As noted here Tuesday, The New York Times's David Carr writes a branny-new blog called The Carpetbagger. It is all about surveying film culture as it swirls into inaccessible award-season solipsism. It is fair-tempered and even occasionally funny. And best of all, its author evidently reads The Reeler. So far, so good, right?

Well, sort of. I guess that the guy is technically my competition if he is in it for the long haul. And an internal memo posted yesterday on Gawker implies that the genie has indeed fled the dusty old lamp over on 43rd Street:

(O)ur new blogs are more than running commentary. Look at Carr’s. It’s full of links to film publications and blogs and web sites. It encourages responses from readers and hopes to start a lively conversation. Nothing is more important to the future of our web ambitions than to engage our sophisticated readers. Blogs are one way to do it.

It’s worth spending a little time thinking about blogs, and about ourselves. Blogs make some newspaper people nuts; they’re partisan, the thinking goes, and unfair and mean-spirited and sloppy about facts. Newspapers make some bloggers nuts; they think we’re dull and slow and pompous and jealous guardians of unearned “authority.”

It’s a pretty dopey argument. Indeed, some blogs are lousy. So are some newspapers. Some blogs reject journalism. Some practice it.

Goddamned right. And as The Reeler yesterday celebrated six months of being a "practicing journalism" blog, I think I should take a few moments to pass along some advice for my upstart colleague. It is the least I can do for a rookie--even if he is on the opposing team:

You can never get up too early. A mentor beat it into my skull a while back that you are clearer-headed and just a better writer straght outta the rack, like at 5 a.m. Not only was he right, but it also helps to get some work done before all those tacky Times "editors" start calling, e-mailing and circling your cubicle like vultures.

That silence you hear? That is a publicist getting back to you. I know what you are thinking: "But Stu, I work for The Times!" Well, sort of--you write a blog for The Times, which you will soon learn is not the same thing. In fairness, I have had some excellent recent luck with publicists, and I appreciate all of them (they know who they are). But Saturn will be out of Leo soon enough, and it will be back to the end of the end of the red carpet for me. I will see you there, Young Blogger!

Know your clusterfucks. IFC is "TV, Uncut" and IFC Center is "Movies, Unattended." Where there is smoke, there is Sony. Army Archerd is not and never was "Hollywood's First Blogger." Ruth Vitale will get it in writing next time. Lions Gate Films "anti-inflates" its earnings. Etc., etc., etc..

The sun rises and sets on The Weinstein Company. Whatever Harvey says, goes. Whatever Bob says, Harvey said first. So that goes, too.

Give up 90 percent of your paycheck. You cannot be a blogger and live above the poverty line--at least not for the 180-day probationary period following your site's launch. You must pay your dues. This also affects your work uniform: Sorry, but you will have to trade in your NYT-grade silk pajamas for whatever's on sale at Macy's this week.

There is a whole city out there. Talk about engaging your readers. We know The Times can take the 35,000-foot view far too often while purporting to cover its own backyard. Your piece six months ago about small New York production companies made me realize that readers probably want an antidote to that. Now that you have a blog of your own and the capacity for a more nimble style of journalism, do not blow it. Get out of the office and bring back a story every now and then-- even if it is about Oscar season (I have heard that people eat that shit up). This morning's King Kong dispatch is an excellent start.

That is probably enough for now. It is an uphill battle, but I like your chances.