American Idol Wins Night with Lowest Debut Ratings

American Idol has become completely predictable. We know in the first shows we're going to see some inspirational stories, some good singing, some horrible singing, along with screaming, cursing, and disappointment from the many contestants. I know fans of the show who won't watch the auditions anymore because they know what's going to happen. As a result, the show's debut last week won its night with the lowest debut ratings in its history. What can we learn from that? Predictability in popular art can be good for your audience. For example, successful detective series like Robert Parker's Spenser series and Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum novels feature lead and supporting characters the readers come to know and love. The authors keep the books interesting by varying the mysteries their characters solve and the characters they meet each book. Similarly, a good reality show like American Idol benefits from the predictability of its formula, as long as it can vary it enough each season with compelling competitors. The only question about the shows was how the new judges would work out. If you've seen the shows or read the coverage you know that Nicky Minaj became the star of the panel - dominating the dialogue with the characters, initiating catty fights with Mariah Carey, and dressing to impress or shock the audience. However, if people are tuning in just to see conflict between the judges, American Idol is on its way out. It's the contestants who need to be the stars -- something that the producers appeared to have lost sight of in the last couple of years. People don't turn into football games to hear Phil Simms or Howie Long, or any of the other analysts. Yes, their analysis helps the viewer enjoy the games, but the players and the teams are the attraction. If the show producers really are relying on their judges for compelling storylines, this could well be the last season of American Idol. If you're creating a series of books, television shows, or movies, make sure you create a basic formula that allows for variations on the theme. And remember, it's the characters we care about, and keep them compelling. Also remember my first poetry book, "Two Car Garage" is now available at amazon.com and bn.com

How Poetry Can Help You

Four years ago I started to write an essay about taking my son to college. I tried several approaches, but I was blocked. After a couple of weeks I sat down to write the essay again and a poem appeared on the page. I've been writing poetry ever since. Some of my poems have been published by websites and magazines. This week my first book, Two Car Garage, is being published by CHB Media, a Florida publishing company. The book is now available on both Amazon.com and bn.com for only $9.99. What I learned writing the poems that went into the book can help you create whatever form of content you want to create. The three most important lessions were: 1. Practice -- I was proud of my first poem, but the poems I'm writing now after four years of practice are much better. Whatever you want to do -- paint portraits, write movies, create television shows, etc. -- you will improve if you practice. If you do nothing else, keep working on your craft. 2. Get support -- I did some research and learned that a lot of writers joined writers groups to get creative support and honest critiques of their work. It didn't take a lot of internet searching to find several writers groups in my home town. Find the people in your home town that are doing what you want to do. The support is priceless. 3. Learn from the best. I also read poetry -- both the classics and the best work that's being done today. I attended poetry readings by professional poets. I went to poetry and writing workshops to learn how to improve. I may not have been able to meet Robert Frost and ask him how to write a poem, but I can buy his complete poems and learn from them. So if you want to write novels, read great novels. If you want to direct films, watch and analyze the work of the great directors. If you want to paint pictures, make sure you see the work of the great masters in person. I started from writing my first poem to my first book in a little over three years. You may take less time to realize your dream, or you may take more time. The only sure thing is that, if you don't try, you're guaranteed not to suceed.

50 Million Frenchmen

50 Million Frenchmen was a hit Broadway show in 1929 with music by Cole Porter. In 1931 Warner Brothers released a movie version starring the comedy team Olson and Johnson and Broadway musical star William Gaxton. Olson and Johnson were one of the most successful comedy duos of that era. They starred in several films and Broadway shows and are most famous for starring in the Broadway revue Hellzapoppin which ran for three years 1938-1941. I DVR'd this film from TCM last week. I was curious to see one of the most famous early 20th century comedy teams and a man who starred in several great musicals. My regular readers know I love old movies and love film history. Imagine my disappointment when, ten minutes into the movie, I realized I could not stand it. Ole Olson's signature high pitched laugh was more annoying than funny. The gags hadn't ripened with age, they had soured. Gaxton may have moved audiences on stage, but on on film he came across as stiff and old. Warner Brothers had cut the songs out of the movie, having decided in 1931 that the era a of musical films were over. But why am I telling you this? Not just to help you avoid watching 50 Million Frenchmen in the future. it's to point out that tastes change. What was popular in one generation will not necessarily endure. It's only the rare works of art and extraordinary artists whose works last. That's why you shouldn't worry about the legacy of what you're creating. Perhaps it will be Casablanca, and perhaps it will be 50 Million Frenchmen. You can't control how future generations will feel about your work. You can only control what you're doing now. Focus on making each piece of content as good as you can, and let the future take care of itself.

Disney Buys Lucasfilm

It's now been approximately two weeks since the news broke that Disney bought LucasFilm for a little over four billion dollars. Many of the arguments and controversies that exploded on the web after the news broke have died down. After all, George Lucas had the right to sell and Disney had the right to buy. And who among us doesn't wish they created characters and content worth four billion dollars? I think it was a great deal for both sides. Some fans were concerned that Disney will "Disnify" the Star Wars franchise, but in fact Disney has a great record of letting their acquired companies create their own identifiable content. Look how they handle Pixar, for example. Disney got a bargain at $4 billion, because they own not only an iconic franchise that will continue to generate income, but also Industrial Light and Magic, one of the most innovative special effects companies in the business. That will bring in income and provide more expertise for Disney films. George Lucas will still have influence on the Star Wars franchise, but no longer the burden of maintaining the brand by himself. Some collaboration on the Star Wars brand might even improve the quality of the next three movies. Disney's resources will ensure that the Star Wars brand will endure for a long, long, time, even in galaxies far, far, away. For those of us who create content, this deal underscores the value of our work, and the importance of believing in your vision. When Lucas pitched the first Star Wars film, his previous two films were a flop sci fi picture, THX 1138, and a hit teen nostalgia movie, American Grafitti. Studios would have eagerly purchased another film in the American Grafitti (in fact, a sequel was released a couple of years later) but Lucas wanted to make Star Wars. Only one studio head, Alan Ladd, Jr., at Fox, thought Star Wars worth buying. Today of course, we have many more ways to get our content directly to our audience. So keep creating. You never know which idea will turn into the next Star Wars.

St. Deluxe - how to market yourself

St. Deluxe is a Glasgow-based fuzz-pop rock band. I interviewed them a little over two years ago for AOL and St. Deluxe was appearing a SXSW in Austin. They were a lot of fun to talk to -- they took their music seriously but not themselves. I've kept in touch with them over the years. I joined their mailing list, liked their Facebook page, and dropped Martin Kirwan, their spokesman, an occasional e-mail. Martin and St. Deluxe do a great job of getting their content to the pubic. They are releasing a new album December 3rd and are reaching out to all of their fans and friends. I received an e-mail directly from Martin. The news is also on their Facebook page, Twitter feed, and of course, their web site. Their web site isn't fancy, but it has everything they and their fans need: bios, news releases, testimonials, and of course, videos. The great thing about the internet is that we can reach our audience directly. But so can everyone else. I've heard that every year the world creates as much content as was created from the Babylonians through 1980. Standing out is a challenge. it's important to create compelling content possible. But it's also important to find your audience. If you can do both, you are well on your way to making a living from your content. You can check out St. Deluxe on social media and their website: www.stdeluxe.co.uk

Spirit in the Sky

Norman Greenbaum, the writer and performer of the iconic hit, "Spirit in the Sky," turns 70 this year. His story provides hope and inspiration for all of us who create content. Norman was born in 1942 and raised Jewish. He dropped out of school to become a singer/songwriter, and after watching Western movies came up with the fuzzy guitar riff and gospel-style lyrics that became "Spirit in the Sky." Warner music released the single and album in 1969, and the single sold two million copies in 1970. The song is still played today on adult contemporary, oldie, and even gospel channels and is featured prominently in several movies and commercials. You may remember it being used in Apollo 13 and other films. Norman released other albums and had some other charted hits like "Petaluma" although his other most famous song is the novelty hit "The Eggplant that Ate Chicago." Norman's royalties from "Spirit in the Sky," and ancillary products available on his website, support him to this day. Norman still writes and performs -- if you go to his website you can get information about his upcoming concerts: www.spiritinthesky.com. I'm sure after Norman recorded "Spirit in the Sky" he and Warner thought they had something -- but I'm also sure that no one predicted that the song would resonate as long as it did. Something in the music and lyrics makes the song timeless. I believe they'll be singing and playing "Spirit in the Sky" far in the future, when people live throughout the solar system and are sailing for the stars. That's why you must keep creating content, and doing your best with every piece. We never know which song we write is the next "Spirit in the Sky," which television series will be "Seinfeld," or which movie will be "Titanic." If you keep working, your content will become more compelling and your instincts for good work will improve. But we can never know until which one of our creations will be a hit until we send it into the world. So keep working -- perhaps your next work will be the one the Spirit in the Sky smiles on.

When is my content protected by copyright?

You're protected as soon as you write it down. According to US Copyright law, your work is "under copyright protection the moment it is created and fixed in a tangible form that it is perceptible either directly or with the aid of a machine or device." Therefore, if you've just composed a hit song in your head, it's not protected by copyright until you write out the sheet music or record it on an audiotape, digital file, or digital video. The same for your novels, poems, films, and any other content you create. You must create it in a fixed and tangible form to have protection. Once you do this, you are entitled to put your 'c' copyright on your work, whether or not you register the work with the copyright office. So why would you want to register your work? Because you can't sue anyone for copyright infringement unless your work is registered. The best protection is to register your work within five years of creating it. That is considered prima facie evidence for a court of law. If you don't know what prima facie evidence is, you haven't watched enough legal shows on TV. You don't have to pay a lawyer to register your copyright. The US government has put your tax dollars to work and created a website, www.copyright.gov, that is full of information on how to register (and is also the source for this post). I urge you to look at it if you are concerned how US copyright law helps protect you. Don't assign your copyright to a corporate entity, record company, manager, or any other person. The owner of the copyright owns the work, and the only way you can maintain control is to maintain ownership. There may be times when you are working for a company that the content you create is 'work for hire' and is owned by the company. Other than that special case, if you are writing a novel, creating a web video, a new song, cartoon, poem, or any other personal content, it belongs to you by law. Don't give it away.