The three judges on “America’s Got Talent” are two Brits and a Canadian. So perhaps America has talent, but apparently we’re not capable of judging it.
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The three judges on “America’s Got Talent” are two Brits and a Canadian. So perhaps America has talent, but apparently we’re not capable of judging it.
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Talent? We elected Dubya twice, we’re not even capable of judging competence…!
And strangely, I don’t have a problem with this.
Hey there’s always something to be said for nationalistic independence from the judges. Besides, they should have never bounced The Hoff in the first place.
Personally, I found it ironic that one of the judges on AMERICAN IDOL (which, for a time, virtually defined the biggest selling musicians) was Paula Abdul, whose music is some of the most trite, cliched, and mediocre ever.
Yeah, but she had that music video with the dancing cartoon cat! That’s gotta count for something.
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Cartoon cat!
Then you have another judge whose sole claim to “fame” before the show was being a studio bassist.
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I’d also suggest you give Paula’s music a second listen with an open mind. If you can HONESTLY maintain your claim, then I just have to say you’re little more than a music snob. No, Paula was not (by even the most generous of standards) a great singer but she had some real talent helping her out. For her debut album, Ollie Leiber (the son of legendary songwriter Jerry Leiber–of Leiber & Stoller fame) wrote “The Way That You Love Me,” “Forever Your Girl,” and “Opposites Attract.” Babyface (along with LA Reid and Daryl Simmons) penned “Knocked Out” and Elliot Wolff penned “Straight Up” and “Cold Hearted.” Of those songs, “Opposites” is probably the weakest (to me, it’s only because it’s little more than an uptempo rewrite of Dottie West’s “What Are We Doin’ in Love” from 1981). The second album is a bit of a turn from dance-pop into a more AC-friendly piece, especially with the lead single “Rush Rush” and the ballad “Blowing Kisses in the Wind.” The other chart hits are notably weaker although “Promise of a New Day” and “Will You Marry Me” have some charm (the latter song gets a serious boost from its 1960s girl-group feel; it wouldn’t sound too out of place if it had come from the Shirelles or the Dixie Cups); on the other hand, there’s very little redeeming about “Vibeology” but Paula still makes it work. Her 1995 release Head Over Heels certainly was her least successful but even it has some charms, mostly the lead-off single “My Love Is For Real” which included a slinky/sultry Middle East vibe (featuring backing vocals from Ofra Haza that certainly helped with that vibe).
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And, if you really feel a need to badmouth Paula, take a good listen to Randy Jackson’s “album.” Randy does very little with the music, taking more of a Quincy Jones role although Q was able to get a MUCH better range of singers and studio musicians–to say nothing of songwriting talent–to work on his projects. The Randy Jackson’s Music Club, Vol 1 doesn’t even come close to even the worst of Jones’s post-Roots projects.
Of course we aren’t capable of judging talent. Have you seen the people who the fans vote for the overrated karaoke contest American Idol?
This is a country that provides Nicholas Cage, Keanu Reeves, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, and Will Ferrell with steady employment. This is a country that has effectively labeled Stephanie Meyer as the greatest American novelist of the first decade of the 21st century. This is the country that canceled Firefly. This is the country that turns people like Glenn Beck and Ann Coulter into celebrities.
If talent came up to us, introduced itself, kicked us in the groin, and then stole our girlfriend, we STILL wouldn’t be able to identify it.
Will Ferrell have some great works out there. I for one get together with some friends once a week to watch old SNL shows and his Celebrity Jeopardy is hysterical.
Oh, don’t be silly, no one thinks Stephanie Meyer is the greatest American novelist, except maybe pubescent girls, and that has nothing to do with them being American and everything to do with them being pubescent girls.
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And Nicolas Cage and Owen Wilson are very talented, occasionally brilliant.
At least Will Ferrell has the distinction of giving different performances in each movie that he’s appeared in. Despite the mass appeal of the movies that they’ve appeared in, it’s debatable whether Keanu Reeves, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson & Nicholas Cage can say the same IMHO.
I can name great performances from all of those actors, really. Cage – lots, but let’s specifically go with Kick-Úš and Adaptation. Owen Wilson – Hansel from Zoolander. (“Listen to your friend Billy Zane, he’s a cool dude.”) Will Ferrell – Ron Burganduy, Frank the Tank, and his Alex Trebeck on Celebrity Jeopardy, the last one goes beyond imitation and is actually his own character. Ben Stiller – Derek Zoolander, Tug Speedman in Tropic Thunder, Tony Wonder on Arrested Development and probably my favourite of his is White Goodman from Dodgeball. As for Keanu Reeves, I thought he was very good in The Matrix because he’s supposed to be a blank slate who evolves into messianic superhero and he pulls it off. But really, his one great role is Ted “Theodore” Logan. Seriously, he’s actually gold every line. (“Remember when I asked your mom to the prom?” “SHUT UP, TED!”) In fact, I steadfastly believe that even the worst actor ever has at least one gold role in them. For Reeves, I’d have to say that was Ted from Bill and Ted.
Uhm, guys? It was a JOKE. You don’t need to analyze it to death. Although I’ll still maintain that I’ve never seen a quality Will Ferrell movie.
Old School. He’s in a supporting role in it, but he’s amazing in it. In fact, the whole cast is just gangbusters. Plus it has John Locke in it and Elisha Cuthbert in her underwear.
The only “good” Will Ferrell movie in my opinion is “Stranger Than Fiction.” I think it is the only movie of his that I didn’t look at the trailers and ask myself, “When is Ferrell going to make a movie that doesn’t feel like something Chevy Chase rejected?”
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In the commentary of the DVD, the director said that he chose Will Ferrell in order to give Ferrell the opportunity to act rather than perform. And, I agree with him.
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I believe that Will Ferrell can act. He just gets paid more not to. Kinda like Jim Carrey when he started out.
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Theno
I’ve never seen it, but “Ron Burgundy” has a ton of fans. I have a stupid fondness for the film version of “Bewitched.” And Ferrell’s performance in his one-man show about George Bush, “You’re Welcome, America,” transcended his SNL portrayal and made W. into a fully realized character. Ferrell has chops; he just isn’t the world’s greatest chooser of material.
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Jay, are you an American? You seem to be judging talent quite well. The folks that canceled FireFly was a private corporation, not America as a whole.
It does explain why shows such as SEARCH, PROBE (years later) and MURPHY’S LAW didn’t last a season while tripe such as FRIENDS went on year after year. Oh, Jay, you forgot Ben ‘no one ever confused him with an actor’ Affleck.
>> while tripe such as FRIENDS went on year after year
You don’t find people dancing with whole raw chickens on their heads funny?
Or even glow in the dark teeth?
Sadly, I do.
But then, what can one expect from people who, according to a radio report years back, considered Julia Roberts to be this generation’s Audrey Hepburn? (Cue hysterical laughter here.)
Considering that most action TV shows and films that have Brits, Aussies & Irishmen (check out who’s playing Hannibal Smith in The New A-Team!) playing Americans, is it any wonder that they’ve “invaded” reality TV as well?
Not that I’m paranoid or xenophobic (I’ve been a fan of The (non-Marvel) Avengers & MPFC since grade school) but IMHO the money-grubbing American-born superstars who hold out for that “$10-20 million a film and/or a cool million per episode deal” have only themselves to blame for Hollywood’s version of “downsizing.”
Say what you will about Paula Abdul the person but please, don’t imply that Straight Up isn’t a classic.
Please apologize.
I’m waiting.
I just want to add that every point being made here concerning talent is purely subjective, and not a matter of fact. Nothing more, nothing less. I’m sure everyone realizes this 😉