Homina, Homina, Homina: Hugh Laurie

I noticed that his voice got much lower after S1. I hadn't noticed that it's more gravelly but he is a long time smoker so it's natural that his voice would get that way. Speaking of which...I wish that he would stop smoking. I worry about his health.

I noticed that his voice got much lower after S1. I hadn't noticed that it's more gravelly but he is a long time smoker so it's natural that his voice would get that way. Speaking of which...I wish that he would stop smoking. I worry about his health. There was mention of him trying to quit over the summer, so your wish may have come true :) As for the deep nature of his American voice, I think it's more of a byproduct of the accent as Namaste mentioned. In season 1, the tone level was higher, however, his accuracy of the accent and overall ability to speak with it perfectly (lacking all signs of British nuances) was very off. He improved drastically from season 1 to 2, and the change in tone of his voice changed from those seasons as well, which is why I'd think it's logical to draw a connection.

The quitting was a story from the Daily Mail, which came about from a joke he made a year or two ago about getting prosthetic knees or something to that effect. It got all blown out of proportion. He's signed up through Season Seven and now he's an Executive Producer, so I doubt he wants to quit. Oops, you meant smoking, didn't you? I'm TWT--typing while tired.

I read somewhere that he quit for about 6 months after the birth of each of his children, but ultimately has gone back to it. Personally as a smoker i don't think he will quit, he's a worrier and a naturally nervous person smoking does help both of those problems. No doubt some smoking quitters will be along soon to correct me but from my point of view if i stopped smoking i would become a nervous wreck only adding to my depression.

Wow, I'm watching HL as Vincente Minelli in a Judy Garland biopic. His voice is very House-ian, but his hair is dyed black, and they're letting his bald spot show. It is such a bizarre experience, but he's excellent as always.

In season 1, the tone level was higher, however, his accuracy of the accent and overall ability to speak with it perfectly (lacking all signs of British nuances) was very off. Completely disagree with this. His accent was spot on from the start, which is why there seemed to be almost a requirement for every story to mention the fact that it was not his normal accent. (And everyone I knew who had no idea he was British were shocked to find out that he wasn't.) I do think that as writers it took a few episodes for them to find House's "voice" -- his specific cadences and word choices -- just as it takes time for every character, but other than the pronunciation of "diaper" it's hard to find any Brit-ism in the first season. (And you'd only catch diaper if you were looking for them. Almost everyone else would gloss over that without notice.) On the contrary, I'd say that after years and years of hearing him in British roles, it took my ears a few episodes to get adjusted to this new voice of his, rather than the other way around.

Some Stephen Fry news, his series Kingdom has been canceled http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5hHs39pUa3syxiRpzsoNwFJEzAigA

Completely disagree with this. His accent was spot on from the start, which is why there seemed to be almost a requirement for every story to mention the fact that it was not his normal accent. (And everyone I knew who had no idea he was British were shocked to find out that he wasn't.) I do think that as writers it took a few episodes for them to find House's "voice" -- his specific cadences and word choices -- just as it takes time for every character, but other than the pronunciation of "diaper" it's hard to find any Brit-ism in the first season. (And you'd only catch diaper if you were looking for them. Almost everyone else would gloss over that without notice.) He also has a problem in season one with words involving the word "sexual," which he tends to say as "sex-sual". It's subtle, but it's there.

He also has a problem in season one with words involving the word "sexual," which he tends to say as "sex-sual". It's subtle, but it's there. How else are you supposed to say sexual? And this counts as what I'd say is Brit-picking. One consonant out of one word (out of how many words in 22 episodes?) that can only be picked up specifically if you're looking for it. And, to my view, is as much a regional issue as a national one. "Sex-sual" is a perfectly legitimate way to pronounce the word in my neck of the woods, and it's far away from the "very off" description mentioned above. Compare that to Louise Lombard on CSI whose accent was so bad I wondered at first if she had a hearing problem.

I hate to admit it, but it bothers me. I feel like his voice is too monotonous now. It makes me want to clear my throat! When I hear him speaking in his "natural" voice it is so much higher and more expressive. I wish HL could find a way to blend the two. Early in the show he used to comment that he couldn't actually watch himself on tv because he felt that the accent was off, and one of the ways in which it was off was the lack of musicality. Don't know if he still thinks that way. I do believe him when he says that he finds the accent tough! And I noticed the high pitch of Season 1 -- and the gradual change to the sound in Season 2. I also noticed that his characterization of House became more hard-edged and manic after Season 1. Both I thought were positive developments. His natural voice is dreamy.

Now that Hugh has admitted to being an Executive Producer, why is he still named as one in the opening credits. I have checked all the new episodes this season and he isn't listed. Say the show were to be nominated for an Emmy and win (won't happen, but pretend it does), would Hugh also get an award if his name is not on the credits?

I think I saw his name on the closing credis as an EP. Baby steps. :-)

Say the show were to be nominated for an Emmy and win (won't happen, but pretend it does), would Hugh also get an award if his name is not on the credits? His name would be on the official credits and legal jargon behind the scenes, regardless of whether it's shown on screen, so it would most definitely count.

I think I saw his name on the closing credis as an EP. Baby steps. I only saw that in the premiere episode. Haven't seen any EP's listed in the ending credits on the other two episodes...only their assistants. Baby steps is right. Took the show 4 years to make the guy an EP and another year for him to acknowledge it! :wink: I love how he called it "an honorary title" on Leno. I think in some cases with stars who are EP's on their shows that's true. I feel like with Hugh...it's not. He definitely earned his EP title.

In season 1, the tone level was higher, however, his accuracy of the accent and overall ability to speak with it perfectly (lacking all signs of British nuances) was very off. Completely disagree with this. His accent was spot on from the start, which is why there seemed to be almost a requirement for every story to mention the fact that it was not his normal accent. (And everyone I knew who had no idea he was British were shocked to find out that he wasn't.) I do think that as writers it took a few episodes for them to find House's "voice" -- his specific cadences and word choices -- just as it takes time for every character, but other than the pronunciation of "diaper" it's hard to find any Brit-ism in the first season. (And you'd only catch diaper if you were looking for them. Almost everyone else would gloss over that without notice.) On the contrary, I'd say that after years and years of hearing him in British roles, it took my ears a few episodes to get adjusted to this new voice of his, rather than the other way around. Really? After watching the show in chronological order, every time I go back to rewatch from the start of season one, I'm almost thrown a little in the difference and overall "American" accent fluency. It's definitely an opinion, but based on other fans' commentary, I'm not the only one who notices it. Yes, he pretty much enunciates every word correctly, but to my ear, the general tone just doesn't seem right. When actually watching in the first season, sure, it seemed perfect when there was nothing to compare it to. But the improvement between seasons, to me, really shows. Who knows, maybe it was just the pitch level, but personally, but that's just how I see it.

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