I dont get it... [Archive]

365Duke

11-02-2007, 01:39 PM

It seems we had a thread (maybe on the old board) at one time about this. Anyway, a friend and I were talking yesterday about things that everyone in the world gets but yourself. You feel like you are the only person on the planet that does not get the show/movie/song that every raves about. I think it would be cool to hear other peoples choices.

mine are...

Seinfeld
The Simpsons
Any song by Bob Dylan
Any head bashing HEAVY Metal
and Matrix movies

Now at the risk of people coming out of the woodwork saying "your weird man", "or you don't know what your missing". What are your 5?

Karl Beem

11-02-2007, 01:46 PM

Elvis would top my list.

wilson

11-02-2007, 01:47 PM

The Big Lebowski
Borat
Survivor
The Catcher in the Rye
Bruce Springsteen

wiscodevil

11-02-2007, 01:49 PM

Elvis would top my list.

office space and dazed and confused. hated em both. also, i cannot watch the American "office" on nbc bc i loved the british one so much.

HaveFunExpectToWin

11-02-2007, 01:50 PM

Napoleon Dynamite.

DevilAlumna

11-02-2007, 01:51 PM

Rap
Twin Peaks
Music fanaticism
Ann Coulter/Rush Limbaugh
The sex appeal of Baywatch (for males or females.)

Clipsfan

11-02-2007, 01:51 PM

Napoleon Dynamite.

Yeah, that one was the first I thought of as well.

allenmurray

11-02-2007, 01:58 PM

Here's what I love about this thread. Of the lists where people put for or five things, I find myself in total agreement with some (Sienfield, Heavy mtal, Survivor, Baywatch) and in complete disagreement with others (Dylan, The Big Lebowski, Twin Peaks).

365Duke

11-02-2007, 01:59 PM

i think my list just grew to 10 because i agree with most of these.

colchar

11-02-2007, 02:01 PM

Seinfeld--I agree wholeheartedly.
The Simpsons--Disagree.
Any song by Bob Dylan--Agree.
Any head bashing HEAVY Metal--Completely disagree.
and Matrix movies--Agree.

To that list I would add hip hop, both the music itself and the culture that surrounds it.

TillyGalore

11-02-2007, 02:03 PM

Other than Seinfeld I agree with all of the above, and would add Desperate Housewives, CSI, Grey's Anatomy, Frazier, and hip hop music.

billybreen

11-02-2007, 02:15 PM

Elvis would top my list.

Oh word yes.

I disagree with almost all that I have seen thus far. I like rap, hip hop, the US (and UK) Office, Napoleon Dynamite, Dazed and Confused, Office Space, Seinfeld, and _definitely_ the Simpsons.

My list:
LOST
Elvis
Country music (with rare exception)

billybreen

11-02-2007, 02:20 PM

Ann Coulter/Rush Limbaugh

Sure, they have their vocal base, but you don't really think you are the only person on the planet who doesn't get these two, right? ;)

hc5duke

11-02-2007, 02:36 PM

billybreen

11-02-2007, 02:54 PM

Robin Williams (ANYTHING he does)

Good call.

I will further amend my list by adding Vince Vaughn and Old School.

hc5duke

11-02-2007, 03:04 PM

Good call.

I will further amend my list by adding Vince Vaughn and Old School.

Ooh this is where I disagree with you :) I can definitely relate better to Old School than The Animal House. Before you start the lynch mob, note that I didn't say OS was better than AH - I think AH was the better movie, but OS gets bonus points for being contemporary and for casting Will Ferrel (I'm surprised nobody's said Will Ferrel yet).

As for Vince Vaughn, yeah he's basically exactly the same character in every single movie he's in... I think there was a Robot Chicken segment about this.

wiscodevil

11-02-2007, 03:04 PM

Las Vegas - the city

EarlJam

11-02-2007, 03:20 PM

Las Vegas - the city

Good one. You beat me to it.

Along those same gambling lines, I'll say:

-Watching Poker on TV

Others to make five:

-Expensive cars
-Soccer
-Cake (the food)
-Women that dress like hookers (many guys love that. Women are beautiful as-is and I prefer the more natural, girl-next-door, jeans & T-shirt type of lady)
-Soccer moms who dress like hookers and drive expensive cars while celebrating their kid's birtdays with lots of cake.

-EarlJam

hc5duke

11-02-2007, 03:22 PM

Good one. You beat me to it.

Along those same gambling lines, I'll say:

-Watching Poker on TV

Others to make five:

-Expensive cars
-Soccer
-Cake (the food)
-Women that dress like hookers (many guys love that. Women are beautiful as-is and I prefer the more natural, girl-next-door, jeans & T-shirt type of lady)
-Soccer moms who dress like hookers and drive expensive cars while celebrating their kid's birtdays with lots of cake.

-EarlJam

Let's face it, most guys are from the dark ages. They're cavemen. And they like a women to be showing her cleavage and to be wearing eight inch heels, and to be wearing, um, see-through underpants. But, for me, a woman looks best when she is just absolutely naked.
- Michael Scott

billybreen

11-02-2007, 03:23 PM

Ooh this is where I disagree with you :) I can definitely relate better to Old School than The Animal House. Before you start the lynch mob, note that I didn't say OS was better than AH - I think AH was the better movie, but OS gets bonus points for being contemporary and for casting Will Ferrel (I'm surprised nobody's said Will Ferrel yet).

As for Vince Vaughn, yeah he's basically exactly the same character in every single movie he's in... I think there was a Robot Chicken segment about this.

Haven't seen the Robot Chicken, but Stewie had a nice summarization of every Vince Vaughn movie on Family Guy. "Here's my summary of every Vince Vaughn movie. Oh, I'm incapable of loving another person. Wait, no I'm not. The End."

I was born the year Animal House came out, so I can't say I ever really related to it directly. But I certainly can't relate to Old School, nor can I condone it.

Lavabe

11-02-2007, 03:25 PM

1. The Blair Witch Project
2. Naz
3. Fleetwood Mac (well... not really, but thought Wilson/colchar would HAVE to respond)
4. Benny Hill
5. Sushi
6. Krispy Kreme Donuts (obligate tie-in to another thread)
7. SUV's on residential streets in the South
8. Romcoms that star Hugh Grant or Sandra Bullock (another obligate tie-in to another thread)
9. Conan O'Brien
10. Dollywood

Cheers,
Lavabe

dkbaseball

11-02-2007, 03:25 PM

Bruce Springsteen

OMG. Wilson, you're the first intellectual I've met who doesn't pay fealty to the Boss. If you don't like him as a musical phenomenon, perhaps the academic in you will appreciate his efforts in that realm. A few years ago he saved from financial oblivion an obscure peer-reviewed journal of American Studies -- can't remember the name. Interviewed in the journal, he held forth very intelligently and at length on the state of George Bush's Merka. One turn of phrase I especially appreciated -- he referred to reality TV as "Darwinian theater."

He's an extremely thoughtful autodidact, and when he and the E Street Band break into Badlands or finish up Jungeland, I'm absolutely transported. But different strokes....

As for my own selections -- the standard old curmudgeon's list: body piercings, rap, etc. ....... and Adam Sandler.

hc5duke

11-02-2007, 03:28 PM

Haven't seen the Robot Chicken, but Stewie had a nice summarization of every Vince Vaughn movie on Family Guy. "Here's my summary of every Vince Vaughn movie. Oh, I'm incapable of loving another person. Wait, no I'm not. The End."

You're right, it was Stewie I was remembering, not Robot Chicken.

wilson

11-02-2007, 03:30 PM

3. Fleetwood Mac (well... not really, but thought Wilson/colchar would HAVE to respond)

Cheers,
Lavabe

I of course considered putting Fleetwood Muck on my list. Then I realized, however, that I get them completely. They just suck.

As for Bruce Springsteen, he may well be a commendable supporter of the academy. His music, however, is completely lost on me; it's weird...much as I love Christmas, his "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" (the only Boss holiday tune they ever play on the radio) also fails to get my blood pumping.
Gimme Bob Seger.

wilson

11-02-2007, 03:32 PM

10. Dollywood

Cheers,
Lavabe

Gotta say I differ with you on this one. Dollywood is the perfect example of one of those places/things you just have to take for what it's worth. I've been three times, and if you simply prepare yourself for a gluttonous portion of campy "Down Home 'Merkan*-ness," it's an absolute delight.

*"American" to those of you who don't/choose not to speak Bush.

DevilAlumna

11-02-2007, 03:36 PM

Sure, they have their vocal base, but you don't really think you are the only person on the planet who doesn't get these two, right? ;)

Fair enough. (Kind of forgot that aspect of the original question.)

In that case, the replacement "huh? Is it just me?" thing is:

Talking on your cell phone while driving (especially while doing 60 in bumper-to-bumper rush hour traffic.)

Can't it wait, people??

billybreen

11-02-2007, 03:42 PM

Fair enough. (Kind of forgot that aspect of the original question.)

In that case, the replacement "huh? Is it just me?" thing is:

Talking on your cell phone while driving (especially while doing 60 in bumper-to-bumper rush hour traffic.)

Can't it wait, people??

Guilty.

hc5duke

11-02-2007, 03:44 PM

Talking on your cell phone while driving (especially while doing 60 in bumper-to-bumper rush hour traffic.)

Can't it wait, people??

I got one worse - talking on your cellphone in the bathroom. At the urinal is bad enough, but while going #2 = WTH people?

billybreen

11-02-2007, 03:49 PM

I got one worse - talking on your cellphone in the bathroom. At the urinal is bad enough, but while going #2 = WTH people?

Someone does that?

hc5duke

11-02-2007, 03:54 PM

Someone does that?

several times inside airport bathrooms (insert Larry Craig joke here), and one time in the men's room at work.

cspan37421

11-02-2007, 04:02 PM

First time I watched it, I was definitely in the "I don't get it" camp. I didn't get it and certainly didn't think it was funny. Second time I watched it, I began to chuckle a bit. By the third time I was hooked, seeing it full of irony, parody, and homages to the episodic insanity of high-school life.

But I also erroneously thought Jon Heder was robbed for getting next to nothing for his acting in the film - which by then had made tons of dough. His later performances suggest to me that he is no genius, he got lucky.

I loved Office Space. Nothing could be more dead-on about white collar geek worklife in the 1990s.

TillyGalore

11-02-2007, 04:07 PM

First time I watched it, I was definitely in the "I don't get it" camp. I didn't get it and certainly didn't think it was funny. Second time I watched it, I began to chuckle a bit. By the third time I was hooked, seeing it full of irony, parody, and homages to the episodic insanity of high-school life.

I didn't get it, and have wondered if I need to see it a couple of times to "get it". Maybe I'll rent it soon and give it another shot. Course I was watching it on Comedy Central so that may have made a difference. At least now I "get" the "Vote for Pedro" references. I thought everyone was a Pedro Martinez fan and I didn't get that!

billybreen

11-02-2007, 04:12 PM

I didn't get it, and have wondered if I need to see it a couple of times to "get it". Maybe I'll rent it soon and give it another shot. Course I was watching it on Comedy Central so that may have made a difference. At least now I "get" the "Vote for Pedro" references. I thought everyone was a Pedro Martinez fan and I didn't get that!

Yeah, it takes a viewing or two. The first time my wife and I watched it, we both said 'what the hell was that?' Now it's comedy gold.

xenic

11-02-2007, 05:08 PM

Robin Williams (ANYTHING he does)
Seinfeld
Heroes
Bob Dylan

also:

The Matrix trilogy - I liked the movies ok, just thought it was way over-hyped
Elvis: I don't think many people in my generation "raves" about Elvis though

I assume that "ANYTHING" is specifically referring to Good Morning Vietnam?

Ditto on Seinfeld... never got it. I'm sure there are others, but I can't think of them right now.

EarlJam

11-02-2007, 05:24 PM

[LIST]
Robin Williams (ANYTHING he does)

THANK YOU! People I know don't understand why I don't care much for his comedy. To me, he's just never been that funny. He IS a great serious actor though and was excellent in numerous movies including Good Will Hunting and the Dead Poet's Society to name just a couple.

Here's one. How about: Jack Black. I don't find him that funny either.

-EarlJam

CameronBlue

11-02-2007, 05:27 PM

Blair Witch Project
Tar Heel Basketball
Regis Philbin
Oprah
Caviar
Wal-Mart

Lavabe

11-02-2007, 05:30 PM

At least now I "get" the "Vote for Pedro" references.

Thanks for reminding me of another one:

SOUTH OF THE BORDER

What's up with that?

Pedro says: "You're always a wiener at South of the Border."

Cheers,
Lavabe

DevilAlumna

11-02-2007, 05:33 PM

Here's one. How about: Jack Black. I don't find him that funny either.

To tie this in with the Chickflick thread, I just can't understand how anyone could write him in as the guy who gets the girl, and expect viewers to be happy about it.

"The Holiday" was great, but for the fact that we are left with the impression that Kate Winslet (the hottiest of hotties, if I were a guy, mwrowr!) is gonna get together with Jack Black. Ugh! Nasty! I need a shower just thinking about that pairing. Eww.

Okay, School of Rock was a little less odious b/c the chick was Joan Cusack, certainly not high on the looks scale, but still, the fat, lazy act just is ... eww.

Sorry, this rant is likely brought to you by too many leftover Almond Joy snacksize candy bars, a treat which I didn't realize I liked until this Halloween.... Please return to your regularly scheduled thread topic.

Udaman

11-02-2007, 05:45 PM

CSI Anything

Deal or No Deal

George Karlan

Lord of the Rings (movies and especially the books)

Angelina Jolie

Dylan, Springsteen, poker on TV are all good ones as well

I do agree about the last two Matrix movies, but the first one literally blew me away.

Also, as someone else pointed out, it really is amazing when someone puts something here that you just totally do get. For instance, I thought Napoleon Dynamite was hysterical, and Vegas is the greatest spot on the planet.

captmojo

11-02-2007, 06:15 PM

Fun size candy bars.
I prefer to call them "frustration size".

Channing

11-02-2007, 06:30 PM

(1) Kevin James
(2) LOTR
(3) Jam Band Music (WSP, String Cheese Incident et al.)
(4) Nutella

365Duke

11-02-2007, 06:40 PM

Thanks for reminding me of another one:

SOUTH OF THE BORDER

What's up with that?

Pedro says: "You're always a wiener at South of the Border."

Cheers,
Lavabe

Good one!:D

colchar

11-02-2007, 07:11 PM

3. Fleetwood Mac (well... not really, but thought Wilson/colchar would HAVE to respond)

I've got Fleetwood Mac cranked too loud to hear you so I doubt I will respond.

colchar

11-02-2007, 07:13 PM

Tar Heel Basketball

That was kind of a given on this website.

feldspar

11-02-2007, 07:53 PM

Oh word yes.

LOST

Bite your tongue.

Bostondevil

11-02-2007, 09:44 PM

Yes, Oprah, I don't get it big time with Oprah.

Others:
Ben Stiller
Adam Sandler (although I do like him when he gives interviews)
Hilary Swank (2 Oscars!?! Really?)
Neil Young
wearing your pants so tight you have a muffin top, even the thin ones do this, why?
tats
the war on terror (oops, PPB!)

I do however get Jack Black, I love Jack Black. And I think Old School is a riot.

pfrduke

11-02-2007, 09:58 PM

Robin Williams (ANYTHING he does)

I'd vote to amend this to "anything he's done while clean." His early stand-up when he was coked out of his head is unbelievable. The "inside the head of a stand-up bombing" is comic gold.

His career arc is so similar to Eddie Murphy's - absolutely hilarious when they were young, drugged, and unafraid of offending anyone, and then all their comic talent is lost when they try to become a little more mainstream and family friendly.

xenic

11-02-2007, 10:21 PM

THANK YOU! People I know don't understand why I don't care much for his comedy. To me, he's just never been that funny. He IS a great serious actor though and was excellent in numerous movies including Good Will Hunting and the Dead Poet's Society to name just a couple.

Here's one. How about: Jack Black. I don't find him that funny either.

-EarlJam

I tend to find RW pretty funny, but man he's been in a lot of terrible movies. I thin that it has something to do with how much cocaine he is doing... but I don't know if more, less, or a middle ground is what gets him working best.

Exiled_Devil

11-02-2007, 11:19 PM

"Down Home 'Merkan*-ness," it's an absolute delight.

I thought you meant Dolly wears wigs down there. Merkins!

Exiled_Devil

11-02-2007, 11:23 PM

For me, the big I don't get its:

Seinfeld
Napoleon Dynamite
Sopranos
Expensive Watches
Cars marketed by torque and horsepower. Really? how many people actually know about or care what that means?

Edit: What is an expensive car, EarlJam? That term ha drifted for me as life has progressed - I am interested to see where your line for this is.

hc5duke

11-03-2007, 12:12 AM

Cars marketed by torque and horsepower. Really? how many people actually know about or care what that means?

Judging by the number of sporty cars and luxury sedans on the road, a LOT :) My icon may show my bias though...

dukemomLA

11-03-2007, 03:50 AM

hmmmm -- so many from which to chose.

Hummers & Corvettes
King of the Hill
most Heavy Metal
people talking on cellphones while driving (...ALL the time)
NASCAR
Dancing with the Stars

Lavabe

11-03-2007, 06:59 AM

people talking on cellphones while driving (...ALL the time)

Alright ... let me modify this one.

Cell phones going off in the middle of exams (especially final exams). No matter how many warnings, there's always one that will go off.

Sorry, leaving it on vibrate doesn't work either. EVERYONE in the lecture hall can hear your cell phone vibrate.

Why don't cell phone manufacturers call it MUFFLE, rather than VIBRATE?

I just don't get why it's so difficult to turn the cell phone OFF.

Cheers,
Lavabe

cspan37421

11-03-2007, 07:09 AM

You got that right.

I went to a midnite show of Lord of the Rings around the time when Peter Jackson was being annointed as the greatest living director. He was at the start of a 3-picture roll where the LOTR trilogy basically won everything in sight. Sadly, but not surprisingly, I heard of Layne Staley's death on the way to the theater that night (Alice in Chains singer, very talented, but a heroin addict, who knew he would not come out of it alive).

So that bummed me.

But the film simply did not take me away. Maybe I'm getting too old and serious to be carried away with fantasy films and stories. I increasingly find that my enjoyment of a film is usually in inverse proportion to the amount of $$ spent on CGI. It seems so many films cheap out on writers and spend wildly on special effects, and LOTR is Exhibit A.

Blair Witch was not the least bit frightening. I don't get how anyone could think it was.

Jack Black stole the show in High Fidelity. He was masterful in School of Rock. But one gets the feeling that he is a one-trick pony, and that he just smokes waaay too much weed to be sustainably funny (to others). Tenacious D's performance (of Pick of Destiny) on an awards show earlier in the year was just dreadful (so was the song), and this from a guy who thought their first CD was genius.

I don't get NASCAR either. I understand what goes on - fuel strategy, drafting, etc., I just don't understand how anyone can stand to watch it. OTOH I like to see the last 25 laps of the Indy 500 when I can, so go figure. Probably b/c I'd like to see Danica win and do a Brandi Chastain.

I don't get how anyone could not get or like Seinfeld. Underdeveloped sense of irony, or just a pure white hatred of neurotica in NYC? And what's with dissin' Fleetwood Mac? OK, they're over the hill and living on past glories, but they're hardly alone on that count. I still think Rumours was a great album - not that they haven't become caricatures of themselves, but....

LOL on the frustration size candy bars. Good one!

Last one - I hate the Transformers-type football robot on Fox NFL Sunday. I can't see how that would appeal to anyone older than 7. I'd like The Iron Giant to come down and kick its I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.. Now that's entertainment.

YmoBeThere

11-03-2007, 07:14 AM

10. Dollywood

Cheers,
Lavabe

I agree, Twitty City is the place to go because you had the House of Cash right across the street...(of course, I literally lived next door to all this when I lived in the Nashville area).

YmoBeThere

11-03-2007, 07:21 AM

1. Reality TV in general, I got the first few(Real World on MTV in the early 90s) but it has gone on far too long
2. Deal or No Deal...I mean it is just random luck and they always offer you less than the expected value or is that another thread?
3. How Heros could be so good the first season and suck so much the second. Were they planning on it being one and done?
4. Starbucks on every corner, except where there is a Dunkin Donuts on the other corners(coffee sucks)
5. Friday Night Lights

cspan37421

11-03-2007, 07:31 AM

Deal or No Deal - you're right. Once you figure that they're always offering you less than the expected value, it is just a contest between of greed and regret avoidance, driven by random luck. And they make video games for this show! Why??? And how about those contestants. If you're not flamboyant, you're not getting on.

I liked Identity (Penn Jillette) a lot, can't believe that is gone but these others are still on. (Identity as the Cusack movie was good too).

GDT

11-03-2007, 07:31 AM

Last one - I hate the Transformers-type football robot on Fox NFL Sunday. I can't see how that would appeal to anyone older than 7.

Wow, I thought I was alone in despising that thing. I would add:

The unquenchable urge to talk about how much one hates soccer (I don't get NASCAR but I don't care if others do, and I don't think less of them for it; however, those who don't get soccer seem to have to make sure everyone knows)
Celebrity news
Jim Rome
Fairport Convention (without Richard Thompson)
Ken Burns
Martha Stewart

365Duke

11-03-2007, 10:00 AM

I agree completely with Oprah. While I agree she is a wonderful person, and does great things. I do not think I have ever seen 1 whole episode of her show, and it has been on for what 20 years? I mean she almost has a cult following.
She does have my respect, just not my following:rolleyes:

Exiled_Devil

11-03-2007, 10:26 AM

Judging by the number of sporty cars and luxury sedans on the road, a LOT :) My icon may show my bias though...

The luxury sedans I see being about the interior appointment and the badge on the front grill for prestige sake.

Sporty cars I get, but again, I think of them as being about "sexy styling" and "how fast can I go"

I think the point of the marketing for cars is to make car geeks want new things, so =average people see them on the road. People see them and then look for htem in dealerships. Maybe I am off, but it does seem that most car commercials do not speak to me at all.

Bostondevil

11-03-2007, 10:29 AM

Speaking of cars, I'd like to go driving on all those empty roads they show in the car ads, where are they?

Channing

11-03-2007, 10:35 AM

This is one that has just come up in the last couple of days - but it recurs in different forms.

I don't understand the media's obsession with, in this case, Andy Reid's family life. I don't want to hear Sal Paolantonio telling me the judge thinks Reid is a bad father. It just rubs me the wrong way. And for SportsCenter to lead with this story?

Indoor66

11-03-2007, 11:15 AM

Speaking of cars, I'd like to go driving on all those empty roads they show in the car ads, where are they?

Go west young man, go west.

Mal

11-03-2007, 12:01 PM

People are veering into "pet peeves" a little bit here, but I'll try to stick to things I just can't quite grasp why people like so much.

Big ditto on Napoleon Dynamite. And I've watched it twice, or attempted to. Bored to tears the first time, annoyed by how unfunny it was the second. Also agree on Dancing with The Stars, Elvis, and Friday Night Lights.

Others that come to mind:

- Dane Cook
- Crocs
- Those oversized, cheap looking, late '70s style metallic shades that are back in vogue
- The Olson twins
- The Macarena
- David Lynch
- David Bowie
- Dennis Hopper
- Harry Potter
- Adam Sandler
- Jessica Alba

cspan37421

11-03-2007, 01:04 PM

Well, they can be related:

while I am peeved by the stupid transformer robot on Fox NFL coverage, I "don't get" why anyone at that network thinks it is a good thing. How could it possibly have survived a focus group made up of adults? Maybe they were on their 15th beer....

YmoBeThere

11-03-2007, 01:17 PM

Others that come to mind:
- The Olsen twins
- Jessica Alba

The Olsen twins: serious, serious bank
Jessica Alba: Good God Man, she's just hot. Plus some might say she seems a little better adjusted than the rest of her era

Mal

11-03-2007, 02:05 PM

I knew that one would get some response! I don't disagree, but she seems to be talked about as the hottest woman on the planet, and as a major talent, despite not appearing in anything of artistic significance or showing much ability to act. She's one of the biggest stars in Hollywood for what? The Fantastic Four movies? That's what I don't get. Maybe it's a generational thing, since I'm close to a decade older and have no interest in anything she's appeared in. But my impressionistic view is that there's some level of gravitas missing. For that reason she seems more like the flavor of the month than a serious actress, but I get the sense everyone else thinks she's the biggest thing since sliced bread.

Also, she's no Jessica Biel ;)

Can I add American Idol to my list? I don't want everyone here to jump down my throat defending it - I realize how deeply people seem to love that thing. I just don't get it. They're talented, but not that talented. The albums the winners foist on the public afterwards are uniformly atrocious, so why isn't the jig up yet? Because we like watching some British jerk make fun of people?

YmoBeThere

11-03-2007, 02:15 PM

I knew that one would get some response! I don't disagree, but she seems to be talked about as the hottest woman on the planet, and as a major talent, despite not appearing in anything of artistic significance or showing much ability to act. She's one of the biggest stars in Hollywood for what? The Fantastic Four movies? That's what I don't get. Maybe it's a generational thing, since I'm close to a decade older and have no interest in anything she's appeared in. But my impressionistic view is that there's some level of gravitas missing. For that reason she seems more like the flavor of the month than a serious actress, but I get the sense everyone else thinks she's the biggest thing since sliced bread.

Also, she's no Jessica Biel ;)

I also am a decade older than Ms. Alba, and agree that her acting well it isn't "all that". Ms. Biel's acting efforts are not much to speak of either. But I do ask you this, how in the heck did the two Jessica's manage to get scheduled releases of movies titled Good Luck Chuck and I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry within 8 weeks of each other? I sense a Jessipiracy of some sort.

cspan37421

11-03-2007, 02:17 PM

so why isn't the jig up yet? Because we like watching some British jerk make fun of people?

We have a winner!

wilson

11-03-2007, 02:20 PM

They're talented, but not that talented. The albums the winners foist on the public afterwards are uniformly atrocious, so why isn't the jig up yet?

I'm no Idol maniac either, but I'd actually beg to differ with this a bit. While her style isn't really my cup of tea, I think Kelly Clarkson has some genuine talent (and she has had some reasonably sustained success to back that impression up). Same with Carrie Underwood, who perhaps hits a more limited sector of the population, having chosen to go the "country" route (yes, I used those quotation marks deliberately).

Now, Idol has certainly saddled us with some duds too--has Ruben turned up on a milk carton yet? And though that "no-talent I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this. clown" (thank you, Michael Bolton;) ) Clay Aiken didn't actually win, I'd punch him in the junk, then in the face if he walked in the room right now. Other non-winners, however, such as Jennifer Hudson, have demonstrated (as I said before) genuine talent. I actually think the populism of the whole thing is refreshing, a nice way of giving the American public exactly what they ask for. Is their taste at times questionable? Of course. Is the whole thing far too big for its britches? Absolutely. But it doesn't really bother me that much. Again, I stress that I am not a regular viewer.

Holy Lord, I can't believe I just composed a paean to American Idol of that length.

merry

11-04-2007, 08:15 PM

Things I don't get:
Las Vegas
Disney World (and related)
Cruises
Hummers
Big houses with huge garage doors facing the road

Incidentally I loved Seinfeld...I don't watch much TV these days so can't comment on most of the others. And I love Napoleon Dynomite. For the latter, it might have helped that the first time I watched it was with a pre-teen boy.

wilson

11-04-2007, 10:24 PM

Disney World

Blasphemy

YmoBeThere

11-04-2007, 10:54 PM

Things I don't get:
Las Vegas

The city or the TV show...I can explain both:)

killerleft

11-04-2007, 11:44 PM

Las Vegas - the city. What a way to screw up a desert! Gimme the Grand Canyon any day.

Myrtle Beach. It's just Gatlinburg without the mountains.

Gatlinburg. It's just Myrtle Beach without the ocean.

The Big Lebowski

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - the hype.

billybreen

11-05-2007, 08:55 AM

Motor sports (NASCAR and the like)

jacone21

11-05-2007, 09:48 AM

HD TV - It's just television and there still aren't enough offerings to justify it. Maybe some day....

Network Television Shows - All of them

Walmart - If hell exists, mine will be like Walmart on Saturday

Dogs - They'd be okay if people would teach them to be quiet and not accost strangers

which brings me to...

People - I just don't get people.

Shammrog

11-05-2007, 09:57 AM

The Beatles
Adam Sandler
Pro Wrestling
Elvis
NASCAR

wilson

11-05-2007, 10:34 AM

DevilAlumna

11-05-2007, 11:26 AM

HD TV - It's just television and there still aren't enough offerings to justify it. Maybe some day....

Clearly, you've never watched a Duke basketball game in 60" Hi-Def glory. You can almost see the individual drops of sweat hit the floor.

HaveFunExpectToWin

11-05-2007, 11:47 AM

Can I add American Idol to my list? I don't want everyone here to jump down my throat defending it - I realize how deeply people seem to love that thing. I just don't get it. They're talented, but not that talented. The albums the winners foist on the public afterwards are uniformly atrocious, so why isn't the jig up yet? Because we like watching some British jerk make fun of people?

I'm completely with you on American Idol. Not only is it terrible, but it has spawned a hundred me-too reality show contests that will take American television a decade or two to recover from. Ugh.

throatybeard

11-05-2007, 12:22 PM

Las Vegas - the city

Oh. My. God. Yes. It's a travesty.

I deeply despise the Beatles. That generally makes you unpopular with all sorts of people

Shammrog

11-05-2007, 12:29 PM

Oh. My. God. Yes. It's a travesty.

I deeply despise the Beatles. That generally makes you unpopular with all sorts of people

Thank you, thank you.

Thank God I didn't put the other thing *really* in my top 5. Earljam might kill me.

Baseball.

(though, the games are fun to go to.)

billybreen

11-05-2007, 12:32 PM

Thank you, thank you.

Thank God I didn't put the other thing *really* in my top 5. Earljam might kill me.

Baseball.

(though, the games are fun to go to.)

I'm with you on that. Baseball is the worst.

I can't agree with you on going to games. Maybe I'm just not drinking enough for it to be enjoyable, but I've never made it past the 7th inning stretch.

wilson

11-05-2007, 12:45 PM

I'm with you on that. Baseball is the worst.

I can't agree with you on going to games. Maybe I'm just not drinking enough for it to be enjoyable, but I've never made it past the 7th inning stretch.

And the Beatles. Communists, you are. Communists all!

EarlJam

11-05-2007, 01:04 PM

Thank you, thank you.

Thank God I didn't put the other thing *really* in my top 5. Earljam might kill me.

Baseball.

(though, the games are fun to go to.)

I feel so used.....so........betrayed. Damn you Shammrog. Damn you!

-EarlJam

rsvman

11-05-2007, 01:16 PM

Star Wars.

Please, somebody tell me that I'm not the only person in the world that finds Star Wars and all its spinoffs, prequels, sequels, paraphernalia, etc., etc., to be mind-numbingly stupid!

EarlJam

11-05-2007, 01:26 PM

Star Wars.

Please, somebody tell me that I'm not the only person in the world that finds Star Wars and all its spinoffs, prequels, sequels, paraphernalia, etc., etc., to be mind-numbingly stupid!

I enjoyed the first three when I was growing up. Hated the two of the last three that I've seen and am pretty much done with it. In short, current-day EarlJam agrees with you.

Am I the only one who finds that the special effects in the 70s and 80s versions were better than the ones in the prequels? The latest three just seemed too cartoonish.

-EarlJam