blonde poker forum

Adrian Edmondson
Bruce Willis
Miranda Hart
Nicholas Cage

and controversially

Hugh Laurie

Any others?

One Direction.

Any number of TV comedians.

Chris Moyles...

Ed Miliband

Charles Colville

Andy Townsend

Adrian Chiles

Hugh Grant

Michael McIntyre

Anyone even slightly associated with Mrs Browns Boys

Mark Lawrenson

I actually admire those who rise above their talent ceiling, & don't begrudge them their success one bit, so I'm not knocking, but I have to nominate this Gent.....



(http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o541/tikay2/NEW%20ALBUM/DW_zpsc58f2195.jpg) (http://s1147.photobucket.com/user/tikay2/media/NEW%20ALBUM/DW_zpsc58f2195.jpg.html)

Have to disagree on this one, although I'll be surprised if he becomes a big time presenter.

Widely regarded as an outstanding technical DJ and produced results over a long period of time after a succession of short-lived, risky or poor Breakfast show hosts on Radio 1.

His style wasn't to everyone's taste, obv, but I've always been a fan.

Paris Hilton

Jordan

Pamela Anderson

Carmen Electra

You get the general idea I'm sure......

There's 1000's of these talentless (by comparison) women out there who are famous for either by being fit (in the eyes of the general masses at least) or having rich/famous parents/boyfriends/husbands.

As Tikay says though you can't help but admire them. They've made the most of what they've got and have more money and success than the rest of us put together.

does a DJ do any technical stuff these days? not sure what that actually means tbh. Being popular is not really something I use to indicate if someone has talent or not.

His form of humor is/was the easiest piss taking variety that bombed on TV, very popular with the radio listening manual worker on his way to work, whilst reading the Sun.

I still don't actually know what he is good at?

Adrian Chiles was really good on the radio imo. Just a shame someone thought he'd be as good on the telly.

Totally disagree with Ed Milliband. Very talented politician I think. Clearly the most able current party leader. And probably the best since William Hague.

excellent shout. such a pile of dross, but so many seem to love it

Wow, he'd be one of the last people I'd put on the list.

Comedian, musician, serious actor, Blues Oarsman.  Incredibly talented individual, even if none of what he's done is to your taste.

Definitely controversial!

For a minute I thought you were defending Miliband until you dropped The Hague-bomb on him.  Poor bugger doesn't deserve that!

Michael Appleton

define success though?

anyone associated with any "celeb" type programme would be my view to the question however. That ryan bloke for example...and the geordie girl.  These types just go from one celeb show to another, as that is all the "talent" they have, or do.

Without these shows, half the TV/Mag industry would cease to exist.

Oh and jedward!

Go to Sky Sports News now.

The four on the right.

JAMIE GOLD

David Beckham (and I'm a United fan!). The boy did good

Kim kardashian

Example

Titus bramble

Ant n dec

Kevin Keegan

Paris Hilton
Kim Kardashian
Ashley Walters (Asha D)

You don't rate Hague?

Best Tory leader in my lifetime. (Not saying a lot I know, but I think he's a great politician)

".....best since William Hague....."

...best Tory Leader in my lifetime...."

Nothing beats high quality satire, nice one Keith.


Think you may have forgotten THE MAN


(http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o541/tikay2/NEW%20ALBUM/WINSTON-CHURCHILL-570_zpsa1ad9faf.jpg) (http://s1147.photobucket.com/user/tikay2/media/NEW%20ALBUM/WINSTON-CHURCHILL-570_zpsa1ad9faf.jpg.html)

Piggy backed his way to success on Stephen Fry's talent.

House is the most over rated tv show around.

And don't get me started on his "music".

Tony Kendall

As late as page 2?

Such sick rubs Tikay.  Churchill was dead before Keith was born!!!!

Eh?

Do you realise how old Keith is?

Could say the same of Oliver Hardy, Ernie Wise or Bob Mortimer.

You'd be wrong, but you could say that.

I enjoyed House. Nice to have a Sherlock Holmes story done in a different way. And the nod to it being a doctor who was the inspiration for Conan Doyle.

Not a huge blues fan, so tough to comment on that one. He always used music in his comedy, tho.

I find Hugh Laurie a tough one to argue, Mr Camel.

Agree with you on Hague, tho...

Fish in a barrel.

Agree with almost all the selections, but also side with Tikay a little. What we see as rising above their station could in many cases be actually a result of well deserved hard work, something most people don't see or want to see in others.

Lady Gaga.
Frank Lampard. (respeck)
Eminem.
Roy Hodgson.
John Wayne.
Adam Richman. (still a legend)
Chris Tarrant.
Anna Kournikova.
Jeff Stelling.
Tim Henman.
Peter Jones/Theo Paphitis.
Daniel Craig.

Tim Henman?!?!?!?

Delete immediately!

He was number 4 tennis player in the world ffs! Brilliant player, unlucky to be around when Sampras was so dominant, else he would have won Wimbledon. His volleying was an absolute joy to watch.

and the word legend is massively overused in these parts, but Jeff Stelling surely deserves that title.

Disagree with almost all of this list

Daniel Craig won't win an Oscar but he's a better actor than at least two Bonds.

I think he's a total clown, even among the party of clowns.

Doesn't help that he's from Rotherham, yet has the the most irritating fake accent I've ever heard.

So glad we never had the misfortune of him as PM, although Foreign Secretary is bad enough.

Would rank him so far down the list it's untrue.  Even Thatcher has to go above him!

I think William Hague is a real talent. Superb intellect. Much much better than Cameron as a theorist, but not really a leader as his image is a bit "specialist" for the wider public

Never lock Sheriff and I in a room to talk politiics

Fry pretty much says the opposite in his autobiography.

And getting into the Boat Race crew is still no mean feat either!  You needed to nail that one aswell I think.

And brilliant parliamentarian.

At the dispatch box he's genuinely witty, scathing and yet thoughtful and diplomatic.

I think he'd be a great PM.

A really good politician imo.

Peter Jones I agree wholeheartedly with.

Massive clue for himself.

LOL, I was about to say 'Newsflash: Tighty and I disagree on Tory politics' but just too slow.

By the way, the best advert I've ever seen for the Labour Party was sitting in the Cambridge Union watching the CU Conservative Society in action.  Hague is of that ilk.

Anyone with 'replaced by Iain Duncan Smith' on his CV cannot be deemed a great politician, IMO.

Iain Duncan Smith however, was (and still is for all I know) a complete dick. As was Michael Howard.

Hague got his chance far too soon. Doubt he'll get another, but could have been a great PM.

See, I just don't see this at all.  Debating skills alone (and I'll concede, this is where he shines) do not make a great politician and the content of what he says is overshadowed by the fake accent.

A truly great politician can transcend party politics and at least be respected by supporters of other parties.  Hague couldn't even be guaranteed a warm welcome in his home town.

Don't judge people by the Peterhouse students! (Actually, think Portillo went there :) )

Pleno

Theo and Peter Jones are entreprenuers, so their 'talent level' is about their hard work, drive and business acumen more than anything. Not sure how they could be considered anything but talented in that respect. Yes they do both have quite overbearing personalities, but they know what they are talking about.

Keanu Reeves

I  would guess Labour politicians respect Hague far more than any other senior member of the current government, with the possible exception of Vince Cable.

Winner

Agree with this, yes they have created media profiles, but they have grafted and were successful before any of this.

Politicians, maybe, but not grass roots supporters.

Theo Paphitis started as a watch salesman and grafted from the bottom of the ladder. His skill when he made money was turning struggling businesses around. La Senza and Rymans were completely saved by his acumen. Sir Philip Green is a more pronounced example of the same thing. Astonishing talent to turn a multi million pound loss into a multi million pound profit.

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFal553wR3k

Tom Cruise, not Rich Hall

Got a big soft spot for Stelling but not overly talented imho.

Henman? Lucky I didn't bold, italic and underline him!

Sadly he probably will. An English period drama opposite Judi Dench should do the trick (or was that Bond? :)). Tbf most Bonds achieved success beyond their talent. No real point highlighting Craig as he's better than almost all of his predecessors.

Robbie Williams.

Cheryl Cole.

Simon Pegg.

James Corden.

And my personal favourite, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Robbie Williams? ROBBIE WILLIAMS?

THE Robbie Williams?

I'm so disappointed in you. You are your father's daughter, for sure.

Agree with all but Pegg. Corden is just awful.

Arnie is cool because he sucks.

Say it ain't so. Robbie is a God. Or, at the very least, an Angel.

Sadly I can't stand Robbie. I can't deny he is a tremendous showman, but I think his songs are pants.

Conversely I think the Chambers songs are very well written. Robbie as a showbusiness persona I dislike.

Come to think about it, as applied to a sportsman the subject of this thread is a compliment.

Means they must have worked really hard and capitalised on every opportunity that presented itself.

Lleyton Hewitt for example.

Or Steve Davis.

whoever it is that said Eminem should be banned

Ian Poulter

Much better mano e mano in pressure spots than he is in 72 hole strokeplay

Steve Davis was unbeatable in his era, I think his talent and success were equally matched.

But yes, a huge complement nonetheless.

Sportsmen and women, yes, but anyone who over-achieves gets my vote. Surely we should admire them for making something out of nothing? We don't have to like them of course, that is a very different thing.*

* Unless it is Robbie. Gotta love Robbie.

geordie shore crew

Baffling thread.

In what way did Steve Davis manage to have success way above his talent level ?

Who?

Completely agree.

If Robbie makes this list, he could only do so if several hundred names above him were Mick - sorry, SIR Mick - Jagger. I'll take some dissuading on this.

The theory, Ray, is that he did not have "natural talent" and his success came from application and hard work, much as with, say, Nick Faldo. That is not a negative at all, just a fact, and an admirable one.

In snooker, I'd think a better example would be Ebdon or Dott, who won the world title during times when Higgins, Ronnie, Williams and Hendrie were playing well. They achieved more than their ability suggests they ought.

Not criticism, though.

All those previous posts that built you up and now this...

My submission for the thread

Tal

I think we all have differing definitions of talent. Some are classing it as natural ability, others as just ability. Steve Davis may or may not have been a natural, but he had the ability to match his success. Someone like Beckham however, does not have anywhere near the ability to match his level of financial success he has achieved.

On Sir Mick, he's a talent like any performer is a talent. But to have had the extent of success he's had, the reverence, the knighthood (where's Roger Daltrey's? Let's be honest, Jagger only got the KBE because Blair is a big Stones fan) is punching far above his weight.

Fair play to him

Good thread btw Camel, maybe tomorrows should be the opposite, ie, who has not had the level of success they probably should have?

Yeah, this was my line of thought.

I don't see anyway Steve Davis can be itt, 99% of those who have got to the top of there Sport will have had to put a lot of hard work into getting there, wasn't there a well written piece on here not so long ago about "natural talent" being massively overrated as a relevant factor.

How do we quantify who has the least/most natural talent when looking at the very best ?

Tru dat. What we assume is talent is likely the result of hard work. Thats why I am basing mine on their ability in general.

Oh and Shia Labeouf btw

Simon Cowell

James Corden

Keith Lemon. The only guy that if someone could please shove a pipe up his arse preferably one wide enough to hold a street full of electric, gas & telecommunications cables inside, well I'd buy that person a pint. Maybe two.

That is fair comment, but the marketing of David and Victoria Beckham PLC is nothing short of genius.

Not every footballer and wife would be able to take advantage of that, which, to be fair, is not necessarily a compliment. He lives his life in a Royalty like goldfish bowl, like HM the Queen, which must be truly horrific. Most coud not cope, but he can. To you and me, the vast financial rewards would not compensate for the loss of privacy, the ability to lead a normal life, but it works for him. Good luck to him, few could cope.

Do you mean the character or Leigh Francis?

Think this guy is probably the winner

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z6GnUTVAF0

There it is. Application v natural talent. Steve Davis v Jimmy White. (See tomorrow's thread....).

One won world titles galore, the other was forever the bridesmaid.

Which is the greater talent? Heads up, both at their peak, the betting would be close. One got the lot, the other not so much.

Thread killer.

Love that, Mr Shoelace.

Will happily throw in Tanja Lieden for good measure.

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZR91ogniVE

Lindsay Jacob-Ellis can go in tomorrow's thread.

The character. It's just I find it so awful that the portrayal of a god's gift like character complete with dyed blonde hair, permatan & a bandage on his wanking hand so, well, ugh & unfunny.

Michael Mcintyre

Ricky Gervais

Perhaps the most loathed comedian of our time. Perhaps the most commercially successful, too. There is probably a link between the two.

A peculiar British trait.

You think Steve Davis was as talented as Jimmy White or Alex Higgins?

He worked his arse off and had balls of steel.

But I wouldn't put him in the top 20 of all time talented snooker players

BTW I love Steve Davis. He's one of my favourite sportsmen.

However, I think even he would admit he's not in the class of a Hendrie, O'Sullivan or Williams.

Jimmy had the greater talent without doubt. Davis himself states his success was down to playing and being coached in a very mechanical style as he didn't have the natural talent at the game.
Hard to say for a lot of sports/ sports performers whether it's talent or graft as the top level of sport is mostly 'mental'

Never thought you were old enough to remember Rex Williams. Or do you mean Robbieeeeeeeeee?

Neither.

I meant this one:

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emklno6Tfeo

and

He enlivens the Omaha cash games in Swansea and Cardiff, or used to. A superb snooker player at his very best, but a mile behind Ronnie, in my view.

I'd have Williams as a close number 2 as the most talented ever.

Not the dedication of the Nugget or Hendry though.

Paul Collingwood springs to mind. An absolute grafter.

Graeme Thorpe also.

Ringo.

Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards.

By the way , I think he's awesome , a proper chap. Typically British.

Rihanna
Megan Fox
Orlando Bloom
The Ultimate Warrior WWE
Gilbert from WWE
The Earthquake John Tenta WWE
The 123 Kid WWE

123 kid and his many other disguises was cool

It would have taken me a long time to have thought of putting the 123 Kid on this list!

He's been under a few different names, hasn't he?

Now look at what you made me find nostalgically!

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpzUmIQqD4U

And, because of you, I've now realised that the single coolest thing ever when I was ten was actually rubbish.

Hope you're happy with yourself.

hahahaha
Can't believe how young they both look...

But come on, how on earth did the 123 kid beat Razor....? Talk about David Versus Goliath

Are you asking how one actor beat another actor in a scripted pseudo-fight?

Went to see him live in London with an ex

The audience were laughing before he entered the stage which is a hell of an advantage for a comedian

If you could call him that

Actors?

stuntmen then?

scripted moves and bad scripts to a predominantly stupid audience (impressionable children apart), reckon any of "sports entertainment"is prime territory for this thread

Couldn't we say the same thing about most Hollywood movies?

Also do remember we're talking about talent here, not whether Wrestling is something that you'd watch on a Sunday afternoon or the demographics that watch it.

When I mentioned the Wrestlers or 'Performers' that I mentioned, I did so because I think within the Wrestling world their success far outweighed their talent.

Of course not

A good film with good actors and good screenplay/script against the money making lowest common denominator travesty to the human race that is Fixed wrestling in spandex masquerading as entertainement is absolutley no comparison at all

I think Tighty is giving wrestling too much credit here.

It's not fixed wrestling, it's 'Sports Entertainment' and scripted, it's for people to watch just like soap opera and just like soap operas it has it's fans and it's critics.  

!

Line of the week, and not wrong.

We must remember, though, some people (even intelligent sorts like snoopy) actually believe in it, and enjoy it. Snoops has books, videos, pictures on his bedroom wall, the full works.

Each to their own. A very strange thing, though.

I should add that I don't actually watch the WWE anymore, it was more something I watched when I was younger, but have no issues with watching it..

Horses for courses I guess

I mean its obviously not great tv and I haven't watched it for years but it certainly can't be seen as much worse than corrie surely? Wrestling does at least have some degree of athleticism about it. I would definitely say it is better than some films. Probably a very small percentage though.

Lol at both 123 kid and jeff hardy weighing 212lbs....

Even that young JH sold everything so well.

Talking of Wrestlers that did better than they shoulda:

Goldberg
Stone cold
Andre the Giant

i still remember the episode of raw in which the 123 kid won his first match against a big name i cant remember who it was though i am thinking big bossman or razor ramon someone of that ilk

he was never the biggest wrestler but he had some good moves and performed them well in wrestling thats important too many "big names" end up injuring people by missing a move or a hold and can end a wrestlers career

when he came back too wwf as part or dx with HHH and roaddog  called xpac it wook me along time too work out it was same guy

too me a good wrestler is one that can entertain while hitting the moves so that no one gets hurts IRL

Gets my vote

+ 1 mirrion.

David Ferrer for me. 

FYP

Maybe a little controversial but This Guy ------->

David Hasselhoff

Alan Carr

Boris Johnson

Richard Oxford*

*name changed to protect the innocent as this one is very tongue in cheek

I despise the man, but it would be a big mistake to underestimate Boris Johnson.

A very very clever man, and the ultimate manipulator.

Are there any people you're middle of the road with Camel? I frequently see you posting your loathing of this or that person, and very occasionally see you praise people, but you rarely seem to have no opinion, or a neutral view.

LOL.

Yes, lots.

For example:

David Hasselhoff

Allan Carr

Richard Oxford (who is he anyway?)

Used to present The Big Lunch with Kelly Broke. Now does voiceovers for Groan Flag adverts and presents on Skype Ochre with Toby Kin'Ell

No help.

Still no clue who he is.

I've walked into a level again, haven't I?

 ;marks;

If anyone worked hard to get there then they deserve it. Luck plays a big part in anyone becoming super famous.

Otherwise, anyone who has become famous through reality shows.

Ronald Reagan.

(http://i3.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article1704013.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/Fearne%20Cotton-1704013.jpg)

(http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2011/09_september/07/assets/images/celeb_lrg/russell_grant.jpg)

(http://blogs.coventrytelegraph.net/passtheremote/alan%20titchmarsh.jpg)

(http://media.whosay.com/190400/190400_la.jpg)

(http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02443/Kerry-Katona_2443357b.jpg)

(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-geM7Tdvlajc/TrsCo1EykcI/AAAAAAAAABw/HMzgWr_iWrQ/s1600/Da+Vinci+Code.jpg)

Who is the top one?

I quite like Lovejoy.

Having said I quite like Lovejoy, according to Wiki: "In 2009 he was named by The Daily Telegraph as the 49th most eligible bachelor in Britain"

That MUST be a reach.

If I was a woman, I'm pretty sure I could pick 49 men I'd rather marry than Tim Lovejoy.

Is Tal taken yet?

Top one is Fearne Cotton, he says, dodging a question.

What's Claypole doing sharing a plate of food with Lovejoy btw

Gordon Brown?

The guy interviewing Jose Mourinho before the Man.U/Chelski game who asked what his tactics for the game were.

Please start a 'Keith Hawkin's top 50 hunks' thread

Calvin Andrew wins in footballing terms for me. Started in Palace's crunch away game to Sheff Weds that kept us in the championship. Now remains a professional at Mansfield Town.

He has scored 12 goals in 173 appearances as a striker. Eurgh.

FYP

Your wish is my command

http://blondepoker.com/forum/index.php?topic=62234.msg1842299#msg1842299

I'd subscribe, but, yknow, conflict of interest...

Can I finish above Rodney Marsh?

I will feel particularly special if the thread does indeed have 49 hand picked hunks from our hero.

Gregg Wallace.

At least Torode is a damn good chef.

very fine contribution

Failed greengrocer and restauranteur got lucky

I feel the need to defend Michael Mcintyre.  Whether you like his comedy style or not you can't deny that the guy really worked the circuit and his talent connects with a decent portion of the public.  It's not like he just lurked around famous people until he convinced someone to give him a plum job.

And for these reasons I would like to nominate Nick Grimshaw for the thread.  If you don't know who he is, I envy you.

thats fair, clearly a very very hard worker who has maximised his opportunity.

the fact that it is derivative and bland is irrelevant really


Paul McKenna. Snake oil salesman. Made fortunes by brilliant marketing, re-inventing a persona, getting people to beleive and buy tapes, books etc. Got to admire it really.

Sat in his seat once in Upper on the way back from Vegas but he let me stay where I was comfortable and took my seat.

Quite made me feel like I had achieved success beyond my talent

"I've got considerably more money than you" brag post imo.

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8Kum8OUTuk

This

While I also believe that McIntyre is a hard worker, his father was a successful TV comedy writer, which I'm sure helped a little.

  FFS winner has to be Ringo.

lol, had is more accurate

FYP

Ha, very good, did a lol

Richard Whiteley
Davina McCall
Neil Reynolds
Jonathan Ross
John Helm
Ant & Dec
Justin Fletcher
Trevor Kettle
Harry Hill
Pretty much the entire 70s punk movement (and I mean this one as a massive compliment)

Whitely was wayyyyyyyyyy out of his depth on tv. But seemed like he was a really nice bloke.

Reynolds >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Halling imo. But neither are fit to lace Mike Carlsen's boots.

Harsh on the Rosster. I think he's extremely talented.

Jonathan Ross is a tremendous talent.

George Bush.
I don't know how it took this long for him to be mentioned. Winner fo' sho'.

Alright, I know I'm an old divvy, but this thread makes me uncomfortable.

To make the best of it, I'm not really sure why.

Eh?

Found Halling much easier to listen to than Reynolds, even if Reynolds is more knowledgeable. More confident, more banter and more edgy. Reynolds is too bland for me.

Carlsen is an absolute different gravy, though. He is the whole package.

How long before Tighty gets the Sky NFL gig?

Agree with both of you.  I'm not exactly a fan of his mass market comedy but I am amazed by how someone who seems pretty inoffensive can get such ferment derision, mainly from peers.

The late Sir David Frost.  A credit to him how well he used the luck of who he was at University with.

This Thursday I am doing the 2 hour Sky ch 861 NFL preview with the Sporting Life NFL man

Can't wait

I too would not be fit to lace Carlsen's boots. Very very talented man.

My new pick is TV sports pundit Rich Prew.

Odds on Eddie Royal gets a mention

100% correct. Not a lot of talent, plenty of blagging

Halling was unbelievably smug.

If he was on Tips on Tikay, he'd be a worse aftertimer than Big Adz. Or Kinboshi.

+1 to the defence of Michael McIntyre. It probably isn't all the gospel truth but if his autobiography is at least a fair representation of his career before he was a known comic he definitely worked hard enough to be where he is today.

Pretty harsh to have Ricky Gervais on here also imo. If he was still riding The Office as his main body of work then I think that'd be fair but he has a pretty wide body of work all of which has been very well received. His series Derek that aired last year was fantastic TV imo.

And there's the issue on which the thread fails. McIntyre has worked hard, and doubtless the market has received him and he deserves his sell out shows in ridiculous venues for comedy like the O2. But does he have a talent for comedy? Is he inventive? Is he a comedian?

Now, can someone of my generation explain Kenny Lynch please?

Barbara Windsor.

I know she has had a long career, but I'm going to stick my neck out and say she has exceeded expectations.

"working hard" is a great virtue for most people.

For a comedian, you are either funny or you're not.

Doesn't matter how hard you work if you just aren't funny.

This is an awful thread. Alot of posts in here are just nonsense imo

Should be renamed the "Which celebs do you think are shit? thread"

That is the nub of it. Michael Macintyre is a good example, I think he is shit too, but nobody on here really knows how hard he has worked or not to get where he is today. I think people have just put him up because they don't like him, a few others too.

All of Ricky Gervais' characters are the same on small or big screen. Funny first time you see it but soon becomes just anothe character with the same flaws/mannerisms.

13 pages and no mention of spice girls. 5 women who couldn't sing or dance and became the most successful girl band in the world

   Ringo.

Not having that. He was born a Starr.

Born a Starkey think you will find.

John Motson
Murray Walker
Lars Ulrich
Michaela Tabb
George Lucas

!

pause, reread

!!

yes he really listed those names

Justification for Motson, Lucas and especially Lars Ulrich please.

If Ringo is in, could arguably say Lars is in. For a band as huge as Metallica, question whether he's a strong enough drummer. Still a cult figure but would he have made it anywhere else?

I'm reaching for clues, here...

Aaron Wilbraham

431 career games

80ish career goals

and despite his goals mostly coming during mk dons stay in the lower divisions has moved up the leagues

George Lucas wrote one great film, which was also perfectly timed, was rescued by clever editors and then came up with a load of shit ideas that his people went along with for fear of disagreeing with his 'genius'. Episode IV was the best of the series but even now it hasn't weathered that well. The crap that he came out with afterwards leans me to believe a lot of his success was in the 'overachievement' category.

I can think of hundreds of better drummers than Lars Ulrich. Not saying he is poor, just that there are so many technically better who don't happen to front the biggest heavy metal franchise on the planet.

John Motson's delivery style is one paced, predictable, cliched and irritating. One of several BBC broadcasters who are more famous for being famous than actually being knowledgeable, articulate and interesting. I include Murray Walker in that too, he made a career out of nothing more than enthusiasm. I like him actually but as a commentator who can empathise with his subject - no thanks.

I forgot to include Brian Blessed, makinmg a career out of having a loud shouty voice. Well done, sir.

I can let all the above go, as all are reasoned arguments, I don't agree but ho-hum, I respect your views, but Blessed?  His TV persona maybe, but it is about 0.000001% of what he has achieved in life.  He truly is a remarkable man, and thats in the true sense of remarkable.

What Nakor said.

Sorry, there's been some stupid names in this thread, but I'm not having Lars Ulrich.

True there are far better drummers about these day, but back in the original "big 4" days, he was more technical than his peers Dave Lombarbo, Charlie Benante and whatever hired hand Megadeth had at any given time, especially for the Justice album. He was easily as quick when needed as well.

But Lars' "talents" were as a band leader and composer, more than as a drummer.
Without Lars, Metallica wouldn't be where they are today.
So he may not be the best tub thumper in the world, but he's still extremely talented, as a drummer, songwriter and music businessman.

In his own words:
"[The criticism] used to [bother me], back in the day - and I spent a lot of time overcompensating for that on the early records. But then you wake up one day and you're like, 'Whatever.' It hasn't bothered me for about 15 years. I'm no Joey Jordison. I'm no Mike Portnoy, and I have nothing but love and respect and admiration for all those guys. When I hear some of the young dudes, they blow my mind with what they can do with their feet and stuff - but it's not something that makes me go, 'I need to feel better about myself so I'm gonna learn how to do what they do with my feet.' I'm not a particularly accomplished drummer but I am very, very, very good at understanding the role of the drums next to James Hetfield's rhythm guitar. I guarantee you I'm the best guy in the world for that, and that's enough for me!"

Pyso, you call them the biggest heavy metal franchise in the world, as if it's always been that way.
I was an 80's/90's thrasher, and it's a constant suprise to me that of all the music that was going on at the time, one of the most sneered at and under appreciated bands of that era became one of the biggest bands in the world. Lars has to take a lot of credit for that, along with Hetfield, and of course Bob Rock.

Not true actually.  For example I don't think any of Ant & Dec, Jonathan Ross, Davina, etc are shit, but I do think they've over-achieved.  (Harry Hill, on the other hand is shit!)

Similarly, no-one argued earlier in the thread that Steve Davis was shit, so it's a massive over-simplification to say that this is what the thread is about.

agree with this

I put up Alan Titchmarsh earlier

He was a jobbing gardening writer for years, then did some BBC daytime stuff and gardeners world. From that came Ground Force at Prime time and then an ITV chat show and a best selling author

He's made millions. Do I dislike him? No. Do I think he's made the maxmimum of his ability and opportunities (by diversification into other areas, hard work, personality)? Absolutely

Lol @ Lucas hate, wrote and directed American Graffitti. wrote and produced Willow, produced Labrynth, land before time and Indiana Jones.

Raised 100s of millions for charity

Revolutionalised merchandising

I didn't want to post itt but meh.. Queen the band, Obama, all reality tv stars excluding Jade Goodey, Mo Farah, Cliff Richard, RUSSELL BRAND

I think "famous people I don't like for no real reason" would be a better title for thread.

I agree, Lars's success is more down to what he has done for the band (which is why I used the word franchise). I quite like him actually but this thread was about supposed over-achievement relative to 'talent' which is why I put him in. I'm not having him being more technical than Dave Lombardo, I nearly spat out my tea when I read that! Listen to some Grip Inc. albums and say that again please.. ;)
I am as big a metal fan as they come but even I would say Metallica have over achieved. Let's be honest they did three great albums and a lot of average ones.

The Brian Blessed one I put in really to illustrate that it's easy to know a famous person for one thing (the 'shouting' in his case) and perhaps miss all the other stuff he or she does or has done to get to the 'top'.

That's why this thread has been so entertaining.

I knew the George Lucas one would wind somebody up...I don't hate him at all, I just think that luck was a bigger factor in Star Wars' success than perhaps he realises - in fact you could say that about a LOT of poker tournament winning 'names' also...


Queen, I totally agree - but then I always had an irrational dislike of their music, the only band who ever did that to me!

Queen???
Pull your head in mate.

4 great song writers, all multi instrumentalists, hard working, style shifting, high energy performers.
And Brian May in particular is a guitar hero's guitar hero.
He's got the most incredible ear for harmony, and can switch effortlessly between subtle control, to blinding rock riffs.

Meh, don't think that it's even that they dislike them in most cases.

How about - 'Celebrities who are much more successful than I think they should be'

Absolutely agree with Murray Walker.

Hopeless commentator, who has been made a celebrity for being hopeless!

Nailed it son.

@Adam. I'm afraid you're wrong as Queen are shit in every capacity.. (this is the point I am trying to make why I believe this is an utterly pointless thread and I wish I hadn't been suckered in) Nobody will win and nobody will change their mind.

Blessed plays up the shouty "Gordon's alive" thing these days because it's what he's expected to do (i.e. when interviewed, they almost encourage him to behave like that, and he gets TV ad work to do exactly this).  He's making a nice pseudo-career from it.

If all you've ever seen of him is current stuff, Flash Gordon and Blackadder, then it's easy to see how you'd come to this conclusion, so I suppose it does illustrate the point you make above, to an extent.

Isn't that pretty much a re-wording of Camel's original title?

Z Cars though. Fancy that.

I used you quite like you.
I'm afraid you're completely wrong about this.

I also wish I'd stuck to my intention not to get involved in this thread.

It feels like a conversation between a bunch of blokes that fell out of the ugly tree and hit their faces on every branch on the way down arguing about which supermodels they would or wouldn't bang, or fat old men who haven't ran more than 5 paces in their adult lives deciding which professional sportsmen are lazy, or armchair critics who've never been near a stage deciding which platinum selling musicians have any talent.

Big sigh

None of the above was aimed at anyone in particular by the way :)

Meh, it's only meant to be a bit of fun.

Don't let it bug you.

FWIW Every single person mentioned in this thread is more talented and successful than me.

Terry Wogan

Alan Hansen (for his commentary)

Davina McCall

Sex Pistols

I understand the motivation behind it Camel. Not a bad idea for a thread.
Just think it turned into people having a bitch about people doing better than they think they deserve.
And some very talented, hard working people too,

Serious question about Brian May.

Do you think he would have been successful and famous if he had never met Fredrick Bulsara?

Must admit I have a great deal more respect for John Deacon than Brian May or Roger Taylor.

Deacon just retired from the industry after Freddie died while May and Taylor keep on keeping on.

The age-demographic of Blonde is too skewed toward youth for this to be widely appreciated, but I have to say that I literally snorted as I read it.

Brian May is a phenomenal musician.
As well as being an extremely versatile guitarist who can play an incredible range of styles, he can turn his hand to any instrument he feels the songs need.

He was also years ahead of his time using tape delay echo.

Without that specific line up coming together, they'd probably all have gone on to excel in different fields, Freddie included. Brian May was a physisist wasn't he?

I'd argue Queen were the most interesting and versatile band you could ever hope to come across if you listen to the full catalogue.

ermmm The Beatles , The Who, Zeppelin, Cream, Pink Floyd, and oh so many more.
Although i will concede that Queen have a back catalogue of hook filled songs.

Just LOL at the guys giving opinions on subjective stuff like music.

isn't that pretty much exactly the kind of threads we have here though? :D

tba pretty much every judgement here is subjective

The wordsmith strikes again.

Yeah, if you bang an 'in my opinion' on the end of the original title :)

His hold up play and flick ons and aerial ability were much more than Murray was offering in his last ten games for us. Murray getting injured and him coming in got us up. Of course Zaha helped but Wilbraham was a big help too. He can't finish to save his life though and his footwork is abysmal.

He won't be playing anymore in the prem for us, but I could see him starting for a championship team this year, and think he would work well as a target man with someone with him in a front two.

Has he over-achieved? No. He was a number two in the championship all of last year and only had a handful of games. He probably will settle back into back up for a champo side which is definitely fair enough.

Plus that goalscoring record isn't terrible anyway!

I did mention Calvin Andrew earlier. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvin_Andrew

Any advance on 16 goals in 202?

Michaela Tabb? wtf

Yeah sure, she got  fast tracked in snooker reffing, but that was one of many changes to bring new blood to the game.
As a ref, she is imo the best in the green baize world. Handles the pressure/crowds/awkward players better than anyone else.
Look up any of the mosconi games she has reffed with Earl the Girl playing

Assuming this is a level?

None of those bands have anywhere near the range of material that Queen do.
They've done glam rock, a fantasy land concept album, rag time, Sea shanty folk, lounge Piano, hard rock and VERY hard rock, blues, heart breaking ballads, raw punk, disco, multiple film sound tracks, funk, and of course radio friendly pop rock.

Frank Bruno

Jack Whitehall

This guy tries hard to be funny and cool but I think he is a big belll

Surely he must have always had the talent and then worked like hell to maximize it. He didn't fluke those medals - Athletics isn't a sport where you just get lucky.

The whole list was a bit tongue of cheek, but as you have singled that out I will continue with the utter pointlessness of this thread: he can run a bit. big deal, doesn't mean I want to see him or Rutherford or Lewis gymnast kid whenever I turn the bloody TV on. Well done, you can run, but you are not funny or remotely entertaining so get off my panel shows please.

This must be thread winner - a deeply unlikeable, unfunny, spoilt brat who only managed to get ahead in the game because girls fancy him and his dad's a bigshot agent.

Another one from comedy - Micky Flanagan. No jokes, no comic timing - how did he sell out huge arenas?

Michael McIntyre I have to take issue with though - whilst he may not be everyone's cup of tea (the hyperactive toddler on stage routine wears some people down) he can tell a joke and bring an audience along with him, he's a perfectly fine mainstream comedian.

Wow Micky Flanagan itt really?

By clear miles the best comedian for decades! So many original jokes / routine.

Absolutely incredible live, even does his own warm up as well.


Michael Mcntyre Bus stop in the snow routine is pretty incred.

Mickey Flanagan is exrecable. Turn off within 5 minutes of him coming on any programme. Deeply unfunny and the comic timing of a comatose Gazelle.


All a matter of taste this thread!

Harsh words. It is all a matter of taste which is why I wont bother arguing the fact that you are wrong.  :P Some people like carrots, some like peas, I, however like neither but I love rhubarb crumble..

I hate rhubarb crumble too!

gtfo you rhubarb

Love Micky Flanagan. Going to see him next month at the O2

This thread tilts me sooo much!

You will have an incred time, saw him in Lincoln. The new tour is amazing, I liked it even more than the "out out" tour. Face was hurting coming out of the gaff. DVD of it is out in November. Wiiiiiiiiiiiii

#GTFOhaters

Amatay

Derek Thompson.

Apparently he is a workaholic. I never understood how he got the work in the first place.

Not having Lars Ulrich. A tool yes, but an awesome drummer.

This!

If he ever gets pissed off about not being the best drummer, I imagine looking all those 0s in his current account cheer him up some.

Al Murray

Very knowledgeable man and worked hard on the circuit to get where he is. The Pub Landlord is a clever play on that working men's club, salt of the Earth, working class, red top reading mentality. The genius of it is the people who pay to watch him are often those his character is satirising.

However, Time Gentlemen Please was a terrible, terrible programme.

Wiki displays quite a family tree:

Murray was born at Stewkley, Buckinghamshire, only son of Lieutenant Colonel Ingram Bernard Hay Murray (a great-great-great-great-grandson of John Murray, 3rd Duke of Atholl who married Charlotte, Baroness Strange) and Juliet Anne Thackeray, née Ritchie (a great-great-granddaughter of William Makepeace Thackeray). His grandfather, the diplomat Sir Ralph Murray, was of Scottish nobility and married into the von Kuenburg family, aristocrats from Austria

Chris Addison

He was good in The Thick of It, but I find him pretty irritating as a stand-up. It might be because I always expect him to be good that I am disappointed, but he has some annoying mannerisms. Or else it might be that he looks too much like Kinboshi.

I liked Time Gentlemen please.
It had literally about 8 jokes that were repeated every week.
You could see them coming and join in with them.
Still, when ever I see Rebecca Front in anything, I fight back the urge to say "Bloody Ms Jackson, never poured a pint in her life."

Davina McCall
Dave Yates
Zoey Bird

second dave yates

Stephen Mulhern (spelling) is my new number one

Who is Dave Yates?

Great shout for Stephen mulhern.

Had to google Dave Yates too.  There are low barriers for fame these days, but guess I'd have heard of his Mirror moniker.   I obviously don't watch enough crap TV, as I had never heard of Stephen Mulhern either. 

He does or did the xtra factor. Very annoying.

Possibly one of the sharpest minds on the comedy circuit - an equal to Dara O'Brien in the mining of the audience for comedic results.
Pub Landlord should perhaps have been retired four or five years ago, but he nonetheless deserves all the success he has enjoyed.

Konnie Huq also pushing for honours here.

Al Murray is awesome !!

One person who deserves a mention Is chubby brown worst comedian this country has ever seen

Chubby Brown is hardly a massive star is he? Go see him at a local working mens club and tell me he is shooting above his station? lol

Astonishes me there's ANY place for a "comedian" like Chubby Brown these days.

I used to be firmly in the anti Dave Yates brigade, but softened my stance recently.

If you take him as entertainment not a racing expert, he is quite charming and funny.

Obviously hasn't got the skills of Willoughby, Mellish or Cunningham, but likeable nonetheless.

(http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/jkz6xSfDoOI/hqdefault.jpg)

hope you don't mean The Cherries.....now we're in The Championship  :D

Agreed.

She is hopeless.

I think there is room for more non footballers as pundits on the beautiful game. But she is terrible.

She's far better than Kamara at describing what's going on.

I think that whole show is brilliant, despite being almost entirely made up of poor analysis from people who don't demonstrate the skills to do the job. Being a good player doesn't make you a good pundit.

Is it too much to expect them to know and be able to pronounce the names of the players, to be able to describe events they've just seen (such as being able to tell me whether a cross came from the left or the right, in the air or on the ground, headed towards the near or far post, well directed or deflected...) or to give genuine insight into the game?

Paul Merson has got a lot better at explaining things in the 12-3 bit, even if he then gets comically flustered sometimes... Some of them on there must have info on some of the producers.

The one that stands out is Jeff Stelling. Whether he knows all the stuff or he's just good at relaying information given to him through his earpiece, he does it very well and plays a great part. The rest of it is "the old boys" stuff and they're no better than the blokes down the pub, ranting about things they've done no real research about.

Not a case of "I could do better", but if I were in that position, I would go on having done some research into the game I was reviewing and would make sure I'd heard of whichever managers were being linked with a job, where they'd worked and so on.

I'd probably best stop now or I'll get an RSI.

I like the ex footballers doing the reporting.

The fact that they are all terrible, kinda helps me enjoy it.

Charlie Nicholas on Saturday was superb, he was covering the Everton free kick, mirallis can't take this, it should be baynes, what's going on? Let Baynes take it, get out the way mirallis, come in baynes for god sake... Ohhhhh what a goal by mirallis, then spend the next 20 seconds screaming down the camera and laughing at himself.

Classic Kammy!!!

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdu6MLcuHwc

Stelling is good, but he has definitely deteriorated as he starts believing his own hype.  3/4 years ago he was superb, but now he has become a bit of an ego.

Bianca Westwood is terrible, doesn't describe what is going on and gets flustered.

The best pundits are the low profile ones at the Championship grounds like Dickie Davis, Bryn Law and Johnny Phillips

Westwood is beyond poor "he did a good kick and it went in" being my "fav" line of hers

Paul Walsh almost as bad often does Championship games and has no idea who any of the players are (look at the teamsheets?) and is just very arrogant

Paul Walsh will always be remembered fondly by me for landing a right hook on Kevin Bond in a game against Southampton after being spat at. Great punch.

*been trying to find the clip unsuccessfully

haha - I remember that. 

It was shown on Saint and Greavsie.  And Greavsie said "There is nothing worse in football than spitting."  (Walsh decks Bond) "Well except that"

I think the punch happened in the 2nd leg of this league cup semi final.  But can't find the other match as it was 0-0 I think so little demand for it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSj3rjXgQ7Q

Honestly, you are aload of footie snobs.
Westwood is lovely, and her enthusiasm is very watchable.

If you want accurate match reporting, I'm afraid Soccer Sat. isn't aimed towards you,