ABC Wednesday---V Is For...oh...c'mon...you know...

ABC Wednesday is hosted by Mrs. Nesbitt's Place.

Look into my eyes and you will see...the man whose name begins with V.

Ok...so my not so tightly guarded secret is out. THIS is the guy...this is my V...this is Vincent D'Onofrio. And no...that's not my eye. Please...that would mean at some point in my life I would've actually laid eyes on the man. You can make your own mad little pictures here.

I suppose this post may be similar in some respects to Jay's explanation of why her blog is called The Depp Effect. She is the one who inspired me to share my "V" with the world.

I can't tell you exactly when it started. I don't remember the first movie I saw him in...nor do I remember when I actually knew his name was Vincent D'Onofrio. I can remember though that every single time he graced/graces the screen he has my complete attention. For a lot of years all that meant was that his performances were fascinating. I've yet to meet one of his characters that fails to entertain. He has played every type imaginable. He's a great leading man...he's an AMAZING villain...he's so good at playing psychos it scares me. Not for the reasons you might think either. I look at him, portraying someone sick...sadistic...and I know that if he was trying to convince me to get into his car (think Ted Bundy) I wouldn't give it a second thought...I'd go. THAT kind of scary. I have to admit though, that my favorite "V" characters are the comedic ones...the goofier the better. I love the movie "Men In Black" and watched it for YEARS without knowing "V" was in it...yet adored Edgar Bug...quoted him...laughed hysterically at the way he would twist his body into all manner of unnatural and gravity defying contortions. Yep...that would be Vincent.

I have watched movies I wouldn't even THINK of pausing on for two seconds, simply because I spotted his name in the description. Some were good...some not so much...and some I now own. I find this interesting in and of itself simply by the fact that I strongly identify an actor with one character he/she portrays. It makes it impossible for me to watch them in anything else. Not so with Mr. D'Onofrio.

A friend asked me several months ago how long this has been going on. I gave my standard answer, "It has to be over ten years now." She said, "Sit down...and figure it out." So I did. The first films I remember seeing him in were "Full Metal Jacket" and "Adventures In Babysitting". Yeah, I know...I told you...he's diverse. A quick peek at IMDB tells me that both were released in 1987. So there you go. Though technically I was right saying it was over ten years, it would be more correct to say, "It has to be over twenty years now."

So what is it about him? I don't know. As I said he fascinates me, he calms me, and possibly most important he focuses me. During the many scares I've had over years with the possibility of breast cancer hanging over my head, he is the only thing that makes it go away...if only for an hour. I can be scared out of my mind, feeling like I'm coming unglued, letting my family down again...seeing the fear in their eyes. All I need to do is sit down, pop in a DVD, or locate a perpetual repeat of Criminal Intent and all of that goes away. Of course I've heard the comments that I should lean on God during those times. I've always wished I had a snappy comeback for said comments and one just came to me...and it is 100% the truth. "I have. He's the one who sent me D'Onofrio because He knows what works best for me." And yes, I've also had some suggest that I take a trip to NYC to meet the man and charge it to my insurance company as a medical expense! ; )

The picture above is now the wallpaper on my new laptop. Hope walked past it the other day and said, "Mama? What's that man's name?" I told her. She said, "Mama? What's on that man's tie?" Well...I didn't know...so I looked...and my jaw literally dropped. The color...and the pattern on his tie, match my new laptop...exactly. I told Garry about it and he said, "Well then, you must've been destined to have it." See why I married this guy?

So...again...what is it about him? I posed this question to the same friend who made me figure out that I've had a crush on the guy for 22 years now. Her answer was so well thought out, so perfect, so spot on. She said, "He’s one of those people who, for you, have that aura about them...the one that makes you glad there is someone like that on the planet...the aura that gives you hope in the human race...that makes you smile, laugh, dream and think...that one that allows you to run the gamut of the human experience..." Exactly my friends...I couldn't have said it better myself...and now I don't have to!

Until next time y'all,