On HotLinking Actors...
I try to link to a somewhat relevant page when I mention an actor or otherwise noted person in here (cf. Betty Fucking Comden) because I am not under the delusion that just because I know Who He Is, so should everyone else. People in my biz have no excuse not to know, say, about Little Women coming in this winter, but I understand that this is not front page news to most people. I like to provide a little bit of context so you, my dear friends, can clicky clicky and then go, "Oh, yeah, I've heard about him" or "My, isn't that interesting" or "Why on earth does anyone work in the live theatre anymore, what the fuck is wrong with you, move somewhere you can get a 5 bedroom house for what you pay for a studio, do you not realize that you have a giant fucking bullseye on your head just by virtue of being in that city?" I believe in promoting dialogue.
Anyway, most of these people do not bother to maintain their own websites. Joyously for us, there are legions of fans who have nothing to do but maintain such delicious sites as "Norbert Leo Butz Online! (formerly Da Butz)".
These fans are easily identifiable by their demographic profile:
- 76% are female members of high school drama clubs and undergraduate theatre programs;
- the other 24% are their gay best friends;
- 80% are ill-proportioned, both physically and capability-wise, to the parts they fancy themselves someday playing. (NB: you can't play Elphaba in your community theatre production of Wicked if you are so big the theatre's forklift can't hoist you up on the goddamn broom for the act one finale. You will instead have a career, if you can sing, playing Ursula in stock productions of The Little Mermaid, once it comes in to Bway next year. Breathe. Accept. This is the natural order of things. If you can't sing, well then, I don't know.)
- 100% of them can sing every word of RENT.
These are the people who will be the community theatre directors, audience members, and service waiters of tomorrow, and I have nothing but respect for them. (This is not actually true.)
However, I am given pause when I google these fan sites in order to provide you with amusing and illuminative surfing material, and I click on a link and I am hit smack in the eye with:
NEWS: It's been a very long while since I've updated. Anyway, right now Norbert is in a commercial for Wheat Thins Crispy Thins. I've seen two versions of the commercial- unfortunately, Norbert has fewer lines in the one that's on now- but keep an eye out for the other commercial!
This is actual text from The Website Formerly Known as 'Da Butz.'
I am stunned into silence. I have no snarky recourse, other than to post it for your snarkification pleasure.
Anyway, most of these people do not bother to maintain their own websites. Joyously for us, there are legions of fans who have nothing to do but maintain such delicious sites as "Norbert Leo Butz Online! (formerly Da Butz)".
These fans are easily identifiable by their demographic profile:
- 76% are female members of high school drama clubs and undergraduate theatre programs;
- the other 24% are their gay best friends;
- 80% are ill-proportioned, both physically and capability-wise, to the parts they fancy themselves someday playing. (NB: you can't play Elphaba in your community theatre production of Wicked if you are so big the theatre's forklift can't hoist you up on the goddamn broom for the act one finale. You will instead have a career, if you can sing, playing Ursula in stock productions of The Little Mermaid, once it comes in to Bway next year. Breathe. Accept. This is the natural order of things. If you can't sing, well then, I don't know.)
- 100% of them can sing every word of RENT.
These are the people who will be the community theatre directors, audience members, and service waiters of tomorrow, and I have nothing but respect for them. (This is not actually true.)
However, I am given pause when I google these fan sites in order to provide you with amusing and illuminative surfing material, and I click on a link and I am hit smack in the eye with:
NEWS: It's been a very long while since I've updated. Anyway, right now Norbert is in a commercial for Wheat Thins Crispy Thins. I've seen two versions of the commercial- unfortunately, Norbert has fewer lines in the one that's on now- but keep an eye out for the other commercial!
This is actual text from The Website Formerly Known as 'Da Butz.'
I am stunned into silence. I have no snarky recourse, other than to post it for your snarkification pleasure.