Currently, I am sitting next to my husband on the couch while he is watching the show "Burn Notice" on our OnDemand channel. This show stars an actor named Jeffrey Donovan. I have only seen Jeffrey Donovan in one thing outside of this show, he was on an episode of "Homicide: Life on the Street" back in 1995. I used to love, love "Homicide: Life on the Street," it was like, my favorite show when I was a kid (you think I'm a weird adult? I was an even weirder kid...) On this episode of "Homicide" he played a serial killer. He was so good, and terrifying and effective in that episode, I can not watch "Burn Notice" without being kind of afraid of him. It's not that he's playing even close to the same character, on "Homicide" he was a crazy redneck who wore a trucker hat and had a Southern accent, on "Burn Notice" he's like, some slick ex-spy hiding in Miami, or something...I really don't pay much attention...Anyways, what I think it is is his voice and the way he speaks. He has a very distinct voice and when he talks it sounds like the holds his jaw tight. It worked very well with the Southern accent, and now I just can't buy him as anything else, he may not have the drawl, but still....
Yesterday, I was messing around on YouTube looking for a particular scene from "Heroes" to post of Kristi's Facebook page since she missed our 4th of July BBQ due to car issues, I wanted to tell her that we missed her, ZQ style. The scene I posted on her page was from season one, after Sylar gains the power of, well, turning into a human bomb, and is playing with his new powers in his hands on a rooftop (Sylar loves rooftops) and the camera closes in on his face after a few shots of him transferring, uhh...explosioness (I dunno..) from hand to hand, and he says, "Boom." In a very low, very sexy purr.
Now, I think, as Sylar, ZQ has a very distinctive voice. It's not his usually speaking voice, not even close, after watching bits and pieces of interviews and whatnot on Youtube, it's a lot lower, a lot more of a growl. When he shouts as Sylar it seems almost out of place. And then, as Spock, he uses yet aother different way of speaking, much more clipped and to the point, (I guess, because that's how the character is, doy...) it's not Sylar, clearly not him, not even close.
Since Sylar and Spock are the only two characters I have seen ZQ play, I must applaud him for this, since well, Jeffrey Donovan still creeps me the hell out even when he's playing a happy-go-lucky spy!
I guess it's just another testament to what a wonderful actor our boy is!
Oh, also! My friend Brian is going to be published for the first time in September! Check out his website!!!
http://www.brianlandon.com/
It's kind of fun to listen to all the different voice changes ZQ goes thru in the Audiobook of "Star Trek 11" ... yes, I confess, I'm such a ZQ geek I got it just to listen to him read.
ReplyDeleteNero is very growly and almost a bass; Ayel sounds a lot like he did in the film, Kirk does too, give or take a little, McCoy sounds pretty gruff and grumbly. And they're all Zachary! So now I find myself wondering if he ever does impressions of his friends or public figures, or if, in a puckish mood, he calls restaurants to reserve a table in somebody else's voice!
Hee-hee! He even does Winona Kirk and Amanda Grayson differently.
But, oh, that Spock. "Clipped and to the point," yes, but "Precise" is how I would characterize Spock's use of English more than anything.
I know it was for exposition, but when Spock, from the command chair, says to Chekov "They are creating a black hole at the center of Vulcan?" I really thought Chekov should have said "black hole" and Spock should have said "singularity." Or they should have given the "black hole" line to Uhura, who said it in the novel.
What can I say, geek that I am, stuff like that just niggles at me.
Thanks for not dwelling on Burn Notice guy too long, whatever his name was
Heh-heh
I'm only here for the Q, baby. [Kidding -- I really like your insights]
Ok, my husband is the manager of a Barnes and Noble, do you know how long I've been begging him to buy me that Star Trek Audio Book?! I must admit, I teased him at first for reading the movie-tie in (he loves movie-tie in novels) so I think he's not getting it for me as retaliation, because I was all over that sucker when I heard ZQ read it...
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