A small room above a bay window. A single bed, a table and chair, and a sink. I could manage something larger, with more conveniences, but I could never match the view.

The television next door is louder than usual -- what sounds like a current affairs show, where foreign wars and celebrity musings interrupt each other as "breaking news".

Libya's dictator lists his enemies in an effort to save his job, while the star of a Southern California-produced situation comedy does the same. Both come off as desperate men, though the latter, despite evidence from a clinical psychologist, appears to be working from a script.

Two years ago another Southern California actor announced his retirement from acting to focus on his rapping, a move that was chronicled a mockumentary film. Libya's dictator, on the other hand, seems sincere.