Thisweek has always been publishing press releases for ridiculous city sponsored bullshit but I’m getting really tired of seeing the endless crap for the PAC’s Junior Claus. Between the pullout Thisweekend advertising section and now an article about how “Broadway Comes to Burnsville”, I’ve puked enough times that I figured I’d share the love.
There are so many things that are just absolutely dumb about the article that I am seriously laughing as I write this:
1. “The holiday-themed musical which opens at the Burnsville Performing Arts Center Dec. 10 brings a ‘Shrek’-like comic sensibility to the stage…”
2. “We really tried to think of the show as a Pixar film – a show that would appeal to kids but have things for adults as well…”
3. “Claymation holiday films from the 1960s such as ‘Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer’ and newer Christmas fare such as ‘Elf’ all got knowing nods in Dimond’s script.”
4. “We wanted to bring a slice of Broadway to Burnsville,” said co-producer Sam Graber. “It’s a big New York show with a very local flavor.”
Now, #1, #2, and #3 are nothing more than attempts to catch the eyes of parents (of multiple age groups) as well as grandparents. “Ooh look they claim it’ll be like Shrek!” No people, it won’t be anything like Shrek because, well, this is not a fucking multi-million dollar production nor is it done by Pixar. Then there is #4, which is my all time favorite bullshit quote ever. Just because the guy who wrote the script is from NYC does not mean that this is a slice of Broadway nor is it a “big New York show” because it has never been on Broadway, it hasn’t ever premiered before (thus it’s going to be a “big Minnesota show”), and that was nothing more than an attempt at fooling people into thinking that this is something special–when it’s really just not.
This entire “article” is a fucking sham and it’s absolutely insanely disgusting that Thisweek sunk to such lows as to post it. They go on and on about journalistic integrity and then they go ahead and publish something like that press release to sucker people into paying anywhere between $18.50 and $49.50 (over 10 ticket categories–many which are subsidized by Best Buy) to see something which appears as if it isn’t anything near what they claim it is.
It’s pretty funny that VenuWorks is hedging its bets on this show and hoping that it will pull them out of the hole that they have already dug this quarter by posting what they have estimated to be their only monthly revenue in the black for the entire year (according to the September and October PAC financial data which you can see in the archive here). Honestly, I hope they aren’t holding their breath.
So what do you think about this press release article that Thisweek published as fact? Do you really think that it’s fair to claim that it’s “Shrek”-like or that it’s a Broadway show in Minnesota when it’s neither of those things? Do you think that the PAC will actually turn its first monthly profit (this is monthly and we’re talking about all of ~$11,000). Whatever you think about this bullshit article go ahead and comment on and let Thisweek’s staff know that as readers of their paper you’d appreciate that they actually have some of the journalistic integrity that they speak about instead of allowing this utter crap to get through to the public.
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November 30th, 2009 at 10:58 am
I truly hope that Jr Clause is a great show and that it does well at the box office. I hope the whole place is a hit and people talk about how great it was to come to Burnsville to see a play, wander around the HOC and look at the beautiful lights and watch the kids skating in Nicollet Commons Park.
I also truly hope for world peace, a cure for cancer, and that I win the lottery.
All that said, I think its unethical and misleading the way they are advertising this as some sort of a broadway production.
November 30th, 2009 at 11:01 am
What I want to know is why newspapers continue to print this crud. Yeah they need to take up space in their empty paper so they can have additional space for other Junior Claus advertising and they need to make sure they stay in the city’s good graces but the press release itself is pure and utter bullshit. It has to be absolutely embarrassing for the real journalists who work on actual articles to see people reading a bunch of SEO and buzzwords about a show that hasn’t even started yet.
November 30th, 2009 at 11:55 am
“We have some superstar talent from around the Twin Cities,” Graber said.
Too bad that there is not any superstar talent coming from the 70 student enrollment at the Envision Academy at the Burnsville Performing Arts Center that could even get a role as an extra.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
I saw a poster advertisment in the bar at Roasted Pear on Saturday night….thought that was interesting. Figured they were really pumping up this one.
November 30th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
All they need to do to fix that article is put a disclaimer in there that ‘”This is an advertisement paid for by Mayor Kautz”. Problem solved.
November 30th, 2009 at 5:36 pm
Announced today: The O’Shaughnessy at St. Kate’s gets Norah Jones.
BPAC gets Santa’s son and a bunch of unknowns.
November 30th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
Whit, to be fair, Norah Jones isn’t playing in St Paul until March. The Burnsville Performing Arts Center has only two things on the March calendar at this point:
Dan Gustafson’s pet project CTC’s The Underpants
Redneck douchebag Bill Engvall
I mean, Bill Engvall is so awesome if you’re from Faribault and man, the CTC is definitely on par with a nationally known act. Seriously those two are going to so make the $835,000 Burnsville’s taxpayers lost this year alone back.
November 30th, 2009 at 6:10 pm
Let’s plan the spin now: “Hey that’s two more events than we had in August! See, we’re doing great! Look at the pretty park!”
December 1st, 2009 at 9:54 am
So I have a question, in the caption below the picture in the Thisweek it states,
Billed as “the hilarious and heartwarming tale” that takes place days before Christmas Eve at the North Pole when Santa Claus stubs a toe and young Junior must assume Santa’s duties, “Junior Claus” is being rehearsed in Minneapolis studio space before its Burnsville debut next month.
Why are they rehearsing in Minneapolis and not at the Burnsville PAC which would generate more revenue for the PAC, is it too expensive, not enough room? Nothing like spending money in Minneapolis when the PAC was suppose to generate more people, occupancy of the PACs meeting rooms and income to the city of Burnsville in hotel rooms, restaurants etc?
Andrew Miller, why are they rehearsing in Minneapolis and not at the PAC in Burnsville?
December 1st, 2009 at 9:56 am
I think a call to both VenuWorks and the production company is in order.
December 1st, 2009 at 2:15 pm
It’s normal for professional companies to rehearse in a different space than where they perform until towards the end of rehearsals. For one thing, it’s generally substantially cheaper, but there can be other reasons too.
In this case, I’m not sure if the PAC has suitable rehearsal space, and even if it does, they may want to use a location that’s more centrally located (which Minneapolis is, compared to Burnsville).
December 1st, 2009 at 2:17 pm
Tim,
Since you seem to be knowledgeable: aside from being more centrally located and the cost, what are some of the other reasons for rehearsing elsewhere?
December 1st, 2009 at 3:06 pm
Why would people from Faribault find Bill Engvall so Awesome?
He’s no Larry the cable guy…
December 1st, 2009 at 3:15 pm
Scott,
He was still a member of the Blue Collar “Comedy” group.
December 2nd, 2009 at 7:13 am
Bill…my comment about Larry was an attempt at humor (albeit poor).
I guess I was more Curious about the Faribault Comment…is the general perception that people from Faribault are rednecks?
December 3rd, 2009 at 10:49 am
I was going to buy tickets for my son and I to go to the show and couldn’t get over how expensive they are! We ended up getting tickets to the Cirque Christmas show at Mystic Lake for less AND it included a meal! My friend was able to get tickets to A Christmas Carol ( I think at the Guthrie) for less!
I was not in favor of the PAC, but figured now that it is here, I would try and be supportive. Unfortunatly, the PAC does not feel the same way about supporting the arts in our community. I pride myself on exposing my son to as many events/experiences as I can, but just like everyone else- I am on a huge budget right now. I clip coupons and do everythign I can…
Heres the kicker- there was a buy one get one free coupon for Junior Claus in the Star Trib a few weeks back and I tht I would try and use that- I tried for two days and the coupon code wouldn’t work- I ended up calling Ticketmaster and they told me they didn’t have any idea what it was. I finally gave up. Thanks PAC for wasting my time… and making me even more disappointed than before….
December 3rd, 2009 at 10:51 am
How much were the tickets that you bought at Mystic instead?
December 3rd, 2009 at 11:57 am
It was a package – so Im not totally sure, but I know it was less than $80 after all of the Ticketmaster fees (of which there were ALOT) were added. So I am going to guess $25 or $30?
With Ticketmaster fees and the $35+ tix at Claus it would have been much closer to $100 and it wouldn’t have included the meal…
December 4th, 2009 at 12:03 am
Wow, are they getting desperate to sell Junior Claus tickets or what??
“It’s December 1st and now or never with the big musical JUNIOR CLAUS coming to town! With just 24 days until the 25th we’re giving a special 24 hour offer of 25% off any ticket order. Offer good until Wednesday at midnight.”
What promotion is going to come out next week? Show up at the PAC, breathe on a mirror to prove that you are alive, and get a free ticket to Junior Claus?