Muse: Linky Love
52 Responses
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giovanni tiso, in reply to
I just wish the yanks would get over their need to remake the rest of the world's culture so everyone speaks with their accent - provincial hicks.
Must you? How about this: I wish Shakespeare got over his need to remake the rest of the world's culture so everyone speaks with his stupid accent.
Really, Sacha, come on.
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recordari, in reply to
I wish Shakespeare
Or Chaucer, for that matter. Talk about provincial hick. Not even English.
[Trolley]
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Islander, in reply to
'Sumer is icumen in'
though I actually agree - somewhat- with both Sacha and Giovanni.
I mean, a nation that uses 'Fall' but finds our 'fortnight' risible? A nation that uses non-metric measures in this day & age? (With some local oddities thrown in?) And expects the rest of the world to - if not follow suit- at least understand their useages?Yep, I really understand that they're rilly big & rillyrilly powerful - but the PROC is now headed to be #1 on this wee planet out on the edge of nothingness, and they're not expecting the rest of us to be familiar with their useages.
Yet.
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Danielle, in reply to
a nation that uses 'Fall' but finds our 'fortnight' risible?
I would be quite keen on seeing any examples you can find of Americans finding 'fortnight' 'risible'. In my experience they either have no idea what the word means or calmly accept it as a dialectical difference. Much like, say, 'autumn' and 'fall'.
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Yes, I must say that the only pieces of linguistic snobbery I've ever experienced or witnessed have been directed at the American dialect.
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Islander, in reply to
Danielle - I've had numerous personal encounters with USA citizens (especially during the book tours I made during 1985 through to 1995, but also in Hawai'i 1978, and in many dozens of emails/letters throughout that period) questioning
'fortnight'."That's Shakespearean" is the polite response from the literate. The impolite response (mainly from e-mailers I must say) is (translated) "wanky use of archaisms."Giovanni - you havent read the reviews of one, especially, of my books. A constant complaint is that, basically, I write ANZ english - and a lot of overseas reviewers dont like that.
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Russell Brown, in reply to
I just wish the yanks would get over their need to remake the rest of the world's culture so everyone speaks with their accent - provincial hicks.
Well, it worked with The Office and All in the Family ...
And, really, it's a damn shame that Honest, the US remake of Outrageous Fortune was a bit crap (without being nearly as crap as the British version). Had it caught on that would have been very good for its creators. So I'm alright with it in that sense.
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Sue,
on the subject of US TV, I'm enjoying episodes but then I'm not sure if it's the writing or than I'm a green wing fangirl, so stephen mangan and Tamsin Greig can do no wrong in my eyes.
can i just make a big note of hooray for bookstores and the printed word. Everyone i know with an e-reader keeps telling me books are dead, but i truly believe they are so very wrong.
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giovanni tiso, in reply to
Giovanni - you havent read the reviews of one, especially, of my books. A constant complaint is that, basically, I write ANZ english - and a lot of overseas reviewers dont like that.
You mean just American or also British? I've often been puzzled by anglicised/americanised editions that localise the spelling - as if one couldn't deal with the few differences.
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Islander, in reply to
I mean all English versions (there were 7 at one time - there are still 4.)
Because of the contract terms, it is the original ANZ version (heavily spell-checked after the initial Spiral editions!) that is used in all English-language versions. -
No I meant were they American or British reviewers? Or both?
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Islander, in reply to
Both. And an Australian.
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1) When I chose the name of this blog,if I was “ripping off” anything, it was a well-thumbed copy of Robert Graves’ The Greek Myths and an entirely misbegotten university career as a classics major, not Public Address’ last culture blogger. (My taste for rather lame puns also reared its head.)
2) When asked to pick a colour for the masthead, I went for my favourite colour – Blue. Read into that what you will, but trying to pull a Ihimaera is the least interesting (and plausible) interpretation.
I hope that clears up a few things for the two people who care.
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I think a lot of the success of the UK Skins was actually down to the parents in the show, rather than the kids. Whoever was in charge of casting them knew exactly what they were doing: it was almost a cruel joke to see former leading lights of British TV comedy Harry Enfield, Neil Morrissey, Josie Lawrence, David Baddiel and Paul Whitehouse et al cast as out-of-touch middle-aged saddos. It was one of the many elements of the show which suggested the makers were quite aware what they were skewering, but it also helped that many of the adults-- Enfield especially, who apparently has directed and even co-written some of the episodes-- were absolutely in on the joke but actually gave their caractitures something resembling humanity.
Also, there was a giddy irreverence that cursed throughout it, especially in the first two seasons: it genuinely let the audience revel in the decadence and hyper-reality of it, but it was refreshingly free or moralising, and- it has to be said- production placement. I think, deep down, it knew how overwrought it was, and so went out to puncture this at every given opportunity. Moreover, there were at least two superb performances in it: Nicolas Hoult as the charismatic menace Tony, and Kaya Scodelario, as the beautiful, enigmatic Effy.
It was flawed, sure, but it had chutzpah, and I wonder whether the MTV series will have even half its nerve.
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Re: The Office (US Version). I have too main problems with it. One: it's gone on way too long and seems not to know how to end. Two: it's as hypocritically obsessed with success as almost any other US sitcom. And besides, if you want the real US version of the Office, look no further than the scabrous, billious, Larry Sanders Show, which oozes awkward contempt from every pore.
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Craig Ranapia, in reply to
I guess my biggest problem with Skins is that I'm obviously more than two decades outside the target demographic (and at least twenty years older than most of the writers and cast). But if you really want to get right down to it, is there more filth and moral degeneracy in a series of Skins or six months worth of Corrie and East Enders?
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+1000 on Janelle Monae - I presume you've seen "that" Letterman performance from a year or so ago but I really hoped that would kick her into something huge. She actually pulled off getting caped. And with the marketing and hype backing of Puff Daddy I thought it might get big, but I wonder if he doesn't know what to do with actual bona fide talent.
And re the libraries, my wife commented the other day that Supercitae has at least bought in the ability to request any book from any library in the whole region for, i believe, nought paid.
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I guess my biggest problem with Skins is that I'm obviously more than two decades outside the target demographic (and at least twenty years older than most of the writers and cast). But if you really want to get right down to it, is there more filth and moral degeneracy in a series of Skins or six months worth of Corrie and East Enders?
It's probably a tie between the two, certainly the realism levels are about the same! That said I have always been quite impressed by how relatively un-patronising Skins is to its characters though, as opposed to something truly dire like Hollyoaks or Jersey Shore, which revels so much in their cretinous behaviour as to suggest the makers really don't young people at all, except for the money they bring them. Also, it's good to see a use for retired British sketch comedians that's at once credible and knowingly demeaning.
I still think the gold standard is Freaks and Geeks though- admittedly, it's a very different kettle of fish ( Skins isn't about the "in" crowd per se, but even the nerds in it have a more bacchanal lifestyle than most teenagers). And I just can't stand how fundamentally self-serving and obsessed with winning Glee is...but that's for another rant :)
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And besides, if you want the real US version of the Office, look no further than the scabrous, billious, Larry Sanders Show, which oozes awkward contempt from every pore.
Word. Best sitcom ever.
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Steve Parks, in reply to
I still think the gold standard is Freaks and Geeks
Oh yeah, that show was so good.
And I just can’t stand how fundamentally self-serving and obsessed with winning Glee is…but that’s for another rant :)
I haven’t seen much of Glee, but from what I have seen, I’m quite impressed at how the main character (or who I take to be the main character) isn’t that likeable. She's fairly self-obsessed, but I'm okay with that. Neither are most of the other major characters, such as Jane Lynch. They’re all deeply flawed, at any rate.
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Steve Parks, in reply to
… localise the spelling – as if one couldn’t deal with the few differences.
On the American dialect thing, I have a few conversations on messageboards and such like with predominantly U.S. commentators, as I assume is true of plenty of others here. It is has been very, very rare that there has been any confusion caused by my dialect or generally NZ-English spelling.* So yeah, I’m surprised that it causes much fuss, these days anyway.
* (“I bought it at the dairy,” used to mean general store did it once. And “yank” once got me accused of being racist or demeaning or somesuch, whereas I meant it no differently than “Kiwi”.)
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Matthew Littlewood, in reply to
Word. Best sitcom ever.
The recent Conan O'Brien/Jay Leno fiasco reminded me about how much that show got right about the backroom politics of the night-time talkshows. The way those two egos banged heads against each other- and the messy way it was resolved-pretty much played like an episode of the Larry Sanders show, albeit at slightly higher stakes and bank balances. Which isn't too surprising- the original series was based on Shandling's own experiences in that world, and the early 90s mad rush for supremacy in the wake of Johnny Carson's retirement.
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Danielle, in reply to
Larry Sanders Show
Our complete DVD set of this – I’ve only seen odd episodes previously – just arrived last week. Hooray!
(But also: I don’t get why it’s ‘hypocritical’ for The Office to want to be successful. It’s a TV show. Presumably it wants an audience? And I love Mindy Kaling.)
(ETA: Or do you mean 'themes' of success within the show itself? In which case: of course. American work culture is a whole different, weird-ass beast...)
the gold standard is Freaks and Geeks
I. Am. Obsessed. It’s probably in my top five shows ever. Haverchuck for President, always.
Glee, however, can bite me for being filled with promise and then royally sucking almost *immediately*. The crash and burn was absolutely incredible.
“yank” once got me accused of being racist or demeaning or somesuch, whereas I meant it no differently than “Kiwi”
Interesting. I think of ‘Yank’ a bit like ‘Pom’: not particularly nice. It always calls to mind a lot of ignorant people pontificating meanspiritedly around a BBQ (and then shutting up awkwardly as soon as they work out my background). But that could just be my issues. :)
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giovanni tiso, in reply to
I hope that clears up a few things for the two people who care.
That was highly entertaining. The colour blue and the word muse? How very dare you!
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Sacha, in reply to
I'll accept whining from Chad about 'copyright' when his blog stops routinely flogging pictures from other publishers without attribution.
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