Commenter Of The Day: Hervé Villechaize Edition

Though we may know him as the happy assistant on television's Fantasy Island, Hervé Villechaize had a fairly unhappy existence as a result of his dwarfism, eventually committing suicide at age 50. Raised in Paris, Villechaize was a painter and photographer who moved to New York and started acting in off-Broadway shows. His most famous film role came as Nick Nack in the film The Man With The Golden Gun, which he got before his role on Fantasy Island. He was eventually fired from the show and, if you believe E! True Hollywood Story, he spent nights drinking and screaming at the television. If Villechaize had questioned Jeremy Clarkson, he might have asked to live in a world where the Sebring convertible didn't exist — prompting some to wish for a world where Jeremy Clarkson didn't exist. Dearthair just fantasized about a commenting thread where everybody chilled a bit.

I'm sorry, what's going on here? The last time Jalopnik mentioned the Sebring, the commentariat was frothing at the mouth saying it's a giant piece of shit. Now suddenly Clarkson agrees with us — I'm absolutely certain he reads Jalopnik, by the way. If only we had some way of baiting him — and we're foaming at the mouth calling him a douchebag? Folks, if you add a couple of minor qualifiers in there, he is absolutely right. Most of the Chinese and/or Indian and/or other-developing-country cars really have to be disqualified, because since they can't pass safety testing, they legally aren't "cars". So factor those out, and compare apples to apples. Amongst cars that are built to the same standards, find me something worse? It's ugly, it's shabbily built, and the convertible apparently has very minimal structural reinforcement. Agreed, Clarkson is a loud-mouth, but he's an entertainer, and has to be taken as such. Step back from your flag-waving for a minute, and instead of being angry at him, be angry at Chrysler for producing such a piece of crap and sullying your country's name.

Complain boss, complain! [Photo: Forbidden Zone]