Barney Frank would like to ban House of Cards

[NaturalHigh]

Former Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank has never been one to keep his opinions to himself, and that absolutely extends to his thoughts on pop culture as well. So it's no surprise that he shared his thoughts on politically themed TV shows on "Conan" Thursday night. But his reaction to one series in particular was a little surprising.

It turns out, Frank doesn't just dislike "House of Cards," he'd like to ban it.

Though he's an advocate for free speech and he didn't seem as though his ban talk was very serious, he did expound on why he dislikes the Netflix series so much.

"It is the most inaccurate, misleading, and unfortunately, it gives people a bad idea," Frank said. "We suffer from people saying 'What's the point of voting? It doesn't do any good. None of them can be trusted.' 'House of Cards' just reinforces all of that inaccurate impression."


http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-barney-frank-would-like-to-ban-house-of-cards-20150424-story.html

Sorry Barney. I do vote and plan to keep doing so, but I imagine real-life politics resemble House of Cards more than any of us really want to know.

[bluestateguy]

1. and forced to choose between Frank Underwood and a Republican,

we'd have to suck it up and vote for Underwood

[NaturalHigh]

2. LOL...well, there is that.

[TheManInTheMac]

3. "Though he's an advocate for free speech..."

He's really not, though. Only speech he agrees with.

[NaturalHigh]

6. LOL...yes, a bit hypocritical.

If there were a politician in the show portraying him to be a hero, he would love the show and probably beg the producers for a cameo.

[Adrahil]

4. Barney strikes as a bit of an asshole.... n/t

[NaturalHigh]

5. Yes, a bit.

[gaspee]

25. He can't help it

He's a Mass(hole)







just in case

[merrily]

28. Yep. Like John Adams, JFK, RFK, Ted Kennedy and Elizabeth Warren.

Just one Masshole after another.

[gaspee]

29. Well

They are all very strong personalities... all part of being a Masshole... I'm from RI and the culture is the same as eastern MA, but there's no catchy saying for us

[merrily]

32. Well,

you'll notice I left out Calvin Coolidge and Scott Brown.



However, I also inadvertently left out John Adams, so I am going to edit my prior to include that giant.

The Urban Dictionary gives the impression that the term has a lot to do with Massachusetts drivers. However, I lived in Manhattan before I lived in Boston, so I thought Boston drivers were uber polite.

Everything is relative, I guess.

[Warren DeMontague]

7. Here's the important part, "he didn't seem as though his ban talk was very serious"

I seriously doubt Barney Frank is in the least bit interested in actually banning a tv show.

I will say that Season 3 put me to sleep, so much that I stopped watching. It's far more compelling when Frank Underwood is running around killing people.

[NaturalHigh]

8. No, I'm sure he's not at all serious.

He would just like to, but he knows that he can't. Still kind of a dumbass thing to say, but I don't think Frank is in politics anymore. He can say what he wants, I suppose, since I don't see him being a contender for the Senate or Presidency.

I've only seen clips of the show, but it looks kind of cool. Maybe I'll get a chance to watch some next month.

[BlindTiresias]

9. It is a bad show

[Warren DeMontague]

10. Season 1 was good, Season 2 was good

but like I said, for me at least, I made it about 40% into Season 3 and

YMMV.

I like Kevin Spacey, though.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

11. I really like it

Well worth the time and effort, IMO.

[LanternWaste]

24. I don't really see giving a benign opinion which lacks any real consequence about a television show

I don't really see giving a benign opinion which lacks any real consequence about a television show as "a dumb ass thing to say."

[NaturalHigh]

30. That's nice.

[sendero]

12. I've never seen "house of cards"..

... so I'm pretty sure it has nothing to do with my cynicism about voting. My cynicism comes from being lied to over and over and over, and being treated like a fool over and over and over.

And, news flash, it's not just Republicans doing it.

[NaturalHigh]

13. "And, news flash, it's not just Republicans doing it."

That's not really a news flash, and I couldn't agree more.

[Paladin]

14. Love you, Barney---but back the fuck off on "HOC."

Anybody smart enough to get hooked on "House of Cards" grasps just how important it is to exercise their vote.

[GoneOffShore]

15. House of Cards (US edition) bears no resemblance to the original series on BBC

Typically for American adaptations of English TV, it just didn't achieve the same level of humor, irony and all around nastiness that one finds in the UK.

[NaturalHigh]

16. I didn't know there was a British version.

Do you know if it's available on a streaming service?

[GoneOffShore]

19. Made in 1990 - starred the late Ian Richardson.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098825/?ref_=nv_sr_2

Still available as a DVD or probably on Netflix.

"You may very well think that, but I couldn't possibly comment."

[NaturalHigh]

20. That sounds interesting. We might give that a try.

Justified just ended, and I'm looking for a new obsession. I have Wayward Pines on DVR, but I haven't got to check it out yet.

[MADem]

21. They are different shows, but IMO they both have something wonderful--in a salacious way--to offer.

These are fictional thrillers where the main character breaks the fourth wall (which is something I really like in a production--I find it engaging). They were both riveting.

It's fiction. It's fun. It's diabolical. These are government officials doing their dire deeds under differing systems, so of course the details are going to be different.

But hell--they're wonderful escapes. I wouldn't look to the current US version of H of C for any real life reference points any more than I'd take Air Force One as fictionalized gospel. It's just a story with DC and politics as the backdrop.

Hell, another great "DC" show is ALPHA HOUSE, available on Amazon Prime. Now that show is HILARIOUS--I laughed through the entire season! It's about Senators living in a house on the Hill near the capitol building--they're from both parties, and some of 'em are real fuckups. It's hugely enjoyable. Kelly Ripa's husband plays a randy Marco Rubio type, John Goodman plays a lazy slob, the cast is rounded out by several others in strong roles...Wanda Sykes lives in the house behind the fellows, and they are all legislators!

[GoneOffShore]

22. That's one I'd like to see.

My problem with the Kevin Spacey version of HoC's is that it takes more than a bit of willing suspension of disbelief to make it work.

Having lived in the UK and closely followed the politics, the gap between the fiction and the reality isn't quite as wide.

[MADem]

23. Well, really--they both do.

I lived in UK as well, and I don't think any member of government had a hope in hell of being half as sophisticated or mendacious as the delightfully lizardlike "Francis Urquhart" as played by Ian Richardson. The fiction is so much more fun than the tawdry truth on either side of the pond.

I do think some people have a hard time with Spacey's cornpone, because they know him so well in other roles and accents, but I find it a masterful portrayal. He's like Sam Rayburn, without the extra weight or the morality!

[unblock]

33. you might very well think that; i couldn't possibly comment ;)

i enjoy comparing british versions of shows with american versions. e.g., "the office" -- they americanized what way "office-inappropriate" and also i can't imagine an american audience tolerating ricky gervais' downward spiral at the end of the british series.

i agree that urquhart was rather more obviously sinister, while underwood is slick and slimy.

one aspect that i'm happy they did without in the american version is the "daddy" angle of his relationship with the reported. they briefly touched on the age difference in the american version but left it at that.

it's also interesting how they stretch our a story. the office and house of cards were, comparatively, very few episodes in england.

[MADem]

34. Ha ha!!!

Concur with you on the daddy angle--that was, as they say, "icky."

The Americans love their plot development as well as cinematography. Why not? It's really a question of pacing, I guess--it's all good!

The show on Showtime about the Irish family with the drunkard paterfamilias...SHAMELESS... now THAT show, the first season, they did line-for-line, and word-for-word, and scene-for-scene from the UK version. I saw just the one season of the UK show, and was shocked to see that they barely changed a thing for the US version. I haven't kept up with that programme, I find it depressing, but I have a family member who won't miss it, so I occasionally catch an episode if I'm in the room...!

[unblock]

37. mrs. unblock and i have committed to seeing the entire uk version of shameless before

seeing the american version. we've only got a season and a half left i think.

some of the episodes have been a bit over the top, but we still find it quite entertaining.

personally i find the very british nature of the show to be a huge part of its appeal, the british slang and humor in particular. plus, hanging out in a pub and head-butting just isn't the same thing over here.... been wondering how some of that would get translated into "american".

we'll watch the american version when we're done with the british version.

[Vinca]

17. Noooooooo . . . leave "House of Cards" alone.

[NaturalHigh]

18. I take it you like the show?

[rock]

26. It's a TV show

I know there's lots of people that don't get the distinction, but they're repiggies and pretty much hopeless anyway.

[fredamae]

27. Seems Barney just confirmed it?

"Sorry Barney. I do vote and plan to keep doing so, but I imagine real-life politics resemble House of Cards more than any of us really want to know."

[merrily]

31. +1 "Now, it's more House of Cards than Mr. Smith Goes to Washington."

I have a number of occasions to post that or some variation of it.

Even West Wing, paean to Clintonites that it is, is not Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

[liberal N proud]

35. Too close to reality?

[Arkana]

36. Sorry, Barney, but you don't get to ban a TV show because you don't like the content.

[unblock]

38. it's called hyperbole. politicians and the talk shows and the internet thrive on it.

he's no longer in any position to actually ban a tv show, nor is he actually about to lift a finger to try.

he's just saying that he really dislikes it and thinks it's bad television and bad for the country.

it's a bit like saying "i'm gonna kill you if you eat the last slice of pizza!" except it truly unusual circumstances, this is not a real threat of violence, just an exaggeration that says the speaker would be really upset.