# Slaughtering Sacred Cows of Entertainment **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 9, 2005, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slaughtering-sacred-cows-of-entertainment/283834 "2005-01-09T03:25:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![violacrane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c57346/32.png) [@violacrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/violacrane)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slaughtering-sacred-cows-of-entertainment/283834/61 "2005-01-09T16:32:06Z")
**The Princess Bride** both book and film would have been utterly forgettable if only people would stop going on about them. No emotional engagement, didn’t laugh out loud once, tedious in long stretches what’s the big deal? **Morecombe and Wise** – this one for the UK dopers. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slaughtering-sacred-cows-of-entertainment/283834/62 "2005-01-09T17:21:53Z")
> [@wolf\_meister](#): > > I really can’t think of even 1 anti-Simpsons posting. Personally, I can’t stand the show. Your pro-comedy, anti-Simpsons agenda has been clear for some time now. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slaughtering-sacred-cows-of-entertainment/283834/63 "2005-01-09T17:37:24Z")
> [@Cicada2003](#): > > **Emily Dickinson**. > “If I can help one fainting robin back into its nest again, I shall not have lived in vain.” Are you sure that’s Emily Dickinson? I can’t sing it to _The Yellow Rose of Texas_. ---
**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:** [January 9, 2005, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slaughtering-sacred-cows-of-entertainment/283834/64 "2005-01-09T17:53:59Z")
^^^Sure you can, sorta… If I can help one fainting robin back into its nest agaaaainnn I shall not have liiiiivvveed…ed in vain. Sir Rhosis ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slaughtering-sacred-cows-of-entertainment/283834/65 "2005-01-09T17:57:59Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Gotcha beat, never watched them. > 🙂 > … Neither have I, actually. But it seems to be impossible to avoid them at office water cooler discussions, family gatherings and the like. And the _Idol_ contests have been deemed news! In the spirit of the OP: Steve Martin’s standup comedy (white suit, fake arrow through the head) was not funny. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slaughtering-sacred-cows-of-entertainment/283834/66 "2005-01-09T18:41:42Z")
> [@](#): > > The other thing I find amusing about this attitude is that it occasionally gets inverted to the point where critics assume that if something pisses people off, it must be Great Art. > > This rule is almost universal in current arts criticism. I don’t suppose, by any chance, that you had **Family Guy** in mind when you wrote this post. The Simpsons ripoff to end all Simpsons ripoffs, and just plain the worst, least funny show ever imagined. I’m convinced that the only reason why anyone watches such dreck is that they imagine that some little old lady in Podunksville is getting shocked out of her mind by it, and then they give themselves a thumbs up for being so much better than that imaginary person. Yuck. On the music front, Hendrix. And I know I’m not alone, since my whole family agrees. And if we’re allowed to include webcomics in this thread, let me say that I just don’t get **Sluggy Freelance**. Predictable, repetitious, every “joke” is clearly stolen from somewhere else. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slaughtering-sacred-cows-of-entertainment/283834/67 "2005-01-09T19:14:52Z")
I’ll second those nominations for the ‘genius’ that is **Eminem** and the equally ‘gifted’ **Bob Dylan**. :rolleyes: Another “Doper” mentioned that Dylan’s lyrics are incredibly nonspecific and some people see profound, meaningful ‘messages’ that aren’t really there. (Similar to what people do with Nostradamus’ ‘predictions’). And it has also been stated that Dylan is a lousy singer and musician. The Turtles’ rendition of “It Ain’t Me Babe” _completely destroys_ Dylan’s anemic version. I’m surprised no one has mentioned **The Sopranos**. Am I the only one that hates this show? What’s the big deal? _Everyone_ seems to think this show is the greatest thing since the wheel. Did the producers of this show distribute Soprano ‘pods’ throughout the world, which turned everyone into unwilling robotlike ‘fans’ ? ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slaughtering-sacred-cows-of-entertainment/283834/68 "2005-01-09T19:39:43Z")
I always thought the first Star Wars trilogy was better than the second (still do), but this weekend I watched “Return of the Jedi” for the first time in about a decade, and I’ve gotta tell you, it SUCKED. The dialog is painfully bad, the movie trots out every cliche ever seen in a movie, the climactic battle is a retread of the first one, the whole brother/sister thing was handled hamfistedly, Harrison Ford’s acting was painful to watch, and the damned Ewoks were even more annoying than I remembered (and I remembered them as being very annoying). And in this movie we finally discover that Stormtrooper armor is totally useless. They were dropped by carebears throwing rocks, for God’s sake. I think a squad of U.S. Marines could wipe out the Empire. ---
**Author:** ![Roberta\_Plant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c89c15/32.png) [@Roberta\_Plant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roberta_Plant)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slaughtering-sacred-cows-of-entertainment/283834/69 "2005-01-09T19:57:54Z")
A Confederacy of Dunces I tried twice to read it and appreciate the incredible humor it supposedly contained. It struck me as pathetically forced and supremely unfunny and I had to give up. Maybe it gets better after p. 150 or so?.. ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slaughtering-sacred-cows-of-entertainment/283834/70 "2005-01-09T20:03:02Z")
> [@Sam Stone](#): > > I always thought the first Star Wars trilogy was better than the second (still do), but this weekend I watched “Return of the Jedi” for the first time in about a decade, and I’ve gotta tell you, it SUCKED. The dialog is painfully bad, the movie trots out every cliche ever seen in a movie, the climactic battle is a retread of the first one, the whole brother/sister thing was handled hamfistedly, Harrison Ford’s acting was painful to watch, and the damned Ewoks were even more annoying than I remembered (and I remembered them as being very annoying). > > And in this movie we finally discover that Stormtrooper armor is totally useless. They were dropped by carebears throwing rocks, for God’s sake. > > I think a squad of U.S. Marines could wipe out the Empire. Out of fairness, I have a friend who is a rabid SW fan, and he basically refuses to acknowledge the existence of parts I-III and VI (he’s already convinced Sith is gonna suck harder than explosive decompression). RotJ: Spielberg and his quintessential shittiest. ---
**Author:** ![ianzin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slaughtering-sacred-cows-of-entertainment/283834/71 "2005-01-09T20:04:34Z")
Elvis Costello. Pretty much everyone I know likes him or loves him. He has become an icon of popular culture. He has achieved far-ranging critical and commercial acclaim. He has achieved just about everything he could achieve in his chosen field. I respect that he has achieved all that he has, and readily acknowledge that he commands very widespread loyalty, support and admiration for his music, his lyrics, his versatility, his politics, his willingness to try new things etc. I’ve tried, really really tried, to hear what’s so good about his work (yes, even ‘Shipbulding’) and I’ve even bought his greatest hits twice. And I still hear the Emperor’s new clothes. Instrumentally - nothing whatsoever to excite me or interest me: the same standard rock chords strummed in the same standard combinations. Lyrically - maybe some occasional witticisms, but c’mon, I grew up on Cole Porter, and Costello isn’t even in the same class. I just don’t ‘get’ the merits of any but his catchiest few chart hit songs, and as for that whiny, nasal voice… I just don’t think it constitutes singing. I know it’s me that has the deficiency here, not EC, but I sure find the whole thing baffling. ---
**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:** [January 9, 2005, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slaughtering-sacred-cows-of-entertainment/283834/72 "2005-01-09T20:15:56Z")
Peter Jackson’s movies of _The Lord of the Rings_ are a mess. Of course, they’re not utterly hopeless, but considering that they’re an adaptation of a great piece of literature and $270 million was spent on them, they’re an enormous disappointment. The acting is all over the place, from some that’s quite good, to some that’s badly misconceived (and that’s Jackson’s fault for being unable to tell the actors what he wanted), to some that’s good actors badly miscast, to some that’s simply hopelessly bad acting. Whenever Jackson (and his co-writers) write dialogue or scenes that aren’t straight from the book, they produce drivel. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slaughtering-sacred-cows-of-entertainment/283834/73 "2005-01-09T20:27:42Z")
Godfather. A long,boring, and typical “kid comes of age and finds his place” movie set against the backdrop of an absurd, over-the-top, soap opera. Even though it’s probably not criticly acclaimed, I was pretty much ostracised in school for not liking the Breakfast Club. What is it about the stupid movie that bonded the rest of my generation? ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slaughtering-sacred-cows-of-entertainment/283834/74 "2005-01-09T20:44:57Z")
> [@Roberta Plant](#): > > A Confederacy of Dunces > > I tried twice to read it and appreciate the incredible humor it supposedly contained. It struck me as pathetically forced and supremely unfunny and I had to give up. Maybe it gets better after p. 150 or so?.. I actually liked the book a lot, but it really _does_ get better toward the end - the last few chapters are the best in the book. Still, it’s probably not worth reading 300 pages of a book you don’t like just to get to the “good” part. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Flipstrip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f6c823/32.png) [@Flipstrip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flipstrip)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slaughtering-sacred-cows-of-entertainment/283834/75 "2005-01-09T20:51:36Z")
Stephen King’s “The Stand.” Every King fan I know thinks this book is the greatest work he’s turned out. I’ve tried to read it two or three times and I never could make it past the first 2-300 pages or so. I tried, oh Lord, how I tried. “But the last 300 pages are so great!” they’d say. “Maybe he should have trimmed the book down to the last 300 pages then,” I’d shoot back. Then the unabridged version came out and I was pummelled anew with “This is the greatest book ever written by King, nay, _anyone_!” When I want to read a boring doorstop of a book, trust me, I’ll be cracking the spine of _that_ tome. ---
**Author:** ![Freejooky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ba8739/32.png) [@Freejooky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freejooky)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slaughtering-sacred-cows-of-entertainment/283834/76 "2005-01-09T21:20:59Z")
Thank God someone else hates **Family Guy**. I’ve finally seen it recently (starting with season 1 on DVD) after hearing how brilliant it is for the past few years, and it’s TERRIBLE. Such a Simpsons ripoff that I’m surprised there haven’t been lawsuits, but a really uninspired ripoff at that - one that only emulates the most superficial elements of its source material while completely missing the real substance that makes it funny/brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slaughtering-sacred-cows-of-entertainment/283834/77 "2005-01-09T21:28:45Z")
The Doors. So sue me. I told this to an old boyfriend once and he said, “Well, you probably just didn’t _get them_.” :wally Maybe I don’t _want to_ get them. I feel so light, so clean, so free of my terrible burden! ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slaughtering-sacred-cows-of-entertainment/283834/78 "2005-01-09T21:44:18Z")
I agree with Hendrix. Just because you can play notes three times as fast as anyone else and can do things with a guitar no one else can, doesn’t mean your music is actually fun or entertaining to listen to. ---
**Author:** ![Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/regallag_the_axe/32/445_2.png) [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Regallag_The_Axe)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slaughtering-sacred-cows-of-entertainment/283834/79 "2005-01-09T22:05:34Z")
Frank Sinatra, and The Buffalo Springfield. I just don’t get why either are considered so incredible. ---
**Author:** ![Roland\_Orzabal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@Roland\_Orzabal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roland_Orzabal)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slaughtering-sacred-cows-of-entertainment/283834/80 "2005-01-09T22:05:47Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > I HATE this attitude. If the work is good, who cares if a bazillion other people agree? Judge the work on its merits. Looking down your nose at something just because it is popular is infantile. (And, by the way, just because something is unpopular doesn’t mean it doesn’t suck… a failing of most modern art critics!) Oh, I’d agree with the above sentiments completely. I’m referring entirely here to things which I do not, in fact, dislike, which pretty much pre-empts the possibility of my disliking them for their popularity. It’s just that I often find myself spending an inordinate amount of time _attacking_ these things, and listing their negative aspects, due to the number of people who seem to operate under the impression that they don’t have any. Doesn’t mean I don’t like the thing. That’s why I asked that question in my previous post. I’d list a few of those things here (since, y’know, that’s what this thread is for), but if I don’t leave for work in the next five minutes, I’m pretty much screwed. I just wanted to clear that up before I left. I shall return tonight to post something of actual relevance. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slaughtering-sacred-cows-of-entertainment/283834.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slaughtering-sacred-cows-of-entertainment/283834.md?page=5)