Ugly or Pretty Has Nothing To Do With Funny
"Listen up, Hollywood: Beautiful actresses are not funny. They don’t know how to do comedy ... Only women who grew up ugly and stayed ugly, or through plastic surgery became beautiful, can pull off sitcoms or standups ... Because it’s all about emotional pain and humiliation and rising above both by making people laugh with you instead of at you. So stop casting beautiful actresses when you should be giving ugly women a chance."
— Nikki Finke, clearly peeved about Julie Bowen's Emmy win.
Wow, which lucky ugly ducklings is Nikki referring to?
"Hey Sophia Vergara, unless your gorgeous breasts also cause emotional distress, I am too distracted to be entertained by you."
"Hey Tina Fey, stop with the healthy eating and hotness in your Emmy dress, there's nothing funny about that!"
Wouldn't it be great if older, more experienced women like Ms. Finke were kinder to her fellow females in the entertainment business? She might do more for our cause - better, more fully realized roles in all types of entertainment, which is the territory all these amazing Emmy-nominated actresses are striving for.
My new movie, Pitch Perfect, features women of every size and stripe and is utterly hilarious. The best part is: it is obvious they are all beautiful. And 30 Rock’s Kay Cannon, who happens to be a gorgeous woman with a wicked sense of humor, wrote it. I agree "humiliation" can be funny, but it is not a state of being reserved solely for the ugly, whatever that means to Nikki Finke.
This is why Cameron Diaz can handle a kid emergency...
I walked out of the bathroom with toilet paper on my shoe just this morning. And Sophia Vergara split her dress last night. And that really made me laugh.
Who are your favorite funny women?
Share and let's laugh together in the comments below.
Photo Sources: Michael Buckner/Getty Images North America, Getty Images via Examiner.com
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34 comments
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Today's the 104th anniversary of the birth of a woman who was unquestionably both beautiful and funny -- Carole Lombard. To Nikki: Would you ever say that Carole, or Goldie Hawn, or Anna Faris, didn't meet both criteria?
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I can name a dozen gorgeous and hilarious women: Lucille Ball, Janeane Garofalo, Salma Hayek, Marilyn Monroe, Jane Russell, Julia Roberts, Cameron Diaz, Emma Stone, Drew Barrymore, Carrie Fisher, Sandra Bullock and Elizabeth Banks. There, and that was without breaking a sweat OR using IMDB. -
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"Because it’s all about emotional pain and humiliation and rising above both by making people laugh with you instead of at you."
Since when does being perceived of as beautiful mean that you are exempt from getting hurt and feeling humiliated? It sounds to me like she has some self confidence issues herself that she needs to work through. She's lashing out and just sounds bitter. "Beautiful" women are still women, with real human emotions.
People keep citing examples of popularly beautiful women who are successfully funny as examples that counteract what Nikki Finke said, but I think the real issue is in that she is insisting that these "pretty" women are not able to experience the same complex emotions that others "less beautiful" can.
I think when you said, "Wouldn't it be great if older, more experienced women like Ms. Finke were kinder to her fellow females in the entertainment business? She might do more for our cause - better, more fully realized roles in all types of entertainment, which is the territory all these amazing Emmy-nominated actresses are striving for." you really hit on a good point! Have you seen the documentary "Miss Representation?" It's about how women are misrepresented in all forms of media, news, movies, tv, etc. One of the major messages in it is what you said, how women need to be more conscious of raising each other up instead of striking each other down-- especially those with high visibility! -
And a good example to all of this coul be, as Elizabeth said, the movie 'Pitch Perfect'. I had good vibrations wen I saw the trailer.
And Anna Kendrick will command the movie very well (it's a great actress and she or Vera Farmiga deserved the Oscar for 'Up In The Air' and not Monique -forgotten in a few time-)
And 'People Like Us' arrives to Spain in January 2013, one of the last countries when it will be screened ¡¡ -
Both pretty and ugly can be funny, it's only good acting what is important.
There are too many stereotypes that are not good for women (and for men).
Kristin Chenoweth is other case of pretty and with a lot of sense of humor.
I think that actors and actresseses that are also good comedians can have a longer career.
And, well, the beauty sometimes is very subjective. You can see someone extremely beautiful that it's not a nice person and you end considering that person not pretty and can see a person not so beautiful but with more important things to offer to the world. -
You're definitely my most favourite funny woman, and besides, you're breathtakingly beautiful. You are very intelligent, charming and amiable, you've got a great sense of humour and you're not always so serious about yourself.
I also love Jennifer Lawrence a lot for her very funny and lovely personality.
I love you both. -
You are a beautiful woman and funny, a good example of that beautiful women can be funny. What makes you laugh not have to be ugly or beautiful, just funny. -
I don't see how looks and humour are related. Hollywood is full of gorgeous, hilarious women, I don't understand. Does this mean Nikki Finke doesn't find most of Hollywood to be funny? -
Also, Ms. Banks, I think you are hilarious. I'm not just saying that because I AM a fan, I really mean it. Not many people can make me laugh to the point where I am rolling off my bed. So thank you for that. -
Since when does how you look have an effect on your humor? That's not how things work. I think something happened to Nikki in her childhood that made her so incredibly closed-minded and hateful.
And by "something", I mean she was dropped on her head. -
Completely stupid remark by a bitter scorn woman! I know a ton of women that are gorgeous and hilarious! And Elisabeth Banks is simply delightful because she is funny and her laugh is absolutely contagious! It's either you're funny or you're not. Has nothing to do with looks!
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As an, ahem, old-timer, I grew up on I Love Lucy reruns and it was only years later that I realized what a beautiful woman Lucille Ball was. I was so busy laughing I never realized she was simply gorgeous!
So, being beautiful and funny is nothing new. Fabulous women have managed to juggle both for years. And the theory that somehow you must be ugly to get a laugh is one of the most sexist remarks I've heard lately. How sad that it came from a woman. -
That kind of snark is the opposite of pretty or funny or clever. I celebrate all funny and I am happiest when they get careers, fans, pretty shiny dresses with big glittery awards. Thank you, Ms. Banks, for your charm and humor. -
I can lust after a woman I feel is hot and laugh at her humor at the same time. This is pretty much my state whenever I see Ms. Banks - and several other wonderful women - in an interview.
And let's not forget Zasu Pitts! -
Lucille Ball was hilarious and gorgeous. She wasn't the first beautiful woman to be funny in the age of film and television. Nikki Finke is just bitter and wrong.
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EB, don't worry about that. It's Phyllis Diller syndrome (to us old timers I guess). A woman must be not attractive to be funny. Of course that isn't true and only a bitter crone of a hag of a trollop (trollish female)of a mental midget would not just think it, but say it. It is her right of course, but it shows a certain lack of insight and sense of humor. Perhaps it was irony, maybe it was her attempt at unfunny humor. But what you need to do is ignore it. Why give her any credit? But that's my opinion.
Rob P -
What a bitter, ignorant statement. There are plenty of beautiful women who are funny. Julia Louie-Dreyfuss is hilarious and beautiful. Tina Fey is one of the funniest women ever, and is very attractive. And of course, Elizabeth Banks is stunning and hysterical! The list goes on and on... -
The few exceptions aside, the reason beautiful women struggle to succeed in comedy (as opposed to being funny) is that men are too busy sexually fantasizing to laugh, and women are too busy hating on her hair, clothes, body, etc.
And it works both ways - that's why ya see more Sandra Bernhards and Louie C.K.s on the stand-up circuit than ya do Jon Hamms or Elizabeth Bankses. -
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"I think Lena Dunham is hilarious and beautiful"... LOL. Now THAT's how you do comedy, right there. And it was so subtle, Sally just said it like she actually meant it! Neither is true, it's the great contrast present that makes it a wonderful laugh line for all.
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Women need to stop putting each other down, it does no good. Good on you for calling her out here! And I think you're pretty freaking hilarious yourself!
