The Miscellaneous Thought Thread

[truecoat]

Thank you! I'll have to listen to that today.

I'm just thrilled that my old memory banks still work, and that my hunch that I'd seen Chris Rock on SNL at some point was accurate.

As a long-time fan of SNL, he came from the most talented cast era of SNL. Phil Hartman, Dana Carvey, Dennis Miller, Nora Dunn, Jan Hooks, Jon Lovitz. They added A. Whitney Brown and Kevin Nealon. Mike Myers and Ben Stiller were added in 1989. In 1990, Chris Farley, Tim Meadows, Chris Rock, Julia Sweeney, Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider and David Spade. 1993 with most of this cast still in place, they add Michael McKean, Norm MacDonald, Jay Mohr and Sara Silverman.

It was a great run and led into the Will Ferrell era.

 

[TP2000]

Ilong-time fan of SNL, he came from the most talented cast era of SNL. Phil Hartman, Dana Carvey, Dennis Miller, Nora Dunn, Jan Hooks, Jon Lovitz. They added A. Whitney Brown and Kevin Nealon. Mike Myers and Ben Stiller were added in 1989. In 1990, Chris Farley, Tim Meadows, Chris Rock, Julia Sweeney, Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider and David Spade. 1993 with most of this cast still in place, they add Michael McKean, Norm MacDonald, Jay Mohr and Sara Silverman.

Yes, of course! It's all flooding back now. Thank you!

And you had me at Nora Dunn and Jan Hooks. I've loved Jan Hooks since she was on Tush in the early 80's. I was so sad to hear of her passing a few years ago.

I still break into Sweeny Sisters routines sometimes. Thankfully, I have the self control to not do that in public, but I've had a few close calls... Clang, clang, clang went the trolley!

 

[truecoat]

Yes, of course! It's all flooding back now. Thank you!

And you had me at Nora Dunn and Jan Hooks. I've loved Jan Hooks since she was on Tush in the early 80's. I was so sad to hear of her passing a few years ago.

I still break into Sweeny Sisters routines sometimes. Thankfully, I have the self control to not do that in public, but I've had a few close calls... Clang, clang, clang went the trolley!

I loved the Sweeney sisters. Also, Molly Shannon and Cheri Oteri going LEG UP!

 

[Communicora]

As a long-time fan of SNL, he came from the most talented cast era of SNL. Phil Hartman, Dana Carvey, Dennis Miller, Nora Dunn, Jan Hooks, Jon Lovitz. They added A. Whitney Brown and Kevin Nealon. Mike Myers and Ben Stiller were added in 1989. In 1990, Chris Farley, Tim Meadows, Chris Rock, Julia Sweeney, Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider and David Spade. 1993 with most of this cast still in place, they add Michael McKean, Norm MacDonald, Jay Mohr and Sara Silverman.

It was a great run and led into the Will Ferrell era.

Victoria Jackson was in that era too, but maybe she is an unmentionable now.

 

[Phroobar]

I hear Will Smith has a new video game.

 

[truecoat]

Victoria Jackson was in that era too, but maybe she is an unmentionable now.

I didn't leave her name out intentionally, I thought I had it in there but I see your point.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

Agreed. Especially now that he has had time to process it and seen how the public is reponding to him specifically (overwhelmingly positive). But it's also telling what his response was in the few seconds and next 120 minutes after it happened; that's what tells me Chris Rock is the true professional and sharp person here.

Definitely. On a personal level I'm sure it's been difficult for Chris Rock, particularly now that he has to deal with all this unwanted extra attention and everything that comes with it (extra security, people yelling out things at his shows, etc.). The comments by Dana Carvey and David Spade about all three of their experiences with bullying when they were growing up (which Chris Rock also talked about during his interview with them) were also interesting in thinking about what some people immediately saw in that moment: a bully.

Still, whether people like his comedy or not, it is hard to argue that Chris Rock is not a professional and acted as well as anyone possibly could have in that situation. If he starts trying to go after Will Smith, I think that will tarnish the respect he's earned for a lot of people and really wouldn't be worth it.

It would seem to me that race has nothing to do with it. But then everything is so often coded and triple-secret coded now, it's impossible to keep up with whatever you are supposed to be offended about. So I just have to give up on that angle, as I can't figure out how race had anything to do with it.

To be honest, it has been interesting to me to see how people are seeing completely different things when looking at the same incident and race seems to be one of the big dividing lines. This is one of those aspects where I don't feel I can really add anything, though, other to say that it is part of the whole debate over the issue!

Again, I sincerely ask, would you be describing a professional hockey player in these terms? I’m aware that different events have a different decorum, but if a slap is so intolerable then throwing punches on live television and even partying afterwards should also carry some reprehensibility, right?

It's honestly hard for me to really answer as I have next to no knowledge of hockey and the only professional sports I've watched with even casual interest are soccer and tennis, neither of which are contact sports. So, I'm not sure in what context hockey players are throwing punches and partying. In general, though, I've never liked team sports nor held up professional sports people as heroes. Just having gone to an all-boys high school and dealt with the kinds of language used around team sports, it's never surprised me when professional sports people act with such extreme entitlement which often comes out in far more extreme and disturbing ways than what we saw at the Academy Awards.

 

[CaptinEO]

Again, I sincerely ask, would you be describing a professional hockey player in these terms? I’m aware that different events have a different decorum, but if a slap is so intolerable then throwing punches on live television and even partying afterwards should also carry some reprehensibility, right?

Give me a break with your diversion tactics. Good grief. Comparing a contact sport to multimillionaires at the Oscars.

 

[lazyboy97o]

It's honestly hard for me to really answer as I have next to no knowledge of hockey and the only professional sports I've watched with even casual interest are soccer and tennis, neither of which are contact sports. So, I'm not sure in what context hockey players are throwing punches and partying. In general, though, I've never liked team sports nor held up professional sports people as heroes. Just having gone to an all-boys high school and dealt with the kinds of language used around team sports, it's never surprised me when professional sports people act with such extreme entitlement which often comes out in far more extreme and disturbing ways than what we saw at the Academy Awards.

The fights in hockey are not part of the contact of the game. It’s not just people running into each other hard. It’s actual fist fights. I’m not a sports person but I have a hard time believe so much of the outrage when it’s coming from the types who also complain about the emasculation of society.

 

[CaptinEO]

The fights in hockey are not part of the contact of the game. It’s not just people running into each other hard. It’s actual fist fights. I’m not a sports person but I have a hard time believe so much of the outrage when it’s coming from the types who also complain about the emasculation of society.

Your comparisons are wrong because it's like comparing the Hometown Buffet to Lawrys Steakhouse and saying both have food.

Having a man punch a comedian at the oscars doesn't make anyone look masculine, that's a weak move if anything.

 

[mlayton144]

I have serious doubts that this wasn’t staged … aka a fake incident. It looked like a total movie stunt , additionally Chris Rock didn’t even touch his face after being hit - no one gets smacked in the face hard and doesn’t touch their face to at least comfort themselves or check for blood etc . Not buying it

 

[Sir_Cliff]

The fights in hockey are not part of the contact of the game. It’s not just people running into each other hard. It’s actual fist fights. I’m not a sports person but I have a hard time believe so much of the outrage when it’s coming from the types who also complain about the emasculation of society.

Oh, I certainly don't doubt there is a lot of insincere posturing around this issue. I'm also not someone who has any interest in watching sports or sympathy for arguments about the emasculation of society.

I will say, though, that a difference in the two contexts may be that sports kind of serve that function of channeling all kinds of more violently competitive aspects of human nature into an essentially meaningless context of competition over a hockey puck, football, etc. In other words, the people who go to hockey go there expecting to see a highly physical if not violent contest and cheer it on as a kind of cathartic experience. I'm not sure what the function of the Oscars is, but it seems to be pretty much the opposite of that.

 

[Phroobar]

Nice Al Lutz article @TP2000

 

[TP2000]

I have serious doubts that this wasn’t staged … aka a fake incident. It looked like a total movie stunt , additionally Chris Rock didn’t even touch his face after being hit - no one gets smacked in the face hard and doesn’t touch their face to at least comfort themselves or check for blood etc . Not buying it

If Will Smith is banned from future Oscars shows, or faces other discipline from the Academy, is that part of the planned stunt too?

 

[TP2000]

Nice Al Lutz article @TP2000

My distinct pleasure. I forgot it was April 1st until you mentioned it.

Wait til you see who I'm cooking up to replace Chapek after his recent screw ups! I've been busy.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Oh, I certainly don't doubt there is a lot of insincere posturing around this issue. I'm also not someone who has any interest in watching sports or sympathy for arguments about the emasculation of society.

I will say, though, that a difference in the two contexts may be that sports kind of serve that function of channeling all kinds of more violently competitive aspects of human nature into an essentially meaningless context of competition over a hockey puck, football, etc. In other words, the people who go to hockey go there expecting to see a highly physical if not violent contest and cheer it on as a kind of cathartic experience. I'm not sure what the function of the Oscars is, but it seems to be pretty much the opposite of that.

Yes, people go to different places with different expectations of behavior, but much of the outrage isn’t that it was inappropriate for the event. The wailing is about how it is flat out inappropriate no matter what no matter the situation, that anyone one who does such a thing should flat out be be persona non grata. But we have contexts where we don’t bat an eye at such behavior. Heck, people go on about how the Oscars don’t involve popular movies more, but a lot of those movies are incredibly violent and violent revenge is a recurring theme.

 

[CaptinEO]

Will Smith Resigns From Academy Over Chris Rock Oscars Slap Backlash

Will Smith has resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences in the wake of the Chris Rock Oscars slap.

variety.com

 

[Sailor310]

Micechat (can we say that?) has a great April 1st feature:

D Eternity” and Beyond – Living Your Best Disney Afterlife​

 

[Sir_Cliff]

Yes, people go to different places with different expectations of behavior, but much of the outrage isn’t that it was inappropriate for the event. The wailing is about how it is flat out inappropriate no matter what no matter the situation, that anyone one who does such a thing should flat out be be persona non grata. But we have contexts where we don’t bat an eye at such behavior. Heck, people go on about how the Oscars don’t involve popular movies more, but a lot of those movies are incredibly violent and violent revenge is a recurring theme.

I might be misinterpreting you, but, while I think there is hypocrisy around violence, for me it doesn't follow that because there are sports and movies in which violence is more or less tolerated people can't be shocked or condemn when it occurs elsewhere. For example, I can't go up and hit someone at a bar and then use hockey or football as a defence. Those are contained venues that more or less function as controlled outlets for violence. If I had to theorise that, I would suggest their social function is precisely to channel violent urges out of day to day human interactions.

Maybe I am wrong here, but I also don't think many people are saying Will Smith should be banished from motion pictures, let alone society. It's just that we all know that usually there would be immediate consequences for jumping on stage and hitting a performer, and in this case it seemed like there were none. The fact it happened at all was also kind of shocking because of the nature of the event and the trigger. In other words, I do think the context is relevant to the reaction.

 

[mlayton144]

If Will Smith is banned from future Oscars shows, or faces other discipline from the Academy, is that part of the planned stunt too?

I don’t know , but it smells like a giant fake stunt - after all isn’t that what Hollywood is at its core - fake people doing fake things ? Will smith has years of experience acting even as the great Muhammad Ali - watch again with a more discerning eye ,nothing either of them does during that 60 seconds resembles instinctual human behavior from the initial laugh at the joke by will smith to the time he walks back to his seat