Matt Drudge is attempting a take-down of Chris Rock
When I heard that Chris Rock would be the host of the upcoming Oscar telecast I said "that's going to be interesting." Rock has been mainstreamed as an actor in various films, in which he has been substantially restrained. But Chris Rock the stand-up comic is who was hired to do the Oscars, and I don't think he's containable in that mode.
If Rock is held back, the audience doesn't get Chris Rock. If the audience gets Chris Rock, it gets the "what the f**k, who the f**k" guy who mixes head-shaking apathy and cynicism with lush obscenity over which network "bleeps" will be a mere fig leaf. Chris Rock is a riot, but the Oscars might be more venue than he needs, just as Rock might be more riot than the Oscars venue can handle.
Matt Drudge has decided to attempt a take-down on Rock, get him knocked off the Oscar hosting gig before it explodes all over America and the world and backs up on Hollywood like an overflowing sewer. Drudge was on the Hannity & Colmes program on Fox last night expressing quizzical wonder about just why the Academy Awards producers thought that Rock was going to be good for the film industry. Was he the right choice for a celebration of the artistry of filmmaking.
Drudge has posted what he thinks is Exhibit A against Rock. It should be interesting. Drudge gets something on the order of ten million hits at his site a day. I get the impression he wants to flex his muscles and show the blogosphere what real clout from cyberspace is all about. Drudge sounded a moral voice, questioning whether Rock's brand of humor, even if contained for the precious Oscar event, deserves reward on a world stage.
He has a point.
If Rock is held back, the audience doesn't get Chris Rock. If the audience gets Chris Rock, it gets the "what the f**k, who the f**k" guy who mixes head-shaking apathy and cynicism with lush obscenity over which network "bleeps" will be a mere fig leaf. Chris Rock is a riot, but the Oscars might be more venue than he needs, just as Rock might be more riot than the Oscars venue can handle.
Matt Drudge has decided to attempt a take-down on Rock, get him knocked off the Oscar hosting gig before it explodes all over America and the world and backs up on Hollywood like an overflowing sewer. Drudge was on the Hannity & Colmes program on Fox last night expressing quizzical wonder about just why the Academy Awards producers thought that Rock was going to be good for the film industry. Was he the right choice for a celebration of the artistry of filmmaking.
Drudge has posted what he thinks is Exhibit A against Rock. It should be interesting. Drudge gets something on the order of ten million hits at his site a day. I get the impression he wants to flex his muscles and show the blogosphere what real clout from cyberspace is all about. Drudge sounded a moral voice, questioning whether Rock's brand of humor, even if contained for the precious Oscar event, deserves reward on a world stage.
He has a point.
Comments
(Given the relatively low viewership numbers for the grammy awards, Rock might have had a point. That aside, hwoever...)
The reactions were mixed along the lines you'd expect, but interested me in that the ones complaining about these comments of Rock's were the ones holding what I thought was a rather self-satisfied silence at the comments of Gldberg and Chase about George W. Bush, pre-election.
Double standard? You betcha.