It's Not Unusual
October 7, 2014 10:14 AM Subscribe
Alfonso Ribeiro, best known as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air's Carlton Banks, brings back his character's famous dance on Dancing with the Stars.
....And now I really, really wanna see him work Apache in there now as a trifecta.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:22 AM on October 7, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:22 AM on October 7, 2014 [3 favorites]
It's definitely a parade of has-beens, but there's also a strong vein of laughing with/at themselves that makes it a lot easier to at least enjoy the highlights.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 10:24 AM on October 7, 2014
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 10:24 AM on October 7, 2014
Better to be a has-been than a never-was, right? Dude may not have parlayed his Fresh Prince gig into eternal stardom, but how many actor/baristas out there wouldn't trade their future for his past?
posted by tonycpsu at 10:26 AM on October 7, 2014 [6 favorites]
posted by tonycpsu at 10:26 AM on October 7, 2014 [6 favorites]
That made me smile a whole lot more then I thought it would. Been having a down day so thanks. :D
posted by Jalliah at 10:34 AM on October 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
Smiles and thanks over here, too. They really looked like they were having fun. Get that Carlton kid on Broadway, stat!
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 10:39 AM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 10:39 AM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
It's the ankles. The Carleton is all in that final ankle twist.
posted by GuyZero at 10:46 AM on October 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by GuyZero at 10:46 AM on October 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
I've said this in other threads, but I've genuinely enjoyed how much both Ribeiro and Will Smith genuinely seem happy to remember and be associated with Fresh Prince. Will Smith will bust out the theme song and Ribeiro the Carlton dance seemingly on demand. In Smith's case, he could easily play the "I was nominated for an Oscar. Twice." card and sorta disavow his goofy comedy past. In Ribeiro's case, Carlton was his most famous role and he could come across as desperately milking that, but he doesn't. They both come across as immensely likeable.
In watching this video earlier, I got a related video about Sweet Blackberry, which is Karyn Parsons's project to create videos for kids about interesting figures in black history. She leveraged her Fresh Prince connections to get people to pony up Kickstarter rewards. The Kickstarter has already ended, alas, so you can't get Will Smith to record your outgoing voicemail message or go shopping with Hilary and Ashley, but the project seems really cool.
posted by jacquilynne at 10:58 AM on October 7, 2014 [10 favorites]
In watching this video earlier, I got a related video about Sweet Blackberry, which is Karyn Parsons's project to create videos for kids about interesting figures in black history. She leveraged her Fresh Prince connections to get people to pony up Kickstarter rewards. The Kickstarter has already ended, alas, so you can't get Will Smith to record your outgoing voicemail message or go shopping with Hilary and Ashley, but the project seems really cool.
posted by jacquilynne at 10:58 AM on October 7, 2014 [10 favorites]
Now they just need to mix in some Public Enemy and the circle will be complete.
posted by ckape at 11:05 AM on October 7, 2014
posted by ckape at 11:05 AM on October 7, 2014
A. That dude has not aged!
B. This is the first time I've ever wanted to say "Killin it!" about a video of someone dancing. But wow, that was a beautiful thing.
posted by bleep at 11:06 AM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
B. This is the first time I've ever wanted to say "Killin it!" about a video of someone dancing. But wow, that was a beautiful thing.
posted by bleep at 11:06 AM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
I think a lot of people forget how he first got famous.
posted by empath at 12:00 PM on October 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by empath at 12:00 PM on October 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
And this is how he got that commercial...
posted by Sweetie Darling at 12:06 PM on October 7, 2014 [4 favorites]
posted by Sweetie Darling at 12:06 PM on October 7, 2014 [4 favorites]
first twin peaks and now this
posted by tapesonthefloor at 12:24 PM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by tapesonthefloor at 12:24 PM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
I knew there was a previously!
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:25 PM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:25 PM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
In Ribeiro's case, Carlton was his most famous role and he could come across as desperately milking that, but he doesn't. They both come across as immensely likeable.
I agree - he doesn't seem like a has-been at all to me, in that he doesn't seem to be trying to cling to fame. In all the clips from DTWS I've seen it looks like he's just having enormous fun.
Also I first remember him from Silver Spoons.
posted by sweetkid at 12:35 PM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
I agree - he doesn't seem like a has-been at all to me, in that he doesn't seem to be trying to cling to fame. In all the clips from DTWS I've seen it looks like he's just having enormous fun.
Also I first remember him from Silver Spoons.
posted by sweetkid at 12:35 PM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
I forgot how much dancing was on that show.
If Alphonso got a weekly show of just him dancing I would watch it religiously.
posted by bleep at 12:39 PM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
If Alphonso got a weekly show of just him dancing I would watch it religiously.
posted by bleep at 12:39 PM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
I, too, am holding out for the return of the Apache dance. I was at a middle school band extravaganza in Central Texas a few weeks ago (don't ask) and when one school played Apache, the entire crowd, white and black, began to do the dance and laugh hysterically and smile really big.
posted by mynameisluka at 1:03 PM on October 7, 2014
posted by mynameisluka at 1:03 PM on October 7, 2014
has anyone done a side by side of him doing the dance on Fresh Prince next to DTWS?
posted by sweetkid at 1:40 PM on October 7, 2014
posted by sweetkid at 1:40 PM on October 7, 2014
The TODAY show web site had the full video of this, featuring Alfonso's introduction, footage of him teaching his partner how to "Carlton", and the judges' reactions.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:19 PM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:19 PM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
I always thought the Carleton dance was so perfectly goofy and awkward, it could only be done well by a really skilled dancer.
posted by heathkit at 4:55 PM on October 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by heathkit at 4:55 PM on October 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
He's a GREAT dancer! Makes me wish I was watching DWTS.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 5:09 PM on October 7, 2014
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 5:09 PM on October 7, 2014
I never watched Fresh Prince, but even I got a kick out of that.
(And this reminds me that since I'm not watching this season of DWTS I should at least check out some more highlights. If you find ballroom the least bit interesting, the all-pro routines at minimum are worth a look.)
posted by NorthernLite at 6:31 PM on October 7, 2014
(And this reminds me that since I'm not watching this season of DWTS I should at least check out some more highlights. If you find ballroom the least bit interesting, the all-pro routines at minimum are worth a look.)
posted by NorthernLite at 6:31 PM on October 7, 2014
empath, that commerical is bad on like, at least three different levels.
posted by malapropist at 11:38 PM on October 7, 2014
posted by malapropist at 11:38 PM on October 7, 2014
« Older Runnin' with the Sympathy for the Meat Puppet the... | clickety clack Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
On the one hand, I kinda feel like the DWTS shows are a sort of parade-of-has-beens thing, and I've wished that Ribeiro had a better post-Bel-Air career, but he sort of is acting like he's using the opportunity as a giant chance to tweak the nose of the whole celebrity cult thing and that's kind of awesome.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:21 AM on October 7, 2014 [5 favorites]