façade: Jane Lynch

One of the few reasons to go to the movies these days - one of the very few reasons - is the inventively comic Jane Lynch, a most companionable on-screen friend who brightens every film she's in and whose dry, intelligent presence is seriously missed when she skips a scene.

Arguably, one of the more indelibly insane moments in contemporary farce came when Lynch propositioned Steve Carell, playing her character's employee in "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," asking with her usual casual, off-the-cuff directness, "Andy, ever heard the term, 'f--- buddy'?"

For her reading of that line alone, Lynch fully deserves the Artistic Achievement Award for Acting that she'll be receiving on Saturday, July 12th at The 14th Philadelphia International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, which runs in Philly from July 10th to July 22nd.

Since breaking through playing Carol Brady in the stage spoof, "The Real Live Brady Bunch" in the early '90s, Lynch has moved on become a staple ensembled performer in the film comedies of Christopher Guest and Judd Apatow. She has literally a dozen upcoming film appearances - no kidding! (check out IMDb) - due out between now and 2009, culminating with her role (as the third lead) along side Meryl Streep and Amy Adams in Nora Ephron's "Julia & Julia." Can't wait.

Can't wait also for someone - anyone - to pick up the second season of the wildly funny 2006 improvised series, “Lovespring International” (that played for one season on Lifetime, of all places), in which Lynch headed a cast of assorted mixed nuts as Victoria Ratchford, the owner of a pathetic Tarzana, Ca. dating agency. And where is the DVD of the first season?

Finally, as an out actress and activist, Lynch has participated in two gay-oriented documentaries, Lisa Ades and Lesli Klainberg's "Fabulous! The Story of Queer Cinema" of 2006 and Daniel Andries and Alexandra Silets's upcoming "Out & Proud in Chicago," which she narrates.

(Artwork: The companionable Jane Lynch)