Variety’s Motto: Better Late Than Never

COMMENTS (10)

• Knowing Variety, the probably did steal it from you, or maybe a gigantic studio stole it from you and then gave to their official organ, Variety. But as far as the optimistic news went, I was fretting about it all weekend…because Sam Rubin led with it on Friday’s KTLA Morning Show. And no, this isn’t Sam writing this. But probably only ’cause he’s still at work.

  Comment by fortherecord — Tuesday November 27, 2007 @ 6:47am PST  Reply to this post

• I’m not surprised in the least that they didn’t credit you. Certain rags are notorious for not only not crediting but attacking your character if you even ask them to. Believe me! I learned the hard way not to even ask them to properly credit my site when they have taken entire pages and posted them as if they had gotten the info themselves. I hate the strike but the good part of it for me was finding your site! You are a gem.

  Comment by CMF — Tuesday November 27, 2007 @ 7:58am PST  Reply to this post

• Almost all of Variety’s revenue comes from ads placed by the studios in both the pages of Daily Variety and Weekly Variety.

  And the lion’s share of *that* comes from ads placed in Variety’s so-called “Special Issues.” (These advertorials are a journalistic conflict-of-interest where the editors actually meet with the PR people of the subject of the issue to determine the content of the stories, the angles and even tone. And the “Special” is then presented in the guise of balanced journalism. A colleague of mine who briefly worked there said to me once: “I’ve never seen anything like it.” He left shortly thereafter before guilt-by-association robbed him of all of his journalistic credibility.)

  It’s all driven by industry ads.

  And so Variety hires and promotes “journalists” who are through-and-through apologists for corporate media. It’s who pays their salaries and benefits. They’re not going to piss in that well. They’re not that stupid. Oh sure, they let Peter Bart call them names once in a while in his “column.” But that’s only to “prove” that they (the execs) are tough enough to take it and it allows Bart to continue to believe he’s relevant.

  What *is* stupid are TV news shows that get Variety reporters to report/comment on the strike. That’s no different than having Karl Rove comment on Hillary Clinton’s campaign and pretending that what he says is totally lacking in self-interest. Oh, wait they do that on Fox. Well, you get the picture.

  Comment by cgee — Tuesday November 27, 2007 @ 7:59am PST  Reply to this post

• Wouldn’t Variety be the perfect mouthpiece for Red China to cover their upcoming Olympics… singing the praise of the government and their wonderful way of life?

  “Industrial Air Pollution — a glorious sign of progress”

  “Uses for black phlegm — more than just shoe polish”

  “Our homeless — the meat of your chow suey” (tastes like chicken)

  And a one page ad–

  READ THE RED BOOK — THE ONLY TRUTH

  Hmmm… that might be the trades slogan too.

  pb

  Comment by pb — Tuesday November 27, 2007 @ 8:29am PST  Reply to this post

• I would enjoy your column more without the bitchy backbiting.

  Comment by John — Tuesday November 27, 2007 @ 9:53am PST  Reply to this post

• “I would enjoy your column more without the bitchy backbiting.”

  I find it amusing and appropriate.

  Comment by mike — Tuesday November 27, 2007 @ 11:05am PST  Reply to this post

• “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”

  Proverbs 16: 18

  Comment by Uncle Joe — Tuesday November 27, 2007 @ 11:28am PST  Reply to this post

• I’m with John.

  Comment by Average Joe — Tuesday November 27, 2007 @ 11:33am PST  Reply to this post

• Well, ripping off without credit is the sincerest form of flattery! And it’s the Hollywood Way, after all, right?

  We here know the truth. Kudos to you, Nikki!

  Comment by Vinnie Vegas — Tuesday November 27, 2007 @ 2:54pm PST  Reply to this post

• Nikki, keep up the good work.
  I rather read your whole site than even one letter of Variety.

  Greetings from Holland Europe!

  Comment by DBZVelena — Wednesday November 28, 2007 @ 1:44am PST  Reply to this post