hWayne Knight typecast just as he should be

hWayne Knight typecastjust as he should be
LOS ANGELES -- It could be, Wayne Knight says, that he was born to play comically evil, pompous villains.
"Most people would say no, but the reality is when you get typecast like that there's got to be some germ of something in there," said the 50-year-old actor, best known for his role as the malevolent mailman Newman on TV's "Seinfeld."
"I think early in my life I may have been more explosive, internally, than I am now," Knight told The Associated Press in a recent interview.
"What happens, I think, is especially for comic effect you find something about yourself that you don't like. You exaggerate it, and it's funny."
He did just that as the traitorous scientist who gets eaten by a dinosaur in "Jurassic Park," as the voice of an unscrupulous businessman in the animated "Toy Story 2" and numerous other roles.
Knight is doing it again in his latest role, as the voice of a pompous, wealthy cat with his own human butler to boss around in the new animated TV show "Catscratch."
"Those characters are like my dark side magnified by a thousand," says Knight, letting loose with a Newman-like laugh. "Now I've mellowed in my older age, but I'm still playing that."
Knight added that he likes going back and forth between on-camera work in shows such as "Seinfeld" and "Third Rock From the Sun" and voice work in cartoons.
"It really is using a different muscle because you throw yourself into it completely," he said of the physical strain of working to achieve just the right vocal cadence for a cartoon character. "It's like doing a very sweaty radio play."
Stockholm Visionary Award
STOCKHOLM, Sweden -- Terry Gilliam will receive the Stockholm Visionary Award at the Stockholm film festival in November.
Organizers cited Gilliam's "unique inventiveness which has captured the hearts and minds of film enthusiasts everywhere."
Gilliam was a member of the Monty Python comedy group before becoming a director. He has directed "Brazil," "Twelve Monkeys," "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" and "The Brothers Grimm."
"Through his daring and unquenchable creative power, he has defeated the mighty windmills of the film industry," the award citation said.
Director David Cronenberg had previously been named winner of the Stockholm Lifetime Achievement Award.
Both awards will be presented during the Nov. 17-27 festival in the Swedish capital.
Haley Joel Osmentfinds a perfect role
GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Haley Joel Osment says his latest role as a high school journalist covering the basketball team is perfect for him at this point in his career.
Osment, 17, stars in "Home of the Giants," set in high-school basketball-loving Indiana but mostly being filmed across the Triad area of North Carolina this month and next.
The script by Indiana native Rusty Gorman, who is also directing, attracted him to the movie, Osment said. "This one is perfect for this age for me," Osment said during a break between scenes Wednesday.
Osment received an Oscar nomination for his role in 1999's "The Sixth Sense." His screen credits also include "Artificial Intelligence: AI" and "Pay It Forward."
In "Home of the Giants," he plays a high school journalist who covers the basketball team as it heads toward a state championship.
"It's important to find roles with characters growing up," Osment said. "Gar is one of those characters that moves me along the time line in my career."
Osment's character is best friends with Matt, the team's star, played by Ryan Merriman, who has a lead role in the upcoming film "Cheating Death: Final Destination 3."
Danielle Panabaker of TV's "Summerland" and "Empire Falls" plays a new girl in town who studies journalism with Gar.
Today's birthdays
Actress Betsy Drake is 82. Actor Earl Holliman is 77. Movie director Brian De Palma is 65. Rock musician Mickey Hart (The Dead) is 62. Singer-musician Leo Kottke is 60. Rock singer-musician Tommy Shaw (Styx) is 52. Actor Reed Birney is 51. Musician Jon Moss (Culture Club) is 48. Actor Scott Patterson is 47. Rock musician Mick Talbot (The Style Council) is 47. Actress Kristy McNichol is 43. Actress Virginia Madsen is 42. Actress Roxann Dawson is 41. Musician-composer Moby is 40. Financial reporter Maria Bartiromo is 38. Singer Harry Connick Jr. is 38. Rock musician Bart Van Der Zeeluw is 37. Actress Laura Wright is 35. Rock musician Jeremy Popoff (Lit) is 34. Singer Brad Fischetti (LFO) is 30. Rapper Mr. Black is 28. Rock musician Jon Buckland (Coldplay) is 28. Rapper Ludacris is 28. Actor Ryan Slattery is 27. Actor Tyler Hoechlin (HEK'-lihn) is 18.