How Uncivilized
Because of the writer's strike, I have found myself channel-surfing a bit more than usual. I'm not much of a channel-surfer at all, that honor goes to my husband. I normally turn on the television when I plan on watching something, not just to see what is on that I could possibly watch.
Anyhoo, somehow it got onto Fox, and the show "House" was on. I have heard nothing but good things about it, however it never made it's way onto my weekly rotation. I don't have a DVR either, so House was just not on my radar. I watched it for a couple of minutes, and I remembered that the star, Hugh Laurie, is British.
I listened to him speak, and for the life of me, could not detect an accent. To be sure, he speaks a bit harshly, but that could be just his character, since I'm not all that familiar with the show.
And then I thought about how many times I have watched British actors, never knowing they were British until I read it somewhere. I am then floored that they have an English accent and are able to speak American so flawlessly. One of the actors on Battlestar Galactica comes to mind. Yet, even though I am obviously not British, I can always tell the American actors with their extremely fake British accents.
I don't know if it's that the American actors just don't care enough to really learn the accent correctly, or if they figure everyone knows they're American, so why put pressure on themselves to sound properly British? In some movies, the accent changes throughout the film, or they lose it entirely. Brad Pitt, I'm talkin' to you!
No wonder the British don't like us.
Come to think of it, nobody really likes us anymore, do they?
Anyhoo, somehow it got onto Fox, and the show "House" was on. I have heard nothing but good things about it, however it never made it's way onto my weekly rotation. I don't have a DVR either, so House was just not on my radar. I watched it for a couple of minutes, and I remembered that the star, Hugh Laurie, is British.
I listened to him speak, and for the life of me, could not detect an accent. To be sure, he speaks a bit harshly, but that could be just his character, since I'm not all that familiar with the show.
And then I thought about how many times I have watched British actors, never knowing they were British until I read it somewhere. I am then floored that they have an English accent and are able to speak American so flawlessly. One of the actors on Battlestar Galactica comes to mind. Yet, even though I am obviously not British, I can always tell the American actors with their extremely fake British accents.
I don't know if it's that the American actors just don't care enough to really learn the accent correctly, or if they figure everyone knows they're American, so why put pressure on themselves to sound properly British? In some movies, the accent changes throughout the film, or they lose it entirely. Brad Pitt, I'm talkin' to you!
No wonder the British don't like us.
Come to think of it, nobody really likes us anymore, do they?
Comments
Heidi (taking it upon myself to speak for all of Norway :))
PS: Love House. You must add it to your weekly program.
My prize for the worst attempt at an English accent goes to Kevin Costner in Robin Hood. It's as if he gave up midway through and became the midwestern prince of thieves.
A. Beaverhausen
Their accents do drop from time to time, but you're right about many Brits doing pitch perfect American accents -- and yes, Jamie Bamber is excellent in BSG. :-)
My fav Brit playing American would have to be Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara.
I haven't missed a House episode since the beginning.
I never realized that Canadians have accents, until I met an American who pegged me for Canadian by the way I spoke. Weird, eh? ;-)