British Actor of the Month--Out With the Old Edition

As New Years rolls around and we get ready to say goodbye to the tenth Doctor, I'd like to salute him while we prepare ourselves for the new guy. So, without further ado, I present you with:

Ten Things to Love About David Tennant

1) First and foremost, Doctor Who. Unless you've been living under a large, blood-sucking rock* for the last four years, then you're probably aware that Tennant is the most recent incarnation of that beloved time-space traveller. Tennant has become the most well-loved Doctor since Tom Baker, and has even supplanted ol' Teeth 'n' Curls himself in many fans hearts. And with good reason. Tennant brings not only humor, style, and brainy specs to the role, he also gives his Doctor an emotional depth that has helped the show's renewed popularity. Oh, and did I mention that he's dead sexy in pinstripes?

2) On a related note, Tennant is an uber-nerd whose passion for Doctor Who extends far back into his childhood. Seriously. Tennant has said that as a kid he decided to become an actor so that he could be the Doctor one day. Fanboy much?

3) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The first glimpse that many of us in the States had of Tennant was as the red herring bad guy in the fourth Potter installment. And with that leather jacket and, um, "interesting" tongue thing, he made it a good month for Death Eater recruitment.

4) Blackpool. Tennant plays a singing detective in this BBC musical cop show. Unfortuneately this isn't widely available in the U.S., but from what I've heard, it sounds delicious.

5) But have no fear, Tennant still graces the American screens as the host of PBS's Masterpiece Contemporary. What could possibly go better with quality television drama?

6) Casanova. No, not that one. The BBC production written by--surprise, surprise--Russell T. Davies and shown on Masterpiece, albeit with a few moderations. Tennant put his own twist on the legendary lover by playing him as a bit of a scrapper with a cheeky sense of humor. And boy, was he ever hot doing it.

7) To feature Tennant or not to feature Tennant. Is that even a question given item 7? Tennant has done many productions with the Royal Shakespeare Company, but in the summer of 2008, he fulfilled the ambitions of many an actor and played the Dane. Keep an eye on your TV guides, PBS is going to air his performance in Hamlet on Great Performances in the New Year.

8) The Rule of Austen. Remember, way back in the first British Actor of the Month feature, that any man who dates a Jane Austen heroine (or her sister) is OK in my book. Tennant used to go out with Sophia Miles, who played Fanny Price's younger sister in Mansfield Park. (She is also awesome as Madame de Pompadour in the Doctor Who episode "The Girl in the Fireplace," where the couple met.)

9) He's Scottish. Need I say more?

10) He's also very funny. Seriously, go to YouTube, and check out the video clips of him on various U.K. comedy shows (and some shows that aren't comedy). Observe him and Catherine Tate in this clip from her Comic Relief (U.K.) special:

(For those reading via the Facebook thingy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxB1gB6K-2A)

Well, there you have it. And didn't even have to allude to him being nicknamed "Ten-Inch."

*Pretty funny, right, Old Skool fans?

British Actor of the Month--Cracked* Edition

What's hotter, a rock star or a British actor? Answer: a rock star who is also a British actor.

Since I'm doing papers this semester on glam rock and 80s fantasy films, this month's featured fella is none other than

David Bowie

OK, you probably know Bowie as the aging rocker who used to wear women's clothes and pretend to be an alien now married to a supermodel, but unless you've been floating around in space for the past 40 years,** you're probably at least somewhat aware of his acting career. While many of the other guys on this list learned acting at RADA or Cambridge, Bowie had mime training. (No, seriously. Stop laughing.) Though Bowie's tours from his Ziggy Stardust days could be pretty theatrical, he first gained attention as an actor when he played the lead in Nicholas Roeg's The Man Who Fell to Earth, an arty sci-fi critique of American life and imperialism. Since then, Bowie has had roles as diverse as his music, playing the title character in The Elephant Man on stage, the Goblin King in nerdy fan-girl favorite Labyrinth, and most recently as Nikola Tesla in The Prestige.

Of course, it's always fun to see him make cameo appearances as himself, so enjoy this clip from Extras:

*See Aladdin Sane.

**Haha. Get it?

British Actor of the Month--Convincing American Accent Edition

As you may have guessed from the title, this month's featured actor is none other than multiple Emmy nominee Hugh Laurie. Here's a few reasons why he rocks:

• Blackadder. First appearing in as the ruthless Prince Ludwig (who reaped he "ree-wen-gee" on Queen Elizabeth I), then as the empty-headed Prince Regent, and then finally as the even dumber WWI officer George, Laurie is so convincingly stupid it's sometimes hard to believe he's the same guy that plays House.
• And speaking of upper-class twits, in Jeeves and Wooster, Laurie brings P. G. Wodehouse's gormless Bertie Wooster perfectly and hilariously to life.
• A Bit of Fry & Laurie. He and b.f.f. Stephen Fry wrote and starred in their own sketch comedy show for the BBC, which was full of biting social and political commentary. And Laurie in drag.
• Sure, you may have heard of Band from TV, in which Laurie plays with other TV star musicians, or maybe you knew that he does his own piano playing in Jeeves and Wooster and House. But I bet you didn't know that he wrote all the songs in Fry & Laurie, like this one:

• The Gun Seller. A novel that he wrote about a seemingly idiotic though really wittily sarcastic private eye who gets caught up in international espionage. A rarity for celebrity authors, it's actually very well written and quite clever.
• Sense and Sensibility. Laurie had a brief but memorable role as the long-suffering Mr. Palmer, whose sarcasm goes way over the head of his clueless wife.
• And last but not least, House. It's the character that draws us to the show, not the medical mysteries. He really gets to the humor and pathos of our favorite TV doctor.

With that, I wish Hugh Laurie good luck at this year's Emmys. Although I'm not entirely sure his self-deprecating Britishness would know what to do with a win.

Quelque chose pour mes amis français

Happy Bastille Day to the French and to Francophiles everywhere. Go start a Revolution!