Thursday, May 18, 2017

When Art and Corporate Meet



Ambrose Quintanilla IV - ABC is bringing back the sitcom Roseanne with the original cast (even though Dan is dead). So here's the question...Which classic sitcom would you want to see come back. And before you say Friends or Seinfeld, those two are off the table. Also, any show where any of the actors have passed on since the show ended are not eligible. No Three's Company, No Happy Days, No Everybody Loves Raymond...etc. Okay? Okay. GO!

Muhammad Rasheed - Not a single one. Only all original content moving forward. Create NEW classics.

Ambrose Quintanilla IV - Yeah, but they canceled Two Broke Girls (said sarcastically).

Muhammad Rasheed - Most television shows are allowed to doddle along well pass their natural lifespan until they become caricatures of themselves, and actually painful to watch (looking at you, Simpsons).

Its better to move forward and create all new content. I hate bringing shows back, reboots, and "prequel" trends. Just stop.

Ambrose Quintanilla IV - But seriously Muhammad, I miss the days when a Stand up would work his/her way up the ladder and land a Sitcom and let the next person do the same.

Muhammad Rasheed - Working his/her way up the ladder involved a whole lot of political schmoozing, and was rarely fair who got to have a show and who didn't. It certainly wasn't tied to who was the funniest. "Who plays the loaded game better" is the name of that tune.

We need better platforms than what the Hollywood cartel allows. I wish my people would open their eyes past their petty squabble tendencies and SEE what Tyler and Oprah are putting together for real...

Ambrose Quintanilla IV - The people who got shows worked hard and of course met the right people. Were they always the funniest? No. But they worked hard and networks worked to get them in shows. The networks don't do that anymore. That's why there are so many comics still touring and playing clubs when they should have been on or had their own shows. There were a lot of comics that got shows based on their talent and following that were a$$holes and didn't play the political game.

Muhammad Rasheed - I'm sure some of them didn't get the deals they wanted because they refused to play the game and/or were asshole divas. Most of them didn't get the deals they wanted because the executives were the assholes, and didn't want to give their art a boost because it didn't fit THEIR corporate-political vision. Hence all the bs ethnic stereotypes that have infested the markets for the last 100 yrs. That's propaganda.

Muhammad Rasheed
- "I'm sorry, but you're just not Latin/Black enough. Could you be a little more buffoonish?"

"I'm sorry, but we just don't think America is ready for what you're selling."

Ambrose Quintanilla IV - Regardless. I miss sitcoms from Stand up comedians. I have a lot of friends that should have opportunities to create a show but they are just not there anymore in the amount they used to be. They do guest spots here or there but can't pitch for themselves like they used to.

Muhammad Rasheed - Yes. That's why we need alternate platforms from the Hollywood cartel. Coming up with solutions to the problem is part of the hustle & grind. How WILL you stand out from the pack in a competitive market with fewer distribution opportunities?

Muhammad Rasheed - I remember a comic I used to follow back in the '90s named Mystro Clark. His shtick was very funny, and original, with a million directions it could go in, from a rock solid base of talent. He ended up getting a pilot made, but when the journeyman writers got a hold of him, they turned him into an empty "universal appeal" mess no different than most of what that stock television template churns out. I was extremely disappointed even back then, and wished there were alternate platforms to showcase a wide variety of stand-up art in its purest state.

When art meets corporatism, it often means the death of art.


See Also:

That Thin Sharp Line 'Tween Art & Commercialism


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