Okay...so I'm about to become Rush Limbaugh. It's a daunting task to say the least. Needless to say, I have not portrayed a character with this much of a loyal following since I had the lead in "Manson: The Musical". When I first got the part, I was excited. You know, a little singing, a little dancing, a few laughs. Then I read Chris Jones' blog about the show. Or, to be more specific, I read the responses to the blog. The show hasn't opened yet, heck I haven't even seen the whole script, and already the debate over the appropriateness of it is raging.
Here are a couple of examples:
"This is so lame...conservatives should see it, yell out at appropriate moments and then get hauled out...but don't expect to see your arse on the 10 o'clock news. It's not gonna happen. This is Chicago, Obama's city."
"The leftist propaganda machine goes into motion to defame supporters of the constitution and self government. You can't tell me these guys aren't socialists and panty wastes. Don't like Rush or his commentary? Debate him in an open forum. Make your point using logic and rational thought. Of course that can't happen because of the real intention of their action. This is cowardice plain and simple because they can't debate talking points on their merit."
And here I thought I was just an actor. Now I'm a cog in the "Leftist Propaganda Machine". Well, the machine kicks into gear soon…and this cog can't wait.
They really need to take a tranq. Did the leftist propaganda wheel bemoan the Rod Blagojevich project... or the Obama mainstage show. The righties with their whities in a bunch, should really mellow out and laugh... they might get unbunched a bit. ;)
ReplyDeleteComedy and Anger, distant but familiar cousins.
ReplyDeleteMark, the next time you talk about another blog please include a link. It took me 30 fucking seconds to find it in which I could have been doing other important things on the internet.
ReplyDeleteSecond City has always been "equal opportunity" when it comes to their craft so hopefully the show will illustrate the racist tendencies of Harry Reid and Barack Obama, the Mao worshipping of the current administration, and everything else Rush rails against. I hope its not lost on the show's creators that Keith Olbermann currently weighs more than Limbaugh, and I hope they are fair and balanced when addressing how Rush remained #1 on talk radio while Air America went bankrupt; despite Rush going deaf and indulging in the hillbilly heroine all the while! Unfortunately, pretending like Rove, Coulter and Rumsfeld bouyed Limbaugh's ascent to conservative dominance is absurd; he was a success a decade before those names were even on the radar of those still suffering from Bush Derangement Syndrome.
ReplyDeleteBest to portray Rush with a modicum of respect, if you've got it in you. At least listen to a week or three of his radio show (if the Democrat-machine-controlled Chicago politiburros allow such a thing in their oh-so successful and modern "Progressive" city). Remember too that Rush's on-air radio personality ends after a three-hour shift. You can't capture the essence of a man if you only pretend an extension his working habits into his personal life.
ReplyDelete"And here I thought I was just an actor. Now I'm a cog in the "Leftist Propaganda Machine". Well, the machine kicks into gear soon…and this cog can't wait."
ReplyDeleteOkay, seriously, you're starring in a hit piece that is no doubt non stop slander of a man for the sin of disagreeing with you, and you don't think you're a propagandist?
Really?
...
Really?
Having said that, if actors can sympathetically portray Hitler and Stalin, you should be able to bring some humanity to Rush. That is, if that's what you're actually going to try. You claim to be an actor and not a propagandist. Convince me you're not lying to me. Or yourself.
Given how polarizing the comments have been here and elsewhere, Second City is on target.
ReplyDeleteMore than anything, I hope you have fun.
"Given how polarizing the comments have been here and elsewhere, Second City is on target.
ReplyDeleteMore than anything, I hope you have fun."
I bet a play about Mass Murdering Republicans would be polarizing too! Let's do that! It'll be a hoot to stick it to 'those people.' You know who I mean. "Them." The Dirty ones from the red states that WE are so much BETTER than! Wooo it'll be fun! Let's kill us some rethuglikkkans!
How pathetic. Having to make fun of people who do not deserve to be heckled for your own amusement because he's on "the other side."
ReplyDeletewow! you have all of 2 followers......... nothing like riding the coat tails of one of the most famous public personalities to bolster ratings.
ReplyDeleteRush's name will live on; while you wither on the vine.
You could take a cue from the master and try to gain fame and fortune on your own merits............
Typical, take someone that disagrees with you, create a hit piece and use them to get attention for yourself. I sincerely doubt that your craptastic stage show will be anything but a way for you liberal elites to mock Rush and his "tea bagger" following while completely forgetting to balance it out with some anti-left sentiment.
ReplyDeletePerhaps you should do "Olbermann...The Pretend Intellectual" or "Couric, She That Killed Journalism" or "Reid and the Democratic Racists" as your next show?
Oh, I forgot, only conservatives make good fodder for you pseudo-intellectual "artist" wannabees.
You know, if you look a bit deeper you will find a TREASURE TROVE of embarrassingly low moments in the Democratic party to write a show about. One could claim that they entire existance of the party has been an embarrassment that has accomplished nothing.
Maybe you could start out with the fake hate crimes committed by radical liberals, and then move on to the "we pretend we care about people's lives when we push a health care takeover of the economy, then we turn around and encourage people to end the lives of the unborn". How about adding some story line like "we were the party that opposed freeing the slaves but we use the race card every chance we get to make sure that "some" people are "more" equal than others. I'd love to hear a song during intermission that talks about all the celebutards that pump their liberal little fists in the air over America's "evil imperialism" and stupid free market capitalist "freedoms", right before they go out to lunch with tyrannical dictators that are guilty of massive human rights violations. Don't forget to write an encore about how Obama would bow to the Burger King if the king happened to be standing before him.
I would TOTALLY buy a ticket.
First of all, Second City did skewer Blagojevich, who as you might recall, is a Democrat.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, Second City has been skewering the left, right and middle of this country for fifty years.
Third, Rush never invites anyone to have an "open debate."
Fourth, have a sense of humor people. To the person that said Coulter, Rove, et. al didn't propel Rush to success...of course they didn't. It's a satire, so there are going to be shots taken across the board at conservatives.
You all need to relax. Rush is not some silent little victim. He has a chance to defend himself, and I believe he gets to spew his beliefs across the airwaves 5 days a week.
Basically, relax. If you don't like it, don't see it.
By the way, I love how people from outside Chicago think that we are a bunch of left-leaning maoist child-raping Stalin worshipping bureaucrat loving loons.
ReplyDeleteThis is a pragmatic, heterogeneous city, that is willing to mock everyone.
I'm from Chicago, and lived there for over 30 years, and it is, indeed, filled with left-leaning maoist Stalin worshipping bureacrat loving loons.
ReplyDeleteAs for the ridiculous notion that Second City takes shots at everyone (left, right and center), that's misleading at best, blatantly dishonest at worst.
When 90% of the shots are taken at the Right, and 100% of the shots are taken because the target isn't leftwing enough, that's not exactly even-handed, and that's what goes on at Second City.
Believe me I fully expect President Obama and maybe another Democrat or two to take some shots in this show, but don't doubt for a moment that the point of those shots will be that Obama, et al, aren't lefty enough.
Bank on it.
Interesting coincidence...
ReplyDeleteI am just finishing up a short film (a comedy) about political pundits.
I felt that I wanted to go after both sides because, imho, pundits make a lot of noise and muddy the issue... On both sides.
It was easier for me to create caricatures of the pundits on the right. Don't know why, but it was. So those viewing it will say it leans left.
Most artists (filmmakers, writers, etc) make art in line with their own perspective. And if not in line with their own perspective, in line with what will work in what they are creating, that will make the piece the best it can be (in their opinion).
It's not nefarious, it's just art. And it comes from all sides of the political spectrum.
I agree with Terry's comment above...
"You all need to relax. If you don't like it, don't see it"
Sincerely,
A Fellow Cog :-)
Well as a libertarian (I'm not even one of those eville evangelical rethuglikkans you lefties have the vapors about), I know the arts community has utterly failed me. Your product is a strictly left wing affair for a strictly left wing audience. If you don't wake up every morning wanting to stab republicans in the face, you probably don't have much use for the arts community today.
ReplyDeleteI love theatre, the arts, etc and would love to get more involved. Unfortunately I find myself almost unable. I have no place in the modern world and its UTTER HOSTILITY to me and my world view.
I think you all are in deep denial about how much you have systematically alienated half your potential audience. You should try asking some right wing folks what they think about attending your theatre, going to a play about how horrible everyone right wing is, etc. You might be shocked.
Create your own art then. Stop bitching and moaning. I thought conservatives are supposed to have a spine, and believe in freedom of speech, and preventing limitations on individual freedom.
ReplyDeleteYou can choose to see the show or not.
Second City can present any viewpoint they want.
(oh and I think most of you are douchebags...especially Jack...and the fake Chicagoan...)
Well since I have free speech too, and this here blog has a 'post a comment' box on the bottom of it asking people to ... well... post a comment about their latest hateful propaganda masquerading as a funny play, I believe I shall continue to do so.
ReplyDeleteIt really burns up liberals that people other than them have free speech too!
@Dark Eden/@Jalen - don't write the show off as being craptacular until you've seen it. Yes, I'm asking you to spend money on a show and institution you feel is mocking your world viewpoint. I think you could learn a lot by watching it.
ReplyDeleteDid you guys see the Rod Blago show? They tore him apart. I'd support a justifiable ripping apart of Obama, Clinton, Ellen Degeneres, etc. Good satire is good satire is good satire.