If you haven't already - give some money for Red Nose Day. But that's not what this post is all about. I'm sitting here watching the evening's entertainment on the BBC (very good as it is - who'd of thought Tony Blair would make such a good partner in a comic sketch to Catherine Tate..."Am I bovered?") and have just watch a sketch by Ricky Gervais based arround him faking a visit to Africa to help awarness for the charity. Various other famous people joined in (Jamie Oliver, Bono, Bob Geldof) and were convinced it's a better idea than actually going to Africa as it raises their profile.
Now although this is a fairly funny sketch with it's ironic twist on those famous celebs motives, my only problem is (again) with Ricky Gervais' part in this. As usual he's relying on the joke that he's doing the charity thing for the wrong reasons, which is OK, but I've yet to see him do anything for the right reasons first. To make that sort of sketch you need to earn the right first by being seen to do something first like going out to Africa and experiencing it first hand. The rest of them have put in the hours doing something for others, have made the effort to make a difference. Mr Gervais has "appeared" at charity events without being paid..gee whiz!...If I earned what he did, one night without pay in return for the airtime on TV wouldn't be to much of a burden.
Don't get me wrong, I have no idea if Ricky Gervais gives any money to charity or not. And I don't know if he does anything off camera either, but being in the public eye as he is I just think that he needs to make some form of serious comment on his commitment before continuing to, apparantly, join in for "the laughs".
Now although this is a fairly funny sketch with it's ironic twist on those famous celebs motives, my only problem is (again) with Ricky Gervais' part in this. As usual he's relying on the joke that he's doing the charity thing for the wrong reasons, which is OK, but I've yet to see him do anything for the right reasons first. To make that sort of sketch you need to earn the right first by being seen to do something first like going out to Africa and experiencing it first hand. The rest of them have put in the hours doing something for others, have made the effort to make a difference. Mr Gervais has "appeared" at charity events without being paid..gee whiz!...If I earned what he did, one night without pay in return for the airtime on TV wouldn't be to much of a burden.
Don't get me wrong, I have no idea if Ricky Gervais gives any money to charity or not. And I don't know if he does anything off camera either, but being in the public eye as he is I just think that he needs to make some form of serious comment on his commitment before continuing to, apparantly, join in for "the laughs".
Name: GreedyGreen
3 comments:
Strangely enough I found myself feeling uncomfortable during that sketch. I didn't really feel I should be laughing at it.
It that concept that allows a black guy to make jokes relying on a black stereotype. Permission is inferred by the comic to laugh with him without offense. In the same way had it just been Bob Geldof and Jamie Oliver, doing the sketch, it probably wouldn't have felt anywhere near as uncomfortable as they have done their apprenticeship in Charity Work so we know it is "only" a joke. Ricky Gervais has never been seen to do the charity work in the first place, but at every charity event I have seen him at he is getting a laugh from a synical self centered "act". As we haven't seen anything other than that "act" there's nothing to show us it isn't actually for real. It's like watching Bernard Manning make black jokes...these days it just makes you wince...
Totally agree, its bizarre the one thing which may have made that sketch "work" and I was half expecting it, would have been a cut away at the end to reveal that all the celebs were actually in a real hut in Africa identical to the studio set and then do a serious piece to camara, but it never happened.
Post a Comment