Harry and Megan dubbed "fucking grifters" Part Deux

[Qbish]

Harry and Meghan slammed by Spotify executive after podcast deal ends | The Independent

The old thread got closed, just as I was trying to quote tweet someone! So I've started this one, because this shitshow is still rumbling on

That's interesting, @AliceOlive . Good work, Tyler Perry as well.

The difficulty for Harry is that, even with mixed race children, he is always going to look like the "white saviour" if he does anything with POC.

Not if he’s there to educate himself and show an appreciation for the country. It doesn’t need to be only about AA people or specific plights. It could be broadly about America, history, food, culture, landscape.

Stanly Tucci wasn’t rescuing Italians.

Depends who the audience is they would be trying to sell it to. America is the large audience where all the money is and I don’t think a British prince’s views on America’s difficulties or successes would be that compelling to most Americans.

He would have done better to explore the quirky and unknowns in the UK for the American Anglophile audience - the ones who are up the Crown and Downton Abbey.

Unfortunately he kinda burnt his bridges and moats with that one.

Yes I agree - if he ditches his preachy approach to everything it would be a vast improvement. I’m not sure he can though, he seems very wedded to his view of himself as being some sort of savour - didn’t he say something about saving the profession of journalism? He’d have to go into learning mode and that is something neither of them seem to be able to do.

Stanley Tucci is Italian American. He was visiting the country of his parents and grandparents, including the very place they hail from, where there are still plenty of Tuccis. His show was a completely different proposition.

Right and Harry married an American and is raising his children here who will also be Americans. He has a right and a vested interest.

Also, remember him saying he didn’t understand the constitution? He needs to learn about the place he has made home.

I think loads of people here would watch it. We are fascinated with Royals, and fascinated with Hollywood. When he is at his best he’s quite charming and jovial. It would be funny to watch someone so sheltered eating a Cheesesteak at Pat’s or hanging out in The French Quarter and mixing with normal people.

Taking “wry” looks at the US would be for a UK audience, not a US one, for whom even humorous criticism would be very irritating. Going round finding poor people sounds patronising and I don’t think Meghan would want to be involved.

Botswana or wherever… hmmm, it’s all too White Mischief but I suppose Harry would relish the opportunity to stay in a luxury lodge and behave like an entitled prince - which is of course back to what he envisioned in the first place before he was hoodwinked into living in California.

The man who joined the Aspen Institute to campaign to overhaul The First Amendment definitely does not understand the constitution. You are right there. Sorry, I don't see him as a Louis Theroux-esque style docu-clown.

That would require Harry to have the willingness to ‘learn’ something, by putting in the hard work and effort which he doesn't seem capable of doing. Also, he would need to come across as being down to earth and able to poke fun of himself, in order to sell it to the audience. Which he can't do either.

As someone said upthread, it just all sounds so Philomena Cunk.

No - the quirkiness of watching sheltered rich people do ‘real life’ peaked about 20 years ago with Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. And while it was vapid it was also good humored and they both put a lot of work into their vacuous fabulousness.

There’s no way Harry could maintain that level of good nature and hard work even if it wasn’t a done and dusted formula.

I wasn’t suggesting a “wry”, Philomena Cunk knockoff.

But whatever. On with my day now. Have a good one.

OK I take it back about Harry and The Constitution. "In this week's episode, Harry meets some quirky 2nd Amendment types, who spend their days polishing their numerous arms, killing water fowl and fantasising about shooting swarthy enemies. Harry tries to fit in and realises he's a natural."

Wait Harry killed a water buffalo? I thought William had a whole thing against poaching?

And Louis Theroux is both very intelligent and talented and makes his quirky looks at American life mainly for a British audience - all his main success - awards, books, radio and TV appearances - are UK centered.

If Harry hadn’t blown up his reputation and likability in the UK he could maybe have done some sort of Harry in the States short series for the UK audience.

In fact a Meghan / Harry juxtaposition where they are each in the other’s country contrasting a particular topic for each episode could have been very amusing - like that movie The Holiday where Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz swap lives but as a documentary series.

Could have been amusing comparisons - going to a baseball game vs cricket match (“they’ve actually paused the game for tea!”) or serious - what it’s like getting emergency medical care on a Sat night in Philadelphia Vs Manchester etc

But now all most people think about when they see them is the whining about the royal family and how hard their privileged lives are.

I still can’t get my head around the talk of needing money when Harry inherited so much and he made something like £16m from Spare. They are literally rolling in it.

A couple of things, @Wheresthebeach - they thought that the UK taxpayers would pay for security, and they thought Charles would continue to finance them to a degree. They also probably thought that their status and titles as royals would get them lucrative contracts, which to be fair, they did.

I like your ideas @wordler, I’d watch ‘em!

Isn't that the advance he supposedly got for a 4 book deal, not just 'Spare'? And I'm sure that won't be net profit, money in the bank, for him either.

"Need" is relative. By normal standards, they are indeed rolling in it. But they have set up home in one of most exclusive parts of California, with neighbours worth hundreds of millions. So in that context, they're really not rich.

Also, they haven't yet managed to find a way to earn a high income which doesn't involve whining about being royal. Since they must be close to running out of material, it's not obvious where they're going to earn big money going forward.

No way harry could have done what Louis theroux has done, even if harry hadn't ruined his reputation. For one thing as you said, Louis is very intelligent and has a natural curiosity and willingness to learn about others. He doesn't come across as preachy, and sets aside his own bias and judgement so the main focus is on the people he encounters on his trips. Both harry and Meghan comes across to me as too self absorbed, grandiose and take themselves too seriously to be able to do what Louis does. Although I think they could potentially have been able to make it work if they at least had a sense of humour about themselves, and didn't keep trying to cast themselves as helpless victims.

Yes, so ‘grandiose’ is about right.

Everything has to be ‘global’ for them - a ‘global event’, their ‘global press spokesperson’ etc.

It’s so cringey. It’s the internet age guys - EVERYTHING is global. Because of, you know, the internet. Guess what, I just made a global tweet.

I actually did think something like this might have worked for Harry. A sort of 'cultural learning of America to make benefit prince of the United Kingdom'. It wouldn't have earned massive sums but it might have been fun.

However, it would only have worked for the 'old Harry', who seemed to be at ease with 'ordinary' people and genuinely enjoy learning about them. But now, as you say, the charming, funny Captain Wales doesn't exist, if he ever did, and we've had 3 years of complaining about how horrible it is to be royal. I think it would be too late to make it work now.

I think peak grandiosity has to have been that bizarre 'manifesto' where they unilaterally announced their intention to 'collaborate' with the Queen and 'all relevant parties'.

Nobody 'collaborates' with the Queen. What with her being Queen and all that.

And when they 'call upon world leaders' to do something or think a certain way, whether it's 'global' vaccination or Ukraine.

They 'stand with Ukraine', did you know? Gosh. That certainly told Joe Biden and NATO.