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Remember the whole Jericho brouhaha from last week? Where I told fans to give up the fight and they came back loud and proud? This week it’s James Hibberd’s turn to take the fandom flack for his article “Moonlight is Dead, For Real This Time.”
The TV reporter was apparently bombarded with emails from angry fans annoyed with not only the content of his piece but also his condescending tone. He says, hey I was only joking, but the fans aren’t having anything but Hibberd’s head on a platter.
So tell me, my fine fannish friends, is there such a thing as being TOO vocal when it comes to your favorite TV show? And is passion an acceptable excuse for leaving comments full of foul language and insults? I’m here and I’m listening.
Photo: Cliff Lipson/CBS ©2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc.
1067 days ago
[...] Hollywood Reporter’s James Hibberd, a famous target of genre fans for his opinionated takes, won’t gain a lot of applause for his latest piece [...]
It truly makes no difference what’s so ever rather or not Mr.Hibberd was tying to sound like he ONLY making a “funny ” or not. As a writer ONCE you WRITE “CONDECENDING” “RUDE” material that you know full good in well is going to be read, by “MILLION’S’ of fan’s, then, really and truly as a writer, or journalist, you have then really and truly LOST ALL RESPECT, not only in yourself, but for your job in general. IT should NOT be up to Mr. Hibberd if we persue getting MOONLIGHT back on on. When you start TRASHING the folk’s who read your arcticles, that your MAGAZINE produces, that is like biting off the hand that feed’s you–NOT A A VERY SMART MOVE. IRREGARDLESS if it was only SUPPOSED to BE A JOKE–NOT FUNNY AT ALL.
1316 days ago
[...] Reporter senior writer James Hibberd (you’ll remember him from the Moonlight fiasco) said the THR mailroom got 1,050 pounds of nuts Monday. They’re now good on nuts through the [...]
“MOONLIGHT” is the only show that has taught me that I can be more than I am! I’ve been considering others and helping complete strangers.
“MOONLIGHT” has made me beleive that in the face of adversity we can all rise and answer the call to put others before our selves. This show makes me feel, anger, sadness, happiness, it is a rollercoaster ride that grabs you by the throat and does’nt let you go!!! I refuse to let “MOONLIGHT” die reguardless of what the networks say I will continue to fight for my show!!!! The story is not finished, and it needs to be!!!! Would you buy a book that is only half way written????? NO!!!!! “MOONLIGHT” deserves a second season, let’s make it happen NOW!!!!!!!!!
Let’s face facts, the networks are so enamored with the almighty dollar, that they do not even consider “the good of the viewer” anymore in their decisions. It is exclusively, what is good for the budget and the bottom line. They took us out of the equation long ago, taking our viewership for granted.
Personally, I feel used and abused by the networks. This past season, I never missed an episode of my Jericho, Moonlight and Cane. I was active posting on their bulletin boards to show my support. I gave my business to their sponsors. All three were cancelled!
I am gun shy about getting involved in new offerings because of what happened this season. Why throw good time after bad? It is obvious that network executivies don’t give a flying frack about me and my viewership.
I am boycotting CBS and hope that many others will do the same. Fewer viewers means CBS can charge less per ad spot, which in turn, means they earn less revenue. Hopefully, as revenues fall, so will the heads of executives who took us for granted. It is the only way to ever change the way networks take us for granted.
I used no foul language when I made my reply. Though I do not condone anyone using such language when replying to a post in regards to Moonlight, I will say I do understand the anger.
There are too many crime shows out there. There are too many reality shows and comedy shows. If we want jokes we have only to look at our paychecks in comparison to our rising utility bills and price of gasoline. If we want reality, all we have to do is look at the total of those same bills and how much money a lot of us DON’T have to pay them. If we want to see a crime show, we’ll watch the local news, or even national news for that matter, and there is all the crime we could ever want to hear about.
Then one day, CBS came out with Jericho, and at least the premise of the show was something that made us all think, to rally behind the human spirit in the face of adversity and cheer on the fight to re-establish the country we love. And it wasn’t just about that, but also the premise that if we, as Americans, as neighbors, as cities and towns, would pull together there is nothing we cannot do. So the fans of this great show loved it and CBS’s response was to cancel it. We screamed, roared and sent POUND after POUND of nuts and we get a harried second season followed by yet another cancellation. So then we were back to crime dramas, reality shows and comedy.
Then came Moonlight, and so we thought that maybe CBS would let this one be, and NOT cancel it. But to our great dismay, they did just that, stating that the Neilson ratings were too low to keep it in production. The Neilson rating system is outdated. There are over 8 million fans of Moonlight out here and CBS just ignored us in favor of yet more comedy and a couple of new dramas.
As I said when I replied to Mr. Hillberd’s post, we don’t want more comedy, we want to soar of the wings of the supernatural and let them take us to a world where vampires DO exist. We want to live every week for Mick and Beth, and their romance. We want to be taken away from reality for that hour each week and wonder what we would do if faced with the kind of choices that Beth was faced with. As I said here, if we want reality, we don’t need a show for that. Our current state of economic hardship is all the reality we need right now, and even that is too much. We need shows like Moonlight, Jericho and (I applaude CW for not cancelling this one) Supernatural.
The anger that these fans feel is from watching damn good show after damn good show being cancelled. Their anger, as well as mine, is from being made fun of and all but outright called ‘obsessed wierdos’.
We just want our show back. We want Moonlight back, on whatever network will have it, and believe me, all of the fans, myself included, will follow.
And yes. We want more ‘vomance’. Its sure beats the hell out of some dumb show about swingers.
We fans of Moonlight will get our show back. Whether it be a second season, movie, or miniseries.
Will Jericho and Moonlight fans go away. Your shows are canceled and done with
I actually read Hibberd’s column and thought some of it was funny. True, he didn’t report much of anything that hasn’t been known for a couple of months.
Probably had an editor telling him to write something about Moonlight because as we see, it gets the hits.
I think this whole thing has gotten a little blown out of Proportion.. And Nasty..
The Writer James Hibberd, should know If he works in this Media, That People are passionate where there favorite shows are concerned..
And the Snide Comments poking fun were not really called for…
That being said.. I can’t really blame him for not writing about the Save the Show Campaign.. Or looking at Us Moonlight fans, like just another group wanting to keep a show.. I remember another massive campaign to Save a Vampire Detective show.. A few Years ago..
ANGEL.. They also did great things.. A Blood Drive. And a Months Long Charity Campaign Set up at a LA Food Bank.. To name a couple..
Also, If you look around the Web.. Save My Show, Is Everywhere!
Save “BloodTies”.. Save “Jericho”.. Save “The 4400″, Save “The Dead Zone”.. And there still Trying to Save “The Dresden Files”.
As much as I’d love to see this Show continue,
Slamming Journalists who report Bad New’s
And Claiming to refuse to “Believe” Them is a little Childish! After all.. Do you Think they even Care if we believe them???
People camp on lines for days for tickets to concerts. As someone mentioned – football fans paint themselves up and sit half-naked in the snow to show their support. Buffet fans wear Hawaiian shirts and parrot hats.
But Moonlight fans are “crazy”? The definition of crazy seems to be getting skewed.
I know many of the people involved in this fight – not ‘I know them from the websites’, but I have actually spent a great deal of face time with them – and I hate to burst anyone’s bubble…..we’re not crazy.
Mr. Hibberd’s diatribe was old news delivered in a seriously rude and condescending way. I don’t care who you are – that’s not right. Some people lost their temper and let the potty-mouth fly. It happens – we all have our breaking point. That doesn’t make it right, it just explains the situation.
The people who are fighting for Moonlight are generally just disgusted with the current state of network television, and are really tired of having ignorant reality television and mindless procedurals crammed down their throats.
I just have this to say – It’s my time, my money, and my right to continue to fight for what I believe in. No condescending writer is going to convince me otherwise.
It’s the climate this country is in. Bush has swindled the public for years and now that oil companies are breaking records for pure profit as we pay more and more for gas, the public has decided it can no longer sit by and allow the world to pass by us. It’s time to start dumping the tea off the ship!
As far as Hibberd is concern, karma is after all based on cause and effect. If you become someone’s whipping boy, you pay the price. His latest column contained news that was over a month old and of little value. Sure, sets were taken down, but anyone in Hollywood knows exactly how fast they can be put up again.
If one were to take in all the facts, a conclusion could be drawn that Hibberd was put up to the article by someone unnerved at the interaction between DirecTV and the fans. That would be the best time to strike, wouldn’t it? When the fans start getting some traction?
La Tassler’s had quite a year. Jericho fans gave her a hard time and she figured she’d use all the free publicity they gave her for a few episodes. With the writer’s strike looming, having those extra scripts could come in handy. All she’d have to do is make sure no one could figure out when the Jericho Second Season episodes were going to air and she’d have a legitimate reason to close them down.
Certainly the fans would have to back down if she proved to them it was a bad idea? Jericho fans weren’t buying into it though. They stayed strong and united, even paying for a billboard ad announcing they refused to be swept under the carpet. Even funnier, the billboard they put it on was owned by CBS.
The promos for the last ads for “Moonlight” claimed we would all miss them when they were gone. Perhaps a little childish, but I guess someone was feeling their oats. Too bad it backfired on them. Again, that whole Boston Tea party thing.
Having DirecTV take “Moonlight” fans seriously, certainly couldn’t have been in the master plan. It may have been the last straw, especially since the ratings for the show Tassler put on the air for her parents (who wrote the book “Swingtown”) has been steadily tanking more and more each week.
Until Joel Silver tells us specifically (because there are legitimate contacts already established) to stop the fight, we’re going to keep going. My matriarchal ancestors walked across the plains and mountains to take the Oregon Trail west. Working to find a new home for the show we love is a walk in the park compared to that. The Hollywood head games have no place in our lives.
Yes, well said Joliebat!
Not a rabid fan here either, just someone who likes good quality Tv and Moonlight delivered big time. But it seems the networks don’t want to give us anything but game shows, survival contests, and other lame “reality” junk.
For me Moonlight was the last straw. Finally a great show that I thought was a shoe in for 2nd season, but no again!
I won’t even bother watching anything on network again, nothing worthwhile stays long enough to matter. And the “reality” junk doesn’t interest me.
I wonder why the networks even bother putting shows like Moonlight and Jericho on in the first place, it seems they have a plan from the start to cancel after 1 season no matter how many people watch. It doesn’t make sense.
Well said Joliebat, well said my friend.
I wanted to add my two cents in here. People feel very strongly about Moonlight, and I am one of them. When this reporter did what he did, it just rubbed us the wrong way. There is such thing as freedom of press, but also there is such thing as respect. He was very disrespectful. What kind of response did he think he was going to get? I agree that profanity and rudeness is not a way to go, but if he knew about the blood, sweat, and tears that is going into trying to save this show, I would hope he would have had a much nicer tone when writing the article. Everybody is putting in so much effort that they just want to be counted and heard. Not called lunatic or rabid or whatever else we are being referred to as. We are all from various backgrounds, religions, professions, ages, and countries. All we ask for is the chance to fight for one of the most wonderful shows without having someone coming along and trying to discourage us. We may or may not get our beloved Moonlight back, but to everyone out there who is telling us to just “let it go”, I ask with the utmost respect, please give us a fair chance to try.
There is NEVER an excuse for foul language or personal attacks — even on a flippant journalist who is trying to be funny at others expense. But people deserve to be heard about something that means so much to them.
I posted the following as a reply to Hibberd’s snippy column. Yet the comment that appeared just below mine is yet another personal attack on the passion of Moonlight fans. What sorts of creeps continually attack those who show passionate devotion? Why even bother reading about topics in which they have no interest? Can’t we all just get along?
To James Hibberd from Joliebat:
Sorry, Mr. Hibberd. “Moonlight” is NOT just TV!
It is a look deep into the mythical ethos of the Hero with a Thousand Faces. It is one of the most literate, sophisticated shows ever to appear on television. It has changed lives, brought people together over disparate continents and served many charities and worthy causes. Did your poker show do that? I think not.
Until you can quote and NAME real sources with ties to the show, your scurrilous little Deep Throats will not be believed. You seem to have a slight sense of the importance of Moonlight to its millions of fans. So why would you treat the supposed death of the show as something humorous? Is it worth wounding those fans just to get in a bit of sniggering “insider” information so you’ll look like a smart reporter?
We still don’t believe you, but if we DO get the final word of Moonlight’s demise from someone in real authority I would think you, as an entertainment writer, would be deeply sympathetic to the loss of something so valuable. I look forward to your interesting follow-up column announcing Moonlight has been picked up for additional seasons.
Posted by: Joliebat | June 24, 2008 at 12:46 PM
Also as entertainment journalists we have to toe the line between being too fannish and calling it like we see it.
Cyn and I both instinctively cheer for sci fi shows, but we have to point out the flaws and weakness as well. After all, there are 100′s of other sites posting news. I think you all come here for an “honest take” which means we won’t always agree.
I wanted Flash Gordon and Bionic Woman to be good, they weren’t. I would have liked Knight Rider to be better, but I realize it’s all about the car.
I would love it if Jericho and Moonlight fans get what they want. I think some network (regular or cable) should make it a point to have a “rescue team” in place for shows like this. I suspect the positive PR they’d get would go a long way towards offsetting the cost. But then, this may be why I don’t have my own network.
I really don’t get the recent condescension of Moonlight fans by some bloggers. Really, are we not allowed to fight for our show? Jericho fans are praised, and their show was cancelled twice.(I’m not bashing Jericho Rangers, they are an inspiration). Could it be that Jericho fans are predominately male and Moonlight’s are predominately female? I sense some underlying sexism in the different ways we are portrayed (dedicated vs rabid) though I doubt they will admit it. Seriously, insulting me only makes me want to fight harder.
See, now I made my point ! See how it feels to
be judged, that’s the point I am trying to get across ! Moonlight fans are not Rabid Based Fans,
I am a subsitute teacher who works hard trying to give our children a decent education. I just am tired of the Big Networks putting on quality
shows, get you interested, them wham, they
cancel it ! After they promised a second season,
and get our hopes up, is that fair ! Mad, sure,
wouldn’t you be !!!!!! People need a variety of
tv shows, not the same stuff over and over !!!!!
I agree that no matter what someone says insults and profanity should not be used. But it is hard when people are insulting to you. Despite the fact that Moonlight fans have always tried to incorporate worthwhile goals into our campaign we get belittled and labeled as nothing more than overwrought women with no common sense. As a well-educated, fairly mature 23 year old woman I find that offensive. And while I don’t agree with some of the comments people have made I can’t fault them because I’ve come close to saying some of the same things.