S18.E09: Bernie Sanders, Willie Nelson, Max Brooks, Eric Garcetti, and Seth McFarlane

[Guest]

Airs April 3, 2020

Guests (assuming appearing on the show via Skype)

Quote

Bernie Sanders, Willie Nelson, Max Brooks, Eric Garcetti, and Seth McFarlane

 

[Robert Lynch]

87 years old.....bless him.

[revbfc]

I’m glad he’s doing the show, even if he’s filming with an iPhone.

My one suggestion for next week’s show: instead of the canned laughter, Bill’s neighbor should be the one, sad guffaw in the background.  Even just the occasional distant “Good one, Bill!” From behind the fence would be fine by me.

[scrb]

Too bad they can’t have some kind of panel.

It was okay but a set of one on one interviews just seemed repetitive.

[Liamsmom617]

  I’m glad he’s making an attempt, and hopefully he will refine it over time. Could’ve done it without him and Seth MacFarlane complaining about their housekeepers not be able to come over and clean right now.....

[DB in CMH]

That was... weird and off putting.

Hopefully they try a panel next week.

[opus]

I don't know if it was the lighting, or no professional makeup team, or whatever, but damn, I thought Bill looked like Joe Biden.

[scrb]

Yeah that harsh sun didn't look too good.

I think it would be tough for a panel to interact with each other remotely, as much as I missed it

 

[ahpny]

Quote

Could’ve done it without him and Seth MacFarlane complaining about their housekeepers not be able to come over and clean right now.....

Echos of Trump's characterization of avoiding VD as his personal Vietnam. Oh the sacrifices! Can people really be so out of touch and tone deaf? I also find it hard to believe that Bill truly enjoys "The Orville." While  Seth McFarland is quite talented in a variety of surprisingly discrete areas, I (and all critics I've seen) find "The Orville" unfunny and unwatchable. And I grudgingly made through the entire first season of "Avenue 5."

I do appreciate the efforts involved in bringing the show back, and I hope they're able to continue and improve. Some suggestions on that. First, maybe try and have a virtual live panel with the participants in different remote locations? Maybe that's too much of an ask. Surely they've considered that too, Second, let's see some more of Bill's house. This one is definitely doable! I suspect he's pretty private about a lot of that, but if you're going to film from your backyard and refer to parts of your house anyway, let's see some more. The price for doing something halfway is no less than for doing it completely. I'm curious and suspect others may be too. And who was doing the filming anyway? Third, the vintage laugh track was perhaps a worthy attempt, but let's try something else next week.

[sistermagpie]

7 hours ago, Liamsmom617 said:

  I’m glad he’s making an attempt, and hopefully he will refine it over time. Could’ve done it without him and Seth MacFarlane complaining about their housekeepers not be able to come over and clean right now.....

I  had more trouble with Bill feeling the need to say that the reason we're in this mess is Americans not being responsible for their own health. Yes, the quality of food available for most people is a real problem, but no, better food doesn't make you immune to the Coronavirus. It was like he couldn't resist a blame-the-victim medical quackery moment even when there are so many real enemies.

I hope they're both continuing to pay their housekeepers. I don't mind them acknowledging that they're providing an actual service that they notice when it's gone.

[paigow]

Why not have only 2 guests? Monologue, in depth interview, new rules with a comedian buddy.

[UnknownK]

I think Bill was saying people who are in bad health already will have a harder time with the virus. 

People eat poorly because they are poor. The cheapest foods you can buy are fast food and the overly processed stuff you find at the dollar store. People who work multiple part time jobs and side gigs to make rent don't have time to cook even if they knew how. Fresh vegetables are not available everywhere and they are not cheap plus they spoil quickly.

Well off people have cooks who keep them healthy and they also have access to decent family doctors. When you start seeing healthy middle aged production people with money start dying you know the virus is going to be hard to beat.

Not having a panel to get differing views on subjects is killing this show. Not sure how many writers he still has working but new rules seemed half assed like he just made it up on his own because he had to. This is the time to experiment because of limited production values. You have millions of people without work to go to that have political opinions and access to the internet so I don't see why he just doesn't set up an email address for their questions like he has on the youtube aftershow and have multiple guests give their view on the subject via iphone and splice it together. The good thing is you won't have people talking over each other.

[Frisson]

If my students, who only have internet on their phone, can call in for a video class, I’m sure his famous guests could, too. Plus, if he uses Zoom, added bonus they get hacked with porn. So HBO!

[HerkyJerky]

I could also do without seeing Seth McFarland pushing his glasses up every three seconds...

[paigow]

On 4/4/2020 at 9:19 AM, revbfc said:

My one suggestion for next week’s show: instead of the canned laughter, Bill’s neighbor should be the one, sad guffaw in the background.  Even just the occasional distant “Good one, Bill!” From behind the fence would be fine by me.

Like Wilson on Home Improvement....

ETA: Note to kids - The last funny TV show that Buzz Lightyear was on 

Edited April 10, 2020 by paigow

[sistermagpie]

8 hours ago, HerkyJerky said:

I could also do without seeing Seth McFarland pushing his glasses up every three seconds...

I liked how, since they were reading glasses, they magnified his eyes and made him look like a cartoon character.

[Kenz]

Get off your high horse about Americans and their bad health habits, Bill. You've been smoking marijuana for years and bragging about it. Go to the American Lung Association website and learn about the damage that does to the lungs. I'm sure he thought his conversation with Willie would be a cute reminder of how Bill loves his marijuana. I am not anti marijuana (although edibles seem preferable to smoking), I'm just tired of Bill's rantings about how how pristine he thinks he is.

[Guest]

Folks ... your general thoughts about Andrew Cuomo, a politician, are off topic in this thread. Posts have been removed. Discuss only what the guests said, what Bill said, and do not use any of their conversations as jumping off points to make your own political observations.

[Tosia]

I thought Bill looked like the white-blond espionage hacker guy in Britain who sold US secrets to Russia.....sorry his name escapes me,  unlike him who got arrested.

Funny that Bill's white hair really makes him look older. Boohoo, no housekeeper.  Blech.

Boy, he does not like silence after his jokes,  does he? He used to get mad at the audience if they did not laugh enough.  

No women on the show?

Why am I not surprised? 

[paigow]

2 hours ago, Tosia said:

No women on the show?

If only Ann Coulter and Kellyanne Conway were available, maybe this lineup was the lesser evil...

[Victor the Crab]

On ‎4‎/‎8‎/‎2020 at 9:39 AM, Tosia said:

I thought Bill looked like the white-blond espionage hacker guy in Britain who sold US secrets to Russia.....sorry his name escapes me,  unlike him who got arrested.

That would be Julian Assange.

I had an interesting vibe watching Bill's New Rules sermon, as a Canadian. In his backyard outside, he started wandering around a bit as he was talking. Kind of like the way our own Rick Mercer used to do when he was doing his weekly rants, first on This Hour Has 22 Minutes and then on his own show, both for CBC. And his sermon was a good one as well.