Fox clearly knows how to win over their critics: promotional products! This past weekend and on into this week the TCA's are currently going on out in LA. TCA stands for Television Critics Asssociation and the TCA's are, in short, a massive publicity stunt done by networks to get their casts and showrunners mingling with the people who write about them. In my opinion, it seems to be one of the best things about being a critic. After all, TV critics are at heart TV fans right? Seriously, can you imagine this conversation? "What's on your agenda for the day?" *Sigh* "I've got to go have lunch with David Boreanaz and talk to him about Bones and then I've got to go to another event and talk with Zachary Levi about Chuck and at some point I have to squeeze in drinks with Jane Lynch from Glee and then chat with Christopher Meloni for Law and Order SVU" Whew. Rough life.
In a brilliant article entitled TV and Twitter Go Together Like Cats and the Internet over at The Huffington Post, pop culture writer Annie Stamell makes a great point about the evolution of technology and its ability to include the critics who couldn't make it out to the TCAs (or those who weren't invited. Motivators TV isn't that legit...yet). She writes:
"You could essentially sit at home and just follow five random TV critics to know what is going on."
And that, my friends is exactly what I did. Being a huge TV fan, I've got my set list of TV critics that I follow in addition to the casts and showrunners associated with my favorite shows. And as many times as I've tried to spin the whole argument that I need to be sent places to truly get all the info on the promotional products given out at said event, it's not necessarily true. Regardless, I'd like to believe that I've made compelling arguments in the past, even if they've gotten shot down faster than a clay pigeon (cough cough Comic Con.) And sure, I've been able to go places, like the Glee event that Anthony, Tony and I attended earlier this year, but as Ms. Stamell points out, if you're following the right people on Twitter, you don't need to be there.
For example, thanks to my fabulous list of TV critics, I know that at yesterday's Bones breakfast waiters were decked out in custom apparel, Jeffersonian lab coats to be specific. Aside from being fun, it's a great way to encorporate the show into the event. And I know that both creator Hart Hanson (@harthanson) and executive producer Stephen Nathan (@squarechicken) were early to the event, which allowed them to have an impropmtu photo shoot via twitpics and that when the event was over Hart left with David Boreanaz and Ian Toynton to scout a location for the 100th episode which begins filming later this week (which I know because Eric Milligan (@ericmillegan) mentioned on twitter that he's flying out to LA on Thursday to begin filming!).
But aside from the custom lab coats worn by waiters that morning, Fox seemingly outdid themselves with 24 promo items. According to Alan Sepinwall (@sepinwall) , the TV critic for the Star Ledger the show handed out promotional caps, New York style. they were designed to look like Yankees or Mets hats but with the 24 logo instead. Seems cool right? Well later on that night Sepinwall twitpic'd for all of his followers that wanted to be on the inside track.
So thanks to twitter and the phenomenal critics, casts, and showrunners out there that understand that we fans want to be in on the action. Granted, it's not quite the same as having a bagel with Boreanaz or a danish with Deschanel, but it's closer than many of us have ever been.
Oh, and should you happen to need a list of awesomeness to follow on Twitter, head on over to the Motivators Staff on Twitter and click on my TV list. It's a work in progress, but for the most part it's awesome.
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