Get your words out.

[hackthis_archive]

1. Tomorrow is March 2, 2010. It is not just a day. It is THE DAY. It is the premiere of Season 2 of Southland on TNT. Now I know everybody's like, oh, well, I'll watch the repeat after White Collar or I'll catch a download later this week. NO! Not okay!

When TNT bought Southland from NBC last year (tl;da - too long; don't ask) they did so to see how the series performs on cable and they will make their decision about future episodes based, in par, on tomorrow's premiere. That means that if Southland doesn't jump out the gate, they are going to be less inclined to order more episodes. And I want more episodes. You want more episodes. Southland is the only series I enjoyed in all of last year* and if you've enjoyed anything I've written in the last year -- Southland gets partial credit for that.

So, I am asking. No, I am begging. Please. If you've thought about it, if you've been curious, if you've ever thought, I'll get around to it eventually -- tomorrow is eventually.

Tuesday night at 10 p.m. Watch Southland on TNT

ETA: TNT is running a marathon of S1 before the premiere, it starts at at 3 p.m. EST on Tuesday. Please watch my show. PLEASE.

*GK was 2008, doesn't count


2. I am looking for stories to read. I need some entertainment. Things wot I am eyeballing currently: Southland, Iron Man (IM2 in May baby, I iz gonna write it. Believe that.) Terminator Salvation (Marcus/Kyle - wot?), James Bond - the Daniel Craig iteration, Jason Bourne (Is it time for the Green Zone or what), or anything else you think might catch my fancy.


3. You people don't know what kind of crack sparky77 is capable of. Last week we gave Lady Gaga and Johnny Weir a baby named Spectacular Magenta Sparkle Weir, or Steve for short. Two days ago she had me outlining hockey RPS. I don't even like hockey!


4. Someone on my reading list posted the other day about the spate of Christina Hendricks love, wondering if perhaps all this attention to body might smack of fetishization. I cannot speak for anybody else or what they're into, but I will summarize what I said, which is this:

I have been watching Mad Men since the pilot. I love the show whole-heartedly, except for most of the Don/Betty foolishness. I would recommend it without hesitation. My adoration for Christina has to do with her character, the way she portrays her character and the fact that finally, fucking FINALLY, there is a woman on TV who looks like a woman and not a 13 year old boy masquerading as a pneumatic girl. I love CH's style and I love the way she carries herself. She wears dresses and skirts and headscarves. She plays the accordion (or else that was awesome faking). She is unbelievably awesome and she makes me happy.

I am crazy about CH's portrayal of Joan Holloway (I refuse to acknowledge that she married that asshole). But what I like about Christina Hendricks *the woman* is that she's happy to be herself. That she is happy in her life and doesn't feel the need to apologize for being real and not wearing a size 00. In a time when even my beloved Michelle Obama is talking about her children's BMI (no, man, just no) it's nice to see some acceptance of self.

The fact that CH is in magazines *finally* and they are putting her in corsets and dresses with cleavage is fine with me, because she is getting attention. She doesn't choose what she wears, that's the stylist's job, but she wears it well. No, wears it better than well. And she's just as hot in a denim shirt and boots. The fact that a lot of the press (both print and internet) is basically, "Look, she has tits and ass and isn't ashamed! Shocking!" That I have issues with.

To my mind, she is not the same as Beyonce and J. Lo and Mariah Carey. They have curves it's true, but they have Hollywood curves where you're practically zaftig at size 6. I also find them tacky as hell. If I were to mention someone equally classy then I'd think of, like, Jennifer Hudson, who is damn awesome. And also, talented.

So, I say all this to say, everybody's got their own reasoning, I just want mine to be clear. I call Christina Hendricks damn hot, because she is, but I enjoy her and talk about her because I respect her as an actress and because she makes me happy to have a hips and ass, but I do not fetishize her body. I respect it. Now my interest in her red hair may be another story...

Comments

[alethialia.livejournal.com]

This is right on, but I want to add a little nuance for everyone else. Like live TV, DVR viewing only matters if you're a Nielsen family. Advertisers buy based on Nielsen's C3 ratings (that's commercial ratings + 3 days of DVR playback); if you're not a Nielsen family, you're not included in Nielsen's numbers and therefore not likely to have much of an impact. Some other providers measure viewership and demo data, but those measurements aren't included in the C3 numbers. (For example, TiVo sells demo data of their direct subscribers, but I'm not sure what effect it has, if any, on renewal chances. Since TiVo makes up only about 10% of all DVR viewing, the effect is likely negligible.)

It goes without saying, but if you're a Nielsen family, it's best if you watch live. If you must DVR it, watch it with the commercials within 3 days. Fast-forwarding doesn't count. Advertisers pay for C3, so if you don't view the commercials, you won't be counted.

But none of that affects you unless you're a Nielsen family. For most people, legit online viewing is probably the only way to have any kind of impact. Sites like Hulu report the number of views, but they're limited by their lack of demographic data (which at Hulu is dependent on voluntary self-reported registration info). It's unclear how much networks are influenced by big Hulu numbers, especially since they can't sell those viewers to advertisers (who only care about certain demographics). But at the very least, they'll see them, so I guess that's something.

If anyone wants more in-depth info on the effect of DVR viewing, this is a good explanation: FAQ: Do DVR Viewers Matter?

[svilleficrecs.livejournal.com]

I'm curious about On Demand numbers (IDK if TNT's doing this, since I'm 'paid-for-cable' free at the moment.

IDK about hulu's numbers, but I do know that TNT is showing the episodes on their own website (which I have to assume they've got numbers-access for). I'm sure it's a drop in the bucket compared to nielsen viewings, but It's one of the only guaranteed ways to show them that you're watching, and I highly recommend that all of us who care about Southland go to TNT.com this week and watch (or "watch", and let it run in the background while you do other stuff) the full run of the show. It takes only a minute or two to set it running, and it gives TNT advertiser eyeballs and hard numbers about our beloved show.

[alethialia.livejournal.com]

If TNT's website is streaming it, people should absolutely watch it there. Hulu reports total numbers, but watching on tnt.com will give TNT more immediate access to raw numbers. So yes, everyone should watch there. That's probably the only way for normal people to get their attention.

TNT does do On Demand. (Huh. Who knew?) I'm not quite sure when new episodes are available, but it looks like they have the last 3 episodes up. Regardless, watching via On Demand is not included in ratings info. (This will change when Nielsen starts measuring On Demand numbers - and On Demand shows will then likely get the same commercials as live shows - and thus they'll be included in C3.) Once Nielsen does begin measuring them, it'll be Nielsen families they measure.

Since On Demand numbers generally aren't available, it's tough to find any data about use. By all accounts it's miniscule. Here's a piece that references trends: Video On Demand usage still relatively puny, lags DVR and online video viewing.