ROMP on! See you at THE TOP!
Introducing the world-famous Monroe Mann (and the Monroe-haters). Also, featuring incidental appearances by the Countess.

(IMDb wank, but I think it's something special enough to make it up. Most links don't point to the forums. ** by them if they do.)

I've been watching this one for awhile... as a result, it's long.


The backstory: So, I was off at the IMDb reading the Countess' page ("Descendant of Alexander the Great" will never stop being funny). I noticed something on the boards, and logged in to get a better look. **"Monroe Mann Is Better." I thought to myself, "That could be said about so many people. What makes 'Monroe Mann' worthy of mention?" So, I read the post:

The thing about Monroe is that he's so much fun. This board at best is fair. There really is no comparison.

"When you get bashed by so many people on the IMDb you are destined for super stardom!" Monroe Mann

That quotation clinched it. I had to know more.


Monroe Mann's big claim to fame is, apparently, a non-speaking background role in the cinematic classic, Swimfan. His (self-written) bio isn't quite as impressive as the Countess', though it does contain the classic fact:

"Having moved up and down the east coast so much, his accent is such that people often think he's from England."

A little reading dug up more.

He's his own agent-- signed for life!
He runs an actor-training school in NY-- by the famous, for the famous!
Take his classes for a measly $4K! Give him a helping hand when you reach the top!
He's had starring roles in four films-- ...which might all be short films made in film school!
He's the author of several books-- self-published! And he recommends them highly!
He's the lead singer of a band--**with three songs! And they got their widest distribution of albums via a free printing by an unpopular newspaper!
And he's planning to shoot the first feature film on wakeboarding... with music by Avril Lavigne and Sum41! And a million-dollar budget! (...or maybe not)

He even has tl;dr "RoeTips" in which he expands unnecessarily on inspirational quotes, such as:

Quote:
“We cannot change anything until we accept it.” – Carl Jung

Tip:
Until you admit the truth, it is false. You cannot solve a problem unless you first admit that you have one. In other words, the problem doesn’t exist unless you believe it does. There is no spoon. Get it? If you’ve been struggling along for any period of time, a likely diagnosis is that you are not admitting a problem. In fact, it probably means you aren’t looking hard enough for problems. Yes, as far fetched as it may first seem, you should actually be looking for problems, for areas in which you can improve. Most people do not do this. They like to look at themselves and their business and their life through rose-colored glasses, looking in the mirror and complimenting themselves on how wonderful they are. On how wonderful you are. Sure, it makes you feel better in the short term, but add enough short terms together and you’ll quickly end up with long term regret. Face the music. It’s painful, I know, but suck it up. Find your weaknesses and attack them. Find your weaknesses and exploit them. Meet you at the top! -- Monroe Mann


(These can be found off of his website. Click on "RoeTips.")

And let's not forget his catch phrase: "ROMP on! See you at THE TOP!"


Basically, Monroe Mann seems to attempting the Tony Robbins route to success-- become rich and famous by telling people how to become rich and famous.

Hey, it worked for Tony...

But we're only getting started here. So, there's Monroe Mann himself. And, talking about self-aggrandizing posturing, he's got it.

And then...
there are the Monroe-haters.


They're very dedicated. In August, they launched their website: 10 Things I Hate About Monroe Mann, wherein they share the fruits of their labors. They've been following him for years, watching his websites, slamming his two radio interviews, mocking him on the IMDb boards, pretending to be producers to get a copy of his movie script, contacting him via IM and pretending to be Kate Bosworth...

And, of course, reviewing his brief appearance on Wolf Blitzer... (scroll down). Excerpt:

On 7th October 2002, history was recorded live from the studios of CNN. The most inspirational and moving actor of the 21st century made his public television debut...his name was Monroe Mann, but we would come to know him by another name: The Incredible Acting Author Producer Rock Star Professional Juggler Playboy Businessman.

Monroe was born in Port Chester, New York on November 7th, 1977. At the age of ten he was taken to a doctor due to the fact that he was still wetting his bed. This, and other interesting facts, are all divulged by Monroe live...on CNN...before the entire world.

Are the Monroe-haters wanky? Oh, hell, yes. Did they diagnose him as a pathological narcissist? Yup. Do they bash Monroe's gay bandmate? Yup. Do they have their own members-only anti-Monroe forum? **Yup.


There's been recent drama.


Someone allegedly hacked into Monroe's Amazon wishlist and added a **host of gay porn. The main people on the IMDb forum have no clue who did it. Monroe registered at the Monroe hate forum, after which point the forum was locked and his account deleted. And **an open response to accusations Monroe apparently made on the Monroe hate forum:

Monroe, I know you're reading this. I want to make it clear we haven't hacked into your accounts, spammed you, or impersonated you. At least I know that I haven't, and I'm pretty sure no one else on this forum has.

Others are **less sympathetic:

The reason you can't handle negative opinions on you is because you are narcissistic and you believe you are some great person. You aren't a great person, you are a sh+t. You are a sh+t actor, a sh+t teacher, a sh+t writer and a sh+t person. You seriously need help. You need to check yourself into a secure mental hospital. You should put your $12,530 you raised for your film towards a lobotomy. You are a danger to the public by claiming actors should say they are terrorists to become famous. You should face criminal charges for making that claim.


But Monroe has defenders.


Does Monroe care about his hate base? Quite a lot, apparently. He had a post up on the IMDb board (since deleted) threatening to get "his friends at the FBI" to go after the hate base. He and his "students" show up on the IMDb boards to defend Monroe as a brilliant teacher. Here's the one confirmed student...

Even the Countess has spoken. You can see one of her posts on the link above (she's since deleted it):

Dreams allowed on IMDB? Not according to some of the IMDB stalkers rules and regulations :-) Click their usernames, this is all they do. Yawn.

but there's still at least one **attacking the Monroe-haters:

What a grand display of your true personalities and pathetic lives.


Monroe himself (most likely) has shown up in sockpuppet form. An example from the 10 Things... site, and the most recent example... from yesterday: **Vienna Casey. She swears she's a New York resident who recently took an acting class from Monroe, though his own site says his school won't reopen for business until the after the New Year (He's been in Iraq). She claims she's a real person, with a real website (main page is now gone). Says Vienna:

About a month ago I was starting to give up hope. I had never acted really, and I felt like a failure. I was in a cab, going home from a long day at work. I saw the building of Unstoppable Artists and it really caught my eye. It wasn't until the following week I had time to go and have a look around. I was given a tour by a friendly student, during which I met Monroe Mann. I sat in one of his classes, and was inspired. After the class, I asked him if I could join up. Without any hesitations, he was very kind and offered me a place at the school.
I'm enjoying it alot, and I really like Monroe. You guys aren't giving him the respect he deserves. He has helped me through and through. I'm sure I'll get my first proper job in the business soon. Oh and by the way, he is so not ugly. In fact, he's really cute!

Within hours, she got a response from "Monroe Mann" in her brand-new guestbook:

Hi Vienna. Thanks for sticking up for me on the IMDb. Those in the peanut gallery are all set for a life of underachievement. We are going to be superstars together! I can envision us both, with our drive and determination, both winning Oscars within 3 years! Romp on! See you at THE TOP!

(Fascinating how the IP address posted in her guestbook traces to Coventry in the UK, and the IP address in "Monroe Mann's" response appears not to exist, isn't it?)

The IMDb forum has **caught on that she's a fake via means including **tracing the image, though they appear not to have traced the IP yet.


I'm sure there's more, but I got many good hours of amusement out of Monroe Mann, the Monroe-haters, and his supporters. I think you all should have the same opportunity.

ETA: The "Vienna Casey" incident is in a Press Release on i-Newswire. Submitted by a Monroe-hater? Very likely.

ETA2: And now Monroe Mann plans to sue the haters. From the "I'm a-gonna sue" press release:

He recognizes that such disrespectful people (who call themselves "Monroe haters") come with the territory, and as the more famous he becomes, the more people will take a dislike to him, which is a common occurrence for most A-list stars like George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez.

and

"We believe actors can get further by concentrating on the business and attitude side of show-business rather than actual training. I am proof this theory works as I have little training in acting, but with my business brains I have starred in a number one box office smash film 'Swimfan' with Erika Christensen, and have my second film in production at the moment" said Monroe.

The Mann; the ego.