---[ PAT McKENNA ]---

Well, judging by the pics above, my guess is that you'd never guess the guy in each photo was the same, and that's a HUGE reason why I picked Pat McKenna as the newest entry to the wishlist.

People unfamiliar with him in the States should check out PBS' airing of the Red Green Show, a hilarious sendup of the handyman/outdoorsmen/lodgemember genre. On it, Pat plays Harold, the nerdy nephew to Steve Clarkes bumbling Red Green. The show is a cult hit and rightly so, Pat and Steve's chemistry is undeniable, not to mention their individual talents. The Red Green Show is basically what Tim "The Tool-Man" Taylor tried to pass off as comedy on Home Improvement during his Tool Time show, except The Red Green Show leaves Home Improvement choking in the dust in its hilarity.

One big reason for this is Pat McKenna.

With glittering eyes, that seem to be made almost out of glass, Pat is able to singlehandedly play a lovable goofball while maintaining a second job as a stock market shark on the Canadian show Traders.

While I haven't seen Traders, I have seen the ads, and when I saw that Pat was on it, I sat up and took notice. Harold was gone, and a new character, suave and sophisticated had taken his place, a non-nerd.

You see, this is the exact sort of thing I'm talking about with Rowan Atkinson.

Who knew that Pat could be so much more than a nerd, unless given the chance to prove his range. Pat McKenna is great to watch. He has an aura, of almost a dangerous quality about him, even when he plays a nerd. The man behind the character is apparent in both shows, and is almost more of an enigma than the roles themselves.

I think Pat would make an excellent JC villan, not unlike Larry Drake because of the intelligence and humor he can bring. He's a virtual unknown in the entertainment world, even now with the success of Red Green, but that's just what JC needs, another great unknown to breath life into the next JC character. That would be so cool.