S19.E13: Fran Lebowitz; April Ryan; S. E. Cupp

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Guests: Fran Lebowitz; April Ryan; S. E. Cupp

Original air date 2021.04.23

[heatherchandler]

Fran Lebowicz is.. something.  

[revbfc]

The slogan for “Shittens” should have been “FILL YOUR HAND!!!”

 

And now I want to get paid when they change course.

[deirdra]

Bill used to tell lots of ageist jokes.  Now that he is a senior citizen on Medicare he has suddenly turned anti-ageist?

[aghst]

There is definitely ageism with the "OK Boomer" crowd, some resentment that boomers are rich and conservative.

But that isn't because Gen Z are woke and just hate boomers for what they are as opposed to the things they did -- like the same old argument that Islamic jihadists hated Americans for who they are instead of what the US govt. has done.

It's odd because this past week, it came out that Biden has the highest support among 18-29 year olds in history for a president.

So that gives the lie to Bill's claim.  The youngest demographic were for Bernie and other candidates but they've come around as Biden did a big relief bill and now are trying to push a lot of green initiatives.

Yeah I don't get the fascination with Twitch either.

[RealHousewife]

4 hours ago, deirdra said:

Bill used to tell lots of ageist jokes.  Now that he is a senior citizen on Medicare he has suddenly turned anti-ageist?

I think it was just last week when he said of course the queen is probably racist because "the old bag is 100." Is that allowed because she's so old she could be Bill's mother? Is Bill just annoyed by ageist comments toward those in their 60s and 70s? 

I'm not a PC person, so I'm not going to get offended by that, but Bill is sure not consistent. I also think people get away more with age comments because we ALL get old if we aren't already, and almost all of us have older folks in our lives who are dear to us. On the basis of age, no one's trying to stop them from using a bathroom, getting married, voting, telling them to go back to their country, etc. There's a reason some "isms" are more taboo than others. I also don't think the country as a whole is all that ageist. As mentioned above, look at the presidential election and the people it came down to. Whatever the political beliefs, a bunch of the country was drawn to three old men. 

[arachne]

While I've enjoyed Fran Lebowitz' Netflix series, I doubt if I could have a decent conversation with her.

All thru last night's interview, Lebowitz deflected just about every question Bill asked -- except when talking about the Mets game she attended (which of course Bill has a personal stake in.) She had nothing to say of any substance, at least not that I recall. 

And Bill kept going on about how smart and hip she was, which if true, he shouldn't need to say in the first place. IMO Lebowitz was there just for Bill to show off -- like, Look at the cool guest I've got this week! 🙄

 

[MsTree]

On 4/23/2021 at 9:15 PM, heatherchandler said:

Fran Lebowicz is.. something.  

Yup, something...with a whole lot of nothing 🙄

[izabella]

17 hours ago, RealHousewife said:

I think it was just last week when he said of course the queen is probably racist because "the old bag is 100." Is that allowed because she's so old she could be Bill's mother? Is Bill just annoyed by ageist comments toward those in their 60s and 70s? 

I'm not a PC person, so I'm not going to get offended by that, but Bill is sure not consistent. I also think people get away more with age comments because we ALL get old if we aren't already, and almost all of us have older folks in our lives who are dear to us. On the basis of age, no one's trying to stop them from using a bathroom, getting married, voting, telling them to go back to their country, etc. There's a reason some "isms" are more taboo than others. I also don't think the country as a whole is all that ageist. As mentioned above, look at the presidential election and the people it came down to. Whatever the political beliefs, a bunch of the country was drawn to three old men. 

Bill is acting like he's the first person to discover that ageism exists and is bold enough to call society out on it.  Just like he thinks he's the only person who is aware of the obesity issue in this country.

I think ageism does exist in our society.  One example that springs to mind is the lack of roles in tv and film film for women over 40 unless they are grandmothers, and the seeming requirement that older people get fillers and botox to appear younger even though it destroys their ability to emote.  Another example that comes to mind is earlier in the pandemic when some were dismissing the danger of COVID because the people who were getting sick and dying were "just" the elderly.  Another example is how we treat our most vulnerable seniors by putting them in gross nursing homes where there is very little nursing, a lot of warehousing and neglect, and very little oversight and consequences for abuse.

[Caseysgirl]

Fran Leibovitz is what Bill aspires to be. I’ve read and seen her when she was quite witty and arch, but that wasn’t happening in this interview and I found myself thinking- ,why am I watching these two cranky people who don’t appear to have much joy in their rich, protected lives.  I AM one of those old people Bill was talking about and I see the humor in making a joke about my own aging process. It’s natural to slow down mentally & physically as we age, but let’s try not to be so sensitive,Bill. As the old saying goes “ it’s better than the alternative”.  

[ahpny]

3 hours ago, Caseysgirl said:

Fran Leibovitz is what Bill aspires to be. I’ve read and seen her when she was quite witty and arch, but that wasn’t happening in this interview and I found myself thinking- ,why am I watching these two cranky people who don’t appear to have much joy in their rich, protected lives.

I watched the full run of "Pretend It's a City" and found it amusing. I generally find Fran interesting because she’s sort of a wholly original creation, and frequently presents a take on things that others don’t. But the pinnacle of wit that only Bill and Marty Scorsese seem to see seems an unearned title, and certainly so from this interview.

First, during Fran’s most recent stint on Real Time before this one, she bitched about Biden’s age and argued that that should disqualify him from the presidency since, “if he were your father, you’d take his keys and wouldn’t let him drive the car.” Now, she wasn’t being hypocritical here on this point because she said nothing about Biden’s age, but Bill certainly did. And for him to rag on those who poke fun at his age when your main guest was one of them, on your very own show – and say nothing about that – that’s what both might call excessive chutzpah.

Second, her “plastic partition” schtick was stupid and unfunny. Yes, the Covid rules are inconsistent, and at least in part, frustratingly illogical. But those rules are the disunified result of many different government jurisdictions trying to deal with a new disease causing the worst pandemic in a century. They are flawed, but their aim is generally admirable – let’s keep people healthy and alive. But there is a fundamental difference between Covid19 virus particles floating in air and second-hand cigarette smoke wafting over a plastic partition: virus particles are alive and can die after some time in the air and/or distance from their source; toxic cigarette smoke never “dies,” and generally retains its toxicity long term. While the harmful potential of both may decrease as they disperse, dispersal affects each very differently. What distances, dispersal rates, and concentrations of each may matter is debatable, if not completely understood. But to suggest that it should be a forgone conclusion that both should be treated exactly the same is neither a valid nor amusing argument, and more so from someone admittedly lacking a “math brain,” as Fran strangely boasted. I don’t want to hear unfunny, pseudo-scientific arguments from her, especially about smoking.

Third, it's not terribly funny or ironic that now that she's making some money, or about to make some money, that she suddenly cares about tax rates and sees the point of keeping them low. That's just cravenly hypocritical and selfish.

Edited April 25, 2021 by ahpny

[Calamity Jane]

I can’t believe Bill doesn’t know that Union Station in LA is regularly used as a movie location. It’s a beautiful space, and I doubt you would hear the trains when you’re in that lobby/hall, whatever it’s called. It’s not Four Seasons Gardening, Bill.

The panel discussion occasionally drifted off into weirdness, and I hate when everyone is shouting and you have no clue what they’re saying. Shades of Chris Matthews. 

[RealHousewife]

6 hours ago, izabella said:

Bill is acting like he's the first person to discover that ageism exists and is bold enough to call society out on it.  Just like he thinks he's the only person who is aware of the obesity issue in this country.

I think ageism does exist in our society.  One example that springs to mind is the lack of roles in tv and film film for women over 40 unless they are grandmothers, and the seeming requirement that older people get fillers and botox to appear younger even though it destroys their ability to emote.  Another example that comes to mind is earlier in the pandemic when some were dismissing the danger of COVID because the people who were getting sick and dying were "just" the elderly.  Another example is how we treat our most vulnerable seniors by putting them in gross nursing homes where there is very little nursing, a lot of warehousing and neglect, and very little oversight and consequences for abuse.

Oh you're right, it's definitely a thing. I just don't think ageism is hateful in the same way some of the other isms are. Hollywood is absolutely ageist towards women. Getting older as a European actress is a lot easer. Monica Bellucci is in her 50's and still plays sexy roles. 

The trivializing of the virus and affecting "just the elderly" was a really disgusting attitude. I'd go more into what I thought played into it, but I can't because it's political. Everyone I know who has high risk people in their lives was/is careful to protect them. I'm young and healthy, but I have people in my life who aren't. Even vaccinated, I'm still not 100% living life per usual out of an abundance of caution to protect older people, one in particular who refuses to get vaccinated. 

I hate the idea of nursing homes in the first place. You know what I think plays a part with why they are so much more common in the US than other countries? I think Americans value independence too much. It starts with the way young adults are treated too. Some parents will kick out a beautiful teen girl because she's graduated high school and needs to figure things out. They won't care if she's living in a rough area and her safety. In many other cultures, kids live with their parents until they're married or they're at a place in their careers where they can support themselves while still having a good quality of life. I think when the culture is more loving and family oriented in general, nursing homes are used as a very last resort. There is the same pattern with many of the Americans I know. If the parents do everything they can to protect their kids, their kids normally want to do everything they can to protect them when they're vulnerable. I had an older lady boss who enjoyed her independence, but all her kids asked her to move in with them. She was a very sweet woman and worked incredibly hard to take care of her kids on her own, and her kids loved her just as much as she loved them. 

[Victor the Crab]

Well, I'll give Bill credit for having an all female guest list for his show, no matter what one may think of them!

[Tachi Rocinante]

Jeebus, Fran Lebowitz is insufferable. And not funny.  She looks and sounds like Danny DeVito in drag.

SE Cupp has become more and more of a waffler as she ages.

[deirdra]

Bill & Fran seemed to be competing to see who could sling zingers faster, but starting before the other finished talking, so none of their jokes landed properly

[DB in CMH]

That was... bad. You know it's a bad episode when the only guest you kind of enjoy is SE Cupp. She is one of those very rare conservatives who has largely held to her values, and evolved on others. I appreciate that.

Edited April 26, 2021 by DB in CMH

[Tachi Rocinante]

I almost forgot - Bill was pushing it (but I give him credit) when, regarding Freddie Gray,  he rather pointedly mentioned that Baltimore's leaders are black.  April Ryan shot him some serious daggers on that exchange.

[littlepaw]

Almost exactly a year ago, Bill did one of his lame "24 Things You Don't Know About...." bits about Joe Biden, and most of the jokes centered around Biden's age and supposed lack of mental acuity, har har, including his "observation" that Biden "was usually late and smelled like pee".

A few months before that, Bill did a bit about "Biden's mangled movie lines", including these:

"Are you talking to me? Speak up, I can't hear you" 

“I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to shop at this Walgreens anymore.”

“I feel the need, the need to pee"

 

But now Bill's all anti-ageism? Really? REALLY? And chiding those comedians that "expected Biden to show up to work in his pajama bottoms"? And taking aim at (of course) millennials that don't respect their elders and yatata yatata.

Uh............................................wow..........................

[heatherchandler]

I am usually a Bill defender, but this episode was bad.  And the guests were awful, I could make no sense of April Ryan, or SE Cupp.  

Edited April 26, 2021 by heatherchandler

[iMonrey]

Quote

All thru last night's interview, Lebowitz deflected just about every question Bill asked -- except when talking about the Mets game she attended (which of course Bill has a personal stake in.) She had nothing to say of any substance, at least not that I recall. 

She never does. I'm glad she wasn't on the panel this time. I don't get why Fran Lebowitz is a thing. Her whole schtick is making caustic quips she seems to think are funny. It's like she's the new Truman Capote - that weird personality snobbish people invite to parties so she can sit in the corner and bitch about people.

Quote

That was... bad. You know it's a bad episode when the only guest you kind of enjoy is SE Cupp. She is one of those very rare conservatives who has largely held to her values, and evolved on others.

Yeah, to her credit, she has never jumped on the Trump bandwagon. She has tried to carve out a niche role for herself as a never-Trumper Republican, which can't be easy because right wing media isn't interested in her.

[Victor the Crab]

5 hours ago, littlepaw said:

Almost exactly a year ago, Bill did one of his lame "24 Things You Don't Know About...." bits about Joe Biden, and most of the jokes centered around Biden's age and supposed lack of mental acuity, har har, including his "observation" that Biden "was usually late and smelled like pee".

A few months before that, Bill did a bit about "Biden's mangled movie lines", including these:

"Are you talking to me? Speak up, I can't hear you" 

“I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to shop at this Walgreens anymore.”

“I feel the need, the need to pee"

 

But now Bill's all anti-ageism? Really? REALLY? And chiding those comedians that "expected Biden to show up to work in his pajama bottoms"? And taking aim at (of course) millennials that don't respect their elders and yatata yatata.

Uh............................................wow..........................

To be fair to Bill here, he's been anti ageism for a while. He even made one of his New Rules sermons about that topic years ago.

Having said that, for Bill to be cheering on Joe Biden after mocking him since entering the presidential race, and after winning the Democratic nomination, is disingenuous on his part, if not, gaslighting. Would he dare say all that about Bernie Sanders, who's a year older than Biden and coming off of serious heart surgery?

[littlepaw]

4 hours ago, Victor the Crab said:

To be fair to Bill here, he's been anti ageism for a while. He even made one of his New Rules sermons about that topic years ago.

Having said that, for Bill to be cheering on Joe Biden after mocking him since entering the presidential race, and after winning the Democratic nomination, is disingenuous on his part, if not, gaslighting. Would he dare say all that about Bernie Sanders, who's a year older than Biden and coming off of serious heart surgery?

I believe I remember the New Rules rant,  and it wasn't hard to find on YouTube. It was in 2014, before Bill started metamorphosizing into....whatever he is now. (Interestingly, the "Berkeley incident" was just about a month before this show.) But I remember cringing at those mean-spirited "jokes" (I mean..."smelling like pee"? Yikes) about Biden's age last year, and thinking WTF, I thought ageism was a major pet peeve of his.   And now he's completely changed his tune again and even slams the comics who did/are basically doing his previous material. And no, I don't think he would say the same things about Bernie.  It's really just kind of sad that Bill used to be a sharp, witty, observant commentator and now I guess can't remember or admit that he said the exact opposite of something not very long ago. Maybe it's his age [snark].

 

[DoctorAtomic]

22 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I don't get why Fran Lebowitz is a thing.

I'm relieved that it's not just me. It's not that some of it can't be funny, but in the interview, it was relentless. If you hate that much of all things, stay home and out of my way. Most of it wasn't particularly funny either. It's largely punching down, which any comedian will tell you is just poor quality. Bagging on your server at the restaurant who likely can't pay rent and needs the job about the plexiglass isn't particularly erudite, and it's actually wrong about the smoke v virus anyway. 

[chediavolo]

On 4/27/2021 at 12:26 PM, DoctorAtomic said:

I'm relieved that it's not just me. It's not that some of it can't be funny, but in the interview, it was relentless. If you hate that much of all things, stay home and out of my way. Most of it wasn't particularly funny either. It's largely punching down, which any comedian will tell you is just poor quality. Bagging on your server at the restaurant who likely can't pay rent and needs the job about the plexiglass isn't particularly erudite, and it's actually wrong about the smoke v virus anyway. 

I don’t see what all the fuss is about her either. And “Pretend it’s a city” was terrible. She seems “off” to me. 

[DoctorAtomic]

I never really had an issues with Bill having his friends on the show to just bs with them in the interview segment. I'm not being forced to watch. I would say though, if your first guest is just a chit chat segment, then 25 minutes is a little too long. This was that. Fran was just being one-note on the jokes. They could have talked about her show. I hadn't heard anything about it. Or more about her being a cabbie. That was interesting. The punching down I referenced earlier just makes her out to be a bully.