Squarely in the WTF? category comes this bit: Woman’s Day magazine has hired the character Melanie Moretti, from the TV show Hot in Cleveland, played by Valerie Bertinelli, to author a column in the magazine.
Did you get that? The column is written by a fictional character. From television. And then printed in a magazine.
WORLDS COLLIDING!
The column, which looks like a blog to me, appears on the Woman’s Day website.
Photo credit: TV Land
The stunt (which, come ON! It totally is!) has been referred to as a “partnership” and a “crossover promotion,” as the column is the character’s actual job on the show, and is referred to during episodes.
Got that?
I personally think this practice of fictional characters writing columns, features or blogs is hokey as all get out. I don’t like it — at all.
Is it fiction?
Is it a column?
What the heck is it?
And who really writes it? Bertinelli? Her writers? I’m so confused.
What do you think?