Martin vs. Moore

Nick, though you may be right that Steve Martin is comedically challenged, another high point of the Oscars was his response to Moore's outburst. It was classy and funny. "It was so sweet backstage, you should have seen it," Martin joked. "The Teamsters were helping Michael Moore into the trunk of his limo."

Comments

[Anonymous]

Nothing you guys have ever written makes me angrier than these pointless jabs at Steve Martin. Yesterday's monologue was given under a lot of stress. His comedy albums remain classics, and his recent plays, novella, and essays are genius.

[geophile]

Some of the jokes were OK. They weren't great, but how much of that material was actually written by Martin himself?

[Anonymous]

Has anyone seen that movie where he tries to be black? The white guy trying to be black routine is only used by desparate washed up comedians.

[Jim N]

In what parallel universe have I landed that the man who did the King Tut sketch and the movies The Jerk and The Man with Two Brains is considered comedically challenged?

As for how much was written by Martin, Dave Barry has a column on the Miami Herald website where he tells the story of his involvement with the writing. There was a full team of writers, although Martin was in charge.

[David]

Nope - Steve Martin never "tried" to be "black" in a movie...you're thinking of C. Thomas Howell in "Soul Man." Now, Steve Martin's character of Navin R. Johnson in "The Jerk" WAS "born a poor black child," but he didn't play the role "black."

Having said that...Steve Martin is one of the few H'wood people who can, at times, make me laugh nearly uncontrollably. Not always, but sometimes. And his novella "Shopgirl" is strangely good...for some reason.

[geophile]

"The white guy trying to be black routine is only used by desparate washed up comedians."

You mean like Warren Beatty? He's no comedian, surely, but washed up? Could be.

[geophile]

Warren Beatty in Bulworth, that is.