Social Media and Behind the Scenes: AKA Everything Else Not "News and Media"

[NumberCruncher]

9 minutes ago, Angel12d said:

Who said anyone was keeping scorecards? I don't understand. 

That's what a lot of people were doing by criticizing her timing though.  They discounted her support because it happened to come too late, in their opinion.  I'm not going to fight about it precisely for this reason (i.e. support has to be done "the right way" or it doesn't count)...it's an unwinnable situation.  It's precisely the reason I never post hardly ever on social media about social issues.  God speed anyone brave enough to do it.

[Angel12d]

Okay, well, fair enough. In that case, yeah, I am guilty of that because her timing said it all, IMO. She's not the only one though. A lot of people/celebs have been totally silent and then Dallas happened and it's all 'all lives matter, no races' etc etc and that's disappointing. Whether it's intentional or not. I can't help how it looks.

Anyway, we shall agree to disagree! 

[apinknightmare]

2 minutes ago, NumberCruncher said:

That's what a lot of people were doing by criticizing her timing though.  They discounted her support because it happened to come too late, in their opinion.  I'm not going to fight about it precisely for this reason (i.e. support has to be done "the right way" or it doesn't count)...it's an unwinnable situation.  

It's a combination of message and timing. If she'd posted this before a group of mostly white officers got killed, I don't think people would've jumped on her. The equalization of the deaths of the cops and the people who have died at the hands of law enforcement + the timing of it = a firestorm. 

[AyChihuahua]

An awful lot of celebrities on Twitter, from Andy Richter to Olivia Wilde, have done just fine with that "unwinnable" situation. Mostly by being just a little thoughtful and a little empathetic.

[NumberCruncher]

3 minutes ago, AyChihuahua said:

An awful lot of celebrities on Twitter, from Andy Richter to Olivia Wilde, have done just fine with that "unwinnable" situation. Mostly by being just a little thoughtful and a little empathetic.

You assume everyone has the eloquence to be 100% inoffensive which most people don't.  Regardless, she literally said "I agree" and "I want that shirt" which aren't exactly inflamatory statements.  Clearly people read more into it (which is totally their right to do so) but that's why I say these kind of situations are a losing proposition.  Anyway, I don't think anyone's minds are going to change on this so let's just move on. 

[wonderwall]

Not to ruffle feathers here... To me what Cassandra reiterated wasn't very smart... 

#Alllivesmatter (while true) will ALWAYS get flack because that's not the issue right now. Someone on twitter said it best.

And that's exactly the issue here. How black people are treated goes to show that this part of society is broken. And because it's broken we need to treat it first which is why the blacklivesmatter movement actually exists. It's not meant to be exclusionary nor is it meant to say that all lives don't matter. So to me as well as a lot of people, alllivesmatter actually takes away from the whole blacklivesmatter movement.

So the issue is that Cassandra stepped in poo when she (a privileged white woman) reiterated this because regardless of the circumstances she posted that instagram photo being ignorant of the issue at hand here (and the timing of this post doesn't make it any better). And even when someone on twitter politely explained it to her that what she reiterated was missing the point, instead of apologizing or learning from her mistake she deleted her twitter and still kept up that photo showing me she learned nothing at all. 

So yeah I feel no sympathy here tbh. She learned nothing from this ordeal. Cassandra isn't perfect by any means. But she better learn from her mistakes especially if she wants to talk about hot button issues like this. 

 

ETA: If I'm wrong about any of this and if I'm being offensive please let me know so I can reevaluate my statement. I'm not really thinking straight right now. Have been up for over 30 hours which is fun 

Edited July 9, 2016 by wonderwall

[calliope1975]

SA has such a large platform and has done amazing things by motivating and mobilizing his fan base. Unfortunately, he has shown to be completely tone deaf on a lot of issues he will never experience (e.g. racism, sexism) and worse, he often refuses to listen to those who do have direct experience in those areas. It's not surprising, but it can be disappointing. I don't condone harassment of anyone in person or online, but the #ALM sentiment rubs a lot of people the wrong way, to put it mildly, including myself. When it is invoked, people will call it out, hopefully politely as it looked like happened at first on Cassandra's post. If one refuses to listen, I can't find much sympathy. 

[Thundercatmary]

Well for me personally I'm going to spend more time thinking about myself and how I can improve and forget what Cassandra or any other celeb says or does.  We're all responsible for our own behavior/actions so i will try and focus on myself and how I can improve. :)

[lemotomato]

I'm just sitting here wondering why anyone cares what SA's wife thinks. She could barely be considered a public figure.

[HighHopes]

Yeah. So Amell just guaranteed that I will probably never vote in another Arrow related poll again. Unless it's about EBR/Felicity, then I'm there. 

It should be mentioned that Brandon Routh retweeted the poll about getting LOT on the cover, and EK retweeted the Arrow Writers about getting Arrow on the cover. But if the star doesn't care about the show winning these contests, why should the fans? 

[looptab]

But the poll for him to win best WWE guest or whatever that was he retweeted. Jeez please get off the internet, Stephen.

[kismet]

So how does his age matter in regards to wanting a cover?

Entertainment Weekly is one of the bigger entertainment magazines, its circulation is big and it gets a lot of exposure from beaches to doctor's offices. Maybe he should be less condescending and more open to opportunities. 

It's probably because he feels he should be asked to do it and not have to win it. Newsflash, an attitude like his towards this campaign is not going to get you an invitation. He might not care about magazine covers but they do count for something. Now I wonder if he was offered to be in that Berlanti interview photo shoot with GG & MB and passed on it because he doesn't like photo shoots.

Part of me hopes that Arrow wins and they keep him off the cover. They can just put his bow in the photo.

I really do not get why he asks like an insolent child. I bet they will pay you SA, a simple photo shoot to get your face on millions of magazines. Maybe if you're nice they might even allow it to be posted on their facebook page.

[catrox14]

I think the 35 years old thing was response to the question about the Teen Choice award which is theoretically only supposed to be voted on by Teens. 

[wonderwall]

I have opinions... But that would veer into fandom talk lol

[TwistedandBored]

Yeah. SA also told a fan there are "So many more fun things to do" than promote the show I guess. LMAO!

Seriously, WTF is going on with him right now? Why is he riling the Olicity fandom even more? These fans are the same fans that have been trying to promote the show in any platform that they can and he does this?!

[dtissagirl]

I can't remember, did EW diss him lately? Or is this an old grudge? In anyway: loooool.

[wonderwall]

One thing I will say is... I get why he doesn't do photoshoots. Everytime he does one he looks awkward as hell and I can appreciate that he doesn't like doing them. Just like how EBR doesn't like doing cons because it makes her anxious

[lemotomato]

2 minutes ago, TwistedandBored said:

Yeah. SA also told a fan there are "So many more fun things to do" than promote the show I guess. LMAO!

That's being taken out of context. It's a continuation of his tweet about not wanting to do photoshoots.

There's lots to be annoyed at SA about. But right now I think things are spiraling on Twitter, and everyone needs to take a break.

[kismet]

The difference being photoshoots are part of an actor's job. They are a requirement. I have a long list of things I don't like to do for my job. But I still have to do them even if it is not my personal preference. Most cons are an optional way for actors to interact with fans and make money. So where I will give EBR freedom to choose to do cons or not. SA needs to grow up and accept certain realities about his chosen profession.

If the age thing was in reference to the Teen choice awards, I can understand that rationale. I am not a teen and refuse to participate in teen awards, its just feels wrong. Not that internet polls are the pillars of truth & justice, but it ruins the integrity of the awards if non-teens are voting in it. However, if I was nominated in a category I would be encouraging my teenage fans to vote for me, since they are part of the fanbase that keeps me employed.

[TwistedandBored]

2 minutes ago, lemotomato said:

That's being taken out of context. It's a continuation of his tweet about not wanting to do photoshoots.

There's lots to be annoyed at SA about. But right now I think things are spiraling on Twitter, and everyone needs to take a break.

Isn't doing a photoshoots part of promoting the show? Since the network won't do a photoshoot for the show and it is what fans has been asking for ages, why not just retweet and move on? 

Him saying there were much more fun things to do was wrong. He is creating more problems for himself. 

[wonderwall]

14 minutes ago, kismet said:

The difference being photoshoots are part of an actor's job. They are a requirement. I have a long list of things I don't like to do for my job. But I still have to do them even if it is not my personal preference. Most cons are an optional way for actors to interact with fans and make money. So where I will give EBR freedom to choose to do cons or not. SA needs to grow up and accept certain realities about his chosen profession.

Sorry but I don't think photoshoots are required unless the network mandates them. And so far the network hasn't mandated a photoshoot from Stephen. I think photoshoots are a smart move for actors, but they're definitely not a part of an actor's job if they don't want it to be. 

I guess for me, I'm satisfied with stephen doing every con imaginable if that's more his comfort level. At least he's doing something. 

Emily on the other hand is the exact opposite. She feels more comfortable with photoshoots so she arranges them. 

Nothing wrong with either approach

Edited July 9, 2016 by wonderwall

[wonderwall]

I can't believe I'm defending Steve smh

[TwistedandBored]

13 minutes ago, dtissagirl said:

I can't remember, did EW diss him lately? Or is this an old grudge? In anyway: loooool.

I don't think EW dissed him at all. Maybe it is something that happened during the summer.

[kismet]

@wonderwall I'm not talking about shoots to promote random things or just done for artistic purposes like EBR. Those are her prerogative, and I'm fine if SA passes on those. I was talking about photoshoots mandated by the network. Or shoots used to promote the acting projects you are in. Without shoots like those, most people wouldn't know to watch your projects. A cover on an international magazine to promote your TV show is pretty much a mandatory photoshoot. So even if SA hates magazine covers, he should be trying to get this one at EW. He doesn't have to campaign for it. But a RT or at least not bucking it would go a long way.

But lets not quabble over details, since I think when it comes down to it SA's attitude needs an adjustment regardless of our personal opinions on photoshoots. :)

[lemotomato]

4 hours ago, HighHopes said:

Yeah. So Amell just guaranteed that I will probably never vote in another Arrow related poll again. Unless it's about EBR/Felicity, then I'm there. 

It should be mentioned that Brandon Routh retweeted the poll about getting LOT on the cover, and EK retweeted the Arrow Writers about getting Arrow on the cover. But if the star doesn't care about the show winning these contests, why should the fans? 

I can't believe I'm being forced to defend him, but SA has said multiple times that he hates photoshoots. So while I would love to see Arrow on the cover of EW, I'm not going to expect him to promote something that's going to require him to do something he's repeatedly and vehemently expressed distaste for. 

And as a fan, I vote and care about winning contests because I'm competitive and it's a way for me to help promote the show. Unless an interview/video with the stars was promised as a reward (like the MTV 'Ship of the Year, which he did acknowledge and thank the fans for at the end) I've never participated with the expectation that anyone from the show would help publicize it. Considering how much anti-voting happens on Arrow-related polls these days, I'm not sure asking SA to publicize something is even a good idea.

3 hours ago, TwistedandBored said:

Isn't doing a photoshoots part of promoting the show? Since the network won't do a photoshoot for the show and it is what fans has been asking for ages, why not just retweet and move on? 

There are tasks that are a part of my job that I hate doing, but I'll do them if I have to. I'm not going to volunteer for them, which is what SA would be doing if he RTed the poll. Assuming that his RT would even make that much of a difference. He lost the Alpha Male EOnline poll a couple months ago even though he promoted it.

Edited July 9, 2016 by lemotomato

[lemotomato]

23 minutes ago, TwistedandBored said:

I don't think EW dissed him at all. Maybe it is something that happened during the summer.

I remember a while back he grumbled about having spent time doing a photoshoot for a magazine that in turn, misquoted him or wrote something uncomplimentary? He seems to be disdainful of entertainment media in general, since he's always making fun of articles that take his quotes out of context. 

[wonderwall]

11 minutes ago, kismet said:

@wonderwall I'm not talking about shoots to promote random things or just done for artistic purposes like EBR. Those are her prerogative, and I'm fine if SA passes on those. I was talking about photoshoots mandated by the network. Or shoots used to promote the acting projects you are in. Without shoots like those, most people wouldn't know to watch your projects. A cover on an international magazine to promote your TV show is pretty much a mandatory photoshoot. So even if SA hates magazine covers, he should be trying to get this one at EW. He doesn't have to campaign for it. But a RT or at least not bucking it would go a long way.

But lets not quabble over details, since I think when it comes down to it SA's attitude needs an adjustment regardless of our personal opinions on photoshoots. :)

But the network has never mandated a photoshoot from Stephen except for maybe posters w/ him in his suit and cast. Stephen doesn't have control over those. As for the EW... Forgive me but I honestly don't think a cover that's determined by a poll is mandatory :/... Is Stephen an idiot for not taking that chance? Absolutely. But I can't fault him for it because he seems to really hate photoshoots. So Idk. 

I also don't get why this responsibility of RTing the thing solely falls on SAs shoulders. He doesn't want it so he doesn't RT about it. Fair enough. But what about the rest of the cast? DR/EBR seem to not be that into it either... 

IDK I guess it feels wrong to say Stephen doesn't promote the show when he does every con under the sun as well as runs an active FB account which does meme mondays and fanart fridays... He does way more than the other actors. So yeah... I think Stephen is dumb about a lot of things and I side eye him for them. I just don't think this is one of them.

But I do agree that he needs an attitude adjustment haha :)

Edited July 9, 2016 by wonderwall

[kismet]

So insomnia has lead me to look into SA's twitter and I found this little gem. Which to me highlights one of the big problems with social media.

1. Who would feel this is an appropriate message to send?

2. Who would willingly not only acknowledge but give this type of message attention?

Seriously, I'm at a loss. There are children kidnapped everyday, but let's make light of it on a Q&A. And I usually avoid posting about SA's non-Arrow twitter etiquette, but this is truly mind-boggling to me. Just so disappointed in him.

in response to

[Midnight Lullaby]

He is 35 years old but doesn't show it. I don't like to do plenty of things but that's life as an adult. If you want to do something nice, like he apparently wanted to do for the fans, you do it and stop complaining or don't offer. Just support a random poll you choose without drama but if you ask and one you don't want to support because you don't like photoshoots, the other because you are too mature for it you are acting like a big baby.

[kismet]

5 minutes ago, wonderwall said:

But the network has never mandated a photoshoot from Stephen except for maybe posters w/ him in his suit and cast. Stephen doesn't have control over those. As for the EW... Forgive me but I honestly don't think a cover that's determined by a poll is mandatory :/... Is Stephen an idiot for not taking that chance? Absolutely. But I can't fault him for it because he seems to really hate photoshoots. So Idk. 

I also don't get why this responsibility of RTing the thing solely falls on SAs shoulders. He doesn't want it so he doesn't RT about it. Fair enough. But what about the rest of the cast? DR/EBR seem to not be that into it either... 

IDK I guess it feels wrong to say Stephen doesn't promote the show when he does every con under the sun as well as runs an active FB account which does meme mondays and fanart fridays... He does way more than the other actors. So yeah... I think Stephen is dumb about a lot of things and I side eye him for them. I just don't think this is one of them.

But I do agree that he needs an attitude adjustment haha :)

I think it only bothered me because it was said in response to what can I do for you after helping him out in that baseball tweets. So he sorta volunteered himself to give something back but per usual only if it met his personal preferences. It was just a douche move to make. He didn't have to RT, but he didn't have to draw attention to the fact that he was purposely choosing not to participate in the EW cover campaign. The other castmates have kept quiet altogether which makes a lot of sense if they don't care. He should have chosen that route instead of being obstinate on twitter again. He's biting at the hands that help feed him and its just disrespectful.

And I never said he doesn't promote the show, I just think he needs to not be such a dick about some common ways TV shows are promoted these days. Social media polls & photoshoots are one of the major ways. If he was my star and he turned down the cover of a magazine, I would not be looking to book him in other projects. But he's free to do whatever he wants. He is just starting to come off like a primadonna and I don't think he has as much star power as he thinks to pull off some of this behavior.

[lemotomato]

6 hours ago, Angel12d said:

Is it me or does that Rick Gonzalez look tiny in that pic? Aw, SA should be happy. He won't be taller than him in scenes. 

CH is also short. Interesting that both of GA's sidekicks are shorter than SA. (Diggle is more of a partner than sidekick, IMO)

[Belinea]

16 minutes ago, lemotomato said:

Interesting that both of GA's sidekicks are shorter than SA

Doesn't he also hate that when they cast taller people? I think, he mentioned how EK was again taller than him....

[kismet]

SA reminds me of those guys you hear about that compare lengths at urinals. He probably has a measuring tape on him at all times.

I do find it funny how sensitive he is about the heights of his fellow actors. Betcha he'll try to get height restrictions negotiated into his next contract.

Edited July 9, 2016 by kismet

[sadfangirl]

Just catching up on this and want to comment on a few things about SA:

EW - gave TMNT2 a C+ rating (they're not known for marking low, they want the copy from agents/studios). Maybe he doesn't like them so much anymore, especially as they only mentioned him in passing in the review. Maybe that's why he doesn't want their cover.

TMNT2 - I think, as has already been said, I agree that he's pissed that his "big movie debut" is a flop. And it is. As of today the film has a WW box office of $194 million off a production budget of $135 million (source Box Office Mojo). That doesn't sound so bad you say. Until you take into account:

• films like this have massive WW marketing budgets, up to $100 million, but let's be generous and say $50 million
• the studio gets around 1/2 of box office takings for the US and about 1/3 for the rest of the world (China is even lower)
• So at most the studio has recouped at most $100 million, off a $185 million spend.

FLOP. They may never make back their money. DVD/Streaming sales will give them some more profit, but it's dead. The first one made over $500 million. Sequel talk has gone. They may reboot again in a few years but he won't be in it.

He's 35 - this was his big chance. He has at least another 2 years on his Arrow contract. And there's no way WBTV is letting him go before they want him to - Arrow makes them money and syndication will bring them more.  

He's not getting "indy" work (like EBR) where he can "prove" he can act (EBR made 2 small movies over hiatus that may not be block busters but will be seen by the "right" people in Hollywood). Same with Grant, he did an indy movie with a really impressive cast over the break.

Finally, billing. Honestly, I think EBR needs a better agent. If she'd not second billed and second on the call sheet now then it's her agents fault - they're the ones who go in and fight for that sort of stuff. I don't know if she actually cares, but a decent agent would have sorted that stuff out last year.

[Morrigan2575]

1 hour ago, sadfangirl said:

Just catching up on this and want to comment on a few things about SA:

EW - gave TMNT2 a C+ rating (they're not known for marking low, they want the copy from agents/studios). Maybe he doesn't like them so much anymore, especially as they only mentioned him in passing in the review. Maybe that's why he doesn't want their cover.

TMNT2 - I think, as has already been said, I agree that he's pissed that his "big movie debut" is a flop. And it is. As of today the film has a WW box office of $194 million off a production budget of $135 million (source Box Office Mojo). That doesn't sound so bad you say. Until you take into account:

• films like this have massive WW marketing budgets, up to $100 million, but let's be generous and say $50 million
• the studio gets around 1/2 of box office takings for the US and about 1/3 for the rest of the world (China is even lower)
• So at most the studio has recouped at most $100 million, off a $185 million spend.

FLOP. They may never make back their money. DVD/Streaming sales will give them some more profit, but it's dead. The first one made over $500 million. Sequel talk has gone. They may reboot again in a few years but he won't be in it.

He's 35 - this was his big chance. He has at least another 2 years on his Arrow contract. And there's no way WBTV is letting him go before they want him to - Arrow makes them money and syndication will bring them more.  

He's not getting "indy" work (like EBR) where he can "prove" he can act (EBR made 2 small movies over hiatus that may not be block busters but will be seen by the "right" people in Hollywood). Same with Grant, he did an indy movie with a really impressive cast over the break.

Finally, billing. Honestly, I think EBR needs a better agent. If she'd not second billed and second on the call sheet now then it's her agents fault - they're the ones who go in and fight for that sort of stuff. I don't know if she actually cares, but a decent agent would have sorted that stuff out last year.

Just to add to this, the sequel has opened under the 2014 in every market. China came the closest TMNT opened to 26 Million in China, while TMNT2 opened to 25 Million.  If we carry that out, TMNT2 should end it's China run with 61 million while TMNT ended it's run with 62 (assuming no other changes).  The rule of thumb is 2-2.5 times the production budget to break even (theoretically, since Hollywood has it's own math). The movie needs between 270-327 million to break even but it's mostly going to stall out below or just around the 270 mark.

This movie is most definitely a financial disappointment for the studio and for SA. I have no doubt that SA (along with many fans here) figured this would be his ticket to action movie stardom. I remember a debate back in S3 about tje length of the show, many were convinced it would end with S6 because SA wouldn't resign since he was going to be able to make the jump to movie star pretty easily. While others (including myself) argued the difficulty of transitioning from TV to movie, especially for CW actors.

There's a possibility that SA's recent comments are due to the realization that he missed his big chance and won't get another one in time to quit Arrow, which means signing on past S6, which then, of course lowers his chances of making that jump. He's getting older and it's going to get harder.  Plus he's aging out of the types of roles he wants (action movie star).

I haven't fully formed an opinion on his attitude yet. Right now, he's being snarky and dismissive of his fans (which they're not used to) but, I'm waiting to see how he acts with the media at SDCC to fully gauge his level of apathy with the show.

[Soulfire]

There's an unfortunate underlying message in Amell's tweets from last night. People in fandom have spent hours voting just to get an interview, not because it's their idea of fun, and basically what Amell said in response is I will support things that are fun for me. 

It's not difficult to understand why people are irritated. Sure, the guy does cons, but he benefits financially from them. He benefits from fan loyalty that support and advocate his passions and causes, as well as Nocking Point and the Kickstarter, but won't get behind a poll that fans ask him to because he's 35 and doesn't like photoshoots? He's sending a message that he'll get behind things, sure, but only if they align with his interests.

I think it's fine he's opening up conversation about promo; sadly, I don't think he's open to listening or for changing his approach to it. 

[Midnight Lullaby]

I honestly can't see the big deal of giving one RT for TCA even if he isn't a teen when the fans who are asking gave him an absurd amount of money between cons, wine, the other stuff he is selling, Code8..I get that there's no obligation but when you get so much it's also nice to give back. And they asked for a RT or doing a magazine cover, not getting a tattoo on his forehead.

[quarks]

To further jump in on this:

Although actors are "strongly encouraged" to do publicity for films/shows and generally have that written into a contract, a photoshoot for a television show is usually negotiated/paid for on a separate basis. The final costs run into the thousands, and in the case of one non-CW show, ran into the six figures for one shoot after travel time/compensation/the photographer were included. This is typically handled by the production company, sometimes by the network. About 2/3rds of the WB publicity department were laid off three years ago and have not been hired back, suggesting they don't have the money for photoshoots for established shows. As far as I can tell the CW has both a very limited marketing budget and limited staff.  

The vast majority of online polls are not seen by networks or actors as promoting the show. Whether they do promote the show or not doesn't matter; what matters is what networks and actors think. And I don't think they aren't entirely wrong - many of the polls are promoting that webpage/earning page clicks as much as they are promoting the show, and it seems that most of the people visiting those online polls are already involved fans.  They are useful to networks - and are used this way - as showing what involved viewers are interested in and excited about, so that's a plus, and in that sense it can be useful to an actor or a writer to promote some of the better known polls to provide some indication to a producer/network that yes, there's interest in that plot/character. But in the sense of "hey, you need to promote this poll to promote the show" - probably not.

The baseball stuff, however, did bring attention to Amell and to Arrow from people who do not necessarily watch the show, but do watch baseball. Did this help bring Arrow any viewers? I'm skeptical, honestly - I don't think that anyone would read an article about an actor possibly influencing a baseball poll and go, wow, I really need to check out that show, but it did at least bring Arrow some publicity in an area where the show usually isn't mentioned. I can understand attempting to repeat this.

The TCAs - sigh. That could be an entirely separate rant, but, yes, they are rigged, and I have heard from a number of actors and other talent who feel very uncomfortable participating in a rigged process, feeling it's dishonest to fans, and to at least one actress whose management told her to promote the TCA thing anyway, and did so. I share their discomfort. Promotion is one thing; lying to eager, enthusiastic teenagers makes me feel faintly ill. But very very few creatives are willing to publicly and non-anonymously accuse Fox of pulling this stunt. Instead they just choose not to participate.

With Entertainment Weekly, I have no idea what specifically is going on there, but I do want to note that when Arrow started up in 2012, Entertainment Weekly was owned by the same media conglomerate that produced the show, Time Warner. In 2014, Entertainment Weekly was spun off (along with several other entities) into Time, Inc., which means that Arrow and Entertainment Weekly are now under separate ownership and thus don't have the same cross-promotional needs.

Now, having said all this, my own rant is that much of this would not even be coming up if the media conglomerates weren't so blatantly trying to shove a heavy part of the marketing/promotional budget and effort on creators and fans, particularly with continuing shows. I get that Time Warner had a rough year in 2015 and CBS is involved in corporate drama at the moment, but these are still organizations with either more funds or more access to funds than the typical fan, and I don't blame fans in the slightest for feeling frustrated. 

[apinknightmare]

He has stated repeatedly that he hates photoshoots, and I personally don't mind him taking certain things off of the table if he is uncomfortable with them. The time to take those things off the table, however, was before he asked people to take their time to vote for something that is surely going to benefit him with the Blue Jays organization in some fashion. He presented a "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" situation, but then turned it into a "I'll scratch yours except for here. And here." 

I'd like to believe it was an honest mistake and that he hadn't heard about some of these things until yesterday, but people have been @-ing him to get him to participate for days, so...nah. Seems manipulative, which is ick. 

Edited July 9, 2016 by apinknightmare

[catrox14]

I don't understand why ti's a slight that SA is not promoting Teen Choice Award nominations. It's supposedly a fan vote that in the end doesn't seem to actually honor the fan votes.There is a disclaimer that the final selections are up to the producers and Fox. The CW doesn't seem to go out of their way to promote the nominations beyond a tweet announcing the nominations. If he were to win and never thank fans for voting that would be something different.

As to the EW cover, it is a pretty stupid way for them to pick a cover. I mean yes I'm voting the heck out of SPN to make the cover because they NEVER have even after 12 seasons but I don't really expect to see them promoting it themselves. If the producers want to promote it that's fine but if they never promote it I don't take it as a slight. Same with the Arrow cast. I don't care if they don't promote themselves. I'll still vote for them (as long as it's not against SPN or Richonne for the most part LOL)

Edited July 9, 2016 by catrox14

[dtissagirl]

It doesn't help that Steve kinda really doesn't know how to use Twitter. He can't figure out how to use it as a publicity/marketing tool without sorta bribing people, he doesn't know how to use it as a communication tool that is a whole lot more 2-ways than any other social media platform, and he doesn't know how to use it as info-gathering platform, i.e., looking at what content is trending in his circles and capitalizing on that.

[HighHopes]

7 hours ago, lemotomato said:

I can't believe I'm being forced to defend him, but SA has said multiple times that he hates photoshoots. So while I would love to see Arrow on the cover of EW, I'm not going to expect him to promote something that's going to require him to do something he's repeatedly and vehemently expressed distaste for. 

And as a fan, I vote and care about winning contests because I'm competitive and it's a way for me to help promote the show. Unless an interview/video with the stars was promised as a reward (like the MTV 'Ship of the Year, which he did acknowledge and thank the fans for at the end) I've never participated with the expectation that anyone from the show would help publicize it. Considering how much anti-voting happens on Arrow-related polls these days, I'm not sure asking SA to publicize something is even a good idea.

There are tasks that are a part of my job that I hate doing, but I'll do them if I have to. I'm not going to volunteer for them, which is what SA would be doing if he RTed the poll. Assuming that his RT would even make that much of a difference. He lost the Alpha Male EOnline poll a couple months ago even though he promoted it.

I used to vote for show related polls all of the time, but when the cast/network rarely acknowledge them it gets a bit tiring IMO. Especially when the stars and networks of other shows retweet these polls and try to get fans to vote. So when the star of the show doesn't care, why should any of the fans? As for the anti-voting, I now find it hilarious. If someone is going to take that much time to vote against a show/ship just because of the female character, let them. 

I understand that the EW cover may not be something he's interested in, but he asked fans to pick a poll for him to promote. Right now. that is one of the biggest ones. I'm sure he's aware of it, and I'm sure he knows that fans want it. But telling fans "Do A for me, and I will do B for you", but then telling fans after A was accomplished that he won't do X, Y, or Z is kinda shitty behaviour on his part. He finds online polls disingenuous, won't do photoshoots, and is too old for the TCAs apparently. What poll was he going to pick then? 

Edited July 9, 2016 by HighHopes

[Morrigan2575]

34 minutes ago, catrox14 said:

As to the EW cover, it is a pretty stupid way for them to pick a cover. I mean yes I'm voting the heck out of SPN to make the cover because they NEVER have even after 12 seasons but I don't really expect to see them promoting it themselves. If the producers want to promote it that's fine but if they never promote it I don't take it as a slight. Same with the Arrow cast. I don't care if they don't promote themselves. I'll still vote for them (as long as it's not against SPN or Richonne for the most part LOL)

Which is why i love our boys. Don't know if it's the group involved or because SPN was always (especially during the Dawn O years) the litte show that could. There's this feeling in the fandom that we're all in this together.  CW doesn't promote SPN, fans won them a TV Guide cover contest and the boys thank fans, no gripes about how they hate photshoots.  Fans win boys TCA or PCA awards and boys go to event or, when they're actually NOT invited by TCA/PCA they create they're own thank you video for the fans (including walking around in their boxers).

And since they've never been on the EW cover,  I'm totally voting for SPN at least with them i know they'll appreciate the assist.

ETA: Arrow is up against Ash vs Evil Dead...yeah I'm voting for The Chin. I might have voted for Arrow if i thought for a minute i'd get Felicity and Diggle on the cover but, i know it would just be Oliver/Arrow or get turned into an Arrow/Flash/Supergirl cover I'll pass.

Edited July 9, 2016 by Morrigan2575

[looptab]

I'm not even involved with most polls and voting and stuff - I'll vote a couple times, top - but I'm annoyed on behalf of those that do. Because frankly, Stephen's attitude is starting -well, not starting, it's a while actually- to feel a bit exploitative. 

[Morrigan2575]

3 hours ago, looptab said:

I'm not even involved with most polls and voting and stuff - I'll vote a couple times, top - but I'm annoyed on behalf of those that do. Because frankly, Stephen's attitude is starting -well, not starting, it's a while actually- to feel a bit exploitative. 

It was always exploitative, it's just now becoming obvious to the majority of fans. 

Edited July 9, 2016 by Morrigan2575

[Chaser]

The thing with SPN is the fans will follow those boys anywhere. Five years after SPN ends when the boys are 80 and playing the Grandpas, those fans will still be trending and organizing groups to see any and all movies and TV appearances to support them.

At this point, I can't say the same for SA.

[looptab]

8 minutes ago, Morrigan2575 said:

It was also exploitative, it's just now becoming obvious to the majority of fans. 

Totally. I guess before it was overlooked (I'm including myself) because he never seemed so dismissive about things.

Now I kinda want to see him try and sell the next episode of Dudes being Dudes in Wine Country, haha.

[Midori Ya]

Don't know anything abt these polls and awards. But if TCA is rigged as mentioned above, then I can see how actors might have philosophical issues abt promotion. Problem is - and maybe I'm missing context - was seemed to me his tweet answer abt not promoting TCA "b/c I'm 35" could be dismissive of teens. As if he's more mature than to concern him w/ things young naive teens are concerned abt. Sure he didn't mean it that way. but framing it as b/c he's 35 opens the possibility. If I were teen viewer, I think I'd feel offended.

Anyway, my personal headcanon abt Steve's various social media missteps: he's irritable from dieting and working out!  Yes, he's bulking up & probably putting on weight, but he also looked kinda like he had ripped abs in one photo there. You can't be ripped if you don't keep your body fat down. I know from past experience if I've been dieting & really working out, after a while I'm starving, short-tempered and irritable. Steve - stay off social media until you go eat some pasta, some ice cream and take a gym rest day!

[AyChihuahua]

This has been a very interesting discussion. I hope he gets it together, whatever his issue is. I am usually pretty able to separate actors from their characters, but I'm pretty down on the actual show right now too, so it all comes across as "meh, nobody cares anymore."

[lemotomato]

1 hour ago, HighHopes said:

I used to vote for show related polls all of the time, but when the cast/network rarely acknowledge them it gets a bit tiring IMO. Especially when the stars and networks of other shows retweet these polls and try to get fans to vote. So when the star of the show doesn't care, why should any of the fans? As for the anti-voting, I now find it hilarious. If someone is going to take that much time to vote against a show/ship just because of the female character, let them. 

I understand that the EW cover may not be something he's interested in, but he asked fans to pick a poll for him to promote. Right now. that is one of the biggest ones. I'm sure he's aware of it, and I'm sure he knows that fans want it. But telling fans "Do A for me, and I will do B for you", but then telling fans after A was accomplished that he won't do X, Y, or Z is kinda shitty behaviour on his part. He finds online polls disingenuous, won't do photoshoots, and is too old for the TCAs apparently. What poll was he going to pick then? 

I agree that he shouldn't have offered to support a poll in exchange for people helping him with his and then not deliver. That is shitty behavior. But what I don't get is how this particular instance has been blown up to "SA won't promote the show" which isn't really true. He just seems to like a more grassroots level of promotion. "SA doesn't support fan efforts to promote the show" is mostly true (he did acknowledge and thank fans after the MTV Ship of the Year award) but that is something that has been his MO since always, so I don't get why he's being taken to task now.