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Saving MST3K 126

Posted by CmdrTaco from the don't-I-wish dept.
AMK writes "You'll probably all remember the late February announcement that the upcoming season of "Mystery Science Theatre 3000" will be its last. Some recent news: this Wired article talks about the mounting fan campaigns to save MST3K from cancellation. Time to use the /. effect for good instead of evil, so write some polite letters of support, and increase the ratings by recruiting more people to watch the show. " I wish MediaOne wasn't the crappiest cable company on the planet earth. I don't get SciFi, Comedy Central, or the Cartoon Network. I don't even get a preview channel. But I do get several religion channels, shopping channels, and news channels that I never watch. I gotta get a dish. Maybe I'll Ask Slashdot about that *grin*. God I loved MST3k.
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Saving MST3K More

Saving MST3K

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  • Merger (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Is this a result of the proposed merger? (see nytimes or cnn)
  • Not all MediaOners have modems. Out here in mid-illinois, there is no hope of it. Rarely does anyone at the office even know what a cable modem is.

  • MediaOne (Score:1)

    by whoop ( 194 )
    Ouch. But you have got me wondering, is there some web site that is sort of a big repository of cable info for different parts of the country (or world)?

    I have been in talks about a job there in Jacksonville. If the cable is that bad, what about outlieing areas? I'd definately want to know what sort of TV/Internet access I can get and the best area to get it if I do move down there.

    It would be a nice sort of site, a Slashdot of city geek services.
  • Basically, it's a few guys sitting watching a bad movie and making an incredible stream of wisecracks, almost stream of conscienceness, about the movie or whatever thoughts the movie might inspire. Topical political or social comments, references to other movies, bad jokes or puns, whatever. When it's good, it's hysterical.

    The show got wrapped around a strange context (evil scientists on the ground isolating a poor schmuck in space and beaming the movies up as mind-control experiments), but that was secondary to the actual movie.


    ...phil

  • MediaOne (Score:1)

    by Enry ( 630 )
    Ya, but you need Der Communist Crappy Cable Box to get said channels. (And yes, you pay extra for 'em).

  • mst3k (Score:1)

    by gavinhall ( 33 )
    Posted by Locutus of Borg:

    mst3k got a kick in the butt when joel left. when the doctor and tv's frank left it died.

    and i have media one (in south east michigan) and i get scifi and comidy centeral. but no the cartoon network the preview chan says i should have it don't (not bitter at all about that one =|)- )
    --
    Ben
    IRC: SUidRoot
  • Posted by Usak0:

    oh oh oh oh oh.
    I miss Joel so much. Mike, just, isn't the same.
    bah, actors.
  • I used to sell RCA dishes for a few years (I have one myself) and have never seen or heard of that problem. RCA's parent company Hughes/Thompson created the technology. In fact, most of the inner components of the Sony are actually labelled "RCA" on them...

  • The one in Sandpoint, ID is. We're finally getting the Sci-Fi channel on the most expensive cable plan. We have just added Starz as an option (and it costs 2x as much as it does 80 miles away), and they have no clue what a cable modem is.

  • I have no idea if they're independent or owned, though.

  • > > if you're wondering how he eats and breathes,
    And other science facts
    (tra la la)
    Repeat to yourself it's just a show
    You should really just relax, for...
    Mystery science theatre 3000

    Chris


    --
    Grant Chair, Linux Int.
    VP, SVLUG

  • Best Brains have kind of resigned to this fate; they've been through the ordeal once before and don't particularly expect anything to change. However, they apparently do still have an interest in continuing the show; they just now don't have anywhere to put it.

    They could always come back to KGLT ch 23 where they started... I'm sure someone here in the Twin Cities would simulcast on the net for the rest of you folks :)

  • MST3K must reamin on the air so that we can look forward to watching it feature "Starship Troopers" and "Titanic" in their future episodes. These are 2 movies that almost appear made with the intent of appearing on MST3K.

    -Dean

  • Don't get me wrong. I loved MST3K as much as the next geek...but every TV show has a life span, and I think that MST3K might be at its ending point.

    Now I wish the would concentrate on putting the whole shebang out on VHS/DVD. Now that would be cool


    Pat
  • Actually, almost all of the original people still REMAIN. For onscreen people, only Kevin Murphy (the voice of Tom Servo) remains. But behind the scenes, almost everyone is the same. The head writer is still Mike Nelson and most of the writing staff has been there from the first few seasons.

    So, while the cast has changed, the humor is still there and it's just as funny as it ever was.... though I'd still like them to bring back the Invention Exchange. That was definitely kool.

  • Media One at the University of Michigan isn't too
    bad. They even offer one-way cable modem to
    residential subscribers in Ann Arbor. Of course
    Media One was just acquired by Comcast, one of
    the worst cable companies I've ever used.
  • The feature length movie they released a few years ago was really good. Maybe they'll use this as an opportunity to make more.
    Too bad, really. The films they've had on the show since switching to Sci-Fi have been really bad (which makes for really funny episodes), but I think the skits have gone way downhill since Joel was n the show, though. The cracks during the movie are still witty and crisp, on the other hand.

  • I haven't noticed that, and think that people are viewing things through the golden lens of nostalgia, forgetting the bad Joel episodes. Sure, some of the recent episodes haven't been that great, but not all the Season 2 through 4 episodes were stellar; some, like "Space Travellers", were really quite dull. (And the season 1 episode recently released on video, "The Crawling Hand", was really tedious; I think Mike Nelson's becoming head writer with Season 2 was critical to the show's success.) the basic idea, like doctor who's basic idea, is flexible enough to run forever as long as the writing remains good.

    Complete agreement with your second paragraph; if Rhino or whoever were to announce the complete MST3K collection, "and that'll be $1500 please", my cheque would be in the mail on the very same day.

  • Other people have explained the idea well enough; 3 characters make fun of bad movies. The jokes can refer to pop culture items like "Gilligan's Island", to high culture references like Peter Greenaway or Igor Stravinsky. (For example, in one movie the soundtrack got very loud and full of brass; one character says "Hey, turn down the Firebird Suite!")

    I'd just point out that, if you can get the Sci-Fi Channel Europe, it's showing MST3K; see the European broadcast schedule [mst3kinfo.com].

  • I live in Brighton, within spitting distance (really! i've tested this out!) from Newton. I would kill to have Media One and a cable modem. instead we get Cablevision, which is so craptastic that in order to get ~100 channels, they need TWO coaxial cables entering the box. so we end up with channels 2-55A and 2-55B

    i hate cablevision - one of the worst things about living in boston or brookline. that and the parking.
  • I'll have to question your assertion that "[SFC] can do a lot better than MST3K". Even if MST3K has gone down in quality since the Comedy Central days (which is of course debatable and depends on what episode you're watching), what evidence is there for any hope whatsoever that any of SFC's original programming could be "a lot better"?

    Need I remind people about "Mission: Genesis"?

    How about most SFC "original movies", most of which would be completely watchable only with the help of Mike or Joel and the bots?

    I'm curious - what other SFC original programming might be classified as "good"?
  • Servo's voice was actually provided by Josh Weinstein (aka Dr. Larry Erhart). Man, talk about an irritating voice! I'm glad that Kevin Murphy took over and stuck around.

    pete
  • It's a lot like Red Dwarf, except COMPLETELY different...
  • We don't get that in Australia, not even on cable. hrmm.. was I missing something good?
  • It's great...a bunch of robots living with a guy sent into space to watch crappy movies.

    Basically they sit there and make humorous comments.
  • I live just south of Jacksonville, FL (Orange Park actually), and MediaOne service is shoddy at best. I do get Cartoon Network and Comedy Central, but no Sci-Fi and I get 4 religious channels too, but they leave out the good ones like fX or SciFi. In addition to my poor channel selection (only about 54 channels, most modern cable systems have 60-100+, the signal strength sucks! I have to have boosters and noise filters on my cable lines to even be WATCHABLE, and by watchable I mean I can spend longer than 10 minutes watching it w/o a splitting headache. MediaOne comes and checks and it is never ever fixed. In addition, MediaOne has had broadband available in areas for about 4 years (yes, 4 years), but they still have yet to turn most people on to Broadband (and I'm not even talking about 2-way cable). As far as I can tell MediaOne likes to run new cables and let them sit w/o hooking them up (mine have been sitting for about 5 months).

    Even though I have crappy TV Service I still need a fast net connection to my house, and since I'm in a 1980's style cable network area (and it's a very large residential area, not like I am 50 miles from civilization) I can only have 1-way data. This would be fine, except the modem numbers are ALWAYS busy. I am not talking SOME of the time, it's ALL of the time. I normally spend 15-20 minutes trying to connect in the evenings (and 5-10 in the early afternoons). I call MediaOne, and it's always "We're working on it, it'll be fixed soon!" However, months later, it's still not fixed. I work at an ISP, and I know how long it takes to get new PRI's and configure equipment (even if it IS cable/modem hybrid), and it dosen't take 5 months to get a PRI (ESPICALLY when your company is a local PRI provider!!).

    In general my expirence w/ MediaOne has been crap (real feelings suppressed to save the kids' minds from extra filth). Their customer support is horrible, always telling the customer that Broadband will be in in a few months, or it'll get better in a few days after they upgrade, but can you guess how much better service is after X (note X time, where X >= forever) amount of time? NONE! MediaOne (at least the NE FL division) has to be one of the most dishonest companies I have ever seen, constantly lying about upgrades, and ALWAYS giving the customer information that is contradicted in the SAME sentence (ex- "When will I get broadband?" "Broadband is installed in your area now, you can expect Broadband in the end of 2000."). Other cable companies have rapidly deployed 2-way data, and are activley deploying digital cable and other future technologies, where MediaOne is just sitting on its horrible network (with poor data speeds, horrible TV signals, and bad channel selection) and seems content to wait well into the next century (2001) to provide services that others will have had for years.

    I only hope that the Comcast acquisition of MediaOne will lead to Comcast quality service. I know people in ComCast areas and they love the @home service and they have good signal quality and great channel selection, even DIGITAL cable in some areas! If Comcast can make MediaOne's network/employees provide this service I will hail them as the greatest pub service company to ever grace the face of the planet!

    So in brief- Rob I am with you, MediaOne sucks. If there was another viable alternative (not DSS, because in FL they go out in hard rains) I would be all over it.

    Sorry for venting, but when I complain to MediaOne it falls on deaf (and/or dumb) ears, so I had to get it off my chest somewhere.

  • All around Jacksonville the cable prospects are pretty poor. I will say that if you do move to Jacksonville, move to Mandarin or Southside (south and east of the St. Johns River). You can head over to the NE FL mediaone website at www.jacksonville.net and surf over to the broadband area and see the map. If you wish, I can eMail you the URL's for the ADSL service area page and the Broadband service area. These areas have broadband AND ADSL (both are available immediatley). I have heard that broadband modem service is ok, but unless you live in a broadband-serviced area you will be looking at pretty poor cable service all around, and while the 1-way SB1000 has a really nice Linux driver (I use it and it allows me to stay online when Windows users can't connect), the signal strength sucks and the boosters filter out the cablemodem signal as "noise". BellSouth's ADSL is probably the way to go if you can afford it, as soon as they offer it in OP. eMail me if you want a more in-depth rundown of the better areas to live in town and their associated services / net access / traffic.
  • If they put it out on DVD, they could have multiple tracks of audio. Perhaps the pure audio from the movie, (why not?), perhaps different jokes (XXX, clean).

    That would be cool.

    Jordan
  • Well, time to get DirecTV Rob. If I can get a signal here in manhattan, anyone can...

  • Well. (Score:1)

    by Driph ( 7107 )
    I'm in Vegas, and get the US Pacific feed of the sci-fi channel...for those of you on this side of the US, the times are as follows:
    Sun, April 11th: 8:00 pm
    Sat, April 17th: 8:00 am

    ..and the episodes name is "Soultaker" ...#1001

    I know that is one I am not going to miss..


    C

  • Great show, catch it every now and then.. A friend of mine knows one of the guys who made the show, and used to to leave msgs on her answering machine in that voice...heh

    But how can you like S&O and not like MST3K? Hmm.

    C
  • Could somebody explain what the show is for those of us living on the other side of the Atlantic?
  • I never watched Joel either. Mike has been on since I began watching...no Comedy Central channel here (or cable net access!) Most of the time, MST3K has been funny as hell in my opinion...so if it was that much better before...damn...might be hard to concentrate on the show whilst rolling on the floor. I will miss it...I hope it keeps going somehow, but I doubt it. Now...where to find all the old video's that I've missed???

  • Well. (Score:1)

    by Krux ( 8331 )
    Joel and Frank? Now that is cool..

    I love MST3K. Unfortunately I rarely get a chance to watch it anymore. I use to work as a technician fixing PCs and junk, and we had cable in the shop. I was there alone on Saturdays and would watch it every week. The show was/is great.

    I remember many a time when I was literally crying I was laughing so hard.

    I would hate to see the show go, so I for one tend to start making it a point to watch MST3K on Saturdays.
  • MST3K is vaguely like Red Dwarf. In MST3K, though, the main premise is that the people in the spaceship are forced to watch cheesy movies while {scientists monitor their minds/crazy lady chases them across the galaxy in a van-shaped vehicle/etc}. Every 30 minutes, the captives are allowed a break, and it's during these breaks that the skits, which are the "plotline" of the series, are played out.

    The rest of the time, it's the robots and the one captive human making wisecracks at the movie. The entertainment value comes when you learn to catch BOTH what's happening in the cheesy movie, *and* the robots and Mike's comments. If you try to block out the wisecracks and just watch the movie, though, you're completely ruining the show for yourself.

  • Ok, I live in Sweden, and this is what has happened: Sci-fi have stopped sending in Europe outside of the UK, so I can't tape the last episodes. There are some great ones available from Rhino Video, but lo and behold, they don't deliver outside of the US. I have ordered those few available froom the Sci-fi channel website, but I want MORE. Does anyone have a suggestion how I can get hold of old episodes? Some kind soul could consider copying a tape or two and send them to me? I would of course pay for the tapes.

    Mail me at: lars.westergren@home.se
  • It lost everyone who made it any good.
  • > While they monitor his mind

    Now keep in mind Joel can't control
    When the movies begin or end
    Because he used those special parts
    To make his robot friends
    Robot roll call
    Cambot!
    Gypsy!
    Tom Servo!
    Crooooooooow!
    > if you're wondering how he eats and breathes,
  • I've got MediaOne here in Arlingon, MA (just outside Cambridge) and it's been pretty good. Even got cable modem service. 'Course, SciFi, CN, and CC are extra here =(

  • Let it out to pasture (Score:3)

    by Mooset ( 9986 ) on Tuesday March 23, 1999 @01:03PM (#1965957)
    I loved MST3k as much as the next person, but c'mon, it's been around for 10 years or so now. The cancellation isn't just because of the SciFi channel, Best Brains said they felt it was about time to wrap it up too. I'm sure if there were enough complaints Best Brains might try to find another channel that would buy it, but it seems unlikely that anyone would want to since it has never proven to be very profitable in terms of ratings and advertising.

    Rest in peace, SoL.

  • Argh! I can not believe you like that atrocious sock puppet show!!!! Now I'll admit, that sock puppets in and of themselves...

    Okay, next caller...

    --

  • If that ain't the truth.

    Let's face it. MST3K with out Jole, Frank, and Dr. F would be just like beating a dead horse. A VERY dead horse.

    -K-
  • that just plain sucks. but then again, we'll always have that moment from the movie:

    "What do you suppose is in that mountain?"
    "Pudding?"
  • MST3K is WAY past its prime. It should have been canceled a year after Joel left.

    Watching it now was like watching that aging sports star that didn't know when to retire. Everyone always liked to see them play, but there is a time to retire. MST3K's time has long since past.

  • Well, even as I write....Mediaone is laying broadband cable into my neighborhood just outside of Jacksonville, FL. Normally I wouldn't have a problem with it all, hey, afterall cable modems will no be a viable connectivity option. BUT THOSE GREEDY BASTARDS TOOK THE NASA CHANNEL OFF THE LINE UP!!!!! I live in FL, I watch the shuttle launch, I watch it when it lands. I really would like to watch while they build the International Space Station {With the help of Linux,of course =)}. It think it's time I went down to the local MediaOne branch office and gave them my two cents worth.....then I'll rip their occuressd Co-ax from my under my lawn.
  • I have MediaOne here on the east side of Michigan and I get about 85 channels, including all of the ones that you mentioned. Your MediaOne branch must really be bad.

    -Sol
  • I hope that lame as show nevr comes back, maybe im missing something but it just sucks

  • Ahem! (Score:1)

    by Lx ( 12170 )
    Ditto - the only thing that has changed is the person doing the actual speaking, in the human character's case. I personally think mst has gotten better over the years, although it took my a while to get used to the change.
    -lx

  • MST3K (Score:1)

    by Lx ( 12170 )
    no.
    -lx
  • funny, I noticed that the sci-fi channel plays complete crap most of the time. Mission Genesis and Sliders and all that. Bleah. Sci-fi pretty much blows, unless you're making fun of it.
    -lx
  • Ok, first off, the show didn't die when joel left. Mike has been the head writer of the show for 90% of the show's lifespan. The only thing that has changed is the person saying the words.

    I think people need to be able to get over changes like that - it's as pathetic as saying "only the original star trek was any good...", or maybe these people are just trying to prove how old-school they are.

    MST is still the smartest humor on tv. It's the only tv show I'll watch, excluding the japanese programming, which is really hilarious.

    -lx
  • Ahem, just remember that Mike Nelson has been writing since the first season, and has been the Head Writer since the second season. Not to mention that Kevin Murphy is still the macho voice of Tommy Servo!
  • Now I wish the would concentrate on putting the whole shebang out on VHS/DVD. Now that would be cool

    I've thought that DVD would be the perfect venue for MST3K. What to do with the extra space on your typical DVD movie? Yet another dreary interview with the Key Grip? No way! Add an MST3K track, of course! Watch the movie straight or, if it's a dud, switch on MST3K mode and watch it with Joel/Mike and the 'bots!

    Whaddaya think, sirs?

  • Well. (Score:1)

    by yAm ( 15181 )
    Think of the Beowulf cluster...

    Doh!

    Chris

  • Joel was still the best. He was my hero for -years-. And how could you beat dr. forrester and TV's Frank? Those were the days.

    You know, I think Joel was really Thom Yorke in disguise... *blink* *blink*

    .ad.

    "...we hope that you choke."
  • It's also had several cast changes over the past ten (actually, eleven) years. Now, amusingly, every original cast member has been replaced.

    Currently, it airs at 11:00AM/Sat and 11:00PM/Sun Eastern Standard Time on the Sci-Fi channel. It still has one season to go before it's washed away by the high-ranking tides of forced mediocrity.

  • > Actually, almost all of the original people
    > still REMAIN.

    True; only Josh Weinstein, Joel, Trace, and Frank have left entirely (though, as I said a few messages ago, Joel and Frank are returning for a visit in episode 1001).

    > For onscreen people, only Kevin Murphy (the
    > voice of Tom Servo) remains.

    He's actually the second servo -- Weinstein, who also played Dr. Lawrence Erhardt, was the original voice.

    > But behind the scenes, almost everyone is the
    > same. The head writer is still Mike Nelson and
    > most of the writing staff has been there from
    > the first few seasons.

    True. And Jim Mallon is still around, doing his stuff, even though Gypsy has recently changed hands.

    > So, while the cast has changed, the humor is
    > still there and it's just as funny as it ever
    > was....

    I'd have to agree, though I can understand why some people would whine. If Mulder and Scully were yanked off the X-Files and it continued with two other otherwise very capable actors, I know I'd have a fit. But MST3K was never meant to be a serious program.

    "Just repeat to yourself `it's just a show -- I should really just relax.'"

    > I'd still like them to bring back the Invention
    > Exchange. That was definitely kool.

    Unfortunately, that was uniquely Joel's territory; it was based upon his own patented brand of magic-laced stand up comedy (which is also from where the word "Gizmonic" stems). But who knows what'll happen on the eleventh, eh? Maybe Pearl will even gain a button specifically for Frank to push.
  • Thank you. Listen here, folks.

    Say it again, only louder.
  • It's times like this I wish I had a ten-foot cube of Neilson boxes.
  • The thing is, Sci-Fi simply decided not to renew the series. Best Brains have kind of resigned to this fate; they've been through the ordeal once before and don't particularly expect anything to change. However, they apparently do still have an interest in continuing the show; they just now don't have anywhere to put it. If their contract were renewed, they'd keep chugging along until they did get tired of it (and with the rate of cast turnover, the show could conceivably last forever).

    Best Brains and Sci-Fi do, however, still have a good relationship; this isn't like the Comedy Central era. So there is some small sliver of hope even if no one else does pick up the show (and as long as people don't start sending pipe bombs -- not a good way to engender sympathy).

    And as for the VHS/DVD deal, they've been working on it for the past few years. Go look [mst3kinfo.com].
  • It's more like they've resigned to their fate, since, as you said, the future looks very grim. If they had the opportunity, as stated on Sattelite News [mst3kinfo.com], they'd like to continue going. They're simply not keeping their hopes up; they've been through this all before. If it was difficult last time, the show ought to be hell to save this time around.

    As stated all around, the best way to support the show is to get everyone possible to watch. Ratings are what the big chiefs with the leather chairs care about -- the quality of the show doesn't matter to them, nor does its loyal following. The new season starts on Saturday, April 11 at 11:00 AM (and April 12 at 11:00 PM).

    If you want the show around, watch. Call all of your friends and tell them to watch, as well. Try to convert new followers.

    Did I mention the season premeire has Joel and Frank in it?

  • We get all those channels here in Minnesota too.
    I think the problem lies not with MediaOne, but who they bought. Remember, MediaOne is relatively new and was spun off by US West (I think). US West had bought our local cable company just last year, and our channel selection has stayed very much the same.

    Thats not to say they won't globalize selections. MediaOne is spending a hell of a lot of money to update their entire cable network, so I'd expect to see more stations and services soon. Some areas that already have 2-way cable (Unfortunately not here) also have telephone service over broadband for dirt cheap...

    I am all for MediaOne, its just too bad Microsoft has a stake in their new owner, I remember how apualled I was when I found Bill was trying to buy MediaOne a while back. I am still upset that my paging service is partially owned by MS so it broadcasts MSNBC news....
  • I bought a dish and receiver (RCA, first generation) back in 95, paying the early adopter price and everything. I bought my second set this year (Sony, third generation) and I'm still going strong. From DirecTV, for $29.95 you get essentially 70 cable channels, plus all the pay-per-view options. For ten or fifteen bucks more you can get all the STARZ! and Encore channels, but I haven't had them in a couple years and haven't missed them. You can also pay ten bucks a month and get every regional sports network, so if you're into, say, college lacrosse or minor league hockey that can be fun. DirecTV is also in the process of buying USSB, which should mean that soon all the HBO and Showtime channels should be available on the same bill, instead of two.

    The problem is, you can't get your local channels, or now (due to the FCC) even the network feeds, unless you really do live out in the honest-to-goodness middle of nowhere. Oh, and you have to buy the dish, but that's about two hundred bucks now, and the quality is far superior to anything you can get on broadcast or cable.

    Oh, and my mom popped for Digital Cable at home (she's got TCI) and I can safely say that DirecTV is still a far better product. Better reception, faster tuning to different channels, and better system controls.

    - e
  • I have M1 in Cambridge, MA. The cable modem is truely one of the great wonders of the world. The channel selection is great, except that when they added Sci-Fi, Comedy Central, Cartoon, History, and a few lesser channels, they called them the "New Choice" package, and charged extra for them.

    I've never had a cable company that was perfect, but MediaOne is the closest I've seen.
  • From what I've been reading, I'm glad that I haven't seen it in a couple of years (neanderthal cable company); but have older eps. on ol' VHS to go back to. Requesat en Pace.

    -"He Tried to Kill me with a Forklift!"
  • I feel your pain. But I don't suffer from it. I live in Pinellas Park, which is exactly between St. Pete and Clearwater, so it's more or less straight down I-4 from you. We have TimeWarner, and I personally have RoadRunner. 2-way cable: 10Mbps down and 6 Mbps up.

    TimeWarner's cable TV service is awful. It costs too much, the installers are mean, and the customer service people don't serve customers well at all. However, their cable net service is absolutely perfect. Always up, always fast.

    Maybe you should move.

    Mike
    --

  • Let me guess: PaxNET? That bit of evil is run by a guy who lives around these parts. Here, it's broadcast (and cable) channel 17.

    All it shows are these reruns from CBS and the Family Channel, as well as prayer and the 700 club. ick.

    Mike
    --

  • Is it Weststar? We have Weststar in Kellogg, and it sucks the munchies.
  • They actually made a movie that was in the theatres. It's called {huge fanfare} "Mystery Science Theater 3000 The Movie". You may be able to find this in your local video rental establishment. They do "This Island Earth" and it has got to be one of the funniest "Episodes" I have ever seen. Except for the one with the Leprechan-quistador. HAHAHA!

    "Mike broke the Hubble, Mike broke the Hubble!"

    - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
    I run BeOS. The rules don't apply.
  • Argh! I can not believe you like that atrocious sock puppet show!!!! Now I'll admit, that sock puppets in and of themselves are inherently funny, but somehow they managed to make that show on MTV so awful that watching it makes my teeth hurt. Yuck.

  • It's about, well, the original theme song explains it pretty well. From memory (with omissions):
    In the not too distant future
    Next Sunday AD
    There was a guy named Joel
    Not too different from you or me
    He worked at Gizmonics Institute
    Just another guy in a red jump suit
    He did a good job cleaning up the place
    But his bosses didn't like him, so they shot him into space
    They send him cheesy movies
    The worst they can find
    (lalala!)
    He has to sit and watch them all
    While they monitor his mind
    And if you're wondering how he eats and breathes,
    and other science facts,
    Repeat to yourself, it's just a show,
    I should really just relax
    For
    Mystery
    Science
    Theater
    3000!

    (And then they do, indeed show him a cheesy movie, and him and his homemade robots make fun of it.)
  • And he's male, not a she.

    --
  • It's not nearly as funny as it was when Joel was in it, but it still has some entertainment quality to it. I would hate to see it go. They should at least play re-runs.

    I would kill to see "Operation Double 007" again! That was the was best.

    --
  • I can put a good word in for Dish Network. Good quality, good channel selection, and the two times I've had to call them I got pretty quick response.

    DirecTV is better is a sports nut, though...
    Scott
  • As a cable channel provider in Atlanta... MediaOne sux... except for the fact that the Cartoon Channel comes standard :) But I use MediaOne's Broadband service and have not had a single problem in 6 months... but many people I know spend half of their time on the Customer Support lines. I guess I benefit from the fact that I live in an area that has been supported from the begining :)

    It is also CHEAP... $50 bucks/mo. (includes modem) split among my roomates makes it cheaper than my Mindspring account which was $25 per mo. "unlimited" that I couldn't get above a 33.6 connection.

    The best part-- tell them you don't want cable TV service with Broadband and you don't pay the additional $10/ mo. but get extended cable anyway :)

    They could use some better programming-- and some better service (much better Customer Service)-- but I'm happy.
  • I recently moved about 30 mins south, where a different cable company rules the roost. I was quite relieved to be rid of MediaOne. In Santa Clarita, CA, it was almost exactly as Rob described it.

    MST3K was an excellent show, and I'm sorry to see it go. I remember renting the movie (which was basically just another episode of the show) with some friends of mine. They could not understand what I thought was so damn funny.

    On the other hand, it might be better to let the show exit gracefully, rather that waiting until the creative forces behind it get bored and stop producing the hilarious content they are now.

    -zack

  • I wish it wasn't going to be canceled! We used to have Sci-Fi but Cox communications decided we aren't good enough (unless we get digital). I am 16 and have grown up with Crow, Tom, and Joel (I haven't seen much of the other guy). When ever I can I rent an oldy from Blockbuster (2 rows dedicated to MST!!). Ahhhhh why?!?!?!?

    "Oh well, Better go check the scones"
    Beau C
  • Yes, Joel was the heart and soul of MST, but Mike is good as well. Besides Crow, and Tom are still there punning, and squabbling as ever before.

    I would like to see "Agent from H.A.R.M" again.

  • Quit yer complaining. At least you *have* cable modems... the rest of us have to wait another 20 or so years for Viacom to modernize...

  • Like many, there are a whole bunch of Joel-era episodes that I have not seen. How about a Slashdot MST3K tape trading section?


  • For what its worth, I have MediaOne at home (Boston area) and I get Sci-Fi, Comedy Cent., and Cartoon Network. Do I ever watch them? No. Do I pay for them. I have no idea - haven't read my bill in ages. But I do get them. And I have a cable modem too :P
  • The best way to send the cable company a message is not to pay for something if you don't like it, or switch to another cable provider. I doubt the latter is usually possible.

    I, for example, do not subscribe to MediaOne's program package with the Sci-Fi and Cartoon channels because it simply costs too much. The cable modem service is a great deal, however.

    Cable companies often have monopolies in local areas. This lack of competition means they're not as customer-oriented as they would be otherwise.

    Sound familiar? I'm just glad I don't have to buy a MediaOne-compatible television set to use their service.

  • Personally, I haven't enjoyed a _single_ episode of MST3K since Joel Hodgson left the show. But that's just me...
  • I have only seen recent episodes of MST. Who's Joel. And if she did make the show better, I'll go buy some older tapes. MST3K Marathon anyone?

    --

  • For some reason, I was under the impression that it was the Brains who were calling it quits, not the network giving them the axe. Hmm...

    Oddly enough, its videotaped episodes of MST3K that have kept me going the past couple of months, and let me tell you why:

    I get but ONE channel that shows "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman", "Diagnosis Murder", "Touched by an Uncle", and "The Andy Griffith Show" round-the-clock. Excuse me while I go shoot myself..
  • MediaOne in Atlanta at least has Comedy Central, but no SciFi Channel and no Independant Film Channel. And the lazy bastards still haven't deployed cable modem in my area, even though they said it would be done by last November.
  • Hmm. For some reason the phrase, "I grok MST3K" just doesn't have quite the same ring to it as the good ol' "I grok Spock." Perhaps MST3K fans will succeed where ST:TOS fans failed?

    --
    Wonko the Sane

  • I live in Holland Michigan (Hi CmdrTaco! :-P) and MediaOne does in fact have a preview channel on the local cable system. It's on channel 99 though, presumably to make room for the 63 Religious channels they'll be coming out with Real Soon Now (TM).
  • I once liked the show, but now... it doesn't hold my attention for more than 300ms, the time it takes me to go to the next channel. I love the SciFi channel and I know they can do a lot better than mst3k, it's about time they canceled it. btw, is just me or is the new low budget mtv show really entertaining? (the sock puppets).

  • Media One for me (in NH) is pretty ok. I think MO is in the process of INCREASING services, not decreasing. Or so I hope.
  • I love MST3K, but I would rather see them spend some time working out proper licensing agreements with the movie studios for the old episodes than making new episodes. The older episodes are great, but since they never really had permission to broadcast the movies they were mocking, we'll never get to see those unless some work is done with the studios in question.

    Being in Canada, MST3K has -never- been broadcast up here unless you happen to own a BUD (Big Ugly Dish) system. The best we get is the occasional copy on VHS at an independant video rental store. Let's see, 10 years worth of shows, and I've seen maybe 15 episodes. Most of those were on 4th-generation VHS copies from a crappy satellite feed.


  • I have a DBS system at home (DirecTV/USSB, Sony A3 unit) and I love it to pieces! The programming selection is excellent for the price, installation was cake (took me about an hour in my apartment), and the picture and sound quality are to die for (use the S-Video input for maximum effect).

    Oh yeah, and the translucent on-screen menu and the fact that I get to watch old new wave videos on M2 is pretty damn cool too. :-)
  • ??? Here, a little outside of Chicago MediaOne is great. All the channels you named and more are part of Satellite 2. (That's the `normal' cable package you'd think of when getting cable.) And the Internet access is wonderful and cheap. Now you have me worried: are changes coming with their recent acquisition?
  • Without Joel, MST3K is better dead. Let it go or get Joel back.
  • Joel is the original host and (more importantly) the designer of Crow and Tom Servo. The heart of the show even.
  • >>>>>>
    > I'd still like them to bring back the Invention
    > Exchange. That was definitely kool.

    Unfortunately, that was uniquely Joel's territory; it was based upon his own patented brand of magic-laced stand up comedy (which is also from where the word "Gizmonic" stems). But who knows what'll happen on the eleventh, eh? Maybe Pearl will even gain a button specifically for Frank to push.

    The 'On-Screen' reason for this was that Dr. F and Joel both originally worked at The Gizmonics Institute, where all the employees were constantly inventing things, even the janitors... An invention exchange was the typical greeting at Gizmonics - instead of just saying 'Hello', you would show off your new invention.

    Mike never worked at Gizmonics, he was just a temp hired by Dr. F, so he didn't grok the culture.
  • The show has definitely run it's course. First Joel left, and that cut the heart right out of the program. Then they lost Frank, and it lost every trace of goodness it ever had.

    Now, the only one that's left is Tom Servo, and while he's fantastic, he's all alone out there!

    Just let it die a natural death. No /. effect, please.
  • You don't live in Santa Clara, do you? I have a friend who just moved out there, and he says that they have the same affliction. Across the street in San Jose, they get everything.
  • Rob, do you remember when mst3k did a "IRC Live" show? You could make your own cracks, you could go on mst3k's IRC server, go to there channel, and if you had a good crack your comment would show up at the bottom of the screen with your handle, REAL awesome, I got on once, and I thought it was gold, if I remember that was one of there highest rated shows. Definitly Cool.
  • due to some colosial brain flatuance on my end, this comment has been attached to the wrong article. I apologize for the (now two!) obivously off-comment relpies

    Jhiv

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