When I think of blogging and celebrities, I think of bloggers tweaking and slamming celebrities. When I think of a big mass of celebrities, I think of pretty people murmuring self-congratulatory banalities -- like at the Oscars -- barely able to say anything interesting to go with the pretty pictures.
Among those signed up to contribute are Walter Cronkite, David Mamet, Nora Ephron, Warren Beatty, James Fallows, Vernon E. Jordan Jr., Maggie Gyllenhaal, Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., Diane Keaton, Norman Mailer and Mortimer B. Zuckerman.
Well, now my picture isn't so pretty. But they'll be writing, so it doesn't really matter that they are not really telegenic. Of course, if they're writing, how do we know it's really them and not some assistant or P.R. person or joke-writer?
UPDATE: This post was talked about on an MSNBC TV segment today. Political Teen has the video clip here.
Jeralyn Merritt of TalkLeft, who does the segment, pronounces my name funny. It's "alt" as in "salt" without the "s," and then "house" as in "house" -- just plain old "house is not a home" "house." It means: old house.
Unrelated observation: The "v" key on my keyboard suddenly only works if I hit it twice. What could possibly cause that? This problem just started when I first tried to type MSNBC TV. Do you think I should hold Bill Gates responsible?
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"Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., ... Norman Mailer...."
Well, at least we know some of them can write.
Or could at one time.
Ooh, I'm so excited! I just can't get enough celebrity drivel. It's not enough to clog the TV screen and the air waves with what they're selling, so now they have to gather into a little clique on the internet, too? On the bright side, with so many celebrities talking at once, they will hopefully drown each other out, or, now this is a long shot, with such a concentration of brilliance and fame, something worth reading might be written.
Sorry to make a diatribe my first comment on your blog, Ann. I've been reading your comments on Richard Lawrence Cohen's blog for quite a while now and have been meaning to wander your way. If you can't tell, I'm slightly nauseated by celebrity self-congratulation and self-importance. Oscars shmoscars.
I believe this is known, in hunting circles, as getting all your ducks in one row or perhaps all your fish in one barrel. For those who enjoy, as you say, "tweaking and slamming celebrities" this should be pretty tasty. But I predict it will fade away pretty quickly once they realize this will not add to their fan base and that the Democratic Underground already has the political front covered.
Jack: I think "ducks in a row" is from bowling, actually, but it still works. And it is nice of Arianna to entice the celebrity fish into one barrel. Part of me wants to deny them the links they'll get by being so conspicuous, but it will be such a glopping, rich dessert for us. It will be hard to resist. Will it be more fun to go after the movie stars dipping into writing or the big shot writers who think they should be able to easily overshadow the existing bloggers? I am so ready to take on Norman Mailer!
I think you mean "Arianna".
Picking nits. :)
Thanks, Carla. Man, I could have looked at that all day and not seen it.
When one of my keys sticks like that, it's usually because I 've been eating near the keyboard and there's a crumb under the letter.
Good question, Michael. I think if we expect blogs to have a distinctive voice, then the blogger is the writer with that voice, and you'd know if it was someone else. But maybe we don't expect blogs to be that distinctive. I think they should be, and my favorite blogs are, but there is also a kind of a generic breezy/snippy blog-tone and also the kind of very standard journalistic tone.
If the point of the blog is to develop a distinctive voice, with original writing and points of view, this is going down in flames.
Most of this gang isn't going to be dedicated to posting. Others will retreat to having their PR staff post in their name.
250 people isn't a discussion; it's chaos - like trying to have a serious discussion in a chat room.
more on this over at boringmadedull.blogspot.com
(shameless plug - unlike Arianna, I don't seem to be able to get the MSM to tout my blog.)
boring: Like you, I have an automatic prejudice against blogs that get promoted on or before their first day of posting. It seems to me you should have something of substance written first. With all this publicity, they'd better be damned good on day one and consistently thereafter. They need to hit the ground running or they will deserve to be beaten to a pulp. And they will be.
Heh. even The Guardian is making fun of this.
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