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Time on "Pirates of Primetime"
binarydreams writes "Time has a pretty decent article on the capturing and trading of television shows on the Internet. The author gives a very good description of the capturing process, the people who enjoy the results, the future of PVR (focusing on the Replay 4000) and why the TV and movie industries are scared."
This is just more of the TV industry coming to grips
with what happened to the music industry. But it's
important that the mainstream learns about it.
I derive great pleasure by watching (and hearing about) the foibles of geriatric Jack Valenti. He's been around forever -- since the days of JFK in various positions, IIRC -- and is probably the the thing that's standing between the MPAA and forward-thinking, progressive movement.
This is off-topic, but when I was 9 or 10 I desperately wanted to get into films like 'Apocalypse Now' and the 'Deer Hunter.' I didn't want to go accompanied with my parents (I did, eventually) and so took the opportunity to write Mr. Valenti and short (and not irate) letter about problems with the MPAA rating system. Now, say what you will about a 10 year old going to see 'Apocalypse Now' (and make cracks about it not being a good film anyway, blah blah blah) it was one of those formative experience films -- and I understood that even before seeing it.
Anyway, I had the letter proofed by various people (my dad taught English at a local college, so it was easy to get a bunch of opinions on whether or not the letter was 'too shrill' or 'too juvenile') and wrote a variety of drafts. The gist was this: that the MPAA rating system (before the days of PG-13) as it existed in 1979 was unfair: that it should be up to parents whether or not their children could go see a movie unaccompanied. My parents *wanted* to see 'Apocalypse Now' and 'The Deer Hunter' and 'Coming Home' and -- a few years before -- 'Saturday Night Fever' -- so it wasn't a matter of me not being able to go -- it was one of those 'on principle' things: who is this MPAA and why are they making rules for parents on what they can and can't do with their kids? (Kids can go to movies -- but only if their parents are there, too. To me, it was absurd. I mean, I was watching stuff like 'Wild Strawberries' and 'The Bicyle Thief' and 'Walkabout' (yeah, I know, it sounds pretentious -- blah blah blah -- but that's the sort of world I lived in -- lots of good films, good books, and I loved every minute of it) so it was absurd that some guy named Jack Valenti was telling me I couldn't see certain films by myself.
Anyway, I wrote the letter. Wrote many drafts. Finally nailed it. It was a page long. Not shrill. Thoughtful, but fim. I mailed it off to him. (A friend of a friend got his actual address.)
And I *never* heard back. Not a peep. Not a form letter. Nothing.
I thought: well, fuck him. I knew it was a dumb thing to do -- sending off a letter of complaint. And I knew even then that I was raging into the chasm. There was nothing down there except the sound of my own voice. I knew that.
But I at least expected a response. Some inkling that after all the trouble I went through he'd at least "took note" of my complaint and thanked me for writing and understood my frustration but, ya know, that's just the way it was.
What does this have to do with the topic at hand? Not much except for the Valenti link. The fact that it's still -- after all these years -- Jack Valenti telling us what we can and can't do. And why we're wrong doing what we're doing. It's Hilary Rosen, too, over at the RIAA -- I know that.
But somehow my little experience 15 years (I finally realized) is emblematic of the whole problem with corporate giants: that no one, in the end, gives a fuck. The corporations don't, at least. The politicians try, sure. But they're hamstrung by Valenti and Rosen and all the lawyers fighting the 'Bleak House'-like endless legal battle: battling for years and years. The point of the case is all but forgotten. But they're still suing, still collecting their fees.
That first lesson in cynicism still rankles me to this day. I wonder if he ever even read my little letter.
How is this any different than me hitting the fast forward button on my VCR? Anyways the only commercials that seem to be on TV are drugs that cure one disease but end up with so many side effects that the commercial spends most of the time listing those. The worst part, they don't even tell you what the drug fixes.
Take Diapamil and wake up to life! Diapamil may cause bloodshot eyes, irritable bowel syndrome, sleeplessness, cancer of the sphincter and in some cases death. If you breath an oxygen and nitrogen atmosphere, please consult a Doctor before taking Diapamil. Diapamil is not recommended for those already awake to life. Diapamil should not be used by people that are abusing dihydrogen oxide.
Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.
"The cartoon was really created by the Russian government"
:)
:)
Actually, the Smurfs are far worse than any Soviet plot: they're French. That's French culture and their version of "liberte, egalite, fratenite" that's being broadcast on our TVs.
If anything, Gargamel and Azrael are Americans, our evil consumerism (looking to devour the poor Frogs^H^H^H^H^HSmurfs) and the domination of our culture. All they can do is run and hide in their tiny Republic controlled by what is little more than a benevolent dictator (which France has a history of, from Napoleon to Chirac). Of course you also have Brainy Smurf (Prime Minister, anybody?) who just thinks he has a say in government.
Magic then becomes analogous to nuclear weapons. Gargamel is a powerful wizard with the ability to destroy countries if given half a chance, and Papa Smurf has to use his own magic from time to time to threaten and defend themselves from him.
Of course Gargamel does have something to fear from a certain giant (here's the Soviet Union), and the Smurfs are always so smart for playing Gargamel and that giant (who's name I don't remember) against each other and secretly coming out on top.
Who else could imagine a single woman (and later an under-aged girl) satisfying the sexual desires of an entire village if not the French? Well, maybe not the entire village... Vainey is obviously gay and probably has something gone on on the side with Hefty and possibly Brainey.
If you're going to denounce the evils of the Smurfs, you should at least make sure to blame the right people.
And before you mod me down, we're talking about the evils of the media as well as a broadcast television show that is probably available for download (and suspiciously not included in the list of shows the networks are worried about). Laugh a little!
Oh, I'm missing something - ahh yes ...
She's a student. She should be
a) studying
b) socialising
c) earning money to pay for degree.
Unless it's a media degree, I can't think of a larger waste of time at university than watching television (unless it's taped lectures). When I was there, there weren't enough hours in the week to do everything. Sports, societies, meeting new people, parties ...
Tell her to go out and meet people.
Personally I always thought the French connection was the most obvious. H-B bought the rights to air English episodes in the US from the Belgian copyright owner Peyo, and we all know Belgium is more French than Quebec. :)