Entries by Rob Dean (454)
Fanbase 3.0: Crowdfunding Your Passion
Rob Dean On Wednesday, June 22, 2011 at 2:00PM 
The Face of the Future?It's quite possible that Paul F. Tompkins, using little more than a pithy rejoinder and Facebook, may one day be regarded as the man that completely altered the way companies determine what entertainment to release. But let's back up...
As networks and production companies become subdivisions of mega-corporations, their output gets tied closer and closer to the financial bottom line. This means that the artistic decisions are falling to people who are more comfortable with balance sheets than they are with scripts. Additionally, there is now an overload of sources of entertainment - beyond just internet, video games, movies, music, live events, there's also movies-on-demand, thousands of cable channels, Hulu, Netflix Streaming and other ways that people can find some distraction. This oversaturated market, overseen more and more by people with interests in accounting rather than creativity, is making it tougher for programming to differentiate itself, stand out and become popular while also shrinking the window of time available to make such a splash. The result is lots of excellent, original projects are either being lost in the shuffle, canceled or pulled from screens before people have a chance to see them and/or appreciate them.
And what of those fans of these discarded flashes of brilliance? Once their beloved shows or movies are shunned by the public and by corporate masters, they turn to the internet to sign petitions, start social network groups, drum up support or simply whine on their own sites (hey!). The internet has provided these people with something that was utterly unavailable a mere 15 - 20 years ago: a sense of belonging.
While Patton Oswalt has decried the death of that singular rush and empowerment experienced when loving something in a vacuum, the majority of people are comforted to find they are not alone in their love or their interests and that they are not utterly weird or wrong for liking what they like. Misery may love company, but nerdy passion loves it even more. But ultimately, even though there may be an invisible army of like-minded folks banding together to enthuse over their shared interest, rarely does this fanbase clamoring lead to anything productive outside of fanfic or cosplaying. The corporate masters of these properties simply have no way of correlating the intensity of a clique with the possible profitability of its niche interest. That's where Paul F. Tompkins comes in...
Vaya Con Dios, Spaz
Rob Dean On Wednesday, June 22, 2011 at 12:30PM It is with a heavy heart that I write about the recent cancellation of Sports Show with Norm Macdonald. Not cuz the show was so hot, but because it means no more Kyle, Norm's hilarious and ridiculously awkward "nephew"/field reporter. Let's look back and remember the good times:
At an Ultimate Fighting Event:
| Sports Show with Norm Macdonald | Tuesdays, 10:30/9:30c | |||
| Ultimate Fighters with Kyle | ||||
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Verbiage - June 22, 2011
Rob Dean On Wednesday, June 22, 2011 at 11:00AM Today's word of the day is Fortuitous:
for·tu·i·tous
[fawr-too-i-tuh
s, -tyoo-] - happening or produced by chance; accidental: a fortuitous encounter.
- lucky; fortunate: a series of fortuitous events that advanced her career.
I'm SO AWKWARD!!!
Rob Dean On Wednesday, June 22, 2011 at 9:30AM This is a true story that happened to me:
Zelda Convention - June 21, 2011
Rob Dean On Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 5:00PM 
Quotent Quotables - June 21, 2011
Rob Dean On Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 3:30PM Self-plagiarism is style.
Today in Our Program, We Slap the Stupid Out of You
Rob Dean On Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 1:15PM Act 5, "Wake the F*ck Up!" - in this act, This American Life host Ira Glass demands justice for The Onion and joins in the the growing movement to get a Pulitzer for America's Finest News Source. Stay with us...
(NSFW - unhinged public radio DJ language)
Shit is so Ira Glass....
Terriers
Rob Dean On Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 12:30PM Double Dip Demands is a column in which I propose films that deserve a re-release on DVD/Blu-Ray with more special features, better transfers and other nerdy bits. Some of the films have no DVDs out there for Region 1 viewers, and some of them have a really crappy version that's bare bones or poorly put together. Who speaks for these films? I do.
Film: Terriers (2010 TV series)
Cast & Crew: Ted Griffin (Creator/Executive Producer), Shawn Ryan (Executive Producer); Donal Logue, Michael Raymond-James, Laura Allen
Plot Synopsis (via Wikipedia): Ex-cop and recovering alcoholic Hank Dolworth (Logue) partners with his best friend, former criminal Britt Pollack (Raymond-James) in an unlicensed private investigation business. The series is set in Ocean Beach, San Diego, California, although it is portrayed as a distinct town, Dolworth having been a member of the fictional "Ocean Beach Police Department".
Is It Out on DVD Currently?: Nope! There have been ominous suggestions that a major studio will release the DVDs - but so far nothing.
Why Does it Deserve to Have Special Features?: Firstly, the show deserves to be on disc. Thank the good Lord of the Nerds that I bought the first season on iTunes in a feeble and futile attempt at supporting the show/staving off the sting of cancellation. But it deserves to be released on disc with a bonanza of special features for a variety of reasons: 1) the show was amazing, was critically acclaimed and championed by every respected TV Critic; 2) it is over/cancelled - this is the only chance for fans to enjoy some more time with these characters/in this universe; 3) not a large audience, but a loyal one - if you make the discs amazing (but limited) then you'll make back your money and ensure that Terriers DVDs are given to relatives for all possible occasions. 4) Non-fans: for anyone that hasn't seen the show that does pick it up on disc, by having a great presentation with fun extras, you're enhancing the viewing experience which encourages the viewer to tell others about it. 5) Because I really really love this show and want these things, okay?
What Should Be on the Disc?
Verbiage - June 21, 2011
Rob Dean On Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 11:00AM Today's word of the day is Conspicuous:
Via GIFbin
con·spic·u·ous
[kuhn-spik-yoo-uhs] - easily seen or noticed; readily visible or observable: a conspicuous error.
- attracting special attention, as by outstanding qualities or eccentricities: He was conspicuous by his booming laughter.
I Skate for Me! FOR MEEEEE!
Rob Dean On Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 9:30AM When I saw this footage, all I could think of was David Cross's bit about Gabriel, the defiantly patriotic rollerblader who took to the empty streets on September 12, 2001. So I made this video combining the footage with the most patriotic song ever:
Zelda Convention - June 20, 2011
Rob Dean On Monday, June 20, 2011 at 5:00PM 
The season finale of AMC's The Killing aired last night, and thus making this image I created irrelevant for many months...
Quotent Quotables - June 20, 2011
Rob Dean On Monday, June 20, 2011 at 3:30PM The cheaper the crook, the gaudier the patter.
Week of June 20, 2011
Rob Dean On Monday, June 20, 2011 at 12:30PM Every week, we list our recommendations of new music, books, comics, movies and TV to check out. This is Recs in Effect:
Slim pickins this week, y'all...
New Book
I'm a huge fan of Gallery 1988's Crazy 4 Cult series and have bought a handful of pieces and prints from the shows. The combination of brilliant talent, unique visions and beloved films makes it an easy sell for me. Many of these pieces are being collected for this book and I would highly recommend picking it up.
Great Commencement Speech or GREATEST Commencement Speech?
Rob Dean On Monday, June 20, 2011 at 11:45AM Stephen Colbert gives the 2011 Commencement Speech at his alma mater, Northwestern University