I was much late to Betty Cracker’s thread this afternoon, but I couldn’t believe that she was referring to Wil Wheaton as that Wesley Crusher kid. Then I realized I might be the only one who remembers this:
Man, this has really brought out the people who think calling me Wesley and telling me to shut up is clever. Awesome. I assume we’ll be upgrading to “your mother” jokes next?
John: I respect and admire you so much. I hope this doesn’t bring you any more grief than you usually get from the usual gang of haters.
I thought the psycho ex-girlfriend thing was hilarious because it’s about the *behavior* and not the gender. It seems like the Internets comes down to people who get that and people who are determined to read it as sexist.
As a comedy writer, I feel that the joke — which is about someone who refuses to accept that a relationship is over — works equally well if it’s a psycho ex-girlfriend or a psycho ex-boyfriend. I thought that was clear in the original post.
As for Hillary, as I said on my blog, I’ve gone from respecting her to despising her as I’ve watched her fall from a well-spoken, passionate candidate to just another lying, pandering, negative-campaigning, 9/11-exploiting fearmongering politician.
Anyway, thanks for the mention, Michael, and I’m sorry for any additional bullshit you have to deal with because of me, John.
The entire thread is typical Balloon-Juice during the Obama/Clinton primaries. John even weighed in:
Great. Because I want to spend the next 6 months being called a sexist for something someone else wrote.
Did I do something to piss you and Will off?
Do you think if we say his name enough times, he’ll come back and read the blog again?
Open Thread
sab
Missed Big Bang entirely other than aware of its ratings. I had no idea who Will Wheaton was. Glad to correct that deficit. He seems neat (midwestern underplay of approval.)
randy khan
Wil Wheaton. Wil Wheaton. Wil Wheaton.
cain
s/will/wil/g is what should be sed.
Uninvited Guest
It should be noted Wheaton has a Cole-like luck when it comes to dice. Google “Wheaton dice curse” and enjoy what you get.
karen marie
@sab: He’s a terrible book reader. Unfortunately, John Scalzi thinks he’s wonderful and encourages him to be hired to read his books for Audible.
Really a shame, because I like Scalzi’s writing and cannot listen to anything of his read by Wheaton. The aggravated state of my ADHD prevents me reading myself.
Xantar
Just don’t ask him to roll dice.
cain
@karen marie:
That’s interesting – for me – I can’t listen to audible – too slow! I end up reading because I can go at a pace that is way faster – I skip parts I get bored of, etc etc. It’s interesting how our ADHD comes out in different ways.
Bill Arnold
The site’s comment sections are indexed (by google at least) fairly quickly, so I always give the byline when linking articles; some writers appreciate mentions and sometimes lurk.
(Have also been at least a few quite high-profile commenters slumming/using nyms.)
TaMara (HFG)
@Bill Arnold: ?
West of the Rockies
Wil runs his own blog (50, Monkeys). You can’t rely on daily or even weekly posts, but he does interact in the comments. I think he’s a truly good person in real life: intelligent, funny, empathetic, and candid.
cain
@West of the Rockies:
He’s a swell guy. I’ve met him once or twice. Easy to talk to – he’s a nerd for sure. :-)
Just Some Fuckhead
WW also had a television show where he played board games with his friends. I watched a few episodes desperately wanting to like it but it was like watching paint dry.
Bill Arnold
@Uninvited Guest:
Interesting. (If I knew him I’d ask him to describe his mind-state mind when he does that (and if it was real).)
Betty Cracker
I didn’t start writing here until half-way through the Obama admin. I commented rarely and lurked a fair amount before then, but I completely missed the Wil Wheaton appearance right here in River City!
As someone pointed out in my thread, the timeline for the alleged Shatner-Wheaton encounter I described in that post doesn’t line up, so I’m either misremembering an anecdote I read ages ago or the source of that anecdote was flat making shit up.
No disrespect to Mr. Wheaton intended! Don’t know much about him, but I hear he’s a nice fellow.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
I don’t think I started reading and commenting here till the ’08 primaries were over. Easy to forget now how ugly it got
zhena gogolia
@randy khan:
Oh, don’t be a college instructor. (sarcasm, I was dinged for this earlier; I actually think it’s important to spell people’s names correctly)
TaMara (HFG)
@Betty Cracker: I kept scanning your thread, thinking for SURE someone would bring it up….and then I thought, maybe I misremembered. So I had to go looking! I loved John’s reply best.
Just Some Fuckhead
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: They started it.
Baud
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
I didn’t get here until 2010. Missed it too.
West of the Rockies
@Just Some Fuckhead:
Some episodes were pretty slow. Sheriff of Nottingham was good.
trollhattan
Kind of off-topic but Mark Hamill did a hilarious guest spot on “What We Do in the Shadows” season 2. One of those actors who keeps very busy and manages to be a good human at the same time. Tom Hanks, Henry Winkler-level good guy.
BTW, Shadows season 3 will happen, which makes me very happy.
satby
Whoa… I’ve been reading this blog a long time.
Matt Smith
I’m sure he’s been lurking ever since, biding his time.
Just Some Fuckhead
@Matt Smith: Maybe he’s commenting regularly but his lines are being cut?
patroclus
I always liked the Wesley Crusher character. It was obviously very successful because it’s some 25 years later and we’re still talking about it. If Wil is still lurking, hi! Love your blog!
TaMara (HFG)
@trollhattan: Love that show. Just enough over the top to make me laugh out loud.
Just Some Fuckhead
It’s really sad he was never able to do anything as great as Bosom Buddies.
Just Some Fuckhead
@satby: We need one thread just so people can post their start year.
trollhattan
@TaMara (HFG):
Right? I tell folks it’s the only vampire show you’ll ever need. The movie had me on the floor. “We’re werewolves, not swear wolves.”
the pollyanna from hell
I was aware of BJ back then, but only as a legend of a distant land in the next valley over the hill.
Poe Larity
@Just Some Fuckhead: There should be a memorial to all those lost in the Balloon-Juice Civil War of 2008.
geg6
WHEEEEEEEEEATOOOOOOOOON!
I’m going with saying it loudly.
Just Some Fuckhead
@Poe Larity: Nah, many of them are not missed. That eyeball guy, for one.
geg6
@TaMara (HFG):
I was here then, but do not remember this. And, if my nym is anywhere in that thread, I still don’t remember it. Those were crazy times.
Miss Bianca
@trollhattan: “Bat fight”
Just watched it again a few months back and that bit still got me.
Woodrow/asim
I was around back then, and don’t recall this offhand, either.
Likely because, unlike Glenn Greenwald, Wil didn’t try to accuse me of being an Obamabot in the comments.
Woodrow/asim
Oh! And if you want to see more recent work from Wil Wheaton — but you’re like me, and hate BBT with fiery/1000 suns intensity? He had a fun reoccurring bad guy role in the show LEVERAGE.
Jay
Just Some Fuckhead
@Jay: It’s almost like many conservatives took that whole tree of liberty / blood of tyrants thing that Republicans have been whipping for decades seriously.
karen marie
@Miss Bianca: Matt Berry! OMG – I’m going to have to watch it. I love Matt Berry!
planetjanet
@Just Some Fuckhead: I wish I remembered when I came here. I lurked for years and years. I found the site through Atrios. My memory may be faulty, but I think I remember some of the discussions about Schiavo, maybe I am confusing using “Frist” if I were the first to comments on Atrios’ Eschaton.
No One You Know
@Woodrow/asim: He is fantastic in that role. His enjoyment is almost radiant…
BruceFromOhio
Can’t remember the year, it was around when FDL caught rabies, TRex posted his last, TBogg folded tent and went home, Pandagon and Shakespear’s Sister blew the coolant lines and melted down in the aftermath of working for John Edwards, OpenLeft and MyDD flirted with snorting uncut Liquid Plumr, and the the purity ponies scaled the ramparts of DKos and showered shit on anything that moved.
There was no place to go but here and Little Green Footballs, and I sure as hell wasn’t sticking around LGF. Even Fafblog and Norbizness eventually fell by the wayside, and the sun set for the last time on the world we once knew.
And Wheaton arrived and departed in the haze of it all, dammit.
@planetjanet: “Frist” bled over into FDL and DK as well. People thought they were so cute, when they weren’t.
cleek
@West of the Rockies:
his tumblr site is always very active, though.
fancycwabs
Maybe he’ll read the audio version of Balloon Juice, the novelization of the motion picture.