C’mon Hollywood #173

… we’ll miss you Bernie Mac!
by Sturdy

I’m sure you’ve already read about it, but comedian Bernie Mac passed away over the weekend, and left the world, and Hollywood, a little sadder in his absence. I’ve noticed very little in the way of tributes or even press coverage, so I thought I’d write up a little something asking for more comedians to be more like Mr. Bernie Mac. Whether you enjoyed his comedy or not, he was a classy guy in a time where obnoxious, cocky comedians are the norm, rather than the exception.

Underused in 2, but great in 1 and 3.

Mac will probably best be remembered for his part in the Ocean trilogy, but if you haven’t checked out his standup, please do yourself a favor and watch it. He gets a lot of credit for just being a “funny guy” because whatever he said, he made you laugh. But maybe he doesn’t get enough credit for writing and delivering actually funny lines. His standup is a good example of his understanding and ability as a comedian. After you take a moment to watch some of his standup, try to get a hold of his TV show. It tapered off towards the end, but it had some great episodes during the height of its run. Even when the writing took a dive, Mac managed to put funny moments where there really wasn’t a funny moment. Again, that was more of a credit to his ability than anything.

A surprisingly funny show.

I hate it when anyone refers to any comedian or brand of comedy as “black comedy”. We have to put races and colors on everything, why comedy? Funny is funny, no matter what race you are. Bernie Mac seemed to know this and even though his skin color drew a certain fan base, his talent and consistency managed to transcend race and that made him much more accessible to the general public.

He had some good stand-up.

So what does his death have to do with Hollywood? Well, I guess I’m overly saddened by his passing because I always thought of Bernie Mac as a classy, funny guy. While other comedians were milking the Hollywood way of life for all its worth, Mac was content being a family man, maintaining his dignity and class every step of the way. If there’s anything we can get from his life, let’s hope he’s inspired kids out there that come from humble beginnings to handle success and fame with as much respect and class as Bernie Mac.