You know, back when you’re in the acne-prone years much is made about insecurity. You figure you’ll be less insecure once certain things happen. Once you get laid or married or have your driver’s license. Or become a mom. Or lose twenty pounds.
Or have a critically-acclaimed television show.
If I’ve learned anything over the last two weeks it’s that some people stay insecure forever and nothing–nothing–will be able to cure them of their woe. I spent much of last week involved with some things behind the scenes of a bigger thing, only to walk away shaking my head at how a coven of grown-ups could behave like small children.
And then last night someone purporting to be the creator of a much-loved tv show actually stopped by to criticise me for not liking his show. Really. He apparently didn’t read the actual blog post, just reacted to the title of it. I had more to say, but then Sarcastro said it for me. I would object to him calling me a loner and a shut-in…but hey. I think maybe those two terms are as good a description of me as any.
I would assume that someone other than the creator of that show was trying to be “funny” by leaving a comment under that name. It seems a whole lot more likely, somehow, than that the actual creator of the show is out there leaving unverifiable comments in just that way.
You know what happens when you assume? You make assumptions.
It isn’t that big of an internet. Newscoma has had Norman Lear and like three other people who have discovered Google Alerts posting comments at her joint.
As for the loner & shut-in blast, it wasn’t a direct shot at you. More like a stereotypical view of the kind of people who have blogs instead of television shows. But I can see where you might self-identify. I left out “bed-ridden” to avoid that possibility.
You know what happens when you assume? You make assumptions.
Is this some of that pomo deconstruction humor the kids are using these days?
‘Coma has had someone claiming to be Norman Lear over there. Doesn’t mean it was. It could have been, of course. And Kat’s commenter could have been the creator of Mad Men, in which case I want to ask him why the camera fetishizes smoking so on his show. I mean, I was around in those days, and people didn’t go, “look! watch me smoke!” — they just smoked.
I started watching Mad Men last week. Watched an entire season plus two in a matter of days. And I think your assessment from last year is accurate (incidentally, I don’t think Peggy is a particularly benevolent character). The side effect of all that tv-watching is a general malaise and questioning of mankind. Because there is so much that is true of the era. Luckily, people like us can look back and be both shocked by their attitudes and jealous of their innocence.
My biggest pet peeve, though is that the creative director has that much customer contact. That is not how it happens in the real world. Not then, not now. Everyone knows you keep your creative people away from the clients. Unless they own the firm. And even then, they pay other people to deal with the clients because they suck at it.
That said, certainly that can’t have been the actual creator who left that comment. One would assume a professional writer could leave a much better missive.
What Lesley said.
I have a hard time believing it’s the actual writer, from the content of the comment.
But, you never know.
I’ve mostly dealt with actors, and their comments on the UB blog have been extremely professional. This just doesn’t seem right.
But then again, most creative people are a little insane. I ought to know.
Of course, I’m convinced that a couple of lines of Ugly Betty dialogue last year were in direct response to something on my blog , so I’m probably too dilusional to be a good judge of what a real television writer would write.
Yes, people pretend to be octogenarian television producers and creators of basic cable shows all the time.
Chicks dig that.
Well, the IP address is in Los Angeles. Which, I assume, is where the dude lives. The email addy is a Yahoo thing, but the handle leads me to believe that it’s the actual guy who just uses his yahoo email when he gets drunk on Sunday nights and trolls the internet looking for approval and castigation from strangers.
I’ve met and corresponded with any number of writers over the internet and verified later that it’s the actual person. Novelists, novelists agents and tv writers (i.e. writers for The Wire, The West Wing, Studio 60, Veronica Mars) I generally believe that when they use their name that it’s them.
Writers like to talk to people on the internet, I think. It’s a safe way to get feedback about their work while still being loner shut-ins. ;-p
I’m convinced that a couple of lines of Ugly Betty dialogue last year were in direct response to something on my blog
They probably were. I’ve been dealing with people involved in a reality show. The three most recent episodes of said reality show included commentary that was a direct response to several blog postings about the participants of the show. The lessons of my last week are that the lines between television production and blog criticism are getting thinner and nearly evaporating in many cases.
You have a point there.
Just seems like horrible business to me, if it is him. Yeah, Emmy nominations are nice, but it is a cable show. Not breaking 2 million viewers? Even “Cavemen” pulled 4.6 million, and that was enough to get it cancelled.
I know the rules are different for cable, but a show that only gets a 1.9 million viewers and breaks a record doing it shouldn’t be driving away potential viewers with blog comments.
But like I said, creative people are at least a little insane.
The thing is, I’m convinced he didn’t even read the piece. If I were the creator of a show I’d die for some of the compliments paid my work that I gave him.
He just saw the title and wrote a comment.
If I were he I think I might take a bit of lesson from what I said, because I really think the reason that show has 1.9 million viewers is the utter unlikability of all his characters.
The lessons of my last week are that the lines between television production and blog criticism are getting thinner and nearly evaporating in many cases.
OK, I bow to your superior expertise. But in that case, why did they ruin Grey’s Anatomy?
Sar, people who comment using pseudonyms often have a shaky grasp of what chicks dig. Not that you or I would know anything about people who comment using pseudonyms.
why did they ruin Grey’s Anatomy?
Because Shonda was so busy riding the power train (which she deserved after the stunning first season/half of the second season) that she abandoned the writing of the show to some of her staff. Those staff members were hired directly from the bowels of Soap Opera World and did the only thing they knew how to do–create sexual tension by having every relationship emotionally stalled at 10th grade.
Shonda spent so much time distracted by creating Kate Walsh’s spin-off and working on her production company that the original show fell into disrepair. It’s so bad that even her stars are speaking out about their disgruntlement.
Which–on another topic–how much does it piss me off that Patrick Dempsey can criticise the failing storylines of GA without getting so much as a cross-eyed glance, yet when Katherine Heigl says something the world falls out?
Women can’t be critical, I guess. Even when their criticism is warranted and accurate. We should know our place. And men (if you can call Patrick Dempsey that) have every right to criticise women for doing a poor job.
Argh.
Since Slarti weighed in, I will say that if you’re going to watch any television show, it should be Ugly Betty (not that you don’t already). Sure, I enjoyed Mad Men, but if it came down to a desert island decision, I’d take Ugly Betty without thinking twice.
But, Kat, the Kate Walsh spin-off is dreadful, too. And it wastes everything that made Addison so appealing. So I’m kind of putting the screw-up here on Shonda.
I’m not looking forward to many shows this fall, that’s for sure.
This isn’t a pseudonym. It’s my superhero name.
I thought your superhero name was “Invisible Man.” I’m soooo confused.
No, no, no…
Invisible Man is his H.G. Wells Tribute Persona.
Sarcastro is his Superhero Name.
Libertarian Curmudgeon is his Tiny Cat Pants name
My Favourite Atheist Antagonist is his JAPF name
My wife just calls me “jerk”.
So what’s your pseudonym?
My biggest pet peeve, though is that the creative director has that much customer contact. That is not how it happens in the real world. Not then, not now. Everyone knows you keep your creative people away from the clients. Unless they own the firm. And even then, they pay other people to deal with the clients because they suck at it.
I wish I had that luxury — I have to deal directly with the client no matter what the project entails. I wouldn’t say I suck or used to suck at it — but I like to think that I’ve gotten better with this as time as passed.
Granted, I would pay someone to do this if I could.
I wanted to give the guy the benefit of the doubt and say it wasn’t him.
But your research seems to prove it was.
I wonder if he’s posted on other blogs.
That said, I love Mad Men. But hey, we’re all allowed to have different tastes. No matter what MW says.