Jay Cutler Walks Around Mall In LA, Upsets Chicago Bears Fans

Chicago Bears Jay Cutler, who's image has already been destroyed on Twitter, was captured on video by TMZ.com while walking around an LA shopping center with his girl friend, Actress Kristin Cavallari.

The TMZ video person, obviously not in tune with pop culture news, failed to ask Cutler how his knee was coming along. But the video shows he was walking around without hesitation, bringing up the question of "Exactly how hurt was his knee?"

We may never know.

But the real issue for Jay and the Chicago Bears should be as much Offensive Coordinator Mike Martz as it is Jay Cutler. This blogger thinks Cutler basically got tired of being left as a sitting duck due to a bad offensive game plan.

And even when backup QB Caleb Hanie came in to replace Todd Collins and Cutler before him, Martz play calling was questionable - especially that end-around he called with 1:27 left in the game.

That play ran something like six seconds off the clock and gained no yards. Plus, he called it on third down and something like 10 yards to go.

It's a wonder Bears fans aren't calling for Martz head. But it's because people tend to react to what they see; since offensive coordinators are seldom in the public eye, they commonly escape blame for a quarterback's bad game.

Academy Awards "Whitest In 10 Years?" Means American Media Grew Up

For a time today, searching for "Academy Awards" results in Google News revealed a shocking result: CNN and The Huffington Post, to name some of the major outlets, pointing out that there are no major black award nominees at this year's 83rd Academy Awards.

While that news is sad, the fact that more mainstream media outlets are pointing to this is something to be celebrated.

Since many such news outlets are mostly white, it means a new generation of young white writers and bloggers are not afraid to hold up a collective mirror at an American Institution, as the Academy Awards are, and say "You need to diversify, dude!" The question is, what can or will AMPAS, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, do to make up for this problem?

What AMPAS can do is have more presenters of color. The Academy just sent a press release announcing that Hugh Jackman will be a presenter. Ah, good for the talented Jackman, but that's not solving the diversity demographic problem.

It's logical to assert that if the 83rd Academy Awards are seen as "too white," people may not watch it to the degree that they did last year.  Think about it: we're seeing the emergence of a group of young white people who really embrace diversity and not just as an idea, but as an ideal.   That means if they think the Oscars are too white, they just may not tune in at the levels that AMPAS would like to see to do better in ratings than for 2010.

AMPAS has a problem.

Why not invite an entertainer like Beyonce or Lee Daniels (The Producer of Precious) to be a presenter? Why not Zoe Saldana from Avatar? Yes, The Academy would be seen as dealing with a diversity problem, but so what?

That's the way people should think.

Bravo to American Media for noticing this Oscars problem and pointing to it.

Now, if the New York Times would say something about this, we'll throw a party!

Goals & Hope

An update from Nikky Raney, Executive Editor.
Lack of posts have been from some very important things that have been going on that have been quite.. intense and time consuming.. but there will be a Jersey Shore recap tonight.

MTA to Restore Service in Aftermath of Storm

At MTA.info the Metropolitan Transportation Authorities are working hard to restore their services. For quite a few residents in New York the transit and metros are their only means of transportation from place to place other than taxis - so having a lack of public transportation has really become something detrimental for those in the area.

The site says:

The MTA is working hard to restore service in the aftermath of a storm that dumped more than a foot of snow in parts of the region. Service is suspended in parts of the system as crews continue to remove snow and ice from tracks, switches, stations and roadways. Please check back to MTA.info for the latest updates, allow extra time and be careful when walking and boarding.

The site then lists specifics for each transit including New York City Transit,  MTA Bus, Long Island Railroad, Long Island Bus, Metro-North Railroad, and others.

CBS gave an update that many of the services have been restored, but to keep checking on the actual site for more information that is up-to-date.

Academy Awards News: Oscars Social Media Effort Slammed

After a lot of badgering in 2010, and by emails from folks like this blogger, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) is finally stepping out and giving social media a go (even has a Twitter account @TheAcademy). But the problem is that while AMPAS effort shows all of the typical markings of the Hollywood organization that just doesn't get it, it is to be congratulated for at least giving it a go, and the tech pubs aren't playing along with that idea.

Now, here's what AMPAS did wrong. (And why it's a bad idea to send press releases to snarky tech publications.)

First, AMPAS must realize the whole idea behind social media and new media is to quickly and cheaply disseminate information. Period. As one who's been involved with this since before "social media" became a term, and Marc Canter, arguably the inventor of the social network, was talking to me about the "People Aggregator" way back in 2002, the idea was as much about sharing info as connecting with people.

That means, in this case, AMPAS has to do one thing: produce content. That means The Academy must have its own blog - it doesn't.  And that's a sure sign the social media efforts not going to work as well as it could. A blog, connected to @TheAcademy twitter page, Facebook, YouTube, MySpace, Hi5, and other platforms, like FriendFeed, will allow it to rapidly distribute information. It can even use the contents from its own press releases.

And AMPAS effort has totally forgotten its YouTube page (which hasn't been updated in a month). So while the revamped website will have "cams" for the "winners walk" and the "dressing room," and all for $4.99, it will not have new videos uploaded to its YouTube page, then sent to its blog, then Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms.  (Plus, it lacks a Twitter follow button at the top!)

In other words, AMPAS has totally missed the fact that social media is really about sharing your content. And to do that, it means you've got to what?

That's right: produce content.

The other thing AMPAS missed was that it sent a press release targeted at tech publications and totally avoided its press base, where its fans are, which are far less likely to be nasty about AMPAS efforts.  I didn't get a press release on this, or even an email, and this news isn't popping up at Awards Daily.   That's a HUGE error.

Why?

Because by issuing a press release to the tech pubs, AMPAS is acting like an unattractive cougar placing herself on the lap of a disinterested 20-year-old: all that will come from the act is a set of snarky comments, and that's what Fast Company ("Academy Awards nominees were just announced--but Oscar hyperbole is already in full swing.") and TIME's TechLand ("Oscars Revamp Website, Realize Social Media Exists") have provided.

And that shows the biggest problem, one that's typical in Hollywood today: segregationist thinking applied to tech. That is, "I've heard of you, there for you must be the right publication." People, especially Hollywood PR folks, make this mistake all the time.

The 21st Century reality is that the PR person is supposed to know how to use tech to share information with a wide audience and always starts with their base - their fans - who are in a lot of cases more well-connected online and know tech as well as the tech pubs.

That's true for the people on AMPAS press list, but The Academy just ignored them!

So AMPAS should have sent a press release out to its list, and then created a blog and a video that it placed on YouTube, Blip.tv, and other video platforms using Tubemogul, then distributed it with Twitter and Google Buzz. The idea is a simple one: make your own news, share it with your friends, and spread it around.

And AMPAS has a lot of news to share.

In the case of Tech, AMPAS forgot its friends, and that's why it failed in this initial effort. But the good news is The Academy can always get back on that horse and ride again.

Oakland's Jack London Inn Called "Second Dirtiest Hotel" In America

Oakland, California's Jack London Inn could use better publicity than this, but at least it's getting noticed. This YouTube video presents the hotel in a condition that reportedly is far afield from normal, which is to say "clean."



Gawker called the place right across the railroad tracks from Jack London Square the "Second Dirtiest Hotel" in America.

Moreover, the blog post includes an at best unflattering and at worst horrifying example of what a guest is likely to witness if they stay at the JL Inn:

Because the Jack London Inn has that mirrored film on the windows, I didn't notice the 4 VERY salty cops in the lobby conducting an investigation of what sounded like a murderous brawl until I was standing among them in the cramped lobby. A person I inferred was a WITNESS was handcuffed to a chair. The cop was basically telling a nervous young man in a ghetto fab ensemble, "Look, if we take in we'll have to process you for this huge, no-bail, extradition warrant out for your arrest. Or, we can take you in the back and you can give us GOOD INFO about what happened up there and you can handle your business before you get arrested again, 'cuz next time you go away, it's gonna be for a long time." I was kind of surprised they would be doing this in a publicly accessible area, but they seemed as surprised to see me as I was to see them. This shit was straight out of "Training Day."

That should give the managers and owners of the JL Inn cause for concern.  But maybe they just don't have the cash for improvements?  Regardless, the hotel needs to clean up its image.

The Jack London Inn is a great example of why we have and need the California Redevelopment Agencies California Governor Jerry Brown wants to wrong-headedly get rid of. The area's blighted and Oaklanders know it.   The JL Inn needs to be declared a safety hazard, sold, and rebuilt.

U-Cubed Response to Obama's State of the Union Address

Here is the U-Cubed response to Obama's State of the Union Address yesterday. It is short and directly to the point (so unlike my own 99er response on YouTube earlier today).

From the U-Cubed Website:

Last night President Barack Obama issued a BURN NOTICE for jobless Americans. They are to remain in limbo — without jobs, without relief, without hope — until long after his term ends. Their careers, credit, savings and homes are forfeit. And the government he leads will do little to alleviate their distress.

For the 99ers whose benefits are exhausted and the 62 percent of the jobless who never qualified for unemployment, President Barack Obama had neither kind words nor new policies. In fact, he spoke as if they did not exist.

As a result, millions of jobless Americans were left to their own devices. Now they must rely on friends and family to simply survive. And survive they will. But they will never forget nor will they forgive the BURN NOTICE issued during this State of the Union.

Acting Executive Director,
Rick Sloan

Wow - very well put!

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