Print Vs Online

This week it was announced that Gourmet Magazine, which has been an American Culinary Institution for 70 years will now shut it's doors. Since it was announced a furor of on-line articles and print articles have been wading into the collective consciousness discussing the ramifications of this action. Granted we are quickly watching PRINT media darlings falter in this new Internet Age of information and there is a fundamental problem that is being over-looked.

Here is a quote from Chris Kimbal's Op Ed piece in the New York Times:

"The shuttering of Gourmet reminds us that in a click-or-die advertising marketplace, one ruled by a million instant pundits, where an anonymous Twitter comment might be seen to pack more resonance and useful content than an article that reflects a lifetime of experience, experts are not created from the top down but from the bottom up. They can no longer be coronated; their voices have to be deemed essential to the lives of their customers. That leaves, I think, little room for the thoughtful, considered editorial with which Gourmet delighted its readers for almost seven decades. To survive, those of us who believe that inexperience rarely leads to wisdom need to swim against the tide, better define our brands, prove our worth, ask to be paid for what we do, and refuse to climb aboard this ship of fools, the one where everyone has an equal voice."

There is an issue with what is happening in the world of print and online and this great transition and fundamentally, there is an economic problem. Blogs (like the one you are reading now) are usually started because someone has an idea, some time on their hands, and the need to voice an opinion. The second reason they are started is to make some money. However, Blogs are so ubiquitous right now, that no one is really making any money except the idiot withe pink website that we don't want to talk about anymore. A few are rising to prominence. In fact, I got my quote from Chris Kimble from Ed Levin's Serious Eats Blog.

Blogging is a speculative business. My own podcast project The Starting Zone is getting some nice number and great traffic, but we're not making a cent off that site. The best we see are a few donations tossed our way to cover server space.

So, there is no money in the internet, but there was money in Print, but Print is dying because no one is using print and just using the internet... where is that money going?

Who knows really, where the money is going. My guess, people are shoveling it more towards rainy day savings accounts these days. Sure, my wife used to keep a nice little subscription to a few magazines, but she's since abandonned them so we can save a few bucks, and now she's using free online resources.

We all know that the Print businesses haven't really successfully managed to transition over to the internet. Deadline Hollywod Daily is the premier entertainment source on the net, and it surpasses Variety and Hollywood Reporter. However, both of the former Entertainment blab mags, are wallowing in a contracting market. They are losing money in the print game, but can't seem to get their share back in internet game. Why? Because the only way to make money outside of selling a product on the internet is through advertising. And since they lose their ability to sell subscriptions on the internet, they are stuck with the issue of accepting lower ad returns. Print Media, gets' to 'sell' their writing as well as make money in advertising. However, on the internet that model doesn't work because some schmuck is willing to give their writing away for free cutting about 50% of the cost model out of your equation for print business.

So, what happens when all the Print has in essence, died off? Well, perhaps Internet sites not charging now, might start charging. Who knows? Rupert Murdoch claims his Fox New site is going to go to a subscription service soon. Will it work? Well, it kind of has to. There is going to be a lot of folks formerly employed in the Print game who will be out of work without a company that can pay them to do what they used to do.

Economically the world cannot afford to lose Publication without a viable industry there to replace it. It's an interesting concept when you really think about it. What if an industry goes away, and there is nothing to replace it? Moreover, does the quality of writing suffer, when folks are not able to devote a career or vocation to the art of the writing, especially criticism.

What do we do in a world without critics?

Ken Howard Takes the Chair

So, we spent a lot of time in the last year spewing vitriol at how Alan Rosenberg handled the SAG negotiations while in the position of President of the Union. Alan was perfectly incapable of doing a good job in his role and apparently the membership expressed that opinion in the latest SAG board and Leadership Elections.

Membership First, the very vocal and disruptive, faction that at one time held some prominence in the guild with one of their own as President, lost further seats on the National Board as well as saw their nominee for president, Anne Marie Johnson lose to Ken Howard of Unite for Strength.

In other words it's a bit of a new era in SAG headquarters. Hopefully Ken and his pals, don't screw it up worse than it already is.

How the Media Handles Stupidity

There have been two moments over the past seven days where a public figure has taken a moment where the world is watching, and decided to make themselves look like a complete jack ass.

Congressman Joe Wilson's, "You Lie!" out burst during President Obama's address to the joint Houses of Congress should have been a lesson to those in public office. No matter how much you disagree, public decorum is always best maintained. Passions can get the best of us, and then you can say the dumbest of things. What was ultimately sad about Wilson's outburst was he was wrong. While Obama discussed the point that illegal immigrants would not be eligible for health care coverage under the Public Option, Wilson responded with his, "You Lie!" Then the next day the actual document for the proposed reform bill showed that indeed Obama wasn't lying. Wilson's career seems over with his own party mates now shuffling away from him. His chief rival in the 2010 election for his seat in Congress raised over six figures in campaign funds since the outburst. It was apparent, we had a lesson on our hands. Keep your cool when you don't agree, when its' in front of the world.

Kanye West, who is probably one of the most insulated stars in the music industry, apparently failed to see this lesson. So, he went to the VMA's this weekend with bottle of cognac in hand and crashed an award presentation to Taylor Swift, citing that Beyonce Knowles should have won the award of Swift. The incredible public display of rudeness and idiocy has been plastered over the news and webosphere. There is even a new Meme developing to finally kill the keyboard cat.

Check out an example here: http://imgur.com/h9Guq.png

I find it odd that the press rarely gives the apology though, which is usually equally public as much face time as they do the incident. While, Kanye and Joe Wilson had bad reps to begin with, and deserve their bad press (or is it still good press?), it is odd that the incidents merit more attention than the apology. My question is, does this lack of 'forgiveness' in the media equate to a lack of forgiveness on the part of our society. It's a big question. I just ate a bacon panini... I usually have big questions hit my little head after a bacon panini.

Patton Oswald Talks Obama and Time Travel

Yeah, that's a screwed up header for a blog post, but it's what I have for you today. Patton Oswald had a new comedy central routine and as always he delivers some smart, funny and irreverent stuff while being poignant and topical. My jealousy hates this guy. By the way, I'm level 8 on farmville so excuse me while I go bask in my ineptitude. Holy Crap, I suck today.

Jokes.com
DVD - Exclusive Patton Oswalt - The Year 2009
comedians.comedycentral.com
Read Patton Oswalt's biography Watch Patton Live at the New York Comedy Festival Find out about Patton's movie Big Fan.

When Virals Collide!

Zach Gali... fah... something?

Zach Galifianakis (yes, I had to look it up to spell it) or Zach G as I will now refer to him in this post is probably the best unknown hipster indie (insert your own cool cred adjective here) comedian working today... if he wasn't so well known. Most of you know him as the bearded drunk in the summer smash, "The Hangover". Most of us knew him previously as... the bearded drunk who used to do stand-up routines with a piano. Anyway, Zach's star is on the rise and I will not hold the fact that he also starred in "G-Force" against him. Especially, after watching the latest episode of his web series mocking talk shows, "Between Two Ferns". On a side not, I really like Jon Hamm. If I were super handsome, and a critical sweet heart with a Golden Globe, I think I would model my exploits after his exploits. NOTE: I'm have no idea why I am used the word 'exploits' in the previous sentance.

Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis from Between Two Ferns

District 9

I have a few points to make here about the film District 9.

First, I do recommend it for those of you who can stomach some gore. The film has some definite gore points in it. So, if you can do that kind of thing, you should be fine. If you are squeamish, then unfortunately, you will have to miss the best movie to be released this summer.

District 9 is remarkable if you are a writer because of how the film takes the idea of the 'Hero' and completely turns it upside down. The lead character Vickers Van De Mere is quite possibly the most dynamic protagonist that has been created in cinema in the last 10 years. I have wracked my brain for a more conflicted hero who undergoes a similar transformation, but I can't come up with one.

What the film makers do is take a completely un-likable non-heroic character and completely transform him in every way, emotionally, idealistically and physically in the course of the 90 minute film. This transformation is at times almost unbelieveable. You at some points lose the ability to understand who you should be rooting for in this film. It's that crazy. You cannot understand how this dim-witted, happy go lucky, by the book, racist, cowardly knuckle head could be at any point likable, but they mange to do it. Even when the character completely abandons your ideals of heroism.

To say that Peter Jackson produced a land mark film is a bit of an understatement. Neil Blomkamp the director should be heavily praised for creating this Phoenix from the ashes of the lost Halo movie. As science fiction it's message of respect for life, and commentary on racism are not new, and in some ways very obvious. However, if one digs deeper they find this amazing selection of character studies ripe for discussion.

Lastly, the amazing part of D-9 is that it's already profitable in it's first weekend of release. Created for 30 million, it netted 34 million this weekend. So, this completely original idea is completely profitable, while 'established' intellectual property based films are not netting the 'sure thing' dollars they were supposed to. It will be interesting to see if this catches the eyes of the suits in Hollywood.