Syndicated And Daily Television Chronicles #1: John O'Hurley Ought To Stop Acting
[Advance warning: This new series I plan to embark on, which will chronicle my thoughts on the rather uninteresting bits of local television, may not interest those not in the Twin Cities, or anyone for that manner. I hope that if I mention something about the Menards guy, people will either know who he is and what I'm talking about, or have some sort of local equivalent that is comprable. If not, my apologies for a potentially very lame series of posts. This is, however, preciesly what I find incredibly interesting, and I'm gonna write about it because, all in all, this blog is here to amuse me. Piss off.]
You know, there is no rule anywhere that says you have to stay an actor your whole life. When people get fired from the logging company, they don't necessarily go back into logging. It may be all you know, but I feel like in the case of acting it's more of a desire to stay famous as opposed to staying employed. Gary Coleman had the right idea. He is now a security guard, and is employed. To continue acting would seem foolish; all he'd ever get are guest spots on Family Guy mocking his previous efforts. You become a joke after a while in the business, why continue? Gary Coleman didn't ever seem like a classically trained Shakespearian actor who was so inspired by the craft that he couldn't imagine giving it up. Mr. Coleman, I'm going to tell you something that you may not have heard before: I respect you. Congratulations on your new vocation, I wish you the very best.
John O'Hurley, take note.
You had a pretty good thing going when Seinfeld was still on the air. You were a mere guest star, one of hundreds, keep in mind, who got popular enough to be brought back several times. You were in 25 episodes and were even incorporated into a few of the main storylines. You were a high point of the series, you added a very humorous element to the show with your unique voice and overly dramatic lines. Many of your phrases became especially memorable parts of the series, for which I'm sure you constantly get recognition from fans on the street. Kudos.
The thing is, though... Seinfeld is over. What was a blessing for many at one time appears to have been a curse in the aftermath. KKKramer is likely to never work again, every spin-off has failed (miserably I might add), and most of the major guest stars have but a ghost on the screen, appearing hear and there to a mostly "Wait, I recognize that guy" reaction. And from, what I've seen, you can't really play much else than Mr. Peterman. Which is fine, as it seems to have gotten you a few jobs from places that want that exact charecter. The issue is though, those people are mainly insurance companies or embarresingly piss-poor animated children's shows. You live off that while you can, but judging from your slow down in work it ain't terribly long. Patrick Wharburton got into voice acting but is able to pull it off because not only does he have a larger range than you do, but he doesn't feel the need to pepper it with on-screen appearances. He has accepted where he fits now, why can't you?
No ill will, obviously, everybody's gotta eat. But fucking Family Feud? Are you really terribly proud to be filling Louie god-damned Anderson's shoes? Jesus, man, hosting Family Feud is just about as sad as it gets. Why do that to yourself? I didn't even know that show was still on the air. You cavort about the screen playing J. Peterman to the umpteenth power, likely supressing your urge to slip a revolver between your tonsils after each episode. C'mon man, how does it feel really to get paid to ask people to name things that dogs can eat? If I ever had to say "Show me Mother-In-Laws!" or whatever the fuck on national television, I would slink home in shame every night to my new best friends, being Jack Daniels and valium. You weren't a big enough star to pull this "falling from the top" shit, man, you could've easily, much much more easily than Jason Alexander or Julia Louis-Dryfus can, simply disappeared into obscurity and never be seen again. Five years down the line from any big hit show, the main charecters get mocked on reference-dependent shows like Family Guy, while the smaller charecters can go on to either bigger and better things or a real job. Why cull up the same tired shit to keep in the public eye? Being on-screen isn't everything, especially if that means being where you are now.
Go get a new job. Do something else that interests you. If acting truly interests you, you can't possibly be interested in Family Feud. I know you're doing Spamalot and potentially fulfilling shit like that, but don't delude yourself. You're in the same boat as Gary: one-note. Accept it and move on. There's nothing wrong with not being in the industry anymore. You are not less of a man, nor does your early work suffer whatsoever, from changing occupations. You may find something new to be far more interesting than acting ever was. There's a world of options out there. Quit digging the fucking hole.
Cuz, come on, Family fucking Feud? Hosting that show causes impotence.
You know, there is no rule anywhere that says you have to stay an actor your whole life. When people get fired from the logging company, they don't necessarily go back into logging. It may be all you know, but I feel like in the case of acting it's more of a desire to stay famous as opposed to staying employed. Gary Coleman had the right idea. He is now a security guard, and is employed. To continue acting would seem foolish; all he'd ever get are guest spots on Family Guy mocking his previous efforts. You become a joke after a while in the business, why continue? Gary Coleman didn't ever seem like a classically trained Shakespearian actor who was so inspired by the craft that he couldn't imagine giving it up. Mr. Coleman, I'm going to tell you something that you may not have heard before: I respect you. Congratulations on your new vocation, I wish you the very best.
John O'Hurley, take note.
You had a pretty good thing going when Seinfeld was still on the air. You were a mere guest star, one of hundreds, keep in mind, who got popular enough to be brought back several times. You were in 25 episodes and were even incorporated into a few of the main storylines. You were a high point of the series, you added a very humorous element to the show with your unique voice and overly dramatic lines. Many of your phrases became especially memorable parts of the series, for which I'm sure you constantly get recognition from fans on the street. Kudos.
The thing is, though... Seinfeld is over. What was a blessing for many at one time appears to have been a curse in the aftermath. KKKramer is likely to never work again, every spin-off has failed (miserably I might add), and most of the major guest stars have but a ghost on the screen, appearing hear and there to a mostly "Wait, I recognize that guy" reaction. And from, what I've seen, you can't really play much else than Mr. Peterman. Which is fine, as it seems to have gotten you a few jobs from places that want that exact charecter. The issue is though, those people are mainly insurance companies or embarresingly piss-poor animated children's shows. You live off that while you can, but judging from your slow down in work it ain't terribly long. Patrick Wharburton got into voice acting but is able to pull it off because not only does he have a larger range than you do, but he doesn't feel the need to pepper it with on-screen appearances. He has accepted where he fits now, why can't you?
No ill will, obviously, everybody's gotta eat. But fucking Family Feud? Are you really terribly proud to be filling Louie god-damned Anderson's shoes? Jesus, man, hosting Family Feud is just about as sad as it gets. Why do that to yourself? I didn't even know that show was still on the air. You cavort about the screen playing J. Peterman to the umpteenth power, likely supressing your urge to slip a revolver between your tonsils after each episode. C'mon man, how does it feel really to get paid to ask people to name things that dogs can eat? If I ever had to say "Show me Mother-In-Laws!" or whatever the fuck on national television, I would slink home in shame every night to my new best friends, being Jack Daniels and valium. You weren't a big enough star to pull this "falling from the top" shit, man, you could've easily, much much more easily than Jason Alexander or Julia Louis-Dryfus can, simply disappeared into obscurity and never be seen again. Five years down the line from any big hit show, the main charecters get mocked on reference-dependent shows like Family Guy, while the smaller charecters can go on to either bigger and better things or a real job. Why cull up the same tired shit to keep in the public eye? Being on-screen isn't everything, especially if that means being where you are now.
Go get a new job. Do something else that interests you. If acting truly interests you, you can't possibly be interested in Family Feud. I know you're doing Spamalot and potentially fulfilling shit like that, but don't delude yourself. You're in the same boat as Gary: one-note. Accept it and move on. There's nothing wrong with not being in the industry anymore. You are not less of a man, nor does your early work suffer whatsoever, from changing occupations. You may find something new to be far more interesting than acting ever was. There's a world of options out there. Quit digging the fucking hole.
Cuz, come on, Family fucking Feud? Hosting that show causes impotence.
posted by MC Harv at 6:44 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home