International Man of Mystery No More

Soooo...spent the last day and a bit up close and personal with friend, colleague, and fellow blogger in crime Jim Henshaw (aka The Legion of Decency) when his cross country drive back to Toronto from the left coast took him through Buttkick.

Jim (or Jimmy, as my parents still say) lived here way back when, and was one of my fathers fav acting students during Jim's stint in our University drama department program. So I was just a kid when I first met him...just before Jim headed off to LA and then Toronto to try to make it as a film and stage actor. I still remember how excited we all got when he appeared with Jack Nicholson in the opening minutes of the The Last Detail. And all got excited again when he was cast as the voice of Tender Heart in the Care Bears TV series (hey...it was a big deal! At least for the kids...).

Then, like fifteen years later, I found myself living in Toronto just after finishing film school and working in a downtown video store...and who should walk in to rent some porn was Jimmy (okay, it wasn't porn...but it could've been!). I reintroduced myself, and instead of backing out and getting the hell away from this fawning newbie, Jim was kind enough to invite me out to visit the set of a new series he was story editing for....Adderly...as he'd recently crossed over to the writing side of television. It was a long subway trip followed by a long bus ride out to the studios, but well worth it just to see the machine at work.

I moved back home, but a couple years later was back in TO attending a Robert McKee-like weekend session on directing, and there was Jim sitting in the crowd. We had lunch and within a couple weeks he'd helped coordinate a director observer position for me on the new series he was now on...Friday the 13th - The Series. And then a couple years after that he gave me my first two freelance writing assignments for the CBS show he was running...Top Cops.

All major career boosters for me...and what did I give back? Hmmm...I guess a story editing gig on my first movie Guitarman.

I think I came out ahead in that deal.

Anyway, we've remained friends over all these years (even though we actually haven't worked together that often - funny how that is)...probably mostly to do with our mutual love/hate relationship with all things that are the Maple Leafs. It was great to spend some face time together.

And Jim was even gracious enough (or too road weary to argue) to let the cameras come out (since he is picture-less over at the Legion)...to capture this rare photo op.

We started out striking the 'cool bloggers who are going to take over the biz' pose...

...then jumped on the computer to co-write the 'tell all post to beat all tell-all posts' about the Canadian film/TV industry...



...but the Canadian Club and cokes kicked in shortly thereafter and the evening quickly degenerated into a bad version of the Beavis and Butthead show...



Ah well - good times were had...and there's always another day for that monster post.

Drive safe Butthead....see you after the jump.


And it's some Austin Powers-inspired Friday Fun..."Daddy Wasn't There" (with Matthew Sweet!)





H/T to Juniper for pointing the cam and clicking.