If Daniel Bryan decides to keep the title and Nipple H follows through on her threat to fire Brie Bella, can we possibly make it two-for-one and have her fire Nikki while we’re at it? Then we could get John Cena involved and Daniel Bryan can basically pass the title over Cena to spite Nipple H and Cena will have no odds to overcome?
Just a thought…
This is cool.
Unfortunately, Hyperkin didn’t get the memo that it’s no longer April Fools.
But, if this is true, then hey, I got a birthday present after all.
In a late-breaking development, former WWE vagabond CM Punk was last sighted going to the bathroom shortly after making a few quick twits on Twitter. In other news, Jason “Douchebag” Frank is still pining for a fight with the former WWE champion because, you know, the fans. By the way, JDF, how’s that fight with Van Damme going for you?
(2024 Update: Source Link broken and lost.)
Popular US video game retailer GameStop has announced that it plans to increase its focus on both smartphones and tablets, rather than video games. GameStop CEO Paul Raines calls the bold new move GameStop 3.0. Raines says the company will close around 2% of its current retail stores. GameStop will be opening Spring Mobile and Simply Mac stores instead. Spring Mobile will cover AT&T-branded phones and Simply Mac covers Apple products. They will open over 200 Spring Mobile stores and 20 Simply Mac stores… and only 20 Mac stores because there’s already something called Apple Stores that covers that base just fine.
So my thoughts on this matter of utter importance and magnitude? I don’t care.
Way to build up the moment for a response like that, but the truth is I honestly don’t care what happens to Gamestop. Fact is I haven’t bought anything from a Gamestop – or rather, they call it EB Games up here in Canada – but I haven’t bought anything from a Gamestop in a year or so? The last major purchase I can remember making there was WWE ’13 when it launched.
And that’s it. I might have made a couple more minor pick-ups like battery charges or Steam cards or something, but other than that, my only real gaming purchases are usually from the flea market, the occasional trip to the Value Village thrift store, or Best Buy. And if I’m really, REALLY desperate, I will usually dabble online as a last resort.
So personally speaking, I honestly do not give a rat’s ass whether they decide to go from Gamestop to Tabletstop or MacStop or Pitstop or BathroomBreakStop. Doesn’t really affect me in the slightest because right now, they’re not carrying anything that I’d want. (2017 Edit: A statement that is even more true nowadays, what with half the store space dedicated to collectibles and those stupid Funko Pop things.) I don’t have any of the current gen or next gen consoles, so that doesn’t concern me. I’ve got an original Wii, but their selection of games is rather shit. They’re not carrying any stock for the older consoles; not even PS2 or Xbox Original or anything of the sort… so, if that’s the direction they want to go, then whatever. It’s their brand, their company, they could do whatever they want. I’ve got alternatives. I’m not going to shed a tear if they go away.
That having been said, I have to question their decision in going from Video Games To Tablets And Phones and things of that nature. I have to question whether that’s really a good idea to jump into a market that, let’s be honest, everyone’s doing it. Apple Stores, Best Buy Mobile, Amazon, The Zoo. They already got that market covered and happily done. And yeah, I understand that sooner or later, gaming-dedicated machines will be a thing of the past and we’ll be able to game on any conceivable electronic device from tablets and phones to televisions to video receivers and cable boxes to wristwatches and alarm clocks. It is going to happen, you can’t ignore it.
However, at the moment, gaming-dedicated machines – and I’m talking the consoles and handhelds – they’re still selling reasonably well, there’s still an interest in that sort of thing, and Gamestop, for better or worse, has that corner of the market covered. And they want to give that up to go into a market that is already inhabited by several other entities? Especially since, from my perspective at least, when people go to a Gamestop – or rather, IF they go to a Gamestop, because more often than not, unless it’s the EB Games in downtown Montreal, NOBODY is going to these things around my neck of the woods – they’re not checking the feeble selection of tablets and mobile phones they have on display; they’re checking out the, you know, GAMES. After all, they are called GAME-Stop, right? Right?
Maybe there’s a bigger picture missing that we don’t know about. Maybe the Gamestop monkeys know something we don’t. Maybe they’re doing this to jump ahead and be a little more proactive or something. Maybe the Gamestop monkeys enjoys all the negative press from all the stupid stuff that they pull and this is just the latest stunt to try and get that attention and spotlight focused on them… or maybe… just maybe… we don’t care either way.
Well, I don’t care; I don’t know about you, but… yeah, that’ll be interesting, either way. I suppose…
Oh, by the way, how’s MovieStop doing these days? Is that any good? Does anybody know about MovieStop? Has anyone ever heard of MovieStop? Anyone…? Any takers…? Hello…?
Hmm… I guess not.
You know, for a show about morphin, there sure isn’t a lot of it.
For some reason, I felt “compelled” (or rather, had nothing better to do) to check out JDF’s YouTube series that has him skydiving, doing the con thing, and the drama over his wife’s Muay Thai adventure… and I’m just “meh.” I suppose it’s nice to know there’s a tender side to JDF when he isn’t being a public douchebag and a cancer to Power Rangers and I suppose the show is good enough to appease both his supporters and the drones drinking the JDF Kool-Aid, but I got bored with this one pretty quickly. Nothing interesting, nothing worthwhile, nothing that can’t get out of some other reality-based documentary series with more appealing subject matter.
JDF fans might take a liking to it, but I’m gotta give the thumbs down on this one.
Neglected to mention this, but a couple weeks ago, I picked up this book from the bookstore and it’s actually quite a bit of an interesting read. Yeah, it’s a wrestling related book about the history of wrestling in what they call the Montreal territory… and yes, they do cover the Montreal Screwjob that everyone and their pet pygmy marmosets have covered since forever, but then there’s a look back at all the various Quebec-born talent and a lot of memorable stuff tied to the territory, such as the 1997 match between Jacques Rougeau and Hollywood Hogan (that Hogan lost!) and the Pat Patterson brunch segments that aired in francophone markets (if you speak French, look them up on Youtube; they’re fucking hilarious). Of course, there’s a feature on the current scene as well (as current as the book allowed, at least.)
No doubt the authors of this book went to maticulous detail dwelling into the history of Montreal’s contributions to professional wrestling, but there were moments where I wished they dwelled into some topics a bit more in-depth. Sure, the thing with Bret, Shawn, and Vince have been covered to death, but I doubt plenty of people knew about the original Montreal Screwjob from 1931 between Ed Lewis and Henri Deglane. Would’ve been nice to know more.
As it is, though, this was actually a nice little read and an interesting look into Montreal wrestling.
Some of you folks might have already seen this, since it’s been floating around for years, but this is the poster for what would’ve been the first WCW PPV event under the Fusient Media buyout had that not fallen through. For those who don’t know, before Vince bought WCW in 2001, the other major player who came close to buying it before backing off was Fusient Media Ventures, a group of investors headed by Eric Bischoff. The deal between Fusient and TimeWarner was actually close to completion and had to go through due dilligence before being finalized and made official, but when TNT head Jamie Kellner shitcanned all wrestling programming from the Turner networks, Fusient backed off and Vince soon bought it for dirt cheap.
Considering how the fallout of WCW being acquired by WWFE and how the latter subsequently blew the biggest potential feud in the history of the business, I often wondered how things would have turned out if Bischoff got his way and the Fusient deal was a success. How would Eric had handled the rebirth of WCW if he had gotten his mitts on it? Would he have had better success with it than Vince did? Or would it be doomed to fail?
Something worth thinking about, I suppose…
Rangercrew member Moonknight posted this on the forum regarding that thing claiming to be a fanfilm of MMPR, but is just generic grimdark schlock. It’s probably the best reasoning why the core Power Rangers fandom is vehemently against MMPRINO. In the event that the thread is lost to the anals of time – wording entirely appropriate in this regard – I’ve decided to nick the whole thing and repost it here, along with the usual disclaimer of the following piece not necessarily reflecting the opinions of the blog itself.
And with that, we pass the stage over the other guy…
Oh you want reasons why we don’t like the people making the MMPR film? Sure, I’ll give you a whole list of reasons, from a PERSONAL perspective, having had a lot of personal direct interactions with Dom and the producers behind the project.
When this was first announced (ALMOST TWO YEARS AGO, mind you, and we still have virtually NOTHING to show for it… but I’ll get to that later), the creators made it clear that this was going to be a 90-minute fan-film. Direct words, “Fan film.” Then in their defenses of their project, it evolved into “minor theatrical release,” and “fan film” was nowhere to be found, because of their pretentious attitudes. “We’re not some fanboys making a low-budget crapfest. This is going to be a nearly Dark Knight-level production, and we would never lower ourselves to being called a ‘fan-film.'” Only until faced with the knowledge that not being a “fan film” immediately opens them up to being sued out the arse for everything they don’t have, it becomes “nonprofit fan film” a year later (oh and by the way, it’s now going to be a 5-part miniseries focusing on one Ranger at a time). Why does this matter at all? Because it sets up the pretentious, “holier than thou” attitude that I’m about to get to.
So being one of their most vocal critics, Dominic somehow managed to find me on Facebook, added me as a friend, and bugged me time after time to tell him why I was being such a “hater” – FYI, keep your eyes out for that word, it’s going to come up a lot. So eventually I added him, because I make good decisions obviously (note: sarcasm). I expressed my concerns with the film, mainly the needlessly “darker” take. But really, my biggest issue was the fact that any time anyone asks them questions about what the project was and what their plans were, they could never give a straight answer. And in all my conversations, I never got a straight answer. He would post on his FB about the MMPR film a LOT, and since we were FB friends, I’d see them. Every once in a while I’d comment – I was never rude, I was ALWAYS respectful. My comments were always honest critiques and legit questions, but because I was the only “negative” one on the page, he and all of his legions of followers would jump on me, label me a hater, a couple even threw racial slurs at me – I’m Black, just so you know – and yet Dom always sided with them and supported their disrespect towards me when I never did anything to deserve it. Eventually he just unfriended me simply because he can’t accept anyone that isn’t a Yes man.
So MMPR pops back around Rangerboard after a couple months or so. Up to this point I’d pretty much been avoiding the MMPRfilm situation. They make a point to promote their Facebook page, but still refuse to answer any legitimate questions or criticisms. Lists of simple direct questions were just being dodged and not answered outright. When someone would criticize them, they’d just be labeled a hater, someone who just didn’t “understand” them or whatever. These pretentious, unprofessional guys decided the entire PR fandom was just a bunch of “haters” and basement dwellers. They even directly said there were only two groups – people that supported them and the “haters”. This is a DIRECT QUOTE from an “interview” that a fan did with Dom. There’s no in-between to them. In their minds, either you love them, or you don’t, and if you don’t (or you’re anywhere in between), they want absolutely nothing to do with you.
So in a last-ditch effort to try to appeal to them on behalf of the PR fandom, because I’m still respectful and well-spoken and generally very level-headed, and I know the last thing we need is an angry fan who can’t type and gets super worked up to be talking to them and turning opinions against the fandom on the whole, I started posting on the MMPR Facebook page. Because, again, I make good decisions (note: sarcasm). I was courteous, I never called anyone names, I had very well-formulated statements and arguments with legitimate criticisms. I made a point to never antagonize any of them. I was willing to discard my uncomfortable feelings about the film, and I directly said that if they just answered my questions and showed that they were willing to listen to criticism without being rude, disrespectful, or writing me off as a “hater,” I would gladly come back to the forums and defend their project to the fans. I’m not an important person by any means whatsoever, but at the very least, they’d have some sort of voice in their defense.
So I go to their Facebook page, post my questions criticisms, and what do I get? Disrespect. Disrespect and hate from their legions of followers. Their “fans.” Basically in their minds, I’m just a stupid hater who doesn’t know anything. And the worst part is, if I disagree with any of them, I got told not to be disrespectful. I get told not to “stir up trouble.” Yet the people disrespecting me, calling me names, and being rude overall got absolutely no warnings at all. The “producers” joined in on it. I’m being respectful, their being arseholes, and I GET WARNINGS from the MMPR people. They made it VERY clear that they don’t want to hear anything but positive comments, support, and basically people kissing up to them. The level of disrespect coming from the people behind this project was unbelievable.
Eventually they just started deleting any comments that weren’t from supporters or Yes men. I know this because I just posted something recently that was in disagreement with another member – again, I was being respectful, just pointing out a flaw in their argument, and it got deleted. I even posted under my pseudonym on Facebook because I didn’t want them just automatically associating me as a “problem” on their page. And they simply deleted it, and the comment after mine that agreed with me. These guys really don’t want to hear about anyone who disagrees with them or says something they don’t like to hear.
Even their fans are starting to turn on them at this point. They keep promising things that they can’t deliver on. “The first episode is done, it was shot over Labor day weekend, we’re releasing it in November… It’s November, but wait, it’s actually coming in January. It’s December, here’s a ‘trailer’ for the first episode, that’s still coming in January… it’s January, now it’s coming in Spring 2014… wait, that’s not true… it’s coming sometime in 2014, we guess… here’s a ‘sneak peek’ that’s basically an actor talking about it, and a full scene that you basically already say in the trailer for the episode… but it’s still coming… eventually!” People are getting understandably annoyed by that. We knew they weren’t going to be delivering on all of the promises they made a long time ago, and now it’s getting harder to keep their legions of supporters happy… but they’re still not accepting any negative opinions from people who don’t agree with them.
Overall, the level of unprofessionalism with these guys is just… unbelievable. And they still claim they are a “legitimate film studio.” They live in a total fantasy world. It’s clear from any extended interaction you have with them that Dom and the producers’ heads are completely up their butts. They’ll never admit they’re completely in over their heads, though. Because in their minds, they can do no wrong, and they can’t possibly understand why there are people that can’t see that.
dtm666 