In a world of “Daves” and “Phils”, the name “Benedict Cumberbatch” is unique, and that makes it powerful. It is the Samson’s mane of names, but while Cumberbatch should hold his head high and defiantly shout his name from a mountaintop, tat that sh*t on his chest, and possibly buy a Super Bowl ad where he appears in a sandwich board that says “Hi, my name is Benedict Cumberbatch,” embarrassment looms.
Thanks to his work in The Imitation Game, someone is going to go on stage and say Benedict Cumberbatch’s name during the Academy Awards — maybe twice — so there is reason to let concern trump pride. We saw the butchery that occurred when John Travolta got a hold of Idina Menzel’s name at the Oscars last year, and even Dick Pope isn’t safe from the soul stab of a comical mispronunciation. That’s why Cumberbatch’s effort to find a new name on Jimmy Kimmel Live last night makes so much sense, even if it is the coward’s way.
Top candidates for Cumberbatch’s new name (as detailed in the above video) include Gary Miller, The Gooch, Cody Arabia, Jeff Jeff, and Luigi McPenis. There are others, but I chose to highlight those to give their chances a bit of a bump. I imagine the winner will be decided by some kind of public forum vote or maybe a call-in like they do on American Idol. Details to follow… possibly.
