Google Alerts: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
I subscribe to a couple of Google Alerts. Well, OK then, more then a couple.
My list includes: "Supernatural", "X-Files", "Jensen Ackles", "Jared Padalecki", "Eric Kripke", "Veronica Mars", "Ten Inch Hero" & "Melbourne Storm"
POP QUIZ: Which one of the above is not the same? (Wasn't that an old Sesame Street game - I seem to remember a sickly sweet little song to play it too... or was it Romper Room?)
Most of the time it's great getting the alerts. You get the latest and greatest news on each topic and great links to a wealth of wonderous information.
Take "Supernatural" for instance... The idea here is that I get the news on the TV show - Supernatural. Approximately 75% of the times this works out great. I get links to reviews and transcripts of episodes, as well as to interviews with cast and crew and loads of spoilers. Awesome! The other 25% of the time I get strange but occassionally interesting links to 'real world' supernatural occurances. There's nothing as strange as people, I tell ya. I'm too scared of what I might discover about my fellow human beings to follow the majority of those links though. *LOL*
"Jensen Ackles" and "Jared Padilecki" alerts generally work well. Lots of links to attractive looking photography and the occasional interview or latest news item on the boys. Not too much going on here and certainly no juicy goss for these two. I just don't think these boys are living the true 'Hollywood' lifestyle... Wonder if filming the show in Vancouver, Canada has anything to do with that, 'eh?
For "Eric Kripke" (creator of Supernatural) the alerts are few and far between. Why do I have him on alert? It's currently that time of year when shows are either renewed or cancelled and I don't want to miss the story telling me that Eric Kripke was spotted running naked down Hollywood Blvd after being told by the CW Suits that there's gonna be a third season. (Interesting visual here. Why couldn't I have written the 'naked' scenario about Jared and Jensen?)
"Ten Inch Hero" alerts are practically non-existant... On the look out for the one telling me it'll be showing in a theatre near me in the not too distant future. Fingers crossed.
Never heard of it?
Look it up.
Sounds good.
I have to admit I gloss over the "Melbourne Storm" ones a bit. I check out the excerpt and that's about it. Usually they include the "ins and outs" for the team and match reports. Occassionally I get a 'cross line' and a link comes through from another club. These generally consist of said club talking up their chances of getting a win against the mighty Storm. Good luck with that.
And some of the time, Google alerts can get just plain repetative.
A couple of weeks OK I was getting a "Jared Padalecki" email alert what seemed like every 15 minutes, advising me that he'd gonna be playing Thomas Kinkade in an upcoming movie - The Christmas Cottage. Okie Dokie, I have no idea who Thomas Kinkade is except he paints pretty, pretty pictures. But, you know, coo! I'm thrilled for the guy. Go Jared! Problem is every time some obscure little news site runs with the story I get reminded. And from the number of alerts I've received there are a hell of a lot of little news sites out there. At least I'm not likely to forget about this news any time soon...
"Veronica Mars" alerts for the past three weeks have been all kinds of dramatic. They range from "Veronica Mars Cancelled" to "Veronica Mars to return as FBI Agent!" Usually, these two kinds of alerts can arrive within 10 minutes of each other and then alternate every hour thereafter. I've figured out the reason this is happening is because I have "Alerts from Everywhere" ticked - BLOGS & NEWS. Everytime an anguished fan blogs that V has been cancelled I get notified. VM is another show waiting for "the call". Will there or won't there be another season? Personally, I'm hoping for the affirmative.
Finally, there are my "X-Files" alerts. These a bit like the VM ones at the moment and it's actually the one alert that is kind of pissing me off. Not that it's Google's fault. Generally the alerts alternate between "X-Files 2 Really In The Works ..." to "Gillian Anderson claims she was forced to appear in 'The X-Files ..." I did actually receive both those alerts in the past few hours.
The "X-Files 2" alerts started a couple of weeks ago - David Duchovny mentioned something in an interview and things spiraled from there. X-File producer, Frank Spotnitz, has confirmed on his blog that the second film is actually in the works. If alerts such as the latest one I've received - "Gillian Anderson: ‘I Bloody Hated The X-Files, Me’" - are accurate I'm wondering who's gonna play Scully in the movie? Seeing that GA hated the show so much I can't imagine her wanting to resume the role. Although, money talks, so I guess we'll see. Just for the record, it's the GA ones that are wearing thin...
It seems I'm one of the few fans who did enjoy the final season of X-Files and I'd be quite content to see Mulder, Doggett, Reyes and Skinner on the big screen. I can't see THAT happening though and, to be honest, I can't see the movie happening either. As I've said before: "I'll believe it when I am sitting in my comfy Gold Class Cinema seat and watching it!".
My list includes: "Supernatural", "X-Files", "Jensen Ackles", "Jared Padalecki", "Eric Kripke", "Veronica Mars", "Ten Inch Hero" & "Melbourne Storm"
POP QUIZ: Which one of the above is not the same? (Wasn't that an old Sesame Street game - I seem to remember a sickly sweet little song to play it too... or was it Romper Room?)
Most of the time it's great getting the alerts. You get the latest and greatest news on each topic and great links to a wealth of wonderous information.
Take "Supernatural" for instance... The idea here is that I get the news on the TV show - Supernatural. Approximately 75% of the times this works out great. I get links to reviews and transcripts of episodes, as well as to interviews with cast and crew and loads of spoilers. Awesome! The other 25% of the time I get strange but occassionally interesting links to 'real world' supernatural occurances. There's nothing as strange as people, I tell ya. I'm too scared of what I might discover about my fellow human beings to follow the majority of those links though. *LOL*
"Jensen Ackles" and "Jared Padilecki" alerts generally work well. Lots of links to attractive looking photography and the occasional interview or latest news item on the boys. Not too much going on here and certainly no juicy goss for these two. I just don't think these boys are living the true 'Hollywood' lifestyle... Wonder if filming the show in Vancouver, Canada has anything to do with that, 'eh?
For "Eric Kripke" (creator of Supernatural) the alerts are few and far between. Why do I have him on alert? It's currently that time of year when shows are either renewed or cancelled and I don't want to miss the story telling me that Eric Kripke was spotted running naked down Hollywood Blvd after being told by the CW Suits that there's gonna be a third season. (Interesting visual here. Why couldn't I have written the 'naked' scenario about Jared and Jensen?)
"Ten Inch Hero" alerts are practically non-existant... On the look out for the one telling me it'll be showing in a theatre near me in the not too distant future. Fingers crossed.
Never heard of it?
Look it up.
Sounds good.
I have to admit I gloss over the "Melbourne Storm" ones a bit. I check out the excerpt and that's about it. Usually they include the "ins and outs" for the team and match reports. Occassionally I get a 'cross line' and a link comes through from another club. These generally consist of said club talking up their chances of getting a win against the mighty Storm. Good luck with that.
And some of the time, Google alerts can get just plain repetative.
A couple of weeks OK I was getting a "Jared Padalecki" email alert what seemed like every 15 minutes, advising me that he'd gonna be playing Thomas Kinkade in an upcoming movie - The Christmas Cottage. Okie Dokie, I have no idea who Thomas Kinkade is except he paints pretty, pretty pictures. But, you know, coo! I'm thrilled for the guy. Go Jared! Problem is every time some obscure little news site runs with the story I get reminded. And from the number of alerts I've received there are a hell of a lot of little news sites out there. At least I'm not likely to forget about this news any time soon...
"Veronica Mars" alerts for the past three weeks have been all kinds of dramatic. They range from "Veronica Mars Cancelled" to "Veronica Mars to return as FBI Agent!" Usually, these two kinds of alerts can arrive within 10 minutes of each other and then alternate every hour thereafter. I've figured out the reason this is happening is because I have "Alerts from Everywhere" ticked - BLOGS & NEWS. Everytime an anguished fan blogs that V has been cancelled I get notified. VM is another show waiting for "the call". Will there or won't there be another season? Personally, I'm hoping for the affirmative.
Finally, there are my "X-Files" alerts. These a bit like the VM ones at the moment and it's actually the one alert that is kind of pissing me off. Not that it's Google's fault. Generally the alerts alternate between "X-Files 2 Really In The Works ..." to "Gillian Anderson claims she was forced to appear in 'The X-Files ..." I did actually receive both those alerts in the past few hours.
The "X-Files 2" alerts started a couple of weeks ago - David Duchovny mentioned something in an interview and things spiraled from there. X-File producer, Frank Spotnitz, has confirmed on his blog that the second film is actually in the works. If alerts such as the latest one I've received - "Gillian Anderson: ‘I Bloody Hated The X-Files, Me’" - are accurate I'm wondering who's gonna play Scully in the movie? Seeing that GA hated the show so much I can't imagine her wanting to resume the role. Although, money talks, so I guess we'll see. Just for the record, it's the GA ones that are wearing thin...
It seems I'm one of the few fans who did enjoy the final season of X-Files and I'd be quite content to see Mulder, Doggett, Reyes and Skinner on the big screen. I can't see THAT happening though and, to be honest, I can't see the movie happening either. As I've said before: "I'll believe it when I am sitting in my comfy Gold Class Cinema seat and watching it!".