THE AFTERMATH OF MILCH AND A MAJOR MILESTONE
Tomorrow marks the 2 year anniversary of this blog. The timing is perfect; last week was the most amazing and surreal experience in the two year history of my site.
It has been estimated that there are more than 70 million blogs in existence. And most of the major pop culture sites receive millions of hits per month. Which kind of gives this site an inferiority complex. But last Wednesday, after actor Jim Beaver responded to my letter to David Milch, my page views shot through the roof. And there are a few people that deserve a shout-out for playing a major role.
Mr. Jim Beaver is a class act and a refreshing voice in an otherwise disingenuous industry. He doesn’t know me and wasn’t trying to do me any favors. He just took the time to write an honest response to disagree with one fan’s strong opinion. It took me by surprise but I am grateful that he not only set the record straight about Milch’s role in the cancellation of Deadwood and creation of John From Cincinnati, he agreed that the fans of both shows deserved to hear his perspective.
If you haven’t done so already, you need to bookmark Whitney Matheson’s Pop Candy blog for USA Today. It is a daily must-read. As a shot in the dark, aiming high and hoping for the best, I sent her the link to Jim’s response, because I know she’s covered Deadwood, JFC and Milch in previous posts. She not only wrote a little blurb providing back story, she linked
directly to my site! This resulted in at least 3,000 new hits and
introduced me to several new friends with similar entertainment sites
and interests. Keep in mind that before last week, I was averaging
75-100 hits per day. So thank you, Whitney!
If you’re a true Deadwood fan, you must visit Save Deadwood. It is the best source for updates about the status of the cast and series. I totally appreciate that they posted a link back to Jim’s response on this site as well! I also enjoy visiting and then listening to The Real Deadwood Podcast with Paul Dennis.
Apparently there are links to my story on HBO’s Deadwood and JFC community boards, as well as on the message boards of Joss Whedon fan site Whedonesque. This saga continues to amuse and overwhelm me at the same time.
Overall, the response to Jim’s email has been 100% positive. And hey, I emerged from this mini-storm relatively unscathed; only one person expressed true umbrage with my letter to Milch. As the dust settles and this becomes tomorrow’s news, I hope to simply retain some new readers. The ride was inadvertent, but worth the journey.
Thank you to everyone who visited and also to those who left comments. I hope you’ll add this site to your list of pop culture perspectives, and return in the near future.
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Here is an entirely trivial glance at the last two years of my life as a blogger. To some, these numbers would be a joke. But I am proud of my readership and what I have been able to create and share, especially considering that I have a regular day job.
August 2005 – August 2007
Number of entries posted: 225 (I will increase the frequency, I promise)
Number of subscribers: 10 (small but dedicated, like Mel on The Flight of the Conchords)
Most popular entry: Really Early Oscar Predictions – The Best New Releases of 2006 (no idea why)
Top 3 topics covered: Television, Film, Lost
Number of overall hits: No idea (I was too cheap to purchase a counter)
Now what will I do to celebrate the silly little anniversary of this site? I’m glad you asked! I will be obtaining Season 1 of both Friday Night Lights and Heroes on DVD as soon as possible, and then starting to research new laptop options. Four years later, my baby is out of style; the technology is sadly archaic and the performance increasingly sluggish. Any suggestions?