Guardian: Is Jonathan Ross’s lewd wit justified?

[busybeeburns]

 

Jonathan Ross’s chat show style says a lot about today’s vapid celebrity culture. But do talented guests deserve his derision?

 

Jonathan Ross … more interested in cracking gags than getting under the skin of his guests.

 

When you’ve been in the business for 40-odd years you get a good nose for a wrong ‘un, and Gloria Hunniford has Jonathan Ross in her sights this week, criticising him for the lewd wit he employs on his chat show. Hunniford is not known for sniping at other presenters so we can assume Ross has well and truly rattled her cage, here. But why? Surely everyone knows what they are signing up to when they sit opposite Wossy?

 

Well, there was the David Cameron interview where Ross asked the Conservative leader if he had ever fantasised as a boy about Lady Thatcher. Lewd? Probably, but funny enough to get away with.

 

Then he raised eyebrows when talking at length with Goldie Hawn about her sex life with Kurt Russell. But while such talk conjured images less welcome than the Mario and Lisa macking Channel 4 are currently inflicting upon us, Goldie Hawn was an enthusiastic participant in this so Ross gets a pass for this one too.

 

But with the

, Ross pushes his luck too far. Just the wrong side of sleazy, Ross’s comments risked a Broadcasting Standards Commission rebuke or, worse, retribution from Paltrow’s husband, Chris Martin - Coldplay frontman and paparazzo mauling beast.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ffgMqS-4bM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KD-PMWS1mZk

 

So, Hunniford has a point: Jonathan Ross can be lewd, and is rarely interested in getting to know the innermost thoughts of his celebrity guests. But that’s because celebrities are simply less interesting these days. Parkinson heyday figures like Harold Wilson, Ted Heath and Margaret Thatcher were flawed, perplexing characters and you wanted the likes of Parky to gently tease out some revelations, and gain some kind of insight into what makes them tick. But David Cameron? I’m quite happy to let Ross embarrass the crap out of him with puerile questions. In any case, many of us have long suspected something sexual about the hold Margaret Thatcher had over Conservative men. That’s not a pretty thought - the truth often isn’t.

 

There’s a reason why so many celebrities become walking punchlines for the likes of Ross. A general contempt for celebrity has existed since it started becoming an end in itself. A talent like Paltrow and the latest Big Brother scandal magnet are treated with the same derision. The celebrity gene pool is being debased by talent vacuum fools whose notoriety is their only selling point. And as viewer contempt for celebrity grows, their hunger for celebrity-baiting shows grows with it. If you want better celebrity interviews, celebrities better start getting interesting. And if David Cameron’s obsession with appealing to youth extends to courting a notoriously irreverent chat show, the boy deserves everything he gets.

 

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/tv/2008/07/is_jonathan_ross_lewd_wit_jus.html

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rJOIf_tQ7o

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlSbUcjVQ1s

[Pseudonym]

the thread that died:dozey:

[Mimixxx]

Yes is my answer.

 

It's 10.30pm on a Friday night so he wants to tell Gwyneth Paltrow he'd f**k her, that's fine by me. You hear more cursing and sexual innuendo on Big Brother every single night than you do on his show.

 

The audience know what he's like, the guests know what he's like, so anyone that watches it or agrees to go on the show know what they're letting themselves in for.

 

As for his interviewing technique, I don't want to know how an actor mentally prepares for a role or the greatest piece of advice they ever received or anything serious like that :snore: He gets more out of his guests than Parky did because they let their hair down and have some fun.

 

In conclusion I luff Wossy :P

[Chavi]

^^ well said Mich ! there's nothing more to add. Jonathan Ross is the best :nice:

[Jenjie]

I voted no. I love his chat show and frequently watch it, but sometimes I think he goes too far. (don't ask me for any examples because I can't think of any at the mo). I don't remember what he said to Gwyneth, my over-riding memory of that interview is that she still managed to look sophisticated whilst drinking a pint of Guinness.

[mc_squared]

^I think he goes too far on occasions too, and I get fed up with him "bigging himself up" all the time.

Serious Narcissus complex going on there, I'd say!:rolleyes:

[mayurshikotra]

i love his shows....its a comedy chat show....without him doing all of that then it would be juat a plain old boring chat shows...

[mc_squared]

i love his shows....its a comedy chat show....without him doing all of that then it would be juat a plain old boring chat shows...

 

I don't have a problem per se. I just think he's a bit too "full of himself".;)

[Mimixxx]

It's an act though, many people would say the same of Chris Martin. :idea2:

 

I think he's just one of those people that either you like or you don't.

[mc_squared]

^I think Chris comes across as a lot more self-deprecating.

It's obvious that the majority of what he says is tongue-in-cheek. With Wossy I'm not always so sure.:dozey:

[bellynelly]

If jonathan ross had to give up his style of interviewing then his show wouldn't be worth watching. His show goes out well after the watershed, so whats the problem? Hes great in my opinion.

[branshi_baby]

I really think I like his kinds of interview more than the more serious ones.

Jonathan really wants his guests to feel comfortable, and laugh. Just have a good time during the interview. Even if it means that sometimes he has to get out of line.

 

And it's really good for celebrities like Chris who don't like to talk about their personal lives, you know.

Chris gets aggrivated really quick if someone starts to talk about Gwyneth or his children.

On interviews like the ones that jonathan gives are wayy better for them.