Is Something Wrong with A&E?

You have a show, it's the highest-rated series on your network and it has gathered a large following. So what do you do? You cancel it. Does that make sense to you? Welcome to A&E: a cable network that has become so bad it makes Lifetime look watchable.

I am, of course, referring to the infamous cancellation of Longmire. Up until now, I assumed that the model for television series was that as long as a show gets ratings, everything is alright. Why else do you think the KardashIdontgiveacrap franchise has lasted so long? But apparently, A&E is saying that if a show skews an older audience then your other offerings, it can still be cancelled. What kind of logic is that? So what happens when Bates Motel starts targeting an older audience? Are they gonna cancel that too?

And don't get me started on the "production cost" excuse. If A&E didn't waste so much money on forgettable reality shows, they'd still have enough to spend on another season. And we're not talking Storage Wars, The First 48, Beyond Scared Straight, or Duck Dynasty. We're talking about the shows I've never heard about or cared about because, odds are, no one else did either.

Not even A&E cares, because most of the shows I didn't mention (and there were a LOT) were probably cancelled after just one season. Yet, every five seconds they introduce another reality show that will inevitably suffer the same fate. That's the problem with reality TV; it's a paradox that wastes our time and the network's money. The only way for a show to survive is if the people it focuses on are worth watching.

What A&E should have done from the beginning was focus their attention on the shows that were getting money and the shows people wanted to see. My Lifetime quip was not an insult; that is exactly what that network is doing. While it is very sad that Lifetime has fallen in the scripted area, the fact that they kept Devious Maids and canned Pretty Wicked Moms shows that they at least have an idea on what works and what doesn't. It's a small hope that the network won't become as bad as it's competition.

But with A&E, I see no hope. It's like I don't even know what it's supposed to be anymore. Is it a entertainment network or a reality TV and drama dump? All I know is, it was better off being a crime network.

About to Take a Break [Update November/December 2014]

Nope. I'm not doing this again. I notice that winter always drains the motivation to work on Reycralibur, so I'm calling it in for now. Alternatively, since it seems I always say one thing but then do something else, by saying I'm not going to work on any series for the rest of the winter, I might just end up doing a remake of Reycralibur, episode five.

Anyway, I've finished episode twelve of Reycralibur, but I'm not going to release it just yet. As I've said in my last update, I was going back to doing a more straightforward story with Reycralibur. To that end, I am currently working on a remake of episode one. This remake will help streamline the story and drop hints (or rather giant bombs) on what's going to happen in episode twelve. I've already finished filming all the scenes, now it's just a matter of finding the music and putting it all together. Like the episode three remake, I didn't reshoot the fight scenes because I'm lazy. Once I finished the episode one remake, I'll polish up episode twelve before I upload them both.

Meanwhile, in the seventh generation, I'm still making preparations for my return to Brawl machinima. I know I should be looking towards making SSB4 machinima, but I'm an old fashioned guy. If I had the time and money, I would make a few more Melee machinima. I wanted to do something more laid back for my new Brawl machinima series. Something to break up the norm and dismiss the stereotypes Smash Bros. machinima is known for, namely the Smashtasm and Smash King knockoffs, and the fact that Link or Mario is always the main protagonist. Hence, Shin Knights of Brawl.


Arguably, The Abridged Knights of Brawl might be considered a deconstruction or commentary on Brawl machinima as a whole, but that's for the public to decide. Yes, I know I haven't even touched TAKOB since episode ten. So far, I've decided to turn it into a non-canon mini series, since most of the characters from the previous episodes are gone. The most I've done was a mock trailer for the series, and I didn't get around to dubbing it because I wanted to work on a new Brawl Universe gag dub instead. On a related note, shout out to banjokazooieplush, the man behind the monstrosity, for being such a good sport (or for just being clueless). I'm definitely going to do more gag dubs in the future, but I want the jokes to come naturally.

Finally, keep a eye on my ZippCast channel. Since YouTube is too broken to use, I plan on growing an audience there. No, I'm not switching sites, because I'm still not convinced ZC will stay online much longer.

That's it for now. See you a few.

Fave Five: Amercian Channels I like

Here's a proper stereotype about Canadians: our cable networks suck. Here are five reasons why.

1) MTV2
Urban Dictonary calls it a "waste of space", I call it the best youth network ever. As the male-focused counterpart of MTV, MTV2 boasts lifestyle programming that, shockingly enough, actually taught me something about life! Of all the syndicated shows you can have on a network, MTV2 just happens to have the one of best rosters, right up there with TBS. Now if only they would air more music videos and less shitty movies (ie. Vampires Suck).

2) TBS
Now THIS is what I'd call a Comedy Network. I don't know how, but TBS managed to nab the rights to the funniest sitcoms ever made and mangled them together onto one network. Then they take the next step and produce their own original shows which, while not very notable, all have their share of fans. It all came full circle when those Bell Media scumbags starting buying the rights to their shows for MuchMusic and The Comedy Network, while American Dad made a channel hop for a new season. It's a no contest, TBS is the B.E.S...T.

3) Cartoon Network/Adult Swim
I said it before, I'll say it again. Networks like Cartoon Network have something that YTV lacks: maturity. In what TVTropes calls "The Post-CNReal era", the network has produced shows that are living proof that cartoons aren't' just for kids. If they're well-written and produced with love (sue me), they'll have fans of all ages (and the ratings to go with them).

Unfortunately, Adult Swim's original lineup didn't really follow suit, but that's only because maturity isn't their style. They're edgy, unique, and irreverent, everything advertisers wish other networks would be like. Their original shows are still a hoot to watch, both animated and live-action. And, of course, with Toonami handling action programming, it's the best place to be on Saturday Nights.

4) Revolt
How do you run a music network without living in the stone age? Do you look for music-related
shows? Do you mix music videos with a bunch of pop culture crap? Or do you just live in the moment?
Apparently, it's option three, because that's Revolt in a nutshell. There's no acquired programming or movies and there's no glorified videoblocks. Instead, we get news and documentaries based on current events. Not current events as in "whatever shit celebrities are doing", current events as in the Ferguson shooting. ...Yep.
Revolt is like the antitheses of the modern music network. Even when it's doing something different, it's still worth your while. Here's hoping the channel grows.

5) El Rey Network
This one caught me off guard. I mean, aren't cult movies IFC's thing? El Rey Network is a celebration of all things awesome. There's no cliched dramas here, nothing but the best damn shows and movies ever made. If I were to go on, it would sound like I was doing some sort paid advertisement. Just look up their lineup, check out their original shows, and tell me that you don't wish any of the Canadian networks I'm stuck with would just grow a pair!

Other networks worth mentioning: Syfy (Because SmackDown is now officially the black sheep), Disney XD (Because it's better than Disney Channel), "The New" truTV (Because they finally stopped jumping on bandwagons), Esquire Network (Because it's the best lifestyle network no one will ever watch), Funimation Channel (Because it's the only anime network on TV), IFC (Because they have great movies and funny shows), and A&E (Because even G4 looked better).

RE: Gamespot

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/weekly-recap-xbox-one-finally-outsells-ps4-batman-/1100-6423609/

There are three types of Smashers: the ones who play the game as intended, the ones who play without items, and Tourneytards. There are no "purists", just people who couldn't cut in an actual competitive fighting game and like to brag about being "pro" in a casual fighting game while belittling those who play the game for fun. Get it right.

*sigh* ...And this is why I don't like Melee.

YTV's New Groove

If you've been following the business side of things, you will recall that Corus Entertainment now owns 100% of Teletoon Canada Inc, which includes the eponymous flagship network, on the condition that YTV's programing does not overlap with Teletoon or any of it's sisters.

As a result, YTV has begun airing Teletoon's past original programming, which doesn't really help fulfill that condition. The only thing that this accomplishes is giving YTV some decent shows to air, since YTV hasn't done that in years. On a less sarcastic note, it also helps to replace YTV's outdated preschool block. Betweeen Treehouse, Disney Junior, BBC Kids, TVO Kids, and even Kids' CBC, there really is no room for another outlet for preschool programming, all the more reason why Teletoon abandoned such programming years earlier.

On another front, Teletoon began airing YTV's anime series as well as Power Rangers. While this is VERY good news for Teletoon and it's viewers, this is a sign YTV's, and Corus', treatment of anime has gotten worse since end of Bionix in 2010. It used be that, kid-friendly anime, such as Pokemon, gets top billing. But now, even new titles, like Digimon Fusion and B-Daman Crossfire, get ZERO promotion. You could make the excuse that the Pokemon anime hasn't been good since 4Kids stopped dubbing it and YTV's acknowledging this. But Digimon? Come on!

As for Power Rangers, there isn't much to say. Teletoon has been airing live-action programming for as long as I can remember. You didn't notice this because it was mostly in the form of movies related to animation and comics or shows (and movies) that were decent in their own right, as least compared to CNReal's content. Power Rangers is no exception, and in fact, there is a very cultural connection between it and rest of YTV's anime roster. Of course, don't expect Teletoon to air something like Dragon Ball Kai anytime soon.

When all is said and done, these plays by Corus Entertainment proves a theory that I and many people have had about YTV for while. Teletoon - and to the same extent, Cartoon Network, Disney XD and The Hub (R.I.P) - has something YTV doesn't have: maturity. In recent years, kids networks have been targeting older audiences; teenagers for Disney XD, families for The Hub, and adults for..., well, take a guess. YTV, on the other hand, has been targeting the same immature audience that are more likely to think the average YouTube celebrity is a laugh riot.

Really, the only thing remotely attractive about YTV these days, aside from certain Nickelodeon shows, are the promos done by that voice guy (God, bless him). Yes, it's a kids network, but it doesn't have to treat it's viewers like morons.

I suck at Backstories [Reycralibur Update November 2014]

I'll cut to the chase.

Forget everything you heard in episodes one and five. Much like episode three, episode five introduces backstories on the Triangle War and Reycralibur's origin. I am NOT in the mood to redo "The Rouge Rogue" AGAIN, so just forget about what you heard. There was no Teal-Crest tournament and there is no Squire Academy. As far as the Triangle War goes, General Gorous' backstory is the only one that matters. But, other than that, it is of no importance to the plot. As for episode one, Reycralibur didn't JUST appear after a decade, but you don't need me to tell you to forget that load of crap. Do you?

I'll tell you one thing, the story is easily the most frustrating part about working on the series. I wanted to create a lore behind the series. To that end, I also incorporated little bits of information about the world of Reycralibur through the cold openings in season one. I've also tried writing the rest of the story in advance, as well as rewatching previous episodes to avoid having to do retcons. But, the more I go on, the more boring and complicated the story sounds. No amount of lampshading will make it better. In short, the story itself is the reason why it takes so long to make one episode. Because, after all this time, I don't know where to go next!

So, from this point onward, I'm going to go back to telling a straightforward story. No more flashbacks, no more gambits, no more ass pulls. All you need to know is: There is a sword, it's been split into three pieces, the bad guys want the three pieces. So the good guys are trying to find them all. You can also forget everything you learned in the cold openings (yes, even the episode three remake) as that's basically a bunch of mambo jumbo. As far as how the sword was split into three pieces and, of course, Skyru's true identity, you will learn all of that in episode twelve.

Wanna know the worst part? At some point, I'm gonna have to remake episode one AND episode five before moving on to the final episodes. Keep in mind, that's AFTER I get through this episode. ...This why I'm glad this series is almost over.

Some new Developments [October 2014]

Flow 93-5 has shifted to a new format of throwbacks and new music, ending the dreaded Bell Media era once and for all. G98.7 owner, Fitzroy Gordon, has gotten the greenlight from the CRTC to launch a new television service targeting the Caribbean community. Finally, all anime (even Power Rangers) on YTV has moved to Teletoon, as part of YTV's more comedic shift in programing (I'm getting a nasty case of Deja vu). All in all, Fall 2014 is looking pretty good for specialty services.

In personal news, I'm still having doubts about making a new series after Reycralibur. Would you believe me if I told you that, after all this time, I only have two scenes done? If you can, then you'll understand why, if not retire from machinima (HELL NO!), I would like to focus on more short-form stuff. I actually got started on a new gag dub yesterday and I was planning to to start recording lines today. But first, I have to film something for Reycralibur, episode 12. Once I grab the Gamecube Adapter, I will definitely make more Brawl machinima. I've been itching to do so for a long time.

Question is, what am I gonna do now?