I Think You Might Like It?
December 5, 2012 12:44 PM   Subscribe

First there was Grease. Then there was Two of a Kind. And now, at long last, Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta have reunited once more, to produce... well, this.

You can buy the whole album, too. If you want to.
posted by something something (203 comments total) 10 users marked this as a favorite
 
Mr. Travolta's hair seems to be drawn on with a Marks-A-Lot.
posted by ColdChef at 12:47 PM on December 5, 2012 [31 favorites]


When did Travolta start looking like a demon-possessed ape?
posted by goethean at 12:49 PM on December 5, 2012 [9 favorites]


Don't look! Run awaaaay!
posted by uraniumwilly at 12:49 PM on December 5, 2012 [3 favorites]


I guess Travolta needs to fill up his 707 again.
posted by goethean at 12:50 PM on December 5, 2012 [5 favorites]


Don't encourage them.
posted by tommasz at 12:52 PM on December 5, 2012 [4 favorites]


Okay. Okay. Okay.

I watched the whole video. All of it.

Was this someone's iMovie project? Because I'm having a hard time believing this was done by anyone with actual filmmaking skillz.
posted by ColdChef at 12:52 PM on December 5, 2012 [4 favorites]


I have watched it three times in a row. I can't stop.
posted by something something at 12:53 PM on December 5, 2012 [1 favorite]


Yikes.
posted by boo_radley at 12:53 PM on December 5, 2012


Think again.

And, yes, Mr Travolta does look like one of those pre-real-hair action figures.
posted by Grangousier at 12:53 PM on December 5, 2012 [5 favorites]


Its like Re-living 9/11 all over again
MrPpppppppppf 20 minutes ago
Never change, YouTube.
posted by uncleozzy at 12:54 PM on December 5, 2012 [9 favorites]


I like the part where David Miscavige came out dressed as Santa Claus and handed out hand sanitizer and cockpunches.
posted by R. Schlock at 12:55 PM on December 5, 2012 [15 favorites]


Thanks, something something, for beating me to posting this because I really, really wanted to do so, but really did not want to be held responsible for it in my posting history.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 12:56 PM on December 5, 2012 [26 favorites]



Is she really goin' out with him ? Is she really gonna take him home tonight ? If my eyes don't deceive me, there's something going wrong around here.

I truly love ONJ, but this is something very much not chocolate in my peanut butter.
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 12:57 PM on December 5, 2012 [4 favorites]


It was good not knowing that existed. It was really, really good.
posted by nanojath at 12:57 PM on December 5, 2012 [19 favorites]


See, I could've done it in half the time and under budget.
posted by The Whelk at 12:57 PM on December 5, 2012 [4 favorites]


I am really having a hard time coming up with any way in which that video could be worse.
posted by Rock Steady at 12:58 PM on December 5, 2012 [2 favorites]


The part where the soldier hugs the police officer is funny because they are both men and men only hug each other when they are gay and Mr. Travolta is not gay because he is in a car with a lady and there are presents in the car and he's a pilot and not gay.
posted by ColdChef at 12:59 PM on December 5, 2012 [48 favorites]


That isn't even the worst song and video I've seen today. That honor goes to 3 Second Rule. But really, there is nothing about that video that isn't strange. The way the perspective is barely perceptibly screwed in some of the dancing scenes, since they where greenscreened in, is a total mindfuck. Ima get one of those felt helmets Travolta's got though.
posted by Ad hominem at 12:59 PM on December 5, 2012 [9 favorites]


"Olivia, honey, I've got an idea. You've slipped into obscurity and everyone thinks I'm gay. So let's team up to remind people what great artistic chemistry we have together by making a Christmas album.

...Producer? Budget? No, I don't have those things. I do have a MacBook and an airplane, though.

This is going to be awesome."
posted by R. Schlock at 12:59 PM on December 5, 2012 [11 favorites]


I am really having a hard time coming up with any way in which that video could be worse.


See, somebody says something like that out loud, and the universe takes it as a challenge. Quit tempting the universe, Rock Steady.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 12:59 PM on December 5, 2012 [5 favorites]


(And they can sing, can't they? What's with the tuning? Bits of it almost sound like they decided to change the melody in the mix.)
posted by uncleozzy at 12:59 PM on December 5, 2012


I am really having a hard time coming up with any way in which that video could be worse

Mr. Travolta could have worn his less nice sneakers, I guess.
posted by 2bucksplus at 12:59 PM on December 5, 2012 [1 favorite]


Is there anything involving Travolta these days that doesn't have him landing a plane in his backyard?
posted by srboisvert at 1:00 PM on December 5, 2012 [1 favorite]


Soldiers?

Oh, that's right. There was that war thing.

How did that turn out?
posted by Egg Shen at 1:01 PM on December 5, 2012


Is there anything involving Travolta these days that doesn't have him landing a plane in his backyard?

I so totally saw what you did there.
posted by R. Schlock at 1:01 PM on December 5, 2012 [27 favorites]


My answer to "When did you first know you were straight?" is, "When I saw Olivia Newton-John in 'Grease'". A little underwhelmed with the song and video, but happy to see she still looks great.
posted by The Gooch at 1:02 PM on December 5, 2012 [4 favorites]


I really want the backstory on this. Who had the original idea, how they sold it to the participants, why they decided to hire third-stringers to create the video, their feelings as it slowly dawned on people that it was a train wreck. I could watch an hour long documentary on this. Heck, I could watch 30 minutes just devoted to Travolta's hair prosthesis.
posted by benito.strauss at 1:03 PM on December 5, 2012 [16 favorites]


I really want the backstory on this.

I can virtually guarantee that it was preceded by a really awkward phone conversation with Uma Thurman.
posted by R. Schlock at 1:05 PM on December 5, 2012 [7 favorites]


That was the worst facsimile of fun I've seen since Thanksgiving, when my poor sister-in-law was forced to listen to a litany of family high school stories that just wouldn't stop. And at least the forced cheer in my family comes without "hey, guys, I have a jet!" footage.
posted by EvaDestruction at 1:07 PM on December 5, 2012


I hope everybody got paid a lot of money, so that something good came out of this.
posted by davejay at 1:07 PM on December 5, 2012


MORE LIKE FINAL CUT SEMI-PRO, AMIRITE
posted by mintcake! at 1:07 PM on December 5, 2012 [14 favorites]


hair prosthesis

My new favorite term.
posted by slogger at 1:08 PM on December 5, 2012 [1 favorite]


On the plus side, its better than "Christmas Shoes."

I'm just going to go back to the Roots/Carey/Fallon/Giddy Children video now to wash my ears.
posted by Joey Michaels at 1:08 PM on December 5, 2012 [3 favorites]


everyone thinks I'm gay

How can they think that?

Didn't they see his trucker's wallet?
posted by Egg Shen at 1:08 PM on December 5, 2012 [2 favorites]


I think this song would have been SO much better if they had just embraced Travolta's singing voice, mediocre though it may be, rather than autotuning it within an inch of it's character and then slapping so many robotic-sounding backing vocals that you can't hear him at all.
posted by muddgirl at 1:08 PM on December 5, 2012


I am really having a hard time coming up with any way in which that video could be worse.

- screaming babies
- Rush Limbaugh in a glittery manthong
- me singing Dayenu
- a symphony of dental drills
- someone forcing their way into your home and making you eat hakarl at gunpoint
posted by elizardbits at 1:09 PM on December 5, 2012 [12 favorites]


First there was Grease.

First there was a horrible, horrible motion picture adaptation of Grease...
posted by mikelieman at 1:09 PM on December 5, 2012 [1 favorite]


I tell ya, the quality of film work coming out of the Sea Org really seems to be dropping off. Whose bright idea was it to sign these people up to a billion year contract anyway?
posted by chimaera at 1:09 PM on December 5, 2012 [9 favorites]


MUSTUNSEE!!!MUSTUNSEE!!!MUSTUNSEE!!!MUSTUNSEE!!!MUSTUNSEE!!!MUSTUNSEE!!!
posted by Thorzdad at 1:10 PM on December 5, 2012


Could we just bury this on Mars and not talk about it again unless Curiosity discovers it?
posted by mazola at 1:11 PM on December 5, 2012


If Travolta's dye job were any worse he'd have Steve Harvey's hairline circa 2006. His hair contained more hair by weight in Grease. He looks like an inflatable anime character doll endorsed by Don Cherry.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 1:11 PM on December 5, 2012 [2 favorites]


- screaming babies
- Rush Limbaugh in a glittery manthong
- me singing Dayenu
- a symphony of dental drills
- someone forcing their way into your home and making you eat hakarl at gunpoint


I am really having a hard time coming up with any way in which that list could be worse.
posted by Celsius1414 at 1:12 PM on December 5, 2012 [2 favorites]


There really is an airplane in John Travolta's back yard. I really can't believe it.
posted by slogger at 1:13 PM on December 5, 2012


I got douche chiiiiills, they're multiplyin'!!
posted by Atom Eyes at 1:15 PM on December 5, 2012 [9 favorites]


I am really having a hard time coming up with any way in which that list could be worse.

Also you and your entire family have amoebic dysentery while the video is playing and the dog has locked itself in the only bathroom in the house.

and president palin canceled your healthcare
posted by elizardbits at 1:15 PM on December 5, 2012 [15 favorites]


I've watched it 4 times now. I think the worst part is how they taint It's a Wonderful Life by association. Can the Capra Estate issue some sort of DMCA takedown or something for mentioning the name? Maybe the Stewart's can sue, I don't think Jimmy would approve of any of that at all.
posted by Ad hominem at 1:15 PM on December 5, 2012


elizardbits: - screaming babies
- Rush Limbaugh in a glittery manthong
- me singing Dayenu
- a symphony of dental drills
- someone forcing their way into your home and making you eat hakarl at gunpoint


At least those things would elevate it to fascinatingly awful. This was just zero. Like zero point zero zero thing.
posted by Rock Steady at 1:17 PM on December 5, 2012 [1 favorite]


elizardbits: and president palin canceled your healthcare

Oh wait, you win.
posted by Rock Steady at 1:18 PM on December 5, 2012 [1 favorite]


Can the Capra Estate issue some sort of DMCA takedown or something for mentioning the name?

Public domain cuts both ways.
posted by Egg Shen at 1:19 PM on December 5, 2012


- screaming babies
- Rush Limbaugh in a glittery manthong
- me singing Dayenu
- a symphony of dental drills
- someone forcing their way into your home and making you eat hakarl at gunpoint

I am really having a hard time coming up with any way in which that list could be worse.


- Piers Morgan reading from Glenn Beck's novel in what he believes to be a Beat-jazz style but is actually an Elton John "Crocodile Rock" falsetto
posted by gompa at 1:19 PM on December 5, 2012 [11 favorites]


Ruined m'day.
posted by cmoj at 1:19 PM on December 5, 2012


President Todd Palin
posted by 2bucksplus at 1:20 PM on December 5, 2012 [6 favorites]


Weird that JT and ONJ play a couple and then his IRL wife and kids are a different family, or something like that.
posted by tamitang at 1:21 PM on December 5, 2012 [2 favorites]


That was not ironic.

I thought it would be.

AM DISAPPOINT
posted by Windopaene at 1:23 PM on December 5, 2012 [2 favorites]


Looks like it's time to dust off my screenplay for the "reboot" of Casablanca...

A dystopian future where Toms River, New Jersey is the city that serves as the backdrop. I cast Travolta as Rick and Olivia Newton-John as Ilsa. Ugarte is played by Steve Buscemi, offering letters of transit to Rick. Captain Louis Renault is played by Denzel Washington channeling his "Training Day" performance, transforming the role of Renault from lovable oaf to dangerous pseudo thug.

Ilsa's husband victor is played by Michael Beck, (Olivia Newton-John's love interest from the unfairly-maligned "Xanadu"). In a tribute to the amazing careers of the leads, the finale of the film is a roller-disco dance musical with music from Electric Light Orchestra and a newly-reunited Wu Tang Clan.

"We'll Always Have Newark" will be the first single from the soundtrack.
posted by DWRoelands at 1:24 PM on December 5, 2012 [7 favorites]


It's things like this that make me hate people.
posted by mazola at 1:24 PM on December 5, 2012


When did Travolta start looking like a demon-possessed ape?
Hey! He looks better than he did in Hairspray.
posted by MtDewd at 1:26 PM on December 5, 2012


No, it's the people that make you hate people. People are the worst.
posted by elizardbits at 1:26 PM on December 5, 2012


I think they can fix it by giving Travolta either full sleeves or a neck tat. Then he wouldn't be some old dude trying to look young with a chain wallet and black payless sneekers. He would be fully badass. Seriously, everything he does in the video would be better if he had a neck tat. Flying a plane with a neck tat. Running hug with a neck tat. Dancing on your private runway with a neck tat. A neck tat fixes everything. I think the tattoo should be "Cray-z" written wildstyle on a 1000 euro note.
posted by Ad hominem at 1:27 PM on December 5, 2012 [7 favorites]


President Todd Palin

President Track Palin

posted by elizardbits at 1:28 PM on December 5, 2012 [2 favorites]


Prezident DJ Pauly D.
posted by Ad hominem at 1:30 PM on December 5, 2012 [1 favorite]


Peeeeeeople

Peeeeople who hate people
posted by The Whelk at 1:31 PM on December 5, 2012 [4 favorites]


Mute the left video; volume 11 on the right video. Which elicits the question; is Travolta flying the plane that starts the right hand side video as well?
posted by Wordshore at 1:31 PM on December 5, 2012 [2 favorites]


It's inside me now. Can't get it out. Can't get it out. Can't. Get it. Out...
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 1:31 PM on December 5, 2012


President Trig Palin, and we're back to a cool world again.
posted by chronkite at 1:31 PM on December 5, 2012


Can't watch this at work, so -- what's the mind-fuckery level, on a scale of 1 to Xanadu?
posted by Capt. Renault at 1:32 PM on December 5, 2012


Think of me when I die young and remember that, despite being gone from this world, I died happy that I didn't get to this corresponding moment in my older age.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 1:33 PM on December 5, 2012 [1 favorite]


I think everyone is missing the Lynchian dystopian mise-en-scène. The video is brilliant.
posted by bhnyc at 1:33 PM on December 5, 2012 [1 favorite]


This would be Xanadon't.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 1:34 PM on December 5, 2012 [24 favorites]


That said, I'm sure to be tapping my foot and humming this earworm the next time I'm landing a Gulfstream II in my backyard after a long, hard day at work.
posted by mazola at 1:34 PM on December 5, 2012


Looks like an ad for hip replacement surgery. With NUHIPZ, you can GET DOWN and SHAKE IT! Within reason. Some restrictions may apply. A dramatization. Ask your doctor if getting down and shaking it are right for you.
posted by Sing Or Swim at 1:35 PM on December 5, 2012 [10 favorites]


I liked the part where Henry Rollins and Joan Rivers were running toward each other longingly.
posted by etc. at 1:35 PM on December 5, 2012 [29 favorites]


Captain Louis Renault is played by Denzel Washington channeling his "Training Day" performance, transforming the role of Renault from lovable oaf to dangerous pseudo thug.

You've never understood me at all.
posted by Capt. Renault at 1:35 PM on December 5, 2012 [6 favorites]


There is an uncanny valley thing there. The problem is that the age of the dancers makes the classic Travolta movements a physical impossibility. A Saturday Night Fever grind would involve broken bones or torn ligaments or ripped Achilles tendons. And that is John Travolta. Grampa age. Trying to do a dance number.

One of the saddest things I have ever seen on video is Margot Fontayne when she is over the hill and performing. She was the greatest ballerina the world has ever seen. Travolta was once a fabulous dancer.
posted by bukvich at 1:36 PM on December 5, 2012 [1 favorite]


I wanted to either hate this for its badness or love it for its so-bad-its-goodness. Instead it inspires only confusion and mild discomfort. See, this is how bad it is. It's not even good at being bad. But not bad at it either.

Bad enough to break irony. Pret-tee bad.
posted by axoplasm at 1:37 PM on December 5, 2012 [4 favorites]


Travolta could be Prime Minister of China with that hair.
posted by facetious at 1:38 PM on December 5, 2012 [1 favorite]


Travolta was once a fabulous dancer.

I see what you did there.
posted by Capt. Renault at 1:38 PM on December 5, 2012 [2 favorites]


Multiple friends posted this on my Facebook wall this morning, which felt like crowd-sourced defamation of character.
posted by roger ackroyd at 1:38 PM on December 5, 2012 [7 favorites]


Going to Facebook and finding myself beaten to it was the only thing that prevented me from posting it here.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 1:39 PM on December 5, 2012 [1 favorite]


(Yes, I just defamed your character here as well -- but the only reason I thought of you is because you also posted the news about their Christmas album)
posted by MCMikeNamara at 1:40 PM on December 5, 2012 [1 favorite]


1. The laundry room flooded again, but I got roto rooter out and I think they fixed it.

2. Some idiot at the dog park thinks he should call the police because another guy's dog barked at his ankle biter.

3. Wife comes home and tells me her school district is imposing a 20% pay cut.

4. ONJ and JT singing...

Guess which one made me smile....
posted by HuronBob at 1:41 PM on December 5, 2012


Idiot at the dog park?
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 1:43 PM on December 5, 2012 [1 favorite]


I already said this on Twitter, but this really, REALLY looks like a final project from a challenge on Celebrity Apprentice.
posted by Linda_Holmes at 1:43 PM on December 5, 2012 [10 favorites]


When I was a boy, Father Shen explained Old-Timers' Day to me thus: "People aren't seeing what's happening on the field now. They're seeing the memories that the things happening on the field evoke in them."

Watching Travolta do a Cotton Eyed Joe step is a bit like that. But I find the effect depressing rather than nostalgic.
posted by Egg Shen at 1:44 PM on December 5, 2012


Wife comes home and tells me her school district is imposing a 20% pay cut.

How did they do that? Furlough days?

Sorry, I'm not discussing that video...
posted by Huck500 at 1:45 PM on December 5, 2012 [1 favorite]


What I want to know is why this post is up to 85 comments at this point.
posted by Melismata at 1:46 PM on December 5, 2012 [3 favorites]


President Bristol Palin.
posted by Sidhedevil at 1:46 PM on December 5, 2012


i got 5 sec's into the video and thought nope, not going to do that.
posted by photoslob at 1:47 PM on December 5, 2012 [1 favorite]


It's better then 17th time around. Trust me.
posted by mazola at 1:48 PM on December 5, 2012


What if ...what if John Travolta has been deliberately trying to destroy his career and public image for decades and his continued fame is just some cruel cosmic joke?
posted by The Whelk at 1:48 PM on December 5, 2012 [10 favorites]


What I want to know is why this post is up to 85 comments at this point.

Relatedly, what is interesting to me is that I've been posting here three years and never until today did I see something on the internet that made me stop what I was doing and run straight over here to make an FPP.
posted by something something at 1:48 PM on December 5, 2012 [4 favorites]


What I want to know is why this post is up to 85 comments at this point.

Survivor's guilt.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 1:48 PM on December 5, 2012 [9 favorites]


What I want to know is why this post is up to 85 comments at this point.


You know I recognize your handle, so you can't be new here. :)

But seriously, poorly made video starring a rumored-to-be gay Scientology-promoting actor who used to be cool with one of them women with whom he used to be his coolest with an inexplicable airport reunioin scene in which the famous couple does not actually ever take part

What part of this is NOT a Metafilter comment generator?
posted by MCMikeNamara at 1:49 PM on December 5, 2012 [1 favorite]


[disappointed George Takei]
Oh....my.
[/disappointed George Takei]

The worst part is, that they took what is genuinely an emotion raising image for me (soldiers coming home to family gets me Every. Single. Time - twice as much if said family involves a dog), and lowered it to their level.

Dammit L. Ron!
posted by sparklemotion at 1:49 PM on December 5, 2012 [1 favorite]


Olivia Newton-John is very pretty and that is a gorgeous old car she's pretending to drive.

Also, John Travolta's gardeners seem excellent.
posted by Sidhedevil at 1:49 PM on December 5, 2012


"How did they do that? Furlough days?"

Nope, just less pay for the same amount of work...across the board cut... yea!
posted by HuronBob at 1:50 PM on December 5, 2012


And that is John Travolta. Grampa age. Trying to do a dance number.

Well, speaking of Xanadon't, here's Gene Kelly at 68.

i got 5 sec's into the video and thought nope, not going to do that.

Winner.
posted by mrgrimm at 1:50 PM on December 5, 2012 [2 favorites]


But his hair looks like GI Joe's!
posted by Sidhedevil at 1:50 PM on December 5, 2012 [2 favorites]


"How did they do that? Furlough days?"

Ahaahahahaahahaha...ha...

Yeah, try, "Here is less money...enjoy."
posted by adamdschneider at 1:51 PM on December 5, 2012 [1 favorite]


What's worst about this, and I'm being genuine here, is that the song sucks.

I mean, I wasn't expecting magic, but this makes Grease 2 seem like the better sequel idea.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 1:55 PM on December 5, 2012 [2 favorites]


Heck, I could watch 30 minutes just devoted to Travolta's hair prosthesis.

Andy Serkis crouches. He can feel his phone vibrate and knows it's Peter calling to check up on him, worried. He pretends not to notice it, though, as he knows it would be taken away the moment The Demon finds out about it.

The Demon enters the room, tucking the gun in the waistband of his trousers. The track lighting gleams off his green painted scalp.

"ARE WE READY," shouts John Travolta.

"I want to go home," moans Olivia.

"USE IT!" screams Travolta, kneeling before Andy. "NOW GET ON, MOGWAI!"

Andy Serkis chokes back a sob and climbs onto Travolta's shoulders, hands waving in imitation of luxurious hair.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 1:57 PM on December 5, 2012 [11 favorites]


Olivia Newton-John is very pretty

You know, somebody mentioned ONJ in Grease as his "come to hetero Jesus" moment, and I probably knew earlier, but I sorta feel the same way about Xanadu (I mean, c'mon.)

And yes, I surely admit that ONJ still looks "pretty" but damn if it isn't disappointing to see all that work done. I totally agree its her choice, but personally it just bugs me.

I'm just so happy to have other long-time crushes who are willing and able to say "fuck it all, I'm just getting older." God bless you, Sinead.

That was not ironic.

Are you SURE? I think you mean not intentionally comedic? It seems pretty damn ironic to me ...

What's worst about this, and I'm being genuine here, is that the song sucks.

Exactly. A song that is this (pretty objectively) shitty called "I Think You Might Like It?" What more do you ironists require?
posted by mrgrimm at 1:58 PM on December 5, 2012 [1 favorite]


Mute the left video; volume 11 on the right video.

Dammit. I had gone my entire life successfully avoiding loading that damn Gangham Style video into my web browser, and you went and tricked me into it. Bah.
posted by davejay at 1:58 PM on December 5, 2012


Well, speaking of Xanadon't, here's Gene Kelly at 68.

According to his widow, they shot tons of good footage of him roller skating in that film -- being a dancer, he was also a very good skater, even at that age -- but elected to use just the cheesy stuff, intentionally. And apparently Gene Kelly was significantly PO'd at that, because it made him look like a tool.
posted by davejay at 2:01 PM on December 5, 2012


President Michael Palin

I win!
posted by Rock Steady at 2:04 PM on December 5, 2012 [3 favorites]


We should have shotguns for this kind of deal.
posted by entropicamericana at 2:06 PM on December 5, 2012 [2 favorites]


I actually thought the moment when they saw each other and went to hug was kind of sweet.
posted by Bunny Ultramod at 2:09 PM on December 5, 2012


This video is about as harmless as it gets.

Yeah, it's not a mega-million dollar production, but who said it had to be one? No one is forcing you to watch the video or buy whatever they're selling.

Yeah, Travolta's hair looks funny. He's probably desperately trying to stay youthful-looking, so he can keep getting work in obsessed-with-youth-to-the-exclusion-of-all-else Hollywood.

Just wait until you cooler-than-thou Mefites get just a little older, and the people younger than you start mocking and belittling every thing and every one you ever had the slightest fondness or affection for.

It'll happen a lot sooner than you think.
posted by KHAAAN! at 2:09 PM on December 5, 2012


KHAAAN!: "It'll happen a lot sooner than you think."

Hey, your nickname is AIRLOCK from now on.
posted by boo_radley at 2:12 PM on December 5, 2012


Just wait until you cooler-than-thou Mefites get just a little older

At my age, a little older is about all I can hope for.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 2:14 PM on December 5, 2012 [5 favorites]


It'll happen a lot sooner than you think.

No way, man! We're gonna keep on rockin' forever! Forever!
posted by entropicamericana at 2:14 PM on December 5, 2012 [7 favorites]


See, here's the thing about John Travolta: He is the most quintessentially American actor we have. Think of the roles he's taken and the ways that each of them has become iconic of how some aspect of the American experience is remembered.

Tony Manero is probably the most recognizable face of the '70's imaginable. Danny Zuko is the '50's and '80's nostalgia rolled up in one. Vincent Vega is the realization of that nostalgic ideal in a hyper-literate, ironic revival that could only have happened in the '90's. Travolta's turn at playing Edna Turnblad in the revival of Hairspray was the collapse of that ironic posture under the weight of its own coolness. After that, you get his desperate grab for the shredded tatters of masculine authenticity in the tone-deaf revival of The Taking of Pelham 123.

John Travolta is the face of America remembering itself, and his decline as an actor and a person is a function of what that constant nostalgic self-reference does to a person. His loss of authenticity and descent into a corny, self-help purgatory of furtive telephoto blowjobs and frantic mimes of masculinity are the story of America's own cultural decline.

So this? This soulless home-video mockery of a celebrity revival? This lower-back grabbing effigy of a Christmas extravaganza? This cheap-money sodden integrity vacuum?

This is America's apotheosis. It's who we are now.
posted by R. Schlock at 2:15 PM on December 5, 2012 [23 favorites]


Oh, Khaaan!, you're right. Now I feel bad for goofing on poor John Travolta. Man's gotta eat, right? Filming bizarre videos with your plane and terrible music and a bunch of weird shit at the airport and all that is just the same thing any of us would do in his position, and we'll all be laughing out the other side of our faces when we eventually get mocked for our insane Christmas albums/videos.
posted by chronkite at 2:15 PM on December 5, 2012 [5 favorites]


KHAAAN! I, for one, am already old. So offa my lawn.

Also, you're all welcome to mock my shitty Autotuned Christmas blandery the second I put it up on the Internets. As are Mr. Travolta and Ms. Newton-John. That's fair, right?
posted by Sidhedevil at 2:16 PM on December 5, 2012 [1 favorite]


john travolta should be used as an object lesson of how being closeted can be harmful to your soul.
posted by nadawi at 2:17 PM on December 5, 2012 [1 favorite]



- a symphony of dental drills


I was at the dentist today, getting two cavities filled. They asked what I wanted to watch on TV while they worked (I like this new dentist, unlike my old one who had the camera in my mouth that showed what she was doing on a screen - shame TV) and flipping though the channels, I stopped at Ellen. I don't watch daytime TV. I don't know. It seemed cheerful.

It seems cheerful I said, and then they danced out and the drilling started and I WAS GRATEFUL. And then came the hot chocolate tasting, and as I read via the closed captioning, Travolta said: 'Never blow on it. Like a fine wine, it changes the quality of the chocolate. So, never, ever blow on it.'

SO GRATEFUL FOR THE DRILLING.
posted by peagood at 2:20 PM on December 5, 2012 [4 favorites]


Just wait until you cooler-than-thou Mefites get just a little older, and the people younger than you start mocking and belittling every thing and every one you ever had the slightest fondness or affection for.
If the youth of the future say one negative word about my favorite beloved band Three Dog Night, well, I won't know what's sacred anymore!
posted by uraniumwilly at 2:23 PM on December 5, 2012 [1 favorite]


I Think You Might Like It

I Hope You Like Crap
posted by mazola at 2:26 PM on December 5, 2012 [6 favorites]


If the youth of the future say one negative word about my favorite beloved meme Three Wolf Moon, well, I won't know what's sacred anymore!
posted by elizardbits at 2:28 PM on December 5, 2012 [3 favorites]


Mama Told Me Not to Come (Shopping at Wal-Mart)...
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 2:29 PM on December 5, 2012


Ahaahahahaahahaha...ha...

Yeah, try, "Here is less money...enjoy."


Well, here in California, anyway, they can't really do that since the contract is a negotiation between the union and the school district. Unions often agree to a pay cut, but it still has to voted on. Furlough days are really common here because it's a way to sort of get around the contract, but they're still negotiated, and Los Angeles Unified just got their furlough days cancelled because of Prop. 30. So I was just wondering.
posted by Huck500 at 2:32 PM on December 5, 2012 [1 favorite]


If the youth of the future say one negative word about my favorite beloved meme Three Wolf Moon, well, I won't know what's sacred anymore!

Three Travolta Moon would be great.
posted by Ad hominem at 2:33 PM on December 5, 2012 [2 favorites]


Just wait until you cooler-than-thou Mefites get just a little older, and the people younger than you start mocking and belittling every thing and every one you ever had the slightest fondness or affection for.

Luckily my generation developed a strong sense of meta-humor and ironic detachment. We're already mocking and belittling every thing and every one we've ever had the slightest fondness or affection for!
posted by muddgirl at 2:37 PM on December 5, 2012 [7 favorites]


Three Travolta Moon would be great.

You'd think so, but actually it was one of ELO's weakest albums.
posted by gompa at 2:40 PM on December 5, 2012 [5 favorites]


"Okay, now, you two. We're gonna try some running. We're really going for something specific and special here, where we drag out the intercutting between the two of you so long that people are expecting that y'all are actually running to two separate people, before we pull that rug out from under them. Playin' with expectations all over the place, you know? So what I need you to do is - lemme put it this way. Remember how you did the Cotton Eye Joe, like you'd both never heard of dancing before but were game enough to give it a shot? I want that, but with running. Just total look of enthusiasm over motor skills, you know? Yeah, real youthful. But also like it kind of hurts, you know? Okay, and remember that - what was that? Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about, John, that tongue thing you just did. No, I'm not mad, I just want you to save that for the very end. People are gonna be pretty embarrassed for all of us, and I want to turn that into revulsion at the last second. Playin' with expectations, man..."
posted by Navelgazer at 2:43 PM on December 5, 2012 [8 favorites]


I can't quite articulate how I feel about this video, so I'll just say that it's fun to refer to John Travolta as Tron Javolta. I think that's what's keeping me sane.
posted by brundlefly at 2:45 PM on December 5, 2012 [7 favorites]


John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John Christmas Album Plunges Nation Into Double-Dip Recession
The Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted more than 2,000 points on news the former Grease stars had reunited after 35 years and recorded the album of 13 Christmas favorites now available in stores. And following reports that the album was being marketed as “the audio equivalent of those classic network TV specials,” electronic exchanges were reportedly overwhelmed by a frenzied, across-the-board sell-off and forced to suspend trading.
posted by Rhaomi at 2:47 PM on December 5, 2012 [8 favorites]


You got me steppin' goin' out on the wing
You autotune me so I don't have to sing
Don't make me moon
No no no no no
Ooh woo hoo!
I'll tell you once more
Before my pants hit the floor
Don't make me moon...
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 2:48 PM on December 5, 2012


ah shit, forgot to include links...

...

c'mon

...

Sinead

...

...
posted by mrgrimm at 2:50 PM on December 5, 2012 [2 favorites]


It's filmed in pan-and-scan-o-vision, or possibly they've attached a Go Pro to a quadcopter. Either way, I'm feeling seasick.
posted by obscurator at 2:50 PM on December 5, 2012


Man, that was a one good video. It was Olive Garden good, and I don't say that about many videos.
posted by Xoebe at 2:55 PM on December 5, 2012 [8 favorites]


I spent half the song wondering why all those random people were embracing/dancing at the DMV before I figured out it was an airport. With a giant runway out the window.
posted by mochapickle at 2:58 PM on December 5, 2012 [5 favorites]


ellen is wonderful! i watch her mostly through clips on the internet these days, but she's just so full of joy and wanting to spread it.

shake weight
scaring people (one of my favorites is julia roberts, part 2)
playing games (and with her wife, portia)
dancing with senator obama, push ups with the first lady
posted by nadawi at 3:02 PM on December 5, 2012 [3 favorites]


It will be weird watching this 100 years from and realizing all these people are dead.
posted by mazola at 3:02 PM on December 5, 2012


Oh, it's a Christmas album. I was confused as to why they temporarily switched to the Star Trek security guy outfits.
posted by XMLicious at 3:05 PM on December 5, 2012 [1 favorite]


Olivia Garden: Try our John Travolta Truly Bottomless Pasta, now with Endless Breadsticks. When you're here, you have an alibi.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 3:06 PM on December 5, 2012


That's some OT-V level dancin' right there.
posted by Egg Shen at 3:06 PM on December 5, 2012 [1 favorite]


The director's real website. NSFW, which is weird.
posted by ColdChef at 3:07 PM on December 5, 2012 [2 favorites]


According to his widow, they shot tons of good footage of him roller skating in that film -- being a dancer, he was also a very good skater, even at that age

And of course, he danced ON roller skates in It's Always Fair Weather (don't click away until you see him tapdance!). The same movie in which he and some pals tap-danced with garbage pail lids on their feet.
posted by not that girl at 3:11 PM on December 5, 2012 [4 favorites]


The part where the really old couple dances makes me sad.

Also: I also did not get that they were at an airport or something.
posted by ColdChef at 3:11 PM on December 5, 2012


You can buy the whole album, too. If you want to.

Before you do, keep in mind that Travolta's proceeds are going to the Jett Travolta Foundation - 10% of whose money goes to Scientology.
posted by Egg Shen at 3:16 PM on December 5, 2012 [1 favorite]


Because you're suckin' all the air outta the room.
posted by boo_radley at 3:18 PM on December 5, 2012



You can buy the whole album,too. If you want to.

Before you do,keep in mind that Travolta's proceeds are going to the Jett Travolta Foundation - 10% of whose money goes to Scientology.

As a sinister gay hacker (do a site search if this confuses you), I grant interested parties permission to download this illegally and give 90% to a less tainted cause.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 3:27 PM on December 5, 2012 [1 favorite]


So was the little hip-rocking dance and the last shot of them in the classic car callbacks to their performances in the movie? Because I loved that movie (no, my parents never took me to plays when I was a child) and if this weak weak video was supposed to make me smile and reminisce, it sadly missed the mark.

Instead, I'm so mad that I could ragepee on John Travolta's lawn.
posted by kimberussell at 3:33 PM on December 5, 2012


Count me as disappointed - this wasn't nearly as bad as I was lead to believe, simply dull.
posted by lupus_yonderboy at 3:41 PM on December 5, 2012


Try our John Travolta Truly Bottomless Pasta

read that as Truly Bottomless Pants, wept in horror
posted by elizardbits at 3:47 PM on December 5, 2012 [1 favorite]


Is this something I need to watch with the sound on?
posted by Splunge at 3:50 PM on December 5, 2012


I would not recommend it.
posted by brundlefly at 3:58 PM on December 5, 2012 [3 favorites]


Well, the video of questionable quality spawned the funniest MeFi thread in a long while.
posted by oddman at 4:02 PM on December 5, 2012 [1 favorite]


Luckily my generation developed a strong sense of meta-humor and ironic detachment. We're already mocking and belittling every thing and every one we've ever had the slightest fondness or affection for!

Muddgirl, you say that as a joke, but I think that's the truth.

Ironic detachment is a common survival mechanism, I guess, for people to deal with the overwhelming amount of lies, duplicity and bullshit that are baked into every aspect of our culture now. But, it feels to me like a lot of people have over-compensated, that as far as they're concerned, nothing and no one is worthy of respect or even simple courtesy any more, that they have to tear down everything, even a amateurish music video from some entertainers who had the bad fortune to outlive most of their fame. And then there is the unvarnished glee some people are displaying as they snark and sneer. I think that kind of attitude is corrosive, offensive, and ugly. I'm sick to death of it.

I probably over-reacted, and I shouldn't have brought age into it, but I've always thought Mefites skewed towards young, well-educated affluent types, and all the giggling and pointing and snickering and eye-rolling struck a nerve, hard, with me.
posted by KHAAAN! at 4:16 PM on December 5, 2012 [1 favorite]


entertainers who had the bad fortune to outlive most of their fame

I don't ridicule Travolta for not being as famous/attractive/talented as he was in 1978. I ridicule him for not recognizing the exceptionally poor quality of his product.

I suppose I could choose to tactfully ignore the feebleness of his attempt to entertain. But given his years of pimping for a cult with blood on its hands, I don't feel charitable.
posted by Egg Shen at 4:33 PM on December 5, 2012 [4 favorites]


I am getting really sick of the pious "never criticize anyone" posturing that I sometimes see here. These are professional entertainers making a product for sale, not people doing something heartfelt for their families. Mr. Travolta and Ms. Newton-John are welcome to critique my professional work, just as I am able to critique theirs. This work is pretty crappy. It does not make me a cruel, soulless person to say that, or indeed to find that amusing.

"Won't someone think of the hurt feelings of multimillionaire celebrities" is not a particularly compelling argument.

And the irony of all this coming from someone with a KHAAAN! username is noticed. Don't you feel bad for mocking that nice Mr. Shatner's overacting? It seems cruel, really.
posted by Sidhedevil at 4:44 PM on December 5, 2012 [9 favorites]


Oh god kids who were born when Pulp Fiction was in theatres were able to vote in this past election.
posted by Navelgazer at 4:47 PM on December 5, 2012 [5 favorites]


KHAAAN!, as single data point, I am older than you and balder than you, and have not enjoyed having John Travolta in my popular media as far back as Vinnie Barbarino.
posted by benito.strauss at 4:48 PM on December 5, 2012 [2 favorites]


But, it feels to me like a lot of people have over-compensated, that as far as they're concerned, nothing and no one is worthy of respect or even simple courtesy any more, that they have to tear down everything, even a amateurish music video from some entertainers who had the bad fortune to outlive most of their fame.

I think irony is a rational way to respond to, say, a blatant and soulless grab for cash based on manufactured feelings of goodwill. Whysoever would we want to respond to this video and album sincerely? No one involved in the video cared enough to do so.
posted by muddgirl at 4:48 PM on December 5, 2012 [6 favorites]


I meant to buy this yesterday for my family. They love this and Christmas.
But there was no record store at the mall.

Watching this, I am glad.
Grease has been ruined by the Suck Fairy.
posted by Mezentian at 4:49 PM on December 5, 2012


Is that the video for an actual song that's meant to rocket up what charts still remain?

Because...yikes. Except for the hi-def-iness, this would've been subpar in the mid-'80s. Like Amy Grant would've bitchslapped the songwriter trying to pitch her on this.

Do, however, love the locals roped in to "act natural" as they represent the diversity of this country from white to off-white.

Is this intended as a seasonal release? The references to It's a Wonderful Life and the self-driven vintage car full of presents, half of which vanish when there's someone in the passenger seat, would imply that. Because here's what doesn't make me think of Christmas: central Florida.

Loving the growing "dislikes" on the YT page. Closing comments in 3...2..
posted by the sobsister at 4:50 PM on December 5, 2012 [1 favorite]


Grease has been ruined by the Suck Fairy.

It's usually the other way around.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 4:51 PM on December 5, 2012


This video is about as harmless as it gets.
I disagree. I think anything that trades on its audience's good will and nostalgia to put across half-assed crap contributes to the tolerance of mediocrity in our cultural life.

Just wait until you cooler-than-thou Mefites get just a little older, and the people younger than you start mocking and belittling every thing and every one you ever had the slightest fondness or affection for.
Dude, I've got years on you. While I never had any great fondness for Travolta or Newton-John, if any of the idols or even demi-idols of my youth were to come out with something as lame, ill-conceived, lazy, exploitative and sub-par as this, I would be spitting snark and venom like a cobra. This video/song wears its shittiness on its sleeve.
posted by the sobsister at 5:01 PM on December 5, 2012


I wonder what the reviews in The Believer and the other anti-irony organs are like?

Freddy Got Fingered--Tom Green is to be commended for taking on the difficult topic of childhood sexual abuse. Also, Rip Torn is in this movie.

Save the Pearls--The author seems to be trying to make a point about racism, using the analogy of a future society where having white skin is physiologically and socially dangerous. Clearly, she must mean well.

Last Resort---This show certainly is set on a submarine! The cinematographers did a fine job of filming underwater.

Guy's American Kitchen and Bar---Guy Fieri has opened a very large restaurant, right in Times Square. There are many, many tables and chairs in this restaurant. Food is provided to diners in exchange for money, which is always a nice way of doing things.
posted by Sidhedevil at 5:03 PM on December 5, 2012 [5 favorites]


and the self-driven vintage car full of presents, half of which vanish when there's someone in the passenger seat

Look carefully. The very same presents appear in the DMV/airport. This establishes a tenuous, yet important narrative thread: Sandy and Danny are out delivering gifts to the airport people, and the airport people are immediately re-gifting them. Because Sandy and Danny thought they might like them/it. But they don't. Meta.
posted by mochapickle at 5:05 PM on December 5, 2012 [1 favorite]


Food is provided to diners in exchange for money

Whoa, there! Let's not get carried away!
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 5:06 PM on December 5, 2012 [2 favorites]


Freddy Got Fingered--Tom Green is to be commended for taking on the difficult topic of childhood sexual abuse. Also, Rip Torn is in this movie.

There actually exists a body of criticism that says this.
posted by The Whelk at 5:26 PM on December 5, 2012


I like how she comes peeping her head around the corner, like she might have heard a noise in the yard. Which she did! But it was a fucking airplane landing in the garden, which isn't usually a "Is someone there?" moment.
posted by The corpse in the library at 5:27 PM on December 5, 2012 [4 favorites]


324 views and 1,656 dislikes. How does that work?
posted by unliteral at 5:42 PM on December 5, 2012


Youtube changes the view count on a video at the end of the day, I believe. This will have thousands and thousands of views on the count tomorrow.
posted by Navelgazer at 5:43 PM on December 5, 2012 [1 favorite]


HaHa, should have cast Drake, instead of John Travolta, but I think they meant this to be serious. Ouch.
posted by alicesshoe at 5:47 PM on December 5, 2012


It's got a good beat.
You can awkwardly line dance to this.
And if your friends don't like it then they're no friends of mine.
posted by Mezentian at 5:50 PM on December 5, 2012


The Safety's Off Dance
by the Men Without Asshats

We can awkwardly line dance if we want to
We can leave your eye-rolling friends behind
'Cause your friends don't awkwardly line dance and if they don't awkwardly line dance
Well they're no friends of mine
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 6:06 PM on December 5, 2012 [3 favorites]


This work is pretty crappy. It does not make me a cruel, soulless person to say that, or indeed to find that amusing.

Maybe saying that someone's work is crappy isn't cruel; I think it would depend on the situation. But I'm pretty sure saying someone's hair was colored in with a marker is cruel, and uncalled for ( See the very first comment ). The level of vitriol directed at this piece of entertainment seems way way way out of proportion to its substance or quality, or lack thereof.

"Won't someone think of the hurt feelings of multimillionaire celebrities" is not a particularly compelling argument.

I agree. Good thing that's not my argument. My argument is to favor irony-free basic courtesy in general. I think a culture soaked in irony is like cleaning something by soaking it in acid. It may get the job done, but if you use too much for too long, you're going to do more damage than whatever gunk you were trying to clean off.

And the irony of all this coming from someone with a KHAAAN! username is noticed. Don't you feel bad for mocking that nice Mr. Shatner's overacting? It seems cruel, really.

I chose my user name because I like Star Trek, and Star Trek II in particular. The scene where Shatner yells 'Khan!' is a great storytelling moment, and I think William Shatner is a good actor. I'm not mocking him.

I think irony is a rational way to respond to, say, a blatant and soulless grab for cash based on manufactured feelings of goodwill. Whysoever would we want to respond to this video and album sincerely? No one involved in the video cared enough to do so.

Okay, fair enough. But how are you so sure that that was the intent? I watched the same video you did, and I didn't see a naked cash grab-- at least, not as much as you seem to have seen. Mostly, I saw old friends and family members goofing around enjoying themselves in a home movie, thinly disguised as a music video. What is it that I'm not seeing that you are?
posted by KHAAAN! at 6:17 PM on December 5, 2012 [2 favorites]


You know, even thought I was very young. I saw the movie Grease dozens of times in the theatre. I would sit through all the showings saturday and sunday.

I waited for Grease 2, not really much to say about that.

I would love it if Travolta and ONJ put out an awesome album together. Well maybe not love it, but respect it.
posted by Ad hominem at 6:28 PM on December 5, 2012


The best part about Grease 2 is Rex Manning riding motorcycles.
posted by jillithd at 7:20 PM on December 5, 2012 [3 favorites]


Summer dreams ripped at the seams, but oooooooooooooo0ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhuuuuuuuuuuuuuuggggggggghhhh, those summer nights
posted by sourwookie at 7:20 PM on December 5, 2012


I have the Two of a Kind soundtrack on cassette, somewhere in my hoard from childhood. "It's gotta be a strange twist of fate..."
posted by candyland at 7:29 PM on December 5, 2012


Did someone say Rex Manning?

I think someone did.
Rex Manning thread. IT'S REX MANNING DAY (EVERYDAY IN MY HEART)
posted by Mezentian at 7:34 PM on December 5, 2012 [2 favorites]


It's Raining Florence Henderson: Whoa, there! Let's not get carried away!

Who died and made YOU the mayor of FlavorTown®?
posted by dr_dank at 7:37 PM on December 5, 2012


The Health Inspector.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 7:43 PM on December 5, 2012 [3 favorites]


Allegedly.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 7:43 PM on December 5, 2012 [1 favorite]


...my beloved father...
posted by Navelgazer at 7:44 PM on December 5, 2012


See, Mezentian, I watched Empire Records five times this past weekend, I sh*t you not. That is one of my desert island movies. But I think what the problem is, is that John Travolta is Rex Manning. But then, who knows where thoughts come from? They just appear.
posted by peagood at 7:45 PM on December 5, 2012


Man I watched that movie (Empire Records) into oblivion when I was a teenager. Every one of Lucas's line-readings is perfect.
posted by Navelgazer at 7:47 PM on December 5, 2012


324 views and 1,656 dislikes. How does that work?

Yep, seems about right: I think most of those 1656 people only got a fraction of the way through the video.

In fact, based on my own viewing, that's 1656 people at 2% each of the video... I guess a majority of the viewers were struck stone dead by the video before they could vote on whether or not they like it.
posted by wenestvedt at 8:18 PM on December 5, 2012


If the patch of Brillo on his chin was a little broader, and the sideburns were a little bit shorter, you could flip his head upside down and that weird Extruded Hair Product would look exactly the same.
posted by wenestvedt at 8:21 PM on December 5, 2012 [1 favorite]


"By god," thought John Travolta, "that sure will be the last time I go to a barber suggested to me by Trent Reznor!"
posted by sendai sleep master at 8:32 PM on December 5, 2012


The video filled me with a Lovecraftian nameless dread fulfilled by the awful Name revealed at the end: Ocala.

The only possible further depravity would be to film a video in Howie-in-the-Hills. Thankfully, there are no airstrips capable of handling TravoltaJet near HiTH.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 9:12 PM on December 5, 2012


324 views and 1,656 dislikes. How does that work?

Yep, seems about right: I think most of those 1656 people only got a fraction of the way through the video.


Nope, I think the "likes/dislikes" count updates more frequently than the play count. It's still on 324 plays and up to 2,138 dislikes. I'm pretty sure you don't have to watch the whole thing to count as a "play."
posted by mrgrimm at 10:01 PM on December 5, 2012


Travolta needs to lay off the HGH unless he's planning to audition for a part in a Princess Bride remake.
posted by benzenedream at 10:04 PM on December 5, 2012


The weirdest part is Travolta's face. From a distance, it looks like John Travolta, but up close, it looks like a mold made of John Travolta's face from Plasticine.
posted by KathrynT at 11:01 PM on December 5, 2012 [2 favorites]


324 views and 1,656 dislikes. How does that work?

When a YouTube vid gets to about 300 views it undergoes some background checks to verify that those views are legit. The view count is paused during this period, which can last for a couple of days.

Check out this vid from Numberphile if you're interested...
posted by guy72277 at 2:04 AM on December 6, 2012


KHAAAN! - My argument is to favor irony-free basic courtesy in general. I think a culture soaked in irony is like cleaning something by soaking it in acid. It may get the job done, but if you use too much for too long, you're going to do more damage than whatever gunk you were trying to clean off.

I get where you're coming from. I would dispute whether this video is the right hill to die on.

Re: Travolta's 'hair'

He doesn't have to compete in the youth obsessed world of Hollywood on their terms, but for some reason he seems to be trying. Maybe he just blends in at a show business party, but taken out of context his appearance is pretty shocking.
posted by asok at 3:14 AM on December 6, 2012 [2 favorites]


This sort of anti-irony viewpoint has become pretty common in some sectors (NPR seems to feature an anti-ironist every week), but I don't see that irony is so widespread or so destructive as people claim. I see a lot of generalities, but no actual evidence, either scientific or anthropological, that supports this view. Generally, any anecdotes are summed up by, "People are enjoying things differently than I do!" which seems a bit self-centered to me. Either that or they misuse the word "irony" to just mean "negativity."
posted by muddgirl at 6:08 AM on December 6, 2012 [2 favorites]


The Amazon link gives the album 4.2 out of 5 stars.

/just sayin'
posted by thermonuclear.jive.turkey at 6:27 AM on December 6, 2012


I think I found John's stylist.
posted by stormpooper at 6:47 AM on December 6, 2012 [1 favorite]


Actually I quite liked it. Oh yes, I thought that some of the metaphysical imagery was really particularly effective. And interesting rhythmic devices too, which seemed to counterpoint the Psychlonity of the poet's compassionate soul.
posted by Cookiebastard at 7:04 AM on December 6, 2012 [2 favorites]


Holly: "It's better to have loved and to have lost than to listen to an album by Olivia Newton-John."
Cat: "Why's that?"
Holly: "Anything's better than listening to an album by Olivia Newton-John."
posted by jozxyqk at 7:22 AM on December 6, 2012


Is this the new thread to end all threads? Because I really need something to check everyday for the next month.
posted by AstroGuy at 9:08 AM on December 6, 2012 [1 favorite]


this definitely has been a hilarious thread but by dog, i just don't know what to make of that video. had to watch it a second time without the audio (the song was that cringe-worthy) and it still gives me agita. there's something about ONJ's face and JT's hair that really ruins everything --even more so than the awful production.

jesus christ... i need a drink.
posted by liza at 9:14 AM on December 6, 2012 [1 favorite]


Grease 2 has singing Michelle Pfeiffer in tight pants. Also chewing gum.

Also a motorcycle jumps over a boat at some point.

Maybe if they had Michelle Pfeiffer on a motorcycle jumping a boat while singing this song, I would watch this video.
posted by emjaybee at 9:21 AM on December 6, 2012 [1 favorite]


AstroGuy: Is this the new thread to end all threads? Because I really need something to check everyday for the next month.

I sure need one to come down from the two recent record-setting threads. And this video will be puzzling for a while. "not even wrong" and "doesn't work on so many levels" only begins to describe the cognitive dissonance that this elicits in me.

I ask myself "what does it say about _me_ that I can recognize the curve of the window-wall at 1:07 as being JT's home/airport" ...

and that's his Thunderbird...

and shouldn't the title be something about Coming Home Now?

So much weirdness, but you know, it looked like everybody was having fun.

(current Viewcount = 453,169, Likes:Dislikes = 1:1.83)
posted by achrise at 10:00 AM on December 6, 2012


I ask myself "what does it say about _me_ that I can recognize the curve of the window-wall at 1:07 as being JT's home/airport" ...

Which raises the question: why does Travolta have soliders hanging around his airport?

Let's look at the facts and I think we can only come to the conclusion that a Pod Person, using JT's face, is infiltrating Hollywood, amassing a private army, and is trying to attack us all with crappy nostalgia so we're all braindead when the Lizard Men arrive.
posted by Mezentian at 7:24 PM on December 6, 2012 [1 favorite]


I actually thought the terminal in the video was just another part of the house, but I went back and viewed again and there are views of a parking lot full of cars that doesn't seem possible from his house. My conclusion was that that part was probably filmed at the Ocala airport.
posted by achrise at 7:05 AM on December 7, 2012


There is nothing so terrible that someone on Metafilter won't try and make you feel bad for mocking it.

And if we can't mock a Christmas video that at best can be called 'an empty mediocrity', starring a Scientologist who has the top of his head coloured in with magic markers, we're running the risk of ignoring any critical faculties altogether. Knowing that not everything is of the same quality is a very important part of life.

This video is shoddy, the song bad, and we can acknowledge that - even have fun with it - without needing a leavening dose of sanctimony.
posted by gadge emeritus at 2:18 PM on December 9, 2012


Views: 5,953,233; L:10,312 D:11,351 L/D = 1:1.1008
posted by achrise at 11:03 AM on December 11, 2012 [1 favorite]


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