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I think it is interesting that in just about every other area of entertainment, it is pretty well accepted that performers have a short shelf life. Pop singers come and go and we mostly have no expectation that they will last more than a few years in the public spotlight. They may continue to produce, but they will not be "bankable" or particularly popular (with a few major exceptions, obviously). The woman playing the "hot female lead of the hour" is constantly changing and we pick up and ogle at the next one. Yet aging male comics get to keep making movies with a lot of publicity. When their comedy gets tired, they even get to do drama with beautiful women who could be their daughters (Bill Murray in Lost in Translation, Martin in Shopgirl). Zacharek seems surprised that Martin bombs in the Pink Panther, but I knew as soon as I saw him that it would be terrible and I never considered seeing it for a second. I am not yet thirty, and I just don't see the appeal of comics from two generations ago, yet they still get lots of attention. I wish we could maybe just accept that comics, like most people in show business, have a short shelf life and then move on to what is new, innovative, and funny. Well, at least what is new . . .
