All Hail, Ashton!

This handsome chap is the actor Ashton Kutcher. When, back in 2009, I wrote this game-changing post, Kutcher was known chiefly for being married to a rather older lady and appearing in a string of forgettable slacker comedies - and rather less known for his occasional adoption of the cravat. I tipped him for great things - and now, sure enough, he has delivered. Kutcher is huge! Stepping into Charlie Sheen's shoes as star of Two And A Half Men, he has not only secured a mighty pay packet and a huge audience, but also revealed himself to be an absolutely terrific comic actor. He's not playing the Sheen role, of course - he's an entirely different character, accidental billionaire Walden Schmidt. Walden is infinitely more likeable than Charlie, and, though he can sometimes behave almost as badly, he does it in a benign, absent-minded, forgivable way. Much of the darkness at the show's core has now seeped into Alan, who is developing very interestingly (while Jake, the formerly ill-favoured lump of a boy, is turning strangely hunky). Kutcher's presence - sometimes it's more like absence - changes everything and, in a completely laid-back way, dominates everything. It's a masterclass in relaxed, perfectly timed comic acting. All hail, Ashton Kutcher - living proof of the power of the cravat!