Amanda UnBoomed

No Boom Involved

2006-09-19T07:00:00.000-05:00

This blog has retired. Please consider this site the Amanda archive from the Rocketboom era. Bye blogspot. You've served me well, but I won't miss you. PLEASE UPDATE YOUR LINKS AND SUBSCRIBE to AmandaAcrossAmerica.com through my ovlov feed.

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AmandaAcrossAmerica.com

2006-09-17T21:13:00.000-05:00

AmandaAcrossAmerica launches on Tuesday.

The party last night in NYC was off the chain. We planned it in 48 hours--maybe even less-- and it was a huge success.

Thanks so much to paltalk.com for sponsoring the event and blip.tv for hosting the party, and the trip. :) It was super amazing to see everyone... Heather Green, Kevin Chapados, Kenyatta Cheese... I hadn't seen you guys in a while...so awesome to chat... and then THE BIGGEST SURPRISE.... Casey & Rudy and Steve & Carol came all the way down from Montreal and Boston!! I was so shocked!! Thanks also to Joe Cascio for traveling from southeastern CT....you took some great pics, so did Steve Garfield!

Check out the ovlov photostream as well.... and the flashmeeting. Thanks to Markus Sandy for setting that up!

Dina Kaplan caught part of my announcement, thanks Dina! Here's Steve's take:

click on the video below

here is the .wmv

See you Tuesday on video.

God Bless America

2006-09-15T00:04:00.000-05:00

hit it dad...

WARNING: do not watch on full stomach... some of the "camera work" is very shaky.

wmv

flash

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Come One, Come All

2006-09-14T20:52:00.000-05:00

This is message I just sent to the Yahoo Videoblogging List...
Of course all of you are invited too!!
Please excuse the strange font... copy & pasting in Blogger is a bitch.

Anyway, here's the message:

Hi everyone,
Ok, I know it’s short notice but...

We’re throwing a party and everyone’s invited!

Who: Me, the Blip.tv hotties (yes, ladies, Mike WILL be
in attendance) and you I hope.
What: A Party!
Where: Blip’s new pad in Soho
239 Centre Street, #3A
between Broome and Grand
When: Saturday, September 16.  8pm
Why: To celebrate Blip’s new offices and my move to California!

This is a casual affair ... so come as you are. :)

There will be high quality liquor, possibly a keg or two,
Joe’s Pizza and Magnolia cup cakes (if you live in NYC, this
should mean somethingto you...), a couple announcements and
lots and lots of videoblogging I’m sure.

Paltalk.com is sponsoring (thanks, Joel!)... those who can’t
make the party in person will be able to join in the fun via
video chat. More details to follow!

No need to RSVP, just show up with your fine self!!

UPDATE: Billy's cupcakes. Close second. :)

Podcamp

2006-09-12T12:43:00.000-05:00

was so much fun. OMG.

Thanks Steve and Carol for inviting me, Mario, Rudy and Casey into your lovely home.

Casey and I had a blast as the hottest females on the scene ;)

Mario and I sadly got insanely lost as we always do when in Boston because it's this crazy labyrinth of "big digs" and cow paths .... so we missed Casey and Rudy's presentation... :(

But! We got to watch some of it on video right on Steve's Nokia N93...

Blip.tv was well represented ... Oh, here's Blip's Dina Kaplan, she's sizzling.

This is wholly surreal.

.... and Huuuuuuuuudack??? (as Chuck would say)... Mike's from CT too.

Also at Podcamp from Blip was the very sweet, Charles Hope...and Justin Day (who I met for the very first time).

This is Alive in Baghdad's Brian Conley.

He's funny. At his session he said something like, "In Boston I'm a white guy. In Iraq, I'm Arab." Such versatility! I wonder if I could use that trick on my next trip to the middle east...hmmm.... Often during his presentation he admitted to being a "madman".

And we were lucky enough to chill a bit with the brilliant, David Tamés.

He was on rocketboom once and I thought he was super interesting.... so I was excited to meet him.

I met so many great people... too many to count...

Drew Olanoff, who came up with his crew from Philly, and Shauna Paukune who came up from Florida were such nice, creative people.

Oh and our rockstar boyfriends were there too, talking videoblogging and website design (we think they are gay for each other).

Witness some more Sunday morning fun, as directed by Steve Garfield:

The Carol and Steve Show, re-imagined?

911

2006-09-11T15:43:00.000-05:00

I am staying away from the media as much as possible today.

I just can't take how they swarm around a day like today as if it were Valentine's Day or something. It feels weird. I understand the need for some people to make or watch media about 9/11 ... I guess as a way to remember. But I remember it well enough without any help.

Anyway, I am going to go listen to my dad sing God Bless America at the town hall. I will videotape it, but he gets final approval rights-- right dad?

I guess I'm making media about 911 too... writing this post... taking that video.

Women Use the Internet??

2006-09-11T14:17:00.000-05:00

Are you fo' serious? No freaking way. I don't believe it. ;)

Chickadvisor is very new, very cute site that reviews women-esque things like handbags and makeup but also goes as far as cafes and dentists (wtf?). Right now, they only cover Toronto... but promise to cover more cities soon. What I like most about the site is the bloggy-ness of the reviews, the woman-to-woman advice factor and the variety of topics.

It's pretty much catered to the girly girl though... so that might turn off some women.

All in all it's just in the beginning stages, but it doesn't take much imagination to envision all the fun places Chickadvisor could go. I agree with Nick... a partnership with Froogle might be great down the line... when more cities are available.

Who can resist those adorable floating words on the front page.. you just wanna grab 'em!

Nice.

Pop Experiments

2006-09-08T13:27:00.000-05:00

Before Thomas and I begin really popping... I still have a couple experiments to complete to see what works for you guys. Thomas has conducted his survey over at pophub... if you'd like to see what his readers think.

Email me your thoughts or leave me a comment to let me know what works best for you... our main goal is to try and figure out what exact # of links, or urls, I should remix.

What pops for me today:

Killer Frisbees?
New weapons for old problems.

Freeware Aggregated
Not exactly a pretty website to look at, but it gets the job done.

Why Smart People Do Dumb Things
The "Unconscious Need to Fail" point is particularly interesting.

YouTube on Your iPod
I still have a nano, not a video ipod... so let me know how this works. Oh, gosh, I admit it. I'm a YouTube addict. I don't want to be. I just AM.

And hence.... our next url...

Encourage the Haters
I have to hand it to "tapedcookie", it's an interesting experiment.

Priest Calls in Bomb Threat to Madonna Concert?
At least use a payphone or throw away cell phone, smarty.

Why Teenagers Don't Give a Sh-t
"We think that a teenager's judgment of what they would do in a given situation is driven by the simple question: 'What would I do?'" Blakemore said. "Adults, on the other hand, ask: 'What would I do, given how I would feel and given how the people around me would feel as a result of my actions?'"

Umm... most adults....

A Downright Gorgeous Periodic Table
Although ... Iodine kinda looks like a red blood cell.

Anti-Semitism is Unacceptable
This article focuses on hate crimes in the UK, but rest assured, yes, I'm directing this at you, Mel. And to everyone else, yes, Mel reads my blogspot blog. ;)

Viva All The Pretty Horses!
I had no idea this was even going on.

"It is one of the most inhumane, brutal, shady practices going on in the U.S. today," said Rep. John Sweeney, R-N.Y., a sponsor of the ban.

Thanks in advance for sharing your ideas with me!!

Back on the Horse

2006-09-06T11:29:00.000-05:00

I had sooooo much fun yesterday! Can't wait to see the cut!!

Ok, It's Official

2006-09-04T21:58:00.000-05:00

I love my new mac!! I never thought I would fall so hard. I'm in lovvvvvvve. Seriously I can't put it down, and that's saying a lot given it has one drawback: it's a freaking heavy motha f-er.

Good Magazine hits magazine racks tomorrow with their debut issue. Yours truly is profiled on page 47 (check out the CT backdrop, sweet) next to pal Jimmy Wales. It was insanely hot that day-- I wasn't actually going for the melted look....

Oh, check out La Laque if you are into indie hipster new wave french rock. I saw them play at the Mercury Lounge in Manhattan on Friday... I went there to support Murder Mystery and was pleasantly suprised with La Laque's performance...

Stepping Stone?

2006-09-04T14:19:00.000-05:00

My bud, Chartreuse, aka Prince Campbell, has an interesting post on his blog about videobloggers crossing over to the mainstream. You already know my take on that subject. What's yours?

Can't wait to finally meet in person in Santa Monica next month, Char!!!

Oh, check out Char's main gig, The Blogging Times-- hot stuff... and their new videoblogtress, Erin Fetherman-- hotter stuff... ;)

We go way back, right Char? Feel free to skip to the end...

Andrew

2006-09-02T22:50:00.000-05:00

My brother left for study abroad in Madrid yesterday. Man. After spending all summer with him... it's just weird around here without him. :(

Thanks Andrew for working with me and Mario this summer. You were one hell of a book project manager. I'm quite certain we will get absolutely nothing done without you.

1 blackberry
1 failed business relationship
6 new business relationships
1 Node 101
1 visit from Steve Garfield
1 visit from Galacticast
1 micro announcement
4 flat tires (I'm serious: Andrew-3, Amanda-1, Mario-0)
1 BlogHer Conference
21 meetings in NYC
148 conference calls
1 failed vaio
1 macbook pro
1 Blogumentary screening
2 concerts
and lots ahead...

Summer of 2006 out!

Blogumentary On The Big Screen!!

2006-08-30T15:42:00.000-05:00

Join Mario and me tonight to see blogger/vlogger/flickr addict/storyteller/all around funny dude Chuck Olsen's documentary on the blogosphere, BLOGUMENTARY, tonight at 9pm the Pioneer Theater in the East Village!!

If you are in NYC and you don't stop by I'll be mad at you...

Check out this fun pic of me and Chuck taken yesterday!!

The McDan Tour

2006-08-29T13:06:00.000-05:00

We went to see Steely Dan and Michael McDonald.

...the bikes

...the stage

... the vids

Mike McDonald opened up for Steely. He is so magically smooth.

And Steely rocked the house. As you can see, Mike played with Steely, just like the old days.

I'm SOOOOOOOOOOO Popurl!!!!

2006-08-26T21:21:00.000-05:00

Wow!! My popurls collaboration is getting quite the attention. Never did I imagine my fun little side project born Friday morning and blogged about Friday evening would find its way to scobleizer. This would make sense if it were my "announcement". Endeavor's publicity team will be handling that with a press release and I will announce personally with a video, of course!

My brother's take on it .

My New Favorite Videoblog

2006-08-25T17:21:00.000-05:00

I've always liked the little rascals. I love the pseudo-British accent of Buns and the Paris Hilton squeak of Chou Chou.

Anyway, when I met the very sweet and charming Daniel McVicar at BlogHer, I just knew that I needed to see what the rabbits thought. So I sent in a request to see their mctake on the McVlog.

I recently received this link from them with a short message: "Heya Kid. Your wish is our command."

Check it out! Arianna and Lisa make appearances.

Watch this week's K-FED episode here. Best ep yet!! K-Fed profiled like never before! Believe me, you wanna see this one.

P.S.: I'm still figuring out how to do a screenshot on this mac thingy... or I'd give you a nice image of buns and chou chou.
P.P.S.: (I got the link, Steve, thanks!)

LATER: The rabbits sent over this cute image!

popurls + amanda!

2006-08-25T17:04:00.000-05:00

It's all right here.

Link Lovin': The Popurls Remix

2006-08-24T14:41:00.000-05:00

Hot Library Smut?
Libraries are sexy.

Best Selling Books
Anyone have any favorites to recommend?

Canceling Casual Fridays
Don't worry. The real ones are coming back. ;)

More Crazy from the Cruise Camp
Hollywood stops taking his crap. Finally. Do it yourself, Tom!
"The Brooke Shields thing really turned women against him," a source close to the studio told The News. "It was the last straw."

Home Depot Invasion
More performance art from Improv Everywhere.

Kill a Complainer
This actually sounds like a handy solution! Try it out and let me know if it works.

30 Rock Gets a Bean?
It's just a beautiful big shiny bean. I wonder if it will play a role on 30 Rock.

"Some Indians regard Hitler as just another historical figure and have little knowledge about the Holocaust"?
Is this fo' serious?

Apple and Creative truce
Took long enough. Ah, bureaucracy. It's thick. I know-- I'm in it.

"marrying a "career girl" seems to lead to a fate worse than tangling with a hungry cougar"!
I think it's just funny that he got away with using the term "career girl" in Forbes...

Which Housewife Are You?
Go on and take it even if you're a guy, c'mon! I'm not even married but I got "Gabrielle". Yikes!

RiteAid Steps Up
My favorite pharmacy tries to stop being a loser.

Yes, Dell Sucks
Bet Jarvis got a kick outta this one.

Sympathy Vote
If you thought you were having a bad day...

I'm Switching Over to the Dark Side, Mr. Jobs

2006-08-24T11:09:00.000-05:00

My computer history:

8 years old: Apple IIGS. I called it the "Apple LGS" at the time.
Between 10-14: My family didn't have a computer. I got a B+ instead of an A- on my 7th grade history term paper because the PC at my school crashed and I lost it. So I had to turn in the paper a day late. I never handed anything in late before so it was a hard lesson for me (plan ahead cuz computers are assholes sometimes). Poor me! It's a hard life. ;)
High School: Random, thrown together PC parts united to create a giant piece of doody!
Freshman Year of College: Dell. We all make mistakes.
Senior Year of College: WinBook. Nothing exciting to say.
Since college: Sony Vaio. I loved it. I really did. We just needed some space. I'll miss the little 4 lb cutie. I'll miss it a lot. Just wasn't meeting my video needs, but I stood by it. THEN it crashed. :(

Now: MAC BOOK PRO! WHOA NELLY!

I've come full circle... and, I'll say it, I'm scared-- AND I LIKE IT!

This is my first blog post with my new compy. So far, it's full of awesomeness. I still miss right click though. My right ring finger keeps reaching to click dammit! MUST TRAIN TO STOP!

Pics I just took while unwrapping my new puppy:

Emails & Experiments

2006-08-23T20:51:00.000-05:00

Just a housekeeping note to let you know two things:

1) If you sent me an email between Monday Aug 14 - Monday Aug 21 please resend. During the server change I lost all my emails (except any that went to the unboomed gmail addy). Super sorry for the inconvenience.

2) Right now during this transitional period I am experimenting with UnBoomed to see what works and what doesn't. This will help a lot when I launch my new blog in September.

Thanks!

Katie, The Lady

2006-08-23T11:28:00.000-05:00

Sorry to be a little MIA these last few days... a lot of stuff is going on. Jeesh, I'm sick of saying that. Can't wait until I can spread the word!

Until then...

I really enjoyed reading this article by Howard Kurtz ...then I thought... Howard Kurtz... how do I know that name.... ah, yes, we met in June, Howard.

Anyway, onto the article. I've meditated on it for a few days... actually I don't meditate but I have let it stew.

First off, before I begin, let me just say that I am not a Couric fan. Although this is pretty funny:

I still prefer Diane. Classy, smart, and warm (oh, and added bonus points for her normal looking mouth, sorry Katie).

I do, however, admire how Katie is going about this monster transition. I for one can't wait for September 5th. Below I've documented my reactions to the article. Some responses are thoughtful... and others are downright superficial. :)

Up Close And Too Personal

Katie Couric, Center of Attention, Says She Just Wants to Do Her Job

By Howard Kurtz

Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, August 15, 2006; Page C01

NEW YORK, Aug. 14

She is already the most heavily scrutinized, psychoanalyzed and gossiped-about anchor in network history, and she hasn't yet uttered a single "good evening" on a CBS newscast.

Of course, she's a powerful woman ("woman" being the operative word) making a big move.

Katie Couric's wardrobe has been analyzed by the Wall Street Journal, her makeup assailed in USA Today, her dating life examined by Parade magazine, her fitness for nightly news duty debated by columnists, cable combatants, bloggers and bloviators.

Ummm, yeah? Of course. She's a lady. "Bloviators", eh? I had to look that one up.

"I'm really focused on work and trying to tune the other stuff out, because it could potentially drive you absolutely out of your mind," Couric says in a conference room down the hall from the new set being constructed for her Sept. 5 debut.

You go girl! Good luck with that.

When she takes the helm of the "CBS Evening News," Couric's challenge to NBC's Brian Williams and ABC's Charlie Gibson will mark the first such three-way showdown since Dan Rather, Tom Brokaw and Peter Jennings initially went at it in the early 1980s. But the media landscape has shifted dramatically since then, leaving this trio fighting for a shrinking slice of the audience and increasingly taking their battle online.

I find Brian Williams neither endearing nor sincere.

Yes, they will all need to battle online as well as on TV to remain competitive. Somehow I think Katie would do very well with a video blog. She's very connected with her peeps.

Who wins in this showdown. I do. We do. We get better news. News that is FORCED to reinvent itself and move the medium of television forward. News that has no choice but to fully integrate itself with a new medium altogether, the internet.

Because Couric is both the first woman to serve as a solo nightly news anchor and a big-time celebrity, some are casting her debut as the biggest event of the fall television season. After 15 years as a popular morning personality at NBC, she is armed with some new ideas -- including a regular soapbox segment for advocates and activists-- to jazz up an evening news format that sometimes seems set in concrete.

I think it's cool that Katie is adding a segment for advocates. Of course she decides who's worthy enough ... and that's a whole 'nother can of worms... but it's still a step into the right direction.

After conducting town meetings in a half-dozen cities last month, Couric concluded that "people are hungry" for more positive stories. She is, for example, working on a piece about an Alexandria foundation that teaches juvenile delinquents how to build boats and helps them get high school equivalency degrees.

Of course television news is, for the most part, currently fear driven. It will be interesting to see how and IF Katie can change that. It's hard for me to see how she can do it, but I am hopeful. I just pray it doesn't get too corny and feel-good. It's really a fine line.

"Sometimes when you watch the evening news, it's all gloom and doom -- and some of it has to be, because the world is a complicated and pretty scary place right now," says Couric, 49. "But there has to be a place for more hopeful stories."

Yes!

But, she adds, "it's not going to be smiley-face happy news."

We'll see. I hope not. Although some smiling is appreciated. :)

What viewers want is a constant topic of discussion among the staffs of the evening newscasts, which still reach a combined 25 million viewers but have seen their share of the total audience gradually decline for nearly three decades. Whether Couric can revive interest in the genre is the focus of considerable debate.

Well Katie did an amazing thing even if it doesn't work or doesn't fully represent what the viewers want. She ASKED. She got her little butt out there and asked them! Requesting viewer input by slapping an email address on your site is kinda half-assed. This is the standard network way of doing things. Who reads those emails anyway? Has anyone ever gotten a response?? Katie put in the time to get to know people.

Williams, who has occupied first place since succeeding Brokaw at "NBC Nightly News" 21 months ago, calls her a "great communicator" who "brings to the job an already established personal relationship with millions of viewers. She will be formidable competition, no ifs, ands or buts. . . . Like any product launch in the marketing world, an introduction is going to get sampling. I think that dies down rather quickly."

Touché. But not if she's good. Then you may find a portion of your audience is gone permanently... and my guess? Katie will find some new fans that don't currently even watch network news-- or at least not regularly.

But Williams, 47, sees no need to tinker with his newscast, saying: "We're the established industry leader."

Yes. And your numbers are still shrinking along with everyone else in TV news. But your videoblog is pretty cool. Still a little too "internet TV" for me (so very NBC-ish).

Gibson, 63, who took over second-place "World News" in June after Bob Woodruff was sidelined by injuries suffered in Iraq and ABC reassigned co-anchor Elizabeth Vargas, has said the showdown should be focused on news, not personalities.

I wonder why ever he would think that...hmmm... ;)

"I believe competition is good for all of us," says Jon Banner, executive producer of "World News," who calls Couric and Williams tough rivals. "It brings more attention to the evening news, which lots of people determined some time ago was going to go away. Charlie's move to the evening and Katie's move to the evening give the lie to that. The only challenge we've had is to make sure they know he's on in the evening now."

No one with half a brain really thinks the evening news is going to "go away". That's just a way to spin things to make headlines. You must know that-- you're in this business! You aren't going nowhere, buddy... you're just in a position where you've got to make some changes. Apparently, you know that since you've brought on Katie. TV and the internet will become fully integrated, your numbers will level out to something that accurately represents the public's interest (now that they have other options with the internet) and, in the end, the only thing that will matter will be the content.

Public fascination with the anchors has reached the point that Gallup recently polled about them, as if they were presidential candidates. Couric led the trio with a 60 percent approval rating but, with 23 percent disapproving, had the highest negatives as well. Gibson got positive marks from 55 percent of those surveyed and thumbs down from 8 percent, while 47 percent approved of Williams and 7 percent disapproved.

Why the high disapproval rating, Katie? Could it again be because you are smart, attractive WOMAN (oh! the horror!). No one disapproves of the others because they are just so damn bland! There is nothing to like or dislike.

Or is it just that society finds women easier to hate than men? Hmmm.

CBS has done its part to stoke the interest in Couric as she takes the reins from Bob Schieffer, who will return to his Washington job after having boosted the "Evening News" ratings during his 18 months as Rather's interim replacement. The network has launched a promotional campaign and tapped Academy Award-winning composer James Horner to write new theme music for the broadcast.

Oh! That's exciting! I love a catchy news jingle.

CBS News President Sean McManus says he sees a media "feeding frenzy" over Couric's new role and is surprised by "this unbelievable thirst for information" about her life. "It's a good thing that everyone is talking about the 'CBS Evening News' right now," he says. "The downside is that people are going to be so quick to jump to conclusions after one broadcast. Some things are going to work and others aren't going to work."

It'll be rough around the edges, but I'm sure Katie will help make any awkwardness charming. Give us Americans a little faith. We understand you'll be fine tuning things, that it will be CBS Evening News beta for a little while.

One of those elements is the new commentary segment, dubbed "Free Speech," which will give a 90-second platform to outsiders -- some prominent, some not -- and will also include a weekly essay by Schieffer.

This sounds cool if it doesn't get too hokey. Again, it will largely depend on who Katie and her producers select.

"People are sick of the lack of civil discourse," Couric says, with guests "screaming and interrupting each other and trying to stay on message and berating the other person. They want us to get away from sound bites from inside the Beltway and roll up our sleeves and hear from real people."

Yes, I would concur. It's cute when Jon Stewart disagrees with someone (he does comedy, c'mon) but it's less than charming when the American public is subjected to the likes of Tucker Carlson-- who is supposed to be a newsman, am I wrong?-- getting his smug on. He needs to bring back the bowties-- his only attraction. And I don't always even disagree with him. He has the rare talent of being able to piss me off even when I agree.

On immigration, Couric says, CBS might interview a restaurant owner about illegal immigrants or a recent emigre from Guatemala. "Sometimes in recent years there's been such an effort to bend over backwards to placate both sides of the political aisle, and that on-the-one-hand-this, on-the-other-hand-that approach has left people a little bit cold," she says. "Sometimes they want more analysis and fact-finding and critical thinking."

YES! YES! YES! DO IT LADY. Anything to save us from the "on the one hand this, on the other hand that" syndrome all your collegues seem to have... once you do the research take the next step! Make an assessment! I want you to figure it out and tell me what the deal is. Then I will choose to think you are right or not... but at least I will think you are a human being and not some kind of droid.

On the other hand . . . one planned segment will also feature author Nora Ephron expounding on plastic surgery, a subject of her new book. "They're not all going to be super-heavy," Couric says.

Oh, God no. The one thing America doesn't need is any more shows about plastic surgery. Seriously, the shows out there really seem to cover all the bases and in many cases overlap.

Executive Producer Rome Hartman describes the changes as evolutionary. "People watching the first night will know it's a different broadcast, but it's not going to be outside the tradition or form of the 'CBS Evening News,' " he says. "It's not going to be one of these radical remakes."

Really? It sounds pretty freaking radical. And to be honest, that is JUST what we need. SOMEONE to just be radical.

CBS executives are trying to tamp down expectations of a dramatic boost for their last-place newscast. "The ratings movement might be slow and very gradual," McManus says. "Moving the needle takes a long time, I don't care who your anchor is."

Cover your bases! Cover your bases! Just in case it's a flop. ;)

Nah, that's true. An anchor needs to become part of someone's routine, and changing routines doesn't happen overnight. This will be an especially slow transition for those who don't typically watch television news at all. These new-to-the-news types (think: young people) and those who have decided to give network news another chance (think: people of all ages who usually get their news elsewhere) will need figure out how to integrate Katie into their schedules-- if they like her.

Despite her years of experience interviewing presidents and world leaders on the "Today" show, Couric has faced skepticism rooted in her singing, dancing, cooking and other morning high jinks -- even though press reports about Gibson rarely mention the lighter shtick he did during 19 years on "Good Morning America."

The lady thing again, naturally. Men can be multifaceted, women... not so much. Society wants us to be one thing, or another or they cannot process the information. It's not personal.

"She's America's cutie pie," says Robert Lichter of the Center for Media and Public Affairs. "She's bringing star power to a job that has been a black hole in terms of losing viewers. She's a devil to people who think TV news is losing its soul, and an angel to people who think TV news needs shaking up."

Yes, she will perform CPR on television news, and, one way or another, will certainly shake things up.

Couric's presence will be felt beyond the anchor desk that, as press reports frequently note, was once occupied by Walter Cronkite. She is already working on two pieces for "60 Minutes," one of which is related to Sept. 11. She will host a prime-time documentary on the fifth anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks the night after her debut. She plans to appear daily on CBS Radio and blog at least once a week for the network's Web site, fielding questions "if people have a beef with us. It just adds to the transparency we're trying to promote. We just want to let viewers in a little bit on the process of how a newscast is put together and what decisions we make."

A blog is good. More frequency would of course be better... but my hope is that with some encouragement, she'll ease into it. Of course, I want video. I think if Katie can master the videoblog she could change everything. Bring an entirely different dimension and depth to formal news reporting. That's not to say there isn't a time and place for a buttoned up newscast... but it would be nice to see a different side of her online. And! my guess is that it would help her newscasting too... it would train her to relate to the camera (and thus her viewers) in a whole new way.

In that regard, CBS is a step behind NBC, where Williams has been writing a daily blog since last year, and ABC, where Gibson anchors a 15-minute afternoon webcast that was downloaded nearly 8 million times in June. CBS recently cut a deal with the online site WebMD to contribute to medical segments.

Yeah, CBS really needs to kick it up a notch. My guess is that they need to focus on Katie now and further online integration efforts will come next.

With the average age of evening news watchers about 60, and the total number of viewers having dropped by half since 1980, network executives see the Internet as a new forum for reaching younger people accustomed to watching news and video online.

Uh, yeah.

"It's easy for people our age to dismiss a generation with a broad brush," Couric says. But, she adds, it would be nice if more younger viewers knew "as much about the state of the country as they know about the state of Britney Spears's marriage."

Ok, this I find insulting. Now I've read the surveys which say that young people are totally uninformed about the world around them... and I sure as hell know ALL about the state of Britney and K-Fed's marriage... what godloving ;) American citizen doesn't? But this unforunate statement by Katie ignores all the young (and old) people who just choose to get their news elsewhere. People don't NEED to watch TV to get news, clearly. And she is not going to win us over by acting like we're all like dumbasses. Come to us with a compelling program and speak to us like we're smart and informed. If you relate to people like they're smart and informed, they'll either love you because you aren't talking down to them or will be encouraged by you to *become* smart-- or at least informed-- because you've set the bar high.

Couric's life may not draw as much attention as Spears's marriage, but it is surely dissected more fervently than those of most journalists. That is in part because of her celebrity status and in part because she often shared personal experiences with the "Today" audience -- particularly after the 1998 death of her husband, Jay Monahan, turned Couric into a crusader and fundraiser for cancer-related causes. With a salary of $15 million a year, she moves easily among Manhattan's jet set.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. This woman needs a videoblog.

Couric, who has two teenage daughters, sparked a debate after saying in May that as a single mother she might not be willing to travel with U.S. forces in Iraq. The entertainment show "Access Hollywood" later recycled the quote, erroneously, as applying to whether Couric would have gone to Israel to cover its war with Hezbollah. She says such matters would have to be decided on a case-by-case basis, but she is not apologetic about hesitating to parachute into any war zone.

"I'm not saying I'm going to be totally blowing off my family," says Couric. "That's a very important role in my life, that I'm a mother."

Asked why her comments generated so much attention, she says: "Probably there's still a lot of consternation in this country about people trying to balance work and family. . . . It's a sticky wicket. People applauded the fact that I was going to put my [foot] down at some point and say no.

I think it's terrific that she said no. She isn't just going to go for all the publicity.

"If it's going to advance the story -- if I get an interview with an important figure in said hot spot -- obviously I want to go. Do I want to go just to put on a flak jacket and front a news show? Not necessarily. Viewers are smart. They understand when someone really needs to be there and when it's more of a show."

Again, good for Katie for not going just to go... for refusing to play the part. I think it is actually bad form and in poor taste for reporters to jet off to wherever the trouble is carte blanche and slap on some khaki. It very often minimizes the very real danger of the situation. When it's just for show, it shows. Katie's right.

Couric, who left "Today" at the end of May, sounds a bit impatient to get on with it, telling reporters on a conference call Monday: "It's been an out-of-body experience to watch these major news events unfold in my pajamas." Haha. Sounds like my life.

But in the interview in the first-floor conference room, she cautions against the idea of a personal transformation.

"I don't want to lose who I am, in terms of how I communicate with people," she says. "I'm not going to become a different person. The downside of all the attention is to suggest I'm going to single-handedly save anything. I'm just going to try to be a contributor with a great group of people who are already in place."

And so I root for Katie and her efforts to "advance the story". Maybe she will answer the question of What Will Happen to Network News. Or maybe not... but she will, undoubtedly, and, yes, *single-handedly* (because ultimately it was her decision and her decision alone to take this challenge) change the landscape of media forever. I'll read her blog and will certainly be tuning in on September 5th. Good night, Katie, and good luck.

Oh gosh, what a cheeseball! I couldn't resist.

Geriatric1927

2006-08-17T15:05:00.000-05:00

A new You Tube star has been born. Joe Cascio points us to a widower living alone in the English countryside:

I found most interesting the comment he made explaining why he isn't interested in attention from the MSM: "You and all You Tube members are now my friends and as friends I can talk with you in an uninhibited way and tell you all my secrets. And that's the way I like it to be. I have nothing to say to the world in general."

I think I'll shoot him an email about the perils of putting videos on You Tube. He seems like more of a Blip guy. :)

Yay though for diversity in videoblogging! Variety is so much more fun. I think maybe I should try to get my matchmaker on and hook him up with Millie Garfield.

Gettin' a Little Linky

2006-08-16T16:07:00.000-05:00

ABC Leads The Pack
(and cbs follows)

Silly Quiz: What Color Are You?
I'm green.

Be Al Gore's Bitch!
It's for a good cause...via the Good Magazine blog

Myths About Atheists
I'm not one (but I'm not a believer in organized religion either).

Aurora Videos
Because they are purty.

Booze & Cigs More Dangerous Than E & Weed?
Check the graph!

My Bro is Now a Blogger

2006-08-15T21:52:00.000-05:00

With a great deal of pride I introduce you to Pawn Takes Queen, my brother Andrew's new blog. It will be great to keep up with him while he travels to Madrid for study abroad in September. Enjoy!

Trip to NYC

2006-08-14T14:13:00.000-05:00

On Saturday we took the train into Manhattan. First we stopped by Node 101 and hung out, ate some mini carrot sticks, watched some vlogs,
and chatted with some cool peeps like Melanie Morgan and Ivettza Sanchez.

Then we headed down to the Flatiron Lounge, one of my favorite little spots in NYC. It's home of my favorite coctail eva, the Jamaican Firefly.

That's Molly in the middle and Emily (Emski) on the right. Molly and I have been super tight since freshman year of highschool when we were both 14. We'd cut study hall to go to Molly's house which was nearby and eat Ramen and watch Sweet Valley High. Emski and I were college roommates. I am trying to convince her to work on one of my upcoming projects with me (I think she's going to go for it!).

And last we have Luke and Mario... check out Luke's Power Move! The Pretzel!

Jeremy's Birthday

2006-08-11T22:20:00.000-05:00

Today is my friend Jeremy's birthday. We were born exactly one week apart. Jeremy and I have known each other since freshman year of high school and I remember the days when he was a dork. Now he is like some sexy indy rocker tooling around the Manhattan underground indie rock scene with his band, Murder Mystery. His sister Laura is the band's extremely talented drummer. And sorry but who's gunna tell me that girl drummer doesn't = hot. Jer's friend Adam is on bass.

From left to right: Jeremy, Laura, Adam.

Check out their music here.

Check out more photos here.

Header Photograph

2006-08-09T19:25:00.000-05:00

So I took it down after my mom said it was "unattractive" and "looked like a picture from a horror movie". Several others on and offline have expressed their distaste for it. I have decide to look for a replacement. Feel free to offer up suggestions. I found this on my search. Not quite right...

Making Progress Making Deals

2006-08-09T13:22:00.000-05:00

So my birthday weekend is over and it's back to real life.

Thank goodness for Endeavor. Ever since I started working with them in May they've been kicking ass. They're a bunch of really great people. In this last month, we've had to totally change course (obviously), and that's been tough. But we've completely regrouped and Ari has sent in the troops ;). To be honest, I was a little nervous telling Ari about the split in the first place. I emailed him about it but he was on vacation overseas and was out of the loop. I think he actually heard the news when he picked up a newspaper in London... he then called me immediately (I remember it was like 1 in the morning) to make sure everything was ok.

It's great working with people you respect and who respect you. Ari stands up for what he believes in and makes things happen... he's just one of those people who gets things done. When I met him in May and he had me cracking up the entire time I said to myself: this is the right guy for me.

I've also recently been working very closely with another agent, Lisa Harrison-- this link is from '98 and was like the only thing online that I could dig up about her-- she's so stealth ;)! Lisa is great. Brilliant, strong, funny and no bullshit. Doesn't get better than that. Ari has really built me an outstanding team... big ups to Conan Smith, Ivo Fischer and Brittany Balbo at Endeavor as well.

Anyway, deal making takes time... especially when you want to make sure it's done right. I've gotten a lot of emails from the press and from my readers/viewers/friends asking what's going on. And I have to say it's just not fair that I told the guy from the WSJ more than I have said on my blog. Thanks to those of you who called me out on that. You guys deserve to hear it first... and I am going to make sure you do from now on. While I still can't say who I'll be working with... I can talk about how I'll be working. At least one of the whos should be exposed by sometime next week, but I say that tentatively because things get turned on their heads in an instant "in this business" (I hate when people say shit like that! ;) ). I am very happy though because it looks like I will be able to do exactly what I want to do. And that is... to mind the gap between old and new media. How will I do that, you ask (well, maybe you don't care but chances are you do if you've read this far)? By engaging in the following:

1. News Media.

I will likely be working with a well-known news outlet as a producer, writer and host of a videoblog. I will possibly be working with this company in other more mainstream capacities as well.

2. Entertainment.

I will likely be doing something on TV that involves comedy.

3. School My Way.

I will be launching my own personal site... which will have video, text, maybe even audio. I am working with a great, grassroots, independent videoblogging company to make this happen. I'm thinking I will do one of those amandacongdon.com/_____ dealies. I'm working on the design now.

4. I will be taking a trip.

And you can come with me (if you want to). Nuff said about that. ;)

5. I will be writing a book. This is already certain... it's more about me getting my ducks in a row so I can devote some serious time to this project.

Anyway, sorry I couldn't be more specific... but my agents would beat me. They may very well beat me for saying as much as I've said ;). As soon as I know anything more I will run to my blog to tell all of you lovelies.

When I saw Maryam Scoble at BlogHer she mentioned that she and her husband Robert both run to their computers when they get home and have something to blog about... they fight over who can blog it first! Hilarious. Now that's a sitcom waiting to happen.

Summa Pics

2006-08-09T10:09:00.000-05:00

Happier Than Eva!

Birdo

Celebration!

Cutting It Up & Making A Wish

Getting Ready for Birthday Dinner

Before Leaving

Tiki Time with Mario (and my Blackberry-- I've got a problem!!)

My Best Friend

The Pier

My Bro

Some July Wedding Ones -- Me and My Moms

Me and Mario

Oh yeah. I am feeling a bit cat bloggy:

Headed Out of Town

2006-08-03T10:30:00.000-05:00

I'll be on a mini-retreat until next week doing a little celebration... I will have NO internet access where I am staying (I'll have to go to the nearest Starbucks if I really need a wifi fix). I'm trying to embrace this fact rather than let it piss me off. Yes, Amanda, you must disconnect!

Put. The Blackberry. DOWN.

Interesting article about woman liking tech toys more than SHOES. Shocker! ;)

A giant thanks to Lisa, Elisa, and Jory for making BlogHer such an amazing experience. Never have I learned so much in 36 hours, jeez. I'm still digesting all the info. The sessions were actually as interesting if not MORE interesting than the hallway convos... I find it's usually the other way around at most tech conferences. This one was different.

I'll be back with lots to talk about I'm sure.

xoxo

photo credit: swirl spice

Dear Old Media (OM),

2006-08-01T10:35:00.000-05:00

Although the letter below is written in reference to a specific article, it is not directed to the WSJ in particular and actually The Journal is not even among the OM organizations I find most offensive. There have been a slew of other articles and television news reports which have been much further off the mark.

This letter is the beginning of what may become a series of letters to THE BIG GUY: Old Media (OM). OM is a guy, by the way, in case there was any question.

Dear OM,

While I am flattered, for sure, to be included in the WSJ article, and found it pleasant speaking with its author, John Jurgensen, it smacks of that familiar OM condescension and suffers from a real lack of understanding of this space and its inhabitants. Case in point, this line:

The greatest hope of most Web amateurs is to cross over into "old media" outlets like TV networks and Hollywood.

Really? I know a lot of "web amateurs" and that's not what I am hearing. I would rewrite that line to read: The greatest hope of most Web professionals is to continue working online and to be paid what they are worth while doing so.

Right now... you can make money. But you can't make what you are worth... yet. One year from now I think the whole landscape will be different... we'll see sustainable independent online video projects everywhere we look. Goody!

You're afraid, OM, just afraid. And that's totally legitimate. Media is moving in beautiful and scary and exciting ways. Look at new media (NM) as a challenge, not a threat.

Or, coming at you from another angle, let us in cuz we are coming in anyway. You know it, man. So let's find ways to co-exist in harmony.

NM wants to make friends with you but we want a true friendship... not one of those ones where we get to be your little sister who doesn't make bank... or some lame-o sidekick that gets your runoff.

How long until you take us seriously? Do you have an ETA?

Carson Daly is apparently cool with locking Brookers up and "figuring it out later". OM, OM, OM...tsk, tsk, tsk. You, OM, need to get out of the business of trying to lock people up! As an executive at a major new media empire recently said to me: "ubiquity is the new exclusivity".

P.S. OM, hire better consultants, please... ones that are familiar with this space because they live in it not because they've researched living in it.

A Video for Zadi and Steve

2006-07-31T12:45:00.000-05:00

Here's a little video Mario and I made for Zadi and Steve... I tried to do my best "voiceover" voice... hehe. The icky power lines kinda suck though, ah well.

If you look hard, you can see Andrew Congdon's foot which made a cameo.

You guys have such a bright future ahead!

wmv version is here.

Fearless Foursome

2006-07-29T10:00:00.000-05:00

I've been having such a blast here in San Jose. Here's a pic of Steve, me, Zadi and Melanie taken last night at the pool party.

If you have a sec, check out this article in The Wall Street Journal, "Moguls of New Media".

A New Fact That Reveals All, ugh....

2006-07-28T23:20:00.000-05:00

I'm bored of this. Really. It's getting older than old. But this new fact is pretty f-ing telling.

So I'm here at BlogHer, having a terrific time, meeting some amazing women... hanging with cool cats like Millie Garfield.

And then I receive this message on my blackberry from a longtime viewer: "Drew shot a videoblog with [refers to Ms. Colan] on July 4th, the day before you put up your vid announcing how he pushed you out of RB". Of course, he just uploaded this "lost episode" recently, since he hasn't been able to keep RB on schedule (rocketboom.com is now directed to rocketboom.org).

Not to harp on this but it raises a critical question... The Baron has claimed publicly that he "never imagined Rocketboom with out me" until he saw my video on July 5th. If that’s true, why would he have shot this with Joanne on July 4th?

Seems The Baron has shown his true colors... and the plan he had all along. All his lies finally bit him in the ass! I wonder how long he had been grooming her face to replace mine.

Facts do win in the end, I guess. As for me? I'm moving on. I believe this will be my final post about the boom. And look for this website to be redirected to a new page (minus the boom reference) very shortly. Onwards and upwards would be a gross understatement. I’ve made some insanely delicious lemonade! I’m sure glad, though, that the whole truth finally reared its ugly head. I always knew it, of course... but now it's in plain sight for everybody to see.

LATER: I see this great Dixie Chicks video. Cool that Columbia Records is making it so easy for me to see it!

A New Assignment, Oh... My... God

2006-07-26T11:01:00.000-05:00

Jay Rosen has developed an exciting new idea that the new media glitterati (doc, winer, jarvis, steve, craig) are all buzzing about. It's a totally fresh concept. I love it. What's even more awesome? Jay is using the community to iron out the kinks before he launches the effort. Smart.

My concerns (which I left in a comment on Buzz Machine):

I’m with Brett on cutting as many middlemen out as possible. Can the community be the editors? Can we develop some kind of efficient process for that?

I also question Jay’s point about having “professional” journalists do the reporting. I’d personally like to see a mix of reporters, both “professionals” and “amateurs”. My guess is that the community will either respond to the person, or not. It has little to do with their title or background. If they trust the person, and that person is smart and engaging…that’ll be what counts. Let’s not just leave this to the “professionals”. If we do that, we’re missing the whole point.

Where Are They Now?

2006-07-24T15:00:00.000-05:00

experiments + comedy + love + videoblog = ov lov

.wmv is now available***

credits:

mario librandi, ze frank, james congdon, sandra congdon, andrew congdon, and me.

music:

moonspider - dark star
psystamp - dreams nonstop
ehma - l'arrivée

Please do not upload my videos to YouTube or any other video hosting site that reserves the right to make commercial works out of other people's vids. This video falls under the creative common non-commercial sharealike license. Thanks for understanding.

The WB's Loss is NBC's Gain

2006-07-23T20:36:00.000-05:00

Jeff -- yes, he only needs one name -- points me to this video:

Wise choice, NBC. Those guys are funny (and hot).

BlogHer Calling

2006-07-19T17:22:00.000-05:00

Lisa Stone, co-founder of BlogHer, who I spoke with on a new media panel at Harvard last fall, has been kind enough to invite me to BlogHer. I think it may be just what I need after all the crap that has gone down... a little camaraderie with some other strong women.

I am totally psyched to see Zadi Diaz, Steve Woolf and Steve & Millie Garfield. Also-- and this is why I am super psyched-- for once I'm going to an event and I don't have the pressure of having to present. I can just have fun with "the ladies". Yay!

On a side note, my bud, Andy Carvin emailed me a link to this video today which was made by a group of inner-city students. He has posted some background info about the project here. I wanted to share it with all of you. It's really powerful. I just can't tell you how excited it makes me to see videoblogging enabling all these new voices. By "new" I guess I mean voices that can no longer be lost in the ether...

Speaking of things lost in the ether, the current Rocketboom comment deletion level is at ORANGE.

White People Can't Dance

2006-07-17T01:52:00.000-05:00

My oldest friend got married about a week ago:

Isn't she beautiful? They both are... on the inside and out. I was one of her bridesmaids. She is Baha'i and in their religion the bride and groom marry each other-- no middleman. Just when you thought you were safe, new media has infiltrated the wedding process... well, no, not really... the Baha'i faith is a couple hundred years old... but, I like to think of it that way. It was a very intense ceremony to watch, and certainly the most moving wedding that I've ever been to by far.

Then there was the reception later on...
Oh my lord. This video is incriminating. It's of me dancing with my dad, white person style. I thought I'd put it out there before it somehow gets leaked. ;)

WARNING: white people on the internet are closer than they appear on television...

ipod version

What the hell am I doing?

2006-07-13T10:02:00.000-05:00

SHHHHHHHHHHHHH! It's a secret. Uh, no, it's not. I'm still figuring out my long term plans. For now, I can tell you that I am working on an *interim* project with a certain insanely awesome videoblogger. We should post it next week.

For now, check out this beautiful entry by Ironic1. Ironic1 always left very insightful comments on the RB comment board. Enabling those kind of connections is what makes videoblogging so freaking outta control amazing to me.

I've learned a lot and continue to learn from Robert Scoble (both on and offline-- and whether he knows it or not) about how to build a strong relationship with my viewers/friends. He's nailed that, in my opinion. I hope to continue communicating with all of you just as he communicates with his audience.

The Dilly

2006-07-12T14:21:00.000-05:00

CNET
The AP (covered in The Washington Post and on CNN.com among many others)
BusinessWeek Online
New York Times
New York Times #2
Time.com
Wired.com

My appearance on MSNBC's Scarborough Country I am told should air tonight... but you know how the news is... things get moved around. That's the latest word anyway.

UPDATE!! .mov version now available thanks to eggzakt. You rock man! Now the suckfest that is IE cannot control our viewing pleasure (or displeasure for that matter) any longer! Hi res version HERE.

When life gives you lemons, you go to Secaucus.

2006-07-10T09:53:00.000-05:00

This evening I will be headed to Secaucus, NJ to speak with Joe Scarborough of MSNBC's Scarborough Country. It will air at 9pm Eastern tonight.

UPDATE: Just got back from Scarborough Country, no passport required. It was actually pretty fun. I met a lot of great people over at MSNBC and found Joe Scarborough quite easy to talk to. As I mentioned in the comment section earlier today, not sure if it will air tonight or some time later this week. Also not sure if it will be on TV, the web or both. Sounds like probably a bit of both. I'll keep you posted. One regret about the interview: when mentioning some other cool vlogs people should check out I mentioned Ninja and Tiki (which are both dope), but forgot my two FAVORITE shows, Ze's The Show and, of course, The Richard Show!!!

My Replacement

2006-07-07T08:12:00.000-05:00

Steve Garfield (from SteveGarfield.com) sent me this video last night. This is the funniest spoof of me ever, by far! Love it!! I hope she gets the job.

For the Record

2006-07-05T19:42:00.000-05:00

I am disheartened by Andrew Baron's decision to spread misinformation. He knows I cannot move to LA without a job...but insists on spinning things this way to shore up his assertion that I am "walking away" from Rocketboom. I did not walk away. I did not accept Andrew's idea of "partnership". I'll explain more a little further down.

It's not true. I'm presently living with my parents in Connecticut until I can get back on my feet.

Below you will find a letter written by Andrew on Sunday, June 25, two days after he pulled the plug on Rocketboom. My responses, which were sent to Andrew on the same day, are in red.

Andrew responded the next day by saying he would not respond to this letter. This then was followed by days of back and forth negotiations, ending yesterday, on Independence Day, with Andrew telling Chuck Olsen, our mediator, that he was taking control of the show and my option was to be the "face" of rocketboom with no involvement beyond that (I might in the future be allow to "produce shows", but not for the time being). Very old media. Considering I have personally written, produced, and hosted Rocketboom and was already a producer on Jet Set, this was totally unacceptable. I don't know any "partnership" that functions like that.

I had hoped to keep things civil, and thought my video message to the Rocketboom viewers was very neutral. I felt the need to communicate with the RB audience, without getting into the nitty-gritty of "he said, she said". Dirty laundry is not attractive. That said, ALL the facts, at this point, based on Andrew's actions, need to be presented.

...

Dear Amanda, this is my last attempt to reach out and let you know I really wish you would stay.

Andrew, you fired me.

After everything that has built up over the last several months (and longer apparently) and with everything I have learned about your disinterest in my various levels of critical input, I can understand why you would need to leave and I as I have always said, I will never hold you back.

I'm sorry you feel that way. I've repeatedly expressed my respect for your many gifts. Especially:

1. You are an exceptional executive producer. Your instincts for what will work or not, and your general vision for the creation of content and distribution for videoblogs is, I believe, unparalleled.

2. You are an exceptional speaker. Whether at conferences, in business meetings or during consulting, you excel at describing the power of Rocketboom and the medium.

3. You are an ingenious curator. Your extraction of outstanding content from all resources is, again, unparalleled.

4. You are a superb navigator of the blogosphere. Additionally, I have always entrusted you with the final decisions of the physical design of Rocketboom.

In fact, it saddens me that you have not had the time and/or willingness to significantly participate creatively in Rocketboom for some months now. We've sent you things during the production process, and what we've received back is criticism after the show has already been produced or after it is too late to make changes. Statements like "I'll continue to check my blackberry but please dont wait on me if it starts to slow you down" and "I will have my phone so I can still chime in but dont feel ever wait on me for any answers if I cant respond in time" really don't cut it.

As you know, when I gave you the 49% of Rocketboom I told you that I hoped it would work out and that the reason why I gave you that percentage was so that you would become involved enough to stay with the company.

I have always been and still am intensely involved in Rocketboom.

Since I told you so many times that I would never want to hold you back from moving on to L.A. to pursue your own thing - since you always said this was really your passion well before I met you -we agreed that you would not take the 49% if you were to move away to L.A. on your own.

That is completely incorrect. There was no agreement about forfeiture of the 49%. We together have had a detailed plan for some time in preparation for the move to LA. And please note I was moving to LA on Rocketboom business, not only to "do my own thing". You did say you would never hold me back, and you also made it clear that doing Rocketboom would not be mutually exclusive of pursuing other passions. Our plan was as follows:

5/05 Amanda told Andrew she was serious about moving to LA by 10/05. Andrew agreed and said that was completely reasonable, since current technology allows Rocketboom to be produced from anywhere.

10/05 Amanda and Mario stored their possessions, gave up their apartment and took a sublet in preparation for the move. Andrew was fully aware.

10/05-4/06 Amanda and Mario continued to sublet. The move was repeatedly delayed, long beyond the original "completely reasonable" time frame. Finally, with Andrew's consent, Rocketboom moved forward to actual transition.

4/06 A plan was implemented for Andrew and Mario to co-direct shoots, gradually transitioning Mario to be interim director. A new professional director was to be hired in LA. What actually happened was that Andrew attended shoots infrequently and by 5/06 had stopped attending altogether.

5/21/06 At this time, the term of Amanda and Mario's sublet was up. Andrew had not attended shoots for nearly a month, and there would be no Rocketboom paycheck for June. Nevertheless, production continued by Amanda and Mario at Amanda's parents' home in Connecticut.

6/16/06 Andrew, Mario and Amanda agreed upon a departure date for LA within the next couple of weeks. Within the next few days, June 30th was chosen. Andrew's assistant had a list of possible editors in LA (which was never delivered to Amanda despite numerous requests). Zadi and Steve were excited to have Amanda nearby to better co-produce Rocketboom's project, The Jet Set Show.

6/23/06 Mario received a call from Andrew in essence saying that Mario and Amanda must either move back to New York or Rocketboom was over.

Since you have claimed that you are moving next week, and because you have never suggested a plan for how this move can integrate into Rocketboom, and because you have already said your goodbye, I get the message and will now move on myself the best I can.

Andrew, see our long term and extensive plan described above.

And, as it turns out, I cannot move to LA because our plan was for me to be engaged in, and compensated for, work on Rocketboom there. Since you will no longer allow that, I have no source of income and therefore cannot move.

With regards to tomorrow's show and the future of Rocketboom, I am not sure what I will do, but you will be honored and respected and encouraged. My plan is to simply say that you are moving on to L.A. to take on the world, that this was always your dream and that you are a obviously a brilliant personality who will no doubt take it by storm.

Please do not speak for me. We've had a long standing agreement in good faith about me continuing Rocketboom from LA, which you have now reneged upon.

Should anyone react and consider the move to be a shame, I will always defend you for following your own dreams and aspirations and staying true to your own interests with acting and now producing.

Again, please do not speak for me. My dreams and aspirations included Rocketboom.

You have wanted to move to L.A. since before I met you, so I am sorry that we could not manage getting there sooner together with Rocketboom still working.

As we've both acknowledged, Rocketboom could not only work but grow stronger by having a presence on both coasts.

With all my love and support for you as a friend, I will never stop caring about you and will always look forward to seeing you bloom.

Andrew, I've said repeatedly that I think you are a genius. Still, there have been problems. Recently, you have treated me as an employee rather than a partner. That may explain your feelings about the 49%.

Business and production can and should be done from both coasts, as we have both acknowledged. To dictate where I live is unnecessary and outrageous and has resulted in the present situation.

And Andrew, our agreement stands. I do own 49% of Rocketboom.

With respect to our show, I suggest we delve into the archives and do a "best of" week. This will allow us some time to work things through.

We had an agreement, Andrew. You should honor it.

Please let me know your thoughts.

Andrew

Sincerely,

Amanda

Amanda UnBoomed

2006-07-05T06:38:00.000-05:00

UPDATE: .mov version with Japanese subtitles!!!! Thanks, Yuji!

large .mov

small .mov

.mp4

iPod .m4v

Thanks to blip.tv for the gracious hosting!

Look at Leila

2006-04-27T18:25:00.000-05:00

My best friend just started a new show. It's unbelievable. Make sure to watch till the end. It just gets better and better...

Meet me at Pioneer Theatre in NYC TONIGHT at 7pm

2006-04-19T23:40:00.000-05:00

Yo! Please come say hi. Andrew and I want to meet you. See the best of RB on the big screen babies!

East 3rd Street, between Avenues A and B (closer to A) * New York City
showtimes (212) 591 0434
advance tickets: call (800) 595 4849 (service charges do apply)

or click here for tix to this RB event.

It'll only be fun if you are there, so come!!

I love Santa Monica!

Cooking Kitty Corner

2006-04-17T18:55:00.000-05:00

The Amanda Dinner and A Website Kit has proven to be quite a hit! I didn't expect so many great mashups. We showed two on the show today and provided links to tons more. Just goes to show how so many of us are creating, not just consuming these days.

Check out my favorite:

Nicole Richie & Anorexia

2006-03-28T21:31:00.000-05:00

This blog is trying to die but I just won't let it. It WILL live on... and will continue to live up to its non-existant reputation.

I see Nicole Richie everywhere. She is on every magazine cover, she's all over the press, she haunts my TV in reruns of The Simple Life. But before she was "Nicole Richie" she was "Paris's fat friend" or "the daughter of that singer from the 80s". Now she's everywhere!! And although many people would say "oh she's famous for nothing"... I disagree. She's really funny. And pretty and all that. But why NOW... WAYYYYYYYYYYY after her big breakout on The Simple Life when, to be quite honest, she appears to be doing NOTHING is she so BIG? Good publicist? Yes. She's got that. But I chalk up her recent rise to super stardom TooOOOoooOOOooOOoO...... her anorexia. Downgrade.

She is popular because she is skinny. SICKLY skinny. She was always pretty and she was always funny. BUT NOW SHE'S DEATHLY ILL. Time to celebrate and put her on the cover of every major fashion mag. Right next to Lindsay Lohan. Now this is a worn out question... but I have yet to receive a sufficient answer. How can America's young women learn to respect their bodies if they are constantly being bombarded with images of the ill masquarading as healthy, vibrant women? It's insanity!!! I see no end in sight and no solutions. I find it twisted and perverse that fashion magazines have cover stories like "53 Reasons Why Your Body is Perfect" when really, their choice to display Nicole on the cover communicates just the opposite. Talk about mixed signals.

Thin may always be "in".... but how can we help make sickly OUT? Yep, I'm mad about it. I understand the importance of keeping a nice figure when you are in the public eye. And I am all for keeping thin and fit. But unhealthy woman should not be lauded for their unhealthiness. It's just sick.

Ok, so this has just about become the most random blog ever. I leave for three months and then come back bitching about Nicole Richie of all people....

Check this link for some more Nicole Richie fun.

Intel & Televisa

2005-12-14T19:29:00.000-05:00

Hola!! Today Andrew and I are in Mexico City meeting with Intel and Spanish media mogul, Televisa. We recorded today's Rocketboom ep as well as tomorrow's early so we could come down. This is my first time in this city, and I must say it really is so much fun. I had heard some horror stories about it before coming... but the city is really beautiful and the people are lovely.

Televisa is so forward thinking... it's amazing... they really "get it". Together with Intel they are launching a videoblogging contest for the entire Spanish-speaking world in order to encourage more people to vlog! Yay!! That's one of the reasons we came down, to help promote this fab contest. The winner receives a top of the line laptop, video camera, and web hosting for an entire year. There are also 2nd and 3rd place prizes. I will post a link to more info about the contest when one becomes available.

Russia & Sexy Sasha

2005-12-06T00:19:00.000-05:00

Like shaky camera hands? Little blond girls with cats? Russia?

Then do I have the video for you!

I went to Russia with my brother, Andrew (the guy with the white t-shirt and black backpack-- the first human appearing in the video), in August. Here's some of what we saw. I think Andrew might be starting a videoblog of his own, which I am naturally psyched about... get to it Andrew! The music is a bit off tempo, but I kinda like it...

On a side note, who saw the Season finale of Curb? OMIGOD, right ;) ? Please, please tell me you watch Curb. When Sasha Baron Cohen appeared, I was like, ok-- that does it, icing on the cake.

Links:
music by Robert Lazaneo
painting by Henri Edmond Cross
the hermitage
resurrection cathedral
summer palace of catherine the great
holy trinity monastery

Hot Vlogs

2005-11-30T22:27:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I know what you are thinking. Amanda, where are the videos!?! Well, turns out, your friend Amanda is a shit editor. But I do love writing, so I’m kinda turning this into a blog. Not saying I won’t post videos ever again, maybe I’ll put up some unedited footage now and again… but I’m not going to force myself to only post videos on this blog, otherwise, I’ll just never update it ;)

I am just loving videoblogs more and more these days... which ones you ask?

There is one videoblog that I never fail to miss an episode of... it's just that amazing. It's called The Richard Show. It's this vlog about a cute, funny guy named Richard, his lovely wife, Maureen (who he jokingly refers to as "Richard's Wife"), and their life in the Ozarks. Last night it finally dawned on me what it was I like most about their show. They have the ultimate love story! Not the Hollywood love story, but true love. And guess what? True love isn't boring. Their love is much more interesting to me than anything I've ever seen on TV or in the movies. That's the best part.

Another videoblog I stumbled across in the last few days is this sweet show called Help My Patients. The idea is that there is this psychiatrist who has totally given up on his patients, because they are utterly helpless. He has videotaped their sessions and posts them so the viewers can suggest how to treat them. It’s fiction, of course. It comes from the same people who make BathTubYoga, which isn't really my taste (although I did appreciate their 4th episode), but this new show is simply brilliant. Hilarious premise, nice execution. I am totally hooked. Maybe my obsession with Dr. Katz makes me somewhat biased, but still. My favorite patient is Gary who comes in to the office every Friday. Yay for quality videoblog shows coming down the pipeline!

Lastly, if you haven't heard of TikiBarTV I don't know what kind of rock you've been living under, but check it out. I just LOOOOOOOOOOOVE Dr. Tiki--so funny, especially the eyebrow moves--and Johnny, Johnny’s rapid fire changes in topic and neck snaps (I can’t help but wonder if they speed him up in editing?) can’t be beat. Oh, and his little hat—hot! Lala is just, well, captivating... and not just because she's a babe (which is undeniable) but also because she's just … contagious. I think it's that Cameron Diaz laugh. ;)

Fan Email

2005-11-27T14:50:00.000-05:00

I get a lot of awesome emails from Rocketboom fans from around the world. I've decided I shouldn't keep them all to myself, but instead, share them. So, I'm going to start posting any email I receive that really strikes me in some way. First up, a letter from Alexis:

Dear Amanda,

My name is Alexis. I am six and a half years old. My dad and I love your shows. We watch them everyday. My favorite one is the one when you're dancing on RocketBoom's one year old birthday. I love it because it is funny.

This is a picture of me in Disney World with my face and lips painted and a picture of me holding a toy snake.

Alexis

And here is the picture Alexis sent along of herself:

Yahoos

2005-11-21T15:22:00.000-05:00

Wow, a lot of drama going on at the yahoo videoblogging group this weekend. Andrew and Michael Verdi seem to be having a bit of a showdown.

If people really knew Andrew, they would know he would never say "I think personal videobloggers are valuable" if he didn't mean it. It's not just something he uses to buffer whatever statement he makes next. He truly believes it. As do I. He likes to critique and discuss and push the envelope and sometimes those discussions turn heated and ugly. That's too bad, because it clouds his true intent.

It's not a secret that both Andrew and I happen to prefer shows. That's just our taste. That's why we say we'd love to see more of them. There is a difference between what you consider valuable and valid and what you prefer. We recognize, respect, and watch the vlogs of personal videobloggers.

What is sad is that not everyone in this community can give us the same respect in return. Even if you don't like us, which is totally fine, just let us do our thing. I don't get why, for whatever reason, there are people on the yahoo list (a small group of people, but an agressive bunch) that have attacked us from Day 1. We came into the group like any other two people new to vlogging, asking for advice and support and we got downright verbally abused by 3-4 of the list's loudest citizens.

My only wish is for us all to be able to exist in harmony. Why is that so hard? There are infinite possibilities for vlogs and aren't we lucky that the internet can house them all?

Last May I was quoted in this AP Article as saying: "We wanted to have a creative video blog that would be palatable. A lot of the video blogs out there are by someone in their bedroom, half-awake. Mainstream America is not gonna want to watch that. We wanted to get people watching stuff online, to get people interested in this new medium."

I standby this statement. I do not believe that most personal vloggers will ever have a large mainstream (mainstream meaning people who don't blog, podcast, videoblog) audience. Maybe it's possible, one day, and I would hope for that, but I don't see it as likely. This DOES NOT mean I believe everyone wants a large audience. That's clearly not the case. And it does not mean I think that everyone should do what we are doing with Rocketboom.

Below is my original post from the Yahoo Videoblogging list archives regarding the "palatable" quote:

I don't expect mainstream america to be interested in Amanda UnBoomed,
at least not right now. I'm not convinced that most of America is
interested in that kind of content-- yet. Amanda UnBoomed is my
project that I work on whenever I have time and for my own amusement.

Like Josh said, the audiences for Amanda UnBoomed and Rocketboom are
obviously very different. You are talking about two very different
things. UnBoomed is niche (mainly my viewers are other videobloggers
and my friends and family), while Rocketboom is more mainstream.

I think personal videoblogs are interesting, Ryan, including yours.
But I do feel that mainstream (mainstream meaning people who are not
involved with all these new forms of expression: blogs, podcasts,
vlogs) folks have a difficult time wrapping their heads around
personal videoblogs-- at least at this early point in this medium's
existence. My hope is that this will change.

Rocketboom can help to facilitate that change by bridging the gap
between TV and videoblogs. It's a starting point for a lot of people
when they first try to get into this medium. And it's a format that
they are familiar with because of TV. My hope with Rocketboom is
that when people new to videoblogging watch it, it will inspire them
to watch all types of other videoblogs. I want people other than
bloggers, podcasters, and other videobloggers to watch videoblogs.

Good Times

2005-11-21T01:47:00.000-05:00

Just got home from shooting Monday's episode of Rocketboom... after a long absence, camera 2 is back! Yipee!

Anyway, I wanted to post this fun picture Mario took of me and my friends this past Friday before a night out.

The Fantastic Four from left to right are: Martha, Sara, Saima, and me.

Converge South: Final Thoughts

2005-10-10T13:10:00.000-05:00

For me, ConvergeSouth was great because I got to meet so many awesome people in a very relaxed atmosphere.

Highlights: meeting Chris Daniel, Dave Slusher, Dave Winer, Ed Cone, and Duncan Black.

My session went alright... Sue Polinsky tells me that there was a great response to it... but I wish I had been better prepared for some folks being completely unfamiliar with videoblogs... I just didn't want to do a videoblogging 101 session, but, in retrospect, maybe the medium is too young NOT to do something like that. I think people will be ready for some deeper conversations about video on the web in a year or so from now.

I was lucky to have Kevin Howarth in my session, who took some great notes.

I have posted the powerpoint slides that accompanied my presentation here.

Converge South 2

2005-09-18T15:11:00.000-05:00

Check out the Converge South Blog to find out what topics will be discussed at the conference. I just put up a post detailing how I plan to lead the videoblogging session on Saturday morning, October 8.

Converge South

2005-08-22T17:08:00.000-05:00

I will be heading down to Greensboro, North Carolina to lead a discussion about "videocasting" at Converge South this coming October. Check out this link to learn all about the conference.

Mario's Graduation

2005-07-14T23:06:00.000-05:00

So... two months later, I'm finally getting around to posting this... I'm very proud of Mario for graduating from a grueling 5 year program at Pratt Institute, one of the top Architecture schools in the country.

Featuring: Sara (my best friend who lives in Vegas), Andrew (my brother), Jim (my dad), and of course Mario!! Oh, and his fam is in there too for a split sec.

If your wondering about that Sprint conclusion vid I promised, sorry, I'm never going to make it... just way too OVER the whole thing. The important facts are these: I got my money back and the bad guy got caught. Don't know how Sprint will proceed now that they've found him... it's out of my hands...

Anyway, enough yucky stuff! Go watch Mario graduate and Sara do her famous fake singing.

Sprint Story Continued

2005-06-06T12:14:00.000-05:00

Just a short text update about my Sprint situation: my money has been refunded. Sprint has also contacted me regarding "Isaac" and it looks like they might be interested in finding him after all. When things work themselves out, a video will follow...

My Sprint Story

2005-06-03T11:28:00.000-05:00

Check out the video to get an overview. For specifics click this link. Didn’t want to post every last detail here and clutter things up.

WARNING: This video is a total rant.

Cue the violins (music: Beethoven, Romance for Violin):

Car Show Audition

2005-05-02T13:17:00.000-05:00

My agent asked me to create a 3-5 minute audition tape for a Car Show pilot. I'm thinking, "Car Show? I don't know anything about cars?!? And I am NOT a 'car show' type girl." So here is my audition. Might be a little different than what he expected...

Music by: The Allman Brothers, "Rambling Man"

Pizza Emergency

2005-04-29T19:39:00.000-05:00

Hi everybody, this is Mario, Amanda's boyfriend, you might remember me from such episodes as: "Mattie and My Vlog", "Century 21 Fun" or "My Boys". Well, Amanda thought I should make a video, and I agreed. So, here it is. Enjoy.

Jordan

2005-04-23T17:52:00.000-05:00

I watched Jordan's video on his dad's site earlier this afternoon. It really affected me, so I thought I'd go for a run. I came back and was still thinking about it... here's the vid I made for you Jordan.

My Boys

2005-04-17T00:07:00.000-05:00

Just a mellow evening with my boys...

Freak Out!

2005-04-16T18:28:00.000-05:00

I found this on my compy while editing Miami Part III. I only vaguely remember making it... It's kinda scary!

Miami Part III

2005-04-16T18:22:00.000-05:00

The FINAL part of my trip to Miami...

Miami Part II

2005-03-09T06:47:00.000-05:00

The second part of my trip to Miami... pretty self explanatory I guess :)

CVS Commercial

2005-02-22T07:41:00.000-05:00

Here's a CVS/TLC Commercial I was in. It aired last fall. You may recognize it if you watch Rocketboom...

Northstar Music Video

2005-02-22T07:32:00.000-05:00

Here's a music video I'm in... the band is called Northstar.

It originally appeared on VH1, FUSE and, I believe, MTV2... it was also featured last month on VH1's show, "My Coolest Year".

Miami Part I

2005-02-22T07:03:00.000-05:00

For Valentine's Day weekend I went to Miami....

with my mom...

Used: freeplaymusic.com, again.

Century 21 Fun

2005-02-04T20:03:00.000-05:00

Mario and I go to Century 21 in Bayridge Brooklyn and then head to 86 Noodles for dinner.

Music by: Billy Joel and http://www.freeplaymusic.com

Gong sound effect by: http://www.simplythebest.net/sounds/

My First Personal Vlog

2005-01-23T20:42:00.000-05:00

I had been thinking about starting my own personal vlog for a while… but Vloggercon really inspired me to get on it. So here is a little video of me and my cat. This video is a response to Jay’s one from however long ago that was. The fact is I LOVE cats and think that videos of girls and their cats are totally awesome additions to the vlogging community. That kind of content is just not very rocketboom-esque, I guess, was the point of my comment on that particular episode of the Boom.

No promises with this…. but, it is truly “me”…. Or, I don’t know, I feel weird saying that. My cat, however, acknowledges that the below video is not really him, but instead a polished version of himself.

Oh, sorry the lighting sucks during some parts. I’ve learned my lesson for next time… probably.

Amanda UnBoomed

No Boom Involved

Subscribe

AmandaAcrossAmerica.com

God Bless America

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Come One, Come All

Podcamp

911

Women Use the Internet??

Pop Experiments

Back on the Horse

Ok, It's Official

Stepping Stone?

Andrew

Blogumentary On The Big Screen!!

The McDan Tour

I'm SOOOOOOOOOOO Popurl!!!!

My New Favorite Videoblog

popurls + amanda!

Link Lovin': The Popurls Remix

I'm Switching Over to the Dark Side, Mr. Jobs

Emails & Experiments

Katie, The Lady

Up Close And Too Personal

Katie Couric, Center of Attention, Says She Just Wants to Do Her Job

Geriatric1927

Gettin' a Little Linky

My Bro is Now a Blogger

Trip to NYC

Jeremy's Birthday

Header Photograph

Making Progress Making Deals

Summa Pics

Headed Out of Town

Dear Old Media (OM),

A Video for Zadi and Steve

Fearless Foursome

A New Fact That Reveals All, ugh....

A New Assignment, Oh... My... God

Where Are They Now?

The WB's Loss is NBC's Gain

BlogHer Calling

White People Can't Dance

What the hell am I doing?

The Dilly

When life gives you lemons, you go to Secaucus.

My Replacement

For the Record

Amanda UnBoomed

Look at Leila

Meet me at Pioneer Theatre in NYC TONIGHT at 7pm

Cooking Kitty Corner

Nicole Richie & Anorexia

Intel & Televisa

Russia & Sexy Sasha

Hot Vlogs

Fan Email

Yahoos

Good Times

Converge South: Final Thoughts

Converge South 2

Converge South

Mario's Graduation

Sprint Story Continued

My Sprint Story

Car Show Audition

Pizza Emergency

Jordan

My Boys

Freak Out!

Miami Part III

Miami Part II

CVS Commercial

Northstar Music Video

Miami Part I

Century 21 Fun

My First Personal Vlog