Freedom of Speech vs Freedom of Press.

Damn it to Hell! I'm entitled to Readin' the Man's Tweets Without Some Asshole Seekin' Attention Twistin' the Words to Suit Their Nefarious Ends!

That kinda says it all, but it was kinda long for a title.

Recently, a showrunner in Hollyweird found himself neck deep in a pile of shit made by the blogosphere and other hack wanna be writers in the entertainment industry for a comment or two he made on Twitter. Yes, I'm talkin' about Kurt Sutter, so be ye warned, this blog is gonna talk about him and to him. If all y'all can't deal with it, don't read any further. Y'all have been warned.

Thanks for stickin' around, those that are still readin'. Most of all y'all know by now that his 140 character at a time observations about the American Movie Channel and their original programs were taken out of context lately. Specifically, Mr. Sutter commented upon the situation at AMC with their hit programs 'Mad Men', 'The Walking Dead', and 'Breaking Bad'. More specifically, he commented upon his opinion that MM's ginormous budget ate into available monies for the other two shows, causing a ripple effect in staff and budgets for them.

Because Mr. Sutter is a rebel in a make believe society of suck ups, he is often targeted by the so - called entertainment press for his comments on Twitter that are not related to his original program on FX, Sons of Anarchy. Because of the latest uproar, he announced on Twitter and on his YouTube weekly update called WTFSutter that he is considering pulling the plug on Twitter.

Mr. Sutter is unusual in the Hollyweird environment because he picks and chooses who he follows on his account. He follows those who interest him and have something intelligent to say. Some are also writer/producers, some are bloggers, some are even members of the entertainment press.

He also has thousands of followers, including myself. He tweets about life, the universe, and everything else in 140 characters that can shock, amuse, and make a body think. He uses crude language like an artist uses paint or some other medium. He posts links to pictures that he wants to share, to his own blog, to other people's blogs that he thinks are worth reading.

He even responds to his fans. Imagine that! He responds openly, sometimes in fun, sometimes not. Sometimes he calls a spade a spade, other times he can be gentle and kind. I've only received one admonitory reply from him. Most of the few replies I've been privledged to receive from him have been kind, appreciative, and even downright funny. Hell, I get a fangirl rush any time I see @Lowecat from him, and I'm a little older than him, for cripe's sake!

Mr. Sutter's Facebook page was recently hacked, so he shut it down. It might've been a good thing, as people were often inundating him with game requests, app appeals, and other things that happen on FB. When he went from a friend to a fanpage environment, there were still a lot of goofy shit that came his way.

It's possible that he felt more in control of the data stream with Twitter. He could pick and choose what he responded to, and what he received. Twitter also allows one to block anyone you find offensive or abusive or spam (and God knows I've used that portion of Twitter, as I tend to receive all manner of porn links. Why, I do not know) something that is difficult to do on FB, especially if your page is a fan appreciation page,

Watching his latest version of WTFSutter, I was amazed and saddened at the amount of pain the man felt for the most recent uproar in the entertainment media about his recent blogs about AMC/MM. Reading the articles that were written made me even madder that he was being used, yet again, to further some asshole's own agenda. It seems like the man can't take a shit without someone writin' a scathin' critique about it.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. A lot of people would say, 'Hey, he puts his words out there. He's a celebrity. He's gotta expect that he's gonna be held to a different standard that the average Joe.'

Insert eye roll here. That's like the person who posted pictures of Kim Coates at his eldest daughter's college graduation on Facebook and adding pictures of his daughter! That's like the tabloids in England havin' scanners to pick up private phone conversations at the palace (remember Squidgygate and Prince Charlie's infamous comment about wantin' to be Camilla's tampon? EW!) or those nasty assed insects who picked up Adam Baldwin's phone conversation with his daughter and aired it all over the joint.

Damn it! Just because these people write, produce, and/or act in television and movies does NOT (emphasize, NOT) mean that they are not entitled to a modicum of privacy. Frankly, i don't need pictures of celebs buyin' groceries, walkin' the dog, bringin' their babies home from the hospital, and doin' everyday shit that you and I can do without bein' harassed by havin' flashbulbs go off in front of their faces every second of the day.

And just because they happen to use the social network to interact with their fanbase doesn't give YOU, Mr and Ms Media Whore, the right to take what they write/think/say and twist it around to grab readers. It's wrong, it's unethical, and if I had my way, yer computer keyboards would melt into slag. Just like the Wicked Witch of the West when Dorothy threw the water on her.

This is kind of an open letter to the entertainment media, to say back the fuck off of the celebs. It's also kinda wasted blogspace, as it's doubtful they have the sense tthat Gawd gave a goose to fly backwards and realize the harm they are doing.

That's why I don't watch the programs, buy the magazines, read the articles (unless I'm havin' to research somethin'). It's my way of sayin' 'fuck off!' Unfortunately, there are those out in the world who eat their shit up and beg for more, so they're always gonna have an audience.

And that's the sad thing. Becuase of their muckrackin' behavior, myself and thousands of other followers may lose out on a good thing. Sometimes when I'm havin' a bad day, a Sutter tweet lifts the spirits. Even if it's not a response to one of my 140 character epistles.

So to Mr. Sutter, I have this to say (providin' he takes the time to read this little epistle of mine). You will do what you feel is right for yourself and your mental and emotional health in the long run. From the twitterverse, a lot of people would be unhappy if you left, and yes, I'm one of those. Frankly, if you leave Twitter, you're allowing the asshats in the media world to win. That's not right.

I know it's a hard battle to fight, and you often feel like you're fighting it alone. It has to hurt to see your own words twisted out of proportion, changed into something evil and dark when it wasn't intended to be. It gets tiring to be battered about from all sides. The lure of giving in, giving up, and getting out is strong.

And that means the asshats win. They will have succeeded in censoring yet another brash, down to earth sentiment. They will have shut down another free thinker.

Don't let them shut you down, Mr. Sutter. You're a breath of fresh air in the miasma of smog that is LaLaLand. We follow you not because of your star power, but because of who you are. You make us think. You challenge us, 140 characters at a time, and sometimes with a few four letter words for good measure.

The twitterverse would be a little unfriendlier without you in it.

I can think of a hundred reasons why you would want to leave, and rightfully so. It's hard to think of one damn good reason to ask you to stay.

I'll ask anyway.

Please stay.

As they said in the war, Damn the torpedos and full speed ahead.

Waiting for you in the twitterverse, with purrs and whisker kisses.

Lowecat.

Some views of Life, The Universe, and Everything

Sorry that it's been awhile since my last blog. Just been busy with life, and gettin' my ride, Tig, the bike, ready for the Season. In Indiana, that is usually any time that it is not snowin' and the temp is above 30 degrees.

It turns out that ol' Tig needed a new, rust free gas tank. Findin' a gas tank for a 30 year old motorcycle that doesn't have rust is an adventure, but I perservered, and Tig's new tank is on the way. It's even the same color! Now I gotta get replacement nameplates for him. While I enjoy the sight of nekkid Tig on tee vee, a nekkid gas tank is just wrong, in my opinion. Yes, I'm an unabashed Sons of Anarchy fan, to name my motorcycle after my favorite character. So sue me.

The reason I'm writing in blue is in honor of Indiana's lone representative in the NCAA, the Butler Bulldogs. They are in the final four again for the second year in a row. Not bad for a 'small' university deep in the heart of Indianapolis. Most felt that BU wouldn't stand a chance after their 'star' player went to the NBA last season. Butler sure showed them! Hah! I didn't attend Butler, but since it shares the name of one of my favorite actors (Gerard Butler, just in case you didn't know), I root for 'em. Go Dawgs!

I thought it was a bit rediculous that TIIC of the NCAA would not allow Butler to bring Blue II, their living mascot, to the games with them. What did they think Blue II would do, bite the refs for a bad call? Poop on the floor? I think Blue II is a little better behaved than that, for cryin' out loud. Either ban all mascots, or let 'em all be present, but don't single out a few. Damn!

Indiana's Democratic legislative representatives finally came back to the Statehouse, after a month hiding in the neighboring state of IL. For some reason, I feel an apology is due our neighbors for that, especially the city of Urbana, for havin' to put up with our scaredy cat Demos for that length of time. 'Course, the business community of Urbana apparently benfitted from the influx, so maybe they don't need or want an apology.

The thing is, neither side really one this clash of would be titans. Nothing got accomplished in Indiana law making for 30 days. The voters got pissed off, but whether that attitude will last until November and we vote the motherfuckers out remains to be seen. The prevailing attitude is that if you or I were to take off from our jobs and hide for even one day, we'd be out on our butts seems to be the majority opinion on the street. There has yet to be a budget worked out for the state, and we wait (with baited breath) to see whether a special session would be necessary. It probably will be, and that brings up the possibility of more pay for the renegade lawmakers as a result.

The interesting and most frustrating part of this saga is that the Indiana legislature gets paid in advance for their three to four months work. There are two payments that are made to them. Therefore, while the Demos were NOT doin' the job they were elected to do, they were already paid for the work! It took awhile for TIIC to decide to fine the renegades. Collection should be interesting. There is really somethin' wrong with payin' people in advance for work to be done. You wouldn't do it for home improvement, you certainly don't get paid in advance for hours you haven't put in, so why in the Hell do we pay our elected officials BEFORE they do a damn thing? It makes no sense. But what in politics does make sense?

Trust me, some heads are gonna roll in November when these wankers in MY district come up for re - election.

I mentioned earlier that I am a fan of Sons of Anarchy. Haven't been this rabid about a show since Beauty and the Beast in the 80s, Phantom of the Opera, and the original Star Trek series of the 60s. I follow Kurt Sutter's tweets on Twitter. He's funny, he's a good thinker, and he doesn't pull any punches. He calls himself an angry prick, but he sometimes has reason to be.

One of his tweets was - again - taken out of context by the world wide web. He commented on a dispute between the showrunner for AMC's Mad Men series and TIIC (the idiots in charge, just in case you are askin' WTF is TIIC?). Someone in the blogospher/WWW took his 140 character comment and misinterperted it for their own purposes. That happens a lot with Kurt's tweets on Life, the Universe, and Everything Not Related to SOA. He wrote a very eloquent response to them on his own blog. Check it out. http://sutterink.blogspot.com/2011/03/c-is-love-letter.html Unfortunately, I fear those who SHOULD read it, and learn from it, won't. *sigh*

Spring officially arrived on 21 March, but you wouldn't know it here in Indiana. It's been cold lately, temps below 40 degrees, and there was snow overnight. None of it stuck in Indianapolis, but damn it! The daffodils are peekin' up and tryin' to bloom, and Winter is still fuckin' around! Sheesh! I want Spring! Sun, warmer temps, Cubs baseball, and no snow! Don't think I'm askin' much, now.

I published my third chapter in the third book of my on - going SOA fanfiction. Already gettin' good responses. I do read all responses, whether from fanfiction.net, email, twitter, and/or Facebook notes. Even those that aren't positive. There haven't been many negative, but I always find something to learn from. Lookin' forward to a productive weekend of writin', and rootin' for the Dawgs as well. My pen name there is Wanderingchat. Maybe get in a short ride as well, weather permitting. I'm not ridin' Tig much (get yer minds outta the gutter, ya perverts!) as I don't wanna get too much rust in the fuel line. That's what caused his issues last season.

If you wanna follow my tweets, which are NOT, contrary to popular opinon, centered on SOA, I'm Lowecat on twitter, Wanderingchat on Fanfiction.net, and Myra Lowe on Facebook. You can check me out on all those social media platforms, and see who I follow and follows me. Three hundred forty some odd people can't be wrong!

So, almost time to go to work. So have a nice day! Heh - heh - heh! And go Dawgs!