My favorite character name in literature and the arts has to be “Jackie Brown,” simply by virtue of its multiplicity.  Nearly all of my favorite creative people seemed smitten with this handle.  As far as I know, the first usage of the name in fiction was for an arms dealer in George V. Higgins classic crime novel, The Friends of Eddie Coyle (that work being my favorite book by my favorite novelist).  Then, perhaps in homage (“He doesn’t learn from me, I learn from him”), the equally great Elmore Leonard named one of his characters Jackie Brown.  So, Quentin Tarantino makes one the best films ever made from Leonard’s books, turns the character into a black stewardess, and calls his film Jackie Brown.  Quite possibly Ron Howard’s best film was Ransom, in which Mel Gibson has a telephone screaming-cursing match with Gary Sinise that pre-cursed his real-life, well documented rants with the little lady.  And what was the name of Mel’s nemesis in this thriller…yup.