tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post4422877066191814022..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: Reference materialBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-62766334062322847032018-03-11T15:02:59.400-07:002018-03-11T15:02:59.400-07:00On Amazon Prime there is a program of bloopers fro...On Amazon Prime there is a program of bloopers from old TV shows and it includes one of Dick van Dyke messing up a PSA (back when TV stars did their own in-show commercials) for taking your kids to the dentist, early and often. He does the whole spiel and comes to the tagline which was supposed to be something like "good childhood dentistry means no more cavities.' When he gets to the line, he blurts out "good childhood dentistry means fine tobacco."<br /><br />probably nobody under 80 understands the nature of the blooper, but i burst out laughing. LMAO + LSMFT.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10284831580655851012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-51252493928053371052018-03-10T17:29:16.880-08:002018-03-10T17:29:16.880-08:00Stram coached the Chiefs in Super Bowl I (lost to ...Stram coached the Chiefs in Super Bowl I (lost to the Packers) and IV (beat the Vikings). Super Bowl III, 50 years ago next January, was Jets-Colts.VP81955https://www.blogger.com/profile/11792390726196611188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-18691182340116256302018-03-10T09:18:20.570-08:002018-03-10T09:18:20.570-08:00Black Panther has a character saying(in 1992) '...Black Panther has a character saying(in 1992) 'some Grace Jones looking chick'.<br /><br />MikeNnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-61026447322311689662018-03-10T04:29:18.475-08:002018-03-10T04:29:18.475-08:00Does anybody remember when Hank Stram said Come o...Does anybody remember when Hank Stram said Come on Lenny, Keep on Matriculating it down the field, a classic moment from Super Bowl III and NFL filmsGlouster Richardsonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-41436050402576458672018-03-09T11:26:56.830-08:002018-03-09T11:26:56.830-08:00Steve, I caught that Murphy Brown reference.
I kn...Steve, I caught that Murphy Brown reference.<br /><br />I know in 2002, there was a college history class, and the students did not know anything about Bill Clinton's impeachment.MikeNnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-40784492990885305612018-03-09T08:25:08.619-08:002018-03-09T08:25:08.619-08:00And I think its important to remember, when it com...And I think its important to remember, when it comes to pop culture references, obscure and otherwise, that a lot depends on life experience. You can think something is terribly trendy, but that doesn't mean it will play in Peoria, or still be relevant next week. It may only be clever and current within a specific bubble demographic.<br /><br /><br />However, a pop culture reference from the past, if it had legs at all, is often imbedded in our cultural memory. You might not have been there when, but if you live long enough, there's a good chance the reference will float by you soon or later. Even if you don't get the joke entirely, you get that it IS a joke.<br /><br />Given that, it seems to me that using a dated reference is actually a lot less risky than one that just sprouted last week.McAlvienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-61517398899865103412018-03-09T08:23:58.235-08:002018-03-09T08:23:58.235-08:00@AndyRose - dangit. shoulda snopes'd it.
Edit...@AndyRose - dangit. shoulda snopes'd it. <br />Editor, please delete my prior post.ChipOnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-83500635522829336752018-03-09T08:11:28.037-08:002018-03-09T08:11:28.037-08:00My sister-in-law was a middle school social studie...My sister-in-law was a middle school social studies teacher until last year. Her students had no idea what "USSR" meant. She had to remind herself that those 14-year-olds were born well after that broke up.Liggienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-50252698755682063752018-03-09T07:38:19.674-08:002018-03-09T07:38:19.674-08:00The reference to political things reminded me of a...The reference to political things reminded me of an exchange from <i>All My Children</i>, circa the mid '90s:<br /> <br />There's been a fistfight, and one male character has been really clocked; he's getting a once-over in the ER:<br /><br /> <b>Doctor: <i>How many fingers am I holding up?</i><br /> Jack: <i>Two.</i><br /> Doctor: <i>Where are we right now?</i><br /> Jack: <i>Pine Valley Hospital.</i><br /> Doctor: <i>What about the President?</i><br /> Jack: <i>He never laid a hand on me.</i></b><br /><br />Think maybe that one has a future?<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05527404061764217504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-90320157533341441612018-03-09T06:40:28.534-08:002018-03-09T06:40:28.534-08:00This is a common problem for teachers and libraria...This is a common problem for teachers and librarians as well. A professor at Beloit College has a yearly list of what the incoming class of students do not have as common knowledge: https://www.beloit.edu/mindset/2021/<br />Examples for this year include:<br /><br />There have always been emojis to cheer us up.<br /><br />The Panama Canal has always belonged to Panama and Macau has been part of China.<br /><br />It is doubtful that they have ever used or heard the high-pitched whine of a dial-up modem.<br /><br />Donald Trump has always been a political figure, as a Democrat, an Independent, and a Republican.<br /><br />They are the first generation to grow up with Watson outperforming Sherlock. <br /> <br />A movie scene longer than two minutes has always seemed like an eternity. <br /><br />Kathryn A Librarian<br />Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13221426929488707526noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-45220306964108869602018-03-09T05:52:36.707-08:002018-03-09T05:52:36.707-08:00To all commenters:
Don't quit your day job.To all commenters:<br />Don't quit your day job.<br />Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00466932184113943306noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-75385609842237554202018-03-09T02:17:33.060-08:002018-03-09T02:17:33.060-08:00"Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" is still in rer..."Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" is still in reruns on Disney Channel. The show was created to establish Mickey & Co. with preschoolers. Ironically, the last few decades of kids are more likely to have memorized several Disney features than to have seen a single Mickey Mouse theatrical cartoon. Pre-video, the features could only be seen in occasional re-release, while Mickey & Co. got frequent exposure on the Disney TV hour, Mickey Mouse Club, in newspaper comic strips, and in comic books ("Walt Disney's Comics and Stories" topped a million copies per month for a while).<br /><br />A more striking example is Betty Boop, who became a major merchandising hit even though her shorts (animated shorts) were all but unseeable beyond a few public domain titles. DBensonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01144515471557731622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-43735066277926334402018-03-09T02:05:29.209-08:002018-03-09T02:05:29.209-08:00There's a college that each fall releases a li...There's a college that each fall releases a list of things that particular group of 18 year old frosh shouldn't be expected to know as they happened before the kids would've been old enough to experience/remember them.Tom Gallowayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17164851214377133676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-86506477056585224322018-03-08T23:22:07.660-08:002018-03-08T23:22:07.660-08:00Rimshot...Groan!
M.B.Rimshot...Groan! <br />M.B.Mike Bloodworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04755626259169126800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-5797186417133699482018-03-08T22:12:28.711-08:002018-03-08T22:12:28.711-08:00One of the best examples of "3 percent" ...One of the best examples of "3 percent" references was in a "Frasier" episode where someone (either Frasier or Niles) showed off his collection of drinking glasses of Henry VIII's wives. Something surprising happened later in the scene, and offstage youbcould hear a glass break. "Anne Boelyn?" somebody asked. "Catherine of Aragon" was the offstage answer. It illustrated the character's superciliousness, most viewers were aware of that English king who kept executing his wives, and if they didn't know the names of said wives before, the punchlines made it obvious they were among the unfortunate bethroeds. (Unless either Anne or Catherine was the one who outlived him, I'm not sure.)<br /><br />Otherwise, the best reference jokes are where the character's and the intended audience have the same interests. A software friend cracked up at the original "Tron" when Jeff Daniels met a creature that only said yes or no (it was a bit, the basic binary block of programming), and my engineering major father fell over laughing at the "Big Bang Theory" scene where Sheldon created a flowchart to help him make friends, and got caught in an "infinite loop".<br /><br />Powerful or impactful politicians and their close ones might be a rare reference group that has lasting impact. Clinton's womanizing, Imelda Marcos' shoes, Italy's annual new parliaments, Dana Carey's GHW Bush impression should have legs, as I think "Fake news!" and "But her emails ..." will two decades from now.Liggienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-42702581523835529172018-03-08T21:31:28.766-08:002018-03-08T21:31:28.766-08:00@McAlvie
This is reminiscient of a scene in Arres...@McAlvie<br /><br />This is reminiscient of a scene in Arrested Development where David Cross is arguing with Portia de Rossi and their daughter walks in the room. Cross ends up calling his wife a "country music lover"ScarletNumbernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-30487654468099786762018-03-08T20:35:22.294-08:002018-03-08T20:35:22.294-08:00I enjoy oddball references, even the myriad ones I...I enjoy oddball references, even the myriad ones I don't "get". It's my only connection to popular culture, and it's how I learn things about the past, the present and other cultures. You can learn a surprising amount just from the reference, even if you've never heard the name before. How else would I know that Taylor Swift is a musician or Mel Gibson is an actor? (I'm not saying everything I learn is useful.)<br />Kaleberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05283840743310507878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-68377129688243668912018-03-08T20:08:40.622-08:002018-03-08T20:08:40.622-08:0067+ reporting in:
Not long ago I was talking with...67+ reporting in:<br /><br />Not long ago I was talking with a younger person about the latest journalistic incontinence committed by Sean Hannity.<br /><br />My quote:<br /><b>"It sure sounds like all that Greasy Kid Stuff has finally seeped down into his brain."</b><br /><br />Right over his head ...<br /><br />Well, really, what else can you say about a guy who patterned his appearance after Reggie from old Archie comic books?<br />(And now that they've changed the character design, <i>that</i> won't make sense any more ...)<br /><br />At least I hope I got some laughs <i>here</i> ...Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05527404061764217504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-36287141509366095082018-03-08T18:28:40.979-08:002018-03-08T18:28:40.979-08:00Emily, excellent questions.
Alls I knows is... it...Emily, excellent questions.<br /><br />Alls I knows is... it feels great when you're part of that 1% who gets an obscure-reference joke in a favorite show. For instance, when I was entering college in 1984, I thought the term "matriculate" was an pretty randy-sounding word for something actually standard/boring (enrollment). Anyway, I can't tell you how satisfying it was when 20 years later, apparently a Simpsons writer had the same thought and included it in one of Homer's college adventures, when he says to Marge in his dorm room "hey baby, let's matriculate!"<br /><br />In the meantime, though I don't claim to be the first to come up with the below joke, I thought of it a few days ago.<br /><br />"Hey, did you hear what happened to Vincent Van Gogh right after he cut off his ear? He came down with mono."<br />;-)Steve Lanzi (formerly known as qdpsteve)https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=19336675&postID=4422877066191814022noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-34503679908907699102018-03-08T18:07:50.480-08:002018-03-08T18:07:50.480-08:00There's nothing wrong with a reference as long...There's nothing wrong with a reference as long as the underlying joke is funny without understanding the callback. I didn't see The Music Man until just a couple of years ago, but I always enjoyed the monorail episode of The Simpsons. Old Looney Tunes shorts are full of then-contemporary pop culture references, but I don't need to know that Foghorn Leghorn is a takeoff on a Fred Allen radio show character to enjoy the cartoon.<br /><br />I think references to old movies and TV shows can score with young people, even if they're not intimately familiar with the source material. I knew that Casablanca was a famous black-and-white film with Humphrey Bogart and a number of memorable quotes long before I actually saw the movie. Kids still flock to Disneyland to see Mickey Mouse even though there's no show currently in production that features him, and they may have never even heard him talk.<br /><br />I watched the original iteration of Mystery Science Theater 3000 back before there was an internet to look up the hundreds of references on that show. One of the joys of watching was weeks -- sometimes years -- later when I'd stumble across the source material and say, "Oh, *that's* why they said that!"<br /><br />@ChipO: That Password reference is an urban legend... no evidence it ever happened. In fact, Alan Alda was never even a celebrity on any edition of Password. Jamie Farr claimed in his biography that he was the celebrity involved, but that's easily disproved because all 15 episodes he appeared on have aired and reaired many, many times.Andy Rosenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-31850070545930929442018-03-08T16:55:06.998-08:002018-03-08T16:55:06.998-08:00Let's review Ken's posts to see if they ha...Let's review Ken's posts to see if they have ageism.<br />From Snarky Oscar Review<br />Who's Cary Grant?<br />"This is like letting Mel Gibson host the Red Carpet show for the B’nai Brith Awards."<br /> "stars that did snub him included Jennifer Garner, Mira Sorvino, Viola Davis, Ashley Judd, Margot Robbie, Sandra Bullock"<br />I guess Ashley Judd was in Insurgent, but who's Mira Sorvino, and why are you calling someone from TV ads a star?<br />" We’ll know next year if Brian Dunkleman returns " <br />'Unfortunately, in the pool, I have “Man Who Said Sinatra.” '<br />“Dennis Hopper as King Koopa in SUPER MARIO BROTHERS” Who and what?<br />"Viola Davis came as Diana Ross." Aside, is Diana the only one like that?<br />"Hanks was a presenter. And Clint Eastwood. And Elizabeth Taylor. And Jack Nicolson. Now it’s Wes Studi and Danielle Vega. " This doesn't belong, but I just want to say I have no idea who these last two are.<br />"Sarah Palin & Dan Quayle." I think everyone forgot Quayle. Palin ran and lost 10 years ago, but has done other stuff to stay in the public eye. However they were never a team like Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway.<br />Overall almost all were understandable in context.<br /><br /><br />MikeNnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-53834168811351634692018-03-08T15:06:31.968-08:002018-03-08T15:06:31.968-08:00Here's a current reference in the form of a qu...Here's a current reference in the form of a question.<br /><br />So, Ken, do you own an Amazon Alexa and has she been randomly laughing in the middle of the night?Peternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-61251732164590443852018-03-08T15:00:01.484-08:002018-03-08T15:00:01.484-08:00How times change...
Consider all that bawdy bante...How times change...<br /><br />Consider all that bawdy banter between the M*A*S*H doctors and their nurses. Would it still fly in our new Weinsteinian Era?<br /><br />Just sayin'...Emilynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-76812031452947168462018-03-08T14:00:50.225-08:002018-03-08T14:00:50.225-08:00You would be amazed at How much research I have to...You would be amazed at How much research I have to do to respond to this blog. I'm constantly looking up things so that I don't sound like an idiot. THE SIMPSONS had a great take on the extremely obscure reference, they called it "The Dennis Miller Ratio." These days Miller himself is starting to become an obscure reference. The relevance is that too often writers use these references to show off how intellectual they are. Many times they just come off as pretentious and pedantic. Obviously, depending on the show these are appropriate. "Anonymous" mentioned FRAISER. I'm not proud to say that I didn't get many of the references, but the show was so well written that in context you still understood their meaning. One thing that pisses-me-off is when writers beat a reference to death. e.g. Gilbert and Sullivan have other works besides THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE, yet the only song most shows use is "...Modern Manjor General." (FRASIER is guilty of this one, too.) My main problem is with current references. Once again its an effort to show how "with it" a writer is. I'll admit that I'm about as "pop culture" ignorant as one can be. I know who the Kardashians are and I've heard of GAME OF THRONES, I'm hot for Taylor Swift, etc. But, I've never watched their shows and/or listened to their music. I'm just not hip. And Roger, I got it. GEORGE OF.THE JUNGLE.<br />M.B. Mike Bloodworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04755626259169126800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-30232443440692171802018-03-08T13:47:10.822-08:002018-03-08T13:47:10.822-08:00One more.
Godfather horse head:
Godfather came out...One more.<br />Godfather horse head:<br />Godfather came out our high school senior year. One of our friends had just moved out of town to a horse farm, she wasn't totally pleased with the rural environs. She saw The Godfather and a day later had her wisdom teeth extracted. Approx 2 am, one of the stitches wasn't holding and she woke up in a bed of blood - her screams were magnified because she was sure there was a horse head there with her.<br />ChipOnoreply@blogger.com