Yeah.... Remember when Doug Walker was worth giving two damns about? Remember when Reviewing a movie from the 80s or 90s was refreshing to all the 800 video game reviewers on Youtube? Remember when Blip was a huge Screw You to Youtube's broken flagging system and rigged partner program? Remember how god the first half of Nostalgia Critic episodes (maybe a little more than that) were? Doesn't that seem like forever ago, instead of just around 5 years ago? Now look at the reviewaverse now, Doug Walker is now desperate to do anything for a quick buck (more on that later), Everyone's reviewing bad, obscure, or old movies (I know, a little hypocritical, but I'm not like every other movie reviewer on the planet, not to mention I'm essentially a nobody), Blip has kind of a screwy flagging system that only a secret gang of flag happy morons know about, Everyone's now a YT partner, and The Reviewaverse 2009 is different from The Reviewaverse 2012. What does this all mean? Find out today.
So where to begin, Doug announced the return of Nostalgia Critic just a few days ago. I have one question, WHY!?!? Yeah, we all know Demo Reel flopped badly and with good reason, It wasn't exactly the best NC replacement, but couldn't you do a little more experimenting before you go to Plan Z? Nostalgia Critic hasn't been as good as it was since mid-2011, seriously he's so desperate for Blip moneys that he decided to go from experimenting to releasing something that should be used as a last resort. If I was him, I'd release different videos (like skits or whatever) every so often and see what sinks in with me and my fans. Hell I'm pretty sure Channel Awesome announced they were not doing any more NCritic's for a while. Hell, They done interviews, Wanting Nostalgia Chick to be the main reviewer of the site. To an extent I agree with this decision, Lindsay is the closest thing to an NCritic style show TGWTG had for the past six months, and She's a better reviewer than Doug is now, Seriously, What can possibly go wrong.
Yoshiette: Ummm..... I see a Nostalgia Chick Website.
Anonymous Yoshi: WHAT?!?!
Yeah.... Lindsay has her own TGWTG style website now, Because she is such a darling to Blip so she get's her own set of reviewers and forms THE AVENGERS!!!! I know I made that last part up but you get the point. The site's called Chez Apocalypse. I know weird title, but The reviewaverse has been kind of funny this past few months. Oh what's that? You don't want a negative look at the Reviewaverse? Well too ******* Bad, because that decision is being made for you...
Well we all know what RVT or Reviewtopia is, well It's a TGWTG style site that went through some controversy as of earlier this month, It's been up for a couple years and a huge amount of the site was Essentially Destroyed by recent events. I won't go into the exact details of the event, Suffice to say there were some epic fails (for lack of a better term) that caused most of the site's contributors to leave and now I've got a hunch that the site's not going to last much longer, unless they can somehow turn the whole table around. I only bring up the controversy to showcase potential coming events for TGWTG.
So yeah.... Nostalgia Critic is going to run every two weeks for the next year or two (maybe less), He's going to retire the character AGAIN, and go back to the drawing board again. But that raises the question, with TGWTG in a rut, RVT in a BIGGER RUT, AVGN making his movie, and Spoony of TGWTG, What's going to be the next big thing as far as reviews go, The Game Station? Nah...
For the record I don't Hate TGWTG, or Channel Awesome, or whatever, I just don't like some of the business decisions they made, also...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARZGURL!!!!
I myself can never say if Demo Reel actually "flopped."--I realize as the entire "interwebs" does that it generated nowhere near the viewership & thus ad revenue or clickthrus as the OG Nostalgia Critic "show." That said, 5-6 eps is way too few for me to even pass judgment one way or the other on this new direction for Doug & Co. (his two new costars)
ReplyDeleteHow he referenced both the NC/AVGN feud AND his recent "disagreements" with Mara Wilson (i.e. using "Jimmy Boyd" as the stand-in for the "former child star" archetype) in the last ep of DR was a nice touch. I figured had the series been allowed a longer run, he could have kept on dropping little Easter eggs like that for the longtime fans to seek out and hang on to, and perhaps allow a more gradual & less sudden rolling-back-out of the Critic.
All that said--and i'm basically reiterating from before i know--tough business decisions have to be made at times. I'll give Doug the benefit of the doubt & presume that had the post-NC era gone a little more smoothly (read: better economic climate, didn't happen after one big gun w/ huge & loyal viewership already "left" Channel Awesome ) it would have also lasted a little longer and "NC" would still be enjoying his "retirement" in that big 'ol piece of celestial real estate. :)
Also, yes...Lindsay's really put that film school background to extensively good use over the past year if not the past 2...her reviews go beyond "pop in film, show clips, snark generously, done & done." One definitely gets _more_ out of her contributions to Channel Awesome...
And actually the same can be said for all of Chez Apocalypse. My understanding is that they incorporated under that name a few years ago, prior to 2012. And the big requirement to joining Team Chez is demonstrating the ability to not only critique/dissect a piece of pop culture but also convey to the viewer how the piece being reviewed (at least tried to) capture the zeitgeist of the time it originally came out, and whether or not it still resonates today and why. Straight-up snarking alone via making fun of a film or show or song(the modus operandi of about 95%ish of team TGWTG) can only say so much. At least Lindsay, Elisa, Nella etc. realize this.
That said, i don't blame you for calling Team Chick The New Avengers--not when that Blip/YouTube partnership calls 'em *where's Linkara's voiceover when i need it?* The League of SuperCritics! (of whom Doug is also a member. One more reason why i'm not entirely convinced it's _Doug_ who's needing more money these days...he's enough of a brand name that with Blip revenue from his past videography PLUS the YT revenue he's getting under the LSG partnership if he _really_ wanted to he could've very well walked away from Channel Awesome forever. But that's just mho.)
Regardless of Doug's motivations for putting the cap & tie back on, he can't turn the clock back to 2009 anymore than he could eliminate all inconsistencies in the TGWTG-verse continuity. Again something that Team Chez realizes (hence the YT/"LSG" partnership). As do the videographers on CA who take their job/passion seriously enough--see JDub's Famikamen Rider & You Can Cook This & MarzGurl & Josh's new podcast . Heck i don't even know what "8Bit" Micky Paradis is doing these days, but i know he's in greener pastures than CA/TGWTG afaik (b4 TBF i know he was a "contestant" on Playstation Network's The Tester, or something like that.) That, i figured, made him just "visible" enough to move beyond TGWTG/CA(the "old" company asking him to come back & film TBF & his graciously accepting notwithstanding)...
But that's about all i got...for now.
I will address this comment and do more in the next blog. Okay?
DeleteGot it--*looks at post* Holy crap! Why'd i keep typing LSG when i meant LS*C*? (actually i think it's cuz i kept hearing LXG in my head as i typed, thinking League of "X"traordinary Gentlemen rather than League Of Super Critics. Wow i feel kinda stupid. ^_^;;;;;;)
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