On Kyra Sedgwick

I've always had such affection for Kyra Sedgwick, so it was delightful to see her in the spotlight last night at the Golden Globes. (The poor gal's never won anything, and even though she's a steadily working actress with a healthy TV show and superstar husband -- of 19 years! -- she's rarely the center of attention.) My affection is rooted in Heart & Souls, in which Sedgwick plays a waitress who dies right after her heart's been crushed but is given one last chance, as a ghost, to make some things right. Sounds maudlin, but the movie has a sincere pulse and Sedgwick is, well, its heart and soul. It's something about her raspy voice and how it takes to Southern accents, and her slightly platypusian mouth and her bottomless-cuppa-coffee eyes. She looks and moves like cotton but can quickly flick a steely gaze or assert an iron will. She's won me over in other movies, but I always come back to Heart & Souls. And pairing her with Alfre Woodward just sweetens the pot.