Liz & Dick & Gossamer Feather Man

All was terribly wrong right in the world last night when Liz & Dick made it's world premiere on Lifetime. What  pop culture obsessed person like me wouldn't be thrilled at the prospect of watching Lindsay Lohan play Elizabeth Taylor in a made for TV movie? All snark aside, it wasn't half bad. Oh, who am I kidding, it was a goddamn train wreck. The guy playing Richard Burton was pretty good though, I will tell you that much.

Whenever I watch a bad movie and my mind starts to wander, I like to play the "extra" game. It's when you watch the actors in the background whose job it is to be glorified scene dressing. All I can say is that the giant-gossamer-feather-fan-waver in the Cleopatra scene was the happiest guy alive; I just loved watching him. He  had a wink and a smile in his step, and made every scene count. You know he went home each night with enough material for a one man show about the experience. Check him out on the left:

I used to do a little background work when I first joined SAG because the money is really good. You can easily make a living out of it, and a lot of people do. But if you've even spent one day on the set of a movie you'll also quickly realize that it is a really hard job. See, having an actual "part" and "lines" is pretty sweet - you get your own trailer in between takes and even though the days are long, you have something to show for it. Extras aren't treated as well.

A few months ago I considered taking what is known as "featured background" work simply because the job was playing a passenger on a plane with LIAM NEESON. Apparently the whole movie takes place on said plane and Liam Neeson saves the day, or something. It was guaranteed 6 weeks of steady work, which can be a lot of money. I decided against it because even though I could hang out for 18 hours a day with Liam Neeson, I realized I would be hanging out for 18 hours a day with Liam Neeson.

Oh, and the film is called Non-Stop. I know.