TMC
05-07-2004, 04:20 AM
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111875/board/nest/3181611
MEMO TO NICKELODEON AND THE WRITERS OF "ALL THAT"
01.) STOP DUMBING IT DOWN - I know it's for kids. But that's no reason
to dumb it down with dumb sketches and predictable jokes. Kids
nowadays are a little more sophisticated. The previous seasons of "All
That" have flashes of intelligence that entertained both kids and even
adults. Don't be too afraid to be even occasionally sophisticated.
02.) GET RID OF LAME 'BUMPER' SKETCHES - These are short skits/jokes
inserted between the major ones. Examples from previous seasons
included "Pierre Escargot" (not a big fan of that one) and "Vital
Information" (am a big fan of this one). Now you got lame sketches
like "Rate the Pain", "Coming At Ya" and the worst of all "Connect the
Zits" (which, frankly, I don't see how anyone with a brain could look
at it on paper and say 'this would be funny on TV').
03.) GET RID OF LAME CAST MEMBERS - Giovonnie Samuels and Jamie Spears
are awful performers. Not funny at all. You need Jamie to boost
ratings. Hopefully she'll be too big a star and develop a too big an
ego and she'll leave soon. *crosses fingers*.
04.) STOP USING 'SPECIAL GUEST STARS' EVERY WEEK - You only have half
an hour (not an hour like "MadTV" or an hour and a half like "SNL").
Don't let the 'special guest star' overshadow the cast or even stink
it up if they're no good.
05.) KEEP ADULT ACTORS TO A MINIMUM - "All That" is about kid power.
There's something seriously wrong with the sketch when the funniest
person in it is an adult. One prime example of this is Professor Chafe
in "Harry Bladder". The sketch is lame and he was the only bright
spot. Something very very wrong there.
06.) UTILIZE THE TALENTS OF THE ACTORS TO THE MAX - Kyle Sullivan can
play the piano. Why not incorporate that into a sketch? (I came up
with one -- a piano player who insults everyone through song). Lisa
Foiles can do ballet. Why not incorporate that into a sketch?
07.) GET RID OF THE PICKLE DUDE - I just don't like the guy.
08.) STOP USING LAME SKETCHES - "Trashin' Fashion" (awful!), "Chit
Chat" (the premise of that can only go too far) and "Sugar and Coffee"
(yet another one-joke premise that is only funny the first couple of
times).
09.) IMPROVE THE SKETCHES WITH POTENTIAL - I can see "Randy Quench" as
being sort of the inverse of Jim Carrey's old "Fire Marshall Bill"
sketch. All it needs is tighter writing and directing. It can be very
funny if improved. "Rowdy Sports Fans" is also potentially funny.
Again, writing and directing needs to improve. Get rid of "Slumber
Party" but don't get rid of Claudia. She can be a great character in a
sketch all her own. Parodying "Harry Potter" is a great idea but
"Harry Bladder" is not the way to do it.
10.) WATCH PREVIOUS SEASONS OF "ALL THAT" - To see where you went
wrong.
http://www.jumptheshark.com/a/allthat.htm
Newsgroups: alt.tv.nickelodeon (http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&threadm=57679ca4.0311012244.63adc3f4%40posting.google.com&rnum=1&prev=/groups%3Fq%3Dmemo%2Bto%2Bwriters%2Ball%2Bthat%2Bgroup:alt.tv.nickelodeon%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26oe%3DUTF-8%26group%3Dalt.tv.nickelodeon%26selm%3D57679ca4.0311012244.63adc3f4%2540posting.google.com%26rnum%3D1)
MEMO TO NICKELODEON AND THE WRITERS OF "ALL THAT"
01.) STOP DUMBING IT DOWN - I know it's for kids. But that's no reason
to dumb it down with dumb sketches and predictable jokes. Kids
nowadays are a little more sophisticated. The previous seasons of "All
That" have flashes of intelligence that entertained both kids and even
adults. Don't be too afraid to be even occasionally sophisticated.
02.) GET RID OF LAME 'BUMPER' SKETCHES - These are short skits/jokes
inserted between the major ones. Examples from previous seasons
included "Pierre Escargot" (not a big fan of that one) and "Vital
Information" (am a big fan of this one). Now you got lame sketches
like "Rate the Pain", "Coming At Ya" and the worst of all "Connect the
Zits" (which, frankly, I don't see how anyone with a brain could look
at it on paper and say 'this would be funny on TV').
03.) GET RID OF LAME CAST MEMBERS - Giovonnie Samuels and Jamie Spears
are awful performers. Not funny at all. You need Jamie to boost
ratings. Hopefully she'll be too big a star and develop a too big an
ego and she'll leave soon. *crosses fingers*.
04.) STOP USING 'SPECIAL GUEST STARS' EVERY WEEK - You only have half
an hour (not an hour like "MadTV" or an hour and a half like "SNL").
Don't let the 'special guest star' overshadow the cast or even stink
it up if they're no good.
05.) KEEP ADULT ACTORS TO A MINIMUM - "All That" is about kid power.
There's something seriously wrong with the sketch when the funniest
person in it is an adult. One prime example of this is Professor Chafe
in "Harry Bladder". The sketch is lame and he was the only bright
spot. Something very very wrong there.
06.) UTILIZE THE TALENTS OF THE ACTORS TO THE MAX - Kyle Sullivan can
play the piano. Why not incorporate that into a sketch? (I came up
with one -- a piano player who insults everyone through song). Lisa
Foiles can do ballet. Why not incorporate that into a sketch?
07.) GET RID OF THE PICKLE DUDE - I just don't like the guy.
08.) STOP USING LAME SKETCHES - "Trashin' Fashion" (awful!), "Chit
Chat" (the premise of that can only go too far) and "Sugar and Coffee"
(yet another one-joke premise that is only funny the first couple of
times).
09.) IMPROVE THE SKETCHES WITH POTENTIAL - I can see "Randy Quench" as
being sort of the inverse of Jim Carrey's old "Fire Marshall Bill"
sketch. All it needs is tighter writing and directing. It can be very
funny if improved. "Rowdy Sports Fans" is also potentially funny.
Again, writing and directing needs to improve. Get rid of "Slumber
Party" but don't get rid of Claudia. She can be a great character in a
sketch all her own. Parodying "Harry Potter" is a great idea but
"Harry Bladder" is not the way to do it.
10.) WATCH PREVIOUS SEASONS OF "ALL THAT" - To see where you went
wrong.
http://www.jumptheshark.com/a/allthat.htm
Newsgroups: alt.tv.nickelodeon (http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&threadm=57679ca4.0311012244.63adc3f4%40posting.google.com&rnum=1&prev=/groups%3Fq%3Dmemo%2Bto%2Bwriters%2Ball%2Bthat%2Bgroup:alt.tv.nickelodeon%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26oe%3DUTF-8%26group%3Dalt.tv.nickelodeon%26selm%3D57679ca4.0311012244.63adc3f4%2540posting.google.com%26rnum%3D1)