The Five Best Movie Actressin' Performances by a Talk Show Host
A Seriously Random List /
Dustin Rowles
Seriously Random Lists | November 3, 2009 | Comments (41)
5. Oprah Winfrey in The Color Purple
4. Howard Stern in Private Parts
3. Stephen Colbert in Bewitched
2. Jon Stewart in The Faculty
1. David Letterman in Cabin Boy
Posted by: BarbadoSlim at November 3, 2009 12:07 PM
Um. Ricki Lake as Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray was the best. Unless you're only counting people who were already talk show hosts.
Posted by: Kate at November 3, 2009 12:11 PM
I would rather have Colbert's role in Strangers With Candy on here than his scene from Bewitched. But that's just me.
Posted by: Marcela at November 3, 2009 12:26 PM
Wrong Slim. Stern turned in a great performance, and Private Parts was a good movie.
Posted by: Riles at November 3, 2009 12:27 PM
Jon Stewart acting like there was nothing wrong with that goatee should be number one.
Posted by: jM at November 3, 2009 12:28 PM
Wrong Slim. Stern turned in a great performance, and Private Parts was a good movie.
Posted by: Riles at November 3, 2009 12:27 PM
-------------------------------------------
I wouldn't call "acting" like yourself a performance.
But maybe that's just me.
Posted by: BarbadoSlim at November 3, 2009 12:37 PM
Yes, it took some amazing acting for Howard Stern to play himself, in his own biography. Truly stunning.
Posted by: Bistro at November 3, 2009 12:38 PM
Anne Heche should get a talk show. I would watch the bejesus out of that thing. She's crazier than a squirrel on acid.
Posted by: Kballs at November 3, 2009 12:38 PM
Yes! Letterman included AND in the #1 spot!
And, yeah, Colbert was brilliant in SWC.
Posted by: Spender at November 3, 2009 12:39 PM
Wow...milky Jon Stewart death. That should definitely be #1. I really believed his performance as a "high school science teacher taken over by aliens who turns suddenly violent when the idiot kids confront him with their suspicions". And look how cute Elijah Wood is! I just want to give him a piggyback all the way to Mordor (no, that is not meant as a euphemism for...anything).
I liked the Letterman scene too even if he was just playing himself with a sock monkey (ALSO not meant as a euphemism).
Posted by: DeadBessie at November 3, 2009 12:44 PM
Ah The Faculty is such an awesomely cheesy movie! I'm glad to see it on the list.
Posted by: tamatha at November 3, 2009 12:47 PM
BSlim, has someone removed all the marshmallows from your Lucky Charms?
Posted by: Cindy at November 3, 2009 12:47 PM
If you must know I feel great, Cynthia.
Posted by: BarbadoSlim at November 3, 2009 12:51 PM
Merv Griffin, the elevator killer, "The Man With Two Brains."
And Mike Douglas did a great job playing Kramer playing Mike Douglas in that one episode of "Seinfeld."
You kids and your memories that end at 2000 ...
Posted by: , (TCFKAB) at November 3, 2009 1:00 PM
BSlim, has someone removed all the marshmallows from your Lucky Charms?
Posted by: Cindy .
I suspect that BSlim has never consumed Lucky Charms and only eats marshmallows when they're burnt to a crisp and all melty, scalding, hot inside.
Posted by: brite at November 3, 2009 1:00 PM
For that I am happy. But do please alert me should your mood falter.
Posted by: Cindy at November 3, 2009 1:07 PM
What? No love for Death To Smoochy?
Posted by: alphawhiskey at November 3, 2009 1:08 PM
Greag Kinnear, Nominated for an Oscar for 'As Good As It Gets.' Host of Talk Soup for {how long?}
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001427/awards
Posted by: Lindsey with an 'e' at November 3, 2009 1:25 PM
Um, where is Whoopi Fucking Goldberg?
Posted by: Todd at November 3, 2009 1:26 PM
"Best Actressin'" list of the top 5 only lists one "actress."
Hmmmmmmmmmmm......
No love for Whoopie?
Posted by: courtney at November 3, 2009 1:26 PM
Lindsey with an 'e' THANK YOU for mentioning Greg Kinnear...I lurve him!
Posted by: courtney at November 3, 2009 1:29 PM
heh my brother has recently become obsessed with the faculty so i've seen it about four times in the past week.
it's a surprisingly watchable movie, i'm glad jon stewart was mentioned here :)
Posted by: yeratomato at November 3, 2009 1:39 PM
I love that Jon Stewart makes fun of the shitty movies he's been in.
You hit the main ones... I cannot WAIT to see the Letterman clip. Others I can think of... Joel McHale in Spiderman! Ricki Lake in Crybaby and Hairspray! Paul Shaffer in that awful Blues Brothers sequel! (Well, he's not really the host host, but it works.) Tom Green in... Tom Green movies! Andy Richter's been in a bunch, too.
And Jerry Springer in the Jerry Springer movie... does that count?
Posted by: linny at November 3, 2009 2:31 PM
Where is Jon Stewart's fantastic turn in Death to Smoochy? It was genius.
Posted by: Melody at November 3, 2009 2:50 PM
Poor Jon Stewart, one of the funniest comedians ever to grace the Earth with his divine, Jewish presence, and he gets cast in movie rolls Rob Schneider turns down.
Posted by: George at November 3, 2009 2:50 PM
I second the Greg Kinnear love. He also hosted (for a moment) the NBC late night stalwart and cleverly named "Late Night with Greg Kinnear". I love him in As Good As It Gets. He's literally the best part of the movie and the two leads landed Oscars.
Posted by: John Denver's Wingman at November 3, 2009 3:04 PM
arsenio in coming to america
Posted by: bob at November 3, 2009 3:15 PM
As ginormous of a dickweed that Howard Stern is, he was pretty feckin' hilarious in Private Parts.
Ummm, did we forget Colbert as the President in Monsters vs. Aliens?
Yeah, thought so.
Posted by: dammitjanet at November 3, 2009 3:24 PM
Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey were the best things about the otherwise shittastic movie version of The Color Purple. Such an amazing book. Such a shitstorm of a movie.
Also, cheers for the mentions of Greg Kinnear and Ricki Lake. Good choices.
Posted by: The Wandering Parakeet at November 3, 2009 3:29 PM
Jon Stewart's cameo in Half Baked should put him on this list. And how about Craig Kilborn turning up in Old School?
Posted by: Brian at November 3, 2009 3:32 PM
Oh, and that clip of Stewart in The Faculty looks like one of those parody clips of Adam Sandler from Funny People. He's a genius, why do they cast him in those movies.
Posted by: George at November 3, 2009 3:46 PM
Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey were the best things about the otherwise shittastic movie version of The Color Purple. Such an amazing book. Such a shitstorm of a movie.
Hey, Danny Glover was pretty scary as Mister.
And yeah, the only folks on this list that actually acted as characters (instead of basically extended cameos) were Mirror Universe Alien Stewart and Oprah.
Posted by: Vermillion at November 3, 2009 4:06 PM
Don't hate the player, hate the game, because I'm sorry - Oprah was awesome. I have never once watched her talk show, but I get the gist...and I don't care. The woman can actress better than most.
/Harrumph.
Posted by: replica at November 3, 2009 4:28 PM
I could give a fuck what any of you think, I LOVE CABIN BOY, and I'm not afraid to tell the whole innernette!
Posted by: A. Biro at November 3, 2009 4:38 PM
Greg Kinnear was a rising star headed for the top of his game when he was a talk show host. His stellar acting career followed, and he hasn't fallen back.
Whoopi Goldberg is a terrible chat host on a downward slide from what was a very promising career as an actress. I loved early Whoopi. She makes me nuts now.
Jon Stewart was a fairly poor actor in bad roles in a failed movie career. He says as much himself. He is a fucking genius host on the Daily Show. I couldn't love him more, but I can't even watch his movies.
I think Oprah has made an art of taking the right opportunity at the right time and following it through. Hence the whole 'follow your bliss' thing she spouts. It worked out pretty well for her. You have to give the gal a ton of credit for making the right moves at the right time.
Posted by: Lindsey with an 'e' at November 3, 2009 4:59 PM
Vermillion, I will give you Danny Glover. He was a great villain.
Posted by: The Wandering Parakeet at November 3, 2009 5:04 PM
LindsEy,
I agree on all counts. Except that I can watch a Jon Stewart movie, if that movie is The Faculty. I love that shittastic piece of cinema.
Posted by: MM at November 3, 2009 5:19 PM
MM:
Thanks. I guess I haven't seen The Faculty. I will give it a looksee if it comes on one of the bazillion cable channels I have {upon which there never seems to be anything worth watching}.
One reason I say I can't watch his movies is the same reason I sometimes prefer not to hear all of the gory details of a persons past misdeeds in life: I would rather know you as the person you are now, and not picture you as the person you were then. Myself included.
Posted by: Lindsey with an 'e' at November 3, 2009 5:53 PM
Cabin Boy is one of the greatest movies of the 20th century... I mean freaking Sharky... need I say more... Hells Bucket???? The sun with the smiley face... fantastic... and although I saw it years ago I remember Letterman in it... He's no Chris Elliot!
Posted by: El L Cool J at November 3, 2009 8:46 PM
Who cares!!! My boyfriend also agrees with me. He is 10 years older than me, lol. We met online at age-gap club -- http://AgelessMeet.COM/. Maybe you wanna check out or tell your friends.
Posted by: Kyra at November 4, 2009 1:23 AM
I'm seconding Merv Griffin as the Elevator Killer from The Man with Two Brains. I mean, seriously way better than Howard Stern playing Howard Stern.
Posted by: Reina at November 4, 2009 5:46 PM
I'll TELL you how this list should be, since Rowles is USELESS:
*Stewart should be #1
*Letterman can stay in #2
*Colbert can stay
Stern? and...Oprah? Are you fucking kidding me? Fuck them two motherfuckers.