Saturday, June 23, 2012
Monday, March 5, 2012
Way To Go NBC - Protect What's Yours
Let me start this post off by adding this disclaimer. I have no
sympathy nor do I in any way support NBC Universal. In fact I don't really hold
them very highly at all following their treatment of one Conan O'Brien.
However, the last few weeks I've seen the internet up in arms because NBC and
Sony put a stop to some fans (one of them an actor in NBC's employment) who
tried to take NBC property and create a web series based on it.
The property in question is the show within a show "Inspector Spacetime" which appeared as a "Dr. Who" parody on the show "Community." The actor who played the character on the show decided he would pitch to NBC to spin off a web series. When he didn't get the answer he wanted, he turned to the internet, and that's what really got things going.
You see, "Inspector Spacetime" is the intellectual property of NBC and Sony. End of discussion. They can do with it as they will. If they want to shelve it, and never let it see the light of day again, it's their call. They and their staff of brilliant writers created it, so why should they let someone else take their creation and use as they will. This is stealing.
It seems now we live in a world were, thanks to YouTube, Vimeo and so on, any jack hole with a camera thinks he's a filmmaker. A task that once upon a time was reserved for the talented... And maybe a few not so talented, but opportunistic and lucky individuals. On top of this, you have a portion of this group, who don't really have any ideas of their own, and lack the talent and skill to develop something. So they create what is essentially fan fiction based on their favorite shows and movies. Then, they try to justify this by calling it a parody. The thing is fan fiction is not a parody. A parody is defined as "comic imitation of a literary or musical work." There is usually nothing comical about fan fiction, in fact, to make fun of the source would most likely go against the very fabric of what they are trying to do in the first place. Nope bottom line, it's plagiarism and copyright infringement.
Now don't get me wrong, not all web content falls under this seedy cloud. In fact there is a whole community of content creators doing it the right way, and also creating quality content. I myself am the co-creator and head writer for the web series "Short Term." So for me, what is happening with NBC would be like Short Term actors Raj Kalra or Emily Button trying to take their character and create their own spin off series (not that they would). Those characters are not those actors' creative property, and you bet your sweet ass I would do all I could to protect what I created and hold dear, just like I would expect anyone reading this article to do for their own content.
So before you judge NBC to harshly take a look at it from their perspective. Then maybe you'll see that what was really going on was actually pretty shady. Just remember, if this were easy anyone could do it... And obviously "anyone" can't.
The property in question is the show within a show "Inspector Spacetime" which appeared as a "Dr. Who" parody on the show "Community." The actor who played the character on the show decided he would pitch to NBC to spin off a web series. When he didn't get the answer he wanted, he turned to the internet, and that's what really got things going.
You see, "Inspector Spacetime" is the intellectual property of NBC and Sony. End of discussion. They can do with it as they will. If they want to shelve it, and never let it see the light of day again, it's their call. They and their staff of brilliant writers created it, so why should they let someone else take their creation and use as they will. This is stealing.
It seems now we live in a world were, thanks to YouTube, Vimeo and so on, any jack hole with a camera thinks he's a filmmaker. A task that once upon a time was reserved for the talented... And maybe a few not so talented, but opportunistic and lucky individuals. On top of this, you have a portion of this group, who don't really have any ideas of their own, and lack the talent and skill to develop something. So they create what is essentially fan fiction based on their favorite shows and movies. Then, they try to justify this by calling it a parody. The thing is fan fiction is not a parody. A parody is defined as "comic imitation of a literary or musical work." There is usually nothing comical about fan fiction, in fact, to make fun of the source would most likely go against the very fabric of what they are trying to do in the first place. Nope bottom line, it's plagiarism and copyright infringement.
Now don't get me wrong, not all web content falls under this seedy cloud. In fact there is a whole community of content creators doing it the right way, and also creating quality content. I myself am the co-creator and head writer for the web series "Short Term." So for me, what is happening with NBC would be like Short Term actors Raj Kalra or Emily Button trying to take their character and create their own spin off series (not that they would). Those characters are not those actors' creative property, and you bet your sweet ass I would do all I could to protect what I created and hold dear, just like I would expect anyone reading this article to do for their own content.
So before you judge NBC to harshly take a look at it from their perspective. Then maybe you'll see that what was really going on was actually pretty shady. Just remember, if this were easy anyone could do it... And obviously "anyone" can't.
P.S. yes I
understand that "Inspector Spacetime" is a parody of "Dr.
Who," but it does not break any laws as it does in fact follow the rules
of what defines something as a parody. Furthermore, one would assume that NBC
had the permission of the BBC in the first place.
Monday, February 20, 2012
The JLP's Weekly Update
Ex-ESPN writer Anthony
Federico released an apology on Monday calling a racial slur he made against
New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin, "an honest mistake." Federico went
on to say, “That’s the last time I ask Brett Ratner for help writing an article."
In Tennessee, a bill dubbed
the "Don't Say Gay Bill," passed the state legislature's education subcommittee
last week, which would prohibit the open use of the word "Gay" in all
Tennessee public schools. Many in the state are worried that if the bill
passes, their kids won't know what to call marching band members anymore.
Recent Grammy winner
Kevin Mackie has returned to his job at a Pennsylvania supermarket
just a week after his big win. It just goes to show you, Grammys come and go,
but a 2 for 1 sale on Grand’s Biscuits won't re-stock itself.
The Republican primary
race heats up again this week in Arizona highlighted by yet another CNN debate.
Though political experts aren't ready to predict a winner, the loser will, once again, be
anyone who watches.
A dock worker
was killed in Portland Oregon, this weekend, by falling into a vat of deadly toxic chemicals. In
other news, a study in Portland Oregon has proven that falling into a vat of
toxic chemicals will not make you a real life super hero.
And finally, a Florida
woman is asking for help locating a gun that she lost at a Tallahassee shopping
mall Sunday. The woman says she only carries the gun with her for
protection, just in case "shit goes down" at the Wetzel's Pretzels.
*The JLP’s Daily News is
comedy satire, and should not be taken seriously. No animals were hurt during
the writing of this article.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
C'mon Hostess
 |
Geez Hostess... All this man wanted was a Twinkie. Don't take that from him. Rule #32: Enjoy the little things
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
JLP Does Conan Jokes
Back in December I did a show at iO West in Hollywood for a packet I put together for the TBS talk show "Conan" (hosted by Conan O'Brien). It was my first time on stage and I was very thankful for those who got a chance to come out and support me and see the show, which included my Conan bit, and two sitcom script readings. Other than the fact no one brought drinks, it thought it was a great night. Anyway, I've decided to share my monologue jokes here on my blog, and I would love feedback on them. If I get a big enough response, I will try to post more each week. We'll see. For now enjoy these jokes from the week of November 14th thru the 20th. (the week before Thanksgiving)
Did you guys see that the new Twilight movie, "Breaking Dawn," made $140 million in it's opening weekend. $140 million. This got me to thinking maybe, in our current economy, the government should think about a imposing a vampire and glitter tax.
Speaking of the economy, this Friday is Black Friday, and my mom is already making her plans for 12 hours of shopping, spending hundreds of dollars on stuff that no one in my family really wants. Or as my dad likes to call it, "a small price to pay for a little peace and quiet around here."
Anybody here on Facebook? That may be the dumbest question I ever ask. Anyway, Facebook this week found itself the target of internet spammers who were posting pornography on it's users wall feeds. A spoke person for Facebook says they're working to fix the issue and that most of the porn is gone, but in the mean time they were encouraging users to try out their new "Really Like" button.
The US Immigration Services Office says that many illegal immigrants are returning to Mexico due to the poor US job market. Shortly after, the White House released a statement saying, "Hey, we may not have fixed the economy, but it looks like we found a solution the immigration problem."
The economy in Greece has gotten so bad they've basically had to start over with a brand new government. A spokes person for the outgoing administration stated that they just didn't understand how an economy based solely on the export of humus and yogurt could fall apart so fast.
You guys see that Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore are getting divorced? Sources close to the couple said that the split is due to the non-stop fighting. Yeah, the source goes on to say, she was tired of Ashton staying out late hanging with his friends, and he was tired of watching re-runs of "Murder She Wrote." You see, because she's older... whatever, you'll get it on the way home.
Finally, This past Friday marked the end of an era as Regis Philbin said goodbye to his long running TV show. When asked how she felt about her former co-hosts retirement, Kathy Lee Gifford responded, " I haven't felt anything for the last fifteen years."
Thanks so much, and please leave any feedback you have below, good or bad.
JLP
Did you guys see that the new Twilight movie, "Breaking Dawn," made $140 million in it's opening weekend. $140 million. This got me to thinking maybe, in our current economy, the government should think about a imposing a vampire and glitter tax.
Speaking of the economy, this Friday is Black Friday, and my mom is already making her plans for 12 hours of shopping, spending hundreds of dollars on stuff that no one in my family really wants. Or as my dad likes to call it, "a small price to pay for a little peace and quiet around here."
Anybody here on Facebook? That may be the dumbest question I ever ask. Anyway, Facebook this week found itself the target of internet spammers who were posting pornography on it's users wall feeds. A spoke person for Facebook says they're working to fix the issue and that most of the porn is gone, but in the mean time they were encouraging users to try out their new "Really Like" button.
The US Immigration Services Office says that many illegal immigrants are returning to Mexico due to the poor US job market. Shortly after, the White House released a statement saying, "Hey, we may not have fixed the economy, but it looks like we found a solution the immigration problem."
The economy in Greece has gotten so bad they've basically had to start over with a brand new government. A spokes person for the outgoing administration stated that they just didn't understand how an economy based solely on the export of humus and yogurt could fall apart so fast.
You guys see that Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore are getting divorced? Sources close to the couple said that the split is due to the non-stop fighting. Yeah, the source goes on to say, she was tired of Ashton staying out late hanging with his friends, and he was tired of watching re-runs of "Murder She Wrote." You see, because she's older... whatever, you'll get it on the way home.
Finally, This past Friday marked the end of an era as Regis Philbin said goodbye to his long running TV show. When asked how she felt about her former co-hosts retirement, Kathy Lee Gifford responded, " I haven't felt anything for the last fifteen years."
Thanks so much, and please leave any feedback you have below, good or bad.
JLP
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