Travis Betz, aka "The Receptionist", just got a development deal with Comedy Central. So that's another outstanding talent who could have been featured here but can't any longer.

Congratulations, Heather and Kerry. You've fucked up again.

And it reminds me of an old film biz joke:

"Once there was an actress so dumb she thought she could land a role in a major film by sleeping with the screenwriter."

Steve Kloves is fabulous (as in his wonderful movie "The Fabulous Baker Boys"), and this ass clown is unlikely to improve on his good work.

Rebecca should have interviewed the director. At least then she would have been talking to someone who had a direct impact on the movie folks will ultimately see.

Always remember what Sharon Stone once said: "You can sleep your way to the middle, but not to the top."

I think Tony is baiting us. He's trying to see how low the quality of his cartoons can go before someone in the audience hunts him down and skins him alive. I mean, what else could possibly explain this crap?!

I suppose you'd also love a poke in the eye with a sharp stick? Tap dancing barefoot on a red-hot stove??

I have four words for you:

BRING BACK GREIL MARCUS

And please, Please, PLEASE flush Video Dog down the nearest toilet. It has segued from interesting, entertaining, back to interesting, then boring, on to embarassing and now simply a crime against those dumb enough to subscribe to Salon.

I guarantee that those "free" downloads aren't free to Salon. Its subscription base and click-throughs aren't big enough to get freebies from either struggling bands or established acts, so they are paying for each and every one of those bits of music. Can you imagine how much it cost them for all the music accompanyng the Sgt. Pepper column in Audofile? Yikes!

Video Dog, on the other hand, is doing people like Slappy and Pappy (or whatever the fuck their names are) of Red State Update, and the rest, a HUGE favor by exposing them to a much larger daily/weekly audience than they'd find elsewhere, especially YouTube. You better believe Salon is getting THAT content for free. The tip-off is when Joan mentioned that new content was coming "from staff members." Yeah, and I'm sure they'll get a fat bonus for their efforts, right? Bullshit. They're probably even now, as I write this, being pressured to come up with something, anything, to keep Video Dog afloat.

Money is why Audiofile is going while Video Dog continues to pulse like a dark star in the Internet firmament...and why I shall continue to flame it, and its half-assed contributors, as is my cultural duty.

And so, naturally, it was deleted. What a chickenshit outfit Salon has become. Here's the Reader's Digest version of my previous letter:

It's all about economics. Video Dog costs nothing, Audiofile undoubtedly cost a fair amount of money: Marchese's salary, licensing fees for the music, etc. So Audiofile goes and Video Dog stays...with a promise (threat?) that Salon's crackerjack staff of filmmakers will provide content for Video Dog.

Please spare us.

Shall we go for three? Why not.

After reading the most recent annual report of the Salon Media Group Inc. I must say that I am brimming with a heavy dose of "I Told You So." As I've long suspected, and stated, it's the advertising that's keeping Salon (barely) afloat, to the tune of 47% of total revenues. Compare that with Salon Premium's paltry 24%, a number that is expected to drift ever downward.

Those of you who have accused Walsh of deliberating trying to alienate subscribers may actually be correct. The report states clearly that it is advertising that is saving Salon's bacon. But I must say that in light of this information Walsh's decision to de-troll the letters section is surprising. At an average 300+ letters per article, that was a lot of click-throughs she gave up. Of course, we MIGHT be able to chalk that up to fiscal incompetence. Who knows? One thing is certain - despite the "Anonymous" option its obvious the trolls are too fucking lazy to sign in when they post a letter, so 98% of them have vanished. And good riddance.

Finally, the annual report makes it clear that Salon is not long for the publishing world. It can't lose money the way it has been, year after year, and still stick around. There was a time when such news would have saddened me, but that time has long passed.

Look, pal, I DESPISE what has happened to Video Dog in particular and Salon in general since Walsh took over. It aggravates me. Perhaps it shouldn't, but there you go. I like to be proactive about these things, so I will continue to post nasty little missives and, frankly, am licking my chops at the prospect of the shit that will be flung up here once "Salon staffers" start doing the content.

I can go to YouTube and see David Coyne, Travis Betz, Mark Day, Sherry Sirof, Doomed Planet, Waverly Films, Church of Blow, Pipistrello, etc., etc. when I want to be reminded of what real talent, hard work and inspired creativity can produce. Then I come to Video Dog and, of all those and other talented folks on YouTube, who do the editors choose? Red State Update and Rabbit Bites. If that isn't enough to get your dander up, then YOU are the sad man, sir, not I.

That's ok, since it took me less than three minutes to think up that pun, and about five to create the "video" in Windows Movie Maker, and another two to post it. All in all not bad for ten minutes invested. Now look at how much..ahem..effort is expended in Red State Update in terms of sets, costumes, etc., and yet every single clip is a piece of shit. Believe it or not, I've gotten quite a few compliments about "CatFound." So you're not one of them. Big deal.