Much as I love the musicals of Andrew Lloyd Webber, everything I’ve read about him and every time I see him on TV, I’m glad I’ve never met him. Apparently he’s a smug, boring, arrogant, pompous Brit twit who either an is immensely talent or a talentless hack who got very lucky.
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!
posted by bienville
I know. 
But that was many years ago. I’d love to see Sean revisit the character of Spicolli. But, really, what would Spicolli be now? A sad, unemployed stoner right out of the Partnership Against Drugs psa’s. He’s probably be full of rage and kill Mr. Hand.
At first, I thought you meant Spicolli 
Okay, several people have commented on the problem (or not) of Card’s views. Anyone want to tell the rest of us what they are? I know he’s a devout Mormon, but is there more to it than that, or is that enough?
A more obscure “celebrity”, but since we’re talking about writers too, I think this fits - Dave Sim, the writer/artist of the “indie” comic book Cerebus. He’s extremely talented, but has some rather, erm, interesting ideas about feminism, women, etc. A fair amount of his work focused on an anti-male, repressive matriarchal society. He also debated those topics with letter writers, so I know it wasn’t something merely written for the comic.
He also got divorced pretty early on in his comics career, and it’s probably not unfair to speculate that this fueled his opinions further. (From what I’ve heard, it was a bitter divorce.)
I did meet him several years ago at a comic book convention. He and his co-artist, Gerhard, were doing signings. I went up there with a book, and babbled on about how I enjoyed their work, how long I’d been reading it, how it got me into reading more independently-published comics, etc. They were smiling, drawing a picture of Cerebus in the cover of my book, etc. Then Sim was going to sign it personally to me, so he asked my name, and I told him.
I forgot that my first name happens to be the same as his ex-wife’s, and it’s not a common name; I only realized it as I said it. I swear I saw his gaze go blank for a moment, and Gerhard barely stifled a wince. I smiled reassuringly, I hoped. He quickly returned to his previous manner, personalized and signed the drawing, and I inwardly sighed in relief.
Oh, and Harlan Ellison too. If only for the “Last Dangerous Visions” fiasco.
I read an essay by him against gay marriage, in which he says this threatens our civilization, says that there’s nothing stopping gays and lesbians from getting married (they just have to marry people of the opposite sex, you see), that it is the presence of a father in a pair of opposite-sex parents which leads to “laying the groundwork for a sense of moral judgment; praise that is believed so that it can instill genuine self-confidence” in children.
He also states that the amount of divorce in the US has shaken children’s opinions of the stability and rightness of marriage, and that seeing same-sex couples being accepted will destroy that entirely, and with it a basic part of our civilization and ability to raise more children well in the future.
He insists that children with any hint of androgynous characteristics or sexual questioning are being recruited by the “fanatical Left” into becoming homosexuals. He also claims that a lot of people “became” homosexual as children or teens via homosexual molestation or rape, and that many want to “escape” that life.
Okay, I think I’m rubbed the wrong way now. Thanks for the info.
I don’t think we go to the same kind of barbeques.
No mention of Val Kilmer yet? Or Billy Crystal? Or Collin Ferrell? I’ll watch just about anything these guys have done because they’re all brilliant performers, but from what I’ve read, they’re also complete pricks.
Mike Tyson. In the old days, when watching him fight was an awesome joy. I’ve never seen a fighter so focused and intense… when he was actually focused and intense. Once we got to the ear-biting thing… he was long ago washed up. Personally, however, blech. A morally reprehensible, misogynistic moron.
James Brown. Really great musician. Hardest working man in show business. I love his work. But he’s an abusive asshole. I can only listen to his music if I turn my brain off to how he treats his wife.
There’s another celebrity who I’ve always admired and recently, I found out something about that person that made me sick, so the person would fit this list. But I sure don’t remember who it was…
Trey Parker and Matt Stone (the “South Park” guys). I think their body of work is hysterical. They are probably the most famous people froim Colorado at the moment, and I love the occasional little jokes in South Park that you have to be from Colorado to really get. But from things that I’ve read and heard, on a personal level they seem like they would be obnoxious jerks.
Barbra Streisand. Love her voice, love her looks, love her acting. But when she’s “herself” I want to slap her to sleep.
Bruce Willis. Loved him in the first two Die Hard movies. Loved him in The Sixth Sense. But I’ve seen him in interviews, and he just comes off as a total asshole. Also, I’ll second Russell Crowe.