Was Judy Garland the most talented performer who ever lived?- Page 2

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 6/22/14 at 6:29pm

On Philip Seymour Hoffman and Judy Garland

[Gothampc]

Posted: 6/22/14 at 6:54pm

One of the best singers and song interpreters ever. Excellent actress, as displayed in A Star Is Born. Good dancer, but I wouldn't call her a triple threat. I think Liza was a better dancer than her mother.

[Playbilly]

Posted: 6/22/14 at 7:10pm

No.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/22/14 at 7:29pm

I don't think there's any denying she was great, but her status as maybe THE gay icon to an entire generation or two makes her greater than she probably was. But there's no way that any one human being could be considered the "most talented". It's far too subjective a topic to have a difinitive winner.

[FishermanBob]

Posted: 6/22/14 at 8:00pm

Six short years ago today, June 22, George Carlin passed away far too soon at the age of 71. He revolutionized comedy. Just about every comic working today (with the possible exception of Carrot Top) was influenced by him and more importantly 95% of them will admit it.

Was George Carlin the Most Talented Performer Who Ever Lived?


Who am I to judge but damn he was good.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 6/22/14 at 8:10pm

I stumbled on a couple of his albums at my public library when I was a kid, and I flipped.

You could certainly make the argument that he was the most talented comic ever. But performer (if by that we mean, as Joe does, actor/ singer/dancer)? I don't see how, but I'd love to hear your thoughts.





Updated On: 6/22/14 at 08:10 PM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 6/22/14 at 8:14pm

Good dancer, but I wouldn't call her a triple threat. I think Liza was a better dancer than her mother.

Her dancing was underrated. Click on the dancing link in my post above. Your eyes go to Judy the whole time and not Gene.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 6/22/14 at 8:28pm

The problem with Carlin was the last two decades of work, which grew increasingly unbearable. By the end it wasn't even comedy, and even worse it wasn't anti-comedy.

Posted: 6/22/14 at 9:21pm

George Carlin was very funny. But he couldn't Dance. He couldn't sing or ac much. Judy Garland was funny and a serious actress andv first-rate singer and so on and so on..

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/22/14 at 9:25pm

Does the most talented performer o all time have to be a triple threat?

[best12bars]

Posted: 6/22/14 at 9:27pm

They have to be able to do long division, too.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 6/22/14 at 9:35pm

"Click on the dancing link in my post above. Your eyes go to Judy the whole time and not Gene."

She's no Ann Miller.

Your eyes go to Judy because you can't help but wonder why the costumer put her in such an ugly brown dress.

The dancing Judy does in that scene is good but it's not anything an average dancer couldn't do.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 6/22/14 at 9:36pm

Personal preferences aside, I strongly disagree with that. Which, of course, is just my opinion.




Updated On: 6/22/14 at 09:36 PM

[Gothampc]

Posted: 6/22/14 at 9:36pm

"Does the most talented performer o all time have to be a triple threat?"

Yes. It's why Meryl Streep keeps trying to do musicals despite the fact that she is mediocre musically.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 6/22/14 at 9:48pm

How many has she tried to do?

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/22/14 at 9:55pm

Cher can dance and is an amazing actress. Is she the most talented performer ever? Bette Midler can dance, too.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 6/22/14 at 10:18pm

"Bette Midler can dance, too."

If you call shaking your boobs dancing.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 6/22/14 at 10:20pm

I've based my life on that premise.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 6/22/14 at 11:48pm

Gene Simmons can stick his tongue out really far, breathe fire, rudimentarily play bass, and FLY!

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/23/14 at 12:23am

But he doesn't make 70 year old gay men cream their panties like Judy does.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 6/23/14 at 12:33am

Panty cream is only required of quintuple threats.

[FishermanBob]

Posted: 6/23/14 at 1:08am

"George Carlin was very funny. But he couldn't Dance. He couldn't sing or act much. Judy Garland was funny and a serious actress and first-rate singer and so on and so on.."

So??? Again, that's your definition of what it means to be the most talented. not mine. There are many folks who are so gifted in one or two of these areas, they simply don't have a need to venture into the third. Carlin developed and wrote all his own comedy, did Judy write all her own songs, choreograph all her own dances, write the screenplays for the parts she played on screen?

I don't believe George Carlin is the most talented performer ever. Truth be told as much as I enjoyed Carlin, I enjoyed Robert Klein even more. I'm just trying to suggest there are many definitions of what it means for a performer to be talented and your definition is one possible definition, not "THE" definition. With the limited knowledge any of us can possibly possess about the history of humanity and performance from the beginning of time, I think assuredly proclaiming anyone the most talented performer of all time is kind of silly. But if you insist on using that definition, I still think it's Celine Dion.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 6/23/14 at 1:32am

I don't know, how does she compare to Lisa Kudrow and Julie Delpy?
Garland is certainly a one of a kind so it's hard to compare her to any other performer, especially in terms of superlatives.

[Musical Master]

Posted: 6/24/14 at 12:29am

Yes she most certainly was.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 6/24/14 at 12:35am

I just saw a sycophantic Rolling Stone piece calling Michael Jackson the greatest pop star in history.

It's funny what an illusion editing and a thousand producers can create.