 |
|
Ken Womack/The Morning News with a Dear Hollywood letter (I wish they were all this good):
Dear Hollywood:
It seems like lately you've been out of touch. I know that you've been busy, of course, what with your summer blockbuster season and all. Heck, it must take a lot of time and energy to promote all those movies! By the way, what happened to Gigli? It only came out a few weeks ago, and yet it no longer seems to be playing at my local Cineplex. ....
... there was also a commercial promoting you, Hollywood. Yeah, I was surprised, too. The commercial features a set painter named David Goldstein. Apparently, he's worked on films like Dick Tracy, Beverly Hills Cop, and Father of the Bride. What a résumé! Did you know that he even met his future wife on the set of The Big Chill? (By the way, David, is that a two-toned beard? Makeup!)
In any event, it turns out that people like David -- the construction, sound, and lighting personnel -- are worried about the effects of piracy on the movie industry. Piracy sure has turned the world of popular music upside down. And you've got to reckon that -- sooner or later -- those rascals on the Internet will figure out how to pirate DVDs at a much faster rate. And when that happens -- well, let's just say that it will no longer take four hours to download Ishtar… ....
Which brings me to why I'm really writing this letter: Why shouldn't I feel like pirating movies or buying contraband DVDs on the Internet? You've been obviously lining your pockets at my expense for decades, and now you're threatening to fire some poor guy so that you can make me feel guilty. Who do you think you are?
He makes a very good point about piracy and customer relationships (As does Katie Hafner/NYTimes today. Remember, those kids will be voting in a few years!). Pointer from Choire/Gawker.
Posted by Mary Hodder at September 18, 2003 08:04 AM