I guess that's why they call this the news
Recently CNN has been dedicating an awful lot of time to a book called "A Million Little Pieces." Apparently it's marketed as a non-fiction memoir, but after it's release and success (due to Oprah), it has been found that much of the book was embellished and in fact is not true. Okay, seems like a small news piece. But Larry King devoted a show to the author and I just watched Anderson Cooper go on and on about the book for 15 minuets. Why??? Maybe it's just a slow news day... Ha.
Here's my Dylanesque theory:
The book is published by Anchor Books, which is a subdivision of Random House. Random House's parent company is Bertelsmann Group. Bertelsmann Group is the 5th largest media conglomerate in the world. They're mainly a European media company and they are the majority shareholder of AOL Europe. Funny, isn't CNN owned by AOL Time Warner??? Gee, I wonder if there's a connection????
The media makes me sick.
Oh, and yeah, it was today and yesterday's number one seller on amazon.com
Here's my Dylanesque theory:
The book is published by Anchor Books, which is a subdivision of Random House. Random House's parent company is Bertelsmann Group. Bertelsmann Group is the 5th largest media conglomerate in the world. They're mainly a European media company and they are the majority shareholder of AOL Europe. Funny, isn't CNN owned by AOL Time Warner??? Gee, I wonder if there's a connection????
The media makes me sick.
Oh, and yeah, it was today and yesterday's number one seller on amazon.com
posted by James Harris at 10:40 PM
8 Comments:
OMG... now it's on CNN Headline news a 5-10 min piece, which is long for this station.
By the way James Fry's earlier book is the number 3 seller.
fucking ridiculous
dance consumers!! dance!!
I hate what this world is becoming (or already is). It seems like the best (and/or easiest) way to make money these days is to create some sort of scandal to go along with your "product". Once there's a scandal involved, suddenly sliced bread is "the next big thing". Take this book for example... it was already on Oprah's book club or whatever. It was selling a ridiculous amount of copies (best selling 'non-fiction' book, and second only to Harry Potter for all books). Now, it comes out that he "embellished" a little bit. Big fuckin deal. Seriously, what is the difference? Is the book suddenly better somehow?? Am I going to enjoy reading it more?? Do I now "absolutely HAVE to read this book"?? No. I guarantee that there are many instances where a 'non-fiction' book is embellished a tad. Honestly, it usually makes for a better story.
Anyway, this whole controversy=$$$ thing is ridiculous. Take Martha Stewart. She was some cooking channel Oprah that, yes, probably had a wide fan base. Then she is brought up on insider trading charges, and found guilty. What does she get? OJ Simpson-style publicity, a slap-on-the-wrist jail sentence, a new tv show on primetime ABC, and so much money that she'll probably start molesting children so that she can get a daytime talk show that airs immediately following Oprah.
This book is a little different, and, Dylan, I was very impressed with your trail leading Fry's book's CNN coverage with its publisher; I was completely unaware of this link. They took a little embellishment, and made it a nationwide scandal. And the sad thing is.... it's working. I guarantee that this book will be flying off the shelves even faster than it was before. And yes Jimmy, the consumers will undoubtedly dance! Fucking idiots we're surrounded by...
Actually Ben, that was me that connected the dots in a "dylanesque" style.
To think that this is a conspiracy is a little loony, but to think that it's nothing more than an honest news story about a band-wagon, pop culture scandal is horribly naive.
The method of advertising used is called situational advertising. You create a situation that gets your product mentioned or shown without consumers realizing they are watching an ad. Think of it as aggressive product placement. As more and more television viewers are able to skip over traditional commercials you will see more and more of this type of ad.
Situational advertisements are becoming commonplace in sitcoms, dramas and "reality" shows. That's fine, those are entertainment shows, that for the most part are fictional, but CNN is the news. Journalists have an ethical responsibility and duty to the people of their nation to be as honest and objective as possible. Is this why we have freedom of press? So, we can be spoon fed advertisements disguised as news?
Haha... that last paragraph, Brad..... Brilliant!!
And sorry Jimmy (and Dylan) for misquoting your genius.
brad you are correct you need to watch the news and sort it out for yourself, but it shouldn't be that way and most people don't sort it out.
Talk shows are by far the worst perpetrators of situational advertising. Conan actually does a skit that makes fun of himself for using this practice, it's pretty funny, and the irony of the bit is during it he gets in 5 or 6 ads.
If anyone wants to check the original investigation of the book that brought all this on, go to:
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0104061jamesfrey1.html
I have not read it yet and I am not shure that I really care to. Anyway, here it is.
While your there check out some of the celebrity mug shots
Sorry, the whole link did not post, just go to thesmokinggun.com
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