Deadspin
As we mentioned a couple of weeks ago, to keep the comments as fresh and outstanding as they've been up to this point, we've commissioned Commenting Guru Rob Iracane to write a bi-weekly Comment Ombudsman column. It runs every other Monday. This is that Monday.
Mr. Iracane is the guy who approves and deletes comments around here, and the fellow to whom you should address any comment account requests, and he will explore issues involved in commenting, what makes a great comment thread, what's working, what isn't, answer your questions, so on. We want the place to continue to be as much fun as it is every day, and it's not an execution thread like our friends at Gawker do. We like to be inclusive here, because if we're not, we'd be forced to rely on our own wit and knowledge, and that's a scary thought indeed.
So here's this week's column, about the right and wrong times to toss in a movie reference, and how, and which movies ... after the jump. Of course, don't be afraid to let him have it in the comments.
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As commenters, one of our most powerful tools is the Pop Culture Reference. It has the power to either arouse our sense of humor or assault our sense of good taste. Rarely does a thread pass without a quote from some cinematic touchstone of comedic genius or a mention of something that Dwight did on The Office last week. This is a good thing; sports are pop culture and pop culture is sports (also, basketball IS jazz). So what's the best approach to dropping a hot PCR?
Try something highbrow but don't get too obscure. When Suss— references Citizen Kane, we all laugh because he's not reaching:
Suss—: "NO SPOILERS PLEASE."
Rosebud was the name of his sled.
Yet when Rob Iracane directly quotes The Third Man seemingly out of nowhere, readers everywhere scratch their heads. Context, Rob, context. This isn't existentialism.
Still, if no one recognizes your PCR, don't get upset. There are thousands of folks scanning these posts and hopefully you made a few of them chuckle. There's no reason for our friend The Man with No Name to complain on the televised golf wagering post:
The Man with No Name:Come on people! A caddyshack reference! That's gold!
Caddyshack references are gold, The Man with No Name. But use them sparingly and wisely on posts about actual golf, or else we'll get a Movie Quote Avalanche.
Which brings up my final point: no more fucking Anchorman quotes. The next person to say the words 'whale's vagina' gets the boot.
So, how can you become a better referencer of pop culture? Let me help you with some of my favorite sources of entertainment. Music is a very personal choice; I can't make you listen to Elvis Costello if you're a Pussycat Dolls fan. Television is very time-consuming; I can't ask you to go back and watch six seasons of "The Sopranos" (but if you haven't been watching all along, what's wrong with you?). However, movies require very little investment of time and are frequently shown on
television for free! Here are seven 20th century films that are both culturally enriching and inimitably quotable:
Sleeper
Dr. Strangelove
Goodfellas
Duck Soup
Chinatown
Pulp Fiction
Caddyshack
Honestly, anything and everything in the Woody Allen oeuvre is rewarding. Even a garbage movie like Celebrity is enjoyable to see the trainwreck that is Kenneth Branagh playing the Woody role. What does this all have to do with sports? It's up to you to make the connection. Pop culture IS sports.
Comments
Yes! Thank you. Anchorman sucks. It's not funny. It's a comedic bastard of market research. Let's stop letting Will Ferrell (who is one of the funniest people on the planet) be the same dude over and over and over
I can't wait for someone who doesn't read this to reference Anchorman.
(Wait that's not an Anchorman reference, is it???)
Comedy pyramid here we come!!
That's gold, Jerry! Gold!
sorry couldn't resist
So, are Simpsons references still cool? Because that's 95% of my posts here.
You've got a dirty whorish mouth
@Spectacular Sam: If we make really meta jokes about what would be the funniest Anchorman references for someone to make, thinking that their reference would go over well, I think we'd have a solid pyramid, but I'm not going first, in case nobody understands the layers
"Don't think Meat, it'll only hurt the team"
You're so wise, Rob. You're like a miniature Buddha, covered in hair.
@throwbot: I think it's all about the rarity of the quote. Anybody can drag out the same old tired one, again and again.
'whale's vagina'
It's been a great ride. I'll miss each and every one of you in your own special way.
...i.e., Luis Sojo Jr.'s reference was a bad choice
Well, if it isn't funny to Rob, then by all means....
Is it a sin to reference myself?
Erroneous.
People know me.
So we can't quote Anchorman but Denton can fatten his coffers by advertising a t-shirt company that plagiarizes the movie? Seems fair.
Shall we say pistols at dawn?
But what if you are a fan of generally humorless independent and foreign films?
The last time I was in Pittsburgh, I saw a gag t-shirt with a Chargers logo on it. The text beside it? "Whale's Vagina."
I chortled.
It's assess, not ASSes. You put the emphASIS on the wrong sylLABle.
so, no more reference to "the balls"?
This is probably trite, but I can't ever get enough of Alec Baldwin in "Glengarry Glenn Ross."
@MDT: actually, Rob's not that hairy.
Wait, what?
@Swellesley:
I still have yet to figure out what meta, meme, and emo all mean. You kids and your newfangled non-words.
Rob: can I entice you with two tix for Mets/Yankees on Saturday? (I need to earn my keep around here somehow.)
I saw Peyton Manning speak this weekened and he was funny without using pop culture references. Maybe we should try and be more like him.
But what if you are a fan of generally humorless independent and foreign films?
I think Will's looking for somebody to take over the Sponsor posts on Fridays.
candlesticks always make a nice gift,
Hmm..."Your confusing thesis has captured my attention, tell me more."
@metschick: I wouldn't put the phrase "earn your keep" out there for people on this site, Metsy.
Kruschev would have been forgiven for Cuba, but when he named his sons Walkerovitch and Texasrangereyev, the Central Committee was forced to take action.
I agree, Anchorman has quietly went from a great movie to utterly disgusting because of college kids and the over use of the ancidotes or antidotes from the film. Use quotes from a movie that already sucks like Beethoven's 2nd or One and A Half Cops.
Orson Wells enjoys the green peaness of this post.
You're dumber than you think I think you are.
@metschick: Whoa what? Are you trying to bribe the ombudsman? This isn't going to end well.
If I start quoting "A Good Year for the Roses" i'm just going to depress people.
I'd rather lose Deadspin than see these mooks trying to quote Woody Allen. Setting the bar a little high aren't we, Rob?
Maybe Meatballs and Loverboy would be a better place to start.
I've created a monster.
I'll stop referencing My Dinner With Andre when you pry it from my cold dead hands.
@Dick Bhagwager: I still love your new commenter name. I don't think it will ever get old, unlike, Anchorman references, I guess.
No jockstraps in this post? Is there some kind of ombudsman I can complain to?
@BigTDog: well, confusingly enough, I believe our new-fangled non-words (haha, I like that) are memes
and I just realized that "Stay classy" should still have a place here, or "it's the pleats," but yeah most of the others are played out, right Snorg?
@Keith Olbermann: You stay classy, Keith Olbermann.
@throwbot: those are universal among the commentariat. I think they're still okay.
So, does making a reference about Anchorman references count as an Anchorman reference?
@Rob Iracane: "All right now, son, I want you to get a good night's rest. And remember, I could murder you while you sleep. It's easy, son, all you have to do is be quiet and willing to do it. And son, I am willing to do it. And, I've got quiet shoes. Good night, son. Sleep well."
At this point, I'm pulling my favorite obscure quotes just to see if I can make anyone laugh.
No problem not referencing Anchorman. but if the same limitations ever come up regarding Arrested Development or Newsradio, a certain Deadtern is going to find a certain letter bomb in his mailbox.
are we still enforcing the "gently petting the bloody stump" rule?
@JebusHChrist:
Don't forget "Can't Buy Me Love"
You shit on my lawn!
@Swellesley:@buttons: Damn, lost by a nose.
PEOPLE! Don't click that whale's vagina link!
Forget it, Rob. It's the comments section.
*slashes a few noses*
@lieutenant winslow:
Is that anything like fucking a steamy hole?