Bruce Frickin' Campbell

So last night my wife and I went down to the Lagoon Cinema to see the one -- the only -- Bruce Campbell. He was/is in town to promote his new film, 'My Name is Bruce.' The film itself is no classic. But if you know Bruce Campbell and care about his work, it passes the time enjoyably enough. However, the high point of the evening came when Mr. Campbell himself appeared in person after the movie for a raucous Q and A session -- and both he and it rocked!

The guy definitely knows how to play a room; he's funny, witty, acerbic. He clearly has affection for his many fans, but he's honest with them. He calls them out when they take their geekiness too far and he doesn't indulge their fan-boy fantasies with pointless discussions about sequels that will never come to pass. The guy also carries himself with just the right mix of self-regard and disdain. And he's not afraid to have a good time, or to mock himself or his image, as evidenced by this fine commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yg6bZSM48vU

With his looks and charisma, he probably could have been a leading man. But it's a B-list heart that beats in his chest, and God bless him for staying true to that.

After seeing him last night (and you can see him tonight, too, at the evening showings of 'My Name is Bruce' -- if you live in the Twin Cities Metro area and have a ticket), I'm convinced that when NASA finally gets around to sending a human being into outer space, that human being should be Bruce Campbell. He's not Abraham Lincoln.

He's better.