Friday, June 03, 2005

URGENT: Dickhead is producing a TV show

This is going to be the WORST TV show ever. It is going to make Walker, Texas Ranger look ingenious.

MITCH INKS TV PILOT FOR CBS AND DREAMWORKS

Mitch Albom has written a one hour drama that CBS hopes to broadcast next fall. The series centers on the media war between a newspaper and a TV station in modern day Philadelphia. The characters deal with the power, stress, and enormous ethical tussles that come with being the keepers of the news - and of course, there is a love triangle - as the series' lead newspaperman is smitten with his old flame, now a TV anchorwoman. Each week will deal with one day in the life of these colorful people.

The lead character will be played by Gil Bellows, the former star of "Ally McBeal." Dreamworks and producer Gary David Goldberg ("Spin City", "Family Ties") are Mitch's partners and will co-produce the project. Stay tuned for more updates on the actual filming.


There is SO much to make fun of about this, especially the "ethics" angle. Goddammit, it's going to be SO non-edgy and lame that I'm almost excited for it. No, I'm excited for the first-season DVD to come out in a few years. I hope Mitch throws down some commentary. Such a renaissance man. Such an asshole.

Oh, and here's the guy playing the lead role (who no doubt is supposed to be like Mitchie):


8 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

You are so hot. Your balls must be huge.

3:05 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

At least the show will have colorful people.

Your picture of the lead guy isn't showing up, by the way.

6:53 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

im glad someone is standing up for the readers of detroit victim to the decrepit journalism of the detnews and especially freepress. even if albom was once a good writer, his articles of the last 3 years repeat the same 3 formulaic gimmics over and over again, just filling in the blanks each week whether it makes since or is truthful or not.

5:13 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The hockey puck said to the guy who just wrote that comment, "True that."

11:07 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Morrie:

While I enjoy this infant blog (one which I hope grows into adulthood-- i.e. I hope it stays around and isn't another fly-by-night blog that appears, makes me laugh, and then goes away unexpectedly), I wonder whether or not it can be sustained. You've already proven what a terrible writer Mitch is, in your first two postings. What else is there to say? Then again, perhaps I didn't need convincing (I've always been puzzled by Albom's popularity).

You are certainly skilled at analyizing Albom's columns. I would personally like to see more of these in-depth anaylises. Dedicating your postings to the morons who disagree with you is probably a waste of time (have any of them responded to your angry rebutes yet? And would it even matter if they did?).

You issue pure hatred. Use it. Break down his so-called columns into nice little chunks and illustrate how awful a writer Albom is. Your first entry is still your funniest because you did just that.

In another early post you lambasted some anonymous person for asking whether or not reposting a copyrighted column was legal. Please don't get angry at me for this, but your response to that person was wrong. I speak now as a lawyer (my practice deals with patents, but I digress): whether you cite your source or not, whether you attribute the work to the original author or not, reposting original works *definitely* infringes on the copyright holder's rights.

So how do you continue your criticisms without breaking the law (i.e. without risking a lawsuit)?

Easy. Pick and choose which parts of Albom's columns you attack. You can quote them; that's fair usage (think of book reviews in your local paper). You can provide your readers with links to the entire article, too, but posting the entire article is dangerous.

Why? Because although Albom's column is free to anyone wishing to find it (through his Detroit paper, or the others who pick it up), he still retains his rights on the work. So if the Chicago Tribune decided to publish his article, he could demand payment, or sue them if they didn't pay.

His columns may be terrible, but they're still his.

In closing, I suggest you do two things. First, get back to your roots, the reason(s) you hate Albom's writings. And second, stop republishing his works unless you get permission (I have a feeling he won't oblige you here).

Critique. Tear apart. You're on the right track, just don't lose the focus!

Dripare

11:52 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Nice post, Dripare, but I want to clarify one point: It is highly unlikely that Albom owns the copyrights to his columns. As with most work by staffers at newspapers and magazines, he is creating work-for-hire for the Detroit Free Press, which would be the copyright holder on all such material.

Your overall point stands, however. Reposting full articles is definitely infringement -- and leaves this blog's operator more vulnerable to legal attack by the Free Press and/or Knight-Ridder, the newspaper's parent. (Not to mention, it's just ethically wrong.)

Excerpting portions of the columns for comment is the best way to go, if this site is to stick around.

10:34 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The hockey stick said to the last two posts, "Definitely true."

3:43 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Buh? No post today?

9:38 AM  

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