Friday, January 18, 2008

Show 614 Thursday 17 January


Watch today’s show at YouTube or BlipTV.

Hi, I’m Sarah, welcome to The Daily English Show.

The video I recommend today is the video of the interview with Corey Delaney on the Australian TV program A Current Affair. It’s one of the funniest videos I’ve seen in a while.

I think a number of factors come together to make this comedy gold ... first of all, the way the interviewer talks to him ... that’s just insane, I’ve never seen anyone do an interview like that before. She sounds like she’s his mother telling him off. But apparently that program is really trashy so maybe it’s not so surprising ... still that was beyond trashy. Very strange.

His attitude was funny too, his cockiness and his outfit and his lines ...

Let’s look at some of the vocabulary.

First, when the woman asks him why he had a party he explains:
Um, I dunno. It was just a get-together with a couple of mates at first, and then we thought, we might as well just have a bit of a party, and then it sort of just got out of hand, and ... yeah.

So, what’s the difference between a “get-together” and a “party”?

Well, different people use the same words to mean different things of course, but growing up in New Zealand, a party usually meant: a lot of people, a lot of drinking, loud music, dancing ... Whereas a get-together meant just a few people, more low key, perhaps just a few people sitting around talking, listening to music maybe having a few drinks.

I remember when I was a teenager and I wanted to have a party I would choose my words carefully because if I asked my mum if I could have party then she would imagine thousands of kids ... injecting heroin into their eyeballs – to steal a line from Love Actually – whereas if I asked if I could have a bit of a get together, she would imagine something a bit more civilized and there was more of a chance that she would agree.

Another interesting point: at the end of his explanation Corey says: and ... yeah.
I think this is quite a typical way to end an explanation – unless it’s a formal situation, of course. When people are speaking casually they’ll half explain something and then when get sick of explaining or they can’t think of how to explain the rest, they’ll finish with something like that.

Near the end of the interview, the woman says: OK Corey, we've got to wrap this up.

To wrap something up means to finish something.
So we’ve got to wrap this up means we’ve got to finish this interview.

My favourite part of the interview is when the interviewer says: I suggest you go away and take a long hard look at yourself.
And Corey replies: I have. Everyone has. They love it.

I think that’s hilarious.

This is a reasonably common thing for parents or teachers to say to children who they are telling off. They say something like: You need to take a long hard look at yourself.
It basically means: I think you have a bad attitude and you should change it.

And because it’s usually said by someone in a position of power, the typical response is just to say nothing and maybe look at the ground or maybe say OK or apologise.

But she isn’t in any position to say something like that so it’s bizarre that she says it in the first place.

And his response is funny – because the statement, as I said, means: I think you have a bad attitude and you should change it. It doesn’t literally mean you should analyze yourself and come up with your own conclusion ... but he takes it literally, on purpose, and gives his hilarious response.

And one final word today to explain today, tool. Reading the comments under the video on YouTube, a lot of people called Corey a tool.

A tool basically means a fool or an idiot or a loser.



STICK NEWS

Kia Ora, this is Stick News. Hone Tuwhare, one of New Zealand’s most distinguished poets, died yesterday at the age of 86.

Hone Tuwhare was born in 1922 in Kaikohe, Northland, into the Nga Puhi tribe. He grew up in Auckland.
His father was an accomplished orator and storyteller and encouraged his son’s interest in the written and spoken word.
Tuwhare’s first poetry book No Ordinary Sun, was published in 1964.
It was reprinted ten times over the next thirty years and became one of the most widely read individual collections of poetry in New Zealand history.
Tuwhare was also a playwright.
He was awarded several literary fellowships, an honorary doctorate and was named New Zealand's second Te Mata Poet Laureate.
In 2003 he was awarded one of the inaugural Prime Minister's Awards for Literary Achievement for poetry.
Prime Minister Helen Clark said: "Hone's death will be felt deeply by all who valued his lifetime contribution to New Zealand literature.
Maori Party MP Hone Harawira said Tuwhare was a great artist and philosopher whose real talent was his simplicity.
"He could say what people really felt in their bones," he said.
"You just have to look at his poetry to see his love of people and his deep sadness at the impacts of man on the world."


And that was Stick News for Thursday the 17th of January.
Kia Ora.




conversations with sarah
#372 Why are your glasses famous?

Step 1: Repeat Corey’s lines.
Step 2: Read Corey’s lines and talk to Leila.

Leila McKinnon Take off your glasses and apologise to us.

Corey Delaney I'll say sorry, but I'm not taking off my glasses.

Leila Why not?

Corey ‘Cos. They're famous.

Leila Because your glasses are famous?

Corey Yep.

Leila Why are your glasses famous?

Corey I don’t know ... everyone likes them. So, I don’t know. I'm not taking them off.

Leila You're pretty happy with the way you look, and the attitude you've got, are you?

Corey Yeah. My parents aren't, but I am.

Leila OK Corey, we've got to wrap this up. But what would you say to other kids who were thinking of partying when their parents are out of town?

Corey Get me to do it for you.

Leila Get you to do it for you. Not, "Don't do it."

Corey Yeah. Nah! Get me to do it for you. Best party ever so far, well that's what everybody's been saying, so ...

Leila Well, we've got to go. But I suggest you go away and, ah, take a long hard look at yourself.

Corey I have. Everyone has. They love it.



links

today's news

today's STICK NEWS pictures

Hone Tuwhare's site
Hone Tuwhare - Wikipedia

notes

trashy adj. (informal) of poor quality
cocky adj. (informal) too confident about yourself in a way that annoys other people
injecting heroin into their eyeballs - this is similar to a line from the the movie Love Actually.

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