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Message |
Babyruth
Member
07-19-2001
| Tuesday, November 21, 2006 - 9:32 am
Hecklers are part of the comedy circuit culture. Any amateur comedian onstage should expect potential hecklers and be prepared in how they want to deal with them. NT, who is to say where the chain of events started? Why not say it started when the show started and MR opened his mouth? Why not when the hecklers bought their tickets? Why not when the club booked the act? etc etc etc. It's kind of inflammatory to suggest the hecklers brought this upon themselves by being rude.
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Native_texan
Member
08-24-2004
| Tuesday, November 21, 2006 - 9:35 am
Because heckling is rude and designed to start trouble? Apparently not. But, right or wrong, I will continue to teach my son that one person's bad behavior does not excuse another's just become one is worse.
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Mocha
Member
08-12-2001
| Tuesday, November 21, 2006 - 9:37 am
The heckling did in no way deserve that tirade.
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Native_texan
Member
08-24-2004
| Tuesday, November 21, 2006 - 9:39 am
Didn't say it did and I believe I said that. I have a question. If the hecklers had responded with violence, who would be the bad guys then?
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Yankee_in_ca
Member
08-01-2000
| Tuesday, November 21, 2006 - 10:05 am
Both. But they did not.
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Native_texan
Member
08-24-2004
| Tuesday, November 21, 2006 - 10:06 am
Okay, I get it now.
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Justavice
Member
11-22-2005
| Tuesday, November 21, 2006 - 11:28 am
I just watched the clip on my computer and it was really hard to make out a lot of it. Were there racial slurs going both ways?
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Tishala
Member
08-01-2000
| Tuesday, November 21, 2006 - 11:35 am
I know that I will have a hard time "forgiving" Mr. Richards, if that's what I'm supposed to do. I said when Terri McMillan called her ex husband an anti-gay slur--repeatedly--that it was over the line and no amount of anger could get me to call someone something like that. Same with Mr. Gibson's anti-Semitism. Same with Mr. Richards. It's just about consistency for me.
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Ladytex
Member
09-27-2001
| Tuesday, November 21, 2006 - 11:58 am
If you watched last comic standing, one of the challenges was dealing with hecklers. If you talk to professional stand-up comedians, they will tell you that hecklers are part of the culture. So, no, those hecklers were not to blame for his bad behavior. Had they reacted with violence, then, yes, they would be to blame, too.
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Max
Moderator
08-12-2000
| Tuesday, November 21, 2006 - 12:07 pm
Jerry Seinfeld was on Letterman last night and they had Michael Richards on via satellite. He was profoundly upset and apologetic. He said he lost his temper and went into a tirade that was totally uncalled for. The audience, who apparently had not had a chance to actually see the clip or perhaps even hear the news reports, kept t1ttering as if they were waiting for the punchline. Jerry told them to stop laughing because it was serious. Part way through the interview, they seemed to get that. Michael Richards has been banned from the Last Laugh (the club where it happened). His standup career (if he had one) is definitely over. RIght now, he's probably a total pariah in Hollywood, which means chances of getting any work are dim. Whether it will blow over in time remains to be seen. Certainly it was over the top. Makes me wonder what else had been happening in his life where he had buried anger and frustration and this was the tipping point that made it come tumbling out in such a torrent. I'm not excusing or justifying his behavior at all. I think it's completely out of line. He said in the interview on Letterman that he is so NOT a racist. Well, gee, how are we to know that? Certainly his actions indicated racist thoughts. It's a sad state of affairs, that's for sure. 
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Holly
Member
06-19-2005
| Tuesday, November 21, 2006 - 12:14 pm
<If you talk to professional stand-up comedians, they will tell you that hecklers are part of the culture.> I don't think embracing hecklers as part of any culture is the right thing to do. I remember going to a Billy Connolly concert in Canada in the 70's and the audience, for the most part, consisted of ex-pat Brits. Connolly had been heckled by a follower of Jack Glass--a very bitter Irish Orangeman--who hated Connolly (who was a catholic) so this was heckling based on religion. The guy showed up at all his concerts and it had been going on for quite a while. On this particular night, he started in almost immediately and after about 15 minutes, Connolly had just had it and walked off the stage. There were an awful lot of very disappointed people that night who were out of a lot of good money they paid for pretty pricey tickets. Heckling is nothing but rude, anti-social behavour with one purpose only--to disrupt. Hecklers should be thrown out on their ass immediately. To accept them in any climate is just asking for trouble.
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Ophiliasgrandma
Member
09-04-2001
| Tuesday, November 21, 2006 - 12:19 pm
Here, here, Holly! You get my vote on your last couple of sentences.
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Texannie
Member
07-16-2001
| Tuesday, November 21, 2006 - 1:56 pm
So heckling is ok if it results in an racial retort from the heckle-ee, (ala Mike Richards) but heckling is not ok if the heckle-ee just cusses at them? (ala Barbra Streisand). I think the words Mike Richards said were vile, but I am with Holly on heckling.
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Fabnsab
Member
08-07-2000
| Tuesday, November 21, 2006 - 1:59 pm
whether I think it is right or not, Heckling is allowed in comedy shows and I think alot of comedians play off of it very well and actually enjoy the exchanges. What Michael Richards did was use the heckling as an excuse to spew his hatred. My goodness, I have been to so many comedy shows where the person gets heckled. You barely even know what part of the audience it is from, let alone what race they are. Those words came out way too naturally for him for that to be a one time "mistake", imo. I think this is a definite career ruiner. It will prove the whole "any publicity is good publicity" saying wrong. My husband says we'll hear about some drug or alcohol problem in a few weeks to excuse the situation away. I could see it happening. Ya know, anti-semites and racists should be forgiven if it is said only when drunk(dripping with sarcasm)
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Native_texan
Member
08-24-2004
| Tuesday, November 21, 2006 - 2:08 pm
Here's the link to a story about a Jerry Seinfeld heckler that a co-worker was telling me this morning. I found this link instead of trying to remember it all. Link
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Brenda1966
Member
07-03-2002
| Tuesday, November 21, 2006 - 3:10 pm
Thanks for posting that NT, it was very entertaining. I've always loved Jerry's storytelling style. I'm not so sure Richards needs to pack his bags and leave hollywood. His career was in the tank anyways. I'm sure he can get a spot on next years Celebrity Paranormal. Didn't Bill Maher make a career ending blunder and look at him now.
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Ophiliasgrandma
Member
09-04-2001
| Tuesday, November 21, 2006 - 3:58 pm
To paraphrase an old saying, 'Thugs will rule the world when good men do nothing.'. And this applies to both sides of the fiasco the other night.
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Maris
Member
03-28-2002
| Tuesday, November 21, 2006 - 4:04 pm
Bill Maher didnt make a career ending blunder exactly, he was fired unjustly by ABC (I think) and was immediately hired by HBO
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Vacanick
Member
07-12-2004
| Tuesday, November 21, 2006 - 5:57 pm

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Chiliwilli
Member
09-04-2006
| Tuesday, November 21, 2006 - 8:29 pm
Somebody tell that girl to stand up straight.
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Fabnsab
Member
08-07-2000
| Tuesday, November 21, 2006 - 11:46 pm
reports are that Tom and Katie's kiss lasted 3 minutes...seriously, come on-3 minutes?? I read people were jokingly yelling for them to stop. We get it, you're in love! Tom looks younger than ever lately. I am wondering if he got some freshening up.
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Julieboo
Member
02-05-2002
| Wednesday, November 22, 2006 - 6:02 am
I wonder why they changed their clothes to cut the cake.
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Maris
Member
03-28-2002
| Wednesday, November 22, 2006 - 6:31 am
top two layers of the cake look a little crooked.
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Bob2112
Member
06-12-2002
| Wednesday, November 22, 2006 - 6:35 am
The cake is slouching so that it would not be taller than Tom.
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Mamapors
Member
07-29-2004
| Wednesday, November 22, 2006 - 6:37 am
LOL You are all too funny this morning. If they are going to bring us all into their lives as much and as often as they do, they certainly deserve our critique!!!
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