Am I the only one burned out on the hype? Am I the only one overjoyed that so far the movie has gotten bad reviews?

If only the war in Iraq were fought by Hollywood marketing mavens. They’d leave no stone unturned, they’d be victorious in ONE WEEKEND! That’s the Hollywood way. Overkill. Going into battle unprepared, with not enough troops, without thinking it through? No, the studios begin their marketing campaign YEARS in advance. First by teasers… Will they or won’t they? Do the stars really get along? Is Kim Cattrall really holding up production, does she really want as much MONEY as Carrie Bradshaw, er, Sarah Jessica Parker?

Then, when they finally start shooting the damn thing, we’re subjected to on-set snapshots and script leaks, all to keep us enthralled for a YEAR! Yup, they shoot these flicks A YEAR in advance, and we’re supposed to care the whole time. Even though the damn thing is only two hours long.

But it’s worst when the release is imminent. There’s a scorched earth campaign exceeding that of any general. Not only do the stars appear on seemingly every TV show, but every print outlet does a story, usually featuring the movie on its cover. Shit, are these publications really that complicit? Is it any wonder that print is dying? Who is this shit written for? How many articles do they think we can read? I thought the press’ key to success was its independence…then why in the hell is even the "New York Times" doing a feature story on Sarah Jessica Parker? As for the L.A. "Times"…they whored themselves out to Hollywood long ago.

We get an update on the stars’ personal lives. Their babies, their relationships. They’re either edge-less, afraid to offend anyone, or a juicy tidbit is revealed…like they had an abortion so as not to hurt their career, that can be buzzed about all day long on the Web and even TV. Then there’s the inane talk about a sequel… Before the box office receipts have even been counted. And the endless premieres, with their outfits…

Do these media outlets really think we care?

I think the public is smarter than that. I think everyone interested in seeing the "Sex And The City" movie was aware it was coming out AT LEAST six months ago. Why the endless effort? So the media can talk of the spectacular fall, the disappointment in revenue?

Or maybe "Sex And The City" will succeed. At least for the first weekend. Hell, it’s a holiday and there’s pent-up demand. But has everyone forgotten it was a fucking TV SHOW?

TV is shown on a small screen. Sure, flat panels are getting bigger, but when "Sex And The City" was in its heyday, 30" was a big set. The show succeeded because of STORY! Something that’s usually forgotten in these big screen epics/adaptations. Those are all about the money spent, the costumes, the scenery, the story takes a back seat and we’re not supposed to notice. Films are SPECTACULARS! The American ZEITGEIST!

No, the zeitgeist is television. Far more people see lame TV shows than these big screen extravaganzas. TV is where risks are taken. Hell, most people WATCH the movies on the small screen via DVD. But, we’re supposed to BELIEVE in the movies.

I don’t believe anymore. I stopped going. It’s a waste of time. Everything trumpeted, hyped ad infinitum, sucks. Like the "Star Wars" prequels. Shit, I remember the Ewan McGregor/Natalie Portman hype more than the few minutes of film I saw. That’s what it’s all about, the TRAPPINGS!

Maybe Hollywood is shrugging its shoulders. They spent their tens of millions and people will go to the theatres. If the movie sucks, hell, they’ll make it up in the ancillary markets, hell, we’ve heard of it, haven’t we?

But I think this formula has been overplayed. Hell, it doesn’t work in the music business anymore. Madonna’s hype didn’t deliver SoundScan boffo. And she already had a track record and the reviews were GOOD! How many people are just going to shrug and pass on the "Sex And The City" movie?

Whereas if it was actually good, I’d certainly go see it. I’ve seen every episode of the show. There were some interesting plot twists, some romantic insight. But what I loved about the show was it was episodic, ongoing, like life. Not a one time affair like a lame movie. Shit, with this amount of money and effort, they could have done a whole SEASON of the show. And I’m sure a few episodes would be lame, but a few would be great. We expect that in TV. But to blow it all in one wad…

Do you feel separated from society? These once in a lifetime events seemingly come every week, and are forgotten almost that fast. Nothing seems to matter.

And the hype is ridiculous. We loved Sarah Jessica Parker because of her humanity, not her beauty. There are scores more attractive women…. Can we stop reading about how beautiful she is, and how great her clothes are? Hell, I liked her more in "Square Pegs" anyway, before she got her boob job, before it was all about the glamour. When it was all about truth.

Truth has no part in modern media. Marketing is king. But does shoving things down people’s throats really work anymore? Or is it about focusing on the work and letting people find it, letting people embrace it and spread the word.

Come on, you know this movie can’t be good, has got to be a disappointment, can’t we stop HEARING ABOUT IT??