Russell Brand take a bow

VMA awards last night, Russell Brand opens up with (paraphrased) "for the sake of the rest of the world, please vote for Barak Obama". When you think that can't be topped "people say America isn't progressive, it must be otherwise you'd let that retarded cowboy be president for another eight years". Cue pictures of audience loking very uncmfortable not knowing what to do whether they agreed with him or not. Hopefully it'll be on youtube later today.

Don't know what it'll do to his career stateside but he's taken a leap in my estimation.

Saw a bit of it, wasn't really impressed with his humor... was a bit bland and boring, don't tell me you think he's a great comedian... all he had going for him was saying shocking statements, but hell a kid with tourettes could do the same...

its the talk of the breakfast tables today,, damm hillbillies.

you can talk.

I liked when he cracked on to Rod Stewarts daughter on live television and almost got battered.

I think he's funny as fuck. At a total loss to see how anyone could find him anything less than extremely witty and clever. I think with lads it's the fact that most of them can't see past the daft hair and the guyliner. And a litlle bit of petty jealousy over his undoubted prowess as a champion shagger.

He was all over the big Entertainment channels in the US when I was there last week. And his trailer for the VMA's with Britney was never off either. He's come a very long way in a very short time.

I think he's great too. Have you read his book(y wook)?

The Re:Brand show where he pulled off a bloke in a public loo is well worth looking for on youtube; not least for the way he chooses to recover from his ordeal. He claims to have been out of his brains the whole time he made that series and it certainly shows.

hes a legend, hes a comic genius, hes a sex god!

no he's a twat!

he's occasionally witty at best but he was on "have i got news for you" and just waffled with his own way with words. but he wasnt (and isnt) particulary funny. most over-rated presenter!

DJ Diamond wrote: I think he's great too. Have you read his book(y wook)?

The Re:Brand show where he pulled off a bloke in a public loo is well worth looking for on youtube; not least for the way he chooses to recover from his ordeal. He claims to have been out of his brains the whole time he made that series and it certainly shows.

I bought it at Xmas but only started and finished it last week on account of it being a hardback (I hate reading them!)

Thought it was excellent. I was gonna look for the Re:Brand stuff on Youtube but to be honest it all sounded a bit too fucked up. Although he does say in the book that he reckons it's still the best work of his career to date.

Did you know he got knocked back from the US in May on account of his previous heroin and crack convictions? He missed the Letterman show cos of it.

NO Regret wrote: ... but he wasnt (and isnt) particulary funny.

If he makes some people laugh then by definition he's funny. You can't please everyone.

I agree that anyone who really doesn't like him is in fear of his type of sexuality and openness - admitting to liking him may be a threat to their own masculinity, praps.

As you can see from this thread, the real men love him

Juno 106 wrote: I liked when he cracked on to Rod Stewarts daughter on live television and almost got battered.

Although Brand could and should have finished him off. Dunno how Rod Stewart can talk about morality when he had about ten women on the go at his peak.

I haven't seen much of him, but at the VMA he wasn't funny

Juno 106 wrote:

Juno 106 wrote: I liked when he cracked on to Rod Stewarts daughter on live television and almost got battered.

Although Brand could and should have finished him off. Dunno how Rod Stewart can talk about morality when he had about ten women on the go at his peak.

There's a good clip on youtube where he talks about that in an interview.

"What's he gonna give me next, hair advice"

Although in fact, he seemed very sorry about what he'd said.

to me he always sounds like an annoying student trying to do an impression of BlackAdder.

But 10/10 for this one.

He's not remotely funny. Also, even though he is of course right this time, I worry that him actually saying it out loud, to Americans, may be counter-productive.

404 error wrote: He's not remotely funny. Also, even though he is of course right this time, I worry that him actually saying it out loud, to Americans, may be counter-productive.

I don't agree that he's right at all.

Comedians should stay out of politics. Chucking his weight acking one of the dickhead candidates the US has to choose between is proof of this.

DJ Diamond wrote:

404 error wrote: He's not remotely funny. Also, even though he is of course right this time, I worry that him actually saying it out loud, to Americans, may be counter-productive.

I don't agree that he's right at all.

Comedians should stay out of politics. Chucking his weight acking one of the dickhead candidates the US has to choose between is proof of this.

Don't think he's right about Obama, after all the same people will be running him as run that pigfucker they have now. BUT....."retarded cowboy" .... WONDERFUL!

El Jarvo wrote: He had to apologise to those lads he took the piss out of for their eternity rings though, didn't he?

He'll probably never work in the US again!

promise rings al, promise rings. a thoroughly ridiculous concept & rightly mocked.

religious thing isn't it?

friend of mine's ex wife put her hand down his trousers at a gig supporting richard herring in a pub in bristol a few years ago. he's come a long way in a short time.

he can be really funny and endearing, occasionally. most of the time i find him unfunny, showy-offy and needy. like a precocious, attention-seeking child. i'm always surprised how wounded he seems when someone takes exception; like an over-enthusiastic puppy who goes too far and gets a clout on the snout.

i saw that toilet thing he did. it made me sad.

I think that's why I like him.

Empathy

Have to wish he was paid !twice as what was agreed.

imbd.com.

He's smarter, an apparent faster thinker than most anything going on in the US. EDIT. Fuct up the Link.

bloodynora wrote: he can be really funny and endearing, occasionally. most of the time i find him unfunny, showy-offy and needy. like a precocious, attention-seeking child. i'm always surprised how wounded he seems when someone takes exception; like an over-enthusiastic puppy who goes too far and gets a clout on the snout.

i saw that toilet thing he did. it made me sad.

Are you in need of more soup?

anyone up to speed/give a toss about this brand/ross/sachs debacle?

since this thread started i've seen a bit of his stand up when it was shown on the telly, read a bit of his stupid book, and considered my stance a little more carefully.

he's an utter twat.

(frustratingly, this is really funny if you discount the fact it's a real life person's answerphone)

With the possible exception of the twats out of the mightly boosh or whatever its called, Brand is without question the unfunniest professional comedian I have seen or heard.

This prank call malarkey doesnt surprise me at all. Its not only the nature of prank, but the fact that it was just so pathetic. I cant imagine anyone with a brain could actually find it funny.

But then thats Russel Brand for you. He runs out of material, so resorts to material that is more in tune with a local one trick pony desperate to get attention. And does it about a million times less effectively.

It's ruined Andrew Sach's career hasn't it.

Fucking old hasbeen. What the fuck does he need an agent for?

Move aside, Manuel, and let us ALL have a go on your daughters

Brand and Ross both make me laugh.

Sachs is the voiceover king!

Fawlty Towers star my ballix!

Apart from that I wish to put my own support behind Liam's assessment.

Although, that "eels" thing by the boosh was mildly amusing, the rest of it is not actually a comedy is it?

Ally wrote: All very well young Liam but have you seen old Manuel's grand daughter? The strumpet at the heart of the matter?!

ding fucking dong.

Oh why can't we just have one kind of everything?

Diversity is so confusing.

First you have to decide which of each kind of thing you like. That takes AGES. Then harping on and on about the other things you don't like takes up so much time it's difficult to get round to doing ANYTHING you enjoy.

but the harping is the thing i enjoy most.

And I enjoy publicly denouncing people who harp.

Now leave me to my work, I tire of your interruptions.

Apart from the fact I really do find people who look as if they have never combed their hair annoying.........

He is funny. VERY occasionally.

I thought Wossie was on the wagon?

Didn't sound that way.

The good old beeb are unimpressed tho!

Thought it was amusing. Sachs' granddaughter in reality is a bit of a slag by all accounts.

Brand = Twat (wow i can get a laugh if I swear on TV -Cunt)

The conversation itself, although improvised, is neatly in the great tradition of straight man/funny man routines with healthy helpings of double entendre, accidental revelation and yes, the old favourite the shock tactic. The fact that they parody the music hall dance at the end is no accident, I'm sure, but underlines this traditional approach.

Clearly giddy with excitement, I'm sure they both woke up in the morning and realised they'd taken it much too far, such is the lot of anyone who finds it funny (or earns a living by amusing people) tiptoeing along the edge of decency and acceptability.

I'm sure both of them will earn another healthy wad for their repentant "I didn't mean no harm, honest" revelatory interviews but inside they must be doing a little wee at the thought that knob gags were the main item on the News at Ten.

I also predict that an Andrew Sachs biography is rushed out in time for Christmas.

Ooh they are awful

Discoring: rock electronico wrote: Sachs' granddaughter in reality is a bit of a slag by all accounts.

oh, that's alright then.

Ponyboy wrote: Clearly giddy with excitement, I'm sure they both woke up in the morning and realised they'd taken it much too far

oh, that's alright then.

besides, it wasn't live. decisions were made after the event to broadcast.

i don't give a tiny rat's arse how much in the tradition of music hall it was (although i suspect part of the problem was there WAS no straight man to reign them in). i don't even care how 'outrageous' they are. as i said in my previous post, the content is hilarious just shifted slightly out of context. but this is a real person they did this to down the phone. it's downright rude. i am tired of the idea that the end justifies the means, that nothing is more important than the laugh. or 'the talent'. in this instance, two smug twats with more money than sense who think they're accountable to no-one.

it's brand all over. this is what i meant weeks ago when i said his shitty half-arsed faux-naive apologies irritate me. if you want to be outrageous, accept some people are going to be outraged. either stand by it or don't do it. don't KEEP going "oh sowee, what did i doooo?"

and that fucking crack about the third reich just makes me want to slap him for a variety of reasons.

YES I STAYED UP TOO LATE LAST NIGHT AND AM CROSS AND OVERTIRED AS A RESULT. WHAT OF IT?!

Well thats original.

it's unsurprising to imagine that you, personally, have heard a lot of that before, many times.

edit: you're right though, none of that really needed saying. i just got out of bed the wrong side.

i *am* grateful to brand for giving me the opportunity to use the word 'brouhaha' twice in the last 24 hours. and biggy, i wish you'd pointed out that the sequence of phone calls - with the rising sense of panic and futile efforts to undo the linguistic damage done spontaneously or no by ross in his initial louche ejaculation - maps almost exactly onto the narrative arc of a typical episode of fawlty towers.

What do people see in Brand. He's a humourless, talentless twit! And Ross is just an arse. Is there anymore to them than that?

The prank was something you thought a couple of 16 year olds might do. But not these clowns. The grand-daughter in question doesnt deserve to have such comments placed upon her and Sachs is a legend who shouldnt either. Manuel was part of the great English heritage knows as "Fawlty Towers". A show, which few could argue against, is one of the best comedies of all time.

Send Brand and Ross to boot camp with all the other ASBOs!

Russel Brand is a comedy genius and anyone who disagrees deserves nawty messages left on their ansaphones. Jonathan Ross however is about as funny as a burning orphanage.

a shoo in for a Life of Bwyan wemake, welease wodahwick

I wish he'd left comments like that on my answering machine

the cunt would still be hanging by his ankles from the bridge

Oh,and he's about as funny as a kids funeral.

It has just been announced that they are BOTH suspended until further notice!

Quel dommage, eh?

10,000 complaints to the BBC.

Let's count the winners in this:

BT (revenue) Brand and Ross (profile, paperback version of booky wook with extra update chapter out in time for Christmas) Manuel (ditto - book out in time for Christmas) Politicians (nice opportunity for a high-horse soundbite) The Regulators (whoever they are - gives them something 'important' to do for a change) The strumpet herself (she got in the papers she got in the papers) The woman that does the voice of the Orange arrrrrrrrrrrnswerphone (she got on the telly she got on the telly)

Brand and Ross will get to keep their jobs because: 1, They pull in the viewers/listeners and that's what BBC need 2, They've done nothing wrong as the broadcast wasn't live so the blame will fall to the producers 3, Their contracts probably have yooge severance payments

Losers:

The BBC will have to pretend to work in tighter controls

all got a bit out of hand, hasn't it? i LOVE it. a special witch-hunt for halloween! and then we can burn them atop our bonfires.

not impressed with people going down the 'she was asking for it, the slaaaaaaag' route, though. either the pranky wank was acceptable or it wasn't. the young lady's character shouldn't make any difference.

Selling her indignant little 'they should pay for what they've done' story to the gutter press this morning shows just how damaged her wittle pwide really is.

If she was properly offended, wouldn't she want to let it all blow over?

yes, only nice girls deserve our respect, and nice girls keep their gobs shut and their ankles covered by their petticoats.

you're missing my point.

I am not. I was expanding on your point and making an entirely different slur on the lady's character.

I would have thought that my agreement with your point was implicit in my failure to disagree.

For the avoidance of doubt, nora makes a fine point here and I will duel with anyone who wishes to challenge me.

Satanic sluts?

Touche, Ally

oh i totally agree, ally.

there's been suggestion elsewhere that madame's career/image/reaction at least partly excuses brand/ross(bros?)'s actions. had a nasty little whiff of misogyny to my delicate nostrils.

i don't think she's any worse than them. the whole shebang is pretty grubby.

Ponyboy wrote: Quel dommage, eh?

10,000 complaints to the BBC.

Let's count the winners in this:

BT (revenue) Brand and Ross (profile, paperback version of booky wook with extra update chapter out in time for Christmas) Manuel (ditto - book out in time for Christmas) Politicians (nice opportunity for a high-horse soundbite) The Regulators (whoever they are - gives them something 'important' to do for a change) The strumpet herself (she got in the papers she got in the papers) The woman that does the voice of the Orange arrrrrrrrrrrnswerphone (she got on the telly she got on the telly)

Brand and Ross will get to keep their jobs because: 1, They pull in the viewers/listeners and that's what BBC need 2, They've done nothing wrong as the broadcast wasn't live so the blame will fall to the producers 3, Their contracts probably have yooge severance payments

Losers:

The BBC will have to pretend to work in tighter controls

NB: I apologise in advance for being a humourless cunt.

That's about as succinct a summary of this as you'll ever get, apart from the fact that the real victims of all of this are the knobheads (myself included, natch) who think it is any way significant & worth commenting on. The whole thing is pure fluff, symptomatic of absolutely nothing except the general truism that our sense of what's important is entirely governed by media, from the Beeb to the fucking internet.

Nora raises a valid point about misogyny: on the other hand, during this media event how many rapes or cases of domestic abuse (whether violent or sexual, or both) of women do you think have taken place in the United Kingdom???

(Clue: it doesn't even bear thinking about.)

I suppose there's a chance that some sad old pervert spent all afternoon phoning the BBC 10,000 times to complain about this and in doing so missed his normal prowl past the local school at chucking out time.

There is surely a type of person who is unnaturally interested in this type of thing.

And Mary Whitehouse will be laughing from her grave (bearing in mind all the repercussions that will inevitably arise from this)...

(Regardless of whether you think Brand/Ross are funny)

now THAT'S an apology. in my booky wook.

and what a lovely gentle man andrew sachs is.

bloodynora wrote: now THAT'S an apology. in my booky wook.

and what a lovely gentle man andrew sachs is.

Indeed he is

Not least for not calling any of the media studies grads (sorry, "journalists") a spotty oik.

bloodynora wrote: now THAT'S an apology. in my booky wook.

unless that IS, in fact, a portrait of a communist dictator on the wall next to him...

he has to have the last word, doesn't he?!

bloodynora wrote:

bloodynora wrote: now THAT'S an apology. in my booky wook.

unless that IS, in fact, a portrait of a communist dictator on the wall next to him...

Split into a different post if you must, but I'd sooner sit on a cactus as watch that!

My laptop is too young to die as punishment for displaying his image.

pestilence be upon you wench!

whose image? brand's or stalin's?

Doctor? wrote:

pestilence be upon you wench!

that's no way to speak to your future wife.

bloodynora wrote: whose image? brand's or stalin's?

Joe's a pussy compared with Brand.

Doctor? wrote:

pestilence be upon you wench!

that's no way to speak to your future wife.

That's what I was talking about!

'Pestilence be upon you wench!'

That's another good one.

I like the cut of your jib lately Cambo!

I'm not collecting apologies.

I'm now with Fradders on this. We're just playing a part in a great big circle jerk where decent people have no place.

Selah.

Call me a prude,but I had no idea circle jerks were still so taboo..

Edit: I've still not soiled my mind with this Ross/Brand episode...

For some reason,I don't even give a shit about it,at all..but I'm starting to,abit.

Is it worth a butcher's?

For the record. I think Wossy is a funny lad on his chat show. And Brand is not,at all,ever.. His voice is very offputting to my ears and they almost piss blood when I hear it. That's just me.Nothing to do with his hair being shite..

Well maybe abit,I'm a hairist.

How much longer is this little saga going to continue?

Yesterday it was all discussed at length on the radio; and it now seems to be the main topic on Jeremy Vine's show AGAIN, just cos Brand has resigned. 'It's the licence payers money............' etc etc

Boring, boring, boring.

oh KATH. i was really hoping this thread would stay spent at a pleasingly apt 69 comments.

Today's guardian has an editorial where zzzzzzzzzz...

Yes, in a week where there's been an earthquake in Pakistan (killing 160 people), world recession, etc, etc...

...All the news has been about a radio broadcast that got 2 complaints before the Mail on Sunday ran an article 10 days after the event...

Blimey...

And for those that are interested, here's Georgina's/Voluptua's band, Satanic Sluts' Myspace.