Solonor's Inkwell

Granted, this is from the perspective of a British audience and presented in a poll by the UK version of TV Guide (I have resisted the “Massive Heroes Spoiler!” link there), but the Radio Times says that David Tennant is the coolest man on television:

1. Doctor Who (David Tennant)
2. Jack Bauer in 24 (Kiefer Sutherland)
3. The Fonz in Happy Days (Henry Winkler)
4. Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice (Colin Firth)
5. Cat in Red Dwarf (Danny John-Jules)
6. DCI Gene Hunt in Life On Mars (Philip Glenister)
7. Dermot O’Leary
8. Columbo (Peter Falk)
9. Dylan in The Magic Roundabout
10.Sawyer in Lost (Josh Holloway)

I do have to quibble that Cat is way cooler than The Fonz, but other than that, it’s kinda nice to see the media admit that Doctor Who is cool.

Meanwhile, when I went to look at the Radio Times site and it was down, I took a peek at the Wikipedia article on Radio Times, which led me to this nifty site with vintage Radio Times covers and a page with all of the Doctor Who covers (the show with the most RT covers ever).

Blurf is now all uppity and official as the Henrietta blogger for the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. You should click over there, because they like it when you do that. And Pete is a really good guy.

Of course, right of the bat, I have to disagree with Pete about the Lisa Lampanelli brouhaha. (Go read the article, then come back.) I’m not a huge fan of hers, but I do appreciate ironic and satiric comedy a great deal. I love All in the Family and South Park. Stephen Colbert is my hero.

One of the funniest things ever written is Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal for preventing the children of poor people in Ireland, from being a burden on their parents or country, and for making them beneficial to the publick:

I shall now therefore humbly propose my own thoughts, which I hope will not be liable to the least objection.

I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricasie, or a ragoust.

The problem is that there’s a fine line between satire, sarcasm and wit and just plain mean. For example, I can’t stand Howard Stern. He may be doing satire, or he may just be appealing to the lowest common denominator. Doesn’t matter. It doesn’t come off well in my ears.

Lisa Lampanelli is kinda like that. I don’t get the sense that she’s more concerned with changing the minds of bigots than with getting a cheap laugh. That may be due to my lack of paying attention, or it may just be the way it strikes my ear. In any case, I don’t think that getting over-excited about a comedian’s act–no matter how it strikes you–is worth hauling out the “ban” word.

Save it for the offensive speech of people who aren’t (theoretically) in it for the laughs…