Well if the world ends tomorrow, 12-21-2012, the joke’s on me.
But otherwise…
So, earlier this year some rich whacko up in Marin started making a video* in Latin America what was supposed to be all about the so-called Mayan Prophecy.
Then I got a threatening letter from the same attorney who lost the case in L.A. Read that letter here.
But apparently, that threat was all lies and jest.
Oh well.
Hey, do you like sports analogies ‘n stuff?
This is rich Marin County whacko Elisabeth Theriot’s inchoate SLAPP lawsuit against TheWrap blog, IMO:
See? Kicker Garo Yepremien tried to score a few points but then opposing counsel filed a special motion to strike what was so special that discovery was immediately halted. Then he lost the hearing and that was the end of the suit, it looks like. I’m saying Elisabeth Theriot got pwned in court.
With a quickness.
Which, you know, this kind of thing doesn’t happen every day so that’s why I made a post about it.
But now the world is supposed to end tomorrow ‘n stuff and there’s no Mayan Prophecy “film” to see.
Oh well.
Now, what about San Francisco Examiner President and Publisher Todd Vogt? Do you think he got some sort of request or demand or something from rich Marin County whacko Elisabeth Theriot or the wire service or somebody to take down the wire story on these topics, you know, that used to be posted right here?
Why would the ‘Xam have a page dedicated to rich Marin County whacko Elisabeth Theriot (just look at the URL bar) with nothing to say about her? It’s because the story about her that used to be there is no longer there.
Is there cowardice here?
I’ll tell you, TheWrap.com stood up to rich Marin County whacko Elisabeth Theriot and was/will be rewarded with mandatory attorney fees as a kind of reward.
Why couldn’t/can’t the ‘Xam stand up to rich Marin County whacko Elisabeth Theriot too?
I don’t know.
Now I’ll tell you, when an actual newspaper (improperly, IMO) caves to some rich lady, that just might have the effect of emboldening her. Then she just might start going after poor, defenseless WordPress bloggers.
But maybe I’m way off on this one.
If so, please somebody disabuse me.
* I call it a video because it was (mostly?) recorded on digicams – no film required. The current title of this still-troubled production is Mayan Revelations & Hollywood Lies. It’s delayed. It’s nonsense. Oh what’s that, we’re going to see just how important that Long Count calendar is tout de suite? No we won’t. Sorry. Oh, over the coming decades? No we won’t. Sorry.
MIKE TYSON: UNDISPUTED TRUTH is a rare, personal look inside the life and mind of one of the most feared men ever to wear the heavyweight crown. Directed by Academy Award® nominee Spike Lee, this riveting one-man show goes beyond the headlines, behind the scenes and between the lines to deliver a must-see theatrical knockout.
Be wary of buying tickets from any third party website. SHN has no way of validating, or replacing tickets that have been purchased through any website other than shnsf.com. We cannot seat or refund you for an invalidated ticket.
If you have any questions, please call 1-888-746-1799 before purchasing.”
And here’s the vast bulk of the resulting lawyer letter:
Click to expand, if you dare.
Now I can understand why the San Francisco Chronicle might not want to get involved with all the allegations surrounding the making of some movie project about the Mayan calendar deal. You know, relationships ‘n stuff. And plus, it’s not like a whole bunch of people are going to watch this flick.
So that’s one thing, but the San Francisco Examiner, did it get a similar letter earlier this year? You make the call. See? Earlier this year it used to have something to say about Elisabeth Thieriot and the Mayan Prophecy and Mexico and whatnot, but not now. Mmmm. Did the San Francisco Examiner take down a Reuters news story on this topic because it was afraid of getting sued? Sure looks that way.
Of course that online trade journal TheWrap did get sued. Forone million dollarsto be exact. But then it responded with a Motion to Strike and that took care of that. And then TheWrap wrote about how it won, big-time. Then I linked to its story (and the entire decision itself) and now it sure looks like I’m the next to get sued.
Comments:
Uh, do I know that this lawyer represented/s that lady? No, not all. I mean, I assume that’s the case, but what’s this “as you know” stuff?
Does the lawyer really want/expect me to retract the entire blog, all 6000 posts? (Does the lawyer actually know what a blog is? Apparently not.)
Does the lawyer want to write my blog posts for me, you know, using his point of view? Sure looks that way. Is that his right? And how can I retract something that’s not wrong?
And I’m supposed to rely on CA law about retractions what apply to the MSM, but not really? So what’s the point of bringing that up?
And I’m “not authorized” by the lawyer to disclose the contents of the lawyer letter so I can’t do it? Really? Well, similarly, I’m not authorized by that lawyer to have a delicious Taco Bell Doritos Locos taco for lunch, so does that mean I can’t have that for lunch IRL? And I can’t show the letter to anybody, even to get help with how to respond? Is that fair dinkum? I think not.
So who else in the bay area has gotten these kinds of communications from Down South? I don’t know.
Anyway, I guess I’ll take that email chain* out of the Spam folder and put it into the Archive folder and await further developments.
But I’ll think to myself, “Man, don’t you realize you just lost, in a big way, on the very same topic in the very same state?”
KTHXBYE.
*Apparently, Elisabeth Thieriot herself sent me an email last month as well, on purpose, or by mistake, or something in betwixt. I’ll tell her what I told my grandmother,** about how Reply All is kind of an advanced email technique best left to the younger generation, you know, so you don’t email people by mistake.
** I still can’t believe she got a Hyundai, after all those decades of her having large RWD Ford products such as the Mercury Grand Marquis. She says her new ride is a “good snow car.”
“A Los Angeles judge threw out a lawsuit against TheWrap News on Wednesday, ruling that an article about movie financier Elisabeth Thieriot was both accurate and “took pains” in reporting on a production dispute with her co-producer. Judge Barbara M. Scheper of Los Angeles Superior Court sided with the news organization in granting an anti-SLAPP motion to dismiss Thieriot’s complaint on the grounds that it had no probability of success on its merits.”
And you journos should check out the ruling – it’s very accessible.
It’s like just 1:44 long. Click on it. Go for it, nobody’s looking. I’ll look out for your boss. You know, in HD.
There you go.
Ah, memories:
“Only 305 Views so far, but this one will end up with tens of millions of viewers, soon enough.
Ten minutes – full screen and 1080p please:
So that’s what was going on when the Bay Bridge was shut down that day.
I’m already looking forward to the director’s cut, you know, with outtakes and errors and broken stuff.
And just for the record, San Francisco Film Commission, the kids these days don’t want to see scripted drama crap like NBC’s Trauma, they want to see something interesting. So the sooner you stop subsidizing crap like NBC’s Trauma, the better off we’ll all be…
“DC and Ken Block present Gymkhana FIVE: Ultimate Urban Playground; San Francisco.
Shot on the actual streets of San Francisco, California, GYM5 features a focus on fast, raw and precise driving action. Filmed over four days, director Ben Conrad and his team are back to work on their second Gymkhana production and delivered the entire city of San Francisco as Ken Block’s personal gymkhana playground. DC Shoes also provided fellow DC athlete and longtime Ken Block friend, Travis Pastrana, to make a cameo appearance on his dirtbike, and S.F. resident Jake Phelps of Thrasher Magazine fame also makes a cameo as Block hoons S.F. in his most incredible Gymkhana yet. For more information check us out at http://www.dcshoes.com/auto
And here’s some context:
Jumping Taylor in a Fiesta. Wow:
And in the Financial, on California, near some fake cable cars:
More in Potrero Hill, on Bike to Work Day 2012:
And again in the Financial, being filmed by a radio-controlled chopper whilst being recorded by a Saturday-working, Financial District Dell Jockey:
Only 305 Views so far, but this one will end up with tens of millions of viewers, soon enough.
Ten minutes – full screen and 1080p please:
So that’s what was going on when the Bay Bridge was shut down that day.
I’m already looking forward to the director’s cut, you know, with outtakes and errors and broken stuff.
And just for the record, San Francisco Film Commission, the kids these days don’t want to see scripted drama crap like NBC’s Trauma, they want to see something interesting. So the sooner you stop subsidizing crap like NBC’s Trauma, the better off we’ll all be…
“DC and Ken Block present Gymkhana FIVE: Ultimate Urban Playground; San Francisco.
Shot on the actual streets of San Francisco, California, GYM5 features a focus on fast, raw and precise driving action. Filmed over four days, director Ben Conrad and his team are back to work on their second Gymkhana production and delivered the entire city of San Francisco as Ken Block’s personal gymkhana playground. DC Shoes also provided fellow DC athlete and longtime Ken Block friend, Travis Pastrana, to make a cameo appearance on his dirtbike, and S.F. resident Jake Phelps of Thrasher Magazine fame also makes a cameo as Block hoons S.F. in his most incredible Gymkhana yet. For more information check us out at http://www.dcshoes.com/auto
And here’s some context:
Jumping Taylor in a Fiesta. Wow:
And in the Financial, on California, near some fake cable cars:
More in Potrero Hill, on Bike to Work Day 2012:
And again in the Financial, being filmed by a radio-controlled chopper whilst being recorded by a Saturday-working, Financial District Dell Jockey:
We have discussed five issues that could affect the results of the LAEDC and/or UCLA-IRLE studies:
Unknown assumptions embedded in the LAEDC economic models and their failure to consider the benefits of alternative public or private uses of tax credit funds (which could result in the credit program having significantly less net benefit than shown in the studies).
In-state film activity that would occur in California without any tax credit (which results in the credit program having less economic and tax net benefits than shown in the LAEDC study).
In-state economic and employment activity resulting from out-of-state productions (which results in the credit program having less net benefit than shown in the studies).
Crowding out effects (which result in the credit program having less net benefit than shown in the studies in at least some years).
Effects of film-related tourism (which would likely not result in significant changes in net benefits in most years).
While the total effects of these issues are impossible to quantify, their combined effects are likely to be negative in any given fiscal year—that is, resulting in the net benefit of the credit program being less than shown in both the LAEDC and UCLA-IRLE studies.
Given the conclusion that the net benefit of the credit program is likely less than shown in the LAEDC study, the LAEDC’s finding that the output-to-credit ratio was about 20-to-1 is likely overstated, as is its estimate of job gains resulting from the credit program. Moreover, given that UCLA-IRLE adjusted downward to $1.04 the projected state and local tax revenue return from every credit dollar and given that we find that this also was overstated, we believe it is likely that the state and local tax revenue return would be under $1.00 for every tax credit dollar—perhaps well under $1.00 for every tax credit dollar in many years.
In any event, even if the combined state and local tax revenue return is right around $1.00 for every tax credit dollar, the state government’s tax revenue return would by definition be less than $1.00 for every tax credit dollar. The credit program, therefore, appears to result in a net decline in state revenues.”
But it’s been filmed (or taped or whatever) in town, so you might want to check it out for that reason alone. (Well, the first ep. had three vignettes, of which only the second is set in S.F.) Every scene from that segment practically screams “we made this on location!”
So you’ll see plenty of shots of the T/A Building and Belvedere Alley in Cole Valley:
You’ve heard of the 40-Year-Old-Virgin? Well Becki Newton will be the 32-year-old virgin:
“The romantic dramedy, from “Sex and the City” alumna Cindy Chupack, is in the vein of anthology series “Love, American Style” and chronicles several loosely connected, modern stories of love, sex, marriage and dating. Becki Newton will play one of two permanent cast members, Annie, an optimistic, infectiously bubbly social worker who is a virgin.”
