h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I believe that we annually try to steal at least one popular sit-com style show each year. Hollywood has no morals (and no sense). I would love to see the shows that are from UK, not an obliterated bad handed copy. Did you see John Larroquette (sorry spelling) trying to be John Cleese in Fawlty Towers????? Bleck...toned down, boring, bad. We continue to watch the real thing several years old on public tv. Oh well,

wsfn

I`ve read Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer before and I still have to idea who he is. Oh well.
My personal worst accent has to be welsh. Had a welsh teacher for maths for two years running and I swear in the whole of that two years her tone never changed once. Always the same pitch. Drives me mad in a lesson because it makes me turn off.
Eddie Izzard is very funny. And did anyone english see Robin Hood:Men in Tights the other night? Now theres a film that manages to take the mickey out of the world in general and still be funny.

See I was right.....Robin Hood: Men in Tights.... MEL BROOKS movie.....AH HA! I told you he is funny!!!!

but i didn't care much for Men In Tights. He has done way better. Spaceballs is an awesomely funny sci-fi spoof, and Blazing Saddles has much more subtle humor than you usually expect from Brooks. And his classic work of all time, History of the World Part I. It's good to be the king.

Agreed!!!

I liked it. The moving mole made me laugh and there were all those little things. I liked blinkens swordfight with the post. Its one of my favourites - me and my uncle have an arrangement where whenever its on tv whoever spots it first rings the other just to make sure they don`t miss it.

I enjoyed Robin Hood MIT. I think my favorite line was when Cary Elwes (Robin Hood) was making fun of Kevin Costners Robin HOod and mad some remark about unlike other Robin Hoods (Costner) he had a British accent!!! But I agree that it probably wasn't Brooks' best. I love Spaceballs and still laugh whenever I watch it, also keep finding new funny things everytime I watch. I also agree that Blazing Saddles and History of the World are terrific. Also really enjoyed the Producers....and Young Frankenstein. Gene Wilder is really funny and along those lines I think he and Richard Pryor in See No Evil, Hear No Evil is a great funny combination.

I'm sorry to say that, although you have Homer Simpson and King of the Hill and South Park we have Chris Morris, John Cleese and Steve Coogan. We beat you hands down and all your good shit is cancelled out by Friends. Oh, we have Hitch hikers Guide too.
And Richard E Grant

Why call them an ambulance? Is this a form of abuse where you come from?

(Apologies to any Python fans)

Someone had brought up a very good point earlier. Several of my good friends online are British, and many of them went to Rounders. They wittnessed there what most of you keep dancing around here: The attitude of one cultural and regional sect against another. Point? Do the people of England like or even respect people from the United States? And the other way around? It's one thing to have pride for your country - I'm American and I have quite a bit. I can understand how it works both ways. But what several English people don't seem to understand is that in the United States geneology is something of a hobby, and when we find out that we're the least bit British/Scotish/Irish/etc. we become very proud of those parts as well. Which is why the British part of me is very disappointed by this recent flux in attitude toward us. Maybe it only seems recent due to the internet, but still. Is it right to stereotype and dislike another culture or country simply because of what you "assume" they are like? I'm guessing the answer is no.

A lot of what is on our televisions is trash. Same goes for the news, the press and the radio. I'm hard pressed to think of a *really* good TV show I've loved in recent years, and the closest I get is "Night Court". Things seem to be getting worse and worse every year in all facets of the media. But I dare anyone here from any country to tell me that there aren't a few stinky shows on their tubes. A few crap songs on their radios. A few bomb movies produced in their home countries. (And no fair trying to blame it on the Americans - copying crap is worse than thinking it up originally!) Half of all the "Political Satire" on the British online sites deals with the United States government - apparently we CAN be humorous when we want to. Or when we get elected. Whichever comes first.

I wait tables for a living and I see a fair cross-section of the United States (and since it's a VERY multicultural town, the world) every day. Worse, I live in a city deemed as a "travel spot" so I get to see lots of American and European tourists as well. And what have I learned? Most everyone is a stupid, slack-jawed fool. Is that their fault? Not really. People both can and can't help who they are and I tend to feel sorry for them instead of reminding them of how inanely they present themselves. What good does that do? And rarely, just rarely, I meet a few intelligent, humorous, sarcastic, witty, brilliant, insane people that I call my friends and I surround myself with them (both in "real life" and online). Just as when I can't find anything good on TV I read a really good book. Or watch a good movie. Not everyone is a cheese-doodle eating, Jerry Springer watching nit-wit in the US. I hope the English and other countries understand that.

So what is that point all about? I suppose I'm saying that the less "sheepy" of the American populous realize that what's on the tube and in the theaters is silly, so we seek out more of the intelligent humor on our own. Tom Robbins. The Coen Brothers. William Goldman. Dennis Miller. There are many, many brilliantly funny Americans out there who may not be well known to the UK just as Billy Connolly may not be well know here. Or perhaps that's a bad example for you... The thing that you have to remember is this: If every country had exactly the same humor, the same tastes and the same ANYTHING, we'd live in a pretty damn boring world. The differences, good and bad, are what help to liven this place up a bit. The fact that all of us here (no matter where we're from) can agree that "Baywatch" stinks and "Seinfeld" was overrated and "Red Dwarf" is hilarious and "SNL" had some great years shows that we can agree on some things. That's something. And if you DO want to be stereotypical and talk about *really* silly TV, then watch "Univision": Mexican-American cable television. I really just don't get it. But I'm sure many people, Mexican and non alike, find it hilarious. So maybe it's just me.

Because stereotyping is just wrong. I swear, one of these days I'm going to save up enough and bring every last one of you Englishpeople over here just to prove to you that not all Americans are bad and evil. Really. We're not. Promise.

All of us on this site and on others are the prototypes of a new cultural generation. This is really the first time that people from all over the world can come together and express themselves and share their knowledge as one community - and in the blink of an eye. I think the only way we can accomplish that is by setting aside all the old misconceptions, all of the triteness and "better than thou" attitude. This isn't a contest. We're here to learn from one another, not to tear each other apart. I hope there are a few people out there who agree with me.

Oh, and by the way... Alanis Morrissette is Canadian. I just thought I'd point that out.

He can't have been a proper welshman if he was monotonous. Most people attempting to imitate welsh would agree that the only common factor between all the bad welsh accents is the sing-song variability of pitch. I'd have thought that welsh was one of the best accents - much easier to understand than most scottish variants and less grating than some of the more southern english accents. West Yorkshire's usually nice to listen to, as is Cumbrian and non-Gateshead Tyneside. Scouse sets my teeth on edge and gives me strange violent urges, but maybe that's just me.

Bill Clinton is a foible and that does not attest to the strength of humor in America but the sense of humor possessed by God.Sort of tragicomedy also possessed by his fine wife.

I thought We (The Americans) have John Cleese. I think we even have Eric Idle and Terry Gilliam.
Everyone left out Dave Barry,Mark Twain, Billy Crystal,Bill Cosby, Jim Carrey and Bill Shatner. All hilarious people.

You said it, the Laugh track! Best use of one yet is Woody Allen, another good egg (if you leave his personal dalliances out of it)in the film Annie Hall.Pre-fab tv invented the laugh track because you can't be too sure if the audience knows when to laugh or not.We Americans may not know what the hell Dennis Miller is talking about half the time but we sure know when we should be laughing.And how hard!

"You always take risks, like when you cross a busy street or stick your face in a fan" An American said that and I'm proud !

They carry guns mostly to do in New Yorkers.

I thought it was me,too.All my friends and near acqaintences think he's hilarious.I can watch his show or shows strung together and never crack a smile or even snicker.My friends are busting their guts at this guy.I genuinely don't get it and I love laughter.The Hitchhiker's Guide was one of the funniest things I ever read.I crack up at Roberto Begninni in the clip from The Monster when he's showing his friend how this amorous woman hangs around him.But Seinfeld leaves me wondering why.Maybe someone can explain his humor(?).

Ignorance can be bliss which,I think, is attractive.

To me, the ultimate Brooks film is "Young Frankenstein".Here, you get Brooks , Wilder (Americans) and Feldman (British) working together.It works, it works great ! We can all be funny and funny together !

I'm all for the import of humor from countries to other countries as long as they dont import any humor from Germany.