Like Fingernails on a Chalkboard

"They" say, It takes all kinds to make a world... some days I wonder, Why?!

I worked in radio for twenty-one years. Just a few years shy of a "gold-watch" retirement. All of the years were in the Country format. I could have picked Rock. I grew up on Rock. I was more comfortable in the Country format. The Country rule was, if you wouldn't say it to Grandma, don't say it on the air.

I enjoyed my years in the Country format. I had a lot of fun and met a lot of the big name "A-List" performers. I got my picture taken with Shania Twain twice. I was herded through the meet-n-greet line like cattle and I did say "moo", but still...

When I started the last few years of my radio career, I worked with a morning host who did an on-air bit about "Movie Stars You Can't Stand!" Pretty self-explanatory. What movie star is like fingernails on a chalkboard? You can't watch a movie he or she is in?

His pick was Andrew McCarthy. Couldn't stand him, or Weekend at Bernie's. Okay, so it ain't Shakespeare, and it ain't Blazing Saddles or Young Frankenstein. It's sort of middle of the road. It's wacky and full of hijinks. He's not horrible in Pretty in Pink, St. Elmo's Fire, Mannequin, or Joy luck Club. Okay, so maybe Mannequin is a little creeptastic... But on the whole, McCarthy comes across as awkwardly genuine. Kinda relatable. Joe Average. 

My personal pick would be Giovanni Ribisi. I just saw him in Avatar: Fire and Ash. He's back. Every corporate or military character in the Avatar films is just blatantly d**k-headed. They are written as the worst kind of human beings. Their only purpose is to strip the planet of resources for Earth. Unobtanium. Whaling for the liquid or blood of the indigenous species. It's like Dances With Wolves in space.

But it doesn't stop there. Ribisi plays Phoebe's younger brother on Friends. The storyline there is that he falls in love and marries his teacher and then Phoebe becomes surrogate mother to their triplets. The sitcom takes a real-life issue and turns it into farce. Your mileage on that may vary, however, Ribisi just comes off as an incredibly annoying character.

Don't even get me started on his role as Nicholas Cage's younger brother in the remake of Gone in 60 Seconds. I like Christopher Eccleston and just about everyone else in the cast - except Ribisi.

Another pick would be Seth Rogan. I've tried to enjoy him in Pineapple Express... but he's just horrid in Fanboys and The Green Hornet. He was supposed to be horrible in Fanboys. He played two characters, a diehard Star Trek fan and some other character. He was obnoxious as both. That was the point. However, his take on Britt Reid was to play him like a male version of Paris Hilton. A party-boy, who experiences an awakening and becomes a caring and sincere hero as the underworld figure The Green Hornet. If the movie's failure is any indication, that just didn't work. Fan-casting the role, I would have gone with Greg Kinnear as Britt Reid. He more embodies the Van Williams vibe for the role. Yes, he was an arrogant jerk in Mystery Men, but he was convincing as an arrogant jerk. 

Those are my picks. Is there a performer that is just fingernails on a chalkboard for you?

Keep it clean and civil. Grandma may be listening...

Don't forget, you can visit me or follow me over on ComicVine as AirDave, and follow me on Facebook as Earth-Dave.