TMC1982

*AMC post 2001, when they started becoming more of a "general movies" channel (hell, they once played "Catwoman" for Christ's sake ) instead of a classic film channel. It was also around this period, that they became an advertiser-supported network (which as result, meant that the movies had to be edited for objectionable content). *BET some time after Viacom took over *Cartoon Network whenever they started showing live-action stuff *Disney Channel post 2002, when they stopped being a general audience channel (hence, the elimination of "Vault Disney") in favor of tween fare (which also came at the expense of animation) *ESPN sometime after Disney took over *ESPN Classic post 2004, when it became awfully apparent that they weren't trying anymore *G4 shortly after Neal Tiles became the president of the network *MTV post 1997 *Nickelodeon post 1999 *TV Land whenever they started showing current reality shows (e.g. "Extreme Makeover") and movies (when the channel should be devoted to classic TV programming) *VH1 post 2001 (when they started relying too much on pop culture nostalgia like "Best Week Ever" and the "I Love the..." series and crummy reality shows)

In other words, what particular moment in wrestling sticks out the most for being ready made for major success only to be totally botched in the end (due to politics, stupidity, etc.). Examples (at least in my estimation): *Verne Gagne not fully capitalizing on Hulk Hogan's popularity in the AWA. *No Ric Flair-Hulk Hogan match at WrestleMania. *Kerry Von Erich's NWA Title reign. When I say this, I mean that Kerry messed things up for himself by getting himself doped up all the time to the point of being too unreliable. *Bret Hart being misused in WCW. After Sting beat Hogan, WCW should've immediately had Bret Hart challenge Sting for the World Title. This would've been (just like with Flair and Hogan back in 1991-1992) a perfect opportunity to promote a WCW Champion vs. WWF Champion (since it could be argued that Bret never actually lost the title to Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series) match down the road. *The Invasion *Jim Crockett burying the UWF after Crockett Promotions purchased the UWF (foreshadowing what Vince McMahon would do to WCW nearly 15 years later). *Sting not beating Hogan cleanly at Starrcade '97. *WCW under Jim Herd letting Ric Flair go to WWF/E with the NWA belt. *Rob Van Damn snorking up his World Title push (being the WWE Champion and the ECW Champion at about the same time) due to his love for Mary Jane. *Pro Wrestling USA and the subsequent Super Clash III PPV. *WCW not keeping a hold of Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Eddie Guerrero, Perry Saturn, Dean Malenko, etc. Another classic "drop the ball moment" if you ask me concerning WCW, was not having the Horsemen be a more formidable threat to the nWo. The Horsemen were perhaps, the original "bad boys of wrestling". They were the elite group that everybody feared during the old, Crockett/NWA era days of WCW. So basically, a Horsemen/nwo feud, if done properly, would've been a classic "old school WCW" vs. "new school WCW". Instead, the Horseman were seemingly, frequently jobbed out or humiliated (a la the infamous skit on "Nitro" poking fun of Arn Anderson's retirement speech) with little retribution.

Remember when MTV was actually about music!?

ABC Family has some crappy orginal dramas on at night though. Pregnant teenage girl drama! I did find it funny that last weekend (?) there was a 700 club Telethon on ABC Family...and it was in HD! lol. 700 Club is on ABC Fam every day, you dolt. In HD. LOL. "The 700 Club" has been on ABC Family going back to it's days as the CBN (Christian Broadcasting Network) Family Channel. Remember, Pat Robertson (the host of "The 700 Club") started the Family Channel back in I believe, 1977. So there's some sort of clause in the contract that no matter what, "The 700 Club" still has to air, regardless of the current branding (whether it's from CBN, FOX, or now, ABC) of the Family Channel.

Here's a perfect article that I just found concerning this subject: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NetworkDecay

I don't want to beat up on Flair too much, but can anybody help pinpoint when exactly he started looking "rough"? I mean, when he first showed up (or technically, returned) to WWE the night after the Invasion in 2001, he still looked relatively fit and like his age for the most part.

Gagne pushed the Road Warriors and Bruiser Brody who were hardly traditional AWA technical wrestlers even though he was evidently stunned the fans would cheer for them instead of the faces. With a superman push Hogan over the next couple of years could have gone over Bockwinkel in rematches, Wahoo McDaniel doing the bitter old man gimmick he used against Magnum TA, Jerry Blackwell (maybe then befriending him against the irate Sheik Adnan, before Blackwell turns again), Stan Hansen, Slaughter, Brody and the Road Warriors in single matches. The money made on those feuds and teamups (Hogan and the Road Warriors in a six-man against Brody and the rest of the Sheik's army) maybe could have convinced him to stay for a while longer. They could have doubled the Comiskey Park and Metrodome gates. He would have probably left eventually but by then maybe the AWA could have been big enough to get Savage, Steamboat, Kerry pre-motorcycle accident, etc, keep the Warriors, etc. That ESPN slot may be the biggest drop of the ball. This was before there were dozens of cable channels to choose from and especially no large sports channel selection. The AWA was very lucky to have the ESPN slot (since the WWF was on USA while NWA/WCW was on TBS at the time). This was before ESPN got really, really big (imagine the current ESPN airing pro wrestling ). But it seemed like the AWA never really made the most out of the slot (there was never a proper sense of storyline continuity or building). Take for instance, the Team Challenge Series, which was a good made for television concept in theory, but horribly executed.

I came here to ask the same thing. It seems like Ric Flair has really aged badly in the past few years. I think the guy is almost 60, but he might as well be at least, 75. I mean, Vince McMahon is older than Flair, yet Vince somehow looks more fit and vibriant (even though I guess Vince has stopped dying his hair ) than the Nature Boy. Ric Flair just looks really weathered (perhaps from too much "wheeling, dealing, kiss stealing, jet flying and limousine riding") and used up at this stage in his life.

I accept the post-kayfabe era as like watching a movie or television program. What I mean is that I'm aware that what I'm watching is fictionalized, with actors and such, but you still expect to be entertained (as if I'm paying my money's worth for quality entertainment) and enthrilled. I mean, at the end of the day, I don't want to come to the conclusion that what I'm watching is crap or insulting to my intelligence.

Here's the full list of nominees: MOVIES: FAVORITE MOVIE Bedtime Stories The Dark Knight High School Musical 3: Senior Year Iron Man FAVORITE MOVIE ACTOR Jim Carrey (Yes Man) George Lopez (Beverly Hills Chihuahua) Adam Sandler (Bedtime Stories) Will Smith (Hancock) FAVORITE FEMALE MOVIE STAR Jennifer Aniston (Marley & Me) Anne Hathaway (Get Smart) Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical 3: Senior Year) Reese Witherspoon (Four Christmases) FAVORITE ANIMATED MOVIE Bolt Kung Fu Panda Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa Wall-e FAVORITE VOICE FROM AN ANIMATED MOVIE Jack Black (Po, Kung Fu Panda) Jim Carrey (Horton, Horton Hears a Who) Miley Cyrus (Penny, Bolt) Ben Stiller, (Alex, Madagascar 2: Escape Africa) MUSIC: FAVORITE SONG "I Kissed a Girl" (Katy Perry) "Don’t Stop the Music" (Rihanna) "Kiss Kiss" (Chris Brown featuring T Pain) "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)" (Beyonce) FAVORITE MALE SINGER Chris Brown Jesse McCartney Kid Rock T-Pain FAVORITE MUSIC GROUP Daughtry Jonas Brothers Linkin Park Pussycat Dolls FAVORITE FEMALE SINGER Alicia Keys Beyonce Miley Cyrus Rihanna TELEVISION: FAVORITE TV SHOW Hannah Montana iCarly The Suite Life of Zack and Cody Zoey 101 FAVORITE REALITY SHOW America’s Next Top Model American Idol Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? Deal or no Deal? FAVORITE TELEVISION ACTRESS Miranda Cosgrove/iCarly Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana America Ferrera/Ugly Betty Selena Gomez/Wizards of Waverly Place FAVORITE TELEVISION ACTOR Jason Lee/My Name Is Earl Dylan Sprouse/ The Suite Life of Zack and Cody Cole Sprouse/ The Suite Life of Zack and Cody Nat Wolff/The Naked Brothers Band FAVORITE CARTOON The Fairly OddParents Phineas and Ferb The Simpsons SpongeBob SquarePants SPORTS: FAVORITE FEMALE ATHLETE Candace Parker Danica Patrick Serena Williams Venus Williams FAVORITE MALE ATHLETE LeBron James Michael Phelps Peyton Manning Tiger Woods OTHER CATEGORIES: FAVORITE BOOK Diary of a Wimpy Kid Diary of a Wimpy Kid Do It Yourself Book Harry Potter series Twilight series FAVORITE VIDEO GAME Guitar Hero World Tour Mario Kart Wii Mario Super Sluggers Rock Band 2 I'm going to be brutally honest when I say that nomination "I Kissed a Girl" isn't fairly appropriate for something like the Kids' Choice Awards (it doesn't take rocket science to figure that out). Also, the nomination of Michael Phelps for Favorite Male Athlete comes at a pretty awkward time, given recent "Bong-Gate" story. And while I haven't actually seen Beverly Hills Chihuahua, didn't George Lopez simply provide the voice for a dog rather than actually, physically appearing as himself in the movie? And why the hell are the Sprouses seperately nominated (they're twins for Christ's sake)!?

If the Gooker Awards existed before the year 2000, which would be your list of dubious winners? Naturally, the award for 1990 would be out of the question since that was the very year that the Gooker itself was born! Otherwise, I would've picked the Team Challenge Series (also known as the "final nail in the coffin for the AWA) or the Black Scorpion angle. I've complied my own pre-2000 Gooker list in the mean time: 1991: Turncoat Sargent Slaughter - The best way to gain heel heat for a wrestler is to exploit the real life Persian Gulf War (good one, Vince)! The runner up would be WCW (or Jim Herd to be more exact) firing Ric Flair and the subsequent Great American Bash PPV ("We want Flair!"). 1992: The Papa Shango-Ultimate Warrior feud complete with Jim Hellwig puking on national television. If not that, then the "Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal" saga involving Sting and Jake Roberts. 1993: I'm torn between WrestleMania IX (it has to get some consideration since it's WWF/E's biggest show of the year, traditionally), the Shockmaster, and WCW's mini-movies (the so called "Unholy Trinity"). 1994: The Undertaker's "resurrection" at the Royal Rumble and the Undertaker vs. Underfaker match at SummerSlam. 1995: The Dunegon of Doom-Hulk Hogan feud (it's not hot) 1996: A toss up between the Brian Pillman-Steve Austin gun incident and the Fake Diesal and Razor Ramon angle. 1997: Even though it hasn't been inducted yet, I'll add the screwy finish at Starrcade involving Sting, Hogan and Bret Hart. The Shawn Michaels "loses his smile" angle (in which he faked an injury so that he wouldn't have to drop the title back to Bret Hart) would be second. 1998: Ultimate Warrior, the WCW Years 1999: The Fingerpoke of Doom

They need to retire the "Really!" segment. It just doesn't have the same kind of effect with only one anchor doing it (you need somebody to bounce off of).

Some random guy dressed up as Batman. Kids will likely only recognize Jason Lee for being in "Alvin and the Chipmunks".

SNICK for those who don't recall, was the Saturday night block on Nickelodeon spanning from 1992-2004. It was a key component in what I would otherwise consider to be the "glory days"/golden age of Nickelodeon. SNICK went hand and hand with TGIF on ABC (both were essentially, weekend appointment TV if you were a kid growing up in the '90s). SNICK had shows such as (but not limited to) "Clarissa Explains it All", "Roundhouse", "Ren & Stimpy", "Are You Afraid of the Dark", "The Secret World of Alex Mack", "All That", "Space Cases", "The 100 Deeds of Eddie McDowd", "KaBlam!", "The Journey of Allen Strange", "Kenan & Kel", "The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo", etc. To me, SNICK started to go downhill when they got rid of the big orange couch (which around June of 1999). Believe it or not, the orange couch was the heart and soul of SNICK (and helped create SNICK's identity in the first place). Another thing that hurt the block in my estimation was when Nickelodeon started to drift away from the formula (besides the couch getting tossed aside). SNICK worked best when the block was made up of one live-action sitcom (e.g. "Clarissia..." and "Kenan & Kel"), one Nicktoon (e.g. "Ren & Stimpy" and "Rugrats"), one musical-comedy-variety show (e.g. "Roundhouse" and "All That"), and one wild card show (e.g. "Alex Mack", Space Cases", "Allen Strange", "Eddie McDowd", etc.). Things were only made worst, when Nickelodeon tried to take SNICK into a completely different direction, with the "SNICK House" concept (with Nick Cannon as the host). It seemed like Nickelodeon was trying to copy what MTV was doing at the time with "Total Request Live". What people seemed to forget was that the shows themselves are what made SNICK not celebrity guests or music videos. By the time that the SNICK House had run its course around the summer of 2001, it seemed apparent that Nickelodeon wasn't really trying anymore. There were basically, throwing shows around at random, with the SNICK name attached. At this point, they were using "elevator music" in the background with still photos and "talking bubbles" of the various SNICK stars. By the fall of 2002, SNICK introduced a segment called "The On Air Dare", in which the cast of "All That" would perform acts that resembled does seen on "Fear Factor". Once again (as with the case with the SNICK House), Nickelodeon seemed to be throwing stuff in the air to see if they would stick (instead of simply following the tried and true formula and essence of SNICK in the past). By the fall of 2004, Nick got rid of SNICK completely in favor of a second night of their TEENick block (which with in itself, resembles the SNICK House concept). The problem that I have with TEENick (not just because, the purist in me wishes that Nickelodeon had kept a hold of the SNICK brand) is that a lot of the shows on their schedule are already overexposed (like "iCarly" and "Drake & Josh" for example). Nickelodeon's programming has become awfully homogenized by this time (virtually every note worthy live-action show has to be a tween-oritened sitcom, like those on the Disney Channel at the moment).

She's appearing in "He's Just Not That Into You" with Bradley Cooper. But her appearance just seemed incredibly random. It's kind of like when Jack Nicholson popped up at the end of the Jon Bon Jovi/Foo Fighters episode from a few years back.

Brenda Song however, seems a bit out of place on the new show (which is really, the fourth season of "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody") without Ashley Tisdale. It made more sense when somebody closer to London's age provided a counterbalance to her spoiled, ditzy rich girl persona.

Boomerang basically where old Cartoon Network shows go to die (along with the obligatory classic Hanna-Barbera material).

On the same note, what about RVD who had just won two World Titles then got caught with marijuana and promptly ended up losing both within a day of each other? And Sid was actually filmed as the World Champion (since WCW was taping their syndicated Disney shows well in advance) before Starrcade '93 actually took place. Once Sid was out of the picture, WCW had pretty much no other choice but to turn to Ric Flair (who had just returned to WCW after several years in the WWF) in order to bail them out.

The problem with Nickelodeon today I believe, is that they seem to pay too much attention to what the Disney Channel is doing. Disney struck gold so to speak with live-action tweencoms like "Lizzie McGuire", "Even Stevens" and later, "That's So Raven", "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody", and "Hannah Montana".

G4 seems to think that only "Attack of the Show" and "X-Play" are enough to appease fans of the video game/technology portion of the channel's legacy. Just like MTV, they're completely abanding their bread and butter in order to sell out and appeal to the lowest common denominator!

Indeed!

Apparently, KO was no fan of the McMahon family vs. Shawn Michaels & "God" angle from several years back. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwsVu2w9hho&NR=1

Hey bob_barron, the fire is over there. Go jump in it and perish.

And most ironically, Ric Flair, who was pretty much the living embodiment of WCW going back to its NWA/Jim Crockett days, shows up on "RAW" the very night after the angle ended!

TBS is basically, a comedy channel now to counter it's sister, TNT being a "drama channel".