Tim Robbins Doesn't Own A Television
Tim Robbins is in Colombia promoting his stage version of George Orwell's 1984. Robbins started blathering on and said that he had a television once but that he began hating people too much and got rid of it three years ago and has not watched a second of television since. Wasn't this about the time things started going south with Susan Sarandon? She probably got tired of his ranting. Apparently he was sitting in front of the television yelling at it for two hours a day. He says it was because of George Bush. Umm, here is an idea. Why don't you turn the channel from a 24 hour news channel and turn it on Family Guy. No more yelling or hate. It is like he assumed the only option was to rid himself entirely of the television. Why not just change your programming tastes? Probably Susan tried to explain this to him and he would have none of it and she would have none of him any longer. Well, that and a newly developed love of very young ping pong players.
How is he going to catch those endless showings of Shawshank on AMC?
ReplyDeleteHe probably couldn't find the remote.
ReplyDeleteIt's easy to contradict yourself when you've been interviewed so many times.
ReplyDeleteI'm still bummed they split up.
People who don't own a television or a cell phone loooooove to tell others how they don't own a television or cell phone. They always manage to say it in a tone that indicates they are much, much better than you.
ReplyDelete@Ms Cool, that made me laugh. The other night we saw AMC's commercial of all the great movies they play. You know, all the movies you've seen 10,000 times already and probably own.
who are they? the cell phone compagny or the governement or the police.
ReplyDeleteIn France,2 weeks ago there was several murders at Toulouse and the police found who was the murderer because of his cellphone
Doesn't sound like an easy person to live with.
ReplyDeleteI hate people who claim they don't own a TV. In the same breath, they start talking about a new TV show that they love, which they downloaded.
ReplyDeleteDownloading a TV show is really sticking it to the man!
Actually, when you don't have a tv and have to actively seek something to watch, you tend to watch what YOU want to watch, not whatever crap happens to be on the tv. Good for him!
ReplyDeleteIf you're not doing that already, that's your own fault, not the TV's.
ReplyDeleteObviously "they" are Starwackers. Unfortunately, without a cellphone, I don't know how Tim is going to warn Randy Quaid!
ReplyDeleteThe power of thought, duh.
ReplyDeleteSomeone send that man a tinfoil hat stat!
ReplyDelete'They' are the the people implementing the government's secret plot to control our minds and bodies. Duh-uh.
ReplyDeleteThey are always the government.
ReplyDeleteI, too, despise people who work "I haven't had a tv in my house for years" into almost every conversation they have. Especially, as others here have said, they download tv shows from their computers. They are almost as bad as those sad, skinny women who work their pants' size or weight or how much they work out into every conversation they can. "Oh no, I better not have any cake. I had to wear my SIZE FOUR jeans today. I'm so out of control."
ReplyDeleteHighly opinionated cables news is EXTREMELY addictive. It makes me yell at the television for 2 hours every day (and not just at George Bush, as there are a plethora of idiots on the national stage.)
ReplyDeleteI still own a TV, but I try to be careful what I watch, because I also hated people for a while there and was angry and depressed all the time.
Some people can't have just one drink, either.
Maybe Tim was watching a ping-pong match and became upset when his favorite player lost the match but won over Susan with his ping-pong prowess.
ReplyDeleteHe sounds like a real charmer.
ReplyDeleteI think the "them" he is refering to is Rupert Murdoch's henchmen from the News of the World. :0)
ReplyDeleteRemember: "They" are listening!
You just know that he and Susan had a big fucking apartment. I guess it never occurred to him to get up and walk into another room and pick up a book or something.
ReplyDeleteI've always liked Tim Robbins (and I'm among the legions who *love* Shawshank) but an actor friend of mine who auditioned to be Tim's double in the movie "Jacob's Ladder" said he was a real dick.
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ReplyDeleteIf he had a television he would have known that Bush hasn't been in office for three years.
ReplyDeleteThe whole cell phone and TV thing look like the logic of a long term pot smoker: paranoid and poor critical thinking.
I hope for the sake of his kids that the road to crazy doesn't continue.
Once upon a time, there were probably snooty people who bragged, "I never use the telephone. I prefer telegrams."
ReplyDeleteWhy telegram when you can Pony Express?
Me? Smoke signals all the way.
@Jennifer H, I don't like smoke signals as the government can see them, I use carrier pigeons (but I kill them after I use them so no one knows my secrets).
ReplyDeleteA favourite Onion article on the subject: Area Man Constantly Mentioning He Doesn't Own A Television.
I totally agree with Anita and RJ. I was just talking about people like this with a colleague of mine. I opined how I loathe people who are all, "Oh, I don't own a TV, blah blah blah." Well, then you don't know what you are missing. These pretentious turds act as if everything on TV is crap, and to be fair, much of it is, but there's lots of great, informative stuff on TV, too. And when you're done watching informative stuff, there's escapist crap to watch.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds to me like he has a crippling case of Bush Derangement Syndrome, as well.
Uh...a stage version of Nineteen Eighty-Four? The who in the what now?
ReplyDeleteOh, Tim Robbins, get the fuck out of here.
ReplyDeleteThere's so much great TV out there, you're totally insulting other actors in your craft.
Cable news is not all that's on, asshat.
As for the cell phone thing, I LOATHE when Iphone users are all like, "I'll text you from my Iphone, or I'll check from my Iphone, or I'll jack off with my Iphone or I'm so fucking awesome because I have an Iphone you non-Iphone, loser." I know they're a great product, but just say phone! I mean, really. Can our world BE more pretentious?
He looks like Warren from There's Something About Mary in this photo. Franks and beans, Tim, franks and beans!
ReplyDeleteNo, @Susan, our world cannot be more pretentious. My favorites are the mf-ers who call you on their iphone to tell you that they never watch tv.
I can't believe there's so much hate for people that don't have or don't watch tv. Just chill out and go watch your beloved boob-tube.
ReplyDeleteaundrey, it isnt that he doesnt have a tv or cell phone, its the sanctimonious attitude of stating. I dont watch much tv but II dont think I'm special or better than any anyone else, which is the idea he gives off. I dont understand people who say, "Oh, I have no computer, I dont text, never watch tv`: - why wld you bycott technology? u might like it. Makes no sense to me. And if tv made him angry, then of course turn it off. So he's saying he has no self-control?? Idiotic, pretzel logic.
ReplyDeleteSusan, I did actually LOL at your comment.
ReplyDelete@ RJ, Susan - you both crack me up. Oh, and anita mark and nola.
ReplyDeleteI can totally relate to the skinny broads constantly talking about Weight Watchers and working out with their trainers. I figure they must think that I (at 5'7" and a size 12) am a lurking bohemeth. I just sit and stare while eating a sandwich.
I've always liked Tim Robbins and his politics. I can see him going a little batty, though.
ReplyDeleteSelf-righteousness of any kind is soooooo dreary.
@Susan, I couldn't agree more about the iPhone. I own one but I refer to it as my "phone," sometimes as my, "god damned stupid fucking phone" and after watching one of the Futurama movies, my "cellphone telephone." I keep meaning to remove the super-douchey "Sent from my iPhone" signature from my email (but then I hope it will excuse short emails).
ReplyDeleteI don't know who Tim was talking about but people (read: the government and god knows who else since the technology is available) can use your cell phone to listen in on you even if your phone is off.
ReplyDeleteI'd post a google link but I'm watching tv while surfing the internet on my iPad. Don't know how to CTRL+C from this and i don't feel like getting my ass off the couch to get my laptop.
Plus I just don't care that much.
@Susan, I confess I am an iPhone wanker! Didn't realize till I LOL'd at your comment. Will attempt to say phone from now on.
ReplyDeleteWhen people say they don't watch TV I always wonder whether they see Shakespaere's plays. If he was around today he would be a TV writer as he wrote pop culture for the masses back in his day.
Just checked back in after finishing work and putting the kid to bed (Husband is at the Phillies game), and I'm dying at the comments. My husband caved and bought an Iphone last month. He totally loves it, but I so told him that if he ever refers to his phone as "my Iphone" or worse yet my "IPhone4" that I will strongly consider filing for divorce. Ha ha. Off to watch some Mob Wives. Take that you big douchebag, Tim Robbins.
ReplyDeleteI have a TV, but no cable.
ReplyDeleteLOL @ Jennifer H.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I tend to gravitate a lot toward highbrow culture, but I'll immerse myself in the super lowbrow from time to time, and I'm not stupid enough to believe that television is all about the lowbrow or middlebrow. There's a wonderful channel called the Documentary Channel that I cannot praise enough. Link TV's another fantastic resource -- it even carries Al Jazeera's English news reports!! There's NASA TV, Ovation TV, BBC America, the Science Channel, Nat Geo Wild, the Sundance Channel, RFD TV (which is a fantastic educational resource for urbanites such as myself who want to learn about rural lifestyles), and a lot of other channels that contain a mixture of great, highbrow educational programming and middlebrow or lowbrow shows. It is entirely possible to be a TV junkie and learn a lot from it.
Plus, you cannot live by the highbrow alone. Everyone has to have their moments of lowbrow fun in order to create a bit of a balance. I'm not going to lie -- I love to watch Maury Povich's paternity test and cheating spouse shows and will DVR them if it's a new episode (since they air while I'm at work). I'm also getting hooked on "Doomsday Preppers" on Nat Geo and actually enjoy the odd episode of "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" on the Food Network. And I'm someone who finds the idea of spending a week in Paris just to take in as much of the Louvre as possible very, very appealing, reads about Eastern European history for fun (Queen Marie of Romania = my favorite queen ever), and used to do random triple integration problems in calculus whenever I got bored. So yeah, everyone should own up to enjoying elements of lowbrow culture, and it's ridiculous to assume that there's no such thing as highbrow television.
When watching cable tv, you're basically tied to whatever any station has on at the moment or whatever the cable company will make available for a price. What I love about no cable (we have a tv and Wii console) is that we stream what we want WHEN we want it without commercials.I love not being hostage to the programming schedules.
ReplyDeleteOne of the things I hate is to have the tv on in the background just for the noise. It's so invasive.