Feb 16 2006
Six Degrees of Adam Baldwin
It’s funny how a post can take you in a totally different direction as you write it. I just can’t write without researching, and sometimes I can’t stand it.
One night a few years ago while my wife and I watched the final second-season episode of “The West Wing,” a young Jed Bartlet (Martin Sheen’s character) appeared in a flashback scene. I said, “I’ve seen that guy somewhere before. He’s been in something.” I never could place the name or where I had seen him, something that drives me absolutely bonkers. My wife said she didn’t recognize him at all.
Things seen out of context can trick your mind.
A few weeks later, I got an e-mail saying that a guy we knew had a movie release coming up, and he starred alongside Tyler Christopher (”General Hospital”), Dee Wallace-Stone (E.T., the Extra Terrestrial, Cujo), Sally Kirkland (JFK), and Sally Struthers (”All in the Family”). It also mentioned that he had been in an episode of “The West Wing.”
Then it clicked. That’s where I had seen him before. The guy, Jason Widener, attended my high school and university. We weren’t chums, but I knew him well enough that I would have recognized him in an expected context. Seeing him on a major television series threw me. (Please, nobody say, “Widener? I barely know her.”)
That movie, Out of the Black, never made it to wide release, but I own it on DVD. Although it didn’t get a great overall rating on IMDB.com, all but two reviews I saw gave it just short of 10 (of 10) stars. That’s a bit of a stretch, but I liked it better than the overall user rating indicates. Jason did an okay job in the role, but at some points was not very convincing. Judging from the known acting talent this movie had, and their somewhat lackluster performances, I would say the director must not have been very demanding and was working on a budget that did not allow much time for multiple takes.
Checking up on Jason’s IMDB.com profile to see what else he’s done, I found a few noteworthy if minor works. Back in 2001, he was in Asylum Days with C. Thomas “Where are They Now” Howell (The Hitcher, The Outsiders), and appears on the movie poster. More recently, he’s appeared in “Gilmore Girls” and a movie called Betrayal. That movie stars Erika Eleniak (Under Siege), which should tip you off to its B-quality status, and Adam Baldwin (Full Metal Jacket, Serenity). Coincidentally, the female lead character is named Jayne, the moniker (with same spelling) carried by Baldwin in “Firefly” and Serenity.
Oh, I have another connection that’s kind of interesting. My aunt has been dating Gil Gerard’s first cousin for several years.
Just for fun, how many degrees are you from somebody we have seen on screen?
It is very simple to get started at pb wiki. They define a wiki as “an easy-to-use Web site that makes it easy to collaborate.” I have used mine a few times just to jot down some notes for later, and created a few pages with it. There also is a spot to upload files. It is very easy to use, and I can see how it facilitates collaboration.
I use my pbWiki to draft blog posts since I compose from both work and home, so saving a txt file can be frustrating if I’m not AT the appropriate hard drive. Quite fond of my peanut butter.
And I can claim a single degree of separation from Nathan Fillion, Uber-Star of Firefly and Serenity. I worked with him here in Edmonton when he was still a struggling actor, before he scored the soap opera gigs and Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place and then than quick cameo on Saving Private Ryan.
Yeah, we’re close personal buds. He just probably doesn’t remember.
Simon, that’s cool about Fillion. My wife and I watched “Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place,” and I recognized him immediately when I first watched “Firefly.” Now that you mention it, I remember that cameo. Had forgot about seeing him in that, but I’ve only seen that movie twice.
I’m sure I heard of pbWiki from you at some point. It’s a cool thing, and I used it for the same purpose (saving drafts of blog entries) until I switched to WordPress, which has a very cool Save as Draft feature. I compose in a text editor, then copy and paste and “Save as Draft” so I can get to it no matter where I am, without having the same computer.
(crap! Forgot to answer the validation question again.)
Hmm… I used to know quite well, the grandfather of the little girl (Alicia Witt) in the original Dune movie. I actually met her at his vacation place a few times.
We listened while she played piano like a concert pianist at less than 9 years old. She was basically, a child genius too.
Hmm.. I bumped into a few other famous people in my life (Golfer John Daly twice). Oh well.. the one I wanted to mention, I can’t remember his name.. go figure.. LOL
I’ve never been one to be star-struck. I figure they’re just lucky to have made it into that field, and they aren’t any better at their craft than anyone else is. I’ve talked (and drank) for a few hours with Jim Plunkett and his wife in LA at an upscale hotel bar, played golf with John Daly twice, run into Ethan Hawke at a Starbucks (and made a bonehead out of myself by telling him that my wife always had a thing for him…stupid), and I ate dinner and talked about Arkansas with the CEO of GE, Jeff Immelt, back when he was CEO of GE’s Medical division and I worked for them. Oh, and I played 18 holes with Gil Gerard for you Sci Fi’ers. That was something else…he was about a biscuit shy of 3 bills at that time.
And my best claim to fame was that our rock band, Mace and Chain, was scheduled to open for Autograph at an outdoor show in Batesville, AR back in High School, but they backed out a few weeks before. Otherwise I’m sure I’d be rich and famous by now. LOL