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Re: Brief But Memorable - Stephen Fry

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MiriamMar 19, 2008
 

 
I enjoy Stephen alot too-I have seen most of the QI series at our
local Brit TV fangroup and about a month ago we watched his show on
being BiPolar and a very moving episode of Who Do You Think You Are
which traces ones family tree ( many of his family died in the
concenstration camps during WW2)

Yes Stephen was the lead in the theater movie Wilde in 1998 and I
think he was nominated for the Oscar for it ( didn't win)
I was fortunate to see Stephen in person ( didn't get to meet him)
here in Seattle when he premired his film Bright Young Things that he
directed. He did a Q&A before the film and they had passed out cards
to write down questions for him and I asked if he had ever did the
Full minute on JAM ( surprised they actually picked my question)
( I hadn't heard that many of his JAM appearances at the time)
Also for those who didn't know Stephen has a site with blog and
podcasts- he is really into computer/communication 'toys'----miriam
http://www.stephenfry.com/
















--- In just-a-minute@..., "Robert L. Torres"
<bobbyshaddoe3004@...> wrote:

>
> Not sure why I'm mentioning him in the category of 'Brief But
> Memorable' because for all we know there may still lay many more
> appearances in the future for this exceptional individual. But I
> still think it would be good to talk about him anyway: the one, the
> only Stephen Fry.
>
> What can I say? Stephen Fry is an exceptional individual who just
> immediately struck the right chords within JAM, being funny,
> informative and doing jolly well in the challenges and on speaking

on

> a variety of topics. It seemed that he simply fit the confines of
> JAM like a well worn pair of shoes. NOt only that, but he could
> argue and wrangle not only over his own points, but in defense of
> others as well.
>
> One prime example of this is from an episode in 2004, when he was

on

> the panel with Tony Hawks, Clement Freud and Paul Merton. It was
> somewhere near the last round, the subject being 'The Person I

would

> Like to play in a movie', and Stephen rushed to Tony's defense in
> regards to Tony being challenged on the grounds of it being

deviation

> that it would be a surprise for Tony to walk with elegance all

dolled

> up as Florence Nightingale. it was one of my all time favorite
> moments.
>
> Another instance with regards to applying a strange sort of logic

to

> things I think came in an episode for 2005 or 2006, when he was on
> the panel with Tim Rice, Paul and Clement. I think it had to do

with

> CCTV, in the realm that someone said that someone would challenge

for

> repetition, Tim challenged saying that it was deviation because

they

> wouldn't challenge cuz its in the title. Tim starts talking, and
> gets challenged because of repetition of CC even though its in the
> title.
>
> A wonderful argument and discussion erupts which takes about 5
> minutes perhaps, I don't know. but it was incredible, I absolutely
> loved it. Stephen Fry is kind of the JAM barrister or something,

its

> wonderful. What I also love is that in some cases he can be rather
> camp, if he allows himself to be, on the one hand can be quite
> complimentary towards Nicholas, and on the other being very
> derogatory towards him, which is brilliant.
>
> What else can I say about this exceptionally gifted, intelligent

and

> talented man? What's so strange is that he has exceptional range

as

> an actor and a performer, and yet he has a very distinctive voice
> which is instantly recognizable.
>
> He was part of an exceptionally talented comedy duo with Hugh

Laurie,

> they had their own sketch comedy show 'A Bit of Fry and Laurie'

which

> they wrote and produced themselves. They also took part in the
> serialized TV adaptation of PG Wodehouse's stories about Bertie
> Wooster and his faithful manservant Jeeves in the series 'Jeeves

and

> Wooster'. Stephen Fry was amongst the first to take part in the

very

> early days of 'Whose Line is it Anyway?' and proves himself quite
> adept with improvisation, which shows the depth of his intellect

and

> his creative powers.
>
> He's been in numerous films, guest starred all over the place on
> television and radio. He was one of the stars of an exceptionally
> funny radio series called 'Absolute Power' with John Byrd.
>
> He's also made several appearances on 'ISIHAC', as well as being

the

> host of his own panel show 'QI' I believe its called.
>
> what's interesting is that I've noticed on his appearances on Whose
> Line and ISIHAC, he isn't very adept at singing, and doesn't even
> make a effort to do so, but manages to speak his way through, and
> still manage to come up with clever and funny rhymes, which is
> extraordinary.
>
> But although Stephen Fry does have that penchant for comedy, and is
> quite adept at it, many people may not realize he also has a great
> talent for dramatic roles as well.
>
> One such example is from a BBC sanctioned Dr. Who audio drama
> called 'Death Comes to Time', which allegedy was to serve as a

pilot

> for bringing the series as a weekly or semi-weekly webcast, even
> though the animation was a bit dodgy, it seemed more like a talking
> picture book. but anyway, he played a character called 'The

Minister

> of Chance' and was simply phenomenal.
>
> another excellent example was when he took part in the big screen
> adaptation of the graphic novel 'V for Vendetta'. he played a man
> named Dietrich, who was the host of a talk show, who held a dark
> secret... the fact that he was a homosexual, in a government that

is

> rather extreme in its views about homosexuality and anything else
> that they view as unholy or ungodly. He took a brave step forward

by

> using his position as a media celebrity to use humor to poke fun at
> the government in a slapstick, farcical and satirical manner.

Anyone

> who has seen the film will know what I'm talking about.
>
> I also seem to recall that he played Oscar Wilde in a made for TV
> movie or mini-series for the BBC.
>
> it's interesting the fact that Fry played someone who was a

closeted

> homosexual, because the fact is... we all know that Stephen Fry is

a

> very public homosexual. but his sexual preference doesn't keep him
> from being embraced by the public at large as an exceptionally
> talented individual, and frankly just one hell of a loveable chap

all

> around.
>

 
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