassed. But really. She’s the shit.

Jane Wiedlin: The Go-Gos. If you don’t know who she is, SHAME on you.

Steve Agee: He was new to me. I gather that he does a lot of voiceover work though, and comedy. (You know him from The Sarah Silverman Show, Bob’s Burgers, and Children’s Hospital; he also writes for Jimmy Kimmel Live.) His twitter account says he is a jerk, but I bet we’d actually be besties in real life. And a special thanks to Sarah Silverman (but you’ll have to watch the videos to find out why).

Phil LaMarr: He is a voice actor who has been in … well … everything. Futurama, Justice League, Family Guy, Star Wars The Clone Wars, and I could go on and on, or you could just go to the link. Also, Phil is not very sad.

Sarah Thyre: Also new to me. She is very funny, she writes (yes!!), she does voiceovers (Children’s Hospital), and I hope to see more of her stuff.

Josh Friedman: Screenwriter, showrunner for The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and played a role in generating buzz for Snakes on a Plane with a single blog post.

Rob Delaney: He is a comedian, and I still don’t really know who he is. Nor Morgan Murphy who just added a video tonight, after I thought this piece had been put to bed. I told you things in the sad, sad conversation happen fast.

Jim Gaffigan: Fantastic comedian, actor, household name? He is in my household. It’s Sort of a Funny Story. I have been lucky enough also to see him perform live. I’ll never look at a hot pocket the same way.

Samm Levine: This is priceless: As I am writing this post, my friend Chris pings me and asks what I am doing. So, I tell him and send him a link to the conversation. It’s Samm’s. Chris pings, “Isn’t this guy on TV? Wasn’t he on Entourage?”

“He was on Freaks and Geeks.”

“Oh yeah!”

Again. This is what the sad, sad conversation is about. It’s not actually a sad conversation — it’s very dry and funny and wry — but these actors do not get recognized, and they are understandably frustrated. It’s a fun insider micro-glimpse into the daily lives and concerns of actors who are successful, but not famous; hard working, but not infamous.

So, why should you care? Because this is a brief introduction to some of the most talented people out there — don’t be fooled into thinking that the ones who are the most famous are also the most talented. I have seen criticism of this project, the gist of which is: Wah, these guys aren’t rich and famous enough! Boo fucking hoo!

But think about it for a minute. Is that really what they’re bitching about? What is the key to getting work in television? Fame doesn’t hurt. And if fame is elusive, then wealth is elusive too. The Catch-22 of course being that the less work you get, the more money you need between projects. However, the less work that you get, the less famous you are, and the less money you earn.

What they’re really talking about is the path most of us traverse: A street partly paved with abandoned ambitions and aspirations, a sprinkling of bitterness, and a big dose of hopelessness. But despite it, they’re still hacking away at it. And this conversation is still small enough to feel intimate. And who among us can’t relate to disappointment and broken dreams?

Give these guys a chance.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HqQq8tu96I

Clacked by Jen Creer
on Jun 03, 2011 @ 13:30 EST5EDT