Debbie:
Earlier this week, it was reported that Ashton Kutcher was close to signing on for another year with Two and a Half Men. That really wasn’t the interesting part of the article, though; a big enough paycheck would take care of that and it wouldn’t be news for very long. Lee Aronsohn, co-creator of the show, happened to make some seriously douchey comments about women-led comedies, like “… we’re approaching peak vagina on television, the point of labia saturation” and, “Enough, ladies. I get it. You have periods.”
Seriously? These degrading comments out of a guy who rides dick jokes all the way to the bank? Is he threatened? What’s the deal?
Bob:
I hope that he was joking here. Even if he was, I’m not sure I see the humor in it, but I can’t imagine that he was actually serious. I’m just not sure why a woman-based show (whatever the heck that even means) should be judged as such. As I see it, a show is either funny or not.
You make a good point about Two and Half Men being so deeply rooted in misogyny and dick jokes. I just don’t get it. Frankly, I found the comments to be baffling and shocking. Is he just looking for some more attention for his own show?
I also find it interesting that he works on the show with Chuck Lorre, who has worked with some of the the biggest female names in sitcom history, including Roseanne, Brett Butler, and Cybill Shepherd.
Debbie:
Right, it’s not even the female bashing that gets me the most (although it’s fairly loathesome) — it’s the innate hypocracy. I could turn his words around completely to have him insulting himself … in fact, I think I will. This will be fun:
You know, I can’t really support all of the male-led comedies on television right now. “Enough gentlemen, I get it … you have hard-ons.” It’s fine that these male-centered comedies have opened up the doors to discuss things formerly taboo on television, but “… we’re approaching peak penis on television, the point of testicular saturation.”
You see? It really doesn’t take much for Aronsohn’s words to mean absolutely nothing.
Bob:
Well, at least he came out and apologized. Well, he tweeted one … well, he tweeted “Yes, yes — it was a stupid joke. I’m sorry.” I mean, I’m assuming he was apologizing for that, but I suppose it’s plausible he could have been apologizing for any number of hawkish overplayed jokes from his own show.
Seriously though, to bash Two and a Half Men feels a little bit hypocritical, or at the very least, stooping down to his level. So, instead, I suggest we take the moral high ground…
There’s room on television and in the hearts and minds of viewers everywhere for all kinds of comedies, even Two and a Half Men. We just need to respect each other and realize that every aspect of life should be laughed at, regardless of the gender, race, or sexual orientation of those being laughed at!
Debbie:
Oh, I completely agree and I don’t support the statements I made — I was just illustrating how silly Aronsohn’s comments sounded, and how easily they could be turned around. Nah, I won’t bash Two and a Half Men … it’s been around for a lot of seasons and has had great success, I have no problems with that.
And I absolutely think we need more laughing with each other and less taking offense at every little thing that could possibly be construed as a slight. What couldn’t, if you’re being defensive? I could tell you that you’ve got a heart of gold and you could interpret that as a dig at your miserly nature, so if that’s the way you view life, no one wins.
Every comedy on the air makes someone laugh, or it wouldn’t have gotten that far. Even According to Jim … did I just ruin that high ground thing we were going for?
Clacked by Debbie McDuffee
on Apr 04, 2012 @ 10:00 EST5EDT
You know, I watched a sex comedy last night where there were more blowjob jokes than I could count, but during the one scene where a girl got the same treatment, the audience literally groaned in disgust. Double standards are lame.
I am as interested in the type of hypothetical comedy he described (If it exists, I couldn’t tell you) as I am in his show and it’s sense of comedy. Bodily function humor, for the most part, is not what I find funny. In fact, it is that same concept that ruined Bridesmaids for me. Crapping into a sink is not funny.
Only one writer/director has ever made me consistently laugh with dick & fart jokes, and that’s Kevin Smith.
Ivey, we agree on something! :O
I’m the same way about bodily function jokes … they’re just not very funny, especially in excess. It is one of the reason why Bridesmaids was just OK to me. I even think Kevin Smith goes too far with the depending on what movie he’s making. I’ll give Blazing Saddles to be the first movie to have a fart gag (as far as I know) and to only have it happen once. Once was enough.