[trivia/background] What's on TV in Fenspace?

[robkelk]

Even though I'm only in the early-middle of chapter three of LoGG, I'm considering what to put into chapter four - including throwaway references to Fenspace mass media. Besides, discussion's been quiet here lately.
So... What's on TV (broadcast or netcast) in Fenspace? Besides the obvious "reruns of shows that exist in our universe and underpin factions," that is.
I recall there being a (near-required) Skysaber series of some sort, but I don't recall whether it's TV, radio, or print.
The adventure serial / anti-Boskone propaganda vehicle Red Lad is a radio drama, not a TV show.
Other than those two, I don't recall any new mass entertainment being mentioned by anyone... Any ideas?
-Rob Kelk
"I heard there was a trial run of soylent blue, but they had to cease production when the George Carlin ran out..."
Mark Jones, 13 Jan 2008
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[Foxboy]

"Naze Nani Fenspace" a Sesame Street-like program for fenkinder inspired by the similarly-titled shipboard program from Martian Successor Nadesico. The Puffets, a Muppet-equivalent term, were created by Vulpine Fury's Puppetworks.
The big stars are of course Puffets, with unusual names, like Aloysius Sarsparilla and Felton Fox.
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll

[M Fnord]

In the footsteps of Gryphon...
Program Guide: THURSDAY, 20 JUNE 2013
KANDOR BROADCASTING NETWORK (CHANNEL ONE)
18:00 [News] First Action News @ 6
18:30 [News/Netcast] Daily Illuminator Evening News
19:00 [Action/Comedy] Skysaber Conquers the Universe
The Technos Imperative (Part 1) - Skysaber faces off against the Borg Queen. Captain Picard: Patrick Stewart.
19:30 [Action/Comedy] Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
You Two-Faced Son of a Bitch! - Simon, Kamina and Yoko continue their quest for the Surface. (Repeat)
20:00 [Travel] Michael Palin's Fenspace
Venus (Part 3) - Michael's journey through Senshi country leads him to the floating temples of Crystal Kyoto.
21:00 [Drama] Asteroid Blues
Blue Meanies - Life on the Rock is complicated by the arrival of a group of wayward Blue Blazers. Special guest appearance by Buckaroo Banzai as himself.
22:00 [Current Events] Solar Views
Boskone War - The history of the Belt conflict is studied in depth, including the recent leadership crisis in Operation Great Justice. Interviews with Haruhi Suzumiya, Stephen Caldwell and Noah Scott.
23:00 [News] First Action News @ 11
23:30 [Talk] Witch's Brew Live From Question Alley
Guests: Handwavium researcher A. C. Peters; explorer Katrina Stewart. Musical guest Tom Smith and his Filkchestra.
00:30 [Talk] Up Too Damn Late with Tycho Brahe
Guests: Comedian Denis Leary; game designer Sebastian Hanlon. Music by Snrkack.
01:30 [Movie] (***) Star Trek
(Color, 2008) The reimagining of the classic 1967 television series.
03:30 Paid Programming
---
Mr. Fnord
http://fnord.sandwich.net/
http://www.jihad.net/
Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery

FenWiki - Your One-Stop Shop for Fenspace Information

"I. Drink. Your. NERDRAGE!"

[M Fnord]

While I'm on a Skysaber kick:
Skysaber vs. River Tam (Anime, 2012)
The first feature-length production from the creators of Skysaber Conquers the Universe, billed as "the first true action movie" where the two title characters spend 90 minutes beating each other to a pulp in increasingly over-the-top ways. Of particular note is a sequence where Skysaber tries to use the TransAmerica Pyramid to swat River, only to have her dodge into the upended building, race through the corridors like a demented version of The Poseidon Adventure, emerge from the roof and spin-kick Skysaber into the Pacific. Loud, ludicrous and surprisingly fun. ***1/2---
Mr. Fnord
http://fnord.sandwich.net/
http://www.jihad.net/
Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery

FenWiki - Your One-Stop Shop for Fenspace Information

"I. Drink. Your. NERDRAGE!"

[CattyNebulart]

This isn't madness, this is SCIENCE!!!
Educational programing from mars. Occasional guest appearances by the Professor.
E: "Did they... did they just endorse the combination of the JSDF and US Army by showing them as two lesbian lolicons moving in together and holding hands and talking about how 'intimate' they were?"
B: "Have you forgotten so soon? They're phasing out Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

[Cobalt Greywalker]

Tower of Wonder
From Rook 12, hidden between the supports of The Watchtower, Leonard da Quirm and his assistant (and guests) present monthly hour-long specials into the mysteries of Handwavium. This month: Space drives.

[robkelk]

---

00:30 [Talk] Up Too Damn Late with Tycho Brahe

---

The guy from Penny Arcade? Cool...

---

Guests: Comedian Denis Leary;

---

Isn't he the one who did the routine about not being able to get handwavium flavored handwavium any more?
-Rob Kelk
"I heard there was a trial run of soylent blue, but they had to cease production when the George Carlin ran out..."
Mark Jones, 13 Jan 2008
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[Bob Schroeck]

There's got to be a whole string of anime inspired by and/or set in Fenspace. Things with titles like Handwave Ranger GAO-One. Or a harem comedy about a guy with a tiny handwaved car who keeps coming across girls in trouble and rescuing them, and then having no luck making them leave... C'mon, surely we can think of some more?

-- Bob
---------
I intend to be a freak for the rest of my life, and I shall baffle you with cabbages and rhinoceroses in the kitchen and incessant quotations from Now We Are Six through the mouthpiece of Lord Snooty's giant poisoned electric head. So theeeeeere....

[M Fnord]

Because some franchises refuse to die, no matter how much lead you pump into 'em:
Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon FS
The latest province of the Sailor Moon empire, the action is moved from Tokyo to Crystal Tokyo as a group of Senshi living on Venus suddenly become "real" Senshi and have to defend their homeworld from pirate youma. Based (very, very loosely) on rumors of extradimensional Senshi showing up on Crystal Paris.
Gundam Wave
Basically a retelling of the 12-14 Boskone War, but with 500% more giant robots. What really makes Gundam Wave interesting is the based-on-a-true-story B-arc about a crew of mecha enthusiasts from Hokkaido who build their own full-scale Gundam in defiance of local handwavium restrictions.---
Mr. Fnord
http://fnord.sandwich.net/
http://www.jihad.net/
Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery

FenWiki - Your One-Stop Shop for Fenspace Information

"I. Drink. Your. NERDRAGE!"

[Cobalt Greywalker]

Catgirl Bebop
A group of misfit bounty hunters travel the Solar System capturing rouge Catgirls. Award-winning soundtrack.
The Handwavuim Man
After being left for dead by a Boskonian raid, a man is rebuilt with state-of-the-gludge cybernetics and sent to infiltrate a crime family. First feature length film from the Luna Film Studios. (**1/2)

[Norgarth]

"To Boldly Go..."

A documentry on the Miranda project, from conception, through construction, to the ship's departure past the Limit.
___________________________

"I've always wanted to be somebody, but I should have been more specific." - George Carlin

[Ebony]

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai

Tales of the Hong Kong Cavaliers and the Blue Blazer Irregulars, both fictional and based on real events. Stories are told in serial format, with
breaks filled with informative vignettes from the Institute. Regular features include "Everyday Heroes" (spotlights on real people Doing Good),
"Fit Body, Fit Mind" (fitness), "What's Rockin'?" (music spotlight), and "A Moment of Your Time...." (Buckaroo's mail
call/op-ed/philosophy section).
Ebony the Black Dragon
http://ebony14.livejournal.com

"Good night, and may the Good Lord take a Viking to you."

[Cobalt Greywalker]

[b][b][b]CSI[/b][/b]: Fenspace

[/b]The stories of the SV New Las Miami of the Space Patrol. This week the gang docks at Ganymede to help out the Browncosts with a drugs case.

(Edit: It was either that or a small Space Patrol CSI fleet consisting of the SS Las Vegas, the SS Miami, the SS New York, the SS Los Angeles, and the SS Des
Moines. The cities they're named after apparently contain the five largest non-federal Crime Labs in the US)

[Duane Peters]

Raise the Yamato!
Movie: Documentary, 2013.

True story of a splinter group of Boskone seekng to build their own Space Cruiser, and the multi-national backlash and manhunt that resulted.

Tales of the Undocuverse: Future Imperfect
Animated, 1 hour

Ben "Gryphon" Hutchins meets Utena Tenjou for a little test, with explosive results.

(Oh, come on...don't tell me there wouldn't be someone doing this somewhere in Fenspace. Probably on the run from Gryphon and a lot of heavy weapons, but...)

[M Fnord]

Two concepts, one following from Duane:

Neon Genesis Evangelion FLASH!

(EPU Studios, Animated, 30 min.)

Re-deconstruction of the famous 1996 deconstruction of the giant robot genre Neon Genesis Evangelion and the 2007
reconstruction Neon Genesis Evangelion Angelic Days. A rather intense parody of late '90s / early '00s
"serious mecha" shows, helped along by acerbic commentary by EPU original characters DJ Croft and Jon Ellison. ***1/2 (on a good day).

Re-Animator: The Musical

(Helium Regional Theatre, 2 hr 30 min.)

Specially filmed live performance of the cult-favorite musical by Tom Smith and R.K. Milholland.
Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery

FenWiki - Your One-Stop Shop for Fenspace Information

"I. Drink. Your. NERDRAGE!"

[Epsilon]

Cobalt Greywalker wrote:

---

[b][b][b]CSI[/b][/b]: Fenspace

[/b] The stories of the SV New Las Miami of the Space Patrol. This week the gang docks at Ganymede to help out the Browncosts with a drugs case.




(Edit: It was either that or a small Space Patrol CSI fleet consisting of the SS Las Vegas, the SS Miami, the SS New York, the SS Los Angeles, and the SS Des
Moines. The cities they're named after apparently contain the five largest non-federal Crime Labs in the US)

It should be noted that the actual show CSI did a show featuring "fenspace" during its final season (season 10, aired Feb 15, 2010). It was
poorly recieved by fenspace audiences due to its tendancy to paint their subculture in a bad light. In this they are joined by... every single other subculture
that has been featured on a CSI episode.
There was also at least one episode of House which dealth with a handwavium issue. Specifically it included the
good Doctor proposing the use of illegal (on Earth) biomodding to treat a patients terminal cancer (it was later revealed not to be cancer and no such
procedure was performed). A major subtext of the episode was House considering the use of Thionite, but he rejects it by the end of the episode. Many other
episodes following this one included at least once one of his team suggesting the weekly mystery ailment may be related to handwavium, which it never turns out
to be. This has led to a popular fan refrain "It's never handwavium!" (The term handwavium was never used in either show.)

Several Hollywood productions, while not aimed at the fenspace market, have been filmed in fenspace. Joss Whedon filmed a short science-fiction drama using
various fenspace locales as backdrops (including Stellvia, Kandor City and Utopia Planetia). The show was called doing well, and featured extensive use of
handwaved special effects (and the first use of an AI actor in a mundane production) but production was halted during the Operation Great Justice crisis and it
is doubtful that Mr Whedon will be able to secure financial backing from Earth to reinvigorate the show. Note: While much of the filing was done in fenspace a
good deal was also done in soundstages in LA. Other science-fiction movies produced in space include a poorly recieved reimagining of Asimov's Foundation
Trilogy, a film called "Space Kittens" that went straight to video and the movies Mass Effect and Bioshock based on the popular video games of the
same name and directed by Uwe Boll.

Universal was rumored to be considering shooting the next Star Trek motion picture entirely in space. William Shatner was supposed to reprise his role as Kirk
after received a handwave treatment that would restore his youthful vitality. These rumors are denied by everyone involved but that doesn't stop people
from speculating.

The reality show Survivor: Mars was a critical success. All of the participants were from Earth with no Fen involved. A season of The Amazing Race featured
three episode that were set in fenspace (one on Mars, one in Kandor City and one on Venus). Both Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy have had week long specials that
took place on Stellvia (the view of the Earth from the large viewport that served as backdrop to the soundstage was spectacular).

Fenspace (and handwavium) has been referenced a multitude of times on many popular shows, however they are often encountered as hazards to be overcome and
one-step-short-of villians. Amazing enough one of the most positive representations of fen occurs (and still occurs) on the soap opera One Life To Live (airing
weekdays on ABC). The popular character John McBain was transformed in 2011 into a catgirl when one of the other characetrs spiked his good with handwavium in
an elaborate plot to break up his marriage. Jo McBain is one of the most popul;ar character on the serial and her struggle to deal with the reality of her new
condition and the prejudice associated with it is a major storyarc. Despite this many in fenspace complain because the actress who potrays Jo McBain is an
unmodded human in makeup (to be fair the catgirl prostehtics are wavejobs commisioned from Vulpine's Puppetworks and are amazing relalistic).

Noah Scott has appeared on a few episodes of Real Time with Bill Maher and one episode of The Colbert Report. After the famous "Bear Incident"
Colbert refuses to mention The Professor on his TV show. Conan O'Brien has featured some of the more photogenic and popular people of fenspace on his show
and was the first person to do a live on-air interview of an AI (Buckaroo Banzai), well, at least a live made-on-earth interview.

Fenspace appears often on mundane news services, less so in the United States then in other countries more symapthetic to fenspace politics. Fox News media
commentator Bill O'Reilly has a particular hatred for Fenspace, a fact he is more than willing to make clear whenever he is given an excuse.

-----------------

Epsilon

[robkelk]

Other science-fiction movies produced in space include a poorly recieved reimagining of Asimov's Foundation
Trilogy,

Because it was about as true to the original as Will Smith's I, Robot was.

a film called "Space Kittens" that went straight to video

With a title like that, I can imagine why...

and the movies Mass Effect and Bioshock based on the popular video games of the same name and directed by Uwe Boll.

Who was not allowed to film on Stellvia. Noah has some standards.

(Sure, he wanted to film on Stellvia, but Noah told him he'd have to win http://kotaku.com/gaming/boxing/clips-u ... 198932.php]a boxing match against Kohran first. Luckily, Boll didn't call their bluff.)

Both Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy have had week long specials that took place on Stellvia (the view of the Earth from the large viewport that served as backdrop to the soundstage was spectacular).

Those would have been filmed at Meg's, the largest single "shirtsleeve environment" compartment on Stellvia. It takes up a full quarter of the outer rim of the Main Concourse.

When not serving as a soundstage, wedding hall, or other special-purpose venue, Meg's is an affordable (for Fenspace) family restaurant. Officially, nobody knows who owns the place, but it's an open secret that Noah's never presented with a bill when dining there.

(One or more of these comments applies to LoGG, which is why I'm making them here...)
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[Cobalt Greywalker]

One of the more surprisingly positive representations of Fenspace was the Mythbusters Fenspace Special. Borrowing a workshop from one of the Supers tinkerer
groups in Kandor City, they proceeded to bust a few myths and had a fun time. While the initial showing of the episode got their usual amount of viewers, it
quickly got the most requests for a repeat ever received by The Discovery Channel. The repeat a month later ranks as one of the top 10 most watched episodes
of a series ever worldwide.

[Bob Schroeck]

the Mythbusters Fenspace Special

Geeze. You realize, there's got to be a faction out there that worship the MythBusters as gods, practically? Mm.

Oh, and I love the idea of them working in a Supers shop in Kandor... To quote Gryphon: "Kryptonian Superintelligence?" "Busted." "Busted." "Definitely busted." "Well, gee, I coulda told you that."
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[Ebony]

Conan O'Brien has featured some of the more photogenic and popular people of fenspace on his show and was the first person to do a live on-air
interview of an AI (Buckaroo Banzai), well, at least a live made-on-earth interview.

It is not common knowledge that Buckaroo is an AI. While Buckaroo would do interviews via teleconference, both with talk show hosts and newsmen,
it's unlikely that he'd be the first AI interviewed on air officially (although he may unofficially be the first). However, I nominate that Trigon be
the first interviewed. Because it'd be funny.
Ebony the Black Dragon
http://ebony14.livejournal.com

"Good night, and may the Good Lord take a Viking to you."

[M Fnord]

That's really funny, because I can see Trigon throwing a press confrence after one or another of his little escapades, if only to gloat.

"It was I who made the People's Liberation Army look like a pack of gibbering fools! It was I who ran them around in circles for hours, for my own amusement. And I'll do it again given sufficient cause! Or if I get sufficiently bored, whichever happens first!"
Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery

FenWiki - Your One-Stop Shop for Fenspace Information

"I. Drink. Your. NERDRAGE!"

[classicdrogn]

While I can hardly fault anyone for forgetting minor bits of my story, or not reading my mind for details that were never filled in, there is a not-really-major conflict in the listings of firsts  - well, if you're counting Wave Convoy as an AI actor, anyway. To quote the relevant last couple of paragraphs from Surfing With the Alien 3: Magic Bus to Surf City:

What ended up paying the bills until the garage was fully online, incidentally also ended up fulfilling the last of my three childhood dreams - I'd already flown through space, and we'd made a stop at Mars to walk on another planet - with my legal entanglements cleared Takara got in touch with me about having built my body in a style resembling one of their trademarks, and taking a name that was even closer. This could have been a problem, but I was all too eager to follow their proposal to make things right by them, and where it was literally my legal identity things weren't as cut and dried as they could have been in the first place... And so, with a temporary red, blue, and silver paint job over my green, dark grey, and gold, I embarked on a publicity tour for a yet another new interpretation of the Transformers, the third season that would tie into the Galaxy Force continuity, and while it had to be done in the orbit-based animation studio's cyberspace, I got to shake the hand of Optimus Prime.

Fulfilling the final contract for voice acting and publicity appearances took the rest of the year and well into 2011. We headed out to Mars soon after that, since the major Fen presence was getting to be there more than Earth orbit, and Jen was right - the wanderlust did hit me after all, a new sky was just what I needed.

Wave Convoy appeared as himself (well, mostly) in a minor but recurring role, a human truck driver who came into contact with the results of a (tt)Destron (tooltipecepticon, in the English language version of the mythology) attempt to duplicate the Matrix with energy (tt)stolen from Primus (tooltip:by Master Megatron on Gigalonia in TF:Galaxy Force to fuel his rebirth as Master Galvatron) and was fused with his rig as a Transformer. Pursued by the Destrons who want to take advantage of the effect to increase their numbers or at least reclaim the power of Primus, he gets involved in the storyline similarly to Live Convoy and Autospark, the Earth native Transformers in (tt)TF:Galaxy Force (tooltip:AKA the Cybertron series in the US, though I don't know their specific dubbed names), and even gets a mid-season power-up in the form of the Full Wave Booster trailer, to take part in the finale by occupying Dark Nebula Starscream (Former herald of Unicron in place of G1 Galvatron; thought destroyed in TF: Galaxy Defenders with his master) while Galaxy Force Defender Convoy deals with Emperor Galvatron.

Renewed anti-'wave fervor after the Grover's Corners launch ended that otherwise promising continuity, leading to the animated reboot now in progress IRL. Incidentally, a Wave Convoy-esque color swap on that version of Optimus Prime is almost exactly the way my preliminary sketches for Shortwave, WC's human size telepresence drone, turned out a year or so ago when I was working on them - though given how much influence the Star Convoy design has shown in the post-Beastie franchise, I suppose that should be less surprising than I found it.

The physical Full Wave Booster is built starting in fall 2010 (hence well before the fading of the Slapstick Effect) to appear in the publicity tour for the spring ratings push, but most of the time it remains in a hangar in the Japanese Fen Trade Zone unless Takara has something they want Wave Convoy to do with it - mall openings, convention appearances, etc. - and they have some kind of in at the Diet that gets special permission to allow it, in scheduled appearances only of course, to travel beyond the Trade Zone when required.

One noteable example being that they'll send him to Starbase Two to meet the Miranda coming back in December 2014.

Another point of interest is that despite the relatively major role his group played in OGJ, and even the inclusion of the Epyon reproduction in the attack on Crystal Osaka that had been built aboard Gnarlycurl in 'real life,' Wave Convoy is not so much as hinted at in the Gundam retelling, due to the Takara/Bandai corporate rivalry. This is one of the Gearheads' major gripes with the series, the exclusion of one of their own BNFs, even among the primarily Gundamite members.

- CD
ETA: When the Miranda returns, there'll be a half dozen or more "TV" or OVA series produced on board by board crew and Liza, the Entertainment/Councilor/Astrogation AI. Not that I've actually got even concepts for them, but there will be.
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows