The British Are Humorlessness Cranks Who Hate Other People’s Success?

By | Posted on November 10th, 2008
  • Stand-up comedian Danny Bhoy criticizes English audiences for their humorlessness: “In England they’ve got no time for comedy,” he said. “They don’t laugh at all. They have no muscles in their faces. So they just stare blankly with their dead, cold eyes.” That could be a symptom of humorlessness, yes, but it is also common response when something just isn’t funny. Maybe Oh Danny Bhoy can’t tell the difference?But whatever Danny Bhoy may lack in “LOL,” he sure makes up in purty.
  • Ricky Gervais says he feels more comfortable in the U.S. because we embrace the rich and famous: “I actually feel more normal here. In America, success is celebrated. America knows the difference between a reality show and De Niro. In England it’s: ‘You? Success can’t happen to a person like you!’”(Daily Mail)
  • French footballer David Ginola has a different perspective from Ricky’s: “England is a country of opportunity and money seems to be more important for you. If you have money you will buy a Bentley and a nice house and you don’t care – success makes you a leader. But in France if you drive a Bentley people assume you must have stolen the money from somewhere.” (Telegraph)
  • Steve Coogan says he’d love to bring Alan Partridge back to TV, but he likes proving he can be successful in other roles. “The more that that happens, the more I get endorsements for other things, especially work in America. The more I do that, the more likely I am to come back and do something with Alan because then it becomes something I do because I want to, not because I have to. I’ve got plenty of ideas of what I might do with him but I’m keeping them on the backburner until I decide what I should do.”(BBC)
  • French & Saunders bid adieu after 30 years.(Daily Mail)
  • Some lucky kids get a behind-the-scenes look at Doctor Who and Torchwood.(BBC)
  • Franz Ferdinand guitarist Nick McCarthy explains why recording sessions with producer Brian Higgins (of Xenomania) didn’t work out: “We thought it’d be great to collaborate with a total ‘pop’ producer but we realized pretty quickly that it’s not our world; we’re not really a ‘pop’ band.”(NME)
  • Divorce makes Madonna cough.(The Sun)
  • X Factor judge Cheryl Cole was “incandescent with rage” (!) after Louis Walsh voted off her favorite contestant, Laura White.(The Sun)
  • The Daily Mail “exposes” Cheryl Cole‘s family: “While Cheryl is personally dressed by fashion designer Matthew Williamson, Gillian (who recently gave birth to a baby boy named, rather colourfully, Keric) lives in frayed jeans and tracksuits accessorized by gaudy jewelery which owes more to Argos than Tiffany. Indeed, the one thing the sisters have in common is a track record of appearing in court charged with brawling in public. But Cheryl’s and Gillian’s convictions pale into insignificance when compared with the track record of their brother, Andrew, an alcoholic glue-sniffer who has clocked up more than 50 court appearances and spent a third of his life behind bars.”
  • The Mirror celebrates naked sports stars.
  • The UK top 10 chart has been invaded by divas – Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Leona Lewis, and Alesha Dixon all have debuts this week – but none of them had the power to knock the X Factor charity single out of the top spot.

    1. X Factor Finalists – Hero
    Watch the video

    2. Beyoncé – If I Were A Boy
    Watch the video
    Beyoncé - If I Were a Boy - Single - If I Were a Boy Download Beyoncé’s “If I Were a Boy”

    3. Girls Aloud – The Promise
    Watch the video

    4. Britney Spears – Womanizer
    Watch the video
    Britney Spears - Womanizer - Single - Womanizer Download Britney Spears’ “Womanizer”

    5. Leona Lewis – Forgive Me
    Watch the video
    Leona Lewis - Spirit (Deluxe Version) - Forgive Me Download Leona Lewis’ “Spirit”

    6. Guru Josh Project – Infinity 2008
    Watch the video
    Guru Josh Project - Infinity 2008 - EP - Infinity 2008 Download Guru Josh Project’s “Infinity 2008″

    7. Katy Perry – Hot ‘N’ Cold
    Watch the video
    Katy Perry - One of the Boys - Hot N Cold Download Katy Perry’s “Hot ‘N’ Cold”

    8. Alesha Dixon – The Boy Does Nothing
    Watch the video

    9. Alicia Keys & Jack White – Another Way To Die
    Watch the video
    Jack White & Alicia Keys - Another Way to Die (From "Quantum of Solace") - Single - Another Way to Die Download Alicia Keys & Jack White’s “Another Way To Die”

    10. Pink – So What
    Watch the video
    P!nk - So What - Single - So What Download Pink’s “So What?”

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