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 DVDaria en francais
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DVDaria -- The Web's finest exquisitely written, angry petition!
Whoever thought trying to give a TV network money would be such an effort?
More than 28,000 signatures
Email DVDaria at dvdaria@yahoo.com
- [update 2008-1-08]
Not much updating happening...
Because I'm currently in law school, the updates here won't be very frequent. As a source of regular news, I recommend The Daria Fandom Blog II. Peace, all...
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- [update 2007-7-22]
Looking for Daria fans in South Leicestershire, England...
Martin Sylvester is working on an article for the Daria Fans Press Room that requires local quotes. So if there are any Daria fans lurking in that corner of the world, read more about the opportunity here.
A petition for new episodes...
A fan who calls himself Don Vito Corleone has just created a petition asking series creators to produce new episodes. It's a long shot, but why not? Go here to sign.
Update on the Glenn and Anne Interviews
I've created a new page for the interviews, and the link is at the top of the page. Let me know if you have trouble reading it on your browser. It not only contains the full English versions, but also the Russian translations. Special thanks to UU, Melor, and AHT for your work!
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- [update 2007-6-18]
25,000 signatures!!!
I'm jumping the gun a little -- the petition is still three short as of this update -- but whoo-hooo! Each milestone reflects the hope we keep alive in spite of the lack of news.
Also, Daria is a solid No. 3 at TV Shows On DVD, with a little over 400 votes needed to overtake Batman for No. 2. Looks daunting, but we've erased bigger gaps. It might take a little extra effort to overtake The Wonder Years (5810 votes), though...
Joost the facts, m'am...
(Okay, okay, that was my last Joost pun.)
I signed up to become a Joost beta tester and finally received my okay to download their software. Unfortunately, their software is only compatible with MacBooks, which have Intel-based software; my Mac G5 is therefore too slow. A note of caution to any other Mac user who wants to be a Joost beta tester (if it's even still in the beta testing phase).
Fortunately, Martin Sylvester was successful in installing Joost on his PC. Martin reports that although it runs a little slow, he was able to visit the Joost community and plant ideas in their heads about getting Daria on Joost. Will it work? Time will tell...
During my recent stay at Martin Sylvester's, we both agreed that at some point, Daria will be on DVD. It's inevitable. We didn't say this to make ourselves feel better, either. At some point, it will happen, with or without music, bells, and whistles.
About those DVDaria interviews...
I'm not going to recount the controversy over the interviews I did with Glenn Eichler and Anne Bernstein, but will just say: If you like the interviews, please link to them; don't copy them. Links are good for DVDaria because they take you to the site, where you can sign the petition and do any number of suggested activities. Copying the interviews in full on a different website means that this can't take place, and is also a copyright violation. DVDaria has never been in favor of using property without permission, which is why we've never endorsed bootlegs or linked directly to an episode on YouTube. Regarding YouTube, I've been frustrated by Viacom's lawsuit because it refuses to make the property available to consumers elsewhere, not because I don't think the company has a point. So anyway, please link; don't copy. Thanks.
If one good thing came out of the controversy, it's that I realized that since I'm not likely to follow up, I can finally consolidate the various interviews into one. I'd also like to humbly ask speakers of foreign languages, such as Quiverwing, Mr Orange, or UU if they would be willing to do translations of the interviews into Spanish, French, Russian, etc. (If the three I mentioned can't do it, that's fine; I was just giving examples.)
Also, I was asked on PPMB whether I would be able to do any more interviews. While I wish I could interview Wendy Hoopes or one of the other voice actors, that might need to be left to another fan. Getting in touch with a former voice actor might take more time than I have available. However, I might (emphasis on "might") be able to interview Peggy Nicoll. Back when I asked Glenn Eichler if I could interview the other writers, he agreed to contact Nicoll and Bernstein. Bernstein got back, but Nicoll never did. Maybe she was busy then, but isn't now. Or maybe she's just not the type to give interviews. I'm not saying I could interview her, just that she's a possibility. So don't pelt me with rotten tomatoes if I can't get her! *ducks*
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- [update 2007-3-13]
An update of sorts...
Not satisfied with just having YouTube remove 100,000 Viacom-owned clips, Viacom has moved to sue YouTube for $1 billion dollars in lost revenue. One popular speculation is that their boldness is fueled by their new deal with Joost.
Meanwhile, I e-mailed Joost regarding whether television licenses could be transferred to their television-like digital platform. Their Content Strategy and Acquisition spokesperson replied that all content providers who entered into deals with them "must have music licenses fully cleared for the digital space." What this means is that, unless MTV has already cleared Daria's music rights, unbeknownst to us, it faces the same uphill battle to get onto Joost that it does to get onto iTunes or DVD. Then again, who knows: Maybe MTV sees an advantage with Joost that they don't see with these other distribution options.
On a final note, I have a question for MTV/Viacom: You obviously do not like the thought of having no control over your content and watching others profit, which is certainly your right. However, there are several instances when you have taken control away from the creators of content on your networks, denying them their rights to profit. I'm sure Glenn Eichler would have liked to determine how the show he created and oversaw for five seasons was distributed. Mike Judge has expressed regrets that he doesn't have more control over his extremely popular brainchild. John Kricfalusi even got booted from his own series and had to watch it carry on without him. No doubt all of these creators signed agreements to let you profit in exchange for your support, but how about giving back to these creators control of their shows? Fair is fair, after all.
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- [update 2007-2-24]
Joost a minute...
By now, it's almost old news that Viacom has apparently decided to pass over YouTube in favor of Joost, another interactive software company for distributing media. On the surface, this has the potential to not be such a bad deal. Given that Joost founders, Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis, also founded Skype and Kazaa, you could conclude that they're sincerely committed to providing customers with an alternative to old corporate models of distribution. Joost aims to allow programming to stream directly onto the user's computer, as opposed to being viewed in a small, central box like on YouTube. According to this article from Wired News, "Why Joost Is Good for TV":
The goal is to render DVD-quality pictures -- no sudden freeze-ups or obvious artifacts -- at around 400 Kbps. (On a typical 500-Kbps home connection, that leaves headroom for the vital job of uploading to other peers.) The Leiden crew also layers in metadata -- text items like alternate titles, credits, locations, foreign-language subtitles, and other search fodder.
The article then points out some other key ways in which Joost differs from YouTube:
Paradoxically, one thing Zennstrom and Friis don't particularly want is user-generated content. That's partly tactical, a way to differentiate their new baby from YouTube. But they've also learned -- the hard way -- about the risks of letting the audience upload protected material.... "We are going to be the single most legal platform on the Net," says David Clark, the New York-based advertising director, formerly with MTV Networks.
The article goes on to spell out a "tasty smorgasbord of treats for content owners" in the form of industry-grade encryption, blocking other countries from using your digital rights, subscriptions, and pay-per-view. Ultimately, the overarching goal of Joost is spelled out:
So the aim isn't to create a geek playpen, it's to migrate television's mass audience to the Web. "We want to be in the space where people are doing what they do now with TV, watching four to six hours a day," says Henrik Werdelin, 30, another MTV defector who spearheads overall product development.
Television would be free, or nearly free, and almost entirely without commercials.
From reading the Wired News and other articles, the conclusion I draw is that Joost is trying to make on the Internet what we (in the U.S., at least) have always wanted for our standard televisions. Cheaper, way fewer commercials, great picture clarity, and no getting locked into a channel package of which you only watch 10%. I definitely applaud those aims. There is certainly as much room for a Joost on the Internet landscape as a YouTube. That said, I would hate it if Joost were my only option for Internet viewing. Regardless of its claims of providing viewer choice, it ultimately renders the viewer passive, leaving all content distribution decisions up to the big media companies. If Viacom could be trusted to open up its entire vast library to the viewing public, this wouldn't be such a concern, but its track record doesn't allow much hope. Moreover, I'm fairly sure that the television music rights wouldn't transfer to the Internet, the same problem that has kept Daria from being offered on iTunes or any other non-television platform to this point.
That said, I believe in staying optimistic. If Viacom has chosen Joost as its official distributor of content, we must work to convince them to provide Daria as an option. If Viacom refuses to do so, my prediction (and that's all it is) is that Daria clips will wind up back on YouTube. Because ultimately, you can't stop people from watching what they want. Let us hope that Viacom/MTV does the right thing and removes the possibility.
In other news...
Daria needs less than 80 votes to overtake Third Watch for No. 3 on TV Shows on DVD. Also, keep signing the petition! You might wonder what good it does, but the more people we can get on record as wanting Daria on DVD, the stronger we'll be as a whole.
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- [update 2007-2-03]
Viacom cuts off its nose...
... to spite its face. Most of you are likely aware of Viacom's failure to reach a deal with YouTube to show its content, which has resulted in Viacom ordering YouTube to dump 100,000 clips of Viacom content, including Daria. Never mind that MTV has always yearned to be a part of the new frontier for the "young and hip," which includes both YouTube and MySpace. Never mind that certain MTV shows that receive no airplay were attracting new legions of fans, thus keeping the option open for future DVD sales. Never mind that all of Viacom's offerings were not only being viewed, but made over by fans in fun and original ways. Nope. Viacom didn't get enough money for its content, so it's forcibly removing itself from the reach of a new generation of fans.
Although DVDaria has never encouraged people to go to YouTube to watch Daria, we recognize that, at present, it is the last place where Daria episodes can be accessed easily and viewed uncensored. As the fan from the previous post pointed out, Daria episodes have received two million viewings and counting. At least that's what I think he said... his plea has just been removed for copyright infringement. (Even though, as far as I know, he didn't play any copyrighted clips.)
I'd point out that Viacom is just pushing the new fans into the arms of bootleggers, but what's the use? This corporation has done so many things that defy common sense, I don't know how to react anymore. My hope is that this is just a ploy to bring YouTube back to negotiations (as the article hints), but regardless, it really brings home the point that Viacom cares far more about its profits than its fans.
A ray of hope...
"No, there is another." While one road on the "new frontier" is blocked, there's small hope that another could open. D.T. Dey pointed out that iTunes has a page where you can search for the show. If you type in Daria, iTunes will claim that it can't be found, then show an option where you can request to add it to iTunes. Click on the link, fill out the form, and presto!
Some fans have pointed out that you can't burn iTunes episodes onto DVDs or watch them anywhere but the computer or an iPod, but as far as I'm concerned, any effort to get the show to the fans is a good effort. If Daria became an unexpected hit on iTunes, since the iTunes downloads are issued by the Home Video Department, I would not be surprised if the show suddenly became a priority for DVD. Hell, it's just a little over 100 votes out of third place at TV Shows on DVD.
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- [update 2006-12-20]
Holiday DVDaria Update...
I've been pretty busy this fall and haven't had a whole lot to report, but some things have been going on.
For starters, one fan decided to take his case to You Tube and appeal to MTV directly. How about it, MTV?
Meanwhile, MTV is in the process of making some of its titles available for XBox 360 downloads. Will our show be among them?
VideoETA is betting that Daria will be released on DVD in the near future.
Daria continues to get cited on other programs, most recently on Air America Radio.
I've stalled in my quest to call the people in charge of MTV On Demand because I've learned that there is no On Demand section exclusively for MTV. According to Reese Kaine, the Charter service provides a More! "hybrid" option that contains 35 percent of all of Viacom's programming. My service, Time-Warner Cable, doesn't even have Viacom programming as an On Demand option, at least for the tier I'm on. I just suspect that if I were to get through to the right person at MTV and ask for them to put Daria On Demand, I would hear what I've always heard: "We'd really like to... it's not in the plans right now... maybe in the future... costs, blah, blah, blah." I'd like to try a different approach.
Finally, although I'm not endorsing You Tube Daria uploads, I do think that their popularity (and the fact that several recent new fans have said that they became hooked that way) speaks to the show's on-going appeal. But of course we knew that. (At least one positive: It might cut down on sales from bootleg sites.)
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- [update 2006-10-04]
Reasons to love Daria...
(In no particular order...)
It's burning rubber up the charts at TV Shows on DVD, now at No. 5, soon to be in fourth place once Get Smart gets released on DVD.
It inspires some really cool commercials.
It provides lots of fun characters to kill.
It's less pretentious than Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip!
Its creator is one of many talented people behind The Colbert Report.
It doesn't just "go there." It went there, got sunburnt, sat alone under a shady tree reading a book, and is now on an economy flight home. So take that, The-N.
Feel free to add to the list...
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- [update 2006-7-29]
Something to whet your appetites...
A Daria fan who calls himself S.C. created a two-minute short based on a fanfic by Galen Hardesty. The style and movement are eerily in tune with the show. Take a look. A larger version, for those who can support it, can be found here. (Standard disclaimer for MTV: This was created for fun, not profit, by someone who has no intention of claiming the characters as his own.)
In other news, fellow fan Douglas wrote to MTV's Los Angeles branch and received the following response:
MTV films
MTV:Music Television
5555 Melrose ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
July 14th 2006
RE: Daria DVDs
Dear Doug,
I can only advise you that Paramount Pictures is going to release a online DVD catalogue which will be open to the public within the next few weeks. This catalogue will include every single title which has been released for DVD. All of the already released Daria DVD titles will be available on this site.
As for when seasons 1 through 5 of Daria will be released, we here at MTV home entertainment do not know this information. We handle straight-to-DVD feature length films here and have no involvement with the releases of MTV television shows on DVD. If you would like to further inquire, the address of the MTV branch which is involved with that is MTV Networks, they can be reached at the following address;
MTV Networks
2600 Colorado Ave.
4th Floor
Santa Monica, CA
90404
Their phone number is 310-752-8180
Good Luck,
Adam Sand
I'm a little surprised, because as far as I knew, the branch of MTV responsible for putting Daria on DVD was based in New York. Maybe these two branches work in tandem, or maybe this new location is the result of a recent shake up. In any event, Douglas feels that if we bombard them with letters and calls asking for Daria to be released on DVD, they just might oblige. I say it can't hurt, but as always, we should be polite.
Meanwhile, I've made a couple of calls to MTV's Video On Demand department. Nothing fruitful yet. I have the correct contact info... it's just a matter of calling during the time someone is actually around. Will keep you all posted.
Finally, Daria is slowly, but surely, making its way up the list at TV Shows on DVD. Currently it is at No. 8, but less than a dozen votes would put it at No. 7. (Note: You can see the Top Ten on the main page after logging into the site.) So those of you who haven't, please register at the website and vote!
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- [update 2006-5-29]
Memorial Day special...
First off, Kemical Reaxion created promotional fan art for the website, which I am long overdue in posting. It certainly captures the "spirit" of the movement. *g*
Secondly, D.T. Dey discovered that IMDB posted a new cover for its Daria page, which fueled speculation that MTV might be on the verge of selling video/DVD sets in the United States/Canada that it has thus far only sold in Europe.
Thirdly, I think it's safe to say that "coolio" was pulling our chains when he/she/it suggested that a new Daria scriptbook would be coming out in August. When asked to show verifiable proof, he ran off screaming into the night.
Oh, and the great Anne D. Bernstein answered another set of our questions. Read them here or here for Explorer users.
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- [update 2006-5-03]
20,000 names strong...
DVDaria has finally hit a milestone, with 20,000 signatures on the petition. We hit another milestone at TV Shows on DVD, where Daria is now No. 10 on the Unreleased List and finally on the front page of the website. Let's give ourselves a pat on the back for our perseverance.
However, the fight isn't over. We have a lot of work to do. As I've noted in earlier posts, some good projects have started and some people have really stepped up. The efforts of those who have volunteered and/or donated money are greatly appreciated. Even so, the enthusiasm displayed in mid-March seems to have cooled, to our detriment. To the people who were willing to volunteer, your help is needed more than ever. Besides the projects I listed in the last update, there are other campaigns that could be waged, such as a concerted effort to get the attention of My Space users. It's obvious that high numbers alone won't put pressure on MTV. We have to work hard and work creatively.
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- [update 2006-4-16]
Projects happening...
Martin Sylvester has successfully launched the Daria Fans Press Room. For more details, and if you want to participate, go here.
flickboy has come up with a project to get the attention of the labels that control the songs on the DVDaria Music Wish List, in hopes of getting them to agree to waive the license feed. For more details, and if you want to participate, go here.
I am thinking of getting the ball rolling with Daria On Demand by calling MTV's On Demand department. Of course, since I'm on the West Coast and would wind up having to call up at 6 am to work my way through MTV's maze of phone connections before getting ready for work, it would be much easier if someone on the East Coast of the United States (or Canada) volunteered. In the event of crickets chirping, however, I'll take the plunge.
If you have any more project suggestions, you can state them here or go to the DVDaria and More... forum at the PPMB.
Oh... and I will be sending more questions to Anne D. Bernstein soon.
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- [update 2006-3-24]
Just to follow up...
The beginnings of a good discussion is taking place in the comments section of the last blog entry and here. However, I felt that in order to organize most effectively, we needed to have a forum. I therefore made a DVDaria and More... forum at the PPMB. I don't expect it to have the activity of, say, Creative Writing, but I hope that in time, it will get a lot of use.
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- [update 2006-3-19]
Drifting around...
I've meant to update for the past couple of weeks, but some yucky personal troubles (of the sewage kind) took up my time until now.
When I posted the last entry, I was hoping that it would inspire one or more people to say, "Thanks for the MTV info. I'll get on that right away." Or at least an "I get what you're saying, and I want to volunteer in some way." Instead, I got nothing. Very few responses, and the responses I did receive fell along the lines of "We can't do anything."
Let me tell you right now: While I like running this site, I will not be able to run it forever. After Alan Benard left, DVDaria languished for a year before I started updating it again. Do you want that to happen when I give it up?
Before you say "Who cares?", let me ask if you think that MTV would be communicating with any of us if the site hadn't been updated since August 27, 2002? Would any company have bothered to negotiate with MTV to license the show for DVD? Or would they conclude that the fans don't care, so why should they? We may be frustrated that things haven't been moving forward as quickly as we would like, but at least there has been activity.
However, as I noted in my last post, it looks as though there is still a long way to go and I'm concerned about the health of the long-term DVD effort. With the exception of two or three other people, the general attitude toward getting Daria on DVD has been apathy.
"MTV's corrupt and they won't listen to us anyway."
"If they don't give me what I want, when I want it, screw them -- I'll buy bootlegs."
"I'd rather read or write fanfic anyway."
I understand all of these sentiments, but I can't tolerate them, especially the third one. Fanfiction can be enjoyable, but its role has been to fill in the gaps left by the show, not act as a substitute for the show. Viewed alongside the actual series, fanfiction can be fascinating in its character studies and multiple "what ifs?", but without the availability of the series, a lot of fanfiction just doesn't hold up. To act as though fanfiction is a perfectly adequate substitute for the real show strikes me as irresponsible. Fanfiction should be tiding us over until we get the real series on DVD, not making us blase about whether or not the real series ever comes out.
Same goes for bootlegs. I understand the desire for bootlegs, and that many people have them, and I'm not going to act like the Internet police by rushing to shut down every site that advertises downloads. That said, there will be no endorsement of bootlegs here, or on the Paperpusher Board (including direct links to bootlegs or Daria downloads), but what other site owners do is their business.
Even so, bootlegs should not represent a substitute for getting the actual series on DVD. You might have all of the music, but you would have none of the visual or sound quality, not to mention no new material (my source at MTV said that each new DVD release comes with some new material). Moreover, you would not have the widespread publicity -- even if it is small compared to that of South Park or The Simpsons -- that would come from an official DVD release. Bootleg word-of-mouth just wouldn't have the same reach, or generate the sort of excitement that would get fans of Daria on the margins rushing to the message boards, talking about the show as if it were new. Unexpected fan devotion produced new episodes of Family Guy and, soon, Futurama. It might not produce any new episodes of Daria, but it could still have some unexpected benefits.
But for that to happen, we need to have a more robust movement. It can't be just me, Martin Sylvester, and some well-meaning contributors here and there. While it is encouraging to see Daria creep up to No. 16 at TV Shows on DVD, that doesn't take the place of a good plan of attack. Back when DVDaria was getting started, there were people to write the petition, come up with the famous logo, create the website, and urge other fans to write to MTV. I want that enthusiasm back again. I've tried to keep up people's interest with contests and new content like interviews with the creators, but sometimes I wonder what's the point if it doesn't lead more people to contribute? You could argue that if nothing else, I would have a ready audience for when the DVDs finally did come out, but frankly, all I would need to do for that is post one item and maybe some alerts on the message boards and alt.tv.daria.
Someone else stated that DVDaria is a news site. In fact, it has always been a news and action site. Why broadcast the latest news if it inspires no one to act? Where would the news come from if no one went out and either found it or made it?
Here is what I would like to see: at least two or three more "regular" contributors to the DVD effort and a widening group of "sometimes" contributors. I would like to eventually move DVDaria to the sort of group blog website (like My Due Dilligence) that would allow mutliple bloggers and diaries. If that is financially beyond our reach, maybe a simpler base could be found.
Someone asked if financial contributions would be acceptable. Sure, definitely. I would estimate, between the payment for webspace and the yearly domain name renewal, that DVDaria costs roughly $50 a year to run. That's not a lot of money spread out over 12 months, but it is money that could be spent on bills and other essentials, so any financial support would be appreciated. Plus, if DVDaria moved to a true blog site not hosted by a free provider like Blogspot, financial contributions would be essential to keep it afloat. If you chose to go that route, though, I would prefer you e-mail me at my dslextreme.com address and tell me how much you'd like to give before doing so I can figure out whether the $50 amount has already been exceeded.
In any event, I think we need to do more on all fronts. Just because things are stalling on the DVD front doesn't mean we couldn't be pursuing other avenues for getting the series broadcast or otherwise making our voices heard. We've done great things in the past and we need to get momentum going for the future. Daria isn't a large enough fandom that we can afford to have a "fanfic wing" and an "activist wing"; people need to be willing to wear more than one hat. We can do better. We must do better.
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- [update 2006-2-15]
Where do we go from here?
You've just read in the last post that MTV is in the same holding pattern it has been in for the past several months. Daria might, and likely will, be on their DVD production schedule in the future... they're just not sure when. Since the Home Video Department also determines what goes to the MTV store at iTunes, it is safe to say that Daria downloads are a big question mark as well.
So where do we go from here? I look at the number of signatures on the petition and while it cheers me to note that there are over 19,000, it also seems to me that the names are coming slower than they did before. Meanwhile, Daria at TV Shows on DVD hovers consistently around No. 18 or 19. Aside from Martin Sylvester's campaigns to get the attention of the Powers That Be, there have not been any recent campaigns launched to get the show on DVD.
I think the main reason has been because MTV has the show, isn't treating it with scorn, yet has no plans to sell the license to a third party and, so far, none to put Daria on DVD. Campaigns fueled by outrage over MTV's "contempt" for its product would therefore be futile; from what I've gathered, it isn't that MTV is against Daria, but rather that it is not sure if it would be profitable enough and is trying to find the method that would minimize costs while maximizing profits. However, they can't make much headway as long as shake ups at MTV and Viacom keep occurring (though most signs suggest that these shake ups will be positive for us).
At the same time, we have one area in which we could make a difference: MTV On Demand. It is a separate department from Home Video and and therefore makes its own decisions. My source told me that he would contact the head of On Demand, but why wait? We could contact the On Demand Department ourselves. Here is MTV's contact info again:
MTV Networks
1515 Broadway
New York, New York 10036-5797
(212) 846-6000
This is just the general contact info, but it's a start. Once you call, you can ask to be directed to the On Demand Department, and after a little patience, state your request that Daria to be added to the list in as polite a manner as possible. And get the direct number/address if you can so others can follow suit.
I think that a lot of people think that all action needs to start with me because I run the DVDaria site and am in touch with someone from MTV. That's not true. You can organize a separate On Demand campaign if you wish, and I would be happy to be involved. However, my life is pretty busy and it would be too difficult for me to the leader of another campaign. I've seen a lot of energy and some terrific suggestions from many people, and I'm sure a great campaign could be launched. The combined energy and ingenuity of many different Daria fans is what created this site in the first place.
I post interviews with Daria writers to keep people interested and morale high, but this is primarily a news and action site. It works best when motivated people are involved. I'm actually contemplating over whether to someday move DVDaria to a real blog location (not Blogspot, which seems kind of fluttery), one that allows diaries and multiple contributors. I like having DVDaria on my site for the convenience, but its set up is unwieldy, making multiple contributors next to impossible. My biggest concern about moving it would be the cost.
In any event, I hope this has given everyone something to think about. After we've come so far, I would hate to see this movement stagnate.
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- [update 2006-2-04]
Update on MTV...
There's been a little confusion the past couple of days. A company that has previously put out MTV products on DVD contacted me to say that negotiations with third party distributors were resuming, now that Paramount had passed on putting the series out on DVD. That sent off alarm bells in my mind, because I took it to mean that MTV Home Video had decided to pass on the series. I should have put two and two together and realized that they weren't the same thing, but I thought that maybe this third-party company was just referring to the MTV division incorrectly. I e-mailed my MTV source and asked what was happening, and he wrote back assuring me that NO decision had been made to pass on Daria on DVD. MTV still owns the show, and no decision could be made without their input.
This led to a more general conversation about Daria on DVD and alternate platforms like iTunes and On Demand. Right now, things at Viacom are still so up in the air, they have not made any arrangements to put Daria on DVD. However, my MTV source does see the possibility of the show emerging on iTunes or On Demand. Regarding iTunes: MTV Home Video is in charge of delivering content to the iTunes store, so until they make a decision to send Daria over, it looks like we'll have to be patient. On Demand, by contrast, is not associated with Home Video, so it's possible that we might see the series there sooner. My source is going to check with the person in charge of that division.
I would suggest that those who want to take action 1) call up MTV and ask for the On Demand department, then keep trying until you get through to the right people, and 2) ask politely if they would put uncut Daria episodes on their On Demand list. You could say that you're affiliated with DVDaria, which has spoken to MTV before, but if you do, I would prefer that you organize yourselves around one or two representatives who could push our concerns to the On Demand representative, rather than have a dozen or more people call in at once.
Regarding Beavis and Butt-head...
I'm planning to make some fan reviews of the new DVDs available on the site in the near future; a few people have already kindly offered to write them. The reviews would look at the DVD package as a whole and give a preview of what a Daria DVD package might look like.
However, I wanted to first address some concerns about the Beavis and Butt-head DVD package. According to my MTV source, it was Mike Judge, not the network, who made the decision to cut certain lines from specific episodes and to leave a third of the episodes out entirely (the third that "sucked" because Judge didn't like the direction or the story). MTV has apparently made efforts to get access to the music videos, but found that in some cases, the bands featured flat out denied them because they were offended by B&B's comments. They have succeeded in getting some music rights, but have run into trouble with bands wanting huge chunks of money for 15 seconds of music.
My source strikes me as sincere, so I'd be willing to believe that his department really has made every effort to make the B&B set as good as possible. Unfortunately, given MTV's historically cynical treatment of... everything, reflexive blame of the network is natural and often justified. I don't know what that says about the possibility of getting music rights for Daria, but I'm hoping that our wish list presents a manageable target for them. It's a good thing we're hungry and desperate...
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- [update 2006-1-20]
Anne is fast. Really fast...
Anne D. Bernstein has already answered our first batch of questions, and they can be found here, or here for Explorer browsers.
Daria on iTunes?
Miguel Bejarano thought it would be a good idea if MTV released Daria episodes on iTunes, which now has its own video store. That way, the network could get a better sense of who would spend money to buy the series than they would from a petition. As with Daria being on MTV On Demand, I think it's a great idea. I know that iTunes has a contract with ABC to showcase some of its series, but is one in the works for Viacom as well? I think that these all-encompassing contracts are what determine which is or isn't in the iTunes catalogue. Does anyone else have any knowledge of the subject?
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- [update 2006-1-07]
Anne D. Bernstein open to questions...
Just a brief update to say that Anne D. Bernstein, writer of famed episodes like "Road Worrier" and "The Invitation," has agreed to a Q&A with the fans. She'll be taking them ten at a time, and I assume that as long as we don't put too much pressure on her, she'll answer as many questions as there are to ask.
I asked Glenn about Peggy Nicoll answering questions as well, and he was less sure about whether she would be available, but "probably." Also, Glenn himself said that he would be available for future questions, so it's good to know that we haven't worn him out after all. While I tend to think that this fandom has more glowing embers than he does, it is good that he wants to help us keep them lit.
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- [update 2006-1-02]
More Glenn goodness...
Happy New Year, everyone! To start off, I have the fourth Q&A with Glenn Eichler, which can be found here, or here for Explorer browsers. Before you dive in, let me say that I think this will be the last interview I'll be doing for a while. I don't want to wear Glenn out with our increasingly esoteric questions (as we scrape to find ones that haven't been answered), and I think that he's done a lot to enlighten us already. That's not to say that we'll never ask him questions again; just, for now, we should give him a chance to rest.
Regarding the DVDaria e-mail...
If you have any inquiries, I'd appreciate it if you stated them in the comments section of the blog. I still check the DVDaria e-mail, but not very often, and it's easier and faster to respond if I see people's questions on the site. You can pose a question in any thread, but I'll try to create more open threads that cater strictly to that purpose.
Daria on MTV On Demand?
Finally, Reese Kaine suggested that I ask my MTV source about putting Daria on MTV On Demand, which has shows that aren't currently on the network. I e-mailed my source, but have yet to get a response. I suspect I'm asking someone in the wrong division. Maybe I need to ask someone who works with day-to-day network operations?
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- [update 2005-11-28]
Post Thanksgiving Update...
...that was actually supposed to be a pre-Thanksgiving update, but ah well. Anyway, I spoke to my source at MTV, and it sounds as though the new boss, who is in charge of direct response, is still settling in; thus, no major decisions have been made regarding Daria on DVD as of yet. The good news? The new boss comes from Rhino, which knows a thing or two about cult/nitche programming.
In other news, there will be more Glenn goodness, as the honorable Mr. Eichler has agreed to another round of questioning. (What was he thinking??) I'll be gathering questions over the upcoming week and will submit them to him either at the end of this week or the beginning of the next. Glenn cautions that his answers might not come right away. No problem -- we'll wait!
Finally, Christ Olivier found a site that sells Daria DVD bootlegs. That's not news. What is news is that, according to Kemical Reaxion, the bootlegs are being advertised via a "sponsored" link on MTV's own website! Hello, MTV? *pats them on the face* Time to wake up. Hello?? Anyone home??
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- [update 2005-11-06]
Newest Beavis and Butt-head DVD collection ready to launch...
The Beavis and Butt-head "Mike Judge Collection" will be available come November 8th, but you can pre-order now (link courtesy of Michelle Klein-Haas). My MTV source has said that he hopes it will sell well, as it could pave the way for future releases of MTV programs on DVD. My thoughts are that if B&B soars, it might not guarantee a Daria release, but if it sinks, there definitely wouldn't be one.
I must say that while I don't love B&B nearly as much as Daria, it is nice to see the little weinerheads on basic cable again during their promotional run. Could it be establishing a precedent?
In other news, Mike Nassour has learned from a Star Trek site that Paramount is planning to launch a direct-to-DVD division for franchises that the studios think are underperforming in the box office, but have devoted fan bases. The article he cited appeared to be referring exclusively to feature films, such as original films produced by Paramount, rather than to television series, but it could be another potential avenue for Daria DVDs.
Meanwhile, Greybird notes that the recently released Drawn Together DVD set had most of the original music replaced, and considers this a sign that Viacom will eventually release Daria on DVD, cutting out significant chunks of the original music. I'm not so sure, since Viacom animation has been released before (such as the first set of B&B DVDs), with original music and video footage cut, and Daria still hasn't been released. If it is the case that MTV has decided to release the series with significant amounts of original music cut or replaced, I wouldn't be unhappy, just as long as key songs were retained (all of which are detailed in the music wish list) and the music that was removed wasn't replaced with dead air.
I plan to contact my MTV source for an update in a week or so, since he said that they planned to discuss future DVD releases in November.
On a final note, Daria is back to No. 18 Unreleased Rank at TV Shows on DVD. Go, team, go! (What??)
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- [update 2005-9-06]
Latest from MTV...
I spoke to my MTV source, who told me that the department has no plans to put out Daria yet. However, he said that the new direct response rep has settled in and the new MTV label for DVDs is doing really well. They have high hopes that the upcoming Beavis and Butt-head release will keep up the momentum. My personal feeling is that if it does do well, it could pave the way for Daria's release, whereas if it doesn't, Daria could be shelved. As it so happens, how Daria came into being will be mentioned in a featurette on the B&B DVD set.
My source said that MTV Home Video is currently trying to figure out its 2006 schedule and that I should contact him again in November. So until November, we'll just have to hope.
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- [update 2005-8-28]
Just a brief update...
First, to update the petition, which has added hundreds of signatures since my last update. Second, to let you know that soon I'll be following up with my MTV source to see if any significant decisions have been made regarding direct response.
I feel bad having gone so long without an update. I would love to have guest bloggers who could add any tidbits they have, but what stops me is that DVDaria is basically one long text document with a lot of yucky code, which isn't very receptive to multiple users/updaters. The best sort of format would be one where the page design stayed the same while the text could be changed easily, but I know of no cheap, private blog that could do that (as opposed to a public blogging format like Blogger). If anyone could think of a way it could be done, I'd like to hear it.
And consequently, what is up with HaloScan? Several responses in to the last update and it still says zero?
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- [update 2005-7-06]
MTV Home Video update...
Finally I had the chance to do an update. As I stated in the comments section, I spoke to my source at MTV last Monday, and while his news wasn't earth-shattering, it was possibly encouraging.
Basically, the Home Video Department has just brought in someone who specializes in direct response, which involves ordering products over the phone. Think TIME-Life, which advertises its products in commercials with a number at the bottom of the screen for you to call. In the past, MTV went through a third party like TIME-Life to sell DVDs for its animation (such as Beavis and Butthead and Ren and Stimpy); now it can do it in house, and Daria could possibly be sold through that route.
That may sound disappointing, but my source assured me that if Daria sold well through direct response, it could branch out into retail stores. The reason MTV might first do it through direct response is because the retail market has gotten so flooded, DVDs are not selling as well as they used to, unless they follow a big movie release or are for a popular current show. Direct response doesn't require as many units to be sold as retail in order to be considered a "success." My source told me that if it happened, MTV would advertise on various channels, including The-N, where Daria plays at 12 pm PST/3 am EST. I asked what role non-American fans might play in making direct response work, reminding my source that Daria videos were more numerous and popular outside of the United States. He wasn't quite sure, though he thought foreign fans could possibly buy DVDs through direct response if the DVDs were multi-regional.
Lastly, my MTV source stressed that the staff at MTV Home Video really does want a DVD release to happen, but they have to work within the parameters they are given. "Reminders" like lasagna boxes or glasses don't make them remember the show, because they haven't forgotten. He told me to call back in a couple of months to get an update on the situation.
So that's it... I'll have more for you in a couple of months.
Ain't It Cool?
On the Paperpusher Board John Takis directed fans to a link on the Ain't It Cool News website for the 10 shows most craved on DVD. Surprise, surprise -- it has Daria in the No. 4 spot.
Herc (the webmaster) writes: "MTV cranked out 65 episodes over five seasons between 1997 and 2001. How many are on DVD? None! Daria, Jane and Trent all watched a show called "Sick Sad World" and mocked everything in their orbits. I miss Morgendorfer."
I'd written Ain't It Cool some time back to tell them about the DVDaria website, but didn't get a response and figured that Daria was too low-key for a site that was heavy on sci-fi/fantasy. It's great to see that the popular website has taken notice of the show, and John Takis helpfully left a link to direct visitors to the DVDaria site. The more exposure, the better.
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- [update 2005-6-26]
Brief update...
Just to answer the inevitable questions, no I have not spoken to my MTV source yet. Part of the reason is because he's been busy, and part of it is because I've been dealing with a bullshit fender-bender accusation. I intend to call him this week, hopefully early in the week. I'll keep you posted.
Also, Martin Sylvester reports that he got a response from ShoutFactory, which told him that because they had no connection to MTV's library, they had no plans for putting out Daria on DVD. Oh well, at least he got a response. I'm sure I'm not the first to say that his efforts are well appreciated.
In other news, Daria has climbed back up to No. 20 at TV Shows on DVD, where it has remained for the past week.
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- [update 2005-6-11]
Hold the glasses!
Remember how, during the last update, we discussed sending items to MTV to get their attention, like pizza boxes or glasses? Scratch that. According to my source at MTV, that kind of stuff just annoys them. He did, however, tell me to call him late this coming week and he will fill me in on the latest news. I'm thinking he must have something noteworthy to share, or he would have just said he'd keep me posted if something came up. Hopefully the news is good.
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Daria at TV Shows on DVD
Martin Sylvester of The Irony Maiden has been ever-watchful of Daria's position at TV Shows on DVD, and he was the first to note its progress from the high 20's all the way to No. 18 on the list of Unreleased DVDs. Unfortunately, it's slid down to No. 21, but hopefully with a strong effort, we can bring it back to the Top Twenty, or even the Top Ten.
Martin also wishes to draw people's attention to another independent company that could potentially put Daria on DVD, Shout Factory. He writes "As with my earlier approach to KultTV, even if they aren't in the end able to help with a release, I hope that at least an enquiry from them to Viacom's licensing department might help to wake up Viacom to the market there is for Daria DVDs, and accelerate any putative MTV release." I was already aware of ShoutFactory's existence when they put out the Freaks and Greeks DVD collection. One mark in their favor is that they bought ALL of the original music that came with Freaks and Geeks, so they might not shy away from purchasing large quantities of music for Daria. Unfortunately, when I e-mailed them a while back, they never responded. Hopefully Martin's e-mail will get a response, and they might be more likely to take notice if several people were to e-mail about Daria.
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DVDaria mailing list...
Just wanted to let those who have sent e-mail to dvdaria@yahoo.com that the mailing list, for now, is inactive. Its main purpose is to share news that is too private to be announced on the main site (such as news pertaining to specific companies interested in putting Daria on DVD), but that hasn't been an issue lately, and most likely won't be for the foreseeable future. Until this changes, you are likely to get everything you need from my updates on this site.
Third set of Glenn Eichler follow ups...
And now, the icing on the cake! Here is the regular link to the Q&A and here is the link for those with Explorer browsers. Enjoy!
To the transcript volunteers...
For those of you translating our Q&A's into French and Spanish, if you haven't finished, I would say that's a good thing. I may toss Glenn a few more questions, but otherwise, I think we're reaching the end (aside from questions about very specific moments on the show that I'm not sure he'd have the answer to). Eventually, I plan to consolidate everything into one massive Q&A, while keeping the individual parts for archival purposes. It would probably be best to wait until then to finish the translation.
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- [update 2005-5-1]
A much-needed update...
Here is that "bigger update" I promised you. It took a little longer than expected due to the Paperpusher board's unexpected crash last weekend. (To make a long story short, Netrillium, its server, suffered "unexpected hard drive failure" for nearly five days, the board was moved to a new server, and I now own and run the PPMB.) It's times like this I really do see the value of having a "posse" to update when I'm not around.
To start, Corwin Haught suggests we garner attention for Daria on DVD by staging a public rally in front of MTV New York or Los Angeles, or mailing frozen lasagna or pizza to MTV execs. Definitely the type of creative thinking I was hoping for. A rally might be possible, but the problem would be 1) gathering enough people, flying them in, 2) actually figuring out how to make ourselves heard by the executives who matter. As for sending food... I'm not a big fan of that idea, mainly because I don't eat frozen lasagna and hate to see any food go to waste. Who is to say we would even know whom to send it to?
A few weeks ago, Greybird posted a thread at the PPMB about the efforts of MacGyver fans to get their show on DVD. The article included mentions of dvdtalk.com and dvdfile.com, websites that executives that matter visit. Kemical Reaxion suggested that Daria fans flood the website with requests for our show to come out on DVD. I agree.
And finally, I don't know how much impact this will have on our efforts, but the Viacom megabeast has been officially split in two: One half, the cable/film division, will be run by Tom Freston, whom I mentioned in a previous update. The broadcast television division will be run by Les Moonves. What it might mean is that the half led by Tom Freston is now more vibrant and flexible, both because of its smaller size and because of Freston's dynamic approach. If that is the case, that could be good for us.
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- [update 2005-4-20]
Second set of Glenn Eichler follow ups...
I promise to have a bigger update in a few days, as I have several things to add.
However, here is the link for those of you
with current browsers, and here is the link for those with
older browsers. Enjoy!
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- [update 2005-4-04]
DVDaria passes 15,000 signatures...
Another milestone! Thanks, everyone, for making it possible.
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- [update 2005-3-30]
First set of follow ups with Glenn Eichler...
As I mentioned in the Twenty Questions post, Glenn has been open to taking
follow-up questions. He asked that they be in sets of five rather than a whole 20 like last
time, so hopefully there should be 3-4 more to come. The following is a mixture of
follow-up questions, one new question, and my comments/his response to some of what
he wrote in the first Q&A. The follow ups to come will incorporate more new questions,
though as you may find, several of Glenn's answers (or lack thereof) may indirectly
address questions that haven't yet been asked.
One thing Glenn confirmed from the previous interview, which I didn't include on
the follow-up transcript, was that when he talked about the Morgendorffers living near
Baltimore or in Pennsylvania, he was talking about Daria's family, not Jake's
parents.
Before too long, I plan to put all of the transcripts in a special section for original
material not solely related to the DVD effort.
Click here for the follow-up questions.
Or here if you have an Explorer
browser that doesn't read the first link.
En Francais? Espagnol?
Would anyone who speaks French, Spanish, Russian, etc. like to translate the
interview transcripts into your native language? If so, I would be happy to post them
along with the English versions.
DVDaria Posse?
I've been thinking about asking for volunteers to help me gather leads and
implement ideas. Things like keeping track of Viacom's goings-on in the news, or
organizing events like Call a Celebrity Day!. Right now it's just me updating the site,
getting help from people like Aapo or Alan Benard, accepting leads from various people
and making note of other developments (like Martin Sylvester's Three Minutes for
Daria). What exists now is good, but I keep feeling as though with more energy, we
could really make something happen.
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- [update 2005-3-27]
Outside the box open thread...
What bold (legal) maneuvers do you think we could take to keep the show on
people's radar? They could be simple, yet effective, campaigns like Martin Sylvester's
Three Minutes for Daria. Or something like looking up every celebrity who
professed a liking for Daria and every journalist who has ever written about it,
and asking them to promote the series.
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- [update 2005-3-16]
Twenty Questions with Glenn Eichler...
Er... nineteen, rather. The last one is kind of a two-parter. Michelle Klein-
Haas was kind enough to pass my e-mail along to the Mighty Glenn, and he
contacted me, agreeing to answer whatever questions I had. Little did he know that years
of speculation had stored up about 100 questions in my noggin. Still, I decided to go
easy on him and just give him nineteen of what I thought were some of the most
commonly asked questions in fandom. (Note: None of them is "Where is Lawndale?",
but Glenn answered anyway.)
He has offered to answer some follow-up questions, so if anyone has one, list them
here or on the message boards. I can't guarantee that they will all be answered - five
follow-ups per question could be overwhelming - and there shouldn't be any questions
that aren't related to the topics already covered in this Q&A (those can be answered in
time), but still, ask away!
While you read, keep in mind that Glenn wrote: "it's been a while since we worked
on the show and I don't know if some of these questions EVER had answers." You may
therefore find his answers illuminating and earth shattering... or not very likely to change
the opinions you had already.
Enjoy!
[Update: For those who have trouble viewing the above link (mainly Explorer
users) try this
one.]
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- [update 2005-3-11]
Martin Sylvester has a new DVD campaign...
Special thanks, Martin!
More thoughts on MTV...
The collective reaction to my suggestion that we actually try to find something on
MTV that we might enjoy was "Huh? WTF?" It doesn't surprise me, since aside from
airing Daria, MTV hasn't done much to impress me since 1995. Let me give you
my logic behind the request.
First, no one at MTV has told me that they have dropped their plans to put
Daria on DVD, so no need to be alarmed. However, it occurred to me that this
could happen, because MTV doesn't consider us part of its core demographic, and
the core demographic gets served first and foremost. Even Beavis and Butt-head
suits the target demographic better than Daria, given that MTV2 will be catering
to teenage boys.
"MTV doesn't value us!" we used to complain when the show was in its first run,
when we used to actually tune in to the channel. What makes us think that they'll value
us more now that the majority has stopped watching completely? They have no major
incentive to give us what we want. Yes, we have buying power, but we've always
had buying power. We have numbers, but so do fans of The Ashley Simpson
Show. Of course our numbers are more loyal and our show infinitely better, but the
main importance to MTV is that The Ashley Simpson Show is in the here and
now, not stored away in some attic, and is a lucrative cash cow.
I believe that while the possibility of profit making will compel MTV to release
Daria eventually, the deciding factor will be executives who think that the show is
good and deserves to be seen. But what happens if these executives, for some untold
reason, are dismissed or jump ship to another network, to be replaced by executives who
would happily allow Daria to rot?
That's why I think it might be worth it to try watching MTV on at least a semi-
regular basis. One, it keeps us in touch with the channel's ever-changing mindset. Two,
in some ways it could be considered an act of good faith, a way of saying "Thanks for
everything, MTV... don't forget us!" Three, if we find a show that we like and would be
willing to shell out money for its products, we might be able to exercise a bit of leverage
should times get tough. "If you don't release Daria, I and my 15,000 friends will
boycott The Ashley Simpson Show and create a coordinated campaign to urge
millions of teens across the country to boycott the show and the singer
and her singer-related products!"
Of course I'm not saying anyone should watch that show, or any such odious
programming, unless he/she really liked it or found it to be a guilty pleasure. That would
be too much; I wouldn't want any fan of Daria to be in seriously physical
pain. Plus there's the fact that most of us aren't in MTV's teen demographic, so
even if we were devotees, they might not take our loyalty seriously. However, some of
us are teens, or on the verge of being teens, or have sons and daughters or nieces
and nephews or neighbors who are teenagers. If we were able to convince MTV that we
have control over many, many members of their core viewing audience, they might be
more swayed than if we just clamored that we wanted Daria on DVD and would
pay a lot of money.
It's just an idea. Maybe a bit crazy and unworkable, but sometimes those lead to
the ideas that are great and workable.
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- [update 2005-3-06]
Your mission, if you choose to accept it...
Watch MTV and find a show that you think Daria fans would enjoy. I
mean really enjoy, not enjoy mocking. The reason is because when MTV does
get around to advertising Daria DVDs, the way things are currently, it have to
advertise on different channels (the ones where it thinks we fans could be lurking), which
can get expensive. However, if the folks at MTV know that we are watching, it could
save them $$$ and make them that much more willing to run advertisements and run
them often. It's worth a shot.
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- [update 2005-2-23]
Wall Street Journal article on Paramount Home Video
Click here
to read. (If you get a 404, keep hitting refresh until you get it.) It picks up where the
TIME article left off by detailing Paramount's plans to expand its DVD sales.
The money quote:
"The biggest boost ahead is expected to come from TV DVDs. Viacom
already has a thriving kids DVD business, thanks to Nickelodeon. While Paramount
released 35 TV DVDs in 2002, that will jump to 220 this year. As a general rule, TV
DVDs are more profitable to a studio. However, the expense of renegotiating the actors
and producers, and clearing the music rights, can sometimes cut into profits."
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- [update 2005-2-20]
Second "Nay" on MTV2
I haven't had the chance to ask anyone at MTV2 directly whether they will be
taking on Daria, but Michelle Klein-Hass asked the almighty
Glenn himself, and he knew absolutely nothing about it. While Glenn may not
be in control of his show, one would think he would be the first to know if it were
moving to a new network.
DVDaria's policy on bootlegs
The subject came up not long ago, and I thought I would address it directly.
DVDaria does not support the purchase of bootleg episodes. However,
bootlegging is going to happen whether it has this website's support or not, and remains a
sign of the show's enduring popularity amongst fans who want to see it easily and uncut.
My greatest concern is that people will spend hundreds of dollars for a full DVD set
without any idea what they're getting - whether the picture/sound quality is good or
whether they are uncut. Caveat emptor.
TIME article on the new head of Paramount
The feature story on Tom
Freston (link good for a week) is worth noting mainly because of what my
source at MTV said about the latest Viacom shake-ups. If Paramount Home Video winds
up being the go-to outlet for Daria DVDs, what this guy says and does could be
important. This article discusses the role he could play in shaking up Paramount's
sluggish film division.
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- [update 2005-2-05]
Ladies and germs, we have banners!
Yeah! The banners are back, thanks to Alan Benard! Turns out the reason they
never showed up was because the directory was missing, and it is now back online.
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- [update 2005-2-05]
Update on MTV...
Some news, but nothing dramatic. I got through to an executive at MTV, who said
that they are still working on getting Daria released on DVD, but it will not
happen in 2005, even if they started right now. Recent corporate restructuring at Viacom
and Paramount are partially responsible for the delay. MTV is relaunching its brand at
retail, and Daria is among the catalogue releases being considered for the future.
So as I said, nothing new - more delays for us. However, the fact that this executive took
the time to talk to me and was interested in our pursuit, as opposed to the brush off I got
when I inquired about the DVDs back in June 2003, left me encouraged.
What was less encouraging was hearing that it is unlikely that Daria will air
on MTV2 because its programming is going to be skewed toward teen males. What,
SpikeTV isn't enough for them? Where's the channel skewed to teen girls, huh,
huh? The executive I spoke to was not directly involved with any of the spinoff
channels, so it could be that Daria is headed for MTV2, or VH1, or even Comedy
Central for all we know. Maybe Noggin renewed it, though I bloody hope not. It feels
more and more like I will need to get up extra-early again to make another phone call,
this time to the Noggin scheduling department.
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- [update 2005-1-25]
Open thread...
Because every good blog should have one. A place to ask questions and discuss
things that haven't been mentioned in detail for a while (or at all).
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- [update 2005-1-22]
Plans to contact MTV, The-N soon...
I hope to do so within the next week, though given how long it's taken them in the
past to connect me to the right person, it may take a week or two longer. It's a challenge
to get up extra early with the three-hour time difference.
My goal is to find out MTV's current status with DVD negotiations. It has been a
couple of months since I spoke to one of the companies that was trying to license the
show for distribution, and six months since Glenn made his famous announcement that MTV was formally
going ahead with talks. My hope is that MTV can give me an answer as to when they
expect to complete negotiations or, if things have stalled, the sticking point that prevents
them from going ahead.
As for The-N, as far as I am aware, this is the final year of their license of the
Daria episodes from MTV. Already you can feel the show's marginalization, as it
has been booted to late-night viewing hours in all time zones but the West Coast (where I
can still catch it at 10 pm). I would like to know if The-N executives know where it will
go next... is the next step DVDs, or will it join its parent show Beavis and Butt-
head on MTV2? If the latter, I would seriously consider dropping my cable service
and getting Direct TV, as stupid Adelphia cable only offers MTVH (music videos) and
MTVS (Spanish MTV).
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Banner troubles...
Several people have complained that the links on the banners page are dead (for example, click on the top one
offered by Aapo Laitinen, and you see a list of dead icons). I am not sure why
they died, since I have never moved nor deleted the banners links, but I contacted Aapo,
our resident DVDaria web guru, for his opinion. He hasn't gotten back to me yet, but
hopefully will soon. Meanwhile, if anyone slightly more web-savvy than I am knows
how I can restore the links, I am all ears.
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Update on the DVDaria contest...
Okay, so the last contest was a little too challenging. It's a new year -- time to have
a new contest. I solicited opinions from people on the mailing list about types of contests
they think would work. In the lead is a raffle of names of people who voted on TV Shows on DVD, as offered by
Martin Sylvester during the first contest. At the time, I was not sure it would
accomplish what I wanted, which was to get as many people to vote as possible, but it
certainly would be the easiest to implement.
Some have suggested an essay contest, but my only problems with that are
that the judging could be too subjective, and I'm not exactly sure how that would
convince Viacom that the DVDs were in high demand (the way, say, a high ranking of
Daria on TV Shows on DVD would; currently it is at No. 29). To me, that is the
most important thing a contest could establish.
Meanwhile, the Daria cel and Glenn's signature remain in DVDaria's
possession, waiting for a new home. So if you have any ideas for how a contest that
meets the above objective can be easily implemented, let me know. And sorry if I've left
out any ideas that have already been mentioned over e-mail.
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- [update 2005-1-20]
DVDaria is now a blog!
Sort of. Thanks to the wonders of HaloScan.com (thanks et alia!),
people now have the ability to comment upon my various updates. I wanted to allow
people easier interaction with me and with each other. The mailing list will still be used
for confidential info. Let me know what you think.
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- [update 2004-12-19]
It's raining bootlegs, Charlie Brown!
What would the holiday season be without poorly-encoded, Noggin-edited
Daria "DVDs" being advertised on eBay? Who could forget learning that
someone actually paid nearly $400 for the entire series, only to learn that the episodes
were, in fact, the accursed "censored" ones regularly shown on The-N?
And man, they're not even trying to make the DVDs look legitimate this year. In
seasons past, you could usually find semi-professional cover art and the discs themselves
packaged in separate sets, like a real DVD collection. This year, one seller boasts that he
has fit 65 episodes on six discs, which must have done wonders for the quality of the
episodes, which I'm sure wasn't great to start with. These lovely ads run up and down the
Daria eBay listings, probably increasing the likelihood that none of the sets will
break the record at $400, though as Christmas draws nearer, I wouldn't count out the
possibility.
I realize that, for people who have not seen the series in a while, and cannot even
catch the first airing of the episodes on The-N (12 AM Eastern time), buying poor-quality
bootlegs is tempting. However, let me remind you why that would be a bad idea. Firstly,
it's illegal. Secondly, none of these ads state whether the episodes are uncut or from
Noggin, and would you really want to drop $100 for the cut-up episodes? If so, let me
refresh your memory about the Noggin-cut "Is It Fall Yet?", which chopped out the entire
Allison bi-sexual plotline. Or "Lucky Strike," which cut out the substitute coming on to
Tiffany, Helen reporting it, and Daria being forced into the sub role because Ms. Li held
a grudge. Without which, you had no idea why Daria was the acting substitute.
Thirdly, I have yet to see an amateur digital copy of anything that looks good.
Word through the grapevine has it that Daria bootlegs have poor sound quality
and the picture is often grimy and compressed. Sounds like money well-spent to
me.
However, once again the proliferation of bootlegs is an example of how badly
people want to see the series on DVD. You hear that, MTV? At the same time, I can
almost guarantee that if MTV or another company puts out a rush job that mistakenly
cuts parts of the episodes (such as the infamous Is It College Yet? DVD), this
problem will persist, because fans will want the episodes are they were meant to
be seen. So please don't think you can cut corners and get away with it. No dead silences
where scene-changing music should go. No cuts for content or episode omissions. Give
us quality DVDs, MTV, and I suspect the eBay bootleg market will dry up very
quickly.
- [update 2004-11-28]
Just an update...
I added the entries people requested for the music list, but as I said, I would appreciate it if
no more entries were sent, at least for the time being, because I don't want to overwhelm
any company that finally succeeds in acquiring Daria for DVD.
Also, Daria has been nudged up to No. 30 (the high was No. 28)
on TV Shows on DVD. Is a burst of fan devotion the likely cause, or the fact
that Charmed, which was in the Top Ten, will be coming out on DVD? As likely
as the latter reason is, I would like to believe the former. In any event, we'll take what we
can get.
Also, I spoke to the company that has been in talks with MTV, and the person I
spoke with said that MTV has been stalling. Big surprise, :sigh:
Finally, these thoughts from fan Louis Gerbarg on the issue of music:
"The music rights for Daria have always been an issue, and we have seen various
solutions on the two available DVDs, including inserting generic music and omitting the
music. What I would really like to see is two audio tracks available, one with some mix
of significant original tracks and generic ones, and another which has all of the licensed
music removed.... I have a home theatre system that is sophisticated enough to blend
multiple tracks, so if I had the audio entry point and levels I could have it blend tracks
from iTunes. They could potentially even include a custom player app on the DVD that
let people substitute an audio track, though I doubt the cost of a custom engineering like
that would be reasonable for this sort of project. But if they provide the non-musical
tracks then fans could put a custom frontend together even after the DVDs have been
released. It would be especially helpful if they included the audio timecodes and levels on
the DVDs." Interesting idea... though with copyright issues, I'm not sure it's
legal.
- [update 2004-11-10]
Sorry for the delay on announcing the contest...
I was busy GOTV (getting out the vote) for the 2004 presidential election at the
beginning of last week and mourning for the rest. I haven't had much time to update
DVDaria or my personal website, The Contrarian's Corner. Anyway, without further
ado, the winner of the First Annual DVDaria Contest is..........
No one.
I don't know whether that is because some of the basic rules were misunderstood,
or whether I just set the threshold for DVDaria GOTV too high. In any event, it may be
that everyone assumed that everyone else had signed up 20 people before deadline, and
decided it wasn't worth trying. To those who signed up people, a big thanks. Although it
was perplexing and a bit disappointing that no one got at least 10, the people you did sign
up were enough to nudge Daria up to No. 32 Unreleased Rank and
No. 57 Overall (the lowest yet) on the TV Shows on DVD list. 136 votes have
been cast since the contest was announced. And (hopefully) we have a crop of new
people interested in Daria on DVD.
So the contest is closed, and the animation cel with Glenn's signature remains in
DVDaria's possession. That means there will need to be another contest to determine
whom the cel eventually goes home with. One possibility is a general raffle, but I am
also interested in hearing any ideas you might have. The ultimate goal is to promote the
show on DVD, either to potential fans or potential buyers.
Meanwhile, a few fans have given some more suggestions for songs on the
music wish list, which I will add soon.
However, I would like to request that no one send any more entries, because I want to
keep the list at a reasonable size so that whichever company licenses the show would be
willing to license everything we ask for.
- [update 2004-10-09]
DVDaria has been contacted by a company that wishes to put Daria on
DVD...
This is not the first time a company has gotten in touch with us; Alan Benard and I
had been communicating regularly with one for several months, but unfortunately, after
many hopeful moments, the company's talks with MTV appear to have fallen through.
There is no guarantee that this latest company will be any more successful, but since I
was contacted by one of their higher-ups, I know they are taking the purchase of the show
very seriously. I looked at their other video offerings and their market reach, and
was impressed: They cover all the major online and retail outlets, such as Amazon,
Borders, and Best Buy.
We don't have a preference for any company in the hunt for Daria: Any
company that cares about what we want is a good company, and we'd be happy to
provide it with any information necessary.
The person who contacted me wanted to know about our music
preferences, and that's what I wanted to discuss next. It may not come as a shock to you,
but apparently licensing all of the music in the Daria episodes would be very
expensive. In fact, I think it was Glenn Eichler who said that it would cost more to
license the music than to put all five seasons on DVD. Therefore, the likelihood of
getting all of the original music is next to zero.
However, we've been aware of this problem for quite some time, and have made
efforts to figure out which is the most essential music to have in the series. We pressed
the company that worked with us last to license the most essential songs, like
"Everybody Hurts" in "Road Worrier," "Everlong" in "Lane Miserables," or "What Do
You Want from Me?" in "Quinn the Brain." Our insistence (and the persistent demands
on this site) appears to have gotten through to the people at MTV, because the person
who contacted me recently knew of our concerns ahead of time. I sent him the link to a
music wish list that Alan Benard and I compiled several months ago, after we'd
asked other fans what music they would most want to hear in the episodes. Click here to view the complete list. There are about
80 songs listed, less than half of the total songs in Season One alone.
I will be honest: If I hadn't read the Outpost Daria Song Lists, I would never have
known that popular songs accompanied most of the scene changes. To me, it often
sounded like filler; only notable songs, like the ones I mentioned above, would be ones
I'd truly miss.
In any event, if you feel like a really good song has been left out, e-mail it to us,
though try not to go overboard. The company that licenses Daria for DVD might
not even use what we already have.
- [update 2004-9-29]
DVDaria has a new, easier-to-type URL, thanks to Michelle Klein-Hass:
DVDaria.info. The usual URL http://www.the-
wildone.com/dvdaria still works just fine, but doesn't DVDaria deserve an
address of its own?
- [update 2004-9-25]
Not bad...
A bit of movement at TV Shows on DVD since I first announced the
contest, enough to push the show back up to 33 and its overall ranking to
59 from 62. However, we can do better... at Daria's peak, it was at 32
and less than 700 votes separated it from No. 10. Now the gap has widened to nearly
800. 800 votes behind SeaQuest DSV! We know our show is better than that.
Remember what is at stake (and not just the animation cel).
Also wanted to just let you know that when the contest is updated, you will see
parts of the existing contest message with [Update *insert message here*
] inside. It would be too confusing to have separate updates and then try to link
them all together.
- [update 2004-9-18]
Announcing the DVDaria Contest!
(Be sure to come back periodically to look for any possible
additions/changes...)
TV Shows on DVD as of
now stands at:
Unreleased Rank:
34th
Overall Rank:
62nd
Season Set:
1467 (99%)
Best of:
355 (24%)
Individual Episodes:
322
(22%)
Total Number of Voters:
1477
The goal of the contest is to get as many votes as possible to put Daria in
the Top 25 or even the Top 10, as well as to recruit new people to the DVD cause. The
details are as follows:
Whoever can get the most people to sign up and vote at TV Shows on DVD wins
first prize: a cel from "The Misery Chick" with the background autographed by
Glenn Eichler. We're still trying to determine the second and third prizes; when we
do, I'll update the announcement.
The cel isn't perfect -- it was stored, unprotected, in a warehouse along with
countless other cels from Seasons One through Three, and the conditions caused some of
the ink of the outline to fragment and smudge in a few places. I didn't know this when I
bid for the cel on eBay (one of the last Daria cels available to be put up for
auction). However, my personal opinion is that the cel is in about 95% good condition,
but I'll let you judge for yourself. [Update:
Glenn's signature has finally come, and you can get a rough look at what the cel looks
like with the signature. You also have your choice
of colors. You can chose the slate-gray background, or you can go with brick red or magenta. The cel and signature
will be matted and sent to the winner at DVDaria's expense.]
How the contest works: You have until 11 PM Pacific Standard Time
on October 30th to send to dvdaria@yahoo.com a list of people you have
persuaded to sign up and vote at TV Shows on DVD. Your list will require:
1. the person's e-mail
2. the person's password (so we can check, if need be, to make sure that the sign-in
is valid)
It is fine to use someone who already has an account with TV Shows on DVD...
just make sure this person didn't vote for the show on a previous occasion or has agreed
to be on someone else's list.
Most important: The winner must have at least ten people on
his/her list (he/she can include his/her own sign-in name). If no one manages to get ten
people or more, no one wins the cel (or second or third prize). The reason why we have
set the floor so high is that our biggest goal is, again, to get votes so Daria can
break the Top 25 or even reach the Top 10. After the trouble we've gone through to
secure the cel and Glenn's signature, it would feel like somewhat of a waste if we gave it
to someone who only got five people to vote. This way, if it turns out people don't gather
many votes, the cel can be used as a big prize in another DVDaria contest.
I realize that the contest is open to potential abuses -- someone could create a
zillion extra e-mail addresses and passwords and claim they belong to separate people, or
claim that people who have already voted for Daria on DVD, through no urging
of theirs, were people they recruited to sign up. However, I hope everyone who
participates in this contest will resist these urges - our biggest goal is to get the show
enough attention that it finally gets onto DVD. Obviously if someone submits a list of
hundreds whom he/she "recruited," but it isn't reflected in the vote totals on the
Daria page, we would know it was fake.
In any case, I hope you find the contest reasonable and that many of you are
motivated to participate. If you have any questions, let me know. Good luck!
- [update 2004-9-11]
We're slipping a little with the TV Shows on DVD
voting...
Daria's rank rose as high as 32 on September 1, and has since sunk
back down to 34. Fortunately, I plan to announce the contest at the end of this week,
which should add some extra motivation. If you vote, or encourage any friends to vote
before the initial announcement, you can use that in the contest.
- [update 2004-8-26]
Moving on up with TV Shows on
DVD
Unreleased Rank:
34th
Overall Rank:
64th
Season Set:
1404 (99%)
Best of:
337 (24%)
Individual Episodes:
309
(22%)
Total Number of Voters:
1414
At this rate, we won't even need a contest to break No. 25 (though I still
plan to have one).
In "Argghhhhhhh!" news, the possible good news I mentioned in the last update
has been put on hold again (I will give details to the mailing list). All the more
reason to keep signing the petition, voting at TV Shows on DVD, and writing
letters.
Also, I wanted to post a link to the Spanish DVDaria
petition courtesy of Sergio Lopez, webmaster of Daria's Sick Sad World.
And last, but not least, for The-N viewers in the U.S.: Good news is that
The-N showed "Ill" last weekend, Saturday morning at 3:30 AM EST. The bad news is
that 1) they aired it way out of prime time, and 2) they trimmed one scene, the
one where Jake drives to the school to pick up Daria. According to William
Klepadlo, "Murder She Snored" will be the next "lost" episode aired, in September.
I would keep on voicing outrage that they aren't showing the episodes consistently or in
prime time. In fact, even if you don't get The-N, I would protest anyway.
Solidarity!
- [update 2004-8-13]
The latest stats for TV Shows on
DVD
Unreleased Rank:
36th
Overall Rank:
65th
Season Set:
1362 (99%)
Best of:
328 (24%)
Individual Episodes:
302
(22%)
Total Number of Voters:
1372
Very nice... we're moving up. It would be great if we could at least break No. 25.
Meanwhile, the contest is moving along - we finally acquired the key ingredient
to make it work. The thing that holds it up is, ironically, some good news: I mentioned
special behind-the-scenes goings-on in my June 30 post; it appears that, after some
stalling, things are finally moving again, and I will have more definitive information very
soon. People who would like to know more are encouraged to join the mailing list (e-
mail dvdaria@yahoo.com and ask to subscribe).
Bootleg Watch
eBay appears to have done a good job cracking down on bootlegs, because
I haven't seen too many. A few days ago, someone tried to sell the entire series for $125,
only to be called out as an illegal seller. Still, they manage to slip by now and then... one
set recently sold for $90. The seller boasts: "Don't pay 250.00 plus for this same set
when you get the few i have left at a fraction of the price. i am selling the extra sets i have
and will sell to the first person who bids 90.00. all sets will be shipped right away and
you can start enjoying.case and full chapter menus are included as well. you could turn
these around for a quick profit if wanted.i just want to sell the extra sets i have quick
hence the price drop.like i said before i guarantee the quality is great and is as good as or
better then all the other sets sold on ebay"
Poor grammar, no in-depth description... I think that raises about all the red flags
you need.
Just to reiterate, DVDaria does not endorse the sale or purchase of
bootlegs. However, the fact that some crappy Nogginized VCDs can fetch $90 would
serve as a lesson to The Powers That Be yet again that this show can make
money.
In other news...
For those in the U.S. who watch the Daria episodes on The-N, you likely
enjoyed the uncut airings of "lost episodes" "College Bored" and "Cafe Disaffecto."
However, for whatever reason, The-N has decided to pre-empt airings of any more lost
episodes this month. Read the news on my SOS! Daria News page and express your
feelings to The-N via the attached link.
- [update 2004-7-20]
Breaking News...
Michelle Klein-Hass spoke to Glenn Eichler, and he had this to
say about Daria on DVD:
GLENN: So there's no distributor and no release date but what there is
is very strong interest from MTV in putting Daria out, and steady activity toward
making that a reality. [Emphasis mine.]
Glenn further noted that "it's the fans who have made this possible and we
appreciate it."
The background story here is that I wanted to see if someone involved with the
show, like Glenn, one of the other writers, or a voice actor, would be willing to autograph
an animation cel for the contest I'm forming for DVDaria. Michelle contacted Glenn,
who filled her in on the current situation. Further information, which I am not at liberty
to divulge, suggests that MTV is taking the DVD process very seriously - they are not
half-assing or neglecting the show, as we so often feared.
I don't know whether the fact that other companies are interested in acquiring the
DVD rights to Daria gave them a swift kick in the petard, or whether they have
always intended to put Daria on DVD (going back to my interview with the then-
Manager of Home Video, I'd have to say no), but in any event, the tide has now shifted
toward putting out the series on DVD and doing it as right as could possibly be
done.
My personal feeling is that once MTV saw that interest from the old fans was not
going to die, and that the show was gaining new fans on The-N, they realized that they
had an actual product on their hands. Couple it with the fact that bootlegs were selling
well on eBay, not to mention iron-ons and other show-related material, and they knew
they couldn't withhold the show forever. You heard it from Glenn: It's our complaining
that got us this far. Let's keep making noise so MTV never forgets us, from now until the
first DVDs are available. And be sure to send your love to MKH for her contribution to the cause.
- [update 2004-7-15]
TV Shows on DVD
We're up to No. 40, and the stats look like this:
Unreleased Rank:
40th
Overall Rank:
68th
Season Set:
1260 (99%)
Best of:
308 (24%)
Individual Episodes:
278
(22%)
Total Number of Voters:
1271
It looks as though it won't be as easy to catch The Adventures of Brisco County
Jr. as I first thought, given that it has the benefit of being on the main page, easier to
find and vote for. However, I'm betting there are a lot of shows that aren't moving
between No. 40 and No. 10. Keep voting!
Meanwhile, the contest is shaping up. If you have already voted, don't despair,
because it will not count against you.
- [update 2004-7-10]
TV Shows on DVD
Okay, we've moved up a notch to 42 on the "Most Requested" list, after
nearly 60 votes have been cast. Pretty good... though we'll have to do better. I'm
thinking of creating a contest where the winner gets an animation cel, possibly
autographed. Stay tuned...
- [update 2004-6-30]
The epiphany we were hoping for regarding the "promising developments" has,
alas, not happened yet. Given the way the entertainment industry works, I'm not
surprised. Rather, I am mildly discouraged, but hopeful. Those of you interested in
receiving the last newsletter can join the mailing list, and I will send it to you.
Also, I wanted to announce a couple of site updates. Thanks to the hard work of
Aapo Laitinen, the site's new look is on the verge of completion. I think it looks
much more professional, though the current design is a biiiig step up from my personal
site.
Secondly, I plan to launch a new feature, the Bootleg Watch. The purpose
would not be to inform people of all those delicious bootlegs out there (since DVDaria
does not condone the practice), but rather to get scoops on how much a particular set of
Daria bootlegs went for on eBay or any other areas where bootlegs could be sold.
By reporting the monetary amount paid for these sets, my hope would be to show MTV
the folly of sitting on the episodes when the company could be putting out an official set,
or selling the license to another company. I remember reading before Christmas that a
Daria DVD set went for nearly $500 on eBay. For this, I'm going to need
people's vigilance, since I won't be able to find all of the figures for bootlegs sold on my
own.
Thirdly, as Cincgreen mentioned, Daria is No. 43 on the TV Shows on
DVD "Most Requested" list. Less than 1,000 votes can push it into the Top 10.
I already have the link to this site on my SOS! page, but it's worth posting here
because I believe we can make it happen.
- [update 2004-4-10]
Hi all... not much new that I can say. There are currently some promising
developments going on, but I'm not at liberty to discuss them on the site, at least for now.
We had hoped to know the outcome a month ago, but it looks as though the decision will
be put off for another few months.
For now, I would suggest signing up for the DVDaria mailing list for any
potential updates. Just go to dvdaria@yahoo.com and say you want to
join.
Also, the DVDaria en francais page has been corrected for proper
grammar by alban, and uploaded by the wonderful Alan Benard. Merci
beaucoup, mes amis!
- [update 2004-1-06]
Whoo-hoo to the DVDaria petition reaching the 10,000 signature
milestone! Who would have thought when we started that we would get so much
support? Judging from some of the most recent comments, I think we should wait until
about 200-300 more have been gathered ("Agh!" you say) before doing more with the
list, because that would best guarantee that at least 10,000 sigs were legitimate. There are
always double-posts or bogus posts, et cetera. Still, 10,000 is a glorious number and we
must worship it. It will hopefully be made sweeter by some potential good news at the
end of the month (details then).
The occasion sparked this musing from Alan Benard on the Paperpusher
Board:
"It was a long time ago, it seems -- though it was just March, 2001 -- that several
of us got together online, at this site and message board, and agreed that we needed to
focus fan energy on getting Daria on DVD.
"Support came very slowly, but after a while -- thanks to the list of Daria fansites
found on DVDaria's links page -- it was the first thing you got when you Googled "Daria
DVD".
"Here they are, in the order they linked up:
Outpost Daria
The Irony Maiden
Glitter Berries
The Paperpusher
Hell is Other People
Sarcastasite
Sick Sad World
The Contrarian's Corner
DVD AniMania
Planete Daria [in French]
MTV Italy -- Daria Online [in Italian]
it's my turn to say dammit!
The Digital Daria Project
Search Thingy
Clarke Family Tree -- Clarke, Nielsen, May & McSwan Families
Galactic Cynic, by Cimorene
Stealth Juggalo's Tenchi Muyo Galleries
Aapo Laitinen's Personal Site
"Chainsaw" Jane's Closet Door
The Daria Project
Cyber Daria [in French]
Daria by Numbers
"It grew from there.
"Special mention must be made of those who supported the concept from jump:
"David Wycislak, who wrote the petition and designed the first logo and banners
"John Takis, who invented the name
"Martin Pollard, who created the logo and whose site, Outpost Daria has sent the
largest number of fans to the petition (proved out via log stats)
"Martin UK, who kept us focused on the needs of the Daria fans outside the USA
"And now, the extra special mentions:
"Aapo Laitinen was so patient with me. When I finally pulled my head out of my
butt and discovered that he'd re-designed the entire site and made it look SOOOOO much
better than my weak effort, I was in shock. The site looks as good as it does because
Aapo cared.
"Kara Wild has been footing the server bill for a long time now, and has taken
over the site's management. Without this stable, non-Geocities home for the past few
years, the petition would have never hit 10,000.
"And Rich gave us the common carrier and HTTP campfire we gather around
which permitted us to meet and conspire.
"And a final tip of the hat to all those who are pissed I didn't mention them.
"Glenn Eichler said our petition was exquisitely written and angry, and who am I
to argue with Glenn Eichler. I guess it must have worked well enough to attract 10,000
fans, nontheless...and will certainly bear the flat, round, silver-colored digital fruit we
desire, sooner than later.
"You never know who's looking in....."
- [update 2003-11-22]
Sorry for the lengthy delay on the updating front... again, that is mainly because
there hasn't been much to report. The Padded Walls, Issue #2 is in the midst of
being cobbled together (the content is there; we're just waiting for the finished product)
and contains an article on the latest DVD efforts. Not much that you haven't heard
before, but people who aren't tuned in to the DVD/Basic Cable efforts may find it
enlightening.
I'm thinking of sending copies of TPW to people who could help our cause, such as
the folks at Rhino or even the programmers at Noggin. I don't know if they would
respond, but it would show them that we are serious enough about the show that we
would be willing to do more than just sign a petition.
I also wanted to put to rest the idea that the Daria episodes might soon be
appearing at Blockbuster. A while back, D.T. Dey directed us to a page that
listed all of the episodes in the Blockbuster inventory, not just the movies. That
dredged up a brief amount of buzz that maybe our fight would finally be over and the
series episodes would appear on DVD. No such luck: I spoke to a customer service rep
over at Blockbuster, and he said that listing titles for things that they did not have, or
might never have, in stock was common. Oh well, it was good to dream, if only for a
short time.
- [update 2003-08-19]
Not much new to add on the DVD front, but I wanted to let US viewers know that last
weekend, on August 9th and 10th, Noggin aired "Is It Fall Yet?" and "Is
It College Yet?" uncensored. The Allison subplot was left in, along with all of
the "bastards" and "screw you"'s. Basically Noggin just aired the MTV (with
commercials) cut rather than make a new one. The out-of-primetime airings (3:30 pm
PST/6:30 pm EST and 11 pm PST/2 am EST) led us to suspect that Noggin was trying to
keep it quiet, not wanting to rile up "concerned" parents, but the fact that they did is
tremendously positive, and is a sign that 1) they might air more uncensored episodes, 2)
that they have heard our many, many, many complaints, and 3) that Noggin and Viacom
are aware that we want to watch Daria pure and uncensored. What starts with
uncensored airings of the movies could lead to the eventual release of Daria on
DVD.
Therefore, I think it would be a good idea for US viewers to send Noggin a Thank you
and to ask them to air the rest of the episodes uncensored. Here's the Feedback page link:
http://www.the-
n.com/contact.php
- [update 2003-08-03]
Okay, here's where we're at. My ne |
