ALMOST TIME FOR A PODCAST!

January 19th, 2009 | by Tom
Posted In: Blog

I completely forgot to mention it in my blog from this morning, but be sure to tune in to The Triple Feature podcast this evening at 9:00 PM CST. We record it live and you can participate in the program through TalkShoe.com! Join the chat room or talk to us over the phone in real-time!

And by “us,” of course I mean Gordon McAlpin from Multiplex and Joe Dunn from Joe Loves Crappy Movies.

I don’t know what we’re talking about, but I’m kind of itching to talk about Last Chance Harvey since I had the opportunity to see it this afternoon. Even though the romance is boilerplate, I found the performances endearing. I haven’t seen Hoffman this affecting since I can’t remember when. If you don’t choke up during the toast he delivers to his daughter during the wedding reception, you might be soul-dead.

I have more to say about the movie, but it looks like Thunderbolts are GO! in relation to Cami blogging for the site. So once I do a quick WordPress walk through for her, she’ll be adding her thoughts shortly. Be sure to check the site Tuesday for her correspondence. I don’t want to talk her up too much, but Cami has always been able to write circles around me, so I think you guys are going to get a kick out of what she has to contribute to the site.

If you aren’t able to catch our recording of The Triple Feature live tonight, be sure to download the show tomorrow. Did you know you can find us on iTunes? It’s true – and so handy! Subscribe to the feed and have shows waiting for you the next day! Awesome!

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MORE ON IN-TEXT ADS

January 14th, 2009 | by Tom
Posted In: Blog

I’m getting some negative feedback on the in-text ads, which doesn’t surprise me. I have to keep reassuring people that it’s only a trial and I want to see how the ads perform. I can report that initial earnings have not been stellar. So it’ll be a pretty easy decision to pull the plug unless something revolutionary happens in the next few days.

So you understand where I’m coming from, it’s important for me to monetize the content on Theater Hopper to help support other projects I’m pursuing. Things like publishing books and producing t-shirts. Or bankrolling things like convention appearances.

The recent redesign significantly cut down on the number of ads that were being displayed on the site. Obviously this affects the bottom line. I’m trying to figure out a way to make up the difference without going all banner-crazy again and cluttering things up.

I have two ideas:

  1. Advertising in the RSS feed. This is long overdue, actually. I’m all for delivering content using means that make it most convenient for the user to read it. But people utilizing the RSS feed do not visit the site and that limits opportunities across the board. The RSS feed will not become ad-heavy, but I do intend to more thoroughly align the feed more closely to the experience the main-site provides.
  2. Sponsorships. Instead of a half-dozen tiny ads junking up the site, how do you guys feel about one large ad in the upper right hand corner sold through a one-on-one basis?

    I’m sure you’ve seen those page peel ads on other sites that allow you to put one large ad behind the “skin” of the home page and then peel away on rollover to reveal the whole image. I think it’s a good way to attract content-relevant advertisers while not interfering with the site design.

I know this is a lot of business talk and I probably shouldn’t be sharing these thoughts with you. I don’t want to give you the impression that my pursuit of Theater Hopper is all about money. Please understand that money earned by the site is reinvested back into the site. I consider it a tool that allows me to do more with the characters — things I think you will enjoy.

I’m very interested in your feedback. Please leave your comments below!

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OBSCURE CHARACTERS

January 14th, 2009 | by Tom
Posted In: Blog

By the way, I don’t know if you noticed, but since the site relaunch in January I’ve dusted off three obscure characters in a little more than a week’s time.

How do you guys feel about seeing Victor, Charlie and Goth Jared again?

If you’re a new reader and not familiar with these guys, I encourage you to check out the cast page for a little background information as well as links to some of the story lines they were featured in!

If you’re a veteran reader and if you think there are any important characters or story lines I overlooked, use our handy new contact form and let me know!

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IN-TEXT ADS

January 13th, 2009 | by Tom
Posted In: Blog

I’m trying something a little different for the new year and am testing out in-test ads on the site. You’ll notice them as double-underlined green links in the blog posts.

I’m trying to keep them very relative to the theme of the site. So you’ll see words like “film,” “movies” and whatnot highlighted.

I’m kind of on the fence about in-text ads in terms of how intrusive they are. Part of me doesn’t like that it randomly places emphasis on my words and I have concerns that it is deceptive in a way that traditional banner advertisements are not.

But, at the same time, I reduced the number of ads appearing on the site in the redesign in an effort to maximize space for content – and I need to make up the difference somewhere.

I’m not saying the in-text ads are the solution. They’re just something I’m trying. If you have thoughts you’d like to share, please feel free to do so in the comments.

Thanks.

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2009 GOLDEN GLOBE WINNERS

January 12th, 2009 | by Tom
Posted In: Blog

Just in case you didn’t watch the show or were curious to see who won, here’s a complete list of winners from last night’s broadcast:

MOTION PICTURES

Picture, Drama: Slumdog Millionaire
Picture, Musical or Comedy: Vicky Christina Barcelona
Actor, Drama: Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
Actoress, Drama:Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road
Director: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
Actor, Musical or Comedy: Colin Farrell, In Bruges
Actress, Musical or Comedy: Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky
Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Supporting Actress: Kate Winslet, The Reader
Foreign Language Film: Waltz With Bashir
Animated Film: Wall-E
Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire
Original Score: A.R. Rahman, Slumdog Millionaire
Original Song: “The Wrestler” (performed by Bruce Springsteen, written by Bruce Springsteen), The Wrestler

TELEVISION

Series, Drama: Mad Men
Actor, Drama: Gabriel Byrne, In Treatment
Actress, Drama: Anna Paquin, True Blood
Series, Musical or Comedy: 30 Rock
Actor, Musical or Comedy: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Actress, Musical or Comedy: Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Miniseries or Movie: John Adams
Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Laura Linney, John Adams
Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Paul Giammatti, John Adams
Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Laura Dern, Recount
Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Tom Wilkinson, John Adams

Cecil B. DeMille Award: Steven Spielberg.

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CAST PAGE

January 9th, 2009 | by Tom
Posted In: Blog

I don’t know if you guys have had a chance to take a swim through the rest of the site (and I’m not talking exclusively about the comic archives), but I’ve been trying to provide a richer experience and provide in-roads for new readers.

Something that was sorely missing from the last site was a cast page to familiarize people with the characters or any links to popular story lines to give them a sample of things. With over 900 comics in the archives, that was a pretty gross oversight.

I’ve sought to correct that by creating a cast page under the “About” section. If you have time, take a look at it. I would really appreciate an outsider’s perspective into which characters and story lines they enjoyed or what you think I should promote to new readers. If you have suggestions, please feel free to leave them either in the comments below this blog or submit them using the contact form.

Thanks!

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CRIMSON ROURKE

January 8th, 2009 | by Tom
Posted In: Blog

crimson_rourke

So there are rumors flying that Mickey Rourke is in talks to star in Iron Man 2 as the Crimson Dynamo. I don’t know how I feel about this. On the one hand, Rourke is a fine actor who does a good job of playing meat heads. But I think anyone piloting a multi-billion dollar suit of nuclear-powered armor shouldn’t be a meat head. He should be intelligent and a little bit menacing.

I like the idea of using Rourke and his comeback story (courtesy of the critical praise he’s earned from The Wrestler) as a mirror to Robert Downey Jr.’s own career resurrection. But beyond that, it feels like a novelty.

I guess there’s also been reports saying that Rourke could end up playing Whiplash and not the Crimson Dynamo. I see that as a better fit because Whiplash was always a more garish villian. But I think the odds of putting the character in the sequel are slim-to-none. Whiplash was always a second-stringer and the visual appeal of the Dynamo armor is much more interesting.

I’m also not sure what to make of the talk that Sam Rockwell is in talks to play Justin Hammer, a corporate rival to Stark Industries. I like Rockwell in nearly everything he’s been in. He can play a great villain. But I always imagined Justin Hammer to be older. Someone who was jealous of Stark for his genius and his youth. Hammer is the kind of character that felt he should be the bigger fish because he’s been around longer. He doesn’t like Stark because he’s an upstart.

Of course, if you had asked me who I would have cast for Obadiah Stane, I wouldn’t have picked Jeff Bridges, either. So maybe they know what they’re doing.

What do you think about this casting news? Does it get you excited or do you think it’s a gimmick? Or maybe you’re still trying to figure out who Whiplash is. Let me know in the comments!

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JOIN THE THORUM!

January 7th, 2009 | by Tom
Posted In: Blog

I feel like since I relaunched the site, there are a million and one things I want to call your attention to. But I also want to be careful not to overwhelm you with too much stuff at once. So I’m trying to parse things out a little bit.

This afternoon, why not consider joining the Theater Hopper THorum>? It’s a great place for fans of the comic and movies in general to come in and get to know each other!

I’m also using the THorum as a place to help steer the redesign in the right direction. Let me know if you catch any broken links or make suggestions for new features to add! Or, if you’re looking for a more light-hearted diversion, I’m taking suggestions for movie quotes to add to the randomizer that displays them at the bottom of every page here on the site!

Hope to see you there!

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ODDS & ENDS

January 5th, 2009 | by Tom
Posted In: Blog

A few quick odds and ends to close out the day:

  • There was a little bit of a problem with the blog commenting and THorum registrations, but I think we have that ironed out. So if you want to join the conversation, it should be easier to do.

  • I completely forgot to tell you guys about my guest strip at Dueling Analogs. Please go check it out.

    I’m doing my good friend Steve a solid because things are a little hectic in his life right now. The holidays were weighing heavily on his mind, he just got a new job and – most importantly – he’ll be having a baby soon!

    I was reminded of how kind everyone was to me when Henry was born by chipping in with guest comics and well-wishes, I couldn’t say no when Steve made the call. Congrats, buddy!

  • Last, but not least, we’ll be recording our first episode of The Triple Feature of 2009 tonight at 9:00 PM CST at http://www.thetriplefeature.com. Be sure to listen to us live and join in the fun. I think we’re going to take the evening to reconnect with each other after the holidays and share with everyone the movies we’ve been watching. It should be a casual evening before our big Best of 2008 show coming up soon. Be sure to tune in!

That’s pretty much all for now, but I have much more to talk about. Be sure to visit the site tomorrow for more news and updates. You won’t want to miss it!

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INTERVIEW

July 21st, 2008 | by Tom
Posted In: Blog

Holy crap! I almost forgot!

There’s an interview I did with Xaviar Xerxes up and running over at ComixTalk that I want all of you to check out!

http://comixtalk.com/an_interview_with_tom_brazelton

Xaviar asked me some really thoughtful questions and I think the final product turned our really good.

40 lashes with a wet noodle for me, though, because we literally started this interview by e-mail months ago. But then I got sidetracked by my father’s open heart surgery, then started prepping for Wizard World Chicago and everything else fell to the wayside.

At any rate, Xaviar was more than patient and you should reward him by visiting the site and reading the interview! Leave some comments if you like!

Later!

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