Twin Peaks Stars

I don’t think people who have heard of Twin Peaks but haven’t really watched realise what a wicked cast it has.  First of all, obviously there’s Kyle McLaughlin (yummy), but there are loads of well known actors who either star or do guest appearances.  Here are some of my favourites.

Sherilyn Fenn plays sexy kooky Audrey Horne, who is in love with agent Cooper, gets kidnapped and drugged with heroin, and can tie a cherry stalk into a knot in her mouth.  After seeing her do that on Twin Peaks I then made it my mission to master this skill - it definitely does not look sexy in real life!  Audrey also has an affair with a young Billy Zane, who guest stars as a checked shirt, country styled businessman.

Another Twin Peaks A list guest star (although she wasn't then) is Heather Graham.  Heather plays Annie, the sister of Norma (Peggy Lipton) who owns the local diner where all that cherry pie and coffee is served.  Annie has just ditched life as a Nun in a convent and ends up falling for Agent Cooper (although life isn't happily ever after).

However, the best guest star appearance has to be David Duchovny, who plays Dennis Bryson, a transvestite Drug Enforcement Administrator.  I have to say he makes a pretty good looking woman (why do guys always have the best legs?).

Then there's Everette McGill (Big Ed) and Wendy Robie (crazy eye-patched housewife Nadine).  Ed marrys Nadine when they are in high school, even though he is really in love with Norma, because he accidentally shoots her eye out on a hunting trip - hence the eye patch.  Nadine knows Ed is not in love with her and tried to commit suicide by overdose.  She goes into a coma and when she wakes up she thinks she is 17 again.  She insists on attending high school and trying out for chearleading practice where everyone discovers the coma has somehow induced some weird superhuman strength?  What can I say...Twin Peaks was weird! 

McGill and Robie are also awesome in Wes Craven's People Under the Stairs, a much underrated and really excellent comedy horror, which also stars Brandon Quintin Adams (the kid in Michael Jackson's Moonwalker).  If you've not see People Under the Stairs then you really should. 

In striking contracts to his Twin Peaks character, Evertte McGill plays a studded-leather-clad madman who lives as husband and wife with his sister (Robie), steals children and keeps them locked up in their fortress style house...it's better than it sounds honest!

And last but not least of the best Twin Peaks stars are the sweethearts of the Sheriff's department, Andy and Lucy -  Harry Goaz and Kimmy Robertson.  Their on-off again, at-work, who-is-the-baby-daddy-romance is brilliant.  Here they are choosing doughnuts in true Twin Peaks class comedy.

  

Other Twin Peaks stars to mention include:

•  Lara Flynne Boyle - (Laura Palmer's best friend) Waynes World, The Pratice
• Richard Beymer (Ben Horne, Audrey's father) who actually played Tony in the musical West Side Story
• Ray Wise (Leyland Plamer, Laura's father)
• James Marshall (used to date Laura secretly but after she dies starts dating Donna, Laura's best friend) - A Few Good Men, Gladiator (not the Russel Crow one)

Damn That's Good Coffee

I was recently channel hopping on late night TV when I stumbled across an episode of Twin Peaks on the Horror channel.  After watching it I found myself beginning a series of late night sessions with my series 2 box set which I hadn’t previously opened, despite waiting for it’s release for about 10 years, because my boyfriend was still in a huff with me (for accidentally blurting out who killed Laura Palmer while watching series one) and had refused to watch any more.  I had been waiting for him to get over it, but nevertheless. 

For anyone who hasn’t seen Twin Peaks you are definitely missing out on one of the coolest, quirkiest and most addictive ‘who dun its’ ever aired, and so I am starting this blog to share my love for Twin Peaks and what makes such a cult classic series.

I first watched Twin Peaks when it was shown on BBC 2 in 1990.  I was 10 years old.  It seems a little strange now that I was so fixated with it then (and that my mother let me watch it), but actually there was a whole group of us in my class that used to watch it and would all gather in the playground the day after to discuss the previous night’s episode.

One of the things I had forgotten about Twin Peaks is that it has such a brilliantly dry, albeit quirky, sense of humour, something not exactly synonymous with American television, especially back in the 90s.   Even more, it manages to combine dry humour with some really dark and pretty downright scary story lines.  But I guess that’s all down to David Lynch, a seriously talented and weird individual (also check out some of his films - Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive). 

David Lynch

Very broadly (and without spoiling for non watchers) the story goes like this:  in the picturesque, sleepy town of Twin Peaks, the community is thrown into shock when the body of a young girl is found.  This girl is Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee).  Laura is the perfect all-American-girl; homecoming queen, charity volunteer and dating the captain of the football team etc, but after she is discovered washed up on the beach, wrapped in plastic, some disturbing truths begin to become unearthed about Laura and the rest of the town.

The case is passed from the local Sheriff’s department to the FBI: enter Special Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle McLaughlan), a tall dark and handsome detective from the big city, who is as fabulous and meticulous as he is odd.  Dale Cooper successfully wins over the local law enforcement team and leads the investigation, taking inspiration from his dreams of Tibet, and all the while consuming enough cherry pie and black coffee to keep the local diner in business.

Dale Cooper

So anyway, if you’re a ‘peaky’ and want to join in my ramblings, then please do.  If you’re a Twin Peaks virgin then have a look at the trailer below.

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi1140392217/