Twitter Tales

Entertainment freelance journalist Lola Ogunnaike has found the way to make the most out of Twitter when it comes to getting instant reactions from celebrities.

“Twitter has made my job a bit easier because you no longer have to wait for a publicist to give you a quote about an incident or not give you a quote about an incident,” said Ogunnaike in this week’s, “So What Do You Do?” interview. “You can actually go to the celebrity’s Twitter page and usually find the answer right there.

The former New York Times and CNN reporter also found that Twitter can be a great reporting asset when out in the field.

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Launch a social media campaign that will build your brand and deliver results in our online Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting June 7. Speakers include Abigail Cusick (Bravo Digital), Gregory Galant (Sawhorse Media), Alex Leo (Thomson Reuters Digital), Jim Tobin (Ignite Social Media), and many more. Read the reviews.

If you haven’t heard, I’m taking over the @NHL twitter account tonight starting at 6pm PST during the #PhxLAK game! #FollowAnyDay #Woot

— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) May 17, 2012

Los Angeles Kings season-ticket holder and actress Alyssa Milano is taking over the official Twitter account of the National Hockey League Thursday night during Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals.

Commenting on sports is nothing new for Milano as she previously penned a blog for Major League Baseball.

It’s a great time to be a Kings fan as our boys are two wins away from their first Stanley Cup Finals appearance in nearly 20 years.

Here’s a reminder of just how embedded Twitter has become in the whole reality TV media mash.

We’re still two months away from the debut of K-Town, a YouTube reality show centered around some colorful denizens of LA’s Koreatown district. But already, in a press release dispatched in support of an announcement made today at New York’s Internet Week, there are the Twitter handles of all the show’s main participants. They include:

@JASMINECHANG089: A hairstylist who was born and raised in Koreatown. Whether it’s her platinum blond locks or her loud infectious laugh, Jasmine is the undeniable center of attention wherever she goes.

@Scarlet_Chan (pictured): A former exotic dancer who is sexually liberated and not afraid to express it. Scarlet is a self-admitted troublemaker who is introduced to the Koreatown scene by her close friend, Jasmine.

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We’ve reported multiple times this playoff season about the great tweets emanating from the official Los Angeles Kings account. Now, thanks to Greg Wyshynski, editor of Yahoo Sports blog Puck Daddy, we know a whole lot more about the pair pulling the sarcastic 140-character strings.

The feed is being run by AEG Sports director, new media Dewayne Hankins (pictured) and LA Kings digital media coordinator Pat Donahue. While the latter was responsible for the post-Game 1 Canucks tweet heard across Canada, it is the former who stepped in with an equally important directive:

The team had internal discussions about how the Vancouver tweet was covered by the Canadian media, to the point where deleting the tweet was considered. Hankins stepped in and said their apology was sufficient. “We weren’t going to delete. That defeats the point of what we’re trying to do…”

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From the UK, Tom Scott last Friday afternoon launched his delightful goof klouchebag.com, a send-up of San Francisco-based Twitter influence meter klout.com. Within a few hours, media types in LA were tweeting out their “Klouchebag” rating.

“I had the idea the day before [Thursday], after reading this article in Wired,” Scott tells FishbowlLA via email. “I’d been annoyed with the idea of Klout for a while, and that crystalized it. The site was built in a couple of hours of spare time.”

There is no real science behind Scott’s latest project, taglined “The Standard for Asshattery.” Or, as the 27-year-old Brit puts it in his front-page FAQ , his service ‘is about as scientific as Klout’s own measurements — which is to say, it’s pretty much a crapshoot.’

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#BREAKING: All 4 #LAPD officers acquitted in #RodneyKing beating. Deadlocked: 1 count excessive force for Powell.

— Real Time LA Riots (@RealTimeLARiots) April 29, 2012

Business is picking up on NBCLA’s Real Time LA Riots Twitter account. Let’s see how many days they keep this account going post-verdict.

@AngiesRightLeg, meet @MettaWorldElbow. Even though it looks like whoever is manning the account may have already called it a parody day.

But with the NBA playoffs right around the corner and the Oscars a fading, distant memory, FishbowlLA is hoping for more Ron-wrong observations. Because MWE definitely has Twitter potential:

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A local TV station has come up with a provocative way to mark the 20th anniversary of the calamitous events sparked by the announcement of a not-guilty verdict for four LAPD officers involved in the beating of Rodney King.

NBC Southern California, driven by the question of how social media might have factored into the 1992 LA riots, has launched a Twitter account that is replicating the events of 20 years ago. As we approach this weekend’s key anniversary date of April 29, here are a few initial samples @RealTimeLARiots:

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Looks like Kim Kardashian already has a challenger for the 2017 Glendale mayoral election. Gotta be honest, this Fishie is pretty torn. On the one hand, as someone who lives in Glendale, the mere mention of Mayor Kardashian has me pricing moving trucks. And our tweeting bear is beloved.

On the other hand, as someone who writes for the Glendale News-Press on occasion, the thought of Mayor Kardashian fills me with the kind of journalistic glee that could only be trumped by Mayor Emma Watson. (Hermione!) Plus the inevitable influx of NBA and hip-hop stars to our fair city under Mayor Kardashian would probably make the nightlife more interesting. Doesn’t riding the fake Americana trolley with Kanye sound fun?

Both candidates have five years to win me over–only six months more than our current presidential election cycle. I’m hoping for some face time with the bear at Billy’s. That is if he’s not too hung over from his recent meatball and tranquilizer binge.

Previously on FishbowlLA:
Kim Kardashian Running for Mayor of Glendale?

We told you Thursday morning about a tweet from the official Twitter account of the Los Angeles Kings that ruffled the feathers of our neighbors up north in Canada.

As predicted, the Kings issued an apology:

“We encourage our digital team to be creative, interactive and to apply a sense of humour whenever possible. To anyone who found it offensive we sincerely apologize,” said Mike Altieri, the Kings’ vice president, communications and content.

Translation: Since we really mean what we tweeted, we are going with the “to anyone who found it offensive” apology instead of truly saying we’re sorry.