tv echo

Posting in this thread because there are no Arrow spoilers - Matt Mitovich's big news: Lucifer has been renewed... TV Line's Ask Ausiello Live! facebook video chat from Feb. 13, 2017:

Here’s What Broadcast TV Presidents Have Learned So Far This Season Jason Lynch Feb. 13, 2017 http://www.adweek.com/tv-video/heres-what-broadcast-tv-presidents-have-learned-so-far-this-season/

EXCLUSIVE: STORY DETAILS ON DC’S BLACK LIGHTNING Posted by Jean-François Allaire | Feb 13, 2017 http://splashreport.com/story-details-dcs-black-lightning/

I just posted this week's DC All Access video in the Spoilers thread. You have to watch it (or read my transcription). It's hysterical. I had to laugh at how hard Hector was pushing people to watch 513 ("it's fantastic" and "favorite episode of Arrow of the entire series"). He also talks about Tinah and pimps a Black Canary comics from 2004 ("written by the legendary Gail Simone"). Oh, and apparently Team Arrow has a gun control debate this week. I also posted a ComicBook.com article in which MG/WM talk about 513 and wanting to do a gun control episode - apparently this is the 1 "vegetable" episode in a season with 22 "candy" episodes.

‘Arrow’ Review: “Bratva” Nora Dominick Feb. 13, 2017 http://emertainmentmonthly.com/index.php/arrow-review-bratva/

At this point, I can pretty much predict who is going to speak against Felicity (coughPaulcough)... Arrow Round Table: Did Felicity Go Too Far? Paul Dailly at February 13, 2017 12:30 pm https://www.tvfanatic.com/2017/02/arrow-round-table-did-felicity-go-too-far/

Arrow Tackles Gun Control Debate + Supergirl’s New Romance Published on Feb 13, 2017, by DC Entertainment

Voting for this round will end on Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 5 p.m. PT.

This is interesting... How Ancient Legends Gave Birth to Modern Superheroes Evan Narcisse Feb. 8, 2017 http://io9.gizmodo.com/how-ancient-legends-gave-birth-to-modern-superheroes-1792144697?utm_medium=sharefromsite&utm_source=io9_twitter * * * Jess Nevins: Essentially, the heroenkonzept is the core concept of the character, the individual elements of the character that make them unique—everything from their origin story to their superpowers to their costume. Superman’s heroenkonzept is “last survivor of a doomed planet” along with “raised by human parents in Kansas” and “ultimate immigrant to the United States” and “superhumanly powerful body” and all those other elements that make him different from every other character, especially the Superman clones. How it relates... well, there are a bunch of core elements we can use to determine whether a character is more or less of a superhero. As I say in the first chapter, I don’t believe in a binary, yes/no judgment of whether a character is a superhero or not, I believe in a continuum of characters who rate as more superheroic or less superheroic. The heroenkonzept, and the elements and tropes and motifs that make it up, essentially place a character on that scale. Take a cowboy character. Her heroenkonzept is going to have all the elements of a traditional cowboy—the Western setting, the big hat, the six shooters, etc. That heroenkonzept won’t place her on the superheroic continuum. But add in a selfless mission to fight crime, and a costume, and suddenly her heroenkonzept does qualify her. * * * As for who fits my definition—well, any character with some or many of the superheroic elements I list in the book can be called a protosuperhero. Those elements separate ordinary heroes from protosuperheroes. So Robin Hood’s there (selfless mission + costume + codename + vigilantism) as is Roland (selfless mission + extraordinary weapon + extraordinary foes) and Enkidu from the Epic of Gilgamesh (colorful origin + selfless mission + distinctive appearance/costume + superpowers) and Mary Frith, a.k.a. “Moll Cutpurse” (selfless mission + costume + codename + fighting skills + vigilantism). There are a lot of characters who can be considered protosuperheroes, by this way of thinking, but as long as a character has the selfless mission (which no hero can be without) and some of the superheroic elements, they qualify. Whether or not they are significant protosuperheroes is another matter entirely, of course. * * * Which mainstream comic book superheroes have the most surprising forebears? Nevins: Oh, there are too many of them for me to choose! ... Any hero influenced by Robin Hood, like Green Arrow, owes a debt to the latrones, the outlaw heroes of the Roman Empire. Superheroines like Supergirl and Wonder Woman can look back and see how the female knights of the Middle Ages were there before them in terms of superpowers and an independent attitude. Most of the heroes, when you start looking at influences on them, have unexpected ancestors.

TV Pilot Season 2017: By the Numbers FEBRUARY 13, 2017 7:00am PT by Lesley Goldberg http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/tv-pilot-season-2017-by-numbers-975350

Facebook video posted by John Barrowman on Feb. 12, 2017... https://www.facebook.com/JohnBarrowmanMBE/videos/1439535166056901/ JB: "I'm doing Flash, Legends and Arrow all at the same time. I think I've just completed the Flash musical episode, which is gonna be awesome. You're gonna love it... I'm going to Los Angeles this afternoon. And then I fly back to Vancouver on Monday night to start work Tuesday. And I'm back on Legends on Tuesday. And then we have the final episode on Legends that starts - I think, starts Tuesday, and we go into that. And then I have some - a little time off. And then I'm going back into Arrow. So, I know a lot of people keep asking, 'so when can I see you on Arrow?' Remember, the stuff that we've shot, we've already shot this a little while ago, and you see them at a different time, cause, like, you know, you just got to be patient."

Wow - who knew Jake Gyllenhaal could sing? This is rehearsal footage for Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George (shot by Cary Fukunaga)...

2017 Network Upfronts, March 2-May 18, 2017 (NY) The CW - May 18 (morning) https://www.mediavillage.com/article/2017-network-upfront-and-digital-newfronts-calendar/

The CW is on May 18 (morning) ... https://www.mediavillage.com/article/2017-network-upfront-and-digital-newfronts-calendar/

It's pretty clear, I think, that the EPs want to add Rene/Wild Dog and Tinah/BC to the team next season. So far, they've done a much better job of introducing Tinah than Rene. Rene came across as abrasive, insulting and dismissive. Tinah was introduced with a sympathetic flashback scene, a superpower and kickass fighting ability, and as someone who verbally kicked Oliver for brooding (thus acting as the audience's surrogate). Craig Wack (Oohlo, Agents of Geek) described Tinah as Oliver's "dream sidekick" and praised her as follows: "She's tactically sound. And she's got superpowers. And, um, she's smart and she's tough and gritty and drinks vodka and impresses Russian mobsters. It's like everything, uh, that Oliver could ever dream of her being." Allison Keene (Collider) praised Tinah as "someone who can and will call Oliver out." Lavinia Kent (USA Today) praised Tinah as "a completely different character than Laurel’s Black Canary and all the more powerful for that" and said that Tinah is a "grown-up." So, in terms of popularity, Tinah is leading Rene. (She's also in the lead for the Mary Sue Award, but that's just my opinion.)

Psych aired first and then The Mentalist debuted two years later. I remember the Psych cast joked about it and even included a Mentalist reference in one of their episodes. Although the premise (fake psychic) was the same, Psych was more of a comedy, while Mentalist was a drama.

The argument I was responding to was the claim that it was having two Olicity-focused seasons,* period, that caused the ratings to drop after 4x15 and this season (in other words, that Olicity is to blame for ruining Arrow), and that the current "great" season will cause ratings to increase next season. My point is, I think audience feedback in the form of ratings change is much more immediate and there's not this season-long lag between cause and effect. (* I would even disagree with the description of those seasons as Olicity-focused. I think that they were Oliver-focused and that Oliver's relationship with Felicity was part of his character development.) IMO, every season of Arrow has had its flaws. Season 1 was pretty dreary until Felicity and OTA. Season 2 wasn't as consistently great as now claimed. We remember it fondly because of the first half of that season and the last two episodes, but in between, there was a lot of fan dissatisfaction. MG once said that about 95% of their hate mail during Season 2 "was from people who were pissed off that we made Caity Lotz the Canary instead of making Katie Cassidy Black Canary." (They then killed off Sara, realized they made a mistake, and brought her back to life - and now she's a very popular character on another show.) Season 3 wasn't as terrible as now claimed (imo) and had a lot of great moments. Season 4 was pretty well-received during its first half and only fell apart after 4x15. However, I'm guessing the EPs received a lot of hate mail last spring/summer blaming everything on Felicity/Olicity. So once again, the EPs listened to the squeakiest wheel (disregarding the fact that it might be the smallest wheel), and we now have Season 5, which is averaging the lowest ratings ever for the show. ETA: I'm the one who started the JBam as showrunner discussion, unfortunately. I snarkily said something about MG not spending any time on Arrow because his tweets were all about Trollhunters and X-Men Gold. Someone asked if that was a good thing or a bad thing. I replied that it depended on who replaced him and mentioned my one-time fear that JBam might be promoted to showrunner based on SA's gushing praise of him last summer. I have almost zero knowledge of how Hollywood works.

From the above-linked April 8. 2014 The Hollywood Reporter interview with MG (those were the days!)...

Our 18 Favorite Ship Moments, In Honor Of Valentine’s Day February 12, 2017 Caralynn Lippo http://telltaletv.com/2017/02/favorite-ship-moments-valentines-day/

And here's Nina Dobrev in XXX: The Return of Xander Cage...

That makes no sense either. Did a significant portion of the Arrow viewership hold a psychic conference call last season and decide to leave together after 4x15? If the show is already midway through a season, maybe the problem isn't previous seasons but the current season.

So I guess their reasoning is that people hated Olicity so much they stuck around for two whole seasons of Olicity and then dropped the show during a season of No Olicity? That makes no sense. First, general audience viewers aren't that patient anymore; if they hate a show, they don't stick around for an entire season, let alone two seasons. You can see noticeable ratings effects immediately after specific episodes (for example, crossover eps, Sara's death, and the events asterisked below). And, second, that is simply not supported by the facts. While we may never know exactly why ratings rise and fall, we can see the results and draw conclusions... FACT: 1x01 ratings were 1.3 (demo) and 4.14 (viewers) - highest ratings. FACT: 1x23 ratings were 0.9 and 2.77. FACT: Season 1 ratings overall averaged 1.05 and 3.21. FACT: 2x01 ratings were 0.90 and 2.74. FACT: 2x23 ratings were 0.86 and 2.34. FACT: Season 2 ratings overall averaged 0.91 and 2.62. FACT: 3x01 ratings were 1.00 and 2.83. FACT: 3x23* ratings were 1.00 and 2.83. FACT: Season 3 overall ratings averaged 1.01 and 2.76 - second highest season. (* Oliver & Felicity leave Star City together at the end of 3x23.) FACT: 4x01 ratings were 1.09 and 2.67 - second highest season premiere demo ratings. FACT: 4x15** ratings were 1.02 and 2.74. FACT: 4x16 ratings were 0.72 and 2.09. FACT: 4x18*** ratings were 0.79 and 2.24. FACT: 4x19*** ratings were 0.88 and 2.27. FACT: 4x23 ratings were 0.82 and 2.19. FACT: Season 4 demo ratings for 4x01 through 4x15 averaged 1.02. FACT: Season 4 demo ratings for 4x01 through 4x15 (excl. 4x08) averaged 0.99. FACT: Season 4 demo ratings for 4x16 through 4x23 averaged 0.79. FACT: Season 4 overall ratings averaged 0.94 and 2.49. (** Oliver's secret son is revealed and Olicity breaks up in 4x15.) (*** Laurel is killed in 4x18 and her funeral is held in 4x19.) FACT: 5x01 ratings were 0.70 and 1.87. FACT: 5x09 ratings were 0.68 and 1.94. FACT: 5x10 ratings were 0.56 and 1.68. FACT: 5x11 ratings were 0.62 and 1.91. FACT: 5x12 ratings were 0.60 and 1.61. FACT: Season 5 ratings for 5x01 through 5x12 averaged 0.70 and 1.97. Sources: http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/arrow-season-one-ratings-25001/ http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/arrow-season-two-ratings-30300/ http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/arrow-season-three-ratings-34284/ http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/arrow-season-four-ratings-38484/ http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/arrow-tv-show-cw-season-five-ratings/

I disagree with this reviewer's statement that it was Diggle and Felicity who told Tinah to leave Oliver alone when he gets broody. In 512, Tinah said: "You know, the other guys said that when you get in one of your moods, I should just let you be, but, to be honest, brooding really kinda gets on my nerves." Diggle only returned to the team and met Tinah in 512. He wasn't there during the past week (between 511 and 512). And Felicity doesn't appear to have warmed up to Tinah (yet), so it's doubtful she was telling Tinah all about Oliver during that week. Most likely, Tinah was getting her info on Oliver (and Prometheus) from Curtis, Rene and Rory - the newbies who are intimidated by Oliver and who are most likely to leave him alone when he's broody. Also, as I recall, Diggle and Felicity are not in the habit of leaving Oliver alone when he gets introspective, but confront him about it... Arrow 5x12 Review: "Bratva" (What Happens in Russia...) Just About Write Feb. 12, 2017 http://www.itsjustaboutwrite.com/2017/02/arrow-5x12-review-bratva-what-happens.html

Updated 2017 events/comic con list... Wizard World's Portland Comic Con, February 17-19, 2017 (Portland, OR) John Barrowman - 2:45pm on Feb. 18 (local time) http://wizardworld.com/comiccon/portland PaleyFest L.A., March 17-26, 2017 (Los Angeles, CA) Arrow, Flash, Supergirl and LoT - Sat., March 18, at 2pm local time Stephen Amell, David Ramsey, Marc Guggenheim, Wendy Mericle (also Grant Gustin, Candice Patton, Melissa Benoist, Caity Lotz, Brandon Routh, Andrew Kreisberg, Todd Helbing, Aaron Helbing and Phil Klemmer) https://media.paleycenter.org/paleyfest-la-2017-2/ Salt Lake Comic Con, March 17-18, 2017 (UT) Amy Gumenick http://saltlakecomiccon.com/ A Heroes & Villains and Walker Stalker Joint Event: Heroes & Villains FanFest-Chicago, March 25-26, 2017 (Chicago, IL) Stephen Amell, David Ramsey, Katie Cassidy, Willa Holland, Echo Kellum, John Barrowman, Neal McDonough, Chad Coleman and Katrina Law (also Caity Lotz, Brandon Routh, Carlos Valdes and Robbie Amell) http://heroesfanfest.com/chicago/ http://walkerstalkercon.com/chicago/guests/ Fan Expo Dallas, March 31-April 2, 2017 (Dallas, TX) John Barrowman and Alex Kingston http://fanexpodallas.com/guests/ Deepcon 18, April 6-9, 2017 (Fiuggi, Italy) David Nykl http://deepcon.it/ Steel City Con, April 7-9, 2017 (Monroeville, PA) Katrina Law https://www.steelcitycon.com/ The Great Philadelphia Comic-Con, April 7-9, 2017 (Philadelphia, PA) Wil Traval (also John Wesley Shipp) http://www.philadelphiacomiccon.com/ Planet Comicon, April 28-30, 2017 (Kansas City, MO) John Barrowman, Michael Rowe and Summer Glau (also Teddy Sears and Carole Barrowman) http://planetcomicon.com/ Calgary Expo, April 27-30, 2017 (Danielle Panabaker) https://calgaryexpo.com/guests/media-guests/ 2017 Network Upfronts, March 2-May 18, 2017 (NY) The CW - May 18 (morning) https://www.mediavillage.com/article/2017-network-upfront-and-digital-newfronts-calendar/ Motor City Comic Con, May 19-21, 2017 (MI) John Barrowman (also Carole E. Barrowman) https://www.motorcitycomiccon.com/ Rogue Events' The City of Heroes 3, May 19-21, 2017 (Telford, England, UK) (Mehcad Brooks, Jeremy Jordan, Rick Cosnett, David Harewood, John Wesley Shipp and Wentworth Miller) https://cityofheroes.rogueevents.co.uk/guests/ Puerto Rico Comic Con, May 26-28, 2017 David Ramsey http://prcomiccon.com/ https://twitter.com/PRCOMICCON/status/827314373295222785 Alamo City Comic Con, May 26-28, 2017 (San Antonio, TX) Dolph Lundgren http://alamocitycomiccon.com/ https://www.facebook.com/alamocitycomiccon/photos/a.377100672389187.80125.377098445722743/1143956189036961/?type=3&theater Heroes & Villains FanFest-London, May 27-28, 2017 (London, UK) Stephen Amell, Katie Cassidy, John Barrowman, Charlotte Ross, Colin Donnell and Michael Rowe (also Melissa Benoist, Carlos Valdes and Shantel VanSanten) http://heroesfanfest.com/london/ Starfury: The Ultimates, June 2-4, 2017 (Blackpool, UK) Willa Holland and Paul Blackthorne (also Danielle Panabaker and Violett Beane) http://starfury.co.uk/events/ultimates/index.html Super Heroes Con III, June 3-4, 2017 (Paris, France) David Ramsey and Michael Rowe (also Wentworth Miller) http://www.people-convention.com/en/pages/next-events/super-heroes-con.html Awesome Con, June 16-18, 2017 (Washington, D.C.) John Barrowman (also Carole E. Barrowman) http://www.awesome-con.com/ Heroes & Villains FanFest-Portland, June 24-25, 2017 (Portland, OR) Stephen Amell, David Ramsey, Chad Coleman and Katrina Law (also Brandon Routh) http://heroesfanfest.com/portland/ Heroes & Villains FanFest-Nashville, July 8-9, 2017 (Nashville, TN) Stephen Amell, David Ramsey, Willa Holland, John Barrowman and Katrina Law (also Caity Lotz and Robbie Amell) http://heroesfanfest.com/nashville/ SAN DIEGO COMIC CON INTERNATIONAL, July 20-23, 2017 No guests posted yet, but assume Arrow cast/producers will attend. http://www.comic-con.org/cci Florida Supercon, July 27-30, 2017 (Fort Lauderdale, FL) John Barrowman http://floridasupercon.com/ Heroes & Villains FanFest-New York, September 16-17 2017 (Secaucus, NJ) Stephen Amell, Willa Holland and Katrina Law (also Caity Lotz and Robbie Amell) http://heroesfanfest.com/newyork/ NEW YORK COMIC CON, October 5-8, 2017 No shows/guests posted yet. http://www.newyorkcomiccon.com/ Dallas Fan Days, October 20-22, 2017 (TX) (Danielle Panabaker) http://dallascomiccon.com/guests/ Heroes & Villains FanFest-Atlanta, November 18-19, 2017 (Atlanta, GA) Stephen Amell, David Ramsey and Katrina Law (also Caity Lotz and Robbie Amell) http://heroesfanfest.com/atlanta/guests/ Heroes & Villains FanFest-San Jose, December 2-3, 2017 (San Jose, CA) Stephen Amell, Katie Cassidy, Willa Holland and Katrina Law (also Caity Lotz, Danielle Panabaker and Robbie Amell) http://heroesfanfest.com/sanjose/guests/

Nothing about Arrow makes any sense to me any more... Excerpt: What exactly do TV showrunners do? Whitney Matheson Aug. 21, 2014 http://www.usatoday.com/story/popcandy/2014/08/21/showrunners-excerpt/14390059/