Big Red 40 Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 I think there’s an art to poking fun at people. The good ones can make it clever, and funny, without personal attacks . This administration provides plenty of goofy tweets , lies, strange mannerisms, odd looking people, etc to make fun of without having to resort to unfunny nastiness . I realize “roasts” are usually harsher, and the “roastee” is usually right there, but if done right I’ve seen the recipient laughing at themselves too . Link to comment
teachercd Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 Just now, Big Red 40 said: I think there’s an art to poking fun at people. The good ones can make it clever, and funny, without personal attacks . This administration provides plenty of goofy tweets , lies, strange mannerisms, odd looking people, etc to make fun of without having to resort to unfunny nastiness . I realize “roasts” are usually harsher, and the “roastee” is usually right there, but if done right I’ve seen the recipient laughing at themselves too . Very very true. I think there is an art to taking a joke as well. Dangerfield could make fun of others and himself and was brilliant at it. 1 Link to comment
BigRedBuster Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 I have very very seldom found roasts funny. 1 Link to comment
teachercd Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 2 minutes ago, BigRedBuster said: I have very very seldom found roasts funny. I think Comedy Central brought them back a few years ago...they were usually horrible and I could watch for about 4 minutes until I had to change it. Link to comment
VectorVictor Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 12 minutes ago, teachercd said: I think Comedy Central brought them back a few years ago...they were usually horrible and I could watch for about 4 minutes until I had to change it. They're doing one for Bruce Willis soon, and they're reairing the Donald Trump roast from a few years ago sometime this week... ...roasts were funny when they weren't televised and we got to peek behind the curtain and see comedians and pop-culture icons that actually knew and worked with the subjects of the roast be able to let their hair down and go unfiltered. Now, they're just trying to find the most offensive shock comedians this side of Andrew Dice Clay to draw ratings and, more often than not, they do not know the person being roasted, and it just comes off as acerbic and unduly harsh for ratings-sake. Link to comment
NM11046 Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 1 hour ago, TGHusker said: I cringed when I listened to it - not in defense of Sarah, Trump or the admin but in the personal nature of the jokes. It was not funny or tasteful. I'd say the same thing if it were aimed at a Dem admin. This is symptomatic of the discourse in our country. Kind of hard to get things done wt this type of divide. And unfortunately, our president should be leading us to a higher road but instead has led us into a deeper gutter - through the primaries, the general election and he failed to make any adjustment as president of all Americans - in fact it became a bully pulpit (not the TR type mind you) in which he attacks anyone who disagrees wt him. Little bit different tone back in the 1980s. This was Reagan's response back in 1986. At 6:15 point - Reagan talks up the importance of the press and the courage of the press - and salutes them for the work they do. No 'fake news' charges here. Trump is not Reagan. Gotta be honest though - if you watch her act she did nothig different Sat nite than she does on stage any other day. I dont find her funny. Tried watching her a couple weeks ago (maybe on Colbert doing a couple mins of stand up) and had to turn it off. If the folks had actually screened their performer they would have known exactly who they were getting. This announcement today is them hiding after the fact and trying to blame her vs their own bad decision. Whats new. No accountability. 1 Link to comment
knapplc Posted April 30, 2018 Author Share Posted April 30, 2018 13 minutes ago, BigRedBuster said: I have very very seldom found roasts funny. Agreed. It takes a very special kind of wit to skewer someone and make the humor of it broadly accessible. Very few comedians today have that ability. Michelle Wolfe definitely doesn't seem to be one of them. While her "jokes" may have had some validity to them, her delivery is awful. She's just not funny. 1 Link to comment
Danny Bateman Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 21 minutes ago, BigRedBuster said: I have very very seldom found roasts funny. You haven't seen unfunny roasting until you've seen Ann Coulter try to roast Rob Lowe. 4 Link to comment
knapplc Posted April 30, 2018 Author Share Posted April 30, 2018 1 minute ago, NM11046 said: Gotta be honest though - if you watch her act she did nothig different Sat nite than she does on stage any other day. I dont find her funny. Tried watching her a couple weeks ago (maybe on Colbert doing a couple mins of stand up) and had to turn it off. If the folks had actually screened their performer they would have known exactly who they were getting. This announcement today is them hiding after the fact and trying to blame her vs their own bad decision. Whats new. No accountability. The audience at the dinner was giving her some negative feedback and she even said, off script, something to the effect that if they were shocked at what she was saying, they hadn't done proper research on her. 1 Link to comment
Danny Bateman Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 Not much for CNN these days, but I gotta say, I appreciate Cuomo aggressively holding Schlapp accountable on this. If he wants to whine about a comedian, he needs to be held accountable for the many things he's been silent on. Of course, Schlapp predictably tried to convince people this: ... wasn't what it was (The President mocking a man with a disability) and quickly steered to conversation to all people who feel the biased liberal MSM like CNN only exists to attack Trump make himself some noble defender of the forgotten being unfairly denigrated. They're like clockwork at this point. Utterly predictable. 3 Link to comment
TGHusker Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 45 minutes ago, Fru said: But let's not joke about someone's makeup. yes, our idiot in chief setting the example of the low road Link to comment
TGHusker Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 14 minutes ago, knapplc said: Agreed. It takes a very special kind of wit to skewer someone and make the humor of it broadly accessible. Very few comedians today have that ability. Michelle Wolfe definitely doesn't seem to be one of them. While her "jokes" may have had some validity to them, her delivery is awful. She's just not funny. Agree - those old Dean Martin roasts were good - look on youtube and you'll see plenty of them. They were funny and aimed at the 'guess roastee' but not personal in the sense that they destroyed the personal dignity of a person. Even Don Rickles, Mr Sarcasm himself, could make the guess laugh without it being personal. Different time. 2 Link to comment
Big Red 40 Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 That’s the one I was thinking of . Reagan was almost in tears from laughing . Good one . Link to comment
knapplc Posted April 30, 2018 Author Share Posted April 30, 2018 Wolf is being raked over the coals for making jokes about Sanders' appearance and personality. Don Rickles was notorious for this kind of humor. Let's not sugar coat his work. "My Jewish wife was supposed to come with me today, but she couldn't get off the bed ... the jewelry was too heavy." –The Dick Cavett Show, 1972 "Is that your wife, sir? Jesus... what was it, a train?" –Comic Relief V, 1992 [To Letterman, who said he was single] "Still lock yourself in your room with the radio on loud?" –Late Night, 1983 [to Robin Williams, upon seeing his forearms] "I've never met an ape." –Comic Relief V, 1992 [to Johnny Carson] "This is a good jacket… come in with cotton candy tomorrow night, and you can work the carnival." –Tonight Show, 1976 "I said, 'Stand up, Frank, be yourself ... and hit somebody.'" –recounting the time he first met Frank Sinatra on The Daily Show, 2008 "Orson Welles, this great man was married to a great many women. They're all flat now.” –The Bob Hope Roast, 1974 "[Robert] De Niro is sitting there, he's one of the great actors of our time. You ask him." –AFI Tribute to Martin Scorsese, 1997 "You are a politician. Black, white, Jew, gentile, we’re all working for one cause: to figure out how you became governor." –Ronald Reagan Roast, 1974 "Bob Hope couldn't be here tonight, he's looking for a war." –Frank Sinatra Roast, 1978 [To hippie-ish gentleman in the audience] "I didn't recognize the guy with the beard. Good luck in Bethlehem." –Jerry Lewis Friar's Roast, 1971 1 Link to comment
teachercd Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 Sugar coat what...it is funny. Comedy is also about delivery and presentation. 2 Link to comment
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