There are things in entertainment that can seemingly do no wrong as far as the "media" is concerned. There is a certain group of actors, actresses, movies, etc. who for some reason or another are the chosen ones. Many times it is because these people/things don't think too highly of themselves and aren't that famous/successful. They are beloved as long as they don't get too popular. It's like the band Green Day. Their fans loved Green Day...until everyone else started loving them. For some reason, we don't like things to get too big for their britches.
But some of these "hidden gems", actually suck. Yes, they're not hugely famous, and that's because they shouldn't be. They are not under rated, they are quite properly rated, thank you.
So this is one type of "thing" I'm talking about.
The other type of thing is the thing where no one has actually watched the thing in question, but they've heard good things. And thus they pretend like that thing is awesome, even though I am very convinced they've never watched it.
An example of this is Craig Ferguson. If you read Entertainment Weekly, you'd think this guy was a genius. But if you've ever watched his show, you'd know that he is an abortion with an accent. Just terrible. I defy anyone to sit through 5 minutes of his show. And yet, I read and hear people saying they enjoy Craig Ferguson's show and "what he does". They are liars. They have never watched Craig Ferguson, but they have heard that others do (who are also liars) and want to sound cool.
The chosen ones fall into these two categories in my opinion - perceived to be underrated, or never actually seen. So without further ado, here is a partial list (off the top of my head at 1am, I'll get angry for the weeks to come as I think of more) of people and things that the media loves even though they suck.
Zooey Deschanel (is almost the sole reason for the existence of this list)
The movie "Adventureland"
Debra Messing
The aforementioned Craig Ferguson
Chris Simms (NFL QB)
While we're at it, Brett Favre
The Big Bang Theory
Tim Burton
Movies with subtitles
Tom Bergeron
Jim Jarmusch
joseph Gordon Levitt (doesn't suck, but let's all settle down)
Parker Posey
The Electoral College
Christian Bale's portrayal of Batman, particularly the voice he uses
Everyone with the last name "Gyllenhaal"
The movie "Notorious"
New Orleans
Babies from Africa/China
Audrina Patridge
Bill Murray in dramas
Kevin Smith/Robert Rodriguez
Kate Walsh
The Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas
Oscar De La Hoya for the last 10 years
College basketball
That's all I got for now, I have to go to sleep...
16 comments:
Okay, I agree with everything on your list (especially Adventureland!! Am I the only who wondered what kind of asshole read that script and thought "Hey! This would be an awesome movie WHERE NOTHING HAPPENS AND NO ONE TALKS ABOUT ANYTHING.") except for Zooey Deschanel. Find some YouTube videos of her singing basically anything. Her voice is amazing and it seems to pour out of her with no effort at all. It's incredible. And to be fair, she was the only thing that made "Failure to Launch" tolerable to sit through. In fact, I would have preferred it if they had removed SJP's storyline from it all together. I think she's charming and talented and hotter than anyone else I can think of at the moment... but I haven't had my coffee yet.
P.S. Please add Jenny Lewis sans Rilo Kiley to the list.
if you ate soup you wouldn't dis New Orleans, vato. Mmmm. Gumbo.
Also - Not underrated, but "Lost in Translation" sucked.
i was not judging zooey as a singer, i only know her as an actress. so i was judging her by her acting, her looks, and her horrible horrible speaking voice.
can't believe i forgot "lost in translation".
Damn, I hated Lost in Translation, and someone I know once said that anyone who didn't like it was (paraphrasing) a moron who just didn't understand its brilliance. If we'd been in the same room at the time I would have punched him (well, not really, because I'm not actually a violent person, but I would have wanted to).
My only question with this list is who in the media loves Chris Simms? I thought everyone knew he sucked.
See, I don't mind Zooey Deschanel as an actress. I find her quite appealing (and agree with Valeri about her singing voice). It's her sister (Emily who stars on Bones) that I find really grating (her voice, her acting skills). Interestingly enough, she can sing really well, too.
But, I'm in agreement on the rest.
I hated "Lost in Translation" the first time I saw it. The second time, though, I kind of got it. Bill Murray doesn't smile once in the whole movie, until the very last scene.
oh, don't get me fired up about chris simms. the fact that he's even in the nfl drives me insane. he has never done anything in football. do you realize that major applewhite is an assistant coach in college football somewhere and simms is collecting millions of dollars as a player in the nfl? applewhite was a thousand times better than simms ever though of being. but no, simms "looks" like an nfl qb, and his last name is simms. it's ridiculous. and you still here people say "well, they've got chris simms, he can compete for a starting job". no, he can't! he couldn't start in the arena league.
chris fucking simms.
maybe this zooey deschanel is a guys vs. girls thing. girls like her, but guys definitely do not. she's not cute, and she has an annoying voice, and should never, ever be a romantic lead (but she's about to be).
NOT CUTE?! Are you crazy? She's gorgeous! Those huge blue eyes and that pale, pale skin! I'd do her.
Maybe girls appreciate that fragile beauty and guys only appreciate "hot"... Megan Fox, for example. Every guy I know wants to do Megan Fox, but I just don't see it.
You don't see Megan Fox? Really? She is perfectly tuned for a week(end) of incredible hate sex. I don't want a relationship with her, but dayum. So hot.
I think the Megan Fox/Zooey comparison is perfect. Megan Fox is everything a heterosexual male wants, Zooey is the opposite.
I couldn't agree more with you on Chris Simms being overrated! As a graduate of The University of Texas and a current football season ticket holder just the mention of Chris Simms' name gets me all worked up. How he ever played over Major Applewhite is a travesty.
It is amazing the free pass Simms got and still gets today because he has the traditional "look" of a QB and his last name is Simms. That guy's been a joke and a let down from day one. I can't believe some people in the media still feel he should be competing for a starting job in the NFL.
This list is perfection, though I do enjoy Zooey Deschanel.
i love you, the blot. finally, someone who feels my pain about chris fucking simms.
Irwin, I love your blog and read it often (and laugh and laugh!), and have bonded with you over the "I hate pets" issue (and especially humans who treat them like humans). But, wow, your list is SO different from mine! Have to agree with the other chicks - I love Zooey!
But I would not censor your comments on my blog (if I ever updated it!).
First off, thank you for this list! (I'm so very glad that someone is aware that Big Bang Theory and Christian Bale's Batman voice both belong on a list like this.)
But secondly, I have a genuine question about Megan Fox. She was AMAZINGLY hot for a while. I will give you that, no questions asked. But then, she started to get more botox to try to remain hot. But I feel she maybe overdid it.
I am not against plastic surgery or fillers in the least. To each their own. And some women with plastic faces look AMAZING in photos. But now that I've moved to LA, I've been seeing more plastic women in their habitat. And in person, they are very confusing. My brain says, "I know I'm supposed to find you attractive. And I do when you're in magazine. But when you're in front of my face, you just look odd. Really, really odd. And you cannot come off as genuine. You might be actually nice, but I truly cannot tell."
(You know that thing, I don't know what it's called, but the theory that humans are comfortable with cartoon figures and robots and things but things that aren't real but look a LOT like humans make humans uncomfortable and distrustful? - That's how I think I'm starting to feel when I see botox-ed women in real life...)
Do men feel this way when they see botox-ed women in PERSON, or as long as a face is wrinkle-free and a body is banging, is the woman attractive?
Thanks!
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