The Inside Story: Hollywood And The Media Deconstructed

Panel 1: The Real Tinsel: Hollywood Insiders Take On Hollywood

(general blogging in realtime rules apply - links will be added later, and this will be updated several times.)

OK, so this panel started at 7 but we didn't get in until 7:40 or so due to attending art openings and such, and for the past 10 minutes I've been trying to get onto the wireless network and still can't. It's 8:10 now and I'm blogging offline and will talk to one of the support people between panels. Caryn and I are hunched over in the hallway because this is a screening room and neither one of us feels like pushing through seated people for real seats.

The security report is that they DID check to make sure Caryn and I were on the list, and they did search our bags, although not too thoroughly - just the usual "I'm supposed to look in your bag to make everyone feel safer but I'm not really going to do more than just look in" kind of thing. Not that I wanted more, it's just funny that with all the hype and concern running around about this that that's what they opted for. After the LA Observed post I was expecting metal detectors and shit. What a bummer, I totally could have come strapped!

Anyway, the wireless network which I can't get on, is provided by bluespot and has a hidden SSID and everyone is issued a username and password when they come in. Problem is the accounts they gave Caryn and I don't exist according to the system. Bah.

I'll skip trying to cover most of this panel because I've missed so much of it but there's been a lot of talk of unions, networks, bloggers, etc. As noted by the title of this one, lots of Hollywood talk. I see a bunch of laptops in the crowd so hopefully someone else has covered this. There is a lot of feedback going on with the audience, and the room is set up well for that. Andrew Breitbart (Drudge's bitch) has been pretty entertaining, and at least from this obstructed viewpoint it looks like a lot of the discussion has been directed and conducted by him. I can't see who in the crowd is doing the talking, but it sounds like the same 3-4 people are being the most active. Overall what I've seen of this panel it seems to be a lot of people complaining about the liberal bias in hollywood and that people who lean right don't speak out because they won't be able to get work if they do.

You know what? Tough shit. If you feel strongly about something, have the balls to say it, don't hide in the corner and whine about other people not sharing your views. There's something *so* unattractive about complaining that you are afraid to voice your opinion - it's scaredy cats like you that make it that way. If there so damn many of you with that opinion, what's the concern? Wow.. punk rock lyrics popping in my head : "...rather be forgotten, than remembered for giving in..."

On to Part 2!