Great Idea!
Ratings for The WB were off 28% last season…
I guess the network should just send their line-up direct to DVD.
May 5, 2024
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It shows how out of it I was in trying to be in it, acknowledging that I was out of it to myself, and then thinking, “Okay, how do I stop being out of it? Well, I get some legitimate illogical narrative ideas” — some novel, you know?
So I decided on three writers that I might be able to option their material and get some producer, or myself as producer, and then get some writer to do a screenplay on it, and maybe make a movie.
And so the three projects were “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” “Naked Lunch” and a collection of Bukowski. Which, in 1975, forget it — I mean, that was nuts. Hollywood would not touch any of that, but I was looking for something commercial, and I thought that all of these things were coming.
There would be no Blade Runner if there was no Ray Bradbury. I couldn’t find Philip K. Dick. His agent didn’t even know where he was. And so I gave up.
I was walking down the street and I ran into Bradbury — he directed a play that I was going to do as an actor, so we know each other, but he yelled “hi” — and I’d forgot who he was.
So at my girlfriend Barbara Hershey’s urging — I was with her at that moment — she said, “Talk to him! That guy really wants to talk to you,” and I said “No, fuck him,” and keep walking.
But then I did, and then I realized who it was, and I thought, “Wait, he’s in that realm, maybe he knows Philip K. Dick.” I said, “You know a guy named—” “Yeah, sure — you want his phone number?”
My friend paid my rent for a year while I wrote, because it turned out we couldn’t get a writer. My friends kept on me about, well, if you can’t get a writer, then you write.”
~ Hampton Fancher
“That was the most disappointing thing to me in how this thing was played. Is that I’m on the phone with you now, after all that’s been said, and the fundamental distinction between what James is dealing with in these other cases is not actually brought to the fore. The fundamental difference is that James Franco didn’t seek to use his position to have sex with anyone. There’s not a case of that. He wasn’t using his position or status to try to solicit a sexual favor from anyone. If he had — if that were what the accusation involved — the show would not have gone on. We would have folded up shop and we would have not completed the show. Because then it would have been the same as Harvey Weinstein, or Les Moonves, or any of these cases that are fundamental to this new paradigm. Did you not notice that? Why did you not notice that? Is that not something notable to say, journalistically? Because nobody could find the voice to say it. I’m not just being rhetorical. Why is it that you and the other critics, none of you could find the voice to say, “You know, it’s not this, it’s that”? Because — let me go on and speak further to this. If you go back to the L.A. Times piece, that’s what it lacked. That’s what they were not able to deliver. The one example in the five that involved an issue of a sexual act was between James and a woman he was dating, who he was not working with. There was no professional dynamic in any capacity.
~ David Simon
I can’t even name one show they have one there. Not saying much since I can’t name any NBC shows either.
It took me awhile to recognize that it’s Don Johnson in the pic on that link (he looks like Peter Falk or someone else). And oh, the irony of Don Johnson in a show called “Just Legal.” He’s not going to start doing any of his 18 year old co-stars like he did on “Nash Bridges,” is he?
And I’m sure getting rid of Michigan J. Frog will provide a dramatic improvement in ratings.
I’d also love to learn the identities of anyone who purchased a dvd set of “Reba,” and recommend them for a new government program called “Project Soylent Green.”
While I didn’t buy the DVD set of “Reba”, I do watch the show pretty much every week.
As a matter of fact, I’ve enjoyed quite a few WB shows over the past few years, including Gilmore Girls, Smallville (though last season couldn’t hold my interest), Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (before the jump to UPN, obviously), Off Centre, Mission Hill… and that’s probably about it.
I’ve only watched Jamie Foxx’s show on this network. Doesn’t really say much for the network and their programming.
i thought angel and buffy were incredibly overrated and much of the wb is now unwatatchable. they could put a test signal up and i wouldn’t watch it any less.
They don’t have great programs on there. I’m with you. Always thought Buffy was overrated.
I’m sure Michigan J. Frog croaked in relief when they told him his services were no longer required. Now he can have his dignity back, as he won’t have to promote unwatchable swill like the “‘The Krusty the Clown Story: Booze, Drugs, Guns, Lies, Blackmail, and Laughter!’ Starring Fyvush Finkel as Krusty the Clown!” As “The Simpsons” had him say in 1997, “We’re proud to present on the WB, another bad show that no one will see!” Plus ca change . . .
Got to love The Simpsons.
The OC and Gilmore Girls are constantly great. Simpsons is spotty and Buffy was masterful.
They’re basically just as bad as any other free-to-air network. A couple of great shows and a lot of junk.
simpsons spotty? and gilmore is great? u must be a 13 yr old girl. a bad simpsons episode is still ten times better than anything else on tv.
If theres a more overrated show on the telly right now than Gilmore Girls I would love to know. 44 minutes of two women talking like Kate Hepburn in a 1930’s movie. And yet thats the only thing that goes on the entire time. That’s it. At least Buffy had some action and good supporting players.
Girls like different shows than guys. I like the OC but I wouldn’t be caught deading ever sitting thru an episode of Gilmore.
I can watch some of the Gilmore Girls and I think it has some great moments but you just can’t compare it to The Simpsons.
Terrible comparison. Lisa on her worst day is better than Rory.
I don’t think many would buy their lineup at the dvd stand. Wasn’t Buffy on like three years ago? Whats their top rated show? Reba??
GILMORE is consistently the best-written show on TV. If you think it’s only about two cross-talking women, then you’ve been listening to the BS and not the show itself. One of the finest things about it is how many characters drift in and out on a recurring basis, and they always manage to pick up right where they left off. No other live-action show (that excludes THE SIMPSONS) creates and sustains such a totally believable community.
I used to be a complete Simpsons junkee but the last couple of seasons HAVE been spotty, and if you can’t see it then you’re watching it through, to coin a phrase, rose-tinted glasses.
While up until about the 11th season the wackiness was part of the charm now it’s just like the only thing about the show is to try and come up with as many wacky plot lines as possible. It all gets a bit groan-enducing when the characters just do wacky things for the sake of being wacky. And they’ve clearly run out of ideas for the family because they’re turning smaller characters who were great in small doses into main characters. example: Ralph! Now he’s just always there and it’s annoying.
Plus, as a die-hard fan of old it’s particularly frustrating to have these characters saying things that negates what has happened in previous series. It’s usually just little things like when Milhouse said he had his first kiss in series 13 or whenever it was – um, he had had that way back in season 3. Just little things that naw away because when those things happen I know the writers obviously don’t care enough so why should I.
Gilmore Girls is very love/hate though. I can understand people hating it. I love it though. It’s constantly witty and I always have a good time watching it.
The OC is just guilty Melrose Place pleasure.
spotty? and gilmore is greatness? forgive me if i don’t follow u down that path of lunacy.
I refuse to bash The Simpsons. Even a bad episode is better than every other show out there.
If I was nitpicking about Milhouse’s first kiss I wouldn’t be enjoying the show either. No wonder you don’t like it.
The Simpsons peaked years ago
Family Guy, American Dad, South Park, and Aqua Teen Hunger Force are much funnier than any current Simpsons episode.
Family Guy. Yes. South Park. Sure. American Dad? Not a chance.
Haven’t you ever had a show that you were so extremely passionate about that subsequently went on for too long? Surely you have and so surely you can see how The Simpsons is just hard to watch now. The first, hell, 10 SEASONS(!) are comedy gold but the most recent ones are pale imitations with only a few minor laughs per episode.
And don’t even get me started on their “Halloween” episodes. They used to be at least BASED around scary things now it’s just lampooning Harry Potter.
u can’t find anything in the last 6 seasons thats good? u hold them up to way too hire a standard. not like it fell off a cliff.
How can a real Simpsons fan bad mouth the past few seasons? You should just be happy that they’re still making episodes and enjoy it while it lasts. We will never see anything like it again.
I would say the first 1 or 2 seasons of the Simpsons suck too, not just the past few seasons…
16 seasons. About what? 300+ episodes? I’m sure every single one isn’t a classic. But it still beats 99% of whats on.
You can’t deny THE SIMPSONS is still a great show if both bicycle bob and I like it! 🙂
Now we all must LOVE it. LOVE it.
cadavra has really good taste in tv shows.
South Park just got 40 more episodes on Comedy Central. Things are looking up for animation. I guess they needed to do something after Dave Chapelle left them holding the bag.
“u can’t find anything in the last 6 seasons thats good? ”
1. I didn’t say I couldn’t find anything good. I said it was spotty now, whereas in it’s prime it was 100% comedy gold every week (bar maybe 1 or 2 episodes a season)
2. It’s mostly just the last few, seasons 11 and 12 were still good but weren’t the best, but lately it is very hit and miss. Unfortunately the misses are very obvious now.
The Season17 premiere of The Simpsons was as bad as gets. NOTHING funny in it, NOTHING. 0.
Family Guy… The “I’m Sleeping With Someone At Paramount starring Ashley Judd” movie marquee… everything was funny…
Then American Dad was the best of the night with that “director’s commentary” from the German fish Klaus.
Maybe The Simpson’s movie that they’re working on will reinvigorate the series, but if not, put the show out of its misery.