Cause?Retrieved by Pat Darnell
Jesus Fish in a Barrel: "Religulous"
Posted by robbiefreeling on Oct 3, 2008 at 10:52AM
[SOURCE]
Bill Maher has had quite a run. Fourteen years have passed since Politically Incorrect saved him from Shannon Tweed vehicles and endless stand-up. A Washington meets Hollywood twist on the McLaughlin Group, PI proved surprisingly durable for Comedy Central before losing steam (and some
bite) on ABC. After ill-timed (if courageous) comments led to the show's cancellation, Maher moved right along to Real Time on HBO (tweaking the format by losing the left-right debate and giving more time to Maher's emboldened commentary), where his notoriety, and wonky-smug shtick, hasn't waned.I watched PI regularly for years, drawn to the unscripted and
surprisingly informed political exchanges between dustbin celebrities like Jimmie Walker and Casey Kasem. I was also drawn to Maher, whose vehement libertarianism often led discussions into knotty, unfamiliar territory, at least for American television. But what has always bothered me about Maher is the irreconcilability of his dual, if defining, impulses: to engage seriously and intelligently with politics and morality, yet crap away all nuance, at a moment's whim, for the sake of an easy joke.
Rather than one supporting,
illuminating, or even tempering the other, he too often just dilutes or degrades both comedy and argument. His latest project, Religulous, a Larry Charles--directed, gonzo-documentary screed against faith, is similarly self-defeating. (robbie freeling; Oct 3, 2008. retrieved HERE 10.21.2008) pd/mpw
[See: also Religulous movie review HERE]
PHOTO: neve board for Dr J
2 comments:
A Neve board for me? Awwww, you shouldn't have!
If we procured one of these for you, Dr J, we'd never see you or hear from you again... so probably that is the reason you don't have one yet?
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