Posted on 06/25/2011 5:12:10 PM PDT by flowerplough
As comedian-actor Tracy Morgan continues the apology tour he embarked on after the public uproar over his homophobic comedy routine, there is something he said in the media that stands out for me.
"I don't believe that anyone should be bullied or just made to feel bad about who they are," he said.
Some comedians don't think Morgan should have apologized, because they believe that in the world of comedy, all is fair game. I disagree.
( ... )
The only thing most people remember about this year's Golden Globe Awards was how mean the host, British comedian and actor Ricky Gervais, was to celebrities in attendance. The Los Angeles Times described his jokes as "snotty and abusive."
In response, Gervais was unapologetic on Piers Morgan Tonight after the January telecast. "There's nothing you shouldn't joke about,” he said. "It depends what the joke is. Comedy comes from a good or a bad place, and I like to think that mine comes from a good place.” He added, "Just because you're offended doesn't mean you're right."
In another memorably mean-spirited moment in comedy, Paul Mooney joked about Diana Ross' highly publicized DUI at the 2005 BET Comedy Awards. He went on to talk about Ross' ex-husband, who had recently died in a mountain-climbing accident.
While Ross wasn't in the audience, her daughter, actress Tracee Ellis Ross, was there and had to listen as Mooney disgraced her mother and stepfather. It was so bad that the evening's host, Steve Harvey, took the stage after Mooney, told Ellis Ross to hold her head high and encouraged the audience give her a round of applause.
(Excerpt) Read more at theroot.com ...
It has ever been thus...ask Lenny Bruce.
“the public uproar over his homophobic comedy routine,”
///
he should have simply converted to Islam.
...seriously.
the MSM adores women’s rights, gay rights, and even sometimes defends Jews.
have you ever seen them condemn a Muslim for “un-PC” remarks? nope. doesn’t even show on the radar.
can you imagine if a Christian evangelical posted “Gay Free Zone” posters in his NYC neighborhood? headlines? 10 years in prison for hate crime?
Muslims recently DID that in London. news reports? crickets. legal result ? 100 pound fine.
i freely admit, i DON’T understand this. WHY does Islam even trump all the other progressive “sacred cows” ?
Actually, I went to a “comedy fest” several years ago.
The early comedians on the agenda were very funny.
Howie Mandell preceeded Morgan..and everyone had a great time.
Tracy Morgan was totally p.o’d, not in the least bit funny..and as the audience left, became profane and derogatory of his audience.
The guy needs to clean up his act..assume some humility and get new writers if he intends to stay in the business. IMHO
You might not like the "jokes" but they are just jokes.
If you don't like it, get over it.
This stuff is tame compared to the Celebrity Roasts on the Comedy Channel. Some that come to mind, Chevy Chase, probably one of the most reviled performers in the business. They had a hard time to get people to come and abuse him. One of the nastiest roasts was Pam Anderson. She really took a lot of hard core abuse. The recent Donald Trump roast was actually funny but vulgar in a few spots. Of all the guests on the panel the all time foulest mouth mean roaster has to be Lisa Lampanelli. She holds nothing back.
Tracy Morgan does not come off as even near a normal IQ.
I know the subject at hand here is Tracy Morgan and some
rants he did that were considered ‘homophobic’-—I didn’t
read them, but I gather he also ‘apologized’, which doesn’t surprise me, considering he’s got a long-running character on a popular TV show that needs protecting.
Lenny Bruce was a positive GENTLEMAN compared to the intentionally obscene schlock- and shockmeisters comedians out there today. Listen again to Bruce’s routines, on record. They may not have been tame in ‘59-’65, but they are by today’s standards.Bruce was at his peak a HALF CENTURY AGO. Bruce would be appalled by someone like Bill Maher, and judge him as cheesy and without substance; he’d also probably blanche at the idea that he had served as “the Godfather” to ‘comics’ like that.
The big problem with today’s ‘comics’ is first and foremost that there are TOO MANY of them, the competitive field is too big, and the worst and least funny among them see the obscenity and see that it makes money, and think they have to top everyone they’ve seen.There’s a big difference between just being profane, as Bruce was, and being obscene and dehumanized and reckless, as hundreds of today’s comedy names, big and small, now are.It’s no accident that in the climate of the mid-50s to mid 60s, Bruce was a drug addict: he stood alone, since there was no one like him, and his addiction probably was what made his comedy possible, as much as vice-versa, .He was enormously self-destructive, it goes without saying. But there is NO comparison between him and someone like Bill Maher-—these people are celebrated, given long-running TV shows, and are basically spoiled brats, DON’t need drugs, because they’re comfortably enjoying the twin drugs of Fame and Fortune.
I couldn’t agree more.
When I read pieces like this, I always take a little pride in never having heard of the subject of the article before.
All is fair game EXCEPT Barack Obama, Islamic theocracy,...
Huh? Since when? Chase is well loved.
I'm no prude - I've drop an f-bomb or 2 before, but the f-bomb is a poor substitute for actual comedy.
We also went to see Sinbad. He never said a vulgar word or told an off color joke, yet my stomach literally hurt from laughing so much. That's talent! Great routine!
Don't see Sinbad on a full stomach. Don't waste you money on Tim Allen.
Aww, poor widdle Hollywood/Cambridge libs! Would Henry Gates have written this article if Gervais were nasty to Republicans?
Hey, Henry! Why don't you invite Ricky to a beer summit and talk it out.
And just why should Tracy Morgan apologize? The queers, freaks and perverts want to be just like everyone else, so they should be the but of jokes just like Poles, blondes, Slow Joe Biden, etc.
“WHY does Islam even trump all the other progressive “sacred cows” ?”
Easy answer. Because they lead the way in hating everything about America, and have the best chances of destroying the American way of life.
These liberal morons truly believe after the Muslims overrun this country, they will kill all of us “white Christians”, and they’ll be okay because they’re “enlightened” and “understood” their plight.
The brutally ironic thing is, with their abhorrent behavior, their heads will be the first ones to come off.
Sorry to break the bubble but you need to read "Live from New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live." This is how well Chevy is loved by the people he knows and worked with.
(Book Excerpt) Chevy Chase was banned from hosting the show (SNL) again after the February 15, 1997 episode due to his verbal abuse of the cast and crew during the week. Chase became notorious for his treatment of certain cast members when hosting past episodes, particularly his remarks to openly gay cast member Terry Sweeney.
Note: In 1985, Chase suggested that a perfect skit for Sweeney would be one in which he plays an AIDS victim who gets weighed every week.Chase's abusive behavior during the 1985 episode and other episodes are detailed in the Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live book.
Further Note: Although Chase was banned from hosting the show in 1997, he appeared on the 25th anniversary special in 1999, was interviewed for the 2005 special Live From New York.
Here's a review of his 2004 Celebrity (Friars) Roast.
Chevy Chase walked on stage and realized that almost none of his friends had shown up. He was led to a red overstuffed chair, where he blinked into the television cameras -- first stunned, then angry, then devastated -- as various basic-cable personalities and B-list comics marched to the podium and trashed him. Total strangers telling him that his movies were crap, his talk show was a comedy abortion, he had never been funny. Total strangers giggling about his addiction to drugs. There was no warmth in their comments. No real affection. Because after years of silence from Chase -- and hundreds of thousands of words written about his behavior during the late '70s and early '80s -- a consensus had emerged about the man. Everyone agreed without even having to think about it: Chevy Chase was a bastard.
He sat there in front of the world as it sank in for the first time. This was how he was remembered. This was his legacy. And when it was all over, he stood up, took a few bilious -- and dreadfully unfunny -- shots at his tormentors, and finally stared dead into the camera and uttered two words: ''That hurt.'' He fled the theater and went directly to his hotel room.
Paul Shaffer, the emcee of the roast, left the hall concerned and called Chase. Told him he was coming up to his room. Sat with Chase on the bed for hours, trying to figure out what had happened, why he was so loathed, what went so wrong. And then, finally, Shaffer told Chase what he needed to hear. ''Paul said, 'Chev, I could tell you were hurt. I could tell that. And I just want you to know that when you were on 'Saturday Night Live,' you were generous to a fault. To everybody. Everybody loved you.'''
Shaffer left and Chase sat by himself in the dark. Crushed.
The ugly truth is that a lot of people don't love Chevy Chase. They don't even like him. You hear it in their gently damning praise, off-the-record slams, pointed nonanswers, and firm no comments. This isn't really surprising, because apparently the man possesses a truly spectacular talent for pissing people off. And at the height of his success he wantonly torched bridges and offended friends, often without even knowing it.
Tim Allen was always known as a vulgar comic til he hit the big time with his TV show. He is also a convicted drug dealer from his younger days.
Most people may not have known it as he was pretty small time then hit it big.
Plus, she sucks.
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