Continuing the “Screwing the Pooch” hijack, I, too, have always heard it as a synonymous with “shooting oneself in the foot,” or simply screwing up.
Pat O’brien from the Insider. I never watch the show anymore because whenever I see him, I hear the phone recording with him ordering cocaine and some whores so they can party. Ugh.
The most obvious examples: Susan Smith, Diane Downs, Charles Stuart, Scott Paterson and probably some others were seen very sympathically when they portrayed themselves as the victim of a crime, and were rightfully cast as horrible people when it turned out they had committed the very crime.
Norwood was a Pro-Bowl kicker and helped get his team to the Superbowl. Twice. He had an established reputation.
I think what you mean to say is that they have to be a celebrity outside of a limited scope, like a sport or local branch of government. But that’s a completely subjective rule… there were people who’d never heard of OJ before Nicole was found dead, or of Marion Barry before he was caught and made into a punchline.
Hmm, maybe it’s a geographical difference. It is not uncommon around here to hear someone say (for example), “So, what did you do at work today?”
“Not much. Boss was out so we just screwed the pooch all afternoon.”
Anyway, if that’s how you guys use it, I rescind my annoyance.
Mike Tyson…one minute he’s the best boxer in the statesm the next he’s a rapist and goingto jail. Sure, he was a little off all the time, but he was high on the hog, livin the life, so to speak, and then suddenly a national joke.
Milli Vanilli. One of them ended up committing suicide because of the lip syncing scandal.
I can’t think of any ‘bad to good’ stories. Bono wasn’t exactly bad but he became a major player in international charities.
Well the Urban Dictionary has this:
- screw the pooch
to fuck things up royally; originally used by U.S. naval aviators to mean “crash one’s plane into the water”
Which does suggest it comes out of the military and may be related to “fucking the dog” (doing nothing at work) but has the further connotation of one’s lack of attention causing a major fuck up.
BeeGees - Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band. Goodbye ubiquity; hello obscurity.
**Tom Cruise ** - One minute he’s a leading man. Then he accepts an invitation to sit on Oprah’s couch.
**Nancy Kerrigan ** - Lovely and graceful, she had taken the podium as America’s sweetheart until she mouthed “This is so gay.” during her post-Olympic Disney parade celebration. Oops.
Two examples close to my heart - see my handle for a clue as to why:
- Fred Brown, March 29, 1982
- Chris Webber, April 5, 1993
Thanks, fellas!! 
What she said was, “This is so corny.” But it did wreck her endorsement career.
Marv Albert was NBC’s voice of the NBA and voice of the NY Knicks and Rangers. Until he was acused of biting his girlfriend during sex. I seem to recall crossdressing was also brought up. He lost his jobs as soon as he pleaded guilty to the charges, but has made a comeback since then.
Nah. Nixon had a sleazy reputation from the very start of his career. Everything just finally caught up with him with Watergate. Definitely not a single act.
It was a little more serious than that - he was charged with assault.
Was that the album with “Stayin’ Alive” on it?
And, on a more serious note, i completely disagree that the Sgt. Peppers album sent the Beatles into obscurity. It was a successful album, and still a favourite among many of the band’s fans. It didn’t chang their reputations as excellent musicians.
I’m not sure what the album did for the Bee Gees.
There was a movie called “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” It was put on by Robert Stigwood. He owned The Bee Gees. They were in it. So were Peter Frampton. And George Burns. And some more people who would probably be glad if we’d just forget that they were in it. I haven’t seen this movie based entirely upon its reputation - it seems to have come to be regarded as the nadir of filmmaking, as well as a whole bunch of other (deserved) epithets.
Michael Crawford was the greatest stage actor that ever lived until he did Dance of the Vampire. Ooops! And playing Count Fosco in the London production of Woman in White didn’t redeem him–he was replaced with Michael Ball, who made it to Broadway.
Well, you learn something every day. Despite being something of a movie buff, i’d never heard of this travesty. Apologies to PunditLisa; i thought she must simply have typed in the wrong B-band accidentally.
I saw it… twice (ducks head in shame), also have the double album & once had the novelization. Years later when I realized how lame it all was, I did buy the video as a joke gift for a friend. I regret not having the novelization & not buying myself a video. Maybe the culprits involved will someday get over the shame & come out with a DVD with commentaries. Hope so, 'cause I’d love to know what the hell they were thinking! I’d like to know what the hell I was thinking!
What was his reputation before?
I mean now, his reputation seems to be “brilliant general and ok but ruthless dictator who lost at the last minute.” Why didn’t that apply equaly much before?