Does anyone besides me get a huge kick out of Randy singing? Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
I have to hand it to that actor-- that's the kind of character that I normally can't stand, that makes me embarrassed to watch--but I love Randy. He's so obnoxious, but the comedy hits the mark every time. I didn't watch it tonight, so I didn't see the singing scene, but I do recall enjoying it in the past!
One of my favorite episodes was one where the Captain spills his guts and tells Monk what a talented cop he is, but Randy is the one who hears it and thinks he's talking to him. He spends the rest of the show being completely insufferable until the captain finally tells him "I thought you were Monk!"
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Oh, yeah, that was awesome.
And the time Randy quit the force and reformed The Randy Disher Project.
I agree, usually I can't stand characters like that but it's SO well done. The best part about when he sings is that he actually is a decent singer, but he's always "putting on" a voice that makes it much worse than it needs to be. That and his songwriting is priceless. I hope the writers get bonuses for writing Randy songs.
Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
You know, I just had a thought. Let's replace Jim Carrey with Jason Gray-Stanford (whose name I had to look up because prior to this moment I only knew him as Randy Disher). I might just be able to watch a Jim Carrey move if he wasn't actually in it.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
Something I really appreciated in one of Lee Goldberg's Monk books was the Captain's defense of Randy. "Thing is, people open up to him. Five minutes with Randy and they're telling him their life stories." (from memory)
Goldberg has written several episodes of the show, and his tie-in novels nail the characters perfectly.
Posted by Ron Lambert (Member # 2872) on :
Sort of a spoiler alert
In the last episode ("Monk on the Run Part II"), it is after Randy reaches the 13th verse of his 16-verse eulogy song for Monk that Captain Stottlemeyer can't stand it any more and blurts out, "He's not dead!" He was able to keep the secret despite Natalie throwing him out of the house. But Randy's singing got to him.
Did anyone notice that Monk's former assistant, Sharona, sent flowers? There is a Monk novel out titled "Monk and the Two Assistants" where Sharona actually comes back and she and Natalie sort of fight it out over Monk. I don't think they will be able to do that on TV though, even though most of the novels have been adapted for TV. They would have to get the actress who plays Sharona back. Or not--maybe they could fake it with someone else.
Let's hear it--who liked Sharona best? I like Natalie.
[ February 23, 2008, 05:39 PM: Message edited by: Ron Lambert ]
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Sherona.
Posted by Ron Lambert (Member # 2872) on :
I'm not sure how to spell it. I spelled it Sherona, then went back and edited it to say Sharona. I suppose I could look it up. I think Sharona is a cooler name, but I think the actress who plays Natalie is cuter.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Thanks, Ron, thanks a lot. I am not editing my spelling of Sherona, but I trusted you, man, I trusted you!
And thanks for mentioning Monk on the Run Part 2. I thought I had to wait to see it and it is on at 7!
Posted by Ron Lambert (Member # 2872) on :
OK, I checked. It was spelled Sharona. Sorry Liz! And according to MSNBC, Bitty Schram, the Golden Globe-nominated actress who played Sharona, left because of salary disputes. Other costars also tried to renegotiate their contracts, leading to one episode where none of them were on the show.
Says MSNBC: "Television networks are increasingly willing to take a hard line against raise-seeking actors who aren’t absolutely essential to the show. Last month, the CBS hit drama “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” fired and rehired cast members George Eads and Jorja Fox after a similar salary standoff."
So it may be hard to bring Sharona (Bitty Schram) back even for a cameo, unless they recast the part.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
We haven't actually enjoyed Monk consistently since Sharona left. Natalie's brittle and annoying, and it seems like they've ramped up Monk's idiosyncracies to make up for her general lack of interesting traits.
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
One point: the books haven't actually been adapted for TV. One of them, "Mr. Monk Goes to the Firehouse," has because (if I remember correctly) while he was writing it Lee Goldberg mentioned it to one of the producers and they liked it enough to want an episode, so Goldberg and William Rabkin adapted it for the episode "Mr. Monk Can't See a Thing."
The books have actually helped me appreciate Natalie more, as they're written from her point of view. And the "Two Assistants" book, while weaker in plot, pointed out the differences between Natalie and Sharona nicely.
I've been picking these up as they come out and reading them to Teresa at night, doing the voices as appropriate Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I like Natalie better.
Posted by Liz B (Member # 8238) on :
I love the show, and to my surprise, prefer Natalie. (I was very bitter when Sharona left.)
Monk always makes me laugh, and sometimes it makes me cry, too. Great show.
SPOILER
I was really glad they brought back Dale the Whale. They had set him up as an important part of Monk's past.
Posted by School4ever (Member # 5575) on :
Natalie.
Isn't this the third actor to portray Dale the Whale? I liked the first guy a lot better.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I THOUGHT it was a different guy!
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
(According to IMDB, first they had Adam Arkin, then Tim Curry. Stats for last night's ep aren't up yet, but yes, I'm pretty sure it was someone else. I liked Tim Curry.)
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
I think it is Jiminy Glick! (Martin Short)
Posted by sweetbaboo (Member # 8845) on :
I loved this show but haven't been motivated to watch since Sharona left (in spite of hearing that most people like the new gal better). I keep thinking that I'd like to watch it again and then always forget about actually watching it.
Posted by Mrs.M (Member # 2943) on :
Andrew and I love Monk. We both prefer Natalie. My absolute favorite character is Stotelmeyer - I adore him.
The only problem I have watching Monk is that it's kind of enabling for me. I just don't see the problem with a lot of what he does and I think he cleans an appropriate amount. My nickname at the Y was Girl Monk.
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)