NBC Is Bringing Back “The Donald” Instead of The Donnellys?

In May 2007, Donald Trump’s reality series, “The Apprentice” was just one of many shows eliminated from NBC’s 2007-2008 schedule due to low ratings. However, NBC recently announced that it had reconsidered its earlier decision and was bringing back the cancelled show in a slightly different format Instead of talented people seeking a job with the Trump organization, the new season will feature celebrities competing for charity.

While donating money to charity is always a good thing, another season of “The Donald” is not. The show has clearly taken a dive in recent years. This past season, we lost both Carolyn and George, who were often the only people worth listening to. In fact, the show was trying so hard to attract viewers that the losing team had to sleep in tents and the biggest thing to happen all season was a soap-opera romance between two of the contestants. Now this year, the show needs celebrities to command audience attention.

What I can’t understand is why NBC decided to bring back “The Donald” (who is clearly better off sticking to real-estate than entertainment) instead of “The Black Donnellys.” It can’t be because television is lacking for reality TV shows. It isn’t because the “fans” (and I use this term loosely) fought to get “The Apprentice” back on television. It certainly isn’t because the drowning reality series is going to move NBC from fourth to first place in the network wars.

I do have a few favorite theories. For example, maybe it’s because it’s safer to beat a dead horse (“The Apprentice”) than to try to ride a wild one (“The Black Donnellys”). Maybe it’s because NBC more often than not stands for “Never Be Creative.” Maybe it’s because Ben Silverman is itching to hear the words “You’re fired.” Whatever the reason, it’s a bad choice.

“The Black Donnellys” had drama, romance, humor and action. It had a young and fresh cast and award-winning creators. The plot and characters drew you in slowly but once they had you, you didn’t want them to ever let you go. There was something for every viewer and it’s too bad that so few got the opportunity to experience “The Black Donnellys”.

**To help us bring back The Black Donnellys visit or join us at the Firecracker Lounge.

The girl at the diner: Jenny Reilly

Jenny Reilly is played by actress Olivia Wilde. Jenny, a quiet Irish
Catholic tomboy, grew up alongside the Donnelly brothers. Jenny is
unselfish when it comes to her own family which is comprised of just
her father and herself as she has no mother around. She works at her
father's diner and cares for him and has no other aspirations as she
is not given that opportunity. Jenny, after only a year of marriage,
becomes the widow of an estranged husband. Her husband is rumored to
be (and mostly likely is) dead due to his own debts which are unknown to Jenny.

There is a lovelorn romance that exists between Tommy Donnelly
and Jenny as there is with most dramatic storylines. Tommy is viewed as the
protagonist and Jenny the love interest in the series. Tommy tries
his best to protect Jenny and the Reilly family in any way that he
can even though Mr. Reilly despises the Donnelly family. Jenny
constantly struggles with her feelings for Tommy and feels the need
to understand herself before she can pursue her own desires. As
Olivia Wilde stated in an interview, "I
think when we enter into their story, she's just learning about how
it's impossible to ignore your own innermost needs and desires."

This is something that we see predominantly in the episode entitled
"Lies", where Jenny makes a terrible mistake by misleading a local delivery man named Samson who we find out later has an obsession with Jenny that turns into
rage and resentment. After her encounter with Samson, Jenny visits the church and is unable to find a resolution to her problems but decides to start fresh in the best way she can. Jenny is a character who has pride and rarely
asks for help. In the season finale, you'll see she is violated by Samson and later takes matters into her own hands when she forced to defend herself against him. After taking such action, it will now be increasingly difficult for her to find her identity and fresh start.

While Olivia Wilde has been recently cast in a recurring role on FOX's "House", we will best remember her as portraying one of The Black Donnellys complex and loved characters, Jenny Reilly.

Joey Ice Cream

I Always Wanted Brothers Like That . . .

So goes the famous line uttered by one of The Black Donnellys’ most controversial characters, Joey Ice Cream.

Joey Ice Cream, portrayed by Keith Nobbs , is the fifth-wheel kid from down the block who idolizes the Donnelly brothers and tags along after them like man's best friend on a leash. Joey is there when the Donnellys are celebrating and he’s there when the Donnellys are in trouble. In fact, Joey’s there so often that sometimes the viewers forget all about him—that is, until the cops remind us that Joey’s in jail and he’s the reason we know so much about the Donnelly brothers. Because Joey knows everything there is to know about the Donnellys. And for some viewers, that’s just too much. However, for others, Joey Ice Cream’s all-knowing storytelling is just one more thing that makes The Black Donnellys the most underrated show of this past television season.

Joey Ice Cream’s character is what is known in literary terms as an unreliable narrator or a narrator whose version of events just doesn’t fully ring true for the audience. In Joey’s case, most of the time the viewers don’t know whether the story he’s telling is the truth or whether he is intentionally misleading the cops (and the audience). For instance, in the pilot episode when he’s explaining his unusual nickname, Joey states that he was given the nickname Joey “Ice Cream” because he’s like “ice” under pressure. However, later in the episode we learn that Joey was, in fact, given his nickname simply because he liked ice cream so much. Moments like this make the viewers wonder how much they can really rely on the information they’re receiving from Joey and whether or not there’s some hidden meaning yet to be disclosed.

Interestingly, even though we know from the first moment of the pilot episode that Joey Ice Cream is in jail, we have no idea how he got there. Likewise, even though we’re pretty sure that Joey is stretching the truth (a lot!), we have no idea why he’s making up stories and lying to the police. Is he a pathological liar? Maybe. Does he overestimate his own importance or have a need to be the center of attention? Probably. Is he protecting the Donnelly brothers? Most definitely.

In the end, we are left with more questions than answers when it comes to Joey Ice Cream and, by the time we reach the season finale, only one thing is certain—Joey loves the Donnelly brothers and would do anything to be part of their family. To understand any more than that, we need a second season of The Black Donnellys.

Now that’s the truth according to Joey Ice Cream . . . for what it’s worth.

**For more information about the Save The Black Donnellys campaign, visit www.savetheblackdonnellys.net.

Meet Sean Donnelly

Over the past few days you have been introduced to Tommy, Kevin and Jimmy Donnelly. Today you will meet the last Donnelly brother, Sean Donnelly.


Sean Donnelly, portrayed by Michael Stahl-David , is the baby of the Donnelly clan and he is the ladies man! The brothers don't want any of their soon to be girlfriends to meet Sean because Sean would be off with them in a heartbeat. I don't want to paint the wrong picture of Sean...he isn't necessarily a player, he has a sweet heart and disposition.

Sean also wants to be involved in what his brothers are doing but they will not let their baby brother get mixed up in their dealings—especially after he was beaten-up by the Italians. Sean resents his brothers for protecting him from the family problems and only allowing him to be the “beverage manager” at the bar. But Sean soon forgets all about the family troubles when he meets a girl at the Jukebox store.

We are not really sure what Sean wants to do with his life other than hang with a girl or involve himself in his brothers activities. Ma Donnelly pushes Sean to go back to school but he doesn’t seem too interested…that is until he finds out that Jukebox girl is in school and decides that going back to school would be a great way to impress her!


We don't get to know Sean as in depth as we do the other brothers...so stay tuned, and fight for The Black Donnellys season two because we know there is much more to come!!!!

**Don’t forget to pre-order The Black Donnellys on DVD at Amazon.

The Black Donnellys – the brothers continued….

We gave you two days to learn more about The Black Donnellys' lead character, Tommy Donnelly. Today you will get a chance to understand an equally complex brother, Jimmy Donnelly.

Jimmy Donnelly, portrayed by Tom Guiry , is the eldest Donnelly but is far from the wisest brother. He can best be described as a loaded gun and is always looking for the next opportunity to self-destruct. Jimmy's erratic behavior is further fueled by his alcoholism and drug abuse. However, we learn over time that Jimmy's behavior is more of a front that he puts on in attempt to camouflage the guilt and insecurity that he's carried with him since he was a child. While Jimmy is seen as physically weak due to his crippled leg, he desires to be stronger by other means and wants the respect that his younger brother Tommy has. Thus Jimmy tries to make up for what he lacks physically with his headstrong emotions and irrational and blunt behavior. Though it's hard to feel sympathy for Jimmy sometimes, he certainly is not a monster. Instead, he's just a lost soul who blames himself for his father's death and for his youngest brother Sean's severe beating--a beating that was the result of Jimmy's own misdeeds.

One thing is clear from the outset though--Jimmy doesn't think anything through, he just reacts. A great example is his involvement in Louie “Downtown”'s murder. By kidnapping Louie Downtown, Jimmy causes his brother Sean's beating which in turn leads to Jimmy killing Louie Downtown which eventually leads to repercussions for the entire Donnelly family. Tommy, as the second oldest, continues to pick up the pieces and Jimmy, while he loves his brothers, continues to lead them deeper and deeper into the life they never wanted.

As Tommy said, "Don't you care about anybody?" Jimmy's only reply is, "You're right. I forgot, Tommy. You're the big savior. I'm the scumbag!"

Jimmy does mean well and does place family above all. Why else would he have shot Louie “Downtown” if not to avenge Sean's near-death beating by the Italians?

Interestingly, one of Jimmy's greatest achievements so far has been refurbishing The Firecracker, the Donnelly's family bar. In fact, Jimmy is so proud of the bar that he purchased a new sign for it. The new sign, which features a “cracker” and a “flame,” represents a new beginning for the Donnelly brothers, according to Jimmy.

From the pilot to the finale, we learn more and more about Jimmy that explains why he is the way he is and we are left to wonder if Jimmy will change further as the show progresses. The season finale made us think that he might begin to change his ways but ultimately left us hanging . . . As of now, we can only speculate, but we can find out if you join us in the fight for season two!!!

Meet Tommy Donnelly

Lately, we have been focused on the campaign and the buzz around it but now we would like to take some time to reintroduce the Donnelly brothers. Yesterday, you were introduced to Kevin Donnelly portrayed by Billy Lush. Today we will introduce you to Tommy Donnelly.

Tommy Donnelly, the second oldest of the four Donnellys brothers, is portrayed by Jonathan Tucker . Tommy’s dream is to become an artist and he is the one brother who clearly has the talent and ability to be more than just another neighborhood thug. Unfortunately, Tommy is burdened by the fact that an impulsive decision made during his youth resulted in serious injury and a lasting disability for his older brother, Jimmy. Tommy’s guilt over his childhood mistake prevents him from escaping from Hell’s Kitchen and the crime and dangers that have become a way of life there. Instead, Tommy shoulders the burdens of those around him in vain effort to right the wrong that he has done.

Tommy bails out his brothers time and time again. Sometimes that means taking care of unpaid gambling debts and other times it means disposing of bodies. But Tommy’s responsibilities don’t end there. Tommy also looks out for his brothers’ tag-a-long friends and the other Irish families in the neighborhood and he makes a special effort to protect Jenny Reilly, his childhood sweetheart.

Throughout it all, Tommy demonstrates that he is a capable (though somewhat reluctant) leader adept at handling even the toughest problems. While this earns him the respect of both the Irish and Italians in the neighborhood (positioning him as the next leader of the Irish mafia), it creates a number of problems for Tommy personally. For instance, Tommy is forced to give up his dream of becoming an artist in order to look out for his brothers. In addition, Tommy’s relationships with his older brother and the woman he loves are seriously damaged as he becomes more and more involved in the life he tried to leave behind.

At the end of the day, Tommy’s intentions are good. His only goal is to make sure that the people around him are safe and happy. Unfortunately, Tommy is forced to do things that no one would want to do in order to protect those that he loves. As he encounters one impossible dilemma after another, Tommy is forced to choose the lesser of two evils in an often futile attempt to make the right choice and help someone else.

As Kevin, his younger brother, states, “Tommy, you got to stop helping people. It’s a bad thing.” While Tommy tries to do “right,” he quickly finds out that sometimes the “right” thing may turn out ‘wrong”.

Kevin Donnelly/Billy Lush

Kevin Donnelly is portrayed by Billy Lush . He is the second youngest Donnelly brother. Kevin won his dad a bet once when he was young and ever since then he thought he was lucky; however, he hasn’t won anything since then. If Kevin goes with his gut though, he is usually right and would probably be a millionaire. Thankfully his brothers are there to help him out! In the first episode Kevin’s gambling debt initiates a series of events that will forever change the lives of the Donnelly brothers.

Kevin is also a very loyal person and would do anything for his brothers, at any cost. His loyalty is first displayed in the pilot episode when he answers Tommy is about to step into the unimaginable to save his brother Jimmy from his demise. Tommy asks, “Where are you going?” and Kevin responds, “Wherever you are.” You knew that Kevin would put family above all and not let Tommy walk into anything without Kevin by his side.

Kevin’s character brings a comedic side to this dark drama with his famous one liners, which seem to be a fan favorite. He can be depended on to always have the best lines of the show that add a great deal of humor and color to The Black Donnellys.

Some Perspective From The Creators

A single web search for “The Black Donnellys” reveals the many websites, articles, and blogs devoted to discussions of The Black Donnellys. On these sites one can find both praise and criticism of the various artistic choices made by the show’s creators. Some viewers are drawn to TBD’s theme of “Family Above All” and understand that adherence to that principle requires their favorite characters to make choices and take actions that are hard to stomach. Other viewers can’t get past the fact that the Donnelly brothers make mistakes that would land real-life criminals in jail fast. And everybody has an opinion about the usefulness of the show’s narrator, Joey Ice Cream. But there’s more to come on Joey later. For now, we’d like to share some of insight we’ve gained over the course of The Black Donnellys’ 13 episodes and, more importantly, from reading comprehensive interviews with The Black Donnellys’ co-creators, Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco.

While both Haggis and Moresco are well-known for their Oscar-winning screenplay for the film Crash and their work on the Academy Award-winning Million Dollar Baby, they previously worked together on the television series, EZ Streets , a 1996 CBS crime drama. In fact, The Black Donnellys began as a follow-up to EZ Streets and is loosely based on real-life events from Moresco’s childhood growing up in the neighborhood of Hell’s Kitchen in New York City. As a result, although The Black Donnellys is not biographical and takes place in a fictional neighborhood, each of the characters, situations, and personal dilemmas have elements of truth drawn from Moresco’s own experiences.

For instance, in a March 2007 interview with PBS’s Tavis Smiley, Moresco compared the Donnelly brothers to members of the Irish mob group the Westies, many of whom were Moresco’s family members and friends. Moresco explained that The Black Donnellys is about four Irish kids who end up in that world of the Irish mafia and “just don’t know how to exist there. They’re incapable of surviving except by counting on each other”.

Similarly, in a separate interview, Haggis described The Black Donnellys as a story “about the journey that [the Donnelly brothers] face and less about the crime involved.” He noted that he and Moresco liked the idea of a coming of age story in a world where crime is the easiest way to make a living and indicated that, in each episode, they tried to put the characters into situations that no one would want to be in and then have them make choices that no one would want to have to make. The result, according to Moresco, is not organized crime, but rather a world of disorganized crime where people you love can do “monstrous things.” Each week, the Donnelly brothers (and the television audience) learn that there is a moral price to pay for each choice made and each action taken in life. Indeed, as Moresco remarked, “[y]ou don’t know what that price is going to be, but you’re going to pay it.” Now that’s a lesson we’d all do well to learn.

For more information about Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco, visit:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0353673/

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0604263/

For full interviews with Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco, visit:

http://entertainment1.sympatico.msn.ca/At+long+last+Paul+Haggis+Black+Donnellys+debuts/TV_Guide/Interviews/Features/Articles/250207_donnellys_JR.htm?isfa=1

http://www.thescifiworld.net/mediaworld/haggis-moresco-01.htm

Who Do You Believe ?

Since the LA Times article was released the Black Donnellys has been getting a lot of buzz; some positive some negative. The Firecrackers believe the negative comments stem from people who have not watched the entire season and/or people that believe that the networks are right. Interestingly, one blogger argues: If the networks believe that the show must be cancelled then it wasn’t worth watching to begin with…… If you believe that, you can ask the Jericho fans, Veronica Mars fans and TBD fans; they will tell you a much different story.

Do you believe NBC? NBC supposedly cancelled The Black Donnellys due to declining ratings. However, what most people don’t know is that TBD was a victim of NBC’s own indecisiveness. Originally, the series was going to air in the Thursday night time slot during ER’s hiatus in November 2006. But because ER was doing well at the time, NBC pushed back the airdate of The Black Donnellys to January 2007. NBC subsequently pushed TBD’s premiere date back even further until late February/early March when it became the Monday night replacement for NBC’s other high-profile series, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, which was having ratings difficulties. Not only did NBC anger Studio 60’s viewers, who responded by boycotting The Black Donnellys, it also gambled with the high-budget series by putting it in the dreaded Monday night time slot.

Though The Black Donnellys pilot episode aired after NBC’s hit show Heroes and pulled in nearly 8 million viewers, subsequent episodes followed a game show, Deal or No Deal, and the viewers dropped to 5 million. In addition, The Black Donnellys competed with the NCAA March Madness Finals and CBS’s long-running hit, CSI: Miami. In the end, NBC made poor decisions with respect to marketing, scheduling, and storyline continuity. Regarding the latter, NBC showed an online only episode containing important plot details yet failed to notify The Black Donnellys television audience that such an episode even existed. Then inexplicably, when viewers became confused by the storyline, NBC panicked like they did with Studio 60, and pulled The Black Donnellys off the air after only 5 episodes. The Black Donnellys was replaced with yet another reality TV show, The Real Wedding Crashers. You don’t have to wonder where The Real Wedding Crashers are now. Shuffling shows in and out of the television line-up is not very cost-effective. A new series is a delicate thing and NBC failed The Black Donnellys from the start. NBC clearly did not know what they were doing or what direction they were taking and, unfortunately, The Black Donnellys fans paid the price for NBC’s mistakes.


Do you believe the fans? The Black Donnellys was in the top 10 most downloaded episodes and season passes on ITunes up until the finale aired on May 14, 2007, six weeks after the show was taken off the air. It was the only show that was NOT on the air, but was in the top 10 with hit shows like Lost, Grey's Anatomy, the Office and 24. In addition, following TBD’s cancellation, Mark Cuban immediately picked up the entire first season of the show and it is now airing on HDNet on Wednesday nights. Mr. Cuban noticed the attention TBD was getting in the online community, took note of TBD’s active fan base, and knew The Black Donnellys would be a hit for HDNet!

The petition to save the show has over 37,000 signatures and is climbing everyday! More importantly, the fans have come together to contribute time and money to the Save The Black Donnellys campaign
in order to convince HBO to pick up TBD. Though there are some naysayers, the campaign results so far demonstrate that there are more than just “7” fans out there as some bloggers have incorrectly posted. The fact that these bloggers have taken the time and effort to criticize The Black Donnellys and/or the fan campaign indicates that TBD does appeal to a wider audience. In fact, even the negative posts are assisting the campaign since they are creating a lot more buzz for a show that last aired in April!

So, if you believe the networks, then we will continue to see more reality TV and lackluster shows on the air! If you believe the fans, then we encourage you to watch more than just the pilot, watch the entire season on nbc.com or Itunes.com! Or if you prefer not to watch it on your PC, you can pre-order the DVD from Amazon.com.

Get to know the characters and their story! Fight for the opportunity to see great television!

We look forward to seeing you around the Firecracker Lounge!

Who Are The Firecrackers ?

You have read our press release and you have read our mission statement. So, who are the firecrackers and what is our story?

Jimmy Donnelly, the erratic brother, won a bar, yes, a bar during a card game. The bar, that doesn't make any money, is called The Firecracker. In one episode Jimmy decided that the bar needed a makeover; a jukebox, some fresh paint and a new sign. The new sign was adorned with a “flame” and a “cracker”. This sign represented new beginnings.

When NBC pulled The Black Donnellys off the air after the 5th episode, failed to upload some of the remaining episodes online and refused to respond to us, the fans decided that we needed a new beginning on another network. So the fans dubbed themselves as The Firecrackers and have been fighting for a new beginning ever since!

Visit this link to read about how some of the fans came to be a firecracker.

How can you become a firecracker? It's easy! Visit www.thefirecrackerlounge.com, become a member and chat with us! You can then join us in our daily action items http://www.savetheblackdonnellys.net/daily.html to help save the show!

HBO: A Home For The Black Donnellys?

In an Entertainment Weekly Blog that mentions the Black Donnellys, the blog columnist asks, "One more question: did any of you also watch The Black Donnellys, and do any of you think fans can get that show reborn by shipping 45,000 Zesta crackers to HBO?"

The answer to that question is YES. No one knows if the crackers will convince HBO to pick up a second season of the Black Donnellys. It is really about showing our support for this series as NBC failed to do so. Several shows from major network lineups have been cancelled. The Fall 2008 lineup only seems bleak, especially for NBC. We wouldn't want The Black Donnellys to retire because of NBC's mishandling of the series.

The Black Donnellys' fans are a loyal and passionate group of individuals. As a fan, we believe in the slogan "Family Above All" and and The Black Donnellys best exemplifies that.

We only hope that The Black Donnellys can find a home at HBO. While, some may believe the crackers may not do it, we do believe that HBO is a good home as they are responsible for such great shows like The Sopranos. Even actors from The Black Donnellys have prior or future history with HBO.

Kirk Acevedo as Nicky Cottero, is well known for his role as Alvarez on "OZ". Alvarez, as some of you may recall, is much weaker than the Italian rat, Nicky Cottero. Billy Lush as Kevin Donnelly has been cast in HBO's new miniseries "Generation Kill" among a handful of rising stars. HBO will not only draw upon established audiences but will gain a new and very passionate audience.

Given the opportunity, the right marketing, the series can be successful. This is what we would like HBO to see. Crackers, or no crackers.

Also check out this article written by Mekeisha Madden Toby of The Detroit News entitled 'Donnellys' live on in NBC cyberspace. Finally, a columnist who understand The Black Donnellys.. not one who assumes from watching part of The Pilot episode.

Crackers getting Attention

Today I was going to tell you the story of how we came to be The Firecrackers. But some good news came our way and I thought I would comment on the article written about The Black Donnellys campaign that graced our computer screens today.

Martin Miller, staff writer for The LA Times, gave new life to the TBD campaign with an article entitled, “A Cracker Attack for The Black Donnellys” His article was released on July 5^th only one day after the press release http://www.savetheblackdonnellys.net/pressReleases/PR_070407.html was sent out to the masses!

Read the full article here: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2007/07/a-cracker-attac.html

Martin mentioned that “A small number of die-hard fans of NBC's recently canceled drama "The Black Donnellys" plans to ship nearly 300 pounds of Zesta crackers (about 45,000 crackers) to HBO executives beginning next week in hopes of persuading the premium cable outlet to pick up the moribund show.” We may be small in numbers in comparison to Veronica Mars fans that had at least 4 seasons under their belt or Jericho fans that have one season’s worth of fans, but we are just as passionate! Additionally, NBC gave us the cold shoulder so we had to rally and organize again for a road less traveled; another network.

Well, we made enough noise to have an article written about the campaign one day after the press release! So, thank you firecrackers, far and wide, that have sent letters, emails, quarters and crackers! And a big thank you to Ruth, our fearless leader, who keeps us focused and works hard everyday to SAVE TBD!

www.savetheblackdonnellys.net

Today's LA Times: "A cracker attack for 'The Black Donnellys'"

First everyone was nuts. Now they're crackers.

A small number of die-hard fans of NBC's recently canceled drama "The Black Donnellys" plans to ship nearly 300 pounds of Zesta crackers (about 45,000 crackers) to HBO executives beginning next week in hopes of persuading the premium cable outlet to pick up the moribund show.

Fans of "The Black Donnellys," a serialized drama about four Irish brothers and their involvement in organized crime in New York's infamous Hell's Kitchen neighborhood, were inspired by the recent success of "Jericho" fans and vow to keep sending crackers to HBO as long as donations hold out. In June, "Jericho" fans inundated CBS with tons of nuts, eventually persuading the network to exhume the post-apocalypse drama after it was dropped from its fall schedule.

"Donnellys" fans, whose website can be found at http://www.savetheblackdonnelys.net, said they chose HBO because the cable outlet is a better fit for the "Donnellys' " grittier themes. Also, they selected Zesta crackers because they are featured in a lounge sign belonging to one of the show's main characters.

HBO offices were closed todayfor the holidays and officials were unavailable for comment.

-- Martin Miller

(Photo: Virginia Sherwood / NBC)

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2007/07/a-cracker-attac.html

Firecrackers Mission Statement

Our mission is to get The Black Donnellys picked-up for a second season on another network so that other viewers have the opportunity to watch this great drama and to find those supporters and give them a voice to help participate in the fight to Save The Black Donnellys! www.savetheblackdonnellys.net . They too, can see the intensity and excitement of the series and learn more about The Donnelly brothers: Tommy, Jimmy, Kevin and Sean.

The Petition to Save The Black Donnellys (http://petitionspot.com/petitions/) has reached almost 37,000 signatures and over 1,000 guests and users that visited the NBC Boards when the episodes were abruptly pulled from primetime and aired only online at NBC.com on Monday nights.

Jericho fans were successful in their campaign to bring the CBS cancelled show back to the air. They had sent over $32,000 worth of peanuts to CBS, referencing the last episode to air. With such a huge fan following, CBS responded by adding an additional seven new episodes. What Jericho fans did could only be described as "awesome"! Their motivation and organization is an inspiration to us all.

We must not accept what network moguls and executives throw out to the public. Rather, we have a voice in shaping what we believe should be quality television and we need your voice. The Black Donnellys represents quality television and every vote/donation counts! So, please join us in our effort to save our beloved show.

**Pre-order you DVD today at Amazon.com at $34.99 and please leave a comment! Your vote counts!

Press Release For Crackers

Save The Black Donnellys Campaign
For Immediate Release
July 4, 2007

Nuts for Jericho, Crackers for The Black Donnellys

On Sunday, July 1st, the Save The Black Donnellys Campaign purchased 9,600 crackers to send to Carolyn Strauss, President of HBO Entertainment, in the hopes that she will consider adding the recently cancelled drama to HBO's regular programming lineup. The "Firecrackers" from the Save The Black Donnellys Campaign believe that this prematurely cancelled NBC series about a family of four brothers involved in the Irish mob will be a success with HBO's viewers and deserves to be picked up for a second season. Recently, similar fan campaigns have resulted in renewal for the CBS drama Jericho and a future comic book series for fans of the CW's series Veronica Mars. Now The Black Donnellys fans are hoping for a little Independence Day victory of their own.

The campaign was created by Black Donnellys fans who dubbed themselves the "Firecrackers" after the name of the fictional bar owned by the Donnelly family. The crackers are a reference to the show's ninth episode, titled "All of Us Are In The Gutter". In that episode, Jimmy Donnelly, one of the main characters, purchases a new bar sign for the family bar, the Firecracker Lounge. According to Jimmy, the "flame" + cracker on the sign symbolizes the "new beginning" or fresh slate for Jimmy and the other Donnelly brothers. Similarly, for the Firecrackers, NBC's mishandling of The Black Donnellys serves as an opportunity to give the series and its fans a much needed new beginning on HBO.

Notably, the Firecrackers decided to contact Carolyn Strauss from HBO rather than targeting NBC because they believed the show would be more successful on cable and would be a great fit for HBO's programming. In the past, Ms. Strauss has brought successful dramatic series like The Sopranos and Oz to HBO. Further, several letters, phone calls, and emails were previously sent to NBC network executives like President Jeff Zucker with no response. In fact, NBC has actively prevented any fan uprising from occurring. NBC board moderators suspend fans and delete threads from NBC's online message board whenever there is any discussion about saving The Black Donnellys or the possibility of a second season. This censorship sparked the Firecrackers' renewed campaign targeted at HBO.

Over the past three weeks and as of July 2nd, the Firecrackers have raised $783 in donations for their cracker campaign which will allow them to purchase 41,760 crackers (261 pounds) to be shipped to HBO. As they are still receiving donations from fans eager for a second season of The Black Donnellys, the Firecrackers will continue to send shipments to HBO so long as donations continue to be received.

Along with the crackers, fans have also sent quarters and shamrocks to HBO to show their support for The Black Donnellys. In addition, fans complete daily action items to promote the series and help secure support for a second season. The petition to save The Black Donnellys has close to 37,000 signatures to date. Other campaign efforts include streaming online episodes from NBC.com, downloading episodes from iTunes.com, subscribing to HDNet (which is airing the first season of The Black Donnellys on Wednesday evenings), and pre-ordering The Black Donnellys first season DVD from amazon.com.

For more information, contact:
Save The Black Donnellys Campaign
info@savetheblackdonnellys.net
http://www.savetheblackdonnellys.net

The Firecrackers meet at The Firecracker Lounge
http://www.thefirecrackerlounge.com

Press Release For Crackers

For Immediate Release
July 2, 2007

Nuts for Jericho, Crackers for The Black Donnellys

Save The Black Donnellys Campaign has purchased on Sunday, July 1st, 60 pounds of crackers as a first shipment to Carolyn Strauss, President of HBO Entertainment. Jericho's campaign to send nuts to CBS was successful and resulted in seven new episodes being purchased. The "Firecrackers" from the Save The Black Donnellys Campaign believe that the recently cancelled NBC drama has that same opportunity to thrive with HBO and be renewed for a second season.

The campaign was created by fans of The Black Donnellys, who dubbed themselves the "Firecrackers" after the name of the fictional bar owned by the Donnelly family. The fans purchased crackers that were representative of Jimmy Donnellys', one of the main characters from the series, new bar sign of the Firecracker Lounge. The "flame" cracker symbolized the "new beginning" or fresh slate for him and the Donnelly brothers. NBC's mistreatment of the drama gives HBO the opportunity to give The Black Donnellys a much needed fresh slate.

The Firecrackers decided to contact Carolyn Strauss from HBO rather than NBC, because they believed the show would be more successful and be a great fit for HBO's programming. Carolyn Strauss has brought great programming like The Sopranos and OZ to HBO. Several letters, phone calls, emails have been set to NBC network executives like President Jeff Zucker with no response. Rather NBC has prevented any fan uprising from occurring. NBC board moderators have suspended fans and deleted threads from The Black Donnellys online message board when there is any discussion or efforts to save the series. Their censorship sparked the Firecrackers to react.

Within a three week time span, The Firecrackers have been able to gather $733 in donations towards crackers which can purchase 244lbs to be shipped to HBO. As they are still receiving donations, they will continue to send shipments.

Along with the crackers they have also sent quarters and shamrocks to HBO to show support for The Black Donnellys. A Daily Action Item is completed each day to help bring back a deserved second season. The Save The Black Donnellys campaign includes streaming online episodes from NBC.com, downloading episodes from iTunes.com, subscribing to HDNet and pre-ordering the recently released The Black Donnellys: Complete Series DVD.

Contact:
Save The Black Donnellys Campaign
info@savetheblackdonnellys.net
http://www.savetheblackdonnellys.net
The Firecrackers meet at The Firecracker Lounge
http://www.thefirecrackerlounge.com

The Black Donnellys

Yes, this is a Jericho blog so why is this about TBD's today? First, because I know how important bloggers were to the Nuts campaign so this is a small return the favor type thing. Second, these fans of TBD's are really nice, polite, kind folks and I believe they deserve a helping hand in spreading the word. Third, they may not have our Jericho Rangers numbers but they definitely have the passion. Therefore, I have invited Paige, Ruth, and Carmen to explain the details of their campaign. They are VIP Guest Bloggers and I thank them for their efforts.


If you haven’t heard of The Black Donnellys (“TBD”), there are several reasons why which I will explain in the following paragraphs. But first, a look into what The Black Donnellys is all about and why you should tune in……

The show was written by Oscar award winning writers Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco (Crash). The show was largely based on Bobby Moresco’s life growing up in Hell’s Kitchen. The Black Donnellys is narrated by Joey “Ice Cream” and follows four Irish brothers, Tommy, Kevin, Jimmy and Sean Donnelly who place family above all and find themselves catapulted into a life they never dreamed of. In the pilot episode, Tommy and Kevin do the unthinkable to save their brother Jimmy from himself and to keep him and the family out of harms way… and this is where it all begins. Throughout the season, we see the emotions erupt, motives unravel and suspicions revisited. The Black Donnellys offers drama, comedic relief, action, suspense, and most of all, a glimpse at what it means to be a family.

So now I will get to the reason The Black Donnellys was pulled from the air after the 5th episode and the continuing struggle for the fans to bring the Donnelly boys back for a second season.

NBC first aired The Black Donnellys on February 26, 2007 on Monday night at 10:00 p.m. EST and pulled in 6 million viewers. This was an amazing number of viewers considering NBC failed to market The Black Donnellys. The first and second episodes followed Heroes and was up against CSI Miami, an already well established and popular show. The third and fourth episodes aired after a primetime game show (Heroes was on hiatus), which is not a favorable lead-in for The Black Donnellys because of the demographics of that particular audience. Finally, the April 2nd show (5th episode) was aired in competition with the NCAA tournament. As NBC's first pick for the 2006-2007 fall season, NBC missed a great marketing opportunity and failed TBD from the start. The Black Donnellys was originally intended to air in the Thursday night timeslot, while ER was on hiatus in January. Instead TBD was pushed back to air in February on Monday nights, a night known as the most dreaded timeslot.

NBC took The Black Donnellys off the air after 5 episodes and placed the show on NBC.com and Itunes for our small screen viewing pleasure and then the fun started. The fans sent emails and letters and made phone calls pleading with NBC to let them know the future of The Black Donnellys. We wanted our show back on primetime! The fans received no response from NBC. Instead, NBC “forgot” to upload the episodes on the internet and began deleting threads pertaining to efforts to “save The Black Donnellys” without any warning. What is so upsetting about this is that many, many fans spent a lot of time placing information on the boards (i.e., media contact information, daily tasks, sample letters, etc), which were all erased without a moment’s thought after all of the work the fans had done. Now we not only have to recreate the wheel but we can’t even place a topic on the NBC boards directing fans to our campaign website without the thread being instantly deleted and our accounts getting suspended.

So, are the “firecrackers” backing down? Well, of course not! We've renewed our efforts to save The Black Donnellys. We are focusing our efforts on HBO (and if need be, other networks later on) since NBC appears to be doing everything it can to squash the Save The Black Donnellys campaign. Therefore, we've created our own website containing information about the Save The Black Donnellys campaign. You can find all of the information you need about the ongoing campaign efforts at http://savetheblackdonnellys.net/ . Our current campaign initiatives are focused on spreading the word about the campaign and sending shamrocks, quarters and crackers (for the "firecrackers") to HBO. To make things really easy, we've even included a "Donate" button on the campaign website so that you can contribute to the bulk shipment of crackers that we plan to send to HBO soon. In addition, each day we post a new "Daily Action Item" on the campaign site. These items are targeted at creating the most buzz about The Black Donnellys and letting HBO know how much we want a second season. Best of all, the daily action items take only 5-15 minutes to do so everyone can participate. We'll continue to discuss the campaign, new ideas, and our progress in the "Firecrackers" section at The Firecracker Lounge http://thefirecrackerlounge.com/firecracker/index.php#1. We need everyone to help with whatever they can. Please join us in the fight to bring back the Donnelly brothers for season 2. Thank you.