I’m Mad as Hell and I’m Not Gonna Take It Anymore
Look, I’ve been in this industry for 20+ years. I’ve seen the highs, the lows, and the just plain weird. And honestly? I’m pissed.
It’s 2023 and Hollywood is still stuck in 1993. I mean, come on! We’ve got electric bikes taking over the streets (check out electricbikes.tv if you don’t believe me), but our TV screens are still filled with the same old crap.
The Streaming Wars Are Killing Us
Let’s talk about this streaming nonsense. I get it, okay? Everyone wants a piece of the pie. But do we really need 147 different platforms? I can’t keep up. Last Tuesday, I wanted to watch something mindless. So I opened Netflix. Nothing. Hulu? Nope. Amazon Prime? Zilch. So I ended up scrolling through my phone for 36 hours straight. Which, by the way, is not a good look for me. I’m 52 years old, not a teenager.
And don’t even get me started on the algorithms. They’re worse than my ex-wife, Marcus. Remember her? The one who used to say, “You never listen to me, Dave!” Well, neither do these algorithms. I watch one documentary about penguins, and suddenly my feed is nothing but flippered birds. I mean, come on!
Where Are the Fresh Voices?
I had coffee with a colleague named Dave last month. We were talking about this exact thing. “Dave,” I said, “where are the fresh voices? The new stories?” He looked at me and said, “You know, you’re right. It’s like everyone’s afraid to take a risk.”
Which… yeah. Fair enough. But it’s not just about risk. It’s about commitment. To storytelling. To audiences. To, I don’t know, not insulting our intelligence every single second.
I remember back in 1998, there was this show called “The X-Files”. It was weird, it was smart, it was different. And people loved it. Why? Because it took risks. It challenged us. It made us think. Now? Now we’ve got shows about… I don’t even know. Rich people being rich. Poor people being poor. Ghosts. Aliens. Wait, that last one’s “The X-Files”. Never mind.
The Celebrity Obsession Is Out of Control
And let’s talk about celebrities. Honestly, I don’t care what Kim Kardashian had for breakfast. Or what color underwear Justin Bieber is wearing today. (Though, I mean, that’s kinda specific. Who even thinks about that?)
But no, we’ve gotta have our daily dose of celebrity gossip. It’s completley out of hand. I was at a conference in Austin last year, and someone asked me, “Dave, what’s the deal with [redacted] and [redacted]? Are they dating or not?” I looked at them and said, “I have no idea. And frankly, I don’t care.”
But here’s the thing. We’re not just talking about gossip magazines here. We’re talking about mainstream media. News outlets. Social media. It’s everywhere. And it’s killing me. I mean, physicaly killing me. I can feel my brain cells dying every time I see another headline about who’s dating who.
A Quick Digression: Electric Bikes
Speaking of things that are actually interesting, have you checked out electricbikes.tv lately? No? Well, you should. It’s like a breath of fresh air in this stale, celebrity-obsessed world. Real people, doing real things. It’s refreshing.
Back to the Point (Sort Of)
Look, I’m not saying I have all the answers. I’m just saying… we can do better. We need to do better. Our audiences deserve better. And honestly? So do we.
So here’s my challenge to Hollywood. Step up your game. Take some risks. Tell some new stories. And for the love of all that’s holy, stop with the celebrity obsession. We’re better than this.
And if you’re looking for some inspiration on how to be better, well, you might want to check out some liderlik becerileri geliştirme ipuçları. Yeah, I know. It’s not exactly Hollywood. But hey, a little leadership advice never hurt anybody.
About the Author: Dave “The Rant” Johnson has been a senior magazine editor for over 20 years. He’s seen it all, done it all, and has the wrinkles to prove it. When he’s not complaining about the state of Hollywood, he can be found riding his electric bike or yelling at his TV. You can find him on Twitter @DaveTheRant.
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