ApolloHoax.net
Apollo Discussions => The Reality of Apollo => Topic started by: JayUtah on April 23, 2015, 11:04:11 PM
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It's on Hulu, and (in playlist form) on YouTube. It's remarkably well done. Yes, of course I'm a U.K. Top Gear fan. Shame what happened, but go find the video and watch it.
And now for something completely different, Phil Plait is in town tonight but I'm unable to go see him.
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I do remember that one, there was some lovely footage from the U2.
Definitely a good one to watch.
ETA: As for Top Gear; Clarkson was always a bit of an idiot so it was sort of inevitable really :|
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May has done some very entertaining programmes outside Top Gear - his 'Toy Stories' ones are great (Action Man at the speed of sound and the Meccano motorbike one are great).
I'll have to check out the moon one!
I was saying before the current furore kicked off that the joke was beginning to wear thin. While the stunts and challenges were always scripted and carefully managed, the scripting and management were becoming increasingly obvious and intrusive. Shame it ended on such a sour note, it would have been good for them to have gone out with a better sort of bang.
There are aspects of Clarkson I find very entertaining, and aspects I don't - on balance the former outweigh latter! There's only so many times you can pretend that casual racism and misogyny was 'just a joke'.
This (very very clever) British comedian sums up a lot of people's attitudes to him:
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My favourite Top Gear moment
Reliant Robin Shuttle.
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It's on Hulu, and (in playlist form) on YouTube. It's remarkably well done.
I really enjoy James May. Have you seen his Toy Stories?
Yes, of course I'm a U.K. Top Gear fan.
I'm a huge fan of the specials and the challenges they undertake in the TV episodes, not such a big fan of the car reviews and Star in a Car parts of the TV show. I guess the bits I enjoy appeal to my daft humour.
Shame what happened, but go find the video and watch it.
It received more press inches than Diana's death. ;)
And now for something completely different, Phil Plait is in town tonight but I'm unable to go see him.
Like you need to give the Blunder from Down Under more ammunition. What keeps you from shilling with Dr Plait, or is this statement a double bluff? :P
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May has done some very entertaining programmes outside Top Gear - his 'Toy Stories' ones are great (Action Man at the speed of sound and the Meccano motorbike one are great).
I have to say that I hope May keeps his BBC spot, I think he's an excellent presenter and his Action Man was a holiday must in our house when it shown.
I was saying before the current furore kicked off that the joke was beginning to wear thin. While the stunts and challenges were always scripted and carefully managed, the scripting and management were becoming increasingly obvious and intrusive. Shame it ended on such a sour note, it would have been good for them to have gone out with a better sort of bang.
Agreed. I enjoyed the stunts and challenges, and I thought some of the specials were very well done. The challenges often showed their more liberal attitudes and appreciation of the countries they visited.
There are aspects of Clarkson I find very entertaining, and aspects I don't - on balance the former outweigh latter! There's only so many times you can pretend that casual racism and misogyny was 'just a joke'.
Agreed.
This (very very clever) British comedian sums up a lot of people's attitudes to him:
I'm off to see Stewart Lee in May :)
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I'm off to see Stewart Lee in May :)
I'm envious - his comedy is so deceptively subtle you don't feel the barbs going in and puncturing your liberal sensibilities :D
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I've only seen clips from James May's Toy Stories. I don't think it's officially available in the U.S., even on BBC America. But yes, it's yet another example of his talent and skill. However, in the Apollo show he inexplicably pronounces it "Hooston." The natives will pack as many subvowels as possible into that first syllable.
I've been on both sides of the Top Gear dilemma, in my work in theater and film. On the one hand there is nothing less satisfying and less joyful than working with abusive and egotistical talent. I'm sure you've heard about absurd celebrity riders, but that's just to ensure the promoter actually reads the rider. But I've seen serious riders from relatively unknown and unimportant talent that are downright annoying. Nearly all of them are reasonable, such as specific refreshments or someone to act as a personal assistant. But I've had to deal with a few requests from (no-)talent such as fresh-cut flowers every day in the dressing room or restrictions against who may talk to them backstage. Keep in mind these people are not A-listers. Or even B- or C-listers. And the ones with the most inflated riders are typically the ones who treat the house staff abusively. No, we aren't going to move the grip truck just so you don't have to walk around it to get to craft services. No, you don't get to yell at my unpaid volunteers in front of the whole crew for eating the only meal they get that day while you're rehearsing.
On the other hand there's a growing trend in television and film production to hand out "producer" credits for work that, in former times, would have gotten you only a "production assistant" credit at best. Which is to say, production companies are becoming increasingly overstaffed with "producers" who add little value, yet try to exert control. I don't know anything about the producer in question or how he was respected within the organization, so I may be way off base here. But it doesn't surprise me that Clarkson would have vented his frustration against someone with that title.
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The assault did occasion a visit to the local hospital to get the unfortunate production person's lip sewn back together: it's hard to think of many workplaces where that would be tolerated.
That said, even Clarkson is actually capable of producing some excellent documentary programming: his War Stories on the history of the VC, the St Nazaire raid by HMS Campbeltown, and the events surrounding convoy PQ17 are well worth looking out for.
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The assault did occasion a visit to the local hospital to get the unfortunate production person's lip sewn back together: it's hard to think of many workplaces where that would be tolerated.
And that's where the decision was made. It's one thing to be a difficult talent. But when you cross the line to where criminal charges become possible, then it really ties people's hands. No matter how useless, obstructive, or intrusive a producer gets, he deserves not to get physically assaulted at work. As a director I've given some very serrated tongue-lashings to producers who deserved it, but I'm not the violent type.
That said, even Clarkson is actually capable of producing some excellent documentary programming...
He's a presenter who attracts an audience and therefore money. That's a commodity. People can, and do, take issue with many aspects of his personality and behavior. That doesn't stop him from being marketable.
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Like it or not, people (especially famous people) who bring in a lot of money for other people tend to get treated rather lightly by the criminal justice system.
I'm thinking primarily of American sports figures, but the principle is more universal than that, I'm sure.
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That said, even Clarkson is actually capable of producing some excellent documentary programming: his War Stories on the history of the VC, the St Nazaire raid by HMS Campbeltown,
I watched that last night. How about that for a coincidence? Indeed, his War Stories are delivered with a foreboding narrative, which is glibbly delivered emphasising the gravity of their predicament. I did enjoy his description of their route through the channel to St Nazaire, and the matter of fact manner way he described the perils they faced.
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That said, even Clarkson is actually capable of producing some excellent documentary programming: his War Stories on the history of the VC, the St Nazaire raid by HMS Campbeltown,
I watched that last night. How about that for a coincidence? Indeed, his War Stories are delivered with a foreboding narrative, which is glibbly delivered emphasising the gravity of their predicament. I did enjoy his description of their route through the channel to St Nazaire, and the matter of fact manner way he described the perils they faced.
I have to agree. I've watched all the War Stories episodes I've been able to find, and the St. Nazaire raid show several times. Clarkson does a great job.
Speaking of that raid, it really is amazing what they pulled off, what with RN and RAF giving them as little support and materiel as they did. It's nearly unbelievable that over a third of the raiding force managed to get back to Britain.
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I have to agree. I've watched all the War Stories episodes I've been able to find, and the St. Nazaire raid show several times. Clarkson does a great job.
Speaking of that raid, it really is amazing what they pulled off, what with RN and RAF giving them as little support and materiel as they did. It's nearly unbelievable that over a third of the raiding force managed to get back to Britain.
I agree, it's a wonderful story wonderfully written and presented.