Broadway.com censoring their reviews???

[Scott2]

Broadway.com censoring their reviews???#0

Posted: 5/12/06 at 11:48am

Did anyone notice that Broadway.com gave a mostly negative review for Tarzan. Then they pulled it within 24 hours!!!! (Their reviews normally post 3-5 days). Nor did they run their normal "Did the Critics Like..." summary of reviews!!! Has Broadway.com succumbed to financial pressure from Disney???? Are they now censoring their material to be slanted only to those who pay them ad money?

[Mister Matt]

re: Broadway.com censoring their reviews???#1

Posted: 5/12/06 at 1:46pm

I stopped visiting their site when Mandelbaum left. He was the only reason I went there. They have nothing else to offer that I wish to see that I can't find here or on Playbill.

"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian

[jimnysf]

re: Broadway.com censoring their reviews???#2

Posted: 5/12/06 at 1:50pm

"I stopped visiting their site when Mandelbaum left"

Same here. No reason to go there anymore.

"I've lost everything! Luis, Marty, my baby with Chris, Chris himself, James. All I ever wanted was love." --Sheridan Crane "Passions" ------- "Housework is like bad sex. Every time I do it, I swear I'll never do it again til the next time company comes."--"Lulu" from "Can't Stop The Music" ----- "When the right doors didn't open for him, he went through the wrong ones" - "Sweet Bird of Youth" ------------ --------- "Passions" is uncancelled! See NBC.com for more info.

[Ourtime992]

re: Broadway.com censoring their reviews???#3

Posted: 5/12/06 at 2:00pm

I will patronize them for another week or two, just to vote in the fan awards. Then, like so many of you, I will leave the site more or less forever. Mandelbaum is the reason I checked the site everyday, and without him the site offers nothing the other theatre sites don't.

[SueleenGay]

re: Broadway.com censoring their reviews???#4

Posted: 5/12/06 at 2:01pm

Perhaps they have a simple explanation. I have e-mailed them asking why they deleted the review. We'll see if there is a response. It does look fishy, however.

PEACE.

[SueleenGay]

re: Broadway.com censoring their reviews???#5

Posted: 5/12/06 at 2:02pm

Oh, and Ourtime, why not just vote for the Munkys right here?

PEACE.

[RentBoy86]

re: Broadway.com censoring their reviews???#6

Posted: 5/12/06 at 2:07pm

I like the videos they do.

[VeuveClicquot]

re: Broadway.com censoring their reviews???#7

Posted: 5/12/06 at 2:14pm

Ditto to all who said they don't go there now that Mandelbaum is gone.

(Although I'm curious about this Tarzan business, let us know what you hear Sueleen).

[SueleenGay]

re: Broadway.com censoring their reviews???#8

Posted: 5/12/06 at 2:26pm

I am not holding my breath that I will hear from anyone, and even if I do I am not the type of person who would post a private message on a public forum!

PEACE.

[BobbyBubby]

re: Broadway.com censoring their reviews???#9

Posted: 5/12/06 at 2:27pm

Yeah sure Sueleen...

Broadway.com can bite me. Without Mandelbaum, they're nothing!

[ShuQ]

re: Broadway.com censoring their reviews???#10

Posted: 5/12/06 at 2:29pm

The website definitely isn't the same. Good thing we're on the best Broadway website there is, anyway!

[MargoChanning]

re: Broadway.com censoring their reviews???#11

Posted: 5/12/06 at 2:30pm

I never saw a Tarzan review. When I was doing the review thread I was checking in with Broadway.com probably every hour (or more) the entire evening from 6pm till 2am so if it ever went up, then it had to have been taken down within minutes.

"What a story........ everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end." -- Birdie [http://margochanning.broadwayworld.com/] "The Devil Be Hittin' Me" -- Whitney

[Yankeefan007]

re: Broadway.com censoring their reviews???#12

Posted: 5/12/06 at 2:56pm

It was up at noon yesterday for about 10 minutes.

[uncageg]

re: Broadway.com censoring their reviews???#13

Posted: 5/12/06 at 3:00pm

I thought I saw one and actually read part of it. (I read so many). They have really gotten a bit lax. Pic and videos don't appear as fast as they used to and I like the Ask A Star feature but there have been some where I took the time to submit a question and the questions never got answered. I still check in, but not as much as I do here now.

Just give the world Love. - S. Wonder

[VeuveClicquot]

re: Broadway.com censoring their reviews???#14

Posted: 5/12/06 at 3:01pm

Hmm, actually the Review Roundup can be found here:

http://www.broadway.com/gen/Buzz_Story.aspx?ci=529283

And they quote Rob Kendt's review, which can also be found here:

http://www.broadway.com/gen/Buzz_Story.aspx?ci=529238

They just don't have them linked to the front page (or anywhere else that I can discover).

Doesn't really answer the question though. Did they remove the links due to external pressure, or are they just inept?
Updated On: 5/12/06 at 03:01 PM

[SueleenGay]

re: Broadway.com censoring their reviews???#15

Posted: 5/12/06 at 3:24pm

How did you find those links? You would think their "review" link would list this one, too.

PEACE.

[Craig]

re: Broadway.com censoring their reviews???#16

Posted: 5/12/06 at 3:27pm

apparently you can access their review from that roundup from a link in the "Rob Kendt in his Broadway.com Review" line

"A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men" - Willy Wonka

[MargoChanning]

re: Broadway.com censoring their reviews???#17

Posted: 5/12/06 at 3:32pm

Not sure what the purpose of hiding that review would be. It's no worse than most and kinder than several.

Any chance that Broadway.com is owned by some subsidiary of the Disney company (which seems to own everything these days)? Though one would think that Disney would have bigger fish to fry than worrying about a review that would only be read by a couple of thousand people at most. Still, to take that review and the review roundup down seems more than a little suspicious.

Anyone know who owns Broadway.com?

"What a story........ everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end." -- Birdie [http://margochanning.broadwayworld.com/] "The Devil Be Hittin' Me" -- Whitney

Updated On: 5/12/06 at 03:32 PM

[MargoChanning]

re: Broadway.com censoring their reviews???#18

Posted: 5/12/06 at 3:35pm

From their website:

"Broadway.com is a subsidiary of Hollywood Media Corp. (NASDAQ: HOLL), which is a leading provider of news, information and ticketing covering the entertainment and media industries. The company's network of consumer and B2B businesses has a proven track record of developing comprehensive entertainment industry databases, as well as unique and useful content for consumers. The company's network includes: Hollywood.com, a premier movie and entertainment destination on the Internet; MovieTickets.com, one of the leading destinations for the purchase of movie tickets through the Internet; CinemaSource, the nation's largest provider of movie show times listings on the Internet; EventSource, which licenses to websites and wireless providers the first and only nationwide online database of general events information, including live theater data and Baseline, one of the largest and most comprehensive movie and entertainment information databases."

http://www.broadway.com/gen/general.aspx?ci=500726


And who owns Hollywood Media Corp.?

"What a story........ everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end." -- Birdie [http://margochanning.broadwayworld.com/] "The Devil Be Hittin' Me" -- Whitney

[nomdeplume]

re: Broadway.com censoring their reviews???#19

Posted: 5/12/06 at 3:37pm

Thanks, Margo.

I'm not yet sure actually whether that makes an obvious conflict of interest in publishing any kind of review.

Just making money from ticket sales might not be enough if your editorial and marketing staff are kept separate and independent. IF.
Updated On: 5/12/06 at 03:37 PM

[VeuveClicquot]

re: Broadway.com censoring their reviews???#20

Posted: 5/12/06 at 3:43pm

Margo, from Hollywood Media's website:

"HOLLYWOOD MEDIA CORP. was founded by Mitchell Rubenstein and Laurie S. Silvers, who earlier founded the Sci-Fi Channel, which they sold to USA Network in 1992."

[MargoChanning]

re: Broadway.com censoring their reviews???#21

Posted: 5/12/06 at 3:45pm

Well, I thought it was a longshot, but I still wonder why Tarzan is being treated differently that every other show they've reviewed in the past few years.

"What a story........ everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end." -- Birdie [http://margochanning.broadwayworld.com/] "The Devil Be Hittin' Me" -- Whitney

[VeuveClicquot]

re: Broadway.com censoring their reviews???#22

Posted: 5/12/06 at 3:49pm

Well, since they are in Hollywood, and probably have some ties to the Disney Corporation, I can envision a scenario where some honcho from Disney called over to their offices and caused a panic.

Not saying it's true, just saying it's possible.

On the other hand, their front page links to John Simon's piece were all screwed up earlier today as well, so maybe they're just inept.

Updated On: 5/12/06 at 03:49 PM

[jacobtsf]

re: Broadway.com censoring their reviews???#23

Posted: 5/12/06 at 3:51pm

People might be thinking a little too much into this (though I must admit I was curious at first). Broadway.com posted their Lestat review just like every other review they had in the past, and they do the blogs for Lestat, meaning that there has to be a contract somewhere. For all we know there was an issue with the actual review or the person who wrote it or *BIG GASP* the website (there have been many problems in the past).

That said, those who believe Disney is taking over Broadway will not listen to reason.

David walked into the valley With a stone clutched in his hand He was only a boy But he knew someone must take a stand There will always be a valley Always mountains one must scale There will always be perilous waters Which someone must sail -Into the Fire Scarlet Pimpernel

Updated On: 5/12/06 at 03:51 PM

[LizzieCurry]

re: Broadway.com censoring their reviews???#24

Posted: 5/12/06 at 9:43pm

Broadway.com can bite me. Without Mandelbaum, they're nothing!

Same here. I really only go there for the vid blogs and photo-ops (and the latter is mainly to poke fun).

"This thread reads like a series of White House memos." — Mister Matt

Updated On: 5/12/06 at 09:43 PM