I cannot claim this idea as my own, but I love it so much that I had to blog about it. I woke up this AM and checked Twitter and saw that @joshmalina, an actor whom I don't know, but whose work I have followed (West Wing, Big Shots - yeah, I watched that, so what?, I confessed as much to Michael Vartan when I interviewed him), posted the brilliant idea of tweeting your worst reviews. Ha!!!! I am SO DOWN for that.
Here's the thing about bad reviews: they may be eviscerating, gut-punching, vomit-inducing at the time, but I promise, you can look back at them and giggle. I swear. Case in point: when The Department came out, the Washington Post ripped me a new one. I mean, it was like the reviewer knew me and launched a personal attack. (Seriously, my agent saw it and called me to ask if I knew her!) The review, at the time, literally gave me the shakes - it was physically revolting. But now, omg, I saw Josh's tweet, and I'm actually laughing as I try to find the review on the internet to post it up. I mean, seriously! It was one stinking review that the reviewer took a little too seriously.
Anyway, whether you're on twitter or not (and if you are, come post your own bad review!), this is just a good reminder that this too shall pass. :)
Twitter: TOTAL PAN TUESDAY! #tpant
My twitter tag: @aswinn
UPDATE: Josh stops by in the comments section and weighs in! Say hi to him below!
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20 comments:
Well in that case I have no option but to tweet!
Cheers
Fabulous idea. I can include the review of my book that started, "You must be kidding..."
Fond memories :)
AWS -- Thanks for the plug! Since you mention both wretched reviews and Big Shots, a quick anecdote:
I have always read and reveled in reading reviews, pleasant and not so. Occasionally I am reminded that not all actors take this tack, as when I brought a sheaf of truly horrible notices to the set of BS. I don't know...I just thought they were funny.
Later that day I got a call from my press guy who had gotten a call from the main ABC press guy saying "WTF! Why is Josh bringing shitty reviews to the set?! That's crazy!" We had all laughed at them, but apparently someone wasn't so amused. Out of a sense of diplomacy I'll provide only his initials: D(ylan) M(cDermott). In any event, I told the ABC guy to bug off. I suggested his time might be better spent fighting the tsunami of bad BS press, than chastising 42 year old actors.
Oh well...DM's a great guy, and perhaps it is best to ignore the vitriol. But until then...
IT'S TOTAL PAN TUESDAY ON TWITTER! #tpant
Come join the fun. You'll find me at @joshmalina.
Until we meet, I'll have my head buried in THE DEPARTMENT OF LOST AND FOUND which looks wonderful.
xoxo,
jm
Josh-
Thank you, thank you (in all seriousness!) for sharing those insights. Honestly, I share your perspective about reviews, and I often say as much here on the blog, reminding authors and aspiring authors to not take them as gravely as we sometimes do.
Btw, I LOVE the above story! Hee! Vartan and I talked about BS (hmmm, interesting initials, I'm referring to Big Shots) for a while a few weeks ago, and I loved his humor about the whole thing too.
Readers - for those of you who haven't been following us on Twitter, Josh loved my horrid WashPo review so much that he bought the book. LOVE IT! Go follow him - I haven't laughed this hard in a while. :)
And JOSH, I must interview you for your next project. We'll make it happen!
Thanks again for the brilliant idea of TOTAL PAN TUESDAY!
AWS
I have nothing to say about bad reviews, but OMG JOSH MALINA WAS HERE. If anyone else from Sports Night shows up on the blog I might pass out.
Now I'm convinced Twitter might actually be good for something.
Josh rocks for suggesting this and you rock for doing it. (Do the kids say "rock" anymore?)
If I had any (reviews I mean - not good/bad ones) as a writer, I'd so share them. I had a few as an actor but they were positive (I totally paid them off).
Jeremy Goodwin, all right.
Alli...since you're on a bonding kick with Mr. Malina (of whom, I am a very big fan), thought you might appreciate the article below.
http://www.nytimes.com/1990/11/11/nyregion/all-the-stage-is-two-cousins-world.html?scp=3&sq=malina%20few%20good%20men&st=cse
OMG! I can't believe you unearthed this! This article has always been my secret shame. It was this experience that taught me never to take "news" at its word.
I never, ever said the phrase "dishing up the self" -- perhaps the most self-important description an actor could give to his profession -- which appears in this article! My cousin Joel still taunts me with it!
Very, very funny. And the many interviews I have done since, have in fact proven the old adage "don't believe everything your read." It is rare that I am not somehow misquoted in some sort of cringe-inducing way.
xo,
j
along the lines of - if you dont laugh you'll cry!
Elie-
Really, where did you get that? Love it!
Josh -
I've been getting emails from people all day who are too shy to post but are so excited you chimed in!
Thx again!
Allison
You need not be shy, people! I'm married for almost 13 years, with two kids. No one here wants to interact with me. I'm all yours...
j
j - This might be the most succinct, apt description of husbands/fathers ever. :)
I'm writing people back and telling them to post here instead of to me!
All I want to do is mumble inanities like "Jeremy 4-eva" and other unintelligible stuff. Jeremy and Natalie gave hope for smart, nerdy couples everywhere. Oh God, see what I mean?
OK. Josh, you're pretty awesome and I was so happy to see you walk through the doors of West Wing. (Too bad they never gave the Danica McK storyline any legs ... you two made a good team.) And I'm so glad to hear you're a Dad. I'll bet you're a great one.
Running away now.
sandra
Josh -- You did more than replace Rob Lowe on WW -- you did him one better. The relationship between you and Richard Schiff was fantastic. Please tell me you protested the plot shift when you went to work for the VP. You should have stayed!
I don't want to go on for fear of sounding like a crazed mumu wearing WW blogger, which I'm not. Totally sane writer and mom of two here who just happens to own the whole WW.
Like my buddy Sandra, running away now...
Denise
Sandra and Denise:
Thanks for the kinds words; they are much appreciated. For the record, I was disappointed when will Bailey hitched his wagon to Bingo Bob, but alas I am but a cog in the machine. They write and I obey....
And Richard Schiff, Sabrina LLoyd and danica M. were all great fun to work with. One of the (many) nice things about working for Aaron, is he opportunity to work with great actors.
xo,
j
WTF?! I just launched a blog on Monday about this VERY THING. It's called THE WORST REVIEW EVER: www.theworstreviewever.blogspot.com. This is too creepy. Hmmmm.
Love this idea, Josh and Allison! Fantastic.
I love this blog so much.
http://www.trishlawrence.com/blog
@trishlawrence
Josh, I hope you also bought Time of My Life because that is an AMAZING BOOK!
Off topic, but in keeping with the swine flu epidemic, my word verification is PORKETA!
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