The Doug Benson Q and A Threadt!

[dougbenson]

the fights last night were great. i'd only paid a little attention to the ufc in the past, but being there in person was amazing and it totally converted me to a fan. i'll catch the ufc fights on tv or in person whenever i can from now on.

(lesnar/carwin rematch!)

[twizzard]

Doug,
Will you please come do a show in Louisiana?
please, please, please

[dougbenson]

where?

[twizzard]

oops, sorry I guess a specific city would help.
Lafayette has a small recently budding Comedy scene, but no real Comedy venues.
I guess New Orleans is a better bet... I dont know, wherever man. If you are interested in making it anywhere down here I'll be there no matter where it is, I'll find you a venue.
Lots of folks would be stoked to see you.
thanks for considering!

[dougbenson]

yeah, get a venue.

(which is also something you say to a fat couple making out in public)

[msuman]

I was so excited to see that you were coming to the middle of nowhere (Appleton, WI) and couldn't wait to see you. STUPID FACT: Famous shithead William Dafoe is from Appleton. I then noticed that you had to be 21 to attend shows at the comedy club (I'm 18). It gets me angry that I CAN'T LAUGH AT A GREAT COMEDIAN just because they serve alcohol. I was just wondering your thoughts on age limits at comedy clubs and how effective they are. Have fun in Wisconsin!

[dougbenson]

i wouldn't mind never getting into bars or comedy clubs if i could be 18 forever. it's not that big of a deal.

(enjoy your youth)

[EffinACotton]

I couldn't agree more, enjoy your youth, and we need a Lesnar/Carwin rematch.

(A rematch is more relevant to me though)

[jc050604]

Doug - Have you ever been to themaltingame.com? Pretty cool way to play the Len Maltin Game by yourself. It's pretty hard though because it only gives the year and a vague genre like "drama". It'd be much easier if you appeared and provided a comical line from Maltin's actual review.

I've discovered playing that there are a lot of actors whose names I don't recognize. When you're picking movies to play on Doug Loves Movies, do you try to select ones with recognizable names in the bottom 4 or 5?

[carrots]

Originally Posted by dougbenson

the fights last night were great. i'd only paid a little attention to the ufc in the past, but being there in person was amazing and it totally converted me to a fan. i'll catch the ufc fights on tv or in person whenever i can from now on.

(lesnar/carwin rematch!)

Thats awesome, I just recently started watching UFC also and Im a big fan now.

[dougbenson]

Originally Posted by jc050604

Doug - Have you ever been to themaltingame.com? Pretty cool way to play the Len Maltin Game by yourself. It's pretty hard though because it only gives the year and a vague genre like "drama". It'd be much easier if you appeared and provided a comical line from Maltin's actual review.

I've discovered playing that there are a lot of actors whose names I don't recognize. When you're picking movies to play on Doug Loves Movies, do you try to select ones with recognizable names in the bottom 4 or 5?

the guy who made that site approached me (through AST) about being involved, and i told him i wasn't interested. after several e-mails and me checking out the site, i think i made it pretty clear that while i couldn't stop him (len might be able to, but i certainly don't own the name leonard maltin), i'd prefer if he just dropped it. he hasn't changed anything on there since oct. '09, so i don't know why it still exists or what he plans to do with it. it's a very boring looking site, and there's no mention of me or my podcast, and it seems to get very little traffic. while i take some pride in my invention, i like to think the game is fun because me and my guests are playing it, or listeners with their friends. not sure why anyone would want to play it alone on the internet, but there's a lot of things i don't understand.

and to answer your other question, jc, it's nice when there's recognizable names near the bottom of the list, but that isn't a guiding factor in what movies i choose. i just pick movies that are fairly well known (staying away from straight to dvd or cable movies) that fit within the pre-determined categories.

i think adding categories has worked out nicely, but there are still a few more tweaks i might make to the game.

(which is another reason why there shouldn't be a web version)

[jc050604]

"not sure why anyone would want to play it alone on the internet"

Clearly you've never had a job where you're required to sit at in your office at a computer all day. It is a no-frills site, but it beats doing corporate taxes.

And it's definitely more enjoyable to listen to you and your friends play, but I like playing along too. If I could play at my work with you and your friends, that'd be ideal.

[NoPantsJim]

Originally Posted by dougbenson

the guy who made that site approached me (through AST) about being involved, and i told him i wasn't interested. after several e-mails and me checking out the site, i think i made it pretty clear that while i couldn't stop him (len might be able to, but i certainly don't own the name leonard maltin), i'd prefer if he just dropped it. he hasn't changed anything on there since oct. '09, so i don't know why it still exists or what he plans to do with it. it's a very boring looking site, and there's no mention of me or my podcast, and it seems to get very little traffic. while i take some pride in my invention, i like to think the game is fun because me and my guests are playing it, or listeners with their friends. not sure why anyone would want to play it alone on the internet, but there's a lot of things i don't understand.

and to answer your other question, jc, it's nice when there's recognizable names near the bottom of the list, but that isn't a guiding factor in what movies i choose. i just pick movies that are fairly well known (staying away from straight to dvd or cable movies) that fit within the pre-determined categories.

i think adding categories has worked out nicely, but there are still a few more tweaks i might make to the game.

(which is another reason why there shouldn't be a web version)

The reason I haven't changed anything since Oct 09 is that I am still a fan of you and your podcast and I don't really feel like getting into some kind of battle over it. The site does look bland as hell, as I wanted to work out the backend programming before I took the time to make a nice looking design. I never got around to finishing my plans since you weren't interested in being involved. These plans included a chatroom style way to play the game live against multiple people that I've scrapped.

The reason the site is still up is that the only cost of running it is $10 a year for the domain name. Plenty of people still play it, and traffic has actually been increasing without any active promotion on my part.

Doug, there have always been two very specific mentions of you with links to your podcast on iTunes here and here.

You're right that Maltin could shut the site down if he wanted due to the use of his name. I was actually contacted by his daughter earlier this year who told me she found the site, showed it to her father, and that they were both fans of the concept. So I don't see him demanding that I take it down anytime soon.

So as much as I would love to dive into the code headfirst and make the site kick as much ass as I think it could, I'll just let it sit as-is so the people who do still play can enjoy it.

[scamboogah]

Seems like a dick move not to take it down after the person who essentially invented it asked you to.

[BloodyFart]

Doug,

Do you know Daniel Tosh personally and is there any possibility he makes an appearance on Doug Loves Movies? I know with your tour coming up and Tosh's tour as well, it might be a while. but that would be terrific! After all you're both 'LA' guys.

(if you can't that would be fine too)

[JesusChrist]

How Much Does The Leonard Maltin App Cost?

[Itslikeimsayin]

Originally Posted by JesusChrist

How Much Does The Leonard Maltin App Cost?

Please don't use this thread to waste Doug's time asking questions that are readily answered by a Google search or by going directly to the source, in this case, iTunes. It's $2.99.

[scamboogah]

I always suspected that Jesus Christ was just wasting everyone's time.

[JesusChrist]

I find That Playing The Build-A-Title Game Needs To Have A Website Just Like the Maltin game...It Could Be Like Chatroulette, but instead of Penises you would get a movie title and paired up with a random Stranger who is not on a camera...I heard you and Graham Elwood on the Radio here in Nashville Today, How Long were you guys there being interviewed?

[dougbenson]

Originally Posted by NoPantsJim

The reason I haven't changed anything since Oct 09 is that I am still a fan of you and your podcast and I don't really feel like getting into some kind of battle over it. The site does look bland as hell, as I wanted to work out the backend programming before I took the time to make a nice looking design. I never got around to finishing my plans since you weren't interested in being involved. These plans included a chatroom style way to play the game live against multiple people that I've scrapped.

The reason the site is still up is that the only cost of running it is $10 a year for the domain name. Plenty of people still play it, and traffic has actually been increasing without any active promotion on my part.

Doug, there have always been two very specific mentions of you with links to your podcast on iTunes here and here.

i scrolled top to bottom on the first page that comes up when you go to the site, and there is mention of me and my podcast nowhere and nowhere. not to be a bitch or anything, but i did invent the game (with my friends brian and sarah) so credit should come immediately, and consistently.

thanks for still being a fan, and for your enthusiasm in general, jim, but i'd prefer if you'd just take it down, so that i can do something with it. if i choose to.

(which i might not)