Epitome Monday: Robin Williams

Robin Williams, U.S. actor, at the 2008 BBC Wo...

Image via WikipediaOk, to stir the pot. I am going to start using Monday for a new regular post.

I consider it the best performance of an actor. Which role/movie best used them. Which one is the one that epitomizes that actor? Doesn't mean they won an award for it. Just means they have a good body of work to make comparisons and argue over.

Today's actor: Robin Williams. Click through to see his listing of movies.

Tough isn't it? If you were given his name and said, which movie epitomizes him? Which one?

I got the idea rewatching a movie thanks to my kids and I am going to make the case for: "Jumanji."

I preface my defense by saying while I have liked him in roles, I think he hasn't had a standout performance in the better part of decade. He had something of dark trilogy around 2002 with One Hour Photo, Death to Smoochy, and Insomnia. He was great, but that was too pidgeon-holed.

I can see some folks jumping on to the obvious: Good Will Hunting. Not a bad choice, but the manic character that has been so prevelant in his career was missing.

There are others but I am sticking with Jumanji and here is why- he shows his complete range. Emotional, funny, manic, fairly athletic even!

So what do you think? Which role of his would you put above the others?
Also, who else should we talk about in future posts? Maybe you would like to write one up? Let me know!

Slow Death or Rebirth for Myspace?

Are we really watching the slow inevitable death of Myspace? With the integration with Facebook complete and the push towards what appears to be a mobile only function , isn't it time to call this one? One report says that Myspace is making $200 million less this year. They are functionally giving up on Myspace Music , which was always their bread and butter. Without the music tie in, why would people BOTHER with Myspace? I'm talking about it because my wife's band has used every medium known to mankind to promote themselves online and Myspace has been nothing but dead weight from the very beginning. Only bands and their most ardent fans go there. The rest are on Facebook. There is talk of selling Myspace, but who in their right mind would consider it? This will have some interesting implications for bands down the road. Many use Myspace as their de facto website, just pushing their domain name onto the customizable site. Now apparently, Reverbnation , a North Carolin

Check out my appearance on the The Toddcast Podcast

Click and watch the podcast recording of my appearance on the Toddcast Podcast Such a fun time!

New Life

It's weird, sad and slightly freeing. I've been headed towards a completely different life for a lot longer than I even knew. It took me a while to catch up to realize it was happening. Thankfully, I was cognizant enough to see it finally and mostly ready for it. It's amazing when you have the rug completely pulled out from underneath you. The adjustments are jarring. I made mistakes, but like most I learned from them, adapted, and tried my best to do better. The reason you see that truck next to a storage place? That's the sum of my life right now. Never take for granted that you will work hard for something or someone, and it will end up meaning very little. You are guaranteed nothing, owed nothing, promised nothing. Anything and everything can be taken away in a heartbeat. I wrote this to my kids a while back: I tried to be the best father I could be based on what I knew when I knew it and how I could. One of the lessons for your life needs to be: you need to b

Todd Lyden

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