Welcome to another installment of the TV Squad Awards, where you get to learn all about another category in our esteemed competition. The It's A Paycheck Award will go to the best movie actor slumming it on TV.Sounds simple, right? If you think like I do, this one's got Rob Lowe written all over it. The 1980s had Rob Lowe starring in major box office hits: St. Elmo's Fire, Youngblood, About Last Night. One dirty movie scandal and the career is over until the big TV comeback with West Wing, and he's still slumming it today on Brothers and Sisters.
Speaking of Brothers and Sisters, Sally Field is another potential nominee for this award. Two Oscars and then off to TV Land?
Holly Hunter made the leap with Saving Grace this season, and how about Minnie Driver, whose stint on Will and Grace led to today's The Riches? These few examples only touch the tip of the iceberg of the actors fit for nomination in this category.
The only requirements to qualify as a nominee would be that the actor slummed it on TV during the 2007-2008 season. Who do you think would make a good nominee for The It's a Paycheck Award?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
5-21-2008 @ 11:33AM
C. Hernandez said...
It just seems really pretentious to me -- particularly on a TV blog -- to refer to the act of working in TV versus movies as slumming it. Particularly when the example is an actor who went from mostly kind of crappy -- though popular -- 80s movies to critically acclaimed shows.
Which isn't to say that all TV is wonderful and grand. There certainly are examples of good actors on awful shows and the only logical conclusion can be that they were just that desperate for work, but that's a far cry from saying "Ugh. You're on *TV* -- what a step down!"
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5-21-2008 @ 12:57PM
Franklin said...
That was my first reaction, too, but as Mimi said it's all in good fun. I'm sure that's how TV Squad intended it since they've made descriptions of all these categories very light-hearted.
My vote's for Gary Sinise.
5-21-2008 @ 11:46AM
Mimi said...
I don't think this one is pretentious - it is all in good fun.
How about Charlie Sheen? Going from Platoon, Major League, etc. to Two and a Half Men?
Or Patricia Arquette - Stigmata (great flick) to Medium...
You know - if you think about it, this could turn out to be a really long list....
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5-21-2008 @ 11:50AM
lucyfan62 said...
Glenn Close on DAMAGES?
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5-22-2008 @ 11:06AM
Alicia said...
Ditto on Glenn Close....
And I have to say James Woods too.
5-21-2008 @ 11:53AM
Eric J. said...
It's been a long time since anyone thought of Rob Lowe as a movie star. Even when he left The West Wing, it was to do another TV show, not movies.
Alec Baldwin really runs away with this award.
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5-21-2008 @ 12:13PM
reb said...
Don't forget James Woods on Shark. Man, I'll miss that show, mostly because he's such a pleasure to watch doing anything.
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5-21-2008 @ 12:20PM
Kim said...
Lindsay Lohan will be appearing in the Ugly Betty finale this week. No one else will hire her so why not slum a little?
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5-21-2008 @ 12:26PM
Dave said...
Gary Sinese
John C. McGinley
Alec Baldwin
Sally Field
Glenn Close
Holly Hunter
Charlie Sheen
Mark Harmon
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5-21-2008 @ 12:43PM
Carly said...
Oscar nominees Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell on Battlestar Galactica, though it's hardly "slumming it" when it's one of the best shows on television.
I also second the mention of Adam Baldwin rocking the house on 30 Rock.
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5-21-2008 @ 12:43PM
Ryan said...
Hugh Jackman in Viva Laughlin.
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5-21-2008 @ 12:44PM
G said...
Where's the love for Keifer Sutherland? Although he's been Jack Bauer for a while now, we can't forget the hits like "Flatliners," "Young Guns," "The Sentinel," "A Time to Kill," "The Vanishing," "A Few Good Men" and many more. I'd say his movie career has been pretty solid before he came to 24.
I don't know about Sally Field. She's embraced the whole TV thing for awhile besides Brothers & Sisters - she was a big guest star on ER. Now she's also got those commercials for arthritis or something going as well.
I agree with Glen Close though - slumming it for Damages.
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5-21-2008 @ 2:49PM
Linda said...
Hi,
Seems we may have to eliminate Sally Fields - if memory is correct, Sally started out in The Flying Nun as well as TV's Gidget.
5-21-2008 @ 1:05PM
alvaro said...
Theres only one man Ive ever called a coward and thats doyle Murray. What Im calling you is a 'television actor'
OUCH
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5-21-2008 @ 6:36PM
Gord said...
Hahaha
5-21-2008 @ 6:49PM
Maria said...
HAHAHA! Man, I miss AD
5-21-2008 @ 1:34PM
GL said...
It's gotta be Shatner! He wins at everything.
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5-21-2008 @ 1:56PM
Chuck said...
Gotta go with Alec Baldwin.
G, I don't think Kiefer counts, since 24 wasn't on this season.
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5-21-2008 @ 2:03PM
Brainfish said...
Bruce Campbell in Burn Notice :D
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5-21-2008 @ 2:09PM
mrbenn said...
Glenn Close in Damages, James Woods in Shark, both probably have their best movie days behind them but tell me you didn't do a double take when you first saw their names attached to tv shows (not that I believe tv is slumming it nowadyas, many of the shows on tv are better than anything in the theatres)
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