Creepy Girl from Catalina

As a huge fan of Andersen's life and work, I was extremely pleased to see this movie. I was the Steadfast Tin Soldier, sitting down, mesmerized, by the two parts of this show back to back. It is riddled with inaccuracies and there has been information left out to keep it squeaky clean (go to your local bookstore and find the huge biography of Andersen for the compelling story -- if these stories broke your heart, you haven't seen anything yet!)

But one fact remains true in his autobiography, biographies, and this mini-series: Hans Christian Andersen was a pure soul who wrote heart breaking stories of pure love. Andersen was the last -- and hands down the best -- of writing fairy tales and this movie lovingly recalls that, with a wonderfully touching performance by Kieran Bew, who I am eager to see in other productions as well.

This is an underrated movie with one of Fox's most subtley comical moments. The irony was not lost watching Fox portray an ex-sitcom star. Watching Fox as a smarmy, sleazy agent was so wonderfully different from anything he had done up to that point. The movie was made for watching after sleeping in over half the day on Sunday. Also, a great turns by Nathan Lane, who I didn't recognize in the role for many years, and a young David Krumholtz who is going to ascend the throne as the next John Turturro.

In any steps to break out of a stereo-type, you need to start somewhere. In this US-version of the popular UK original, we have an ensemble cast doing their best in a narrow minded American society. The scripts try, not always succeeding, but the actors do an incredible job with it, especially the Rosencrans and Guildenstern team of Scott Lowell and Peter Paige.

Even as a heterosexual woman, the storyline of Michael Novotny not knowing his father ever was one that hit home. I feel that Cowlip dropped the ball on the execution, but was extremely pleased with the way it was held up until the realization in season two.

Important characters like Emmett Honeycutt show us how even though we think we are confident in who we are, we had to fight just to be ourselves even in circumstances that should have been more than accepting, ie, his family. We see him parade in a jungle of a wardrobe, sashaying around and working the term nelly to a new degree, but you see that it didn't come about without a fight.

Another is Debbie Novotny, Michael's mother played by the tour de force Sharon Gless. Her performance reminds me all too much of my own mother who is just as proud of me (albiet at times, a little too much) and who has taken reward in hardship and strife.

The stand out is Scott Lowell who portrays Ted Schmidt. Though Ted seems a sort of a scape goat of all plots revolving around pathetic, Lowell plays this role with extreme dignity. More than just an uber loser, he is the every man, every woman, every human trying not to seem ridiculous in a world that is far more so.

Incredible kudos to this cast and here's hoping that season three out does season two!