CHRIS ROCK: "I SAW THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST...AND IT'S NOT THAT FUNNY!"
Much of the entertainment industry continues to wow us with its self-important, self-congratulatory, self-indulgent, antics every Oscar season. Oscar host Chris Rock started the show by thanking the troops, only to slam the war in Iraq by comparing it to a war between the Gap and Banana Republic. Very classy. Slamming Bush is a no-brainer way to get applause from the left-wing glitterati. His back-handed diss of Mel Gibson is just icing on the cake. From Marsha, listener in Austin, TX: "This is a comment regarding Chris Rock's disrespectful remark about The Passion of the Christ. I wonder how Chris might feel about someone saying, 'I saw the newsreels of the slaying of Martin Luther King. They weren't that funny.' Or, I saw the Zapruter film of JFK and it wasn't that funny.' Rock's remarks about a film that depicts the crucifixion of Our Savior."
What do you expect from a COMEDIAN? He's simply saying that the movie was depressing, and anyone who's seen it recognizes that it DOES have that potential in abundance.
And who cares if he compares the war to Gap vs. Banana Republic? You DO know that both Banana Republic and Gap are owned by the same parent company, don't you? Couldn't Rock be alluding to the fact that we are all really the same, and war doesn't change that?
There was no diss to Mel Gibson, and even if there was, who cares? Do you really think it bothers Mel? The movie put over half a BILLION dollars in Mel's pocket. How much of that money, earned from a movie that "depicts the crucifixion of Our Savior" is going to the church or the causes that reflect "what Jesus would do"?
Why can't people just accept a joke, coming from a COMEDIAN, as a joke and nothing more?
If slamming the war is telling the truth through an amusing comparison, while doing a MONOLGUE (stand-up COMEDY), then he slammed the war. If you take it as opinion though comedy (read: light-hearted) then it SHOULD be acceptable, because it's an opinion expressed through a disarming medium, which MOST people forget about the next day, because they take it as a topic for a JOKE. Nothing wrong with humor, especially during times of war. Ask Bob Hope about that.
Ron Ackerman said this in post #3 : I've seen Chris Rock, He's not that funny!
And he's about as classy. Nice choice by the Academy on its most prestigious night. But that tells you more about the Academy today and less about that chump, Chris Rock, whom we already know all too well… Imagine the M.C. of the Oscars twenty, thirty or forty years ago, hosted by Carson or Hope opening the evening with "Sit yo asses down…"
And parents and survivors of U.S. troops in Iraq certainly appreciated his offensive and insensitive 'joke' about the "GAP employees all dying and bleeding all over their khakis" followed by loud laughter and cheering from the Hollywood audience.
What a sad state of liberal affairs…
P.S.
Personally, Ron, this strikes me as a political subject rather than entertainment…
Oh why oh why do people have to find fault with anything, Chris Rock was a great host last night. Decline of Hollywood? Raving lunatic you definitely are if you are overanalyzing comedic entertainment. I guess you didn't notice the dig at Tim Robbins, John Kerry, and Michael Moore? Some people just have no humor.
I really liked...
A lot of Jewish people were offended by "Passion of Christ." And I can understand because I had to see a movie called "Soul Plane" this year.
I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.
- Bill Cosby
The guy who takes a chance, who walks the line between the known and unknown, who is unafraid of failure, will succeed.
- Gordon Parks
A lot of the jokes that were against others, Chris Rock turned on HIMSELF and his own people near the end of his monologue. It was simply a glimpse at the world from his eyes, meant to be taken with a laugh. He wanted to be edgy, and even though I wasn't finding as much humour in his bit as I have from him in the past, it was still comedy.
And, what specifically was it in Rock's likening the War to the Gap vs. B.R., that was untrue? Is it that he was insensitive? If so, who was he insensitive to? The relatives of people who lost loved ones, or to the person/people who sent them there on erroneous intelligence ("...they wasn't even MAKING tank tops in the first place!")? Pointing out that people were dying, bleeding all over the khakis, might be harsh, but ultimately, where is the finger pointing? And wasn't the Gap point really started when he related how good Bush was for re-applying and GETTING his job back, and how regular people who worked at the Gap couldn't dream of doing the same?
Jokes are jokes, but at least if we are going to pick the jokes apart and look for a reason to chastize someone who speaks against Bush, let's get the content and context straight. I usually am not this harsh in my posts, but today's been a bad day...
Yup, jokes are jokes. And classless individuals are just that, nothing more, nothing less.
Parents and survivors of U.S. troops in Iraq certainly appreciated the classless 'comedy' about the "GAP employees all dying and bleeding all in their khakis." More sickening still was the loud laughter and cheering from the thoughtless Hollywood-elitist audience. And worse still are those who AFTER having had the opportunity to think about it still defend this tasteless individual and his 'harmless joke.' Senseless blokes who would sell their soul to vilify President Bush. Actually I'm not surprised here, it's nothing new.
Sierradaddy said this in post #11 : A lot of the jokes that were against others, Chris Rock turned on HIMSELF and his own people near the end of his monologue. It was simply a glimpse at the world from his eyes, meant to be taken with a laugh. He wanted to be edgy, and even though I wasn't finding as much humour in his bit as I have from him in the past, it was still comedy.
And, what specifically was it in Rock's likening the War to the Gap vs. B.R., that was untrue? Is it that he was insensitive? If so, who was he insensitive to? The relatives of people who lost loved ones, or to the person/people who sent them there on erroneous intelligence ("...they wasn't even MAKING tank tops in the first place!"? Pointing out that people were dying, bleeding all over the khakis, might be harsh, but ultimately, where is the finger pointing? And wasn't the Gap point really started when he related how good Bush was for re-applying and GETTING his job back, and how regular people who worked at the Gap couldn't dream of doing the same?
Jokes are jokes, but at least if we are going to pick the jokes apart and look for a reason to chastize someone who speaks against Bush, let's get the content and context straight. I usually am not this harsh in my posts, but today's been a bad day...
I loved the tank top joke. It's too bad we have to many dittoheads that didn't even realize he was calling the President a genius.
What was the best film of the year? Million Dollar Baby? No...White Chicks!
When people just talk about Hollywood elite and all the other diahrrea of the mouth, they're really here for just one thing:
I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.
- Bill Cosby
The guy who takes a chance, who walks the line between the known and unknown, who is unafraid of failure, will succeed.
- Gordon Parks
Dekka00 said this in post #13 : class is overrated anyway.
Yeah, who needs class? Chris Rock doesn't. He gets along fine without it. Just cuss away on cable TV and people love you. Let's see how far he would get on network TV where he would have to eliminate the vulgarity. He would fall as flat as a pancake. Compare him with the class act that is Jamie Foxx! Talk about two extremes…
02-28-2005 06:55 PM
? Pointing out that people were dying, bleeding all over the khakis, might be harsh, but ultimately, where is the finger pointing? And wasn't the Gap point really started when he related how good Bush was for re-applying and GETTING his job back, and how regular people who worked at the Gap couldn't dream of doing the same?
