OT - Birthday Boys Brooks, Glover, Henley

[QuikSand]

Today's list of celebrity birthdays includes three pretty familiar names, all 56 today.

Don Henley
Danny Glover
Albert Brooks

Who among them has made the greatest contribution to American culture?

[Ksyrup]

Boy, that's a tough one. I don't like Henley or Brooks, so I'm fairly biased against the both of them. And while Glover is a good actor, I can't really say he's contributed much to American culture, other than the glut of ""mismatched buddy" cop movies.

Henley - I'll give him End of the Innocence and Dirty Laundry, then he can go jump in Walden Pond.

Brooks - He was in the worst movie I've ever seen, Broadcast News. There's just something about him that bothers me. He ruined The Rookie for me, as well. He was OK in Finding Nemo, since I didn't have to see his face and associate it with the voice.

If I had to pick one, I'd go with Henley. Although I'm not much of a fan, The Eagles have secured a pretty solid place in American culture, so he probably wins by default.

[Fritz]

Another one for Henley.

He is my least favorite of the three, but 100 years from now his work will be best remembered. While that might not speak to influance on culture, it does relect the durability of music.

Music, I think, has more impact on culture than movies do. When a movie or TV show is made that is set in the past, music is one of the primary elements used to set the period. It instantly recalls a time and a place, even for people that were not there.

Henley's music with the Eagles (though I like his solo work better) is an enduring part of the 70's, and thus American culture.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by Ksyrup
And while Glover is a good actor, I can't really say he's contributed much to American culture, other than the glut of ""mismatched buddy" cop movies.Glut??? Glut??? There can NEVER too many "mismatched buddy" cop movies. :p

[Ksyrup]

Glover was good in Raisin In the Sun. Other than that and the Mel Gibson movies, I don't even recall another movie he was in.

[Fritz]

Um, Color Purple

[Fritz]

dola, Glover should be banished from a culture list for making that wretched fishing movie.

[Ksyrup]

Originally posted by Fritz
Um, Color Purple

Never saw it.

That was the one with Oprah, right? That explains that.

[cuervo72]

I'd have to say Henley. And I agree with Fritz regarding music. Sound doesn't become dated quite like movies do - it ages better (though movies have only been around for 100 years they've changed considerably during that time). Music is also more replicable, and is associated with it's original artist/composer. Movies, or as an extension plays, might eventually be known more by their writers - when we think Hamlet we think Shakespeare, not any specific actor who has played the role in the last 400 years.

The short nature of a musical piece also is a factor. How many times have you heard 'Hotel California' as opposed to have seen 'Leathal Weapon' or 'Broadcast News'?

[GrantDawg]

Originally posted by Ksyrup
Never saw it.

That was the one with Oprah, right? That explains that.

You missed out. It was a great pic (and Oprah was actually incredible).

[Butter]

Glover, if only for this exchange with Gene Hackman in The Royal Tenenbaums:

Royal: Are you trying to steal my woman?
Henry: I beg your pardon.
Royal: You heard me, Coltrane.
Henry: "Coltrane"?
Royal: What?
Henry: Did you just call me Coltrane?
Royal: No.
Henry: You didn't?
Royal: No.
Henry: Okay...

[Ksyrup]

Originally posted by GrantDawg
You missed out. It was a great pic (and Oprah was actually incredible).

It wouldn't interest me, though. Not only do I have a hard time separating the actor from the character, but I just don't enjoy certain types of movies, no matter the quality.

I only really enjoy comedies, with the occasional "other" type of movie (like Usual Suspects) thrown in. Admittedly, I'm not much of a movie fan. You could probably throw out the names of 10 of your favorite movies from the past 10 years, and chances are, I haven't seen but one or two of them, or if I saw them, I probably didn't like them.

Speaking of problems separating the actor from the character, I just read that Barbara Streisand's husband is going to portray Ronald Reagan in a mini-series. Uh....I don't think so.

[cuervo72]

Originally posted by Ksyrup

I only really enjoy comedies, with the occasional "other" type of movie (like Usual Suspects) thrown in. Admittedly, I'm not much of a movie fan. You could probably throw out the names of 10 of your favorite movies from the past 10 years, and chances are, I haven't seen but one or two of them, or if I saw them, I probably didn't like them.

Boy, you sound just like me here Ksyrup, except that I haven't seen The Usual Suspects :)

[Ksyrup]

Originally posted by cuervo72
Boy, you sound just like me here Ksyrup, except that I haven't seen The Usual Suspects :)

THAT, is a great movie. I'm hoping to get it on DVD for my birthday.

You know, I didn't realize how little I cared about movies until I had a kid. Our daughter will be 4 in a month, and we've seen (not counting the kids movies we've started going to) 2-3 movies in the theater in the past 4 years - and I can't even remember what they were! Occasionally, we rent a DVD or pay-per-view, but honestly, some people around here have probably seen more movies in a theater in a couple of months than I've seen anywhere in 4 years.

[Dutch]

Now I know you didn't start a thread about important birthdays in history a day after Andy M and my birthdays.....

[QuikSand]

Sorry, Dutch. If you like, I can say something bad about a Democrat, and help make your day.

[Dutch]

That would be too easy, QS. :)

[andy m]

i still have some cake left from mine. anybody want some?