No flipping

The reasons I love Garry Shandling are numerous. Watching his new DVD release, Not Just the Best of The Larry Sanders Show, I've fallen head over heels all over again.

Like Sarah Silverman, I first "met" Garry by watching his Showtime sitcom It's Garry Shandling's Show, although I had to wait to see it rebroadcast in the early days of the Fox Network's big Sunday night line-up. It was hilarious and ground-breaking, just like The Larry Sanders Show. How one guy could pull off two such impressive entertainment feats without running away to Africa is remarkable. Garry is definitely Larry David-esque when it comes to breakthrough comedic vision and pure creative drive. In addition, their first names rhyme and include two Rs.

I had a feeling Garry was a good guy after seeing him show up to support Sarah Silverman and her show Jesus is Magic, both when it ran at a local L.A. theater and when it premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival. At both events, I saw him cruising the lobby crowd wearing a peaceful smile and a well-pressed suit.

After watching all the DVD extras on this latest release, I've realized Garry can be both a narcissitic vortex of neuroses and a loveable and loving mensch. Either way, he's G-D funny. Any fan of the show should do themselves a favor and rent (now on Netflix!) or buy this walk down memory lane. From an enlightening mini-documentary on the history of the show to candid cast interviews to remarkably intimate one-on-one conversations with Sharon Stone, Jerry Seinfeld and Tom Petty, this release puts the special in special features. There is also a generous helping of Garry's favorite episodes to make it a truly rewarding use of compact disc technology. Hey now.