With tomorrow’s release of Fifty First Dates, the Pseudo Imaginary Trend of fictional characters named after fiction writers finally comes into its own.
Since we here at low culture consider ourselves pseudo imaginary experts on the Pseudo Imaginary Trends (up your nose with a rubber hose, Entertainment Weekly—or Entertainment Weakly as we like to call it when we’re feeling nasty!), we took it upon ourselves to point out the obligatory three recent(-ish) instances that form any Pseudo Imaginary Trend. Even one this pseudo and imaginary.
Fifty First Dates‘ Henry Roth and Henry Roth
Torque‘s Henry James and Henry James
Sex and the City‘s Richard Wright and Richard Wright
Start with a ponderous “academic”-sounding quote from Harold Bloom and close with a tepid kicker (“What’s next, Ashton Kutcher as ‘John Updike’?”) and send me my check, Rick.
It’s tenuously hilarious! Except that it’s not.
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6 replies on “Pseudo Imaginary Trend of the week: Fictional Characters Named after Fiction Writers”
When MAD magazine spoofed EW, they called it Entertainment Weakly, which surely is what one should call a magazine you can read in 10 minutes.
I was amused by Henry James in Torque. I hate when it’s really overt, though, like in every Kevin Smith movie. I just took a look at Jersey Girl on IMDB. Granted, J-Lo as Gertrude Steiney is slightly amusing, but we get it, dude, you read.
Let’s not forget about Bruce Willis as Thomas Hardy in waterbound police “thriller” Striking Distance. Okay, you can if you like.
Not to forget Johnny Depps ‘William Blake’ in Dead Man.
I wish I’d known those when I was writing this. These are great, thanks all!
In One Hour Photo, the (black) detective is James van der Zee, named after the (black) Harlem photographer from the 40’s. Nicely appropriate, wtihout being, well, you know.