LOL

[tencrush]

Russell's tasteful acceptance speech at SFX.

ETA the speech for those of you who don't like clicking links:

"Hello SFX, it's Russell T Davies here, I'll just dictate this on to your answerphone. Thanks very much to everyone who voted, and I'd also like to thank... Oh, hold on. Sorry. No, I'm busy, I'm on the phone to SFX. It's a magazine. No wonder you haven't heard of it, it's a specialist magazine. For special people. Yes, with special needs. They've given Torchwood a prize for Best TV Episode. No, stop laughing, they have. No, they really have. Honestly, stop laughing. I'm not kidding, seriously, stop laughing, now. No, it's not the Comedy Awards. Which episode? Day 5. No, not Day 4. No, definitely not Day 4. I didn't write Day 4. I don't f**king care what you think, Day 4 didn't win, okay? And no, he's not coming back to life, so forget it! You're no longer playing Ianto, you're my houseboy, so accept it, okay? Anyway. Yeah, thanks SFX, and thanks to the magnificent cast and crew, and to BBC One for their support. I'm really delighted and honoured that people made the effort to vote for this, so thank you hugely. Hold on. You missed a bit, Gareth, over there, that's it, bend over. Bye. Click. Brrrr."

Hey, I don't really care what anyone else thinks, I think Rusty's a huge skeeve. Seriously, yeah, of course I lolled (briefly), but no, man, if Gareth was a chick and Rusty was Moffat you'd be all over this fucking shit. It's skanky sexual innuendo by a big-time producer about a young actor. It's not witty, and it's not clever. I don't think GDL's crying quietly in a corner about it, he's a big boy, but still. Point still stands.

My main beef with this is: why does he keep feeling the need to poke this fannish shit? Let it lie already, Russell.

Comments

[siege-ofcahoots.livejournal.com]

I think he did it for teh lulz but, as I have always have said, good ole Rusty has a serious disconnect between what he thinks and how things are received.

This is going to what gets his ass kicked I hope, because people are noticing it. That 'special needs' thing was especially charming. I couldn't believe what I was reading the first time I say it. It was interesting that Moran prefaced reading it by saying that they weren't his (Moran's) words, he was just relaying them.

Goes back to what I have thought all along - RTD doesn't have anyone telling him 'no.' He had to have run that by a few people who snickered along with him.

And this is the man who expects to make it big in the US market?

[tencrush]

The special needs thing was pretty special, and the sexual harrassment angle, which he's suffered from before with GDL, is just offensive. And why does he keep feeling the need to bring this stuff up and fan the flames of something he himself claims is 9 people who are upset? If it's no big deal, why doesn't he shut up about it, he's making himself look like a fucking petty and belligerent attention whore. Is there nobody who'll tell this man to shut the fuck up already?

[caledonius72.livejournal.com]

And fandom goes into meltdown (again)

I wonder what the reaction in the room was, when it was read out? There would have been a few fans there, as GDL was making an appearance.

I'm sure it was for the lulz, but he does like to poke the hornets nest. Do you think he has a bet on with someone to see how much aggro he can cause? Or does he just sit there hunched over the interwebs, rubbing his hands together with glee, as fandom assplodes.

Yep - he's skeevy in that "predatory older homosexual" way that we used to get warned about. Way to go Rusty, live up to that outmoded cliche.

I suspect that GDL is slowly washing his hands of TW/CoE - http://www.garethdavid-lloyd.co.uk/qa.html - check out his answer to Q2 of the January 2010 Q&A.

If I were GDL, I'd be insulted for about a minute, and then think "tosser" and then get on with my life.

[siege-ofcahoots.livejournal.com]

Yep - he's skeevy in that "predatory older homosexual" way that we used to get warned about. Way to go Rusty, live up to that outmoded cliche.</Q OMG, that is exactly correct - it's so 'bitter old queen' of him. Dies laughing. That so needs an icon.

[stuffphile.livejournal.com]

He disgusts me. Doesn't it seem like he's simply jealous of the attention GDL and Ianto got when everyone should've been fawning over his genius and intends this "hilarious" demeaning crap as a jab, through Gareth, at everyone who cried "Ianto"?

[lawsontl.livejournal.com]

One could certainly interpret it that way. It does seem that ever since Ianto's death was aired, RTD has been strangely intent on undermining Gareth. From not speaking his name at Comic Con (the actor who played him, etc...) to stuff like this.

And rather interesting to point out he didn't write Day 4. Because he'd have let it on air if he disagreed with it? Please.

[rexluscus.livejournal.com]

Wow...stay classy, RTD.

[stlscape.livejournal.com]

No kidding. IMHO, it's bad enough on its own, but when you compare it to what he said about Tennant (which I felt was rather nicely and professionally worded) ...well, there's no excuse to talk about GDL that way.

[lawsontl.livejournal.com]

He's a condescending old bat. Compare the speech about Tennant. I mean, Gareth can take it and probably laughed. And the hardcore SIJ crowd probably wasn't even in the room (unless Gareth was), but exactly what others have said: he's picking the scab and asking us to compliment his job making the wound. Further proof why I want nothing else to do with his work. I can usually separate artist from art and own lots of things from people I find offensive because the work itself is beautiful. But his work isn't beautiful. His work is about HIM and his one bitter relationship that he relives repeatedly in every pairing he writes. As has been noted, if there are only 9 people upset, why keep it up? Either he knows he's wrong but figures if he disclaims enough the power of his awesomeness will make it true, or he has no idea he's wrong but - like everything else he does - he has only one template from which to respond.

Dictating into an Ansaphone. Yeah, about as much care as he puts into all his writing. The sad part is, he's such a novelty that he may well do great in America. Even my brother-in-law was like: "It takes balls to kill off your characters!" But when I asked him how killing Owen, Tosh, Ianto and the entire set truly served the overall arc of TW, he couldn't provide an answer. And that's Hollywood in a nutshell. All gloss and first impressions. They'll eat RTD right up. But he'll eventually get spat out for the Next Big Thing. Just wait.

[stlscape.livejournal.com]

Wow. That's just...That's just...

::sigh:: I'm trying to keep to positives, so I'll charitably say I'm sure Rusty's doing the best he can with his limited skill set.

::goes off to find some Nebari bleach, because, ew.::

[off_coloratura]

Oh, yuck. Tasteful, Russell. I know it's only SFX magazine, but still.

[tencrush]

Yeah, it's alright, it's only a magazine for people with special needs anyways. Blech.

[forgiveninasong.livejournal.com]

I also don't understand why RTD *STILL* finds it necessary to poke fun at part of his fanbase who were very upset about what happened. Regardless that he is making a crude joke about houseboys or whatever, it's just dowright mean. For those who know, it's just like what JK Rowling did with the whole Harry/Hermione fans being called "delusional" by her in an interview (well....sort of!)

[radiant-pip.livejournal.com]

At least (now don't kill me) JK Rowling had made it pretty clear to this reader that Harry/Hermione wasn't the way she was going at all since book one. Yes, she could've put it better (even "delusional"--especially "delusional"--people have feelings!), but her being confused by people misreading her intent makes sense there (IIRC). Now, RTD sits down at his keyboard to write the "brilliant" COE. What's one of the first things he decides MUST happen? Ianto must die. And the story must make it so. At that point, he had to have known how popular Ianto was (or otherwise, his death wouldn't have made an impact!). So, DUH when people were mad at him for killing off Ianto (and in not a great way IMO). I really don't get how he doesn't get that it upset the fans. I really don't get why he'd insult the readership of a sci-fi magazine when that seems to be his bread and butter now for a while, too.

And what did GDL do to piss him off so much? He can make "jokes" all he wants, but I hope he hasn't blacklisted GDL at the BBC.

Maybe this is all just fodder for a new book...

[venusinchains.livejournal.com]

"why does he keep feeling the need to poke this fannish shit? Let it lie already"

It does seem bitter, the unnecessary references to Ianto's death. And as much as he claims his right to hurt his own characters, the extra digging at 'hysterical women' in fandom is now looking like an effort to hurt people, a very juvenile effort.

(I don't doubt Gareth loled at it himself, but I wonder if RTD mentioned this to him beforehand. I would hope so, just because.)

[radiant-pip.livejournal.com]

At this point, it might be nice to let the fans in on the joke. It's just looking way too ugly.

Did GDL get his cult hero award soon after this acceptance speech? If so, nice follow-up.

(I must be missing the reports from SFX Weekender.)

[lukita.livejournal.com]

At this point in time, I think of RTD as a kid who just wants attention, I believe children psychiatrists tells parents to ignore their kid.

[meleth.livejournal.com]

why does he keep feeling the need to poke this fannish shit?

Because dismissing the fans who disagree with him isn't good enough; he needs them to agree that he's right, and do so publicly, or at least to be humiliated enough that they slink off into the deepest recesses of the internet where nobody will ever see or hear from them.

[x-starfuckers.livejournal.com]

...whaaaaaaaaa?

[kuroi-hemlock.livejournal.com]

At first I thought this was just some sarcastic comments from a hysterical fan; then I realized it was from RTD.

[love-jackianto.livejournal.com]

'Yes, with special needs.'
Stay classy, Russell.

'Hey, I don't really care what anyone else thinks, I think Rusty's a huge skeeve.'
I'm with you. Apparently he was joking (at least according to the people who seem to think Russell can do no wrong) but I have to wonder if they would be so quick to pass it off as a joke if a straight producer said that kind of stuff about a young female actress.

'My main beef with this is: why does he keep feeling the need to poke this fannish shit? Let it lie already, Russell.'
I can you why, he wants the attention. He like a real life internet troll.

[x-starfuckers.livejournal.com]

but I have to wonder if they would be so quick to pass it off as a joke if a straight producer said that kind of stuff about a young female actress.

Word. That man is vile.

[dune-drd.livejournal.com]

That is so... did he think this was funny? I can live with him being butthurt about Ianto's death, but what the hell did SFX and/or its readers do to deserve that crap?

[ceindreadh.livejournal.com]

If this was meant to be his effort at comedy, I would say 'don't quit the day job', but then, that's supposed to be his day job.

My main beef with this is: why does he keep feeling the need to poke this fannish shit? Let it lie already, Russell.

Because the man has no class/likes the sound of his own voice/doesn't realize that he's less funny on an answering machine than Russell Brand/thinks that the sun shines out of his own arse and everybody who doesn't worship him is a pathetic loser.
I could go on, but I've wasted enough bile on that man for one lifetime.

[fide-et-spe.livejournal.com]

Oh my God, I was so shocked reading this! What kind of idiot is he? That really is very dodgy. Not just to fans, and to the magazine, but the sexual harrasment bit that's the most shocking really.

It does smack of incredible arrogance and hubris on his part, which is hardly surprising.

[freakishlemon.livejournal.com]

Are any of us really all that surprised though? At this point, I think we're all just shaking our heads and sighing at the absurdity that is being presented to us.

[love-jackianto.livejournal.com]

'Are any of us really all that surprised though?'
I know I'm not.

[takenatwork.livejournal.com]

His Filipino "joke" in CoE and now these remarks, there's definitely a strata of people RTD is happy to make fun of.

I agree, it's the double standards - it's wrong whether it's a male or female actor. As an acceptance speech for an award, it was just so odd.

[welshactorlover.livejournal.com]

As the only female in an all-male work environment and being used to the way the guys here rib each other, I "get" the intent of the humour on RTD's part, however I also think a graciously worded acceptance speech would have been the better option.

Oh, silly me - using "gracious" and "RTD" in the same sentence. What an oxymoron.

Acutally, I'm more interested in the picture at the top of the article on the SFX page of scruffy Ianto with a junk yard behind him. I don't remember this from the screened series, so maybe it's from a deleted scene. Anyone know?

[wiley-nilly.livejournal.com]

Gross.

[fairyd123.livejournal.com]

Regardless of his incessant bizarre need to keep poking at the fanbase it was the categorising of all sci-fi fans as having "special needs" that really pissed me off. Classy - really. I'm sure it was meant to be tongue in cheek but I guess I must be humourless.

My friends were at the event and apparently Rusty's speech went down quite well but in black and white it reads appallingly.

Some kind soul (rox712) has put Gareth's acceptance speech up though which is adorably cute:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55acGbkgkOU

He says in it Moran had to run RTD's speech by him before he gave it (not that that makes it better of course).

[off_coloratura]

Boy, he's looking rather cute nowadays. Nice to see him all cleaned up.

[mslauren2930.livejournal.com]

LOL! he really hates that so many people loved Ianto, doesn't he? it's his own damn fault for creating the character in the first place.

whatev. he's a twat. end of story.

[aviv-b.livejournal.com]

Good old Rusty. Clueless as ever. I sometimes think he lives in a different time/space continuum from the rest of the world.

I'm sure it was meant to be funny. And it probably was if it was presented in the right way.

But for fuck's sake Rusty you write for a living (or at least you claim you do). Do you not read your stuff and think 'how's this going to look in the cold light of day?'

Same problem he had with CoE. It doesn't matter what he meant. Its yet another comprehension!Fail.

Rusty, the perception of reality is reality for most people. They may be 100% wrong. Maybe you are a wonderful person, and are secretly helping GDL with his career. Maybe you buy sparkly ponies for orphans in your spare time.

But you come out looking like a shallow, mean-spirited, little toad.

And yes, GDL was amazing in The Bill. They way he was able to change the whole look of his face and his emotions knocked me out.

[erinnthered.livejournal.com]

Even Whedon learned to stop playing with the fans.

Stay klassy, Russell!