It’s funny, no matter how successful someone is, no matter how much praise is heaped upon them, somehow we human beings find a way to obsess over the negative. Take Diablo Cody for instance. She is perhaps the most lauded, sought after screenwriter in Hollywood. She won an Oscar with her very first script. I know people who would pay more than a dollar, just for the privilege of humping one of her lovely legs. Cody however, is mad as hell at all the haters and she’s not going to take it anymore.
She went on the offensive via a blog posted on her MySpace page yesterday. Apparently one person at Variety had the wherewithal to stand up and wonder, “hey is maybe this whole Diablo Cody lust a little premature?” Cody, took exception.
She says, “I may have won 19 awards that you don't feel I earned, but it's neither original nor relevant to slag on Juno. Really. And you're not some bold, singular voice of dissent, You are exactly like everyone else in your zeitgeisty-demo-lifestyle pod.” It goes on like that, for several paragraphs. Credit to Cody, who instead of random flailing actually put some effort into writing a fairly entertaining rant. I support ranting in all its forms, even from the kind of person who uses words like zeitgeist. Never trust anyone who uses the word zeitgeist in their writing. It’s the writer’s equivalent of buying a bright red sports car. She’s overcompensating for something.
Cody goes on to apologize for being so awesome, saying: “I'm sorry to all those violent, semi-literate fanboys who hate me for befriending their heroes. I can't help it if your favorite writer, actor, director, or talk show host likes me. Maybe you would too, if we actually met. I know my name is fake and that it annoys you. What, do you hate Queen Latifah and Rip Torn, too? Writers and entertainers have been using pseudonyms for years. Chances are, you're spewing bile under an assumed screen name yourself. I'm sorry if you think I'm like some inked-up quasi-Suicide Girl derby cunt from 2002, but I like my fake name. It's engraved on an Oscar. Yours isn't.”
Good rant Cody. A little egotistical and the bragging doesn’t do much for you, but it was venomous, and that’s what counts. For the record though, just because someone doesn’t like your writing doesn’t mean they don’t like you personally. I for instance, have been taking the piss out of your work since well before Juno. I read your book, I thought parts of it entertaining but… well… it seemed like something I could have written... if that is, I had cleavage for strange men to shove money in. I can’t support anyone whose writing isn’t any better than my own. The world shouldn’t be forced to endure movies written by mediocre entertainment journalists. Wait, didn’t you used to be an entertainment journalist? Actually you still are. I saw your columns in Entertainment Weekly. I find them largely confusing, but I bet girls like them. You being an entertainment journalist, of a sort, explains a lot. We’re a petty, under-talented bunch.
When I saw Juno, I felt the same way about your writing there as I had when read it in your book. Heavens to blog? Really Diablo Cody? As you point out in your rant, you’re not exactly Charlie Kaufman. It’s nothing personal. I actually kind of like your fake name. It fits the sort of person who would use the word “zeitgeist” in their writing. Keep that egomaniacal anger going, it’s probably good for your prose, and do us all a favor by making sure you’ve written plenty of juicy nudity into Jennifer’s Body. It’s the least you can do to pay back karma, for giving you that shiny Oscar. And don’t worry, people like me are in a very tiny minority. People love you. Boy do they love you… or at least they do until you write a flop.
