The Oppenheimer Report -7/19/10

I begin this week’s report with a discussion about the use of profanity in comedy, and I expect it will be a real page turner. The fact that this report is only one page long might be a problem. Sometimes I like to watch a cable show called “Penn and Teller: Bullsh#t”, and you may have seen the show, or perhaps you’ve seen their comedic magic act. Penn is the big outspoken guy and Teller is the ever silent little guy, sort of a latter day Harpo Marx. The “Bullsh#t” show is essentially Penn humorously debunking various myths, beliefs, ideologies, etc. on every subject from teen sex to UFO’s, and I think his rant is very entertaining. The problem is, Penn tends to be extremely profane, and I imagine that turns a lot of people off the show. I caught a roundtable discussion of comedians in which Penn was a participant, and he said he gets a lot of hate mail about the show. He said that he’d be perfectly willing to read it if any of the plaintiffs had actually watched the show. People pass judgment on the profanity and then fail to recognize that there is a smart, funny show at the core. Tom Smothers of the Smothers Brothers was one of the other comedians in the roundtable, and it was surprising to listen to him swearing, A LOT. There are a lot of really funny comedians who employ profanity in their act, Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor come to mind, but somehow, hearing Tom Smothers swear is unnatural. It’s a little like Mr. Rogers starring in a porn flick. I guess I’m just as bad as the people complaining about Penn, because I’m letting my pre-existing impressions of Smothers affect my judgment about him. Profanity is creative choice, but it’s a tricky decision in comedy. When it works it really works, but when it doesn’t, it can really turn the audience off. I think Chris Rock is hilarious, and he’s frequently profane in his act. Pryor used profanity to give him that angry edge that made him so funny. I watched a Robin Williams special the other night, post heart surgery, and he was uncharacteristically profane. He’s always sworn in his act, but for some reason, in this special he was uncharacteristically profane, and nowhere near as funny to me. I think Williams is one of the most spontaneous, hilarious comedians on the planet, but the swearing  threw me off. By the way, it’s not as if I don’t swear a lot, I do. Another guy I can’t imagine relying on profanity in his act is Jerry Seinfeld. Anyhow, maybe I’m becoming a “prude”. F-ck it.


In the news, apparently BP has finally capped the 84+ day old oil spew in the Gulf, and now the big question is, will it hold? The pressure on the cap is enormous (well over 6000 PSI) and there is concern that it might rupture at some other less accessible point before the relief wells can be dug. I wonder, how could there be a less accessible point? This excavation goes down something like 17,000 feet below sea level. The fact that methane has been detected near the location of the rupture can’t be a good sign. I see that our illustrious Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has committed $7.5 Billion in American financial aid to Pakistan over next five years. Of course none of that money is not to be used for military purposes, but presumably it is to buy Pakistan’s acceptance of a U.S. presence in their country. Who do they think they are, General Motors? For that kind of money, you’d think they could throw us a bone, perhaps one belonging to Bin Bombin’. And speaking of Islam, did I understand correctly, they’re going to build an Islamic centre/ mosque blocks away from the site of Ground Zero in NYC? In a perfect world perhaps that wouldn’t be a problem, and I am aware of the fact that the overwhelming majority of Muslims are non-radical, peaceful, law-abiding citizens. Nevertheless, in light of the raw emotion associated with the World Trade Centre tragedy, that development just seems like a bad idea. President Obama just announced that he may be extending unemployment insurance benefits because so many Americans still haven‘t been able to find gainful employment. I wonder how Wall Street is doing … and how’s that almost trillion dollar bailout working for you? Spoiled actress Lindsey Lohan is going to the “big house” for a little Hollywood time out. Ninety days (she’ll probably only do 20) … big deal. Relax Lindsey, all the celebrity brats are doing it. As for her protestations that the judge who sentenced her was unfair, get real girl. Ask Sammy Davis Jr. about what’s fair; he was a Black Jew in the music industry, back in the 1950’s, and you never heard him complain. Book her Danno. Hey Linds, do your time and keep your nose clean you little twit. Finally, in the “I-can’t-believe-yet-another-professional-athlete-is-being-overpaid” department, NHL hockey star Ilya Kovalchuk just signed a 17-year contract to play for the NJ Devils. His salary … $102 Million. Beats breaking rocks een old country, eh? I wonder how much Bobby Orr got paid.

Come to think of it, I’m seeing a growing justification for the use of profanity in our society; there do seem to be an increasing number of a**holes out there!

Written by Jamie Oppenheimer c2010 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED