Happy Birthday to John Turturro!

Born on February 28, 1957 in Brooklyn, New York, John Turturro is an extraordinary character actor who has had more television AND film roles than you can shake a stick at. He's won an Emmy playing Ambrose Monk, the agoraphobic brother of Adrian Monk on the hit show "Monk" from USA network. He's played Billy Martin on the NY Yankees themed series, "The Bronx is Burning". Because of his distinctive (some might say peculiar) looks, Mr. Turturro (whose name means "turtle dove" in Italian) is usually unforgettable in the many quirky roles he has embodied. I actually find his overbite charming. Although he has appeared in countless dark comedies and is a highly skilled comic actor, I find the pathos of his "everyman" portrayals to be the most memorable and sometimes even heartbreaking moments of his long career.

John Turturro has had many successful alliances with auteur directors such as Spike Lee (Summer of Sam, Do the Right Thing) and the Coen Brothers (O Brother Where Art Thou, The Big Lebowski and Barton Fink). He also played Herbie Stemple, the brainy patsy in "Quiz Show", the movie about the 1950's TV quiz show scandals.

Since his filmography is longer than the New Jersey turnpike, it's very odd that I could not find many video examples of Mr. Turturro to post here. I settled on a trailer for "Barton Fink", which is my favorite Turturro role of all time. It's a pitch black and pitch perfect performance about a Hollywood screenwriter discovering that writer's block can be, quite literally, hell. The look of dread on his face as he stares at the blank page in the typewriter when the ideas just won't come is sublime. His fixation on a piece of curling wallpaper in an ancient Hollywood hotel room is the ultimate portrayal of claustrophobia and pending insanity. John Tuturro is the master of quirky, fidgety, anxious and eccentric. The only other actor that comes even close in this category is Steve Buscemi, but I prefer Turturro because he is less menacing and ultimately more empathetic.

Happy Birthday John Turturro! We look forward to more of your wonderful characters and hope you will return as Ambrose Monk on "Monk's" final season this summer!

MONK: OCD And the Sea

I'm not quite sure why it has taken so long for me to write about one of the best and quirkiest programs on TV. MONK has been around for several years and is now into its sixth episode of Season #7 on USA. The superb Tony Shalhoub stars as the Obsessive-Compulsive bundle of nerves, Adrian Monk who just also might happen to be the most brilliant but annoying detective in the entire world. His entourage consists of his ex-SFPD boss, police Captain Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine) as well as the young police lieutenant Randy (Jason Standord) who plays the Barney Fife role of lovable incompetent. Rounding out the cast is Monk's impossibly patient assistant Natalie, played charmingly by Traylor Howard. She keeps Monk calm and supplied with wet wipes so he can disinfect San Francisco, one mystery at a time.

Monk is afraid of just about everything. He hates dirt, garbage, spots, germs, milk, and anything at all that isn't perfectly symmetrical including papers, writing, and pictures hanging on a wall. He was kicked off the police force years ago after he suffered a nervous breakdown following the death of his beloved wife Trudy. He has carried a torch for her ever since.

Two episodes this season have been classic, fabulous Monk. In one, he is enticed aboard a Naval nuclear submarine to help solve the death of a young officer. Of course Monk's OCD also includes a heaping helping of claustrophobia, so when the sub dives, Monk has a bit of a hissy fit.
Shalhoub has a field day with his character in this episode, carrying on an imaginary conversation with his psychiatrist, who talks him through the horror of being underwater on a huge submarine.

In the most recent episode, Monk falls for a Zemanian (some sort of imaginary Russian satellite country?) immigrant lady who has been falsely accused of murder. This is so completely out of character for Monk, it's worth watching, even if you have not visited this series in a while. Monk has to struggle with his unusual (for him) feelings of attraction without betraying his loyalty to the memory of Trudy.

I hope they make the Leyla character a regular, it was interesting to watch Monk's attempts to become "normal". The dancing scene was adorable.

Tony Shalhoub has won both Emmys and a Golden Globe for his role as Adrian Monk and the show itself as well as some very talented guest stars (including John Tuturro) have been the recipient of many more. It is an amazing one hour comedy-drama that still feels fresh after seven years on the air. This is the show that first put USA network on the map for original series, and it is still going strong. Tune in Friday nights at 9pm or set your DVR to see for yourself.