TBF, Mags, you have been doing a lot of the heavylifting for the quest, so this will be in good hands.
To be clear to everyone, this is just me burning out on imagination of the quest, since my muse has been hitting me over the head a lot with so many different ideas that I just can't find myself too interested in this.
I'll still hang out here, though, since this still does have a sepcial place in my heart.
I'd like to thank you all for making this a wonderful experience while it lasted.
I'd also like to thank @Magoose, @Fluffy_serpent, and @Martin Noctis for doing so much to help prepare and write this quest. I couldn't have done it without you all.
Good enough for me! I know not everything I've put will be used, but I hope that it will have some effect in how we present Dune.
Personally, I feel that showing Peul as a more cocky kind of heir at the beginning like in the 2000s Mini-Series (insted of the more depressed and moody one shown in Villeneuve's version) will help in show how his hero's journey does not end in happyness, but in tragedy when he fails in stopping the Jihad and has lost his son to the Harkonnens.
Although, I'm not sure how Herbert would react to that...
Movie Pitch: Metroid
Genre: Action/Adventure/Horror
Format: Live Action
Directed by: George Raimi
In the year 20X5, the attack a Galactic Federation-owned space research vessel and seize samples of Metroid creatures, parasitic lifeforms discovered on the planet SR388. Dangerous floating organisms, the Metroids can latch on to any organism and drain its life energy to kill it. The Space Pirates plan to replicate Metroids by exposing them to beta rays and then using them as biological weapons to destroy all living beings that oppose them. While searching for the stolen Metroids, the Galactic Federation locates the Space Pirates' base of operations on the planet Zebes. The Federation assaults the planet, but the Pirates resist, forcing the Federation to retreat.
As a last resort, the Federation decides to send a lone bounty hunter to penetrate the Pirates' base and destroy Mother Brain, the biomechanical life-form that controls the Space Pirates' fortress and its defenses. Considered the greatest of all bounty hunters, Samus Aran is chosen for the mission. Samus lands their gunship on the surface of Zebes and explores the planet, traveling through the planet's caverns, finding upgrades like missiles, energy tanks, the morph ball, bombs, screw attack (lightning ball), and ice beam, and uses these weapons to dispatch the alien creatures who get in their way. Samus comes across Kraid, an ally of the Space Pirates, and Ridley, the Space Pirates' commander, and defeats them both. Eventually, Samus kills the Metroids, and finds and destroys Mother Brain. A timed bomb goes off to destroy the lair and Samus is able to escape before it explodes.
Samus' gender is kept ambiguous until the post credits scene, where they take off their helmet and are revealed to be female.
Did I really just copy the synopsis from Wikipedia? Yes. I'm tired and it's damn near 3:30 for me, but I wanna put something out before I sleep. I see potential in this franchise though.
Movie Pitch: Model UN Format: 2 Hour Movie Genre: Comedy Sub-Genre: Satire/Teen
Synopsis:
An exploration into the world of Model United Nations. The film covers the 1985 California Model United Nations (CALMUN) and the many crazy adventures that go on during the conference through the activities of the main characters as well as providing some poignant political commentary and satire on the global political order. The film is stylized in a similar manner to "The Taxman Cometh" in absurdist normality, taking mundane and boring situations and turning them into bizarre and fast paced comedies.
The film starts off with a meeting of the California conference for Model United Nations, its leadership consisting of senior college students and MUN veterans across the state. There is a dour and gloom atmosphere as they have noted decreasing attendance and enthusiasm for Model UN in recent years and many schools are threatening to revoke funding. While many are resigned to a reduced club California Secretary-General, Isaac Katzinger is desperate for some kind of miracle to save the club and help keep things exciting for the next generation of Model UN members. Desperate and with little options, Katzinger announces that he has enlisted "Hillary" to organize the next California Model UN as his Deputy Secretary General.
This is met with various exaggerated gasps and exclamations of horror and alarm among the council, (She'll doom us all, she's been banned in 15 state organizations, is she single?!). Hillary enters in a flamboyant and dramatic fashion, laying down the ground rules and asserting that for far too long they have made MUN boring and that she will bring some much needed life back into the club through chaos and "Fun diplomacy".
The film then cuts to the main protagonist, Ben Hartman, who is a new transfer student at Earl Warren high school. A kid from Idaho, Ben is bummed at missing all of his friends, though he is slightly excited to join Model UN as he tried and failed greatly to establish it in his former school. Ben is introduced to his club mates and is introduced to both the real culture and organization of Model UN along with the comedic and outlandish elements.
The main characters go to the conference where Ben has an unfortuante run-in with Rick before the start that comedically mirrors a stereotypical nerd-jock clique situation, even though they are all nerds. Isaac welcomes all of the club members, though Hillary steals his thunder and announces that this year won't be a normal conference where all of the committees will be in a vacuum, but instead it will be a dynamic setting filled with special crises to stimulate the long-term consequences of the delegates actions as well as special interruptions to force people to think on their feet.
What follows is a hilarious comedy filled with wacky political hijinks mixed in with high school teen drama and intense roleplaying, pushing the heroes to their best and helping everyone to learn the true spirit of Model UN.
Cast:
Isaac Katzinger: The Secretary General of California Model UN. A typical nerdy character who has a strong neat freak attitude and compulsive disorders, wanting to run everything perfectly in his ideal UN, though at the same time self-aware enough to realize such is not "cool" and wanting to improve. Tries and fails desperately to keep things on track in the first half, in the second embrace's Hillary's madness and helps support Ben.
Hillary Hughes: The Deputy Secretay General of the California Model UN. A maverick whose name within MUN is whispered with comedic awe and fear, Hillary is a legendary veteran of the club and in addition is the daughter of an elite California political dynasty. While it may seem that she doesn't care at all about the club and just wants to cause chaos, in reality Hillary simply wants to make the club fun and memorable for its members, having very fond memories of her time in the club as an escape from her strict political education and wanting to pass on her education to the next generation.
Ben Hartman/Yugoslavia: A shy and intelligent new kid to Earl Warren, Ben is the protagonist and central viewpoint character. While at first timid and unsure, Ben grows in skill and comes to embrace Model UN and its methods, rising far in CALMUN. Ben's main strengths are his resarch and analytical skills, coming up with thorough and effective solutions based on history and contemporary conditions that make him appear smart and able.
Sophia Martin/Brazil: Ben's classmate and first friend, Sophia is a former member of the debate team until she was kicked out for being too aggressive and not considered to be a team player. While she struggles with anger issues, Sophia is a highly skilled speaker and great in rhetoric who can match Rick and most others, if not exceed them in debate and speeches. She and Ben help each other grow over the course of the movie with Sophie being the face for their coalition through speeches and negotiations while Ben handles behind the scenes and policy drafting.
Rick Dixon/United States of America: The main antagonist of the film and a sort of thinly veiled, if comedic parody of Richard Nixon. Rick is a highly popular and "jockish" nerd and charismatic figure within the Model UN, a senior who has dominated the previous three years of conferences and sees Ben as a threat to his reign. Is super invested in Model UN and rather intense in conducting politics. It is revealed late in the film that Rick acts in such a way because Model UN was where he first found his friends and loves to have so much power and be at the center of social attention rather than an outcast. Has lots of mannerisms with Nixon.
Daniel Park/South Korea: Rick's best friend and right hand man, Daniel does his best to forward Rick's agenda through being an intense lobbyist and intermediary, at the same time often performing wild espionage schemes in and out of the conference.
Jack Fisher/Iraq: The comedic relief for the film, Jack is a sort of wild card/trollish character who throughout the conference acts in heavily random/bi-polar policies, sometimes helpful and othertimes a loose canon to make things worse. While seemingly insane, Jack is actually a theater kid who is roleplaying and taking his part as a representative of Saddamn Hussein very seriously. Develops a bit of a cult following among the students and becomes an ally of Hillary
Lucy Gomez/India: Ben and Sophia's mentor and the president of the Earl Warren Model UN. A fierce rival to Rick as well as having romantic history with them, Lucy is determined to win her last CALMUN by any means necessary and does her best to mentor and lead her classmates to victory. Highly intelligent and charismatic, Lucy is an optimist who believes in the potential of Model UN, that if they do good here they can do good in the real world.
It began with all things, as a dream, you always knew that it could take you places, beyond the confines of the world you lived in…
To a place beyond space, in a time that cannot be named.
She was for a long moment of time cold and distant.
Then she dreamed of the world she wanted to see explore and evolve into…
And Cartoons, she wanted to watch so many cartoons, and anime to make people happy on the Kermit Box.
And then the dream took shape; from the wings that held the engines; the large broadcast area on the bridge and the small little robot that was broadcasting.
Why? Because the only way that aliens could ever like us was to watch our shows!
A tsunami of toons and stories…
Toonami…
Program Block
Toonami
Set Up: Aboard the L-Class Deep Space Exploration ship, The GPS Absolution, the Toonami Broadcasting Vessel drifts through space broadcasting the joys and wonders of Earth's Culture, under the stewardship of the Toonami Operations Module, called TOM as he broadcasts as a goodwill ambassador and show host across the Stars.
———————-——————- The GPS Absolution: The Hub of Toonami, the mobile broadcast spaceship is a veritable menagerie of a ship, powerful enough to survive the harshest conditions of space, filled with a nearly endless stream of broadcasting equipment and shows it is one of the durable ships in the L Class Exploration class.
The Hosts:
TOM I: Toonami Operations Module Number One, the voice of a DJ, the mind of a sage and the sole crew member of of the Absolution, a robot built to operate Toonami's broadcasting equipment and give reviews, commentary and the occasional film review for audiences and fans that will have it.
SERA: The AI that runs and categorizes the vast library and new arriving shows, where as TOM is the cool DJ, SARA is the peppy producer that makes sure things remain on track and fresh as well as banter with Tom.
Speaking with @Carcer, there was an idea to show the sudden development for HEMA societies, as well as its history from the medieval periods till its current time. It is quite fascinating once you start to research, how the different areas created their own styles, which were then spread, and then further developed and refined, not to mention how later on the 19th-20th centuries there were quite a good number of enthusiasts who kept the love for said fighting styles alive, and wrote books that managed to be reprinted, commented, and studied until nowadays when they served as a basis for the establishment of said societies.
I imagine this like a documentary with a host, and of course with interviews with experts and those who know about the sport, as well as perhaps some amateurs who are just starting with it.
Thus, I bring you:
TV Mini-Series Pitch: Discovering HEMA GENRE: Educational/Historical SUB-GENRE: Expository
FORMAT: Documentary
Set Up: An in depth look at the History of HEMA, from its origins during the Medieval Age, it's complexities and styles as each country further developed them, the masters that enhanced it, the expansion and evolution, as well as its decline during the 1700s as gunpowder weapons began its rapid development. Which would then lead to its decline as the knowledge remains in the hands of the few, guarding the knowledge until the sudden revival and interest during the 80s, as more find an interest in the old practices, seeing a spike of people re-learning the skills of old. Including the old arts of blacksmithing, leatherworking, bowcraft, etc.
Director: Michel Parbot Host: Terry Brown Length: 6-8 Episodes
Ewart Oakeshott: He is a British illustrator, collector, and amateur historian who wrote prodigiously on medieval arms and armor. He was a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, a Founder Member of the Arms and Armor Society, and the Founder of the Oakeshott Institute. He created a classification system of the medieval sword, the Oakeshott typology, a systematic organization of medieval weaponry.
Christopher Lee: An English actor, singer, and master fencer. Prior to his acting career, Lee served in the Royal Air Force as an intelligence officer, attached to the No. 260 Squadron RAF as a liaison officer for the Special Operations Executive. Following his World War II service he retired from the RAF in 1946 with the rank of flight lieutenant.
Julius Henry "Hank" Reinhardt: An American author, and interested in knives and swords from an early age, Reinhardt furthered his education in arms during his Army service and through visits to various European museums. Back in America he held a number of jobs before joining in the 1980s with Bill Adams, president of Atlanta Cutlery, to establish Museum Replicas Ltd, a mail order firm specializing in recreations of medieval weaponry and armor.
Bob Anderson: He is an English Olympic fencer and a renowned film fight choreographer, with a cinema career that's spanned many years and included films such as Kidnapped, Barry Lyndon, and Star Wars, where he's also served as stunt double for the fights. He is regarded as the premier choreographer of Hollywood sword-fighting, and has coached Errol Flynn, Sean Connery and Mark Hamill in swordfighting.
Bruce O'Brian: An American/Irish actor. Best known for becoming Co-Founder of Lucasfilms, as well as his iconic roles in M*A*S*H*, Star Wars, Conan and Batman. Bruce O'Brian has a reputation of holding on to grudges for whoever he feels disrespecting his family and bringing chaos wherever he goes. The most recent example being his sudden interest in HEMA, and the outpour of interest which caused its revival.
A.N.: My thanks to @Carcer for the idea. And dear God is it difficult to find any information about HEMA or its members. most of the well-known ones have barely any easy to find information, and they tend to be more from the 90's to 2000's era. There are authors at least who can serve as basis for the stars who will appear in the show, but not that many that I was able to find. if any of you know of any other please let me know.
Pretty sure he'd still need the Batmobile for the 3rd Batman movie, so probably not. Realistically, Bruce would probably take home something like some Batarangs or some props for the villains or something until the DCCU is done and then maybe be able to take the Batsuit. Although, it could be fun for him to take the Bat Signal once everything is finished.
Pretty sure he'd still need the Batmobile for the 3rd Batman movie, so probably not. Realistically, Bruce would probably take home something like some Batarangs or some props for the villains or something until the DCCU is done and then maybe be able to take the Batsuit. Although, it could be fun for him to take the Bat Signal once everything is finished.
-[X]Networking: Well time to start finding out who might actually be interested in meeting you. (Write-in what you want to try and network with)
--[X] Douglas Day Stewart. You've heard he has a screenplay based on his own experiences as a Naval Aviation Officer Candidate. See if he can be convinced to make it a Lucasfilms production, or at the very least let you distribute it. Rolled:D100 => 16
You talked to Stewart and tried your best to convince him.
But he merely laughed, and said that, as much as he believed that he wanted to see how you would make it… He was worried Lucasfilms would "Turn it into something that would not be the story I want to tell."
Even offering to pay for distribution, he just shook his head and said no.
The Great Muppet Caper Directed by: Jim Henson
Written by: Tom Patchett, Jay Tarses, Jerry Juhl, Jack Rose Produced by: David Lazer, Frank Oz
Production Studio: ITC Entertainment, Henson Associates
Starring: Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Dave Goelz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, Steve Whitmire, Charles Grodin, Diana Rigg, John Cleese, Robert Morley, Peter Ustinov, Jack Warden
After the immense success of The Muppet Movie, it was never any question that Lucasfilms and the Jim Henson Company would continue their partnership for the near future in any sequels. Still, even if The Muppet Movie had been a total box office bomb, you would have still continued with the partnership because it was Mary's favorite movie and she had such an amazing time with it.
Leading up to the film, Mary was really eager to go see it in theater, so much so that in the weeks leading up to it, save for some wild moments like the impromptu dinner party and her brocoli protest, she was a model child and did her best to behave and be a good big girl by helping Carrie around the house and helping with the twins and kittens so she could be taken to premiere night. Carrie and you had intended to take Mary all along, but it was adorable how Mary was determined to earn her night. However, it did serve as great ammunition for Mary to coerce you two into bringing Sarah and Joseph to the movies, Mary being quite adamant that the first movie her siblings would see in theaters would be a Muppet movie. The week before, Mary had informed the twins of the Great Muppet Caper's existence and both of them had begged in their own way to take them to the theater.
You had intended for Return of the Jedi to be Sarah and Joseph's first movie so they could be decently socialized by that point to behave. Although, the Muppets were a great debut as well and with how much Mary had gotten them to fall in love with Kermit and the gang, it'd be a crime to say no. Thus, the premiere became an O'Brian family movie night with you, Carrie and Debbie taking the kids out. Fortunately, there wasn't any mess leading to the movie's start. Carrie and Debbie took the twins in quickly, and you supervised Mary for a while who had some fun interacting with the Muppets on the red carpet, wiggling Kermit O'Brian as a movie reporter and all the Muppeteers present being really good sports about it and playing along with the presence of Mary and Kermit's Irish cousin. This was definitely going to be one of Mary's favorite nights ever.
The Great Muppet Caper was an interesting direction to take after the last one. Rather than be a narrative of the Muppets continuing their adventures in Hollywood or some sort of sequel to the recently ended Muppet Show, the Great Muppet Caper was a heist movie where Kermit, Fozzy and Gonzo were journalists for a newspaper, Kermit and Fozzy in paritcular being "identical twins" that were indistinguishable when they had their newspaper hats on (A joke which got lots of laughs from Joe and Sarah). When someone stealas jewels from the world renowned fashion designer Lady Holiday, the trio are sent to London to cover the story with Kermit determined to catch the thief at the same time so they can become famous and keep their job as journalists. Traveling to London, the trio meet the rest of the Muppets gang at the hotel they're staying along with Miss Piggy who has become Lady Holiday's secretary and is pretending to be her to impress Kermit, who she has fallen in love with at first sight. Along the way the way they run into the real criminal, Lady Holiday's brother who has been stealing her jewels along with his evil Charlie's Angels parody of a gang. Thus, classic Muppets shenanigans ensue.
Well....you honestly have to admit that even if the critics are far overblown with unnecessary scrutiny, they are somewhat right in that the script for the Great Muppet Caper is weaker than the first movie. It doesn't feel like a true Muppet movie, more a heist movie that just happens to have the Muppets thrown into the case, with the overall story being a rather generic plot that would be no different from the live action Disney schlock of the 70s.
Except for Kermit, Fozzy, Gonzo and Piggy; everyone else is kind of just there and doesn't contribute anything to the story, just doing comedy bits being themselves. Thus it really doesn't feel like a true ensemble like the original nor does it have much story significance to the Muppet name. The conflict is very low stakes and half the movie it doesn't really matter as most of the story is focused on a Kermit-Piggy romance, somewhat repeating the beats of the first film just with Piggy living a Cinderella-esque fantasy. Mike likes to describe it as a TV movie masquerading as a theatrical release, and you can agree somewhat with the sentiments.
Still, while the plot is weak and doesn't have the dramatic weight of the first movie, it's not a bad movie persay and the Great Muppet Caper more than makes up for its flaws with its strengths. The comedy is still as excellent as the first movie, with lots of hillarious meta humor on it being the movie, the Muppets personalities making each one a joy to watch, and tons of great slapstick and cheeky dialogue like the show. The cast while mostly static, are their same lovable selfs and everyone does a good job in acting, with even better puppetry than the first by some of the impressive stunt work that makes the Muppets really mobile with lots of action and expressiveness. The movie is a musical with a lot of fun songs sprinkled throughout that are more than worthy of an Oscar, and lots of great performances that'll probably guarantee that you buy the cassettes for the kids. The cameos are pretty solid with your favorite being Peter Falks hilarious Columbo-esque scene with Kermit. Jim does a pretty good job as a Director with the cinematography and organizing all the Muppets and effects. You're really looking forward to what he can do.
All in all, a fantastic family film and you're proud to add Muppet Caper to the Lucasfilms library. It was also a successful movie night as Mary had an absolute blast watching another Muppet movie in theaters, laughing along and beaming with pure joy for every second with Kermit O'Brian in hand. The twins also thankfully had a good time and were relatively well behaved. Any fussiness or anxiety at all the people in the theater disappeared when the movie started and they behaved well with laser focus attention on the screen, having a similar reaction to Mary with the first Muppets. No crying or screaming, just pure childish laughter and happiness.
Overall, a really great night and another happy O'Brian memory. It was really nice to go to the movies with the whole family and bond with the kids over their favorite show. Taking the twins also served as a nice exit excuse rather than deal with any crazy after parties or media nonsense, though Lord knows they might be a little cranky tomorrow. When you returned home you tucked in the kids to their crib and Mary in her bed, who gave you and Carrie the biggest "Fozzy Hugs" along with kisses from Kermit O'Brian.
"You two are the best Mommy, Daddy in the whole wide world ever!"
You're welcome Mary.
Commercially, the Muppets was a box office success with a steady 91 million across the globe, with even distribution outside of the United States. Still, Muppet Caper took sequel syndrome hard with less than half the amount of box office returns from The Muppet Movie despite having a comfortable summer spot and being one of the only family movies. It seemed like even after a month of release, people just really wanted to watch Indiana Jones again and again, and those who wanted something else would rather look more cool and mature with Batman. Still a great success, but not the blockbuster it might have been in the absence of Indiana Jones. You apologized profusely to Jim for the unintended sabotage, though fortunately the muppeteer took it all in good stride, being more than happy with the outcome and joking that if this was a failure, then he'd gladly fail for the rest of his life. Probably helped to keep him in good spirits that you reserved Dark Crystal for Christmas of next year.
In terms of reception, audiences seemed to enjoy it just as much as the first Muppet Movie, with a minor debate on which one was better. Families of all ages had a good time in general with something for everyone and lots of praise for the acting, comedy, puppetry, and an overall fine debut for Jim as a Director. Unfortunately, while critical reviews as a collective seem to be generally positive, there are a lot more vocal criticisms of the movie with a weird minority of critics trying to pan it and get people to stay away for some reason. The general sentiments are that Muppet Caper is a generic heist movie that doesn't care much about the heist and is just the Muppets doing silly stuff for an hour and a half, lacking the edge and wit of the Muppet Show so that it was just another safe kiddy movie.
Honestly, you could agree that the script wasn't going to win an Oscar, but people were just way too harsh on the Muppets. Jim didn't come in making grandiose promises of matching Star Wars in storytelling, he was making a fun heist movie with the fun and charm of the Muppets. What happened to just having a good time with the movie and having a nice emotional connection? Perhaps its your fault in a way, as people expect Lucasfilms to be the absolute best of the best so when a movie, either in-house or distributed, isn't the absolute best of their genre or innovates filmmaking radically then they must be bad or mediocre. Well, this was one case where the critics were clearly wrong, because The Great Muppet Caper was a darn good movie, and any movie that makes your kids happy and smile is a great one in your books.
The week after the premiere, you ran into a very curious sight early in the morning when you woke up and took Natalie to go to the bathroom in the backyard. As you let the dalmatian back in, you made your way back to Carrie and then paused as you saw Mary sitting on the couch, the nearby phone that rested on a table having been dragged to a cushion next to her while Alfred the cat dozed peacefully on Mary's lap.
Mary with all of her intelligence was more than capable of using a telephone, but you and Carrie did your best to stress to Mary that she should ask permission first so that way she didn't talk to any strangers. It didn't usually cause problems before, as she usually liked to talk to Wally, Milly or your parents and wasn't really adventurous, save for one night where she tried to get out of eating her vegetables by ordering a pizza which earned her some timeout.
Curious on what your daughter was doing and if she had asked Carrie permission before, you snuck your way back into the kitchen and quietly picked up the landline to listen in and see what Mary was doing.
Thankfully, she wasn't calling any strangers or creeps when the dial ended and George's voice answered, "Hello, George Lucas speaking."
"Uncle George, this is Mary." Mary said firmly.
Aww, that was cute, she just wanted to talk to Wally again.
"Oh hi Mary, do you want to talk to Wally? He's still asleep but I can call you back when he wakes up." George said.
"No Uncle George, I want to talk to you. Maybe Aunt Marcia as well since she's co-owner and editor." Mary said firmly.
That confused you and it seemed George as well, "Oh, do you want to make a movie with Lucasfilms Mary?" George asked in amusement.
"NO." Mary said rather forcefully with a bit of annoyance. "I calling to complain about you and Uncle Steve's movie, the Indiana Jones."
That was rather odd since Mary shouldn't have seen Indy so far. You hadn't brought home a VHS copy, she didn't go to the premiere with you, and you were certain that neither Carrie Debbie had taken her yet. George was still trying to push Marcia to have a movie day with Mary and Wally for Indy at their home, mainly because he really wanted to share this with Wally. For now George was still somewhat hopeful since Wally was tag teaming in asking his mom to watch a "Daddy movie".
"Oh, do you have any criticism for it?"
"You did bad thing Uncle George by releasing Indiana Jones before Muppet Caper, Uncle George. I read in LA Times that Indiana is selling most tickets and not sharing the theaters. Because of that, less people go to Muppet Caper, which means less money for Kermit and friends. Muppets are most important, not Indiana Jones. Take Indiana Jones out of movies right now so Muppets make more money, it's best movie." Mary commanded George.
Facepalming over another Maryism and glad you were up before things became too awkward for George, you interrupted, "Sorry George, Mary's just too passionate about her favorite movies, I'll call you back." You joined in.
"Daddy?" Mary asked, then you hung up and dashed to the living room before Mary did anything more silly, finding yourself with Mary still barking her will,
"You gotta tell Mr. Mike to have every Kermit Box show have Muppet commercials. Every movie needs a Muppet trailer. I'll have Daddy get the President to tell everyone to watch in a speech."
You then pressed the cancel button before Mary got any more wild ideas. Your daughter gave you a strong pout.
"That's rude Daddy. I'm on the phone, I no hang up you or Mommy." Mary protested, such a sight made cuter by the adorable yawn of Fred on her lap.
You give Mary a knowing Dad look she was all too familiar by this point, "Is that so Mary? So that's rude, but it's not rude to tell Uncle George that his movie isn't important and it should be taken out of theaters?" You ask, with Mary looking away and trying not to feel guilty.
"That's different, the Muppets are more important than some adventure movie. Indiana Jones is taking away Muppet money, less Muppet money means Kermit won't have budget to make movies, or maybe no more Muppet anything on Kermit Box." Mary said, seemingly truly believing that Indiana Jones could kill off the franchise.
Mary then gave you a sharp glare, "You no help Daddy. Now everyone who has seen Indiana Jones is going to see Batman. Batman already bad because it another Daddy adult movie, now it take money away from Muppets. Then there's stinky critic people who say it not good, it's super amazing great sequel. Just like Mommy and Daddy in Empire!" Mary ranted, becoming rather flustered and drawing tears in her eyes.
The sight tugged at your heart a little as you remember well how Mary became really depressed when she found out a while ago that the Muppet Show had ended. Thankfully, nothing horrible came long term thanks to Jim pulling a favor for you and coming over as Kermit, giving a little pep talk to Mary that helped her to accept that it was a good change and there'd still be the Muppets. Mary, who was too young to understand the nuances of Hollywood, probably thought this was a do or die moment for the Muppets even though the franchise had staying power that could last for decades.
You placed the phone back on its table and then sat and hugged Mary, giving her a kiss on the top of her head, "Mary, I understand you're upset, but nothing bad is happening at all. The Muppets mad their budget opening weekend, so that means that all the money going forward is gonna be profit, so Kermit's not losing any money and that means he'll probably have more movies in the future."
"But it could make even more with no Batman or Indiana Jones." Mary argued.
"Mary, I can't force people to go to the movies and watch the films I want them to watch." You said.
"But that's what you and Mommy do with Star Wars." Mary countered.
You shake your head a bit mirthfully, "That's not how it works Mary. People will just watch whatever they're interested in. Sometimes it means a lot of people will watch a movie, and sometimes it means only will watch it. Right now, more people may like Batman or Indiana Jones-"
"Why? Muppets the best, and Superman is better than Batman." Mary cut in.
You released a sigh, "I don't know Mary. But I will tell you, that your Daddy and Uncle George did a lot of hard work for Batman and Indiana Jones to make the best movies we could. Would you want us to fail?"
"No." Mary whimpered, looking down at Alfred and petting the kitten to calm herself.
"And I also want Jim and Kermit to succeed and make the best movie they can. Lots of people love the Muppets, especially you and the twins, and it'll make enough money that Kermit can make whatever movie he wants to next. Not to mention Mr. Jim is going to make a cool puppet movie for next year's Christmas. Nothing bad is happening Mary, movies just act a little silly sometimes when they're in the theaters." You say, hoping you calmed Mary and prevented any issues from popping up.
Fortunately, it seems to be the case with Mary slowly nodding in understanding, if a bit reluctantly. "Okay Daddy. Am I in trouble?" Mary asked innocently.
"We'll just call Uncle George after breakfast and have you say sorry, okay Mary." You suggest, with Mary giving a more comfortable nod at that.
"I won't say sorry to critics though, they're stupid meanie bullies wrong on everything!" Mary said resolutely, making you laugh.
"Yeah, they're pretty silly people, they get movies wrong half the time and sometimes they like really weird stuff."
"Why do people read and listen to them if they're stupid?" Mary questioned.
You shrugged your shoulders, "I don't know Mary, I don't know."
I have to admit that, for this show that only had 26 episodes, and whose animation seemed a bit junky at times, it had a very solid, fun and interesting premise that at the same time made sure to both satirize and play straight the entire space tropes from shows like Star Trek or Battlestar Galactica. It all merged together to make an experience that truly should not have been forgotten as it has been today. Seriously, though the episodes are in YouTube it still seems to have garnered no interest besides those who are already fans.
Frankly, I see this series as a mixture between Western Animation and Anime, something that can both unique and action paced, which will also be boosted thanks to the warm reception that Star Trek: Phase II has garnered, which hopefully will translate to many fans of this series, hopefully making it a Cult Classic rather than the forgotten gem it is today.
Thus, I give you:
Animated Show Pitch: Captain Simian & The Space Monkeys GENRE: Action/Adventure/Science Fiction
SUBGENRE: Drama/Comedy
FORMAT: Animated TV Show
Set Up: During the monkey-manned spaceflights of the 1960s, one rocket veered off course, sending a chimp named Charles off into the outer reaches of space. After many years, Charles' craft was discovered by the most intelligent race in the universe. Charles was given enhanced intelligence, weapons, and futuristic technology, along with a charge to protect the universe from the evil Lord Nebula. To aid Charles, he is allowed to recruit a team of fellow Earth monkeys and apes: Shao Lin, a Chinese golden monkey with swift fighting skills and serene wisdom; Spydor, a wisecracking little spider monkey with a long prehensile tail; Dr. Splitz/Splitzy, an orangutan with a scientist/madman split-personality; and Gor-illa/Gor, a big, strong gorilla who wrecked the intelligence-enhancing machine before he got a full helping. The group now cruises the stars in their ship, the Primate Avenger, battling Nebula and his cyborg monkey henchman, Rhesus 2...and searching for the ever-elusive bananas of course.
Animation: Hannah-Barbera Studios Series Director: Saburo Hashimoto Writer: Gordon Bressack Length: 52 Episodes
Captain Charles "Chuck" Simian: Originally a chimpanzee named Charles, sent into space in the 1960s by NASA. After drifting off course and being frozen for many years, he was discovered by The " ". They believed he was sent by Earth as the most advanced species of the planet. When they realized he was not, they used a machine to evolve Charles into a sentient being. After being told about Nebula, Captain Simian (as he now called himself) recruited a team of fellow Earth monkeys and apes to help him save the universe.
Played By: Michael Bell Alternate: Gregg Berger
Shao Lin: A Golden snub-nosed monkey, who originally lived at a Buddhist temple where she was worshiped as a goddess. She continues to act as a goddess with the rest of the crew even, on occasion, addressing herself in the Royal "we". This leads to considerable tension at first, though over time she warms to the others and vice versa. Skilled in martial arts and knowledgeable in Buddhist wisdom, she is Captain Simian's first officer. There are hints of a romantic attraction between her and the captain.
Played By: Diane Pershing Alternate: Karen Murayama
Spydor: He is a wisecracking little spider monkey, originally the property of an organ grinder from New York City. A pickpocket, grifter, and all-around thief, he often tries to take advantage of Gor by trying to get him to do his work and trying numerous get-rich-quick schemes which get him into trouble with the captain. Despite these flaws, Spydor is loyal to the mission, and will never betray his friends or the universe for money. He is especially close to Gor, and will not let anyone else take advantage of him. Spydor is in charge of communications.
Played By: Jim Carrey Alternate: Dom Irrera
Dr. Splitz/Splitzy: He is a former zoo orangutan with a dual personality that alternates between an effete academic ("Dr. Splitz") and a rustic yokel ("Splitzy"). The doctor excels at scientific theory and somewhat cowardly, while Splitzy is a mechanic and engineer eager to jump into a fight. The two personalities are aware of each other and bicker constantly, but often rely on each other to make up for their individual shortcomings, eventually coming to a more semi-cordial relationship.
Played By: Robin Williams Alternate: Maurice LaMarche
Gor-illa/Gor: He is a gorilla originally from Rwanda as a dominant male and the crew's muscle. During the evolution process he accidentally wrecked the intelligence-enhancing machine before its completion. This left Gor rather naive and childlike. Possessing extraordinary strength, Gor is naturally quite peaceful and does not wish to do anyone harm. But when his friends are in danger he can go into a berserk rage. Later on, he can turn into a giant gorilla like monster whenever he gets angry, in a manner similar to that of the Incredible Hulk.
Played By: James Avery Alternate: Earle Hyman
Orbitron: He is a small ball-shaped robot, given to Charles by The " " to help him on his mission. Its role was to provide the monkeys with the additional knowledge they required for their journey. Already quite cynical and unpleasant, it was accidentally damaged by Gor and subsequently went quite insane, floating around sputtering nonsense that only occasionally makes sense. This leads Captain Simian to often say, "Gotta get that thing fixed." Because it is so technologically advanced Splitzy was unable to repair it despite trying.
Played By: Jeff Bennett Alternate:
Lord Nebula: He is a half-humanoid, half-black hole who hoped to become a complete black hole, swallow the universe in a "Big Crunch," then remake it in his own image. The gaseous nature of nebulae is employed as a running gag, as Nebula seems to constantly suffer from some cosmic analogue of gastro-intestinal distress.
Played By: Keith David Alternate: Michael Dorn
Rhesus 2: An enforcer of Lord Nebula. Originally a rhesus monkey sent into space, Nebula made him intelligent and turned him into a cyborg. His brain is detachable and frequently changes from one to another in order to get different ideas. For example, Brain 1 might give him a more devious plan than Brain 2 or vice versa.
Played By: Malcolm McDowell Alternate: Alan Oppenheimer
Kaz-Par: An owner of a club on Maltese 1, who simply planned to steal the Primate Avenger, but had to go under the identity of Gorr when someone else replaced him to steal the Orbitron and sell it to Nebula, as Orbitron keeps repeating "0-1-0-0-1-0-0-1-0-1... oh, and 0-1.", which was the formula for the GLOP (Gravi-Luminous Orbifolding Positrons), which had the component needed by Nebula, the Anti-Force.
Played By: George DiCenzo Alternate: Cam Clarke
Apax: He is an alien with green skin and snakes in place of hair. Apax forces other alien creatures to fight in an arena. At one point, he injects an isotope into Gor, causing him to turn into a monster whenever he gets angry. He often says "Only in Andromeda!".
Played By: Pat Fraley Alternate: Alan young
The " ": He is an advanced alien race that is so advanced, the name of their species cannot be spoken or written, only thought. They intercepted Captain Simian while he was still a wild chimpanzee. Believed to be a human broken free of his evolutionary bonds, they gave Simian "The Gift", which is advanced intelligence and the power of speech. They assigned Simian to stop Nebula before he gets the anti-force and completes his dark goal which is to destroy the universe and create a new one within himself. The " " retreated to the 10th dimension until near the end where they warn Simian that Nebula is getting very close to his goal.
Played By: Leonard Nimoy
Largo Trix: A swashbuckling space adventurer who meets the crew in a bar. Initially appearing as a blue-skinned humanoid, Largo gradually turns into a monkey-like creature as he hangs out with the crew, since he can duplicate another's most distinctive characteristic after making physical contact. Largo invites the crew back to his 'home', but it turns out to actually belong to Rhesus 2, whom Largo is working for. After making contact with Captain Simian, however, Largo realizes the error of his ways and helps the monkeys escape, apparently sacrificing himself to give them time to get away. However, it turns out at the end he managed to escape and leaves aboard a separate ship.
Played By: Dan Woren
Grixilpix: Keeper of the Great Ear. This ear is the one of the Sleeping Giant, whom Grxilpix tells the monkeys is dreaming about the whole universe. Anything that someone asks for to the ear appears. Rhesus attacks Captain Simian and his crew next to the ear, and in their fight, they awake the giant, causing the universe to disappear. Dr. Splitz then plays a lullaby on a handheld device, causing the giant to return to his slumber and the universe to be restored
Played By: William Shatner
Mandrax: A being of infinite powers, who appears to be a mandrill able to float in space and midair, go through walls, be invulnerable to attacks, and be able to connect with others' minds. He speaks in ominous and cryptical phrases and seems to know everyone in the crew better than they know themselves. The last image of the series is the revelation of him being Captain Simian from the future.
Played By: David Carradine
Vog: He is a 2-dimensional alien. When Rhesus 2 steals gravitons from a cosmic storm, Vog's world rips open, so he follows Charles to his universe and asks his help to put the gravitons back before the cosmic storm ends to seal the rip and save his universe.
Played By: Danny Wells
Matrix: A computer that captures the Monkeys and learns from them to eventually evolve into a living being.
Played By: Michael Winslow
Holo Boons: Holographic baboons created by Dr. Splitz to test out the atmosphere of unknown planets.
Played By: James Doohan
A.N.: The director is one that has worked already in Japan (and was part of the team that made Castle of Cagliostro), so I figure if anyone can bring in the mixed style of animation then it would be him. I also think that a 52-episode length season would work for the best instead of the 26 episodes we got in OTL. A longer season means more enemies to fight, perhaps longer arcs instead of just one episode per adventure, and hopefully a resolution to the romance angle (I was sure that there was something between Charlie and Shao Lin).
I talked before about how I think it's a shame that we haven't done anything with Lucille in quite some time and it feels like we've left her behind, so I thought that I'd throw her a little bone.
CBS TV Show Pitch The Mentalist
GENRE: Mystery/Drama SUBGENRE: Police Procedural/Comedy FORMAT: TV Show
SET UP: After a serial killer named Red John murdered his wife and daughter, Patrick Jane dedicated his life to hunting down and killing Red John. To that end, he gave up his lucrative career as a charlatan and joined the California Bureau of Investigation as a consultant to the team responsible for investigating the Red John case, led by Senior Agent Teresa Lisbon. Using Jane's exceptional gift for observation and his mentalism, they are able to close an unprecedented number of cases, but Jane's unconventional and often outright illegal methods also bring much censure down on Lisbon's head, making his assistance both a blessing and a curse. Meanwhile, the hunt for Red John continues...
Alan Rickman as Patrick Jane
Denise Crosby as Teresa Lisbon
Jan Michael Vincent as Wayne Rigby
Lou Diamond Philips as Kimball Cho
Sharon Stone as Grace Van Pelt
So if R. Talsorian Games makes Mekton like they did in real life would it be turned into a Gundam rpg or would specific settings like Gundam and Pacific Rim be turned into supplements and sourcebooks?
So if R. Talsorian Games makes Mekton like they did in real life would it be turned into a Gundam rpg or would specific settings like Gundam and Pacific Rim be turned into supplements and sourcebooks?
I have a question here, R. Talsorian Games, do they make games similar to Dungeons and Dragons? Because, if we manage to buy the "Forgotten Realms" setting then we could spin it as its own without it being a part of Dungeons and Dragons and tap into the fanbase by offering an alternative.
Not to mention the movie we currently have is set in the Forgotten Realms area, so it might be better if we owned it.
I have a question here, R. Talsorian Games, do they make games similar to Dungeons and Dragons? Because, if we manage to buy the "Forgotten Realms" setting then we could spin it as its own without it being a part of Dungeons and Dragons and tap into the fanbase by offering an alternative.
Not to mention the movie we currently have is set in the Forgotten Realms area, so it might be better if we owned it.
Alternatively, here's the page for some of what Talsorian made. We could probably spin off the Witcher TTRPG system off into our own system? That or the Fuzion system.
I have a question here, R. Talsorian Games, do they make games similar to Dungeons and Dragons? Because, if we manage to buy the "Forgotten Realms" setting then we could spin it as its own without it being a part of Dungeons and Dragons and tap into the fanbase by offering an alternative.
Not to mention the movie we currently have is set in the Forgotten Realms area, so it might be better if we owned it.
Sure, but I know that I don't personally support it and it didn't seem that overmind favored that approach either, so I wasn't really going to present it as an option.
