# "Celebrity" You Admire Immensely, But Who Personally Rubs You The Wrong Way **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 22, 2004, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-you-admire-immensely-but-who-personally-rubs-you-the-wrong-way/251704 "2004-06-22T21:40:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Gail](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Gail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gail)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-you-admire-immensely-but-who-personally-rubs-you-the-wrong-way/251704/21 "2004-06-23T15:01:12Z")
_Sean Penn. The man’s a good enough actor, but does every performance have to come off like a play for another academy award?_ * * * posted by yellowval Not only that, but I think when he gets scripts in the mail, he must decide to do them based on how depressing they are. _21 grams_ was so critically acclaimed and I thought it was one of the most depressing movies I’ve ever seen. Until _Mystic River_ . Yes, Sean, we can see you have “dark, angry, and intense” down. Can you lighten up a little? ---
**Author:** ![yellowval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/919ad9/32.png) [@yellowval](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowval)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-you-admire-immensely-but-who-personally-rubs-you-the-wrong-way/251704/22 "2004-06-23T15:25:00Z")
> [@Gail](#): > > Not only that, but I think when he gets scripts in the mail, he must decide to do them based on how depressing they are. _21 grams_ was so critically acclaimed and I thought it was one of the most depressing movies I’ve ever seen. Until _Mystic River_ . > Yes, Sean, we can see you have “dark, angry, and intense” down. Can you lighten up a little? Oh, he played a happy guy once, but it just so happened that the character was developmentally disabled ("I Am Sam.). ---
**Author:** ![elfbabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b782af/32.png) [@elfbabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfbabe)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-you-admire-immensely-but-who-personally-rubs-you-the-wrong-way/251704/23 "2004-06-23T16:33:26Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > I really like Orson Scott Card’s work in science fiction and fantasy but can’t stand his political or religious views. I wouldn’t know whethet to shake his hand or kick him between the legs if I were to meet him. Same here. Great writer, total dick. How can he have so much sympathy for various types of alien but so little for human beings? I guess the aliens must all be straight… ---
**Author:** ![syncrolecyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@syncrolecyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/syncrolecyne)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-you-admire-immensely-but-who-personally-rubs-you-the-wrong-way/251704/24 "2004-06-23T19:20:15Z")
I’ll pick another Beatle…Paul McCartney. I worship the Beatles, and I even enjoy most of Paul’s solo work (including material that the critics loathe). I would definitely make an effort to see him live if he comes within 500 or so miles again. But in many interviews/documentaries he comes across as a bit of a gasbag. For instance in the documentary _Let it Be_ he is constantly blathering about his “vision” for the group while the other three just sit there, take his direction on everything, and roll their eyes at him when he’s not looking. I used to think Yoko broke up the Beatles before their time…now I think its a wonder they managed to hold together for so long. Some of the same can be said for Bono. I like his music, admire his ‘causes’, but I think he would be insufferable to be around. ---
**Author:** ![beckwall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b487fb/32.png) [@beckwall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beckwall)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-you-admire-immensely-but-who-personally-rubs-you-the-wrong-way/251704/25 "2004-06-23T19:31:37Z")
Tom Hanks. Good, usually great, actor. Just smug enough to piss me off. Kobe Bryant. Tremendous athlete. Horrible human being. Despicable. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-you-admire-immensely-but-who-personally-rubs-you-the-wrong-way/251704/26 "2004-06-23T19:41:58Z")
> [@Gail](#): > > Bill Maher annoys me too. I laugh at a lot of his stuff, but then he talks about how much he’s enjoying his extended bachelorhood and how women who want to get married are insecure, and how great it is to be be unencumbered by children. Apparently he thinks he’s quite the ladies’ man. I personally don’t see it. He looks like an evil elf to me. He must be sporting a killer kielbasa, because I saw him on tv with a drop-dead gorgeous super-hottie, and he just kept going on about how beautiful she was. Like, “look what I bagged!” ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Stilettos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/fbc32d/32.png) [@Red\_Stilettos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Stilettos)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-you-admire-immensely-but-who-personally-rubs-you-the-wrong-way/251704/27 "2004-06-23T19:46:48Z")
Billy Bob Thornton. Highly underrated actor. I love his take on Hollywood. But, in real life I think he’d scare me. ---
**Author:** ![Chastain86](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Chastain86](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chastain86)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-you-admire-immensely-but-who-personally-rubs-you-the-wrong-way/251704/28 "2004-06-23T20:32:47Z")
Gotten this far without Barry Bonds, eh? I can respect the accomplishments he’s achieved in his career, but he comes off as an insufferable prick who’s all about the me-me-me attitude. Any baseball player that refuses to sign free autographs, and doesn’t respect the fans that fund his paycheck can go straight to hell. Don’t pass Go, don’t collect $200. A career-ending injury the day before tying Hank Aaron’s home run record would suit me just fine. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-you-admire-immensely-but-who-personally-rubs-you-the-wrong-way/251704/29 "2004-06-23T20:58:46Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > **Sir Rhosis** , Harlan is certainly an odd little man. I used to be entertained by his rants on the SciFi channel, but he sure was out there. I was never sure if he was ranting because that was the presonna he was playing or whether he is really nuts. I believe probably 75% of it is just HE playing to the camera/his audience, and I too loved his rants on the “Buzz,” where he was given three or four minutes. Any more than that would be overkill. To add to what some other posters have mentioned: Ellison, in an article in the 70s or early 80s, claimed to have slept with over 500 different women (he mentions having caught the clap a half dozen times, and, if memory serves, paid for about a dozen abortions, before a vasectomy in the mid-70s). At one time that may have been an outrageous number of partners (for some, it may still be), but he has a long way to go to outdo Wilt the Stilt (whom he has so far outlived by seven years). I’d say he may hold the record for SF writers, though. Susan, Ellison’s wife for the past fifteen or so years, is a Scot, and a former bartender, so maybe she is used to dealing with jerks. Or maybe he has found true love at last and it has settled him. Sir Rhosis ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-you-admire-immensely-but-who-personally-rubs-you-the-wrong-way/251704/30 "2004-06-23T22:31:35Z")
I’d like to nominate a title for this: Cobb, as in “Ty Cobb”. You could say, “Man, you know who I really _Cobb_? Sean Penn!” “Oh, I hear ya, man! I totally _Cobb_ him and Bono, too! What a couple of Asses! But they sure are talented.” “Yeah. What a waste! They’re a couple of real _Cobbs_.” I was going to say I Cobb Ayrton Senna, but then I realized I don’t really admire him in any way and am not all that impressed with his accomplishments. (Most, if not all, of which are soon to be removed from the record books by Mr. Schumacher. ) ---
**Author:** ![pesch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pesch/32/4925_2.png) [@pesch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pesch)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-you-admire-immensely-but-who-personally-rubs-you-the-wrong-way/251704/31 "2004-06-23T22:36:52Z")
> [@syncrolecyne](#): > > But in many interviews/documentaries he comes across as a bit of a gasbag. For instance in the documentary _Let it Be_ he is constantly blathering about his “vision” for the group while the other three just sit there, take his direction on everything, and roll their eyes at him when he’s not looking. I used to think Yoko broke up the Beatles before their time…now I think its a wonder they managed to hold together for so long. If the stories in “A Hard Day’s Write” are any indication, Paul was the catalyst behind the group. John admitted in interviews (quoted in the book) that he was lazy, and once the Beatle became a hit, wrote less and less. Paul picked up the slack. What also bugged Paul was that he was the one who was heavily into experimental music long before John, but it seemed to him that John was getting the credit. John also admits that he was difficult to get along with, and that his darker side surfaced easily. And by the time of the “Let it Be” period, I can imagine that Paul had his work cut out for him, trying to keep everyone together. Now, I’m not saying that Paul’s a gasbag, but he seems like a nice guy, and if you’re looking for good dope, he’s your man! ---
**Author:** ![Paranoid\_Randroid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paranoid_randroid/32/18_2.png) [@Paranoid\_Randroid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paranoid_Randroid)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-you-admire-immensely-but-who-personally-rubs-you-the-wrong-way/251704/32 "2004-06-24T00:47:40Z")
> [@elfbabe](#): > > Same here. Great writer, total dick. How can he have so much sympathy for various types of alien but so little for human beings? I guess the aliens must all be straight… A reasonable person can disagree with a lot of Card’s beliefs, and for the most part I’m such a person. But having met him briefly, I must say that he was _particularly_ nice. I’ve heard nothing else from others who’ve met him. I don’t think “total dick” really applies. (I’d like to really respond to this thread, but I can’t; whenever I really dislike someone I tend to stop respecting them completely. The closest I can come is Moxy Fruvous, whose music I’m fond of, but whose political beliefs I can’t condone.) ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-you-admire-immensely-but-who-personally-rubs-you-the-wrong-way/251704/33 "2004-06-24T04:52:31Z")
Richard Wagner. What do I win? ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-you-admire-immensely-but-who-personally-rubs-you-the-wrong-way/251704/34 "2004-06-24T04:57:18Z")
Adolph Hitler. [sub]What?[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![dropping\_by](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecd19e/32.png) [@dropping\_by](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropping_by)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-you-admire-immensely-but-who-personally-rubs-you-the-wrong-way/251704/35 "2004-06-24T05:04:14Z")
Can I just say that Harlan Ellison was nice to me, and is to my friend who knows him? Perhaps he’s mellowed in his old age. A lot of guys are like that. They say, “Oh this woman finally tamed me” when the truth is the last wife met 'em when they were on their last legs (so to speak.) I’d rather not meet anyone I admire, feet of clay, feet of clay. On the other hand, sometimes you bump into a celeb you don’t care for at your cousin’s barbecue or something, and that celeb turns out to be a really nice person. ---
**Author:** ![zoogirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b9bd4f/32.png) [@zoogirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoogirl)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-you-admire-immensely-but-who-personally-rubs-you-the-wrong-way/251704/36 "2004-06-24T05:34:38Z")
> [@dropping by](#): > > On the other hand, sometimes you bump into a celeb you don’t care for at your cousin’s barbecue or something, and that celeb turns out to be a really nice person. Or you see them on TV. I used to think Celine Dion looked like a horrible snob until I saw her on Oprah. Good sense of humour, very much a part of her family. Oprah surprised her by bringing the whole clan onstage. There are over a dozen of 'em and they all sing. The French song they performed sounded like a trained choir. OTOH, Canada’s other claim to fame, Shania Twain, makes me want to bitch-slap her into next week. If only her songs weren’t so darn catchy… ---
**Author:** ![Rex\_Fenestrarum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rex_fenestrarum/32/7265_2.png) [@Rex\_Fenestrarum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rex_Fenestrarum)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-you-admire-immensely-but-who-personally-rubs-you-the-wrong-way/251704/37 "2004-06-24T06:28:28Z")
> [@Gail](#): > > I like Ted Nugent’s music from the 70’s. But he’s just a little too joyful about slaughtering innocent animals for me. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-you-admire-immensely-but-who-personally-rubs-you-the-wrong-way/251704/38 "2004-06-24T06:57:52Z")
> [@Kalhoun](#): > > He must be sporting a killer kielbasa, because I saw him on tv with a drop-dead gorgeous super-hottie, and he just kept going on about how beautiful she was. Like, “look what I bagged!” For some reason he’s in tight with Hugh Hefner, and I suspect he gets to parade around with a lot Playboy’s hotties as a result. Whether he actually beds them or not is another story, but more than a few of those girls will do whatever they think will please Hefner, and if banging one of his buddies might get them in the magazine or extend their hang time at the Mansion I suspect they’re more than ready to do it. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-you-admire-immensely-but-who-personally-rubs-you-the-wrong-way/251704/39 "2004-06-24T12:53:37Z")
Sir Rhosis writes: \> . . . Ellison, in an article in the 70s or early 80s, claimed to have slept with over \> 500 different women . . . Have you considered the possibility that Ellison was lying? He doesn’t have much of a reputation for honesty. I could give you some examples if you’d like (although I’ve already done this on other threads and am tired of repeating myself). ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-you-admire-immensely-but-who-personally-rubs-you-the-wrong-way/251704/40 "2004-06-24T13:00:44Z")
**RE: Sean Penn** > [@Gail](#): > > I think when he gets scripts in the mail, he must decide to do them based on how depressing they are. _21 grams_ was so critically acclaimed and I thought it was one of the most depressing movies I’ve ever seen. Until _Mystic River_ . > Yes, Sean, we can see you have “dark, angry, and intense” down. Can you lighten up a little? Excuse me??? This is the guy who had a _pizza_ delivered to him in _History Class_!!! A _pizza_! In _History Class_! I was completely agog at the sheer wackiness of it! A _pizza_! In _History Class_! Wacky, wacky fun! 😛 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-you-admire-immensely-but-who-personally-rubs-you-the-wrong-way/251704.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrity-you-admire-immensely-but-who-personally-rubs-you-the-wrong-way/251704.md?page=3)