I am one of those sad and tragic people that only goes to the movies once in a blue moon, but I’ve already booked ahead to see the “Revenge of the Sith”, because I am a Star Wars tragic (mock in the comments all you like, I still get a kick out of these films.)
So I have been surfing round to all sorts of different sites having a look at what other people think of the film. I happened across this article in the Houston Chronicle. But my thoughts were dragged back towards this Galaxy by the final paragraph, about the reviewer:
Jake Hamilton, 17, has been reviewing films for the Chronicle’s Yo! section for three years.
I did a double take at that. This kid has been reviewing films for a newspaper since he was 14?
What I think is impressive is that the Houston Chronicle is willing to take a punt on young faces with fresh ideas. When you consider this compared to the very high barriers to entry that exist in Australian journalism, I have to say that I am amazed.
It is possible of course, that James Hamilton’s Dad owns the newspaper. However this sort of risk-taking and innovation is, as I say, a world away from the closed-shop of Australian journalism.
Hmmm, good luck to the lad, but having been a Science Fiction fan for fourty years I have always despised Star Wars as the tenth rate swords and sourcery fantasy it is.
I believe that the Houston Chronicle’s “Yo!” section is a weekly feature that showcases teenage contributors. Several American newspapers have this type of thing; the writers are undoubtedly connected somehow but I would guess that they are mostly drawn from high school journalism clubs.
The point is to have a feature that will appeal to the youth (who mostly don’t read newspapers). Trying to get them early, I suppose. I remember mostly ignoring such sections when I was younger.
I believe that the Houston Chronicle’s “Yo!” section is a weekly feature that showcases teenage contributors. Several American newspapers have this type of thing; the writers are undoubtedly connected somehow but I would guess that they are mostly drawn from high school journalism clubs.
The point is to have a feature that will appeal to the youth (who mostly don’t read newspapers). Trying to get them early, I suppose. I remember mostly ignoring such sections when I was younger.
I think today’s Dork Tower sums up Star Wars pretty nicely….
Has everyone seen Revenge of the Brick by now? http://www.treehouseanimation.com/rotb/
My anal cavity is filled to maximum with George Lucas’ seminal fluid. I can’t wait.
What Chris said. Star Wars was cute, Empire actually fairly engaging, and then a long slide downward.
High barriers to journalism exist in the US, but if you’re related to the owner of the newspaper or somehow similarly connected, some of them recede a bit. Credentialism in American journalism increased throughout the 20th century.
My grandfather was a reporter with a 9th grade education.
My father was a reporter with a high school diploma and some college, but no degree.
By the time I entered the job market, entry-level newspaper writing jobs paid minimum wage and required at least a bachelor’s degree, helping creating the perverse situation (on rewards-of-education principles) that the ninth grade dropouts and ex-cons I worked with in the mailroom made more money than the copywriters in the newsroom.
I’ve been working most of the last ten years in handling government databases – municipal and state – with inferior credentials to whoever writes obituaries at the local paper.
Part of this is protectionism-through-credentialism, but another part of it has to be a glut of prospective journalists lost in the mystique of newspapers. Having come from a family with three generations who worked in papers – including my brother, father, grandfather, and grandmother – I don’t see the romance myself. None of my blood kin who worked in the field, to my knowledge, could even afford a new car while working for papers.
Visually it was great, the combat kick ass. and it brought the story full circle. Those that think the original was so great ought to visit it again – it was mind-boggling for the 70’s, but timeless prose it was not, just a good fun movie.
All this bs about politics and philosophy misses the point.
Turn off the frontal lobes and just enjoy a gorgeous bit of light entertainment.
It’s just by sheer luck that I ran across this site and seeing at the last post was made more than two weeks ago, I don’t know if anyone will see this one, but I am Jake Hamilton, the critic in question.
First of all, as much as I’m amused to see myself as the topic of one of your pages, I’m almost insulted that you think that the only possible way for a teen to write for the paper is if his family is connected with it.
No one in my family has ever published a single word in any literary work. I approached the Houston Chronicle, asking them for a chance to write for them. I was very lucky that they had an opening and allowed me the opportunity to begin a journalism career early.
I’ve given the job nothing but a professinal effort and have been prevented with amazing opportunites. They even did a “Win A Date with Jake Hamilton” conest to parady the “Tad Hamilton” movie which drew in many enteries across Houston.
Im very honored that anyone would even take the time to write about me at all, but please do not assume that because I’m young that I got the job based on connections. I’ve earned everything I have gotten.
Jake Hamilton is and has been a very close friend of mine for quite some time. How does someone so young land a job as a journalist for the Houston Chronicle you ask?? By being incredibly talented. NOT by relation of anyone in the newspaper haha. It seems to me that some people may be a little envious 😉
GOOD JOB JAKE! You’re only 17 and have people talking about you across the world. I think you’re my hero 🙂 haha.
Not only do I have the pleasure of getting to read Jake’s articles in The Houston Chronicle on a regular basis, being a resident of Houston, but I have an even greater pleasure of personally knowing Jake. I guess any publicity is good publicity, however your take on Jake’s road to success is completley off base. To question the validity of his qualifications to be a writer seems absurd to me, considering I am constantly reminded of how talented he is through his work. I suppose it seems impossible that a 17 year old is able to have fairly acquired so much respect in a business in such a short time, but I guarantee you Jake deserves every bit of it. If you are going to have the audacity to make incorrect assumptions and then post them, you should at least get his name right. It’s Jake Hamilton, not James, and I suggest you learn it because you’ll probably hear it again.
For you not to know Jake personally, you have made quite a few assupmtions, which i have to say our very wrong. Jake is a great writer and an all around great person! So until you get the chance to personally meet jake hamilton, I believe it is in your best interest to not say anything bad about him or should i say that you should probably just not say anything that you don’t know for sure!! i love ya jake and you know i always got ur back!!
For you not to know Jake personally, you have made quite a few assupmtions, which i have to say our very wrong. Jake is a great writer and an all around great person! So until you get the chance to personally meet Jake Hamilton, I believe it is in your best interest to not say anything bad about him or should i say that you should probably just not say anything that you don’t know for sure!! i love ya jake and you know i always got ur back!!
You people are hot-headed. The entire point of the first entry was not to mock Jake Hamilton. He was giving what seemed to me to be a compliment. He was amazed that you had achieved such a post at fourteen, not that you received the job at all. He was acknowledging the fact that American journalism was more open-minded and that it found innovative ways to reach out to a young audience.
I don’t quite understand where you get off storming against people in another continent over a simple mistake. It isn’t “audacious” to make an assumption, or in this case, to merely consider making an assumption.
Bravo on your successes, but you’re not the bloody king of the journalism world, so don’t become so excessively offended.
Hey you guys! I know jake also!! yay! and as such, im going to take this opportunity to congratulate him on being written about on some australian website, and for being complimented a world away as well as getting so far without connections. way to go jake.
and the rest, have a nice day.
I’m very sorry if I caused mini-controversy with my comment. I was never mad about any of this, and never meant to send the impression that I was.
I was honored that someone across the world would take the time to write about me, but felt it was my duty to clarify myself so that wrongful assumptions would not be made.
If I offended anyone by doing so, I’m terribly sorry. To me, this was not only a chance to know that there are good enough people to acknowledge the ability of a teen to write for a major newspaper, but it showed me that my true friends really do and always have had my back.
Mr. Wickstein and I have emailed back and forth and I’m lucky to say I have found a new person to look up to in the world of journalism. Neither of us have taken this situation too seriously, and I know that it’s something I will look back on with a good laugh and even better memories.
Thanks for the great response and I wish all of you the best.
-Jake Hamilton
Hi. My name’s Stacey and I’m from the Houston in the US. My friend Jake (not James) is the guy in question. He’s a great guy and an even better friend. He went to high school with me. Just a little information about him. His father does not own any sort of newspaper. Jake’s a really GREAT writer, if you couldn’t tell from his review, and he just happened to get lucky and land the job. The Chronicle has promoted him to writing regular articles and not just teen ones. I’m so proud of my friend and I think others should be too. Thanks for your time!!!
~Stacey
>.> GO JAKE!
No, no, Jake really is bad.
Hi My name is Heather!! I am Jake Hamilton’s Older sister.. I am very unpleased with the way that you all are trying to protray him.. Jake has no connections at all with th Houston Chronicle. None of our family has even worked for the paper.. Jake is just a very talented Young man with alot of goals in his future and not afraid to go after them. He is a great role model for young and old people world wide; by showing that if you put your mind to it you can reach your goals and beyond. I have to say after reading some of the comments i am pleased that all his friends stood up to show there support. But i also have to say that i am upset with the fact the people would critize my brother. These people do not even know him or the type of person that he is. Jake would do anything for anyone. He is just an all around GREAT BROTHER and a GREAT WRITER with an extreme amount of talent. To those of you that think by bashing my brother upsets him and makes him think that he is not good enough to be a writer, You all need to realize that all you do is make him want to pursue it more. My family is not the typically rich family that has connections to get him into a huge paper like the chronicle, but what we do have is LOVE and each others BACK!! And that is alot more than what money can buy!!
Thank You,
Heather
(Sister of the YO! movie critic!)
wow…i know jake. he’s an awesome kid. i went to middle school with him. and yeh i just wanted to say that and that this is all very weird>