Whither thou Rich Tyra Chronicles?

Magnet #1198 - Texas, Lone Star State

Last tv season two of my fave Twitterpeeps, @goddesspharo and @vegtrix nicknamed the show Lone Star, the Rich Tyra Chronicles. So when I saw this magnet at IAH in Houston, I had to pick it up.

If you remember, Lone Star was one of those shows with a healthy ad budget and good critical buzz, featuring hot, unknown actor James Wolk and Adrianne Palicki, Tyra Collette from Friday Night Lights. The show, for a lot of us, was really what happened to Tyra after she left Dillon, TX, and got rich.

Alas, the show lasted two whole episodes - on FOX, of course - before it was pulled due to low ratings.

After the network upfronts a couple of weeks ago, I tried to watch as many trailers of as many shows as I possibly could, just to get a sense of what shows I'm planning on watching this fall, and what shows might be the next set of Lone Star'd shows to get canceled before their time.

I don't have an answer to that question, but I will say that there's nothing that's totally grabbed me, which is surprising, and a little scary, given that I'm usually watching at least 30-40 scripted hours of TV a week.

You can watch more than 40 trailers here, and decide for yourself. As for me, I'll wait to see which horses the networks back with big ad dollars in a couple of months, and go from there.

eta:
I will say, as much as I love Adrianne Palicki, and I want her working, I'm really glad no one opted to pick up Wonder Woman. Early reports were not favorable. And it's better to have just the one pilot, rather than...several episodes in the can and then getting pulled. Again.

Keeping score with The Kennedys

Magnet #1136 - Damn straight I keep score

Wait. Doesn't everyone?

I just liked this Anne Taintor magnet when I picked it up a few weeks ago. This chick looks hella ticked off.

It's actually the feeling I've had the whole night watching The Kennedys on Reelz Channel. For whatever reason, it's becoming pretty clear early on that this production about the Kennedy dynasty has decided it wants to keep highlighting all the indiscretions of the Kennedy boys, father and sons.

I love historical miniseries, so I was actually looking forward to the miniseries when I first heard about it. Admittedly, it was mostly because I could see Katie Holmes as Jackie Kennedy pretty easily. And it was her first TV role in a very long time. (What? Ya'll know I'm a sucker for Dawson's Creek.)

I was disappointed once the Real!Kennedys managed to get the show pulled from the History Channel, but it was pretty obvious that the controversy was going to generate even more public interest in seeing it. You knew some channel would pick it up, despite all the bad reviews from the tv critics who had already received their screeners.

I was glad when Reelz Channel picked it up - at least then we'd get to gauge for ourselves what the hubbub was all about. Of course, like many other people I hadn't a clue what Reelz was, much less watched a single show on it. And from what I could gather from Twitter following the #TheKennedys stream, a lot of folks were having trouble even finding the network.

Still, they made a pretty smart decision to buy such a controversial miniseries, introducing themselves to totally new set of audiences.

As far as The Kennedys itself? The Twitter stream proves once again how baffling it is for people to all be watching the same exact show on television, and have completely opposing viewpoints on what they've seen. One Tweet would be positive and the next would say the exact opposite, and so on. @Kennedysmovie, producer/director @joncassar, and even @reelzchannel have been fantastic all night, monitoring and responding to the hashtags, so that's a big win for their social media campaign.

For me, other than the seeming salaciousness of the Kennedy boys, which I don't really doubt, but that I don't really need to see in something that some people will take as fact, The Kennedys is ok entertainment. I can definitely see why it shouldn't have been on History - too bad they didn't figure that out before it was too late.

Tom Wilkinson and Barry Pepper are amazing to watch as Big Joe and Bobby Kennedy. Greg Kinnear and Katie Holmes are simply doppelgangers for JFK and Jackie. I think it's unfair to judge the actors so early on, but I will say that except for Barry Pepper, the Kennedy accents are all over the place.

Production-wise, the overall production design is great. And Jackie Kennedy's costumes are simply gorgeous.

The story itself is a little slow, but I find myself learning little nuggets of history here and there, which is cool. If you're only half paying attention, though the timejumps can be a little disorienting.

Overall, hopefully it picks up soon. We're at Hour #2, and I'm a little worried at how I'll feel having sat through Hours #3-8 by next Sunday night at this time.

Wait. Did I mention Jackie Kennedy's costumes are gorgeous? I'll just concentrate on that for now. That, and figuring out what other shows Reelz Channel has on its dockets.

A f*ckin' birdie told me

Magnet #1111 - Blue bird

Had to use this little Borders-going-bankrupt birdie magnet for today because I noticed that a lot of my email traffic lately has been about Twitter.

Whether it's me helping a new client become more active with their social media outreach, emailing relevant Tweets to colleagues and friends, or gossiping about who said what or who @'d who, Twitter keeps ending up in my email inbox. And my Facebook. And messageboards. And texts. It's crazy.

I do kinda wonder what the stats are for folks actually using the Twitter home page, versus using social media clients like TweetDeck or MediaFunnel or HootSuite, etc. I will say that when Tweeting for a client, the only time I feel safe that I won't eff it up is when I'm on the client's actual Twitter page, versus my own page or my TweetDeck.

That's why whenever I see any stories of social media practitioners messing up, I cringe for whomever hit enter or send on a bad Tweet.

@Adfreak Tweeted their coverage of the ChryslerAutos Twitterfeed Eff up, and I felt bad for the employee who got fired over it. Mind you, I laughed because it was a funny as hell Tweet, but still, felt bad. It wasn't the profanity that got me, because the world's full of the F word (I mean, hello, Oscars). But, when the @ChryslerAutos av is stamped "Imported from Detroit" yeah, saying Detroit Motor City "can't fucking drive" flies in the face of that messaging. And what else could Chrysler do but Tweet a very corporate response...on their blog?

Their response was completely opposite of the Red Cross beer story from last month, where they completely lampooned it and made the situation work for them and Dogfish beer. I don't know if they fired the non-drunk employee, but they handled the situation deftly, and with rather endearing personality.

Honestly, for me, it's like watching a train wreck, seeing brands and individuals navigate social media. Twitter and Facebook are full of branding screw-ups because of multiple account handling, and we'll see more and more in the next few years.

As for me, my love/hate with Twitter continues...but it doesn't stop me from waiting for that next train wreck. I just hope it's not me.

Slow down, you Tweet too fast

Magnet #1053 - Tweeting about Tweeting

Or, in this case, magnetblogging about Tweeting...again.

I've both extolled and reviled the virtues and vices of Twitter before, but when I saw yesterday that someone told Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran that he was Tweeting too much (he's not, by the way), I knew I had use this Cafe Press magnet! (Incidentally, Simon and my first crush John Taylor are both on Twitter. #FF!!!)

I decided a while ago that, despite my earlier hate-on for Twitter, (and you know this if you're following me) that I was just gonna Tweet when I feel like it. Unfortunately for you guys...it's a lot.

But it's fun telling and Twitpic'ing people where I am, what I'm doing, where I'm headed, what I'm thinking, what I'm watching.

If you want to know, great, if you don't, unfollow or hide me.

I like helping get the word out for certain exhibitions, museums, buildings and random places to visit. I like showing you my city and the things I'm seeing. I like sharing my random thoughts about current and not-so-current movies and tv shows (and cuteboys in them, let's not forget about cuteboys). Besides, it's not like I'm Tweeting about laundry or other chores (although I have), what I'm having for lunch (although I have), or what my hair looks like (although I have). (Oh, Rationalization, you are SO my friend. Are you following me?)

Ok. I do Tweet a lot, which is why I get so annoyed when someone doesn't know what's going on with me. No. Seriously. I do. Most of my Tweets feed right to Facebook. So, if you don't know what's going on with me, I really do look at you with a blank stare when you ask. (But, I suppose that's another magnetpost altogether.)

Speaking of news...my breaking news also comes via Twitter/TweetDeck lately - sometimes for the good, sometimes for the bad (see my incredibly erroneous and shameful RT of someone reporting on the demise of a very much alive Morgan Freeman - won't do that again!). Earthquake in Cali? Got it. Snow days in NC? Got it. David Tennant & Catherine Tate in Much Ado About Nothing? Got it. And every time (well, maybe not for that Much Ado thing), you can almost count the minutes going by before it makes it to CNN on TV. It's nuts.

Oh. That Much Ado announcement? Totally bought my tickets within hours. Someone once called me the busiest unemployed person they know...mostly because even though I've lived in NYC since 1995, there's still stuff to do here. And it just so happens that a lot of the activities added to my calendar are taken directly from Twitter.

Does it seem like Twitter's too much to deal with? Yeah, it is. And frankly speaking, even when I'm employed, I'll always have time for Tweeting. It's 140 characters, who doesn't have time for that? I'll allow that keeping up with all the folks I follow is a bit of a pain, but that's where handy-dandy TweetDeck comes in.

I use TD because it's allowed me to find, follow and connect with fun random new people all over the world. The lists columns help me follow my favorite actors and TV critics. The cool search function also lets me follow hashtagged threads of certain shows (Hawaii Five-O, Downton Abbey) and events (SDCC, Much Ado, TCA)...which in turn helps me find and follow random new people who have common interests.

For example, last night's #downtonPBS thread was insane. The TweetDeck pop-up box should have just stayed up, because within seconds of Laura Linney's intro, 400 hashtagged Tweets popped up...and still hasn't stopped popping, even though the episode ended last night at 10:30.

While I was able to find new people with interesting things to say, the obvious downside of the incessant chatter, is that I was too busy giggling at what people had to say about the show, rather than actually watching the show. That's a slight problem, of course.

I have this same issue each week during #bulletproofvesttime on Hawaii Five-0. Which is ok, because I always rewatch that show anyway. (What? Didn't you see? #Bulletproofvesttime!)

I know. I've come a long way from hating Twitter. And it's true that I have a lot of friends who are already bored to death with Twitter. I mean, it's been around for a while, and for some, it's a little past the peak. But, for now, it's a fun diversion and useful tool.

And finally, speaking of tools...The folks over at Edelman have created this fantastic little thing called a TweetLevel, to measure your Twitter relevance across four different factors:

• Influence - something about followers and if they're ReTweeting you
• Popularity - based on how many people follow you and number of lists you're on
• Engagement - how you're engaging with certain communities, based on @replies
• Trust - how/if people are ReTweeting what you have to say

It's supposedly still in beta, according to their site, and they haven't yet solved the "Twitter influence" (Twinfluence?) question, but this tool helps gauge your own activity for better or worse.

Of course, I'm sure they're pointing and larfing at how often I check my own TweetLevel (it's a bit like ego surfing, it is), but it really is interesting to see how the numbers fluctuate based on your Twitter activity.

Goodness. Let us hope they don't create one for Facebook.

To infinity and beyond, indeed

Magnet #1003 - Fredric Edwin Church's Aurora Borealis

What a gorgeous painting. My friends brought this back for me a few weeks ago.

Do you suppose, back in 1860, when Fredric Edwin Church painted his Aurora Borealis, that he ever thought that man would be Tweeting the same image...from space?

While I get it's totally a PR mechanism for NASA, I can't even believe that all the astronauts are allowed to Tweet...much less from space. And holding Tweet Ups? Wha?

It's like the coolest thing - ever. The astronaut who Tweeted that image (@astro_soichi) has already gone home, so I've started following @astro_wheels and @NASA_Astronauts. I won't lie, it's mainly because in my head, I'm totally envisioning how the kids from Space Camp would have Tweeted. (@JinxtheRogueRobot: "@Max and @Jinx, friends foooooreeeeeever!" or @ImTish: "Whip me, beat me, take away my charge card, NASA'S TALKING!")

Anyway, from this Church painting to those Twitpics, it's truly unbelievable how far we've come in the last couple of centuries.

Back then, it was amazing that Dr. Isaac Hayes was leading an expedition to the Arctic, and that he made it back alive. He's the one who brought back sketches from his trip, and gave them to Church to paint. Folks actually considered this painting a portent of doom, an omen for the ensuing conflict between North and South.

Now, we're marveling over Twitpics from space. Whew.

Oops, we broke it!

Magnet #984 - NERD/GEEK

Yesterday, a hundred thousand folks broke the internet, losing two hours of our lives trying to buy tickets to next year's San Diego Comic-Con. Since I wasn't doing anything but watching TNT's 2-hour block of Las Vegas, while hitting the refresh button, it was no skin off my index finger.

But to the rest of humanity, it was surely a tragedy. Actually, more like a comedy, if you watched the #sdcc hashtagged Tweets fly by. Which I did. Superentertaining.

While 13% of the tickets were sold, according to the SDCC site, the rest of us couldn't get past Step 1, that's if the page loaded. We really had no one to blame but ourselves - it was like every cell phone in the world calling the Doctor - only instead of reaching him, we broke the site. Which doesn't make sense unless you've seen that episode. And, I won't lie, if you reread that sentence, it still may not make any sense.

Annnyway. I felt really sorry for whomever at SDCC that had to deal with the issue during those two hours (and beyond), because honestly, that kind of stuff happens all the time on launch days. No matter how much you prepare for the oncoming storm, the web teams just have to pray for server space, no hackers, no typos or wrong versions or wrong code or no QA, and a problem-free launch.

But, really, whoever heard of a problem-free launch? (This was slightly different cuz it wasn't a true launch - just a hundred thousand people waiting for 12:00pm to hit. Like that Rhodes Furniture commercial from the 80s where the guys are getting ready in the store to let all those people trample down the doors? Yeah. That. Only virtually.)

They finally got the situation under control, letting us know that the new reg date would be set next Monday, and even wrote a nice apology (PR Crisis Communications Rule #1, check!). So, when they finally get that new vendor and/or server space, or whatever it is they gotta do, I'm looking forward to all my fellow Nerds/Geeks (probably the same ones who ended up with this Cartoon Network button magnet from SDCC or NYCC) Tweeting and trampling down the virtual door with me.

To buy tickets we won't use until next July.

But whatever.

It was the best of branding, it was the worst of branding

Magnet #976 - Concentric Circles

If you'll allow me a quick rant to explain my earlier Tweets today, and why I've picked this magnet, which looks a lot like this logo for today.

After a @TCM Tweet this afternoon about their traveling roadshow, I fairly quickly ran down to Grand Central Terminal to see it. (No. Seriously. The Tweet popped up on my TweetDeck at like 2:42 and I was there by 3:30.)

TCM partnered with Verizon with a really great exhibit supporting their Movies & Moguls 7-part original series about the history of Hollywood. Must watch, cannot wait!

Because it was TCM, of course their exhibit was well designed, and very much in keeping with their overall brand identity - I love seeing off-air marketing emulate the on-air marketing, it does a branding heart good.

These pictures don't really do it justice, I know. The exhibit itself was a little small for Vanderbilt Hall, it was slick and nicely produced, and the people manning the area were friendly and engaging.

They had a few costumes on display, but I particularly loved the interactive kiosks. They taught me how bad I am at old Hollywood trivia, and showed me Jack Warner's address book with Bette Davis, Walt Disney and other luminaries. I've seen it a dozen places in the books, but I got to spin the little nickelodeon thing with the horse - that was cool. And, they described the leading ladies and men of the time.

Loved it. And, by the looks of all the press visits (or they could have been fellow bloggers, who knows), they enjoyed it, too.

Most of all, it totally whetted my appetite for the series debut on November 1. That's called great audience outreach. Go. See it now. No, I mean it. Now. It's only there til tomorrow!!!!

By an incredible and garish contrast, Thomson Reuters installed a giant display on the other side of the hall. Where TCM's installation was dwarfed by the giant Vanderbilt Hall at GCT, Thomson Reuters was a massive behemoth, with dual-LED displays lighting up the whole hall and beyond. It was a huge white hole, plushly carpeted, with computers and displays set up inside, from what I could tell. Nicely branded (as one would expect for TR to be, of course) and even if it was bright as hell, the display show graphics with the messaging and images were great.

When I first walked into the hall, after my eyes had been visually assaulted by the giant LED displays, I noticed they had at least 3 or 4 people manning the outside of the monstrosity, all in business outfits, shifting from one foot to the other. Not talking to anyone, watching traffic walk by.

I felt bad for them, because the TCM space was moderately trafficked, while no one was at the TR end. It really did seem rude to look at what TCM had to offer, and not wander over to the snazzy TR display, too.

But, any goodwill I'd built up walking across the way was dashed by the woman (who had earlier been chatting up a TCM rep in his space) manning the TR entrance. In fact, I went specifically to her, because I had seen her with the TCM dude.

Mind you, I was hardly the height of fashion in jeans and tennies, and an old Izod golf shirt, with my fleece tied around my waist and hair in a ponytail. Clearly, I wasn't a financial person. Or even a business person. Or even the demographic for whatever TR was hawking.

But here's how the conversation went:

Me, smiling broadly: "I feel like I should visit you guys because you built this giant display!"
Her, smiling: "I know, it's really big! Though, really, it's for a financial product."
Me, peering into the room, and then checking my watch that said 3:45: "Hmmm, really? Which means you have to wait for all the financial guys [commuter traffic] to get here at 5, huh?"
Her, hesitating: "Well, you could go in, if you wanted to, there's people inside. But, it's really more of a financial thing."
Me, smiling broadly, unable to believe she would try to not actively drive traffic into their space, given that there was one or two people inside the cavernous display: "No, thanks."

I was completely floored. I get that the ROI on that giant box that Thomson Reuters built is pretty high. Meaning - sell even one of their fancy-schmancy Eikon product and make back the money on spent to build the box. They can certainly afford to be discerning about who they let into the room. But, traffic is traffic. And moreover? Traffic begets traffic - particularly when you're at Grand Central Station.

Don't get me wrong here, folks. Fair play to Thomson Reuters - I love the branding machine behind their identity - the logo design, the huge launch campaign, the messaging, and almost everything from a graphic standpoint. Dudes, I smile when I see the TR logo on the building along I-95 in Stamford! I have a lot of heart for that brand.

But, honestly, for me, this is one of those times when brand management should extend down to the masses of employees, even the chick manning the door.

eta:
On a side note. Thomson Reuters chick could take a page from the superdupernice Teavana salesgirl at Paramus Park Mall. My 14-year-old hipster cousin just wanted to try a sample, and even though the two of us didn't look like we were on the market for the $40 1/2-pound tea? The sales girl was doing her damndest to educate us on the product, and was blind to the audience she was selling to.

Room with a view

Magnet #841 - FLW Robie House Window

So, I've lived in New York since 1995, and I've been to the Met countless times. Seriously, doesn't it feel like I'm always writing about it?

Earlier this week, the Met Tweeted something about their Frank Lloyd Wright room. Dudes. I didn't even know they had one of those! And, ya'll know how much I love my Frank Lloyd Wright!

Totally don't have a clue how I've managed to miss it, but I totally rectified that this evening. It was pretty cool, though, really, in the end, it was just a room. Heh.

I think what I love about FLW houses is the fact that he designed not just the house, but much of the interior and furnishings as well. In some cases, he was pretty OCD about his furnishings being used.

I have to wonder if I'd be able to take it, if he dictated everything that could go into a house I lived in. Even if he did design it. From the chairs to the lights to the screens to the windows - I'd imagine it could be quite overbearing.

Clearly, I say this with a little bit of sour graping, as I also wouldn't turn down a FLW house, even if I think I couldn't live in it.

I will say, though, that I do love his windows. They're really very cool - with subtle differences in colors and patterns. This magnet is of one of the 174 glass patterns of the Robie House, one of the grandest of his Prairie Homes, in Hyde Park, IL. They're celebrating its centennial this year and is currently under a lengthy process of restoration and preservation.

I was so glad I detoured from our Met Scavenger Hunt to see the FLW room tonight. Love those scavenger hunts, they force you to notice the details of what you're seeking...even when you're running from one end of the museum to the other.

So, yay, for @metmuseum Tweeting about tonight's Internet Week event. Fun had by all!

Oh! Speaking of which - apparently, the New York Times has decided to disallow use of the word Tweet in their stories, because it's not in the dictionary. NYTs, you're one of the world's most venerable papers. But seriously. There's a reason why the dead tree industry is dying. But, ignoring the digital future won't make it go away. IJS.

If I had a hammer...

Magnet #696 - Seattle Art Museum, Hammering Man

...I'd probably be as annoying as the neighbor downstairs who seems to be hammering in his bathroom at 3:07am.

Anyway, I picked this up at the Seattle Art Museum, after having spent a couple of hours at their Olympic Sculpture Park as well as the museum itself. Both venues were terrific - the sculpture park was fabulous, and the museum had two really great exhibits on Michelangelo and Calder. Such a great afternoon.

Just outside the museum, there's this sculpture of Jonathan Borofsky's 48-foot Hammering Man, who quietly hammers four times a minute during the day, taking a rest on Labor Day. Annnd, when I went to visit. He's in the shop now, having repairs done to the motor in his arm.

Speaking of rebuilding...remember when I last week about how Haiti fundraising would be a marathon, and how Red Cross would be my first stop to address the immediate future?

Here's my next stop, a group to turn to for the near and far future. I follow Cameron Sinclair (@casinclair), founder and Chief Eternal Optimist (CEO) for architecture for humanity, a group that does community-led reconstruction & building - schools, housing and community structures. Since last week, the man has worked almost nonstop to rally his own org and partner orgs to help out Haiti reconstruction. afh is uniquely qualified to help out, as they've created much of the playbook post-Katrina, and they've already drafted this reconstruction plan.

It's following casinclair's Tweets as well as a few others that have put a perspective on the non-saving-the-world work "emergencies" I've dealt this past week. Their tireless drive to help out in any way they can is quite inspiring.

They make me want to pick up a hammer to help, though given my handygirl skillz, it's likely that I actually might be saving the world by not picking up a hammer, but the phone or laptop instead.

It's all about the Roosevelts

Magnet #509 - The Roosevelts

Ok. Having magnetblogged two pretty thorough posts on Franklin and Eleanor already, I feel ok about using this pin magnet for this post.

Last night, as I was watching my regular slate of not all that great television, I had my TweetDeck up as usual. Lately, I've found myself mesmerized by the trending topic tag cloud on TwitScoop. Seriously. It's starting to scare me.

That's how I found out about the Getty being evac'd last week. It's how I found out about Kim Jong Il this week. It's how I found out about the creepy Observer from Fringe being at the All-Star Game last night.

So when #commercial popped up and I didn't have a clue why, I clicked on it, being the good adgirl that I am. From what I gathered, Taco Bell (whose colors I've been wrestling with all day at work) ran a TV spot during the MLB All-Star Game, featuring rappers in an SNL'ish parody called "It's all about the Roosevelts" (the dimes, versus the $100s).

It garnered mixed reactions, but either way, within the first two minutes of me being on TwitScoop, 33 new Tweets chirped, mostly about this ad (300 since I started this post). Trending topic tags popped up for #Roosevelts, #Taco, #Bell, #taco bell, etc.

It's insane. No, seriously. See?

But, even more, were the redirects and Tweets sending people to the TB YouTube channel for the ad itself, where the lyrics are readily accessible, and the link to the ringtone's included, not to mention where there are more than 300 comments, and more than 266k views (2,000 since I started this post). Mind you, I didn't do a pre- and post- comparison of views, but good grief, I bet it's an immediate spike.

Annnnnd, you've gotten me to Tweet about it, FB it, and now magnetblog it. Dannnnng.

Well played, Taco Bell, well played.

And now, back to our regularly scheduled program

Magnet #503 - Hollywood

Have ya'll ever seen the movie Mannequin?

That supercheesy but loveable 80s movie with superadorable Andrew McCarthy who plays a window dresser who falls in love with one of his mannequins, played by the young, bubbly Kim Cattrall, who comes alive due to a magical mystical Egyptian spell?

This is not that magnet.

It's just, every time I see it on my magnet board, all I hear in my head is Meshach Taylor falsetto sing-songing to Andrew, Hooollyywoood!! Oh, Hooollyywoood!! Here, it's at the :45-second mark. Watch...but then go run out and Netflix it. Seriously.

But, Andrew McCarthy worked with Teri Polo in the silly yet lovable Straight from the Heart tv movie. And Teri Polo gets you to Sports Night and The West Wing, where she worked with Joshua Malina.

And, Joshua Malina's one of the Twitterfeeds I follow. No, I don't have like a huge crush on him, but by far, he's one of the funniest Tweeters I've ever followed - not that I really follow all that many.

I've been following him for a month or two now - I've RT'd him and I've told others to follow him. And, he just sort of shows up in my Google Reader or TweetDeck - with his Tweets about his professional life, but also personal stuff, along with funny musings, jokes, or whatever. So, understandably, there's a sense of connection there - he's randomly become part of my everyday life, this guy who is supposed to stay in my little black box.

Here's what scares me. Actually seeing him in the little black box. The other night, I caught him on Valentine, and my first thought was, hey! It's Josh! I wonder what he's up to!

WHOA. Stop. The. Presses.

I don't know Joshua Malina from the Vin Diesel lookalike doorman around the corner! I shouldn't care what he's up to. He's the guy in the box!

Dudes, I can't really explain it, but it was certainly the single most uncomfortable feeling that night - it was creepy. And I realized that what I talked about a few months ago - about the fact that down the line, celebretweets will have some sort of backlash, I'm sure of it.

I shouldn't be able to interact with him or any other celebrity outside my tv. Dammit, get back in that little black TV box!

So, yeah, it's just scary. Not scary enough for me to stop following Mr. Malina (on Twitter), but enough for me to make sure I'm double-vigilant to maintain that fourth wall.

Mind you, I had a whole different magnetpost if I could have just gotten from Andrew to Alyssa Milano, whose Twitterfeed I also follow. But that was just way too hard. And I know my way there must be through Solarbabies and Jamie Gertz, but I just couldn't get there.

Now. Points if you ever saw Solarbabies.

Oxford Blues

Magnet #501 - Oxford University

Bought ths magnet during a daytrip out 2 Oxford a couple of years ago. We did rlly cool tour group through Evan Evans, & we had a blast wandering arnd the hallowed buildings & halls. I just think it's super pretty w/ all the difft college crests, vry Harry Potter-esque. According 2 their site, they have 38 independent colleges at Oxford (odd, b/c I count only 36 hre). They're independent, & have their own governing bodies, & R basically little colleges w/in the bigger context of the university.

I'm using it 4 2day's magnet b/c I realized something ystrday, in my unending battle w/ twttr. Lately, ive bn familiarizing myself w/ the evr-so-pretty TweetDeck (TweetDeck explained). & I ran across ths automatic TweetShrink fcn, which is wht I did 4 ths entire post.While it's economical, in terms of shrinking Tweets dn 2 140 characters, it essentially makes us all look lk illiterate fools. An abhorrence 2 all of R collective English teachers growing up.

An open letter 2 teachers of the coming generations: Please dnt stp teaching proper spelling & grammar. It pains & saddens me 2 realize that the kids who R coming up ths days R "de-learning" how 2 spell, & not learning proper grammar in the 1st place. &, it just makes me wonder if hallowed institutions such as Oxford will have 2 lower their education standards 2 admit the illiterate classes of the 20teens.Please dont giv up the ship! Xoxo,Stodgy old joy

Tweet, tweet, tweet-a-leet aleet

Magnet #443 - Tweety Bird

According to my parents, I was a big Tweety Bird fan when I was little. Which I guess explains a hazy memory of a battered old plastic kids mug from Six Flags at home in NC, and why my mom got me a vintage stuffed Tweety for me to keep here in NY.

And, why I picked up this little guy - though I can't remember where from - Warners? Six Flags? Eh, who knows.

But, I'm picking this one for today's magnet, because on the many occasions when I'm wrong about things I've soapboxed before, I like to admit it. Usually with a caveat or two, of course.

So, here's what I was wrong about. Twitter. Or rather Celebretweeting.

Exactly one month ago, I sat here on joy magnetism and reviled the Twitterverse. But, because people and the press can't stop talking about it, I've been delving back into it for the past month, to see if perhaps it's changed since last year.

And, it has, somewhat. I still don't like Tweeting my own statuses - I have two accounts on Facebook for that.

But, how awesome is it that I can just RSS feed Twitterfeeds right into my Google Reader, which means, I never have to visit the twitter.com site. Which is just happy-making.

And, next, in a complete 180 from a month ago, I've discovered that don't really want to follow people I actually know. It's more fun to follow celebrities and my two favorite critics.

Odd, right? Particularly since I'm the one who totally didn't "care about their break-ups or opinions." And, I still don't, for the most part. But, what I've found, are that there are a select few folks who are actually entertaining - the ones who are just naturally amusing. And, as long as they don't tell me that they're tweeting from the john, then they really are just providing another source of entertainment for me.

Also odd, I know, are my choices for celebrities to follow - because it's not like I'm really huge fans of theirs, really.

• Jon Favreau is there for the Iron Man tweets - there's something fun about knowing that Nick Fury's on set. Or, that they're working long into the night with two camera units.
• Joshua Malina, whose feed my sister found - added to my list because he's just funny. Just like...
• Nathan Fillion, even though sometimes he really is a little too obscure for me. And, I've even got
• Scott Clifton, this soap opera actor who started out on General Hospital - and even if I'm not watching any soaps at all right now, he's still seriously a funny kid, particularly as he gets used to living on the right coast, rather than the Target="_blank" wrong coast. And, finally I added
• David Tennant even though I know it's not him, but sometimes it's really funny to watch David Tennant stalking his own tv shoots. Heh.

It's a weird list, and I'm always looking for fun people to follow...but I can't follow everyone. For example, I betatested Jon Hamm, and looked at Matthew Perry and even Wil Wheaton, but none of them came to live on my Google Reader. (Part of the reason I'm selective about my Google Reader, because I can see every @reply people respond to, and dude, that's more annoying than the concept of Twitter itself.)

Mind you, I still worry about where all this celebretweeting will lead. I have this whole issue about soap stars allowing too much access through their personal appearances and charity events, where they're becoming too chummy with their fans. And then, they turn around and worry about their own privacy. Dude, you drank and broke bread with them - once that line's been crossed, it's hard to resurrect it. But, now that it's so easy for fans to reply to a celebretweet, that's kinda scary.

So, I wonder if the fact that celebs can interact so much with their fans through this (and Facebook and other SNS outlets) will cause people in real life to cross the line, down the line.

But for now, as I said, these guys are just providing another form of pure entertainment for me. And as long as it stays that way, then I can get with the celebretwitterverse.

eta:
Apropos to nothing...have ya'll ever noticed that Tweety Bird's feet are the size of Big Bird's feet? Weird!

What's bugging joy

Magnet #413 - John Derian Bug 20

You know what's been bugging me for a while? Twitter.

It's been around since 2006, and is finally gaining more traction. Here a Tweet, there a Tweet - on television, in the media, and it almost seems like John Q. Public might even know what it is.

I have at least three accounts.

That I quit using almost a year ago in protest.

Back then, it was because I hated how people at work were using it to summon people to meetings - e.g., I'm sitting in X conference room. If you're supposed to be in this meeting, get here now. At that point, for me, Twitter was a fun place to connect, and voyeuristically see what other people were up to. It grated on my very last nerve that even in the Twitterverse, work seemed to know no boundaries.

Of course, it's even worse now, as people, celebrities and other public figures, and brands themselves are Tweeting obsessively. Look, I totally understand the need to to Tweet - it's mass communications at its best, worst, and most raw.

For example, yesterday, we found out that Joss Whedon's Dollhouse might be cancelled. But we weren't entirely sure, because they shot 13 episodes, and are only airing 12, or they only produced the 13th just for the DVD set, and were never, ever planning on airing it, or, it was always in the plan, or that the pilot didn't count or that the last one was shot for scraps/parts, or that FOX just screwed Joss again, etc., etc.

See how squishy all that info was? It was worse information flow than when we watch crisis newsreports as events unfold. And everyone was constantly updating as the day went on.

But, what I do find ridiculous is that such a ruckus went on for hours, and no one from Fox responded to emails, or issued a release to just control the messaging out there. And a lot of the confusion was generated by Tweets - from people connected to the show.

(Mind you, this situation is obviously happening more often than not - misinformation and Twitter whirlwinds. I'm just picking on Dollhouse, because I couldn't care less about it being canceled. That's sad, because I was more than a little excited when I heard about the show, but have been disenchanted with the show from the pilot. Also, this random, truncated opinion is being included here, because I realized I already used the magnet I wanted to use for my now-moot Dollhouse rant.)

I will concede that lately, I've been feeling the pull back to Twitter. I won't lie - I still don't care if my coworker's hanging out watching the game at home, and I don't give a fig about the celebretweeting break-ups or opinions.

But, at least two of my favorite bloggers are Tweeting, and I know they're bound to be great entertainment. Plus, I hate being left out. And what if George Clooney decides to start Tweeting?

So, who knows, I might have to give in to critical mass.

Oh! But the question is, how critical a mass is it, I wonder: To wit - I love, love, love this :60-second spot from Sprint about their Now Network, with the best copy ever, and the VO says:

233,000 people just Twittered on Twitter.
26% of you viewing this have no idea what that means.


eta:
And, this is in no way meant to be sacrilegious, especially today...but I'm now wondering if God is Tweeting. Last night on Facebook, I saw someone I know Become a Fan of God. I clicked, curious (he has like 12,700 fans, more, now, I'm sure). But, on God's wall, it said, "God has joined Facebook." Which was hysterically funny. But now, I want to know if - like that famous billboard campaign that they did in His Name - someone's Tweeting for God. Now I have to go look.

eta2:
And now I've looked. You'll be interested to know that god is in fact, on Twitter. His latest status?

"Hells yeah, it's me!"

Yep. A special hell for that one.

eta3, I promise, the final one:
Apparently, Twitter might be able to help save Chuck. Now, see, that's what I call using your powers for good.