Nia Vardalos: "I couldn't find a job in Hollywood because I was Greek"
Speaking about the early stages of her career, Vardalos revealed that when she moved to Los Angeles, the first agent she approached to find work in Hollywood completely rejected her for three reasons. Which were, literally: “1. Because you're not pretty enough to be the star. 2. Because you're not fat enough to be a character artist. But mainly 3. because you are Greek. So, you don't belong to one of the big minorities like Puerto Ricans, Hispanics, etc. Therefore, you are fired."
The trailer for 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3:'
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 98 | November 20, 2023 4:11 AM
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The trailer looks good. Movie opens 8 September.
by Anonymous | reply 1 | May 30, 2023 11:01 PM
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Once they come out and say #1, there are no other reasons. Self-persecution ain’t pretty in any culture.
by Anonymous | reply 2 | May 30, 2023 11:03 PM
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Seriously, another sequel?! My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 sucked ass.
by Anonymous | reply 3 | May 30, 2023 11:38 PM
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Why did Nia forget to make My Life in More Ruins 2: Electra Boogaloo?
by Anonymous | reply 5 | May 30, 2023 11:44 PM
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Well she did largely create a franchise out of thin air, so she has a point. She is one of those ethnicities that's hard to cast in Hollywood; she's not Latino, not Italian, not Jewish or Middle Eastern, but clearly... [italic]something[/italic]. She couldn't pass for WASP/generic white like Tina Fey or Jennifer Aniston. And she's not a conventional beauty, either. Not laugh out loud funny, either.
Maybe be grateful you got to create your own franchise?
by Anonymous | reply 6 | May 31, 2023 12:05 AM
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She did really well for herself, considering she's a one-trick pony with... unconventional looks.
by Anonymous | reply 7 | May 31, 2023 12:32 AM
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Hire the Greeks!! The last of the discriminated against minorities.
by Anonymous | reply 8 | May 31, 2023 1:42 AM
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#1 is definitely true and usually all it takes to never get a job in Hollywood.
by Anonymous | reply 9 | May 31, 2023 1:51 AM
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…and an extremely basic, bordering on shitty actress.
by Anonymous | reply 10 | May 31, 2023 2:40 AM
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Oh, I thought it was because she had no talent.
by Anonymous | reply 11 | May 31, 2023 2:43 AM
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Well, the only thing she's done are those Greek wedding movies, so looks like the agent was right.
by Anonymous | reply 12 | May 31, 2023 2:51 AM
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[Quote] I meant # 2 sucked ass.
#1 sucked ass.
by Anonymous | reply 13 | May 31, 2023 2:54 AM
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She's a one trick pony. Stop trying to blame your non existent minority status.
by Anonymous | reply 14 | May 31, 2023 2:55 AM
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Is she Greek active or Greek passive?
by Anonymous | reply 15 | May 31, 2023 3:10 AM
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Has anyone suggested "The Nana Mouskouri Story" to her?
by Anonymous | reply 16 | May 31, 2023 4:24 AM
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Jennifer Aniston, Tina Fey, John Stamos, Zack Galiafinakis, and Amy Sedaris are also Greek-Americans.
They found plenty of jobs.
by Anonymous | reply 17 | May 31, 2023 5:32 AM
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You motherfuckers are brutal. Nia isn’t ugly.
by Anonymous | reply 18 | May 31, 2023 5:35 AM
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People will come up with any excuse as to why they don't succeed: they will never admit it's bacuse they do not have the right stuff.
Years ago, I remember someone posted on DL that he was certain he never found an academic job with his Ph.D. in English only because he was Italian-American, and he claimed the market was fatally biased against him as a result.
Someone else then proceeded to name Italian-American English professors in the English departments at almost every prestigious major research university, and he still doubled down, even faced with all that evidence to the contrary. He had made up his mind as to why he had failed, and nothing was going to change his mind that it was only because he was Italian-American, even though he had no proof that was the case.
by Anonymous | reply 19 | May 31, 2023 5:38 AM
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I didn’t realize you were in a minority group if you were Greek...
by Anonymous | reply 20 | May 31, 2023 5:45 AM
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I guess that agent never heard of Olympia Dukakis.
by Anonymous | reply 21 | May 31, 2023 5:49 AM
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Nia is doing the best she can.
by Anonymous | reply 22 | May 31, 2023 6:03 AM
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She's not pretty, she doesn't have a good figure, nobody in Hollywood gets work when they're unattractive and fat. It has nothing to do with her family being Greek.
by Anonymous | reply 24 | May 31, 2023 7:24 AM
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[quote]nobody in Hollywood gets work when they're unattractive and fat
Oh yeah?
by Anonymous | reply 26 | May 31, 2023 8:08 AM
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THey never told her it was becasue she was Greek. There was an anti-Greek race riot in Omaha iun 1909, but because Greeks sometimes have gangsters to protect them they are rarely singled out for discrimination.
by Anonymous | reply 27 | May 31, 2023 9:55 AM
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“Those big minorities” meanwhile they were being played by Italians half the time.
by Anonymous | reply 28 | May 31, 2023 10:00 AM
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Jennifer Aniston is a huge star, so I don’t buy the “it’s because I’m Greek” sob story. Let’s face it, Nia is chubby and talentless.
by Anonymous | reply 29 | May 31, 2023 11:55 AM
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Good people? They're Greeks, and Greeks are just Jews without money.
Jerri Blank
by Anonymous | reply 31 | May 31, 2023 12:01 PM
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Yes, the Italians were popular because they made such excellent American Indians in westerns.
by Anonymous | reply 32 | May 31, 2023 12:01 PM
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She’s a one-trick Trojan horse.
by Anonymous | reply 33 | May 31, 2023 12:05 PM
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Nia is Greek. She wouldn't be playing Indians, she'd be playing East Asians with heavy eye makeup.
by Anonymous | reply 34 | May 31, 2023 12:08 PM
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r34 I thought those parts were reserved for Puerto Ricans.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 36 | May 31, 2023 2:10 PM
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I don’t remember Rossano Brazzi, Anna Magnani, Sophia Loren or Gina Lollobrigida playing Indians. Must have missed that.
by Anonymous | reply 37 | June 1, 2023 3:01 PM
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"My Big Fat Chip On the Shoulder"
by Anonymous | reply 38 | June 1, 2023 3:23 PM
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She's still bitter about that time all of America stood up and said "NO" to My Big Fat Greek Life.
Maybe she and Yahoo Serious can start a support group.
by Anonymous | reply 39 | June 1, 2023 3:36 PM
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One of the kindest, most generous and down-to-earth people you’ll ever meet.
by Anonymous | reply 40 | June 1, 2023 4:39 PM
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She should stop being nice and stick to writing!
by Anonymous | reply 41 | June 2, 2023 5:07 AM
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r31, it was Amy Sedaris's brother David who wrote that in one of his early books. That "Greeks are just Jews with no money," he attributed to a redneck neighbor in North Carolina. It sent me into a tailspin. My Greek-American Mom and I couldn't stop laughing. I ended up taking her, my stepfather, who'd never been on an airplane since WWII, and my partner to my grandparent's village on a remote island in the Aegean about a year later (late1990's) where we were joined by some of my best friends and a few cousins. We met my Mom's surviving first and second cousins. Every local was related to us in some way, which was genetically frightening. It was absolute chaos, drama, and joy -- but just another day in my family.
The preview of Nia's third installment reminds me of that visit. Looks like a high production. Can't wait to see it. MBFGW pretty much bored me. It was filled with cliches -- most of them completely identical to my Greek experience (ex, I painted my own house blue and white and my name is Nick, for starters). My partner and friends thought it was a scream - the movie came out after our trip to Greece and they ate it up. Skipped the second film due to bad reviews. This third one one looks fun. Andrea Martin deserves Greek citizenship.
by Anonymous | reply 42 | June 2, 2023 6:17 AM
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She must have made over half a billion from MBFGW.
What a complainer.
by Anonymous | reply 43 | June 2, 2023 6:26 AM
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She looks like a cross-eyed horse. Maybe she should have auditioned for Equus.
by Anonymous | reply 44 | June 2, 2023 7:55 AM
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Greeks are usually just cast as Italians in movies.
I think the problem is she looks like Kathy Najimy and tried to go for leading lady roles.
by Anonymous | reply 45 | June 2, 2023 11:27 AM
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That's funny. I work all the time because I do lots of greek.
by Anonymous | reply 46 | June 2, 2023 11:40 AM
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R17, every one of them is half Greek by ancestry, unless I'm mistaken. Given that she's talking about the "ambiguity" of the Greek ethnic phenotype in America, that's relevant.
by Anonymous | reply 47 | June 3, 2023 7:17 PM
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None of that statement makes sense. You're not one of the big minorities like Puerto Ricans or Hispanics. Um - Puerto Ricans ARE Hispanics?
Most character actors are not fat.
Lastly, "Therefore, you are fired." - So she GOT jobs and then they fired her for being Greek?
This sounds all completely made up.
by Anonymous | reply 48 | June 3, 2023 7:29 PM
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She blames her being ugly on Greek ancestry. This is self-loathing. She made a choice to get that terrible perm.
by Anonymous | reply 49 | June 3, 2023 7:31 PM
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No it’s because she was almost fat for white girl Hollywood standards. I wish people would just be real.
by Anonymous | reply 50 | June 3, 2023 7:32 PM
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I liked the one where she's a tour guide. That movie was actually funny so I'm guessing she didn't write it.
by Anonymous | reply 51 | June 3, 2023 7:34 PM
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Her pussy smelled like Tzatziki, but at least she was hideous than Sarah Jessica.
by Anonymous | reply 52 | June 3, 2023 7:56 PM
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It's just a rehash of Mamma Mia 2. They should sue Nia for plagiarism.
by Anonymous | reply 53 | October 11, 2023 4:46 AM
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So she's trying to blame "Hispanics and Puerto Ricans"....not cool.
by Anonymous | reply 54 | October 11, 2023 4:54 AM
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Jennifer Aniston is Greek
by Anonymous | reply 55 | October 11, 2023 5:00 AM
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Melinda Karmakesikis and John Stamosthemopolis did okay.
by Anonymous | reply 56 | October 11, 2023 5:11 AM
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“Nia Vardalos claims work dried up, cancels herself in the process…”
by Anonymous | reply 57 | October 11, 2023 5:13 AM
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I find it funny that her Melinda's wiki she was originally going to play the lead in My Big fat Greek wedding but she couldn't because of her pregnancy which I guess would have made her too fat for the role but then they replace her with the fat girl anyway so
by Anonymous | reply 58 | October 11, 2023 5:14 AM
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She isn’t pretty enough for Hollywood (or possessed of a unique talent that would make up for a lack of looks). It sucks, but it is what it is.
I didn’t make it I music for the same reason. You have to be decorative, and you have to suck the right dicks.
by Anonymous | reply 59 | October 11, 2023 5:26 AM
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Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey is also Greek. And she found plenty of jobs.
by Anonymous | reply 60 | October 11, 2023 5:54 AM
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She doesn’t look Greek. Neither does Jennifer Aniston.
by Anonymous | reply 61 | October 11, 2023 7:06 AM
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Yeah, as a Greek-American man I have to say this is ridiculous. There is a certain amount of WASP bigotry against us. But overall we have white privilege and only an idiot would treat us as a nonwhite minority.
And yes, Jennifer Aniston looks Greek. She has that 'look'. Lol. I guess you have to be Greek to see it.
by Anonymous | reply 62 | October 11, 2023 7:28 AM
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But she has always played non-Greeks.
by Anonymous | reply 63 | October 11, 2023 8:47 AM
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Why does Nia make herself the most boring and unsympathetic character? And why does Armenian Andrea Martin always get the best lines?
by Anonymous | reply 64 | October 11, 2023 10:54 AM
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"I'm persecuted. People judge me. The system is broken."
next.
by Anonymous | reply 65 | October 11, 2023 10:55 AM
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She’s so full of shit she should be ashamed. She’s too damn old to join the victim Olympics and use that as a marketing tool for herself like these younger generations. She didn’t get work because she’s average looking with an average screen presence. She’s had tremendous success compared to 90% of the people who come to Hollywood hoping to have a career in acting.
by Anonymous | reply 66 | October 11, 2023 3:22 PM
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[quote]It's just a rehash of Mamma Mia 2. They should sue Nia for plagiarism.
Then the writers of "Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell" can sue the writers of "Mamma Mia."
by Anonymous | reply 67 | October 11, 2023 3:23 PM
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What R66 said. The bitch is 61 and got extremely lucky, late in failed career, and now has a greek oil tanker sized pool of money. Shut up.
by Anonymous | reply 68 | October 11, 2023 3:45 PM
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I think that Dump told Putin, who told Iran, who told Hamas on how to get around Israeli defenses. I am 100 percent sure of this. Putin is running the show. He is sowing chaos around the world where he can and is biding his time re Ukraine. He’s betting there is no appetite for two wars and the US will focus support in Israel.
This is the conversation Dump had privately with Putin. I can’t figure out any way this can be investigated or proven, but I’m so sure this is what happened.
by Anonymous | reply 69 | October 11, 2023 4:25 PM
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I know you posted on the wrong thread r69, but I have to ask. You really think Jared would have no knowledge of trump’s wheeling and dealing with Putin in regards to Israel?
by Anonymous | reply 70 | October 11, 2023 6:00 PM
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Hah r70 that’s hysterical! Makes me really realize how diverse the threads on DL are. Rather than post my answer here, I’ll repost the above in the latest Treason thread as well as my answer.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 71 | October 11, 2023 6:41 PM
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CHEEBUGGER, CHEEBUGGER, CHEEBUGGER!
by Anonymous | reply 72 | October 11, 2023 7:45 PM
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r6,r16, r45, r62 are spot-on. You look "ethnic," and yet White. Big nose, big eyes, unibrow, and many of us have jet black hair until a certain age, of course. I'm often confused with being Jewish or Palestinian. There's something that's just slightly off. Grew up in a mostly Asian (Chinese and Japanese Americans) neighborhood in San Francisco and my best friends constantly joked that when God invented me, he just chose a random (oversized) nose to stick on me, as if I were a Mr. Potato Head. Greeks do have a particular "look" and we do recognize each other, like Greekdar.
Nia Vardalos opened up many dialogues for Greeks. My long-time partner was Chicano. I took him to Greece and he took me to Mexico to meet our respective families in the 1990's. While neither family accepted each other as being of each others' ethnicity and that each of us were supposed to just marry women (especially second or third cousins) and bear children, the family vibe was identical.
I enjoyed MBFGW 3 and wish Nia Vardalos well. She's probably the most influential Greek person at the moment. My current hezbear, who's French Canadian, say that she needs to do produce and star in a documentary about Nana Mouskouri ASAP. Wear those goddamned glasses and speak the 43 languages, now, guurl!
Greece is The Word!
by Anonymous | reply 73 | October 13, 2023 5:56 AM
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Jews without money. Accurate. The two women I know of Greek backgrounds are the nastiest women I’ve ever met. And they’re no oil paintings either.
by Anonymous | reply 74 | October 13, 2023 6:22 AM
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Big deal! I can’t get any roles because they keep telling me I look too young!!
by Anonymous | reply 75 | October 13, 2023 11:24 AM
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No it's because your dancing is too advanced for the choreographers available for hire CZJ!
by Anonymous | reply 76 | October 13, 2023 1:44 PM
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r73 My mother's side of the family are San Francisco Greeks too.
by Anonymous | reply 77 | October 13, 2023 1:55 PM
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r73 Great to see a Hellenic brother here!
But I don't have a unibrow! I dunno, the Greek look to me is something about the eyes and cheek bones. And many of us are quite fair.
There is a certain amount of bias against non-Anglos in American society. That is true.
I live in Hollywood and we used to get roles playing Latinos! But now with diversity awareness they're leery of casting white Greek actors in those roles.
But overall, I don't think we can complain.
by Anonymous | reply 78 | October 13, 2023 4:15 PM
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No wonder John Stamos has trouble finding work! He’s Greek!
by Anonymous | reply 79 | October 13, 2023 5:16 PM
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God, you people! You think she doesn't know she's successful? She's not complaining just to hear herself talk (like some of you make a lifetime's habit of doing). It's an excellent lesson: don't take no for an answer if you are passionate and believe that you have something to give the world. Practice, stick to it, don't give up, and success will follow. It's inspiring.
by Anonymous | reply 81 | October 13, 2023 6:19 PM
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Would she have had more success as Nia Vardaliani?
by Anonymous | reply 82 | October 13, 2023 6:23 PM
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She could have had a great career playing the fat, funny girlfriend. The only way to get a romantic lead was to produce it herself. Somebody went to see them.
by Anonymous | reply 83 | October 13, 2023 6:25 PM
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Theo James had to drop his very Greek surname to get into Hollywood. No one would take him and once he was simply “Theo James” that changed.
by Anonymous | reply 84 | October 13, 2023 6:46 PM
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Translation - I am not really talented but will blame it on being discrimination.
by Anonymous | reply 85 | October 13, 2023 7:06 PM
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She's as dry as Greek yogurt.
Whatever that means.
by Anonymous | reply 86 | October 13, 2023 7:30 PM
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These victim excuses are tiring.
by Anonymous | reply 88 | October 13, 2023 7:53 PM
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[quote] You have to be decorative, and you have to suck the right dicks.
Tell me about it. I've had to live with TMJ for the past 50 fucking years!
by Anonymous | reply 89 | October 15, 2023 9:25 PM
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[quote] My mother's side of the family are San Francisco Greeks too.
Does that make them doubly gay?
by Anonymous | reply 90 | October 15, 2023 9:27 PM
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Stupid Greek troll! Fuck off!
by Anonymous | reply 91 | October 15, 2023 9:28 PM
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Nina, we all know why you couldn't get a job in Hollywood.
by Anonymous | reply 92 | October 15, 2023 9:31 PM
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r90 There are 13 in my generation (my mother had seven siblings; we're their children). As far as I know, only two turned out to be gay.
by Anonymous | reply 93 | October 15, 2023 9:40 PM
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I was friends with her in high school. She was warm, overweight, and hilarious at 16. I am not surprised by her success and she actually did a fact stand out as ethnic then. It was Winnipeg after all.
by Anonymous | reply 94 | November 19, 2023 8:42 PM
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The most Greek looking person was George Michael
by Anonymous | reply 95 | November 20, 2023 3:54 AM
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[quote]She's as dry as Greek yogurt.
[quote]Whatever that means.
No whey, r86.
by Anonymous | reply 96 | November 20, 2023 3:59 AM
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anti-Hellenism is a huge problem.
by Anonymous | reply 97 | November 20, 2023 4:03 AM
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I'm surprised no one has mentioned "Connie and Carla" yet...
by Anonymous | reply 98 | November 20, 2023 4:11 AM
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