Our critics speak!

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

I wasn’t expecting a huge cascade of accolades when I signed on to start this new blog. After all, for a newspaper to launch a blog in an era when it’s become something of a sport to dismiss newspapers as creaky, irrelevant and in financial free-fall, is almost like turning around, pushing your tush up in the air and saying, ‘Go ahead -- kick me!’ The early reviews are in and, as they say in show biz, they are mixed. But I figured if I’m going to shoot off my mouth, I oughta be able to take a few punches in return.

Mediabistro was especially nice, wishing us luck and calling The Big Picture ‘one of our favorite columns at the paper.’ They also asked me a bunch of questions, including whether I planned to shower and dress before working, which I guess comes with the territory. The New York Observer has a piece up today that’s very even-handed, offering both plaudits and brickbats, but always quoting me accurately. I suspect they were hoping to stir up a fight between me and Deadline Hollywood Daily’s own Nikki Finke, but alas, neither of us took the bait. Nikki even said I was ‘one of the nicest people I’ve ever met,’ though being Nikki, she felt compelled to add, ‘That’s my problem with it. He’s way too nice,’ believing I’ll need more of an edge to compete online.

The worst notices came from Movie City News’ David Poland, who seems to spend most of his waking hours ridiculing the LA Times (and myself) as old-media dinosaurs. So it was hardly a surprise that he didn’t have anything positive to say, dismissing my column as being ‘lunchified, arrogant and meaningless to anyone who isn’t one of his potential victims/subjects.’ Apparently he is outraged that an entertainment reporter would regularly have lunch with agents, managers, producers and studio executives as a way of digging up good stories. (I guess David’s own ‘Lunch With David,’ where he has lunch with actors and filmmakers somehow doesn’t count.) He says they rarely have anything to say that is anything but ‘self-serving.’ David, here’s a tip: Those self-serving insiders are a lot smarter than you think. Spend a little more time with them. Who knows -- maybe some of their brain power might rub off on you!