555 - Whatever... A Good Writing Gimmick

I'll bet you she regrets picking up the phone!

Have you ever noticed that in a lot of  older TV shows and in older movies that the first 3 digits of any phone number is, '555'? Have you ever wondered what that is for? If so, well then I am glad I am not the only one...

I know that, that must seem like a pretty nit picky thing to wonder about, but the truth is, is I have found it odd that almost every older movie and TV series, no matter where the lead character has ever lived, that there phone number always started with '555'...

Now before I go in to this any further, let me explain to you guys what I am talking about, you see, I don't mean the area code or the country code, but in older movies and TV series, it seems like the lead character could be in Washington DC, and call China, and some how the number will always be something like, '555-1234' no matter what city/state or country you were in...

 Nancy Thompson is one who may be stuck in her house, but her father is only a phone call away...

Anyway, to answer your question, I suspect that at least partly it is an easy way to ensure that actors and actresses will always say their lines appropriately, but as a writer, I also wanted to say that it can also be used as a good writing technique!

What I mean by this is that where as it is good to always keep plenty of notes on what you are writing, I think that using a technique like, ' 555 - whatever' could also be a good way for the writer to remember a key element of the story line that he is working on... Also I hate to say it, but it is also a way for writers to kind of skip ahead of the game and get a little lazy...

Well there is a lot of tips and tricks like this, and if you happen to be starting work on your first movie script, or your first manuscript... Trust me when I say that this tip can help you out!

Opening Credits In TV Shows... Let's End The Madness

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="397"] The opening credits for, 'Supernatural'![/caption]

You know they say that blogs are a method to allow people to vent about certain problems that they have with other people and other things, and the truth is, is I have generally tried to avoid this as much as possible, but on this one I thought this kind of applied: 'Opening Credits In TV Shows... Let's Stop End The Madness'!

Don't get me wrong, some of them are truly inventive, and the first time you see them, they are kind of really cool! (A great example of this is, 'The X-Files', a great opening credit sequence the first time you see it, but after awhile it just gets old!)

There are also some opening credit sequences that are not only unimaginative, but can be kind of long and annoying and aren't really well made, (A great example of this is, 'Quantum Leap' a great show with a horrible opening credits sequences that got old the first time I saw it!)

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="431"] Great show, crummy opening credits![/caption]

So I ask you guys... What is the point in this level of torment? Is it to give the cast and the crew the chance to get their props and their name recognition? If so, then why don't they just keep the closing credits? Is it because the studios are lazy and have figured out a way to cut between 1 - 10 minutes out of their production budget for each episode?

Well I can't answer this for certain, but I will tell you this, if the studios only used the end credit sequence, and even expanded upon it if they wanted to, then in the end I think they will get more viewers that much easier... And it gives the cast and crew the chance to get their props, also if it is for budget reasons, then expand the end credits sequence a little, and you will be able to cut the time down appropriately and have a happy audience there!

I mean I don't know if you guys do this, but for me, when I record TV, I always fast forward through the opening credits... And I think we might all be better off with out them!

http://youtu.be/DjK9GJMBpt0

http://youtu.be/pYquKiVJAlE

Bring Star Trek Back To The Small Screen

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Star Trek Phase 2, a pilot that would have brought Star Trek back in the 1970s, an example of potentially a new show in the modern day?[/caption]

When I had heard about the absolute failure of, 'Enterprise' that they had decided to put a moratorium on Star Trek on both the small screen and the big screen... I was sad to hear! I mean besides the fact that Star Trek maybe historically one of the most important things that the Science Fiction genre ever produced, but this maybe one of the most prolific institutions to ever hit the big screen or small screen!

But fortunately though, J.J. Abrams (Lost) brought Star Trek back to life... And not just in the normal way that Hollywood seems to be doing these days! You see instead of just remaking, 'Star Trek' he just rebooted the series!

And so I ask, with the success of the new movie series, why not bring back Star Trek in the way that it had originally been intended? Why not bring it back to the small screen?

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="638"] A scene from the TV series, 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' the episode, 'The Best Of Both Worlds'.[/caption]

I think with the effort that most network TV stations seem to be getting away from the disastrous run that they saw when they over did the whole, 'Reality TV' craze, a few years back, that a new Star Trek show would not only help in this effort to revitalize TV, but I also think it would also help to bring Star Trek even further back to the prominence that it once had!

Another thing that I think would be great if Star Trek was brought back to TV would be to continue to bring back a certain level of respectability to the quality of TV programs on TV, what I mean by that a lot of network TV... Albeit great programming and fun shows... A lot of network TV I kind of feel (largely with Cable & Satellite TV as well,) but Star Trek's message in my opinion... And I think a lot of you would agree, but the message is one of hope and the belief that mankind can become better then where we are at!

The current standards of a lot of TV is more escapist from the tough lives that a lot of people are living today... Well the truth is, is Star Trek does the same thing as well, and there is nothing wrong with escapist TV... As a matter of fact, TV in and of itself is a medium of entertainment... And entertainment in and of itself is escapist... But modern TV has seemed to maintain the escapist entertainment, bringing back Star Trek to TV would start to bringing that back to the world!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="578"] Star Trek was a great example of TV that showed that the world could be more then what it was... especially considering the fact that the original Star Trek had a crew that was not segregated based on any sort of bigoted preference![/caption]

In the end, there is a lot of reasons to bring Star Trek back to TV, but in the end, as a fan, and I am sure that I can speak for a lot of the other Star Trek fans out there, it would be great to see a new series on TV!

http://youtu.be/G4pKq0sEjuA

5 Classic Horror Shows That Were Canceled To Early

In the world of TV, just as in the world of movies, they tend to gravitate more toward Drama/Comedy/Chick Flick style movies or TV shows, a great example of this is the fact that, 'Beverly Hills 90210' a great teen drama that lasted for about a decade was on longer than, 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'...

Now don't get me wrong, both are great shows in their own right, and in all truth and fairness, most of the bigger named Science Fiction or Horror TV Programs out there do tend to last at least 5 seasons (a pretty good run considering that most of the time these shows that go on for at least 5 seasons get at least a 100 hundred episode run if not more.)

In this case I suppose more what I am talking about is those shows that didn't make it very far but should have!  Like do you remember the show, 'Cult'? Didn't last very long, but a fun show about a TV Program and how it, and it's creator influences a group of obsessed devotee's  that are looking for something specific from the past? Of course not! I mean the  show lasted less then a regular season... And you know what? That show is a show that aired earlier this year!

But I digress and apologize, I didn't mean to rant, all I meant to say is that I thought I would do this list to remind fans of some classic horror TV that was canceled well before it's time!

And for number 5: Point Pleasant (2005 - 2006)

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="413"] Point Pleasant (2005 - 2006) a classic horror show that was canceled just when it was finally getting it's sea legs![/caption]

This awesome TV series tells the story of how after a mysterious teenage girl ends up arriving in, 'Point Pleasant', a small coastal town in New Jersey, where she is taken in by an unassuming family, but the longer she stays in this town, the more she finds out the truth about herself, and who her dark mysterious father really is!

Now this show was freaking awesome, and one could almost say is a new take on, 'The Omen', but was canceled way to early and replaced with a show that didn't make it either!

For number 4: Freddy's Nightmares (1988 - 1990).

This one is an interesting one, you see this show is loosely based on Wes Craven's, 'A Nightmare On Elm Street' movie series, which was mocked up sort of similar to the old, 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' anthology show, in which Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) would come on and introduce the stories for the show...

I will admit that I have not seen to many episodes of this series (it doesn't air a lot on TV and I have as of yet been able to find it on Netflix, but the few episodes I have seen are a lot of fun, and it is just a shame that this show did not last beyond it's 2 season run!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="410"] Considering it's backing, and the commercial success of the movies, it is extremely surprising that this show did not end up doing better then it did![/caption]

At number 3: Night Stalker (2005):

Now here is another truly awesome series that had a strong backing (considering that this is a remake of the classic tv series, 'Kolchack: The Night Stalker' but did not end up lasting to long!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="333"] Night Stalker... Another show that was canceled when it was just starting to get amazing![/caption]

You see this show which also had a great cast, including: Stuart Townsend (Queen Of The Damned) as: Carl Kolchak, an investigative reporter whom after his wife dies, ends up investigating her murder through the strange murders of other people that he believes whose deaths are linked to the murder of his wife! Helping him on this is, Gabrielle Union (Bring It On) who plays, 'Perri Reed' another investigative reporter, as well as a few other from their newspaper!

At number 2: Millennium (1996 - 1999)

Admittedly this show has lasted longer then all of the other ones that I have mentioned above... But the reason that I decided to add this series in here is because this show was so abused and mistreated when it was having it's run that every time it was just about to hit the marks and really become something truly amazing, the shows producers seemingly felt like they would have to knock it back down!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500"] A truly classic show that showed amazing potential, but just never seemed to quite get it's sea legs![/caption]

What I mean by this, is that this show which took the lead character, who was a retired FBI Agent with seeming special insight in to the mind of a killer, and how initially he worked for a group of seeming retired investigators that consulted on crimes, but seemed to have a greater agenda that in the end, the lead character tried to stop, and destroy the organization got off to a great and creepy fun start in season 1, as a matter of fact I would say that season 1 is probably one of the more memorable seasons of strictly horror TV show to be released in the late 1990s!

But then comes season 2... I won't bore you with the details except to say that it sucked! But then comes season 3... Admittedly that season took a little bit to completely get the show back on track, and just when season 3 was just starting to get really good, and had a strong potential to make the show really something, they ended the series with an episode that really sucked!

In the end, the only saving grace for this series was the crossover that had Lance Henriksen (Aliens) and Brittany Tiplady (The Pledge) who played his daughter, guest star on an episode of, 'The X-Files'

And finally at number 1: Brimstone (1998 - 1999).

I am going to be honest with you guys and say that where as all of the shows that I mentioned above were awesome, this show for me was truly spectacular that watched and re-watched a few times when the show first aired and when it went on sporadic re-runs!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="304"] A truly great show that was taken way to early![/caption]

This amazing show which starred: Peter Horton (Children Of The Corn) John Glover (RoboCop 2), and Lori Petty (Point Break) and which told the story of how after killing the man who raped his wife and then getting murdered himself, a Detective (Horton) is given a second chance by the Devil (John Glover) is given a second chance at redemption when he is asked to rescue a group of damned souls who have figured out a way to escape from Hell!

In the end, this is one of those few shows that I am still bummed out that it got canceled after only 1 season!

http://youtu.be/AaaLvZsFoUs

http://youtu.be/RYGGfbbJlKo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yTFuRmN4dQ&feature=share&list=PLF1492D6ECEEA57DA

http://youtu.be/mcKyW_AtXB0

http://youtu.be/fKJR8BEJsaU

Early 90s Cartoon Superheroes

Now we all know who people like, ‘Superman’, ‘Batman’, or organizations… (yeah I said it, organizations…) like, ‘The X-Men’, ‘The Avengers’.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="840"] Batman as he is about to kick ass in Batman: The Animated Series, a cartoon that was on TV in the early to mid 90s[/caption]

I mean immediately what comes to the minds of most people in the new millennium would be stuff like, ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ (The Latest Batman movie), or Bryan Singer’s time working on the X-Men series, or hell, even watching the mega-box office smash hit that came out a few months ago in, ‘The Avengers’…

But for most of us who were kids in the 90s, we were not quite so lucky to have these historically epic smash hit Super Hero movies to enjoy… As a matter of fact, during that time , outside of the Batman movies on the big screen, ‘Louis & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman,’ or, ‘Buffy: The Vampire Slayer’, there honestly wasn’t to many live action super hero (or super hero styled) movie or TV shows that we could enjoy!

So what did we have… We had cartoons of course, there was such truly classic super hero cartoons as, ‘X-Men’, ‘Spider Man’, ‘Batman’ and in the older term s, the old Superman movies…

You might think that because I am making this sound like the rant of an old man that, ‘we were happy to get what we could back then’… Well believe it or not, this is quite the contrary… As a matter of fact I have to say that those old cartoons were great! In some ways you could almost say that they were better than the movies!

It’s more true then you know, (and in almost every case the 90s Batman cartoon was drastically better then George Clooney’s Batman!) But either way hear me out…

What I mean by this is that, most Super Hero movies or TV series, rather they be on the big screen or the small screen, rather they are animated or live action tend to derive from their comic book predecessors, especially the ones that I have mentioned above have come from either the DC or Marvel Universes! (Of course that doesn’t go for all Superheroes on either on the big screen or the small screen but, those are for another blog…)

With the above mentioned in mind, if you are a fan of comics like I am, then you will understand why these old school cartoons about these classic super heroes are so great! What I mean by this (and the live action films do a pretty solid job of this, and some of the cartoons of today do them just,) but one of the things that the animators did on these early 90s super hero TV series did that I actually kind of thought was pretty excellent was that they drew their, ‘X-Men’, or their, ‘Superman’ in such a way so that rather they know it or not was actually an homage to the comics from where they came from!

So if you’re as much of fan of comic books as I am, it was a real treat because you got to actually kind of see these amazing, larger than life heroes come to life in some cases in the adventures that made them so popular in the comic book series!

Another thing that was kind of a real treat I believe for kids in regard to these old super hero cartoons (I know it worked for me in this fashion because in some cases I was still a child when some of these cartoons were released,) that it could start to give children their first taste, regardless of the fact that it is pretty fictionalized, that there is more out there then just there house, school, or even city, state, country or planet… I would even go so far as to say that it could give kids there first, (albeit fictionalized) taste of the importance of Science, or Science Fiction and could end up leading children in to space/space related industry or some form of Law Enforcement careers!

Now listen, I know I am putting an awful lot of importance on these old cartoons, what I said may or may not be true for your kid (I just know that it was for me when I was a kid), in the end though, these old cartoons are just a lot of fun, and can be in some ways educational for those of you out there who have kids!

http://youtu.be/HsQ5EBskkFg

http://youtu.be/KZw64rBswqc