Thoughtnami™

The late night shows come back on this week, so, I'm pushing up an article I had a week or so ago up to make it feel a little more "relevant." Jeff Zucker, Fred Silverman, all you high muckity-mucks at NBC Universal, I have single-handedly solved "the Leno situation." It would involve a lot of sacrifices, but, in effect, it will not only keep Leno in the NBC Universal family but will also help cement the network's future for at least another decade or so. To recap the "situation" for those that aren't aware, about four years ago, Jay Leno announced that he was leaving The Tonight Show and NBC named Conan O'Brien as the successor beginning in fall 2009. At the time, everything seemed cool. 2009 seemed like it was far away, and perhaps Leno felt that he'd be running out of steam by the time 2009 got here. Now, 2009 is practically next year. Leno is still getting high ratings on The Tonight Show and, though not directly, feeling as if he&#

To my friends and acquaintances at Toon Zone as well as those that posted here at Thoughtnami. I thank you for your thoughts and prayers. I know I don't deserve that much praise, but I'm thankful for that and for you all for dealing with me in this brief episode of self-doubt. My grandfather isn't 100% by any stretch, but he's better today than he was at Thanksgiving. Life is still frustrating, but it's going alright for me, and I have no right to complain. To Patrick. Patrick, Patrick, Patrick Okeke. Ronin, Ronixis, Novid, whatever. I thank you for your thoughts as well. You're everything I strive not to be, and you've pretty much reawakened me, and I thank you. Why? Because in your own fashion, you succeeded in showing who you really are, and for that, I smile. You've pretty much knocked me down when I was already at my lowest point. I apologized for what I've done to you for the umpteenth time, and what did you do Patrick? You act like the souther

I'm leaving Thoughtnami, The X Bridge, and the forums for a while. I'll be back, but I need to take some time out for a while. Probably next year or so. It doesn't matter. I don't think I'll be missed around these parts. And if I am, they'll get over it. I've undergoing many emotions now. I'm having problems at home. My grandfather's health has taken a turn for the worse. His already small frame continues to deteriorate from his cancer, almost turning him skeletal. Now, he's at the point that he can't really eat much and just lays down all day long. I'm seeing my grandfather die right before my eyes, and the sad thing is waiting for the end. I've been his primary caregiver ever since I graduated from college. I know my family said I could do but so much, but I feel I could have done more for him. It's almost like I'm failing my grandfather every day. I'm depressed and lacking focus on just about everything. At times, it fe

I guess you've heard about the Writers' Strike that is just beginning to affect the entire entertainment industry (don't worry, otaku, you'll still be getting translated dubs on the air; you won't like them, but you'll get them). No, friends, NBC isn't recycling episodes of Leno, Conan, nor Carson as part of their companywide Green is Universal campaign. They're the first of many to be impacted immediately from the strike. No writers mean no new shows. But let me present the Comic Creators' Bill of Rights. It's almost two decades old familiar to about .5% of the readership of Thoughtnami and completely relevant to the second half of the article. If you've never read them, well, here's your first time: For the survival and health of comics, we recognize that no single system of commerce and no single type of agreement between creator and publisher can or should be instituted. However, the rights and dignity of creators everywhere are equal

A recent thread at the mothership convinced me to write this, so here goes: I'm young (29), but some things make me feel like an old-ass man, especially a lot of shows and movies that have come out as of late. But if I had to choose three movies that defines MY generation . . . that's kind of tough, especially since I have to pick just three. I know it's a magic number, but it's kind of limited, you know? I guess I'll start with Ferris Bueller's Day Off. I was a little kid when this movie initially came out in theaters, but as a young teen, this movie spoke to me like no other movie had before at the time. A recent conversation a lot of us mods had in the super extra secret room we have around here really made me appreciate the movie even more. The protagonist wasn't a label, that is, he wasn't a nerd, a geek, a jock, a preppy, a goth, a class clown, a slacker, a drama student, et. al. He was simply Ferris, a guy who pretty much has his life together, o

G4 (you know, the channel that killed TechTV a couple of years ago that has nearly zero viewers) has acquired broadcast rights to two of the 21st century's most iconic series so far, ABC's Lost and NBC's Heroes. The Comcast-owned network has rights to strip Heroes and Lost daily in a few years, but Heroes premieres in a few weeks on the channel. Cartoon Network, which is one of the most watched channels on cable (currently number seven) is investing funds in developing new live-action properties as well as spending money to acquire older shows. Comcast is giving G4 a ton of money, which allows them to make eye-opening purchases like that. Time Warner gives Cartoon Network a very limited amount of money, since they do generate ad revenue on their own, which is used for proudctions and on their own third-party acquisitions. I'm not saying I wanted Heroes or Lost to air on Cartoon Network (because I really don't), but the deal does show that Comcast is willing to provi

I haven't had cable for six months now, but strangely, I'm not missing it. No extra-high bill for limited programming choices. No clatter of talking heads talking about nothing. And best of all, no dents in my walls from the idiotic changes at . . . you know where. However, in the light of tonight's season premiere of The Boondocks on Adult Swim tonight, I feel that I need to talk about the things I do miss about cable, in no particular order: - Adult Swim: Well, there's a stretch. Adult animation with humor and action. Uncut Family Guy (compared to the abomination in syndication right now, ugh), Venture Brothers, Robot Chicken, The Boondocks, Frisky Dingo, and others made my week complete. - Doctor Who on Sci-Fi and Torchwood on BBC America: I missed the entire third season of the Doctor's adventures through time and dimensions and the first season of the raunchier, darker spinoff on BBC America. - USA Network's original programs: Monk, Psych, The 4400, and The

Sprinter. Hurdler. State champion. National champion. Hall of famer. Olympic gold metalist. Until last week, LaTasha Colander was all of these. She won a gold metal in the 4X400 Meter Relay at the Sydney Olympics of 2000. And she was fast. She was always fast as long as I knew her. We weren't friends in the traditional sense. We had common friends at Wilson High, but we rarely came across each other in the halls. She was a year ahead of me as well. But my school and my city was proud of her and her efforts. In 2000, the city gave here a homecoming parade to celebrate her Olympic victory. My then three-year old cousin even posed with her and wore the gold metal around his neck (I would have shared this photo with you, but some bastard stole my photography portfolio, which included the photo AND the negatives, that semester). It was a proud moment for Woodrow Wilson High School (where Perry Ellis held his first ever fashion show and where Missy Elliott first performed) and a grander

It was unbearably hot today. Almost sticky hot. Remainder of the week likely to be just as hot. Today's weather got me to thinking . . . isn't Christmas and the holiday season just a mere two months away? I know it is because, it is October, and stores are already stocking Christmas products in the stores. Lights, stockings, wrapping paper, garland, wreaths. They're in stores right now. Thought that people were supposed to be "declaring a war on Christmas." At least, that's what I heard from egotistical, smug folks on talk radio. Something I urge you not to do. Listen to talk radio. Speaking of people talking and yet saying nothing, why do people with webpages still post under pseudonyms? Are they ashamed of who they are or are they just afraid to reveal themselves? I know I was guilty of hiding behind a comic book character's name for a number of years online, at least on forums. Of course, nowadays, I post freely. I'm proud of what I write, for the m

Remember that Looney Tunes cartoon with a mouse tormenting this cat throughout it, and the mouse kept on calling the cat "Sucker!"? Well, I'm going to reenact a scene, sort of. Playing the role of the cat, The CW Television Network, who handed over control to their lucrative Saturday morning block to a competitor, 4Kids Entertainment, who is, again for the uninitiated, THE WORST ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY ON THE PLANET. And playing the role of the mouse, moi . Say, "cat," have you seen the latest ratings reports? Yeah, I know, ratings are a generally a joke, but this week, the joke's on you. Presenting, this weekend's ratings for ages 6 - 11. Kids' WB vs. 4KidsTV 8 AM (all times Eastern): KWB: Tom and Jerry Tales 1.4/7 4KT: Adrenaline Project 0.4/4 8:30 AM: KWB: Tom and Jerry Tales 1.8/8 4KT: Yu-Gi-Oh! GX 0.7/3 9 AM: KWB: Skunk Fu! 1.6/7 4KT: Chaotic 1.2/5 9:30 AM: KWB: Shaggy and Scooby-Doo Get A Clue - 1.6/7 4KT: Fast Forward - 1.3/6 10 AM: KWB: Eon Kid

As you've probably heard by now, 4Kids Entertainment, again, The WORST ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY IN THE WORLD, is now going to control 2/5 of Saturday morning programming on broadcast television after The CW handed them control of their Saturday morning block currently housed by Kids' WB. 4Kids is managing all aspects of both The CW and Fox in the 2008-09 season. Now, Bruce Rosenblum, president of Warner Bros. Television, gave a statement yesterday to Variety Magazine essentially spinning the story of his division's apparent laziness and lack of confidence. He didn't say so much, but I broke down what he said for those that refuse to pay attention. His words are quoted. My translations aren't. "Clearly, this was an issue that we examined closely with our partners at CBS." The same CBS Paramount Television that has access to a library of characters, including classic properties like TerryToons and television properties that could have been adapted to animated f

I'm sure you've heard by now that 4Kids Entertainment, the WORST COMPANY IN THE WORLD (not to be confused with the MOST POORLY RAN ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY IN THE WORLD, which is still Time Warner), has a new knotch in its belt. Starting in the fall of 2008, 4Kids will program the Saturday morning block on The CW. That's right, Kids' WB is about to go the way of Fox Kids, literally. And they're going to continue to program Fox's Saturday morning block at the same time which begs the question whether this is legal. But something popped in my head a few moments ago, so excuse me if it's not totally coherent: What if Time Warner is about to turn Cartoon Network into Kids' WB? I mean, the Kids' WB name and brand, like the Cartoon Network name and brand, are valuable assets to Time Warner, and since the KWB name isn't going to be used on the Saturday morning block on The CW after next season, they, meaning the idiots at Time Warner, might attach the name

Remember what Cartoon Network and Boomerang promos used to look like before they got stupid? I found out where the spirit that guided Cartoon Network for nine of its 15 years went to. It's in Canada. Today, ironically 15 years after ol' checkerboard launched, Teletoon launched their own classic animation station, Teletoon RETRO. Oh, and here's the promo: As you can see, it's very much like Cartoon Network pre-Time-Warner. Cheap but fun. And boy, is that fun. It launched at 6 PM today, and I wish it much luck in the future. Wish I could see it.

It's hard to believe it's been 15 years since Droopy pushed the Acme dynamite plunger launching the world's first all-animation channel called Cartoon Network. Twenty-four hours of cartoons was a radical concept back in 1992. Fifteen years later, it seems to be an even more radical concept since there are only a handful of all-animation channels on the air worldwide. Cartoon Network isn't one of them anymore. Since 2005, Cartoon Network has been pushing an agenda of live-action to gain viewers. The network that has been the exclusive home of Looney Tunes and the home of Dexter's Laboratory, The Powerpuff Girls, Toonami, Adult Swim, Samurai Jack, Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends, and other cartoons is now the home of live-action properties like Out of Jimmy's Head and Goosebumps, not to mention older movies with very little connection to animation. I remember my first time looking at Cartoon Network. I remember my last time looking at Cartoon Network. So,

Still around. Been working for a living. Apparently, I'm on retainer as a web designer for this photography site. I designed the look and feel of the site. Got paid a small amount (which everybody tells me), but on the bright side, I'll get paid for my future services for the forthcoming months. It's four figures per assignment, so needless to say, it's a job. I'm also working on the four IK Comics titles. Since I finally got a scanner, now I could post images here and there. Right now, a couple of teaser images are at my deviantART page. It's so fun. Also, it's been five years since I've been thrashing Cartoon Network. Five glorious years after being such a yes-man for an entity that has, more or less, acknowledged my works and existance but wants absolutely nothing to do with me. That whole (twice) failed network in the UK was probably the last straw, and I began looking closely at them and criticizing them more openly ever since. Criticizing CN before

Okay, for starters, I know that this is something that would have been posted at The X Bridge, but, that site resumes normal programming on September 10, 2007. A lot of stuff on that end coming down the pike. I'll reveal it then. Second, I'm kind of interested in this story as someone looking for something different from the normal. Remember KidsCo? Let me refresh your memory if you don't. A consortium of entertainment companies (DiC Entertainment, Corus Entertainment, and Sparrowhawk) got together earlier in the year and announced plans to launch a "fourth voice in children's entertainment," a joint venture that would lead to the creation of international channels worldwide with the exception of North America. That's when I stopped giving them any credence because, well, how could you compete against the other three voices (Disney, Nickelodeon, and that channel that I refuse to talk about based in Atlanta) if you don't do it on their home turf? But so

Cartoon Network is scheduling a live-action hour-long reality special during Toonami next Saturday. Right? Toon Disney is premiering Superman and Batman on Jetix in October. Right? Disney Channel's High School Musical 2 was the most watched program in the history of cable. Right? Nickelodeon is actually getting a lot of press for next month's upcoming premiere of Avatar. Right? Okay. Dear Cartoon Network: You lose. Signed, The Disney Channel. Co-signed, Nickelodeon, Toon Disney, and the Unacknowledged. Cartoon Network, Time-Warner's mistreatment of the network . . . you know something, I'm not even going to blame Time-Warner for Cartoon Network's lack of direction anymore. It was bad when Time-Warner didn't give a damn about Cartoon Network. Now that The Network doesn't give a damn about itself, why in the hell should I or anybody else? As of this moment, I will no longer promote anything that airs or is a part of Cartoon Network in any shape or form. I won&

Remember a couple of months ago when I wrote about why they haven't considered making a Jonny Quest live-action movie ? Well, apparently somebody must've read my thoughts about the subject. Yesterday, Warner Bros. announced that producers Adrian Askarieh and Daniel Alter are bringing the classic animated series to the big screen. They say they're using "Raiders of the Lost Ark" as the model and the recent "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies as the edge. And they want Race Bannon to be a former agent akin to Jason Bourne. Actually sounds promising, and considering the producers are echoing some of the same points I made here two months ago, I'm actually curious about how the franchise will be handled and if Warner Bros. Animation will actually reignite Jonny, Hadji, Race, Benton, and Bandit back in animated form. Oh, what a time to be a JQ fan.

I'm a fan of Steven Spielberg. I've seen nearly all of his work, and I feel that he's the epitome of the classic filmmaker (not a modern filmmaker, mind you; as much of a fan I am, I think the directors of A Band Apart are what I'd like to be if I was a director). I know he has been a producer for . . . ever, but some things I wonder if Spielberg just signed on for a paycheck only. On The Lot is one of those occasions. Filmmakers competing for a chance for a $1 million-dollar contract with Dreamworks, the studio Mr. Spielberg co-founded and sold to Viacom, who already owned Paramount Pictures (but that's a whole other story). At first, it seemed like a grand experiment. Then, all of a sudden, it transformed into a nerdy "American Idol" for film geeks. Hoping to see the show improve, it, alas, didn't. Fox pared down the airings from two episodes a week to one, and effectively killed the show, though the show is still on. I can't totally blame Spielb

First of all, GO SEE TRANSFORMERS!! Action, comedy, romance, intrigue, man, that completely blew away my expectations. Wonder why they couldn't do that kind of a movie back in the 80s? Oh, yeah, technology has advanced. I think you could do a movie like the original Toy Story on a home computer now. I didn't want Transformers to end, and there's going to be a sequel. So, if you haven't, GO SEE TRANSFORMERS!!!!! I'll review it in full on the main site in the coming days. Wait for it. Second, when I left the movie, I saw a poster for the Alvin and the Chipmunks movie. Without seeing a scene, I can safely say "No." No, no, no, no, NO!! Not another ill-concieved cartoon-to-live-action project. As if Underdog was bad enough, now we have . . . okay, realistic-looking chipmunks wearing the trademark colors, but not the trademark attire. Alvin . . . in a hoodie. I'll say no more. Third, that JJ Abrams-produced movie trailer was probably the best movie trailer

To the American readers of this site, happy Independence Day, the day a bunch of rich White slaveowners declared they didn't want to have anything to do with the British monarchy anymore, announced they were no longer British, and considered themselves (but not the slaves they owned) free. Of course, we celebrate this great day with explosions, cookouts, and other activities. As a descendant of West Indian slaves, Creoles, Britons, Scots, Irish, and the Powhattan tribe, not really sure what to make of Independence Day myself, but since I am an American, I celebrate my country's 231st birthday this day. To celebrate, here's a YouTube video celebrating two of America's greatest contributions to the world: Latin American music and television promos. Enjoy, and happy Independence Day:

Although yesterday was the actual day of celebrating the greatness that is Canada, today is the official observation date. Oh, Canada. A beautiful country filled with creative minds, diverse viewpoints, and talented individuals. The home of YTV and Teletoon, not to mention several of my favorite animation studios like Nelvana, Mainframe, and Nerd Corps. Americans don't really give Canada its due, which is unfortunate. So, on this day of days, celebrate the greatness that is Canada. Check out Storm Hawks on Cartoon Network. Go to iTunes and pick up a few tunes from Alanis, Nickelback, Avril, and Barenaked Ladies. Buy a couple of ReBoot titles if you can find them (or at least check out the awesome Art of ReBoot book in a bookstore near you). Watch a few episodes of Kids in the Hall, You Can't Do That on Television, DeGrassi, Eek! The Cat, DaVinci's Inquest, and Ed, Edd, and Eddy if you can. Or check this out, a third of an episode of Class of the Titans straight from the sho

It's July 1, 2007, so I would like to wish all my Canadian readers a Happy Canada Day. Canada has given the world so much in the world of entertain - - what? It's celebrated tomorrow? Oh! Well, I had a small post to say . . . guess I'll make it tomorrow. In the meantime, enjoy this small clip from Class of the Titans, a series Americans have yet to witness, and it's a bloody shame:

I haven't had cable in two months, and I have mixed emotions about it. I miss the variety cable has to offer as well as a clearer signal of broadcast television. However, in the absence of cable, I've realized one strange fact. Cable is very toxic. I'm not being metaphotical either. Cable television often made me physically ill, and I didn't realize it until it was gone. Cable news is the worse offenders and the most toxic element of cable television. Fox News is so one sided when it comes to their primetime lineup and certain news stories as well as having obnoxious, arrogant, smug personalities shouting at and talking on top of their guests, even cutting off their mikes mid-interview, and the other three major cable news channels wanted to emulate them. Headline News has this guy that is so xenophobic, sexist, and racist anchoring the night followed by a woman who lacks grace when it comes to . . . anything. MSNBC and CNN are no better. They put emphasis on turning ce

In light of the sad, tragic events that occurred over the weekend involving one of my favorite wrestlers of all time, I'm just glad to read something good to lighten the mood. Scratch that, not something good. Something GREAT! According to Variety, Fred Seibert (creator of the MTV logo, the architect of the imaging and packaging Nickelodeon uses to this day, former president of Hanna-Barbera, founder of Frederator Studios, and the most underappreciated guy in the animation industry today) and a pair of entertainment executives announced plans to launch a new independent animation movie company, Frederator Films. Their mission is a great one: To create 2D and genre-based animated films aimed towards young men with a low, but workable budget. Here's the text (caution - Varietyspeak is in abundance in this piece): A trio of toon veterans are launching Frederator Films as an indie feature film company with a mission to produce 2-D animated genre movies budgeted below $20 million. F

Things I Can Strike Out on a list for Things I Thought I'd Never See: - A professional team originally named after a movie starring Emilio Estévez or inspired an animated series winning a professional championship. Congratulations to the Anaheim (Mighty) Ducks, your 2006-07 NHL Stanley Cup Champions! Quack, quack.

Finally! I've realized why Cartoon Network and Warner Bros. aren't interested in animation anymore. They're turning them all into live-action movies. Over the past couple of weeks, the following films have been greenlit for production: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Teen Titans ThunderCats Adding the Speed Racer movie still in production as well as the Voltron and Johnny Bravo movies still in production hell, a lot of animated titles are becoming fleshed out. Originality is no longer needed in Hollywood, and whatever makes a better toyetic franchise, the more likely it'll be made. They still haven't officially announced the new ThunderCats series (coming in fall 2008 to either CN or the CW), but hey, there's officially going to be a live-action version coming soon. Still, any excuse for Mattel to make new MOTU action figures (and ThunderCats since Mattel's the master toymaker for all things Warner Bros), the better. But, how about creating something

Why does My Network TV continue to exist? Seriously, why does Fox continue to prove that they cannot operate a second broadcast network? MNT's a failure. A miserable, tactless failure that needs to go the way of DuMont and PTEN. The telenovella format bombed. The lineup is now filled with old movies, failed reality shows, celebrity news "documentaries," and an MMA league that's not UFC nor Pride. The new lineup looks the same as well. And poor affiliates that aren't owned by Fox have to suffer with limited acquisitions, no Saturday morning lineup, and little support from Fox themselves. All because they wanted to be affiliated by a network since UPN and The WB merged into The CW. Of course, the reason why they did that is because, well, if they didn't, Fox would have killed UPN in September 2006 by dropping the network affiliation from top markets. MNT barely registers on the consciousness of Americans. Even The CW has created a niche in its year of existance.

Front page is fixed up a little. To my surprise, Blogger added a few new toys to play around with. So, say aloha to the old look and the retirement of the Thoughtnami: Animated Thoughts name/logo, and say aloha to an evolving look and the site's newish name: Jeff Harris' Thoughtnami. Speaking of new arrivals, I've posted links to The American Roadtrip Sessions , Richard Mage's Search , and The Hangar . Keen-eyed readers will notice that these new links share the names of three IK Comics titles, coming in 2008. You don't suppose that . . . nah, I'm not that clever or smart, am I? Well, these blogs will entertain you until the actual comics arrive and are written in character. I'm not crazy, just a little unwell. Next week, I think I'm going to test out the audio component of this site. Yes, audio. It'll probably be fun as well as bad for your health. I'll talk about that later.

I've been numb since Monday morning, but the reality of it all didn't really hit me until Tuesday afternoon. On Monday, April 16, 2007, a sad, dangerous madman with his own agenda killed 32 students, instructors, and professors at Virginia Polytechnical Institute within hours before turning the gun on himself. For those that don't know, I live in Virginia. I live in the southeastern end of the commonwealth while Blacksburg is many miles away in the northwestern end of the commonwealth, so needless to say, over here, the Virginia Tech tragedy has hit hard around these parts. I didn't attend Virginia Tech (I went to ODU), but I know people that did. I didn't personally know anybody who was killed, but I do feel the same kind of remorse their love ones feel today. Of course, as a result of the events of 4/16, some folks feel many kind of emotions. Parents hug their children a little more these days, though some of them fear them going away for college as a result. Fear

Yeah, I'm posting articles around here at Thoughtnami, a break of sorts from what I'm doing at The X Bridge. Toonami turns 10 next Saturday, but I needed to take a breather on that. Plus, I hate Cartoon Network, which kind of puts a crimp in my love for the block. Talk about moral dilemma. Anyway, I looked around here and decided to finish up an article I made but never published. New articles coming here and the flipside of The X Bridge, BXT, in the weeks to come, so, enjoy this little nugget for now: I watched a rerun of Beakman's World the other morning. I was surprised that Sony brought it back to television, but it was a pleasant surprise. Beakman is one of those cool educational shows from back in the day that didn't insult the viewer's intelligence, up there with Mr. Wizard, Bill Nye the Science Guy, and The Electric Company. But I digress. Aside from the fact that the show is apparently, yet foolishly rated TV-PG (oh, in case you never read TXB, TV-PG is not

We know our time is not promised on this world, which is why we live each day like it's our last. We were born under a strange moon in a world that now knows nothing but fear and uncertainty. We learned early in our lives that a world without hope is a world that will not last. Quite frankly, we're pretty used to this world of ours, so we have to reclaim it from those that inspire fear and uncertainty, the evil in our world. When we fall, we fall face first, enjoying the breeze, and reveling in the fact that this is not the end of anything, but rather, a time to just relax. We fall at incredible speeds from heights once thought unimaginable by man, and though people tell us we shouldn't, we do. When we fall, we display nor have no fear. If you accept fear into your lives, then you die. We know our time is not promised on this world, which is why we live each day like it's our last. We're just doing it wearing a black and white mask. Chronicles. 2008.

Isn't this kind of illegal? I mean, there are only two subscription-based satellite radio services in the US, and the fact that they're merging may be a boon for the industry or a sign of media consolidation run amok yet again. Oh, I know the Time Warner blokes wish that Levin and Case never embraced with a hug on a public stage. I mean, if XM and Sirius merged, what's next? Will we expect Pepsico and The Coca-Cola Company making a similar stock-swap deal to form the world's biggest soft-drink company and stripping certain brands while keeping others? How about MTV and MuchMusic burying the hatchet and actually getting along creating a global music network? As the gas and airline companies proved, consolidation in a single industry is never a good thing, and I fear that if XM and Sirius's merger becomes a reality, what will happen? It doesn't matter to me, I don't really listen to much radio (terrestrial or satellite) these days anyway. Much of the scat that

Let me see if I read this news article from Cynopsis Kids right: Genius Products (GNPI), a DVD producer/licensor/distributor, and The Weinstein Company (TWC) have inked a long-term pact with Entertainment Rights and Classic Media for the distribution, co-production and co-financing of a range of home video and videogame productions for the family, kids and teen markets. Under the terms of the deal GNPI has the exclusive North American distribution rights for home video and certain digital media distribution rights for Classic and ER's catalogs (e.g. Lassie, Fat Albert, Postman Pat, Rupert Bear, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and VeggieTales), as well as for ER, Classic and TWC new co-productions and co-financed slate of kid-targeted new animated productions (e.g. The Lone Ranger, Gumby, and She Ra and Kung Fu Magoo). In addition, GNPI will have North American distribution rights for a slate of up to 12 new videogames it will produce and finance based on titles in the ER and Film

Well, another year over and another has just begun. Hope you all have a safe and happy new year, and if the fates allow, we'll do this all again . . . much later in the year.