In praise of April Grace.

A couple of weeks ago, I happened upon Diane Sawyer's thoroughly puffy interview with Tom Cruise. (And by "happened upon," I mean I Tivo'd it so as not to miss it.) As Cruise unleashed his usual gamut of bizarro interview tics (that awful laugh, the serious "I'm really listening to you" stare, etc.), I wondered if he was at all self-conscious considering this was the exact shit he and P.T. Anderson deconstructed in that Magnolia scene. Of course, in that scene, Gwenovier the interviewer (played by April Grace) flips the shtick and uses it to hang Cruise/Frank TJ Mackey; Diane Sawyer seemed to gladly gobble everything up.

I also wondered just where the hell April Grace has been. She pops up in small TV roles every once and awhile and I am aware that parts for middle-aged women, especially middle-aged women of color, are not exactly plentiful. Still, I thought, it's a crime that someone hasn't found use for that empathy, that supreme confidence that April Grace radiates.

That's why I literally pumped my fist in the air when Grace's name showed up in the opening credits of last night's episode of Lost. I'm not going to spoil anything for anyone, as I'm sure some of you might not have gotten around to it yet. (Notice that I'm assuming that you all watch the damn show. I just do. Sorry.) I'll just say this: whoever had the idea of [A] casting her and giving her a substantial part and then [B] taking Miss Grace's strengths and using it for dark, sinister purposes... Thank you, you get a golden star.

Ms. Klugh? Shudder.