As you might imagine, humor has always been held in high regard in my family. Both of my kids are funny. But the one thing I always stressed is that if you dish it out you have to be able to take it. There will be times when the target is you, and you have to take it with good grace. That's what Sam is doing. So I tip my cap and am reprinting Sam's comment. Thanks so much for posting it.
That mistake was all my own. And to be honest, I think I confused about five different things. There WAS a Captain American clip that DID run during the Super Bowl, although I don't know if [Samuel L Jackson] was featured in that clip. There are those credit card commercials, and then of course there was the Laurence Fishburne car commercial.
So I kind of put it out there vaguely. Er, I really wasn't certain, and obviously that was the wrong thing to do.
The minute I realised it, I said to [Samuel L Jackson] I was sorry for it.
I really pride myself on the fact that unlike a lot of people who do this kind of work, more often than not I really do know what I'm talking about, but I didn't [during that segment] and I'm really embarrassed about it, and I very much apologize to Samuel L. Jackson and anyone else who was offended for what was a very amateur mistake.
A very classy post from Sam. It takes integrity to admit a mistake.
ReplyDeleteOff-topic - I just read the sad news that Sid Caesar has passed away. What a legend he was. RIP
An obfuscation on Ken's part... again. Geez, Ken, you are a piece of work.
ReplyDeleteThe issue isn't about Rubin getting his ducks in a perfect row during a routine interview. His prep work likely leads to success 99% of the time. In this one instance, it didn't.
The issue is Ken (and Jackson) claiming Rubin didn't know the difference between Jackson and Fishburne, turning it into a bizarrely manipulated racial issue, complete with references to Kentucky Fried Chicken-despite the fact Rubin never initially mentioned Fishburne-and did NOT confuse the two black actors.
Jackson brought up Fishburne, made it racial, and wouldn't let it go.
Rubin did NOT confuse Jackson with Fishburne, as Ken continues to claim. Rubin would like it all to stop, which we can reasonably assume is why he posted his response here.
Now, the irony would be that Ken pats Rubin on the back for doing what Ken can't do himself: admit he didn't do his "homework," admit he wound up looking like a ass-and apologizing.
Way to show the kids how it's done, Ken.
Sam does show some class in this. Jackson on the other hand could have made one remark in response. Instead, he kept hammering on Rubin with every racial complaint but Rosa Parks refusal to give up her seat. Jackson could have shown a little class in this. He didn't.
ReplyDeleteOK, Sam. You can stop apologizing. If there's people out there who haven't let you off the hook and refuse to let you live it down, they need to chill.
ReplyDeleteCall me crazy, but I don't think Samuel L Jackson was really ticked-off all that much. Either he indeed had an inkling that one of his commercials was shown during the Super Bowl, or he was just trying to spice-up another ho-hum interview with some shtick (which was a bit lame to me).
But Ken, if you think Sam Rubin is a bit of a goof, you should see Greg Kelly's many antics on Good Day New York. He's has so many of these kind of cringe-worthy moments that they've made their way onto The Soup at least a dozen times over the years.
Cheerio,
Jeffro
Hey, for years I used to put the wrong names on Ricardo Montalban and Fernando Lamas. I knew the actors, I could tell them apart, I could look at one and tell you what his screen credits were and if he was married to Esther Williams or Loretta Young's sister but for some reason I had a mental stutter with the right names. Shit happens.
ReplyDeleteClass to apologize. Now go and properly prepare for your future segments. Really, it doesn't take that long. It's your job, take it seriously!
ReplyDeleteYes, very classy response Sam!
ReplyDeleteSamuel L. Jackson was just being himself. I think some of his reaction, in all fairness, was "tongue-in-cheek" .
ReplyDeleteIn Sam's defense, I've worked on a lot of live television productions and nothing compares to the craziness of red carpet shows. They're being produced on the fly with producers screaming commands in the hosts' ears. They have to come up with something to fill the air time but have no guarantee any of the arrivals will talk to them or how cooperative they'll be even if they do. It's a much tougher gig then you'd think. Sam does a good job under tough circumstances.
ReplyDeleteFriday question for you Ken.
ReplyDeleteHow did you mentor your daughter to follow in your footsteps?
I have a daughter that alas, is more artistic than her father. She wants to get into computer animation. What camps, experiences etc did you get your daughter involved in during high school or later?
Thanks
Angry Gamer
Yes, classy response. Unlike Mr
ReplyDeleteAnymouse who needs to chill
Don't be too sure that post was directly from Mr. Rubin. It's a word-for-word transcript of his follow-up interview with TMZ shortly after the incident.
ReplyDeleteAlso, how the Anonymous Coward continues to maintain that Rubin didn't confuse the two, when he himself said that he kind of did, is slightly bizarre.
Neil D said...
ReplyDelete"Don't be too sure that post was directly from Mr. Rubin. It's a word-for-word transcript of his follow-up interview with TMZ shortly after the incident."
Wow. That's embarrassing.
Ken just keep coming up zero on this whole affair.
Internet gossip just doesn't seem to be Ken's bag...
Anonymous, if that is your real name, maybe it's time to calm down and get a life?
ReplyDeleteAnd as we speak, Anonymous sits there, junk in hand, furiously masturbating to the fantasy that he is the lone non-obsequious voice in this otherwise Ken Levine centered universe. Be strong, Braveheart; we all realize what a burden you are shouldering.
ReplyDeleteIt's pretty obvious that Anonymous is trying to say that when Sam Rubin said he himself was wrong, Sam Rubin was wrong about that.
ReplyDeleteAnd it should be clear to all that Anonymous is more of an expert of Sam Rubin than Sam Rubin could be.
Enough already-- move on please.
ReplyDeleteFriday question: what are the typical reviews of your mad video game design skills? Wondering if you would mind writing a few pieces about a topic that seems to have been ignored for far too long.
Hamid: I think it's time for the whole bunch of you to get a life. And you're a fine one to tell someone that, anyway. Can barely go three days without finding an excuse to go on an Oprah rant.
ReplyDeleteAll the people complaining about Sam Jackson giving Rubin a dressing down probably love it when he does the same thing in movies. Now you're shocked that he has the same ability in real life. Duh, why do you think he excels in such roles?
ReplyDeleteHamid: I think it's time for the whole bunch of you to get a life. And you're a fine one to tell someone that, anyway. Can barely go three days without finding an excuse to go on an Oprah rant
ReplyDeleteSo you actually read every single day a blog by someone you don't like? As for my rants about Oprah, coming from someone who's now spent several days whining about the one same insignificant issue, I'll hazard a guess you're a stranger to irony.
Anonymous
ReplyDeleteWhy don't you post under your real name? If you have the courage of your convictions, post under your name. Posting anonymously makes you look a sad, gutless waste of space, which you can't possibly be, of course.
You've been ridiculing Ken over a fairly insignificant issue. Even if it wasn't Sam himself who posted here, so what? Is that really something to post multiple times about? Why don't you post under your real name and dazzle us with your long list of screenwriting credits and awards? Anyone can be a tough keyboard warrior, so call me all the names you like, chuckles.
Just have to get the last word in, don't you Hamid? You're no different than all of the other slack-jawed yokels in here backslapping Ken at feverish pace.
ReplyDeleteYou all are clueless!