Re: What are you doing up Kevin? *NT

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: : : Yesterday, the NY Times ran a small article about Jersey Girl that wasnt a Gigli-fed : : : attack on the movie or a scathing prognostication on the flicks box office chances which, : : : after the last two weekends, was a refreshing change : : : And yet, it still managed to ruin my day. : : : Had this article appeared in the Star or the Enquirer, or any number of gossip websites, I : : : wouldnt bother trying to refute it. But that this appeared in the NY Times just depressed : : : the hell out of me. And worse, that I was attributed with saying something I didnt say : just : : : downright insults and infuriates me. : : : What follows is the NY Times article that ran yesterday, along with my comments about : : : things that were said, and things that werent but were credited to me regardless. : : : The starred text belongs to the Times. : : : --------- : : : *After 'Gigli,' Less of J. Lo Is Seen as a Good Thing : : : By LAURA M. HOLSON : : : You would be hard pressed to find a Hollywood marketing manual that says killing off : one- : : : half of the country's most famous celebrity couple in the first 15 minutes of a movie : should : : : be used as a selling point. : : : But in the wake of the box office and critical disaster that is "Gigli," the film that brought : : : together Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, Miramax Films is doing just that with the : couple's : : : next movie, "Jersey Girl." : : : When news reports in recent months revealed that Ms. Lopez's character dies early in : "Jersey : : : Girl," publicity executives at Miramax were displeased. But in the last few weeks, they : have : : : begun quietly highlighting the fact that Ms. Lopez barely appears in the movie. : : : Now, it looks as if Miramax will be promoting the movie the way the director, Kevin : Smith, : : : had originally wanted. Mr. Smith, who attained cult status with movies like "Chasing Amy" : : : and "Dogma," had always conceived of "Jersey Girl" as the story of Ollie Trinke (played by : Mr. : : : Affleck) raising his young daughter, Gertie. But when Ms. Lopez was cast as the girl's : : : mother, the production quickly turned into the "Ben and Jennifer show," much to Mr. : Smith's : : : chagrin. * : : : ---------- : : : Let me clarify here. Chagrin is probably too harsh a term. The only aspect of the Ben and : : : Jennifer Show I was ever uncomfortable with was in how Miramax might be tempted to : sell : : : Jersey Girl as a Ben and Jen flick, when Jens not in it very long. : : : Naturally, for the better part of a year, we tried to keep the fact that her character dies in : the : : : first half hour very quiet, as it would spoil the movie for folks and soften the emotional : : : wallop it packs in the film. Early on (before the Gigli mess was even a twinkle in every : : : gossip-hounds eye), Miramax was inclined to promote the movie (upon release) as a Ben : : : and Jen movie which wouldve meant cutting trailers and tv spots solely from the first half : : : hour of the movie because everything else in the film after that refers back to Jens : : : characters death. And since I didnt want to reveal to the world Jens characters early exit : : : from the film - thus spoiling the flick in advance for audiences who liked to be surprised : by : : : movies - there wasnt much I could say or do to offer up alternative ways to market the : : : flick. I just hoped that, by the time the good folks at Miramax got around to serious : : : marketing decisions, theyd show a bit of restraint, and not whore out an actress who, : while : : : mega-famous and stellar in the picture, is barely in it. : : : Now, in the post-Gigli climate, marketing the flick as a Ben and Jen movie is the last thing : : : Miramax wants to do which is cool by me, as I always felt the movie should be sold as : : : what it is: a father/daughter relationship film. Thats largely what the flicks about, so why : : : not sell it honestly? : : : Its just a shame that that particular marketing decision was arrived at under the current : : : circumstances. Because now, thanks to the voracious press machine, the news of Jens : : : characters death early in the film has become common knowledge (I went to the Battle for : : : Shaker Heights premiere tonight, and every press person that grabbed me began with : : : Arent you happy that Jens character dies in your movie now?). All through production, : : : we went to great pains to keep it a secret, going so far as to shoot fake stills of Ben, Jen, : : : and Raquel (the titular Jersey Girl) together. But when we started test screening, and the : : : early internet reviews spoiled the death, the cat was out of the bag. At that point, I had : little : : : choice but to cop Jens early exit from the flick which is why in the April 27th Sunday NY : : : Times piece, I talked about her character dying. : : : So if there was any chagrin, it was over the fact that the movie might have been sold in a : : : bait-and-switch manner. Thats now no longer a threat. : : : ------------- : : : *The publicity nightmare worsened recently as Internet chat groups and tabloids began : : : comparing "Jersey Girl" to the much maligned "Gigli." Rumors surfaced that Miramax had : cut : : : Ms. Lopez's part, and even had her face removed from movie posters. * : : : ------------- : : : This is a factual inaccuracy, because there havent been any posters finalized yet. : Granted, : : : there was a promotional poster done for ShoWest that pictured Ben, Jen, Liv and Raquel. : But : : : being that we were still even then easily eight months out from release, that image wasnt : : : even close to a final release poster. It was a temp mock-up intended to boost awareness : for : : : the film with the theater owners and exhibitors who attend ShoWest. Jens face has not, in : : : fact, been removed from any posters. I know this because Miramax hasnt even started : : : focusing on the marketing campaign for Jersey Girl yet (I mean, have you seen a trailer : yet? : : : I sure havent). Its little inaccuracies like this that come less from a place of gossip- : : : mongering and more from conjecture and a lack of comprehension of the movie biz that : : : wind up getting quoted become over and over again by other news outlets who will in : turn : : : sight the NY Times as their source. Never mind that its not true at all; its been in the : : : Times, so its gotta have some validity, right? : : : But even thats not as bad as whats about to follow. : : : --------------- : : : *Many of the changes had been made well before "Gigli" even showed up in theaters, : largely : : : because of the two characters' chemistry or, in this case, a lack thereof, Mr. Smith said. * : : : --------------- : : : This is the part of the article with which I take issue the most (and why Ill never talk to : : : another journalist who doesnt utilize some form of recording device other than a pen and : : : paper again). I never NEVER said, implied, or inferred anything regarding a lack of : : : chemistry between Ben and Jen. Maybe Im deluded and biased, but Im the only : : : motherfucker out there in the press whos been maintaining they have great chemistry : since : : : day one. : : : From my second Jersey Girl diary, that ran over at our sister site, : : : www.moviepoopshoot.com, September 20th, 2002 : : : If you're ever shooting a movie about two people falling in love, I can't urge you strongly : : : enough to cast a pair of people who are actually falling in love. The chemistry between : Ben : : : and Jen is so palpable, you could almost bottle it and sell it as an aphrodisiac. Take after : : : take, we watched Ben and Jen (who we couldn't have cast as love-at-first-sighters at a : : : better time in their lives) flirt through a rapid-fire-dialogue dance of movie meet-cute. : But : : : this wasn't just art imitating life; somehow in the midst of all that smolder, they managed : to : : : provide us with a pair of performances that reminded this little black duck why he's : always : : : worshipped at the Altar of Affleck, and is now currently constructing a Lopez Basilica as : we : : : speak. Honestly, the performances they gave were nothing short of spellbinding. : : : I took a world of shit for writing that here on our website from the folks that dont like : : : Jennifer Lopez, but I said it then, and I stand by it now. It was quoted in dozens of : articles : : : that ran in print and on the web, not the least of which was Bob Bakers LA Times article : : : Say It Aint So, Silent Bob that ran January 12th, 2003. : : : And in the aforementioned NY Times article that ran April 27th, 2003, I was quoted on : the : : : subject of Ben and Jens chemistry again : : : "We got Ben and Jennifer at a perfect time," he says. "They were falling in love in real life : and : : : falling in love on film." Shooting their PG-13 love scenes, he adds, was a breeze: "I don't : : : know that they had to act that much. There were times when we'd say `cut' and that : didn't : : : seem to matter to them." : : : Now why, after spending almost a year talking about how great their chemistry is, would I : : : suddenly pull an about-face and say something to the contrary? The fact of the matter is : : : that I DIDNT say anything to the author of this current NY Times piece regarding a lack of : : : chemistry between Ben and Jen. I talked with Laura about editing the movie based on test : : : screening reactions, but never went into specifics, and certainly never sighted Ben and : Jens : : : scenes or an imagined lack of chemistry. As written, this Times piece implies I DID say : : : something to that effect. That pretty much trashes what little faith I had left in the press : : : especially the holy NY Times because Im attributed with saying something I didnt. : : : Im not calling Laura a liar not at all. She seemed like a really nice lady when we spoke, : : : and unlike most of the gossip vultures I spoke with tonight in the press line at the : premiere, : : : she was kind of rooting for us. But the fact remains that she printed something I didnt : say/ : : : imply/infer, and attributed it to me. Call it miscommunication, call in conjecture, but call : it : : : factually inaccurate because thats what it is. : : : ------------ : : : *Ms. Lopez's part was trimmed after test audiences last spring panned the on-screen : : : relationship between Ms. Lopez and Mr. Affleck. * : : : ------------ : : : While not attributed to me directly, I didnt say anything like this in my interview either. : Just : : : because someone fills out a comment card that says I hate J.Ho in real life! doesnt mean : : : Im going to alter my movie to satisfy that mental giant. The cuts I make following test : : : screenings are not based on comment cards or scores (and for the record, the movie is : : : scoring extremely well). How I use the test screenings is I listen to the room as the : movies : : : playing, and if a scene is playing slowly, and I can feel it during the screening, Ill re- : : : examine it in the editing room. But if youve seen some of the comments cards Ive read in : : : my nearly ten years of test-screening experience, youd learn pretty quickly to lend them : : : little credence. Putting an unfinished movie up in front of an audience is beneficial; : hearing : : : their exact specifics on the movie in a scene-by-scene breakdown is not. : : : ------------- : : : *Miramax, a unit of the Walt Disney Company , resisted the cuts at first. "Harvey was : always, : : : `Let's leave as much of Jennifer in because we paid her $4 million for the movie,' " said : Mr. : : : Smith, referring to Harvey Weinstein, Miramax's co-founder. The studio's marketing : : : executives were also pushing to take advantage of the couple's star appeal. * : : : ---------------- : : : See? Theres a quote a direct quote that I have no problem with. I said that. Thats fine. : : : Put it in print. I obviously have no problem shooting my mouth off while putting my foot : in : : : it at the same time (word was Harvey wasnt pleased with that quote). I mean, Im the guy : : : who publicly likened my experience working with the ABC network on the Clerks cartoon : : : to prison rape. Ive been told by journalists repeatedly that they dig talking to me : because : : : Im pretty candid. So believe me when I say if I didnt think there was chemistry between : : : Ben and Jen in Jersey Girl during the eighteen minutes of screen time they share, Id say it : : : in the press, big time especially now, when bashing them is all the rage, and insures any : : : knuckle-headed pundit ink in even this nations most respected newspapers. But as I : : : DONT feel that way, and Ive never said anything like that, and have, in fact, always said : the : : : exact opposite, why the fuck would you credit me with something I DIDNT say like : : : ------ : : : *Many of the changes had been made well before "Gigli" even showed up in theaters, : largely : : : because of the two characters' chemistry or, in this case, a lack thereof, Mr. Smith said.* : : : ------ : : : Mr. Smith never said that, or anything else like it. But now, because it appeared in the NY : : : Times, I was asked by no less than three reporters tonight I read youve said Ben and Jen : : : dont have chemistry in your movie. What happened? : : : ---------- : : : *But that changed as Mr. Smith whittled away Ms. Lopez's screen time.* : : : ---------- : : : I know its en vogue at the moment to place Jen Lopez in the cross-hairs for all that wrong : : : with the world, so of course the author of this piece is inclined to write that I whittled : away : : : Jens screen time. However, what she fails to mention is that I whittled away EVERYONES : : : screen time. Thats how you cut a movie you dont whittle away one character who was : : : barely in the movie to begin with; you get in there and shave EVERYBODY down. : : : The irritating thing is that what Lauras expressed in that passage above isnt wrong, per : : : se; it just fails to represent the entire story. Its selective with the details. And I get why: : : : because unless youre purporting that Jens getting cut out of the movie, the author is left : : : with a rather boring piece about how the movies been edited, period. Wow stop the : : : presses. A movie gets edited? What a scoop. : : : ------------ : : : * "It became what's best for the story," said Jon Gordon, executive vice president of : : : production at Miramax. : : : You can almost hear the sigh of relief at Miramax. "In retrospect," Mr. Smith said, "it : turned : : : out to not be such a bad thing." Now he can only hope the couple chooses not to get : : : married next March when the movie opens, which would provide distracting fodder for : the : : : tabloids.* : : : ------------- : : : The irony in making a distinction between the Times and the tabloids in an article that : : : amounts to little more than a gussied-up gossip piece is pretty precious. Since when is : : : something like this story NY Times-worthy news anyway? What happened to the : : : institutions reputation as the Paper of Record? Has it gone from All The News Thats Fit to : : : Print to All the News That Fits, We Print? Or worse, All Bennifer, All the Time Just Like : : : Every Other Rag? : : : Look, I like the NY Times. Theyve been really good to us in the past particularly Janet : : : Maslin, when she was the lead critic there. And I dont wanna be the guy whos jumping all : : : over their dick, adding to the cacophony of those whove taken unfair pot-shots at them : for : : : their recent problem with phony articles. Im not saying this article is phony; not at all. I : : : spoke to Laura, for roughly forty five minutes. Like I said, she seems like a cool and : decent : : : lady. However, it bugs the shit out of me that she wrote that I said something I didnt. Im : : : not out in the press attributing to her shit she never said; all I ask is the same : consideration : : : in return. : : : Regardless, Ill say it again, for the record, and so nobody can claim Ive said different: I : : : think Jen and Bens chemistry in Jersey Girl is fantastic. : : : And, honest to God Im sorry I had to write this. Im not looking to get anyone in trouble, : : : and I hate being the guy whos always bitching about this or that injustice. Believe it or : not, : : : Im not a crybaby in real life. But if you dont try to correct shit like this right away, fiction : : : becomes fact faster than a Gigli box office run. A person should always be held : : : responsible for the things they say, which is why I tend to choose my words pretty : carefully. : : : But when someone puts words in your mouth particularly in a publication as respected : and : : : trusted as the NY Times - being circumspect means jack-shit. Suddenly, it doesnt matter : : : how carefully I choose my words, because somebody can just write that I said something I : : : didnt. : : : I swear, I cant wait til March - because then our flick can be seen, and I wont have to say/ : : : defend/correct anything anymore. The film can speak for itself. : : : --------- : : : --------- : : : --------- : : Ego triping ASS on stelts that's J.Looo

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