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The Alex Billington blackmail scandal

post #1 of 111
7/31/10 at 7:24am
Thread Starter 
Anyone know the whole story? Apparently he threatened to reveal a studio's comicon plans if he wasn't invited to a party. If true, what a douche.
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post #2 of 111
7/31/10 at 7:52am
Drew at Hitfix has been talking about it on Twitter. He's vague in what he's saying but didn't he announce it on his Facebook?
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post #3 of 111
7/31/10 at 7:58am
Thread Starter 
Not sure. You mean Billington announced it on his facebook page?!
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post #4 of 111
7/31/10 at 8:04am
On Devin's Formspring:

Quote:
Q: Billington blackmailed a studio into inviting him to an event by saying if he wasn't invited, he would publicly reveal their secret Comic-Con plans, screwing said plans up royally and possibly resulting in them being canceled. Is that a question?

A: I don't think that's a question, no.
On Drew's twitter account he mentioned something to do with Universal, so it makes sense that it was the Scott Pilgrim screening/party.
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post #5 of 111
7/31/10 at 4:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluelouboyle View Post
Anyone know the whole story? Apparently he threatened to reveal a studio's comicon plans if he wasn't invited to a party. If true, what a douche.
Reminds of that episode of Entourage with Rainn Wilson.
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post #6 of 111
7/31/10 at 5:14pm
I don't know anything more than what I've read on various web guys' Twitter accounts but it has been fun watching Drew McWeeny absolutely tear Billington to shreds. Nothing like some jerk getting called on his poor behavior.
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post #7 of 111
7/31/10 at 5:21pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cameron Hughes View Post
Reminds of that episode of Entourage with Rainn Wilson.
Exactly what I thought!

And yeah, McWeeny hit the roof. Says he should be called 'Shillington'. I think he hates Billington even more than he hates David Poland.
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post #8 of 111
7/31/10 at 5:50pm
Anyone have a link to Drews Rant?
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post #9 of 111
7/31/10 at 6:21pm
I didn't know about this. How interesting.
http://www.firstshowing.net/2009/05/...-drew-mcweeny/
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post #10 of 111
7/31/10 at 6:43pm
it took him how long to see Lawrence of Arabia?. I don't need this douche review, I saw the film years ago when I was 18. I have my own opinion.
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post #11 of 111
7/31/10 at 7:22pm
Drew tried with Alex after the original blow-ups about him stealing content. He did something similar with William Goss, but Goss > Billington.
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post #12 of 111
7/31/10 at 7:27pm
If true, this is an embarrassment to all online journalists. This guy, this Billington, lives up to the image perpetuated by Variety ETC of what movie websites are all about. He should be shunned by everyone in the online movie journalism industry going forward
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post #13 of 111
8/1/10 at 1:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluelouboyle View Post
Not sure. You mean Billington announced it on his facebook page?!
I'll have a look back at Drew's tweets but I'm sure he said something along the lines of "IF you're going to blackmail someone don't fucking announce it on your Facebook page".

Ah there we go, when this all started
Quote:
Here's a hint, blackmailers: don't publish your intent to blackmail someone on your Facebook page WHILE YOU ARE DOING IT. #dumbshit
7:45 AM Jul 29th via DestroyTwitter
Billington then went on to make his Facebook and Tweets private, which set Drew off further.
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post #14 of 111
8/1/10 at 5:08pm
On July 21st Alex Billington posted this on Facebook:
Quote:
I've absolutely had it with being treated like absolute fucking crap by one studio and this is the last straw. It's on unless THEY do something about it.
I don't know exactly what happened but perhaps he didn't understand the full implications of what he was saying and was just venting. If he was being excluded from an event the rest of his peers were invited to, that does indeed suck. That doesn't justify blackmail, of course, but, unless there's more to the story than that quote, I'm not sure it actually qualifies as blackmail.
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post #15 of 111
8/1/10 at 5:16pm
So he's without ethics AND stupid.
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post #16 of 111
8/1/10 at 7:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Barry Woodward View Post
If he was being excluded from an event the rest of his peers were invited to, that does indeed suck.
Why does that suck? Writing for a website doesn't automatically entitle you to get whatever you want just because you're at Comic Con. Any film journalist can tell you that a huge part of the job is cultivating a working relationship with studios and publicists.

Billington is a no-talent, egg-faced cunt, and it's nice to see that at least a few studios are wising up to the fact.
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post #17 of 111
8/1/10 at 7:53pm
This is some inside baseball, but when I did the Green Hornet set visit for Collider, we were asked not to talk about it on-line or with other journos beforehand, because there was a selected number of sites invited. Chud, in this instance, was not invited. I think the same thing happened with the Battleship thing, which I believe Chud was invited to but Collider was not. Everything in this industry is based on relationships. And if you make a jackass out of yourself - no matter the site - they will either find someone else from the site to cover shit, or just not invite that person again. I don't know if Alex was on Universal's shit list, but not every site gets invited to everything.
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post #18 of 111
8/1/10 at 8:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Slater
Why does that suck? Writing for a website doesn't automatically entitle you to get whatever you want just because you're at Comic Con.
I'm not saying it's a tragedy or anything but being the odd man out always feels like shit. Just stating the obvious.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Slater
Billington is a no-talent, egg-faced cunt, and it's nice to see that at least a few studios are wising up to the fact.
I'd be interested if you or others expanded more on that. Give us specific details.
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post #19 of 111
8/1/10 at 8:05pm
Sure. Anything he's ever written, ever.
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post #20 of 111
8/1/10 at 8:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Slater
Sure. Anything he's ever written, ever.
Putting aside the quality of his writing, why don't you like the man personally?
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post #21 of 111
8/1/10 at 8:14pm
This is petty and pathetic.

I'm curious about how he found out the studio's Comic-Con plan.
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post #22 of 111
8/1/10 at 8:14pm
He blackmailed a studio rep. That's not enough to not like him personally?
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post #23 of 111
8/1/10 at 8:17pm
If studios will send out cease and desist letters over legally shot spy photos, how come Billington isn't in cuffs? Blackmails not just immoral, it's a crime
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post #24 of 111
8/1/10 at 8:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by devincf
He blackmailed a studio rep. That's not enough to not like him personally?
Yeah, sure it is, but beyond the Facebook post what else did the blackmail entail or are you saying the post was enough to qualify? Also, I'm curious to find out why people disliked him before this whole incident.
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post #25 of 111
8/1/10 at 8:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Barry Woodward View Post
Yeah, sure it is, but beyond the Facebook post what else did the blackmail entail or are you saying the post was enough to qualify? Also, I'm curious to find out why people disliked him before this whole incident?
From my understanding, he's just a big poser who's more interested in access than movies. All of the content on his website is shallow and insipid, so I'm inclined to agree.
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post #26 of 111
8/1/10 at 8:35pm
I've never even heard of this guy. I'm almost tempted to Google him and find out who he is but I don't want increase the number of hits on his blog, or whatever it is that he writes.
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post #27 of 111
8/1/10 at 8:56pm
What good is it to get into one event through blackmail and risk being permanently blacklisted by the studio and others when word gets out? It doesn't add up. Anyone know the studio rep in question?
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post #28 of 111
8/1/10 at 9:06pm
Of course it adds up, he's an opportunist. Jesus christ.
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post #29 of 111
8/1/10 at 9:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jake
Of course it adds up, he's an opportunist. Jesus christ.
An opportunist's first concern is their own self-interest. How is it in his self-interest to be blacklisted by the studios? How great a party are we takin' here?
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post #30 of 111
8/1/10 at 9:12pm
Woodward, you're a shmuck.
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post #31 of 111
8/1/10 at 9:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by devincf
Woodward, you're a shmuck.
Would you like to take me to dinner? If you know more about the blackmail, please share it with the rest of us (unless it's a police matter)?
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post #32 of 111
8/1/10 at 9:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Barry Woodward View Post
An opportunists first concern is their own self-interest. How is it in his self-interest to be blacklisted by the studios? How great a party are we takin' here?
If you have read anything he's written on Firstshowing, or his twitter account, you'd soon realise that Alex Billington is also an idiot. That would answer your question, nicely.
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post #33 of 111
8/1/10 at 9:20pm
Other than the multiple people testifying as to how much Billington sucks on an alarmingly regular basis?
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post #34 of 111
8/1/10 at 9:23pm

12 Angry Critics

Being told the guy is a cunt isn't exactly what I'm looking for. I'm seeing a lot of hearsay and not any specifics. Someone mentioned that he may have stolen content in the past. Give us the details. That's the type of stuff I'm interested in. Build a better case against him.
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post #35 of 111
8/1/10 at 9:23pm
Jesus, Woodward. If we tell you that he gave Serenity a bad review, will you stop being a 13-year-old girl already?
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post #36 of 111
8/1/10 at 9:40pm
Woodward, it's not like we're hiding Alex's writing from you. Or his twitter. And we're not going to do your homework.
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post #37 of 111
8/2/10 at 12:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Slater View Post
Why does that suck? Writing for a website doesn't automatically entitle you to get whatever you want just because you're at Comic Con. Any film journalist can tell you that a huge part of the job is cultivating a working relationship with studios and publicists.

Billington is a no-talent, egg-faced cunt, and it's nice to see that at least a few studios are wising up to the fact.
Exactly. You don't see Devin cracking tantrums and stamping his feet like a gigantic baby because of his own issues with Fox. He just gets on with it and does the best he can when he's covering their movies.

Blackmail is not only unethical its also just so tawdry and pathetic. I hope Billington gets fucking blackballed for pulling this shit.
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post #38 of 111
8/2/10 at 12:16am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Andre Dellamorte
Woodward, it's not like we're hiding Alex's writing from you. Or his twitter. And we're not going to do your homework.
From what I can gather from his twitter, he has a problem citing sources. I take it that's the reason people disliked him before the "incident". I can respect that. What I'm really looking for is in-person or e-mail run-ins you've had with him where he's unleashed his inner douche.
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post #39 of 111
8/2/10 at 12:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Barry Woodward View Post
From what I can gather from his twitter he has a problem citing sources. Is that the main reason people disliked him before the "incident"? I can respect that but what I'm really looking for is behind the scenes encounters or private e-mail conversations. Is he a douche in real life or just on the internet? Unless people share what they know, my only choice is to hire Cobb and his crew to extract the information.
...or just, ya know, read up on the guy if you're that bloody fascinated by him.
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post #40 of 111
8/2/10 at 12:42am
You said it's hearsay to read his writing for examples of him being a bad writer.
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post #41 of 111
8/2/10 at 12:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Andre Dellamorte
You said it's hearsay to read his writing for examples of him being a bad writer.
That's not what I meant. The quality of his writing was never my point of contention. I was just looking for something more concrete from people than "Take our word for it, he's a cunt."

Never mind, I just read THIS.
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post #42 of 111
8/2/10 at 1:06am
Writing is a presentation of self. People who don't think that aren't good writers. To be fair not all interesting people are interesting writers, but if Alex Billington makes his living with his writing, you would think it would be a skill set he has.

As per asking for personal e-mails to prove that he's a douche, that's just beyond stupid.
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post #43 of 111
8/2/10 at 1:17am
I wasn't looking for anything verbatim, just a general sense of what the real Alex Billington is like in private. This is the gossip forum after all.
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post #44 of 111
8/2/10 at 1:28am
Hearsay: # rumor: gossip (usually a mixture of truth and untruth) passed around by word of mouth
# heard through another rather than directly; "hearsay information"

You have no concept what this word means, obviously.
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post #45 of 111
8/2/10 at 1:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Andre Dellamorte (a.k.a. Principal Ed Rooney)
Hearsay: # rumor: gossip (usually a mixture of truth and untruth) passed around by word of mouth
# heard through another rather than directly; "hearsay information"

You have no concept what this word means, obviously.
Let's not play gotcha. Hearsay is in play in this thread. We're in the fuckin' gossip section. Maybe I misused it in that particular context but I grasp the general concept.

Anyway, I'd still like to know if there is more to this than just his Facebook statement.
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post #46 of 111
8/2/10 at 2:38am
You want to know why everyone here has a distaste for Billington? It's because he gives places like CHUD or Collider bad names. Internet journalism gets a bad enough reputation with movie sites and blogs running stories without sources and without checking the facts all the time. He writes asinine, uninformed reviews and it doesn't really seem like he has a genuine interest in film or discussing it in any sort of depth.

"There's really no way to compare Buried to anything else because it's such a unique film." That's from his review of BURIED. It's 'unique because it's different' - that's the kind of logic pervasive in his writing. Just pull-quotes and nonsense.
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post #47 of 111
8/2/10 at 4:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Barry Woodward View Post
What I'm really looking for is in-person or e-mail run-ins you've had with him where he's unleashed his inner douche.
There is no inner douche with Billington. There is no inner anything.

His outer douche is all there is.
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post #48 of 111
8/2/10 at 5:29am
Barry, if someone were to summarize an email conversation, that too would be hearsay because it would be "heard through another rather than directly." What he writes is not hearsay, because his name is attached to the pieces he wrote.
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post #49 of 111
8/2/10 at 5:51am
Oy vey! We're still on this, eh? I'm okay with a little hearsay, Andre. ¿Comprende?
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post #50 of 111
8/2/10 at 9:23am
I just find it amazing that blackmailing someone, over something as silly as a Comic Con party, isn't cause enough to call someone a massive douche. Does he need to be a Holocaust denier, as well?

That's overlooking the fact he operates a movie website and he seems to go out of his way to avoid watching great films. That aborted "Basics" series with Drew McWeeny was just depressing, Billington says that Lawrence of Arabia is shown fairly regularly near him, and yet he never bothered to see it until Drew prompted him? He needed to be essentially challenged to watch Lawrence of A-fucking-rabia. As a film fan alone that's reason to want to slap that gormless grin off his face.
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