Garofalo on 24? Say it ain’t so, Joel!
Heh. The Hollywood Reporter reveals that Janeane Garofalo is joining the cast of “24″, a show it calls a “conservative-leaning” drama, and they mention that co-creator/executive producer Joel Surnow jokingly describes himself as a “right-wing nut job.” Oh my.
Garofalo’s humor is razor sharp, and though I disagree with her completely in a political sense, I see her opinions in light of her general pessimistic attitude:
I guess I just prefer to see the dark side of things. The glass is always half empty. And cracked. And I just cut my lip on it. And chipped a tooth.
I suspect our friends at the production company are tweaking us a little bit …
The cast of “24″ is no more conservative or liberal than any other cast in Hollywood, even if the show gives “aid and comfort” to us conservatives who like to see Jack Bauer short-circuit the rules in order to get to the truth. There’s no deep, dark conspiracy here, just a business relationship.
True to her nature, though, Ms. Garofalo reacts with good humor to Ottawa Sun’s columnist Ann Marie McQueen:
That the show is right-leaning, and Garofalo is an outspoken Bush and Iraq War critic is, she says, half-joking, “much to my chagrin. That’s why I feel like I’m being punked. I feel like the creators are going to make me say things that cause my sphincter to tighten.”
Ms. Garofalo has been very good on screen, starting with the movie she reportedly hates, The Truth About Cats and Dogs, where she played the “ugly duckling” radio host. At the time I commented that only Hollywood could consider Janeane “ugly”, as she’s certainly above average in appearance. And she was great in Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion, where she played the “out girl” Heather Mooney (another “smart but not popular” girl role).
No matter what her political views are, she can entertain, although I do have to admit her political comedy isn’t my favorite. But will she be good as part of the ensemble cast of “24″? Most likely.
Disclaimer: I have a loose connection to the series “24″, in that a family member has worked on the crew of the hit show since its inception.
