Al's Pals

[sethmartin]

It has already gone on for several days and there is at least two pages of discussion about it already. Why is your arbritary deadline of "several more days" any different than my arbitrary deadline of 'let's start wrapping it up now'? I am not concerned with the discussion about the incident or how Michael Richards is handling it. That fits within the scope of this topic. But when the conversation turns to discussion about Mel Gibson, and this comedian does/says this, and this makes you a racist and this doesn't, as it has, then it's time to end that aspect of the conversation. At that point, it should be taken the World Of Stand-Up Comedy Forum where it belongs. Michael Richards made the comments, not Stanley Spadowski (or Kramer). Not sure what part of "World of "Weird Al" Yankovic Forum" is confusing you, bro, but I'll bold it for emphasis, dude. Geez

First of all, Don't you ever talk down to me in a disrespectful fashion like that again, like I'm too stupid to understand something. You don't know me. And I'm not the biggest Weird Al fan, and I don't have tatoos of the band. And I don't operate a Weird Al forum. But don't think for a minute that because you do, that gives you some weird right to talk down to people and expect them to put up with your cynical crap. And I'm sorry, "bro", but that's how real conversations go. I'm sorry that the world doesn't revolve around Weird Al. Maybe you aren't concerned with certain things, but that doesn't mean other people aren't. I don't really care either what happens to Michael Richards. But it started a conversation that people came to and talked about like friends. And, yeah maybe it got off topic but what difference does it make? When people are tired of talking about it, they'll stop. People were using Mel Gibson as an example because he had a similar episode. The topics of what is and isn't a racist, hey I'm sorry "dude" but those are real issues. Discussing those issues not only let everyone get out their opinion, but it helped everyone get to know each other a little better and it also helped a lot more people understand. Maybe people don't want to take it to another forum. Maybe when they have something to say, they like to say it somewhere where they feel comfortable. Not sure what part of THE WORLD DOESN'T REVOLVE AROUND WEIRD AL is confusing you, bro, but lighten up, dude. Seriously.


Seth
yeah I friggin said it.

[anthontherun]

"THE WORLD DOESN'T REVOLVE AROUND WEIRD AL"

Absolutely true. But this forum does. If a mod says it's getting off topic, just let it go.

[Grom]

I hear Ben Folds' latest video has been out for a while. You can watch the video for "Learn to Live With What You Are" from "SuperSunnySpeedGraphic, The LP" here.

[algonacchick]

I saw that video, Grom. It's pretty good, and it explains the pirate outfit Ben wore when he played that song on Late Night with Conan O'Brien.

[Weirdalfreak27]

I have a question I'm wondering about, and since it's Al pal related, I figured this'd be where it goes.

On another forum I am a part of, we are talking about the controversy with Michael Richards. My feelings on that issue are neither here nor there in regards to my question, so now that I've introduced where this all came from, I'll move right along.

I originally brought up that I could argue that Michael Richards first got serious recognition after his role as Stanley Spadowski in UHF, as his IMDB resume shows mostly random TV show spots, and a couple random forgettable movies before UHF, and AFTER UHF, shows movies like Problem Child, Airheads, and of course, Seinfeld.

It is my contention that UHF may have been a factor as to why Richards was even cast as Kramer on Seinfeld in the first place. UHF was released in the summer of 1989, leading me to believe that filming/production was finished in late '88/early '89 (please experts, correct me if that assumption is wrong).

One thing about movies is that they are sometimes seen by celebrities, and other people in the industry before they are released to the general public. Richards's first appearance on Seinfeld was in the pilot episode (in which he was referred to as "Kessler", later "Kramer"), which, at that point, was called "The Seinfeld Chronicles." The pilot aired July 5th, 1989. The theatrical release date of UHF was July 21st, 1989. UHF was almost assuredly finished by July 5th, if it was going to be released to the general public on July 21st. It is concievable that Jerry Seinfeld or someone else saw Richards in UHF at some sort of private screening before the general public did, and cast him in the pilot episode of what would later be known as Seinfeld. Possible, since television shows take a very short time to record.

At that point, the filming on Problem Child couldn't even be anywhere NEAR being finished (though the contract for it was almost certainly inked before UHF's release, though whether or not filming had started by that time is another matter), and as such, did not have the possibility of being pre-screened by anyone in the same manner that UHF could have been, thus leading me to believe that Problem Child had no effect on whether or not Richards was cast as Kramer.

Does anyone know anything about this, or have any thoughts?

[Mystik Tomato]

That's a good question, WAF27.

I remember seeing a Seinfeld doc/marathon a couple of years ago, and I *think* Richards was cast because he was friends with Jerry or Larry.

Now, I'm not entirely sure wether that's accurate (I may have mixed things up with someone else, etc.) but that's what I remember.


That Ben Folds vid is pretty cool!

[Weirdalfreak27]

Oh, ok. That sort of makes sense, seeing as how show business traditionally goes by the saying: "it's not what you know, it's who you know." I just watch Richards's performance in UHF, and I think that it is remarkably similar to that of the Kramer character from Seinfeld, which is what lead me to believe UHF may have been a factor. Someone sees his zany performance in a pre-screening of UHF, and goes: "Oh, he'd be perfect [for this role in Seinfeld]!"

[Mystik Tomato]

Well, the Stanley performance couldv'e been a factor in it.

[Well, Well, Well]

Man, I forgot he was in Problem Child....

[cody]

He was a regular (hilarious) cast member on Fridays before all that. I'd say that's where he gained recognition.