The Pamela Anderson Roast AKA the decline of Western Civilization

Is it just me or is the re-run of the Pam Anderson Roast that I just saw part of on Comedy Central the lowest point in the history of show business in this country? I guess it all makes sense: a woman who is mostly famous for having huge fake tits and making an 'accidental' porno with her rock star ex-husband being roasted by a bunch of slimey Hollywood types who like to say 'cock', 'vagina', 'balls', and 'asshole' over and over again on network television. Where the hell is 'entertainment' in this country headed to and why is Jimmy Kimmel the host of anything?

At least she had the courtesy to wear a see-through top with nothing under it. Very distracting...

I thought Celebrity Boxing was the standard by which we measured crap, since I missed Pamela Anderson's roast, how did it rate as compared to say, Paula Jones and Tanya Harding in the ring?

Aren't roasts reserved for people of some stature, who have contributed something to something?

don, I'll give you the same advice my mother gave me: "don't watch that crap, it'll warp your mind". Another quote comes to mind from one of our esteemed legislators when asked to comment on the Bill Clinton / Paula Jones scandal: "that's the kind of woman you get when you drag a $100 bill through a trailer park".

On 2005-12-11 15:52, Shipwreckjoey wrote:
don, I'll give you the same advice my mother gave me: "don't watch that crap, it'll warp your mind".

I think I actually like watching things that are bad, especially bad music videos on VH1 Classic. I mean, I'll draw the line at watching Miami Sound Machine and Janet Jackson videos, but most of the other sucky ones I'll watch just for a laugh.

As far as the Pam Anderson roast, that was such a very Paddy Chayefsky-esque study in popular culture. Just like the movie 'Network' the Pam roast was a reflection on popular tastes and totally depressing at that. Interesting in some of the ways 'Network' was by making sad comments about TV and society.

Look...without trying to sound crude here, I like stacked young ladies just as much as the next guy. I'm a huge (no pun intended) Russ Meyer fan. But Andy Dick just freely playing around with Pam's tits (I couldn't beleive it...he was just having a free for all with them), all of the Tommy Lee big dick jokes, and last but not least the very pathetic and disgusting Courtney Love it's all just very sad. These are the big draws in entertainment? These people are satisfied with their careers after being part of that? Somebody please bring back Dean Martin!

One last note: enough with the gushing over how Sarah Silverman is a comic genius. Wow, a cute girl that tells offensive ethnic jokes and miscellaneous dirty humor. Gee..that's just so....amazing...

We just lost Richard Pryor. For as much foul language and ethnic stereotypes he used in his humor, he was never as class-less as Kimmel, Sarah Silverman, Stern or any of the comic 'geniuses' we have today.

[ Edited by: donhonyc 2005-12-11 18:07 ]

Don't get me wrong. I never took my mother's advice. I'm attracted to the lurid, unusual, strange, distasteful and shocking visual images, ideas, sounds and concepts like a moth to a flame. I love the movies of Federico Fellini, John Waters, David Lynch and Andre Breton...the paintings of Salvador Dali, Ives Tanguy and Rene Magritte...the stunning black & white photography of Diane Arbus, Man Ray and Robert Mapplethorpe and the music of Igor Stravinsky, John Cage, the Kronos Quartet, Robert Fripp and Captain Beefheart. There are things that challenge your senses, peak your interest and power creative energy and then there's unimaginative, exploitive and degenerate crap that dulls the senses, confuses the mind and sucks the creative energy out of everything it comes into contact with. I think the Pam Anderson Roast falls into this 2nd category.

There are things that challenge your senses, peak your interest and power creative energy and then there's unimaginative, exploitive and degenerate crap that dulls the senses, confuses the mind and sucks the creative energy out of everything it comes into contact with.

Thank you! Couldn't (and didn't) say it better myself. And thanks for mentioning Captain Beefheart!!!

Now, can we get all of these critics to stop comparing Sarah Silverman to Lenny Bruce? Seems that anybody these days that uses ethnic humor in their act is the 'new Lenny Bruce'. Message to the critics: ain't that simple. Maybe try listening to some of his stuff instead of reading the Cliff Notes and you'll understand what that guy was all about and why it was relevant to that time.

MR. P and I have been talking about Sarah Silverman for the last few weeks, asking the same question. I consider myself an enlightened, progressive woman, so it's hard for me to call a strong, smart woman a bitch. Mostly because I think women who say things that offend men get called that, because they offend men. But she kinda is, she comes across as mean, not witty or clever, just mean. People called Roseanne a bitch, because she made men uncomfortable and she defied the conventional wisdom as it applies to success in show biz (fat, not pretty) which made everyone uncomfortable. But she was FUNNY, she wasn't mean the way Silverman is mean. I think people confuse the type of 'humor' Silverman does (along with Howard Stern, and Jimmy Kimmel) as edgy, because it makes people squirm, it's funny the way a jock picking on the fat kid in gym class is funny, you laugh because you're uncomfortable, not because you're thinking about what they said.

What's funny to me? The Daily Show or Stephen Colbert make me think about the world and laugh at the irony and contradictions, Arrested Development makes me laugh because of its hyper-awareness to popular culture and its layers and depth and innuendo, because it's subtle and bashes you over the head at the same time.

It's sad because Pamela Anderson's roast is a reflection of what TV viewers will watch, boobie and peepee jokes and Andy Dick and Courtney Love bringing the train wreck that is their lives into our homes. Comedy Central does give us The Daily Show, the Colbert Report and Reno 911, so we can cut them some slack.

I think people confuse the type of 'humor' Silverman does (along with Howard Stern, and Jimmy Kimmel) as edgy, because it makes people squirm, it's funny the way a jock picking on the fat kid in gym class is funny, you laugh because you're uncomfortable, not because you're thinking about what they said.

Exactly. All of this 'comedy' is all cut from the same cloth of shock value. Shocking people is an easy thing to do. All you have to do is either talk about sex, scatology, or both and pretty soon you'll be making 500 million dollar radio deals and call yourself 'the king of all media'.

People are already falling out their chairs about this new film 'Brokeback Mountain' because it is about gay cowboys. Whether it 's a good film or not remains to be seen.

Completely unintended last night was watching VH1s 'Big in '05' comedy special. David Cross was on and I like his humor. Then Sarah Silverman comes on. What does she do? Sings 'Amazing Grace' while sharing the harmonies with her crotch and her ass. Literally pointing the mics in both places. This is somebody who's star is on the rise? You have to be fucking joking!

[ Edited by: donhonyc 2005-12-12 21:21 ]

I only watch the Simpsons, Spongebob, OSU and Browns football and any movie or documentary about the South Pacific excluding WWII.

Really.

I stay pretty happy that way.

I'm thankful that I have never heard more than a sentence from either Sarah SIlverman or Jimmy Kimmel.

I wish Bong were here. He'd have something nuclear to say about that roast.

...Then Sarah Silverman comes on. What does she do? Sings 'Amazing Grace' while sharing the harmonies with her crotch and her ass. Literally pointing the mics in both places...

... what is really lame about this is that she doesn't go all the way... why not strip naked and "sing"... or go nude and paint funny faces in these "secret spots" and sing... or do a bondage routine and sing amazing grace... mexican wrestling masks are relatively inexpensive, so why not incorporate one in such a routine, geez...so many possiblities... some of these folks need to refine their strategeries for comicality...

On 2005-12-13 01:59, pablus wrote:
I only watch the Simpsons, Spongebob, OSU and Browns football and any movie or documentary about the South Pacific excluding WWII.

Really.

I stay pretty happy that way.

I'm thankful that I have never heard more than a sentence from either Sarah SIlverman or Jimmy Kimmel.

I wish Bong were here. He'd have something nuclear to say about that roast.

A great tiki warrior once said "KILL YOUR TV" and I did...

A great tiki warrior once said "KILL YOUR TV" and I did...

... yes, but remember that one of the folks that began printing the "Kill Your TV" stickers many years ago (and had no TV at the time) is now working as a camera operator in Los Angeles and Phoenix for TV and corporate video...

yes, but remember that one of the folks that began printing the "Kill Your TV" stickers many years ago (and had no TV at the time) is now working as a camera operator in Los Angeles and Phoenix for TV and corporate video

You mean Bong didn't invent this concept? AND there's stickers? Maaan!?! I never got any stickers... I feel so let down....now where did I put that remote?

[ Edited by: DawnTiki 2005-12-14 12:27 ]