Justine Bateman on the Lessons of 'Shithead'-gate
Justine Bateman called to talk to us about how she called some Twitter users "human waste" and "jackass" the other day. And, in about a half an hour, the screenwriter and prolific Tumblr-er distilled some important lessons for everyone. The conversation, then, was not entirely unlike Bateman's old show Family Ties. Bateman learned something. Twitter learned something. We learned something. Everyone grew, just a little. Bateman's name calling yesterday began after she started seeing posts in her incoming Twitter stream from people — and, crucially, businesses — she had not subscribed to. West Elm. Vanity Fair. Then blogger John Gruber, and a Twitter engineer, and an online humorist. There was, she says, no indication that of where the content came from. Bateman thus figured Twitter was selling placement to these people, whom she quickly branded "shitheads" and so forth. It turns out Twitter Inc. had accidentally pushed out a very incomplete version "Project Re-Tweet," a previously-announced feature that changed the formatting for posts republished by your Twitter friends. Instead of having your friends' names and pictures attached, the re-posts would use the name and picture of the original author, while attributing it all to your friends. In Twitter's accidental deployment, the feature had no attribution. Bateman feels badly about what happened. So does Twitter, which reached out to the celebrity. And Bateman think there's a lesson in this for us, too: That she's not the technological bumbler Gawker has made her out to be. In fact she's testified to the U.S. Senate on the geeky political issue of Net Neutrality, and has staked her future on her online production company. We did not know that! Let's review the various lessons. Lessons: For Bateman: Bateman said she loves that Tumblr offers her the opportunity to speak directly, including to critics and people she's upset with, without going through layers of publicists. "Do I write back sharply? Ya, it comes off like that." In this case, that strength became a liability: "Did I react too quickly? Yes... I'm used to the Tumblr community. I forget people in the media are following my blog... It's like [on Tumblr] saying to your friends, 'Can you believe this shit?'" "I had an immediate reaction... it reminds me of when they put ads at head of feature films. It's like an incessant streams of ads before you see your movie." Bateman later elaborated on the differences between the two situations, but you get the idea. "My lesson is: next time I'll email the founders of the company. And wait 24 hours before I do." Bateman has since contacted the people she name-called and, in deference to their good names, she says, removed her posts about them. For Twitter: Bateman said the microblogging service's co-founders assured her that the incident was a glitch, and that they don't intend to monetize Twitter through post placement, despite those tweets from West Elm and Vanity Fair. She wrote about... MORE >>
McSteamy v. Gawker Media, LLC
Eric Dane and Rebecca Gayheart filed a federal copyright suit against Gawker Media in California yesterday morning, seeking more than $1 million and an injunction against our publication of this video. Here's the complaint. The complaint, written by Hollywood lawyer Marty Singer, claims that Dane and Gayheart own the copyright to the video. Reporter Mark Ebner is also listed as a defendant. MORE >>
Glee: Big Dreams for Destiny's Children
Is this show called A Gay Guy, Two Pregnant Chicks, and a Pizza Place That Sponsors a Football Team, because last night, that's what it was. What it lacked in music it made up for in soul—and Beyoncé. After taking center stage last week (where he belongs), babygay Kurt managed to make us cry real tears again this week. Now that he's a hero on the football team (cherish those locker room memories BGK) and come out to just about everyone, we hope that he will stop making us cry real tears. But probably not. At least this week, he was touching and triumphant. That can't be said for all of the characters, plenty of whom were scheming for their own survival and plenty who were willing to do just about anything to keep their hopes and dreams alive. Single Ladies: Though this was the first time we'd hear this song, it wasn't the last, and it became more and more public with each time we heard it, taking Babygay Kurt from the shame of his basement to the glory of the football field. First, a shout out for Kurt's bedroom, which manages to look like a minimalist loft in a highrise in Hell's Kitchen while still being in his father's basement in Lima, Ohio. Way to design on a dime Kurt. He gets the girls over for a little "Single Ladies" YouTube video training, and gets caught by his father. To cover up his shame, Kurt further isolates himself in the closet by lying to his father and telling him that he's straight and on the football team. Dad seems skeptical. Um, duh. Also in isolation is Quinn, who is pregnant and the president of the celibacy club. Oh, Quinn, you ignorant slut. She tells Finn that he impregnated her when his trick to imagine running over the mailman to keep from "arriving" too early doesn't work, and he makes a mess all over her in the hot tub. She has decided she's keeping the baby, but can't tell her parents—who we assume are conservative—or the rest of the school because, well, she's a giant hypocrite. Just as Quinn's baby has her trapped, so does Terri's lack of a baby. She finally confesses to her hysterical sister about her hysterical pregnancy. Kendra tells Terri not to tell the truth but to keep lying. We knew we liked Kendra for a reason. Now, where to get a baby (taps index finger on chin)...? Emma seems like she's in isolation, even though she's still dating Ken. The scowl of dissatisfaction on her face in the lunchroom was enough to make you want to wash your body down in Purell and give her a giant hug and tell her that everything would be spotless for the rest of her life. Rachel also has to strike out on her own when Will gives Tina (that stuttering Asian girl has a name, and now we know it's Tina!) a West Side Story solo and Rachel revolts because has had a "close personal relationship with that role since the age of one." Another legacy from her gay daddies we're sure. She storms out of rehearsal, and later Will goes to talk some sense into her, but she isn't having it. Will says he wants to give... MORE >>
Old People Continue To Rule Us With Iron Fists
Let's fire up those Death Panels! (That is still funny and relevant, right?) Old people are once again responsible for our Broken Politics. First of all, you just know that most old white people are birthers. Right? There is probably a poll somewhere, but let's just go with our gut here. For years now, Old People, who are already naturally conservative, have been listening to Talk Radio and then Fox News, and that has made them go from "cranky mildly racist conservatives" to "radical right-wing conspiracy theorists who are terrified of literally everything." Also: old people are the only people who vote consistently. They are bored and lonely, so if someone offers them a chance to get out of the house for a bit, they will go. You get a sticker and some brief human contact, it's great! As we all remember, it was old Jews in Florida who kept accidentally voting for Pat Buchanan, who was most recently heard from defending Hitler, again. And that is why 9/11 happened (BUSH KNEW). And because they are the only people who vote in midterms, old people live in a government-sponsored socialist utopia. Free health care and guaranteed lifetime pensions and "public television"! It is glorious. The effect of a bunch of lazy welfare-queen old people being radically conservative in thought is the curious specter of Republicans suddenly fighting against any reduction in Medicare, at all. But they have found one variety of Medicare that they can actually support without compromising their precious ideals (hah): Medicare Advantage, which is a program in which the government just gives money to private insurance companies. The Democrats have decided that it would be more "fiscally responsible" to just pay the same amount for people with Medicare Advantage as they pay in "Medicare Classic." Well, most of the Democrats have decided this. Florida Senator Bill Nelson, though, has decided that that might scare the old people who make up almost his entire constituency. So he is fighting to protect Medicare Advantage but pretty much only for Old People in Florida. Here is Bill Nelson explaining his tough stand: Throughout it all, Mr. Nelson said he would remember advice he once received from Claude Pepper, a Florida congressman and champion for the elderly: "Bill, I want you to look out for our seniors. Someone has to look out for them." Someone has to! And that "someone" turns out to be literally everyone elected to a national office because America is a hellish geriarchy. MORE >>
Click here to safely unsubscribe now from "Gawker: Top Stories" or change your subscription or subscribe
| Your requested content delivery powered by FeedBlitz, LLC, 9 Thoreau Way, Sudbury, MA 01776, USA. +1.978.776.9498 |
No comments:
Post a Comment