BBTF's Newsblog Discussion :: Chelsea Handler Rips A-Rod, Calls Him ‘Disgusting,’ ‘Gross,’ And ‘A Buffoon’

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Thursday, March 06, 2014

Chelsea Handler Rips A-Rod, Calls Him ‘Disgusting,’ ‘Gross,’ And ‘A Buffoon’

Woke up, it was a Chelsea dagger…

Handler said on “The Howard Stern Show” on Wednesday that Rodriguez recently approached the actress and asked, “Chelsea, why are you gonna make fun of me all the time?”

Handler, as expected, wasn’t shy about telling the truth.

“Get away from me, I think you’re disgusting,” the author told A-Rod.

She also told the slugger that he’s “gross.” And it didn’t end there.

The three-time American League MVP said, “Why am I gross?” Handler told Stern. ”We got off on the wrong foot. Why am I gross? I read all your books. I’m a big fan.”

She wasn’t flattered by the compliment. Her response?

“I go, ‘Well I don’t know why you’re a big fan,’” Handler told Stern. ”‘I think you’re a f—ing a–hole.’”

When asked by Stern why the writer and producer despises the 38-year-old so much, her answer was simple.

“Just the way he conducts himself,” Handler said. “He’s got a centaur of himself in his bedroom. Yeah, him and a horse, combined as one person … Plus he dates all these girls, he just sleeps around. I don’t like guys who cheat on their girlfriends, you know? I’m not into that.”

Repoz Posted: March 06, 2014 at 07:02 AM | 282 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
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1. Publius Publicola Posted: March 06, 2014 at 07:59 AM (#4667091)

And, Handler added "You don't even give out gift baskets like Jeter. He's got class. You're disgusting"

2. Gonfalon Bubble Posted: March 06, 2014 at 08:19 AM (#4667092)

Handler said on “The Howard Stern Show” on Wednesday that Rodriguez [is] "disgusting” [and] “gross.”

But Underdog Lady sees nothing wrong with becoming a hero by taking a super energy pill.

3. JE (Jason Epstein)

Posted: March 06, 2014 at 08:20 AM (#4667093)

Chelsea Who?

4. Jose Can Still Seabiscuit Posted: March 06, 2014 at 08:46 AM (#4667096)

Chelsea Handler is one of those people whose popularity confounds me. I don't get it at all. To each his own I guess.

5. 'zop sympathizes with the wrong ####### people Posted: March 06, 2014 at 09:03 AM (#4667098)

Isn't this the woman who ###### her way into a TV show? Nothing but class here.

6. Lassus Posted: March 06, 2014 at 09:06 AM (#4667099)

I've traveled in various circles throughout my life, and Chelsea Handler is most reminiscent in demeanor of what is often known as a lot lizard.

7. dejarouehg Posted: March 06, 2014 at 09:44 AM (#4667106)

She's not exactly the paragon of virtue to be getting on her high-centaur and passing judgement on others..........................even if she is right.

8. Jolly Old St. Nick Still Gags in October

Posted: March 06, 2014 at 09:54 AM (#4667107)

Let's see: Howard Stern, A-Rod, and some bimbo celebrity. Baseball for the Thinking Fan.

9. You Know Nothing JT Snow (YR) Posted: March 06, 2014 at 09:55 AM (#4667108)

Rodriguez is a disgusting gross buffoon, but this is her ex.

10. Rants Mulliniks Posted: March 06, 2014 at 09:57 AM (#4667109)

I've seen about 5 minutes total of her show, but gross is one of the first words that comes to my mind when I think of her. She's lewd and not very funny.

11. BrianBrianson Posted: March 06, 2014 at 10:07 AM (#4667111)

The most surprising claim here is that Chelsea Handler owns not only a single book, but multiple books.

12. JE (Jason Epstein)

Posted: March 06, 2014 at 10:19 AM (#4667118)

Suddenly I feel the urge to go see one of Jackie Martling's shows.

13. RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: March 06, 2014 at 10:24 AM (#4667121)

Chelsea Handler is one of those people whose popularity confounds me. I don't get it at all.

Its not hard to figure out. Jay Leno was #1 in the late night ratings. Jeff Dunham is the most popular stand up comedian on tour. Larry the Cable Guy is a thing. People like crap, always have, always will.

14. PreservedFish Posted: March 06, 2014 at 10:54 AM (#4667138)

The most surprising claim here is that Chelsea Handler owns not only a single book, but multiple books.

Chelsea Handler was the most recent interviewee in the NY Times Book Review. Among her favorite authors she listed Bukowski, Wodehouse and Alexander Pope. She also said that she owns a copy of every Paris Review issue.

15. Johnny Sycophant-Laden Fora Posted: March 06, 2014 at 10:54 AM (#4667139)

The most surprising claim here is that Chelsea Handler owns not only a single book, but multiple books.

Which apparently are all about getting drunk and getting laid (not necessarily in that order)

16. Howie Menckel Posted: March 06, 2014 at 11:01 AM (#4667140)

never saw them mate

17. bobm Posted: March 06, 2014 at 11:29 AM (#4667150)

[14] http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/02/books/review/chelsea-handler-by-the-book.html

18. The Clarence Thomas of BBTF (scott) Posted: March 06, 2014 at 11:38 AM (#4667152)

She's no Chelsea Peretti.

19. KT's Pot Arb Posted: March 06, 2014 at 12:13 PM (#4667163)

Hack who slept her way to top doesn't like super talented promiscuous athlete?

Whores always hate sluts, they are giving away what the whore is trying to sell.

20. Never Give an Inge (Dave) Posted: March 06, 2014 at 12:55 PM (#4667170)

Lots of people have probably slept their way onto a t.v. show (if that's indeed what she did) but few of them are still on the air 5 years later. Never seen the show but I assume she's doing something right.

No idea why anyone would care what she thinks about A-Rod, though.

21. base ball chick Posted: March 06, 2014 at 12:58 PM (#4667171)

you've never seen this person's show/read her books?

she's an unapologetic, in your face total c-word. the definition of "mean grrl" only older, uglier and drunker. and she got no business screeching about sleeping around neither

22. RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: March 06, 2014 at 01:07 PM (#4667176)

I suspect she plays up the sleeping around part, even the rumors of her sleeping her way to a gig, because its part of her "schtick", much like Larry the Cable Guy isn't really a redneck, and Carlos Mencia isn't really Mexican.

23. base ball chick Posted: March 06, 2014 at 01:15 PM (#4667181)

AG#1
oh i doubt it
there are LOTS of males who will have sex with about ANYTHING female who is even slightly better looking than roseann barr

24. dejarouehg Posted: March 06, 2014 at 01:19 PM (#4667185)

Rodriguez is a disgusting gross buffoon, but this is her ex.

That was about as disgusting as it gets, though what would you expect from 50 cent?

Its not hard to figure out. Jay Leno was #1 in the late night ratings. Jeff Dunham is the most popular stand up comedian on tour. Larry the Cable Guy is a thing. People like crap, always have, always will.

I confess - I think Dunham is funny.

25. jacksone (AKA It's OK...) Posted: March 06, 2014 at 01:23 PM (#4667186)

Why do people insist on making it so easy to defend The Rod? I mean, fer christsakes, his kind was responsible for the death of Hercules! One shouldn't be able to make up for that simply by not being as much of a massive ####### as others.

26. base ball chick Posted: March 06, 2014 at 01:33 PM (#4667193)

Carlos Mencia isn't really Mexican

- he's from honduras and his mother is mexican
close enough

27. Jolly Old St. Nick Still Gags in October

Posted: March 06, 2014 at 01:39 PM (#4667200)

there are LOTS of males who will have sex with about ANYTHING female who is even slightly better looking than roseann barr

To put it crudely, the expression in the Duke frat houses BITD used to be "anything with hair and a hole".

28. RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: March 06, 2014 at 01:42 PM (#4667201)

oh i doubt it
there are LOTS of males who will have sex with about ANYTHING female who is even slightly better looking than roseann barr

I'm saying I think she talks up her sexual prowess more than she probably engages with it in reality.

- he's from honduras and his mother is mexican
close enough

Meh. Point is, most comedians have an act or persona that doesn't necessarily reflect who they really are, just like any other actor or entertainer.

29. zonk Posted: March 06, 2014 at 01:46 PM (#4667204)

I wouldn't call myself a huge Chelsea Handler fan.... I would call her "occasionally amusing", but not someone I particularly make a point or watching or reading.

I do hate to be 'that guy' -- but her schtick is basically the same schtick that an absolute crap-ton of male 'personalities' employ, employ successfully, and even occasionally get tagged as the 'lovable rogue'. I mean - I'm not making a comparison of literary chops here, but even beyond modern pop culture and just thinking about the cult of personality around them - is she all that different than say... Ernest Hemingway? I mean hunting the plains of Africa and or carousing the revolutionary cities of Spain vs doing the same in Manhattan isn't really all that different in my mind.

Of course, you could always say that Hemingway had some serious talent as a storyteller and writer, while Handler is a really more of hack columnist who got a TV show... I don't know that I'd agree the gulf is that huge, but whatevers...

30. jacksone (AKA It's OK...) Posted: March 06, 2014 at 02:01 PM (#4667212)

I do hate to be 'that guy' -- but her schtick is basically the same schtick that an absolute crap-ton of male 'personalities' employ, employ successfully, and even occasionally get tagged as the 'lovable rogue'. I mean - I'm not making a comparison of literary chops here, but even beyond modern pop culture and just thinking about the cult of personality around them - is she all that different than say... Ernest Hemingway? I mean hunting the plains of Africa and or carousing the revolutionary cities of Spain vs doing the same in Manhattan isn't really all that different in my mind.

Isn't she closer to the Dice Man?

31. Lassus Posted: March 06, 2014 at 02:02 PM (#4667213)

I had absolutely no idea anything about sleeping around was Handler's shtick. I find her horrible for being a grumpy, unfunny, spiteful, mean, petty shrew.

32. My name is Votto, and I love to get blotto Posted: March 06, 2014 at 02:04 PM (#4667214)

Its not hard to figure out. Jay Leno was #1 in the late night ratings. Jeff Dunham is the most popular stand up comedian on tour. Larry the Cable Guy is a thing. People like crap, always have, always will.

I confess - I think Dunham is funny.

And I like Leno in a Top-40 radio kind of way.

33. Dan The Mediocre Posted: March 06, 2014 at 02:10 PM (#4667215)

I had absolutely no idea anything about sleeping around was Handler's shtick. I find her horrible for being a grumpy, unfunny, spiteful, mean, petty shrew.

This was basically my thoughts on her.

34. Voros McCracken of Pinkus Posted: March 06, 2014 at 02:20 PM (#4667217)

deleted

35. RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: March 06, 2014 at 02:27 PM (#4667220)

Isn't she closer to the Dice Man?

I wouldn't say that. Maybe more of an Anthony Jeselnik (who I kinda like, but wears thin after a bit). They both revel in the "joke because I said something that was surprisingly offensive or outrageous", then preen about it for a minute like "look what I said!". She's very deadpan about it - like when she gets a reaction she's like 'what did I say that's so outrageous?". Whereas Clay was pretty upfront that he was saying filthy stuff.

She's in the same vein as Sarah Silverman and Whitney Cummings, although less interesting or clever as those two.

Even if and when I don't agree with him, Stewart seems like a decent enough chap. Colbert strikes me as mean: whether that's a shtick or not doesn't matter.

That's interesting. My opinion is the exact opposite. I stopped watching Stewart because his commentary seemed to be getting too mean, whereas Colbert seemed like a really nice guy who was a lot more subtle in his jabs.

36. Blastin Posted: March 06, 2014 at 02:28 PM (#4667221)

..what about Will Ferrell is mean? His most famous roles are a dimwitted elf and a dimwitted newscaster who is the butt of his own movie's jokes.

37. RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: March 06, 2014 at 02:31 PM (#4667223)

I find her horrible for being a grumpy, unfunny, spiteful, mean, petty shrew.

I agree, but there are a lot of male comics like this too (aside from the unfunny part), and I don't think they ever called out in the same way do they? Jeselnik, Marc Maron, Bill Burr come to mind. Don Rickles made an entire career out of it.

If you don't think she's funny that's fine (I don't either), but if she's mean, well half the stand up comics working today are pretty mean. My guess is if you're a female comic that doesn't want to get stuck playing to female-only audiences, you have to be edgy, mean, and crass to get the boys to watch (Silverman, Cummings, Lisa Lampanelli, etc.)

38. Voros McCracken of Pinkus Posted: March 06, 2014 at 02:35 PM (#4667227)

..what about Will Ferrell is mean? His most famous roles are a dimwitted elf and a dimwitted newscaster who is the butt of his own movie's jokes.

Because he's not playing himself. The 'elf' of course is the only movie of his enjoyed, precisely because he didn't pick a target to mock by acting like an exaggerated version of them. I just don't like it when someone tears down others for what looks to be the sole purpose of making themselves look superior. And that strikes me as most of Ferrell's career, Elf excluded.

Don't misunderstand, I'm not talking about mean jokes like Rickles (I love those), it's the superior attitude lurking underneath that bugs. And of course that's the exact opposite of Don Rickles. The whole point of Rickles' act was that he was the biggest jerk alive. The whole point of these people's act is how much better they are than a lot of folks.

Sarah Silverman's stand up act is actually much more like Rickles' act than the ones I mention (She's the ultimate target of her jokes) and I don't really include her in the group.

39. base ball chick Posted: March 06, 2014 at 02:44 PM (#4667233)

37. RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: March 06, 2014 at 01:31 PM (#4667223)

I find her horrible for being a grumpy, unfunny, spiteful, mean, petty shrew.

- which is what a c-word is
i am not judgemental about having substance problems, or having a lot of sexual partners, but far as i am concerned, those 2 things got nothing to do with being a c-word

can't STAND sarah silverman, neither. aren't a lot of really funny female comedians. am not sure exactly why hostile, spiteful and unpleasant are a big part of "funny"

I agree, but there are a lot of male comics like this too (aside from the unfunny part), and I don't think they ever called out in the same way do they?

- there really isn't a good word describing males that is the exact duplicate of c-word. but most male comedians are not funny neither. and i don't think the don rickles stuff is even a little bit funny, even if he is a c-word.

40. Morty Causa Posted: March 06, 2014 at 02:44 PM (#4667234)

I don't know anything about her, but I'd say that someone who thinks highly of P. G. Wodehouse and Alexander Pope can't be a total loss. OTOH, Bukowski is funny?

41. Johnny Sycophant-Laden Fora Posted: March 06, 2014 at 02:50 PM (#4667238)

I had absolutely no idea anything about sleeping around was Handler's shtick. I find her horrible for being a grumpy, unfunny, spiteful, mean, petty shrew.

I agree with that except I do think she's sporadically amusing in a grumpy, spiteful, mean, petty, and shrewish kind of way.

Isn't she closer to the Dice Man?

Him I find to be grumpy, unfunny, spiteful, mean and petty.
I've read that when Clay was starting out he would record all his shows, and carefully keep track of what bits got laughs and what didn't- those that got laughs he kept doing, those that didn't he'd rework or drop- I guess it worked- he became successful- but you know what, he's the ONLY comic I've ever seen, where I literally sat there baffled as just about everyone else was laughing their heads off- I mean I've seen comics before I thought were totally uninteresting and unfunny- but they'd usually be bombing so my impression was shared by everyone else- but Clay was something else, I literally thought nothing was funny, couldn't laugh with him or at him or at his targets, his punchlines ranged from being wholly missing, to be unfunny non-sequiturs to being gratuitous insults lacking any apparent connection to the lead in, his "poems" were... like if you took a mad libs set, used Carlin's dirty words to fill in the blanks, and then weed out the ones that produce a funny result.

42. Johnny Sycophant-Laden Fora Posted: March 06, 2014 at 02:53 PM (#4667240)

Sarah Silverman's stand up act is actually much more like Rickles' act than the ones I mention (She's the ultimate target of her jokes) and I don't really include her in the group.

My "problem" with Sarah Silverman is that visually I think shes really cute which kind of clouds my judgment as to how funny she is or not.

43. RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: March 06, 2014 at 02:55 PM (#4667242)

Because he's not playing himself. The 'elf' of course is the only movie of his enjoyed, precisely because he didn't pick a target to mock by acting like an exaggerated version of them. I just don't like it when someone tears down others for what looks to be the sole purpose of making themselves look superior. And that strikes me as most of Ferrell's career, Elf excluded.

I'm really struggling to think of examples of what you're describing with Ferrell. What kind of targets are you talking about that you find him mean in? His primary target to mock seems to be the white, self-absorbed 30-40 year old male. I think he's called Anchorman-Step Brothers-Talledega Nights a trilogy because they're all parodies of buffonish white man-boys.

44. Voros McCracken of Pinkus Posted: March 06, 2014 at 03:05 PM (#4667245)

I think he's called Anchorman-Step Brothers-Talledega Nights a trilogy because they're all parodies of buffonish white man-boys.

Exactly. Where does he get off? Picking on the powerful and connected is necessary because if they aren't at least somewhat kept in line they run completely amok. But just picking on average people from your USC frat boy turned mega millionaire perch is just plain mean. Being a sore loser can be annoying, being a sore winner is obnoxious.

45. Yeaarrgghhhh Posted: March 06, 2014 at 03:09 PM (#4667248)

46. You Know Nothing JT Snow (YR) Posted: March 06, 2014 at 03:09 PM (#4667249)

Exactly. Where does he get off? Picking on the powerful and connected is necessary because if they aren't at least somewhat kept in line they run completely amok. But just picking on average people from your USC frat boy turned mega millionaire perch is just plain mean.

Can someone make a hierarchical list of classifications so that we can have a reference for which groups can mock other groups and which ones can't? Comedy without restrictions is anarchy.

47. Blastin Posted: March 06, 2014 at 03:12 PM (#4667253)

I can't even tell if you're being sarcastic.

Seriously. Buffoonish white man-boys are perfectly acceptable group to be lightly prodded (and he's not doing vicious satire at all). I mean, wow.

Who on earth can be made fun of if not them?

48. My guest will be Jermaine Allensworth Posted: March 06, 2014 at 03:13 PM (#4667254)

Setting aside the quality of Handler's comedy and morality, she seems to use her ascent to give other lesser-known comedians (especially comediennes) airtime and opportunities, which is cool.

49. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Griffin (Vlad) Posted: March 06, 2014 at 03:13 PM (#4667255)

Carlos Mencia isn't really Mexican

- he's from honduras and his mother is mexican
close enough

His father is from German and English stock, and "Carlos" grew up in the US and went by the name Ned Holness until he needed a schtick for his comedy.

Carlos Mencia is significantly less Mexican than Louis CK, who:

a) is a Mexican citizen.
b) learned Spanish as his first language.
and
c) spent the first seven years of his life in Mexico City.

50. Lassus Posted: March 06, 2014 at 03:24 PM (#4667257)

I don't think they ever called out in the same way do they? Jeselnik, Marc Maron, Bill Burr come to mind. Don Rickles made an entire career out of it.

Other than Rickles, I don't think any of these are in the same hemisphere as Handler as far as popularity. I don't follow stand-up, so perhaps I'm not the best judge, but I have no idea (again, other than Rickles, who as a kid I was never a fan of) who any of these people are.

If you don't think she's funny that's fine (I don't either), but if she's mean, well half the stand up comics working today are pretty mean. My guess is if you're a female comic that doesn't want to get stuck playing to female-only audiences, you have to be edgy, mean, and crass to get the boys to watch (Silverman, Cummings, Lisa Lampanelli, etc.)

Admittedly, I'm not a huge fan of stand-up, this being one of the reasons. I'm trying to think of a good talk-showy entertainment comparison on the male side for Handler... Tosh.0? I can't stand him for all the same reasons. Joel McHale on the Soup? Has he been that petty? Any other suggestions?

51. A big pile of nonsense (gef the talking mongoose) Posted: March 06, 2014 at 03:26 PM (#4667259)

I don't follow stand-up, so perhaps I'm not the best judge, but I have no idea (again, other than Rickles, who as a kid I was never a fan of) who any of these people are.

Oh, good. I'm not the only one.

52. madvillain Posted: March 06, 2014 at 03:29 PM (#4667260)

They say Sprite is lemon and lime. I tried making it at home. There's more to it then that.

I mumble a lot off-stage, I'm a mumbler. If I'm walking with a friend and I say something, he won't hear me, he'll say 'What?'. So I'll say it again, but once again he doesn't hear me, so he says 'What?'. But really it's just some insignificant sh*t that I'm saying, but now I'm yelling, 'That tree is far away.'”

RIP Mitch.

53. spike Posted: March 06, 2014 at 03:34 PM (#4667264)

OTOH, Bukowski is funny?

Really? It's a wry self deprecating humor or broad bawdy descriptive humor, but it's quite funny - to me anyway.

54. RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: March 06, 2014 at 03:34 PM (#4667265)

Admittedly, I'm not a huge fan of stand-up, this being one of the reasons. I'm trying to think of a good talk-showy entertainment comparison on the male side for Handler... Tosh.0? I can't stand him for all the same reasons. Joel McHale on the Soup? Has he been that petty? Any other suggestions?

Bill Maher maybe? Ellen was a popular stand up and was nice in her act. Colin Quinn had a talk show for awhile - he was grumpy, but I wouldn't say his act was mean.

Chris Hardwick is getting a talk show on Comedy Central, and already has a popular talk show-type podcast. He's a pretty nice guy in his act.

Letterman (and I think Seth Myers and Fallon) got his start in stand up.

If you don't know who Bill Burr is, and you watched "Breaking Bad", Burr was the red-headed henchman for Saul (the one who stalled the truck during the train heist). I didn't realize Huell is also a stand up comic - he won a season of "Last Comic Standing." Burr is one of those comics that will be pretty well known pretty soon, he's pretty popular on the circuit I think.

55. jacksone (AKA It's OK...) Posted: March 06, 2014 at 03:34 PM (#4667266)

aren't a lot of really funny female comedians.

Maria Bamford is pretty amazing. She can be quite off-putting at first with her naturally high voice, but once you start listening she is quite talented. I have heard her name come up a few times when other comedians are asked about who they would pay to see. Most mention her impressive stage presence, she just owns the place.

56. spike Posted: March 06, 2014 at 03:35 PM (#4667267)

Carlos Mencia is significantly less Mexican than Louis CK

But how does he compare to say, Jose Jimenez?

57. What did Billy Ripken have against ElRoy Face? Posted: March 06, 2014 at 03:35 PM (#4667268)

"Carlos" grew up in the US and went by the name Ned Holness until he needed a schtick for his comedy.

As if "Ned Holness" isn't a funny enough name to begin with.

58. Bitter Mouse Posted: March 06, 2014 at 03:47 PM (#4667277)

I just don't like it when someone tears down others for what looks to be the sole purpose of making themselves look superior. And that strikes me as most of Ferrell's career, Elf excluded.

Stranger then Fiction. It is the non-Ferrell, Ferrell movie. And it is darn good.

59. zonk Posted: March 06, 2014 at 03:48 PM (#4667278)

Seriously. Buffoonish white man-boys are perfectly acceptable group to be lightly prodded (and he's not doing vicious satire at all). I mean, wow.

Who on earth can be made fun of if not them?

+1

I mean, I'm a buffoonish white man-boy myself... and I wouldn't call myself a self-loathing buffoonish white man-boy, either -- but jeebus... I think I'm probably THE demographic most appropriate/in need/deserving of such satire.

60. RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: March 06, 2014 at 03:48 PM (#4667279)

Carlos Mencia is significantly less Mexican than Louis CK

In Carlos' defense, IIRC he also grew up speaking Spanish, grew up in East LA, and the world sees him as Mexican. I'd say that's probably closer to Mexican-American experience than a guy with a Polish name who looks white who grew up to an affluent DC family.

But hey, in stand up, you find your "hook", and exaggerate it to fill your persona.

61. Voros McCracken of Pinkus Posted: March 06, 2014 at 03:48 PM (#4667280)

I can't even tell if you're being sarcastic.

What exactly is funny about saying "look how much better I am than you" to a generic group of people you don't know and have never met, particularly from the vantage point Ferrell is at? It's just elitist bully behavior. I don't like bullies.

It's the attitude that's the difference: there's nothing good-natured about the mockery Ferrell doles out. That's fine when it's a powerful pol. It's jerkish when it's just some random guy. If you want to pick on him, you better like him at least a little. If you don't, leave him alone.

62. madvillain Posted: March 06, 2014 at 03:54 PM (#4667285)

I mean, I'm a buffoonish white man-boy myself... and I wouldn't call myself a self-loathing buffoonish white man-boy, either -- but jeebus... I think I'm probably THE demographic most appropriate/in need/deserving of such satire.

Well, it is CPAC week, and Gawker has you covered.

63. Lassus Posted: March 06, 2014 at 03:57 PM (#4667289)

What exactly is funny about saying "look how much better I am than you" to a generic group of people you don't know and have never met, particularly from the vantage point Ferrell is at?

This part confuses me more than the others, er, if you're serious. Ferrell has never been nor has ever met a goofy white man-boy?

64. Voros McCracken of Pinkus Posted: March 06, 2014 at 03:58 PM (#4667291)

Ha ha isn't 49% of the country so stupid and aren't we so much smarter and better. Ha ha ha!!

I'm tired of it. We all suck in many obvious and less obvious ways, I think as a rule we should be a lot more critical of ourselves and a lot less critical of people we consider "other people."

65. jacksone (AKA It's OK...) Posted: March 06, 2014 at 03:59 PM (#4667292)

RIP Mitch.

Ugh, seriously, such a chill guy.

I was walking down the street with my friend and he said, "I hear music", as if there is any other way you can take it in. You're not special, that's how I receive it too. I tried to taste it but it did not work.

I wrote a script and gave it to a guy that reads scripts. And he read it and said he really likes it, but he thinks I need to rewrite it. I said, \"#### that, I'll just make a copy."

I like vending machines 'cause snacks are better when they fall. If I buy a candy bar at a store, oftentimes, I will drop it... so that it achieves its maximum flavor potential.

So I wish I could play little league now, I'd kick some ######' ass.

66. Blastin Posted: March 06, 2014 at 03:59 PM (#4667293)

Will Ferrell movies are TOTALLY good-natured, unless you really think "teehee, Nascar drivers aren't that smart" is super mean. He makes fun of people who think they're amazing. That's the whole thing: over-confident people being teased. This is not Larry David (who I am not dissing; I'm a fan of him, too). I FEEL LIKE I'M TAKING CRAZY PILLS.

And I third the RIP Mitch

67. Nasty Nate Posted: March 06, 2014 at 03:59 PM (#4667294)

That's fine when it's a powerful pol. It's jerkish when it's just some random guy.

???

Aren't his movies making fun of celebrity race drivers, news broadcasters, celebrity figure skaters, and basketball franchise owners? Those don't seem like random guys to me.

68. Howie Menckel Posted: March 06, 2014 at 04:00 PM (#4667295)

trivia(l)

Chelsea Handler graduated from the same high school as, among others, Governor Chris Christie, Jason "George Costanza" Alexander, author Harlen Coben, and NY-area sportscaster Bruce Beck.

69. Blastin Posted: March 06, 2014 at 04:01 PM (#4667298)

49% of the country is goofy white man-boys? Wut?

70. Blastin Posted: March 06, 2014 at 04:04 PM (#4667304)

Those don't seem like random guys to me.

They're 49% of the country, Nate.

71. Voros McCracken of Pinkus Posted: March 06, 2014 at 04:07 PM (#4667306)

unless you really think "teehee, Nascar drivers aren't that smart" is super mean.

I think "everyone who isn't me (or a lot like me) is an idiot" is super mean and that's my Ferrell takeaway.

72. A big pile of nonsense (gef the talking mongoose) Posted: March 06, 2014 at 04:07 PM (#4667307)

Aren't his movies making fun of celebrity race drivers, news broadcasters, celebrity figure skaters, and basketball franchise owners? Those don't seem like random guys to me.

Voros travels in really, really rarefied circles.

(Not a Ferrell fan; probably wouldn't see one of his movies if you paid me, depending on how much the offer was for & how broke I happened to be at the time. Voros, though, seems to be coming from an odd place with this.)

73. Voros McCracken of Pinkus Posted: March 06, 2014 at 04:07 PM (#4667308)

69, 70,

I was referring to the CPAC jab.

74. Morty Causa Posted: March 06, 2014 at 04:08 PM (#4667309)

Funny is almost always about adopting a superior stance. It's always about thinking something or someone is stupid or silly. But nothing's dumber than a comedian who thinks he's a real thinker. Except maybe their consumers who claim them as authority.

75. RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: March 06, 2014 at 04:12 PM (#4667314)

Funny is almost always about adopting a superior stance.

This. There are some comics who are very self-deprecating, but most of comedy is making fun of someone else.

I don't think there is anyone that watches Will Ferrell's comedy and has their feelings hurt because they think Will is making fun of them.

76. Blastin Posted: March 06, 2014 at 04:13 PM (#4667316)

Yeah... considering he is (or was) a goofy white man-boy, I don't know that he's saying these people are so different from him (except that he's clearly more thoughtful than his characters if you listen to him talk). But what comedy is not making fun of others?

And none of this means Ferrell is my favorite, I just found Voros's rabbit hole of sensitivity absurd. But being a fan of CPAC makes it all make sense.

77. Blastin Posted: March 06, 2014 at 04:14 PM (#4667318)

I don't think there is anyone that watches Will Ferrell's comedy and has their feelings hurt because they think Will is making fun of them.

There is at least one person, it would appear.

78. Avoid running at all times.-S. Paige Posted: March 06, 2014 at 04:14 PM (#4667319)

Funny is almost always about adopting a superior stance. It's always about thinking something or someone is stupid or silly. But nothing's dumber than a comedian who thinks he's a real thinker. Except maybe their consumers who claim them as authority.

There is nobody less funny than Bill Maher.

79. Voros McCracken of Pinkus Posted: March 06, 2014 at 04:20 PM (#4667321)

And none of this means Ferrell is my favorite, I just found Voros's rabbit hole of sensitivity absurd. But being a fan of CPAC makes it all make sense.

Egg-######-zactly. That you would jump to the conclusion that I'm a CPAC fan (I'm most certainly not) just because I take exception to blanketing them as a bunch of morons highlights the problem. That it's impossible to defend someone unless you share their viewpoint is a malicious standpoint.

Again: people who are different from you, who think different from you and who vote different from you are not necessarily _worse_ than you.

80. Voros McCracken of Pinkus Posted: March 06, 2014 at 04:22 PM (#4667322)

But what comedy is not making fun of others?

Comedy that makes fun of oneself.

81. Captain Supporter Posted: March 06, 2014 at 04:24 PM (#4667325)

Regardless of what you think of Chelsea Handler, I think its hard to argue with the statement she made. I mean, A-Rod is a pretty disgusting guy, if by that you mean that he is a liar, a cheat with baseball, and a cheat with women.

Are those things even remotely debatable?

82. RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: March 06, 2014 at 04:25 PM (#4667326)

Again: people who are different from you, who think different from you and who vote different from you are not necessarily _worse_ than you.

True. But they can be.

83. Ron J2 Posted: March 06, 2014 at 04:27 PM (#4667327)

But what comedy is not making fun of others?

Can't think of anything mean spirited in Bill Cosby's early career. I still enjoy listening to it, but I can see how it might not be to everybody's taste.

84. Johnny Sycophant-Laden Fora Posted: March 06, 2014 at 04:32 PM (#4667331)

I don't think there is anyone that watches Will Ferrell's comedy and has their feelings hurt because they think Will is making fun of them.

I've heard that NASCAR fans LOVE Talledega Nights- sure he's making fun of them, but he's not making them out to be evil or mean spirited, and of course he also made fun of French Formula One drivers...

85. Morty Causa Posted: March 06, 2014 at 04:33 PM (#4667333)

81:

Finally, someone brings up the merits of her assertions. However, we mostly all agree with her assessment. The comments here seem to be driven more along the lines of a pot meet kettle thing.

86. Johnny Sycophant-Laden Fora Posted: March 06, 2014 at 04:33 PM (#4667334)

I think "everyone who isn't me (or a lot like me) is an idiot" is super mean and that's my Ferrell takeaway.

My Ferrell takeaway is that everyone is an idiot, not just everyone who is not like Will Ferrell.

87. Voros McCracken of Pinkus Posted: March 06, 2014 at 04:35 PM (#4667335)

True. But they can be.

That doesn't seem to be prevailing stance these days. I mean just look at #76 for a perfect example. That I would side with CPAC for any reason, makes me worse. Period. At the very least I'm guilty until proven innocent.

Now as it turns out, I _am_ worse, but I object to someone thinking that just because I don't like generically large groups of people being belittled.

88. Yeaarrgghhhh Posted: March 06, 2014 at 04:36 PM (#4667337)

Egg-######-zactly. That you would jump to the conclusion that I'm a CPAC fan (I'm most certainly not) just because I take exception to blanketing them as a bunch of morons highlights the problem. That it's impossible to defend someone unless you share their viewpoint is a malicious standpoint.

CPAC isn't 49% of the country. It's a tiny group of conservative true believers. And your take on Ferrell is completely wrong IMO. He's not saying people who aren't like me are idiots. He's a doofy white frat boy. He's making fun of himself and people like him. And he's doing it in a very good-natured, friendly way.

89. Yeaarrgghhhh Posted: March 06, 2014 at 04:38 PM (#4667340)

Also, you said this above: "That's fine when it's a powerful pol." That's CPAC; it's some of the most powerful people and pols in the country. But now we're not allowed make fun of them either? Lighten up, Francis.

90. Nasty Nate Posted: March 06, 2014 at 04:39 PM (#4667341)

#76 for a perfect example. That I would side with CPAC for any reason, makes me worse. Period.

That's not what #76 said. It said that liking CPAC explains the absurdity of your supposed "rabbit hole of sensitivity."

What is CPAC and what was Ferrell's joke about it?

91. Johnny Sycophant-Laden Fora Posted: March 06, 2014 at 04:40 PM (#4667343)

But what comedy is not making fun of others?

Comedy that makes fun of oneself.

In Stranger in a Strange Land Heinlein insisted that "funny" was something bad happening to someone else, making fun of yourself still qualified because to the audience that's still something bad happening to someone else, Heinlein saw humor as akin to an evolutionary defense mechanism- you see something bad happen and laughing about it prevents you from dwelling on it, or god forbid feeling bad about not intervening, or worse risking yourself to do something about it, bad thinks happen and are inevitable, to see them as humorous allows us to keep on keeping on without being distracted...

Odd man was Heinlein...

92. RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: March 06, 2014 at 04:40 PM (#4667344)

That doesn't seem to be prevailing stance these days. I mean just look at #76 for a perfect example. That I would side with CPAC for any reason, makes me worse. Period. At the very least I'm guilty until proven innocent.

Now as it turns out, I _am_ worse, but I object to someone thinking that just because I don't like generically large groups of people being belittled.

So, no one should be made fun of, we're all equal, and all opinions our valid? This sounds like the worst caricatures of liberal-thinking, missing only the notion of holding hands and singing Kumbaya.

93. Voros McCracken of Pinkus Posted: March 06, 2014 at 04:41 PM (#4667345)

Republicans roughly are 49% of the country and that's the main reason for the CPAC jab.

94. You Know Nothing JT Snow (YR) Posted: March 06, 2014 at 04:42 PM (#4667347)

They never made 'em any funnier than Emo Phillips, and he wasn't mean-spirited.

95. Morty Causa Posted: March 06, 2014 at 04:43 PM (#4667349)

Comedy that makes fun of oneself.

Can't think of anything mean spirited in Bill Cosby's early career. I still enjoy listening to it, but I can see how it might not be to everybody's taste.

When I made my original comment, I thought of that. My mind went to Thurber's My Life and Hard Times. He seems to find all the eccentrics there in his childhood so very endearing. But, Cosby is a good suggestion, too. But, however much they lavish affections on their subjects, they are still making fun of them--still, in some fundamental way, not taking those people seriously. And there's a judging of them through and through. Whether that humor is the satire, the black humor, of Catch 22 or the affectionate, even loving, good humor of Right Ho, Jeeves, there's a stance in which the creator stands in judgment.

96. Hal Chase School of Professionalism Posted: March 06, 2014 at 04:43 PM (#4667350)

But being a fan of CPAC makes it all make sense.

Here I am, a complete neanderthal... I'm a fan of X Pac.

97. Srul Itza Posted: March 06, 2014 at 04:45 PM (#4667351)

Better than being a fan of Tupac

98. Voros McCracken of Pinkus Posted: March 06, 2014 at 04:47 PM (#4667352)

So, no one should be made fun of, we're all equal, and all opinions our valid?

No, just that someone shouldn't be made to be a pariah just because they have a different opinion than you. It's very intimidating having to run up against "you're not one of _those_ people" type antics everywhere I go. It seems like I have to have completely different opinions on topics based on who I'm with just to get along with people.

Maybe it's just a subset of always seeming to vote differently than 99% of the country and it's my own issues, but I wish people would be a little less judgmental.

99. Avoid running at all times.-S. Paige Posted: March 06, 2014 at 04:51 PM (#4667356)

Anyone see that John Mulaney stand-up on Netflix? To me that's the best stand-up act for a relatively new comedian in the last few years.

100. RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: March 06, 2014 at 05:11 PM (#4667365)

No, just that someone shouldn't be made to be a pariah just because they have a different opinion than you. It's very intimidating having to run up against "you're not one of _those_ people" type antics everywhere I go. It seems like I have to have completely different opinions on topics based on who I'm with just to get along with people.

Okay. I never got the impression that Will Ferrell was making pariahs out of people, but I'm guessing you're not talking about him anymore.

Anyone see that John Mulaney stand-up on Netflix? To me that's the best stand-up act for a relatively new comedian in the last few years.

Its in my queue. I loved his "I love it!" segments on Weekend Update.

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