Gary Busey: Tinsel and Rot Hall of Famer

I was all set to induct someone else into the Hall of Fame this month, but that person will have to wait. Sunday night, someone grabbed the attention of the Tinsel and Rot Board of Directors and kissed them on the neck.

I am speaking, of course, of Gary Busey and his performance on the red carpet at the Academy Awards:



I didn't think anyone could make me upset that I missed the red carpet arrivals. Leave it to the genius of Mr. Gary Busey.

I'll be honest: I haven't seen a lot of his film work ("The Buddy Holly Story" is on as I write this, but since I'm trying to watch a hockey game and listen to a radio show, something's gotta give). In fact, I would probably label his star turn as Chet "Rocket" Steadman in "Rookie of the Year" as my favorite Busey cinematic performance, though I recall enjoying him in "Lethal Weapon," too.

But his recent rebirth as a batshit crazy reality show guy has dazzled me at every turn. "I'm with Busey" was a bona fide gem, a show that you knew was fake to some degree but didn't really care, because Busey's craziness was clearly real (I want my DVD!). Then there was "Celebrity Fit Club 2," where he became the show's breakout star. And, as Sunday night proved, there seems to be no end to his insanity. I am of the same opinion as Howard Stern when it comes to his assessment of Busey's attack on Sunday: E! or the TV Guide Network should have him wandering around the red carpet at every awards ceremony. And I will go one step further: there is no show on television that could not be improved by the addition of Gary Busey--not Gary Busey playing a character, but Gary Busey playing Gary Busey, just wandering around and saying crazy things and inappropriately touching people. C'mon, Hollywood. Make it happen.

Gary Busey, welcome to the Tinsel and Rot Hall of Fame.

Some of Busey's greatest hits:

Busey as Buddy Holly



Busey the Philosopher



Busey on "Late Night with David Letterman"



YouTube yanked the insane Busey/Paul Butterfield/Rick Danko performance of "Stay All Night, Stay A Little Longer," but you can find it here. I think that's definitive proof that he was crazy before the motorcycle accident.

And if you want to watch the glorious "I'm with Busey," you can find episodes here.