Massive ‘Terminator: Salvation’ Edelman Conspiracy

Last night, on the eve of Terminator: Salvation's release, I got an ominous e-mail from a woman named Lauren Hamilton, writing from PR agency Edleman, that showcased the scores of all four Terminator films on Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer. She seemed to be bragging that Terminator: Salvation scored a girly-man 38%, while Terminators 1 and 2 scored a buff 100% and 97% respectively; part three nabbed a 70% (really?). I've seen the latest Terminator, and while it certainly doesn't compare to the first two, it's miles ahead of the third. But what disturbed me most about this e-mail was the inexplicable glee Ms. Hamilton took in Terminator: Salvation's low score.

Hi Ben, Looks like “Terminator Salvation” has fallen victim to Skynet’s war path – at least according to the critics. “Terminator Salvation” has earned a Tomatometer score of 39% – lower than any of its predecessors!

Chilling, right? I brushed it off until this morning, when someone else from Edelman, one Amy Rocha, e-mailed me another ambiguously anti-Terminator: Salvation message titled “The New Terminator: fly or flop?”. It reads:

Dear Ben,
As excitement builds over this weekend’s release of “Terminator Salvation” critics wonder if Christian Bale has what it takes to step out of the large shadow cast by the series’ previous star.

To help predict the hot-headed star’s future we’ve looked at auctions of Terminator-related merchandise on eBay over the last three months and found that they have been steadily increasing, totaling more than 34,000 listings selling for an average of about $28. However, as the below stats show, the original star still has the hearts of fans:

Arnold Schwarzenegger
• 1,715 Total number of Terminator-related listings
• $22.28 Average selling price of items
• $4,300.00 Highest priced Terminator item - 1:1 Terminator T2 T-800 Schwarzenegger Bust in Silicone

Christian Bale
• 247 Total number of Terminator-related listings
• $29.75 Average selling price of items
• $178.88 Highest priced Terminator item – Terminator Salvation T4 John Connor Bale 1/6 Action Figure

eBay Pop Culture expert and blogger, Karen Bard, said: “Based on the figures alone, the Governator’s shoes will be large ones to fill, but with this number of eBay listings before the movie even premieres, the new John Connor’s odds of success are looking up.” You can check out Karen’s blog for more pop-culture musings at http://ebayinsiderblog.com/author/kbard/.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

As a matter of fact Amy, I do have some questions. What’s your damage? Is Edelman embarking on a smear campaign orchestrated by a bitter ex-Terminator star (I’m looking at you, Furlong)? Or is this the plot of a coalition of ousted Terminator folk, disgruntled that they don’t have a stake in the rebooted franchise? These are questions I have for you, Rocha and Hamilton (relation to Linda?). But instead of waiting for you to respond, I’ll have Google answer them for me.

Unlikely scenario: A quick search on the Terminator wiki pageof ‘edelman’ reveals that Shane Edelman is an American actor who had a recurring role on The Sarah Connor Chronicles as “a key developer of the future Skynet.” I use the word ‘had,’ because the show was just canceled . But it seems unlikely that Mr. Edelman would launch a campaign against Warner Bros., who is producing Salvation, since Chronicles was aired on Fox. Result: No Edelman correlation.

Likely scenario: Randy Edelman is the mastermind composer behind such classic film scores as Corky Romano, Angels in the Outfield, and Kindergarten Cop! It’s clear what’s happening here: Edelman has set up a global network of minions to slay the new Terminator film, thus preserving the legacy of the original Terminator, and Edelman’s former collaborator, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Sinister, but brilliant. Result: Edelman correlation successfully fabricated.

Update!: Amy Rocha just responded about to my inquiry into “what is Edelman.” Her response: “Edelman is a PR agency headquartered in New York. I’m based in LA though.” Los Angeles was the setting for the first two Terminator movies, don’t you know. Exposed!

Case Closed: Call me one red-cheeked pseudo detective. Just got this in my inbox:

Hi Ben,

We saw you mentioned Rotten Tomatoes in your piece on how Wolverine was the best reviewed film of the year to date (http://www.blackbookmag.com/article/wolverine-is-the-best-reviewed-film-of-the-year-so-far/7387), so thought you might be interested in receiving Tomatometer scores for upcoming films.

We have a weekly e-letter that goes out on Thursdays, and covers movies opening up that weekend. I embedded a snippit of last week’s e-letter below so you can take a look (it doesn’t usually include images).

Since “Terminator” opens early and is a big summer blockbuster, we sent a special e-letter with a franchise recap as food for thought.
We thought these e-letters would be helpful (and entertaining) as you work on various pieces, but are happy to remove you – let me know and will absolutely do so.

Also, Edelman is Rotten Tomatoes’ public relations firm.

Best,
Lauren