Nicolas Cage bought a pyramid-shaped tomb in New Orleans for his eventual death.You see that? I don’t have to write a snazzy lead anymore. I just write what Nicolas Cage is doing. You’re instantly hooked.The man who was once awesome is now a caricature. Such is the life of entertainers we grew up watching on the silver screen.Don’t be a cynical Sally and think Cage never had a good movie. You love when USA runs a marathon of “Face/Off.” Even hipsters had a golden day with Cage when he pulled double duty in “Adaptation.”These good films are peppered in between the bargain bin quality of “Next,” “Knowing,” “The Wicker Man” and “National Treasure 5: Where the Hell is The Map, Already?” Movies alone don’t make a great case for Cage’s recent purchase.I’m arguing Cage has become the wide-eyed detective/sorcerer/car-thief he so emulates on screen. And the reason a move like this isn’t surprising and generally accepted depends on which of Cage’s films you enjoy.He’s been in a billion. You enjoy at least one.So my defense for this purchase is, “Yeah, but he did give us ‘Con/Air.'” And this is reason enough, simply because “Con/Air,” while kind of terrible, is also kind of a guilty pleasure and awesome — like Foghat’s “Slow Ride.”This same confusing reasoning comes with other actors.Val Kilmer has been relegated to star in direct-to-video fodder, but I’ve been told he still acts like he’s Marlon Brando’s son whenever on set. The response to such a conversation is normally “Man, that Val Kilmer is an a-hole.”Easy for you to say — you didn’t star opposite Tom Cruise in “Top Gun.” Hell, I would never pay a bar tab again if I were Doc Holliday in 1993’s classic “Tombstone.” Let’s not forget Kilmer was in the best action movie of all-time: “Heat.” Mickey Rourke not only made a name for himself in ’80s classics like “Diner,” he also came back like Travolta, but in better movies like “The Wrestler.”We all knew he had it in him. We knew it would take time. He’s now the lead villain in “Iron Man 2.” Do you ever question the fact that he has a fascination with his small Chihuahuas? Or that he dresses like Don Johnson?Didn’t think so.No matter what happens, the new talent Chloe Moretz will always be the iconic Hit-Girl from “Kick-Ass,” a movie that will most likely be a cult favorite in five years’ time. It’s like the girl who starred opposite Macaulay Culkin in “My Girl.” She never really has to try for a job. If she needs to try, she can put in bold, “I was in ‘My Girl,’ you putz.”Granted, this argument doesn’t work for every actor/actress. Katherine Heigl is going to keep making the same faces and unfunny comments in every other movie.Tim Burton once being awesome does not give him grounds to make live-action Disney cartoons with Johnny Depp and wife Helena Bonham-Carter.I don’t know what the hell is coming out of Jesse Eisenberg’s mouth when he talks on screen. Remember mumble-core? This baloney-sniffer is single-handedly creating muttercore.To wrap up this argument, you have two parties in showbiz: the badasses and the other guys.This is the sole reason I root for Tom Sizemore to this day. He was in “Saving Private Ryan.” The one film that has this as a descriptive adjective phrase: Three-hour epic by Spielberg that made grown men cry.I’m not arguing it’s OK to do meth and be a part of two shows on VH1 and repeatedly star with Steven Seagal in upcoming thrillers.But who wouldn’t want to live in a pyramid for a couple of years when the tabloids keep coming after you? Look, I would have spontaneously combusted on set if I were starring opposite Sean Connery and Ed Harris in “The Rock.”Nicolas Cage didn’t. Cut him a little slack, but don’t expect the world from him. After all, his most memorable line from that film was, “I love pressure. I eat it for breakfast.” Matt Sigur is a 22-year-old mass communication senior from West Monroe. Follow him on Twitter @ TDR_msigur.____Contact Matt Sigur at [email protected]