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Post by Deleted on Jan 5, 2011 22:46:22 GMT
Or do you have to be British to find the humour? WTF?
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 6, 2011 0:43:50 GMT
 Not only is it totally unfunny, it's cruel on more than one level.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 6, 2011 0:45:41 GMT
Speaking of unfunny -- is the tv show Glee supposed to be a comedy. I gave it a good chance -- at least three episodes, thinking it was going to somehow develop. I asked a friend about it, and he had stopped watching it for the same reason I did, that it's so mean-spirited.
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Post by onlymark on Jan 6, 2011 6:41:23 GMT
A form of humour is based on the ridiculous and the exaggeration. This is a poor attempt to exploit that. The thought of a lad who can't even serve a burger wanting to become a pilot and his thinking that he is on the first step of doing so is the basis for the 'humour'.
I find that since a guy called Ben Elton appeared on the scene, humour has become not clever, just aggressive and cruel in far too many cases.
There is a recent furore about one modern comedian who is quite insulting and should the TV station he is on, get rid of him. Humour can be done without swearing, without cruelty. There is also an article from a writer who bemoans the loss of humour with puns. Far too much gentle humour, clever incisive comments and witticisms has been lost. This is replaced by 'in your face' jokes which leave me cold.
One other form in recent years is the comedy of embarrassment, as shown all too well in 'The Office'. This also fails to appeal to me.
I blame it on the falling standards of education, insidious American TV and the 'I want it now and sod everybody else' attitude prevalent now in society.
One other humour falling at the fences is that of the raconteur. Someone like Peter Ustinov or Kenneth Williams are a dying breed sadly missed by myself. I could listen to them for hours. There still are some about, but few and far between whereas there used to be many. The Stephen Fry type is the best we can do for now, and he is a pale imitation of what came before.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 6, 2011 7:53:36 GMT
Remember Victor Borge?  |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2011 8:13:30 GMT
Personally, I am unable to watch certain scenes of embarrassment. I actually have to leave the room or change the channel for a couple of minutes. I don't know why it affects me so much.
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Post by tod2 on Jan 6, 2011 12:39:48 GMT
Yep, I remember Victor Borge! I've never set eyes on him before - only listened to his humour on the radio.
I agree Mark - The Office leaves me cold. I tried to watch it but honestly it was too painful.
Now if you want me in stitches even after all these years - give me Fawlty Towers!
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Post by mickthecactus on Jan 6, 2011 13:36:32 GMT
Mark has summed it up very succinctly.
We are fortunate to have a BBC digital radio station (Radio 7) which, among other things, broadcasts comedy shows as far back as the 1940's. Many of these are still absolutely hilarious, particularly the ones with Kenneth Williams.
Neither The Office nor Little Britain did anything for me at all. One short viewing was quite enough.
We now have a quite old fashioned comedy show on BBC2 - Miranda, which features a very tall 6' 1" woman that I find very funny - absoluetly nothing cruel or embarrassing in it at all.
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Post by onlymark on Jan 6, 2011 14:00:47 GMT
Embarrassment humour I also am very uncomfortable with and I also switch it off, over or leave the room. Many who it appeals to have become inured to it because they are part of a voyeur generation brought up on a diet of You Tube, Big Brother, reality TV, MTV, Jackass et al.
I bet you would have difficulty finding anyone over 50 years old who it genuinely appeals to ('to whom it genuinely appeals' - to hopefully get the grammar right (correct?))
I'm beginning to sound like a stereotypical old bloke who bemoans anything 'new'. But I consider myself far from it. There have been many changes over my life for the good, but just because something changes doesn't mean it has improved - as humour hasn't.
Victor Borge I rate quite highly, in fact even the old Hollywood actors/actresses were often good.
But watch an interview with Mr. Depp or Mr. Pitt or Ms/Mrs/Miss. Jolie and they are far too earnest, full of pomposity and their own contribution to the world. They are entertainers, that's all.
They have the raconteur skill of an amoeba.
Imagine being at a dinner party with Ella Fitzgerald or Louis Armstrong or Billie Holiday and also there was Robbie Williams, Beyonce, Rihanna, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake and P. Diddy.
Who would you rather sit next to?
(Unless Shakira was there as well............. my Lord, what hips!!!)
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2011 14:10:00 GMT
Ah, well then you had better go to a cocktail party with everybody standing up instead of a dinner party if you want to see Shakira's hips in action.
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Post by mickthecactus on Jan 6, 2011 14:13:10 GMT
Thicko here.
Who's Shakira?
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Post by onlymark on Jan 6, 2011 14:59:28 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 6, 2011 16:51:05 GMT
I only watched the British version of The Office once, and found it excruciatingly unfunny. Thus, I don't know it was embarrassment humor or not. I used to watch the American version of the show, which could be extremely funny. That was before it ran out of steam & funniness but just kept going anyway, as sitcoms so often do -- 2 1/2 Men being an excellent example of that.
Just a quick digression here ~~ how do singers manage to dance vigorously and sing at the same time without their voices wobbling &/or getting out of breath?
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Post by onlymark on Jan 6, 2011 16:54:33 GMT
They mime.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 6, 2011 17:05:47 GMT
They're not yours! How do you figure that?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2011 18:25:38 GMT
That video is blocked in "my country."
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2011 18:27:47 GMT
2 1/2 Men being an excellent example of that. I'm beginning to fear that the final episode of that will be when the kids gets married. |
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