www.pacificparanormal.com

Sundry Topics => Open Forum => Topic started by: Tom Bevis on May 14, 2009, 04:03:10 AM

Title: Penn & Teller: Bullshit
Post by: Tom Bevis on May 14, 2009, 04:03:10 AM
Anyone seen it?  Their unparalleled command of logic and immaculate use of profanity made me a quick fan.  Their episode on mediums is one of the best commentaries on psychic culture I've ever seen.  So I was a bit disappointed to see their episode on paranormal investigation, bluntly titled 'Ghost Busters.'  Their usually smooth logic was replaced by snide stop-and-go accusations and the whole epsidoe relied on manipulating interviews and investigation footage to make the subjects seem like jackasses.  I couldn't find any clips online, so feel free to share them if you've got them. 
Title: Re: Penn & Teller: Bullshit
Post by: PPI Brian on May 15, 2009, 01:26:07 AM
I haven't seen it yet, but now you've got me intrigued.

Thanks Tom.

By the way, what's with the "scab" thing?
Title: Re: Penn & Teller: Bullshit
Post by: Tom Bevis on May 15, 2009, 02:28:45 AM
I've got this particular season on disc.  If I can figure out how to upload it to youtube or something, I'll link it here.

And the Scab thing is mostly thanks to this windows form auto-fill fiasco.  I participate in an online writing workshop (in which my handle is 'the scab'... long story) in a forum that I think uses this same engine, so when I changed some profile info last night, it auto-filled in some other fields by itself.  Embarrassing.   :-\
Title: Re: Penn & Teller: Bullshit
Post by: PPI Karl on May 15, 2009, 01:07:28 PM
Quote from: Tom Bevis on May 15, 2009, 02:28:45 AM
I've got this particular season on disc.  If I can figure out how to upload it to youtube or something, I'll link it here.

And the Scab thing is mostly thanks to this windows form auto-fill fiasco.  I participate in an online writing workshop (in which my handle is 'the scab'... long story) in a forum that I think uses this same engine, so when I changed some profile info last night, it auto-filled in some other fields by itself.  Embarrassing.   :-\

I encourage you to ask Miller when you meet him, but I think he's trying to find out, Tom, if you've crossed any picket lines lately.  ;)

Oh my god, Brian, you would sooooo love P&T!  The first time I saw it, I turned to Max and said, "I can't believe they've custom made a TV show for me!"  I became a full-on fan.  (When I had premium cable channels, that is.)  Most of the time, they were dead-on, but occasionally one of their episodes would get it so wrong, it would also make me wonder if Dick Cheney had paid them a little visit and made them do an obligatory bash-on-liberals episode just to stay on the air.  Or, it would seem as if they'd lost sight of their "bullshit R.A.D.A.R." and the show would just become mean-spirited instead.  Almost every series, though, with this kind of agenda falters like this at times.  (South Park and Drawn Together immediately come to mind, the latter show landing far more goose eggs per season than the former.)

Title: Re: Penn & Teller: Bullshit
Post by: PPI Brian on May 15, 2009, 04:55:41 PM
My plans to overthrow corporate America have been exposed!  P^/

Tom, I must admit there are certain words that pique my curiosity.  ;D  No worries, I was just wondering how you came to call yourself by this term.   

Karl, I am really intrigued by your description of P&T. Have they released the episodes on DVD?
Title: Re: Penn & Teller: Bullshit
Post by: PPI Karl on May 15, 2009, 05:36:38 PM
Quote from: PPI Brian M on May 15, 2009, 04:55:41 PM
Karl, I am really intrigued by your description of P&T. Have they released the episodes on DVD?

Five seasons of them are available on DVD.  (The complete Sixth Season isn't available yet.)  There are almost seventy episodes so far, but here are a few especially relevant selections from their episode guide, some of which I haven't personally seen:

Title: Re: Penn & Teller: Bullshit
Post by: Tom Bevis on May 16, 2009, 03:01:20 AM
Sherlock, I had no idea you liked this Penn and Teller show.  I've got all the seasons released so far and disc and I've been a big fan for a while.  It seems for sure like something that would have come up in conversation by now.  Nuts.  I always watch it and think 'man, I wonder if this Sherlock guy has seen this show,' then I automatically discount the thought, assuming the show might be too crass for your tastes.

And to settle the score and the 'scab' thing -- I became the moderator of aforementioned online writing workshop during that silly writers' strike.  Thanks to a comment I had made about the strike being our class of writers chance to get our foot in the door and the mysterious circumstances of the proceeding moderator's resignation, I affectionately became known as the Scab.  And, I suppose, it stuck.
Title: Re: Penn & Teller: Bullshit
Post by: PPI Brian on May 16, 2009, 02:06:22 PM
Wow. I see.

What did you think was so "silly" about the Writer's Guild strike?
Title: Re: Penn & Teller: Bullshit
Post by: PPI Karl on May 16, 2009, 03:32:00 PM
I think Tom's being facetious . . . errrr, right, Tom?  0:<
Title: Re: Penn & Teller: Bullshit
Post by: Tom Bevis on May 16, 2009, 08:35:48 PM
Entirely.   ;)

(I fear the thread has died when we get shorter and shorter comments, culminating in the wonderous one-word response.  I'm waiting for someone to just post a period or some equally perplexing response consisting only of punctuation.)
Title: Re: Penn & Teller: Bullshit
Post by: Brigham on May 17, 2009, 01:56:45 AM
?
Title: Re: Penn & Teller: Bullshit
Post by: Tom Bevis on May 17, 2009, 04:36:53 AM
Brilliant.  You, sir, are my hero.
Title: Re: Penn & Teller: Bullshit
Post by: PPI Jason on May 18, 2009, 01:02:14 AM
.
Title: Re: Penn & Teller: Bullshit
Post by: Brian Johnson on May 18, 2009, 03:26:25 AM
There is no prize for second place, my friend.