tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post8882153012576788582..comments2024-03-25T19:18:14.047-04:00Comments on What's Alan Watching?: Big news: I'm going to HitFixAlan Sepinwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comBlogger153125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-55425790282080276992010-05-13T22:49:23.228-04:002010-05-13T22:49:23.228-04:00Okay, heading over to hitfix.... Here's hoping...Okay, heading over to hitfix.... Here's hoping it's an even greater success!<br /><br />Thanks to the amazing commenters here. <br /><br />And, Alan, I hope you maintain the archive online in perpetuity. You have done some great work that is just unequalled. Your writing will serve as an important reference on the best stories of our era, and it will outlive all of us, to be sure.<br /><br />Hats off! Onward!Boresvillenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-16543349088280445242010-05-04T23:04:25.404-04:002010-05-04T23:04:25.404-04:00Anon: "I'm happy for you but wish there w...Anon: "I'm happy for you but wish there was someway you could continue to use Blogspot. I like the look and feel of it."<br /><br />J: "I'll be following you over there as a reader, though not -- after a quick, dissuasive look at the registration form -- as a commenter."<br /><br />Amen to what those two (and others) have said.<br /><br />I've been commenting anonymously on Lost, Battlestar Galactica, House, and NCIS reviews here for a couple of years now, but there's no anon option at HitFix, so it looks like this comment will be my last.<br /><br />I like the layout/UI here at blogspot, though I've never signed up, and while I will continue to occasionally read Alan's reviews over at HitFix, I won't be commenting anymore due to the lack of a simple anon option not asking for name/e-mail/etc.<br /><br />Then again... BSG is dead, and in another month, Lost will be dead, too... and Alan doesn't review House and NCIS more than once a year or so, so I guess it really shouldn't matter, anyway. Pretty soon here, I won't have many reviews I feel the need to comment on. Somehow, that doesn't cheer me up, but oh well.<br /><br />Good luck and godspeed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-41354274844332822402010-04-29T14:00:06.055-04:002010-04-29T14:00:06.055-04:00I gasped when I read this post.
Good luck Alan,...I gasped when I read this post. <br /><br />Good luck Alan, and I am glad that you will still be in the Ledger - I have been reading you since you and Matt Soller Zeiss were "All TV." (and I remember Jerry Krupnik fondly -- I grew up in a Ledger-reading house)<br /><br />The Ledger has changed greatly -- especially this past year -- but I am glad to read that you were not "pushed out" like so many of the other changes in the paper. It is still the only real coverage of Jersey Arts (yes, Virginia, they do exist, even though we look to the City).<br /><br />I know the media world is ever changing -- but I still have a newspaper with my tea in the morning, not my laptop. It's just not the same.<br /><br />Best of luck with your new writing endeavors -- and I will continue to look forward to your writings on your new site.Gailnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-73747523910557152012010-04-29T00:45:29.567-04:002010-04-29T00:45:29.567-04:00Dude, you get to jump from a newspaper gig, and no...Dude, you get to jump from a newspaper gig, and not get pushed? Sounds like an opportune time to break out the bubbly, to me.<br /><br />May all go well in your new home -- does HF allow registration through Google accounts?cgeyenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-34407317322880372002010-04-28T20:14:12.152-04:002010-04-28T20:14:12.152-04:00Sorry Alan. But this is goodbye. HitFix is horribl...Sorry Alan. But this is goodbye. HitFix is horrible. Good luck with that.The TV Geeknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-15657242047557203722010-04-28T11:04:57.801-04:002010-04-28T11:04:57.801-04:00I have to say I'm dreading the move to HitFix....I have to say I'm dreading the move to HitFix. I've been paying attention to my behavior with reading the blog the last few days. I will be patient and give it time at HitFix, but what worries me is the commenting.<br /><br />Yes, I'm mostly here for Alan's views, but I am interested in what other commenters think (because Alan is willing to be opinionated, and so are we, and we back up our opinions with supporting statements). And the extra hoops commenters have to jump through at HitFix mean there will be less comments, and I know I'm personally less likely on other sites to click through to the comments if it's an ordeal.<br /><br />What makes this blog excel is the way it spurs discussion, and I hope that continues. Your 'rules' also encourage people to read the whole of the discussion, which is remarkably egalitarian, and I fear that the limited comments that show up on page one (in reverse order) will mean that lazy readers won't bother. I hope your new overlords figure out quickly that intelligent conversation among Alan and his commenters is a huge part of the draw here and make sure that that conversation is facilitated.<br /><br />In any case, congratulations on a move that seems to make you happy, Alan, and I hope it succeeds for you in whatever way you wish. I'm sure depending on print journalism for a paycheck must be terrifying these days, so you will probably sleep better at night. And I will be following and reading, and hoping that the blog continues to set a high standard for TV criticism.Dudleys Momnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-65308112870007081152010-04-28T08:02:43.733-04:002010-04-28T08:02:43.733-04:00Congrats! I've enjoyed reading your blog for ...Congrats! I've enjoyed reading your blog for years. The series of posts on Freaks and Geeks is probably my favorite part of the internet.<br /><br />Unfortunately for me, HitFix.com is blocked by my company's web content filter. Don't ask me why blogspot isn't, makes no sense.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14870265871547100192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-86866001859136853842010-04-28T07:52:22.494-04:002010-04-28T07:52:22.494-04:00Just another reason for me to stop subscribing to ...Just another reason for me to stop subscribing to the Ledger on a daily basis. It's been in a downward spiral for sometime now, especially with regards to good columnists. You'll be missed Alan, but I'll continue to follow you in cyberspace. Good luck with the new venture!bsangshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11292004104772610373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-9168950283248878762010-04-28T05:29:06.713-04:002010-04-28T05:29:06.713-04:00Sorry, but like what some other folks here have vo...Sorry, but like what some other folks here have voiced, I'm going in with trepidation. No one's disparaging your intentions, nor your right to move on in your career (you conspicuously not mentioning that you're now the latest in a long line of folks abandoning print is telling - of course why would you burn that bridge I guess). But this sounds like all sorts of bad (possibly!!).<br /><br />Notice what happened to the fine folks at The House Next Door. A thriving group of writers, readers, and comments by the bucketful - now that they're incorporated into slantmagazine.com, go browse their site. Notice the comment counters: No comments, no comments, 2 comments, no comments. Folks couldn't be bothered w/ the transition - folks get comfortable with the environment, and going from a clean, no-frills design to a busy ad-supported flashy page, where instead of maybe 80% of the page real-estate devoted to actual content, to maybe 50% with a typical Hitfix section (Look at Feinprint - on initial page load, his latest post doesn't start until half-way down the page!). Folks will notice that - either consciously or sub-consciously. It's not like UI studies are based on nonsense. At the very least, I'm glad they fixed their ridiculous urls for their main sections… The Fein Print has as its launching url the actual *date* of when it launched - completely foolish and amateurish. Yours at least resolves to something that makes sense - no dates in the url! oy vey! Even their RSS feed is just a taste of their content, whereas yours is almost the entire enchilada. Again, they need eyeballs on their ad-sponsored pages, so this is understandable, but it's another change that folks will have to adjust to. Will they?<br /><br />If you are a force for good in this case Alan, and your coming to the site helps usher in some positive change, then that's great. But why kid ourselves? It's just as likely that the powers that be at Hitfix have their own ideas on what will make them successful, and you'll be at loggerheads throughout. To cap off this cynical anonymous post I'd gamble that if things change for the negative, you'll hold out for the length of your agreement w/ hitfix (I figure a year), and then do what you should've always done - taken your personal site to the next stage, hire some web developers, etc., and build an empire around *you*. At the very least keep Roger Ebert on your electronic Rolodex. I hear he's trying to jumpstart something. ;-)<br /><br />I truly wish you continued success! I'm just not going to turn a blind-eye to the new challenges facing you immediately going forward.<br /><br />P.S. The logo they created for you sucks. It's a little indicative of artistic laziness if they just snagged the podcast logo and tweaked it a bit. I mean, come on.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-44784442987788361632010-04-27T22:13:11.076-04:002010-04-27T22:13:11.076-04:00Best of Luck to you on this new endever! Congrats ...Best of Luck to you on this new endever! Congrats on the new job and thank you for continuing to post in the Star Ledger! (paper wouldn't be the same without your reviews)Anonymoushttp://(optional)noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-41259764152693608212010-04-27T21:22:22.144-04:002010-04-27T21:22:22.144-04:00If whoever runs HitFix has half a brain, they'...If whoever runs HitFix has half a brain, they'll read this entire thread and take a lot of notes.Corky McButtenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-47472997682566019152010-04-27T20:41:14.655-04:002010-04-27T20:41:14.655-04:00I haven't been a fan of HitFix to this point. ...I haven't been a fan of HitFix to this point. I stopped following Alan's links there because it never wanted to load on my old computer. (a quick visit there now shows that it's no longer a problem) The design is way too busy for my tastes. Besides, I got everything I needed to know about television right here, on an unassuming blog written by a guy in my old home county. Brilliant analysis of just about all the shows I like, and best community of commenters of any site on the web. Can't say I'm looking forward to this change.<br /><br />But times do change. Full time newspaper employment seems a risky long term bet. A few years back, when the Star Ledger was laying off staff by the dozens, I left a comment about how if Alan ended up leaving the paper I'd follow him online wherever he landed. And I meant it. So next week HitFix will become one of my frequently visited sites. No doubt about that. If anyone deserves to make money for blogging, he's the guy. So good luck with the new job, Alan, and I look forward to coming around to your new neighborhood in time for the next new Lost episode.arrabbiatahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11320373982505010164noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-84540356550634937742010-04-27T17:25:11.327-04:002010-04-27T17:25:11.327-04:00"The inability to call up one person's re..."The inability to call up one person's recaps of a specific show easily makes their site essentially non-functional within a few days of content being posted, and already limits how much Fienberg I read, I'd hate to have the same happen to your work"<br /><br />What he said!rick jonesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-12984053564573166082010-04-27T16:54:26.436-04:002010-04-27T16:54:26.436-04:00Congrats on the new job Alan, I gather this was th...Congrats on the new job Alan, I gather this was the positive news behind the recent vacation. As with many of the other commenters I'm not much a fan of the design over at hitfix (The inability to call up one person's recaps of a specific show easily makes their site essentially non-functional within a few days of content being posted, and already limits how much Fienberg I read, I'd hate to have the same happen to your work), so I hope your impending arrival can spark them to make those changes, particularly since they've got a deep bench of critics being somewhat wasted on a "only the newest posts matter" web design. Anyhow, best of luck with the change, I'm glad to see that you leaving the newspaper business doesn't mean losing your writing altogether.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-42508071961720356742010-04-27T15:36:34.640-04:002010-04-27T15:36:34.640-04:00COngrats, Alan, and good luck!COngrats, Alan, and good luck!Rob S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07331286524477806963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-44721352401549941992010-04-27T14:09:46.608-04:002010-04-27T14:09:46.608-04:00Damn. Last night I wrote what I thought was a nice...Damn. Last night I wrote what I thought was a nice little comment but it seems to have disappeared (or my eyes are playing tricks on me and I'm simply not seeing it). <br /><br />Anyway, in case it really is gone, I thanked you for keeping the archive up and also mentioned how many folks I'd told about this site and how happy they were that I'd done so. Good luck at the new digs!Oaktown Girlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00811331454878606058noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-36205103992446542142010-04-27T12:40:02.002-04:002010-04-27T12:40:02.002-04:00It sounds like a great move for you. My only sadd...It sounds like a great move for you. My only saddness is a completely selfish one...work blocks Hitfix. See what you can do about that. ;-)Allynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-39981606697927625162010-04-27T10:43:43.701-04:002010-04-27T10:43:43.701-04:00I'm a little concerned about the HitFix commen...<i>I'm a little concerned about the HitFix commenting system, especially the decision to put the newest comments at the top. </i><br /><br />That was one of my biggest concerns going in as well, and the new ant overlords have agreed to change it. By the time I set up shop, things should hopefully be rearranged so that comments will be posted in chronological order, not reverse.Alan Sepinwallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-43618183093040036272010-04-27T10:33:15.200-04:002010-04-27T10:33:15.200-04:00Sorry to hear this. The HitFix site and I just don...Sorry to hear this. The HitFix site and I just don't get along. I tried to follow Moriarty over to HitFix from Ain't It Cool News, but that site is just wonky for me and, as others have commented, it's just a pain to navigate.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-88125190796255757872010-04-27T10:32:19.198-04:002010-04-27T10:32:19.198-04:00Congrats and good luck on the move. I'll be fo...Congrats and good luck on the move. I'll be following you over there for sure.<br /><br />One niggle, part of the reason that I like this blog so much is beacuse of the unusually cogent and interesting comments. I'm a little concerned about the HitFix commenting system, especially the decision to put the newest comments at the top. <br /><br />But I'm willing to give it a shot and see how it goes.Chuchundrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09816400814788703687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-45139482341911628272010-04-27T09:31:05.712-04:002010-04-27T09:31:05.712-04:00Best of luck! I sure hope you'd be keeping you...Best of luck! I sure hope you'd be keeping your 'cut scene' "as soon as I..."! <br /><br />I also agree that the Hitfix website is not only pretty hideous but also very difficult to navigate. I'm used to it now, but sometimes I wish the website would match the caliber of its awesome writers sometimes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-53179272743707493262010-04-27T08:15:35.116-04:002010-04-27T08:15:35.116-04:00best of luck alan. i have been reading you since ...best of luck alan. i have been reading you since the u penn nypd days, so i (while not a regular poster) have been a long time follower (and appreciator...is that a word?).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-11564705833022878572010-04-27T07:46:47.773-04:002010-04-27T07:46:47.773-04:00I like simple site design as much as the next pers...I like simple site design as much as the next person, but if you imagine Alan's blog looking a lot like Dan's, is Dan's blog actually hard to navigate? It looks ... like a blog, to me. Yeah, there are the "Share" buttons and stuff, but I've certainly never had any trouble reading it.<br /><br />http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/2008-12-6-the-fien-print<br /><br />Not that I'm disagreeing that parts of Hitfix are busy, and I guess I'd be irked if I were fond of reading blogs on a phone, but ... I don't know. I don't really see that much of a problem. And you can certainly register to comment, but based on what I see, you don't actually have to.<br /><br />I think it'll be fine. Congratulations.Lindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08184669198971626945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-66701289576429090552010-04-27T03:48:26.136-04:002010-04-27T03:48:26.136-04:00Wah! This makes me so sad. Well, I'm happy tha...Wah! This makes me so sad. Well, I'm happy that this move is a win for Alan, but it seems like a lose for many of his readers, including me. I really want to follow you to Hitfix, but man, that site hurts my eyes. I too tried to read Dan's stuff there and gave up. I'll try harder for Alan, but there might be tears.Adrienenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-11969212722016578842010-04-27T02:16:38.136-04:002010-04-27T02:16:38.136-04:00Congrats Alan! Best of luck with the new gig.Congrats Alan! Best of luck with the new gig.RDnoreply@blogger.com