# This is only a personal opinion.. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 1, 2001, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-only-a-personal-opinion/67236 "2001-06-01T17:37:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eada6e/32.png) [@aha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aha)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2001, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-only-a-personal-opinion/67236/1 "2001-06-01T17:37:49Z")
But… all you people that are standing outside of good morning america and other morning shows on ABC and NBC holding signs and waving at the cameras like fucking hicks who have never been out of Mayberry? Please lean in here because I have something to whisper to you… [sub] You look like stupid assed morons. [/sub] I don’t lay all of the blame on you for fucking up the interviews on the shows, because the networks obviously think that it improves ratings. But you are doing your part. Hyuck hyuck…notice me! I have three teeth and a sign and I am spending my vacation standing out here in the rain with my face pressed up against the glass, grining at the cameras like a constipated Badger. Yup Yup We don’t get into town much but when we do we’s out to have us some TV fun. Hey unca Bob!!! Look…we’re too stupid to call you on the phone so we put a message on this here sign fer ya!! ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2001, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-only-a-personal-opinion/67236/2 "2001-06-01T19:57:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by aha \* > Hey unca Bob!!! Look…we’re too stupid to call you on the phone so we put a message on this here sign fer ya!! How else is Uncle Bob going to found out they Hadababy-It’saboy? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![tiny\_ham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@tiny\_ham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiny_ham)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2001, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-only-a-personal-opinion/67236/3 "2001-06-01T19:59:51Z")
My sister and i are in love with matt lauer. She stood outside there and held a sign that said “Matt Lauer Your Lips To Mine” and got on television for it. It wasn’t her lifes’ goal and we never spoke of it again. It was just fun. Sometimes you have the most fun when you don’t care what you look like to others. 😃 jarbaby ---
**Author:** ![aha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eada6e/32.png) [@aha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aha)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2001, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-only-a-personal-opinion/67236/4 "2001-06-01T22:30:53Z")
I hear ya jarbaby I am just on the rag today. ---
**Author:** ![Chas.E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e99b99/32.png) [@Chas.E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chas.E)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2001, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-only-a-personal-opinion/67236/5 "2001-06-01T23:17:04Z")
The crowds ceased to be amusing once the guy stopped trying to sneak the “NBC Unfair to Union Labor” signs on camera. It’s not so much that they look stupid, but I just can’t stand the high-pitched sound of screeching women at that hour of the morning. I have long since switched to CNN This Morning (on the rare occasions that I am actually UP in the mornings). ---
**Author:** ![Chas.E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e99b99/32.png) [@Chas.E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chas.E)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2001, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-only-a-personal-opinion/67236/6 "2001-06-01T23:21:40Z")
oh, I forgot this was the Pit. So… Matt Lauer: Your Lips to My Ass! ---
**Author:** ![Montfort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Montfort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Montfort)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2001, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-only-a-personal-opinion/67236/7 "2001-06-01T23:23:19Z")
Wasn’t there a morning radio DJ somewhere who offered $100 (or something of similar value) to any woman who would flash the camera? Good morning, America, indeed. ---
**Author:** ![anenquiringmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anenquiringmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anenquiringmind)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2001, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-only-a-personal-opinion/67236/8 "2001-06-01T23:50:26Z")
Totally agree with the post about the idiots outside the studios. DONT THEY KNOW HOW FRICKIN’ STUPID THEY LOOK!?!?!?!?!?!?!! I refuse to watch those shows anymore, I just can’t bear the incredible stupid looks on those frickinpeoples’ fuckingfaces. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2001, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-only-a-personal-opinion/67236/9 "2001-06-03T03:51:31Z")
I’ve shot enough **Good Morning America** shows to chime in here- from a perspective no other Doper will be able to offer. Having stood there in a crowd, wearing my Steadicam and shooting the kind of “bumper shot” that you all are decrying, I’ll tell you what I SEE and HEAR. People make it a point to get up in the middle of the damned night, just to get a little taste of being on the t.v. They’re not stalking anyone. They’re not forcing anyone to do their bidding. They’re not making YOU watch them during those shots. they’re very frequently tourists to New York City, not local folks. They find it enthralling to become a part of a network t.v. show, even if they look a tad hokey in doing so. They’re polite and don’t humiliate anyone with their signage. ( there are exceptions to that rule, but for the most part the signage is pretty tame ). They are the people who buy the stuff that is sold during the commercial breaks on the show they are appearing on. I can’t make it more concise than that. It’s the cycle of t.v. Shows ONLY exist to fill time between commercials. Shooting all of the live Friday concerts from Bryant Park last year was a total blast. Great crowds, free concerts, lots of smiles. These people got up at three in the fucking morning for **BARRY FUCKING MANILOW!!!**. They were polite, fun, energetic, and happy to be a part of the show. It’s a given these days that street visitors to morning shows will be on the air. You’re free to read your paper, listen to N.P.R. ( which I frequently do, I don’t watch morning t.v.- I make morning t.v. 😛 ), whatever. Nobody forces you to watch these people enjoy themselves each day. It’s frivilous, and harmless. As was pointed out above, that’s what **CNN** is for. No-nonsense morning news information. They’re brilliant at it. Sorry you find it so infuriating. God only knows how violently you feel towards street mimes. Cartooniverse ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2001, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-only-a-personal-opinion/67236/10 "2001-06-03T04:25:50Z")
> [@](#): > > God only knows how violently you feel towards street mimes. I think that we should use Lord Vetinari’s solution to street mimes. ---
**Author:** ![Diane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2acd7d/32.png) [@Diane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diane)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2001, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-only-a-personal-opinion/67236/11 "2001-06-03T07:34:00Z")
> [@](#): > > These people got up at three in the fucking morning for BARRY FUCKING MANILOW!!! I was just heading off to bed. Thanks to you, I now have Barry Manilow in my head and will probably have horrible nightmares. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2001, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-only-a-personal-opinion/67236/12 "2001-06-03T17:08:20Z")
It’s not only the national news. Around here, the local news has the same problem. Anchor: “Three people died today in a car crash here on Ninth Street . . .” Local Yokel waving energetically with a shit-eating grin behind the anchor: “Hi, Mom!!” (He begins hopping up and down to be seen over her head and around the sides, waving frantically, as if trying to flag down a cab.) I find it actually a little amusing to see people milling around behind the anchor as if waiting for her to turn to them for an impromptu interview. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2001, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-only-a-personal-opinion/67236/13 "2001-06-03T17:33:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lynn Bodoni \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > God only knows how violently you feel towards street mimes. > > I think that we should use Lord Vetinari’s solution to street mimes. \*\* ??? _Originally Posted by **Diane** _ > [@](#): > > I was just heading off to bed. Thanks to you, I now have Barry Manilow in my head and will probably have horrible nightmares. Well, **Diane** , to steal a line said by Robin Williams in “Bicentennial Man”, > [@](#): > > **One Is Glad To Be Of Service** 😃 😃 I’m sorry I didn’t choose one of the cooler acts from last summer. Prithee tell, dear **Diane** , what would the name **B-52’s** done to your night’s sleep? Cartooniverse ---
**Author:** ![aha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eada6e/32.png) [@aha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aha)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2001, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-only-a-personal-opinion/67236/14 "2001-06-03T19:29:27Z")
> [@](#): > > They’re not making YOU watch them during those shots. The only way to miss them is to change the channel. And I do. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2001, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-only-a-personal-opinion/67236/15 "2001-06-03T23:57:19Z")
I won’t watch any of those morning info-tainment shows. I hate that the interviews are so time constrained that the guests/interviewees are always being cut off in mid thought. I hate the hokey banter. I don’t care what the tourist on the street has to add to the show. Not that it’s really much of an issue - I’m on the road to work by 5:45… but even when I’m not, I don’t watch 'em. ---
**Author:** ![red\_dragon60](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ce73a5/32.png) [@red\_dragon60](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/red_dragon60)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2001, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-only-a-personal-opinion/67236/16 "2001-06-04T02:02:29Z")
Is anyone remembering the Simpsons where they had a rhino loose that plowed through the slack-jawed yokels outside of the news studio? ---
**Author:** ![Diane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2acd7d/32.png) [@Diane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diane)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2001, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-only-a-personal-opinion/67236/17 "2001-06-04T03:42:58Z")
Cartooniverse - I didn’t have Barry Mailow nightmares, but I haven’t been able to remove Coco. . . er. . . Koco. . . um. . . Koka. . . . SHIT, you know what song I mean. Anyway, THAT song has been in my head ever since! (Why in the hell can’t I think of the correct way to spell it?) ---
**Author:** ![CnoteChris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/278dde/32.png) [@CnoteChris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CnoteChris)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2001, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-only-a-personal-opinion/67236/18 "2001-06-04T04:16:39Z")
What always amazes me, or more aptly, distracts me, are those ‘fans’ that glom onto the background glass as the topic turns from something light and airy into something dark and depressing. “… and that was Martha Stewart with tips on tart and tasty turnovers for the holidays. Thanks, Martha, that really looks delish. Matt, I understand you have some news for us?” “Yes I do Katie. Sad news out of Kansas this morning. Today we learn the names of those involved in that horrible crash that killed fifteen children yesterday on their way to kindergarten. Their names are…” :: Meanwhile, in the background, signs rage on, "WOO HOOOOO!! HOUSEMOMS FOR MATT!!. That dichotomy, to me, is disturbing. ---
**Author:** ![Shortie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Shortie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shortie)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2001, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-only-a-personal-opinion/67236/19 "2001-06-04T12:55:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cartooniverse \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Lynn Bodoni \* > > \*\* > > > > > [@](#): > > > > > > God only knows how violently you feel towards street mimes. > > > > I think that we should use Lord Vetinari’s solution to street mimes. \*\* > > ??? \*\* From memory, the ruler of Terry Pratchett’s Ankh-Morporkh, who is known for letting people organise themselves (with just a little interference) just can’t stand mimes, who get placed in a pit where written on the wall is: **“Learn the words”** No-one knows why. ---
**Author:** ![Sauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Sauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauron)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2001, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-only-a-personal-opinion/67236/20 "2001-06-04T13:21:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Diane \* > \*\*Cartooniverse - I didn’t have Barry Mailow nightmares, but I haven’t been able to remove Coco. . . er. . . Koco. . . um. . . Koka. . . . SHIT, you know what song I mean. Anyway, THAT song has been in my head ever since! (Why in the hell can’t I think of the correct way to spell it?) \*\* I think you mean “Copacabana.” (“The hot-test spot north of Havana.”) You may now begin cursing me and thanking me, at the same time. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-only-a-personal-opinion/67236.md?page=2)