Fingers poised on the toilet handle, Variety axes Todd McCarthy
First Anne Thompson, then Michael Fleming and now lead critic Todd McCarthy have been kicked off the sinking Variety ship. Actually, I forget. Was Fleming kicked or did he just grab the last life preserver and jump for himself? It doesn’t matter. The once must-read trade paper has lost three of the main reasons anyone would want to read it.
I never cared for McCarthy’s taste, his prose didn’t exactly inspire and Variety’s box office slant isn’t what I look for in a review, but he was usually the first guy out of the gate. If he didn’t exactly set the tone, he often put out the yard stick. However, this isn’t so much about McCarthy, it’s about Hollywood’s main trade paper canning their top critic. What does it say about their priorities?
I still don’t buy that film criticism is dead – I believe McCarthy will land somewhere (though he’ll likely make less money than he’s accustomed to) – but Variety is shooting itself in the foot.
source: NY Times
Filed under: Business, Critics, News
Tags: Todd McCarthy
It’s the internets’ fault. Damn internets.
Looks like Variety wants to be a trade publication and a trade publication only. Good luck with that.
McCarthy is a popular read because he’s usually first and he’s usually first because the studios let him be first.
The question is, will Justin Chang or one of the other freelance critics now get the same treatment? Maybe. If not, Variety has no reason to exist as far as I’m concerned.
Craig, I think you’re discounting the crackerjack editing team that injects all Variety articles with that wonderful verbal gymnastics, such as “auds” and removing qualifiers to give the appearance of brevity.
No one else can do that.
but did they at least have ryan bingham do the firing… ;)
the internets fault ??? huh would people just interested in the reviews buy/sub to the mag. gonna say no even if there wasn’t an internet as it is now…
plus unless your in the industry ir need it for your job or something. guess most ‘mere fans’ and even the ultra rabid fans may see the price of a sub to variety and do a spit take. oh wait i was the only one to do that… ;)
people in the industry that need/are curious enough to sub. well they’re still there right ???
what is variety subscription numbers now vs. it’s supposed heyday ??
i think the general public doesn’t really know who either Variety or McCarthy are…????
and is dropping mccarthy and going with freelance writers a worse move than if they replaced him with another name critic ???
i guess the google hits will be about the same. it’s the internet’s fault… ;)
‘I still don’t buy that film criticism is dead’
yep film criticism is dead and rock music is dead too. ;)
but both just continue and seem like they’re gonna be around forever…
“but did they at least have ryan bingham do the firing” hahaha
They probably couldn’t afford him.
yeah, i’m sure his rates went up after the oscar nom… ;)