This has happened to a couple people I know. It might have even happened to me. Have you ever tried to recall the name of a nerdy bespectacled character actor, where you can picture the person’s face, but can’t remember exactly where you have seen them before?

Scratch your head no longer! Here’s my attempt at being an online resource for people trying to separate the various nebbishy character actors who traditionally wear glasses in their movie and television roles.

If I have left someone out, please let me know. Some nebbishy character actors are more readily identifiable (Rick Moranis, for example) and thus have not been included here.

Stephen Tobolowsky

You may have seen him in:
Memento, Deadwood, Heroes, Groundhog Day

Austin Pendleton

You may have seen him in:
The Muppet Movie, Short Circuit, Oz

Max Wright

You may have seen him in:
ALF, Reds, All That Jazz

Eddie Deezen

You may have seen him in:
Grease, WarGames, Midnight Madness

David Cross

You may have seen him in:
Small Soldiers, Arrested Development, Scary Movie 2, Mr. Show

Robert Carradine

You may have seen him in:
Revenge of the Nerds, The Big Red One, Number One With A Bullet

Stephen Root

You may have seen him in:
Dodgeball, Office Space, NewsRadio

Bob Balaban

You may have seen him in:
Altered States, A Mighty Wind, 2010

George Wyner

You may have seen him in:
Spaceballs, Fletch

Charles Martin Smith

You may have seen him in:
American Graffiti, The Untouchables, Never Cry Wolf

David Paymer

You may have seen him in:
Get Shorty, Searching For Bobby Fischer, Ocean’s Thirteen

I might be stretching it a bit for Mr. Paymer, because in many roles he doesn’t wear glasses. But hey, it’s my guide, so what the heck.

Ron Rifkin

You may have seen him in:
Alias, Husbands and Wives, L.A. Confidential

Fell asleep sick at 8:00pm last night.

Woke up at 5:00am today feeling a lot better.

Thank you, Oscars! I don’t know how you did it, but you did it!

Click on pic for larger image

A bowling alley a couple miles from my house, the Broadview Bowl, closed back in 2007.

Recently, the “CLOSED” message on its marquee lost a letter.

What’s left on the sign is bad English that is somehow still appropriate, and which carries a strange sense of melancholy.

An incomplete account of my travels.
====================================
July, 2008 – NY/NJ
Feelies Reunion at Maxwell’s
NYC, Day 1
NYC, Day 2

December, 2007 – NOLA
Part 1: Elvis
Part 2: Homebuilding
Part 3: Food, Drink, Music
Part 4: Hope and Despair
Part 5: Picture Gumbo

November, 2007 – San Diego
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3

April, 1983 – Chicago
A Frustratingly Incomplete Travelogue

Hi all!

Once again, we near the close of the celebration that is January Is Meme Month. If you have a meme you need to start or pass on, be sure and take care of it today or tomorrow.

And remember – February Is No Meme Month.

Thank you,

The Mgmt.

My friend Lance has been living and working in Japan for several years. He is currently vacationing in North America. He asked me if I wanted anything from there. I had previously admired a keychain of his of a goofy cartoon character with the barest trace of a mustache, which he had bought on a previous stay in Japan.

I said I would like something similarly cheap, cute and small.

Well, he delivered. Say hello to Aokubi Daikon, the cutest radish in the world!

Lance said Aokubi Daikon (a daikon is a type of giant white radish) is the equivalent of Hello Kitty — basically a character to slap on a variety of merchandise. The item pictured above is a cellphone accessory.

Lance says that at this point in time Aokubi Daikon has not really caught on with the public in the way Hello Kitty has. Lance has only seen tough Japanese high school girls sporting the character.

Learn more about Aokubi Daikon at the toy manufacturer’s website! And let me know what you learn — I still can’t figure exactly what the hell is going on.

And yes, I have a Aokubi Daikon video for you. Enjoy!