Jason Alexander and other black holes of entertainment

Cafe Society
1

As some of you may recall, I hate Jason Alexander. A lot. He tops my “How the hell does a talentless hack like him continue to get work?” list.

He actually has the ability to suck talent away from other actors. You’ve heard actors say, “When I work with (name of good actor here), they make me want to be better than I am. They make me give everything I have and if I can impress them, I know I have arrived.”

Well this isn’t the case with Jason Alexander.

I try to avoid him at every turn. Even when he invaded Star Trek. I watched Shallow Hal and had to fast forward the movie whenever he appeared. It didn’t matter if he was important to the plot. I just had to extrapolate his importance from the rest of the movie.

It’s appropriate that he’s in those new Dodge commericals. An actor I hate advertising a car company I hate, too.

Anybody else feel this way about him or any other entertainer?

There, I feel better, now!

2

I never cared for Jason Alexander, but I thought he did a great job as the voice of Duckman.

One of my least favorite people in show biz is Carrot Top. It just baffles me that he fills auditoriums with paying customers. I would pay not to see him.

3

I like Jason Alexander immensely so I take exception with him being categorized as a black hole of entertainment. However, I do like the concept, although it’s not as evocative as “Sitcom Rasputins”.

4

I was gonna say that he sucks with the rage of a 1000 dying suns, but “black hole” has a more ominous sound to it.

5

Hmmm. Let’s try…

Director Michael Bay
Director Kevin Smith
Ben Affleck
Martin Lawrence
Cedric the Entertainer

6

With you on all but #2 there, Askia. Add Joel Schumacher, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg to my list.

7

Isn’t talent subjective? One persons gravy is another persons poison. I happen to like Carrot Top. He is one of the best prop comedians out there.

8

Josh Groban
Celine Dion
Martin Lawrence
Eddie Griffin
Kathy Griffin
Ray Romano
Patricia Heaton
Carrot Top
Gallagher
Paris Hilton
Nick Lachey
Jessica Simpson
Ashlee Simpson
Joel Schumacher
Jimmy Kimmel
Adam Carolla
Rosie O’Donnell
Rob Zombie

9

Lots of interesting entries. Carrot Top certainly gives Alexander a run for his money.

Put them both in a movie together and people will lose the will to live.

10

Stalin was one of the best dictators out there, I still wouldn’t sing his praises in public…

Back to the topic: I’ve never liked Mel Gibson in anything, and I’ve never enjoyed anything he’s been in. The closest I can think of was Ransom, a revenge flick in which he played a materialistic, pushy jerk of a dad.

11

They’re both in The Aristocrats, which is the funniest movie I’ve seen in a long time. Proving once again that if you multiply a negative by a negative, you get a positive. Although it’s not funny because of them in a direct way. Jason Alexander said one funny thing, I think, and I just wanted Carrot Top to go away. Fortunately he has almost zero screen time.

12

I like Jason Alexander, myself. I’d always heard how horrible Carrot Top was, and I believed it until I saw him on some game show with other celebrities and he was the funniest guy up there.

For me, the least funny guy on the planet is Tom Green. I can’t understand his appeal to anyone.

For singers it’s Garth Brooks. Everything he does seems so fake, so merchandised. I don’t get it.

13

This is not so much a “I think X sucks” thread as it is a “X degrades anything they’re in” kinda thread.

I mean, I’m not a Jim Carrey fan, but he does have his moments. Few and far between, but moments nonetheless.

Ed Wood may not have been a good director, but his campy, cheesy movies have a certain charm.

Jason Alexander has none of these qualities.

14

Will Ferrell. Somehow he is praised as a comedic genius, and yet the guy is just not funny. I cannot reconcile these two points.

15

Great choice… I’m not sure I could think of a better example. But some of the other “new SNL” guys are close, like Farley and Sandler.

16

Well, you might as well throw in Jimmy Fallon.

17

I feel that Jimmy Fallon sucked the coolness off Tina Fey for far too long. The SNL news is so much funnier now that Amy Poehler is doing it instead.

18

Hell, SNL is a virtual wellspring of entertainment black holes:

Will Farrell
Jimmy Fallon
Denny Dillon
Christine Ebersol
Melanie Hutsell
Gail Matthius
Tracy Morgan
Chris Parnell
Colin Quinn
Ann Risley

19

I liked Alexander in Seinfeld. Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, however, went through a period where she nearly ruined every scene with her obsessive mugging for the camera and odd gesturing. Unless they meant to suggest that Elaine was going through an intense relationship with coke, someone should have called her on that nonsense.

20

I agree with you 100%, and have often said exactly the same thing on this board. I stopped watching Seinfeld because I got sick of Alexander’s poor man’s Woody Allen act (poor man? Destitute man!).

He has no charm, no talent, and can’t even sell cars; it’s pretty sad that Lee Iococca is better at acting that Alexander is.