Have you been watching the "100 Most Unexpected TV Moments" on TV Land? Here's the list of all 100 moments.
If you're not up-to-date on episodes of "The Sopranos," do not look at #56. And avoid #18 if you're not up-to-date on "Six Feet Under."
#45 made me cry! I am such a sap for certain 60s retro things. Actually, two things made me cry. One was Sonny and Cher getting back together to sing "I Got You Babe" on Letterman. The other was the interview part with modern-day Cher. Why did she ruin her face? (Won't the day come when puffed-out collagen-lips will seem as incomprehensible as giant shoulder pads?)
#42, James Stockdale: It's hard to believe it's not Phil Hartman playing James Stockdale, but that's really him, saying "Who am I? Why am I here?"
They keep showing teasers for #17: "Yolanda Bowersley, come on down!" We laughed hysterically for minutes when we saw that "Price Is Right" moment. Yolanda scampers down the steps, all excited, and the scampering makes her tube top fall down. You have to see it, maybe, to know how funny it is, but I'm laughing out loud just typing this. Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" comes in at #4, but I'm sorry, Yolanda Bowersley has it all over Ms. Jackson.
There's not much news or politics on the list -- by design -- but the Dean scream makes it to #7. To get to the next "most unexpected" political things, you've got to go all the way down to #21 (Walter Cronkite's "It seems now more certain than ever that the bloody experience of Vietnam is to end in a stalemate") and #22 ( Lloyd Bentsen's "you are no Jack Kennedy").
Anyway, cool show. I love this kind of TV.
December 9, 2005
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
18 comments:
Re: #42, I remmember Dennis Miller's comments on Stockdale
"The reason he had to turn his hearing aid on at that debate is because those f***ing animals knocked his eardrums out when he wouldn't spill his guts. He teaches philosophy at Stanford University, he's a brilliant, sensitive, courageous man. And yet he committed the one unpardonable sin in our culture: he was bad on television.
"Somewhere out there Paddy Chayefsky must be laughing his ass off. ..."
SW: The TV Land show does cover the facts about Stockdale and is not unkind to him. They handled it well. I must say that I saw the original debate and liked Stockdale's approach, at least at first. He was genuinely stating the questions people had about him. But the style of presentation was just too shaky for TV, and it was vastly lampoonable.
Sounds fun. Is there a link?
Mark, yeah the William F. Buckley/Gore Vidal clash was hilarious. I was acting it out at a bar to my friends (because that's how cool I am!):
"The debate was going well until Vidal called Buckley a 'crypto-nazi' to which Buckley relied, 'Shut up you goddamn queer or I'll punch you in the mouth'". Of course one of those moments of silence where everyone coincedentially quiets had occured so there's my voice booming out a hate crime all over the bar. A girl actually spun around and glared at me.
Their #98 makes me think they don't actually watch BSG.
"98 NEW BATTLESTAR GALACTICA SEASON SHOCKER: In the season one finale of Battlestar Galactica, Lt. Sharon "Boomer" Valerii, is revealed to be a Cylon (the enemy robots), and shoots Commander William Adama."
It was a really shocking episode but we're known that Boomer was a Cylon for a while now. There were many other shockers in that episode like Adama arresting the President, his son being thrown in jail, Starbuck stealing the Cylon fighter and finding the other Boomer, Baltar being shot down over Kobol and finding out he's going to have kids with a Cylon etc etc. Of course, I haven't seen season 2, so I really don't know how this is resolved.
Ann: I didn't see the TV Land show and don't disagree that it was unexpected to see a candidate speak candidly. I think it is good to remind people who Admiral Stockdale was and why Perrot chose him as a running mate.
I thought Dennis Miller's comments were more unexpected. In a time when it was very fasionable to mock Stockdale I was astounded to see Miller come to his defense so forcefully. This was back before Dennis Miller was anything more than a cynical Jon Stewart type.
Unless I missed it somewhere on the list, I think they should have included the moment on LA Law where Rosalind Shays steps into the elevator and plunges to her death.
SW: I like that Dennis Miller rant too.
Truly... The '70s were a wild wooly on TV. Even though there is more "smut" or violence on TV it's scripted and controlled and sanctioned.
Politicians, et al are more scripted and polished too.
Was the shooting of Lee Harvey Oswald listed? Perhaps a bit dark for TV Land.
Yep, terrible stupid list.
After seeing what happened to Big Pussy, what about #56 was unexpected in any manner?
And the Dean Scream as #7? A complete victory of overly hyped shallow manipulation over substance. Ann, above you said you didn't like being manipulated.
Were it not for a few weird exceptions - the Buckley/Vidal confrontation, the Dean scream - you'd have to write it off as being the 100 most unexpected moments in light entertainment TV. Within that premise, this list would be arguable, but okay. But if you're going to include actual serious stuff - and they do - then the list is absurd. Lee Harvey Oswald, the moon landing, the world trade center, to name but three. In the end, the can't decide what they want the list to be, serious or lighthearted, and it ends up being impossible to take as either.
Hmm, I think maybe some of us are taking this a bit too seriously-- after all, this is just another show from the "100 most awesomely bad reality show bloopers" genre....
Did anyone else notice that 3 of the top 10 were '80s prime time series using the "It was all a dream!" gimmick? I am not sure what deeper meaning that may have.
Regarding Townleybomb's comment:
"Did anyone else notice that 3 of the top 10 were '80s prime time series using the "It was all a dream!" gimmick? I am not sure what deeper meaning that may have."
It means we are all about to wake up and realize the past 20 years have been a dream. If you take back anything remember, "buy microsoft now, sell in 99, buy microsoft now, sell in 99, buy microsoft now, sell in 99. . . ."
Vice presidential debates have never really been worth a damn, but I was always surprised at how unnecessarily nasty Bentsen's comment was. It was a righteous slapdown, but kind of put Bentsen out in Bob Dole-land. Wonder if he ever regretted it.
On not including Oswald, etc., they do take a lot of trouble to define the category, and it's pretty clear that news things are excluded except the funny kind of surprising stuff. Uh... and Walter Cronkite... or ... whatever.
Verification word: aichytv
Achy Breaky TV
We're worlds away in intelligence and education - you having the much higher; but we are in near lock-step on loving TV moments.
I must say I'm still saddened by Sonny & Cher breaking up and little Chastity in the middle. I always wanted them to get back together.
Cher has done a number on herself, facially. I wish she hadn't. And the tube top speaks for itself. Now that was spontaneous!
I don't think Miller's reaction was a purely partisan response. And, if anything, it was an anti-Quayle missile.
Regarding Townleybomb's comment:
"Did anyone else notice that 3 of the top 10 were '80s prime time series using the "It was all a dream!" gimmick? I am not sure what deeper meaning that may have."
It means we are all about to wake up and realize the past 20 years have been a dream. If you take back anything remember, "buy microsoft now, sell in 99, buy microsoft now, sell in 99, buy microsoft now, sell in 99. . . ."
Hey, well what do you know-- you were right! I woke up this morning and Meredith Baxter-Birney was lying right there beside me! It was kind of confusing, to be honest, since I've never met the woman before in my life, but she seems nice enough.
Also, I'm typing this on an Atari 800 XL, so things are a bit garbled-- you said to sell Microsoft now and buy Enron in '99 right? DONE AND DONE!
Fancy, Fancy, I only have a plain old Atari 800. (still a great keyboard).
Let me try again, When you awake try and remember one thing "In the Superbowl Bet against Buffalo..., Bet against Buffalo..., Bet against Buffalo...)
(I bet for them (no spread) four times in my dreams, maybe I'll get it right after I wake up)
(This sleepstate suggestion is tricky business)
Oh and I'm against all list (except the ones I make)
Post a Comment