The views and opinions expressed in this blog by Kyle Brady are solely his own, and do not necessarily reflect those of Intuitive Industries LLC, their clients, the sponsors or advertisers of this blog, or other employers Kyle may have.
You might be interested to know that there's two different kind of posts on this blog: "Thought of the Day" and "Normal". The "Thought of the Day" category is a once-a-day random tidbit, usually a funny video or picture, and the "Normal" is just what you'd expect from a blog like this:
Unicorn-Butterfly Soup.
--Kyle
p.s. the subscription options to the left (psst! <---- that way) reflect the same content options
Since I am an avid follower of Smallville, but do not watch it on the TV itself, per se, I wanted to somehow contribute my two cents to both the network and the show… the rumors that this is the last season are far too depressing, given how amazing the last 8 episodes have been, to let them be true.
So I wrote them a note expressing just these feelings.
I just wanted to let you know that this season of Smallville is BY FAR the best season yet, no matter what some of the critics say.
This is what I have been waiting for: seeing Clark Kent start to develop the Superman character, and slowly realize what that means… along with the “Lois and Clark” dynamic that is so absolutely crucial to the characters of both Clark Kent and Superman.
I would even go as far as to say that having Lana, Lex, and Lionel out of the picture is a good thing (despite how I felt at the end of the last season), because this allows more room to focus on the core of the show, and the reason it was created in the first place: Clark Kent -> Superman.
I’m a little sad because I know that Chloe will most likely die by the end of this season, or the next (”God willing” there’s another season), because of the continuity, but I understand this. Do not let fan emotions cloud the judgment that is necessary to execute both fully and properly the needs of the show.
I believe that this should NOT be the end of Smallville, but rather the beginning of the end, giving Clark time to fully develop into Superman. Another season, at minimum, would be required to do so in a believable fashion, and I hope that both you (the network) and the writers realize this.
The ratings for the past seasons may have been slowly slipping, and I’m not aware of the current ratings, but I hope not being “the top slot” does not dissuade you from completing what is, at this point, very obvious and necessary to both the legions of fans and the mythos of Superman himself.
In my eyes, and the eyes of many others, you have done for Superman what the recent Batman movies have done for him: reinvigorated a concept that had fallen on hard times, allowing those of us who grew up with these characters to once again find them all too real.
posted on November 9th, 2008 at 11:14 pm by Kyle - Comments
Heroes: the show that came out of nowhere has gained huge popularity on NBC based on a comic book-style narration… even with non-geeks. It’s better than any other action/drama TV series (past and present), and is better than any movie series (even those based on comic books) will be.
Length/Continuity
Movies typically adhere to the standard format: intro, body, and conclusion. Even if room is left for a sequel, almost all of the storylines are completed and tied together by the end of the 2-3 hour saga. Heroes doesn’t do that.
Season 1 was considerably longer than a movie, and even if Season 2 is cut short due to the awesome strike, it will be as well. Why is this important? Having a huge amount of time to tell your story, as long as it’s a good one, benefits everyone. Plus, when you don’t have to fit an entire story (including a “happy ending”) into a specific amount of time… that leaves many options open.
It’s the reason some people get up in the morning.
Characters
Heroes, as I mentioned before, is in the style of a comic book. For the uninitiated, this means that there are many characters being dealt with throughout the long and twisted plot, any of which may become the focus for any amount of time… or the writers may decide to bounce back-and-forth in tandem between a handful.
Movies don’t do this. There’s really no reason I can think of as to why, other than it’s the way things have always been done, and it’s a proven format. God forbid you do something new. Even the Spiderman movies predominantly follow one character (Peter Parker/Spiderman).
Reading… But Better
What it comes down to is that Heroes is like reading your favorite SciFi books or comic books, but with much more action and realism than you could ever make up in your head. George Lucas understood this when he made the Star Wars movies: a continuing story without a specific end is very attractive. It leaves the viewer wanting more.
All your base are belong to us.
Heroes will eventually have to end, since NBC cancels all the good shows anyways (The Black Donnelly’s anyone?), but all signs point to this lasting at least a few more seasons.
Character Types
All the other factors aside, there is one overwhelmingly important piece that makes the show so successful: the characters themselves. Whether or not the viewer likes certain characters, each one is realistic and true-to-life (as much as such themes of superpowers allow). The world is believable, as it is, for all intents and purposes, our world.
Every small boy (and maybe some girls?) wishes at one point that they have superpowers… there’s some people who don’t grow out of this. The idea that “average people” wake up one day and have powers, and apply them to a good vs. evil battle in a world much like ours, speaks to that same part of us.
Don’t Be Like Lost
For all it’s strengths, many viewers think the first half of this season was fumbled: tangential stories about Claire’s love-life, a multi-episode journey into ancient Japan… it wasn’t what was expected. But the writers apparently knew what they were doing, because with that slow setup, the series stands to have some of the greatest episodes yet.
It’s just not the same…
I hope that Heroes doesn’t turn into Lost…. I was a big fan until I got tired of all the boring drama/inaction and random nonsense. So far, we’ve seen a good tie-in of all the characters and plots, even if they don’t have definitive beginnings and ends.
Let’s keep it that way, and without any mechanical-but-alien-and-smoke monsters.
posted on November 14th, 2007 at 4:49 pm by Kyle - Comments
Again, this is a topic I’ve avoided recently, not to better understand it, but because I thought it was stupid and would never happen. Oh how I was wrong.
Unless you live in a deep dark hole full of demons, you know there’s a Writers’ Guild strike going on. And that it’s deeply affecting shows that some people probably are more addicted to than a backwater hic to meth.
Why?
From what I understand, and I’m not claiming to either, there are two issues:
Money
Distribution
Each is actually dependent on the other, so let’s take a look…
Just as stupid.
Money
I read somewhere (not cited) that the average TV writer makes $200k/yr. Oh wow, that’s completely surprising! I thought everyone in Hollywood / LA was poor, and just pretended to be rich and successful, when in reality they are more poor than the average American and totally without any fame. I guess I was mistaken.
Seriously? $200k/yr for writing a season’s worth of TV shows, that ranges from 12-24 episodes, with maybe another show or two? And you’re COMPLAINING? [Edit/Note: my reference of "$200k/yr" was based upon something I read, and meant to link to. I've since lost that link, but I mention it because the number is being questioned by a few people.]
If you’re a writer (also called “authors” in the real world of books), you don’t expect to make alot of money, or be immensely successful. Yes, there is one author out of many who becomes wildly successful (and occasionally very rich) like J.K. Rowlings or Michael Crighton, but you don’t get into “the business” because you want to be rich. The fact that these writers make an absurd amount of money for what equates to a small portion of a book, and is often times just juvenile humor or slightly complex drama, is amazing.
But even more amazing that they feel underpaid.
Hey, guys, guess what? This is J.K Rowling.
You are not her, and never will be.
Distribution
The guys who write NBC’s “The Office” have a video floating around the Internet (Google it) of them complaining about not receiving money for distribution of their media. They mention “webisodes” and “online viewing of episodes”, and not being properly compensated for them.
This is hilarious to me.
Let me get this straight: you’re complaining that not only are you not getting enough money for doing very little amounts of work, but you’re also complaining that you aren’t getting paid for your content being shown in what is a largely ad-free environment?
If you view an episode of “The Office” online (legally), you are shown maybe three 30-second advertisements during the showing, and it’s usually for the same company/product/service. If you view one of their “webisodes” for the show, you get even less advertisement. So, you want to be paid for everytime someone views your work, especially online? How does that even make any sense?
You People Are Stupid
Correct me if I’m wrong, but you (writers) don’t get paid per viewer of your TV show through the normal delivery method (aka TV), do you? I’m pretty sure you don’t because the number of viewers for any given show is one of the most highly argued issues in modern media. So that means you get a lump sum for a certain productivity level.
I will then assume that that amount of money scales based upon both your work output and the overall popularity of the show (from season to season). By the same logic, one would assume that if you write a “series of 10 webisodes” (as the same video references), you get paid more than you would for just a normal season.
Right? That’s what I thought. You guys just can’t accept that, God forbid, your show is viewed any other way than on TV or DVD. May Zeus strike me down if I were to miss an episode, and want to watch it on the network’s website, so I can continue watching your show that I may or may not love so dearly.
Yep, guys, this is you!
Guilds? Is This 1943?
Not only does this whole strike situation piss me off, but it also brings to light one of the worst permutations of a great idea in the history of mankind: a guild/union. A long long time ago, in an America perhaps 60 years ago, they were a great idea. They helped to standardize wages, work conditions, and other critical elements of any job.
But today, they are nothing but a sorry excuse for a group of money-grubbing attention whores. The only time I can remember a strike actually having purpose and legitimacy, during my time of sentience, is the UPS strike (Google it). This writers’ strike is not an example of good intentions or purpose, just like when labor unions band together to increase how much the standard plumber charges you to show off his ass.
New Media
The world of “new media” is here, so get over it. Blogs, videoblogs, webcams, webisodes, TV on the Internet, and others are not going anywhere, no matter how much you want them to “go gently into this good night”. The “old media” companies are having a hard enough time adjusting as it is (online episodes, Internet-distribution of media, etc.), without you causing them any more problems.
If you like making everyone’s future absolute Hell, keep it up. Maybe we can make a revision to the DMCA where no-one is allowed to distribute anything on the Internet, ever, without paying someone royalties.
Yeah, because that has worked out so freaking well to the music industry, hasn’t it?
Let’s review the major problems: blocking certain types of Internet traffic, limiting their “unlimited” bandwidth, playing porn on the Disney channel, filtering emails, shutting down accounts with “too much” traffic, high prices, terrible service, terrible products… Did I miss anything? Probably, but that was just off the top of my head.
Oh, Comcast
Comcast has been around a long time. A long long time. And they pretty much have a monopoly on cable TV/Internet service, which is cool. On top of that, prices keep going up for all services, while the quality / features stay the same. Not a good way to do business if you like your customers.
Oh, speaking of customers, Comcast is known for their superb customer service, right? And they’re always on time for appointments. [end sarcasm] If your business revolves around deliver exactly what the customer wants, along with when and how, why would you erode your business by failing to do so? People initially switched to Comcast Internet because it was faster than dial-up, and cheaper than DSL. Comcast is now randomly slow, not cheap at all, and known to randomly crap out.
Very true.
Why You Will Fail
Comcast is about to lose it’s stronghold on America, possibly even disappear forever. It’s not going to happen overnight, but the beginnings of the revolution are already in place: unsatisfied customers, major complaints across the board, upcoming competitors, and an inability to adapt to the present [see the links above for references]. Outsourcing customer service to India? Check. Refusing to answer direct questions about company policies? Check. Political scandal [email filtering]? Check. Money issues [inexplicably rising prices and "fees"]? Check.
Does this remind you of any company? No? Think hard. The company’s business involved black gold, and their name rhymed with “Genron”.
Alternatives
Right now, the main problem with trying to leave Comcast is alternatives. For all intents and purposes, the majority of it’s customer base have no choice. If you live in an apartment building (like myself), chances are it’s prewired for cable, and they frown on dishes. The only alternative is DSL, which is only available depending on your location in relation to the source. This will change.
Again, very true.
Verizon has FiOS coming down the pipes, and it’s promising to be a whopper of a death threat. TV service that resembles “cable”, fiber-optic speeds for Internet service, and phone? All for one low price? Sign me up, moi capitan! The only problem with FiOS is that it may not be in your area in the near future (for example, if you live on a farm 25 miles from civilization), but they’re supposedly laying cable as fast as possible. I’ll have it within 6 months. And believe you me, I’m going to leave Comcast in a blaze of hellfire.
The Cableocalypse
People hate Comcast. People like Verizon. People hate high prices. People love low prices. People hate bad customer service. People love good service. People hate being controlled/throttled. People love being free.
I’m not even making these. Google “comcast sucks”. Seriously.
It’s a simple equation. How else can I spell out Comcast’s impending date with the four horsemen? Verizon sees the fragile pane of glass that is Comcast, and they’re rushing to shatter it with the mighty hammer of Thor.
posted on October 19th, 2007 at 12:32 pm by Kyle - Comments
