When we last left off...

[Rattus]

Thanks for posting, pg13. My menopausal mind seems to have trouble recalling things I saw a short while ago these days, so you help me out tremendously.

For the most part, I am meh on what I saw, however I did very much like Jeff Dye - made me laugh, he did.

And I like Paul Foot so much that I really can't understand why very few other people seem to get him (and I am not at all an Anglophile). But then, I generally prefer the slower paced, more storyteller-like method of comedy over the the fast paced bang, bang, bang method, though there are of course always exceptions. Dave Mordal was a prime example of the storyteller comedian, and I just loved him. Bear in mind, I'm not actually comparing the two - apples and oranges they are.

And I completely agree with your take on Winston Spears and Ron G. I found Winston being singled out for televised critique to be extremely discourteous and unfair, and personally I found Ron G's set to be more annoying and less amusing than Winston's. But really, the producers of this show have shown every appearance over the years of being world class d**ks.

And Andi Smith should definitely have moved on over Ron G.

ETA: Totally forgot that God's Pottery moved on. WTF?

[Google]

 

[CAdreamin]

WTF is right...I just can't stand God's Pottery! I had to leave the room while they performed they bug me that much. Still don't get Paul Foote, although he was marginally funnier than his audition imo. I actually liked Ron's audition more than his performance last night which had me groaning after he repeatedly spoke (ad nauseum) in that whiney voice. All in all, a very disappointing night and yeah, I agree, I could see this show being canceled again before too long.

[CAdreamin]

PS. I do think next week's show will be better. Some of the comedians that I really enjoyed before will be performing then.

[pg13]

Originally Posted by CAdreamin

WTF is right...I just can't stand God's Pottery!

...what makes it hard, is that you can't take a snippet of God's Pottery to get the full experience--what they do, or rather, what they are, doesn't lend itself to editing...

What I think is funny about them is that they never break...and when you get caught up in unrelenting silliness, it can SLAY you. It happened to me...and because of that, I really like God's Pottery and I love the fact that they're getting this kind of exposure...

...of course, I also feel that they're particularly unsuited for a competition like this.

So, there's that.

pg--Glint!--seattle

PS--I'm with you, Rattus, in not knowing how people can "not get" Paul Foot. Perhaps I'm enough of an Anglophile to immediately grasp where Paul's coming from and what he's trying to do. Is the simple fact of an accent enough to throw people off? (If so, how come I don't read people saying "I just don't get this Dale Jones fella?") In no way do I think what Paul Foot is doing is somehow "un-understandable."

However, I can certainly see how some people don't find Paul Foot to be all that funny--to understand him, but not to laugh uproariously at everything he says or does--...certainly not compared to other comedic performers who might connect more immediately to an American comedy audience. Paul presents himself as something more of an English eccentric...which I find delightful, but there are definitely other UK-based performers who could have come in and just destroyed...

[dagwood]

Thanks for the recap, PG. I totally spaced it last night and was afraid I missed Marcus. I am rooting for him so far.

Did they do any tribute at all to George Carlin?

[pg13]

Marcus will be on next week's show--as they split the semi-finals up into two shows.

The only tribute to George was a memoriam title card at the end of the show.

[dagwood]

Thanks. Glad to hear I didn't miss Marcus.

[CAdreamin]

Originally Posted by pg13

...what makes it hard, is that you can't take a snippet of God's Pottery to get the full experience--what they do, or rather, what they are, doesn't lend itself to editing...

What I think is funny about them is that they never break...and when you get caught up in unrelenting silliness, it can SLAY you. It happened to me...and because of that, I really like God's Pottery and I love the fact that they're getting this kind of exposure...

...of course, I also feel that they're particularly unsuited for a competition like this.

So, there's that.

pg--Glint!--seattle

PS--I'm with you, Rattus, in not knowing how people can "not get" Paul Foot. Perhaps I'm enough of an Anglophile to immediately grasp where Paul's coming from and what he's trying to do. Is the simple fact of an accent enough to throw people off? (If so, how come I don't read people saying "I just don't get this Dale Jones fella?") In no way do I think what Paul Foot is doing is somehow "un-understandable."

However, I can certainly see how some people don't find Paul Foot to be all that funny--to understand him, but not to laugh uproariously at everything he says or does--...certainly not compared to other comedic performers who might connect more immediately to an American comedy audience. Paul presents himself as something more of an English eccentric...which I find delightful, but there are definitely other UK-based performers who could have come in and just destroyed...

Perhaps you're right about God's Pottery, that their act doesn't lend itself to editing. But that's all we've gotten to see so I'm not sure if seeing a longer act would change my mind or not. I'm not sure why the fact that they remain in character all the time bothers me...maybe it comes from knowing actual people like them from my early church days growing up...I'm not sure, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt next time and actually watch their performance hehe.

As far as Paul Foot, this is a bit complex for me as I do appreciate British humor (have even had a very funny British boyfriend in days gone by, not to mention being a huge Monty Python fan) but I think you summed it up with calling him eccentric. To me, he's like some weird, oddball uncle and I've nothing against him as a person but I just don't find him to be that funny. Yes, I laughed at a few of his jokes last night but on the whole I felt that there were people as funny if not funnier than him that were not chosen to move on and that bothered me.

I was surprised none of the women were chosen, and I'm not saying that just because I am a woman....just an observation.

[Rattus]

Originally Posted by pg13

...what makes it hard, is that you can't take a snippet of God's Pottery to get the full experience--what they do, or rather, what they are, doesn't lend itself to editing...

I just wanted to clarify that my WTF had nothing do with their talent, but everything to do with this being completely the wrong venue for an act of this nature. I may be wrong, but I don't really see how an act so crafted can be broken into usable bits, or how they are going to successfully compete in a *shudder* heckle-off, or any one of the other inane shenanigans they foist on the competitors. It wouldn't appear that there is a whole lot of room for spontaneity in their act.

PS--I'm with you, Rattus, in not knowing how people can "not get" Paul Foot....However, I can certainly see how some people don't find Paul Foot to be all that funny--to understand him, but not to laugh uproariously at everything he says or does--...certainly not compared to other comedic performers who might connect more immediately to an American comedy audience. Paul presents himself as something more of an English eccentric...which I find delightful, but there are definitely other UK-based performers who could have come in and just destroyed...

Well that's the thing - I found him to be hilarious. Why doesn't everyone else ?

[shoepie]

Love, Paul Foot, absolutely. No one came close to him this week, for me.

I do not care for God's Pottery . I am not a Christain and find little humor in it. It scares me if nothing else! If the singer could carry a tune it would be better for those who like them. Their act is in the one trick pony catagory for me and staying in character is annoying. I agree with you, pg; they are not suited for this show. I cannot imagine how stressful it would be living in the house never breaking character, for all involved including the viewers.