From: Jenny.Lerew%bbs@quake.sylmar.ca.us (Jenny Lerew)
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 92 22:04:51 PDT
Organization: Quake Public Access, San Fernando Valley, CA (818)362-6092
Subject: Attention All Fans
Distribution: world
Reply-To: Jenny.Lerew%bbs@quake.sylmar.ca.us (Jenny Lerew)
X-Posting-Software: UniBoard 1.10a S/N 210921

    
    
     OK, first let me say that I'm a professional in the animation 
business who's been following the posts here for some time with great
interest.  My reason for this is that I know John K. and his core 
group of artists, personally as well as professionally. After the
events of a few weeks ago, John and I were discussing the situation,
and I told him about the reaction of the guys on Usenet.  He was impressed
by the action a lot of you said you were taking on behalf of his show.
I also told him how, with each new development, rumors were flying 
re: the reasons for Nickelodeon's yanking R&S, the future of the series,
and whether or not he was going to have any involvement in it creatively.
     He asked me if I'd post something to clear up a few things. I'm going
to try to be as succinct as possible. First:

        Nickelodeon's claims of *having* to take the show away because
of missed deadlines and going over budget are false.  John had gotten 
the series ON TIME.  Nick has just put the show behind by their actions.
As has been mentioned before, they didn't have to show reruns so early
this season--they did it because they suddenly decided not to air the 
new episodes they had.  Furthermore, these episodes WERE EXACTLY THE SAME,
SHOT FOR SHOT, AS THE STORYBOARDS THEY'D APPROVED MONTHS AGO, so Spumco
WAS NOT pulling a fast one on Nick, as some have said.  I know, since I
saw the boards, *and* Nick's notes on those boards, and the finished show.
So why they got cold feet--who knows?

     As for the budget: When Nick took the show from John/Spumco, all
they got was Bob Camp and some drawings.  No equipment, no space,
and NO staff...as I write this Nick has opened a new, expensive office
for Bob Camp, they still need to buy everything to go in it, plus they
have a standing offer to Spumco's artists to "go over" and work ther
 for a big increase in salary.  Sound like they're worried about the
budget to you?  Incidentally, not one of the important artists that
drew/wrote Ren & Stimpy have taken them up on that offer.  These are
people who work in a currently tight market, who have house payments
and (some of them) kids to feed.  No sir, they won't do it.
     
      Some of the best work John & Co. has ever done might never be
seen, as Nick is NOW slicing and dicing away at the remaining shows,
in their various stages of completion.  John is not going to allow 
his name to go on these shows, so be warned.  When I heard that John
had been made a "consultant" on R&S, I asked him what that meant.
What it means, folks, is NOTHING.  It's PR on Nickelodeon's part,
to calm down all the angry fans they've been hearing from.  Unless
John has the creative control that got the series conceived in the 
first place, he won't involve himself.  Anything less would amount
 to WAY too much less.

    The question is: do you want to see the shows listed in FILM
THREAT the way they were intended to be seen, done by an artist
who has been killing himself to perfect them?  Or will you settle
for a vastly inferior version, as Nickelodeon thinks, plans and 
hopes smugly that you will?  

Bob Camp, to put it mildly, is out of his depth as the "head"
of production of Ren & Stimpy.  If he *does* somehow manage to eke
out the shows, the shows will suffer for it.  It's entirely
possible that when Nick sees disaster looming, they'll realize
their mistake and go back to the source for help.  
 
    If any of you think *that* would be a nice turn of events--
if you know that the reason this show exists is Spumco--John and
the rest of his loyal cartoonists--then let Nickolodeon know.
Don't be snowed by the company line.  Tell them you know the 
difference between the real thing and a corporate, plastic
 changeling they would put in its place, if they can get away with it.

BTW, the "inside dope" about John directing a Rescue Rangers movie
for Disney is pretty funny to John.  Where do these things come from?