Famous people who have achieved success way beyond their talent level

[Sheriff Fatman]

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

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.

[TightEnd]

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

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

[millidonk]

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.

[Pyso]

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!

[AdamM]

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.

[Marky147]

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

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'

[The Camel]

John Motson
Murray Walker
Lars Ulrich
Michaela Tabb
George Lucas

Absolutely agree with Murray Walker.

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

[millidonk]

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

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'

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.

[Sheriff Fatman]

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.

[Sheriff Fatman]

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

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'

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

[tikay]

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.

Z Cars though. Fancy that.

[AdamM]

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

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'

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.

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

[AdamM]

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

[The Camel]

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

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'

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.

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

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.

[Kev B]

Terry Wogan

Alan Hansen (for his commentary)

Davina McCall

Sex Pistols