MSNBC Questions the Talent of Today's Stars

sorry, but i must say this:

i don't care if Tom Cruise remakes "Battlefield Earth" and spends all his dough doing it and goes crazy and gets locked up for selling crack....

he still was AWESOME in Top Gun. I KNOW a lot of that had to do with Kenny Loggins, i mean, i don't think any person, let alone man, can watch that scene with the airplanes firing up and 'Danger Zone' starting up without getting shivers.

So don't knock Tom. The outsiders was great, MI:3 and MI were awesome. He's had some good stuff. Maybe he's let himself come before his work lately, but hey, who can argue that Michael Jackson ISN'T one of the greatest performers/pop artists of all time?

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Dear Monika,
In future, when you find yourself writing Scientologist in an article that has no call for it stop for a moment and question whether you would still write the statement replacing the word with Christian, Muslim or Jew. They are all as legitimate as the next.

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While I know Monika has a tendancy to insert unnecessary adjectives when describing some folks in showbiz (I personally called her out for describing Timothy Olyphan as "Sexy" in a post about his upcoming 'Hitman' Movie), I really,really, must disagree with you, b0ring? You can't tell me that you honestly think Scientology, with it's whopping 55 years of history is as legitimate as Judaism, Catholocism, or Muslimism? Those religions have stood for thousands of years, while Scientology was "invented" by a guy ONLY A FEW SHORT YEARS AFTER THE TELEVISION WAS INVENTED!!!!!!!!! Tell you what - after Scientologists have endured hundreds of years of persecution (including being executed) for their beliefs, you can consider it as legitimate as the other three. If the only persecution your followers have ever endured is having to fly commercial, you don't have a religion, you have a fad.

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dane cook, zach braff all i can think of right now

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There's so many awful over rated 'talent' getting way too much hype/money I think my hands or head would explode trying to type them all down! I do feel sorry for Nicole Kidman, she's been trying, but the poor thing's floundering. I thought The Invasion was good, when Daniel Craig was on screen that is, but when it was Kidman alone it dragged. And unfortunately Jessica Alba to me is the bum note of miscasting in the Fantastic Four series. Jessica Simpson, no comment!

And as for the B0ring, the scientologist who commented. C'mon Scientology is in no stretch on par with other of the world's religions. Wake up and smell the coffee, it was started by Sci-fi writer L.R. Hubbard ON A BET with a buddy who bet him he couldn't start his own religon and get people to follow it. It's an ego feeding psuedo-religion, that tells everyone they used to be gods, and can be again if they pay enough money that is. I'm no bible thumper, but as a friend of mine said to his Scientologist buddy, I don't have to pay ten thousand dollars to learn the Ten Commandments.

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This whole Scientology thing just reminded me that the Tom Cruise/Scientology South Park episode was on last night, and I had so much fun watching it. One of their best.

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How about the entire cast of That 70's Show.

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"i don't think any person, let alone man, can watch that scene with the airplanes firing up and 'Danger Zone' starting up without getting shivers."

Mike Nelson can. :-)

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I gotta add Zach Braff to the list. But I don't think Nicole Kidman and Renee Zelwigger deserve to be one it. They were both great in Cold Mountain, among others.

I'm also tired of people making fun of Scientology. It makes just as much sense as all the other religions of the world. I'm also uncomfortable with the idea that making fun of religion is only allowed if it's Scientology. That seems dirty.

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I agree with this list, but many more could be added. The newer actors/celebrities listed have very limited talent, if any, and the ones listed that have been around really aren't very good. Nicole is not a very good actress, you can see her acting, and of cours now her face doesn't really move much, but she has been hyped since the 90's. She should pay her PR people a huge amount for all of their help.

Elton used to be good back in the 70's, same with Travolta. It's difficult to watch Renee, unless she's playing a character like the one in Cold Mountain.

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I gotta say that, after JUST finished seeing Dogville (what are the chances?), that, although she makes some bad choices, Nicole Kidman can be a very talented actor. Just look at some of the left of mainstream titles she's done over the years, from everything from Birthday Girl to even her bizzarly uncomfortable turn in Eyes Wide Shut. Sure, I'd rather eat poop than sit through Bewitched again, but even Al Pacino did Gigli...

On the other hand, can someone please explain to me why James Woods gets so much work? Or for that matter, ANY work?

p.s. Scientology has some of the craziest spiritual ideas, but is it really that more bizzare than what most other major religions are bassed on? Who cares what somebody else believes in, anyway? Are we really at such a point in this world that we havn't seen enough segrigation and heartache, both towards comunities and individuals that we see the need to judge based religion?

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No, you're right. Let's make fun of all religions, they're all as ridiculous as the next.

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At this point, no religion can claim legitimacy over another considering all the damage each of them have contributed.

As far as untalented people, I put Dane Cook at the top of the list. This quote from today's NY Times review says it all:

"Perhaps Mr. Cook is some new kind of conceptual satirist whose shtick is to behave in the manner of a person attempting to be funny without actually being, you know, funny. Or maybe he answered an ad in the back of a magazine and sent away for a mail-order license to practice comedy."

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Dane Cook for sure, but you have to admire the ability to build a career out of a popular Myspace page.

I like Jessica Biel, even if The Illusionist wasn't very good. Alba is at her best when she's mostly quiet eye candy (see: Sin City). Simpson should keep her mouth shut unless she's singing.

Shia LaBeouf?

I love religious discussions. Let me know when one starts up.

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Renee Zellweger may have been over-hyped five years ago, but she hasn't done anything lately except for the Beatrix Potter movie, which no one saw. Same with Colin Farrell--if this were 2005, maybe, but where is he now? And Elton John and John Travolta--how are they overhyped? It's not 1977.

The Jessicas, yes. Scarlett Johannson, definitely. She's beautiful, but she's sacrificed her credibility as an actress in favor of displaying herself like a piece of lovely meat. I used to like her, but now she's no different from any other well-proportioned starlet.

Halle Berry used to be overhyped, but she's kind of in the same place Nicole Kidman is now. Sienna Miller, at least as a fashion icon--she doesn't seem to get much love as an actress.

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