Community Forums => General Chat => Topic started by: mouse_clicker on February 02, 2004, 07:28:15 AM
Title: I....hate.....Fox....so....much
Post by: mouse_clicker on February 02, 2004, 07:28:15 AM
It appears that Fox is making a new movie, to be directed by Mike Judge (of Beavis and Butthead and King of the Hill fame), entitled 3001. The basic plot for 3001 is an average American is chosen by the Pentagon to test out an experimental hibernation program. He wakes up 1,000 years later in a dumbed down society. Ringing any bells? Anyone who has even heard of Futurama could tell you this is a blatant rip off, even going so far as to imitate one episode in particular, The Day the Earth Stood Stupid. I've seriously had about as much as I can take from Fox! First they screw over Futurama when it was still airing by constantly shifting its timeslot and preempting it with football, then they mercilessly cancelled it for no apparent reason, and now, apparently to add insult to injury, they rip off the show's premise for a new live action movie! Directed by Mike Judge, no less (why King of the Hill is still being shown is beyond me)! It's as if Fox has absolutely no respect for what Matt Groening has done for them! I guess I can't say it's surprising, though- Fox appears to be run by the most incompetent humans ever to grace this planet. I....hate.....Fox....so....much.
Title: RE:I....hate.....Fox....so....much
Post by: Jale on February 02, 2004, 07:30:58 AM
Strange how television executives and "most incompetent humans ever" usually goes in the same sentence.
They are always doing things like this, If you dont like it, dont watch it.
Title: RE:I....hate.....Fox....so....much
Post by: mouse_clicker on February 02, 2004, 07:34:57 AM
Jale, it's not a matter of watching Fox or not. It's about how Fox is being one gigantic ass when it comes to dealing with Futurama (or Family Guy, for that matter). What this live action movie most likely means is that Fox will NOT be making a theatrical Futurama movie, despite the fact that it would be much cheaper and already has a very large fanbase (that Fox will do anything not to recognize).
Title: RE: I....hate.....Fox....so....much
Post by: Ian Sane on February 02, 2004, 08:33:02 AM
Who owns the rights to Futurama? If Fox does then nothing can be done but if not I smell lawsuit. Those two ideas are WAY too similar. Mike Judge did direct Office Space though so at the very least from an artistic point of view this film could be pretty good. I won't see it in theatre though just to f*ck over Fox. Of course if the film bombs they'll be all like "See! People hate this future stuff and that's why we canned Futurama."
Execs are 99% of the time idiots because they're always business school dipsh!ts with no real world experience. They are then put in charge of something they are totally ignorant of but because they have a degree they don't realize their own ignorance. They're not entertainers, they're business men and thus have no idea what entertainment is. You see that everywhere where a form of entertainment brings in big bucks.
My biggest beef with Fox is that their promos for 24 completely blow the big shock of every episode. If someone dies or turns on someone I guarantee that Fox will blow it in the promo.
Title: RE:I....hate.....Fox....so....much
Post by: mouse_clicker on February 02, 2004, 08:40:11 AM
I believe Matt Groening owns the rights to Futurama, which I've heard is why Fox was such an @$$hole with the show- Fox basically rented out the episodes, whereas with The Simpsons they own it completely (the voice actors can't even do their characters in public without permission). Hence all the time shifts and whatnot, to pressure Groening into selling Futurama to Fox, which he never did, so they cancelled the show.
Title: RE: I....hate.....Fox....so....much
Post by: Ian Sane on February 02, 2004, 09:06:34 AM
"whereas with The Simpsons they own it completely"
That explains a LOT considering how long that show has been running and how the quality has just gone down the sh!tter. I've noticed that Fox tends to do two things with their shows. They either can them prematurely (Family Guy, Futurama) or run them until even the hardcore fans don't give a sh!t (X-Files, 90210). Has there ever been a Fox show that quit while it was ahead like Seinfeld and Cheers.
What would be really funny is if some other network made a deal with Groening to show new episodes and Futurama became a huge success as a result and made tons of money for both the network and Groening. Man that would be sweet.
Title: RE:I....hate.....Fox....so....much
Post by: mouse_clicker on February 02, 2004, 09:12:20 AM
Both Futurama and Family Guy get magnificent ratings on Cartoon Network, but since it's a cable channel it could never offer the ratings that Fox could have. Cartoon Network even thought about reviving Futurama, like they did with Home Moves and (I believe) Big O, but it cost too much, some $500,000 an episode.
Title: RE:I....hate.....Fox....so....much
Post by: yellowfellow on February 02, 2004, 11:36:57 AM
Quote Execs are 99% of the time idiots because they're always business school dipsh!ts with no real world experience. They are then put in charge of something they are totally ignorant of but because they have a degree they don't realize their own ignorance.
i understand when you say that execs are business trained and not entertainment trained, therefore, their judgements are all based on numbers and statistics. and i agree that many decisions appear to have no precedence, however, i disagree that execs are idiots because they have a degree and no "real world" experience. to get anywhere in the business world just about everyone requires an MBA and essentially all MBA programs require a minimum of 2-3 years of full time business experience. I also would be interested in seeing a company that hired graduates and placed them into executive positions. perhaps i should persue an MBA and scrap this PhD nonsense
Title: RE: I....hate.....Fox....so....much
Post by: Ian Sane on February 02, 2004, 11:54:01 AM
Obviously not everyone who is a business executive is a dolt but a lot of the ones in the entertainment business are. And as I said it's because they don't have any real experience in the entertainment field. I guess I should have specified execs in the entertainment industry.
And since it seems relevant I'm going to quote Futurama:
Gunter: "All I want to be is a monkey of moderate intelligence who wears a suit. That's why I'm transferring to business school!"
Professor Farnsworth: "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!"
Title: RE: I....hate.....Fox....so....much
Post by: ThePerm on February 02, 2004, 01:08:30 PM
being made by mike judge means it will be a different vision of future...mike judge will prolly have a redneck starcraft future while matt groening had a flash gordenesque future.
Title: RE:I....hate.....Fox....so....much
Post by: mouse_clicker on February 02, 2004, 01:18:39 PM
Ian: You forgot that at the end of that episode (Mars University) it says Gunter later went on to become the president of Fox.
Title: RE: I....hate.....Fox....so....much
Post by: Termin8Anakin on February 02, 2004, 01:33:53 PM
I find it kind of weird with the Futurama situation, because Channel 7 (the channel that airs Futurama here in Australia) did the exact same thing as Fox - it used to be a prime time show, then it was moved to the obscure time of 11:30pm when nobody would watch it. They also kept switching the days it was on - Saturday, MOnday, Tuesday - and I would only reember it was on cause it was after The Amazing Race. Then it just went off air. Then a few months ago, it was back on, at 11:30pm, with no ads telling people it was on whatsoever. So Fox and Channe 7, good on ya! You just ruined a great show!
Title: RE: I....hate.....Fox....so....much
Post by: Ian Sane on February 02, 2004, 01:39:02 PM
"You forgot that at the end of that episode (Mars University) it says Gunter later went on to become the president of Fox."
Heh heh. I forgot about that. Ironically enough Gunter would probably be president of Fox in the time period this movie takes place.
Man I love that college episode. I recently saw Animal House for the first time and that episode is all the more hilarious now that I get all of the references.
Title: RE:I....hate.....Fox....so....much
Post by: Hostile Creation on February 02, 2004, 04:48:49 PM
Everyone involved with the cancellation of Family Guy should be tortured and killed. A lot.
Awesome show. . . Futurama is good, too. This is dumb.
Title: RE: I....hate.....Fox....so....much
Post by: Berny on February 02, 2004, 05:44:21 PM
Anyone want to march over to the Black Gate of Fox and tear down their towers? I'm looking for stout–hearted men from Gondor and/or Rohan to help smite some Orcs (ie: Fox executives). Once we're done with them, we can march over to Univesal Studios and give 'em hell for what they did to Angry Beavers and Invader Zim. Then we can tell them to keep up the good work on Fairly Odd Parents. ^_^
A Futurama movie would have been great....too bad...
Title: RE: I....hate.....Fox....so....much
Post by: KDR_11k on February 02, 2004, 09:12:13 PM
So, let's make thisclear: Is Fox worse than NoE or NoAus?
Title: RE: I....hate.....Fox....so....much
Post by: DrZoidberg on February 02, 2004, 09:55:11 PM
ooooooooh now that IS tough... and i would love to discuss that further but now's not really the time.
If Mike Judge wasn't apart of it i would hate it with every fibre of my being, but because he's involved i'll pay it a tiny bit of interest, but i'll still end up hating it no doubt, given Futurama is probably my favorite show, close runners up being Invader Zim and Family Guy, blergh fox doesn't deserve my precious angst.
hey i'd lol at a live action Family Guy film, think the snippet where Peter is on drugs.
Title: RE:I....hate.....Fox....so....much
Post by: The Omen on February 03, 2004, 01:55:59 AM
Fox is basically a toilet. But they do try new things at least. But this movie is in fact a blatant rip off. But lets not kill Rupert until they pass on my show idea this Summer, then i'll lead the charge
Title: RE: I....hate.....Fox....so....much
Post by: thecubedcanuck on February 03, 2004, 02:53:33 AM
I can't stand Futurama.
Title: RE:I....hate.....Fox....so....much
Post by: nolimit19 on February 03, 2004, 05:34:17 AM
i like arrested development
Title: RE:I....hate.....Fox....so....much
Post by: Hostile Creation on February 03, 2004, 12:56:13 PM
Quote I can't stand Futurama.
I prefer Family Guy by far, but I don't mind Futurama. Tis better than most stuff on TV.
Title: RE:I....hate.....Fox....so....much
Post by: mouse_clicker on February 03, 2004, 01:21:34 PM
In my opinion, Futurama is one of the finest animated television shows ever to grace the TV screen. I only hold Dexter's Laboratory and Looney Tunes above it (although Futurama is making a great case for moving up to the #2 spot). The animation, the humor, the dialogue- quite literally everything about it is superb in my opinion. Not only is it a comedy show, but it gets you attached the characters as well- one such episode, Jurassic Bark, had me blubbering like a little baby at the end it was so sad. Futurama has more heart than any recent cartoon show and it was a horrible shame that Fox cancelled so needlessly. With a little more love and a consistant time slot it could have been much more popular than anyone had expected, perhaps even rising to the level of The Simpsons. The moment Fox dropped Futurama was the moment I began hating them with every last drop of energy my cells could afford, and I will never forgive them.
Title: RE:I....hate.....Fox....so....much
Post by: Renny on February 05, 2004, 04:43:02 AM
Damn straight, mouse. I only just started to realize this recently, too. The more I watch Futurama, the more I appreciate what was put into it. The consistently good writing, jokes, references and animation show how much Matt Groening cared about the show [which also explains the steady decline of The Simpsons]. Conversely, the more I watch Family Guy the less I like it. Some of the off-the-wall jokes and clumsy references [Jeff Foxworthy in a closet? :¬\] really start to fall painfully flat after several viewings. Only the one or two great jokes per episode keep me watching [think the flea extermination scene, the bull in the china shop, or the 'chicken fight']. I watch every night, in hope that we might one day see new episodes of Futurama. I don't think we'll see comedy animation that could touch early Simpsons anytime soon, but Futurama is the closest thing we have now.
Title: RE:I....hate.....Fox....so....much
Post by: mouse_clicker on February 05, 2004, 10:27:43 AM
Hehe, Jeffy Foxworthy is my uncle. Futurama also had him in the episode The Deep South. He didn't know about either when I told him.
Title: RE:I....hate.....Fox....so....much
Post by: mouse_clicker on February 05, 2004, 10:28:47 AM
Double post.
Title: RE:I....hate.....Fox....so....much
Post by: Hostile Creation on February 05, 2004, 04:20:21 PM
I suppose I am alone in my appreciation of bizarre, nonsensical humor of Family Guy. Alas.
*cries in corner*
Title: RE: I....hate.....Fox....so....much
Post by: Berny on February 05, 2004, 05:40:35 PM
I love Family Guy. Stewie is my favorite. I just saw an episode where his sister pretended that he was her daughter so she could get a job and he got addicted to pancakes and was taken away from his family and his new family was like, "Pancakes must be code for crack." ^_^
Title: RE:I....hate.....Fox....so....much
Post by: The Omen on February 06, 2004, 01:26:29 AM
The Family Guy is whats known as toilet bowl humor, or appealing to the lowest common denominator. Its verry funny sometimes, but also wears thin after you see a few episodes because there is no depth in the writing. Not to say i don't find it funny, but it does get old after awhile. Futurama and The Simpsons season 1-6 have layers of humor. They have the obvious, out front humor, which every age can laugh at. But they also have refference humor, innuendos, religous and political humor, which maybe young kids wouldn't understand or realize. Which is why they are funny even when you're watching the re-runs every night. I find new things in The Simpsons all the time. Thats part of the enjoyment i get from Futurama as well.
Title: RE:I....hate.....Fox....so....much
Post by: manunited4eva22 on February 06, 2004, 11:24:34 AM
Family Guy does have a lot of political references as well, Petoria was a jab at the way the US does foreign policy, as is a lot of the stuff about TV, and how people treat other groups.
Title: RE:I....hate.....Fox....so....much
Post by: mouse_clicker on February 06, 2004, 11:47:45 AM
Family Guy's political humor is all unorginal and overdone, though- funny as hell, but nothing beyond that. Personally I like Seth McFarlane's previous writing endeavors, like Dexter's Lab and Johnny Bravo, more.
Title: RE: I....hate.....Fox....so....much
Post by: Ian Sane on February 06, 2004, 12:04:08 PM
I find that Family Guy is overall a really funny show. However its jokes are really only funny the first few times. I borrowed my friend's Family Guy DVD sets and while I had a blast watching them I really found most of the episodes to be boring as hell the second time around. I don't have that problem with Futurama and I can watch virtually any Simpsons episode from seasons 3-6 again and again and still find it pretty funny. Like Omen said it has to do with the depth of the writing. The best comedies are subtle. An obvious comedy like Family Guy is still funny, it's just wears itself thin quicker.
For example compare the writing style of the two different Cosby parodies?
"Coo coo ca choo. I'm skiing. Zip zop bibbity bob." or
"You see jazz music is kinda like Kodak film, no actually it's more like a Jello pudding pop, no actually it's a lot like the new Coke. It'll be around forever."
Title: RE:I....hate.....Fox....so....much
Post by: J on February 06, 2004, 03:07:26 PM
i agree, the more i watch family guy, the less funny it gets. but the more i watch futurama, the funnier it gets. i cant wait for season 3 on dvd...
as for fox... i gave up on them after they canceled firefly...
Title: RE:I....hate.....Fox....so....much
Post by: Metaphysical Spirit on February 07, 2004, 08:55:11 PM
Hah, A lot to be said about this subject. First off, I would like to say that all these shows, are now making Cartoon Network rich. I don't know if you are guys are familiar with "Adult Swim" but it is an awesome line up of cartoons that were taken off the air, or never given their right interest. Family Guy went down, not becuase of Fox, but becuase their humor relied soo much on what was going on in the world, that a lot of people were offended and called in to complain. They are very political, very intelligent, and have everything to do with everything. They weren't afraid to make those calls to any race, political side, or religion. They had an awesome team that was open minded, and went for it. Now they are trying to make new episodes for Adult Swim, and the creator is also making a new show for Adult Swim. As for Futurama, they are also making new episodes for Adult Swim and just recently started to slowly air them. You have to figure, with the Simpsons, they go where no other cartoon goes. Really, it is based on a Comedic Philosphy. I don't know if your familiar with the Matrix and how a lot of it was based on Philosphy, but the Simpsons does the same thing. I think this is why it was and is soo successful becuase it bases on our everyday lives and it never gets old. As I say that though, keep it mind it doesn't get old, but it gets dull and less details. I think the Simpsons are going on the same road as Final Fantasy.... They are running out of ideas. Remember too, these are only my opinions. The simpsons are coming to an end, and I think they will end it with a huge movie.. maybe something to do with Maggie. They have created a while industry in themselves. (Games, Commercials, Shows, ect...) Bevis and Butthead did the same thing with their career, went while they could and ended with a movie. Fox might have lost a lot of money, but I think at the time our attention were else where. I'm not saying these shows were bad, becuase they were great, but now we miss them and want them back and now more popular than ever. Adult Swim really helps out in this area. Hell they brough back Space Ghost Coast to Coast!!! Not only that, but they are making NEW episodes for that too! Fox is a business and they look out for their money and their profit, if they don't see any of that, they don't want to see anything to do with it. It's a shame thats how most businesses work, but unfortantly thats how most of them are.
Title: RE:I....hate.....Fox....so....much
Post by: mouse_clicker on February 08, 2004, 07:50:18 AM
You have a few of things wrong, Metaphysical. First, the new episodes of Family Guy are not being made for Cartoon Network, they're going to be a straight to DVD release, as will the movie, I believe. There are rumors that Fox is thinking about reviving the series due to its incredibly good DVD sales, but that hasn't been confirmed. Second, Futurama is not coming back in any way, shape, or form for Cartoon Network- Cartoon Network toyed with the idea of reviving the series, as they did with Home Movies, but each episode costs roughly $500,000 to make (as opposed to Aqua Teen's or Sealab's $20,000)- that's just too much for a small cable network. Third, Fox is not a normal business- you can't classify their horrendous actions as simple greed for money, although that does certainly play a part. If that alone were true Family Guy and Futurama would still be on the air, especially Futurama, for reasons I've already stated. Fox is, through and through, run by dolts who can't tie their own shoes much less run a television network (or movie studio, for that matter).
Title: RE:I....hate.....Fox....so....much
Post by: Hostile Creation on February 08, 2004, 08:37:55 AM
I think one of the reasons I like Family Guy so much is the ingenuity of it. . . I mean, the Simpsons, Futurama, they're all very clever, too, but they're humor that I could actually recreate myself. I could manage some of Family Guy, but most of it is so bizarre and precise. I've got several episodes on my computer, seen them several times. Even if I don't laugh at the jokes anymore (and I usually do), I can enjoy the show just as much by appreciating the genius and trying to learn from it. Dunno, something about Family Guy simply does it a lot better than the Simpsons and stuff for me.
Title: RE:I....hate.....Fox....so....much
Post by: The Omen on February 08, 2004, 08:42:12 AM
Quote Fox is, through and through, run by dolts who can't tie their own shoes much less run a television network (or movie studio, for that matter).
Which i believe The Simpsons has shown with the constant jokes having to do with FOX and Rupert, in its glory days at least.
As for Family guy, i must stress, i do think its funny, hillarious even. But am i the only one who sees the limits of 'in your face' comedy? I mean, i laugh non stop the first time i watch an episode, but many times, the laughs are cut in half the second time i watch that same episode. The Simpsons : absolutely running short on ideas-but lets look at the facts-this is 15 years on the air. Hardly any show has reached that level. My bottom line is, its unfair to compare Simpsons in its 15th aseason to Family guy in its 4th or 5th or whatever. Compare The Simpsons 4th season to FG 4th season, and its no contest. Futurama is the second best, and its the same writer, so there you go.
Title: RE:I....hate.....Fox....so....much
Post by: mouse_clicker on February 08, 2004, 08:55:09 AM
What I don't like is when they say The Simpsons is running out of ideas- it's impossible to run out of ideas, they're just not thinking of new ones. The Simpsons is not a lost cause- with some effort it could be as funny as it once was, perhaps even funnier.
Title: RE:I....hate.....Fox....so....much
Post by: The Omen on February 08, 2004, 09:10:03 AM
They need to get back to real life, not Simpsons go to [insert stupid place here]
Title: RE:I....hate.....Fox....so....much
Post by: Metaphysical Spirit on February 08, 2004, 09:43:30 AM
With the Simpsons, it is a whole new story. Like The Omen was saying, You take The Simpsons in its gloriest of days and compare it to Family Guy, it is a no brainer. The Simpson have done something that no other show has done, and they have been running for an awefully long time. Don't get me wrong, I love the Simpsons, but after you see repeats for year and years, the concept itself gets dull. They are running out of ideas, yes and no. True, you can't run out of ideas Mouse but newer ideas aren't as full as the older episodes. Again, The Omen is right about needing to go back to real life. They have done soo much with real life that they don't know what to do anymore and as a temporary solution I think they just put them in different places and what not. I think it's all a temporary, but while they are doing this, they are loosing attention more and more. That is what I meant about running out of ideas. They CAN think of new ideas, but not at a current and smooth flow. They have to mess around first and see what works now and what doesn't. I never heard anything about the Futurama and Home Movies with it costing to much, so sorry about that wrong information. I did read a couple articles that the creator really wants to create newer episodes, and that is where I got my source from. As for Fox, You are right Mouse, but you can't blame all of fox. I'm sure there are some really good business men in the company, but I think they are just to ignorant to actually keep an open mind to everyone in the company. You hear jokes about Fox all the time with their shows, so that is appearent that they don't take their jobs (And comapny) as seriously as they should. You also look at Conan though and he rips on NBC all the time. When I said they are greedy for money, I was trying to state that they have a heavy flow of cash coming in, so why change? It is a concept that should change in businesses, but if it is getting them the money, they don't care what they do. So obviously there are some "dolts" in there, but they made it this far as a company.
Title: RE:I....hate.....Fox....so....much
Post by: ib2kool4u912 on February 08, 2004, 10:15:11 AM
Quote Originally posted by: The Omen Compare The Simpsons 4th season to FG 4th season, and its no contest. Futurama is the second best, and its the same writer, so there you go.
Well yeah, considering Family Guy only has 3 seasons. I personally prefer Family Guy by far because when i watch the Simpons I'll usually kind of chuckle to myself, but when i watch Family Guy im usually laughing out loud for almost the entire episode. I also still find many of the things funny even in some episode that i've watched over 10 times. But i guess thats just my sense of humor.
Title: RE:I....hate.....Fox....so....much
Post by: The Omen on February 08, 2004, 10:29:29 AM
Quote Well yeah, considering Family Guy only has 3 seasons. I personally prefer Family Guy by far because when i watch the Simpons I'll usually kind of chuckle to myself, but when i watch Family Guy im usually laughing out loud for almost the entire episode.
Quote The Simpsons : absolutely running short on ideas-but lets look at the facts-this is 15 years on the air. Hardly any show has reached that level. My bottom line is, its unfair to compare Simpsons in its 15th aseason to Family guy in its 4th or 5th or whatever.
I believe the 'whatever' in that sentence makes the point-i was guesstimating, but whatever season you wish to compare, The Simpsons crushes Family Guy in terms of writing. Reading an actual post , fully, may help you out next time.
Title: RE: I....hate.....Fox....so....much
Post by: ib2kool4u912 on February 08, 2004, 10:32:59 AM
I knew exactly what you were saying, i was just messing around thats why i put that smiley thing.
