Woody Harrelson Gets Chased Out of Reddit

Woody Harrelson is starring in a new drama called Rampart. I haven’t seen it yet, but I’ve heard it is pretty solid.

A few days ago, some PR wizards decided to use Reddit’s “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) community to do a little publicity for Rampart. They created a page for him that read as follows:

Hi Reddit, it’s Woody here. I’m in New York today doing interviews for my new film RAMPART, which opens in theaters on February 10th. I’ll be checking in from 3-4EST today and will get to as many of your questions as I can, so start asking now! Be back soon.

A deluge of questions followed, as is typical for these AMAs. However, either Harrelson or the PR people running his account were instructed to only answer questions about Rampart (or in ways that referred explicitly to Rampart). In fact, if you read some of his answers, they sound like they’re coming straight out of a press kit for Rampart. As a result, Harrelson ignored the vast majority of other non-related questions, thus violating the “spirit” of Reddit’s AMA section.

Subsequent to this was a Reddit backlash the likes of which has rarely been seen. Reddit was outraged (OUTRAGED!) that Harrelson had attempted to use the site to brazenly promote his new film. But while others have done this sort of promotion in the past (e.g. Louis CK), Harrelson’s attempt struck the community is totally inauthentic and blatantly self-serving. The site is now awash with meme pictures of Harrelson, unpleasant trivia about Harrelson’s family, as well as rumors of some kind of sexual liason that Harrelson ostensibly participated in with a high school student in LA.

PR professionals, take notice: do not toy with forces beyond your control or understanding. Speak to communities such as Reddit correctly and they will reward you with lavish praise and tons of page views. But do it with a hint of insincerity and they will respond with the anger of a thousand suns.

[In fact, to state the obvious, when it comes to this sort of online promotion, or ANY online promotion, the less PR people are involved, the better and more interesting the resulting content usually is.]

The iEconomy

The New York Times has been doing a phenomenal job assessing the human and economic toll of all Apple’s wonderful, magical gadgets. Their first piece explained why it is we’ll never seen an iPhone manufactured in the United States. The second one delves into the corners that are cut in order to deliver iPhones and iPads, and the tragedy that can result.

Apple has been in the news a lot for this lately. A recent, fairly effective episode of This American Life showed the personal side of this process. That episode presumably forced Apple to respond, which resulted in a response in kind from This American Life.

Apple fanboys have expectedly rushed to Apple’s defense, and while they are only partially correct, I feel there is a coming reckoning for all of this. At least, I hope there will be. Throughout all this reporting, there emerges one fundamental truth: if Apple really wanted the conditions at factories to be completely humane, it could make it happen. It could insist. It could create a supply chain that was beyond reproach. Sure, they might need to charge a bit more for their products. Their profit margins might not be the same. They might not be able to make as many iPads per quarter as they can at the moment. But they could theoretically do it.

They don’t, because no one cares. They don’t because the voices of their shareholders are louder than the voices of their consumers (who are voting with their dollars and buying products left and right).

At some point, the American people will need to see the human cost of all of our toys. When that day finally arrives, may it also bring dramatic change along with it.

Did Jonah Really Get Swallowed by a Whale?

In this unexpectedly lyrical piece, Ben Shattuck tries to figure out if anyone in human history has ever been swallowed by a whale, then emerged days later in one piece to tell about it.

I’d like to believe in swallowings, but it’s tough. There is no air in the stomach, for one. There are acids. And if we are talking about sperm whales, which we are most of the time, there is the deadly passage through the 30-foot jaws lined with 8-inch teeth.

Still, you’d like to think it’s possible. You want to believe in an animal that can fit you inside them — that you might be consumed not piece-by-piece, mouthful-by-mouthful as sharks and bears would eat you, but wholly; to be encased as your full self, womb-like.

A Justified Podcast

I recently launched a new experiment to get into TV podcasting: a show based on the FX series Justified. The goal is to assemble some of the best television writers on the internet to do weekly recaps/reviews of each episode. Justified is so rich in its writing and so well-directed that I doubt we’ll ever lack in terms of topics to discuss.

Below you’ll find links to subscribe to the show. If this show performs well (in terms of subscribers and reviews in iTunes), then I’ll almost definitely do more shows down the line that are dedicated to specific TV shows. So please, rate it! Subscribe to it! Spread the word! Enjoy!

Subscribe to The JustifiedCast:

The Wonder of ‘Certified Copy’

I watched Abbas Kiarostami’s Certified Copy this evening, and I still don’t know quite what to make of it. The film plays with the viewer’s perception of time and reality in ways that are unexpected, jarring and confusing. Several different interpretations have sprung up to explain the events of the film. All I know is that it’s a film that is well-acted, gorgeously shot, and demanding of your attention. I took to the internet to try to make heads or tails of it.

I hope to share more thoughts on this later, whether here or on the /Filmcast. [Update: here’s our review!] In the meantime, here are a bunch of links that I found valuable in helping me to think through the film.

Perhaps the richest interpretation comes from Michael Sincinski over at Mubi.

Jim Emerson adds to Sicinski’s remarks and brings in some other knowledgeable critics as well.

As usual, Ebert has what I’d describe as a “sensible” take. It’s one that I initially agreed with, but find myself drifting away from rapidly.

Lastly, Keith Phipps has a beautiful review of the film at AV Club.

Designing a Public Toilet That Lasts

Fascinating story about why Portland’s public toilets are among the best:

On Jan. 31, Portland officials will christen the city’s fifth loo, at NW Couch St. and 8th Ave., with an inaugural flush. With inspirational artwork furnished by students at the nearby Emerson elementary school, it could be the most popular yet. But how did these sleek compartments of metal and plastic, which may smell slightly of urine, become a cult hit among Portland’s bathroom aficionados?

Simple: They’re not as crappy as other cities’ toilets.

The Gang of Four

The above photo means a lot to me. Let me explain why.

This photo, taken on a hill overlooking the Seattle skyline, shows me, Stephen Tobolowsky, Stephen’s wife Ann, and Jeff Hansen, Program Director at KUOW (the public radio station in Seattle).

We were about a year into The Tobolowsky Files when Jeff approached me to put the show on the air in Seattle, WA. Jeff took a massive chance on us. It was a chance that few other Program Directors would have taken, but one that paid off handsomely for all the parties involved. The Tobolowsky Files is now doing quite well on KUOW, well enough that we were able to sell out an audience of 850 people at Seattle’s Neptune Theatre.

This photograph was taken on the morning that Stephen and I performed The Tobolowsky Files live at the Neptune. Here, you can hear the audio of my intro that evening:

So why the importance of the photo? Because to me, it shows the power of an idea. It shows that with a few committed people, you can put together something of value, something that enriches people’s lives, something that brings them joy and intellectual stimulation. With the perfect confluence of the creative abilities of only a few individuals, wonderful things can happen.

Each of us played a role in this enterprise. This photo was the first time we were all together in one place. I treasure the photo for the moment it captures, but also for the promise that it implies.

Its lesson to me: don’t stop dreaming. You never know what is possible.