# Celebrities whose genius doesn't transcend the medium **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 6, 2016, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367 "2016-04-06T17:44:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367/21 "2016-04-07T10:52:08Z")
The one that hit me when I saw the thread title was **Morrissey**. I love Johnny Marr’s guitar playing and some songs by The Smiths, but find Morrissey insufferable. When his memoir came out, it was reviewed seriously, but not well. Too narcissistic and in need of editing. But when he wrote fiction, his sex scene won the Worst of the Year and he has generally been ridiculed for the effort. Bummer. But, oh, wait: he thrives on stuff like that. Maybe we’ll get another album. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367/22 "2016-04-07T12:53:01Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > I can only think of Cannon; what was the other? > > Also, in animation, he was back to doing voice-only work, which was where he excelled. > > (Did he ever do Nero Wolfe? He could have been good in that role.) Yes, he did. Conrad was the lead in a [Nero Wolfe series](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081906/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_19) on NBC in 1981. Lee Horsley played Archie Goodwin. I have only the vaguest memories of the show, but I seem to recall enjoying it. Unfortunately, it was on opposite the juggernaut of _The Dukes of Hazzard_ and didn’t get very good ratings. It only lasted 14 episodes. It was originally created, as I understand it, as a vehicle for Orson Welles, but Welles bowed out for that terribly common Hollywood reason, “creative differences.” ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367/23 "2016-04-07T14:11:13Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > The one that hit me when I saw the thread title was **Morrissey**. I love Johnny Marr’s guitar playing and some songs by The Smiths, but find Morrissey insufferable. > > When his memoir came out, it was reviewed seriously, but not well. Too narcissistic and in need of editing. But when he wrote fiction, his sex scene won the Worst of the Year and he has generally been ridiculed for the effort. > > Bummer. > > But, oh, wait: he thrives on stuff like that. Maybe we’ll get another album. Oh hells yes. When I was reading it I couldn’t believe such a talented lyricist could turn out such crap but thinking about it now, it was kind of foolish for me to expect anything but the melodramatic, narcissistic ramblings his book is. Hello . . . ._Morrissey_:smack: Speaking of authors, Stephen King has always been a favorite of mine. If prefer the spooky stuff but generally feel like he can make anything interesting. But please, please don’t let him write about anything concerning romance. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367/24 "2016-04-07T14:54:26Z")
Ronan Farrow was a child prodigy who graduated from college at 15, entered Yale Law School at 16, was a White House intern and all other manner of accolades and achievements, and is cute to boot, but was just spectacularly bad as a TV show host. His show _might_ have worked if he’d had a much more seasoned (if less accomplished academically) co-host, but on his own he simply could not seem to connect with his interviewees. Jon Stewart was brilliant on _The Daily Show_ but I thought the movie _Rosewater_ was “okay”. Not terrible, but never really took off, and possibly could have with a more experienced director. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367/25 "2016-04-07T15:10:14Z")
Gene Simmons was a better rocker than TV personality. Ted Nugent comes up a bit short as a political commentator, or any other video role where he doesn’t just shut up and play his guitar. I can’t think of any rock, rap or porn star who enhanced his or her reputation by being on a reality show. And **Hollywood Squares** was always where once-promising entertainers went to die. I think **SNL** deserves a mention here. A lot of performers who are brilliant on film just tank in that show, like Robert DeNiro, Jason Patric and 1990s Nicolas Cage. Seriously, a lot of Hollywood reputations would have been better-served by not appearing on that show. I don’t think Robert Downey Jr. was anywhere near the worst cast member they ever had, but there’s a gulf between how good he was there (both as a cast member and as a guest host) and in his better film projects. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367/26 "2016-04-07T15:14:49Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > Gene Simmons was a better rocker than TV personality. Ted Nugent comes up a bit short as a political commentator, or any other video role where he doesn’t just shut up and play his guitar. I can’t think of any rock, rap or porn star who enhanced his or her reputation by being on a reality show. And **Hollywood Squares** was always where once-promising entertainers went to die. > > I think **SNL** deserves a mention here. A lot of performers who are brilliant on film just tank in that show, like Robert DeNiro, Jason Patric and 1990s Nicolas Cage. Seriously, a lot of Hollywood reputations would have been better-served by not appearing on that show. I don’t think Robert Downey Jr. was anywhere near the worst cast member they ever had, but there’s a gulf between how good he was there (both as a cast member and as a guest host) and in his better film projects. Yeah, but that’s about craft, too. Watching a great talented SNL Host like Alec Baldwin, John Goodman, Walken, Timberlake, Steve Martin - is that you are seeing “Talent Unplugged” - they are just great at showing their craft in improv situations. Someone Method like DeNiro or Jason Patric have a different craft. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367/27 "2016-04-07T15:15:56Z")
Benedict Cumberbatch–undyingly awesome as _Sherlock_–has yet to make a really great movie since that show debuted. I have high hopes for _Dr. Strange_, but I’m realistic about it. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367/28 "2016-04-07T15:27:08Z")
There are a lot of film stars that cannot make the transition to stage and the reverse holds equally true. On stage you have to be loud and super expressive to ensure the whole audience knows what’s going on. Do that on film and you’ve turned a serious role into a weirdly comedic one. There’s also this benefit of immediate feedback from the audience that you’ll never get on camera. Likewise, those that excel at film may find themselves wooden up on stage. They can’t handle an entire script’s memorization and want it broken apart so they can really nail each and every scene. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367/29 "2016-04-07T19:49:34Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > Gene Simmons was a better rocker than TV personality. Yes, but to be fair to Gene there just aren’t a lot of career paths where having a freakishly long tongue is seen as an asset. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367/30 "2016-04-08T13:18:53Z")
> [@Penfeather](#): > > He was actually a poet and a novelist before he was a musician. Sure, but that doesn’t mean it’s the medium of his genius. Say “Leonard Cohen” to people and most don’t jump to (or are aware of) his literary career. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367/31 "2016-04-08T13:28:54Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Yes, but to be fair to Gene there just aren’t a lot of career paths where having a freakishly long tongue is seen as an asset. Spoken as a man, I assume 😉 ---
**Author:** ![janis\_and\_c0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janis_and_c0/32/21_2.png) [@janis\_and\_c0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janis_and_c0)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367/32 "2016-04-08T13:42:53Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > _snip_ > > Speaking of authors, Stephen King has always been a favorite of mine. If prefer the spooky stuff but generally feel like he can make anything interesting. But please, please don’t let him write about anything concerning romance. Nope… read _11/22/63_ or _Joyland_ for some actually pretty good examples of this… unless you mean a whole romance novel , in which case… LOLS.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367/33 "2016-04-08T13:43:04Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > Benedict Cumberbatch–undyingly awesome as _Sherlock_–has yet to make a really great movie since that show debuted. I have high hopes for _Dr. Strange_, but I’m realistic about it. Then there is the Oscar nomination for _The Imitation Game_. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367/34 "2016-04-08T13:45:20Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Spoken as a man, I assume 😉 Said “not a lot”, didn’t say “none”. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367/35 "2016-04-08T14:09:44Z")
> [@Enderw24](#): > > On stage you have to be loud and super expressive to ensure the whole audience knows what’s going on. Do that on film and you’ve turned a serious role into a weirdly comedic one. There’s also this benefit of immediate feedback from the audience that you’ll never get on camera. I just realized that pro wrestlers are stage actors – and why SUBURBAN COMMANDO and MR NANNY and SANTA WITH MUSCLES all failed to break even at the box office. Well, part of the reason. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367/36 "2016-04-08T17:49:21Z")
Frank Zappa as a filmmaker. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367/37 "2016-04-08T19:16:26Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > Frank Zappa as a filmmaker. That’s what you get when you mix musicians with heavy drug use. Except Zappa never drank or did drugs. Yeah I got nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367/38 "2016-04-08T19:29:35Z")
Stephen King. Bestselling author. Bad actor. Although I think it’s just his work that doesn’t transcend the medium. So I’m not sure if it’s fair to list him, as other people have tried to adapt his written words, with varying degrees of success. There have been a handful of good movies (_Shawshank_, _Green Mile_, to name two), but he’ churned out more that just didn’t translate well to the screen. His attempt at a [musical](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrie_(musical)). His miniseries are usually hit-and-miss. ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367/39 "2016-04-08T19:59:12Z")
Ted Nugent was a better rocker than a political pundit. And for the record, I don’t think he was all that great as a rocker. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2016, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367/40 "2016-04-09T18:25:56Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > That’s what you get when you mix musicians with heavy drug use. > > Except Zappa never drank or did drugs. He may never have drank to excess, but according to family friend Matt Groening as well as Frank’s younger sister Candy, Frank would indulge in a glass of wine at family dinners. Contrary to his own PR, in the early 70’s Frank was not above sharing a joint once in a while. (Source- Howard Kaylan.) Frank’s enormous intake of caffeine was well documented, reportedly several pots of coffee daily, and he was a four-pack-a day nicotine addict. In some people’s minds these two habits amounted to drug abuse, semantic technicalities notwithstanding. His shockingly ridiculous defense of tobacco smoke as “food” demonstrated how even a great mind could be deluded by obvious drug addiction. For the record, I remain a huge fan of Frank’s work from 1965-75, during which time I think he was a musical genius. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-whose-genius-doesnt-transcend-the-medium/751367.md?page=3)