Comments on: It’s Showtime Sonoma: Fakery, False Claims, and Fistfights?

By: claytron

claytron — Sun, 23 Apr 2006 17:39:53 +0000

Again, if you think Penn & Teller are making a straight documentary… irreguardless of their approach to you… you’ve got to be kidding yourself. Again, you know what they do. They’ve got their show to make, I’ve not heard of a production company making concessions on a talent release. If you don’t like what they’re doing, just do the right thing and avoid being on their show. Again, it’s not like you have to be on it. You could have posted, ‘I would avoid the upcoming ‘bullsh*t’ episode about crytozoology, I don’t like their practices for the following reasons,’ instead of attacking them as creatives for doing what they do. You can still be the better more professional and respect their work without taking it so personally.

By: Loren Coleman

Loren Coleman — Sun, 23 Apr 2006 09:58:05 +0000

No, I think you miss the point. You were not there, regarding the interactions their production company had to get me on the program. It perhaps was the most dishonest approach I have ever experienced in reality-based television producing. I’ve been on literally hundreds of programs since 1969, produced my own documentaries, and, my gosh, taught a documentary film course at the university level for 23 semesters. I’ve never seen a release set up to so clearly give an open-ended ability to fictionalize documentary footage to the filmmaker.

By: claytron

claytron — Sat, 22 Apr 2006 19:49:42 +0000

As mentioned this has absolutely nothing to do with politics.

You really miss the point. As has been said, P&T are in the business of making entertainment. Period. If you’ve studied film/editing at all, you realize that any editing creates an intended effect. That’s how editing works. That’s why we have film and television. The effect of juxtaposing two pieces of footage can change their meaning entirely to a desired effect/meaning. If you intend to go on a show knowingly produced by Penn & Teller, you are taking a risk that they will exploit you. It’s what they do. When you produce a television series like theirs, you have to make 8-16 episodes on various topics. They/producers picked cryptozoology as one episode in that set. They’re not interested in producing a legitimate look at the field, they’re gonna poke some fun at it. They’re masters of manipulation. That’s what they do. It’s what they’ve done since they started their career. OF COURSE they will take liberties with whatever footage they can get for the program. They have to take a mess of footage and make that into something entertaining. Not educational – entertaining. If you can’t take their heat, don’t be on their show. Anyone who’s seen anything they’ve done will know how they work. They like to call ‘bullsh*t’ on whatever they think is bogus. You simply can’t deny there is alot of bogus claims in your field. There are a significant number of them, that doesn’t mean ALL of it is, but alot is. I believe many phenomenon in the field are legitimate, while others are not. Does that mean I can’t laugh at P&T discussing the issue (even if it’s not that strong of an episode)? No of course not. They’re being the skeptics of a skeptical field. You shouldn’t take so much offense. They’re not killing you’re child, they’re making an episode of a TV series. Again, the Daily Show is an excellent example. If you’re going into a comedy sitaution to get your point across, you need to reconsider the situation. It’s not MSNBC or CNN… it’s Penn & Teller… and not a documentary… an television show that relies on the same manipulation as everything else they produce. They’ll present it how they want to maximize the promotional and entertainment values of their program. Doing anything else would be detremental to them. It’s what they do, and holding that against them is silly. You act as if they’re on a crusade to destroy everything you love. Don’t take it so personally. You ARE allowed to laugh at yourself.

By: Jeremy_Wells

Jeremy_Wells — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 16:49:34 +0000

Let’s please not turn this partisan. Let’s remember this is a crypto site, not one for bashing…political stances.

By: keeroc

keeroc — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 16:04:59 +0000

Well yakmoe you have really done your research. Penn and Teller “liberals ” – what planet have you been living on ? it is obvious from your post that you aren’t very well informed.

secondly who cares what P&T think of bigfoot and cryptozoology ? They are just after publicity. Their humor is weak as well as their “magical” repertoire. Exposed psychic surgeons ? – years after the news media had already debunked it.

By: Mnynames

Mnynames — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 13:17:33 +0000

Amen, msouliere.

By: msouliere

msouliere — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 12:57:53 +0000

What has struck me most about the field of cryptozoology, beyond the mystery, wonder, hope, and curiosity that surrounds it, is its revelations about human behavior.

While many of the creatures remain hidden, we are revealed.

By: yakmoe plivnic

yakmoe plivnic — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 03:21:30 +0000

Their methodology of getting points across employs heavy doses of sarcasm and mean spiritedness.

By: Kimble

Kimble — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 02:40:13 +0000

I fail to understand how a comedy duo have become reputible investigators. I saw James Randi debunk psychic surgeons back in 1985 in Hauk Auditorium at the U of Maine. How is it that P&T have shed the light of reason within a vaul of superstition?

P&T are entertainers as as such their sole purpose is to pay the rent by entertaining.

By: Scarfe

Scarfe — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 22:52:09 +0000

While they are sensationalist and crude, I have enjoyed episodes of BS in the past. Their attack on PETA was quite good.

Even as a skeptic, though, I think they might be taking on Cryptozoology with far less scruples and rigor than P&T have shown in the past.