Way to go, Bonnie Hammer & SciFi Channel!!
02-02-03, 01:25 AM
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Way to go, Bonnie Hammer & SciFi Channel!!
I woke up Saturday morning (2/1/03) to the tragic and unbelievable news of the space shuttle tragedy. After watching the news coverage for a few hours, I needed a break from the bad news, so I switched to the SciFi Channel around 1:45 pm. I was treated to the flabbergasting and jaw-dropping sight of a movie called "Escape From Mars," which dealt with, among other things, a problem-filled space flight. Lots of dialogue concerning doomed space missions and aborting launches, and lots of scenes of tense & worried technicians in Mission Control. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
Way to go, SciFi. The shuttle exploded at 8AM in the morning, and this direct-to-video masterpiece aired at 1:30 PM. There were over 5 hours for you to pull this film and replace it with something that hit a little less closer to home. Thanks, SciFi, and thank you, Bonnie Hammer, for the compassion and sensitivity you've displayed today.
Way to go, SciFi. The shuttle exploded at 8AM in the morning, and this direct-to-video masterpiece aired at 1:30 PM. There were over 5 hours for you to pull this film and replace it with something that hit a little less closer to home. Thanks, SciFi, and thank you, Bonnie Hammer, for the compassion and sensitivity you've displayed today.
02-02-03, 01:36 AM
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And here I thought you were going to say they decided to do another season of Farscape. . .
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02-02-03, 01:46 AM
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Originally posted by tasha99
And here I thought you were going to say they decided to do another season of Farscape. . .
And here I thought you were going to say they decided to do another season of Farscape. . .
From now on, whenever I see Hammer's name, I associate it with bad, evil news...
I just don't understand why redskull47's so flabbergasted at this...i'd expect nothing less from Hammer.
02-02-03, 01:41 PM
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Originally posted by Jeraden
How about getting some thicker skin? If you didn't like it, you were free to change the channel.
How about getting some thicker skin? If you didn't like it, you were free to change the channel.
02-02-03, 02:33 PM
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It could have been worse. Sci Fi could have played Apollo 13 right after the Mars flick, which the "Space Oddity" video thrown in for afters. Knowing the evil, untrained cymbal monkeys who run that channel, I'm as surprised as das that they played anything remotely science fiction related at all. Last time I tuned in, they were playing Citizen Kane, or something.
I couldn't deal with watching the news very long yesterday, so I just threw in Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone. Alan Rickman's debonaire sliminess always puts me into a better mood.
I couldn't deal with watching the news very long yesterday, so I just threw in Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone. Alan Rickman's debonaire sliminess always puts me into a better mood.
02-02-03, 02:53 PM
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quote:
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Originally posted by Jeraden
How about getting some thicker skin? If you didn't like it, you were free to change the channel.
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I DID change the channel. And I don't think my outrage at SciFi was a result of thin skin--I just thought it was extremely disrespectful to the astronauts who lost their lives and especially to their families to air a movie about a doomed space flight. At least FX Network had the decency to cancel their showing of "Armaggedon" last night.
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Originally posted by Jeraden
How about getting some thicker skin? If you didn't like it, you were free to change the channel.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I DID change the channel. And I don't think my outrage at SciFi was a result of thin skin--I just thought it was extremely disrespectful to the astronauts who lost their lives and especially to their families to air a movie about a doomed space flight. At least FX Network had the decency to cancel their showing of "Armaggedon" last night.
02-02-03, 05:12 PM
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While I can understand the original posters sentiment, it is also very hard to change the schedule at the last minute.
Not everyone found out that Columbia exploded in the morning, but rather much much later.
Not everyone found out that Columbia exploded in the morning, but rather much much later.
02-02-03, 06:57 PM
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Its very true that a lot of people didnt find out until much later in the day. It was a saturday morning. People sleeping late, crap is on tv saturday morning also. I wouldnt have found out either because i was on vacation packing visiting relaxtives, had to get all my stuff together and get ready to leave. I had a hour or so to relax before i had to leave so i decided to turn on MSBNC around 8:50 to see if there was any news about the Iraqi situation. They mentioned they were going to show the shuttle landing so i kept it on MSNBC. and then you all know the rest. I watched till i went to the airport. When i got there the lady at the ticket counter asked if something had happened because they heared something major had happened, and i told them. No one there had known. While I was waiting at the gate they had a CNN tv which everyone was watching, and as each and every passenger got to the waiting area they all found out and were shocked. This was around 2 1/2 hours after it happened. So not everyone knew about it, so for once cut sci-fi channel a bit of slack
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02-02-03, 07:01 PM
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Blah.
Sci-Fi AND Hammer STILL suck.
But, to those who DO still watch this ridiculous channel...a question:
Have they acknowledged the incident since...?
oh...and CONGRATULATIONS mllefoo! You are now my sig.
Sci-Fi AND Hammer STILL suck.
But, to those who DO still watch this ridiculous channel...a question:
Have they acknowledged the incident since...?
oh...and CONGRATULATIONS mllefoo! You are now my sig.
02-02-03, 08:25 PM
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W00t, I finally made a .sig!
As for da news du jour, I didn't know about the shuttle accident until late in the afternoon. Heck, I didn't know about the twin towers attacks till late in the afternoon, as well. The only indication I had at the time was when I was leaving the bank at the mall and saw the parking lot being blocked off.
I'd cut the SciFi channel some slack about their programming schedule, but that doesn't mean I can't rag on their head pseudo-human. I frequently imagine her banging rocks together next to a black obelisk. It isn't pretty.
As for da news du jour, I didn't know about the shuttle accident until late in the afternoon. Heck, I didn't know about the twin towers attacks till late in the afternoon, as well. The only indication I had at the time was when I was leaving the bank at the mall and saw the parking lot being blocked off.
I'd cut the SciFi channel some slack about their programming schedule, but that doesn't mean I can't rag on their head pseudo-human. I frequently imagine her banging rocks together next to a black obelisk. It isn't pretty.
02-03-03, 01:27 AM
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Cut them some slack? OK, if they weren't in the TV Business I might.
They damn well knew about it just minutes later, and they could have easily pre-empted the regular programming to put something else on.
Hammer and her lap dogs just didn't give a damn.
It WAS disrespectful to those seven astronauts and their families - and it was distasteful and insensitive to the rest of the people in the country who may have wanted some escapist fare to get away from the Columbia thing.
Not to mention just flat out stupid....
They damn well knew about it just minutes later, and they could have easily pre-empted the regular programming to put something else on.
Hammer and her lap dogs just didn't give a damn.
It WAS disrespectful to those seven astronauts and their families - and it was distasteful and insensitive to the rest of the people in the country who may have wanted some escapist fare to get away from the Columbia thing.
Not to mention just flat out stupid....
02-03-03, 02:15 AM
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Originally posted by mllefoo
As for da news du jour, I didn't know about the shuttle accident until late in the afternoon. Heck, I didn't know about the twin towers attacks till late in the afternoon, as well. The only indication I had at the time was when I was leaving the bank at the mall and saw the parking lot being blocked off.
As for da news du jour, I didn't know about the shuttle accident until late in the afternoon. Heck, I didn't know about the twin towers attacks till late in the afternoon, as well. The only indication I had at the time was when I was leaving the bank at the mall and saw the parking lot being blocked off.
Originally posted by B5Erik
Cut them some slack? OK, if they weren't in the TV Business I might.
They damn well knew about it just minutes later, and they could have easily pre-empted the regular programming to put something else on.
Hammer and her lap dogs just didn't give a damn.
It WAS disrespectful to those seven astronauts and their families - and it was distasteful and insensitive to the rest of the people in the country who may have wanted some escapist fare to get away from the Columbia thing.
Not to mention just flat out stupid....
Cut them some slack? OK, if they weren't in the TV Business I might.
They damn well knew about it just minutes later, and they could have easily pre-empted the regular programming to put something else on.
Hammer and her lap dogs just didn't give a damn.
It WAS disrespectful to those seven astronauts and their families - and it was distasteful and insensitive to the rest of the people in the country who may have wanted some escapist fare to get away from the Columbia thing.
Not to mention just flat out stupid....
And contrary to what MarkHoltz posted about it being hard to change the schedule...hell, even MTV & VH-1 were able to alter their schedules when 9|11* happened. Granted, they were just CBS news feeds, but it was SOMETHING. And, not only that but they're in the SCI-FI TV business...
[* Not that i'm comparing the incidents, just that the option IS available.]
02-03-03, 09:16 AM
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quote:
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Originally posted by B5Erik
Cut them some slack? OK, if they weren't in the TV Business I might.
They damn well knew about it just minutes later, and they could have easily pre-empted the regular programming to put something else on.
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Agreed. I understand how many of the posters here didn't find out about the event until late afternoon. But SciFi is (sort of) a TELEVISION NETWORK. I doubt they stick a big 48 hour-long tape in their network VCR on Friday night, hit PLAY & then all go home for the weekend. There had to be SOMEONE there, even at 8 in the morning, who could have alerted the network brass about the situation.
And I realize I'm not a network employee, but it just seems to me like 5 hours was enough time for them to pull the scheduled movie and air something else, like another showing of the sic-fi epic "Braveheart."
I probably would cut them some slack if it were any other network besides SciFi and Bonnie Hammer.
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Originally posted by B5Erik
Cut them some slack? OK, if they weren't in the TV Business I might.
They damn well knew about it just minutes later, and they could have easily pre-empted the regular programming to put something else on.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Agreed. I understand how many of the posters here didn't find out about the event until late afternoon. But SciFi is (sort of) a TELEVISION NETWORK. I doubt they stick a big 48 hour-long tape in their network VCR on Friday night, hit PLAY & then all go home for the weekend. There had to be SOMEONE there, even at 8 in the morning, who could have alerted the network brass about the situation.
And I realize I'm not a network employee, but it just seems to me like 5 hours was enough time for them to pull the scheduled movie and air something else, like another showing of the sic-fi epic "Braveheart."
I probably would cut them some slack if it were any other network besides SciFi and Bonnie Hammer.
02-03-03, 03:07 PM
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Originally posted by redskull47
I doubt they stick a big 48 hour-long tape in their network VCR on Friday night, hit PLAY & then all go home for the weekend.
I doubt they stick a big 48 hour-long tape in their network VCR on Friday night, hit PLAY & then all go home for the weekend.
And I realize I'm not a network employee, but it just seems to me like 5 hours was enough time for them to pull the scheduled movie and air something else, like another showing of the sci-fi epic "Braveheart."
02-03-03, 03:52 PM
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Originally posted by redskull47
Agreed. I understand how many of the posters here didn't find out about the event until late afternoon. But SciFi is (sort of) a TELEVISION NETWORK. I doubt they stick a big 48 hour-long tape in their network VCR on Friday night, hit PLAY & then all go home for the weekend. There had to be SOMEONE there, even at 8 in the morning, who could have alerted the network brass about the situation.
Agreed. I understand how many of the posters here didn't find out about the event until late afternoon. But SciFi is (sort of) a TELEVISION NETWORK. I doubt they stick a big 48 hour-long tape in their network VCR on Friday night, hit PLAY & then all go home for the weekend. There had to be SOMEONE there, even at 8 in the morning, who could have alerted the network brass about the situation.
This is a SATURDAY, not a weekday, so it takes someone to come in and fix things.
TLC has a series of bumpers that is called "Life Unscripted" where part of the bumper is a sound of something going wrong. They pull all those bumpers and replaced it with a commerative slide for the Columbia crew.
I'm cutting SciFi some slack on this one, but I'm NOT letting them off on this.
02-03-03, 04:14 PM
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What's the big deal anyway? It was all over the news so you couldn't have missed it. I doubt seeing a MOVIE could've made anybody feel better about it.
02-03-03, 04:51 PM
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With all due respect to everyone here, a couple of thoughts:
First, I don't believe a network has any responsibility of censoring themselves (especially with only hours to do so) because of certain tragedies.
Does this mean whenever people lose their lives in a plane or train crash, a network should not air content that deals with a crash? And for how long do you pull it? When does it become okay? While we all feel a great loss re: the Shuttle disaster, it is not on par with 9/11 or something like that.
And lastly, a production note: It would be VERY EXPENSIVE to pull the programming at that late an hour. There are advertisers, unions, studios, etc., that are all affected when you mess with contracted programming.
On Judging Amy tomorrow night, there is a line about marriage being like a rocket launch - if everything isn't right at the beginning, you've got Apollo 13. Now, 20th and CBS are both aware of the line and considered how inappropriate it might be considering, but after weighing the options and looking at what it would cost to even "blank out" the line, the powers-that-be decided to leave it alone.
No, it's not an entire program re: space travel, but you get the point.
First, I don't believe a network has any responsibility of censoring themselves (especially with only hours to do so) because of certain tragedies.
Does this mean whenever people lose their lives in a plane or train crash, a network should not air content that deals with a crash? And for how long do you pull it? When does it become okay? While we all feel a great loss re: the Shuttle disaster, it is not on par with 9/11 or something like that.
And lastly, a production note: It would be VERY EXPENSIVE to pull the programming at that late an hour. There are advertisers, unions, studios, etc., that are all affected when you mess with contracted programming.
On Judging Amy tomorrow night, there is a line about marriage being like a rocket launch - if everything isn't right at the beginning, you've got Apollo 13. Now, 20th and CBS are both aware of the line and considered how inappropriate it might be considering, but after weighing the options and looking at what it would cost to even "blank out" the line, the powers-that-be decided to leave it alone.
No, it's not an entire program re: space travel, but you get the point.
02-03-03, 05:05 PM
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Maybe I am confused here, but if FX was able to show Aliens in place of Armageddon, why couldn't Sci-Fi do the same thing? That kind of defeats the whole no one working on weekends theory.
02-03-03, 06:41 PM
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Originally posted by BoatDrinks
First, I don't believe a network has any responsibility of censoring themselves (especially with only hours to do so) because of certain tragedies.
Does this mean whenever people lose their lives in a plane or train crash, a network should not air content that deals with a crash? And for how long do you pull it? When does it become okay? While we all feel a great loss re: the Shuttle disaster, it is not on par with 9/11 or something like that.
First, I don't believe a network has any responsibility of censoring themselves (especially with only hours to do so) because of certain tragedies.
Does this mean whenever people lose their lives in a plane or train crash, a network should not air content that deals with a crash? And for how long do you pull it? When does it become okay? While we all feel a great loss re: the Shuttle disaster, it is not on par with 9/11 or something like that.
And lastly, a production note: It would be VERY EXPENSIVE to pull the programming at that late an hour. There are advertisers, unions, studios, etc., that are all affected when you mess with contracted programming.
On Judging Amy tomorrow night, there is a line about marriage being like a rocket launch - if everything isn't right at the beginning, you've got Apollo 13. Now, 20th and CBS are both aware of the line and considered how inappropriate it might be considering, but after weighing the options and looking at what it would cost to even "blank out" the line, the powers-that-be decided to leave it alone.
No, it's not an entire program re: space travel, but you get the point.
No, it's not an entire program re: space travel, but you get the point.
02-03-03, 06:46 PM
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Originally posted by redskull47
I probably would cut them some slack if it were any other network besides SciFi and Bonnie Hammer.
I probably would cut them some slack if it were any other network besides SciFi and Bonnie Hammer.
BoatDrinks pretty much sums it up for me. Plus, what are you guys doing watching SciFi, anyway? I mean, you know das is takin' down names, yes?
WWE Jedi, trying to compare SciFi with a real net like FX? What's wrong with this picture?
02-04-03, 02:58 PM
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quote:
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Originally posted by BoatDrinks
First, I don't believe a network has any responsibility of censoring themselves (especially with only hours to do so) because of certain tragedies.
Does this mean whenever people lose their lives in a plane or train crash, a network should not air content that deals with a crash? And for how long do you pull it? When does it become okay? While we all feel a great loss re: the Shuttle disaster, it is not on par with 9/11 or something like that.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
I think networks should closely examine their content on the DAY of a tragedy. Maybe for a couple of days afterwards. Exactly how long they it should before they air "Marooned" or "Apollo 13," I can't say.
Maybe I should clarify that when I saw what SciFi was airing I didn't crumple into an emotionally ravaged heap from the shock of it, I simply felt bad for anyone related to the astronauts who may have been watching. I mean, some of the dialogue in this cheaply made, dreary melodrama was almost word for word what NASA & the news reports were saying. Now that I think about it though, the families probably had other things to do that day than watch crappy direct-to-video movies on SciFi.
And what's really interesting about the whole thing is I seem to be the ONLY one in this thread that saw even a few minutes of this so-called movie. Bonnie Hammer seems to have done her job (alienating and chasing off science fiction fans, especially MST3K & Farscape fans) very well...
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Originally posted by BoatDrinks
First, I don't believe a network has any responsibility of censoring themselves (especially with only hours to do so) because of certain tragedies.
Does this mean whenever people lose their lives in a plane or train crash, a network should not air content that deals with a crash? And for how long do you pull it? When does it become okay? While we all feel a great loss re: the Shuttle disaster, it is not on par with 9/11 or something like that.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
I think networks should closely examine their content on the DAY of a tragedy. Maybe for a couple of days afterwards. Exactly how long they it should before they air "Marooned" or "Apollo 13," I can't say.
Maybe I should clarify that when I saw what SciFi was airing I didn't crumple into an emotionally ravaged heap from the shock of it, I simply felt bad for anyone related to the astronauts who may have been watching. I mean, some of the dialogue in this cheaply made, dreary melodrama was almost word for word what NASA & the news reports were saying. Now that I think about it though, the families probably had other things to do that day than watch crappy direct-to-video movies on SciFi.
And what's really interesting about the whole thing is I seem to be the ONLY one in this thread that saw even a few minutes of this so-called movie. Bonnie Hammer seems to have done her job (alienating and chasing off science fiction fans, especially MST3K & Farscape fans) very well...