Vertical: Celebrity Access

7.2. Vertical: Celebrity Access

“Vertical interactions” describe the limited (but increasingly frequent) opportunities for individual audience members to interact with television celebrities. While these vertical interactions often take place in the same social spaces and structures used for horizontal interactions, the participation of celebrities often prompts involvement from new viewers who are otherwise uninterested in participating in show-centered communities and social interactions.

Historically, audiences have demonstrated the most interest in communicating with, and being acknowledged by, a show’s performers. In recent years, however, the television world has produced a rising number of “auteur” writers and producers who enjoy name recognition among large portions of the American television audience (e.g., Abrams, Sorkin, Kelley, Whedon). As a result, mainstream television audiences are gradually taking a more active interest in television professionals who work behind the scenes. While this has long been true with certain cult shows (e.g., Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Trek, Babylon 5), the trend is now moving toward mainstream programming. As such, the designation of ‘celebrity’ (as used in this section) describes any individual with some official role in the show’s production.

62 NBC, NBC: Social Networking, 30 April 2007 2007, Available: http://www.nbc.com/Social_Networking.

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One of the best-documented examples of interaction between television viewers and celebrities is the frequent participation of Babylon 5 creator and writer J. Michael Straczynski, who was among the most active

contributors to a Usenet discussion group dedicated to his creation. Even before the show debuted on television, Straczynski began using the online forum to generate interest in the program, sharing behind-the-

scenes anecdotes and updates and answering audience questions and criticisms head-on. 63 While his responses were often hostile and controversial, the extent of his direct involvement with the audience remains

unparalled: by one estimate, Straczynski posted over 17,000 messages during Babylon 5’s five-year run 64 . More recently, several celebrities on Buffy the Vampire Slayer showed an exceptional willingness for direct (albeit limited) interaction with fans, surfacing as frequent contributors on a dedicated Buffy message board called The Bronze 65 , and subsequently posting (and responding to comments) at a fan-maintained weblog dedicated to all things Whedon, called, appropriately enough, Whedonesque 66 .

Now, as mainstream viewers begin to wade into waters that were once the exclusive province of hardcore fans, television networks are encouraging more celebrities to make time for direct interactions with the audience. The most common form of this is the blog, which often functions much like a message board, but without the free-for-all chaos that results from all participants being able to start new discussion topics. Weblogs, unlike message boards, position the celebrity cleanly at the center of the proceeding, while giving viewers the opportunity to post their own responses and comments. The celebrity then has the opportunity to decide whether or not to respond, and if so, to which comments. Such interactions are coordinated both

as formal promotional strategies (such as Shonda Rhimes’ blog for Grey’s Anatomy 67 ) and as informal, voluntary efforts by individual celebrities (such as the blog Jane Espenson, an ex-Buffy writer who is now a writer and co-Executive Producer for Battlestar Galactica, who writes about her experiences and insights into

television writing 68 ).

63 While the specific (and often controversial) nature of Straczynski’s involvement in rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5 is beyond the scope of this discussion, interested readers will find compelling accounts in Lancaster. 1-10, 20-30. and Wexelblat.

64 Lancaster. 20. If this figure is correct, Straczynski’s participation averages out to 9.32 posts per day for the entire five years. 65 For a more detailed discussion about the significance of The Bronze as a site of fan-producer interaction, see Zweernik, A and S N

Gatson. "www.buffy.com: Cliques, Boundaries, and Hierarchies in an Internet Community." ed. Lavery. 2002.. 66 Whedonesque, Available: http://www.whedonesque.com.

67 ABC-Greys, Grey Matter: From the Writers of Grey's Anatomy. 68 Espenson, J, Jane in Progress, Available: http://www.janeespenson.com.

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In an interview with USA Today, Eric Haney, executive producer of CBS drama The Unit, reported that he spends about five minutes each week writing a few paragraphs for the show’s weblog. According to Haney, the blog is designed to give viewers “a little inside peek” at the show. As he explained, “Everyone [in

the audience] wants to feel like you’re sitting down to talk with them.” 69 An increasing number of celebrities are also experimenting with participation in social networking

sites. The most active site for such experimentation, at least for now, is MySpace. Through their MySpace profiles, celebrities can publish a blog, post personal information and photos, and approve “friend requests” from the site’s 100-million-plus registered users. These users can then leave them comments and send

them messages. 70