Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery

49 comments on “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery ”

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1. JohnDee 1

   28 September 2009 at 9:28 am

   I hear that John Key is a major contender for a part in the next Jackass Movie.
   The man’s a bloody poser.
2. Bright Red 2

   28 September 2009 at 9:30 am

   The funniest thing is that Key didn’t really get to sit on the couch.
3. outofbed 3

   28 September 2009 at 9:47 am

   The most worrying thing for me Is that In New Zealand its seems that a Pm appearing on a cheesy American talk show,.and demeaning himself and the office of the Pm,
   is somehow seen as some sort of success
   This is made more so when the host of the aforementioned show was obviously bemused that the Key segment was on the show at all.
   At the time it genuinely made me feel very uncomfortable.
   And t I have to say that the press reaction made me feel more so,
   But then a fading American actress who made a name for herself with false breasts
   who flashed us a nipple was wall to wall coverage the day after..
   I despair
4. Tim Ellis 4

   28 September 2009 at 9:53 am

   outofbed I don’t know how appearing on Letterman demeans the office of prime minister. Clearly when Mr Obama appeared on Letterman to do a top ten list (he didn’t sit on the couch on that occasion either) he wasn’t demeaning the position of democratic presidential candidate or United States Senator.

   Were Ms Clark’s appearances on Bro’ Town demeaning the office of Prime Minister? How about appearing on Shortland Street? What tourism or export value was there in that? How about doing a photo op with Shrek the Sheep instead of seeing the hikoi against the foreshore and seabed?

   Personally I’m not bothered by any of Ms Clark’s public appearances, but you might want to hold her to the same high standard of “demeaning the office” as you do Mr Key.
   • BLiP 4.1

     28 September 2009 at 10:03 am

     Timmy

     What are you on about?

     Are you aware just how foolish you seem?

     Toddle off and go do some “auditing” would you, please.
     • travellerev 4.1.1

       28 September 2009 at 10:07 am

       LOL
     • Maynard J 4.1.2

       28 September 2009 at 10:43 am

       Timmy’s examples have as much to do with the topic as Key wearing a pink shirt at the Big Gay Out. Apparently Tim thinks that if one public appearance is embarrassing and demeaning, then all public appearances must be. I did not think that was the case for Key at the Big Gay Out, or most of his other public appearances, but of course it is clear that he is not using an honest argument. The short answer is no, Clark’s appearances were not embarrassing or demeaning to the office of PM, just like the majority of key’s public appearances are not, but to be mocked on Letterman was. “what is he here for” jesus, how demeaning.
       • BLiP 4.1.2.1

         28 September 2009 at 11:07 am

         “The Prime Minister of New England” . . .
         • Tigger 4.1.2.1.1

           28 September 2009 at 11:14 am

           JM – “I did not think that was the case for Key at the Big Gay Out” – actually I thought this appearance was turgid – he voted against Civil Unions and danced terribly. Hypocritical and lacking talent.
   • Rob 4.2

     28 September 2009 at 3:35 pm

     lol, Shrek the Sheep, I forgot about that one, classic.
5. travellerev 5

   28 September 2009 at 10:08 am

   LOL. Hilarious
6. So Bored 6

   28 September 2009 at 10:15 am

   As previously mentioned Jonkey is actually the ultimate “soundclip”, the true successor to Max Headroom as the dissembodied vacuous talking head.
7. Craig Glen Eden 7

   28 September 2009 at 10:15 am

   Tim you are sad sad sad!
8. Adam Jarvis 8

   28 September 2009 at 10:21 am

   Tim Ellis has a point.

   The difference for me though, and i suspect most people, is the difference in the purpose of the events.

   I’m thinking of mainly of Clark’s Bro’ Town appearance here, but I’ve always seen it as her simply supporting local comedy talent and having a bit of fun while she’s at it. All the while, she failed to appear anything less than our head of state.

   Contrast that to Key’s appearance on Letterman. A blatant PR exercise, filled with excruciatingly bad jokes all in the aid of scrounging up a few more votes. Key looked and acted like a second rate comedian, not like a Prime Minister.

   That being said, could The Standard please stop making Kanye jokes. It’s beginning to border on hypocrisy. On the one hand you mock Key (and rightly so) for diminishing his office, while on the other diminish this fine blog by making the same joke twice.
   • So Bored 8.1

     28 September 2009 at 10:25 am

     If Tim has a point its a very blunt point (not very sharp).
   • BLiP 8.2

     28 September 2009 at 10:31 am

     Yeah, Timmy does have a point. Its that funny thing on the top of his head.
   • Daveo 8.3

     28 September 2009 at 10:38 am

     I think the point is to show that the cartoonist had ripped off the photoshop job from the standard on friday.

     Comment fail, Adam.
     • gitmo 8.3.1

       28 September 2009 at 11:20 am

       “On the one hand you mock Key (and rightly so) for diminishing his office, while on the other diminish this fine blog by making the same joke twice.”

       Congratulations you have rendered me incontinent.

       [lprent: please use a toilet… ]
       • gitmo 8.3.1.1

         28 September 2009 at 3:36 pm

         Taking the laptop into the bog is very poor form !
         • lprent 8.3.1.1.1

           29 September 2009 at 12:53 pm

           Use a smartphone
9. the sprout 9

   28 September 2009 at 10:27 am

   wow, you couldn’t get a closer rip-off than that without it being exactly the same!
10. sweetd 10

    28 September 2009 at 10:31 am

    Can the standard get to 10 threads on the one subject?, already up to 7 so only 3 more to go.

    Meanwhile, the rest of the country thinks Key did well on Letterman.
    • Daveo 10.1

      28 September 2009 at 10:38 am

      As above.

      http://www.thestandard.org.nz/imitation-is-the-sincerest-form-of-flattery/#comment-161682

      Comment fail, sweetd
    • gobsmacked 10.2

      28 September 2009 at 10:49 am

      “Meanwhile, the rest of the country thinks Key did well on Letterman.”

      Evidence?

      From unscientific samples online, reaction has been very mixed. Do you have some reliable data on the “rest of the country”?

      Please share.
      • Daveski 10.2.1

        28 September 2009 at 11:11 am

        Actually, it’s clearly the Standard that is out of step with the rest but who would know around here?

        Try views on youtube, try the blogging response in the States. In fact, there is no evidence to back up the negatives here.

        Of course, that’s the real issue here – the blind hatred that infects the left with Key as much as it did the right with Clark.

        Anyway, keep it up. The more you try to run Key down, the better he appears to be doing in the public eye.
        • gobsmacked 10.2.1.1

          28 September 2009 at 11:30 am

          Daveski

          Blog response? Google “john Key” + “letterman” + “cringe”. Hundreds of responses.

          Views on YouTube? Would have been multplied many times over if he’d removed his pants, and waved his dick at the camera. That’s success, is it? Boobs on bikes is more popular than any political event. So what?

          Response in USA? Evidence?

          As I said above: Mixed. I’m not saying it was a disaster – I commented on an earlier thread that it was more Letterman’s poor scripts than Key’s performance.

          But if grand claims are going to be made, they’re going to have to be backed up. Nobody has.
          • BLiP 10.2.1.1.1

            28 September 2009 at 12:12 pm

            Certainly nothing in the New York Times . . .
            • BLiP 10.2.1.1.1.1

              28 September 2009 at 12:34 pm

              Nor the LA Times . . .
            • BLiP 10.2.1.1.1.2

              28 September 2009 at 12:36 pm

              Nor the Washington Post . . .
          • BLiP 10.2.1.1.2

            28 September 2009 at 12:44 pm

            Ooooh, look! There’s a mention on Bloomberg . . . oh, hang on, it was written by the New Zealand Fox News Herald’s Tracy Withers . . . rats. Never mind . . . Look, I’ll get back to you.
        • felix 10.2.1.2

          28 September 2009 at 11:36 am

          Views on youtube is the measure of approval? Um, I watched it a couple of times. Does that mean I’m double stoked with him?
          • Daveski 10.2.1.2.1

            28 September 2009 at 11:42 am

            My point was simply you can more easily create a case for the appearance being a success than not … unless of course you are trying to justify a fixed position. In that light, I found it amusing that GS would demand evidence that it was successful when no such evidence is provided to damn it.

            I’ve made no grand claims either – it was PR which as others have pointed out was the same tactic used by HC.

            However I agree with GS – our SOH is quite different from the Yanks which I suppose makes the success of FOTC even more remarkable. (Do I have to provide evidence for that statement :))
            • gobsmacked 10.2.1.2.1.1

              28 September 2009 at 11:51 am

              SweetD made a very silly statement. I challenged it.

              “I liked it” versus “Everyone liked it”. One is personal opinion, the other requires evidence.

              This is pretty basic stuff, really. Logic for beginners.
    • lprent 10.3

      29 September 2009 at 12:54 pm

      I remember DPF managing about 40 in a week on Winston last year. So we have a way to go.
11. randal 11

    28 September 2009 at 11:21 am

    it wasnt even…you know…ah um..john key.
12. Blue 12

    28 September 2009 at 11:23 am

    Key went on Letterman because he was star-struck and because he thinks he is funny.

    As for tourism promotion, telling people NZ is a 20-hour flight away and allowing Letterman to paint us as a banana republic was really brilliant marketing.

    Given that Letterman had no idea what Key was even doing there, asked where New Zealand was and almost called it ‘New England’ shows the absurdity of thinking Key’s little stunt had any effect except for that on his own ego.

    It was demeaning looking at him performing like a little sock puppet with Letterman pulling his strings and American writers’ bad lines coming out of his mouth.

    There was no dignity to be had. Obama and others have gone on such shows to prove they have a sense of humour and make themselves seem more approachable.

    There was no such gain for Key. He just looked like a buffoon.
    • felix 12.1

      28 September 2009 at 11:41 am

      Exactly. If Key was a competent Minister of Tourism he might have worked behind the scenes to secure a Letterman appearance for someone like Peter Jackson or Rhys Darby who the yanks won’t forget about in 30 seconds and could actually promote the country.

      Hell, Dave would probably even interview them.

      But no, this was all about promoting Key to us.
13. singularian 13

    28 September 2009 at 11:41 am

    OK you guys

    – scroll to the top of the thread
    – imagine it says Kiwiblog and not The Standard
    – re-read all the comments swapping the word “Key” with the word “Clark”

    and tell me the shark has not been well and truly jumped.
    • felix 13.1

      28 September 2009 at 11:46 am

      Eh? Are we calling him a Lesbian? Making fun of his teeth? Attacking his family? suggesting assassination?Accusing him of being in a sham marriage?

      Or are we just saying he’s incompetent and not up to the job?

      Get a grip mate. Also, I don’t think that’s what “jumping the shark” means.
    • gobsmacked 13.2

      28 September 2009 at 11:48 am

      If Clark does what Key did, we will. But back on planet earth …
14. gobsmacked 14

    28 September 2009 at 11:57 am

    Everyone has to love Helen Clark, and they have to say so NOW. If they don’t, they are just carping, petty, bitter and twisted. Disagreement not permitted.

    Because Helen Clark is The Greatest Living New Zealander. They said so on the news! On telly!

    Some might demur, but having a different opinion just PROVES you’re a party hack. So there.

    PS has anybody seen my brane?
    • lprent 14.1

      28 September 2009 at 1:31 pm

      Quit playing with your food. Wingnuts have feelings as well.
15. randal 15

    28 September 2009 at 12:40 pm

    it is not appropeeit to talk about the party hacks this way going forwards and neither it is appropeeit to talk about nooclear paliferation and the birroccasee either.
16. Brett Dale 16

    29 September 2009 at 8:25 am

    Of course Aunty Helen would NEVER diminish her office by appearing on Letterman.

    She just voices her charterer on BRO TOWN a cartoon who’s jokes are about spousal abuse,. burping and farting and fanbase is ten year old boys or adults who don’t want to be accused of culture cringe.

    You cannot accuse John Key of Diminishing the Office, without accusing Helen Clark of doing the same thing.
    • felix 16.1

      29 September 2009 at 9:28 am

      I won’t go into the relative merits of the two shows as that’s more a matter of taste, but the difference as I see it between the two examples, my hillbilly-music loving friend, is that Helen did her job AND some tv stuff, whereas John seems to think the tv stuff IS his job.

      Honestly, if he was capably and competently running the government I don’t think anyone would care whether he made a dick of himself on telly now and then or not. I wouldn’t anyway – I’d have a laugh at the silly prick and go about my merry business. What I find so offensive is the idea that yucking it up on tv is an important part of his job, what we pay him for, good for NZ etc.

      How much of our money did his ministry spend setting up those couple of minutes on Letterman? How much time did he and his team spend preparing for it? Is that really what we’re paying them to do? Really?

      It’s not. If he wants to be a tv celebrity (and I seriously think he could make a career hosting game shows if he wanted to) then he should do it on his own time and at his own expense.
17. Letterman 17

    29 September 2009 at 9:55 am

    Did anybody else watch the Letterman show past the Key routine?
    One of the Guests said that key had hordes of advisors and hangers on backstage
    and was of the opinion that Nz most be half empty because of the visit
    he and Letterman took the piss for a couple of minutes and then moved on.
    Made us(NZ) look a bit .. well provincial.
    It wasn’t a great look
18. Brett Dale 18

    29 September 2009 at 11:19 am

    Felix:

    Appearing on Letterman was worth millions in tourism dollars.

    Appearing bro town meant nothing to our country.

    Whats wrong with hillbilly music?

    Also John Key UN speech was well received, he worked his butt off on this trip, too think otherwise shows a clear bias.
    • SHG 18.1

      30 September 2009 at 4:24 am

      Indeed. One of Australia’s most respected (and widely-read) media commentators posted yesterday that this was

      “…the sort of marketing coup that must have Tourism Australia painfully jealous.”

      http://mumbrella.com.au/visit-in-the-next-30-days-ill-pick-you-up-at-the-airport-9842
19. Adam Jarvis 19

    29 September 2009 at 10:25 pm

    Comment fail on my part indeed.

    Failed to recognise the importance of the title of this thread. I saw another Kayne/Key joke and riled against it. My apologies.

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