I'd say both. The Rowan Atkinson live DVD is one of the brilliant things I've ever seen, and his character in Black Adder was stellar as well. 1] rowan atkinson nearly killed me in his car once at Brands Hatch 2] met Baldrick from Blackadder when he was filming his "toughest jobs" show in Newlyn,nice guy,got his autograph
The Real Wizard · Member since
GratefulFan wrote:
The Canadian government should not be giving public money to produce entertainment that seriously belittles and insults a neighbouring country under the guise of comedy. This was not some back alley Yuk Yuks, it was the CBC.
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The fact that the CBC is the public broadcaster does not mean that their comedy should be done at the Canadian public's discretion. Tax dollars will always go to things that some people don't approve of. The fact is, the CBC is the one major media source in Canada that isn't driven by corporate interests, and therefore they don't have to air the same bland TV shows or play the same 50 pop songs on Radio 2 (the best station on Canadian radio, hands down). Other than hockey, most of what the CBC airs does not appeal to joe public. It generally appeals to people who like art beyond what the (Americanized) mainstream has to offer. That said, Air Farce doesn't necessarily qualify for that category..
No comedy will ever please everybody, regardless of what TV channel it's on or who writes/performs it. Yes, this comedy bit belittles Americans, and with good reason. Most "anti-US" comedy made all over the world makes fun of American ignorance and fear-mongering, two realities of American popular culture. The only inherent problem (or even irony) for Canadians enjoying these skits is that our country under Stephen Harper is heading in the same direction.
GratefulFan · Member since
Sir GH wrote:
The fact that the CBC is the public broadcaster does not mean that their comedy should be done at the Canadian public's discretion. Tax dollars will always go to things that some people don't approve of. The fact is, the CBC is the one major media source in Canada that isn't driven by corporate interests, and therefore they don't have to air the same bland TV shows or play the same 50 pop songs on Radio 2 (the best station on Canadian radio, hands down). Other than hockey, most of what the CBC airs does not appeal to joe public. It generally appeals to people who like art beyond what the (Americanized) mainstream has to offer. Air Farce doesn't necessarily qualify for that category, but I'm just making my point.
That said, no comedy will ever please everybody, regardless of what TV channel it's on or who writes/performs it. Yes, this comedy bit belittles Americans, and that's because most of them deserve said belittling. Most "anti-US" comedy made all over the world makes fun of American ignorance and fear-mongering. The only inherent problem (or even irony) for Canadians enjoying these skits is that our country under Stephen Harper is heading in the same direction. =========================
I couldn't agree more about the value of public broadcasting and the need for an alternative that isn't solely driven by profit margins, and I'll happily shovel over tax dollars to the CBC forever. They can even waste some if they want! It has absolutely nothing to do with personal taste or who is or isn't pleased by bad comedy sketches. It's about a) the shitty and ill advised ethics of heedless contempt for a neighbour as a quasi national policy and b) the fact that so baldly and boldly pushing what is essentially a liberal political agenda on the entire nation using public money rightfully enrages Conservatives, and gives them all the ammunition they need to carve big fat pieces out of the CBC, and funding for the arts in general. The CBC shoots itself right in the face with stuff like this, with help from the indifference of people like you frankly. Do you have a nice rock in Toronto that you can I can crawl under if Harper gets a majority in a month?
We're not most other nations, and we would be borderline retarded to hold ourselves to the standards of other countries when it comes to 'anti-US' comedy or 'anti-US' whatever else given the incredibly tight economic and social integration. That would be true just on politeness and consideration and perhaps some degree of loyalty alone, but it's irrevocably true on self interest. Nobody, least of all honest Americans, would deny the US has at times stomped around the world (and sometimes itself) like a big, armed, dim-witted gorilla, but there is complex context that is beyond most of us because the average person simply doesn't have the necessary depth or breadth of historical or political background. Certainly none of it reduces well to a stupid, stupid snide comedy sketch on Air Farce
The Real Wizard · Member since
Fair play, I see your point.
>the fact that so baldly and boldly pushing what is essentially a liberal political agenda on the entire nation using public money rightfully enrages Conservatives, and gives them all the ammunition they need to carve big fat pieces out of the CBC, and funding for the arts in general. The CBC shoots itself right in the face with stuff like this, with help from the indifference of people like you frankly.
So we attack the symptom and not the problem itself? Educating the American electorate will get rid of the bigger problem and there will be no need to make fun of it. People shouldn't have to change their comedy because it might offend someone. We'd have to go back to the 50s to make that happen. Most of the best comedy ever written has offended somebody.
>Do you have a nice rock in Toronto that you can I can crawl under if Harper gets a majority in a month?
Hell, you can move into my place. I'll be moving to Europe if Stephen Harper gets a majority. Over those 5 years, democracy as we know it will disappear. It already is 90% gone. No accountability in government, an unelected senate voting down the big environment bill after it passed through the house, and a Prime Minister who was found in contempt of parliament for the first time in the history of the British commonwealth is allowed to run for office again.
And to keep on the topic of comedy, Harper and his corporate buddies will be laughing all the way to the bank at the expense of the taxpayer, all under the guise that corporate tax cuts create jobs (remember the Electrolux tax break and the 1,300 jobs that were shipped out to Memphis?). The first rule of a dictator is to get rid of the opposition, and Harper has said his first priority will be to abolish public funding for political parties - translation: abolish funding for the opposition, since the conservative party will always get more private/corporate donations than the other parties who don't give them the big tax breaks.
When that's over and done with, you can then say goodbye to health care, gun control and abortion clinics... and say hello to creationism and the death penalty. Mark my word, each and every one of these things will happen to Canada within 5 years if Harper gets a majority. May 2 may be the single most pivotal point in our nation's history, where we will essentially be voting for either Canadian democracy or a fascist dictatorship - and most people just don't have a clue what's at stake. And they won't have a clue when it's happening in front of their eyes, because the TV comedians and unbiased news will disappear too after the CBC is abolished... there will be nothing to laugh about then.
Thistle · Member since
Peter Kay Seth MacFarlane Adrian Edmondson Frankie Boyle John Cleese Laurel and Hardy Ronnie Barker Rowan Atkinson Ford Kiernan/ Greg Hemphill (Chewin' The Fat/ Still Game) Billy Connolly Rikki Fulton Gregor Fisher
The list goes on....
Mr.Jingles · Member since
As actors... Jim Carrey Sasha Baron Cohen Peter Sellers Robin Williams Ricky Gervais Rowan Atkinson
As stand ups... George Carlin Chris Rock Bill Maher Lewis Black Jim Breuer Frank Caliendo Richard Pryor Lisa Lampanelli Dave Chappelle
YannickJoker · Member since
Mr.Jingles wrote: As actors... Jim Carrey Sasha Baron Cohen [b]Peter Sellers[/b] Robin Williams Ricky Gervais Rowan Atkinson
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Finally, someone else with Sellers! He seems to be forgotten, but then again that's only logical when you've been dead for 30+ years.
queenUSA · Member since
Well, I'd like to give a shout out for .....
Jerry Seinfeld and Russell Brand!
Anyone here like Infant Sorrow?!
april-lady 50293 · Member since
John Cleese
Mr.Jingles · Member since
queenUSA wrote: Well, I'd like to give a shout out for .....
Jerry Seinfeld and Russell Brand!
Anyone here like Infant Sorrow?!
I can't stand either one of them.
Jerry had a funny show, but that was mostly to the credit of Larry David. Watch 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' and you'll see why.
Russell Brand just tries too hard, and fails every time.
spandan · Member since
George W. Bush was pretty funny.
Here's his top 10 moments: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVy047sh9yA (Letterman show)
Also, I'm not sure if they count as comedians, but South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone (they also do most of the voices on the show) are really funny too. Tell me if you didn't laugh out loud while watching episodes like "The Death of Eric Cartman": http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s09e06-the-death-of-eric-cartman
