A few potential conversation starters:
- Does comedy have to be mean to be funny?
- How much could the CBC get for selling ad space on Mansbridge's head?
- Is anyone really that excited about the BSG spinoff Caprica?
- Is that picture of Stephen Harper walking through Times Square like Mary Tyler Moore hilarious or just creepy?
- Could someone please explain the Hugh Jackman thing because I just don't get it?
There. That, or anything else. Amuse yourselves. Really. Daddy's gotta go pound keyboard.
13 comments:
- All comedy is probably mean to somebody. I guess the trick is to fool us into thinking it's nice. (Like Charles Schulz spent 40+ years being cruel to Charlie Brown, but somehow made us understand that this cruelty had a sweet and compassionate side.)
- Hugh Jackman is a throwback to the all-purpose entertainer of yesteryear, someone who can sing, dance, act, crack a joke, look good, make the audience feel comfortable and do it all with a twinkle in his eye. He may not be the very best at any of these things, but the world loves all-purpose entertainers (Dean Martin, for example). And he's the first Oscar host in a long time who was completely a movie-industry insider, the way Bob Hope was. He's not looking in from the outside; he's part of that world, and the audience loved that.
I dunno, we had Whoopi Goldberg hosting the Oscars not that long ago. She's definitely more 'Hollywood insider' than Hugh Jackman.
Unfortunately, I missed this year's telecast. I was on business in India at the time, so I heard the results on (their) Monday morning. There was a lot of press surrounding Slumdog Millionaire, of course, though not all of it positive; some folks were burning effigies of Danny Boyle.
Speaking of that movie, here's another question: do movies have to be cruel to win Oscars? That is to say, is cruelty somehow integral to seeming 'important'?
Comedy doesn't have to be mean. Samurai Delicatessen.
Hugh Jackman was embarrassing. Please let's bring back Billy Crystal.
The question I have about Caprica is, how do I get excited about characters who are going to be blasted to oblivion?
1. Does Comedy have to be mean? No, but there's always pain involved on some level. In the case of good comedy the creator goes through it. In bad comedy, the audience does.
2. I understand that for many years there has been a standing million dollar offer from goldencasino.com for inking Manny's noggin. Could be more now that there's room to use a bigger font.
3. I guess BSG will now stand for "Back Story Galactica". This smacks of whatever afflicted George Lucas when he created the second (er, first?) "Star Wars" trilogy.
4. I truly did miss Steve flinging the beret but what was with Michael Ignatief buying time for his Obama portrait on the Times Square Jumbotron? Now that's a whole different level of creepy.
5. Hal's hosting the Oscars was a marketing set-up. Known but to a few key insiders, next summer's "X-Men: Origins: Wolverine" will reveal that Jackman's character began life as "Billy Elliot" and will include several dance numbers to rival Tobey Maguire's turn in "Spiderman 3" leaving Sam Raimi green with envy.
Now go write something.
Maybe Harper was watching the opening credits of Rhoda instead of MTM?
Are we talking about this Hugh Jackman thing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdWEXuoLL5A
Because if we are I, personally, think that most women just wish they could do what Barbara Walter's did (that...may be my bias though).
Also this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POmD7Ovje2Y
Is just awesome.
And theoretically comedy has to be funny to someone. You will always find someone who thinks something is funny though.
1. No.
2. Not a helluva lot.
3. Excited? Gimme a break.
4. Both, Mary and creepy.
5. The cancellation of Viva Laughlin may prove that there is a God.
The funniest episodes of "Corner Gas" are neither mean nor rooted in the comedy of awkward humilitation. Sometime around season five that started to change.
Hugh Jackman will be the perfect host in three or four years when the Oscars are held at the airport Hilton and carried on local cable access.
I bailed on BSG at the end of last season when it became completely apparent that not only did the Cylons not "have a plan" neither did the writers. From what I hear I made the right call.
1. “Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you walk into an open sewer and die.” - Mel Brooks (a far, far funnier man than I...)
3. I love Ms. Espenson and I'm holding out hope - but I wonder what the drama's going to be? The trailers have not really got my heart palpitating. I don't care how the Cylons became badass - I only care that they are (at least were) badass. A mysterious 'first cylon' girl does not seem threatening to me.
4. Since he's there, can we get him on the next steamship to Botswana? Why Botswana? Why NOT Botswana?
5. I avoided the Oscars like it was radioactive and leaking. From the bits I've seen and what I've heard, I saved myself another vestigial appendage or two.
Hugh Jackman could make me gay.
There. I said it.
I don't understand the Jackman bashing. He was great, given the material. He saved the opening number (what was with the Frost/Nixon crap?) with his charm - but I suppose it helps if you're a fan of The X-Men, too ("I am Wolverine!" was a fanboy's dream).
The number with Bouncy - I mean BEYONCE - was weak mostly because her lip-synching sucked the energy out of the number (it was a silly idea, anyway - THIS was the year that brought the musical back? Really?).
Overall, the Oscars were leaps and bounds better than any in recent memory - save Crystal's opening numbers.
I agree wholeheartedly with DecoderRing - BSG has seriously lost some steam recently and I can't imagine how Caprica will be better.
Here I am being cruel but not funny... What a wasted opportunity.
I think battlestar galactica is the best show on tv. then again, I'm watching it, and not relying on anecdotal reports
I'm watching Battlestar Galactica and it's currently very uneven, but that's completely beside the point. The question is whether Caprica, the upcoming spinoff, is of any interest.
My plan is to Zip (as in Zip.ca) the pilot on DVD this spring. But if it's not amazing, I foresee dropping Space from my lineup as soon as BG ends.
holy frak, was the last 15 minutes of BSG fantastic or what?
So good I'm actually using the word 'frak'.
Fuck I'm lame.
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