Episode 5 - Philip Seymour Hoffman (1967-2014)

  We here at "In the Queue" would be remiss not to pause and commemorate the late Mr. Hoffman soon after his tragic, confounding early death.  Andrew and Phil were both huge fans of his and had gotten used to his reliable presence in major films, year after year.  He was a steadily working actor, whose standards for performance were higher than those of anyone else.  Philip Seymour Hoffman seemed to his fans to have his shit together.  He did not make the news for being irresponsible and his desire to remain "an actor" instead of "a movie star" was fulfilled.  Around the time of his most glamourous role, "Capote" (2005), Hoffman talked to "60 Minutes" about his alcohol abuse when he was a young man. Hoffman appeared strong and in control; he went sober when he was 22, and hasn't looked back since. Flash forward now, nine years later, as cops are digging out fifty bags of heroin from Hoffman's West Village apartment.  Truly, he was hiding a lot of pain.  Much has been written after his death that he was the greatest actor of his generation.  In this case, that is not consoling hyperbole meant to make the aggrieved feel better.  Philip Seymour was without a doubt, the greatest actor of his generation.  It is a shame that this is what it took for people to stand up and take notice of that.You can download the podcast here by right-clicking on the hypertext link and choosing "save as", or you can use the convenient player located below:If you cannot see the audio controls, listen/download the audio file here <img