Monthly Archives: February 2010

An Ode to Nickelodeon

  By Riley | February 10, 2010 - 2:23 pm | Reviews
View Comments

My childhood can be summarized like this: driveway basketball, neon windbreakers and Nickelodeon. Cartoons were (and still are) a cornerstone of my television consumption. When I saw the Klasky Csupo mural on Highland Ave. last spring I was brought back to my childhood. Night after night I’d be on the couch, with a bowl of melted ice cream soup watching these cartoons. At the time, I had no clue what the hell Klasky Csupo was or what it did, but, driving past I thought, “I might know someone who interns there.”

I don’t know what it was or how it hit me, but these characters that complemented my childhood crept into my head and I had to put their images on paper. From memory, here’s what I came up with…

AHH! Real Monsters

Perhaps one of the most underrated shows on Nick – AHH Real Monsters had a the protagonist, Ickis, with his sidekicks, the sweet Oblina, and tough Krumm, as well as Gromble, the Headmaster of the underground academy (not pictured).

DOUG

Having the main character keep a journal is one of the greatest aspects of Doug – it allows the audience to really know what he’s thinking. A missing entry, though, is the one where Doug admits that Mosquito (Skeeter) Valentine is black.

Spongebob Squarepants

Spongebob is eleven years old. This fact alone frightens me even more than his creepy buck-toothed laugh.

Rugrats

Rugrats was my “guilty pleasure” cartoon. There became a point that I knew I was too old to be watching these five kids plotting in their playpen, but, hell, I grew up with them so-to-speak. I couldn’t just stop watching. The show mirrors where it was made – from the liberal parents, to the Jewish grandparents (borscht anyone?), to the architecture (nearly identical stucco homes with red Spanish roofs line Highland Ave. near the Klasky-Csupo studios).

Rocko's Modern Life

There is an art to writing children’s programming, making it bearable – if not enjoyable – for parents to sit through the show or movie with their kids. Rocko is one of those shows that parents might like even more than their kids. The humor in this show was ahead of it’s time. Is there a doctor in the house? A cow raised by wolves, fifteen minutes of a jar of mayonnaise, the Bigheads! Hilarious.

And there are so many in addition to this. CatDog, Angry Beavers, Ren & Stimpy, Hey! Arnold, Rocket Power. The Wild Thornberrys were a bit after my time, but I’ll include them for the sake of it

It’s only a matter of time – in my opinion – until an analytical report on how Nick shows provide the perfect models for showrunning. The commonalities spanning each show from character to character are remarkable, and they all provide different worlds, premises and hooks that set each apart from the next. Someone from our generation, I’m sure will compile the annotated guide to how cartoons explain the meaning of life.

Art 3.0

  By Riley | February 7, 2010 - 3:34 pm | Findings
View Comments

halo-ed?

These three buggers were spotted at the Chanticleer.

what appears to be a frog

Spotted in the Park stairwell.

so low

Why is this bubbler (or water fountain, depending on where you’re from – a conversation in semantics I won’t get in to now) so low? Seriously – check it out in the new business building behind the coffee stand. It’s a foot off the ground!

oscars and vampires

  By Sarah | February 7, 2010 - 9:23 am | Findings
View Comments

My apologies to all! It has been over a week and I have not contributed anything. My life has been taken captive by…wait for it….HOMEWORK. Woah. Yes, I know. I’ve actually been doing it- mostly. There is a lot of schedule setting and laying down to get life in order the first couple of weeks in the semester, but now I think we’ve all found our swing. Last Monday when they announced the Ocsars I meant to publish this.

I had the privilege of seeing Precious. It is a not a feel good- but if you can handle such a heavy subject I recommend it. The acting is so strong and the story propels itself, you will not be disappointed. Also I saw Avatar for the second time with a friend who hadn’t seen it yet. And I will say after all the glory and press and hubub – it lost its shock and awe to me. My friend was glad to see it, and said despite its ‘orgasmic’ visuals, it was an old story. The first time I saw it was a couple days after it had been released and my dad practically dragged me to it- neither of us had ANY idea what it was about. I can say it is award worthy, but not necessarily Best Picture material. On a side note: if you have not seen The Hurt Locker, do so now. Also something that I didn’t know James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow (director of the Hurt Locker) are now divorced. I think it adds a little something interesting to the Best Director race, and Best Picture race.

To keep up with the Ocsars, feel free to bookmark this. It is the Times’ blog on the Awards Season.

The Hurt Locker

If you are looking for a little something, I just stumbled upon this. It is a retrospective of Vampires in film. Note that the only one that looks out of place is the crazy hunky one from Twilight (which I have still never seen or read any of, and I am not ashamed to admit I am curious and wouldn’t be opposed to seeing the first movie one day- just the first.)

Now I know you are thinking that I must have a deal with the Times (I wish!!) because I am always posting and blogging about their sites and information. Indeed I don’t. It my favorite site and news source that I read the most and trust the most. So be it.

If you are looking for more Olympic fun- there is a great photo essay in the Sunday Times Magazine. Check it out.

Now, go enjoy the Super Bowl!

Vancouver, BC – Olympics Update

  By Adam | February 1, 2010 - 11:42 pm | Contributors, Events
View Comments

After being threatened by banishment via text message from thacant founder Riley, I figured I’d better race to my computer and type up a sizzling Olympics article to wow our audience.

I arrived in the beautiful country of Canada on Friday and checked out the Olympic digs. Guess what, VANCOUVER IS NOT READY. Who is shocked? They’re currently trying to create more lanes on the ONLY ROAD from the city up to Whistler, where most of the mountain events will take place. The other mountain, Cypress, doesn’t have enough snow and thus more snow will be helicoptered in to allow for the Games to go off without a hitch. Except for all those millions and millions of dollars they’ll lose. A family member suggested they get some Haitian refugees to help shovel snow on the mountain. I’m not saying it’s a good idea, I’m just sayin’.

A certain peacocked network (on top of the already well-documented Conangate) is expecting to lose $200 million to air these Olympics, even with the free help I (and many, many other interns) am providing them. As Riley has mentioned and I have confirmed, these all just seem to be symptoms of a global apocalypse striking a couple years earlier than anyone reckoned – it’s 2010 folks. The skies are gloomy, the streets are rain-soaked, and there’s no snow for the Winter Olympics. Vancouver is going to be ravaged with tourists and will come out on the other side much worse off than they were before the Games, if history has taught us anything. Obviously it hasn’t.

Anyway, I might as well have my fun before we’re all washed away, so look for me and my fellow Ithaca interns (shout out to ICLA’s own Lizzy V and any other IC folks who might come across this blog – I’m in room 922, so come around for a chat and a smoke!) as we try our best to hop in front of the cameras and get our mugs on international TV. In the meantime I’ve got a sick Official Staff badge that I intend to flash anywhere it may allow me exclusive access to clubs, events and/or important-looking buildings I otherwise would have no business being around.

I’ll keep you updated on all the exciting Olympic goings-on in the month to come, broadcasting straight from the hotel room in downtown Vancouver that is to be my home. Go USA!