Friday, August 22, 2003

Texting blamed for summer movie flops. In this article, the Independent says that "in Hollywood, 2003 is rapidly becoming known as the year of the failed blockbuster, and the industry now thinks it knows why." The problem, the executives say, is teenagers who instant message their friends with their verdict on new films -- sometimes while they are still in the cinema watching - and so scuppering carefully crafted marketing campaigns designed to lure audiences out to a big movie on its opening weekend. Thanks to Michel Dumais for the pointer [Smart Mobs] I just love this. The movie studios know that even for a bad movie, marketing can buy them some attendance. The right marketing campaign could at least hold the hope of recouping some of their investment. Since word of mouth takes some time, the first weekend might make some money. But now the prime market, teenagers, is thwarting this process using cell phones and txting. Word of mouth is not measured in minutes not days. Obviously, this sends chills down the spines of movie moguls. No hope for bad movies. I expect this to have a big effect on the movies they greenlight. Look out for more sequels and pre-sampled pablum. [A Man with a Ph.D. - Richard Gayle's Weblog] I also hear that boys are staying away from action moves in droves. Why? because they have more control in games.Crap is going to have a bad time. 8:43:17 PM    comment []

Canada Select - A Rating System for What taste? I have decided to work a little harder to rent my cottage next year. So I asked the rating system that we use on PEI, Canada Select to come by. What stunned me was that they give no credit for setting or what a place is really like. The hard core issue is do we have a head board!!!! Headboards are worth an entire star! Frilly bed linen and wall paper are worth another. I asked why it did not matter whether a place was  8 cottages in a field next to the highway or a place that had magic- the answer is that they could not rate such a subjective thing as setting. Is not all taste subjective? Robin and I will not go for frilly bed linen nor will we go for headboards - this leaves us as a 2 star. You judge for yourself whether our place feels like a 2 star place. So we will not enter the PEI guide and I will work with my pal Will Pate to set up a great TypePad site next week.   5:00:43 PM    comment []

Are weblogs like illicit lovers? I have hardly blogged at all this last week. Partly it has to do with the fact that my Radio is acting up - sometimes it does not post what I have written. The other reason is that I have a lot of writing to do for my clients and I have found recently that my weblog is like a mistress. What do I mean by this odd statement? It is that I have only so  much creative energy and I have found it so tempting to spend the time with my lover, my blog, rather than my wife - my clients. Why? Maybe becuase with my "lover", I can try all sorts of new things and with my "wife" I have to be so domestic and get the garbage out etc I have to spend more time with my "wife" or I wont be eating . I start my book next week and I start my new course at UPEI after labour day. So my dear I will have to just sneak out now and then for the odd quickie 4:19:44 PM    comment []