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Leading a Double Life:
Footing Changes on Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher
In the following discussion about appropriate Valentine’s Day gifts, Jamie Foxx, a panelist
on Politically Incorrect, shows how one maneuvers in and out of the immediate
conversation with the panel giving attention to those in the audience. This may accomplish a
multitude of functions in conversation:
JF:
It’s a girl’s day and I think that-that-that you know
women want us to be in love and everything like that and
I do what I can but sometimes because see especially if
you are a celebrity you can’t get bad gifts.
AH: Laughs
BM: You’re
right.
JF:
You know if I just give her flowers [I get phhhss=
TB:
[But isn’t romance
in your attitude?
JF:
=they hit me with the beat box pss pss pss=
Aud: ((light
laughter))
JF:
=did you ever get that fellas ((looking at audience)),
you ever get the beat box like you ask a girl to dance
at a club and she’s like pss pss psst
Aud: ((Laughter))
Pnl: ((Laughter))
In the realm of talk television, prominent participants, like Foxx, face a number of
interesting issues of image maintenance. Whether the television guest is a political figure
or popular culture icon, portraying themselves in a distinctive and memorable way,
although not necessarily a positive one, seems to be a primary concern and becomes
apparent in the talk of a discussion participant. In a discussion-based television talk
program more issues become prevalent than those previously explored in this arena. For
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Convention