Mildly amusing footnote to this blog which got a shout-out at Jeff Wells’ Hollywood Elsewhere blog a couple days ago (my God, just typing that makes me realize how little any of this shit really matters) after Jeff decided to call “dibs” on the expression “C.S.I.: Riyadh” as the go-to glib critique of Peter Berg’s quite enjoyable in a rousing, sort of disposable kind of way, The Kingdom. He went so far as inferring that any review that uses the expression should attribute the quote to him in their review (Jeff would no doubt say this was written in jest but I suspect that’s only a disguise of true intent).
First of all why anyone would want to take credit for being the brain trust behind something that’s clearly a plain as the nose on your face call is beyond me (the hard part is simply googling what the capital of Saudi Arabia is so one doesn’t look like an ass) but more to the point Jeff wasn’t the first person to use the expression in print. Not by a long shot.
As Daniel Feinberg (a fellow blogger/Angelino/Sox fan) was kind enough to point out, I used the expression in my The Kingdom piece that I wrote way back in April. At the time, I assumed everyone would come to the exact same conclusion and was amused with myself for all of eight seconds for coming up with something so “witty” and then moved on. But shoot, maybe I should be seeking out royalties from the two dozen or so major market film critics who have reappropriated the expression. Can we get it written in stone somewhere that I was the first one to belch out this t-shirt worthy expression?
What made me most happy about the whole thing is that before I even had a chance to meekly chime in to plug my site, Feinberg had beaten me to the punch. This implies that I not only have readers but they’re actually retaining this drivel? The mind boggles. Makes me wish I proofread more carefully.
Anyway, you can read the whole sordid affair at the link below. Or you can correctly assume that this self-aggrandizing retelling is probably the most interesting this particular story could *possibly* be and go do something productive with you time. Your choice.
http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/archives/2007/09/csi_riyadh.php
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5 comments:
I'm honored to have played a small part in this saga... I'd stopped commenting on Wells' site months ago, but his self-pimping on this one was too silly to let stand.
Oh and if I get around to writing a review of "The Kingdom" tomorrow (where I plan to agree whole-heartedly with your point that the first and third acts are good enough to mostly ignore how mechanical and ham-handed the second act is), I'm going to refer to the movie as "CSI: Riyadh" at least three times... Minimum...
-Daniel
P.S. "Fienberg" not "Feinberg"... Wells can't get it straight either. Nobody can.
P.P.S. Home field advantage through the playoffs has got to help. My prediction: Gagne gets four wins this post-season and becomes a God to The Nation...
D'oh! Proof-reading continues to be my downfall. I will fight the urge to correct the spelling in the article as a lesson to myself.
Yeah, I'm envisioning a scenario where JD Drew hits a game winning HR, forever forcing to view his mediocre contribution to the 2007 season through rose-tinted glasses (ala Mark Bellhorn in '04)
I am reading this article second time today, you have to be more careful with content leakers. If I will fount it again I will send you a link
It is useful to try everything in practise anyway and I like that here it's always possible to find something new. :)
Not bad article, but I really miss that you didn't express your opinion, but ok you just have different approach
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