To be totally honest, I'm having a very difficult time determining where to begin with this blog. I've been fixing to do a blog on Kyra Sedgwick for quite a long time but just never could sit down to do it. And now that I have, there are so many things waiting to spew out of me all at once that it's become a battle to keep the excitement in check. I'm not exaggerating; it's difficult to keep it all together.
I think I should start off by wishing Kyra Minturn Sedgwick Happy belated Birthday wishes. She turned 43 two days ago (19 August). May you live to see very many more and have good health to enjoy them all in.
Now before I go on, I just have to take this opportunity to once again sing the praises of TNT (Turner Network Television), your claim to knowing drama has been substantiated time and time again! You guys rock hard! You reign supreme in the drama on television department. You are second to none! No one does drama like TNT. No one!
And since I'm singing praises, there's no way I could let the casting director of The Closer go unmentioned. No way! Bruce H. Newberg, I bow to you! (picture me bowing repeatedly here). Sir, I applaud you and your associate Ani Avetyan. A hit show would be nothing, and I do mean nothing, without the perfect cast to carry it.
The only other show that I watch that has accomplished this goal to such a great degree is CSI Miami. You rock! You're the man! I think casting directors who get it right are extremely under-rated. The greatest show on television is CSI Miami followed by The Closer.
(I love this shot of her on the left with her head down, it's ultra sexy and alluring)
For those who may not be familiar with The Closer, here's a synopsis of the show:
A female deputy chief from Atlanta, known for her ability to obtain confessions, oversees a newly-created unit of the Los Angeles Police Department that handles high-profile murder cases. As a woman and an outsider, she must fight for the respect she deserves from her old-boy network colleagues while trying to solve homicides.(inbaseline)
Sedgwick plays Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson. In a world where television is inundated with men playing the pivotal roles (especially in dramas), the creators of The Closer expressly broke the mold which makes my appreciation for such a extremely profound. I'm sure many others feel the same way as is reflected in the success of the show based on the ratings among other factors.
Brenda Johnson is ballsy but feminine; strong yet vulnerable to those she allows to get close.
She's a friend when needed, an exemplary leader and she's crafty as hell. The character is as tough as nails yet human and so identifiable and credible.
She's been can be quite the bitch if the situation calls for it; she's a bad-ass-mutha-**** who takes crap off no one; she has zero tolerance for bullshit. She will get all up in your face; all up in your grill. She'll get a confession out of you in a way that will leave your head reeling.
She's relentless in the pursuit of her job. She always gets her man. What's not to like and respect about this character.
But what's even more gratifying is that Kyra is worthy of even more respect and admiration than the character(s) that she plays. She has been quoted as saying, "I have too much respect for the characters I play to make them anything but as real as they can possibly be. I have a great deal of respect for all of them, otherwise I wouldn't do them. And I don't want to screw them by not portraying them honestly."
I applaud you Kyra, you do an awesome job of it all. Very few actresses could pull off this role in the perfect way that you do. This role was made and meant for you. One name that readily comes to mind is veteran Meryl Streep.
What's truly amazing about Kyra's performance is her consistency in delivering 110% in every single episode. There's assuredly no teetering in her performance. In any given episode, she's at the top of her game.
I feel compelled to mention once more that the entire cast has superb chemistry and Kyra's performance in no way takes away from their performances at all. I especially like J. K. Simmons and Corey Reynolds's execution of their roles. The cast look positively great together. They're a handsome bunch.
The accolades that Sedgwick has received from the show bear testament to the quality of her work. She has won four awards and have been nominated for an additional two SAG, two Golden Globes and three Primtime Emmy Awards.
2005 Satellite Awards - Best Actress - TV Series Drama The Closer
2006 Golden Globe Awards - Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama The Closer
2006 Satellite Awards - Best Actress - TV Series Drama The Closer
2006 Gracie Allen Awards - Best Actress - TV Series Drama The Closer
Other movies of note for Sedgwick are Phenomenon (1996), Secondhand Lions (2003) Loverboy (2005) and The Game Plan (2007). I've got to say that her role in The Game Plan was somewhat reflective of her role in The Closer to my amusement. Game is currently in post-production phase and is scheduled for release some time in 2009.
Kyra married actor Kevin Bacon on September 4, 1988 and they are the parents of Travis Sedgwick Bacon (June 23, 1989) and Sosie Ruth Bacon (March 15, 1992).
