Directions To Anderson Cooper

In what surely has to be one of the stranger emails I've ever gotten, I clicked-on the directions to the screening party for Planet In Peril I'd never been invited to in the first place (tonight at the Georgia Aquarium at 6pm) and... voila... AC360 himself!

What a total tease this non-invitation was though as even though the bizarre email also included a full alphabetical listing of invitees who had previously RSVP'd in time to get a slot at tonight's premier, AC was not on the list -- proving once again Atlanta has no celebrities worth trying to con your way into anything over.

Hillary Does The ATL

Latest '08 Presidential Candidate Poll Results

Matt Towery of Insider Advantage’s Southern Political Report (who has yet to get the Share Your New Media memo and continues to employ un-embeddable video on his site. Heck, he’s yet to get any sharing media memo as there are ZERO sharing tools on the site from what I can tell) has the latest and greatest data on how the ‘08 Presidential candidates are playing down south… and elsewhere.

Matt’s poll results, and fabulous preacher-man hairdo, are here. Good news for Edwards and Thompson somewhere in there. Clinton and Giuliani strong, strong, stong in FL and SC.

Deeper analysis of I Know What Fred Did At The Debate Last Night is here. But I’m addicted to these gosh darn wacky webcasts. There’s something so ______________ about them. Fill in the blank with YOUR bons motes and priceless feedback.

NOTE: This post cross-posted at PP too.

Let's Pick On The AJC! Installment #853

I've heard, time and time again at various press-related functions, the good folk from Cox Media Plantations say news coverage is all going hyper-local, so thus they are too. So let's take a look at just where they've not bothered to "go local" -- on a day when the AJC.com's top, above-the-fold story is about Paula Abdul's makeup. (It was there early this morning, trust me.) Or when they do go hyper-local, it's semi-pointless. Hell, they can't even do "southern."

1.) The NYT had a cover story yesterday about a very dangerous home improvement product that lingered on the shelves of Atlanta-based Home Depot. Not only was the product, Stand 'N Seal, sold in Home Depot stores long after the product was recalled, the company that manufactures the hyper-dubious ingredient in the bathroom sealer product is based in... you got it... Georgia. But we get... Paula Abdul's pimple coverage instead.

2.) When churches throughout Atlanta had their annual pet blessing services to mark the Feast of St. Francis Assisi (historic pet-lover), and a delightful, heartwarming photo-op any 'ole time and place, the AJC runs a wire-service picture of a Golden Retriever in a church in San Francisco. Who needs to get out of the house and down the road a piece for a dog sitting in any church pew along Peachtree Road? Especially when Buckhead has more Golden Retrievers per household than any other place on the planet.

3.) Possibly the most head-scratching omission though is the failure of the AJC, a paper that helped shaped American history by its coverage of all-things-civil-rights, to send one of their own to Jena, LA to cover the civil rights march that happened there on September 20, not here. Rather, they relied on wire service reports the day of the march, choosing original reporting only for... the hyper-local perspective! Too bad that in this case the hyper-local was never where the heart of that story lay. How much can a Motel 6 in Louisisana possibly impact the bottom line?

Local v-blogger Amani Channel did bother to cover Jena, LA though. On assignment for HDNews. Twice. Here's just one of his many fascinating, personal, indie packages from the scene for his blog, MyUrbanReport, proving once again that blogs are now the best place to get your local, in-depth news coverage and analysis. Need more on the Grady crisis? Forget Cox Plantations; try Grift's crib.

NOTE: Once again I find that the best way to work your way through a social media-induced funk is to blog your way out. Confounding medium, eh?

Blogging Touches Lives

And for once I'm not being snarky. Blogging really does touch our lives -- in a way that's unique and participatory and fulfilling. Of course it also often punches us in the eye. Witness my on-going little tit for tat with He Who Must Not Be Named. Or Those Little Boys Who Should Be Named, Called Out Often, And Taken Out Behind The Shed And Whipped Soundly By Their Mommas Since No One Obviously Ever Did That Before And Sometimes Folk Just Need Some Common Sense Beat Into 'Em. (Did I just say that? Man am I getting mean and cranky and showing too much southern in my old age or what.)

Witness the comment left here. Or read James' Academy Awards acceptance speech here after winning CL's Best Blogger in Atlanta award this week. And yeah, he earned that puppy. Congratulations James! Enough earnestness in one post from me. That's your annual allotment now used up. Let's all go get wasted. DBT tonight at the Variety. Yeah!

Atlanta's Fake Media

Cox Media Plantations deceptively faked the "public" nature of their Hour Of Grady Power (or lack thereof), the I Have A State-Funded Dream phony, staged event I whined about in Peach Pundit here. It was merely an hour of rather odd dino-anchor blather really.

John Sugg at CL complains too; not only did they not allow press from beyond the reach of the Cox Media Empire, but they only allowed in invited "town" guests.

Now we come to the public forum that wasn’t. WSB-TV Channel 2 — the television arm of the media Coxopoly — hosted a “town hall” meeting on Grady Thursday night (Sept. 13). But as reporters for the upstart Atlanta Progressive News found out, Cox had a peculiar view of who lives in its town.

The event was invitation-only. Community activists had every reason to suspect that only certain opinions would be aired. “It’s a town hall meeting, but the town isn’t invited!” Terence Courtney, director of Atlanta Jobs with Justice, told the media activists with APN. “They’re running from us. We want a [true] public process.”

Full blog post here. I bet they let in their own kind though, meaning someone from the AJC. What un-transparent jerks they are at Death Star 2. They completely manipulated our perceptions and the purpose of their TV show. Emphasis of course on their show. Sure wasn't "ours." A shameful pox on Cox. Again.

OnLineAthens The Coolest Kids In Georgia Media

OnLineAthens dot com, the online version of the Athens Banner-Herald (note how they brand print and online separately), is seriously head-and-shoulders above the rest of Georgia "traditional" media outlets in offering good, locally-grown multimedia on their pages. Scroll down on their AthFest page to click-on a video featuring the AthFest awards ceremony... still viable and good to watch even after the festival is over.

Not only is OnlineAthens wielding excellent, localized reporting, they're toting some nice DV cams while they're out and about. Too bad the AJC can't tap into a blazing Atlanta music scene right now to offer jack shit. Who even clicks on their one-dimensional site anymore, for that matter? I just go directly to The Blogs... or to Athens.

Heck, OnlineAthens even links you to a site called AthensMusic.com. Talk about your one-stop shopping. Wishful thinking to feel that Atlanta musicians and artists could hope for but a crumb from Atlanta media/Cox Plantation table.

Chances are, when their paper version flutters away one day, and it will, as all papers are in the process of doing, the Athens Banner-Herald won't miss a beat; they "got it" long ago that it's all about the sharing.

Blogging Breaking News

Forget the AJC. To many cooks in that pot. To heck with ESPN. Too fancy-schmancy. Creative Loafing? They wouldn't know multimedia if it bit 'em in the ass, which I think it has even tried to do before. (Long story.) Roadkill-minded local TV news? Gag. A magazine story three weeks from now? Do not make me lose it with snorting.

Atlanta bloggers pretty much own the Genarlow Wilson appeal at the Georgia Supreme Court story today. Click here and here. And keep clicking throughout the day for serious, breaking, comprehensive information for thinking adults.

WSB Radio news? Well maybe, but they do news at your basic 12-year old brain level. Fine for folks like me, and you too maybe.

Citizen journalism in Atlanta turns a curve today. (Hear that Prof. Leonard?) Gawd, I feel like a cheerleader! Gimme an:
A-T-L-B-L-O-G-G-E-R-S-R-O-C-K.

MSM Visitation

I used to do MSM editorials quite regularly. Not so much since I started blogging, because blogging is simply a more expressive, more freewheeling (my word du jour), more honest medium than the 19th century corset required for mainstream editorial consideration. Of course, lots of people think of blogging as dripping blood on the keyboard for all our knuckle dragging.

Anyways, don't feel like going down the same 'ole same 'ole garden path about blogging vs. MSM. There's a time and place and platform for whatever you need to say nowadays, and that's the good part. Let's focus on that. Here's today's AJC editorial, which is really nothing more than a blog entry cleaned-up for public consumption.

Another Atlanta blogger who excels at this blog-to-MSM process, although his typical blog posts aren't exactly written to inflame the senses, just sensibilities, is Leonard Witt, the go-to guy on citizen journalism issues in his blog, PJNet. Check it out when you can.

Atlanta Press Club New Media Podcast

The podcast is here for last night's Atlanta Press Club event. Many folks enjoyed a lively, very open, un-conference style discussion about all-things-new-media. We barely scratched the surface. Fortunately, APC will be holding a series of discussions on New Media in media.

Free Book At APC Event Thursday!!!!

Come get your free book and jump into the New Media, uh, discussion. Lord knows what this event will end-up looking like. Hopefully nothing like the WSB one last week. I promise to be on my best good girl behavior... for at least the first 10 minutes. Lemme dupe over the APC press release for you:

It's no secret that the way news is gathered, reported and disseminated has changed in recent years. What is not clear is the impact of these changes. Do "new media" trends have staying power? Could they eventually lead to the decline of traditional reporting?

The Atlanta Press Club will hold a series of monthly programs in 2007 that examine the way traditional journalism is changing with the times.Join us for our first program in this series on Thursday, June 7. We'll look at the phenomenon of citizen journalism.

So far confirmed panelists include: Lea Donosky, Atlanta Journal-Consitution; Mark Bauer, WSB; Grayson Daughters, Way South Media, Inc. More panelists will be listed soon.

This is an evening program that is free to APC members and $10 for nonmembers. Networking will be 6-7 p.m. and the program 7-8:30 p.m. The program will be in The Commerce Club building, 18th Floor. Go to http://www.atlantapressclub.org/ to register.

People who attend this program will get a free copy of Manning Selvage & Lee's 2007-2008 Atlanta Media Guide.

Still Ze Party Rages On Into The Night

Day Four of the Second Battle of Atlanta, or the First Cyber Battle (of Atlanta), seems to have moved here.

The Multimedia ATL

I am just freakin' constantly blown-away by the cool multimedia shit being done by folk here in the ATL. Whether political ads, political campaigns, podcast parties, excellent blogs, videoblogging, music, film, Twitter happy hours, you name it... I am proud as a momma bear to call so many of these creative wonders friends. One dear old friend and colleague, Home Depot TV days, who keeps pushing his own envelope and impressing me on a daily basis is Chilton. Here's something steamy from his world to ours. Where Chilton sees that bad moon a'rising, I see only creative blue sky.

Save The Date - June 7th

To all my ATL blogger peeps... please mark June 7th, two week from tonight, on your calendar. The Atlanta Press Club has... gasp... discovered social media. Weirder things have happened I suppose. Anyways... getting to the point here, I'll be moderating a panel of whomevers for this APC event that night, at the Commerce Club downtown I believe.

And yes, this is something of a Big Deal for me, and I REALLY need all my blogging bretheren there for support. (Besides, if only six people show for the event, I'll get really bummed and have to go get drunk or something.)

More importantly, MSM in the ATL need to not only hear about new media, they need to see it up close and personal. We have got to put an end to the this is a silly, unimportant trend that will surely pass mode of thinking by traditional media while we're at it.

So please plan to be there for this historic event on June 7th. I'll post more details as they become available from APC. Their forums usually start around 6-7pm.

Word.

Georgia Dems Meet New Media

The Georgia Democratic Party's annual Jefferson-Jackson dinner was a place to not only see John Edwards' hairdo up close and personal, it was also the place to find out just how Georgia politicians are using social media.

About The J-J Dinner Last Night

The Georgia Democratic Party’s annual Jefferson-Jackson party last night was a blast, especially with Presidential hopeful, pretty boy John Edwards offering rock star, red carpet glitz to the evening. (And yes, he is adorable in person, but Jon Flack is right, the hair is overrated.)

Heck, Edwards’ had TWO drum lines to give him that big ‘ole ATL welcome. And 1,700 gushing fans crushing on him, quite literally, to get the money shot with their camera phones. Working the crowds, Edwards’ charming, tanned face would reveal a flicker of tiredness, then in the blink of an eye, it was gone. You wondered if you’d just imagined such a thing.

Edwards worked the crowd like the champion show-jumper of a lawyer he is. He’s no Bill Clinton; he’s just “too white” to get on that one-of-a-kind wavelength, but Edwards is quite charismatic in his own right, and a beautiful, engaging orator.

Besides Edwards, the entire evening was a Georgia politico and media Who’s Who. I was at the dinner table alongside Jim Galloway of AJC’s Political Insider; bless their hearts, they were live blogging! (Guess I can’t call ‘em old farts now.) Galloway was a seasoned journalist on a mission… to unearth just WHO produced that anti-Whitehead YouTube offering! Blogger Jon Flack of the new Tondee’s Tavern blog sat next to Galloway and fed him tantalizing tidbits, but no names, all night long.

I shot loads of great video myself, asked a question at Edwards’ presser alongside the Big Broadcasting TV guys, and hope to package some of the DV goodies over the weekend for you folks.

My personal highlight? Interviewing Vernon Jones about blogging! Heck, Vernon had more signage there than Edwards. All in all, a fabulous time was had by many Georgia Dems, despite the icky, remora fish lobbyista swarmin’ over the place too. Lordy, do they EVER go away?

Look for good things to come all around with GDP, especially with Martin Matheny running some new communications operations and strategies for them. Their website is really heating-up under his guidance, with blogging too!

Let The Great SC Dissing Begin

Trust the NYT's Alessandra Stanley to fire an opening shot at my ye 'olde home state. As if I could possibly have expected otherwise. I've been totally intimidated, dissed too, by seemingly scores of Ivy League women, given my dubious education credentials and pronounced accent.

It's really rather pathetic, in a Bridget Jones way. Those Ivy Leaguers of all genders could be so haughty and dismissive, and just kinda mean-girl when we used to rub shoulders in network news.

Then again, I could always drink their lipflapping, snotty, privileged, toned butts way under the table... in my day of course. And dissing SC is my territory, Alessandra. Not yours. Nobody really can do it better, if I do say so myself.

Least I can still go out drinking here in Georgia with whomever, wearing whatever, whenever I damn well feel like it, wearing only a comforter and a push-up bra maybe! Lord knows what the women of Iran won't be allowed to do next. This is sickening here. Just sickening. It knots my stomach in a billion different ways for the hell it implies. No need to wonder why I have always been an unapologetic feminist.

Bombing back to the stone age to free women from religious, nonsensical oppression? Sounds plausible, initially; but if I was for that, we'd have to start here in Georgia, given our own religion-inspired nonsensical legislation.

One other thing before you run away... congratulations to Mara Shalhoup at Creative Loafing for her Best Journalist in Atlanta award last night at the APC awards gala. She really deserves that recognition for being the hardest working, lowest-paid reporter in this city. I hope the NYT comes a'callin' for her kinda talent soon.

Sigh... I fear a total Bridget Jones kinda afternoon coming-on here for real. Bloggers must have so many self-esteem issues. Sigh... Know what could really pick me up though? Anyone got ANY good gossip from last night's APC soiree? Did anything remotely resembling monkey biz transpire without me there to blog it? Come on. The SGR needs some good 'ole schadenfreude-dirt right about now.

Mary Mary Quite Contrary

Mary Grabar = Blogger manna from Big Media heaven. Red, blue, libertarian... everyone and their cousin Ed is having a huge-normous blog block party writing about Prissy Mary today. Could the YouTube video be far behind?

Here's a partial ATL-based list:
Spacey Gracey Review
Radical Georgia Moderate
Peachtree Screed
Peach Pundit
Grifting Through The Drift
Atlanta Public Affairs
Fresh Loaf

Gee Grayson, How's YOUR Day Been?

I'm sorry... even I can get really really really frustrated sometimes and feel reduced to playing the "sexism" card. I sent this letter to some media (male) folks today, since they're the ones in charge after all. Am I just getting desperate or what?

Dear ______________:
Last night I was standing in a group of white men over 55; every single man there was being paid to blog/write/blow wind. I was the only one also writing and blogging like my life depended on it, in this rather established, Atlanta-based media elite cabal with:

a.) a vagina
b.) no paycheck

And for chrissake… I even video blog too! I’m really trying very hard not to get too discouraged or too desperate here, but I sure hope you at _____________ will add my blog to your blog roll. Any crumbs from the white male media power structure you can toss my way would be GREATLY appreciated.

Cheers,
Grayson
BLOG: http://spaceygreview.blogspot.com/


Seriously, it was so bad now that I think about it, I'm acting like a total girl and almost crying.

Party That Must Not Be Named

So I go to this Party That Must Not Be Named tonight, although the (not yet branded) name is blazed all over the place in lights overlooking, uh, a certain park in Atlanta associated with the Olympics, but I've been told beforehand not to blog about it by a certain Power That Really Wantstobee, and all I can say is... Thank you Jesus for sending us Tom Houck, who also showed up at Party That Must Not Be Named. That Tom Houck will remind anyone outside of a coma of just what being old school is all about, and why anyone with just a wee bit of genuine flare and flavor about 'em has enormous cultural value still.

Chiefly, Tom's just plain-ass bawdy fun and loads of excellent gossip, an Atlanta civic treasure if you ask me (or dare attempt to censor me). If it wasn't for him, Party That Must Not Be Named would have been one completely packaged poseur yawner. Basil tea martinis are pretty to hold in your hand, but when it gets down to it, nothing substitutes for plain rowdy-fun behavior, a way with the ladies, and excellent southern partisan political bullshit.

All these cute new southern musicians and artists and utterly flavorless young writers are all just too precious on paper, and what person under 30 doesn't want to buy something glossy in which to read about 'em in (as long as they can read about it on their cell phones that is)?

Honestly, all I really have a hankerin' to really read about lately, from that good 'ole southern POV, would be a day in the, current, life of, say... Bill Campbell! And who would know best to tell that tale than the South's finest, our best longterm man-about-town... Mr. Bi-Partisan Houck.

Sometimes, even I wonder if southern culture altogether shouldn't, finally, just be put in a museum... alongside the flag. Catch it if you can I suppose, no matter how processed the packaging could turn out to be.