Okay, I was going to move on, but I just had to share this. Thanks to Facebook friend and great KHJ 20/20 Newsman, Roger Aldi for alerting me to this -- here is Will Smith on Arsenio Hall's show.
The band member had alopecia, by the way. "Aw, these are jokes! C'mon."
I guess it's a good thing for Will the bass player's wife wasn't in the audience.
UPDATE: There's some conjecture that the bass player didn't have alopecia. If so, the joke was merely a gratuitous shot at someone else's expense. The key is Smith trying to justify it by saying "Aw, these are jokes!" Bottom line is if you're going to dish it out you have to be willing to take it. That's certainly the rule of the writing room.
Ironically, Will Smith tried his hand at stand-up comedy a couple of years ago. Here's his tweet:
Yeah. A friend of mine shared a "The more you know" spot Will Smith did back in the Fresh Price days where he talked about how throwing hands is never the answer. I'll take spots that didn't age well for $1000.
ReplyDeleteI guess Mr. Smith needs to be taught the meaning of the word "hypocrite."
ReplyDeleteAbout a week ago you stated how difficult it was to come up with ideas to write about -
ReplyDeleteAnd the majority of comments from last weekend's post had little interest in the Oscars telecast.
What a difference a week makes to all.
(You've done a 4 parter - is it bloggers sweeps week?)
Yes, Will was a hypocrite on Sunday night and didn't know it.
ReplyDeleteFor those that haven't watched the video and are wearing headphones, the audio is only in the right channel. (I apologize if a comment in moderation prior to mine already addressed that.)
Anyone want to take bets on how many times the word "hypocrite" is used in this thread? (Kidding.)
ReplyDeleteHypocrite,hypocrite, hypocrite. There! I just blew the curve. 😉
DeleteM.B.
>>(You've done a 4 parter - is it bloggers sweeps week?)<<
ReplyDelete#veryspecial
According to a Rolling Stone interview with the bass player, he shaved his head after a topical treatment for measles changed the texture of his hair. So while not exactly the same thing, I think that saying there’s a difference would be splitting hairs. Uh-oh, I guess I’ve got to prepare to be slapped.
ReplyDeleteThis is not news. The great alto player Eddie Vinson (1917-1988) was known as "Cleanhead." I don't think that was alopecia because he had a mustache. Have we exhausted this topic yet?
ReplyDeleteThe bassist is John B. Williams, per the Rolling Stone article. Wow, what a career, and he learned from Ron Carter. Also, Semper Fi.
ReplyDeleteThe best thing I heard was Jim Carrey‘s statement that he was appalled when all of Hollywood gave Will Smith a standing ovation on his “Oh hitting that guy wasn’t such a bad thing, I was just being like that cool old dude in the movie I just made” speech.
ReplyDeleteJim said Hollywood is just not the cool crowd anymore.
Call me crazy, but if someone compared me to Demi Moore when she was in the best shape of her life, I'd be immensely flattered. Especially if I were a woman.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to mention Ron Carter is bald, too. Many other currently-bald bassists are coming to mind, some whom I've seen live in concert, but I won't list them here.
ReplyDeleteI hate how two conversations are being conflated. Arguing that Chris Rock made a joke in bad taste while talking about Will Smith is like saying "All Lives Matter" at a BLM rally. They are completely unrelated discussions.
ReplyDelete1. Chris Rock made a crass, misjudged, insensitive joke.
2. Will Smith committed assault and walked away without any repercussion (with some people DEFENDING him) because he's popular, charismatic and powerful. How is this different to any man abusing his power in order to commit crime with impunity? Haven't we learned anything as a culture??
Nothing Chris Rock could have said justifies a criminal response. Words do not excuse violence. (And don't give me that "words are violence" crap: There's a huge difference between a woman calling a man every name under the sun, and that man smacking her in the face.)
So anyway, these are two different things, and both deserve a separate conversation.
You know there's a thing going on in Ukraine, right?
ReplyDeleteYou know this is my blog and I can write about whatever I want, right?
ReplyDeleteLol
DeleteAye, if anything , rock will use this as patter for some great material for his next hour special, insofar as there’s any “winner” in this bizarre situation. I’d personally like him to have him craft a well thought out, funny articulate, and honest take on everything, after the initial bit of shock has worn off and he has some distance from it. Can probably count on one hand the top comics who are brilliant enough to be able to do that, to somehow come up with a funny angle to it. The whole “when life gives you lemons make lemonade” thing.
DeleteKudos to Johnny Walker for articulating the situation exactly. Couldn't agree more (except I thought the joke was mild).
ReplyDeleteBut I do wonder how come this blog hasn't been covering the wars in Myanmar.
I suggest this joke should be making the rounds of film historians:
ReplyDelete"Have you heard MGM wants Chris Rock to star in a remake of its very first film, and why not? It's titled 'He Who Gets Slapped.'"
The movie was made in 1924, and aside from the slapping has nothing to do with Smith vs. Rock. It's adapted from a renowned Russian play about a humiliated, betrayed scientist (Lon Chaney Sr.) who becomes a clown known only as "He," falls in love with another circus performer (Norma Shearer) and is once again betrayed. More about this silent gem, which occasionally airs on TCM, at https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0014972/.
Thanks for mentioning this amazing film. I saw it on TCM a few years ago and was mesmerized, the swaying, creepy clowns are unforgettable. Chaney is very real and touching in his tragic, emotional performance. True it was MGM's first production, and many have commented on the irony of the story's contempt for mass audiences.
DeleteHowever...reflecting on the originality and power of this 1924 silent film just depresses me even more about the banality of the Oscar skirmish. The joke was stupid and weirdly dated, the slap was like a drunk text IRL, Smith's obscene comment was cringe. No gravitas or respect for the great art of moviemaking.
I think Rock made a bad joke, I don't think he's a a-hole for doing it. It wasn't that bad, the crowd laughed. Then again, so did the fresh prince for that matter....
ReplyDeleteI think this all falls on Smith.
IMOHO
.
This. The more I go back and watch it again, like the bloody zapruder film or something, I basically looked at it as if I’d been in his shoes, how would I have reacted and I gotta say, Rock handled it just about as well as one could, considering the WTF-ness of it all, to still be able to compose himself in the seconds and minutes right after, and to go on in presenting the award for documentary, was bloody impressive. I’m firmly in the it was a terrible look for both sides fwiw. Weirdly, my biggest issue with Rock was that the joke itself, along with the 3-4 others before it and after it were simply not funny, like at all. A master comedian of Rocks calibre surely should have *funnier* jokes. Whether it was the product of writers or was just whatever he came up with himself, it was lousy, and unfunny which is a big takeaway for me
DeleteI find myself wishing that Don Rickles in his prime could've magically come back and insulted every celebrity in the Oscar audience that night. How the social media universe would explode with outrage!
ReplyDeleteBut Will probably got wood on his walk back to his seat.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDelete@Johnny Walker
Will Smith committed assault and walked away without any repercussion (with some people DEFENDING him) because he's popular, charismatic and powerful.
Time will tell, regards repercussions. With literally millions commenting, it's no surprise some will defend the slap
How is this different to any man abusing his power in order to commit crime with impunity?
Passions are running high - this will tend to blend together the many offenses the powerful commit. I believe there is an important distinction here.
The really egregious abuses of power involve a power-imbalance.
Chris Rock and Will Smith, if only that they have prime position in a big show, have power.
Not relevant, but still interesting (to me) - I envy both in that they are tall, robust, men in their fifties. We may never know, but I DO wonder how this will fall out between the two. Maybe it will be glosses over in their respective memoirs
This is NOT to defend Will Smith - just to put his offense in perspective.
Ukraine? Myanmar? Am I in the right place?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, David Hyde Pierce and Bebe Neuwirth were on GMA this morning. I thought maybe, possibly there was going to be something about a Frasier reboot. Nope, DHP is playing Julia's Child's husband (!) and Neuwirth is playing one of Child's friends. I mean, yeah great, but kind of a let down.
That video makes me nostalgic for the days before Will Smith became a serious actuuuer [lifts pinky in the air]. Sure he's a great talent, but damn, he was a lot of fun back then. And funny. You might say he inspired thigh-slapping, not face-slapping, tee hee.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the question of whether more trivial matters should be discussed when there's tragedy going on in the Ukraine: this past week or so has been pretty scary here in Israel , and personally I've been clinging to the Smith/Rock feud like there's no tomorrow - I really appreciate the distraction. I imagine I'm not the only one, considering the Covid shit we've all been going through for the past two years.
ReplyDelete(I seem to have trouble posting - apologies if this appears twice)
Jim Carrey talks as if he is an outsider.
ReplyDeleteHe is part of Hollywood for decades now. A celebrity who is part of the same society he now pisses upon.
He is just trying to promote his new movie and act holier than thou.
Also he must have some beef with Will, some part Will stole from him perhaps. Now is the payback time.
These people who comment on Myanmar Ukraine act as if they pay you and demand services.
ReplyDeleteThis is a free blog people.
Say thank you. Or else Fuck off.
The ingrates.
Just spite them with another post about Jessica Chastain win and other wins in tomorrow’s post Ken.
So-called "journalist" Tayo Bero has described the condemnation of Will Smith as anti Black pearl clutching by white people.
ReplyDeleteTo use the millennial idiom: WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?
Where to begin with such a moronic take? Is she saying everyone who's condemned him is white? It must be news to Zoe Kravitz that she's white. Is she saying to act violently is innately a Black mode of behavior? That's the very stereotype promulgated by racists.
Of course, her piece was published in The Guardian, that bastion of bullshit.
Whoopi Goldberg condemned W.S., too.
DeleteM.B.
I assume Rock had planned to tell a few jokes making fun of the big celebrities in the audience, not just Jada -- which would have made this particular bad joke stand out less. Obviously, he was cut off.
ReplyDeleteI think the Oscars producers decided some time ago that bringing on comedians to joke about the stars was a good idea -- because viewers have come to see awards shows, and this one in particular, as an excuse for a bunch of wealthy and privileged egotists to pat each other on the back (and lecture the rest of us about various causes), which is one reason the ratings have fallen so much. Having comics (gently) knock them down a peg or two makes the whole thing a little more bearable.
Oh good grief. If you all couldn't understand that I brought up Myanmar to mock the idea that Ken should discuss Ukraine on his blog, I don't know what to tell you. Maybe my sarcasm isn't that obvious, but ... wow.
ReplyDeleteIt's a comedy blog, people. I'm well aware that this isn't the place primarily for discussions about foreign wars. I was actually agreeing with Ken. But whatever.
The content of Rock's joke is irrelevant. Should Sir Judy Dench have stormed the stage and slapped Wanda Sykes? How about JK Simmons? Jake Gyllenhall was accused from the stage of being married to his own sister. He managed to refrain from violence.
ReplyDeleteKen, thought you'd enjoy this, from the Babylon Bee:
ReplyDelete"The Will Smith Slap, as covered by 14 different news outlets."
https://media.babylonbee.com/img/articles/article-10818-art624368a39fe18.jpg
Gary:
ReplyDeleteDon Rickles has come back. His name is now Ricky Gervais.
@Darwin's Ghost - I'm an old white guy who was not/is not *outraged* by the slap. The *journalist* in question is grasping at straws.
ReplyDeleteCan we take a moment to acknowledge what a great actor Bruce Willis was and the many iconic performances he's given, like Die Hard, Moonlighting, Pulp Fiction and The Sixth Sense. The announcement today is sad and I hope he gets the treatment and help he needs.
ReplyDeleteI am very envious of Chris Rock's next audience. That's gonna be a hell of a show tonight in Boston.
ReplyDeleteDemi Moore joke and now Bruce Willis retires... is he hurt too ?
ReplyDeleteJust kidding.
I probably shouldn't, but...
ReplyDeleteIf Chris Rock had, for example, made fun of David Letterman's beard (I know. He wasn't there) by saying he looked like Santa Clause or compared him to one of the Smith Brothers no one would have said "boo."
For those of you too young to remember, Smith Brothers was a brand of cough drops with two bearded guys on the box.
However, in this case since Alopecia is a medical condition I can see how the joke would be considered to be in very bad taste.
But how many people actually knew that Jada Pinkett Smith has Alopecia? I didn't. Rock may not have. Apparently she announced her condition on her talk show, but how many people watch it? The only reason I was aware of her show was because I had seen clips of it on other shows.
Yet, either way that doesn't justify Will Smith's reaction.
Back when I was a kid if someone got challenged to a fight they would duke it out in the school yard or at the "Market Basket after school." They might be bloodied, but then it would be over. End of story. Who knows how long this will go on.
Maybe the simplest solution would be to let Chris slap Will. Quid pro quo. At least it would be settled.
M.B.
I wish people would stop mischaracterizing Rock's joke. It was a mild comment that may even have been off the cuff. Keeping in mind that Rock has said he didn't know she had alopecia, what exactly about that very mild joke is tasteless, insensitive or anything else. It bothers me when people like Tiffany Haddish who knows something about comedy, celebrates Will for "defending" his wife. defending her from what, being compared to a beautiful actress?
ReplyDeleteJim Carrey:
ReplyDeleteDidn't take long for a video to appear of Mr. Righteous forcing a kiss on then 19 year old Alicia Silverstone
Whites Only Condemn Will Smith's action:
Even Bill Cosby condemned his actions
Ukraine: (for those who think this site is a newspaper)
Bet even Putin wouldn't go up and dare slap Zelenskyy
Interesting to see that a few days before the Oscars, Jada said: "I don't give two craps what people think of this bald head." Widely quoted, posted on TikTok.
ReplyDeleteAnd Wanda Sykes' interview on Ellen was just amazing, I hope people will watch for themselves. She had the perfect response to it all. In fact, they should have let Wanda go out there and handle it. She's a stand-up, a show biz professional, she knows what to do.
Anyway, sounds like the forensic investigation will take weeks to complete. Which is strange because on CSI it only takes a few minutes. That's just TV, I guess. Not real life.
It could have easily been handled back-stage between the two after the show. What's odd, Will Smith screwed himself. Whatever he does or has done, "The Smack" will overshadow everything. That is what people will remember. Dumb-ass.
ReplyDeletePersonally, the only two wars I would like to see covered on this blog are the Korean War (MASH) and the war between Gary's Old Towne Tavern and Cheers.
ReplyDeleteOn the subject of the Oscars, I also find it ironic that people really weren't looking forward to or talking about the Oscars prior to Sunday. AKA, there wasn't much interest. Now there is a ton of interest in the Oscars, and it is for all the wrong reasons. The Academy President should have made an executive decision to remove Will Smith from the theater following his attack on Chris Rock.
Re bald band members: Late night band leaders Paul Shaffer (David Letterman) and Kevin Eubanks (Jay Leno) are also bald.
On that note, we should maybe stop it with discussing the Oscars. This blog needs something new to discuss. How about some Friday Questions on April Fools Day.
It just goes to show that you really can't "make fun" of anyone anymore...not event make fun of, but poke at the way friends do...
ReplyDelete"When he sits around the house...I mean he sits AROUND the house." It's a gladular condition!
"When I ordered the pizza, the delivery guy looked as though he were already wearing it" - it's a condition caused by overactive glands!
Pretty much anything in the human condition has a psychological or physiological component - therefore, it cannot be joked about. Comedy will be limited to airplane food and kids these days with their phones.
The Moderate
DeleteYou're being optimistic. Jokes about airplane food will be met with complaints that it's insulting people who can't afford to fly first class. I'm not even kidding. I once read an article in which a student said she felt it was a micro aggression to be asked if she had a nice break, as she couldn't afford to go on holiday.
"Look, none of this brouhaha would have happened if Rock didn't make an uncalled for joke..."
ReplyDeleteBoy do I not want to live in a world where jokes have to be "called for."
Since Chris Rock is on everyone's mind, it's a good excuse to copy and paste one of my favorite Chris Rock monologues about Michael Jackson from 2005.
ReplyDelete'What the hell is wrong with Michael? Another kid? I thought it was Groundhog’s Day when I heard that shit. Another kid? Get the fuck out of here. What the fuck is wrong with that boy? I’m done with Michael. That’s like another dead white girl showing up at OJ’s house and OJ going "I know what you’re thinking."'
I keep wondering what kind of jokes Slappy White would have made about the Oscars imbroglio.
ReplyDeleteI lost my taste for mean, rather than funny, jokes during the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal. Jay Leno really ended all that for me.
ReplyDeletewg
Mustn't have tried too hard ,Ken.
ReplyDeleteI just googled "Rock lays the smack down" and found lots of videos!
Friday question:
ReplyDeleteHi Ken, Scoey Mitchell died on 3/19, did you ever meet him or work with him? It seems he worked a lot as a producer when he wasn't acting or appearing on game shows. I saw his standup routine on an episode of the Carol Burnett Show, it was hilarious. The parrot/plumber story....
I think this whole thing was staged. Great for Oscars ratings, and it happened right before a break to go to social media and bring in viewers. Plus Will Smith had a speech ready to go referencing what he just did. I think it was planned, Chris Rock told him I'm going to make a joke, with a code word signal just prior. Will Smith laughed at the joke, then remembered he was supposed to do this bit.
ReplyDeleteMore evidence- on his way up, Chris Rock slips and calls him Richard.
I voted for Mr. Smith as best actor at the SAG awards. Alopecia, while not a desirable condition, it is not life threatening. Ironically, Jada is a person who looks quite stunning with a shaved head. Mr. Rock’s joke was a C-minus at best. I had to think hard to connect the dots about Jada’s head and G.I.Jane. By the time I got it, Mr. Smith was on the way back to his corner. Chris should’ve commented on how much Jada's dress needed pruning.
ReplyDeleteThe Oscar Show that once offered wit, glamour, and charm is now a cheap bar fight. A bleach-blond idiot did his best to destroy democracy, and a sick sick man is slaughtering innocent people for his own ego.
I’m confused.
What I took away from this is that Jada Smith - a beautiful, successful, wealthy woman - has insecurities just like any other person. And if she’s insecure with all that she has going for her, what hope is there for the rest of us?
ReplyDelete