Big News If You Don't Have a DVR or VCR, But Do Have Cable (Preferably Digital)!

According to the Los Angeles Times, Comcast has entered into a deal with CBS and Disk Network has brokered a deal with NBC that will allow pay television customers to access "on demand" versions of highly rated broadcast television shows.

The Times does mention that such an "innovation" may not seem like much to "viewers who own personal video recorders such as TiVos or VCRs [who] can record their favorite shows now, the two deals are unique in that they make TV-on-demand available to a broader audience. They also let customers pay for shows on an a-la-carte basis." It is the second statement that bodes wierd for the television entertainment industry. By this I mean that traditionally television has been a "programming" oriented business where producers sell shows to networks who "schedule" shows they believe will attract audience. Even niche cable networks work on this same programming model. Television viewers have traditionally had some choice as to what hey can watch (there are 120+ channels) and when to watch it if they have a recording device, but the "on demand" market may add another variable to the equation.

While I admit that offering on demand for shows you can already record (though the on demand versions are commercial free) is not very revolutionary, or even enticing. What is enticing is the potential for networks to have greater ability to tailor to their audiences desires. The television market may move into a direction similar to the motion picture industry where all viewing is technically "on demand" and demand is prompted by advertising.

I can actually see, after the technology has become normalized, the major networks offering on demand show for free (with commercials) to all comers. In doing so the networks would also purchase more shows than they currently do. That's right, I said more. The reason for this is that the major networks could purchase shows currently offered primarily by niche cable channels or who have a limited fan base. The "per show" cost will be fairly low for shows that would draw a small market share, but such shows might have longer runs as well. Every television viewer has a show he or she wish continued on the air, the recent movie Serenity shows the power of small but loyal audience can have in the marketplace. Imagine if all Firefly fans could have spoken with their dollars in a direct fashion early in the process. It could have meant the show would still be on today. I can also see changes in the revenue model where the front end payments for shows are lower, but that residuals and revenue for screenings are higher. Naturally, the self programming model would rely heavily on advertising to "get out the word," but that could be a boon for both the growing internet ad market and the shrinking newspaper ad market. It is a good thing TV guide has changed to a larger format, they might need it for ad space and articles in the future.

In this potential future model of television one could imagine the networks gaining greater marketshare than they currently have, but it would be because they have become more like show "brokers" or superstores than "programmers" of entertainment.

NBC executive David Zaslav made an interesting comment in the article. He said, "If you don't play, you'll get left behind." He made the statement in response to how NBC/Universal was reacting to ABC's deal with Apple Computer Inc. which allows for the purchase of ABC programming for iPod. He meant that if you didn't offer similar products to your competitor you would get left behind. What is interesting is that he summed up what will become the market model if the individual programmer market takes over. If shows don't play, in other words if they aren't requested (and, for now, purchased) by viewers the shows will be dropped. This is very different from the current model where shows are played and are only dropped if no one watches them afterword.

On an ironic side note, the NBC deal with Dish Network does require that the customer already own a DVR. Begging the case that in the early stages of the new television model what benefits Dish really offers.

Wallace and Gromit Creators to Create Animated Television Shows for US

Aardman animations has plans for new animated series to be distributed in the United States and the United Kingdom. According to ICV2, one of these ideas is a computer animated show called Chop Socky Chooks and features kung fu using chickens. I don't know about you, but this sounds like a winner to me. I have enjoyed the various comedic martial arts cartoons that have appeared on the television. Everything from Hong Kong Phooey to Xiaolin Showdown, with a number of shows in between (TMNT anyone?), has at one time or another played a role in my regular cartoon viewing schedule.

Kung Fu chickens and W/G? "Gromiiiiit?! It's the wrong Gi Gromit!"

You decide who's cooler...HKPh or Kung Fu Chicken.

Who wants to be friends with Madonna?

I don't know about that whole Kaballah thing...but I found her MySpace page terribly exciting. I don't even know why...but I owe so much of my fashion style to late 80's Madonna (right down to the dark roots/blonde hair thing), that I feel like she's the big sister I never had.

Go sign up to be her friend! Or just be confused by her red hair. I know I was.

Will New Superman Movie Suck?

Comic book fans have been reeling the past year, or so, over the "sweeping changes" taking place in the DC Universe and its "Infinite Crisis." Some fans have been happy, some have been dismayed. Readers will know that i have been a little disappointed with the number of "comic relief" characters being killed in the name of "complex narrative," but overall I am excited about what will happen (even if I am disappointed about what has).

This leads me to the new Superman film. Earlier this year, Jim Treacher made a couple of offhand comments criticizing what he fears the film will become. I largely ignored his comments because they seemed to confuse the director's sexuality with his ability to tell a good tale. I think that the first two "X" movies show that Singer understand what it takes to make a compelling superhero narrative.

What I AM worried about is the delays and rewrites (let alone the run away budget) taking place on the Superman production. According to ICV2 and the Hollywood Reporter, " Principal photography for the film, which began shooting in Australia last spring, was supposed to be over by now, but the production took a five-week hiatus in September for script revisions. Director Bryan Singer (X-Men) returned to Australia in mid-October and began a final four weeks of shooting."

A five week hiatus?! Ah, production money must grow on trees. Rewrites this late in the process? Dear G-d! Smallville writes 20+ scripts a year, DC writes 40+ comics a year about Superman. Sure, some of the stories suck, but imagine how much they would suck if they had to be continually rewritten.

So...I'm worried.

Adam Carolla Says, "F&*^ You If You're Poor!"

According to Rolling Stone Magazine, Rock and Roll stations have had a 16 percent decline in listenership since 1996, and a number of Rock stations have been changing formats of late. Key among these stations is the famous New York Radio Station K-Rock (WXRK-FM), which with the departure of Howard Stern will shift to a talk radio format and only play music on weekends.

Adam Carolla (Loveline, The Adam Carolla Project)has, along with David Lee Roth, been hired to replace Stern for the Radio Network's morning show. When asked about the format change of K-Rock Carolla said the following, "I don't know what year folks are living in," he says. "If you want to hear music, get an iPod. If you want to hear talk, get a radio. That's my feeling."

Personally, I don't know what tax bracket Carolla is living in, but an initial investment of an iPod compatible computer, an iPod, a high-speed internet connection, and $.99 a song sounds like something that is out of the affordability of a large number of people. Nevermind the fact that the iPod investment (including all the above) is a minimum of $1000 buck the first year, and that's for a crappy computer (where's the monitor? Guess I won't be buying the cheapest one at Apple.com. Don't forget to buy a mouse and keyboard.)(Better off buying an iBook, but that takes us over budget), a crappy iPod, a cheap service ($24 a month), and about $100 songs. I guess you could go the PC route, but that would undermine the "branding" that Carolla was able to forward. Did he get paid for the advertisement?

I guess, if you are poor you get to listen to Adam Carolla, but if you want to Rock "live in the now."

News on the March Says "Don't Forget Gordon Parks!" Daaaaamn Riiiight!

KaneCitizen, over at News on the March, wants to make sure that in celebrating one important Parks in American history that we don't forget another. He has a very good profile of Gordon Parks, the man who brought you SHAFT, here.

Now if only he could do a profile of Barry Gordie...we all know "The Last Dragon" is one of the best Kung Fu/Blaxploitation films ever made. Sho' Nuff!

Or as Cyrus would say...CAAAAN YOU DIIIIG IIIIIT?!

BTW, you can read a middle english version of the Shaft theme song here.

Wha be þa blake prevy lawe
Þat bene wantoun too alle þa feres?
SHAFT!
Ya damne riȝte!

Bad News From a Friend

I was driving in my car with my wife the other day when I said, "I have been unusually blessed in my life." My wife looked at me for a moment, examining my expression to see if I was being ironic. Finally she asked me, "Are you being serious?" I was, but I knew where she was coming from. My life hasn't been easy, that I can say for certain, but my life has been blessed as well.

When I needed to take a "semester" off from school and was living through some very rough times at home, I met my wife. She gave me hope and the knowledge that my three year long semester off was now over. Through her I was able to meet other people who could help me get back on my feet and who would begin mentoring me as an Undergraduate student and as a man. It was three of these mentors who really helped me when my mother died. They helped me keep my head together and to realize how much even small efforts of support can mean.

This is what I mean that I have been blessed, whenever I have encountered a roadblock in life I have always encountered a mentor who could guide me and provide me with advice in my current situation. What makes this such a blessing is that I am of the opinion that "mentoring" relationships are on a bit of a downturn. When I talk to Gen Xers all around, it is rare that I hear a good mentoring story. I usually hear about struggles and how those who should be mentors are hindering would be "mentees" or being generally ambivalent to the development of "the younger generation." This largely hasn't been the case with me, or at least hasn't been for the past 8 years or so.

One person who has been of great guidance to me in the recent past is Cathy Seipp. She's a blogger in Southern California who's blog I began frequenting after reading an article by her at National Review Online. I was going through my daily news cycle(LA Times, New Republic, NRO, NY Times...) when I saw an article by a West Coaster in the NRO. It wasn't a typical, i.e. Neocon, article and it focused on something happening out here. Truth be told, I can't remember specifics, but I was impressed and immediately clicked over to her blog. Eventually, I became a frequent poster in her comments section. The comments section that is much praised and highly thought of by its participants. I like to think of it as our internet version of Seinfeld, but more intellectual. Anyway, as any kind of pen pal relationship goes I began to think of Cathy as a part of my circle of friends, and like those friends it didn't matter whether I always agreed with her. All that mattered was how the conversation went. After all, even my wife and I disagree over the self-evident value of The Perfect Weapon. Cathy always, well okay usually, writes about interesting topics and even when she doesn't she writes well about whatever her subject is.

Evantually, I built up the courage to email her in order to communicate one on one. Alright, I had a good excuse to email her, I needed a Southern California conservative to speak at an event for work. But that excuse allowed me to overcome my initial shyness and begin what I consider to be a valuable relationship. Cathy has been a great mentor in many ways. My wife and I have had a bit of a chaotic year so far and Cathy has been a cornerstone of my confidence that everything is going to be okay. She has always put the events of my life into context, all without needing to refer to her own experience. She has been amazing, and without her I would be an emotional wreck and my wife wouldn't have her current (very cool) job.

Before I get to what the bad news is, I thought I would share that I was reticent to put the word friend in the title of this post. Not because I don't consider Cathy a friend, I do, but because I didn't want to be presumptuous with regard to her opinions. Many people have a high bar for who they consider a friend, in fact I am one of those people. I don't confide my utmost secrets to acquaintances or random passers by, and I have a number of good acquaintances but few friends. Needless to say, given the blessing she has been in my life I consider Cathy to be a great friend. In his Nicomachean Ethics, and I am paraphrasing here, Aristotle says that the best type of friendship is one based not on anything material you can gain from someone, rather it is a friendship based upon the character of the person you consider a friend. Cathy Seipp is someone of tremendous character.

Let me give you an example, and in doing so share the bad news mentioned in the title. Cathy recently shared with her internet community that she has Lung Cancer. In the post she discusses her thoughts on the matter, and does a better job than I can paraphrase so please read her commments, as always she includes a bit of humor in a deeply serious subject. I have known for a little while that she had cancer and was receiving chemo, but I didn't know what kind of cancer she was battling. I merely knew it was serious. Here is where her character comes in to play. As I mentioned above, my wife and I have had a hectic year. A part of that year is a "medical" event involving my wife. I won't go into details here because it is important to only a few people (though I will tell you via email Rob). Needless to say, Cathy was able to provide advice and consolation without once saying, "Bah, so what?! I have lung cancer! Top that you boob!" Nor did she say anything nearly as condescending. She was helpful, a friend in need and a mentor who could put life's events into proper perspective.

But her character doesn't merely reflect itself in her ability to help others. Her character is also manifest in the way she faces her struggle. Her daughter Maia, who also has a blog, posted a brief snippet of conversation with Cathy today. I will excerpt what I thought was representative:

Right before the movie started, she asked me out of the blue, "You wouldn't get rid of the furniture, would you? Its nice furniture, and you would like it right?"

In her conversation with her daughter, she was able to do something very brave. She was able to talk frankly, but without despair or false hope, about the big what if. How many times do we as people have the strength of character to do that? I would argue that it is far to rare a character trait, but that is Cathy.

I will finish with Cicero who in his treatise On Friendship wrote:

Is not prosperity robbed of half its value if you have no one to share your joy? On the other hand, misfortunes would be hard to bear if there were not some one to feel them even more acutely than yourself. In a word, other objects of ambition serve for particular ends - riches for use, power for securing homage, office for reputation, pleasure for enjoyment, health for freedom from pain and the full use of the functions of the body. But friendship embraces innumerable advantages. Turn which way you please, you will find it at hand. It is everywhere; and yet never out of place, never unwelcome. Fire and water themselves, to use a common expression, are not of more universal use than friendship. I am not now speaking of the common or modified form of it, though even that is a source of pleasure and profit, but of that true and complete friendship which existed between the select few who are known to fame. Such friendship enhances prosperity, and relieves adversity of its burden by halving and sharing it.