Showing posts with label firecrackers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label firecrackers. Show all posts
Sunday, July 8, 2007
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!
Saturday, July 7, 2007
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!
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!
Friday, July 6, 2007
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.
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 5th only one day after the press release http://www.savetheblackdonnelly
Read the full article here: http://latimesblogs.latimes
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
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