What is the appropriate amount of time you should wait before talking about spoilers?
There was some controversy today in our Top Chef winner’s post. We revealed who the winner was before the jump (and without spoiler warnings). Our commenters — usually shy and unwilling to criticize our site (ahem) — let us know exactly what they thought of that decision (hint: they were not happy).
It occurred to me that the idea of television spoilers is a relatively new one. I mean, after all, it’s only been about 20 years or so that the majority of us had the power to watch our shows whenever we wanted to. In our parents’ day, you talked about what happened on TV the night before without fear — if anyone at the office missed the show, well, there was nothing they could do about it anyway.
What we need is a new etiquette. So, I figured I’d throw a post up and ask you guys: how long should you wait before it’s okay to talk about spoilers?
The answer isn’t necessarily cut and dry, especially when you stop to consider that with some serialized shows, people have taken to waiting until each season is finished, then gorging themselves on the season box sets. To me, it’s unreasonable to expect everyone around you to avoid talking about Lost ten months out of the year, but then, as Atticus Finch once said, you never really understand someone until you “climb into their skin and walk around in it.” Maybe you season-watchers have a good justification for asking for that courtesy.
(As a side note: now that I think about it, maybe Buffalo Bill from Silence of the Lambs wasn’t that bad a guy — maybe he was just a big fan of To Kill a Mockingbird.)
There is also the question of what, exactly, constitutes a “spoiler.” There are some people who feel any information about a TV show or a movie prior to viewing it effectively “ruins” the experience for them. There was a mini-meltdown among my friends because one of them warned us to “make sure you stay till the end of the credits when you see Iron Man.” I thought it was a good tip, but a few of my friends thought this was too much information to give away.
“Now I’m looking for the surprise and that makes it less special.”
Yeah, a lot of my friends also take rule changes to the Dungeons and Dragons system personally.
So, to recap, here is my Emily Post question of the day: How long should a website wait to consider information about a show common knowledge (and therefore free to discuss)? How long should you do so in your personal encounters? And, finally, what is a reasonable definition of a spoiler?
Your input is always appreciated!
Platinum Dunes Explains Rosemary’s Baby Remake. Fails. Makes Us Laugh.
“Listen, we’re going to have this remake, okay? And it’s going to be great, babe.”
With their stint at Crystal Lake going swimmingly, Platinum Dunes slithered out of the devil’s bedroom to talk about their upcoming remake of Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby a.k.a Why Not? Michael Bay Made Transformers. Producer Brad Fuller more or less explained my alternative title for their remake to STYD…
“If we don’t do Rosemary’s Baby someone else is,” says Fuller. “They’re not going to pass on that. …All the shit we get for doing these things, it really just comes from being huge fans and wanting to take a shot.”
Fuller’s is the greatest justification, not just for remaking classic films, but for everything in life. What Fuller is trying to say is, “we just want to do hood rat things for our friends.” And I’m curious to know who the “they’re” he’s referring to is. Hahah. Did he get a phone call from a smoking man who said, “A Rosemary’s Baby remake has been discussed by another studio, and the actresses mentioned for Rosemary simply aren’t hot enough. And it might be PG-13.”?
“Platinum Dunes, saving moviegoers from unknown disappointment since 2008.” - thankful moviegoer
Not really sure I follow what this next quote is trying to convey…
“You would say Rosemary’s Baby supernatural story, so one of our takes is supernatural, the other is not supernatural. It takes that story and roots it in reality and that’s going to be a decision that we’re going to have to make soon as we wrap Friday the 13th …and start sitting down with Paramount as to what kind of story do they want us to tell for them and what’s the smartest way to tell that story.”
Does this mean that the original film’s spawn of Satan storyline and the coven would be excluded? I don’t know, but it’s pretty funny. Platinum Dunes is not really based in reality in my opinion, but that’s not a bad thing.
Miley Turns Her Back on Destiny
All Hope is gone for Miley Cyrus. All Destiny, too.
The slightly tarnished Disney star is about to find out what exactly is in a name, as a Los Angeles judge officially signed off on her moniker switch this morning, legally waving goodbye to Destiny Hope Cyrus and ushering in the official era of Miley Ray. (Check out the court docs.)
Hopefully, not a moment too late.
The name change petition was first filed on behalf of the 15-year-old on March 14 by parents Billy Ray and Leticia Cyrus in Los Angeles Superior Court.
As for justification for the request, the couple wrote that "Destiny Hope Cyrus has been commonly known as Miley Cyrus since she was a young child. The change of name is requested to make her commonly used name the same as her legal name."
Finally, a Cyrus parenting decision Disney can get behind.
Diane Lane’s “Untraceable” Night
Diane Lane’s “Untraceable” Night
While most of Hollywood has been transplanted to Utah, big-screen babe Diane Lane appears to have stuck around town to hold down the fort. Last night, her new movie “Untraceable” premiered in West Hollywood, and she was looking good.
The “Unfaithful” actress showed up in a gorgeous green shimmery dress to celebrate both the premiere of her new film and her 43rd birthday. What a night!
In the film, Diane plays “an FBI agent chasing a killer who uses the internet to murder his victims. He sets up contraptions that, depending on the traffic to his webcam, expedite the death of the subject.”
And Lane commented that she felt a certain camaraderie with the character she played in the movie. “I feel like I have some things in common with the law officers that I got to know. I’m always looking for motive and tracking backwards looking for why would somebody do this? What is the justification for anything, whether it’s the scene in the film that I’m filming, to get to the truth of things.”
She says “Untraceable” hit close to home for her. “I know what kind of fire would be under me if my daughter was on the computer in this story. It brings it home a little bit closer even still within your own house because I’m a parent of teenagers and I know that we would be having a conversation about the world if this were going on for real in the world. It’s a scary premise.”