BartCop Entertainment News - Thursday, 2 August, 2001

(BartCop Entertainment)

Thursday

2 August, 2001

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BartCop TV Is Here!

BC TV

Our resident 'Vidiot' has done even more work on the BC TV Site!


The Vidiot

Go check it out!

Fun Link

This site was just updated with all new toons.  
All fun, no advertising!

Thanks, Ray!

Reader Comments

Thanks for getting me hooked on this show, dammit. At last, a pseudo reality TV 
survival show that at least has a premise that makes sense.

Anyway, my theories on the killer so far. Whoever is doing it is screwing with 
the whole town, and obviously knows about nasty things the people of Sunrise have 
done -- Pru's affair with Flint, probably Thibodeaux's odd living quarters, the 
whole business between DeBeck, Oscar and Leita. So the killer is somebody with 
access to information --which could point to Leita Rose-Blodgett, town gossip and 
postmistress.  Of course  the mitigating factor there is the desecration of her dead 
husband's grave. On the  other hand, she conveniently lead the investigators right 
to it after the funeral, didn't she?

Or... who else in a small town would know everything? The Priest, of course, 
Reverend Crandall. He's probably heard all their confessions, and would also have 
all-hours access to the cemetery, no questions asked, not to mention that nobody 
would find it suspicious to see him wandering around town, nor, in a place like 
this, would they refuse him entry. Just a bland, innocuous background character who 
has reason to do a little Wrath 'o God business on his neighbors.

The real key to it is: which of these two would have access to photo-developing 
equipment? The post-office/drugstore could have that kind of stuff. So could a small 
community church with its own AV/publicity program. But tipping the scales toward 
Crandall, in my mind, are two things: 1) The killer was welcome in the Flint's home
before doing the deed, 2) An old lady isn't going to be as intimidating as a killer. 
Finally, there's all that language from the first episode in the killer's spiel, about 
making the victims his (or her) own. That has the ring of religious lunacy to it, 
doesn't it? (Have the investigators do a background check on Crandall, find out if 
he went to film school.)

So, as of episode two, that's my guess: 90% chance it's Crandall, 10% chance it's Leita. 
Besides, if I was producing the show, I'd make the villain the town pastor, just to fuck 
with middle-America's head.

 ~~Jon Bastian

Fun Link

Reader Comments

I missed the first week of this reality series..but I caught the second 
last night..and if people werewondering about this series..I guess it 
would help if I gave my impressions.

The idea behind MiSTX is that there was a double-murder in a small town. 
The killer, is quite psychopathic (Think 'Silence of the Lambs' type
mind-games)..and is playing a game with the investigators. Basically..they 
have to solve the murder as their ranks shrink and shrink. 

MiSTX uses a sort of improv-style actors in order to portray a small town 
engulfed in endless conflict. The acting is quite good..it's a bit cheesy 
at times...but I think they're going for this sort of old murder mystery 
type feeling..and they basically achieve it perfectly. It is set up so 
that the investigators have to make choices at times that could put 
themselves in danger of elimation in order to get some clues.

If there's one problem with MiSTX...it's that it is way too intense...names 
and faces fly by extremely fast, and it's very hard to follow. So much 
background excitement pulses through the show that it becomes very blurry. 
A murder mystery? Yes..but just as much it's an adventure show..as elimination 
is NOT limited to the designated "Killer's Game" segments. If you are alone...
you can be removed..As the numbers of investigators go down..it's just going 
to get more and more intense.

MiSTX is a very interesting game...but I'm not sure how it makes for good TV...
I certainly enjoyed it but at the end I felt exhausted..there was just too 
much to pick up on...it didn't help that my favorite investigator was the one 
who was elimiated..it has promise..and it may become easier to follow later 
on when there are less suspects...but who knows? 

 ~~Glenn

Fun Link

President Bush has told us that he used to drink too much and quit. But he never 
went through recovery or any of that. 

Cary Tennis considers what it might sound like if Bush "told his story."

Thanks to Btw72

Alex's TV Stuff

Backstreet Boy A.J. McLean has extended his time in rehab for 2 more weeks, forcing the 
group to postpone their tour even further.  He is being treated for alcoholism, depression 
and other problems.  The initial problem started when Mr. McLean found out he was not 
going to be getting his tax rebate.  His new problems stem from a package he received, 
which apparently had a bottle of Chinaco Anejo in it.  Although the package doesn't have 
a return address, rumors are it came from one of the members of N'Sync.

Pop singer Mariah Carey, who was admitted to a hospital last week suffering from exhaustion, 
cancelled her headline role in the MTV's 20th Anniversary show.  She is still recuperating.  

The Parent Television Council reported that over the past two years the amount of swearing 
and violence during has increased, especially during the so-called family hour.  The number 
of swear words rose by 78%, since the last study.  The most common vulgarity "ass", appears 
on the average more that once an hour.  Violence increased by 70% since the last study.  
UPN was the top offender, NBC followed second, with FOX taking the third place.  
Coincidentally, since January 20th, 2001, stupidity and fairy tales have jumped 300% on FOX 
news network, CSPAN 1 and 2, MSNBC, 60 minutes, most of the morning news shows, and 
majority of printed press.

Tiffani Thiessen has signed on for a 3 episode gig on "Just Shoot Me".  She will play a new 
sex columnist.  The role has a possibility of becoming a regular on the show.

Today is the 100th anniversary of the most famous work by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle "The 
Hound of Baskerville".  Fans are descending on Dartmoor, England, the setting for one of 
the most chilling adventures of Sherlock Homes and Dr. Watson.

Christopher Titus has a great sitcom on Fox, "Titus".  But unknown to many people, his 
life wasn't always all about fun and games.  But Titus takes inspiration for his show from 
his personal, sometime troubled, life.  His mother, who was mentally ill, committed suicide 
a few years ago, and his father just recently passed away.  Read ET interview with 
Christopher Titus:   Titus Interview.

Today in History:
1498 - Christopher Columbus landed on mainland America but, thinking it was an island, 
             called it Isla Santa
1790 - The first enumeration by the U.S. Census Bureau is completed. It shows a population 
             of 3,939,326 located in 16 states and the Ohio territory. Virginia is the most populous 
             state with 747,610 inhabitants. The census compilation cost $44,377. 
1914 -  Germany declares war on Russia (World War I)
1933 -  Dom DeLuise born
1942 -  Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia born in San Francisco
1950 -  Lead elements of the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division arrive in Korea from the United States
1963 -  rapper Coolio born.

 ~Alex

Visit Alex's site at Alex's Place

Reader Review

MTV at 20, Back to the Future

In August of 1981,  'Corporate Rock' was everywhere. Rock radio in any given market 
consisted of one staid Rock and Roll station pumping out endless amounts of Beatles, 
Stones, Elton John, Fleetwood Mac and Eagles. Big bands with big label backing ruled 
the roost. Football stadium concert tours were the norm in that summer of 81. Record 
Companies had actually managed to clean up punk music, give it a haircut and sell it 
as new wave. The actual musical form that rebelled against Corporate Rock had been 
swallowed by it. Like the Martian space ships attacking Grover’s Mill, New Jersey 
in Orson Wells 'War of the Worlds' music fans who hated the status quo wondered what, 
if anything could stop this behemoth. Just like 'War of the Worlds', the seemingly 
irresistible force was bested by a small, unheralded and seemingly harmless 
introduction and an idea; "And now, Rock and Roll" was the introduction and the 
idea was turning the aforementioned Rock and Roll into a visual medium.

 
A Star is Born

20 years later, MTV IS the face of corporate rock. It makes bands, breaks bands, 
and can ensure huge sales. It has no equal in its industry. It has become the 
biggest name in music, bigger than any artist, record company or album. In just 
20 years the paradigm has changed to the point that even the renound band U2 
appeared on the 'not ready for a drivers license' crowd favorite, Total Request 
Live. When U2 released their first album in the early eighties, none of these 
kids were even around. So just how did MTV become the biggest mover, shaker and 
trend setter in music? Fill the Flux Capacitor and go all the way back to the 
beginning.

When MTV first went on the air on August 1, 1981, not many people were there to 
even see it. In 1981, less than one quarter of Americans had cable. Even less had 
MTV on their cable system. The station had less than 150 videos to begin with. 
Most were imported from England. No audience, no stockpile of content and no real 
direction. Somehow, the idea began to grow from a novelty showing hours of Pat 
Benatar, The Clash and Judas Priest videos to an underground whisper among young 
adults. They liked the idea. It catered to THEIR tastes. It was new. It was fresh. 
It was on ALL the time. You simply couldn't get this on radio and better yet, you 
didn't have to wait for Friday Night for the Midnight Special television music 
showcase. MTV had succeeded in originality. Little by little, artists began to take 
notice and a great American ad campaign was born. David Bowie, Pete Townshend, 
Sting and Billy Idol all told to throngs of fans "I want MY MTV". Fans now wanted 
theirs too. The train was leaving the station.


Growing Pains and Redemption

As the catalog began to grow, the first grumbling of discontent began to be heard. 
It seemed as new bands broke onto the scene and other tried and true radio stars 
began to fade MTV had to face their first crisis. Was it about looks over form? Was 
the music suffering for sex appeal on the screen? Bands like Duran Duran, A Flock 
of Seagulls and the Go-Go's began to replace the earlier staples like the Clash and 
radio stalwarts like the Eagles, Rolling Stones and Christopher Cross. MTV charged 
ahead seemingly oblivious to the complaints. MTV thrived but the next crisis the 
network faced nearly ground the station to a halt. In 1983, Michael Jackson had 
become a major solo recording star and forerunner in the video field. His video for 
his song 'Billie Jean' was submitted to MTV. The network refused to play it. MTV was 
quite comfortable thank you in appealing to middle class, suburban WHITE audiences. 
If the fledgling network thought it could moonwalk around showing a video from a major 
black artist, it was about to encounter the power of the old Corporate Rock machine. 
Because of the snub, Jackson's label, CBS, threatened to withdraw their entire catalog 
of music videos unless MTV included Billie Jean into its rotation. MTV complied and a 
new, major star was born who helped carry the now wildly popular network into the 
mid-eighties and proved that a black performer could indeed become a cornerstone of the 
video genre. This is a lesson however harshly learned MTV would put to good use in it’s 
wildly successful ‘YO! MTV Raps’ series later in the 80’s. 

There does come a point in any networks life when a challenge s! o big comes along it 
either buries you or you emerge as a vital player in that field. For mainstream TV 
networks this often manifests itself in political coverage or breaking news events. 
Such a challenge presented itself to MTV, not even four years old, in July of 1985.  
A concert that was in fact a charity event of immense proportions was going to take 
place on two continents on the same day. MTV had reached its moment of truth. MTV ran 
the Live Aid concert live from both London and Philadelphia. The many crossover acts 
that day were all carried live. On music's biggest day, music's biggest network stepped 
up to the plate and hit it out of the park. Artists such as Queen, George Michael, 
Madonna, Bob Dylan and Mick Jagger and Tina Turner all played for charity and MTV was 
there to relay the giant music festival with live backstage interviews, commentary, and 
studio pieces on just what money was being raised for. The train was now steaming full 
speed ahead.

 
Sexist Complacency

As the shine of Live Aid wore off, MTV needed a new genre to mix in with the Michael 
Jackson’s, Duran Duran’s, Madonna’s and Cyndi Lauper's fans had grown accustomed to. 
MTV's new meal ticket arrived in the late 80's in the form of bleach blonde, faux 
headbangers such as Winger, Poison, Warrant and Whitesnake who took the primetime 
slots away from harder, edgier more dangerous bands such as Motley Crue and 
Guns–N-Roses. MTV had learned how to play the corporate rock game. MTV relegated 
Axl, Tommy Lee and Ozzy to the later shows like Headbangers Ball, shown after the 
kiddies had their primetime fixes of CeCe DeVille and Poison and Jon Bon Jovi. 
Regardless of whether the bands we true heavy metal acts! or pretenders, their 
videos all featured what became MTV's next media scandal. Scantily clad women 
running around in provocative poses acting as nothing more than eye candy for the 
male crowd drew the ire of media watchdogs and women's groups alike. As it did with 
the earlier controversy of style over substance, MTV largely ignored the critics and 
charged ahead. In fact, in 1986, MTV began to carry live look ins at favorite Spring 
Break sites around the U.S. More scantily clad, alcohol fueled kids gyrated, danced, 
made out and shocked older Americans in a way American Bandstand never imagined 
possible in the 50's. MTV knew their audience and played unapologetically to them. 
Ratings went up and the network became even more influential in breaking bands. Acts 
like the Red Hot Chili Peppers broke to a national audience on the MTV Spring Break 
madness. 

The musical mood in the nation was changing at the end of the 80's as MTV approached 
its 10th anniversary. The last major shake up in music occurred when punk music broke 
in 1977. MTV wasn’t yet in its planning stages. Now, it would fall to them to cover 
the next musical earthquake front and center.


The Grunge Sound as Told by Beavis

In 1991, as the music powerhouse celebrated it's 10th anniversary to much fanfare, 
but the seeds of corporate rock MTV once poked in the eye, began to take root. MTV was 
at the forefront of the Seattle Sound, American Punk or Grunge depending on your 
preferences. They co-opted bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden early on and 
captured ! a whole new audience. Gone were the well-coifed posers and now the flannel 
kids were on the tube morning noon and night. Nirvana became, largely thanks to MTV, 
the biggest act in America. In an MTV interview Kurt Cobain, when asked why his band 
had become so successful so quickly replied, "I don't know, maybe everybody just got 
tired of Warrant". MTV had grown tired of the hair rockers and was attaching their 
wagons to the new sound. It grabbed headlines, sold out tours and generated coin for 
the folks at MTV. 

However, it was at this time MTV began to branch out into areas that didn't 
necessarily have much to do with music. They bought the rights to show Mike Judge's 
'Beavis and Butthead' cartoon creation. It became a huge success as it mocked the very 
lifeblood of MTV. Could it have been that fans then were, through their dimwitted 
anti-heroes, proclaiming videos didn’t have the same appeal they once did? The network 
then began the first reality show on American television, The Real World which threw a 
handful of strangers into an IKEA furnished bungalow in a cool locale to interact, fight, 
cry and support each other in a weekly soap docudrama. Hardly music but the demographic 
had already begun to change and The Real World took the MTV faithful by storm. MTV began 
to experiment more and more with programming and less and less with breaking acts or 
showing videos. The MTV Fashion Awards, MTV Movie Awards, MTV Video Music Awards all 
became cottage industries for unto themselves. As Beavis and Butthead morphed into Daria 
and The Real World spawned Road Rules, it was apparent MTV had less and less time for 
actual Music Television. All the while acts such as Smashing Pumpkins, Beck, Sheryl Crow, 
Sarah McLachlan, Stone Temple Pilots and The Cranberries all had something interesting to 
say, but MTV found less and less time to hear it. Bands and videos suddenly weren't! where 
the money was, loyal viewership at any cost was what was driving up the ad dollars and MTV 
was faced with the great fork in the road; Stay true to the music television format that 
had brought them this far, or capitulate and let Music Labels, advertising dollars, and the 
disposable income held by 10-17 year olds drive the train. MTV decided to let the kiddies 
have their turn at the network wheel, driver’s licenses or not.

 
The TRL Generation

In the late fifties, Buddy Holly died in a plane crash, Elvis joined the army, Chuck Berry 
went to jail and Little Richard found religion. The biggest influences music had were nowhere 
to be found. The very genesis of Rock and Roll had vanished. It was at this moment that 
corporate rock was born. Record companies rushed into fill the void and created their own 
rock stars. Neil Sedaka, Pat Boone, Fabian and Bobby Rydell were all created as pop stars to 
sell the popular format. Their faces adorned record shops, radio and American Bandstand. Until 
the Beatles and Rolling Stones took back the musical format of rock using largely American 
influence, Rock and Roll drifted aimlessly guided by record labels. By the later part of the 
90's, Kurt Cobain was dead, Eddie Vedder had withdrawn and R.E.M. were on hiatus. Rock again 
was drifting. As in the 50's, record labels stepped in, checkbooks in hand, with their idea of 
the new pop heroes. Boy bands and fluffy blondes ushered in the age of 'statutory pop'. MTV was 
all to happy to fire up the publicity machine and crank out week long guest spots on their top 
rated show 'Total Request Live'. The Backstreet Boys, ‘N Sync, Britney Spears and Christina 
Aguilera were all more than staples to MTV, they had BECOME! MTV. Weekend tributes, shows 
devoted entirely to one act or the other became the meat and potatoes of music television. 
‘N Sync rode a weeklong guest spot on MTV to record opening sales for their "No Strings Attached" 
album. MTV had become the driving force behind record sales, pure and simple. If you were a 
featured act, you were a success. If your video wasn't shown, you were a forgotten entity. 
Heavy rotation took on a whole new meaning in the late 90's on MTV. MTV again branched out 
with programming that had little if anything to do with music. Jackass, Undressed, Spyder Games 
and Celebrity Deathmatch took up the time slots once occupied by Madonna, The Clash, The Police 
and No Doubt. 

MTV has now achieved the goal it set for itself so long ago, become successful, a household name 
and the number one network in the 12-24 year old demographic. In 20 years MTV has been a fashion 
trendsetter, politically astute, humorous, maddening, cutting edge, dull, vital, stupid and 
engaging. MTV has indeed become such a part of the American fabric that much of America will 
take pause to look back on it's 20 year history and look at clips from years gone by and say to 
themselves, in the words of MTV’s poet laureate Butt-head, “That was cool”.

 ~~Critical Mass

Fun Link

Reader Comment

'None Dare Call It Conspiracy'

I am an old man who has out-lived his time, seeing the world shink, watching all the 
while as the many Corportations merge into ever smaller ones.  The only advancement 
that I see, is in Technology, which is only a tool, to be use in the hands of wisemen
or a fool. The Fear of 'Globalization', has sparked riots in all the meeting places 
around the world, as the ordinary worker senses it to be not in his best interest. 

While in the 'Shadow-World' many sins are commited under the cloak of "National 
Security".~~~~~We have become a Nation of "buyers & sellers" calling for 'Free-Trade' 
or 'rough trade', when we know that nothing in this world is free. For everything 
there is a price to pay, the only guestion is, how much are you willing to pay?

When I was working for 'Lockheed' behind the "Iron-Curtain" in a secret classification, 
on the SR. 71 (the "Blackbird"), I was working under the scrutiny of video-cameras 
all the time, as they watched every thing that we did. And when we flew in an aircraft, 
with its blacked-out windows to the "Ranch", or to what is now commonly called "Area 51", 
there was a strong feeling of apprehension in the air. People are now working under an 
ever increasing amount of stress, so that the drug 'Prozac' is becoming like asprin for 
headaches. Where did it all go wrong? Where did all the "Insiders" come from? Back there 
in 1919 after the first world war, at the birth of the C.F.R, or the 'Council on Foreign 
Affairs' and Britian's 'R.I.I.A" or the "Royal Institute of International Affairs", back
when the "Federal Reserve-Bank' was created. These were the cause of this rotting from 
the inside, of this afflicting dis-ease that is affecting us today. Wake-Up!~~~
Forgive me my friends, I'm not in a humorous mood today.

                                              Regets
                                                    ShadowCatcher

Fun Link

NEW!

Check it out at BC Astrology

Fun Link

Welcome !
You have reached the Home page of BartCop Entertainment.
Make yourself home, take your shoes off...
Go ahead, scratch it if it itches.

The idea is to have fun.

Do you have something to say?  
Anything that increased your blood pressure, or, even better, 
amused or entertained?
Use your words to inform the rest of us.

Do you have a great album no one's heard? 
How about a favorite TV show, movie, book, play, cartoon, or legal amusement?  
A popular artist that just plain pisses you off (Britny and N'Sync don't count, 
they piss off EVERYONE)? 
A box set the whole world should own? 
Vile, filthy rumors about Republican musicians?
Just plain vile, filthy rumors? 
A picture of yourself clad only in panties and sitting on Maury Povich's lap? 
This is your place.

Send it to Marty

Don't send it to BC....

Or send it to this Marty

Please, don't send it to BC!

Or send it to this Marty


Do NOT send it to BC!


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