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Top Gear.....US version
- Thread starter bgbassplyr
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bgbassplyr said:
Amen.
Unfortunately it's exactly what I'd expected. Even the promos were lousy.
The comments on History Channel's own forum are less than nice (and frankly some of it really shouldn't be repeated on BCF), but some of the new name suggestions for the show were funny: missed gear, dropped gear, stripped gear, 3 idiots and cars, and "dude, cars are cool".
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Well I did get a chance to watch it and was surprised at how the entire program could have been done with the UK cast and no one might be the wiser. I eventually dragged up my memory of who Adam Ferraro is. He's a fire chief on on the "Rescue Me" show. I think if they could get some interesting cast members it would be worth watching. I'll keep watching unless I get the feeling I'm being pandered to.
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OK, <span style="text-decoration: underline">Top gear US</span> is not <span style="text-decoration: underline">Top Gear UK</span> and probably never will be.
I've been a Top Gear fan for years and thought the US version would be crap.
However, I've watched the first two episodes and was somewhat amused and entertained.
I'm probably easily amused and entertained so it wasn't painful to watch. They kept most of the format intact, almost identically duplicated at least one of the challenges as well as the studio set, even the way they photograph the cars is nearly identical. I think if we give them time and let them know we think there are more interesting, knowlegable and humorous hosts we would prefer to see, the production company might listen. Adam Ferraro is the best of the three. I think Dennis Leary would be better than Rutledge or Tanner. Also remember, Jeremy, by his own admission has never in his life held a spanner, Richard while funny is as dumb as a post and Captain Slow, is as close to a rocket scientist as you can get. How can you really try to match a team like that?
But here's the deal, US humor is crap, and has been for years. I try watching SNL or the Comedy Central Channel and am left wanting to laugh. What Americans want is <span style="text-decoration: underline">Jack Ass </span>humor and America's funniest videos. Americans don't think anything is funny unless someone takes a shot to the crotch. Thank god the rest of the world can appreciate a well turned phrase. Can't US production companies find presenters with vocabularies that are not limited to cool, wow, awesome and dude? What makes UK humor so good is the enormous vocabulary of the the UK audience. True enough, I don't get about 1/4 of the pop and political references they make but that didn't make Monty Python or Faulty Towers less funny. I bet they could have made a Top Gear Canada and it would have been better, but too polite, eh. And one other thing, if <span style="text-decoration: underline">Top Gear US </span>tried to launch a Pinto into space, I'm sure it would get there. End of rant and ramble.
I've been a Top Gear fan for years and thought the US version would be crap.
However, I've watched the first two episodes and was somewhat amused and entertained.
I'm probably easily amused and entertained so it wasn't painful to watch. They kept most of the format intact, almost identically duplicated at least one of the challenges as well as the studio set, even the way they photograph the cars is nearly identical. I think if we give them time and let them know we think there are more interesting, knowlegable and humorous hosts we would prefer to see, the production company might listen. Adam Ferraro is the best of the three. I think Dennis Leary would be better than Rutledge or Tanner. Also remember, Jeremy, by his own admission has never in his life held a spanner, Richard while funny is as dumb as a post and Captain Slow, is as close to a rocket scientist as you can get. How can you really try to match a team like that?
But here's the deal, US humor is crap, and has been for years. I try watching SNL or the Comedy Central Channel and am left wanting to laugh. What Americans want is <span style="text-decoration: underline">Jack Ass </span>humor and America's funniest videos. Americans don't think anything is funny unless someone takes a shot to the crotch. Thank god the rest of the world can appreciate a well turned phrase. Can't US production companies find presenters with vocabularies that are not limited to cool, wow, awesome and dude? What makes UK humor so good is the enormous vocabulary of the the UK audience. True enough, I don't get about 1/4 of the pop and political references they make but that didn't make Monty Python or Faulty Towers less funny. I bet they could have made a Top Gear Canada and it would have been better, but too polite, eh. And one other thing, if <span style="text-decoration: underline">Top Gear US </span>tried to launch a Pinto into space, I'm sure it would get there. End of rant and ramble.
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equiprx said:
<rant on> Amen to that. Some friends of mine say something like "European movies tell stories; American movies have big explosions."
Oversimplifying indeed, but I sure agree with the premise. If you watch the movie Idiocracy, you see an alarming number of "conjectures for the future" (emphasis on simplicity, sex, cheap thrills, advertising, "intelligence = bad", etc.) that are actually popping up all over the place these days. Just watch TV from 7pm to 10pm. Yikes.
Anyway, if we continue to show our kids that "owning more stuff and having more fun" is the ultimate goal, and that answering multiple-choice questions is education, then we'll continue down the slippery slope in the descent that we're already on.
<rant off>
Tom