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July 07, 2008
Why Blogging Is Hard, Part Deux
Just noting, without even offering (much of) an opinion about quality...
Patrick Goldstein had one blog entry on Harvey Weinstein's garbage on July 3... and a piece on Martin Lewis and the Mods & Rockers Film Festival on July 4... and that's it... for four days and this morning at 10am.
Peter Bart posted a piece on Blue Man Group on July 1, a self-promoting piece on Guillermo del Toro on July 3 (along with marked up images that were available unmarked on NYT a day later) pushing Hellboy II and a shot on Bart's TV show, and now, this morning, an attack on the weight of comic book movies, including a link to the Variety review (not the Hollywood Reporter's or anyone else's). That's 2 entries in the same four days and 10a as Patrick.
These two blog bashers launched by pre-determining the attacks to come. But the truth is, in blog world, the abandonment of the holiday weekend - which is how it works in most mainstream media - is exactly why the conversion is hard, beyond personal or content attacks.
In the same period, a spirited Anne Thompson had 8 entries on subjects ranging from Patrick, Dark Knight "me first" trade reviews, another media exit, Lunch With Elvis (our greatest modern example of failing upward in the media), and more.
I don''t know if Patrick or Peter will muscle up to blogging. They both surely have opinions and relationships that can be mined. But "here's what's on my TV show this weekend, but by the way, I would hate this movie if I wasn't trying to get someone to watch me promote it" and "You should care about Avi Lerner's opinion because even though he makes some of the worst movies in Hollywood, he seems like a really good guy... and here is John Horn's newest... and does anyone on the planet other than Mrs. Lewis care about Martin Lewis and his film festival" are never going to build an audience.
Maybe someone is reading Army Archerd - the only daily columnist in Hollywood when I decided to be one over a decade ago - as a blog, but my guess is that it just isn't enough content to drive traffic and that Variety should reconsider and give him a monthly. Of course, he's basically retired and Bart & Goldstein are in the middle of a Traditional Media downturn. If they don't learn new tricks and deliver, they will actually lose their jobs, sooner or later.
And really, I am not rooting against either man. But Pete... if you want to be a kiss ass movie show host, your blog will always suck. You need to at least threaten to burn a bridge now and again. You always seem pissed off... maybe showing a little anger in the direction of someone who you aren't 100% comfy pissing off would be helpful. And Patrick... I suggest an exercise... try writing short a few times every day. Just squirt out an opinion or two about an item or two. Do you have an opinion about a movie? Do you have an opinion about a DVD? What's your home entertainment experience like? You have blood running through your veins... let your wannabe readers know. And you can do that in 250 words or less. Really.
Like I wrote a couple of weeks ago... this transition is not easy. You both deserve some breathing room. But if you don't put a little skin in the game, you will become what you beheld... just more shitty internet content from boring blowhards. If you do... if you risk anything... something, please!!!... you can be on the top of the web game as your outlets once had you in print.
Posted by dpoland at July 7, 2008 10:10 AM
Comments
This is unrelated enough that I apologize in advance for going off-topic, but it's still somewhat worthwhile...
Did anyone read KENNETH "OLD MAN" TURAN's mind-boggling assertion today that he's never rescinded, changed, or revised his opinion on any movie, ever?
Posted by: LexG ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.mcnblogs.com/thehotblog/nav-commenters.gif)
at July 7, 2008 11:23 AM
I'm not sure going from The New York Times to public radio to AMC is failing upwards.
Posted by: Sean at July 7, 2008 11:47 AM
... and I say that as a guy who thinks The Treatment is often the week's best hour of film commentary available to one's ears.
Posted by: Sean at July 7, 2008 11:52 AM
I don't know about AMC, but he's surely a better fit on radio than he was in print, obviously I have no idea about how Mitchell's pay scales changed but it seems like a lateral move to me.
Posted by: jeffmcm at July 7, 2008 11:54 AM
Sorry to nitpick guys, but Elvis Mitchell's show is on TCM not AMC.
Posted by: Noah at July 7, 2008 11:57 AM
You think commenting on blogs is easy??? It's hard work I tell ya ;) !
Posted by: Roman at July 7, 2008 01:59 PM
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