I'll Take Great Satire for $500, Alex

So this little news story filled me with glee this morning.

Apparently Michael Starr, distinguished writer for the New York Post, wrote a diatribe attacking Ken Jennings (he of Jeopardy fame who pwned the game for so long) for a post on his blog supposedly attacking the very show that brought him fame and fortune. But, of course, the whole post was done toungue firmly in cheek, so the fact that Starr was so ruffled by it is not only baffling but downright silly.

I had been to Ken Jennings's site previously and had read a few of his blog entries. They are always witty and light-hearted, so I don't understand why Michael Starr was so confused at the post's intent.

And I think my extra interest in the article stems from personal reasons: one, I absolutely loved Jeopardy as a kid, watched it almost every night, so while I admire the show I can see how ripe it is for loving ridicule. Two, a girl I know from High School and who Elicia knows from the theater department has written some deliciously satirical letters to the editor for our own local paper, and the responses were priceless in their ignorance. It amazes me how satire can be so misconstrued. I myself have occasionally misinterpreted satire, but when done right, as Ken and this girl did impeccably, there should be no mistake as to the humor behind the message.

Here is a part of his blog entry, to give you an example of the satire in question, where he pokes fun at the categories used on Jeopardy:

::

First up, the categories. Maybe when Art Fleming was alive, America just couldn’t get enough clues about “Botany” and “Ballet” and “The Renaissance,” but come on. Does every freaking category have to be some effete left-coast crap nobody’s heard of, like “Opera,” or, um, “U.S. History” or whatever? I mean, wake me up when you come up with something that middle America actually cares about. I think it would rule if, just one time, Alex had to read off a board like:

* PlayStation
* The Arby’s 5-for-$5.95 Value Menu
* Reality TV
* Men’s Magazines
* Skanks from Reality TV Who Got Naked in Men’s Magazines
* Potpourri

::

I mean, come on, isn't that funny? "Left-coast crap like. . . U.S. History" is rather clever. And the comments about Trebbek as a robot/cyborg and the swarming bees made me laugh too. It's the same type of humor employed by Dave Barry (I miss your columns, Dave!), but doesn't have "Humor Column" stamped all over it. Aren't you supposed to be able to poke fun of the things you love best? If people at SNL can poke fun at Trebek, surely Ken, who loves the game, is allowed a shot.

Is this a reflection of our super-serius times, in which people must take offense at the drop of a hat and lose all sense of humor? I don't know, but really, Michael Starr should have seen this for what it is immediately. Unless his article is, in its own sly way, creating satire over a non issue?

No, no it is not.

I was hoping the New York Post would write a correction in their paper along these lines:

"Dear Readers, we apologize that Michael Starr has the sense of humor of a soiled paper bag. Ken Jenning's post was obviously satire, as we are sure our intelligent readers figured out if they bothered to read Mr Jennings' original post. Mr. Starr will be returning to school this fall to retake English 1010 and learn about this "satire" stuff that the kids are so into today."

But alas, no such luck. Instead we get a new letter from another Post writer, basically defending her colleague with the argument that Ken's sense of humor is so bizarre that it is easy to misunderstand.

Then she blasts him for poking fun at them for not getting his post. Oh New York Post staffers, just admit you obviously have no sense of humor, screwed up royally, and be done with it! Taking the high road for a mistake may be bitter, but it is the right and classy thing to do. A major publication should know better.

I got Ken's humor very well and thoroughly enjoyed it. But that could be for two reasons: 1) I am a woman who loves intelligent humor that makes you think, and 2) like Ken I am Mormon (yikes, can't believe I am admitting my religion on this blog), and as all Mormons know we have the wierdest, quirkiest sense of humor on the planet. So between the two Ken is my new hero.

::

Saw My Super Ex-Girlfriend over the weekend. I surprised myself by actually liking it, a lot. I thought the writing was smart and mostly funny (but again with the gratuitous sex jokes, sigh,) the plot moved along in a nice, sensical manner for such a bizarre storyline, and that the acting was great on all sides. Uma, Rainn and Eddie all made great characters that the straight actors played well against.

And as we learned in the Pirates of the Caribbean writing commentary (did anyone read that post? Anyone?), you have to take a great idea "lemon" and squeeze all the juice you can out of it. And I think, especially with the ending plot twists, that they did this rather well.

And the costumes of G-Girl are to die for; finally someone (Uma, I read) has taken into account that superheroine costumes can be classy yet stunningly lovely and somewhat reealistic for actual fighting. She is still wearing stupidly high heels, tsk. But I will concede that argument on account that high heels are a stubborn aesthetic staple of the superhero genre that refuses to die, and that the rest of the costume choices well made up for it.

My largest complaint about the movie centers around the underutilization of Eddie Izzard, one of my newly minted fave comedians. (Yes, Meliss, you did a good job in converting me!) His standup routine in which he is the king of the humorous yet intelligent ramble is superb. So the fact that he didn't get free reign to do his schtick as other (less funny) comedians get to do in their movies saddened me. (He did get some great lines in though; I am still laughing at the Switzerland one.) But perhaps he chose to reign it in himself to be true to the character he was playing; if so I admire him all the more.

Haven't seen Lady in the Water yet, because I am poor yet saw Pirates twice this month, and because have had little time to fit movies in my life. (Night, I still love you I promise!) But hope to see it soon, and Devil wears Prada before it exits the cheap theaters. Already missed seeing Tokyo Drift before it left, but am not too cut up about that.