Just a Little Bit: Jane Lynch

What would have happened if Arrested Development, Julie & Julia, Best in Show, and, most recently, Glee had not cast Jane Lynch? Disaster, perhaps. No matter what role she plays, Lynch is freakin' fierce. And, NPR's All Thing's Considered co- host, Melissa Block, agrees.

Here's a blurb from the NPR interview:

NPR: Your Internet Movie Database entry shows about 70 credits in the last five years. That's roughly one new credit every three to four weeks. Do you have a clone?

Lynch: Yes. Glenn Close does roughly three-fifths of my work. 

Finish reading Lynch's biting Q&A here.

Just a Little Bit: Leo Babauta

I was never too big on reading blogs, until I started writing one, admittedly so. But I'm enjoying getting lost in and finding sweet treasures all over this dizzying web.

Recently, I stumbled on one of the top 100 most read blogs, Zen Habits. The owner is Guam resident, Leo Babauta-author of the new best-selling book, The Power of Less: The Fine Art of Limiting Yourself to the Essentials... in Work and in Life.

He recently posted a blog entry which I found rewarding. A few things I walked away with were:

• Be yourself, loudly.
• Read, read, and write.
• Be passionate.

Oddly enough, this simple, yet inspirational, entry is essentially my to-do list. (Has been for years and is still growing...) Click here to read Babauta's blog, Do Interesting Things.

Just A Little Bit: Gimme some mo' Tancharoen!

As I develop this blog, I plan to weave in a series called Just A little Bit that dedicates a bit of time to different writers, musicians, and artists. Thomas Edison once wrote: "What man's mind can create, man's character can control." With that said, creativity deserves recognition.

Today, I begin with the Tancharoen Tag Team, composed of Maurissa Tancharoen and younger brother Kevin Tancharoen. In the last couple years, the siblings have been garnering lots of positive attention.

Maurissa Tancharoen is a television writer, actor, singer, and lyricist, who most recently co-wrote Dr. Horrible's Musical Sing-Along Blog with the Whedon brothers, director and writers of tv series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Dollhouse. Last year, Dr. Horrible's Musical Sing-Along Blog, a hybrid of a three-act online webisode, received several awards along with an Emmy nomination. Needless to say, the musical was great. However, the prize jewel I fell in love with was not one of the main cast members, even though they were all great (I love you Felicia Day and Neil Patrick Harris!), rather Groupie #1--Maurissa Tancharoen, or Mo, as I like to call her. I also like to think we're good friends.

But why Mo? Here's what I've figured out so far, and I'll limit it to three. 1) Mo is talented and does not take herself serious. How many people can say that? 2) Adds to #1, Mo makes fun of herself. On The Commentary! The Musical, commentary for Dr. Horrible's, Mo wittingly sings about the scarcity of non-stereotyped roles in television mostly addressing her own, Asian. 3) Mo checks herself. On Twitter, Mo's bio states that she's a "thesp in things you've never seen."

Kevin Tancharoen, Mo's baby brother, is already receiving a lot of attention for directing and reincarnating the musical, Fame. In 2004, he choreographed the film You Got Served, a movie I never saw, yet where the previews exhibited innovative, body breaking dance moves. In an interview with Variety, baby brother Kevin stated something that was reminescent of the Tancharoen spirit: "You can't make a movie about teenagers who want to be famous and cast superstars. With a movie like this, why not make stars?" I like this mindset, a lot.

Who wouldn't want to work with a director like Tancharoen? Universal Pictures, that's who. Universal has invited Tancharoen to direct a sci-fi action film, Arcana.

From the large screen to the iPhone, the Tancharoen blood is helping bring originality, creativity, and enterntainment to every glowing portal. Many audiences are still not be familiar with the Tancharoen name, but they will be. I dream of a time in the near future where audiences will be asking for, "Some mo' Tancharoen. Make that two."

For more links to Mo's shenanigans click here.