Gods in My Country

My column on some of the entertainment guys I admire most continues today with my #1 entertainment hero, Michael J. Fox. I decided to talk about him on Labor Day, because he is still one of the hardest working people in the industry despite his battle with Parkinson's Disease.

"Family Ties" was one of my favorite shows growing up. Probably the best episode is "A, My Name is Alex," in which Alex P. Keaton must deal with the death of one of his best childhood friends, Greg (played by Brian McNamara). The episode aired in 1987, when I was 8: it made me bawl, and it won MJF an Emmy. By this time, we knew MJF was comically gifted; his timing was impeccable. We also knew he was able to rake in the box office bucks with flicks like "Teen Wolf" and the best movie of all time, "Back to the Future." But with "A, My Name is Alex," he showed his dramatic side, and if he was able to make an 8 year old cry, he deserved that Emmy. His performance in that episode was absolutely superb.

After "Ties" and "BTTF" trilogy ended, he kept up his work with small, quaint films like "Doc Hollywood," before moving back to the tube with "Spin City." This was another favorite sitcom of mine, and he once again showed his prowess for physical comedy. His timing was on, once again, and some of the best guest spots were the people he had previously worked with, like Meredith Baxter and Christopher Lloyd. The show also had an unbelievably wonderful supporting cast, like big Bear Bostwick, Alan "Cameron" Ruck, and Michael Boatman. When he quit the show in order to devote himself to full-time Parkinson's research, it was never the same (again proving my point that Charlie Sheen is not funny). However, he has popped up in some wonderful guest spots, like "Scrubs" as an OCD doctor. I felt so close to him when he took on the role of a doctor with major OCD, for mine is slowly starting to take over.

So, what is it about MJF? He has an everyman quality that is undeniable and that makes you think he would be positively awesome to hang out with. Maybe that's because of his humble Canadian origins. He always seems incredibly surprised by the honors he receives, and well, uh, he's just the coolest! Don't question me: his work is evidence enough for his god status in my country.

MJF Top 5:
1. Back to the Future Trilogy (don't even make me explain why)
2. Lucky Man (one of the best autobiographies ever written ever)
3. Family Ties (not available on DVD!?!?! WHY THE HECK NOT!?!?!)
4. Teen Wolf (oh, this movie rocks! and it proves that even someone who is 5'5" can be a star high school basketball player)
5. Spin City (a new MJF character for young folks like me: he wanted lots of sex! EGADS! he's human!)