It starts with James Earl Jones, the baritone acting legend, playing Terrance Mann, the Ginsburg-esque author. Jones also used his vocal talents to voice none other than Mufasa, the stoic leader of a pride of African lions.
The second degree of this wacky link is Jonathan Taylor Thomas, affectionately known simply as JTT. Brought up as a child actor, JTT was the perfect match for the voice of young Simba, first in line to the Lion throne as the son of Mufasa. JTT made his acting debut, as we all know, as Randy, the middle-child of the three Taylor boys on the highly popular situational comedy called "Home Improvement."
Tim "The Toolman" Taylor served as a staple for many families in the nineties, keeping them nervously waiting each week for TGIF to arrive. Even after the show went into syndication, Tim Allen's accident-prone, man's man "Toolman" will certainly go down in infamy. Despite his allegedly undying love for blow, he was able to land other roles, such as Doug Madsen in "Wild Hogs."
Tim Allen presumably met fellow A-list celebrity and co-star, William H. Macy while shooting "Wild Hogs." Both were acting out real mid-life crises through their roles in the blockbuster. Macy's ability to breath life into his characters was clearly recognized when casted as the stubborn, environmentalist Senator Ortolan Finistirre in the witty satire "Thank You For Smoking."
It would be wrong to disagree that "Thank You For Smoking" was a well-casted gem, strengthened only by a cameo-like flash of brilliance from Rob Lowe playing a Hollywood mega-producer. But, if we are talking about infamous ensemble casts, one must not end its breath before mentioning "The West Wing." Although the role of White House Deputy Communications Director Sam Seaborn was originally written exclusively for Bradley Whitford, Rob Lowe is no slouch.
Unfortunately, the inter-workings of the west wing of the White House (pardon the alliteration) cannot always be kept from the public, likely much to the chagrin of Lowe's Seaborn. Sitting in the fourth row of the White House Press Room, and often seen in C.J. Cregg's office was the Pulitzer-Prize winning Danny Concannon, White House reporter for the Washington Post, played by the versatile Timothy Busfield. So versatile, in fact, that we have come full circle. Busfield, over a decade earlier, was cast in the epic "Field of Dreams" as Mark, the overly-pessimistic brother of Annie Kinsella, the protagonist's wife. Busfield will never forget working with James Earl Jones.
Busfield and Jones share that cherished, comedic encounter:
Mark: "And who is this?"
Mann: "I'm Terrance Mann"
Mark: ""And I'm the Easter Bunny."
haha. bong rip. haha.
