I'd like to see some animation coverage, maybe Disney's Hercules ends up different? How is Pixar doing? Dreamworks was hinted at earlier to gain some assistance from Sony: What's going on with them?
Player Two Start: An SNES-CD Timeline
- Thread starter RySenkari
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I would second an update regarding Pixar. I'm guessing that, since we got no mention of it in '95, that Toy Story was still a thing, right? Regardless, the reason I'm bringing that up is because I want to segue it into my next comment.
What's going on with Steve Jobs?
It's been hinted that Apple will at least play some role in this TL's future and earlier this year was the last hurrah of the NeXT OS. Considering that the ideas Jobs had for it were rolled into OS X I'm guessing that will still remain the case here if he comes back to Apple as per OTL. Apple was also experiencing a lot of financial difficulties in this period, nearly going bankrupt in the process (which I alluded to in my update about Gon), and even without the Pippin debacle it doesn't look good for them at the moment. But then... wasn't Jobs a big reason OTL that, aside from the Apple II, they never really went into gaming? Maybe Jobs doesn't live past setting the company on the right track and adding NeXT as part of the company's portfolio. That could lead to them trying to expand their horizons in different ways, trying to find something that sticks, and given how video games are more mainstream earlier here...
Well, there's a little company called Bungie that developed a series called Marathon that just finished the last game of its trilogy the year previously. Maybe they'd have some interest in purchasing them...
acording the legend jobs never pursed videogame mostly remind his early atari years and issues he have with bushnell and the Steve W. Even if Steve W make the apple II in his idea to make a game console itself.
About Animation Toy Story did happened and impressed sony, and we will have something in future not worry
About Animation Toy Story did happened and impressed sony, and we will have something in future not worry
The Pop Culture Of TTL's 1997
(It's time for the pop culture update! First off, obviously not EVERYTHING that was suggested is covered here, not for lack of trying but for lack of ideas. I really did want to do a lot more on anime but I just couldn't come up with anything good, I'll have to cover general anime trends in a later update once my mind's a bit less drained.
Second, thanks to everyone for 200,000 views! We're one of only about fifty timelines in After 1900 to reach this milestone and that's thanks to all of our loyal readers, you guys have really kept us going with your great input and fantastic suggestions and ideas. There's plenty more Player Two Start to come!)
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The Summer Blockbuster Season Of 1997
Looking back, talk about 1997's summer blockbusters begins and ends with three films: Men In Black, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, and Batman and Robin. The latter two were highly anticipated sequels to some of the biggest summer blockbusters of all time, while the first was a major sci-fi comedy featuring the talented Will Smith. The Fresh Prince was fresh off of starring in the biggest blockbuster of 1996, Independence Day, and once again he was starring in a film about defending the Earth from aliens, though this one had a much quirkier and comedic tone. And, despite being the only non-sequel among the summer's big three tentpole films, Men In Black performed the best domestically with a $295 million North American take, just a shade less than Independence Day. While The Lost World: Jurassic Park was hugely hyped and scored the biggest box office opening to date with $75 million over its first three days, it failed to live up to the critical performance of the original Jurassic Park and finished with a $230 million domestic take. And while Batman and Robin was considered a good film (though not as good as Batman Forever) and a box office success with a $65 million opening weekend and a $200 million domestic box office take, it didn't match up to Batman Forever. It had to settle for being the third biggest hit of the summer, like Superman: Last Son Of Krypton had done before it. As for the summer's other box office films: The Harrison Ford action thriller Air Force One and the Nicolas Cage action flick Con Air both did rather well, with Air Force One soaring into fourth for the summer. Disney's Hercules, a rather loose interpretation of Greek mythology, taking cues from films like Rocky with its “zero to hero” motif and eschewing the dramatic pathos of the classic myths for the familiar Disney musical comedy formula, barely made it to $100 million domestically, the least lucrative Disney film since The Rescuers Down Under. Featuring the voices of Tate Donovan as the titular demi-god, James Woods as the fast-talking villain Hades, and Susan Egan as the voice of Hercules' love interest Megara, the film did well with critics but didn't receive the high praise achieved by previous Disney classics. The biggest sleeper hit of the summer was the horror film Event Horizon, starring Sam Neill and Laurence Fishburne. The movie, about a crew of a ship that falls into a rift in space and time and experiences horrors beyond imagination, did well with critics and even better with fans, scoring a $26 million opening and eventually making $150 million at the domestic box office, slotting in just behind Air Force One as the summer's fifth biggest hit and easily besting The Fifth Element, another space-based sci-fi film. The sixth biggest hit of the summer was the romantic comedy Surf and Turf, starring Sandra Bullock as a hotel manager at an exclusive seaside resort who falls in love with a surfer dude played by Matthew McConaughey. The film took in $130 million at the domestic box office. All in all, though 1997 didn't quite reach the stellar heights of the previous year in terms of summer box office success, it still has to be considered a pretty good summer. The only films that didn't work that summer seemed to be children's TV show adaptations: Sailor Moon: The Movie, a localized version of Sailor Moon R: The Movie, took in a paltry $8.3 million in its opening weekend and $25 million domestically, failing to match even the pedestrian gross taken in by fellow Fox Kids film Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie in 1995. And Nickelodeon's second feature film, The Pete and Pete Movie, serving as a sort of “finale” to the beloved TV series (bringing back beloved characters like Artie, the Strongest Man In The World), was well reviewed by critics (Siskel and Ebert gave it two enthusiastic thumbs up), but it only took in about $20 million domestically.
Batman And Robin: Not Great, But Still Pretty Cool
After the success of Batman Forever, Joel Schumacher was given free reign with the next Batman film, Batman and Robin. While he intended to keep the series “fun”, he also wanted to keep the subject matter serious as a way to pay respect to the classic characters and maintain the quality of the film franchise. For that reason, he decided to use Mr. Freeze as the villain of the fourth Batman movie, and cast Patrick Stewart to play the chilly character (Arnold Schwarzenegger was considered and the studio lobbied for him, but after a screen test, Schumacher decided that Arnold just couldn't cut it from an acting perspective and decided on the more serious and talented Stewart). He also cast Claire Danes as Barbara Gordon, daughter of Commission Gordon, who decides to become Batgirl after her father is injured after being taken hostage by the gangster Rupert Thorne (played by John Goodman) at the start of the film. Schumacher wrote the script in conjuction with Batman: The Animated Series writer Boyd Kirkland, with Kirkland and Warner Bros. deciding to combine the proposed plot of an intended direct-to-video Batman movie with Schumacher's live-action Mr. Freeze treatment (Kirkland would later write and direct a Harley Quinn animated film in 1999). Batman and Robin served as an origin story for Mr. Freeze, with Victor Fries fired from his job after attempting to illegally commandeer a medical lab to try and treat his wife Nora's incurable disease. At the same time, Batman and Robin (played by a returning Val Kilmer and Leonardo DiCaprio) are keeping the peace in Gotham, but the city is coming under an increased threat of crime due to the machinations of the crime boss Rupert Thorne. After a hostage situation leaves Gordon laid up, his daughter Barbara (who has already been training in martial arts under Gordon's insistance after we find out that Gordon's wife was murdered when Barbara was a young girl), who has been closely following Batman and Robin's exploits, decides to create her own superheroine identity (using seized items from her father's evidence locker to cobble together a costume and gadgets). Meanwhile, Fries tries to sneak into a chemistry lab to work on a cure for his wife, but after Batman and Robin go in to foil the break-in, an accident leads to Fries being unable to function without the creation of a special cryogenic suit. Now armed with an array of ice-based weaponry, Fries dubs himself Mr. Freeze and makes a deal with Thorne: Thorne will provide Freeze with thugs and money if Freeze provides him with weaponry to arm his gang. Meanwhile, Batgirl introduces herself to Batman and Robin, and a conflict emerges: Robin wants Batgirl on the team (partially because he's smitten with her), while Batman refuses to train her, not wanting to go behind his friend Commissioner Gordon's back. Batgirl proves herself capable in battle, and they are able to foil one of Mr. Freeze's robberies. However, she does sustain a cut in a fight, and Mr. Freeze scans the blood and realizes that Barbara is a perfect match for his wife's DNA, and that her DNA could be used to make a cure for Nora's disease. Freeze abducts Barbara and takes her to an underground lab he's built on an offshore island. When Thorne shows up, demanding that Freeze stop working on a cure and commit a robbery for him, Freeze kills him. Batman and Robin head in to rescue Barbara and stop Freeze, though Barbara proves to be more than capable of defending herself, escaping her cell and making trouble for Freeze. Finally, there's a confrontation between Mr. Freeze and the Bat-team. Batman, Robin, and Barbara get the upper hand, though in the middle of the fight, Robin and Barbara are separated from Batman. The two of them stumble on Nora's room as Batman battles Freeze. Barbara reads Nora's diary in which it's shown that she and Victor were a truly loving couple and that Victor deeply laments the prospect of losing her, and she agrees to undergo the operation (which is very risky but not necessarily fatal to Barbara) in order to save Nora's life, something to which Robin deeply objects but which he can't bring himself to force Barbara not to do. However, the fight between Batman and Freeze has led to a lot of destruction in the lab, and eventually it causes a chemical vat to break and the lab to begin self-destructing. Being defeated by Batman and seeing his life's work go up in smoke, Freeze begins to despair, but Barbara (carrying Nora over her shoulder) tells him it's not too late and that they can still save Nora's life if they can get to a medical facility in time. Freeze shouts that Nora's been out of cryo-stasis too long and that there's no hope for saving her now. He allows the lab to collapse on top of him as Batman, Robin, and Barbara evacuate, taking Nora and Fries' lab notes with them. The final scenes of the film depict Gordon recovering from his wounds, but none the wiser about his daughter's new secret identity. Nora is back in cryo-stasis at Gotham University's medical lab. After Dick Grayson and Barbara share a kiss in the Batcave (making it clear that she intends to keep being Batgirl), Batman is asked by Commissioner Gordon what he thinks about a recent development: Victor Fries is alive and has agreed to turn himself in in exchange for being allowed to finish his work on Nora and find a cure that doesn't involve risking an innocent person's life. Batman tells Gordon that justice must sometimes be tempered with mercy and that Victor Fries isn't a monster. Mr. Freeze is then shown working in the lab on a cure, the lab having been relocated to underneath Arkham Asylum. The final scene of the film shows Batman, Robin, and Batgirl running toward the screen, and then the credits roll.
The film, though criticized for not being as deep as previous Batman films, still receives decent reviews (and a 71% rating on Rotten Tomatoes), and Warner Brothers begins work on Batman Triumphant soon afterward.
-from “The Cinematic History Of Batman”, an article on SuperheroesOnFilm.com
Titanic: Smooth Sailing, or Monster Mess?
James Cameron's Titanic is finally nearing completion. The film, which reportedly cost $200 million to make, stars Matt Damon and Kate Winslet as star-crossed lovers aboard the doomed ship. Budget over-runs have plagued the film, but Cameron promises it'll be worth the wait. Originally scheduled as a summer 1997 tentpole, it's set to be released in December, and only time will tell whether it's a titanic hit or a mega-flop.
-excerpted from a July 17, 1997 Associated Press report
CGI Animation: The Wave Of The Future?
Pixar continues to work on its next animated film: A Bug's Life, said to be about a colony of ants forced to provide food for hungry grasshoppers. The film is scheduled for a holiday 1998 release, and after the success of 1995's Toy Story, big things are expected from it. Pixar MAY be receiving some competition from the film company Dreamworks, who in 1996 signed on with Sony to produce a set of CGI animated films. Though Dreamworks' planned adaptation of the book of Exodus is set to be a traditionally animated film, its CGI film, about a whimsical group of monsters who start a haunted circus, is set for a Halloween 1998 release and could compete with A Bug's Life for family dollars. Sony is also set to collaborate with Nintendo on the hotly anticipated release of the Ultra Nintendo later this year.
-excerpted from a July 30, 1997 Associated Press report
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The 1997 NBA Playoffs saw the Bulls trying to win their second three-peat in seven years, while a rising tide of young superstars were rising up to try and take him down. Here's a brief summary of each series.
(1) Chicago Bulls over (8) New York Knicks, 3 games to 0
Just a few years before, these two teams were battling for the Eastern Conference title. But the Knicks had clearly faded and Jordan and the 65-17 Bulls were just too good.
(5) Toronto Raptors over (4) Orlando Magic, 3 games to 1
The Orlando Magic had had a tumultuous season, being involved in one of the ugliest brawls in NBA history after Dennis Rodman ran into the stands to attack a fan and Shaq punched out his former teammate Penny Hardaway. Rodman was no match for Derrick Coleman, who had played the 1996-97 season like someone had lit a fire under his ass. Meanwhile, the Raptors' awesome backcourt combo of rookie Ray Allen and Damon Stoudamire was too much for the plodding Magic to handle and the Raptors took Games 3 and 4 at home easily to move on.
(2) Boston Celtics over (7) Indiana Pacers, 3 games to 1
The Pacers suffered through injury woes that season, though there was a silver lining in that the repeated injuries to Mark Jackson gave rookie Steve Nash a lot of time in the starting lineup and he was particularly heroic in the Pacers' valiant effort to survive in Game 4, but in the end, Grant Hill, Penny Hardaway, and the Boston Celtics moved on.
(6) Washington Wizards over (3) Miami Heat, 3 games to 2
The Wizards, who'd changed their name from the Bullets at the start of the season, had Rookie of the Year Allen Iverson and little else, but that was still enough to overcome Alonzo Mourning and the Heat. Iverson was sensational, with a 42 point performance in the clinching game which included a spectacular block on Alonzo Mourning that even made the hometown Heat crowd gasp in excitement.
(1) Golden State Warriors over (8) Minnesota Timberwolves, 3 games to 0
Kevin Garnett had led his Timberwolves to a 42-40 record, but all that got them was a date with the dominant Warriors in the first round. Mitch Richmond, Tim Hardaway, and Toni Kukoc shredded the T-Wolves, while rookie Kobe Bryant made valuable contributions off the bench. All three games were blowouts.
(4) Houston Rockets over (5) Seattle Supersonics, 3 games to 2
Despite having Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley, and Clyde Drexler on the same team, the Rockets had struggled that year with some of the younger, fresher teams in the Western Conference, and this series was a battle. In the end, the Rockets survived.
(2) Utah Jazz over (7) Dallas Mavericks, 3 games to 0
Big rookie Marcus Camby helped lead the Mavericks back to the playoffs, but he couldn't overcome John Stockton and the Mailman. The Jazz swept.
(3) San Antonio Spurs over (6) Phoenix Suns, 3 games to 1
The Spurs had an injury scare with their leader David Robinson at the start of the year, but the injury only cost The Admiral a few games, and the Spurs finished the season with a 56-26 record, good for third in the conference. They beat the Suns in four.
(1) Chicago Bulls over (5) Toronto Raptors, 4 games to 1
Though the Raptors' young nucleus put up a decent fight against the Bulls in the two games that took place in Canada, the Bulls were far too good and won fairly easily here.
(2) Boston Celtics over (6) Washington Wizards, 4 games to 1
In a battle of the NBA's hottest young stars, two proved better than one, as Hill and Hardaway proved far too good for Iverson to handle. The Celtics won, setting up yet another Michael Jordan/Grant Hill showdown.
(1) Golden State Warriors over (4) Houston Rockets, 4 games to 2
This series was a bit of a coming out party for Kobe Bryant, who started at shooting guard in game 3 after Mitch Richmond went down with an injury in the Warriors' Game 2 loss. Bryant came up huge with 26 points in a close Warriors' win and once Richmond came back, Golden State was able to finish off the Rockets in six.
(3) San Antonio Spurs over (2) Utah Jazz, 4 games to 1
David Robinson and the Spurs dominated this surprisingly one-sided series, proving to be the better coached team. They would move on to the Western Conference Finals for a showdown with the Warriors.
(1) Chicago Bulls over (2) Boston Celtics, 4 games to 3
Once again, Michael Jordan beat Grant Hill, though it wasn't easy. The Bulls won Game 7 by two with a last second shot from Michael Jordan at the foul line, one of the best game winners of his career.
(3) San Antonio Spurs over (1) Golden State Warriors, 4 games to 2
The Spurs pulled off the upset in this series, closing out the Warriors in a thriller at the Alamodome. David Robinson once again proved to be the difference, averaging 31 points over the six game series and proving that the Warriors' center Rony Seikaly just couldn't compete with one of the best big men in NBA history. It was another tough sports break for Oakland, their Raiders had the first pick in that year's NFL Draft and were hoping for Peyton Manning, though Manning decided to stay in school.
Chicago Bulls over San Antonio Spurs, 4 games to 2
Despite a fierce fight from the Spurs, who split the first four games with the Bulls and nearly stole Game 5, Michael Jordan once again proved to be a champion. The Bulls took this series, their third straight NBA championship and their sixth in seven years.
The 1997 NBA Draft
The 1997 NBA Draft was all about one man: Tim Duncan, one of the greatest NBA prospects of all time out of Wake Forest. The Los Angeles Lakers had the seventh best chance to get Duncan, but their ping pong ball came up first, giving them Duncan and prompting the biggest accusations of draft rigging since Patrick Ewing went to the Knicks in 1985. The Lakers missed out on Shaq in the summer of '96, but Duncan seemed to be a fair consolation prize. Other notable draft picks included Keith Van Horn, who went to the New Jersey Nets at #2, Chauncey Billups, who went to the Philadelphia 76ers at #3, and Tracy McGrady, who went to the Charlotte Hornets at #6. The Orlando Magic attempted to trade troubled power forward Dennis Rodman for the pick, but the Hornets turned them down flat.
-”NBA History: 1997”, from an article on Bleacherreport.com
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The 1997-98 Network TV Season: A Brief Overview
In the fall of 1997, NBC's “Must See TV” still ruled the roost, and that didn't change. Friends, Seinfeld (in its final season), and the medical drama ER were three of the highest rated shows on all of television, though Union Square and Veronica's Closet were also huge. In Union Square, NBC finally found a solid 8:30 PM show after canceling so many others for not being able to retain enough of Friends' viewers. Other NBC sitcoms that continued to do well were Mad About You and the Jay Mohr sitcom Fair Play, which starred Mohr as a high school sports referee, Ally Sheedy as his cooler-headed wife, and Ray Combs as the older brother of Mohr's character, a wise-cracking lawyer. On Fox, Married With Children aired its final season, which was essentially a straight-up spoof of the much maligned final season of Roseanne, where the titular character hits the lottery. In Married With Children, Al Bundy hit the lottery and won $100 million and things still went terribly for him: his business investments failed, his son Bud dated a gold-digging supermodel (played by Uma Thurman in a performance that ended up winning her Best Guest Actress In A Comedy), his daughter Kelly became a publicly ridiculed socialite (in an “art imitating life” moment that now seems prophetic in the wake of the fame of heiresses like Paris Hilton), and his wife Peg still got on his nerves. The season was highly praised (a highlight was Ted McGinley's Jefferson D'Arcy being killed off after being eaten while attempting to jump a shark), and in the end, Al had lost all his money, barely able to get back his old job as a shoe salesman in a series finale that was universally considered better than Seinfeld's (which saw the four main characters all tossed in jail after laughing at a man in the street instead of helping him). Fox's animated sitcoms The Simpsons and King Of The Hill excelled in the ratings as well. On ABC, Home Improvement continued its run as a standout hit, while the new sitcomThe Game Of Life, which saw Eric Stoltz as an energetic video game reviewer and hapless bachelor, was an unexpected rookie hit, finishing 21st in the ratings that year. For the most part, CBS largely lacked a major hit. Touched By An Angel took a dip in the ratings, though Suits And Ties, a drama featuring Bill Pullman as a ruthless businessman, was a sophomore success and CBS' highest rated show at 12th overall. The 1997-98 TV season is considered to be fairly unremarkable overall, despite two of the most famous sitcom finales of all time. It wouldn't be until the fall of 1998 that network TV would see what many critics now call “the last great network TV renaissance”.
-excerpted from an article on zap2it.com on June 22, 2012
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1997 didn't bring much in the way of change for Toonami. Cartoon Network largely stayed the course, keeping The Real Adventures Of Jonny Quest, Reboot, and Slayers in the line-up, though they did ditch Robotech in order to bring in Batman: The Animated Series, which aired in re-runs while the new seasons aired on Kids' WB. The line-up wouldn't see a major shakeup until 1998, in which three of the anime mega-blockbusters that continue to define the block for so many would make their Toonami debuts.
-excerpted from an article on Toonzone.net
While the first season of The Real Adventures Of Jonny Quest was largely grounded in realism, the second season saw a return to the more fantastical elements that had defined the original 60s series: the supernatural, the weird, and the otherworldly. The tonal shift in the series was accompanied by a recasting of the voice actors, including swapping J.D. Roth as Jonny Quest for Roth's high-school buddy and fellow TV personality Ted Crosley (in a bit of GameTV-related trivia, Brittany Saldita read for Jessie Bannon to replace season one's voice actress Jesse Douglas and nearly got the part, but it went to Jennifer Hale in the end), Rob Paulsen replacing Michael Benyaer as Hadji, John de Lancie replacing George Segal as Dr. Benton Quest, and Robert Foxworth replacing Robert Patrick as Race Bannon. The change was lauded by a few old-school Quest fans but criticized by others who had grown accustomed to the more serious tone of the new series and who were alienated by Jessie becoming more of a “damsel in distress” archetype in season two. For season 3, which aired new episodes on Toonami every Friday in the spring and summer of 1998, there was a reconciliation of sorts. Some fantastical elements would remain but the series returned to a more realistic and serious tone, and season 3 was largely considered the best season of the show by fans, especially its thrilling ending.
-from an article on “Jonny Quest Central”, posted in 2013
Cartoon Cartoons Make A Splash
With Dexter's Laboratory moving from TBS to Cartoon Network, it joins two new cartoons to form the first lineup of Cartoon Network originals known as “Cartoon Cartoons”: Van Partible's Johnny Bravo, and David Feiss' Cow and Chicken. While Johnny Bravo is somewhat of a throwback to 60s and 70s animated comedies, Cow and Chicken is edgier, somewhat of a Ren and Stimpy clone in terms of tone and content. Cartoon Network is also in talks with Danny Antonucci and Seth MacFarlane about creating the next wave of Cartoon Cartoons that will likely debut sometime in 1998.
-from an article in TV Guide, July 19-25, 1997
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A new fantasy novel for kids, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone”, is making a splash across the pond with excellent reviews from various publications. Its initial small print run has sold out, though the publisher plans another, larger print run for general consumption later this year. No word yet on if the novel will come to the United States, but those lucky few in England who have read the book have enjoyed it and if it continues to sell well, it's likely to receive an American release at some point in the next year or two.
-from a CNN report, October 10, 1997
“This new book, Harry Potter, it's quite intriguing and something possibly worth looking into? The book rights were bought before it was released but maybe the rights to a video game or movie are still up for grabs? An animated collaboration with Dreamworks might be a hit and the format would be perfect for animation.”
-an e-mail from Olaf Olaffson to Ken Kutaragi on November 23, 1997
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Nickelodeon SNICK Lineup (beginning September 13, 1997):
8:00 PM- Rugrats
8:30 PM- All That
9:00 PM- Sam and Kira
9:30 PM- Swashbucklers
Nickelodeon's sci-fi show Space Cases was barely renewed for its 20-episode third season, which aired during the summer and fall of 1997 and early 1998. It was thought that the success of Swashbucklers would kill any chances the show, which had middling ratings, would have of renewal, but Nickelodeon wanted to keep airing a sci-fi show and so Space Cases was saved. The third season saw the crew continuing their journey through the backroads of the galaxy on the ship Christa in search of Earth, but things got complicated when they ran into a search party sent from Mars, led by Prince Senfa (played by young actor/model Greg Sestaro in his first major acting role). Senfa ended up joining the crew after being stranded from his party. Eventually (after a four-part arc that saw the crew ending up in Andromeda, giving Radu a chance to reunite with his family), they made it back to Earth's Solar System, barely ahead of the invading Spung army. Instead of returning home right away, the crew returned to their home planets one by one to rally them to the cause of defending their homes from the Spung. When Senfa returned to Mars (in a two-part episode praised as the series' best), he seemingly betrayed the team to the Spung, only for it to be revealed as a ruse (he was attempting to lead the Spung into a trap instead, nearly costing him his life) and for him to return to the crew. Eventually, the Christa's crew made it back to Earth, where they united the solar system's forces for an all-out battle with the Spung (that was depicted in a TV movie that aired on SNICK in February 1998). The series ended in spectacular fashion and became one of Nickelodeon's most beloved shows (though not as beloved as shows like Swashbucklers, which had a better reception from both critics AND fans).
-excerpted from “Tales From 90s Nickelodeon”, an article on TVMemories.com
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It's the British invasion all over again! But this time it's not a Fab Four, but a Fab Five: The Spice Girls, Britain's hottest pop band, are burning up the American charts, taking two songs to the top of the Top 100 in the first half of 1997 alone: “Wannabe” and “Say You'll Be There”, the latter of which is arguably the song of the summer (though the current #1, “Bitch” by Meredith Brooks, has topped the chart quite a bit longer). The Spice Girls aren't through yet, they're planning an American concert tour later this summer and they're currently in the process of filming their movie Spice World, which is set to debut in theaters early next year. Not only that, but the girls have signed an exclusive deal with Sega to produce a Spice Girls video game for the Sega Saturn, set to release in conjunction with the movie.
-excerpted from People magazine, July 14, 1997
Brittany Saldita: And now, as part of our takeover of GameTV, it's the GameTV debut of the Spice Girls!
*The Spice Girls walk onto the GameTV stage as their song “Spice Up Your Life” plays, giving Brittany and Lyssa warm hugs and kisses as they take their seats.*
Lyssa Fielding: Okay, it's one hell of an honor to have you guys on the show.
Posh Spice: Well thank you both very much!
Sporty Spice: I've got to ask you, do you have a favorite Spice Girl?
Brittany: Well, I don't want to play favorites with you guys, but...I do have a bit of a preference for Scary Spice.
Scary Spice: *laughing* Ha! Thank you!
Lyssa: Do I HAVE to choose?
Baby Spice: Well I guess you don't HAVE to choose...
Lyssa: It's funny you say that because you're probably my favorite by just a little bit!
Brittany: I think it's because you two look so much alike!
Baby Spice: *laughing* Haha....I think when I grow up I'd like to look like Lyssa.
Lyssa: *laughing loudly*
Brittany: So how's it feel to be back in the US for the first time since your tour?
Ginger Spice: Um, it's very nice here, we love the great reception from our fans all over the world.
Sporty Spice: Yeah, it's really been amazing how well we've been treated by fans here in the States.
Baby Spice: It's great! And I love this studio, it's so big and nice and cool in here.
Brittany: It's a really fun studio to work in, for sure, but I imagine you guys have been in all kinds of studios.
Posh Spice: Oh, definitely.
Ginger Spice: Yeah, but this is one of the nicer ones for sure.
Scary Spice: I love all the screens here, are those for all different kinds of games?
Lyssa: Yeah, sometimes we put different games on them, other times we put things like, well, you guys since you're the guests of honor here.
Posh Spice: I feel like I want to get a game started up in here, do you all have the new Sonic racing one yet? We were over at Sega and we got to play it and it was really cool.
Brittany: It comes out next month I think.
Lyssa: Do you guys like the new Bomberman? I love the new Bomberman game for the Saturn.
Posh Spice: Oh, I'm no good at that one.
Scary Spice: She blows herself up every time she plays, it's kind of sad really.
Baby Spice: *makes a sad face*
-excerpted from the October 14, 1997 episode of GameTV
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By 1997, Fox Kids had ended its “Where Kids Kick Butt” campaign, and the fall lineup for that year reflected that, with action shows Sailor Moon and X-Men gone from the weekday schedule and relegated to Saturdays (with Sailor Moon airing entirely reruns after Saban neglected to pick up Sailor Moon S). 1997 became what some Fox Kids fans called “The Year of Girl Power”. Both of the new fall shows, the anime pickup Magic Knight Rayearth and the comedy Jane's Brain, created by and starring comedienne Janeane Garofalo, featured female main characters, meaning that the weekday Fox Kids lineup was 75% girl-centric shows (with The Buttkickin' Girls remaining on the block). Jane's Brain was Fox's latest attempt at giving a stand-up comic the chance to create their own show (after Howie Mandel's Bobby's World and Louie Anderson's Life With Louie). Jane's Brain was arguably better than both of them, the show about a teenage girl who finds a way (with her best friend) to venture into the weird spaces of her own mind was beloved by critics and a cult classic, but the edgy and hard to understand show was a ratings flop, and it was dropped from the weekday lineup by February 1998 (Magic Knight Rayearth lasted about a year longer). The surging Power Rangers Turbo (which got a boost from the well received film that depicted the death of Rocky, the Red Ranger) continued the series' ratings success, and The Buttkickin' Girls remained network TV's most popular cartoon (and TV's most popular overall behind Rugrats and Phineas and Ferb). The two shows would carry Fox Kids until 1999 saw the block finally pick up its next major hit.
-excerpted from “The History Of Fox Kids”, on NostalgiaBase.com
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(Author's Note: Big thumbs up to our reader Fardell for this next Daria part! He sent me a big list of slight changes to Daria's first season that reflects the butterflies ITTL, full credit for this upcoming list goes to him, he gave me the list of references to use and I've adapted them into this list. The GameTV part after the reference list is mine.)
With Daria reflecting a lot of the late-90s cultural zeitgeist at the time, and video games a big part of that, they certainly played a role, albeit a small one, in the show. Here's a quick list of game references from the show's first season:
Esteemsters (March 3, 1997):
There is something that looks like an Atari 2600 in Jane's room when they're watching Sick Sad World for the first time. One of the background characters in the Self Esteem Class (the one who asks Mr. O'Neill about the essay that he was setting about 'How the world would be a sadder place if you weren't in it') has a tv shirt advertising GameTV.
The Invitation (March 10, 1997):
Brittany says that her father is getting her a 'Cronus', a game console in the Daria world (a reference to the real-world Sega Saturn).
Cafe Disaffecto (March 24, 1997):
Daria compares Melody Powers (the subject of her story at the Coffee House) to a 'video game heroine'.
Malled (March 31, 1997):
At least one video game store is seen in the Mall of the Millenium.
The Lab Brat (April 14, 1997):
Brittany mentions that Brian has been playing the 'Cronus'.
Pinch Sitter (April 21, 1997):
The Gupty parents tell Daria that she is not to bring any 'Gamepad' when she's babysitting their children.
The Big House (May 5, 1997):
One of the activities that Helen and Jake try to engage Daria and Quinn in while they are grounded is video game playing. (On a system that resembles a SNES-CD). Of course, the teens defeat their parents in those just as much as in the board games...
Road Worriers (May 12, 1997):
No game references in this one, just wanted to point out the great use of a song from Nirvana's album Stains in the background of a scene.
The Misery Chick (May 26, 1997)
Tommy Sherman compares Jane to a 'weird gamer chick'.
Also of note is the occasional crossover between Daria and GameTV: the production staff of both shows were friends, with Daria's voice actress Tracy Grandstaff a close friend of several of the GameTV hosts. Five of GameTV's nine hosts showed up as voices on Daria at some point.
Ted Crosley: Probably the biggest role out of the GameTV hosts, he had a recurring voice role as a minor character at Daria's school who had a bit more of a major role in two later season episodes.
Alex Stansfield: Appeared in two episodes: one notable guest appearance as the science nerd Billy in a season three episode.
Brittany Saldita: Only one episode but a very memorable role: she voiced Casey, a lesbian who had an unrequited crush on Daria in a season four episode that ended up being nominated for an Emmy Award (but lost to The Simpsons). Casey is regarded as among the best of the show's one-shot characters.
Lyssa Fielding: Could have had the biggest role out of all the GameTV hosts (she very nearly got the role of Daria's sister Quinn but lost out to Wendy Hoopes). Ended up playing a minor character over six episodes in the fifth season, a sorority girl from a nearby college who befriends Jane.
John Walden: Very minor season two role, plays the voice of the running back on the school's football team in one episode.
-excerpted from “Elements Of Pop Culture in Daria (Part 2)”, an article on IGN.com, June 28, 2010
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Star Wars Prequels Announced, Filming To Begin Soon
With the special editions of the Star Wars trilogy all achieving box office success, it seemed only a matter of time before additional Star Wars theatrical releases were announced, and now that time has come. George Lucas and Lucasfilm announced that filming would begin on a prequel trilogy for Star Wars and that the first film of the prequel trilogy would be released in 1999. Lucas says that the films will take place a generation before the original trilogy and will chronicle the Empire's rise to power and the early life of young Anakin Skywalker before becoming Darth Vader. Few other details have been announced, but it's likely that Star Wars merchandise sales will increase greatly in the months leading up to the first film. Books in the “Expanded Universe”, which tell stories that take place separate from the films, have been flying off the shelves since the release of the special edition trilogy, and video game sales of the series are also high, with multiple games and an expansion of the popular computer game X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter are also scheduled for release over the next 12 months.
-excerpted from an article in Entertainment Weekly, July 22, 1997
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The controversial series South Park, which has shocked and offended many and has sent many others into convulsions of laughter, airs its third episode this week, following “Cartman Gets An Anal Probe” and “Weight Gain 4000”. In this week's episode, “Dinosaur Hunters”, which spoofs the popular film The Lost World: Jurassic Park and the hit video game Turok: Dinosaur Hunter, Dr. Mephisto accidentally unleashes a horde of mutant dinosaurs on the hapless citizens of South Park, and it's up to Cartman and the kids to stop them, namely by arming a local Native American and sending him to hunt down the dinosaurs. Actor/Native American activist Russell Means has pre-emptively sent a letter about the upcoming episode to various media organizations in anticipation of stereotypes it seems to depict in promotional material released by Comedy Central. No doubt this week's episode will add fuel to the fires of controversy that South Park has already kicked up in its first two episodes.
-from an article in the August 26, 1997 issue of USA Today
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June 30, 1997
Kurt Cobain hadn't expected to find himself in Memphis, but on the invitation of his fellow musician, he'd come out and found himself having quite a good time. Now, under the starry skies, he sat down next to the Mississippi River as his fellow musician Jeff Buckley sat down nearby.
“So what's the progress on your next album?” asked Jeff, who'd been wrapping up work on an album he expected to release by the end of the year.
“None,” Kurt replied, almost laughing at himself. “I've just been taking it easy. I got enough money that I never have to write another song again. Can you believe it?”
This time, Kurt didn't stop himself from laughing. Jeff laughed too.
“You write music, you get paid. All you gotta trade away is....fuckin' everything, pretty much,” said Kurt, shaking his head.
“Shit, I'm sorry,” Jeff replied, putting down his guitar and looking over at his friend. “You okay?”
“Yeah, don't worry about me,” said Kurt, leaning back and looking up in the stars. “I'm in a much better place than I was three years ago, that's for sure. But still....damn, I don't know if I'm ever gonna feel like doing another album.”
“Well, you said it yourself, you don't have to. How's things going with Kathleen?”
Jeff was referring to Kathleen Hanna, who Kurt had been meeting up with regularly over the past couple of years.
“Still friends but....we didn't hook up again. She's cool though. I like talking to her, she's got her head on straight, not like me most of the time. Actually....I've been seeing Courtney again.”
“Didn't she try to stab you that one time?” asked Jeff, referring to the well publicized incident just before Kurt had gone into rehab. “You sure you can be with a woman like that?”
“I think a woman like that's just about the only woman I know how to be with,” said Kurt, laughing again. “Besides, she's mellowed out too. Shit, she won't stop apologizing to me. I think we're gonna get back together.”
Now Jeff was the one laughing, but he was happy for his friend. If Kurt says Courtney had mellowed out, Kurt was probably right.
“I just gotta watch it with the games around her,” Kurt said with a smile.
“Hey, being with her, you don't need a video game for excitement.”
Jeff stood up and walked down toward the river.
“Speaking of excitement, I think I'm gonna get in the water.”
“You be careful,” said Kurt. “Your buddies told me you almost drowned a month ago.”
“Well this time you're here, you can be the lifeguard.”
“Shit, fine, but I'm not taking off my clothes to get in there.”
“Well neither am I!” Jeff said with a laugh, running into the river without taking off a single thing. Kurt just rolled his eyes and looked back up at the stars, listening to the sound of his friend's laughter as he thought about where he was in his life. Thirty years old and still one of the biggest music superstars in the world. It was still a tough life, knowing every word he wrote and sang would be endlessly scrutinized and that the media would never stop following him around...but even then, he could escape to peaceful moments like these.
And if he found enough of those peaceful moments, he might actually find time to start writing songs again.
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In Littleton, Colorado, Polly Klaas had just finished watching that evening's episode of Daria. She'd liked seeing Daria and Quinn school their parents at video games...she too could easily beat her parents in them, but then again her parents hardly ever played them. As she called her friend to talk about the latest episode, her thoughts never once wandered to that angry boy Eric she'd become acquainted with back at Columbine. The two had seen each other a few more times that year, and they'd even had a couple more brief conversations. She'd also become acquainted with Eric's friend Dylan, who seemed troubled in his own ways, though not as deeply as Eric was. The two of them were friendly to her, though they seemed angry whenever they looked at a few of the girls Polly considered to be her friends. Polly knew some of her friends said cruel things about boys like Eric and Dylan, and had begun asking some of them to stop, though most of them didn't. Polly's closest friend, Caitlyn, had never picked on boys like them, or anyone for that manner, and she was glad that she at least had one friend she didn't have to lecture about how to treat their fellow students.
“I think there's only a few new episodes left,” said Caitlyn. “I hope it doesn't get canceled, it's a really funny show and the way Daria handles her problems is really amazing.”
“I know, the show's so much like our school it's kind of creepy,” said Polly with a giggle. “I think dad's gonna let me go to the mall with you tomorrow, you still wanna go?”
“Yeah, my brother's birthday is coming up, he wants this game....it's like a fantasy video game, Seekers Of Exion or something like that?”
“....oh! Starseekers of Exion, that's the game I got in the mail from Nintendo this month!”
“Are they still sending you games?”
“Yeah, but I don't play as much as I used to, not enough time....this game is going to take me forever, I can already tell....hey....maybe....you think your brother would mind if he got a slightly used copy?”
“Huh?”
“I could give you the game and you could wrap it up and give it to him.”
“Oh... no, Polly, you can't do that, I can't ask you to-”
“I played it for like an hour and gave up, it's okay. I should've picked something else. You can have it, it's totally okay, I know he'll enjoy it more than me!”
“Wow....you're awesome, Polly, seriously you are.”
“Don't worry about it Katie...”
“You are the freakin' best, I'm not kidding! Oh, I have to go.... I'll see you tomorrow okay?”
“Yep, I'll see you then, good night, Katie!”
“Night!”
Polly set the phone down on the receiver and smiled, glad that she could do that small thing to help her friend. She didn't know it yet, but one day, she'd have a chance to help more people than she could ever possibly imagine.
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July 1, 1997
Steve Jobs sat down in his office, still not yet used to being back at Apple. After having his company NeXT acquired by them earlier in the year, he'd been brought on as a consultant, but later was named the company's interim CEO. Now he was back at the company he'd helped to found, which was currently going through one of its roughest patches to date. The company was in financial trouble, though it had sidestepped numerous potential disasters: most notably, the entry into video games that was about to sink the Japanese toymaking giant Bandai. Still, Apple was slowly bleeding money, and Jobs knew that Apple's future lay in whether or not NeXT's operating system could catch on with users. He was still seated at his desk when his secretary entered the room.
“Mr. Jobs, it's someone on the line, I think you'll want to take this call.”
Jobs nodded, and his secretary routed the call to his desk. He picked up the phone.
“Steve, this is Bill....Bill Gates, from Microsoft.”
Over the next hour, the two men discussed the deal that would give Apple enough money to keep them solvent and would put Microsoft Office and Internet Explorer in Apple's computers. But one of the subjects that came up was something that Jobs was still highly skeptical of.
“So, what do you think about computer games, Steve?”
“Well, you know... I feel like Apple's strength lies elsewhere. Let's be honest, people don't buy Apple computers to play games on them.”
“I understand that, but people who buy computers like to play games. Didn't you almost get into the video game business?”
“I wasn't even with the company then, but I would've said no to Bandai too. You saw what happened to them. One of the biggest toy companies in the world, they try to go into video games and now they're about to go bankrupt. I'm surprised you're not trying to buy them up too.”
“Honestly, I thought about it,” said Gates. “But the thing is, video games are still a growth industry.”
“There's only room for two companies in that industry. Hell, there's barely room for two companies in this one.”
Gates laughed.
“I know, I know. It's just... maybe if we put our heads together. Maybe we could make something happen. Think about it.”
Jobs was already thinking about it. Between Microsoft and Apple, undoubtedly the two companies could come up with an impressive console. But Jobs had heard the news coming out of E3. The new Nintendo and Sony console looked like the tech product of the year. They could drive Sega out of the industry, just as Microsoft was threatening to do to its competitors.
Maybe, just maybe, if Sega ever faltered, there'd be an opening.
“The answer's no,” said Jobs. “Next topic.”
“Just a thought, just a thought,” Gates replied. “And you're right, let's change the subject.”
Steve Jobs didn't come back to Apple to bury it. And if he got into the game business, that's exactly what he'd be doing.
But he was always thinking.
Second, thanks to everyone for 200,000 views! We're one of only about fifty timelines in After 1900 to reach this milestone and that's thanks to all of our loyal readers, you guys have really kept us going with your great input and fantastic suggestions and ideas. There's plenty more Player Two Start to come!)
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The Summer Blockbuster Season Of 1997
Looking back, talk about 1997's summer blockbusters begins and ends with three films: Men In Black, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, and Batman and Robin. The latter two were highly anticipated sequels to some of the biggest summer blockbusters of all time, while the first was a major sci-fi comedy featuring the talented Will Smith. The Fresh Prince was fresh off of starring in the biggest blockbuster of 1996, Independence Day, and once again he was starring in a film about defending the Earth from aliens, though this one had a much quirkier and comedic tone. And, despite being the only non-sequel among the summer's big three tentpole films, Men In Black performed the best domestically with a $295 million North American take, just a shade less than Independence Day. While The Lost World: Jurassic Park was hugely hyped and scored the biggest box office opening to date with $75 million over its first three days, it failed to live up to the critical performance of the original Jurassic Park and finished with a $230 million domestic take. And while Batman and Robin was considered a good film (though not as good as Batman Forever) and a box office success with a $65 million opening weekend and a $200 million domestic box office take, it didn't match up to Batman Forever. It had to settle for being the third biggest hit of the summer, like Superman: Last Son Of Krypton had done before it. As for the summer's other box office films: The Harrison Ford action thriller Air Force One and the Nicolas Cage action flick Con Air both did rather well, with Air Force One soaring into fourth for the summer. Disney's Hercules, a rather loose interpretation of Greek mythology, taking cues from films like Rocky with its “zero to hero” motif and eschewing the dramatic pathos of the classic myths for the familiar Disney musical comedy formula, barely made it to $100 million domestically, the least lucrative Disney film since The Rescuers Down Under. Featuring the voices of Tate Donovan as the titular demi-god, James Woods as the fast-talking villain Hades, and Susan Egan as the voice of Hercules' love interest Megara, the film did well with critics but didn't receive the high praise achieved by previous Disney classics. The biggest sleeper hit of the summer was the horror film Event Horizon, starring Sam Neill and Laurence Fishburne. The movie, about a crew of a ship that falls into a rift in space and time and experiences horrors beyond imagination, did well with critics and even better with fans, scoring a $26 million opening and eventually making $150 million at the domestic box office, slotting in just behind Air Force One as the summer's fifth biggest hit and easily besting The Fifth Element, another space-based sci-fi film. The sixth biggest hit of the summer was the romantic comedy Surf and Turf, starring Sandra Bullock as a hotel manager at an exclusive seaside resort who falls in love with a surfer dude played by Matthew McConaughey. The film took in $130 million at the domestic box office. All in all, though 1997 didn't quite reach the stellar heights of the previous year in terms of summer box office success, it still has to be considered a pretty good summer. The only films that didn't work that summer seemed to be children's TV show adaptations: Sailor Moon: The Movie, a localized version of Sailor Moon R: The Movie, took in a paltry $8.3 million in its opening weekend and $25 million domestically, failing to match even the pedestrian gross taken in by fellow Fox Kids film Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie in 1995. And Nickelodeon's second feature film, The Pete and Pete Movie, serving as a sort of “finale” to the beloved TV series (bringing back beloved characters like Artie, the Strongest Man In The World), was well reviewed by critics (Siskel and Ebert gave it two enthusiastic thumbs up), but it only took in about $20 million domestically.
Batman And Robin: Not Great, But Still Pretty Cool
After the success of Batman Forever, Joel Schumacher was given free reign with the next Batman film, Batman and Robin. While he intended to keep the series “fun”, he also wanted to keep the subject matter serious as a way to pay respect to the classic characters and maintain the quality of the film franchise. For that reason, he decided to use Mr. Freeze as the villain of the fourth Batman movie, and cast Patrick Stewart to play the chilly character (Arnold Schwarzenegger was considered and the studio lobbied for him, but after a screen test, Schumacher decided that Arnold just couldn't cut it from an acting perspective and decided on the more serious and talented Stewart). He also cast Claire Danes as Barbara Gordon, daughter of Commission Gordon, who decides to become Batgirl after her father is injured after being taken hostage by the gangster Rupert Thorne (played by John Goodman) at the start of the film. Schumacher wrote the script in conjuction with Batman: The Animated Series writer Boyd Kirkland, with Kirkland and Warner Bros. deciding to combine the proposed plot of an intended direct-to-video Batman movie with Schumacher's live-action Mr. Freeze treatment (Kirkland would later write and direct a Harley Quinn animated film in 1999). Batman and Robin served as an origin story for Mr. Freeze, with Victor Fries fired from his job after attempting to illegally commandeer a medical lab to try and treat his wife Nora's incurable disease. At the same time, Batman and Robin (played by a returning Val Kilmer and Leonardo DiCaprio) are keeping the peace in Gotham, but the city is coming under an increased threat of crime due to the machinations of the crime boss Rupert Thorne. After a hostage situation leaves Gordon laid up, his daughter Barbara (who has already been training in martial arts under Gordon's insistance after we find out that Gordon's wife was murdered when Barbara was a young girl), who has been closely following Batman and Robin's exploits, decides to create her own superheroine identity (using seized items from her father's evidence locker to cobble together a costume and gadgets). Meanwhile, Fries tries to sneak into a chemistry lab to work on a cure for his wife, but after Batman and Robin go in to foil the break-in, an accident leads to Fries being unable to function without the creation of a special cryogenic suit. Now armed with an array of ice-based weaponry, Fries dubs himself Mr. Freeze and makes a deal with Thorne: Thorne will provide Freeze with thugs and money if Freeze provides him with weaponry to arm his gang. Meanwhile, Batgirl introduces herself to Batman and Robin, and a conflict emerges: Robin wants Batgirl on the team (partially because he's smitten with her), while Batman refuses to train her, not wanting to go behind his friend Commissioner Gordon's back. Batgirl proves herself capable in battle, and they are able to foil one of Mr. Freeze's robberies. However, she does sustain a cut in a fight, and Mr. Freeze scans the blood and realizes that Barbara is a perfect match for his wife's DNA, and that her DNA could be used to make a cure for Nora's disease. Freeze abducts Barbara and takes her to an underground lab he's built on an offshore island. When Thorne shows up, demanding that Freeze stop working on a cure and commit a robbery for him, Freeze kills him. Batman and Robin head in to rescue Barbara and stop Freeze, though Barbara proves to be more than capable of defending herself, escaping her cell and making trouble for Freeze. Finally, there's a confrontation between Mr. Freeze and the Bat-team. Batman, Robin, and Barbara get the upper hand, though in the middle of the fight, Robin and Barbara are separated from Batman. The two of them stumble on Nora's room as Batman battles Freeze. Barbara reads Nora's diary in which it's shown that she and Victor were a truly loving couple and that Victor deeply laments the prospect of losing her, and she agrees to undergo the operation (which is very risky but not necessarily fatal to Barbara) in order to save Nora's life, something to which Robin deeply objects but which he can't bring himself to force Barbara not to do. However, the fight between Batman and Freeze has led to a lot of destruction in the lab, and eventually it causes a chemical vat to break and the lab to begin self-destructing. Being defeated by Batman and seeing his life's work go up in smoke, Freeze begins to despair, but Barbara (carrying Nora over her shoulder) tells him it's not too late and that they can still save Nora's life if they can get to a medical facility in time. Freeze shouts that Nora's been out of cryo-stasis too long and that there's no hope for saving her now. He allows the lab to collapse on top of him as Batman, Robin, and Barbara evacuate, taking Nora and Fries' lab notes with them. The final scenes of the film depict Gordon recovering from his wounds, but none the wiser about his daughter's new secret identity. Nora is back in cryo-stasis at Gotham University's medical lab. After Dick Grayson and Barbara share a kiss in the Batcave (making it clear that she intends to keep being Batgirl), Batman is asked by Commissioner Gordon what he thinks about a recent development: Victor Fries is alive and has agreed to turn himself in in exchange for being allowed to finish his work on Nora and find a cure that doesn't involve risking an innocent person's life. Batman tells Gordon that justice must sometimes be tempered with mercy and that Victor Fries isn't a monster. Mr. Freeze is then shown working in the lab on a cure, the lab having been relocated to underneath Arkham Asylum. The final scene of the film shows Batman, Robin, and Batgirl running toward the screen, and then the credits roll.
The film, though criticized for not being as deep as previous Batman films, still receives decent reviews (and a 71% rating on Rotten Tomatoes), and Warner Brothers begins work on Batman Triumphant soon afterward.
-from “The Cinematic History Of Batman”, an article on SuperheroesOnFilm.com
Titanic: Smooth Sailing, or Monster Mess?
James Cameron's Titanic is finally nearing completion. The film, which reportedly cost $200 million to make, stars Matt Damon and Kate Winslet as star-crossed lovers aboard the doomed ship. Budget over-runs have plagued the film, but Cameron promises it'll be worth the wait. Originally scheduled as a summer 1997 tentpole, it's set to be released in December, and only time will tell whether it's a titanic hit or a mega-flop.
-excerpted from a July 17, 1997 Associated Press report
CGI Animation: The Wave Of The Future?
Pixar continues to work on its next animated film: A Bug's Life, said to be about a colony of ants forced to provide food for hungry grasshoppers. The film is scheduled for a holiday 1998 release, and after the success of 1995's Toy Story, big things are expected from it. Pixar MAY be receiving some competition from the film company Dreamworks, who in 1996 signed on with Sony to produce a set of CGI animated films. Though Dreamworks' planned adaptation of the book of Exodus is set to be a traditionally animated film, its CGI film, about a whimsical group of monsters who start a haunted circus, is set for a Halloween 1998 release and could compete with A Bug's Life for family dollars. Sony is also set to collaborate with Nintendo on the hotly anticipated release of the Ultra Nintendo later this year.
-excerpted from a July 30, 1997 Associated Press report
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The 1997 NBA Playoffs saw the Bulls trying to win their second three-peat in seven years, while a rising tide of young superstars were rising up to try and take him down. Here's a brief summary of each series.
(1) Chicago Bulls over (8) New York Knicks, 3 games to 0
Just a few years before, these two teams were battling for the Eastern Conference title. But the Knicks had clearly faded and Jordan and the 65-17 Bulls were just too good.
(5) Toronto Raptors over (4) Orlando Magic, 3 games to 1
The Orlando Magic had had a tumultuous season, being involved in one of the ugliest brawls in NBA history after Dennis Rodman ran into the stands to attack a fan and Shaq punched out his former teammate Penny Hardaway. Rodman was no match for Derrick Coleman, who had played the 1996-97 season like someone had lit a fire under his ass. Meanwhile, the Raptors' awesome backcourt combo of rookie Ray Allen and Damon Stoudamire was too much for the plodding Magic to handle and the Raptors took Games 3 and 4 at home easily to move on.
(2) Boston Celtics over (7) Indiana Pacers, 3 games to 1
The Pacers suffered through injury woes that season, though there was a silver lining in that the repeated injuries to Mark Jackson gave rookie Steve Nash a lot of time in the starting lineup and he was particularly heroic in the Pacers' valiant effort to survive in Game 4, but in the end, Grant Hill, Penny Hardaway, and the Boston Celtics moved on.
(6) Washington Wizards over (3) Miami Heat, 3 games to 2
The Wizards, who'd changed their name from the Bullets at the start of the season, had Rookie of the Year Allen Iverson and little else, but that was still enough to overcome Alonzo Mourning and the Heat. Iverson was sensational, with a 42 point performance in the clinching game which included a spectacular block on Alonzo Mourning that even made the hometown Heat crowd gasp in excitement.
(1) Golden State Warriors over (8) Minnesota Timberwolves, 3 games to 0
Kevin Garnett had led his Timberwolves to a 42-40 record, but all that got them was a date with the dominant Warriors in the first round. Mitch Richmond, Tim Hardaway, and Toni Kukoc shredded the T-Wolves, while rookie Kobe Bryant made valuable contributions off the bench. All three games were blowouts.
(4) Houston Rockets over (5) Seattle Supersonics, 3 games to 2
Despite having Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley, and Clyde Drexler on the same team, the Rockets had struggled that year with some of the younger, fresher teams in the Western Conference, and this series was a battle. In the end, the Rockets survived.
(2) Utah Jazz over (7) Dallas Mavericks, 3 games to 0
Big rookie Marcus Camby helped lead the Mavericks back to the playoffs, but he couldn't overcome John Stockton and the Mailman. The Jazz swept.
(3) San Antonio Spurs over (6) Phoenix Suns, 3 games to 1
The Spurs had an injury scare with their leader David Robinson at the start of the year, but the injury only cost The Admiral a few games, and the Spurs finished the season with a 56-26 record, good for third in the conference. They beat the Suns in four.
(1) Chicago Bulls over (5) Toronto Raptors, 4 games to 1
Though the Raptors' young nucleus put up a decent fight against the Bulls in the two games that took place in Canada, the Bulls were far too good and won fairly easily here.
(2) Boston Celtics over (6) Washington Wizards, 4 games to 1
In a battle of the NBA's hottest young stars, two proved better than one, as Hill and Hardaway proved far too good for Iverson to handle. The Celtics won, setting up yet another Michael Jordan/Grant Hill showdown.
(1) Golden State Warriors over (4) Houston Rockets, 4 games to 2
This series was a bit of a coming out party for Kobe Bryant, who started at shooting guard in game 3 after Mitch Richmond went down with an injury in the Warriors' Game 2 loss. Bryant came up huge with 26 points in a close Warriors' win and once Richmond came back, Golden State was able to finish off the Rockets in six.
(3) San Antonio Spurs over (2) Utah Jazz, 4 games to 1
David Robinson and the Spurs dominated this surprisingly one-sided series, proving to be the better coached team. They would move on to the Western Conference Finals for a showdown with the Warriors.
(1) Chicago Bulls over (2) Boston Celtics, 4 games to 3
Once again, Michael Jordan beat Grant Hill, though it wasn't easy. The Bulls won Game 7 by two with a last second shot from Michael Jordan at the foul line, one of the best game winners of his career.
(3) San Antonio Spurs over (1) Golden State Warriors, 4 games to 2
The Spurs pulled off the upset in this series, closing out the Warriors in a thriller at the Alamodome. David Robinson once again proved to be the difference, averaging 31 points over the six game series and proving that the Warriors' center Rony Seikaly just couldn't compete with one of the best big men in NBA history. It was another tough sports break for Oakland, their Raiders had the first pick in that year's NFL Draft and were hoping for Peyton Manning, though Manning decided to stay in school.
Chicago Bulls over San Antonio Spurs, 4 games to 2
Despite a fierce fight from the Spurs, who split the first four games with the Bulls and nearly stole Game 5, Michael Jordan once again proved to be a champion. The Bulls took this series, their third straight NBA championship and their sixth in seven years.
The 1997 NBA Draft
The 1997 NBA Draft was all about one man: Tim Duncan, one of the greatest NBA prospects of all time out of Wake Forest. The Los Angeles Lakers had the seventh best chance to get Duncan, but their ping pong ball came up first, giving them Duncan and prompting the biggest accusations of draft rigging since Patrick Ewing went to the Knicks in 1985. The Lakers missed out on Shaq in the summer of '96, but Duncan seemed to be a fair consolation prize. Other notable draft picks included Keith Van Horn, who went to the New Jersey Nets at #2, Chauncey Billups, who went to the Philadelphia 76ers at #3, and Tracy McGrady, who went to the Charlotte Hornets at #6. The Orlando Magic attempted to trade troubled power forward Dennis Rodman for the pick, but the Hornets turned them down flat.
-”NBA History: 1997”, from an article on Bleacherreport.com
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The 1997-98 Network TV Season: A Brief Overview
In the fall of 1997, NBC's “Must See TV” still ruled the roost, and that didn't change. Friends, Seinfeld (in its final season), and the medical drama ER were three of the highest rated shows on all of television, though Union Square and Veronica's Closet were also huge. In Union Square, NBC finally found a solid 8:30 PM show after canceling so many others for not being able to retain enough of Friends' viewers. Other NBC sitcoms that continued to do well were Mad About You and the Jay Mohr sitcom Fair Play, which starred Mohr as a high school sports referee, Ally Sheedy as his cooler-headed wife, and Ray Combs as the older brother of Mohr's character, a wise-cracking lawyer. On Fox, Married With Children aired its final season, which was essentially a straight-up spoof of the much maligned final season of Roseanne, where the titular character hits the lottery. In Married With Children, Al Bundy hit the lottery and won $100 million and things still went terribly for him: his business investments failed, his son Bud dated a gold-digging supermodel (played by Uma Thurman in a performance that ended up winning her Best Guest Actress In A Comedy), his daughter Kelly became a publicly ridiculed socialite (in an “art imitating life” moment that now seems prophetic in the wake of the fame of heiresses like Paris Hilton), and his wife Peg still got on his nerves. The season was highly praised (a highlight was Ted McGinley's Jefferson D'Arcy being killed off after being eaten while attempting to jump a shark), and in the end, Al had lost all his money, barely able to get back his old job as a shoe salesman in a series finale that was universally considered better than Seinfeld's (which saw the four main characters all tossed in jail after laughing at a man in the street instead of helping him). Fox's animated sitcoms The Simpsons and King Of The Hill excelled in the ratings as well. On ABC, Home Improvement continued its run as a standout hit, while the new sitcomThe Game Of Life, which saw Eric Stoltz as an energetic video game reviewer and hapless bachelor, was an unexpected rookie hit, finishing 21st in the ratings that year. For the most part, CBS largely lacked a major hit. Touched By An Angel took a dip in the ratings, though Suits And Ties, a drama featuring Bill Pullman as a ruthless businessman, was a sophomore success and CBS' highest rated show at 12th overall. The 1997-98 TV season is considered to be fairly unremarkable overall, despite two of the most famous sitcom finales of all time. It wouldn't be until the fall of 1998 that network TV would see what many critics now call “the last great network TV renaissance”.
-excerpted from an article on zap2it.com on June 22, 2012
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1997 didn't bring much in the way of change for Toonami. Cartoon Network largely stayed the course, keeping The Real Adventures Of Jonny Quest, Reboot, and Slayers in the line-up, though they did ditch Robotech in order to bring in Batman: The Animated Series, which aired in re-runs while the new seasons aired on Kids' WB. The line-up wouldn't see a major shakeup until 1998, in which three of the anime mega-blockbusters that continue to define the block for so many would make their Toonami debuts.
-excerpted from an article on Toonzone.net
While the first season of The Real Adventures Of Jonny Quest was largely grounded in realism, the second season saw a return to the more fantastical elements that had defined the original 60s series: the supernatural, the weird, and the otherworldly. The tonal shift in the series was accompanied by a recasting of the voice actors, including swapping J.D. Roth as Jonny Quest for Roth's high-school buddy and fellow TV personality Ted Crosley (in a bit of GameTV-related trivia, Brittany Saldita read for Jessie Bannon to replace season one's voice actress Jesse Douglas and nearly got the part, but it went to Jennifer Hale in the end), Rob Paulsen replacing Michael Benyaer as Hadji, John de Lancie replacing George Segal as Dr. Benton Quest, and Robert Foxworth replacing Robert Patrick as Race Bannon. The change was lauded by a few old-school Quest fans but criticized by others who had grown accustomed to the more serious tone of the new series and who were alienated by Jessie becoming more of a “damsel in distress” archetype in season two. For season 3, which aired new episodes on Toonami every Friday in the spring and summer of 1998, there was a reconciliation of sorts. Some fantastical elements would remain but the series returned to a more realistic and serious tone, and season 3 was largely considered the best season of the show by fans, especially its thrilling ending.
-from an article on “Jonny Quest Central”, posted in 2013
Cartoon Cartoons Make A Splash
With Dexter's Laboratory moving from TBS to Cartoon Network, it joins two new cartoons to form the first lineup of Cartoon Network originals known as “Cartoon Cartoons”: Van Partible's Johnny Bravo, and David Feiss' Cow and Chicken. While Johnny Bravo is somewhat of a throwback to 60s and 70s animated comedies, Cow and Chicken is edgier, somewhat of a Ren and Stimpy clone in terms of tone and content. Cartoon Network is also in talks with Danny Antonucci and Seth MacFarlane about creating the next wave of Cartoon Cartoons that will likely debut sometime in 1998.
-from an article in TV Guide, July 19-25, 1997
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A new fantasy novel for kids, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone”, is making a splash across the pond with excellent reviews from various publications. Its initial small print run has sold out, though the publisher plans another, larger print run for general consumption later this year. No word yet on if the novel will come to the United States, but those lucky few in England who have read the book have enjoyed it and if it continues to sell well, it's likely to receive an American release at some point in the next year or two.
-from a CNN report, October 10, 1997
“This new book, Harry Potter, it's quite intriguing and something possibly worth looking into? The book rights were bought before it was released but maybe the rights to a video game or movie are still up for grabs? An animated collaboration with Dreamworks might be a hit and the format would be perfect for animation.”
-an e-mail from Olaf Olaffson to Ken Kutaragi on November 23, 1997
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Nickelodeon SNICK Lineup (beginning September 13, 1997):
8:00 PM- Rugrats
8:30 PM- All That
9:00 PM- Sam and Kira
9:30 PM- Swashbucklers
Nickelodeon's sci-fi show Space Cases was barely renewed for its 20-episode third season, which aired during the summer and fall of 1997 and early 1998. It was thought that the success of Swashbucklers would kill any chances the show, which had middling ratings, would have of renewal, but Nickelodeon wanted to keep airing a sci-fi show and so Space Cases was saved. The third season saw the crew continuing their journey through the backroads of the galaxy on the ship Christa in search of Earth, but things got complicated when they ran into a search party sent from Mars, led by Prince Senfa (played by young actor/model Greg Sestaro in his first major acting role). Senfa ended up joining the crew after being stranded from his party. Eventually (after a four-part arc that saw the crew ending up in Andromeda, giving Radu a chance to reunite with his family), they made it back to Earth's Solar System, barely ahead of the invading Spung army. Instead of returning home right away, the crew returned to their home planets one by one to rally them to the cause of defending their homes from the Spung. When Senfa returned to Mars (in a two-part episode praised as the series' best), he seemingly betrayed the team to the Spung, only for it to be revealed as a ruse (he was attempting to lead the Spung into a trap instead, nearly costing him his life) and for him to return to the crew. Eventually, the Christa's crew made it back to Earth, where they united the solar system's forces for an all-out battle with the Spung (that was depicted in a TV movie that aired on SNICK in February 1998). The series ended in spectacular fashion and became one of Nickelodeon's most beloved shows (though not as beloved as shows like Swashbucklers, which had a better reception from both critics AND fans).
-excerpted from “Tales From 90s Nickelodeon”, an article on TVMemories.com
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It's the British invasion all over again! But this time it's not a Fab Four, but a Fab Five: The Spice Girls, Britain's hottest pop band, are burning up the American charts, taking two songs to the top of the Top 100 in the first half of 1997 alone: “Wannabe” and “Say You'll Be There”, the latter of which is arguably the song of the summer (though the current #1, “Bitch” by Meredith Brooks, has topped the chart quite a bit longer). The Spice Girls aren't through yet, they're planning an American concert tour later this summer and they're currently in the process of filming their movie Spice World, which is set to debut in theaters early next year. Not only that, but the girls have signed an exclusive deal with Sega to produce a Spice Girls video game for the Sega Saturn, set to release in conjunction with the movie.
-excerpted from People magazine, July 14, 1997
Brittany Saldita: And now, as part of our takeover of GameTV, it's the GameTV debut of the Spice Girls!
*The Spice Girls walk onto the GameTV stage as their song “Spice Up Your Life” plays, giving Brittany and Lyssa warm hugs and kisses as they take their seats.*
Lyssa Fielding: Okay, it's one hell of an honor to have you guys on the show.
Posh Spice: Well thank you both very much!
Sporty Spice: I've got to ask you, do you have a favorite Spice Girl?
Brittany: Well, I don't want to play favorites with you guys, but...I do have a bit of a preference for Scary Spice.
Scary Spice: *laughing* Ha! Thank you!
Lyssa: Do I HAVE to choose?
Baby Spice: Well I guess you don't HAVE to choose...
Lyssa: It's funny you say that because you're probably my favorite by just a little bit!
Brittany: I think it's because you two look so much alike!
Baby Spice: *laughing* Haha....I think when I grow up I'd like to look like Lyssa.
Lyssa: *laughing loudly*
Brittany: So how's it feel to be back in the US for the first time since your tour?
Ginger Spice: Um, it's very nice here, we love the great reception from our fans all over the world.
Sporty Spice: Yeah, it's really been amazing how well we've been treated by fans here in the States.
Baby Spice: It's great! And I love this studio, it's so big and nice and cool in here.
Brittany: It's a really fun studio to work in, for sure, but I imagine you guys have been in all kinds of studios.
Posh Spice: Oh, definitely.
Ginger Spice: Yeah, but this is one of the nicer ones for sure.
Scary Spice: I love all the screens here, are those for all different kinds of games?
Lyssa: Yeah, sometimes we put different games on them, other times we put things like, well, you guys since you're the guests of honor here.
Posh Spice: I feel like I want to get a game started up in here, do you all have the new Sonic racing one yet? We were over at Sega and we got to play it and it was really cool.
Brittany: It comes out next month I think.
Lyssa: Do you guys like the new Bomberman? I love the new Bomberman game for the Saturn.
Posh Spice: Oh, I'm no good at that one.
Scary Spice: She blows herself up every time she plays, it's kind of sad really.
Baby Spice: *makes a sad face*
-excerpted from the October 14, 1997 episode of GameTV
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By 1997, Fox Kids had ended its “Where Kids Kick Butt” campaign, and the fall lineup for that year reflected that, with action shows Sailor Moon and X-Men gone from the weekday schedule and relegated to Saturdays (with Sailor Moon airing entirely reruns after Saban neglected to pick up Sailor Moon S). 1997 became what some Fox Kids fans called “The Year of Girl Power”. Both of the new fall shows, the anime pickup Magic Knight Rayearth and the comedy Jane's Brain, created by and starring comedienne Janeane Garofalo, featured female main characters, meaning that the weekday Fox Kids lineup was 75% girl-centric shows (with The Buttkickin' Girls remaining on the block). Jane's Brain was Fox's latest attempt at giving a stand-up comic the chance to create their own show (after Howie Mandel's Bobby's World and Louie Anderson's Life With Louie). Jane's Brain was arguably better than both of them, the show about a teenage girl who finds a way (with her best friend) to venture into the weird spaces of her own mind was beloved by critics and a cult classic, but the edgy and hard to understand show was a ratings flop, and it was dropped from the weekday lineup by February 1998 (Magic Knight Rayearth lasted about a year longer). The surging Power Rangers Turbo (which got a boost from the well received film that depicted the death of Rocky, the Red Ranger) continued the series' ratings success, and The Buttkickin' Girls remained network TV's most popular cartoon (and TV's most popular overall behind Rugrats and Phineas and Ferb). The two shows would carry Fox Kids until 1999 saw the block finally pick up its next major hit.
-excerpted from “The History Of Fox Kids”, on NostalgiaBase.com
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(Author's Note: Big thumbs up to our reader Fardell for this next Daria part! He sent me a big list of slight changes to Daria's first season that reflects the butterflies ITTL, full credit for this upcoming list goes to him, he gave me the list of references to use and I've adapted them into this list. The GameTV part after the reference list is mine.)
With Daria reflecting a lot of the late-90s cultural zeitgeist at the time, and video games a big part of that, they certainly played a role, albeit a small one, in the show. Here's a quick list of game references from the show's first season:
Esteemsters (March 3, 1997):
There is something that looks like an Atari 2600 in Jane's room when they're watching Sick Sad World for the first time. One of the background characters in the Self Esteem Class (the one who asks Mr. O'Neill about the essay that he was setting about 'How the world would be a sadder place if you weren't in it') has a tv shirt advertising GameTV.
The Invitation (March 10, 1997):
Brittany says that her father is getting her a 'Cronus', a game console in the Daria world (a reference to the real-world Sega Saturn).
Cafe Disaffecto (March 24, 1997):
Daria compares Melody Powers (the subject of her story at the Coffee House) to a 'video game heroine'.
Malled (March 31, 1997):
At least one video game store is seen in the Mall of the Millenium.
The Lab Brat (April 14, 1997):
Brittany mentions that Brian has been playing the 'Cronus'.
Pinch Sitter (April 21, 1997):
The Gupty parents tell Daria that she is not to bring any 'Gamepad' when she's babysitting their children.
The Big House (May 5, 1997):
One of the activities that Helen and Jake try to engage Daria and Quinn in while they are grounded is video game playing. (On a system that resembles a SNES-CD). Of course, the teens defeat their parents in those just as much as in the board games...
Road Worriers (May 12, 1997):
No game references in this one, just wanted to point out the great use of a song from Nirvana's album Stains in the background of a scene.
The Misery Chick (May 26, 1997)
Tommy Sherman compares Jane to a 'weird gamer chick'.
Also of note is the occasional crossover between Daria and GameTV: the production staff of both shows were friends, with Daria's voice actress Tracy Grandstaff a close friend of several of the GameTV hosts. Five of GameTV's nine hosts showed up as voices on Daria at some point.
Ted Crosley: Probably the biggest role out of the GameTV hosts, he had a recurring voice role as a minor character at Daria's school who had a bit more of a major role in two later season episodes.
Alex Stansfield: Appeared in two episodes: one notable guest appearance as the science nerd Billy in a season three episode.
Brittany Saldita: Only one episode but a very memorable role: she voiced Casey, a lesbian who had an unrequited crush on Daria in a season four episode that ended up being nominated for an Emmy Award (but lost to The Simpsons). Casey is regarded as among the best of the show's one-shot characters.
Lyssa Fielding: Could have had the biggest role out of all the GameTV hosts (she very nearly got the role of Daria's sister Quinn but lost out to Wendy Hoopes). Ended up playing a minor character over six episodes in the fifth season, a sorority girl from a nearby college who befriends Jane.
John Walden: Very minor season two role, plays the voice of the running back on the school's football team in one episode.
-excerpted from “Elements Of Pop Culture in Daria (Part 2)”, an article on IGN.com, June 28, 2010
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Star Wars Prequels Announced, Filming To Begin Soon
With the special editions of the Star Wars trilogy all achieving box office success, it seemed only a matter of time before additional Star Wars theatrical releases were announced, and now that time has come. George Lucas and Lucasfilm announced that filming would begin on a prequel trilogy for Star Wars and that the first film of the prequel trilogy would be released in 1999. Lucas says that the films will take place a generation before the original trilogy and will chronicle the Empire's rise to power and the early life of young Anakin Skywalker before becoming Darth Vader. Few other details have been announced, but it's likely that Star Wars merchandise sales will increase greatly in the months leading up to the first film. Books in the “Expanded Universe”, which tell stories that take place separate from the films, have been flying off the shelves since the release of the special edition trilogy, and video game sales of the series are also high, with multiple games and an expansion of the popular computer game X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter are also scheduled for release over the next 12 months.
-excerpted from an article in Entertainment Weekly, July 22, 1997
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The controversial series South Park, which has shocked and offended many and has sent many others into convulsions of laughter, airs its third episode this week, following “Cartman Gets An Anal Probe” and “Weight Gain 4000”. In this week's episode, “Dinosaur Hunters”, which spoofs the popular film The Lost World: Jurassic Park and the hit video game Turok: Dinosaur Hunter, Dr. Mephisto accidentally unleashes a horde of mutant dinosaurs on the hapless citizens of South Park, and it's up to Cartman and the kids to stop them, namely by arming a local Native American and sending him to hunt down the dinosaurs. Actor/Native American activist Russell Means has pre-emptively sent a letter about the upcoming episode to various media organizations in anticipation of stereotypes it seems to depict in promotional material released by Comedy Central. No doubt this week's episode will add fuel to the fires of controversy that South Park has already kicked up in its first two episodes.
-from an article in the August 26, 1997 issue of USA Today
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June 30, 1997
Kurt Cobain hadn't expected to find himself in Memphis, but on the invitation of his fellow musician, he'd come out and found himself having quite a good time. Now, under the starry skies, he sat down next to the Mississippi River as his fellow musician Jeff Buckley sat down nearby.
“So what's the progress on your next album?” asked Jeff, who'd been wrapping up work on an album he expected to release by the end of the year.
“None,” Kurt replied, almost laughing at himself. “I've just been taking it easy. I got enough money that I never have to write another song again. Can you believe it?”
This time, Kurt didn't stop himself from laughing. Jeff laughed too.
“You write music, you get paid. All you gotta trade away is....fuckin' everything, pretty much,” said Kurt, shaking his head.
“Shit, I'm sorry,” Jeff replied, putting down his guitar and looking over at his friend. “You okay?”
“Yeah, don't worry about me,” said Kurt, leaning back and looking up in the stars. “I'm in a much better place than I was three years ago, that's for sure. But still....damn, I don't know if I'm ever gonna feel like doing another album.”
“Well, you said it yourself, you don't have to. How's things going with Kathleen?”
Jeff was referring to Kathleen Hanna, who Kurt had been meeting up with regularly over the past couple of years.
“Still friends but....we didn't hook up again. She's cool though. I like talking to her, she's got her head on straight, not like me most of the time. Actually....I've been seeing Courtney again.”
“Didn't she try to stab you that one time?” asked Jeff, referring to the well publicized incident just before Kurt had gone into rehab. “You sure you can be with a woman like that?”
“I think a woman like that's just about the only woman I know how to be with,” said Kurt, laughing again. “Besides, she's mellowed out too. Shit, she won't stop apologizing to me. I think we're gonna get back together.”
Now Jeff was the one laughing, but he was happy for his friend. If Kurt says Courtney had mellowed out, Kurt was probably right.
“I just gotta watch it with the games around her,” Kurt said with a smile.
“Hey, being with her, you don't need a video game for excitement.”
Jeff stood up and walked down toward the river.
“Speaking of excitement, I think I'm gonna get in the water.”
“You be careful,” said Kurt. “Your buddies told me you almost drowned a month ago.”
“Well this time you're here, you can be the lifeguard.”
“Shit, fine, but I'm not taking off my clothes to get in there.”
“Well neither am I!” Jeff said with a laugh, running into the river without taking off a single thing. Kurt just rolled his eyes and looked back up at the stars, listening to the sound of his friend's laughter as he thought about where he was in his life. Thirty years old and still one of the biggest music superstars in the world. It was still a tough life, knowing every word he wrote and sang would be endlessly scrutinized and that the media would never stop following him around...but even then, he could escape to peaceful moments like these.
And if he found enough of those peaceful moments, he might actually find time to start writing songs again.
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In Littleton, Colorado, Polly Klaas had just finished watching that evening's episode of Daria. She'd liked seeing Daria and Quinn school their parents at video games...she too could easily beat her parents in them, but then again her parents hardly ever played them. As she called her friend to talk about the latest episode, her thoughts never once wandered to that angry boy Eric she'd become acquainted with back at Columbine. The two had seen each other a few more times that year, and they'd even had a couple more brief conversations. She'd also become acquainted with Eric's friend Dylan, who seemed troubled in his own ways, though not as deeply as Eric was. The two of them were friendly to her, though they seemed angry whenever they looked at a few of the girls Polly considered to be her friends. Polly knew some of her friends said cruel things about boys like Eric and Dylan, and had begun asking some of them to stop, though most of them didn't. Polly's closest friend, Caitlyn, had never picked on boys like them, or anyone for that manner, and she was glad that she at least had one friend she didn't have to lecture about how to treat their fellow students.
“I think there's only a few new episodes left,” said Caitlyn. “I hope it doesn't get canceled, it's a really funny show and the way Daria handles her problems is really amazing.”
“I know, the show's so much like our school it's kind of creepy,” said Polly with a giggle. “I think dad's gonna let me go to the mall with you tomorrow, you still wanna go?”
“Yeah, my brother's birthday is coming up, he wants this game....it's like a fantasy video game, Seekers Of Exion or something like that?”
“....oh! Starseekers of Exion, that's the game I got in the mail from Nintendo this month!”
“Are they still sending you games?”
“Yeah, but I don't play as much as I used to, not enough time....this game is going to take me forever, I can already tell....hey....maybe....you think your brother would mind if he got a slightly used copy?”
“Huh?”
“I could give you the game and you could wrap it up and give it to him.”
“Oh... no, Polly, you can't do that, I can't ask you to-”
“I played it for like an hour and gave up, it's okay. I should've picked something else. You can have it, it's totally okay, I know he'll enjoy it more than me!”
“Wow....you're awesome, Polly, seriously you are.”
“Don't worry about it Katie...”
“You are the freakin' best, I'm not kidding! Oh, I have to go.... I'll see you tomorrow okay?”
“Yep, I'll see you then, good night, Katie!”
“Night!”
Polly set the phone down on the receiver and smiled, glad that she could do that small thing to help her friend. She didn't know it yet, but one day, she'd have a chance to help more people than she could ever possibly imagine.
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July 1, 1997
Steve Jobs sat down in his office, still not yet used to being back at Apple. After having his company NeXT acquired by them earlier in the year, he'd been brought on as a consultant, but later was named the company's interim CEO. Now he was back at the company he'd helped to found, which was currently going through one of its roughest patches to date. The company was in financial trouble, though it had sidestepped numerous potential disasters: most notably, the entry into video games that was about to sink the Japanese toymaking giant Bandai. Still, Apple was slowly bleeding money, and Jobs knew that Apple's future lay in whether or not NeXT's operating system could catch on with users. He was still seated at his desk when his secretary entered the room.
“Mr. Jobs, it's someone on the line, I think you'll want to take this call.”
Jobs nodded, and his secretary routed the call to his desk. He picked up the phone.
“Steve, this is Bill....Bill Gates, from Microsoft.”
Over the next hour, the two men discussed the deal that would give Apple enough money to keep them solvent and would put Microsoft Office and Internet Explorer in Apple's computers. But one of the subjects that came up was something that Jobs was still highly skeptical of.
“So, what do you think about computer games, Steve?”
“Well, you know... I feel like Apple's strength lies elsewhere. Let's be honest, people don't buy Apple computers to play games on them.”
“I understand that, but people who buy computers like to play games. Didn't you almost get into the video game business?”
“I wasn't even with the company then, but I would've said no to Bandai too. You saw what happened to them. One of the biggest toy companies in the world, they try to go into video games and now they're about to go bankrupt. I'm surprised you're not trying to buy them up too.”
“Honestly, I thought about it,” said Gates. “But the thing is, video games are still a growth industry.”
“There's only room for two companies in that industry. Hell, there's barely room for two companies in this one.”
Gates laughed.
“I know, I know. It's just... maybe if we put our heads together. Maybe we could make something happen. Think about it.”
Jobs was already thinking about it. Between Microsoft and Apple, undoubtedly the two companies could come up with an impressive console. But Jobs had heard the news coming out of E3. The new Nintendo and Sony console looked like the tech product of the year. They could drive Sega out of the industry, just as Microsoft was threatening to do to its competitors.
Maybe, just maybe, if Sega ever faltered, there'd be an opening.
“The answer's no,” said Jobs. “Next topic.”
“Just a thought, just a thought,” Gates replied. “And you're right, let's change the subject.”
Steve Jobs didn't come back to Apple to bury it. And if he got into the game business, that's exactly what he'd be doing.
But he was always thinking.
Good update.
One request for the prequel: No. Jar. Jar. Binks. No. Jar. Jar. Binks.
That is all.
Methinks Columbine is going to go differently (Eric Harris, while a bullying victim, had psychopathic tendencies, if Dave Cullen's book about Columbine is accurate (1); Klebold seemed to be just a follower and was manic depressive).
That quote about Polly's helping people one day sounded like foreshadowing...
Maybe the Spice Girls video game will be better than the movie OTL (dear God, anything would be better than that movie).
(1) IIRC, most of the people who bullied Eric had graduated before the shooting happened, and many of the victims didn't know Harris at all.
One request for the prequel: No. Jar. Jar. Binks. No. Jar. Jar. Binks.
That is all.
Methinks Columbine is going to go differently (Eric Harris, while a bullying victim, had psychopathic tendencies, if Dave Cullen's book about Columbine is accurate (1); Klebold seemed to be just a follower and was manic depressive).
That quote about Polly's helping people one day sounded like foreshadowing...
Maybe the Spice Girls video game will be better than the movie OTL (dear God, anything would be better than that movie).
(1) IIRC, most of the people who bullied Eric had graduated before the shooting happened, and many of the victims didn't know Harris at all.
TTL continues to be a amazing place to live. Polly will hopefully manage to prevent The Columbine Shooting as you hinted. Pity we already know that the Star Wars Prequels still will suckk from this update:
I hope Polly can help Eric devote those energies into developing some badass videogames.
Microsoft and Apple?!?!
That was a great bit, and also definite foreshadowing given the occasional comments made about how the latter days of the Saturn Era will be troubled.
The entry of an Apple/Microsoft alliance would depend on how badly Sega stumbles with the Ultra's launch and "The Ring". If it's slow-motion trouble, then they might not see enough weakness until the Seventh Generation. OTOH, if Sega spills its spaghetti more plainly during the Saturn Era, then we could see a Sixth Generation entry.
In any event, an Apple/Microsoft console would be a fascinating beast.
I really hope that Antonucci's show still exists in some recognizable form. It was my all time favorite childhood show, after all.
Also, "If Sega faltered" Quite ominous. I wonder if that will lead anywhere.
Just a thought since CD-Rs and disc burning will become more prominent in the near future, I had a thought about the ITTL's Gigadisc format. Will it be as easy to pirate as the OTL GD-ROM disc? It would be an interesting wrinkle if Nintendo/Sony overlooked it due to hubris.
This talk of Sega faltering makes me a bit uneasy. The company has been doing much better by avoiding the mistakes it made OTL. Maybe there is still a bit of the Sega fanboy in me, but methinks that the Nintendo/Sony giant has to stumble at some time in the near future.
This talk of Sega faltering makes me a bit uneasy. The company has been doing much better by avoiding the mistakes it made OTL. Maybe there is still a bit of the Sega fanboy in me, but methinks that the Nintendo/Sony giant has to stumble at some time in the near future.
I'll respond to the rest of the update later, but the potential hint a future Apple/Microsoft alliance in the console market is a megaton.
Unless I've missed it, where was it mentioned that the Saturn's later life was problematic? I mean I feel that it was kind of obvious given that Sega is essentially splitting its audience (unless they quickly push out a Saturn 2.0 with the Ring integrated into the system down the line, but even then...). It would be interesting if Sega ended up becoming the 'Nintendo' of this TL - they have their fan base, and while they still make great stuff, they don't get much in the way of third party support. Of course that doesn't mean they won't continue to try to continue innovating (we discussed the possibility of Sega and motion control a while back). Maybe it won't be so bad as it is for Nintendo OTL but it may come close...Anyway...
It was mentioned quite a long time ago that Atari would appear in some form. Given the unique situation that Nintendo and Sony have, with Sony owning Game Freak but Pokemon being a joint IP between the two companies, could that be a setup for what might happen with Atari? With that company being bought out and jointly shared between Apple and Microsoft? There's name brand recognition by doing so and given that the 1999 Supreme Court case seems to go worse for MS here (at least the fallout from it?), it would allow them to ward off accusations of trying to have a monopoly over games on both computers and consoles. Food for thought anyway.
I would agree that if there's going to be anything in the future that comes back to hurt Sony/Nintendo, it's definitely going to be their proprietary format. Nintendo is still in the mindset ITTL - and likely made worse by the victory disease they have - that they can choose whatever format for their game systems and companies will simply be expected to acquiesce to it. The financial dent won't be as great here given the circumstances compared to how awful it was for Sega OTL, but if Nintendo and Sony don't try to address this I can see a lot of publishers/developers getting quite angry that they're losing profits.
Not to mention: comparatively speaking, is it more expensive to make GD-ROMs as opposed to CDs in our world? If so, that might be something else that in the long term might not be so smart. Third parties will want to go to the platform that's cheaper to produce for.
That depends on what happens with Namco and Enix, who both defected to Sega's camp. Another potential point is that I doubt that the Apple/Microsoft alliance would gain much traction without any major developers or exclusives, even if Sega falters. For example, id Software develops for the PC, but they have a comfortable relationship with Nintendo so I doubt they would jump ship to Microsoft/Apple unless that relationship soured. Additionally, I doubt that any stalwart developers like Konami and Capcom would be swayed either. In some ways, it would make more sense for Nintendo/Sony to show weakness before Microsoft/Apple make a move.
In some ways a three-way Sega/Microsoft/Apple alliance would make more sense to me.
In some ways a three-way Sega/Microsoft/Apple alliance would make more sense to me.
The issue with GD-ROM was mostly sega own use of Mil-CD format who was able to be used as a circunavigation measure of dreamcast own anti copy protection and the same way games read multi disc games(aka shenmue,etc), still when both companies do the best nothing is infalible, but Nintendo and sony worked hard, i think more in future, would be how do games partition to be able fill a disc and others multi disc games, the rest nintendo like otl, is filling the disc to bring to avoid that issue for a while.
The rest is the eternal cat and mouse game.
Seems the ending of the update leave people wondering, i liked that
, still butterflies will flap but something, thing will goes fun. the rest people are going in the clues...I'll respond to the rest of the update later, but the potential hint a future Apple/Microsoft alliance in the console market is a megaton.
The biggest hint was this one:
Plus, it seems like all the factors that torpedoed Sega in OTL are still here ITTL, it's just that events haven't aggravated them nearly so much. For example, there's a mention that SoJ wanted to do the E3 launch for the Saturn, but SoA talked them out of it, presumably because there wasn't as much pressure without the PSX looming.
EDIT:
Actually, it'd be pretty funny if there IS a Sega/Microsoft/Apple alliance that breaks apart like the Sony-Nintendo alliance did OTL. They collaborate on a next-gen console. Sega spurns them somehow, perhaps out of pride/worry over giant foreign companies taking such a stake in their own business. They release the *Dreamcast/Uranus. Microsoft and Apple then look at each other, go "Eff it", and put out their own console a la the Playstation.
THIS! ALL OF THIS! I want to watch this movie so bad right now!
Da Bulls!
I hope they don't suck this time.
That sounds promising though ominous.... either she doesn't get shot or ONLY she gets shot, like she delays them long enough for help to arrive, sacrificing herself in the process.
Facinating
THAT would be ironic. I like it!
The Sega Uranus. All the dirty jokes they will come up with.
I doubt that Sega would be that dumb to create a competitor, although it isn't out of the realm of possibility. The way I see it, Sega is in a stronger position, and will likely remain in the console business for a little longer.
As I pointed out earlier, we KNOW they're till gonna suuck:
It's like Batman and Robin. Even if they are merely "good" they're still a considerable improvement.
I'm personablly hoping the "more favorable" means "I like the prequels, but Green Lantern's just a bit better" more than "Anything's better than those shit prequels". Keep in mind that this universe gets three (presumably) well-received live-action Green Lantern movies where we got one terrible one. There's no reason to think that the prequels couldn't be better in this universe.
I'm personablly hoping the "more favorable" means "I like the prequels, but Green Lantern's just a bit better" more than "Anything's better than those shit prequels". Keep in mind that this universe gets three (presumably) well-received live-action Green Lantern movies where we got one terrible one. There's no reason to think that the prequels couldn't be better in this universe.
Also, this is the sole opinion of only one ITTL blogger. That is not much to go on, especially when that blogger's main focus is comicbooks. Maybe there is only a slight bias in that regard. But we will just have to see...
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